Today’s news from Dublin rock quintet Silverbacks is especially welcome on the heels of their early-September single “Wear My Medals,” which Paste praised as one of the best songs of its release week. The band have announced their second album, Archive Material, coming Jan. 21, 2022, via their new label Full Time Hobby, and shared the video for its title track.
Our latest preview of Silverbacks’ Fad follow-up is playful and idiosyncratic art-rock, deliberately bucking expectation where “Wear My Medals” went for the throat. Gary Wickham’s rollicking drumbeat and Emma Hanlon’s tightly focused bass line propel the track forward as vocalist and guitarist Daniel O’Kelly delivers ominous lines like “I saw death in a necktie,” singing in both English and French. Daniel’s brother Kilian O’Kelly and Peadar Kearney are more thoughtful with their guitars, lingering around the edges of the song and helping it in and out of its surprising pitstops. Jammy riffs and group vocals bring the track to a satisfying conclusion, as if to remind listeners that Silverbacks are always in control as a unit, even at their most whimsical.
Daniel O’Kelly says of the track in a statement:
The initial demo version started from a drum sample taken from the opening of Jean-Pierre Massiera’s “Bonne Annee.” When we fleshed it out as a full band and Gary gave the track his usual kick up the arse, the song went full Les Baxter exotica mode.
When writing the lyrics, I imagined a bunch of government officials in the deep underground of their building digging into archives. As the night continues, they get unusually aroused by the access they have to top secret information that the common folk never see.
Silverbacks took a page out of Christopher Nolan’s book and shot their “Archive Material” video in Dunkirk. As for their forthcoming album of the same name, they recorded at Dublin’s Sonic Studios in November 2020, reuniting with Fad producer Daniel Fox, and drawing on such influences as Tom Verlaine (Television), Neil Young, Weyes Blood, and Myths 004 collaborators Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) and Cate Le Bon.
Below, check out the “Archive Material” video, the details of Archive Material and Silverbacks’ tour dates. You can preorder their album here.
Archive Material Tracklist:
01. Archive Material
02. A Job Worth Something
03. Wear My Medals
04. They Were Never Our People
05. Rolodex City
06. Different Kind of Holiday
07. Carshade
08. Central Tones
09. Recycle Culture
10. Econymo
11. Nothing To Write Home About
12. I’m Wild
Archive Material Album Art:
Silverbacks Tour Dates:
September
04 – Manchester, UK @ Psych Festival
October
21 – Limerick, IE @ Kasbah Social Club
22 – Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social
24 – Birmingham, UK @ The Hare & Hounds
25 – Glasgow, UK @ Hug & Pint
27 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
28 – London, UK @ The Victoria
29 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers
30 – Bristol, UK @ The Crofters Rights
November
17 – Sligo, IE @ Spilt Milk Festival
