2024 was a breakthrough year for London-based rock outfit The Howlers. Their self-funded, self-released full-length debut, What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All received widespread acclaim across Europe. The album exploded into the UK Independent Breakers Charts Top 10 while landing on several other independent, vinyl and physical sales charts. And adding to a growing profile, What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All received airplay from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X and Absolute Radio as well as editorial playlisting internationally across Apple Music and Spotify.
The momentum and buzz surrounding the band translated to the stage. A sold-out 18-date UK headlining tour saw the band quickly establishing themselves as one of the country’s newest, most exciting live acts. This was followed by a European Union tour that featured sold-out shows across eight countries, while they road-tested material that would ultimately shape what came next.
As the year came to a close, the band went through a massive lineup shakeup, which led to the band continuing as a duo featuring Adam Young (vocals, guitar) and Toby Richards (drums). The lineup change was a shift that redefined the band’s sound and creative direction, while bringing a renewed sense of focus and identity.
Last year, as a duo, the London-based outfit released two singles “Night Crawling” and “You Can Be So Cruel” before signing with FLG, who will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Heavy. Written and produced alongside longtime collaborator, Black Honey‘s Chris Ostler, The Howlers’ sophomore album sees the band deliberately eschewing traditional studio methods. The album was written and recorded remotely — with demos, ideas and reworked arrangements sent back and forth across digital platforms — stripping everything back while pushing each song to its strongest form. Only in the album’s final stages did the duo enter rehearsal spaces to capture live drums, grounding the material’s experimental edges with raw, physical energy,
“This album is those late night experiences, the after dark conversations, late night phone calls, the seductive nature of impulsiveness that seems so alluring and losing yourself in the addictive nature of recklessness — but it’s also the mirror in the morning, the wake up call, and the harsh reality of knowing those feelings won’t always last,” The Howlers’ Adam Young says. “It’s the moment you find yourself again.”
Heavy‘s latest single “Viper” is a swaggering, arena rock friendly ripper, featuring a pulsing and slithering riff and driving rhythms paired with songwriting anchored in inputs, tension, unease, desire and consequence. The song’s narrator talks about being drawn to something or someone, knowing it’s bad for you — and doing it anyway.
“Viper speaks to an experience of being totally drawn towards someone even though you can see the red flags — the desire for all of us to willingly make bad decisions for the thrill of what comes next, regardless of consequences.” says Young “You’re lost in the moment together. But no matter how much you kid yourself into believing the Bonnie & Clyde fantasy, they will always cause you pain in the end.”
The accompanying video features some sleek, stylishly shot footage of the band performing the song in the studio — as though they were in an arena.