After an almost eight-year absence, London noisemongers Part Chimp are releasing their fourth album IV on April 14. Ahead of their return, Metal Hammer is exclusively streaming their new song MapoLeon, for all you fans of fuzzy sludge. Taking cues from the likes of Melvins and Torche, it’s gloriously lo-fi and packing some serious murky groove.
To talk about the song itself and what’s exactly going on in Part Chimp, we caught up with frontman Tim Cedars for a quick chat.
What is the story behind MapoLeon?
“It’s about a driving holiday through the narrow lanes and blood vessels of the body of our friend Leon. Getting lost on the way, wrong turns, fights, and ultimately having a minor accident. No one died and no one got sued.”
Why have you been so quiet for the past eight years?
“It’s so hard getting this band to do anything. I was trying to organise a practice and we kept having to cancel it and move it, and then people moved out of the country. Eventually we forgot all the songs and that we were a band any more so I gave up and told everyone we were on a break. Then five years later Joe (McLaughlin, bass) turns up out of the blue and says ‘Are we practicing tonight?’ and we started again.”
For people who might not know your band, how would you describe yourselves?
“A man-child crying out for love. A sexually depraved miscreant who is seeking only to gratify its basest and most immediate urges. It’s struggle is humanity’s struggle. It lifts your spirit. It is a loathsome, offensive brute, yet you can’t look away. It transcends time and space. It sickens you. You love it.”
What attracted you to the noisier, sludgier end of music?
“I realised a long time ago that I couldn’t play like my idols, and I also realised that that wasn’t stopping people making mind-blowing music. Making music without the shackles of musical correctness or virtuosity sounded more brutal, real and exciting. It opened up a whole world of noise, sludge and really loud bands.”
What can fans and non-fans expect from your upcoming album?
“A rich collection of heartfelt, nonsensical yet thought-provoking songs. A bittersweet journey through a dog’s mind, inhabited by mythical dream-eating slugs, and mysterious journeys through the bodies of unusual and unmapped beings. Sad songs, drinking songs, songs about sad, drinking gods fallen on hard times.”
What is the story behind the album art?
“I found it in my friend’s bin. I thought it was pretty nice looking, scanned it and Photoshopped it up a bit and Bob’s your uncle. No idea what it is. She didn’t know either. Looks pretty cool, though.”
IV is released on April 14, via Rock Action.
In support of the album, Part Chimp are touring at the following dates:
13 Apr: Portland Arms, Cambridge, UK
14 Apr: Wharf Chambers, Leeds, UK
15 Apr Stereo, Glasgow, UK
16 Apr: Fat Out Festival, Salford, UK
20 Apr: Green Door Store, Brighton, UK
21 Apr: Exchange, Bristol, UK
22 Apr: Wrong Festival, Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool, UK
28 Apr: 100 Club, London, UK
24 May: Het Bos, Antwerpen, BE
26 May: L’Usine, Geneva, CH
