Bristol art-rock trio Beak>, who feature Portishead's Geoff Barrow, have surprised fans by surprise releasing their fourth album, >>>>, today, through Invada and Temporary Residence Ltd.
It's the band's first new album for six years following on from 2018's >>>.
"At its core we always wanted it to be head music (music for the ‘heads’, not headphone music), listened to as an album, not as individual songs," the band explain. "This is why we are releasing this album with no singles or promo tracks.
"The recording and writing initially began in a house called Pen Y Bryn in Talsarnau, Wales in the fall out from the weirdness of the Covid days. Remote and with only ourselves and the view of Portmeirion in the distance we got to work."
"With the opening track, Strawberry Line (our tribute to our dear furry friend Alfie Barrow, who appears on the album's cover) as the metronomic guide for the album, we then resumed recording, as before, at Invada studios in Bristol, whilst still touring around Europe and North/South America."
"After playing hundreds of gigs and festivals over the years we felt that touring had started to influence our writing to the point we weren’t sure who we were anymore. So we decided to go back to the origins of where we were at on our first album. With zero expectations and just playing together in a room."
The band have also announced live tour dates for Europe and the UK for October, November and December. You can view all the dates and ticket details below. Tickets go on sale on Thursday 30 May.
BEAK>: >>>>
1. Strwberry Line
2. The Seal
3. Windmill Hill
4. Denim
5, Hungry Are We
6. Ah Yeh
7. Blood Miles
8. Secrets *
9. Cellhpone
*not on vinyl but inc. in LP download
Beak> Europe and UK tour dates
Oct 30: UK Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
Nov 1: UK London The O2 Forum Kentish Town
Nov 2: UK Brighton Concorde 2
Nov 6: UK Manchester New Century Hall
Nov 7: UK Glasgow Saint Luke's
Nov 8: UK Leeds Brudenell Social Club
Nov 11: FRA Lorient L'Hydrophone
Nov 13: FRA Paris Élysée Montmartre
Nov 15: FRA Lyon L'Epicerie Moderne
Nov 16: FRA Nantes Le Lieu Unique
Nov 17: FRA Tourcoing Le Grand Mix
Nov 19: BEL Brussels Orangerie, Botanique
Nov 20: NED Amsterdam Melkweg - Oude Zaal
Nov 21: NED Nijmegen Doornroosje
Nov 23: SWI Winterthur Salzhaus
Nov 25: GER Munich Hansa 39
Nov 27: GER Berlin Gretchen
Nov 29: DEN Copenhagen Pumpehuset
Dec 12: IRE Dublin The Button Factory
Dec 14: UK Bristol SWX
