Buzzed about Brighton quartet, congratulations have just announced the release of Slap, a new 4-track EP, out on 11th October via Bella Union. Slap is the eclectic band’s second EP and the follow-up to last year’s release; ‘Woo Hoo.’ To celebrate the announcement, they have shared the EP’s euphoric lead track ‘Ice Tea;’ a stylish, incendiary slice of groove-heavy, fuzz pop.
Listen here:
Bursting onto the scene with a kinetic new sound, congratulations have quickly garnered a reputation for their raw energy, tight instrumentation and electrifying live performances. With punchy melodies and infectious hooks, congratulations deliver a mix of anthemic and experimental sounds fusing art-rock, garage, synth-pop and post-punk. The band’s lyrics explore themes of modern life, love, and self-discovery, delivered with a compelling honesty and emotion. congratulations’ fresh take on familiar sounds has earned them critical acclaim and a devoted and rapidly-growing fanbase, positioning them as one of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming acts.
Commenting on the EP’s lead single ‘Ice Tea‘ Jamie Chellar from the band says: “In those strange dark days where we’d have to queue to go shopping at Tesco, I would ritualistically listen to ‘Icky Thump’ by The White Stripes every time I went, and those guitar sounds were a huge influence on this song in the chorus. This took a while to get right in the studio as we got very specific with how the rhythms of the core instruments in the chorus danced around each other, and we played around with adding new synth textures and percussion layers. It was super worth it in the end as it’s our new favourite song to play live”.
Additionally, congratulations have announced a number of live dates for September and October including support shows with their Bella Union labelmates Pom Poko, a London show with The Wytches, festival appearances, and a headline show in Brighton. All dates are listed below:
SEPTEMBER
26th: Brighton – Beach House filmed session
OCTOBER
5th: Portsmouth – Night Currents festival
10th: London – Shacklewell Arms *with The Wytches
11th: Manchester – Beyond The Music festival
14th: Glasgow – Mono *with Pom Poko
15th: Newcastle – Cluny *with Pom Poko
16th :York – The Crescent *with Pom Poko
18th: Sheffield – Sidney & Matilda *with Pom Poko
20th: Ipswich – St Stephen’s Church *with Pom Poko
23rd: Brighton – Dust *headline show
(photo credit: Bridie Cummings)
