Today, Lancaster’s rock ruffians Massive Wagons announce their seventh studio album “Earth to Grace”, accompanied by hot new single and video for “Missing on TV”. All fired up, the eternally hard-working band use “Missing on TV” to call out government’s endless exploitation of the common man, via a hefty, no nonsense slab of arena-filling drums, a lighter-waving chorus layered with gilded vocals, and a veritable feast of meaty guitar riffs.
Frontman Barry “Baz” Mills states: “The song’s about the government, all sides just milking the rest of us to fund their lifestyle. They have zero shame, zero accountability, and zero remorse about stamping all over the common man. We are washed away out to sea, missing on TV. It’s an age-old message, but more relevant now than in a long, long time”.
Having newly teamed up with producer Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six, Architects, Don Broco) for “Earth to Grace”, “Missing on TV” is the proof in the pudding for the band on why it was the right manoeuvre to take.
Mills continues: “This track is in all of our Top 3 album songs – the chorus is huge! It was a real pleasure working on this in detail with Matt – everyone put in a shift and made this one a Wagons classic”.
The official video was shot with Shaun Hodson of Loki Films (Volbeat, Sleep Token) at Sitcom Soldiers Studios. Watch the video below.
Hotly anticipated after their previous album “Triggered!” – which reached their record high of #6 in the UK Top 40 Album chart – “Earth to Grace” brings the anthemic muscle and punked-up gusto that Massive Wagons have made their name with, while adding a pinch of stardust that shoots the band into the stratosphere as master songcrafters.
“Earth to Grace” is the stalwart offering of a band who have always stayed true to their roots, whilst exploring all their wide influences have to offer them creatively – be it music, TV, film, or the world they exist in. “Earth to Grace” found diverse inspiration in the sad passing of Sinéad O’Connor, the unsettling movie Sound Of Freedom, the “brutal” TikTok algorithm, and themes to 80s TV shows like Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors and Cities Of Gold.
Mills admits: “People ask after every album is written and recorded, ‘is this your best one yet?’. It’s a question I don’t like answering to be honest, I can’t speak for the listener. All I can say, and it’s the honest truth, is that we could not be happier with what we’ve created. We took a brave step to work with a new producer, but Matt was someone we felt brought a completely fresh production style to the table”.
He continues: “I believe we have some of our best music to date on ‘Earth to Grace’, we are super proud of this album. Matt’s input on melodies and arrangement was truly invaluable, and Adam’s songwriting has just vanished off the scale, I think. Everyone in the band really knuckled down writing these songs and I genuinely think it shows”.
“Earth to Grace” smacks the bullseye every time when it comes to Wagons’ ability to create memorable anthems. From the gleaming slow dancer “Night Skies”, to the match-striking dynamism of “The Good Die Young” (featuring Hundred Reasons’ vocalist Colin Doran) and the landsliding force of Adam ‘Bowzer’ Bouskill’s bass and Alex Thistlethwaite’s drumming on album opener “Sleep Forever”, every track is a head-turner in its own right. The album also sees the welcome return of the direct sincerity of Mills’ lyricism, as well as Adam Thistlethwaite and Stevie Holl’s twin guitars, which, entwine to create a hulking double helix of guitar brawn.
“Earth to Grace” is out on November 8th, 2024, and is available to pre-order now on coloured vinyl, black vinyl, signed bonus edition CD and more, here.
Tracklist:
1. Sleep Forever
2. Missing on TV
3. Free and Easy
4. Night Skies
5. The Good Die Young
6. All We Got
7. Cool Like a Fox
8. Fun While It Lasted
9. Whatever Makes You Happy
10. Underdog
11. Rabbit Hole
Bonus tracks on special edition:
1. Punk At Heart
2. OCD
Bonus tracks on indie store exclusive edition:
1. Needles and Hay
2. Free and Easy (Cowboy Version)
These British rock gems enter their fifteenth year as a band with more fire behind them than ever, having newly announced a 9-date headline tour for November across the UK and Ireland with special guests Florence Black. Kicking off at Nottingham’s Rock City on 22nd November and finishing at Belfast’s Limelight 2 on 7th December, the tour will see them headline their biggest venues to date and will follow a run in Europe with Kissin’ Dynamite in October.
Mills comments: “We will be taking the new album out on tour to new, bigger venues. We have made the leap to some absolutely iconic venues around the UK and it will be a really proud moment for us to step out on these stages as headliners. This tour is 15 years in the making – we’re playing venues like Rock City, Manchester Ritz and Shepherd’s Bush Empire, to name three. Our first ever show was Carnforth Railway club (10 songs played twice!) and now we are in venues that have seen the greats come and go. It really is a testament to hard work and the rock fans in the UK, we really wouldn’t be doing this without you. See you in November”!
UK & Ireland Tour Dates 2024:
22 Nov – Rock City, Nottingham
23 Nov – SWX, Bristol
24 Nov – Engine Rooms, Southampton
26 Nov – O2 Institute, Birmingham
27 Nov – SWG3, Glasgow
29 Nov – O2 Ritz, Manchester
30 Nov – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
6 Dec – Grand Social, Dublin
7 Dec – Limelight 2, Belfast
As special guests to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Status Quo on arena stages, The Wildhearts in clubs, plus The Darkness and Thunder in theatre halls, Massive Wagons have conquered them all, cementing them as one of Europe’s hardest working, hardest rocking bands in the process. With a monster festival season lined up this summer prior to their aforementioned tours, featuring dates at Wacken Open Air, Alcatraz Festival, Maid In Stone, and Barcelona Rock Festival to name just some, Massive Wagons’ hard earnt blood-sweat-and-tears reputation continues across the live realm.
The band also proudly headlined the tribute concert in memory of the adored late Dave Myers (of Hairy Bikers), which took place at Barrow Raiders’ Craven Park stadium on 8th June.
To see all dates and get tickets, here.
Weblinks:
www.massivewagons.com
www.facebook.com/MassiveWagons
