Evocative UK post-punk quartet NAUT have unveiled their haunting new single ‘Unity of Opposites’, taken from their recently-announced debut album Hunt, to be released 24th February via Season of Mist.
Experience ‘Unity of Opposites’ here: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/Naut
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/RO8GaAQbo4w
Fashioned in the depths of lockdown, ‘Unity of Opposites’ is the first glimpse of the stunningly dark, poetically beautiful Hunt.
The band comment: “At last! It has been a long time coming but finally we can reveal the first single from our debut album. We feel that ‘Unity of Opposites’ best sums up our sound and the approach we have taken with Hunt: dancefloor hits mixed with our blend of knife-edge rock and post-punk. It was inspired by the writings of Heraclitus and how this still relates to our current world as a seemingly universal truth, the pendulum swings back and forth, to the same place but it’s never the same motion. To top it off, Chris ‘Stig’ Miller from legendary UK band Amebix lends his talents to a short spoken word section in the song, and it was wonderful to have him do so.”
NAUT are a four-piece drum machine rock band from Bristol, whose shared love of classic rock and metal, alongside reverence for the post-punk pioneers of the late 70s and early 80s, makes itself known from the start. Triumphant synths and scything guitars entwine with danceable beats, while driving bass-lines, moving to pounding drums, create a dynamic and shifting rhythm section. The tracks pulse with a raw post-punk energy but always remain danceable and (perhaps most dangerously) catchy. The lyrics touch on mental paralysis, impending doom and divided peoples, and with the path our world is currently on they have become more relevant than ever.
Starting out as an evening sharing riffs in a flat in Bristol, the first tracks for NAUT had their genesis in 2016. Those first riffs, written by Gavin (vocals) & Jack (guitars) grew to become something much more compelling and after that initial moment, the idea of a band was born.
It all rapidly fell into place. NAUT‘s first show was in September 2017 followed by two shows supporting Grave Pleasures before the year was out, and they entered the studio the following November. Raise the Lights – their debut EP was recorded at RS Studios in Bristol by Jamie Elton (Moss, Amulet, Spite) and was mastered by Orgone Studios (Ulver, Grave Pleasures, Ghost). The intention was to break out into the world and NAUT did just that, with coverage in Kerrang! Magazine as well as a host of smaller blogs, publications and radio.
NAUT‘s Semele EP was released in November 2019 and was well-received, from UK press and beyond; the band also supported post-punk legends Pink Turns Blue, Discharge,and Orange Goblin and played the warm-up show for Incineration Festival in London alongside Idle Hands.
The end of 2019 also saw a change in NAUT‘s format, with the departure of their drummer. NAUT had started life as a drum machine project before the addition of Kenny Selway for the debut EP, and after a string of changes, the obvious choice was to return to that format. This opened up new avenues for musical exploration, on and off stage.
With the spectre of a global pandemic looming large, in March 2020 NAUT played their last live appearance of that year in a sold out St Pancras Old Church in London with King Dude.
With that the world of live music went silent.
However NAUT remained active below the surface: ‘Threads’ and ‘Hand in Hand’ were released as a double A side 7″ in June 2020. With this release NAUT further gained the attention of fans from across the spectrum of dark music – the band featuring in Kerrang!‘s Rock Chart and a number of other high profile goth and post-punk playlists.
Not content with releasing these new songs, NAUT began work on their debut album and struck a partnership with Doomstar booking agency, ready for the return of live music.
Now NAUT are excited to have signed with Season of Mist for the release of their debut album, Hunt. The label has come to represent all shades of musical darkness and feels like a strong pairing for NAUT, as although the band are less extreme in their musical approach, dark music in all its facets underlies all that they do.
Line-up:
Gavin Laubscher: Vocals, drum programming
Jack Welch: Guitar
Andi Effe: Bass
Laura Taylor: Synths/keys
For more information:
www.facebook.com/NAUTUK
www.instagram.com/nautuk
www.nautuk.bandcamp.com
www.youtube.com/channel/UCIGxNAUNsmSZ01FiVS1R33w
