| Rat Scabies, the famed drummer and founding member of The Damned, and Chris Constantinou, bass player and vocalist who has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O’Connor, The Wolfmen and others, are releasing their debut album as One Thousand Motels on vinyl for the first time. ‘2% Out of Sync’, which received rave reviews on its original digital release, is now a limited pressing of 300 units on beautiful trans smoke green vinyl through FOAD Musick, with distribution through Cadiz Music and Plastic Head; digital distribution and sync representation handled by Cherry Red Records. The record is released on 17 April 2026. And there’s a twist. Fifteen gold vinyl test pressings, signed by both Rat and Chris, have been randomly tucked into presale orders. You won’t know you’ve got one until you open it. This is not the first time these two creative forces have united their musical powers. They were both heavily involved with the punk rock supergroup The Mutants, which featured members of UK Subs, The Specials, Vice Squad, The MC5 and Stiff Little Fingers. After recording three albums as The Mutants between 2014-2016, including sessions at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree with members of The Dandy Warhols and Eagles of Death Metal, Rat and Chris stripped things back to just the two of them. While in New York making another album, Rat and Chris found themselves with some downtime. Chris explained, “We had finished the album and the bars were shut. I had a bunch of demos lying around which were just waiting for the right collaborator.” As soon as he heard the tunes, Rat was onboard and instinctively got on with it, and within a few days they had the bones of the album that would become ‘2% Out of Sync’. . “Chris writes from the heart and shares his ups and downs, which are often butt-clenchingly awkward,” Rat explained. “He writes about his loves, losses and good times, which often play out like a Jacques Brel movie (if there were such a thing).” Chris responded with a simple, “My songs are about my experiences, what else have I got to write about?” They finished laying down the drum tracks in Glastonbury at Orchard Studios while Chris overdubbed in a shed in his back garden. “There were times,” whines Rat, “when we’d blown all our money and it felt like it was time to call it quits, but I’d listen to the rough mixes and felt it would be a dreadful waste not to finish this record – the tunes are just too good.” The recordings were mixed by Nicholas De Carlo at his Mash Studios in Ramsgate, Kent. “We were totally over the moon with the way Nick De Carlo made us sound,” said Chris. “He brought an organic feel to the mixes and created a sound that is both proficient and natural and which crucially leaves my melodies alone.” “Yeah, for sure,” added Rat. “NDC gave it some bollocks.” Five years on, the album is finally getting the physical release it deserves. The vinyl has been mastered from the original lacquer cut, and both Rat and Chris approved the test pressing together. Their second album “Get In Where You Fit In” (2021, Universal Music) expanded the sound dramatically, bringing in vocalist Sean Wheeler alongside Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), the Memphis Horns, The Specials’ Horns and Preston Heyman (Kate Bush). A third album is currently in production with Brandon Eggleston (Dandy Warhols), with new singles and further vinyl releases to follow. When asked about the choice of name for the project, Rat summed it up best: “We’re too old and battle worn to be making career moves, so we wanted a name that immediately summarised where we’ve come from, but not necessarily where we’re going.” |
| TRACKLIST Side 1: Beautiful Losers / Definition / Gone / Rain / Kings X Guru Side 2: Andy’s Wonder World / Kill Me If You Love Me / 2% Out / I Like Sex In The Suburbs / Gerry’s Ashes |
