Troubling modern ills within society and within human nature itself pulse through the first new music of 2024 from The Slow Readers Club as they announce the release of their upcoming album with new single, Technofear – OUT NOW. Embracing disquiet as creative nutrition, the equally uplifting and intense indie noir outfit will release their seventh album, Out Of A Dream on Fri 14 March 2025, following a run of largely SOLD-OUT UK & Ireland Tour dates at the tail end of this year.
Technofear arrives as a bold statement of intent and remains true to The Slow Readers Club’s knack of producing immoveable earworms, incisively targeting listeners on multiple fronts. Lyrically, the song is constructed of line-by-line observations familiar to many, of the technological wave washing over in an oxygen-starving tsunami. Sonically, the progression builds on the firm ground of past album successes, seeking a modernised take on floor-filling, main stage-ready guitar music to open doors of escape and abandon.
Giving fans the first cut of music from their follow up to 2023’s Knowledge Freedom Power, which gave the band their fourth Top 40 Official UK Album Chart position, Technofear affects a pulse-quickening expression of red-eyed frustration over the pervasive influences of social media, preying on society’s ever-present inequalities.
Frontman, Aaron Starkie, says of the single: “A song about trying to maintain a solid sense of reality in the face in a world where most of our lives are lived online. Social media is a bewildering landscape where truths, half-truths, and outright falsehoods mingle in a dizzying swirl of information. On one hand, it provides unprecedented access to knowledge and perspectives from around the world; on the other, it amplifies conspiracy theories and misinformation, allowing them to spread with alarming speed.
“The lines between fact and fiction become blurred as echo chambers reinforce people’s beliefs, whether grounded in reality or not. Algorithms, designed to maximize engagement, often prioritize sensationalism over accuracy, making it difficult to distinguish between credible sources and deceptive narratives. In this chaotic environment, the quest for truth becomes more elusive, as certainty gives way to doubt and confusion, leaving us questioning what’s real.”
Technofear and the tracks which will follow on Out Of A Dream have been produced by Joe Cross (Courteeners, Hurts) in committed recording sessions in Manchester city centre’s former, mill chimney-punctuated industrial heartlands. The album is set for release on vinyl, CD and digital formats, with exclusive fan-only bundles incorporating merchandise and album launch events.
Now complete and freed from the studio, The Slow Readers Club head out on tour across the UK and Ireland and into Europe, territories long finding mutual embrace between audience and band following the breakthrough successes of the band’s 2010’s albums, Cavalcade (2015), Build A Tower (2018) and The Joy Of The Return (2020). All upcoming The Slow Readers Club UK & Ireland live appearances are as follows:
Fri 22 Nov 2024 – Belfast, Limelight 2
Sat 23 Nov 2024 – Dublin, Academy
Thu 28 Nov 2024 – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms – SOLD OUT
Fri 29 Nov 2024 – Bristol, Thekla – SOLD OUT
Sat 30 Nov 2024 – London, Village Underground – SOLD OUT
Thu 5 Dec 2024 – Manchester, O2 Ritz – SOLD OUT
Fri 6 Dec 2024 – Glasgow, Stereo – SOLD OUT
Sat 7 Dec 2024 – Leeds, Project House
The Slow Readers Club is Starkie (vocals) Kurtis Starkie (guitar) James Ryan (bass) and David Whitworth (drums), formed in 2009. In addition to forming a formidable live reputation and committed audience, their prolific rate of writing and recording has seen them release six albums since their debut, The Slow Readers Club in 2011. Fiercely independent, their reputation was built in grassroots venues in their native Manchester through every aspect of their artistry, including distinctive DIY merchandise.
Transformative tours with James, as well as sharing stages with Morrissey, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pixies, Shed Seven and The Charlatans, amongst others, has swelled the community of ‘Readers’, with a list of sold out, landmark shows behind and ahead of them. Lock outs at Manchester’s O2 Apollo and London’s Scala live long in the band and their fans’ memories as joyous celebrations of their mutual, unbreakable loyalty.
For the most up-to-date information on The Slow Readers Club, including future releases and tour announcements, collect with the band online at:
Website – https://www.theslowreadersclub.co.uk/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/theslowreadersclub/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/theslowreadersclub
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@theslowreadersclub?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
X – https://x.com/slowreadersclub
Photo Credit: Liam Maxwell
