Isle of Wight indie duo and OnTheWight favourite, CHAMPS, have today (Wednesday) released the third single from the long-awaited fourth studio album, as well as announcing the news we’ve all been waiting for – the date of their fourth album release.
Ride The Morning Glass by CHAMPS is due out on 26th April 2023, via BMG and the latest single, All The Wrong Places, hit streaming services today.
It follows the first two singles from the album, Adeleine and My Baby Lorraine.
An instant ear worm
Those fortunate enough to have seen the band perform live at Ventnor Fringe Festival last year will have been treated to much of the new album, which was incredibly well received by the audience.
An instant ear worm, All The Wrong Places has brothers Michael and David Champion’s trademark dreamingly haunting lyrics and melodic bass lines – just what we love about the band.
Dark nights and demons
Mike told News OnTheWight,
“All The Wrong Places is a song about those long dark nights and the demons that visit us when our subconscious is alive and well.
“Whether in dreams, the imagination, or absolute reality. Lyrically, the track explores both real and metaphorical places while the overarching narrative references finding yourself in terrible situations despite having what you believe to be good intentions.”
Watch: All The Wrong Places
The music video for the new single, shot on the Island and featuring “the boys” from Ventnor, premieres at 3pm today (Wednesday).
The new album
Recorded at Red Squirrel Studios in Ventnor (this is where The Bees recorded much of their work back in the day) and produced by James Thorpe, the band say that the new album, Ride The Morning Glass, is “a unique combination of cool minimalism and evocative Americana, studded with radio-friendly songs that capture the imagination with cinematic vistas and colorful characters open to a dozen interpretations”.
A thousand dreamlike associations
It’s been a whilst waiting for the fourth album to arrive, but in that time the band have been busy collecting songs (over five years), along with as many vintage analog synths as they could get their hands on.
They say this allowed them to finally be able to produce the sound they heard in their heads – a sound that unites past and present and conjures up a thousand dreamlike associations.
Veterans of the Isle of Wight music scene
Those who follow the Isle of Wight’s exceptional music scene will know that Mike previously fronted buzzy indie band The Shutes, and was also heavily involved in the debut Grammy and Mercury-Prize nominated album by fellow Islanders, Wet Leg.
More like an American band
They say that Island life, and a childhood steeped in the music of Laurel Canyon, formed a sensibility in the brothers that makes them, in sound and aesthetic, more like an American band.
Dave tells News OnTheWight,
“We’ve never really considered ourselves a ‘British band.
“Our music has always felt transatlantic. It’s driving music, big scenery…”
High praise from music critics
The band’s previous work has received high praise from the likes of The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit, The Independent, Ones to Watch, FLOOD, Q Magazine, BBC Radio 6 Music and many more. We’re sure this will continue with the new single, and album once it’s released.
CHAMPS have toured with the likes of Alt-J, Lord Huron, and Wolf Alice and have built a global following with their beautiful delicate harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, and pop-rock melodies.
See their Website for more info, follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Get your CHAMPS fix
If you need more of a CHAMPS fix, check out some of our favourite videos of theirs below. Hopefully with the release of the album, we might start seeing some live dates pop up in the coming months.
And here are CHAMPS performing in 3000 Miles in the Campari Entering Red short film – alongside the incredible Ana De Armas (read more about how this came about).
