Black Lounge operate in a space that feels like the halfway house between the raw emotions of Wunderhorse and the stylish anthemics of Arctic Monkeys. After building a grassroots buzz with a handful of self-released tracks, the Essex quartet share their new single‘Welcome Home’ – the first track from their upcoming debut EP. It is their first release under a deal with Right Tracks Recordings, the new label from industry legend and Chrysalis founder Chris Wright.
The intro of ‘Welcome Home’ suggests it’s going to be emotional singer-songwriter fare… at least until the band crashes into a vehement wall-of-sound. Playing with dynamics in a way that recalls early Radiohead or Muse, they also hit upon a hook built for pints-in-the-air main stage festival singalongs. And between George Grant’s commanding voice – mostly full-belt power, sometimes cracking under the weight of its passion – and Ben Gulik’s’ searing lead guitar, they sound like a band fully formed and poised to step up.
George says, “‘Welcome Home’ to me is about being stuck in the same routine everyday. living life on repeat & having little satisfaction. Not even home feels like it should anymore. It is a hopeful song though.”
‘Welcome Home’ was written by George, and was produced by Danton Supple (Coldplay, Suede) during sessions at RAK Studios.
Black Lounge’s heightened accomplishment is further amplified by the ‘Welcome Home’ video, which was filmed in Southend and was directed by Marcus Kartal. George adds, “We wanted to really capture the madness of the song, with fast edits. We also wanted to have the band performance and B-roll to capture what Black Lounge is in 3 minutes. Marcus had the great idea of putting a CRT Scan on the edit which gives it a retro grunge feel.”
‘Welcome Home’ is just one facet of the sounds that Black Lounge will introduce on their debut EP. Their other songs span the sonic spectrum, from tender slowburning introspection to boisterous indie-pop. It makes for a bigger introduction to a band who will naturally appeal to the resurgence in early 2000s British indie sounds.
Formed by George Grant in Essex in 2024, ‘Welcome Home’ starts a bold new era for Black Lounge with a whole new line-up now completed by new additions Ben Gulik (guitar), James Ladds (bass) and Jack Cassidy (drums). Now possessing everything to take them to far bigger stages, this new-look Black Lounge will build upon previous highlights including ongoing BBC Introducing support, multiple sold-out London gigs, and a sold-out FOMO Festival set alongside The Molotovs and The Clause.
Black Lounge will play the following shows:
APRIL
18th – London, The Elephant’s Head
MAY
2nd – London, Dingwalls 2 (with Danny Mellin)
24th – Braintree, Festival In The Garden
24th – Brentwood, Calcott Farm Festival
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