A thematic album, West End Intoxica explores concepts of mortality, youth and the lure of the big City. As a born and bred Londoner, the record acts as a biographical love letter seen through the eyes of singer Iain Fenwick, as he reflects on the dark side to the city and how people get lost along the way.
Wounded Lovers are delighted to announce the release of their eclectic debut album West End Intoxica.
A thematic album, West End Intoxica explores concepts of mortality, youth and the lure of the big City. As a born and bred Londoner, the record acts as a biographical love letter seen through the eyes of singer Iain Fenwick, as he reflects on the dark side to the city and how people get lost along the way. The diverse sound of the record has picked up support from tastemakers such as The Vinyl District, Fortitude Magazine, American Pancake, Return Of Rock, Oleada Indie and many more.
An album highlight, ‘A Bar Called Paradise’ tells the story about a shooting in a bar with youthful revellers innocently caught up in the tragedy. Melding the sumptuous soulful vocals of Lucca Mae with scratchy, in your face rock riffs, ‘A Bar Called Paradise’ underlines the strength of Fenwick’s songwriting skills. The eclectic nature of the album becomes apparent to the listener with each passing track. ‘Club Bongo International’, infusing elements of ska and punk, highlights the musical chops of both Jassi and Miles, as Fenwick reminisces about night buses back from London clubs, where fights broke out over mob fashion. While ‘Strung Out Memories’, oozing a warm, blusey, reflective mood, is about Fenwick’s memories and observations of troubled teenagers, fractious brothers and West London gang culture.
The breadth of creativity strewn throughout the album is testament to the extensive list of guest talented singers and musicians. They include Laurie Wright (vocals), Eddie Philps (lead guitar, backing vocals), Claire Ten Grotenhuis (vocals), Sam Scarrot (lead guitar), Andy Bones (sax), Nathan Thomas (French horn), Amit Rai Sharma (mixing, piano, sonics, artwork) and Rob Millis (co-producer, keys).
Fiercely opinionated and unwilling to compromise on sound or vision, Wounded Lovers are a band borne out of volatility. Despite this, they follow their own path, regardless of what is considered to be en vogue. This diversity was exhibited through the making of the record, with Fenwick and co-producer Rob Millis battling to find solutions when they initially had conflicting views on a number of artistic decisions. Nevertheless, the effort has ultimately been rewarding, with Fenwick viewing debut album West End Intoxica as the first part of a trilogy.
Wounded Lovers will support the release of the record with an appearance at High Tide Festival on 27th July as well as a number of show’s throughout the summer, before recording their sophomore album at the end of the year.
West End Intoxica is out now via Loose Rooster Records.