Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Wrong Creatures

Wrong Creatures is the eighth studio album by American rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, released in January 2018 via Abstract Dragon in the UK and Vagrant Records in the US.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. The group members are Peter Hayes (vocal, guitar, harmonica), Robert Levon Been (vocal, bass, guitar), and Leah Shapiro (drums). Former drummer Nick Jago left the band in 2008 to focus on his solo projects.

BRMC have released eight studio albums: B.R.M.C. (2001), Take Them On, On Your Own (2003), Howl (2005), Baby 81 (2007), The Effects of 333 (2008), Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2010), Specter at the Feast (2013) and Wrong Creatures (2018), as well as several EPs, and live albums.

Wrong Creatures is the first album from BRMC since their 2013 record Specter At the Feast, which saw acclaim from The Guardian, Paste Magazine, and NME.

The album was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Midnight Oil) and recorded at Sunset Sound.

Wrong Creatures features the first single “Little Thing Gone Wild”, which was added to rotation on Double J. Three more singles have been released from the album.

Here is an extract from the band’s website press release announcing the new album:

“…Recorded in Los Angeles over the past few years, the bands taken many unlikely twists and turns, yet always remaining focused on the music and returning again to edge of the stage. “It’s a crazy making machine, it can chew you up as fast as it spits you out. A few years back we literally toured till the wheels came off and Leah’s brain literally started leaking out of her head” say’s Been. “It catches up with you, i know i’ve battled on and off with my own depression, and Pete’s head never came with any proper instructions. So you just gotta keep pushing buttons to see what happens.”

Wrong Creatures returns to the core of BRMC’s alchemy, yet plunges the knife in even further. From the Cave-esque murder balladry of “Haunt” to the garage punk of “Little Thing Gone Wild,” it runs the gamut allowing the band to flex every muscle in their armor. They remain opaque about the songs’ greater meanings, fearful of past misunderstandings. “I find myself writing about death a lot,” says Hayes. “I find myself having a discussion with death, which sounds dark. For me, it’s dark humor.” Talking about mortality allows Hayes to explore life’s great mistakes and regrets. Channeling them through rolling riffs and dirge-laden rhythms that stir the pot before reaching boiling point.

Ultimately, the band may well be survivors of an era where rock’n’roll can often be overshadowed by dance pop, and garish commercialism. Robert Levon Been; “We are truly an island – come hell or high water, so it’s usually best to dress accordingly. Though i’m not sure what the proper attire is when drowning in fire. But leather usually goes with everything…”

 

The album has reached #35 on the UK, #5 on the New Zealand and #45 on the Australian Albums charts to date.

Check out the singles:  “Little Thing Gone Wild”; “Haunt”; “Haunt (Acoustic)”; “Question of Faith”; and “King of Bones”.

This double album 2LP record set is on black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with printed inners and download code, pressed in Europe.