Other Half announce new album ‘Dark Ageism’

One of our faves Other Half have announced their upcoming album Dark Ageism, set to be released on 21 June via Big Scary Monsters.

Their third album follows a trilogy of sorts, with their previous releases Big Twenty (Venn Records) in 2020 and Soft Action (Big Scary Monsters) in 2022. Dark Ageism delves into the struggles of navigating adulthood while still clinging to the remnants of youth, a personal journey through the band's own "dark age."

The first single from the album, "Lifted Fingers," showcases a melodic departure for the band, exploring themes of corporate commodification and the importance of preserving authenticity. Featuring guest vocals from Matthew Caws of Nada Surf / Minor Alps, the song offers a hopeful message amidst the chaos of modern life.

As vocalist Cal explains:

“Nada Surf are one of our collective all-timers, and really formative to the music we play, so it means the absolute world that he also contributed some guest vocals here on Lifted Fingers, being the positive retort to all the doom-mongering I do in the first half of the song. I think at its heart, it's a hopeful song, about finding connection amongst all the sludge. In Matthew's own words, 'people make stuff, you make your own stuff, and then sometimes you make stuff together. Here's to making stuff.

Lifted Fingers came about after a pretty hefty stint of listening to Blur; Soapy went to some of the reunion shows and it was near-impossible to escape Damon's mockney lilt for a while before and after. Luckily, Blur are brilliant, especially I think some of the more Graham Coxon-heavy songs, so I sat about trying to write something like “You're So Great”. We'd also been hammering a lot of Martin Newell/Cleaners From Venus and Pavement at the time, so I think the sickly-sweet stench of melody kept threatening to permeate our usually tuneless songwriting. In the end, Lifted Fingers became something I'd always dreamt of writing; a dark, spindly pop song that still sounds exactly like Other Half." ”

Recorded by Owen Turner at Sickroom Studio and mixed and mastered by Tom Hill at the Bookhouse, Dark Ageism promises to be a sonic journey through punk squalls and harmonious melodies, capturing the essence of Other Half's evolution over three albums.

With appearances from notable figures in the punk scene, including aforementioned Matthew Caws of Nada Surf / Minor Alps and Alexei Berrow of Johnny Foreigner, and a blend of adrenaline-fueled hooks and intricate instrumentation, the album is set to make waves in the music world.

Other Half’s Dark Ageism Tracklist

1. Lifted Fingers 

2. Strange Loop

3. Sucked It Sore

4. Lowlifes & Lower 

5. Feeling For Yourself

6. Farm Games

7. Bumps In The Night

8. Dollar Sign Eyes

9. Rotator

10. A Little Less Than Evil

11. Pastoral Existence

12. Other Half Vs. The End of Everything

Accompanying the album release, Other Half will embark on a UK tour with Problem Patterns in May and Single Mothers in July, alongside festival appearances at Strangeforms, The Great Escape, and 2000 Trees.

Save the date for Dark Ageism, and watch the visualiser for “Lifted Fingers”:

Upcoming live dates

• 06/04 - Strangeforms Festival

• 30/04 - Southampton, Heartbreakers ~

• 01/05 - Liverpool, EBGB ~

• 02/05 - Leicester, Big Difference ~

• 03/05 - Bristol, Moor Beer Brewery ~

• 04/05 - Brighton, East Street Tap ~

• 05/05 - Southsea, Edge Of The Wedge ~

• 18/05 - The Great Escape Festival

• 12/07 - 2000 Trees Festival

• 13/07 - Leeds, Key Club*

• 14/07 - Glasgow, Hug & Pint*

• 15/07 - Manchester, YES*

• 16/07 - Nottingham, Bodega*

• 17/07 - London, New Cross Inn*

• 18/07 - Southampton, Joiners*

• 19/07 - Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach*

• 20/07 - Birmingham, Hare & Hounds*

• 21/07 - Norwich, Voodoo Daddys*

  ~ co-headline w/ Problem Patterns

  *supporting Single Mothers

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