Black Midi – the UK outfit comprised of Geordie Greep (guitar, vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) – present “Sugar/Tzu,” the final pre-release single from Hellfire, their new album out this Friday, July 15th, on Rough Trade. Following last month’s “Eat Men Eat” and the “exhilarating” (New York Times) lead single “Welcome To Hell,” “Sugar/Tzu” continues along Hellfire’s trail of first-person tales from morally suspect characters. As Greep describes it: “If ‘Cavalcade’ was a drama, ‘Hellfire’ is like an epic action film.” There are direct dramatic monologues, flamboyantly appealing to our degraded sense of right and wrong. You’re never quite sure whether to laugh at or be horrified. Released alongside a music video directed by Noel Paul, “Sugar/Tzu” centers on a futuristic boxing match wherein one of the contenders is assassinated by a young boy. It features the core band plus horns by Kaidi Akinnibi (sax), Joe Bristow (trombone) and Ife Ogunjobi (trumpet), and the voice of boxing announcer Hus Ragip.
Written in isolation in London after the release of last year’s beloved Cavalcade, Hellfire builds on the melodic and harmonic elements of its predecessor, while expanding the brutality and intensity of black midi’s debut, Schlagenheim. The band is currently completing a European run before returning stateside to play some of their biggest shows yet. They are joined by Seth Evans (keyboards), who helps fill out their explosive live performances, and fellow brits Black Country New Road, who are opening for select dates.