“THIS EP IS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T FIT IN”

Logan, a collector of loose-leaf teas, Chris the Chai Connoisseur, Adam doubles the Yorkshire bags for strength with sugar to taste, Will enjoys a cold brew and Jack, well a Blue V does the trick. Whatever the flavour, this grand collection of members forms Earl Gray and this space is theirs today. Community, collaboration, struggle, energy, pride, creativity, there’s a lot here. Pour yourself a brew, get cosy, this one is for the strays Society Strays - the wait was every bit worth it. A mix of personality, of history and life creating a sound so uniquely theirs. Supercharged in moments possibly by that Blue V Jack prefers, there’s no one quite like Earl Gray. As the singles were building up to the release, it was a shifting landscape of sounds and out of nowhere they drop in some heavy momentum. Vocals aggressive, riffs storming through, ‘Simply Sick’, the title describing it perfectly, what in the world is going on!!!! “Jack and I are pretty into heavier music! We wrote Simply Sick with the original lineup, and Jack and I have always been keen on writing tracks with a heavier edge. Jack writes from lived experience, and the harsher experiences taste better with a darker blend.” Influenced from genre giants Linkin Park, Bring Me The Horizon and softened more current contemporaries like Dear Seattle, the Earl Gray sound has its own space to breathe. With great control they flip the intensity but never lose the sound or the story they are serving here. Want to sway arm in arm with a friend, mosh a little, cry a little, whatever it may be, the energy in these tracks turns up when on stage, with a spoonful of collaboration to keep you guessing. It takes a mountain of effort to get here, to release music, battling with your own self and so many external factors. I’m starting to believe releasing music is trial by fire. “We recorded the songs originally in-house, but we ran into a few production issues that caused it to remain stagnant for around a year. It was a difficult time, and I think a lot of people underestimate how time consuming and expensive it can be to produce music, especially when you’re in aggressive pursuit of a specific vision. The EP passed through a lot of hands, has seen members coming and going, and has concluded by passing through the hands of Oliver Smith of Inertia fame to end up as the final product we released.” A release is nothing without an audience, Earl Gray found their just cause, written with you in mind. “The EP is for the people that don’t fit in. We’re an eclectic group from all walks of life, we’ve all been on our own journeys that have lead us down some roads less travelled, and those experiences make us what we are. The EP is our message of solidarity with our people that don’t fit the mould and are proud to be strays.” “To stand there and perform, surrounded on stage by your best mates, and to see a crowd of people in front of you that care enough about what you’re doing to come and see it in person is such an honour.” There is something the energy in music always alludes to but never reveals. Some form or raw connection, that even as a witness, there’s not too many words to describe it, but you feel it. There is something special here, on or off the stage, audience or band member, music is a harmonious connection that Earl Gray couldn’t be without. Well, they are closing a chapter here, not the book. What’s next is said to be bigger again. An undertaking that they couldn’t go alone. “On our next big project, we’ve been writing songs internally, but also reaching out to some fellow musicians and friends to help us make the next release a huge one with a bit of something for everyone. We are very excited for everyone to hear some of our upcoming collabs!” Before we are gifted with more we need to celebrate everything here, we need to find the strays and let them know they are welcomed, and celebrated. We have a meeting together on the 14th August at La La La’s. Hope to see you there for a nice strong brew of Earl Gray.