The Howl & The Hum reveal video for ‘The Only Boy Racer Left On The Island’

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York quartet The Howl & The Hum today reveal the video for their latest single The Only Boy Racer Left On The Island, out now via Awal Records. Like their previous outings, the new song was recorded in the band’s countryside studio outside York and produced by Jolyon Thomas (Slaves, Kendrick Lamar). Listen below.

The video has been directed by Matthew Thorne, who comments on the inspiration for the clip:

There is such a strong narrative arch and emotional journey in the song, and I felt like I wanted to honour that in the film. It recalled to me so many images of the failed masculinity of the men in my childhood… It is the story of the working class and was my father’s upbringing.

Inspired by Scottish folk music, Arcade Fire and Richard Dawson, The Only Boy Racer Left On The Island is a beautifully written and meticulously produced track with haunting vocals by frontman Sam Griffiths. The single follows on from recent track Human Contact and hints at a great 2020 for the band.

Sam Griffiths offered the following about the new song:

This song was inspired while we were on the Orkney Islands, when we saw one boy racer driving round and round the same roads overtaking our shitty little van, yet there was no-one else he was racing. I had loneliness on the brain, so this song came together as an anthem of lost youth, while not looking on this young view of masculinity particularly lightly.

Following on from a busy summer schedule with appearances at SXSW, The Great Escape and 110 Above festivals, the band have recently completed their biggest headline tour to date and played a handful of headline shows in the Netherlands. More dates will be announced shortly.

Listen on Apple Music

Deborah Jacobs

Music blogger by night, SEO by day. Started Indie is not a Genre in 2011, will always prefer live music over recordings and intimate pub gigs over arena shows.



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