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The queen of gloom-pop She Makes War is back with her much-anticipated third album Direction Of Travel, out on 8 April 2016 via The State51 Conspiracy.
Direction Of Travel was recorded in the winter months of 2014/15 in Bristol, Brighton and London. Produced by Laura, mixed by Dan Austin (Doves, Pixies) and featuring guest appearances from Tanya Donelly and Mark Chadwick, most of the instruments were played by SMW with a cast of supporting musician friends including Clive Deamer and Andy Sutor on drums, The McCarricks and Nicole Robson on strings and Cajita on piano.
The songs on Direction Of Travel reveal widescreen ambition, deepening the glittery, grunge-inflected guitar-driven sound of SMW’s back catalogue while exploring new worlds of cinematic orchestration and heartfelt, confessional songwriting. The songs vibrate with sadness but the album’s message is hopeful - we can all become strong enough to reclaim ourselves, to escape from suffocating situations, process sadness and sorrow, and emerge all the stronger for the experience.
As with all things, there are two sides to the story. ‘Drown Me Out’, ‘In Cold Blood’ and ‘Alone’ combine an unabashed love of 90s alt-rock with the gothic undertones of Sisters Of Mercy and early Echo & The Bunnymen. ‘Time To Be Unkind’ (featuring Mark Chadwick) and ‘The Best’ blend melancholy ukulele, cello and piano with a tearstained lead vocal and killer harmonies to deliver the bittersweetest Dear John letters to their anonymous but undeserving miscreants. At the bursting heart of the album sit ‘Stargazing’ and ‘Paper Thin’ (featuring Tanya Donelly); the former unashamedly sharing Kidd’s lowest point - “I don’t believe anybody any more” - and the latter contemplating a period of personal reflection and ultimately redemption – ‘All this is ours…let’s do amazing things with good hearts.
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‘I came up with the title Direction Of Travel a few years ago after hearing the phrase many times on trains while I was travelling to gigs, and it’s such a fitting name for this collection of songs. Life truly is about the journey, not the destination, so we should make it as bright and brilliant as we can. My nomadic, lonesome lifestyle has shown me the only direction of travel is onwards, no matter what the world throws at you. 2014 proved to me that I can weather many storms, and once the healing process had begun I was able to trust and love again.’
At the end of 2015, She Makes War teased listeners with the release of 5 track EP Disarm:15, which received praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Gigwise and Songwriting Magazine. Laura has also received support from BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne and Tom Robinson and has toured with the likes of tUnE-yArDs, Gruff Rhys, Nadine Shah and Suede.
www.shemakeswar.com
facebook.com/shemakeswar
twitter.com/warriorgrrl
“She’s ace” - Lauren Laverne, 6 Music
“The emotional resonance of Elliott Smith colliding with the barbed vigour of Sleater-Kinney” - Gigwise
"Why just sing songs, when you can build worlds?" - The Quietus
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