New Single and Live News – High Hazels

We love the High Hazels here at Backseat Mafia and have covered their progress with great interest in a number of features over the past year or so. Therefore, we’re really pleased to let you know about their new single and some live news.

Today the Sheffield four-piece have announced the next single from their album will be the classy and more-ish ‘Valencia’ and will be released on 27th April on Heist or Hit Records, along with B-side accompaniments. It’s a perfect showcase of their breezy, tuneful guitar-driven indie pop.

Drifting off

Into Spanish alleyways

That’s where I’ll vanish

In hazy days

‘Valencia’ is one of many standouts on the High Hazels’ debut and evokes the feeling of wandering with your lover around a Spanish town exploring back streets, discovering town squares and sampling tapas and cheap wine. It washes over you like the hot sun that has baked the river bed dry in the song.

On a riverbed we slept

Boats sailing overhead

On a riverbed we slept

Casted the words never said

The shimmering guitars, thumping drums and dreamy vocals are perfectly showcased by producer Matt Peel with mastering by Robin Schmidt, who has worked with Jake Bugg. There are some similarities between the High Hazels and Jake Bugg in terms of the timeless quality of their sound, rooted in a past era but informed by the present. There is a world of difference though in their styles. You can imagine Bugg down a back lane getting drunk on cheap booze on a Sunday afternoon whilst the High Hazels are to be found around their gran’s helping with the washing up before heading off to practice those luscious guitar parts. Sometimes it’s good to be a nice boy.

The release of ‘Valencia’ will come with an acoustic version of the track, an acoustic version of their lead single ‘Misbehave’, and a cover of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ – can’t image a better band to do it! High Hazels will be selling a limited number of DIY handmade sleeves, featuring art drawn by the band and this writer will be desperately trying to get his hands on one of them.

James Leesley (vocals/guitar), Scott Howes (guitar), Paul Barlow (bass guitar) and Anthony Barlow (drums) will be playing the following dates: