With the hazy days of summer now a distant memory and the daily grind of work/school an all-too vivid reality, ‘Jagged Routine’ is a song for anyone out there struggling with life’s routines.

As BERRIES say of the track: “It’s about the need for variety, and unpredictability, so that no two days, weeks, months or years are the same. The idea that not having a repetitive schedule, or a rhythm of doing things is generally seen as a negative thing and the song invites you to challenge this notion. It prompts people to reflect on why their way of living is deemed superior to those who take a different approach. It acknowledges that not everyone is the same; while some thrive with structure, others flourish in freedom. It advocates for those people who are told how to live, or why they must live a certain way, when the reality is, it doesn’t work for them. Ultimately, “Jagged Routine” is about the beauty of unpredictability and for some people the most authentic way to live is to embrace the jagged edges of non-routines.”

With a score that veers and lurches with wild abandon, ‘Jagged Routine’s non-conformist sentiments are adeptly complemented by savage riffs and searing solo breaks aplenty. Far from a routine outing for the trio, this electrifying new single is one of the immense highlights of their forthcoming new album BERRIES.

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With its scrawled-out staccato guitar licks, spidery basslines, and venomous lyrical stings, first cut ‘Watching Wax’ signals a deadly return from London trio. Dripping with a febrile intensity and packed with scattergun hooks to match, ‘Watching Wax’ finds BERRIES reflecting on the restlessness of anxiety and the constant cloud it can cast over our day-to-day. As the band state:

“’Watching Wax’ is about escaping your worries for the day and attempting to give your mind a rest. The lyrics touch on fears for our future selves, looming anxieties that you can’t suppress and the desire to have a perfect day without your daily stormy thoughts.”

The first indicator of how the follow-up to their acclaimed debut, How We Function is shaping up, the single finds BERRIES honing their art for the unpredictable and growing in confidence. And as its eponymous title, BERRIES, may already make clear, this is a band determined to make a statement with their second full-length outing.

While the band have never shied away from brutally honest admissions or difficult subject matters like struggles with mental health, BERRIES finds them weaponising them into a set of fearlessly assertive tracks that seize strength from darkness. As BERRIES explain: “This album is about battling intrusive thoughts and finding contentment in your day, however big or small those moments are. It’s a journey to finding your own space and being comfortable in it. We haven’t held back with this album – it’s raw, honest, and a true reflection of BERRIES.”

Teaming up with production legend Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse, Everything Everything), who took on mixing duties for the record, listeners will almost certainly feel that turbo-boost coursing through the veins of BERRIES 2.0.

BERRIES:

1. Barricade
2. Creature
3. Blurry Shapes
4. Watching Wax
5. Balance
6. Jagged Routine
7. This Space
8. Narrow Tracks
9. Control
10. Crumpled Clothes

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Landing as the first bit of new music from BERRIES since their punchy debut album How We Function, ‘Control’ continues the same craggy and contagious energy the trio have become best known for.

‘Control’ is quintessentially BERRIES, filled with jagged guitar lines and noise-driven choruses that see layers of instrumentals wriggle and writhe amongst melodic vocals. The band explain:

“’Control’ is about channelling inner strength to survive the inevitable dark moments of life. To take control and push on with meaning, or to spiral into nothingness.”

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Rhythmic and rambunctious in equal measure, meticulous new track ‘Haze’ seesaws between infectious and ansty in a beat — and evokes how unexpected the onset of intrusive thoughts and mental hurdles can be.

Just as biting as earlier tracks ‘We Are Machines’ and ‘Wall of Noise’, albeit with a more measured edge, the new track showcases the band’s tight musicianship and ability to find optimism — and craft an arresting melody — in a tough time.

Of the new release, BERRIES explain: “’Haze’ represents the barriers we often put up and how scary but also uplifting it can be when they break down. The ‘Haze’ descends when least expected and is hard to fight through, but it’s important to recognise the strength it takes to open up and fight past the intrusive thoughts and be the best version of yourself.”

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Tracing the thread of guttural garage-rock that ran through earlier single ‘Wall of Noise’ — but lacing it with a more infectious sort of optimism — ‘We Are Machines’ blends jagged noise-driven instrumentals with a rhythmic guitar riff and catchy, convulsing melodies that wriggle in the head long after the track has come to a close. The track itself grapples with the struggles we as humans face in a society hell-bent on dehumanising individuals.

As BERRIES explain: “It is a song about struggling in a demanding society and being exploited by people who have little empathy or concern for your well-being. The song touches on how we are forced to become machines, trying to maintain an impossible level of perfection and how we need to fight against this. Admitting we are only human and finding the strength to stand up and push for balance and rights. In turn, becoming a different type of machine.”

With its expert alloy of barbed guitar lines, polished yet anarchic and densely layered rhythms and melodious vocals, ‘We Are Machines’ is a skillful second glimpse into BERRIES’ forthcoming debut How We Function — an album ostensibly about mental health struggles and the resounding empowerment of overcoming and learning to live thoroughly with them.

Of the new record songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Holly explains: “The album is about strength and growth, and recognising the dark times and how you get over them. We’ve got over a lot of mental health struggles, but we wanted the album to have an empowering vibe to it as well. This is our journey to growth. Mental health is not a shadow over what you’re doing — this is really healthy and we can talk about this stuff.”

Having sieved the last four years of their lives through tight, crunchy guitar lines and puncturing rhythmic patterns, How We Function explores the band’s musical and emotional DNA revealing what it takes to not only overcome personal problems but set yourselves down a path to being truly independent in sound, ambition, heart and mind. “We really couldn’t have put more into it,” adds Holly, “we are so proud of the end result.”

How We Function:

1. We Are Machines
2. Spiral
3. Basic Tables
4. The Expert
5. Discreetly
6. Haze
7. Wall Of Noise
8. Siren
9. Grow
10. Strength In Numbers
11. Copy
12. Your Mind

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