‘Lacerate’ whirrs with creeping bass lines, the twang of fuzzy riffs and powerful, rasping Jack White-inspired vocals. Oozing a distinct, inspired swagger, it’s a slice of dark, raw rock at its best. Every music fan out there knows that there are bands that simply tick the box and follow the trend, then there are those rare bands that arrive on the scene and redefine the next generation within that genre. Midlands Hvmm fall effortlessly into the latter category.

Although the quartet may still be a relatively new act, their irrepressible and unforgettable presence on the live circuit, which is epitomized by their relentless energy and charged sound, has seen them become the first British act signed to US label ILA. As the band build towards the release of their debut EP, [Talk To Me Like I’m Dead], with a series of festival appearances and gigs, Hvmm are ready to unleash the forceful lead single ‘Lacerate’.

It would be easy to say Hvmm were a band that formed due to their undeniable love of live music, but the truth is rather different. Rather than musical connection bringing Sam and Andy together, it was a game of fisticuffs and an expensive bill for broken glasses that saw their paths cross. Shortly after Ebony stalked Andy in record stores and begged to be in the band. Jack went about it in a more conventional manner, but did boot his namesake out of the line-up.

However, once together they all shared the one goal of simply being bigger and bolder than any other act on the circuit, the distinctive, melodramatic quartet believe that rather than have someone wax lyrical about the release, that you should simply press play and discover their ballsy, bolshy sound for yourself.

UPCOMING GIGS

11TH MAY - HRH Road Trip, IBIZA

3RD JUNE - Camden Rocks Festival, LONDON

1ST JULY - The Prince Of Wales Kettering (FREE)

Multi-platinum selling artist Rex Brown is releasing an all new single titled 'Crossing Lines'. The song is taken from his forthcoming, first ever, solo album. Rex Brown will release the album Smoke On This... on July 28th, 2017 via Steamhammer / SPV within Europe. “My motto these days is ‘Shake some shit up,'" Brown declares about the new LP. “I’ve had my ups and downs, like anybody in this business. I wanted to feel like a true artist again, where I can write and record songs without worrying about any of the bullshit.”

Brown continues, “We're not going to necessarily cater to metal fans, but the guys who grew up with Pantera, a lot of them love all the same stuff that I grew up on, too. This is just something else I'm doing for fun, man. And musical Freedom. Fun has to come into it or I'm not going to do it. I've had a tremendous career and now I feel like I’m thirty years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed. I’ve got so much more in me,” Brown enthuses. “I’m just getting my feet wet.”

Who is Rex Brown? To the industry, fellow musicians, and a legion of fans around the world, he’s the bassist for Pantera, one of the biggest hard rock and metal acts of the past few decades, alongside Nirvana and Metallica. They had Number One albums with minimal support from traditional commercial outlets and went platinum several times over. Pantera rode a groundswell of underground loyalty, earned through several years of blood, sweat, and road beers. Five major label albums, countless international tours, and a series of carnage-filled home videos cemented a legacy as large as their massive riffs and the band’s insatiable appetites for mayhem, authenticity, and brotherhood.

Brown’s solo debut strips away any boundaries and preconceived notions, reveling in a newfound freedom to express all of the various shades of the man whose name is out front. The song ‘Fault Line’ helped him find his voice. “That was the very first one I sang. After I got that one, I knew that I could do it, and Lance was my biggest motivator in finding that voice. Up until that point I just wasn’t sure.”

Rex tracked lead vocals, rhythm guitars, and bass, working with his primary collaborator and old friend, Lance Harvill, a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter, on the album’s songs. “Lance was & is, my main man on this. Everything we did was finely tuned, both musically & brotherly.” Drums were tracked by Christopher Williams, himself no stranger to diverse tastes, from funk music to punk. His talent has been utilized by country music star Lee Greenwood, the reconstituted Blackfoot and most recently, power metal legends Accept. The album was produced by New Yorker turned Nashville transplant Caleb Sherman, a multi-instrumentalist with work on records by Little Big Town and Porter Block, among others. “Caleb produced the project from a musician's standpoint,” adds Brown. “Not just a typical producer’s standpoint, which was something I definitely needed. Between Caleb and Lance, we were a force to be reckoned with. They really pulled out the best in me.” Peter Keyes, known for his work with Lynyrd Skynyrd can also be heard on a few tracks.

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Tracklisting “Smoke On This...”

1. Lone Rider

2. Crossing Lines

3. Buried Alive

4. Train Song

5. Get Yourself Alright

6. Fault Line

7. What Comes Around...

8. Grace

9. So Into You

10. Best Of Me

11. One Of these Days