The Howl & The Hum, the project helmed by Leeds-based songwriter Sam Griffiths, have released the bracing & honest new single ‘No Calories In Cocaine’; the second track taken from the much-anticipated second album, ‘Same Mistake Twice’ which will be released on 6th September via Miserable Disco.
A searching, confessional slice of alt-folk that conjures the bleak, lo-fi introspection of Bill Callahan before erupting into Flaming Lips-fuelled synth-pop delirium, ‘No Calories In Cocaine’’s nervous energy and short but sweet runtime belie the struggle, pain and chaos of a tumultuous few years for Griffiths.
As a follow up to The Howl & The Hum’s 2020 debut, the awkwardly titled ‘Human Contact’, ‘Same Mistake Twice’ is Griffiths confronting all the monumental and life-changing challenges that have since been thrown his way. From the original incarnation of the band breaking up in front of his eyes to living through the pandemic and wrestling with the uncertainties of a creative future, ‘Same Mistake Twice’ is 12 tracks of Griffiths’ most direct and disarming work to date. Unafraid to air his anxieties in public, Griffiths explores the idea of image, including the ones we project and the not-so-secret impressions that others have of us, as he ultimately asks of himself; am I a good person?
As somewhat blatantly evidenced in ‘No Calories In Cocaine’, the answer is a complicated ‘no’, but the strength behind asking questions like that marks that crucial first step towards redemption, liberation and regrowth.
Having worked with like-minded songwriters Elanor Moss and Matthew Herd (Seafarers) alongside producer Joseph Futak (Tapir!, Lilo), Griffiths’ channels the frank, raw energy of the likes of Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers through the self-reflective candour of country greats such as John Prine and Townes Van Zandt to create a work of staggering musical highs and lows that serves as the perfect companion to his captivating tales of late night euphoria and everyday existential dread.
In being honest to a fault, Griffiths’ finds kinship and comfort in the chaos of modern life; because, at the end of the day, haven’t we all made the same mistake twice somewhere along the way?
‘Same Mistake Twice’ is set for release September 6th 2024.
Sam Griffiths (The Howl & The Hum) on ‘No Calories in Cocaine’:
“This is a song about the lengths we go to lie to ourselves. It was partially written on the stagger-back from a night out, with some lines taken from actual excuses I had given myself, and the dawning realisation that maybe some of my reasoning wasn’t as solid as I thought.”
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Live Dates:
13 NOV | Gorilla, Manchester
14 NOV | King Tut’s, Glasgow
15 NOV | Leeds Irish Centre, Leeds
16 NOV | O2 institute 3, Birmingham
18 NOV | The Lantern, Bristol
19 NOV | Lafayette, London
21 NOV, Muziekgieterij, Maastricht
22 NOV | Luxor, Cologne
24 NOV | Trix Club, Antwerp
25 NOV | Paradiso Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
26 NOV | Das Bett, Frankfurt
28 NOV | Hole 44, Berlin
29 NOV | Molotov, Hamburg
Image: Stewart Baxter
