At the beginning of March Editors played in Mexico again, when they appeared at Vive Latino Festival. While they were there they hand delivered a signed copy of VI OLENCE to a lucky fan as promised last month.
On the 9th of March Tom posted a photo which was both informative and also maddening in its teasing properties. It was a snap of the freeway and the tagline read:-
Los Angeles. Editors recording session with an old friend. Here we go!
The obvious fact is the recording in the States but the ultimate question is who was the old friend? Nic Willes, possibly? He appeared in some other photos last month with the band in what looked like rehearsals, so that's not an unreasonable assumption. However, it only took 72 hours to crack the mystery as Hannah spotted that Tom began following Jacknife Lee on Instagram around the same time the post was made, and then there was a photograph shared by Justin which confirmed it (intentionally or unintentionally, not quite sure which).
From the 18th saw the beginning of a series of photos showing members of the band in the process of rehearsing or recording and all contained the phrase "Black Gold". It's meaning is as yet undetermined.
"I know you better than you know yourself."
Maybe it was something to do with that line? So for 3 days we wondered and waited.
A few people have pointed to Swedish artist Andreas Wannerstedt as a potentially huge influence on the style and content of the clip, and you can visit his Instagram account here and decide for yourself. It's undeniable that there are some extremely striking similarities there.
By the way, did you spot the unintentionally appropriate name of the production company responsible for the Barricades film?
Directors: Hi-Sim Executive
Producer: Martin Roker
Production Company: Black Dog Films
In the past, the term "Black dog" has been used as a euphemism for depression. Not that I'm suggesting Editors are gloomy. Oh no. If you want a more pleasant coincidence, the Manics wrote a song about that very phrase on their album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. Editors toured with the Manics. Small world.
In spite of not being involved in the promotional film, the fact that Rahi did the artwork for the upcoming Blanck Mass Recordings for Record Store Day gives me hope that he's still an ongoing partner in the future of Editors. I'm optimistic that this is the case, but only time will tell.
One last note on the song itself, were it not for the fact that she's not been mentioned or credited in any way I could swear I hear Rachel Goswell doing descending harmonies on the "Don't run away..." part of the chorus. I know that it's probably Tom, Elliott or both together but it sounds so much like La Goswell. If The Law and Ocean of Night didn't exist then this would be a perfect song for her to collaborate on live, I reckon.
In spite of not being involved in the promotional film, the fact that Rahi did the artwork for the upcoming Blanck Mass Recordings for Record Store Day gives me hope that he's still an ongoing partner in the future of Editors. I'm optimistic that this is the case, but only time will tell.
One last note on the song itself, were it not for the fact that she's not been mentioned or credited in any way I could swear I hear Rachel Goswell doing descending harmonies on the "Don't run away..." part of the chorus. I know that it's probably Tom, Elliott or both together but it sounds so much like La Goswell. If The Law and Ocean of Night didn't exist then this would be a perfect song for her to collaborate on live, I reckon.
The 26th March saw the band announcing a show in Italy and that in itself is a cause to celebrate:-
Ciao! We're returning to Italy on June 7th for @_medimex festival in Taranto
But if you're attending then you're in for a real treat in the form of the support act, Cigarettes After Sex. They're a group I discovered completely accidentally while disappearing down a "YouTube recommendations" hole one afternoon, but I'm really glad I did. Their style of music won't exactly have the crowd bouncing around but if you're in the mood for some dark, slow and slightly androgynous guitar pop then they've got you covered. They've only released one album and some EPs but it's quality over quantity. I love them. Here's some of my favourite Cigarettes After Sex tracks to check out, they're best appreciated with headphones and in the dark:-
Each Time You Fall in Love
So even though March brought an abundance of treats, it also left us with some persistent unanswered questions.
So even though March brought an abundance of treats, it also left us with some persistent unanswered questions.
- What is Nic Willes' involvement with the band right now?
- Did the sessions with Jacknife Lee bear fruit and if so, when will we get to hear it?
- Were they working on demos or actual end-stage recording (Jacknife is a producer after all)?
- Will Barricades be played live?
- What did "Black and Gold" refer to?
- Is Rahi coming back?
- Where is the phrase "I know you better than you know yourself." from?
- Why was James Lockey in the studio with the band during February?
While you ponder all of the above, take a glance at over 130 keepsakes from Editors related social media during March 2019. It includes video of a partially-clad Elliott jumping into a pool and all in slow motion, no less ;)
Editors Instagram February 2019
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
