Robocobra Quartet unveil 'Wellness' video, announce new album and Whelan's gig

Belfast's Robocobra Quartet have returned with a video for new single 'Wellness' alongside the announcement of upcoming album Living Isn’t Easy. Their anticipated third studio record will arrive on June 17.

To celebrate, the band have also announced a live show at Whelan's this September 17. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am.

The news comes shortly after their recent double single 'Heaven' / 'Night', and the band’s signing to Deptford-based label, First Taste Records.

The chaotic 'Wellness' gives us a first insight into the key themes to expect from the new album. The track reflects on how the process of healing can lead us to something even more toxic. The spoken word vocals are performed by drummer/vocalist Chris W. Ryan who recites the ridiculous daily routines of influencers, taken verbatim from a newspaper article.

Ryan Burrowes (on bass, keys, and sampler) says that the album “is all about aspiration - the things we aspire to and the things we are told to aspire to: work, success, family, health and wealth."

The concept centres loosely around a main character's negotiations with the absurdity of modern life. Difficult concepts arise such as childhood trauma, the mundanity of office work and corporate culture, sexual identity, and the cult of wellness. Songs also touch on topics of immediate relevance such as the housing crisis and the moral predicament of parenthood.

The band's musical freedom and penchant for improvisation often results in their accreditation as jazz or experimental musicians - but their background is grounded in punk and indie rock just as much as the avant-garde. Their eclectic line-up of six members, each from wildly different musical backgrounds, swaps in and out fluidly to form the touring quartet.

Revisit the Hot Press interview with the post-punk band here.