Music
21 Apr 21

Cork alt-rock outfit The Altered Hours share 'All Amnesia', sign to Pizza Pizza Records

Before the pandemic, the band most recently joined Fontaines D.C. on a major European tour, playing sold out venues such as Le Bataclan in Paris and Amsterdam's Paradiso.

Cork City indie outfit The Altered Hours have returned with their new track 'All Amnesia', having recently signed to Dundalk's independent, artist-led label Pizza Pizza Records.

Bursting with energy, the latest offering from the ever-evolving group is the beginning of a new chapter. The Altered Hours released their enigmatic debut album In Heat Not Sorry back in 2016, carving out a name for themselves after recording the project in Berlin. 2018's On My Tongue EP followed, alongside numerous singles.

Written as an ode to living in the moment, 'All Amnesia' explores the idea of putting the past behind you and allowing yourself to be led by the present.

"The lyrics represent what it means to forget the past and to be guided only by the desire of the moment," lead vocalist Elaine Howley said of the new number.

"It speaks to the idea that forgetting or suppressing history can lead to erasure of the future and how unwillingness to face our reality leaves us floating in a hedonistic present."

The Altered Hours's music explores vast psychedelic spaces, immediate post-punk tones, repetitive rhythms and propelling structures. The lyrics bind this wall of noise together, comfortably connecting the escapism of the abstract with the honesty of realism. This duality is played out in song and on stage by lead singers Elaine Howley and Cathal MacGabhann.

The five-piece press onwards with an “art-punk” tradition while being influenced by artists such as The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Iceage, Lydia Lunch, Spacemen 3 and Stereolab.

The years ahead are set to be as exciting as ever for The Altered Hours, with the group recently signing to Pizza Pizza Records.

"We're really excited for this chapter of our band's music, this song is inspired by our love for rock 'n' roll & rich melodies and the endless pathways that can take us on," Cathal said of the band's future.

"We feel we're always getting closer and closer to the core of what we love about music & this is another step in that exploration."

Read the February 2016 Hot Press interview with The Altered Hours here.

Listen to the gripping 'All Amnesia' below: