Flat Party
London newcomers Flat Party sign to Submarine Cat Records (FEET, Fräulein, Arxx) and share frenetic new single Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel.
Photography Credit: Mat Scott
Consisting of vocalist Jack Lawther and guitarist/vocalist Rory O’Rourke, the pair met whilst studying in Bath, before moving to London in 2021 where the long-held vision for Flat Party came to life. ‘Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel’ The outfit's second single follows debut offering ‘Fish’ released towards the end of 2022, and marks their first release on their new label home Submarine Cat Records.
Self-produced by the band themselves at Abbey Road Studios, mixed Chris McCrory (Walt Disco, Catholic Action) and mastered by Noel Summerville (The Clash, My Bloody Valentine, Kraftwerk), "Dig Up Concrete..." flits seamlessly with razor sharp guitars and ineluctable vocals, diverging into gentile, woozy mid-section before ending with a flourish of biting art-punk.
Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the new single, vocalist Jack Lawther said: “Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel is an aphorism for a task that is impossible to complete. Abject cynicism is often masked by saying one is “being realistic” and this song is about the harmful effects of this. In believing that to even attempt in life is futile, one sets themselves up to fail in everything from relationships to simply having coffee with a friend.”
With a wealth of material at their disposal in unreleased music, from jagged art-rock to crooning sixties-tinged pop, Flat Party are determined not to be pigeonholed, with influences ranging from Big Star and Lava La Rue, to Suede, Sparks, Japanese Breakfast and David Bowie. “What we’re mostly about is escapism," Lawther explains, going into more detail on the band's ethos. "Rory and I have had similar upbringings, we both grew up in towns devoid of any real culture and so music, art and literature were the only things that excited us; I think this is why our lyrics are very visual. We want to paint worlds for people to step into for three minutes and just forget about everything else."
