Necessary/Atlantic recording group Hard-Fi has unveiled details of their eagerly anticipated second album. Entitled “ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST,” the 11-track collection arrives in the U.S. on September 18th.
The album – which follows last year’s breakthrough debut, “STARS OF CCTV” – sees the British band returning with a fully loaded arsenal of category-defying pop grenades, melding genre-hopping beats, Motown hooks, and rock ‘n’ roll swagger into its own indefinable, undeniable sound. “ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST” is highlighted by the Billy Bragg-inspired “We Need Love,” the rousing “Can’t Get Along Without You,” and the anthemic first single, “Suburban Knights,” which NME recently hailed as a “startling” example of “a more dexterous and inventive Hard-Fi.”
“Before we started the LP, I wanted to make something that sounded dark, atmospheric with elements of the Clash and Stones,” says Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer, “and we’ve really f***ing nailed that. On the whole it’s deeper, darker, and more expansive. ‘STARS ON CCTV’ was switch it on, turn it up – this has more room to breathe.”
Recorded in the band’s converted taxi-office studio in Staines, “ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST” was co-produced by Archer and Wolsey White. The album was mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent, known for his work with the likes of U2, Madonna, Björk, Oasis, and Maroon 5.
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A true sensation in the UK, Hard-Fi spurred a genuine pop commotion with its explosive debut, “STARS OF CCTV.” The album was greeted by critical acclaim and massive commercial success upon its July 2005 release. Praised by NME as “the album of the year,” the collection made a stunning UK chart debut at #6 – a figure made all the more remarkable in that it occurred in the sales week following the hugely successful Live 8 concerts – before ultimately climbing to the #1 position.
Along with its popular triumph, “STARS OF CCTV” received across-the-board enthusiasm from the notoriously hard-to-please UK critical establishment.
The UK's biggest music magazine, Q, dubbed Hard-Fi “the next major British band,” while The Times praised the album for being “as close to a five-star record as I’ve heard all year.”
The genre-blurring quartet established itself one of the most significant new UK bands in recent memory. “STARS ON CCTV” was honored with a Nationwide Mercury Prize 2005 nomination, as well as a pair of Brit Awards nods in the “British Rock Act” and “British Group” categories, placing them alongside international superstars like Coldplay, Oasis, Gorillaz, and Franz Ferdinand. The band’s 2006 UK tour sold out within minutes, including a remarkable five nights at London’s Brixton Academy, a stand matched only by such legendary artists as Bob Dylan, the Clash, Massive Attack, and the Prodigy. Fueled by the top 15 Modern Rock success of “Cash Machine,” Hard-Fi achieved additional success Stateside. Highlights included a series of tours, appearances at 2006’s Lollapalooza, and live performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Hard-Fi is: Richard Archer – vocals * Ross Phillips – guitar * Kai Stephens – bass * Steven Kemp – drums.
For additional information, please visit www.hard-fi.com and www.myspace.com/hardfi.
