London six-piece Home Counties return today with “Spain,” a stark creative departure produced by Al Doyle (Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem). Premiered on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6 Music show, the new single confronts the unsettling fear of embodying the very ideals one once opposed, envisioned through the lens of a disillusioned British expat under the Spanish sun. Alongside the release, the band has announced a comprehensive UK headline tour for November and December, culminating in their largest headline show yet at London’s Scala.
“Spain,” the first new music since their acclaimed 2024 debut “Exactly As It Seems,” uses the metaphor of a British expat to explore the confrontation with one’s own moral decline. Constructed around brooding synthesisers and a more expansive, darker sonic landscape, the track captures a tense internal conflict between an idealistic self and a jaded counterpart. It’s a portrait of internal erosion delivered with a dry intensity and a tightly controlled rhythmic drive that offers little solace.
Reflecting on the compromises and contradictions of adult life with their characteristic dry wit and danceable energy, “Spain” signifies a confident evolution in Home Counties’ sound, tone, and ambition. While their debut featured brighter, more eccentric elements, this new single delves into a leaner, colder, and more thematically intricate sonic territory, marking a significant step forward for the band.
Of the single, frontman Will Harrison shares,
‘Spain’ is essentially an argument with yourself. It’s about growing older and fearing the person you might become, or are already becoming. Taking the form of a conversation between a starry-eyed idealist and life-weathered realist, it imagines watching an argument between a younger and older version of yourself. It’s about figuring out if you can grow up without losing sight of your values or if it’s just a worthless endeavour.
Home Counties are set to perform at Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival this week. Tickets for Home Counties’ newly announced UK headline tour go on sale this Thursday, May 15th, at 10 am BST.
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