Rolo Tomassi Announce New Album Plans
Rolo Tomassi have given an update on their progress in writing their third studio album. Speaking to NME, the band’s keyboardist James Spence has said that he has the majority of the album written and has promised that their new material will be “hard-hitting” and “more direct” than their 2010 second album ‘Cosmology’. Asked how the band’s new material compared to ‘Cosmology’, Spence replied:
It’s a lot more direct, ‘Cosmology’ had to be listened to a few times to be digested, whereas this is hard hitting straight away and much more immediate. We’ve built on the more melodic bits and I wanted to give Eva more of a chance to bring in her clean vocals. I hope it’s the kind of record that people who were already into our band still like, but also brings new people in who haven’t got into us before.”
Singer Eva Spence added that though she didn’t expect the band’s third LP, which they will be recording with producer Jason Sanderson, to tone down in heaviness, she did think it would be less “cut and paste chaotic”. She said of how their new material was shaping up:
“I’m not sure about less heavy but its certainly not as cut and paste chaotic. We’ve tried to write songs rather than just writing music this time and it’s a challenge, but one we feel up to.”
The album is due out in the summer, with the band set to enter the studio in the coming weeks. The album will be the first that the band will release on their own Destination Moon record label after they parted company with Hassle Records.
Asked about this and whether he was nervous about the prospect of self-releasing the album, James Spence said:
“We were questioning what we were doing for our label that we couldn’t do ourselves. We’ve always been very proactive with the running of our band and we’ve never given away much freedom. We’ve had a few offers from other labels, but nothing really excited us. Hopefully, as this is our third record, we’ve got a core group of fans who’ll buy it, so it’s not too nerve-wracking.”
The band have also announced that they have parted ways with bassist Joseph Thorpe and guitarist Joe Nicholson and have recruited Chris Cayford from hardcore band No Coast and Brontide’s Nathan Fairweather as their replacements. Eva Spence said of this:
“Joe Nicholson decided he wanted to go and pursue a chemistry degree at University. It was difficult for a period of time but we fully support his decision. Joe Thorpe’s departure was more to do with personal differences. We wish him the best for the future in whatever he chooses to do.”
Rolo Tomassi will also release a new single next month before they head out on a UK headlining tour with Architects. The track, which is titled ‘Old Mystics’, is streaming on the band’s Facebook page.
James Spence said that the track is unlikely to feature on the album, but that the band are excited to release it nonetheless. He said:
“We’re putting out a 7 inch single, it’s just two new tracks. I’m not sure if we’re going to put it on the album, probably it’ll just me a one-off thing. These two songs were written last year and since I’ve got more involved with writing the album, I’m not sure these fit with it. I’m really happy with both the songs and we still wanted to put them out.”