London-based trio Puppy have returned with a huge, brand new single ‘Angel‘, released today through the bands new label Rude Records. This is the band’s first new material since 2019’s ‘iii‘ EP and the first indication of where the band are looking to go sonically with their next set of releases.
Puppy talk about the meaning behind ‘Angel’:
“During 2020 we focused on trying to write the best album the world had ever heard. Our goal for this first single was to combine the power of ‘November Rain’, ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Can You Stand the Rain’ times 1000. I think you’ll all agree that we massively succeeded.”
‘Angel’ marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the bands career. Having recently signed to Rude Records, they’re excited to finally be able to share the fruits of their creative labour. Crushingly heavy, explosively fun and laced with the group’s signature sense of melancholic melody, ‘Angel’ sets the stage for Puppy to unleash what they’ve been working on out into the world.
The band talk about the inspiration behind the video:
“We at Puppy have always wanted to incorporate the world of gaming into what we do. With the video for our new single ‘Angel’, we all felt that the time was right to branch out into the world on technology. When our initial proposal for a fully immersive Oculus Rift sci-fi fantasy in which our topless avatars do battle with intergalactic warlords was dismissed as ‘really expensive’ and ‘not at all believable’, we quickly suggested a Final Fantasy style concept in which incredibly muscular versions of ourselves went on quests and solved puzzles with giant axes. This was also apparently ‘a terrible idea’.
Our next approach involved a physically interactive training pod module in the style of Michael Jackson’s Space Scramble Training, in which we’d guide players on a perilous mission to Uranus. Our label threatened to drop us when we sent over the treatment. And so, we moved back, one console at a time, between operating systems and decades, until we arrived at the 8-bit capabilities of the NES, the only graphics system simple and cheap enough for us to try and imitate by ourselves. The result is our new video for ‘Angel’, a (not at all) immersive 8-bit gothic fantasy designed and animated by us with love and affection. We hope you enjoy x “
Puppy formed in 2015 when school friends Jock Norton (vocals, guitar) and Billy Howard (drums) met bass player Will Michael while working in a London bar; the three bonded by playing the soundtrack to cult 80s comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and figuring out that Norton and Michael’s voices worked nicely together on Karaoke versions of Van Halen & Metallica. Later that same year, the band released their eponymous debut EP, a joyful blend of swooning power pop and beer-guzzling heavy metal, that quickly earned comparisons to acts like The Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr and Weezer fronted by Papa Emiritus of Ghost. Early tracks ‘Forever’ and ‘The Great Beyond’ were picked up and used in the mammoth video game series Guitar Hero, opening up the fledgling group up to a huge new audience and satisfying their axe wielding inner-children at the same time.
A second EP quickly followed in 2016, and ‘Vol ii’ saw the band take their first major steps into the live sphere, with UK festival appearances at Download and 2000 Trees, rounding out a healthy run of tours with acts like Creeper and CKY. In between European tours with Kvelertak and Turbowolf, the band retreated to the studio in England to begin work on their debut album. The result of a lengthy recording process with producers Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Royal Blood), Neil Kennedy (Creeper, Boston Manor) and mixer Adrien Bushby (Placebo, Foo Fighters), ‘The Goat’ was released in January 2019, while the band were midway through an epic European tour with Monster Magnet. The album received rave reviews and cemented Puppy’s status as the oddballs of up & coming heavy music.
‘Angel’ is available worldwide now, via Rude Records
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