Photo: : Armelle Chaussat
Bunbury alternative rock group Armchair Riot have returned with refreshed energy, delivering a great hit of new music in ‘Hydro’.
After developing a strong band dynamic in 2019, Armchair Riot have continued to make music driven by passion for the sounds that built great musical foundations for bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana. With the release of ‘Hydro’, Armchair Riot poured these influences into a melting pot of new sounds that will easily impress fans of bands like Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids and Broken Bells.
The release of ‘Hydro’ follows on from Armchair Riot’s 2022 track ‘Mad Dogs In The Midday Sun’, as well as ‘Crush’ and ‘Submission’ – music that peppered 2021, further establishing Armchair Riot as a band to watch. The progression of Armchair Riot since their initial jam sessions together in 2019 has already seen more than an album’s worth of material recorded.
“The song is a hard one to describe. Some parts come from an old structure that I discarded and kept the rhythm and chord progression. I rewrote the lyrics and melody so they felt relevant. I was coming from a relationship that was ending and ending badly and painfully and the song grew from a snapshot of a moment. I try to keep the lyrics as ambiguous as I can, but most of this song is open enough.”
Glenn Breslin, Armchair Riot
As they navigated their way through the creative process, the vision for the type of music Armchair Riot wanted to produce became clearer. Initial recordings were shelved in order to chase the inspirations driving a more cohesive and layered sound – the first hint of which came with the release of ‘Submission’ in 2021. The track was recorded at Guitarist Jason Rechichi’s house, and mixed and mastered by Dr Alien Smith at Bergerk Studios (Amyl and The Sniffers, Coniglia, Nerve Quakes).
Art: : Armelle Chaussat
“The process can be glacially slow and other times so fast. This song was a quick one to learn and come up with everyone’s parts. Ian found his bass line and Paul with the driving beat. No click track was used so we could go with a feel. Jason got the song recorded and sat with it for a few days before he came up with his guitar parts. It was originally all Glenn on guitars and it sounded complete. So coming up with another part that complimented the melody and stayed true to the aesthetic mood of the song was super important. And I think he managed it”
GLENN BRESLIN, ARMCHAIR RIOT
Hydro is released alongside a music video, directed by frontman Glenn Breslin’s partner Armelle. The beautifully shot video perfectly captures the themes of the song, as we follow Glenn running from his problems rather than facing them head on.
Armchair Riot Hydro Music Video, Directed by Armelle Chaussat
“It was a freezing cold day, and Armelle was shooting it and was heavily pregnant with twins. We were using our drummer Paul’s car, a beautiful old Ford LTD, the rain was coming down and we had cameras everywhere. The video mainly focuses on Glenn so the band had cameras too and were helping Armelle in whatever capacity they could – she used a drone for some beautiful shots. The video was about drowning the past or finding it easier to leave rather than face pain. The closing shot has four birds circle Glenn while he lay in the freezing water – That wasn’t staged. It was awesome. Very serendipitous.”
ARMCHAIR RIOT
And now as the band anticipates a busy tail end of 2023 heading into summer, Armchair Riot is ready to let ‘Hydro’ lead the charge into an exciting new chapter.
TOUR DATES
Saturday, September 23 – Convenients, Northbridge Perth, WA, w/ Castle Bravo, Laurie Luke and The Grots.
Friday, September 29th Single Launch – The Prince Of Wales, Bunbury WA w/ The Boogie Men, Drowse
Wednesday, October 11 – Mojo’s, Perth WA w/ Tailored Green and Juni.
Monday, October 16 – The Bird, Northbridge, Perth WA
Saturday, November 25th – Nannup Hotel Perth, WA w/ Innasanitorium, Decapitated Chooks, The Compound
PRAISE
“What separates Armchair Riot from the pack, is not only their songs and unnerving sound, it’s that these guys throughout their long musical journey have mixed it with the best, and are now in a league of their own“
Peter Murphy
“Armchair Riot’s new single, Hydro, is a testament to the band’s ability to channel personal experiences into a universal, emotionally charged musical journey that invites listeners to reflect on the intricacies of love and relationships.”
AAA BACKSTAGE
HYDRO is out now