We are delighted to share the exclusive video premiere of ‘Happy Hour at the Lobby Bar’ from the 2019 AMA UK Album of the Year nominee and former AUK writer Pete Gow. This beautifully crafted song is released as a double-a side single with ‘Cheap and Shapeless Dress’, both of which will appear on Gow’s next album, to be released on Clubhouse Records in 2021. Until then, this pair of songs will only be released as a 45 rpm single with a limited edition pressing on heavyweight vinyl – they will not be available on any other format.
‘Happy Hour at the Lobby Bar’ tells the tale of estranged friends, coming together for an uneasy reunion to find some sort of reconciliation through the passage of time. Although we never discover what pulled these characters apart, it becomes clear that their rift may be insurmountable as Gow sings: “We moved the rug back to hide the drugs // And found the dust we’d swept inside.” Both lyrically and musically, Gow tells a superb story, full of rich narrative detail and emotional resonance.
As the follow-up to ‘The Fragile Line’ album released earlier this year and 2019’s well-received ‘Here There’s No Sirens’, these songs show that Gow has been able to sustain a remarkable run of form. Once again, Gow has collaborated with producer Joe Bennett, who has worked on bass, keyboards, string and horn arrangements, The quality of the songcraft and musicianship is impressive, with sonic and emotional layers to be immersed in. Phil Perry and Danny Tipping have created an excellent accompanying video, which showcases the band at work in the glorious environment of St. Michaels Church in Steventon, Oxfordshire.
This is truly excellent material, dear reader. Stop for a moment and take note.
Pete Gow is, for me, the nearest UK has ever come to Townes Van Zandt;
Joe Bennett is great too, as a musician and as a person, I think.