Sometimes it takes a dark period in a band's career to emerge triumphant and refreshed. For UK's genre-defying band LOSERS who have weathered a difficult period as a band in 2016, 2021 is already rising to phoenix-like heights. Their brand new single - a reworking of Tears for Fears' 1985 smash "Shout" - has been prominently featured in the hit show A Discovery of Witches (S2: Ep 4) on Amazon Prime, AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder and is not only rejuvenating their loyal fanbase but also winning over new fans who heard their dark cover and fell in love.
"All three of us are huge fans of Tears for Fears and 'Shout' is just a classic," says multi-instrumentalist Tom Bellamy. "After the last album [2016's critically-acclaimed How To Ruin Other People's Futures], we felt it would be creatively rewarding to deconstruct some of our favourite songs. We found that this was a great way to learn about how other people make music, to absorb some of their ideas and in turn help us to develop our own songwriting. We went back to school!"
Dark and brooding, Losers take the poppy original and plumb it into the depths of minor chords and a contemplative tempo, turning the '80s anthem into a sinister lullaby. "Ambitious, innovative and consistently jaw-dropping" (Rock Sound), Losers aren't scared of taking chances with a much loved and revered classic and adding their own spin to it. The result is a reinforcing testament to trip hop/electronic god DJ Shadow's assessment, calling them "a divine offering to the aural gods."
Their previous offering, the aforementioned How To Ruin Other People's Futures landed them 8 stars in Drowned in Sound ("one of the most life-affirming albums of the year") and KKKK in Kerrang ("Obviously incredible. Blown away by this record"), making it a career pinnacle of three studio albums (and one remix record). That album, though a high point, was a low point for the band. "How To Ruin... was angry and bitter and resentful," Bellamy explains. "It was a difficult time for us as a band and the music naturally reflected that. After pain comes transformation and so our music transformed with us. We allowed light to come in and the music began to have a completely different energy. If How to Ruin... was pig-headed and enraged in a corner, our new music looks to the world with open arms, embracing the entire spectrum, confident and composed."
Recharged with a new outlook as a band, Losers are planning a busy 2021 with new music and a fresh new start. "Since our last record, Losers have been busy exploring new musical territory in our Berlin studio," he replies. "We grew up a bit, took some time to reflect and we wrote enough songs to realise that we were more eclectic than ever and that was a pleasant challenge for us to have."
Formed in 2007, Losers are comprised of DJ Eddy Temple-Morris, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Tom Bellamy (formerly of The Cooper Temple Clause), and guitarist/vocalist Paul Mullen (formerly of Yourcodenameis:milo and The Automatic). Hailed by critics and fellow artists alike who reveled in the band's ability to seamlessly merge indie electronic music with guitar rock. Losers have been so venerated that their dynamic and epically sweeping music has been heard in dozens of TV, film, videogames and sports placements including Game of Thrones, The Blacklist, Hercules, The Killing, and as the official theme music for BMX Championships London 2012 Olympic Games. The placement of "Shout" in The Discovery of Witches notwithstanding.
With big plans and new tracks plotted for release throughout the year, Losers are ready to regain their position at the forefront of the alternative rock world. "We want to take our fans on an interactive, genre-bending audio visual expedition via new and innovative platforms which we hope to announce soon," Bellamy says excitedly. "We will be setting up live performances from the studio, 'behind the music' studio breakdowns and giving away remix stems amongst other things to make sure we reward our fans after such a long time away. Very exciting times ahead indeed."
Losers are Eddy Temple-Morris, Tom Bellamy and Paul Mullen. "Shout" is available to stream/purchase on digital platforms at https://solo.to/losers and can be heard on The Discovery of Witches.
