SD // PRESS

Flatlands - Vermuyden
Catalogue Number // SD029CD & SD029LP
Release Date // November TBC 2008

“Come for the boredom, stay for the monotony…”

BIOGRAPHY:

Flatlands as an entity have been in existence for just over three years, three years in which they have traveled the length and breadth of the country in support of their musings and reactive sonics about the county that most of the band grew up in. Although only one of them resides in the fair county, they all have a link to the largest county in the UK, Lincolnshire, but actually formed in Sheffield in 2005 from the end of Adam, Mike and Fred's previous band Throne.

In late 2005 Flatlands recorded a few tracks that were the embryonic feeble coughs that reflect what they are now, but even so, the group released them as a free CDR "Come For The Boredom, Stay For The Monotony", and released one track off this with another track exclusive to vinyl on a split 12" with their good friends and subsequent labelmates Sunshine Republic on Superfi Records.

As more and more extensive touring of the material occurred, Flatlands released their first signed release on Sound Devastation Records in 2006, a short but effective CD release entitled Vermuyden which they continue to play songs from live. Plans to tour Ireland this year and Europe next mean the band will continue to plough its doom-laden furrow as long as they feel the need to tell people of places they will never go.

Black Sluice is named after an imposing building located in Boston, Lincolnshire, a pumping station that sits next to a pit of stagnant water casts a shadow that sums up what Flatlands aim to put over about their own maligned county. The Black Sluice Pumping Station sits on a forty foot drain in an area called the Black Sluice, which runs all the way from the market and former dock town of Boston, to the town of Great Hale and offers drainage to the land that covers the districts of Holland and Kesteven.

The album itself was written in Sheffield practice rooms and gigged extensively before recording and the level of development shown from the Vermuyden CD is obvious, the addition of guitarist Gareth Hughes in the base writing process shows up in droves, the interplay between his melodic, less-metal influenced guitar work and other guitarist Adam Treverton's distorted, downtuned fuzz works much better having spent time perfecting their sound.

The album itself was recorded in freezing conditions in January 2008 at Stuck On A Name Records in Nottingham, three weekends of in-depth recording and the development of some ideas in the studio has led to this being what we feel to be the definitive Flatlands recording so far. Field recordings even appear as ambient tracks throughout the album, the sound of a solitary cup of tea being made and market traders despondently hawking their wares on a dreary Sunday feature throughout.

The lyrics on Black Sluice are very personal to singer Mike's own experience of growing up in rural Lincolnshire, songs featured often reference places and situations, a presiding theme for the band, but here all the more personalized and confusing, what the listener takes from each listen should be different every time, the lyrics are abstract yet given their context, very exact.

"Of all horrors, a little country town seems to me to be the greatest."
- Alfred Lord Tennyson

LINE UP:

Fred Kennedy- Drums.
Gareth Hughes- Guitars.
Adam Treverton- Guitars and Electronics.
Mike Shields- Vocals.
Simon Baxter- Bass and Vocals.

Tim Holehouse appears on "...The Wash" on vocals.

'BLACK SLUICE' CD & LP:
CD: Jewel case. 8-page booklet.
LP: Heavyweight (180g) black. 300gsm printed sleeve. [200 copies]

01: The Humber (01:11)
02: Recent Renovations At The White Hart (06:47)
03: The Unbearable Lightness Of Spalding (07:37)
04: Alls Well That Hemswell (02:44)
05: Man At Tan Vats (07:12)
06: Claxby Pluckacre (02:09)
07: This Country Will Destroy Us (00:56)
08: Things To Do In Dunham When You're Dead (06:19)
09: 1, Mill Lane (08:08)
10: ...The Wash (05:51)

Total: 48:57

BAND CONTACT:
info[at]flatlandstouristboard.co.uk
www.flatlandstouristboard.co.uk

LABEL CONTACT:
info[at]sounddevastation.co.uk
www.sounddevastation.co.uk

PR CONTACT:
sdpr[at]sounddevastation.co.uk
Chris Keith-Wright - SDPR

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:
Logo [jpg]
Exclusive download of '1, Mill Lane' [mp3]



[click for high res image] [click for high res image] [click for high res image] [click for high res image]	Flatlands - Vermuyden Catalogue Number // SD029CD & SD029LP Release Date // November TBC 2008 “Come for the boredom, stay for the monotony…” BIOGRAPHY: Flatlands as an entity have been in existence for just over three years, three years in which they have traveled the length and breadth of the country in support of their musings and reactive sonics about the county that most of the band grew up in. Although only one of them resides in the fair county, they all have a link to the largest county in the UK, Lincolnshire, but actually formed in Sheffield in 2005 from the end of Adam, Mike and Fred's previous band Throne. In late 2005 Flatlands recorded a few tracks that were the embryonic feeble coughs that reflect what they are now, but even so, the group released them as a free CDR "Come For The Boredom, Stay For The Monotony", and released one track off this with another track exclusive to vinyl on a split 12" with their good friends and subsequent labelmates Sunshine Republic on Superfi Records. As more and more extensive touring of the material occurred, Flatlands released their first signed release on Sound Devastation Records in 2006, a short but effective CD release entitled Vermuyden which they continue to play songs from live. Plans to tour Ireland this year and Europe next mean the band will continue to plough its doom-laden furrow as long as they feel the need to tell people of places they will never go. Black Sluice is named after an imposing building located in Boston, Lincolnshire, a pumping station that sits next to a pit of stagnant water casts a shadow that sums up what Flatlands aim to put over about their own maligned county. The Black Sluice Pumping Station sits on a forty foot drain in an area called the Black Sluice, which runs all the way from the market and former dock town of Boston, to the town of Great Hale and offers drainage to the land that covers the districts of Holland and Kesteven. The album itself was written in Sheffield practice rooms and gigged extensively before recording and the level of development shown from the Vermuyden CD is obvious, the addition of guitarist Gareth Hughes in the base writing process shows up in droves, the interplay between his melodic, less-metal influenced guitar work and other guitarist Adam Treverton's distorted, downtuned fuzz works much better having spent time perfecting their sound. The album itself was recorded in freezing conditions in January 2008 at Stuck On A Name Records in Nottingham, three weekends of in-depth recording and the development of some ideas in the studio has led to this being what we feel to be the definitive Flatlands recording so far. Field recordings even appear as ambient tracks throughout the album, the sound of a solitary cup of tea being made and market traders despondently hawking their wares on a dreary Sunday feature throughout. The lyrics on Black Sluice are very personal to singer Mike's own experience of growing up in rural Lincolnshire, songs featured often reference places and situations, a presiding theme for the band, but here all the more personalized and confusing, what the listener takes from each listen should be different every time, the lyrics are abstract yet given their context, very exact. "Of all horrors, a little country town seems to me to be the greatest." - Alfred Lord Tennyson LINE UP: Fred Kennedy- Drums. Gareth Hughes- Guitars. Adam Treverton- Guitars and Electronics. Mike Shields- Vocals. Simon Baxter- Bass and Vocals. Tim Holehouse appears on "...The Wash" on vocals. 'BLACK SLUICE' CD & LP: CD: Jewel case. 8-page booklet. LP: Heavyweight (180g) black. 300gsm printed sleeve. [200 copies] 01: The Humber (01:11) 02: Recent Renovations At The White Hart (06:47) 03: The Unbearable Lightness Of Spalding (07:37) 04: Alls Well That Hemswell (02:44) 05: Man At Tan Vats (07:12) 06: Claxby Pluckacre (02:09) 07: This Country Will Destroy Us (00:56) 08: Things To Do In Dunham When You're Dead (06:19) 09: 1, Mill Lane (08:08) 10: ...The Wash (05:51) Total: 48:57 BAND CONTACT: info[at]flatlandstouristboard.co.uk www.flatlandstouristboard.co.uk LABEL CONTACT: info[at]sounddevastation.co.uk www.sounddevastation.co.uk PR CONTACT: sdpr[at]sounddevastation.co.uk Chris Keith-Wright - SDPR ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Logo [jpg] Exclusive download of '1, Mill Lane' [mp3] Album art, Logo & '1, Mill Lane' © Flatlands Photos © Flatlands/Helen Bensted-Smith