LAKES - SLOW FADE VINYL (SUPER LTD. ED. TRANSPARENT RED 2LP)

SUPER LIMITED EDITION TRANSPARENT RED 2LP VINYL

Release Date: 4th July 2025

Super limited pressing of only 250!

 

"Watford’s indie/emo outfit Lakes are back with news of their highly anticipated fourth album Slow Fade, dropping 4th July via their newly launched label Lucky Art, in collaboration with UK indie label Big Scary Monsters. To mark the announcement, the band have unveiled new single Version; a brooding, slow-burning offering that sees Lakes veer into hard-rock territory, balancing towering riffs with emotional weight. Raw and unrelenting, Version is built on a foundation of simple yet seismic guitar lines, layered with an ominous sense of scale. Vocalists Cat Rowland and Roberto Cappellina trade verses drenched in melancholy and defiance, with Rowland’s soaring delivery providing the light, Cappellina’s deeper tones anchoring the track in introspection. “Version is about living inauthentically, whether that’s in a job, a relationship, or just trying to save face in front of your mates,” explains Cappellina. “It’s me calling myself out.” Dark, anthemic, and emotionally cutting, Version offers a powerful glimpse into the more reflective corners of Slow Fade, a record that promises to expand Lakes’ horizons without losing the heart-on-sleeve honesty that’s always defined them — only this time approaching their craft with the mantra “if it sounds good, then it's good". They called on collaborators Georgia Casey (High Regard) for guest vocals, Cory Braken (American Football) to add layers of vibraphone and synths to round out the intricacies of glockenspiel and Bennett Littlejohn (Hovvdy) to cut through the high pitches on pedal steel: all coming together to create magnificent ethereal atmospheres and breathe a multitude of textures into a sound already beaming with technicolour. “We've always been an album band. Typically we've written way too many songs and stuck the leftovers onto EPs, but this is the first time we've thought about having an arc; a beginning, a middle and an end, like a movie, which is kind of how the title 'Slow Fade' came about.” explains Cappellina. “I think because we were going into it knowing that we'd be doing it ourselves, pacing, sequencing and dynamics were something we were more conscious of.” Their debut, Constance, was released which Lakes have always joked about as being their Math-Rock album. In 2021 the band quickly gained traction with the release of their glittering album Start Again, which saw them explore their fusion of math-y time signatures and dual-vocals to craft a full-length steeped in their collective vulnerabilities and anxieties. Lauded by The Line Of Best Fit as “a shining hopefulness at its core” and Washed Up Emo championing them as “Your new favourite band”, Lakes have spent the last five years breaking ground on the UK live circuit, conquering stages at 2000 Trees and ArcTanGent and breaking free of the confines of the Watford scene while also paying homage to their roots. “This album is dedicated to Kev Banks. He was a musician from our hometown who inspired so many people to start a band, and pretty much invented what we, and by we I mean ONLY Matt and I (Roberto) refer to as the 'Watford Sound'. He was always in the best bands when we were growing up and everything he did was just incredible. No doubt he's one of the reasons why we're still making music all these years later. We didn't really appreciate at the time how much of a bubble Watford was, and just assumed that every town had a scene and a Kev Banks. It's sad that not much of it has been chronicled, so this is our way of honouring someone who played such a huge part in our lives and so many others.” Their 2023 follow-up album Elysian Skies was a tonal shift from math and emo into indie, forging themselves into something bigger and brighter than ever before. It was crowned by their biggest sold out headline show to date at London's Moth Club, as well as supporting the likes of American Football, Pedro The Lion and Michael Cera Palin during their respective UK tours. In 2025, the band have fully leaned into what they do best with a renewed joie de vivre. Put simply, Slow Fade is a spectacular display of dense instrumentation and vivid storytelling that will have you re-listening to it time and time again."