Home MusicUncle Acid And The Deadbeats Announce New Album “Shapes of Midnight”

Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats Announce New Album “Shapes of Midnight”

by Amy Sciarretto
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Two years on from the mesmeric Nell’ Ora Blu, their synth-laden soundtrack for an imaginary Giallo movie, orphic Cambridge heavies Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats return with their seventh full-length, Shapes Of Midnight. A brilliantly macabre concept album partly inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque Of The Red Death and the too-real nightmares of our modern age, Shapes Of Midnight refines the group’s “Evil Beatles” sound: A thrilling, expertly composed fusion of eerie harmonies, pop hooks, Thin Lizzy-esque twin-guitar brilliance, and the kind of fleet-footed heaviness that’s become their trademark.

Shapes Of Midnight was tracked at Abbey Road Studios — live to analogue tape, natch — in a blessed, three-day blitz in the company of storied engineer Chris Bolster, whose previous clients include Phil Spector, Ozzy Osbourne, and Paul McCartney. The band employed era-appropriate tech, from antique Neumann mics once breathed upon by the Fabs and the Floyd, to consoles and compressors from the peak era of recorded sound. The mastering, meanwhile, was completed by Grammy-nominated engineer Noel Summerville (The White Stripes, The Clash, My Bloody Valentine).

The album marks a return to the guitar-forward attack of their earlier records, but also an evolution. Their blessed invocation of proto-metal heaviness is gilded by blasts of uncanny melancholic pop, bruising NWOBHM gallop, jazzy textures and complexities, and Krautrock-y cro-magnon synth damage. It’s a deliciously dark listen, for sure; as songwriter Kevin Starrs says, “Our albums exist in an alternate universe to our own. They’re all stories that could happen here, but everything’s just a bit ‘off.’”

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats spent their summer laying waste to festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hellfest, and Graspop and will tour North America, the UK, and Australia/New Zealand later this year. Further dates across Europe for next year to be announced soon.

SHAPES OF MIDNIGHT TRACKLISTING:
“House by the Grave”
Shapes of Midnight
“When Evil Wakes”
Don’t Let It Control You
“Psycho on the Loose”
“I Won’t Sleep (’til You’re Gone)”
“The Other Side of the Sky”
“Sleep No More”

ABOUT UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS:
The brainchild of Kevin Starrs, Uncle Acid and the deadbeats have been making extraordinary music since 2009. Always too bold and idiosyncratic to be easily pigeonholed, they emerged from an obscure corner of the labyrinthine British underground as shadowy purveyors of a new and overwhelmingly psychedelic take on the gritty rudiments of hard rock and downer blues. Steeped in both the wayward melodies, vocal harmonies and mischievous arrangements of psychedelic pop and the dissonant thunder and macabre imagery of proto-metal, Starrs’ greatest feat has been to create an entirely fresh sonic world from these most familiar of ingredients.

Uncle Acid and the deadbeats’ reputation was swiftly built on towering, riff-driven milestones like 2011’s breakthrough opus Blood Lust and its warped and wicked follow-up, Mind Control (2013); both released through Rise Above Records and subsequently showered with critical acclaim. The band established themselves as an exciting live act in 2013 with a string of high-profile festival appearances, culminating in a tour as sole support to Black Sabbath. By the time The Night Creeper was released in 2015, their mutation into heavy music’s most unmistakable eccentrics was complete, as they cranked up the melodic weirdness, rendering monstrous ideas into something approaching three-dimensional Technicolor.

Firmly established as cult heroes, Uncle Acid and the deadbeats consolidated The Night Creeper‘s triumph by touring the world extensively, including a string of sold out shows in the U.S., U.K., Europe and Australia. The dystopian soaked Wasteland followed, cementing their reputation, before releasing the bizarro “audio film” concept album Nell’ora Blu, which challenged their audience with its exploration of new sounds.

While most musicians seem content to chase their own (or other people’s tails), Uncle Acid and the deadbeats remain resolute individualists. Masterfully echoing the magical atmospheres of heavy music’s turbulent past while sounding entirely unlike anything else available to human ears. Having set up their own label Killer Candy Records, with the single “Don’t Let It Control You” and new album set for 2026, Uncle Acid and the deadbeats continues to be the deadliest show in town.

UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS ARE:
Kevin Starrs — Vocals/Lead Guitar
George Hudson — Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
Jus Smith — Bass
Jon Rice —Drums
Rachel Burnett — Keys/Vocals

Atom Splitter PR | Website |  + posts

When it comes to publicity, media relations imaging, and marketing, Atom Splitter PR Principal and Founder Amy Sciarretto personifies dexterity, diligence, and devotion as she envisions and executes campaigns that don’t just impact tastemakers, but audiences worldwide.

Boundaries don’t exist for her initiatives. Sciaretto’s versatile ability to maneuver outside of expectations and elevate talent to new heights has been a cornerstone of the success of award-winning RIAA-certified juggernauts such as current clients Killswitch Engage, Falling In Reverse, Seether, Hatebreed, Helmet, Zeal & Ardor, Attila, Code Orange, and countless others. Following a storied tenure as an editor at CMJ, she became a fixture at Roadrunner Records before formally launching Atom Splitter PR in 2012. At Roadrunner, she operated point on campaigns for seminal albums such as Slipknot’s platinum-selling Billboard Top 200 #1 opus All Hope Is Gone, Korn’s GRAMMY® Award-nominated Korn III: Remember Who You Are, Killswitch Engage’s gold-selling The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies, and more in addition to key releases from Meat Loaf, Rob Zombie, Stone Sour, Tommy Lee, and more.

Atom Splitter PR illuminates the scope of her vision. With a powerhouse roster spanning heavy metal, rock, alternative, indie, and pop, she continually lands high-profile placements across print, online, and television. Her drive and dedication remain unparalleled, adding a personalized fire and flare reflective of every artist’s individual needs. As the engine of Atom Splitter PR accompanied by a full staff of equally passionate PR impresarios, she continually raises the bar and redefines what publicity can be in the age of streaming and social media.

Outside of public relations, Amy remains staunchly devoted to her family and bulldog Higgins. She spends as much time as possible walking dogs at a local shelter, giving them a little extra love. In 2009, she co-authored the music industry survival guide Do The Devil’s Work for Him alongside Rick Florino. Expect her to make more history going forward…

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