Muscle Beach
by Sonic Hawkins
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Cassette + Digital AlbumLimited edition colored cassette tape (sage green) of Muscle Beach album.
It includes digital download of Muscle Beach
Includes unlimited streaming of Muscle Beach via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 5 daysedition of 100Purchasable with gift card£8.99 GBP or more
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Poster/PrintScreen prints on 270gsm paper, 56cm x 36cm, hand-finished with mixed media. Each one is different, signed and numbered. Edition of 40.
Includes digital download of Musce Beach once the album is released.ships out within 5 daysedition of 40Purchasable with gift card£75 GBP or more
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
£7.99 GBP or more
1. |
Bubblegum
02:32
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2. |
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3. |
You Were Seeing It
03:18
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4. |
DD1
04:55
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5. |
Hell To Your Door
03:47
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6. |
Muscle Beach
03:10
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7. |
Rola Cola
02:35
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8. |
Hot Dog Breath
03:36
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9. |
A229
04:35
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10. |
Sukhumvit
03:37
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about
Sonic Hawkins is the solo project from Darrell Hawkins of alt-rock outfit Wild Palms. On Muscle Beach, Hawkins presents a length album of raw, spiky anthems splitting the difference between shit-kicking punk and hooky electro-pop.
Hailing from Rochester in the Medway area of Kent, Hawkins grew up watching local heroes such as Billy Childish and cites the area’s punk and 60’s garage revival as continuing influences alongside artists such as The Fall, Neu!, Velvet Underground and Iggy Pop.
You can hear these influences spilling out of Christine, same for upcoming single Bubblegum, which in its title alone nods to Hawkins’ razor-sharp instinct for catchy, repetitive phrasing as a fundamental of popular music, however overdriven it might be. Proving immediacy and simple melodic structures can still bite, his fuzz-laden power chords and crunching, metronomic drums are uncompromising and infectious in equal measure.
“I really love 8-bit metronomic beats with loose distorted riffs,” explains Hawkins. “The synth sounds are processed guitar riffs using Ableton. Big fan of repetition and loops.” Listen to the exuberant rush of Muscle Beach’s title track or the late-night strut of Rola Cola if you need further proof.
Hawkins started developing the material for his solo project from the first guitar chords he learned, and some of the songs have been adapted from the earliest tracks he wrote with an old art school band. In pursuit of the thrill of his initial wide-eyed musical experiments, his guitars get laid down in spontaneous takes, side-stepping the temptation to refine the grit and grain out of the music.
There’s room to breath beyond the squall of distortion too. Hell To Your Door is a tender, charmingly unhinged acoustic track in which only Hawkins’ own voice gets pronounced electronic treatment, creating a ghostly foil to the stark honesty of his lead vocals.
In Sonic Hawkins, art, pop culture and music feed into one another, influencing everything from the project’s name (inspired by a life-long fascination with Sonic The Hedgehog) to the lyrics, whether nodding to Stephen King novels or The Lemonheads.
Hawkins is also an accomplished visual artist as Darrell. He produced the artwork and video for Christine utilising collage, which he describes as “an important part of all my creative processes, using different elements and layering to create a finished song or image”. The results are bright, vibrant and impactful, akin to his Immaculate Confection exhibition which featured at the Saatchi Gallery.
To celebrate the album releases Sonic Hawkins will perform on 9 November at Rochester Social Club (Rochester) alongside The Rusted Guns and Thee Mongrels, and on 18 November at New River Studios, London with support from The Gorgons.
Hailing from Rochester in the Medway area of Kent, Hawkins grew up watching local heroes such as Billy Childish and cites the area’s punk and 60’s garage revival as continuing influences alongside artists such as The Fall, Neu!, Velvet Underground and Iggy Pop.
You can hear these influences spilling out of Christine, same for upcoming single Bubblegum, which in its title alone nods to Hawkins’ razor-sharp instinct for catchy, repetitive phrasing as a fundamental of popular music, however overdriven it might be. Proving immediacy and simple melodic structures can still bite, his fuzz-laden power chords and crunching, metronomic drums are uncompromising and infectious in equal measure.
“I really love 8-bit metronomic beats with loose distorted riffs,” explains Hawkins. “The synth sounds are processed guitar riffs using Ableton. Big fan of repetition and loops.” Listen to the exuberant rush of Muscle Beach’s title track or the late-night strut of Rola Cola if you need further proof.
Hawkins started developing the material for his solo project from the first guitar chords he learned, and some of the songs have been adapted from the earliest tracks he wrote with an old art school band. In pursuit of the thrill of his initial wide-eyed musical experiments, his guitars get laid down in spontaneous takes, side-stepping the temptation to refine the grit and grain out of the music.
There’s room to breath beyond the squall of distortion too. Hell To Your Door is a tender, charmingly unhinged acoustic track in which only Hawkins’ own voice gets pronounced electronic treatment, creating a ghostly foil to the stark honesty of his lead vocals.
In Sonic Hawkins, art, pop culture and music feed into one another, influencing everything from the project’s name (inspired by a life-long fascination with Sonic The Hedgehog) to the lyrics, whether nodding to Stephen King novels or The Lemonheads.
Hawkins is also an accomplished visual artist as Darrell. He produced the artwork and video for Christine utilising collage, which he describes as “an important part of all my creative processes, using different elements and layering to create a finished song or image”. The results are bright, vibrant and impactful, akin to his Immaculate Confection exhibition which featured at the Saatchi Gallery.
To celebrate the album releases Sonic Hawkins will perform on 9 November at Rochester Social Club (Rochester) alongside The Rusted Guns and Thee Mongrels, and on 18 November at New River Studios, London with support from The Gorgons.
credits
released November 18, 2022
Music and lyrics written and performed by Darrell Hawkins
Produced by Matthew Herbert and Darrell Hawkins
Mixed by Ben Hillier and Matthew Herbert
Mastered by The Exchange
Artwork by Darrell Hawkins
Typeface by Charlie Newhouse
Artwork photographed by Rikard Österlund
Words: Oli Warwick
Published by Soundslike Music_Bucks Music Group (PRS)
Music and lyrics written and performed by Darrell Hawkins
Produced by Matthew Herbert and Darrell Hawkins
Mixed by Ben Hillier and Matthew Herbert
Mastered by The Exchange
Artwork by Darrell Hawkins
Typeface by Charlie Newhouse
Artwork photographed by Rikard Österlund
Words: Oli Warwick
Published by Soundslike Music_Bucks Music Group (PRS)
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Accidental Records London
Est. 2000
Sub-labels: Accidental Jnr and Accidental Editions
info@accidental.co
discography
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May 2024 -
Nov 2023 -
Aug 2023 -
May 2023
contact / help
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