'A' Vs Prang

What a ride, eh. After 21 years the first "A" record is out. It's a rocket of a record; wry, fun, and filled to the absolute brim with honesty and hooks. A testament to not having to make boring, overly serious music as you get older; not feeling the pressure to show everyone how cultured and wordly you are now. Just make rocket-fuelled alternative bangers that skirt the line between pop, rock and indie. Make them about your life RIGHT NOW. Do it with your best mates. It'll be a monster. This is proof.

A are important to me. Hi-Fi Serious was the soundtrack of my 2002. A gateway to loads of bands I didn't know - Jane's Addiction, The Beastie Boys, Rush (fuckin' Rush).@tankeelad and Martin were the first industry people to give me the time of day. Look where that got me.

Fast forward 19 years and @jasonperryrock, @theyin and I are at Jason's, pissed up and full of pizza. They play me the riff that would become Hello Sunshine. It's mega. They say they want to make a record, say I should manage the band. I say "got anything else?". They say "no".

Thankfully, eventually, they did, and 47 Whatsapp groups, 3 new title, a confused ice cream man and many barbecues later here it is.

Super proud of the boys for getting this over the line, and making a record that's soundtracking my 2026 (even if it should have been here in 2025). Building with Jase and Yin is always fun, but getting to do it with new mates in @richie_design (who did all the art direction), @gilesperry2112 and Chappers has been ace. Big thanks to @dazautomatic on the mix, and @robin.schmidt.mastering for their audio magic.

Hugest props to our wider team in Cooking Vinyl @amlormusic @publiccitypr @peter.m.black @iangav @shaunxleadington @ shaun.faulkner.xray @jasonwestgate_ and big up @xcrookedxnoisex and @lauraricey28 for keeping this all running as smoothly as a new A album ever was going to.

When my dad was in hospital, I called him from a kebab shop on Deansgate to tell him I was on tour with A. More than any of the other stupid shit I've done in my career, he thought that was hilarious. Thanks to him for letting me know doing this was possible.

How ace is music?

#newmusicfriday #rockmusic #rockbandcalleda #jasonperry #DarrenLawson