Adalita, Mick Harvey, Mick Turner and Marty Brown Come Together as Bleak Squad
The Aussie supergroup have just shared their first single, ‘Lost My Head’, taken from their upcoming debut album, Strange Love.
Image Felix Oliver
Australia has a new supergroup – Bleak Squad. Comprising Adalita (Magic Dirt), Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party) and Marty Brown (Art of Fighting), Bleak Squad are a brooding noir rock outfit brought together by drummer Brown.
“I was sitting around Fitzroy pool one summer bemoaning I wasn’t playing drums enough,” says Marty Brown. “So I thought I might start a new project and just called everyone then and there. I knew everyone had a completely unique musical personality, but I wasn’t expecting how well those personalities would complement each other.”
Gathering at Brown’s Standalone Studios, the quartet recorded nine tracks that became their debut LP, Strange Love, which arrives August 22 via Poison City (pre-order here).
The record features Adalita and Harvey on vocal duties complemented by Turner’s guitar work and Brown’s drumming.
The opening track of Strange Love, ‘Lost My Head’, is also the first single and a tasty slice of alt-rock nostalgia that’s sure to please fans of all four members' other bands. Check out the night vision shot music video directed by Adrian Holmes below.
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The press release describes Strange Love as “a regal compilation of bruised tunes that swoon and sizzle, while betraying the historic confidence of its members.”
Speaking about the recording process, Brown declared the “first day was effortless,” continuing, “We played the songs one time to teach others the bits, then we’d record the second take. A lot of Strange Love is that second take. Even though most of the tracks were jams, it sounds like we were reacting and playing to ‘the song’.”
Adalita added, “Everything seemed to flow really easily, with everyone just getting a vibe and stepping in or out with the feel. We all add our own strengths to everything. And we take turns in the spotlight.”
Bleak Squad's Strange Love album is out August 22 via Poison City. Pre-order here.
