Rising Indie three-piece The Rills have announced their debut album, Don’t Be A Stranger, will be hitting shelves on November 1, with the band capitalising on its internet fame to sweeten the deal with the launch of a music video for their new track “Your Dad’s Car”.
The Rills, hailing from Lincoln, have rapidly garnered attention in the UK’s vibrant music scene. Formed by school friends Mitch Spencer (vocals/guitar), Callum Warner-Jones (bass), and Mason Cassar (drums), and later cited among their influences The Libertines, IDLES, Fontaines DC, and the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The Rills began playing local gigs in 2017, before quickly earning a reputation for their dynamic live performances. Their breakthrough came with the release of their single “The Angler” in 2019, which positioned the band firmly in the milieu of classic British Indie, but with an added aggression and snarl. The track, along with subsequent releases like “Stardog” and “Skint Eastwood,” helped them gain traction on social media platforms, particularly TikTok.
Their viral success caught the attention of Nice Swan Records, a label known for championing emerging indie talent. With the support of Nice Swan and AWAL, The Rills have continued to develop their sound and expand their reach. Their debut EP, produced by Dave McCracken, has been eagerly anticipated, promising to capture the infectious energy and youthful exuberance that have become their trademark.
AWAL is a global recording business that claims to serve as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists the resources and expertise of a global label while allowing them to retain ownership and control of their music. The organisation says “artists join AWAL at this stage through either the direct referral of someone we trust or our online A&R submission process. Once you’re in, we offer the following support.”
Through AWAL and Nice Swan, the band obtained the services of producer Dave McCracken, known for his work with Ian Brown and Sports Team. The trio of friends are building on their viral success and channelling their vibrant energy into an enthusiastic eleven-track debut album. “Your Dad’s Car” begins in a pensive mood with muted guitars beneath wistful indie vocals. The track slowly builds but sticks in its dark, at times perturbing tone, departing the listener with an ominous closing line, “I won’t be the one to kill you”.
In November the band will embark on a UK tour tour consisting of in-store record shop shows in promotion of the album, tickets for which can be found here.
“It’s hard to put into words what this means to us. It’s years of perseverance, graft, and struggle. It’s also passion, laughter, and living dreams. These are songs that completely define our journey to now – all the trials & tribulations, all the beauty & all the rigid ugliness. But most importantly, this album is a vehicle, so get in loser we’re going to make history!” the band wrote in a series of posts on its X account.
We can’t wait to take this album out for a spin in November!
If we sell out this in-store tour we’ll be leaving a big old dint in the side of the UK charts… is it too early to be talking about the charts?
Get your tix now & join us for the ride
