At 7.30pm on 20th February, Biffy Clyro released new single ‘Instant History’ – the first single from their eighth studio album. The Scottish band teased the song on social media with cryptic videos and pictures of a certain blue shade which turned out to be the cover artwork.
Some fans also received a blue postcard with the specific colour code of cyan written at the bottom, and on the back, a URL link to a trailer for the song. When fans viewed the trailer, which is now available on the band’s Instagram page, they discovered that ‘Instant History’ would be played on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show for the first time. The hashtag to promote the single is #thisisthesoundthatwemake which is a lyric from the song’s chorus.
The song is one of Biffy Clyro’s more pop sounding tracks, with an incredible big chorus that stays true to their rock roots. It is accompanied by an arty music video which already has 51,000 views and features quick-cut clips of the band both in a simple studio and in some beautifully edited shots – check out the video below.
Fans are responding well to the single, with many looking forward to some more rock tracks. Lead singer Simon Neil said “Thematically it’s a good pointer for what the album is about: learning from mistakes and realising how you can move things forward”.
James Johnston, the band’s bassist, confirmed to NME that the single is in promotion of a new album, following their ‘Balance, Not Symmetry’ soundtrack last year and MTV Unplugged Album in 2018. The release date is unconfirmed, with the band saying that it will be out in “the first half” of 2020.
Currently, the trio have a few gig dates lined up, including BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May. However, their full tour dates for the album are not available yet – they’ll likely be revealed closer to the release of the full album. Find tickets for upcoming gigs as well as the new single and album on their official website.
Biffy Clyro is made up of members Simon Neil (guitar and lead vocals), James Johnston (bass), and Ben Johnston (drums). The band has released numerous albums, with four reaching the top 5 in the UK Albums Chart and one album, ‘Opposites’, claiming number 1. Formed in 1995, they are currently signed to 14th Floor Records and have headlined many big UK Festivals including Reading & Leeds in 2013. Biffy Clyro have won four NME Awards and received nominations for two Brit Awards. Their hit song ‘Many of Horror” was covered by X Factor winner Matt Cardle in 2010, gaining it much success.
