Wigan outfit The Lathums today unveiled a gothic-tinged video for their track Foolish Parley, which features on their latest EP Ghosts. The new promo fuses together black-and-white visuals of the band trapesing moodily around a rugged coastline (whilst clad in eerie, Joker-esque clown make-up) with footage from their recent livestreamed gig at Blackpool Tower Circus. That October performance saw them become the first group to play at the iconic venue since Madness in the 1990s.
The Lathums have generated comparisons to Arctic Monkeys in the past, and the rationale for that is evident again here: frontman Alex Moore’s soft, crooning vocal conjures the spirit of Alex Turner at his soulful best; while the cinematic, surf-rock influenced guitar sound hearkens back to the vibe of their cross-Pennine counterparts’ superb second album Favourite Worst Nightmare; a sonic energy later honed further by The Last Shadow Puppets.
Like the Arctic Monkeys before them, The Lathums are also a group that fiercely resists being pigeon-holed as an indie band. In a recent interview with Far Out Magazine, Alex Moore said “I just feel like we’re so different to everybody and we’re not like anybody else. It’s not annoying but we’re not an indie band, we’re just a different entity. We are a band and a guitar band but I don’t think there’s been anything like us and I don’t think there ever will be anything like us.”
2021 looks set to be another bumper year for the Lancashire fourpiece, with a debut album in the works. In a New Year’s Eve Twitter post reflecting on a successful twelve months – which included a number one single in the vinyl charts with All My Life – a statement from the band read: “Well it certainly wasn’t a year we expected it to be. On the brighter side we’ve done things we’d never expect to happen. We got signed by Island Records, sold out our UK tour, got a number 1 single and performed live on TV. Not being able to play live has been tough for us but thankfully we’ve been in the studio and our time has been occupied. So we’re happy to tell you all our debut album is finished and will be released in 2021. We can’t wait to get it out there and see what next year has to offer.”
Here’s to a better 2021 x pic.twitter.com/fsK1CIM2lZ
— THE LATHUMS (@TheLathums) December 31, 2020
The Lathums were also selected by the NME as one of their 100 emerging artists to watch in 2021. The legendary music journal recognised the group’s “unstoppable two-year ascent” and hailed the band for “pulling inspiration from all over the musical map“. There was also specific praise for Foolish Parley as a “sure-fire festival smash.”
It remains to be seen whether the Lancastrians will be able to put that theory to the test at a festival this year, but they clearly haven’t given up hope on some big live shows in 2021. In a BBC News interview ahead of the group’s gig at the Blackpool Tower Circus, Alex Moore said “It’s obviously proper gutting thinking about what could have happened this year. But at the same time we’ve got to think about what’s in store for us next year, and what this whole year is going to climax to. There’s a give and a take with everything in life. This is a pretty big take, so there’s got to be some nice light at the end of the tunnel. So I reckon it’s going to be even better next year.“
