france.

IMHIW is now available in France through Volvox, here is a review we received yesterday (can't remember who from) its been very kindly translated for us as we aren't too hot at french.


Good bands out of England have been few and far between recently, don’t you find? Which is why when you find one, you make a lot of noise about them! The Race is one of those groups who created a buzz on the other side of the channel even before their first album was recorded. Barely two years later and the spirits appeased, the group is back with a second album, In My Head It Works, on a par with their reputation.

The group keeps a steady course, offering an album with a long shadow, multi-faceted, with varying rhythms. It was Summer that grabbed most of my attention during the first few listens. Whether in the vocals or the guitars, this song guides us towards the influences that perhaps stayed with us from the 90s (Dinosaur Jr, Afghan Whigs…) . The group’s talent is also equally notable both in the composition of the melodies and the richness of the sound. And they are able to alternate rhythms and atmospheres, to prevent In My Head It Works from becoming an insipid or stodgy album. Racing Car Game or Give Me Your Bible were also good for a few replays, with their noisy, whirling guitars in the style of My Bloody Valentine and the turbulent, mad vocals again.
Pretty damn impressive, all that!Yes, you guessed, it, if there’s one real rock album you should listen to now, then it’s The Race, In My Head It Works !As for me, I’m pretty hard pressed to part with it since a few days ago. It’s a real obsession! Apparently, it’s working on my head as well!Without doubt the finest surprise in this style since the first Bloc Party album.

9/10

IMHIW (album) is OUT NOW!

Spring has arrived and so has our second album. Two years of hard work is now available for you to purchase in HMV stores/amazon/iTunes worldwide and directly from our label's shop if you want to help us channel the profits more efficiently...(link at the bottom).

some brand new reviews;

"endearingly awkward... couldn't be more triumphalistic if they soundtracked Brandon Flowers taking a unicorn for a victory lap round a paddock" NME

"the band are definitely firing on all cylinders, get into them now before everybody else does" Clash

"this band delivers. If the Pixies shacked up with The Arcade Fire and then threw in a bit of Bloc Party for good measure, 'In My Head It Works' would be the hybrid love-child. ...twinkling, mesmerising with enough grunge sensibility to give this band the edge." RockSound

"As bold and big-hearted as The Waterboys in the Grand Canyon, it's vaulting ambition meets ruddy big choruses coming the other way. ...roars majestically. Intriguing moments of punk interrupt... it's classy anthems aplenty." Channel 4, Planet Sound

"it's really very good. ...the elegiac nature of the lyrics and the soaring guitars of the del Rios make this a stadium-friendly unit-shifter which owes a debt to many, from Arcade Fire to Simple Minds. If the race is on for successful rock with balls and brains, then it's already been won" AU

"Akin to Editors, Interpol and White Lies....Floor-tom heavy with a rolling bass the guitars are alternatively choppy then floating on a Chameleons-like tide of echoing, chiming, glassy effects." Q

The album is also out in Japan with France to follow with plans for a few more license deals coming in as we continue forward.

Gigs next week include, Lewisham, Guildford, London, Windsor and Harlow. A brand new video for current single Rude Boy is also due to appear in the next couple of days.

dan

www.oxfordmusic.net (our label shop that can ship you a copy of the album worldwide).

RUDE BOY

We're having a nice week, rude boy is kind of the flagship single for the album at the moment, it seems to be doing a nice job. Its a song inspired by a visit I made to one of my friends who was in Reading Prison at the time. I watched as some of the other prisoners gave it the strut as they entered the visiting room. Its funny how just being in a prison can effect how a dude see's himself.
It was Q track of the day yesterday;

http://news.q4music.com/2009/02/its_something_of_a_challenge.html

and had a nice this is fake diy review this evening;

http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/tracks/the-race-rude-boy

its good to read stuff about you that doesn't just repeat your press release. Next wednesday is going to be a good day, We're getting the rude boy video back from Mark the director dude, we are quietly excited about the results..it could be very special, we're then headlining the 229 club in central London for club fandango in the evening. Do come. Rude boy has now made its way onto the NME Radio A list too.. which is good.
Thats all band stuff and all very nice but the thing I'm most excited about this week is my local library; Palmer Park library in Reading. I haven't had a library card since I was about 14, back then you could borrow 7 books at a time. Yesterday, aged 26 I took my I.D along and asked for a library card at my local library... 20 BOOKS!!! I didn't know where to start, I found myself reverting back to my childhood and heading straight for the sports section again. You can now borrow dvd's too, woop woop. We're hoping to have some more gigs to announce shortly (do i say that every time? -we really mean it this time). We have ants in our pants.

Snowy.

Its very snowy today here in Reading, there is a skip outside my house and it has been hit several times today by cars coming around the corner, thankfully my car has survived unscathed.

Having spent several months waiting for this new album and its singles to be released its been wonderful having people hear it (journalists/stake holders) and to get some feedback. We are really pleased with the songs and their recordings.
'Rude Boy' shall be the next single (February 23rd) and has two of my favourite b-sides to date. It also has some lovely artwork from our friend Tom Derret (morning runner) which makes it extra special. We begin work on the video tomorrow. We heard today that its made its way onto the NME radio playlist which is good. Meanwhile 'I Get it Wrong' is being beautifully serviced over in America and has had a whole bunch of plays on different stations around the country thanks to our newest team member Liz.

In My Head It Works (the album) is set for a full release on Mrch the 9th although it can be downloaded from iTunes already if you like your music downloaded. We're just trying to sort our some dates around its release more to follow.

Thats about all I can think of for now. We hope all you stakeholders have received your singles and albums safely and have been studying them carefully. dan x

artrocker/south st/album/single stuff.

Thankyou so much to those of you that came on Saturday to the Reading gig. What an awesome start to the year..sorry to those who couldn't get in (actually we're not sorry at all).

This months Artrocker magazine have just published the first album review, they don't mince their words. This is what they said;


THE RACE. In my head it works.
I wasn't a fan of this band, to be honest (until now). Their anthemic indie harmonisations are excellently executed,but still managing to teeter dangerously close to the Razorshite category, although managing to outshine other bands involved in the self-admiring indie stifle. 'I Get It Wrong' showcases the bands willingness to down tune the guitars and make riff's more akin to Interpol than the Zutons, a blatant improvement from the last album 'Be Your Alibi' subsequently showing that the band have somewhat matured from obvious pop structures and hooks. Dirty, subdued riffs, spindly chords and key tonal changes on tracks like 'Rude Boy', 'Better ship away' and 'Racing Car Game' further proved me wrong as I listened in awe to the transformation- from an underachieving 'comic' sponsored mob to something that may actually be interesting live, its lighter holding, stadium rock contains a dirty penchant for the extrovert and out of tune. Joe Gamp.

You stakeholders got a mention in the NME today, your 'rude boy' singles should be on their way and the albums are being manufactured as we speak although i think you've already been told that.

There's a gig in Aldershot on Friday and we're just waiting to here back on a last minute gig in London next Thursday too. Things are warming up.

dan

Happy New Year and all that jazz.

Woo Woo yeah yeah.. good. Lets get back to being in a band again, I spent the past three weeks waiting for everyone to get back to work. We have some music to release and I'd like to get cracking. This New Years eve I was in bed by 11pm (new baby blah blah) and it was probably my best yet as I have grown tired of the usual fake excitement with a room full of strangers.

The others are back rehearsing today and trying to figure out how to play the whole of Killer live,turning my casiotone into a huge church organ using james' guitar pedals..I have had to stay home. My head is throbbing and it looks like I may have suddenly become prone to migraines, will see what the doctor says later...i tried the nhs direct website but it told me to ring 999 which worried me greatly.

Apparently mr lamacq thinks that shoegaze might make a comeback this year, I spent yesterday doing a japanese interview that wanted to know what we thought about 'shoegazer' and our fellow Reading band Slowdive....???????????????????????? I don't know????!! Maybe i should have a listen to their stuff as similar questions keep coming. Cue a whole load of reviews comparing us to shoegaze bands. Hype/press/buzz/labels are funny old things. We continue to make music we like and remain ignorant of half the bands we get compared too. Sometimes its nice to not be too knowledgable, we shall leave that to others. France are now releasing the album which is good, Tom Robinson played IGIW yesterday and reviews continue to pour in, Rude Boy should be back from the manufacturers this week and we are really excited about this huge Reading gig coming up on Saturday, its set to be busy. Also keep your eyes peeled for some of the COOTMP gigs that are starting to come together, happy new year, i hope it has brought you fresh optimism in whatever you are getting up to,
dan.
ps//having said all of that, I'm going to bite the bullet and listen to some slowdive right now(!)

**MOORFOGG- Christmas Single!**

If we were to release a Christmas single this could well be it. Screw everyone else!!
Mr Fogg sent us through a remix of our song Moorwood late last week and on a cold, damp, flu riddled day I had a bit of a moment. Have a listen, if you like it pass it on to your friends..we will make it available to download from our website between Christmas day and New Years day, some kind of virtual stocking filler I guess. We're also working on the 'Race Christmas Message 2008'..more of that to come.

Now please go and check out Mr Fogg.

www.myspace.com/mrfoggisapopstar

listen to some more songs + coalition stores stocking the single.

6 IMHIW album tracks and full length ones at that are now up on our myspace page,

www.myspace.com/raceuk

we are very busy but should have lots to show for ourselves pretty shortly

In the meantime you can now get yourself a copy of 'I get it wrong' in the following shops and towns..

SISTER RAY LIMITED LONDON
WALL OF SOUND RECORDS HUDDERSFIELD
RESIDENT MUSIC LTD BRIGHTON
SPILLERS RECORDS CARDIFF
SELECTADISC LTD NOTTINGHAM
REFLEX NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
PICCADILLY RECORDS MANCHESTER
ACTION RECORDS PRESTON
AVALANCHE RECORDS EDINBURGH
AVALANCHE GLASGOW

s'laters.

**’I GET IT WRONG’ out today+ last week+ reviews**

'I get it wrong' is the first single from this new album and is available for download today on all the usual sites, physical release will follow in a couple of weeks..(for various reasons) but is also available at gigs and through being one of the stakeholders..we hope you like them, feel free to ask for them from us directly too, i'm sure we can shove copies in the post. It also includes the B-sides Maisie and Here I Lay, which we are really pleased with.

couple of single reviews below..

THE RACE I Get It Wrong 8/10
Long under-rated anthemicists return with more shivering unabashed big music, this time like The Open taking on The Killers' Smile Like You Mean It. Belongs in arenas, not pubs. John Earls, Teletext.

THE RACE – I Get It Wrong (Shifty Disco) – Another single from The Race, they do seem to just glide along semi-lost in their own lush indie rock world and now and again pop up with something that reminds you that they're out there and has you wondering why they aren't far bigger news and all over things like the NME. I think this maybe the first the fruits of a new album, then again I may be wrong, someone will correct me when I get it wrong. Lush indie rock, tiny epics and an ambitious sound that really does sound like it should be coming from a big stage or a daytime alternative radio station on the same playlist as The Cure and bands like Snow Patrol, Arcade Fire. Three more fine hopeful ambitious alternative indie songs, three more impressive tracks from a band who really deserve to be doing more than just gliding along in their own lost world. Sean O, Organ.

We had a wonderful time of it with the gigs last week, Jess was very proud to wear her Super badger for the first time and i'm so sorry to those in Windsor who I offended by screwing up the game of Hangman mid set..I honestly thought I was going to win(!). The Chilli Con Carne in Brighton was top notch and made a wonderful change from eating restaurant food every night..much more homely.

This week we are very pleased to be heading back into Reading prison, Its been a big source of inspiration over these past two albums as it sits smack bang in the middle of our town and I often think of the boys inside as I walk past in the fresh air, Its a gig I've been looking forward to very much.

For those in the know, the 'Come on Over To My Place' Winter Tour is looking really good, thank you so much to all the stakeholders who have put in their requests so far, keep them coming and we shall get onto the logistics shortly. We're also getting set for the belated Stakeholder and friends bonfire night at Andy's house..its set to be a classic, Gra is very keen to host the maggott racing..I'm not sure how that will look, but hopefully we'll have some apple bobbing too..its still not to late to get involved with the Stake stuff, its all on our website.

wrap up warm,

dan
www.inmyheaditworks.com

more stuff.

Jess has been stealing bits of footage off our phones in order to piece together a little studio diary from when we made the album..




We're playing three gigs next week ..previews/ticket details are below..get cutting and pasting as i still don't know how to make links work on here and can't be bothered to waste time trying to figure it out!

London.
http://www.clubfandango.co.uk/gig.php?id=1065">

Brighton.
http://www.brightoncalling.com/previews.html


Windsor.
http://www.bandmeup.co.uk/FIND/common/sitehost.asp?SURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efirestationartscentre%2Ecom&SNAME=The+Firestation+Arts+Centre++%2C+Windsor&SEMAIL=holliekennedyAtRePlAcEhotmaildOtRePlAcEcodOtRePlAcEuk&SID=422

Think thats about all for now other than to say that any stakeholders reading this are very welcome to come to our belated bonfire/fireworks night at Andy's house on December the 6th, give us a shout if you can make it and we'll tell you more. Stakeholder 'I Get It Wrong' singles will be in the post on Monday despatched from the mighty Shifty Disco. Its all getting very interesting.

Finally here is a little interview i did last week for a website called MuHead.
http://www.muhead.com/index.php/blogs/other-stuff/the-race-e-interview.html

and we were in session on BBC Berkshires 'the session' last Sunday, listen again on their website if you like.

Regards.

dan

The first single..I get it wrong.

Water Rats

Its so good to be playing again. There's a short tour starting to take shape around the single in november, and we look forward to seeing you there... We can't WAIT! If you want us to come to your town, let us know...

If you've forgotten what we look like.. here's a lovely piccie someone kind sent through - thanks Mr Miller...!

Jess xx

Car Accident.

Race drummer and all round good guy Andy was involved in a car accident last night on the way home from a gig in London. His car flipped onto its roof but miraculously he was unhurt and was able to crawl out of the window without any cuts or bruises. We went today to pick up his things from the car before it was scrapped, he was listening to our new single at the time and eerily it had stopped at the moment his car flipped..we pressed play today and on it went, unfortunately the stereo was pretty much the only thing left of any value. Andy is understandably shaken up but other than that ok. We are very thankful that he is ok, life and health are so easily taken for granted.

While Andy had the afternoon off we finished some filming for the second version of the video for this single, it is looking very beautiful indeed, the gig last night incidentally was a very special one..we were on unusually early (7.30pm) but the room filled out nicely and there was a wonderful light show which helped set the scene nicely. We now have a new manager by the name of Mr Roy Eldridge. He is a gentleman and has a wise experienced head, he is also good and tall which I think is always an important attribute in a manager/getting things done. We look forward to getting to know him better and making our first steps together.. rather like a romance. You will like him.

We got the promotional copies of our single and album back from the manufacturers yesterday and are now looking forward to our team getting into the full swing of letting people know that we are back and have something for them to hear. We are hopefully going to head up to London on Monday to personally hand deliver the first couple of copies too..I think we learnt from Pass It On that nothing beats making the effort to hand over your music in person. Next friday night we are headlining the main venue at Reading Students Union, it should provide a nice hometown gig for this month and non students can come too..I think its £4 on the door without NUS, bargain..and its freshers week.

not long now..

We are still here, don't go away.

x

Cottage Industry.

Another crazy week of getting things ready and trying to meet deadlines, in three hours on Monday afternoon I wrote and recorded my lyrics for a new b-side with Gra. By Tuesday night we were running a little behind so had an 8pm artwork meeting at the del Rio's. We we have to have the new single and the album promo artwork ready to pass on to the Shifty Disco tomorrow. We were struggling for ideas and I was keen to get home to my little family so I asked Jess for some paper and paint (the others laughed)..this is what happened, I wasn't sure but they seem to like it so it may well stick. I then went back home and left them to it. 'My work here is done'. Highly amusing.

I was thinking this week that we exist very much as a cottage industry with us each having numerous roles within the band/partnership. As well as our musical jobs, between us we seem to cover;

bus driver
recording engineer/mixer/producer
tailor
baker
graphic designer
communications executive
first aider (!)
comedian
tough guy
athlete
merchandiser
drummer
dog walker
caterer
masseuse..

I guess the tricky/easy part is trying to work out who does/is what.

Tomorrow thankfully we shall get back to our favourite way of passing time with a gig at the brand new Windsor Arts Centre (old firestation) its with our old friends Sennen who are on a national tour, we'll both be playing an extended set so it should be pretty good, doors are 7.30pm and we shall be on at 8.30pm, early night..yeah.

lots of things..

We are crazy busy trying to get eveything ready in order to promote the first single in October and the new album release in January. In times like these we tend to split the work out a little, Gra has been recording and mixing the b-sides for the single, James is sorting out artwork with our boy Tom, I'm desperately trying to write lyrics and push through my fuzzy head/new baby mode, Jess has been working on t-shirts/videos and Andy has invested in a new cymbal and has done lots of recording with it?. Last night we played Greenbelt Festival which was good..it was Maisie's first festival and probably the most baby friendly festival you could ever go to, saw a bit of iain archer and an american lady with a ukeleli (?) she was good. Moorwood went down beautifully which for me is always the sign of a good gig, the quiet songs are always the hardest to pull off.

I'm supposed to be writing out all the lyrics to the album but I really can't be bothered, I keep putting it off as I am so slow at typing. We found out this week that IMHIW will also be getting a release in Japan on Korofune records which we are delighted about..bring on the tour!! We're also going to be making our way over to Italy in November to support the release of Be Your Alibi over there and to eat some nice food/play gigs and to meet our italian team, gigs over here are starting to come in nicely. We're basically planning on working our butts off between now and January to give this album the push it deserves and to give it a good enough platform for loads of new people to hear it.

All the new dates get put up on our myspace page, so check it daily as they are coming in fast. If you don't own Be Your Alibi you can buy it from www.oxfordmusic.net for £4.99..supermarket prices!! and it means that more profits get hrough to us than through the usual bigger places. Stakes are doing so well. I keep hearing terrible stories about bands being dropped all over the place and industry people losing their jobs and that directly affecting the bands who they are responsible for-- its really harsh. We count ourselves lucky to be on such a solid record label and with an awesome well thought out way of making it all work financially where we know that our music will actually get released! My friend Tim introduced me to seth lakeman yesterday, he spoke alot of sense and thought the Stake idea was very clever indeed. I should have offered him one come to think of it.. (details are on www.inmyheaditworks.com )

I had better go, I can hear crying. Tomorrow begins with a cooked breakfast at james and jess' house. yum.

*NEW VIDEO*

Paternity leave is over. I'm back. Yesterday we shot the video for the next single; I get It Wrong.

We were working with a new director Mr Rob Evans who is probably one of the most enthusiastic people we have ever had the pleasure of spending a day with. We were kindly allowed the use of Reading cattle market for the day and a wonderful group of volunteers basically made it all happen. I still can't believe that people would give up a whole day to help us out like they did yesterday, the least i can do is thank them here..( I hope I got everybody's name)

Dan Appleby, SFL,

Lou Evans, Nicola,

Kelly Lambert, Mr Fogg, Rachie,

Dave Newton, Catalina, John,

Estie, Gabrielle, Rob,

Beth ,Mr Capoeira (sorry), Nathan,

Rufus ,Hettie and all the cattle market people..

You guys were unbelievable on a cold, wet, precious Saturday. We can't wait to see the results, feel free to try and figure out what we did and how we did it from the pictures, we're back rehearsing hard this week and finishing off the two b-sides for the single which should be out in October. Thanks for all the messages of congratulation, fatherhood is good, I learn so much every day. Today has involved several bouts of projectile vomit. dan

Further on and Further in

There's a buzz about the race camp this week as the 1st race baby has arrived - Maisie Faith Buchanan arrived safely on sunday evening, weighing in at 5 lb 6 oz. Everyone doing wonderfully, Maisie is beautiful.

Dan's got a couple of weeks of on paternity, so its up to me to keep the blog fires burning... The rest of us are as busy as beavers, recording B-sides (instrumental only....!) - a new song called either Mower (grae's influence) or 'Ones and pieces', which is something big G said by accident, but i thought was cute. And then possibly stabber, which we really should've renamed by now, which is a wicked song with a beautiful french horn outro... (any out there play the french horn?)

We're also planning what is turning out to be our most ambitious video to date. It'll either be an amazing Gondry-esque piece of art, or we'll have to start over. I have to make a whole world out of cardboard, love it. We're working with a director chappy called Rob Evans, and this is his passion. He's got some great ideas, and I'm very excited.

Looking forward to another hometown show on the 16th, in our favourite little sweat box, the rising sun arts centre. Its gonna be awesome. The Oakford gig was wonderful, complete with singalongers to the new songs, which is always very nice.

Catch you later bill and ted

Jess xx

#PAINT!#

Photographer Chris Harris came to take some photos of us on Monday. This one was taken in St Laurence Church in Reading whilst the church bells were being rung by the local bell ringers/peelsters(?). After an hour long session they came down to find five half naked racers wandering around covered in paint, they didn't really know what to say to that.

We shall be back playing in Reading tomorrow night for the first time in ten months, Oakford Social Club..onstage at 11pm (free entry) it shall be very special indeed.

last night.

Thanks to everyone who came down to camden last night, it felt so good to be on stage just playing again and not doing all the other stuff that comes with being a band..a big release. We now feel rehearsed up and ready to go-the new songs seem to work and we're looking forward to introducing some more next weekend in Reading. This coming week shall involve photo's/planning a video/discussions with potential new management/rehearsals and perhaps even squeezing out a precious baby (depending on who you are). It could well be life changing.