The Alarm have released their first album in 13 years today, April 20. Here is some info on it and the interesting story of the first single "45 RPM".
The release of the new 12-track album, produced by Steve Brown (the Cult, Manic Street Preachers), comes on the heels of unexpected success on the U.K. singles chart with "45 RPM."
Realizing the age of the band's members could be a detriment in the youth-oriented music scene and that the group's moniker carried with it the weight of nostalgia, "45 RPM" was sent to radio stations under the name the Poppyfields. Having received positive feedback, the raging upbeat pop punk song was paired with a video of four teenagers in place of Peters and his crew, and the single released under the pseudonym.
"We wanted to make sure that we were judged purely on the strength of the music, and not by our old hairstyles," Peters says.
After the single debuted in the top 30 of the U.K. singles chart, the band admitted to the ruse and received mainstream press coverage at home and in the United States, where even "CBS Evening News" reported on the feat. "We've proved a point to both ourselves and the industry that older artists can still produce chart-worthy music," Peters adds.
In advance of the album's release, the Alarm is in the midst of a U.S. tour that plays Cleveland tonight (April 5). Nine out of the remaining 12 dates will find the group paired with the Psychedelic Furs. Following the tour's April 17 conclusion in Houston, a U.K. run is on tap. For more information, visit the Alarm's official Web site.
Visit the website: www.thealarm.com
There you can hear brief clips of all the tracks from the album.
The release of the new 12-track album, produced by Steve Brown (the Cult, Manic Street Preachers), comes on the heels of unexpected success on the U.K. singles chart with "45 RPM."
Realizing the age of the band's members could be a detriment in the youth-oriented music scene and that the group's moniker carried with it the weight of nostalgia, "45 RPM" was sent to radio stations under the name the Poppyfields. Having received positive feedback, the raging upbeat pop punk song was paired with a video of four teenagers in place of Peters and his crew, and the single released under the pseudonym.
"We wanted to make sure that we were judged purely on the strength of the music, and not by our old hairstyles," Peters says.
After the single debuted in the top 30 of the U.K. singles chart, the band admitted to the ruse and received mainstream press coverage at home and in the United States, where even "CBS Evening News" reported on the feat. "We've proved a point to both ourselves and the industry that older artists can still produce chart-worthy music," Peters adds.
In advance of the album's release, the Alarm is in the midst of a U.S. tour that plays Cleveland tonight (April 5). Nine out of the remaining 12 dates will find the group paired with the Psychedelic Furs. Following the tour's April 17 conclusion in Houston, a U.K. run is on tap. For more information, visit the Alarm's official Web site.
Visit the website: www.thealarm.com
There you can hear brief clips of all the tracks from the album.
