“Even in the most simple phases of life when a door seems closed, or life impacts your direction of travel, I’m a believer that there is always a solution and always an option in any given situation – so I never try to get too excited by the highs of life or too downhearted by the lows,” says Mike Peters, vocalist/guitarist of THE ALARM who release their new single and video, “Another Way” (release date: today June 13, 2023) with a debut atAmerican Songwriter this morning. “Another Way” is the latest in a series of driving, high-spirited tracks from Forwards, the highly anticipated new album, due June 16, 2023, fromTwenty First Century Recording Company.
Peters experienced a creative renaissance and renewed sense of purpose while struggling to regain his health, using the galvanizing power of songwriting to – quite literally – propel him Forwards. At a time when things seemed bleak, he was able to harness his passion for music as a means of carrying on. But he wasn’t entirely sure it would work… until it did.
“I did a demo of this as soon as I was well enough to do some work, and although I could barely sing, I was able to map out the chord sequence and structure,” he explains. “I managed to get one half-decent run through of the vocal idea and when I eventually had 10 songs, I went to see The Alarm record producer George Williams and played him all my demos. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I was going to ever get my voice back and told George that we should consider the recording process as being posthumous. George liked the vibe of my demos straightaway and suggested we start work on them immediately, I didn’t think he meant, like, right away, but he was serious… and within 24 hours we were in the studio recording the songs that have become Forwards.”
Fortifying a new performance clip with powerful imagery of medical corridors and Peters curled in a ball on his hospital bed, the video footage for “Another Way” frames the determination mindset that brought him back from the brink. As is the case with Forwards on the whole, the song stands as a reminder of what’s important when the horizon looks dark… sometimes, we can think our way out of the most difficult circumstances.
“Another Way” is the fourth single from Forwards (out June 16, 2023), following “Whatever,” “Next,” and the title track, which also serves as the album opener. Forwards is being released physically on both CD and Vinyl with the LP release featuring two different record sleeves and colored vinyl configurations. A vintage green and white star white vinyl edition (Mike’s healing color combo), is being made available to outlets everywhere along with a unique Metallic Green vinyl limited edition available exclusively to independent record stores only.
Forwards is also being released in all digital formats including Hi-Res and Dolby Atmos editions. Pre-sale and pre-save is available here: https://ingrv.es/thealarmforwards.
Described by Bono of U2 as “the second greatest rock and roll band in the world”, Mike Peters has been the driving force behind The Alarm for over forty creative years of new music making and dedication to presenting the band’s classic songs in ways both imaginative and inventive.
