CANADIAN 
You hear about comebacks in the music industry and then there are whopping comebacks. Let’s consider the case of Ireland’s Emperor of Ice Cream collective, hailing from The Emerald Isle, who we have the pleasure to introduce you to today. Having released several singles and EPs through Sony in the early 1990s, the major label ultimately shelved their debut album after the initial demos had been approved and everything seemed set to go with the green light.
Now, 3 decades after forming, they are back with a new single –‘Weather Vane’ – which will soon be released via FIFA Records, with the fantastic proverbial flip-side ‘High Rise Low Rise’. We have the pleasure of premiering the accompanying video for the latter track, which is about growing up amongst friends who, despite being outsiders and misfits, dream in ways that will change them all and the world around them. What a fantastic song – a stellar melange of Ride, Mercury Rev, early Telescopes, The Verve and Sparklehorse.
Written and directed by Veronica Terreblanche, the video was reimagined by John Haggis with the director’s permission.
This release follows up their debut album ‘No Sound Ever Dies’, which the band released last year after signing to FIFA Records, one of the best loved indie labels in Ireland. The fact that band members Edward Butt (bass), John ‘Haggis’ Hegarty (vocals), Graham Finn (guitars)and Colum Young (drums) are now scattered in various towns in Ireland, the USA, and The Netherlands did not put them off of pursuing their dream of continuing to make music.
Mixed and produced by Graham Finn, and mastered by Tom Volpicelli (The Who, Iggy Pop, The Alarm, Pat Benatar, The Bloodhound Gang) at The Mastering House in New Jersey, the 2-track ‘Weather Vane’ single captures the zeitgeist of this isolationist day in age, clinging to the hope that remains even when things are falling apart. Offering driving rhythms and thumping basslines, the band lays the foundations for raw and melodic guitars, topped by elegant, lush vocals and harmonies. A natural direction for the band, they bring in a fresher and raw sound, letting the parts speak for themselves rather than enveloping them with pedals and tricks.
Since re-emerging on the scene in May 2020, Emperor of Ice Cream have embarked on a chapter few anticipated would be written. Their debut record’s first anniversary is marked by a second pressing on vinyl and CD. Entering the official Irish album charts at number 35, the LP topped the independent charts and was among the top 20 best-selling Irish releases of 2020.
“It’s a strange task, to make music with people you haven’t been in the same room as for over two decades, but the challenge was a welcome one. Overseen by Graham from his New York abode, the drums were beautifully recorded in Amsterdam at IJland Studios by Remko Schouten, who has previously worked with Pavement, Stephen Malkamus & The Jicks and Devendra Bernhardt. Assembling parts from home studios in Cork and Waterford, the final touches, edits and mixes were completed in NY. It’s an unusual way of doing things, but with the year that world has experienced collectively, not an uncommon one these days, unfortunately,” says John Haggis.
Garnering a new legion of supporters around the globe, renewed demand for the band’s back catalogue resulted in the release of a compilation album of their three early Sony-backed EPs (‘Overflow’, ‘William’ and ‘Know Me’), having sold out in the pre-digital 90’s. Reaching number 21 in the official album charts, the album also rose to number 3 in the independent charts. While the limited-edition physical copies were sold out on release day, it is still available as a digital download.
On August 24, the ‘Weather Vane’ single will be released digitally on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp at https://emperoroficecream.bandcamp.com/album/weather-vane-single. In the meantime, the ‘No Sound Ever Dies’ LP can be obtained on vinyl, CD, cassette and digital download at https://emperoroficecream.bandcamp.com
CREDITS
Written and performed by Emperor of Ice Cream
Recorded by Emperor of Ice Cream
Mixed and produced by Graham Finn
Mastered by Tom Volpicelli at the Mastering House, New Jersey
Cover artwork by Edward Butt
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