Sennen have released New Quiet, their sixth album and the first since 2016's First Light. It's out now on Sonic Cathedral. The band recorded it themselves and James Chapman, aka Maps, mixed it.
The now London-based four-piece say they're leaning into their familiar influences this time rather than shying away from them. Singer and guitarist Rich Kelleway says they've felt a sense of freedom from the self-imposed rules they put on themselves before. The spark came from putting together an expanded anniversary reissue of their debut album Widows in 2021, which reminded them of the joy of being in a band in their early 20s. Larry Holmes, the other singer and guitarist, calls Sennen "a lifeboat for us".
The album opens with I Can See The Future, a seven-minute track described as early Mercury Rev-inspired, with a repeated piano refrain. Then comes the recent single Dig, which Larry says is about falling asleep at the wheel and not doing anything about the oncoming head-on collision. Further in, Waking Up is a breaking-up song compared to the softer moments on Yo La Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, and Birds was inspired by a news story about birds predicting disasters.
Here It Comes sits at the centre, built on a repeated "everything will be OK" refrain. Larry says you can take it at face value, or picture someone saying it in front of a burning building. Waves is described as a Feelies meets Sonic Youth hybrid, and the closer, Something Made Me Think Of You, references the band's teenage dreams, buying records, shoes and "Italia '90 blues".
A band who stopped for ten years, found their way back through a reissue of their first record and then wrote an album about the point of being in a band is a story I'm happy to get behind. Rich's line that he's accepted he needs this band in his life is a good reason for me to back New Quiet.
Sennen co-headline a UK tour with labelmates The Early Years in November, with guests including Parastatic, Maps, Andy Bell (Ride/Oasis) and Jordan Smith (bdrmm):
- 14 November – Norwich – The Holloway
- 15 November – Coventry – Just Dropped In
- 16 November – Leeds – Belgrave Music Hall
- 17 November – London – The Social
- 18 November – London – The Social
- 19 November – Bedford – Esquires
- 20 November – Nottingham – Billy Bootleggers
- 21 November – Manchester – The Yard
Tickets and links: https://linktr.ee/sennenuk