‘Textures’ the new EP from newfamiliar

A growing fanbase is building around the trio, with fans enamoured by the band’s emotional affecting lyrics, timeless yet contemporary melodies, and the fervent soul and sensitivity of frontman Ryan Johnston’s voice. Now the band, completed by guitarists Will Booth and Danny Hepworth, release their eagerly anticipated debut EP ‘Textures’. LISTEN HERE.

Fans who were enraptured by their previous tracks will find plenty to admire in the EP’s new single ‘Antidote’. LISTEN HERE. newfamiliar have crafted an evocative image that will immediately strike a chord with anyone who has loved, lost and struggled to pick up the pieces. The song’s sombre mood is established with a stripped-back acoustic guitar accompaniment, but it grows in stature and drama as its yearning intensifies.

The ‘Textures’ EP is completed by another new song in the shape of ‘Natural Disaster’. While it extends the melancholy themes of the songs that preceded it, its rousing vocal harmonies, bright guitar work and reverberating beats generates an optimistic feeling that better times will follow.

newfamiliar commented, “The ‘Textures’ EP is an introduction to our sound and songwriting. Blending organic and digital sounds with these particular songs has really helped us carve out a sonic landscape that will hopefully become synonymous with our name.”

newfamiliar called on some sought after collaborators to help them bring ‘Textures’ to its full potential. All four songs were produced by Rich Cooper (Billie Marten, Tom Odell), mixed by Cenzo Townsend (Florence + The Machine, U2) and mastered at Abbey Road. The result evokes Dermot Kennedy’s observational lyricism, Paolo Nutini’s characteristic soul, the poignancy of Fleet Foxes, and the intimacy of early Bon Iver. Like Johnston’s favourite songwriter, Bill Withers, newfamiliar are big on bravery rather than bravado, depth of feeling over theatrics.

The impact of the trio’s songwriting has been complemented by their visual aesthetic. Loss very much informs their videos too, whether it’s in the understated animation of ‘How Can I?’ or the ambiguous narrative of ‘Here For You’. As one fan commented on YouTube, “Sometimes the universe pulls through to provide us with the right things at the right time and this is one of those times.”

newfamiliar will celebrate the release of ‘Textures’ by playing some intimate socially distanced acoustic performances next month. They will play two shows at London’s St. Pancras Old Church on June 3rd (starting at 7pm and 9pm) followed by two sets at The Wardrobe in Leeds on June 5th (commencing at 3pm and 7pm). The evening shows at both venues quickly sold-out, resulting in the recent addition of early performances at both venues. They’re also scheduled to play a full Londonheadline show at Lafayette on October 25th, which is also sold-out.

The band recently demonstrated their exemplary musicianship and remarkable vocals when they previewed the release of ‘Textures’ with a live performance of ‘Antidote’.