New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following a pair of sold out shows with reunited luminaries data.select.party at the tail end of 2018, Manchester band The Maple
State are pleased to reveal a new video for their latest track 'A Notion', taken from their new AA-side single 'Germany/A Notion' which is out now via Far Out Records.
The video was once more directed by good friend of the band Pat Boyle, who they've been working with on their visuals since 2006.
"We shot the videos for 'Germany' and 'A Notion' back to back in Bolton," says front man Greg Counsell. "Our friend Ben has a sound stage, but as soon as we got in there I went snooping around in the workshop and backstage. It immediately felt more us, so we set up behind the sound stage. I guess we were trying to capture that 90s slacker feel, like Weezer, Pavement, Cast—their videos seemed to make a bunch of guys hanging out on a crappy sofa into something engaging."
"We've always loved a huge chorus in The Maple State," continues Counsell on the new track. "There's something in that emotional and energetic payoff that we've sought to capture in our music.
"Lyrically, this is about where I am in my life right now. Whether it's in relationships or jobs or friendships, I seem to spend my life doing stupid things; defying logic, risking everything for no good reason, and no amount of self-discipline or desire for control seems to have any impact on my decisions. I suppose at some point everything will slow down, I'll have my Big Sur moment, and when I do I know exactly where I want to be."
The latest single is the first new material from The Maple
State since they finally released their long-overdue debut album The Things I Heard At The Party in early 2018 after a decade apart, to a flurry of excited fans and press alike. Warmly received by listeners both old and new, the record proved that their shimmering Americana-laced brand of alternative indie-punk remains as relevant and engaging as a decade ago.
'Germany/A Notion' is out now
Watch the video for 'Something In The Water' here:
https://youtu.be/bpEtIP-6p7k
Watch the video for "Winner' here:
https://youtu.be/PYwHnHikBG0
More info:
A year on since releasing the first track from the album, Counsell recalls that he had no idea what to expect. The band knew that they had made a good record, but they were unsure if anyone would be interested in hearing it after a decade away. With the world feeling like a very different place now to the way they left it in 2008, returning to music seemed like a step into the unknown.
"I saw a lot of post-modernism and overt self-awareness in most contemporary music," continues Counsell of his doubts over their return, "while in contrast our music has always had more romanticism to it—like Shane McGowan, Tom Petty, and Mike Skinner, we write from the heart via the head. I really didn't know how our music would be received in 2018, or if there was even a place in indie/punk rock for the sorts of stories we were telling."
Despite their fears, the band saw reinvigorated support at radio from
Radio X, BBC Introducing, idobi Radio, and Amazing Radio, with a groundswell of fresh media pick up at the likes of Four Four Two Magazine, Clash, Drowned In Sound, UPSET, Manchester Evening News, Punktastic, The Spill, Already Heard, For The Rabbits and many more.
"The response we got to the record was incredible," smiles Counsell, "and I still have to pinch myself when I think about the shows we played. After ten years, playing The Maple
State songs live and hearing an audience sing back at us is something I never thought I would experience again, so not only was this a dream come true, but it really feels like we've become more popular in our absence. We released the album with the intention of providing a nice bookend to The Maple State's legacy, but now it feels like we're just getting started again."
Revamped and revitalised by the ongoing interest in their output, the band are setting their sights on releasing further new music and hitting the road proper again in 2019.
The Maple
State are:
Gregory Counsell - vocals and guitars
Christian Counsell - guitar, bass and backing vocals
Richard Higginbottom - guitar and backing vocals
William Pearson - keyboard and backing vocals
Michael Westwood - drums
The Maple
State online:
https://www.facebook.com/themaplestate/
https://twitter.com/MapleStateband
https://www.instagram.com/themaplestate/
https://www.themaplestate.com
What the press said about 2018 album The Things I Heard At The Party:
"Wrought with emotion and cleverly-considered composition" - Drowned In Sound [7/10]
"Boldly anthemic songwriting...a crisp, ambitious return" - CLASH
"Charming and relatable...a well-needed hug of an album" - Birthday Cake For Breakfast
"A justification of their cult-legend status...verges on pretty wonderful" - The Soundboard [7/10]
"Full of confidence...an indie-pop classic in the making" - Punk Online
"Down to earth, nuanced melodies...infectiously catchy" - Rockfreaks [7.5/10]
"Awesome...one of our favourites of the year" - Read Junk [⅘]
"A triumph of expansive emo" - Vulture Hound [⅘]
