[Cover photo credit to Paul Grace]
Brace Yourself Records, Pets Care Records and London punks John, comprised of John Newton (drums, lead vocals) and Johnny Healey (guitar, backing vocals), have announced the single “The Common Cold,” the third track from new album A Life Diagrammatic, out Friday, September 22nd, 2023.
Closing out the album, “The Common Cold” uses sampled noise to “hammer home the damaging role of traditions in our present — and how these traditions often prevent positive changes in our future.”
Newton comments:
I’m often thinking about the changes of technology since our childhood, as two individuals that grew with the appearance of mobile phones and the internet. It’s now increasingly hard to remember the years spent previous to this. It’s a well beaten statement, but these networks have monopolised as a central focus point, where the individual is often indirectly coerced into feeling inadequate when operating within these systems. It’s no wonder mental health has become an ever-increasing battle — a common cold that doesn’t necessarily display its symptoms externally.
John have also announced their first North American tour for October, taking them through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, New York, and many more in between.
The follow-up to 2021’s Nocturnal Manoeuvres, the forthcoming A Life Diagrammatic is a record that was recorded by Tom Hill at The Bookhouse in South London, mixed by Seth Manchester (METZ, Big Brave, Battles) and mastered by Frank Arkwright (Arab Strap, Squarepusher, Autechre).
Healey says:
We knew the direction we wanted to go in after the last record. We had started going a bit more towards soundscapes rather than straight-up noise and four to the floor structure.
OCTOBER
03 — Phoenix, AZ — Linger Longer Lounge
04 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echo
05 — Santa Ana, CA — Constellation Room
07 — San Francisco, CA — Brick and Mortar
10 — Seattle, WA — Sunset Tavern
11 — Portland, OR — Mission Theater
13 — Salt Lake City, UT — The DLC
14 — Denver, CO — Skylark Lounge
17 — St. Louis, MO — Off Broadway
18 — Chicago, IL — Schubas
20 — Toronto, ON — The Baby G
21 — Columbus, OH — The Basement
24 — Philadelphia, PA — Kung Fu Necktie
25 — Washington, DC — DC9
26 — Brooklyn, NY — St. Vitus
