01 October 2020 - 0 Comments

Beloved Kiwi band Cut Off Your Hands are bidding a final farewell to fans with the release of their third and final record HLLH, out on 16 October. They’ve toured the globe many times with the who’s who of indie music, but this final record will be launched at a show just a couple of doors down from the bar where it all began on Karangahape, a fitting chance to farewell the fans that have followed them for close to 15 years. Today, they share Blue Smoke Draft, a track about instability of memories and the magic of reconnection both through and to music.

A typically autobiographical track, Blue Smoke Draft draws from frontman and songwriter Nick Johnston’s memories of the last times he saw his Grandfather before he passed and how listening to the classic Kiwi tune Blue Smoke together not only connected the two together, but helped reconnect Nick with music when he was burnt out from touring and his experiences in the music industry.

“It was a meaningful reconnection with music for me personally as well as with my beloved Poppa,” Nick says.

“Structurally the song continues the theme of HLLH in that it is a repetitive chordal motif over which the melody and lyrics are made to do the work of defining the song. The references are strong on the sleeve, from Naive Melody by Talking Heads to Strange Overtones by David Byrne, and Star Guitar by Chemical Brothers. There is also a less than subtle ref to LCD Soundsystem’s Someone Great - another song about losing a paternal figure.”

Blue Smoke Draft is the latest in a series of singles from HLLH that have been drip-fed to eager fans over the past few years. The record is set to be released independently on limited edition vinyl and streaming via DRM on Friday 16 October. Pre-orders are open for the LP through Flying Out and on digital platforms.

Listen to Blue Smoke Draft

Photo Credit: Evan Xiao

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