Frankly, it’s been too long a wait, but British four-piece rock band Collateral return with new single ‘Glass Sky’, and news that’s its taken from what’s to be their sophomore album, Should’ve Known Better, due out on 24th May, through Big Shot Records.
Now we’ve got to be honest here, when the single began with its choral repeat hook we did a double-check to make sure the video wasn’t some boyband dancing and a hop-skipping all in line. Rather, as the music continued and the rain-soaked band played on and the intensity of the music increased one began to appreciate the sonic dynamics put to work on this AOR number, pumped as it is with enough mainstream hooks to crossover but with enough rock anthem tribal beats to keep the faithful steady at the wheel.
You can stream ‘Glass Sky’ on all platforms here and check out the official music video for yourselves right here at RAMzine.
Should’ve Known Better will be released on CD, red vinyl, picture disc, limited edition cassette, and digitally. It will be distributed worldwide by Cargo Records Direct and available to pre-order from Cargo Records Direct and direct from the band’s website.
The album was produced by Dan Weller (Those Damn Crows, Enter Shikari, Monster Truck, Kris Barras, Holding Absence, Bury Tomorrow), who said: “I love massive riffs, massive hooks and feel-good guitar music. When Collateral sent me their demos, I jumped at chance to produce their new record. I’m proud of what we managed to create. It’s Collateral Mk2 – Ambitious, daring and refined. I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
The band’s eponymous debut album hit the Top 5 UK Rock Album Chart at the start of 2020, only for the covid pandemic to be upon us mere weeks after its release, forcing the band to cancel their highly successful tour with Phil X, of Bon Jovi, halfway through. This made the band hungry to keep the momentum. With innovative ways to produce top quality live streams, the band became special guests supporting the likes of Skid Row, H.E.A.T and Reckless Love.
Exciting and flamboyant live, the Kent-based rock and roll band feature Angelo Tristan (lead vocals, guitar), Louis Malagodi (guitar), Jack Bentley-Smith (bass) and Ben Atkinson (drums).
The band’s front man, Tristan, broke down the songs on the new album track by track, as follows.
‘Glass Sky’ – “This is the flag ship of the album. Louis came into the rehearsal studio one day with the opening riff and I literally stopped what I was doing. I turned around to him and said, ‘That’s it… That’s the hit’. The lyrics were like water off a duck’s back. It felt easy to write something empowering. It was crying out for a Shanty style gang vocal that I could imagine a rallying arena scream along to. I felt this song had to bring people together. We’re all searching for that breakthrough, for that love, for that thing that will make us feel complete. This is that song.”
‘Original Criminal’ – “This song is a nod to the Bonnie and Clyde style lifestyle. A mysterious character that has a dangerously attractive persona doing what he likes when he likes. The best part of this song is that you never know if he’s a good or bad guy. I guess he’s what all men would want to be. An ‘Original Criminal’.”
‘Just One Of Those Days’ – “Showing my country influence, I wanted to create a song with a happy and upbeat vibe that would make people forget about a bad day. We all have them, we all have ‘One Of Those Days’ where nothing quite goes to plan and that was the perfect inspiration for this song. We decided to have a key change chorus to really uplift the optimism, Bryan Adams style, and I think the song as a whole really captures the important things in life and at the same time lets you let go of the stupid everyday stresses, we all go through.”
‘Teenage Dreams’ – “I find myself writing a lot about nostalgia, I find magic in it, ‘Teenage Dreams’ is that nostalgia. Going back to a simpler time. A time where the only worries in life were making sure you didn’t get caught sneaking out with your friends until the early hours of the morning. This song puts you back in your teenage self, a self where you miss school, a self where you slept in past midday, a self when you were invincible. The best time of our lives.”
‘Elysium’ – “’Elysium’ is what we all crave for at the end of a hard week at work. That need to shake off the rigidness of the office and to be intertwined in the hot and sweaty atmosphere of the nightclub. It’s a song that does what is says on the tin, there’s no hidden meanings or messages. Just a message of letting your hair down and having a good time.”
‘On The Long Road’ – “There was so much loss during covid. My partner lost her mum without warning and seeing the heart break was devastating. This was written for her. A song, I hope, people can seek solace in when they need a shoulder to cry on. This is my favourite track on the album, but also the hardest to perform live due to the emotions that run through me.”
‘No Place For Love’ – “A story of two people who, despite being in a world which is designed to kick love into the gutter, give everything to make it work. When there’s no place for love, if they are in each other’s hearts, then nothing can break them. It’s a story of hope but also a story of struggle. Instead of going down the Hollywood happy ending, I wanted to add a more real-life aspect to it, the aspect that love can also hurt.”
‘Game Changer’ – “’Game Changer’ is all about wanting that person that you can’t have. In this case I wanted to write a song that oozed cheekiness to take it away from the common love song. It’s fast, hard and straight to the point. I wanted people to take this song and make it their own, I want the listener to believe that they are the ‘Game Changer’. Just like the running theme throughout the album it’s the optimism and the light at the end of the tunnel that makes this song so exciting.
‘Final Stand’ – Unlike the other songs, ‘Final Stand’ delivers a darker message of battling your inner demons. Those days where you look at yourself in the mirror and the person looking back at you is telling you to give up. Musically it shows our heavier side and lyrically shows a darker side to us. This song brings the balance on the album.
Collateral head out under their own steam, as of this evening in Blackpool, with tickets available by clicking here, alongside being guests on FM’s May tour of the UK.
