Sandwell District return with new album, share ‘Hidden’: Listen

Sandwell District have announced a new album. You can listen to ‘Hidden’, the first track from ‘End Beginnings’, below. 

Set to drop on 28th March via The Point of Departure, the album comes just over a year after the death of former member, Julian Mendez, AKA Silent Servant. 

The forthcoming record, which is now available to pre-order, shares its name with a piece of visual art the late-producer was working on at the time, which remains unfinished. According to surviving members Karl O’Connor and David Sumner, AKA Regis and Function, the tribute reflects the importance of visual elements to the project. 

“I struck up a really close friendship with Mark Lanegan before he died. Which was weird. Mark Lanegan – king of grunge, friend of Kurt Cobain – he told me to keep going, to revisit Sandwell District,” said Regis, adding that a ‘fractious’ relationship with Function meant they needed to “decentralise the ego for the good of the project” when first restarting the moniker. 

‘End Beginnings’ was produced remotely, with the now-two-headed Sandwell District working from Berlin and London. Simon Shreeve, of MØNIC and Kryptic Minds note, is credited on the sleeve notes alongside names including Rrose, Rivet, and Sarah Wreath. 

In addition to the album announcement, Sandwell District play three live shows in Europe this month. Tomorrow, Friday 17th January, they hit OHM in Berlin, a week later they head to Amsterdam’s Garage Noord (Friday 24th January) and finish the run at Venue MOT, London, on Friday 31st January.