Recorded last November on an old lightship moored on the Thames opposite the Millennium Dome, Mazes debut ‘A Thousand Heys’, released on April 11th, captures the excitement and fizzing energy of a band still in day-jobs with everything in front of them - one of the freshest, most life-affirming collections any of us are going to hear this year.
Mazes appreciation of the D.I.Y ethos and sense of community amongst their peers - Pens, Cold Pumas, Male Bonding, Spectrals - stems from the attitude many of the acts they admire embraced. Jack runs Suffering Jukebox whilst Conan, also a member of Graffiti Island, is CEO of Italian Beach Babes, labels that are very much a part of what makes the UK scene so vibrant right now.
‘A Thousand Heys’ sees Mazes dart in and out of their respective record collections with the rapacious enthusiasm of wide-eyed kids in the proverbial sweet shop. Embellished with Pavement’s wayward clatter, Buzzcocks’ intensity, and wryly nihilistic lyrics, they can sound like a British Invasion group: Witness the syncopated McCartney bassline that kicks in on ‘Surf & Turf’, and it’s cheeky opener ‘I get off trains and wave, like Beatles at JFK’.
You can stream the previously unheard non-album track ‘Brunswick Stack’ below.
Mazes released their fizzing new single ‘Summer Hits’ on 17th June and have announce their first UK headline tour, with support from Milk Maid. Check out the dates below.
Oct 3rd – Leeds, Nation Of Shopkeepers
Oct 4th – Manchester, The Kings Arms
Oct 5th – Edinburgh, Sneaky Petes
Oct 6th – Glasgow, Captains Rest
Oct 7th – Newcastle, Dog & Parrot
Oct 8th – Lancaster, Library
Oct 9th – Nottingham, Spanky Van Dykes
Oct 11th – Oxford, Jericho
Oct 12th – Birmingham, The Hare & Hounds
Oct 13th – London, Lexington
Oct 14th – Brighton, The Hope
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