The Wytches Announce Fifth Album 'Talking Machine' With New Single Black Ice
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Steve Gullick
The Wytches have announced a new album.
'Talking Machine' will arrive on October 10 via Alcopop! Records, following up 2023's 'Our Guest Can't Be Named' and last year's covers EP, 'Replica'.
Taking its title from Thomas Edison's nickname for the gramophone, the record's concept draws a comparison between Edison's "Tone Tests", performances meant to mimic live music, and today's growing concerns about artificial intelligence and its potential to replace roles in society.
Recorded live, it strikes a balance between thunderous rock music and passages of stripped back reflection. Vocalist-guitarist Kristian Bell said:
"I’m especially excited to put this one out because it’s the first album since our debut where the whole thing was recorded live. During the time I was writing the songs for the album, I started listening to all these really trashy sounding bands from the 80’s like The Milkshakes, The Cannibals, The Prisoners, Screaming Blues Messiahs and so on.
"I particularly liked The Milkshakes for this 50’s/60’s revival thing where they were borrowing certain sounds from those era’s, where things got particularly heavy. Heavy in a different way, almost like an accident or a technical issue or something. Everything’s overly distorted and powerful. Even Cliff Richard’s first album is really heavy in places.
"We tried to go for that with the production, gritty and heavy but trying to avoid the modern way that you make an album sound big and hyped, which is usually something that’s added afterwards. We tried to nail that big sound together in the room. Recording everything live instantly made me love what we were doing."
Alongside the announcement, the Brighton-based band have released a new single, Black Ice, which emerged from Bell experimenting with the raw, heavy sound of '60s rock. He added:
"Last year I started working a few shifts at a record shop. There’s so much 60’s music in there to play while I work. A lot of trashy 60’s revival bands from the 80’s too, like The Milkshakes and The Cannibals. I remember putting on a 7” of 'Till The End Of The Day' by The Kinks. It sounded so heavy to me. Heavier than modern metal. I wanted to go down that route. Where the sound can blow your head off without using the usual sonic tricks we’ve used before. Black ice was the first experiment with that."
The Wytches will support the LP with a previously scheduled UK tour in the autumn. Tickets are on sale now.
'Talking Machine' tracklist:
1. Talking Machine
2. Black Ice
3. Coffin Nails
4. Perform
5. Factory
6. Romance
7. Is The World Too Old?
8. Nothing To See
9. When The Obsession Began
10. Don't Make It For Me
11. Romance End
The Wytches Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Tue October 07 2025 - CHELMSFORD Hotbox
Wed October 08 2025 - MARGATE Where Else
Thu October 09 2025 - SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Fri October 10 2025 - SWANSEA Bunkhouse
Sat October 11 2025 - FALMOUTH Corn Exchange
Tue October 14 2025 - BRISTOL Thekla
Wed October 15 2025 - BIRMINGHAM Hare And Hounds
Fri October 17 2025 - NOTTINGHAM Bodega Social Club
Sat October 18 2025 - GRIMSBY Docks Academy
Wed October 22 2025 - MANCHESTER Night & Day
Fri October 24 2025 - BIRKENHEAD Future Yard
Sat October 25 2025 - YORK Fulford Arms
Tue October 28 2025 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Cluny
Wed October 29 2025 - GLASGOW Nice n' Sleazy
Thu October 30 2025 - EDINBURGH Sneaky Pete's
Wed November 05 2025 - BRIGHTON DUST
Thu November 06 2025 - LONDON Garage
Sat November 29 2025 - GLASGOW Nice and Sleazy
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