MEMORIALS (formerly of Electrelane and WIRE) jump off the waterslides and head above the clouds with their stunning second album, ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’, set for release on 27th March 2026 via Fire Records.
Out today (Jan 6th) lead single ‘Cut Glass Hammer’ was inspired by Yoko Ono’s glass hammer after the band visited a retrospective of her work at London’s Tate Modern gallery. It is released with a brand new video made by the band, conjuring surreal, folkloric imagery with a DIY nod to film noir. The deceptively simple song is playfully built around two modular synth lines that, because they are in different time signatures, continuously evolve as a pair, even though as individual lines they continuously repeat. As the lyrics say, “nothing is exactly as it feels.”
With the album sounding like an unearthed lost classic, MEMORIALS twist their influences into their own unmistakable sound. Imagine Nico singing with Can produced by David Axelrod and you’re somewhere in the right ballpark… for a song or two at least! The record draws inspiration from a wide range of music including folk, dub, post punk, experimental tape music, 60s soul, garage rock, 70s spiritual jazz and Canterbury prog.
“Kaleidoscopic art-pop and adventurous psych-rock with an immersive, experimental aura.” KEXP
Recorded mostly in a studio in a barn secluded deep in the woods in southwestern France, new album ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’ is imbued with the sense of freedom that experience evokes. The duo of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms locked themselves away and re-emerged with an unusual record that is both melodic and unconventional. For such an ambitious album it’s striking that it was written, performed, recorded and mixed solely by the two of them.
Having spent the first half of 2025 composing the soundtrack to an acclaimed documentary about Kate Bush which hit TV screens in the autumn, the band recorded All Clouds Bring Not Rain in the summer before setting off on tour with Stereolab across the USA.
They say “we are increasingly drawn to the way records used to be made, both the sound of the equipment used and the choices forced by that equipment; there wasn’t the option to tinker for ages, it was about capturing a moment in time and committing to that. It’s far more satisfying to record sounds that exist in a real space and so become unique to us: they aren’t the same as the samples readily available everywhere…we are actively turning away from the easy option at almost every opportunity!”
This attention to detail in their sound meant finding several other studios to get what they needed to record with, including a harpsichord at 4AD’s studio in London and a vibraphone and vintage Leslie speaker in Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsay’s studio Press Play.
With their adventurous arrangements, classic songwriting skills and innovative production techniques, MEMORIALS have created another mesmerising listen that’s accomplished and compelling in its unique approach yet remains dizzyingly immersive – just like their acclaimed live shows.
MEMORIALS’ new album ‘All Clouds Bring Not Rain’ is available in three Citrus Vinyl editions: Orange Vinyl Edition, Lemon Vinyl Edition (Indie Store Exclusive), Lime Vinyl Bundle which includes 4 Hand-Stamped Art Prints in Signed Sealed Envelope + Sticker Sheet (Fire + Bandcamp Exclusive) & CD.
TOUR DATES
08 Apr: Le Hasard Ludique, Paris, France
09 Apr: Le Tangram (Le Kubb), Évreux, France
10 Apr: Variations Festival, Nantes, France, w/ Einstürzende Neubauten
11 Apr: Calm, Limoges, France
12 Apr: La Petite Populaire, La Réole, France
14 Apr: Le Consortium, Dijon, France
15 Apr: Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing, France, w/ Bibi Club
22 Apr: The Croft, Bristol, UK
23 Apr: Little Bully, Oxford, UK
24 Apr: Prince Albert, Brighton, UK
26 Apr: Heartbreakers, Southampton, UK
29 Apr: The Lexington, London, UK
30 Apr: Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, UK
01 May: The Castle Hotel, Manchester, UK
31 May: Nachtasyl, Hamburg, Germany
01 Jun: Kantine am Berghain, Berlin, Germany
02 Jun: Noch Besser Leben, Leipzig, Germany
03 Jun: Kohi, Karlsruhe, Germany
04 Jun: Club Manufaktur, Schorndorf, Germany
05 Jun: Bellevue Di Monaco, München, Germany
07 Jun: Rotown, Rotterdam, Netherlands
