And So I Watch You From Afar have released “Years Ago,” the third single from their forthcoming seventh album Megafauna, which releases August 9 via Berlin’s Pelagic Recordsand Velocity Records in the U.S.
Listen here or here.
“Where ‘Years Ago’ retains some of the urgency that is across Megafauna, for me. it also presents another color of the record — a kind of sensitivity, underpinned by a nod to the old hip-hop loops that we all grew up on,” says the band’s Ewen Friers.
A tribute to the two places the collective call home, their beloved Portrush on the Irish North Coast and the beating heart that is Belfast, Megafauna is headstrong exploration and heartfelt appreciation with all the intuition, intimacy and humor of four firm friends approaching their 20th year as a band and a nod to the Irish roots that simultaneously ground and propel them forward.
A contemplative yet characteristically playful piece, “Years Ago” is a shining example of ASIWYFA’s inimitable grasp of creative composition and call-and-response dynamics. Shuffling, laid back drums drift underneath wandering, effortless melodies as the overdrive slowly but surely sneaks up on us, bursting in a gleeful cascade of dueling guitars and spiraling cymbals. “Years Ago” is ASIWYFA in their jarring yet joyous element — a musical melting pot of cultural influences and diverse inspirations.
Like so many other bands and creatives throughout the pandemic, ASIWYFA found themselves suddenly stationary, with any plans outside of their immediate vicinity put on indefinite hold. However, where this might have seen other acts falter, ASIWYFA took comfort in their communal bond and, as soon as they were able, began writing a record that quickly became a love letter to the communities they call home.
The intent behind Megafauna is clear from the outset. Two guitars, bass, and drums all recorded in a week erupt into effervescent life in an endorphin rush of collaboration and togetherness after the physical and psychological wilderness of isolation.
Megafauna is the band’s first new music since 2022’s critically-acclaimed Jettison, an ambitious multi-media ensemble piece packed full of experimentation and collaboration. Jokingly referring to Jettison as their mature record’, the band framed the writing of Megafauna around the their long-running mantra of “DO THE SCARY THING,” which sees ASIWYFA constantly hurtling towards newness, towards progress, evolution and the unknown. Whilst the new record is ASIWYFA taking on a more familiar, traditional form; in this post-Jettison, post-pandemic world, Megafauna is a deafening and defiant statement of intent from the band’s propulsive core — a clarion call for the communities that shape them, a resplendent celebration of togetherness over separation.
The band is also embarking on a U.S. co-headline tour with Caspian later this month. All dates are below.
ASIWYFA ON TOUR:
WITH CASPIAN:
7/17 — Houston, TX — White Oak Music Hall
7/18 — Austin, TX — Mohawk Austin
7/20 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco Theater
7/21 — Berkeley, CA — The UC Theatre
7/23 — Denver, CO — Oriental Theater
7/25 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues Chicago
7/26 — Indianapolis, IN — Post. Festival 2024
7/27 — Lakewood, OH — The Roxy
7/28 — Detroit, MI — The Shelter
7/29 — Toronto, Canada — The Axis Club
7/31 — Brooklyn, NY — Warsaw
8/1 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club
8/2 — Charlotte, NC — The Underground
8/3 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade