Blaenavon share the surging first single off their upcoming sophomore album.

The newest offering from Blaenavon is the first taste of what to expect from their sophomore album Everything That Makes You Happy.

It’s still got everything you love about the band, from their witty lyricism to the potent guitars, except sharper and with a newfound sense of direction. Catatonic Skinbag comes after an open letter from vocalist Ben Gregory regarding updates on the happenings of the band, and explaining his health after the whirlwind that was 2018, which all serves to provide context for the new material.

It’s an all-encapsulating track whose virtue lies in its rawness and ability to be honest with itself. Confessing ‘If I liked to spend my evenings in darkness I’d go to the betting shop’, it paints a realistic picture of how easy it is to be drawn into the mind-numbing activities of drinking and general disconnection.

Explaining the track, Ben says:

The song is about isolation. Cutting oneself off from the world to engage in fruitless sensual pleasures and pretending everything is ok. Watching fucking Netflix and drinking a bottle of wine when you should probably instead be in therapy. But there’s a way out. Art, friendship, love. You don’t have to be a catatonic skinbag. Lol.

Catch Blaenavon on tour at the following dates.

January (with The Wombats)

28 – Newport, Centre

29 – Bournemouth, O2 Academy

31 – Birmingham, O2 Academy

February (with The Wombats)

01 – London, SSE Wembley Arena

May

01 – Dublin, The Grand Social

02 – Belfast, McHugh’s Basement Bar

04 – Liverpool, Sound City

05 – Newcastle, Hit The North

06 – Sheffield, Leadmill

08 – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

09 – Leicester, O2 Academy

11 – Oxford, O2 Academy

12 – Cardiff, The Globe

14 – Plymouth, Junction

15 – Southampton, The 1865

16 – Brighton, The Haunt

18 – Tunbridge Wells, The Forum