Haley Bonar releases her new single ‘Last War’ on 13th October 2014 via Memphis Industries. It’s taken from her debut UK album release, also titled Last War, out 29th September.
Ushered in by Haley’s plaintive one-string baritone guitar riff, ‘Last War’s relentless crescendo builds to devastating emotional climax, propelled on a wave of melodic noise. ‘Last War’ is accompanied by a suitably heart wrenching video youtu.be/6AzfREgoDGE
Bonar is excited to play her debut UK shows this autumn in support of Last War.
27 Oct – Brighton, Green Door
28 Oct – Bristol, Start The Bus
29 Oct – London, The Lexington
30 Oct – Manchester, Gullivers
31 Oct – Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
01 Nov – Liverpool, L’pool Music Week
Haley Bonar was first discovered by Low’s Alan Sparhawk. He spotted her at a local open mic club in Duluth, Minnesota and was so impressed he immediately invited her to join them on tour. Which is how, a week later, nineteen year old Haley Bonar, was transformed from college student to ambitious dropout, crammed into a Honda Civic with a guitar and a drummer for company, touring the US opening for Low.
But there is more to this story. In the decade since Haley has released a succession of recordings, each of which have garnered more praise the last, and has seen her collaborate with the aforementioned Alan Sparhawk as well as the likes of Andrew Bird (with whom Haley occasionally plays live) and Justin Vernon (who features on the new album).
Much of the joy of Bonar’s songwriting is in the tension between her sparkling melodic sensibility and her deeply ambivalent lyrics. The pop positivism of album opener ‘Kill the Fun’ belies the songs theme, as Bonar chronicles travels with a lover, taking some moments to reveal the nature of the relationship: “You’ll be here till morning / You will get back on the plane / Go back to work / where you never knew my name.” On ‘No Sensitive Man’ (which features the most Clem Burke-like drums outside of a Blondie record), she claims “I don’t want no sensitive man / I don’t want to talk.” While on the captivating ‘Heaven’s Made For Two’ Bonar’s daydreaming vocal drifts ethereally as the instrumentation builds from stripped-back beginnings into a country-meets-shoegaze wall of sound crescendo.
On Last War, the complexities hit as hard as the hooks: a smart, careful balance achieved through equal doses of mystery and charm.
Haley Bonar announces new single 'Last War'
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