PETE GOW : HERE THERE'S NO SIRENS

1. One Last One Night Stand
2. Mikaela
3. Strip For Me
4. Here There's No Sirens
5. Tv Re-Runs
6. I Will & I Do
7. Some Old Jacobite King
8. Pretty Blue Flower

Label : Clubhouse Records

Release Date : 2019

Length : 39:48

Review (Deejay.de) : Clubhouse Records are set to release Here There's No Sirens the debut solo album from Case Hardin frontman Pete Gow on April 5th. Long regarded as one of the UK's finest songwriters, Gow delivers an album rich in songwriting prowess and full of evocative imagery. A storyteller at heart, Gow conjures up a modern day classic that entwines itself around your heart whilst penetrating the soul, underlining his reputation whilst stretching the band confines into new pastures. Awash with strings and piano, Here There's No Sirens is undoubtedly Gow's boldest endeavor. The album was produced by Joe Bennett (Bennett Wilson Poole) at Farm Music Studios in Oxfordshire. Pete ''I asked Joe to make this sound unlike any record I had previously made, so listeners can be assured they are hearing something uniquely different.Joe was the perfect foil..he politely appeared to tolerate that ridiculous mandate'' Case Hardin are one of the UK's most loved Americana bands & have played festivals such as C2C, Truck, Maverick and Wood. Their last album Colours Simple was described as a ''rock masterclass'' by Q Magazine, an ''album lovers album'' by Mojo whilst No Depression relished its ''ambitious, headstrong and no holds barred'' approach.

Review (Americana) : Pete Gow, veteran frontman of the acclaimed Case Hardin, has recorded his first solo record 'Here There's No Sirens.' Released on the same label as Case Hardin, Gow's sound is a deliberate departure from the band's usual fare. This album is stripped back, focused, and deeply personal. The songs are a mixture of an almost confessional style, with some character driven tracks and one good old fashioned story song, 'Some Old Jacobite King'. Gow spent many years working as a journalist, is the main songwriter for Case Hardin, and clearly has a knack for snappy lines. Some great lyrical hooks can be found throughout, such as "songs are like tattoos; you should think before you name one after a girl". Sage advice. Gow's obvious lyrical chops are underpinned by some perfectly restrained instrumentation, too. There's some gospel-esque organ, orchestral embellishment and backing vocals, but it's all mixed together to complement the driving thrust of Gow's vocal and acoustic guitar which runs throughout. A possible criticism is that the record is a little one-note in terms of pace; the songs are all fairly slow and ponderous, there's no rocky number to break the tension. When the album is so honed in on the sort of personal experiences it deals with, though, this potential flaw becomes a strength. The slow and steady pace builds and builds and creates a tangible atmosphere of melancholy as the record progresses. The instrumental restraint shows great maturity; it's so easy to over produce and over embellish, especially when embarking on a solo venture for the first time, but Gow walks the line with poise. This is a deeply personal and intimate set of songs with some great lyrics and astute musicianship, all recorded wonderfully and delivered with heart.

Review (Say It With Garage Flowers) : Case Hardin frontman Pete Gow's first solo album, Here There's No Sirens, is a brilliant collection of stripped-down, intimate and very personal songs, with acoustic guitar, orchestral arrangements, brass, piano, drums and organ. For his first interview to promote the record, Say It With Garage Flowers met him for a pint. Subjects on the agenda included string sections, tattoos, relationships, Stormy Daniels and Shane MacGowan. Pete Gow is sat in Trinity bar in Harrow, North West London, nursing a pint of lager. The last time he was here was in late 2017, when he played a solo acoustic We Shall Overcome anti-austerity charity show for Say It With Garage Flowers. At that gig, one of the songs he aired was the folky Some Old Jacobite King, which now features on his first solo album, Here There's No Sirens - albeit in a radically different version. In fact the new record that we're here to talk about is a surprising departure for Pete, who fronts UK Americana / alt-country band Case Hardin. Sure, lyrically it's sometimes dark and often left of centre - like the songs we know him for - but this is a deeply personal and confessional record, and, musically, it explores new territory for Pete - gone are the big electric guitars, old fashioned rock and roll, Springsteen-like anthems and kicked-around country songs of Case Hardin's 2015's album Colours Simple. Instead, this is a record of stripped-down acoustic songs, with stirring string arrangements, fleshed out by piano, brass, organ and drums. We're reminded of when US Americana singer-songwriter Chris Mills - who just so happens to be a friend of Pete's - made his 2005 album The Wall To Wall Sessions - a masterpiece that featured lush orchestration and horns. Opener One Last One Night Stand sets the tone for most of Here There's No Sirens - it's a big, honest, relationship ballad with a breathtaking cinematic backing, while the song Mikaela sounds like early Ryan Adams, but with mournful horns and sweeping violins. There are also character songs - the majestic Some Old Jacobite King is steeped in the storytelling tradition and was inspired by a trip to the remote Isle of Skye, while Strip For Me centres on a guy who treats women in a thoroughly unpleasant way - and it name checks porn actress and stripper Stormy Daniels, who has been involved in a scandal with U.S. President Donald Trump. Produced by multi-instrumentalist Joe Bennett, (Dreaming Spires, Co-Pilgrim, Raving Beauties / Paul McClure) at Farm Music Studios in Oxfordshire and out in April on Clubhouse Records, Here There's No Sirens is a stunning record that's both beautiful and unsettling. At times, it can be uncomfortable to listen to, as Pete shares raw emotions and intimate relationship details over dramatic orchestral backing. Does he think it will surprise people who are used to hearing Case Hardin? "I hope it will," he tells Say It With Garage Flowers, sipping his pint. "So often when you hear a solo record by people who front bands where the lead singer is the creative force behind them - like the manner in which I front Case Hardin - the differences are quite marginal and it's just a little bit more acoustic. I really put a lot of thought into how I wanted this album to be different. Even if people don't like it, nobody can say that it's just a Case Hardin-lite record." Q & A