Heavy Salad return, with not one but TWO brand new albums!

Long Wave l and Long Wave ll were recorded between 2021 and 2023 and started life as a file sharing project in the isolation of the first lockdown before blossoming into 18 brand new songs. Recorded in Manchester at Oxygene Studios with long-time collaborator, producer Christophe Bride and in London at The Bunker at 13 (in Damon Albarn’s Studio 13) with legendary Blur / The Smiths / The Cranberries producer Stephen Street.

Lead singer and bass player Lee Mann on working with Stephen Street:

“When we tentatively sent an email to Stephen we did not really expect to hear back from him, he’d been on our list of pipe dream producers to work with as we are huge fans of his work with legendary bands like Blur and The Smiths, so when he emailed back and said he liked the demos and was keen to work with us it was a real wtf moment, especially for an independent band like ourselves. It was great to record in the Bunker at 13 surrounded by gold discs of cherished albums, trying not to act start struck seeing Damon relaxing on the sofa and learning from a producer with over 30yrs experience producing some of the most iconic albums in British rock history.”

Working to a loose(ish) rule of writing songs under (or near to) 3mins long, Long Wave l and Long Wave ll are packed with melody, magic and unforgettable earworms that take in a myriad of influences from sunshine inflected West Coast Rock, 80’s synthpop, Dub, Funk Rock, West African Hi Life, Folk Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Morricone soundtracks and New Wave Pop. Inspired by sprawling and eclectic albums such as Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty and Sandinista by The Clash Long Wave l and Long Wave ll are very much Heavy Salad’s own personal mixtape making the songs the bands most experimental work to date.

Long Wave l and Long Wave ll features lead vocals shared between the band and guest appearances from Factory Records legends Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson of the much loved and highly influential band A Certain Ratio lending their trumpet and percussion skills to the sound.

Guitarist Rob Glennie shares his thoughts on the creative process:

“We imagined that the songs were broadcasting from a beat-up long wave radio on a deserted tropical island, tuning in and out to different stations playing different music, hence the eclectic style of the songs. It was a fun challenge to create sounds to bring the concept to life.”

Lyrically the songs build on the themes of debut album Cult Casual, exploring life, death and the human experience as we navigate the madness that is the early 21st Century.

Lead singer and bass player Lee Mann on the lyrical themes:

“Lyrically the album touches on the strangeness of lockdown and learning to live with the isolation created from an unknown biological threat. It’s about how we adapted to a new wave of life, how we navigated new technology to communicate and the collective yearning for a more connected human experience to the natural world. For example, songs such as Temporary Visionary talk about impending environmental disaster, Joggers from Mossley to Malibu Beach tackles how life in the outdoors was a new concept to many people as they looked for escape from lockdown and Psilocyberman explores the burgeoning interest in psychedelic micro-dosing. I think we have all come out of that strange period of our lives with different priorities and how we now live in a much more paranoid world, it’s our duty to take what we have learned and become better, something that’s more poignant than ever in 2024 when the end of the world sometimes feels scarily near. Together we can explore our frailties and try our best to recognise how significant AND at the same time, how insignificant we are floating on this tiny rock in space.”