Boston Manor have released two new tracks from their forthcoming album GLUE, titled On A High Ledge and Ratking.
On A High Ledge is a very important song to vocalist Henry Cox, who explains: “When I was seven years old I saw a man commit suicide by jumping off the bus station in Blackpool a few feet in front of me. Growing up, I always rejected the idea of what a “boy” should do; I never liked football, I thought fighting was stupid and at age six I spray painted my bike pink. I’ve always hated the term “man up”. I think it is such a damaging thing to say to little boys. A big problem that we have to tackle is men’s inability to seek help; it’s this ‘man up culture’ that is baked into young men from a young age that makes them think – it’s wrong to cry, it’s wrong to share your feelings and being vulnerable is weak.”
“The biggest killer of young men today is suicide,” Cox continues. “Obviously, mental health support in the UK and most of the world is not what it should be, and mental health issues affect everyone not just men. But I wanted to write a song dedicated to that man who died when I was young. I hope, as a society, we can teach little boys being born now that being sad is okay. Strangely, the day after we wrote this song, one of the guys in the band was driving home and saw a man on a bridge over the motorway about to jump. He quickly pulled off the road and managed to talk to the guy until an ambulance came. A strange coincidence, but I really hope that man is doing better now.”
If you or someone you know is feeling vulnerable and needs someone to talk to please contact Samaritans on 116 123.
“Ratking is about our inability to empathise with each other and work together as a collective,” he explains. “Even those who consider themselves tolerant should look at their inbuilt biases. I think our inability to show compassion to people who think differently to us is what is holding us back. We’ve seen this so much over the last few years. Just because someone voted differently to you, it does not automatically make them a bad person or invalidate their feelings. Even if someone is a hateful person, don’t deny that person the opportunity to change. We need to help each other to grow rather than trying to cancel, shout down, ridicule or attack each other.”
GLUE is due for release on 1st May via Pure Noise Records, available to pre-order HERE.
Boston Manor have also announced a UK headline tour with support from Trophy Eyes, see them live at one of the following dates:
April
Thu 30th – SOUTHAMPTON – Engine Rooms
May
Sat 2nd – BRISTOL – SWX
Sun 3rd – NOTTINGHAM – Rescue Rooms
Mon 4th – GLASGOW – The Garage
Tue 5th – MANCHESTER – Academy 2
Thu 7th – LONDON – Electric Brixton
Fri 8th – BIRMINGHAM – O2 Institute 2
Sat 9th – LEEDS – Stylus
Tickets are on sale HERE.
