Award-winning blues rock duo When Rivers Meet are pleased to announce the release of ‘Perfect Stranger’ the second single taken from their forthcoming highly anticipated third album ‘Aces Are High‘ released later this summer. The new single is available now HERE. New album is available to pre-order HERE.
The new single coincides with WRM’s ‘Breaker of Chains’ UK headline tour which kicked off on Friday 28 April with a sold-out hometown concert at the Colchester Arts Centre. Tickets for the 14-date UK tour are available HERE.
“We wanted to write a song about our relationship and how we first met,” says WRM’s lead singer and mandolin player Grace Bond. “Our relationship is intense and creative. We wanted to write a song that reflects that tension throughout.”
Regarding the forthcoming album the duo say, “As our music is progressing, we’re finding our sound even more. When we went in the studio this time, we’ve never been so sure on what we wanted to create—we had a really clear vision and have stuck to it.”
“Before we held back on being too rocky, but this time we allowed ourselves to create what we wanted to hear, without restricting ourselves. We also allowed ourselves to express the different colours to our music with tracks like ‘Golden’ and ‘By Your Side’, so this album has more extremes. We still call upon our influences from all the years but remain true to ourselves to create music we love.”
Since their formation in 2019, the husband-and-wife duo Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin, violin) and Aaron Bond (vocals, guitar) have been quick to prove themselves one of the most exciting names in British blues rock. Blending Americana, folk, blues, and rock in a distinctly unique manner, they have been showered with many awards and accolades.
Their forthcoming album ’Aces Are High’ follows two critically acclaimed records: ‘We Fly Free’ (2020), which reached No.1 in the iTunes Blues Album Chart, and ’Saving Grace’ (2021), which charted at No.2 in the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, No.5 UK Official Album Downloads Chart, and No.6 UK Official Independent Albums Chart. These were based purely on chart reporting digital sales and didn’t include physical sales.
When Rivers Meet were the first band to win four awards at the UK Blues Awards 2021 and another three awards in 2022, including Blues Band Of The Year on both occasions. In 2023, WRM won Blues Band Of The Year, making them the only band to win this category three years in a row, and the only band to be inducted into the UK Blues Awards Hall Of Fame for this category.
In 2021 When Rivers Meet were voted Best New Band at Planet Rock’s The Rocks Awards, and in 2022 won Planet Rock’s Blues Power Award and Album Of The Year Award with ’Saving Grace.’
‘Aces Are High’ finds the duo returning with a more powerful sound than ever before. Aaron’s gnarled riffs hit harder alongside his deep vocal tones, while Grace’s vocals range wider with tantalising bite as they effortlessly climb scales like her striking slide mandolin which accompanies the likes of ’Trail To Avalon.’
The immediacy of the new record is showcased from the off with the hard-hitting opener ‘Infected,’ while no punches are pulled on the kick-out-time anthem ’5 Minutes Until Midnight.’ Nevertheless, its contrasting sides find delicate moments such as the reflective acoustic song ’Golden’ and the shimmering Americana of ’By Your Side.’
ACES ARE HIGH – TRACK LISITING
Infected
Seen It All Before
Play My Game
Golden
Aces Are High
Trail To Avalon
Perfect Stranger
The Secret
By Your Side
5 Minutes Until Midnight
