Miles Kane tells us about introspective new album ‘One Man Band’ and shares single ‘Troubled Son’
Miles Kane has announced details of new album ‘One Man Band’ with the introspective single ‘Troubled Son’. Check it out below, along with the indie veteran telling us about what to expect from the record, and if there’ll be new music from The Last Shadow Puppets and The Jaded Hearts Club.
The announcement of ‘One Man Band’ – which will be Kane’s fifth solo album – comes hot on the heels of his 2022 LP, ‘Change The Show’. As the guitarist and singer-songwriter told NME, however, the new release couldn’t come at a better time – aiming to reflect his current frame of mind in the most raw and authentic way possible.
“I feel like that was like the most fitting song to come back with,” Kane said of ‘Troubled Son’ representing the album as a whole. “It’s a song [about how] we all have struggles in our lives, and sometimes we have shit together, sometimes we don’t. It’s like looking at myself in the mirror and acknowledging my faults, my fears, and sort of showing my journey.”
He continued: “I’m trying to figure it out. Sometimes you feel insecure. Sometimes you feel like the king of the world. It’s battling those sorts of [emotions]…‘Shit, am I good enough? Is this good enough?’”
Written at the tail-end of 2022, the 11-track album is balanced on contrast, he explained. It ventures back to the sound of his some of his earlier music – notably ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ and ‘Inhaler’ – as a way to create something new. It takes an isolated, emotional theme, and conveys it in a “super upbeat” way, designed for festival stages.
“The whole album is pretty pumping,” Kane told NME. “There was a conscious effort that I wanted to make it super upbeat. I didn’t want any strings. No brass. No piano. I just wanted it to be like what got me into playing guitar. A bit like a song like ‘Inhaler’ on the first album [2011’s ‘Colour Of The Trap’] – I wanted that energy again. That was the objective that we had.”
Set for release on August 4 via Modern Sky and produced by The Coral’s James Skelly, ‘One Man Band’ – as Kane explained – doesn’t simply make false promises of authenticity, it tries to convey it in everything from the album cover and music videos, to the names who collaborated on it.
Kane returned to his roots in the north of England to write the LP, and enlisted help from close friends and family to ensure the most “stripped back and real” result possible.
“Most of it was written up north,” said Kane. “I went to Stockport, wrote there with Tom [Ogden, Blossoms frontman]. Then James [Skelly], who was the singer from The Coral, he produced it. Last year we were having a back-and-forth of sending demos, and we recorded it in December and January in Liverpool.
He continued: “My cousin Ian played drums [so] it is a family affair. It’s the first time we’ve ever all worked together. It’s weird how it just fell into place and it feels right. It probably wouldn’t have worked if we’d tried it when we were younger, [but] it was a really nice experience to feel that support and enthusiasm. It sounds like the fucking Indie Mafia!”
Alongside the long list of musicians who collaborated on the album, Kane also recruited a familiar face for the pub-centred music video of ‘Troubled Son’: YouTuber, streamer and The Inbetweeners actor, James Buckley.
Discussing how the idea for the guest cameo came about, Kane said it stemmed from a want to have the music video be as true to his everyday life as possible.
“He’s my mate. I’ve known him probably since my first album and we had just been out a couple of weeks before. Then he just came down for that video! They’re all my mates, all in the pub – we went for a day and just got pissed,” he said.
“Again, I just wanted something just super real and not too posed. Just showing what I do with mates. Even the artwork, a friend took that and it’s of me, not too posed. I wanted it all to be sort of stripped back and as real as can be, to be honest.”
Looking at the release of ‘One Man Band’ and beyond, Kane insisted that, above all else, he is eager to hit the stage again. “I am itching. I just need to get out there. I’m dying. I’m chomping at the bit, really,” he said, also hinting that he is wanting to rekindle his long-time collaboration with Arctic Monkeys’ frontman, Alex Turner.
Although nothing has been announced as of yet – Kane did confirm that an upcoming appearance with the iconic Sheffield band later this year is “very possible” and something the two “have spoken about” recently.
As for fans Kane and Turner’s own band, The Last Shadow Puppets, the songwriter added that while they will “definitely” revive the project at some point, there are no official plans for a reunion happening “any time soon”.
“We always speak about it,” he added. “It’ll always come up. But now we’re both doing our things, you know? I think when it just falls back into place naturally in terms of being creative, writing songs or whatever together, then that will be the day.”
As for Kane’s other supergroup, The Jaded Hearts Club – which also featured Jet’s Nic Cester, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, Blur’s Graham Coxon, Jamie Davis and Zuton’s drummer Sean Payne – the promise of new music seems increasingly more hopeful.
According to Kane, the band are considering reforming and turning their focus away from covers and towards writing their batch of original material. However, again to the dismay of hopeful fans, this isn’t due anytime soon. “Probably at some point, we’ll do a little record of some original songs,” he said.
“It is a plan. So I think we’ll have a little dive over there at some point. At the minute, I’ve just gotta keep my head balanced on [though]. But one day I think we’ll do some originals and see if they sound any good.”
The tracklist for ‘One Man Band’ is:
‘Troubled Son’
‘The Best Is Yet To Come’
‘One Man Band’
‘Never Taking Me Alive’
‘Heartbreaks The New Sensation’
‘The Wonder’
‘Baggio’
‘Ransom’
‘Doubles’
‘Heal’
‘Scared Of Love’
‘One Man Band’ will be released on August 4 via Modern Sky. Pre-order the album here.
Later this year, Miles Kane is set to support Blossoms at their upcoming performance in Leeds. Taking place on July 8, the outdoor show will be held at the city’s Millennium Square. Tickets are available here.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
