Following the announcement of their signing with celebrated label Easy Star Records, UK-based reggae-dub four-piece THE SKINTS are excited to reveal the title and cover art to their highly anticipated third album, FM, due for release on March 10, 2015.
Set on the hottest day in the city on record at imaginary London pirate radio station The Big FM / Frequency Murderation, 103.Skints, the thematic album FM is inspired by a time when the young band used to drive around in guitarist Josh Waters Rudge‘s car, tuning in to the radio and trying to find new music.
FM is The Skints’ fitting tribute to the radio culture they love as music fans as they pull from a variety of influences ingrained in the group while growing up listening to a number of different styles and sounds. Progressing through the bubbling sound of grime and garage to summertime sound system reggae, roots, dancehall, traditional rocksteady, Motown soul and punk, the East London-based group takes listeners on a whistle-stop tour of the capital’s underground culture in their latest venture.
With Prince Fatty (Lily Allen, Dub Syndicate, Sugarhill Gang) back in the producer’s chair adding his signature take on the genre, the album also features a host of exciting guests including reggae legends Horseman and Tippa Irie (who doubles in an alter-ego role as the station’s DJ), grime MC Rival, and even a surprise vocal cameo by popular UK comedian Rufus Hound.
Having finished 2014 in style, taking to the road on the Jägermeister Music Tour alongside Me First and The Gimme Gimmes and performing at London’s historic Brixton Academy in the process, 2015 promises to be another heavy year for the four-piece. With a headline tour of the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany confirmed for April, including a date at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, plus the band’s debut USA venture booked for May, featuring a performance set for this year’s California Roots Music Festival in Monterey, CA from May 22-24, The Skints show no signs of slowing down upon the release of FM, for which further details are soon to be unveiled.
Pre-sale for this unique musical ode to London begins on Tuesday, February 3rd and will be followed by the album’s official release on March 10. Both the digital pre-order (via iTunes) and the physical version (via TheSkints.co.uk) will give away two instant grat tracks with each order.