Burr Island has returned with their 4th single titled ‘Towers’. A quasi mix of folk, alt-rock, and ’60s tinge with a retro harmony, Burr Island set forth with an anti-capitalist sense of self and call for action with a song meant for this modern time.
Message in the melody can work better than any speech yet finds solace within the notes with the confidence that people will listen. That is the power of music.
About Burr Island
From the UK’s West Country, Burr Island are duo and best friends, Tom England and Oskar Porter. Having gained the support of BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio London’s Gaby Roslin and BBC 6 Music’s Nemone with their recent string of singles, the pair are continuing to turn up the heat by delivering ‘Towers’, a stunning 60s infused psych-folk song with an anti-capitalist theme running throughout.
“While the poorest communities struggle to grow and thrive, the giant corporate powerhouses continue to churn out record profits. The money is there to improve the lives of those in need, but the government continues to cosy up to their big money pals and donors; they do not invest into the country; they invest into themselves.” Says Burr Island’s Tom England. “In our lifetime, we have never experienced a government so detached from the people it claims to serve; their self-serving agendas have made the poorest poorer. Lounging on the top floor of ivory towers, miles above the ground, their capitalistic greed casts dark shadows over the hardworking people below. The flowers cannot grow. As the song alludes to in the final verse, their derelict of duty and neglect has had some deadly consequences.”, he adds.
Recorded at Kundalini Studios in Devon and produced by Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene/Paul Weller/The Specials/P.P. Arnold), ‘Towers’ has a haunting Nick Drake ‘Pink Moon’ introspective hushedness to it which pulls the listener in, making way for a flower-power drenched upbeat section to reinforce the track’s vintage protest song ethics.
Explaining further about the inspiration behind the track’s ethos & lyrical themes, Tom England continues; “Imagine if money was invested into the collective human spirt, where people could actually afford to live their lives without worrying about their next meal or the price of water or gas, where wealth was distributed more fairly. Imagine a world that prioritizes people, love, nature and spiritual growth over objects, wealth and status. Society often feels like it is upside down where the people in power are the last ones you’d chose to be in that position.”
Fresh from supporting Tunde (Lighthouse Family) on tour earlier in the year, the West Country pair will head out on tour again with Ocean Colour Scene for more dates this December.
Tour Dates (Ft. Ocean Colour Scene)
- 12/03 – Bournemouth – O2 Academy
- 12/04 – Bristol – Beacon
- 12/07 – Belfast – Telegraph
- 12/08 – Dublin – Olympia
- 12/09 – Dublin – Olympia
- 12/11 – Liverpool – University (Mountford Hall)
- 12/12 – Sheffield – O2 Academy
- 12/13 – London – The Old Queen’s Head, Islington (Headline Show)
- 12/14 – Norwich – UEA
- 12/15 – Wolverhampton – The Halls
- 12/16 – London – Eventim Apollo
- 12/18 – Glasgow – O2 Academy
- 12/19 – Glasgow – O2 Academy
- 12/20 – Newcastle – O2 City Hall