Ashes and Diamonds have today released their new single titled ‘Setting Yourself Up For Love’, from their upcoming album ‘Are Forever’, dropping October 31st via Cleopatra Records.
That bravado and swagger in Daniel Ash’s vocals have never let me down. And, here it is, weathered, worn, and wonderful in all of its glory. Driven by eternal youth and staggered by the weight of experience. While Ashes and Diamonds is contrived by royalty from the underground, there is an eternal freshness here.
‘Setting Yourself Up For Love’ is a track that captivates your ears and causes you to listen from start to finish. The transition from the verse-chorus-verse to the breakdown is as subtle as it is amazing. The beginning and the end sound almost like two different songs, but it works.
‘Setting Yourself Up For Love’ is an anthem for the underachievers and a relief from the overbearing.
About Setting Yourself Up For Love’ & & ‘Are Forever’
“I love the way this one builds and builds,” says guitarist/vocalist Daniel Ash of “Setting Yourself Up For Love,” the new scorching single from powerhouse trio Ashes And Diamonds. The follow-up to the critically hailed initial track “On A Rocka” from their upcoming debut album ‘Ashes and Diamonds are Forever’, “Setting Yourself Up For Love” eases up on the gas pedal at the onset, only to build up in momentum. “It occurred to us that we should put something out for the second single that was more in the way of a real song as opposed to a stomping groove that was ‘On A Rocka,’ showing that we are not a one-trick pony. Haha!”
With the reverb set to eleven and drummer Bruce Smith maintaining a momentum-building beat and Paul Spencer Denham’s bass propelling the motion forward, Daniel’s vocals and thick guitars weave through the song like a motorcycle through traffic. “Bruce had this killa loop that I could listen to all day,” adds Paul. “It was fierce. It seemed to me the loop just needed something real low and gritty. I played F and hit the strings really hard, and we put a ‘rat’ (it’s a foot pedal I like to use on it for extra growl). And I just stayed on that one note for the whole song! Keep it simple, stupid!”
“This song started with an idea that I sent to Daniel,” explains Bruce. “It was just the synth part and the drums. He took it and wrote the song, only adding the chord changes at the end. What he came up with was not what I expected at all! The beauty of Daniel’s writing!”
The collective admiration that each of the three storied musicians has for each other’s talents is the glue that binds them together. Bringing the strength of past histories and giving it their all (Daniel – Bauhaus, Love And Rockets, Tones on Tail, Bruce – Public Image Ltd., The Pop Group, Paul – Sade, Sweetback), Ashes And Diamonds is the culmination of three different musical pinnacles, combining forces in a fascinating intersection of creativity.
“Ashes And Diamonds is the sound of three people being honest,” says Paul. “We’ve all been around the block a few times, and I hope some young kids hear this and wanna go smash down some walls, throw bricks, and be inspired like we were when we were young!” Adds Bruce, “That’s what experience gives you,,, the ability to play only what the song needs.”
Ashes and Diamonds Are Forever marinated for a handful of years before being ready for release this Fall. With its beginnings pre-COVID, when Paul’s wife, Kim, suggested to him and Daniel that Bruce would be a killer drummer, the three musicians wrote and collaborated in the studio and remotely for years. Eventually, the three rejoined in person to record the album in Los Angeles. Holed up for ten days with engineer Robert Adam Stevenson (Queens of the Stone Age, Jane’s Addiction, The Kills), they recorded and mixed 12 songs, banging it old school. What they ended up with is a chef d’oeuvre, each song bubbling with potent anticipation and erupting with adrenaline, fortified by each band member’s notable histories. “This album has been in the making for about seven years,” says Daniel. “It should have been seven months tops, but because of Covid and the three of us being perfectionists…” he trails off with a laugh.
‘Are Forever’ tracklist
- Hollywood
- Teenage Robots
- On A Rocka
- ON
- Boy Or Girl
- The A Listers
- Plastic Fantastic
- Ice Queen
- Setting Yourself Up For Love
- Alien Love
- Champagne Charlie
- 2020
About Ashes and Diamonds
While their originating bands seem miles apart genre-wise, their singular focus is creating tenaciously infectious songs, adhering to the brain like taffy to teeth, and musically adept and highly skilled. Beginning pre-COVID and developed since then, ‘Are Forever’ is an album carefully built and heavily curated. “The first few songs we wrote in the studio together, but then Covid landed, so several songs were written long distance,” explains Bruce about the songs that took a few years to complete. Eventually split by geography when Paul departed Los Angeles for the U.K. and Bruce for Vermont during lockdown, writing for the album was completed virtually, with each band member emailing their ideas to each other.
Further explains Paul, “We taped what we had done in LA in the early days, and then went away with it. Bruce put some beats down, I played bass, and we sent what we had done to Daniel.” Meanwhile, Daniel adds, “I use newspaper headlines as a starting point for my lyrics, so by the end of the first day, there were clippings all over the floor… and the rest is history.”
Eventually, the three rejoined in person to record the album in Los Angeles. Holed up for ten days with engineer Robert Adam Stevenson (Queens of the Stone Age, Jane’s Addiction, The Kills), they recorded and mixed 12 songs, banging it old school. What they ended up with is a chef d’oeuvre, each song bubbling with potent anticipation and erupting with adrenaline, fortified by each band member’s notable histories.
“For me, it’s been one of the most fulfilling recordings I’ve ever been involved in… and I’ve made a lot,” says Bruce. “The songs are realized, the production is dope with no tracks you wanna skip over.”
“I am incredibly proud of what we have done,” continues Paul. “When we first got together, we didn’t know if it was going to work out, and we had to see if things gelled, but working together was a breeze! I’m a big fan of Bruce and Daniel. They are both exceptional musicians, but in a rather non-musical way. They always play things that surprise me, and I find that exciting.”
“It took seven years instead of seven months to finish,” reflects Daniel about the lengthy gestation of this band, which all three are extremely proud of. Like the time it takes for coal to turn to crystalize, …Are Forever may have taken a while to develop, but finding a diamond amongst ashes is a great find indeed.
The single “On A Rocka” is available through DSPs today. The album Ashes And Diamonds Are Forever will be released via Cleopatra Records on October 31, 2025, and was produced by Ashes And Diamonds with some co-production by James Salter and Joe Dexter. It was mixed, engineered with additional production by Robert Adam Stevenson.
Ashes And Diamonds are:
Daniel Ash – Lead Vocals / Guitars / E-Bow / Saxophone
A founding member of Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, and Love and Rockets. Daniel brings his signature post-punk, glam, and experimental style to Ashes and Diamonds.
Bruce Smith – Drums / Programming / Backing Vocals
A veteran of Public Image Ltd and The Pop Group, Bruce contributes textured percussion and atmospheric electronics, balancing the band’s classic roots with an experimental edge.
Paul Spencer Denman – Bass / Backing Vocals
Best known as the bassist for Sade and Sweetback. Paul delivers smooth, rhythmic low-end that anchors the band’s cinematic feel.
LINKS:
https://www.ashesanddiamonds.net/
https://www.facebook.com/ashesanddiamondsmusic
https://www.instagram.com/ashesanddiamondsareforever/
