Random Hand Return With Self Titled Album

Twenty years in, and top of their game, West Yorkshire, Keighley-bred ska punk icons Random Hand are coming in hot with their fifth album! Their bodies may be creaking with grey hairs beginning to show, but the vitality and relevance of their music isn’t changing one bit. Refined and confident, the band’s new self titled album, that is now available via Bomber Music, is set to redefine their place as one of the UK’s most significant and dependable punk bands. 

Twenty years ago, as the seemingly unstoppable third wave of ska punk came crashing down on the world of popular music, only to leave a misunderstood scene in its wake, Random Hand worked tirelessly on keeping the spirit of the bands that inspired them alive and kicking. Having taken a brief pause from touring to pursue solo projects after the release of 2015’s Hit Reset album, the band are raring to return to the fray with gigs confirmed for September and October, and the highly anticipated release of their fifth album. 

We pushed ourselves to breaking, then further still. We stopped to recover and then came back with a passion and energy we didn’t think possible. Random Hand have now played over 2000 shows and we are currently curating a series of our own HandFests across the UK this year, the first in Leeds in February sold out two days in less than 45 minutes. Once we started writing the new album, we hit a groove like in the years the band first started, things felt so natural and exciting again. Working with Andy Hawkins, who helped us craft ‘Hit Reset’ was the obvious choice. We loved making that album, but recording an album you know you’re not going to tour is a very different experience. This was exciting, potential was oozing out of every session, that didn’t feel stunted or a waste. The choice to call it ‘Random Hand’ felt like a bold statement for album five and two decades into a career. But we feel that good about it, it defines all we’ve done, and we believe it stands as tall as anything else we’ve ever created, if not taller. With all the other great things happening in ska punk in the international scene and in the UK, makes it feel like this album couldn’t be timed better.” (bassist Joe Tilston)