The Very Things Announce New Album “Mr. Arc Eye (Under A Cellophane Sky)”

The Very Things were originally formed in 1983 by RR Dallaway and The Shend (The Cravats), their mission was to create a ‘flexible container’ for a variety of personnel, music and ideas that was infused with the band’s distinct brand of surreal black humour. In 1984, The Very Things debut album, The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes, scored an indie hit with the well-loved title track, with its themes of neurosis and control, based on a newspaper report of a man who had accidentally set fire to his house trying to remove moles from his garden. The cult black and white video for the track, that was made for Channel 4’s The Tube, was a much-loved homage to vintage sci-fi films that still clocks up thousands of views online. Motortown, the band’s second album, was released in 1987 and included the singles This Is Motortown and Let’s Go Out.

Having initially parted ways in 1988, The Very Things have now returned, with added GXL, to release their first new recordings in 35 years. This coming January 10th 2025, sees the welcome release of Mr. Arc-Eye (Under A Cellophane Sky), bringing The Very Things firmly back into the contemporary music scene. With principle songwriter, vocalist and instrumentalist RR Dallaway leading the project, the line-up includes original members Steven Burrows & Disney Time, new recruit Tony Sherrard and special guest, The Cravats’ Svor Naan. It contains ‘ghosts, radiation, an electrician, rivers of sand, a toga, Samantha Stephens, an antique suit, space walks and a scrap iron man’ that are incorporated into themes of illusion and truth, belief and reality. It is all new, but the DNA is familiar. It’s been made using the same idiosyncratic processes as earlier The Very Things recordings; multiple cassette recorders, lucid dreaming, chance occurrences and found sounds have all been employed, coupled here with new (but distinctly The Very Things) soundscapes. A combination of vintage analogue equipment and digital technology has been used to create a rich sonic texture. Mr. Arc-Eye (Under A Cellophane Sky) has a post-punk vibe that is both energetic and eclectic, containing elements of the band’s first two albums, but not sounding like either.

“After a chance meeting with an old friend in Birmingham who said, ‘You should do some more Very Things stuff’, I had a bit of a light bulb moment. There and then. The muse spoke to me! Hahaha! I didn’t expect her to sound like Hilda Baker though. I started work on the ideas and tracks for the album on the train home. The tracks were initially recorded with our home studio, set up in the same room where ‘The Bushes Scream…’ and ‘Motortown’ songs were written and arranged, and then in a live room. Some vocals and other elements were recorded on location in cellars, kitchens, outdoors, wherever resulted in the right sound and atmosphere. I’ve adopted the same approach to writing the songs as for the earlier albums; some were prefabricated with demos, a couple were jammed and then worked on away from the studio, some used the studio as a creative tool.“

“It’s atmospheric and cinematic too. It may contain traces of early Roxy Music and Bowie, Talking Heads, Young Fathers, Jack White, Working Men’s Club and probably many more. But I believe it sounds entirely like us. The Very Things in 2024. “When we started the band, we named it ‘The Very Things’ because it seemed to suggest flexibility, much like the idea for the band itself. But having said that, it might put you in mind of some kind of 1930s jazz band, which is a nice surreal image. ‘GXL’ denotes a new phase for the band and is a tongue-in-cheek reference to trim levels offered by Ford Motors UK for its 1970s Mark III Cortina: Base L (Luxury), XL (Xtra Luxury) and top of the range GXL (Grand Xtra Luxury). Our first album, ‘The ‘Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes’ was badged ‘The Very Things DCL’ (referring to our umbrella art organisation at the time, The DadaCravat Laboratory).” (RR Dallaway)

Mr. Arc-Eye (Under A Cellophane Sky) can be pre-ordered in the UK here and everywhere else here