Catching Flies - Tides '2024

Tracks list

‘This album is all about ebbs and flows. It’s been a very
interesting few years to say the least, both personally and in terms of the
world. I always kept coming back to the concept of Tides, the cyclical nature of
everything and the way sadness gives way to happiness… and vice versa. It
all works out in the end though… and regardless of what’s
happening, the sea is still there, a constant in the madness.’

Working closely with string arranger Thomas Lea (Adele/Bonobo/Rhye), Catching
Flies, real name George King, has created his most emotional and cohesive
project yet. A beautiful, moving record, with sounds that unmistakably come
straight from the heart, it’s all held together by a singular sense of
purpose and that trademark intricacy. ‘I wanted it to feel as intricate
and as layered as possible. I tried to really push myself musically. The
challenge was – how do I make this sound much bigger than a guy sitting
in a room with a laptop and a MIDI keyboard?’

Typically wide-ranging in genre, the album highlights his ability to
effortlessly manoeuvre and experiment across the spectrum of electronic music,
from hip-hop to house, from soul to neo-classical. The album is led by new
single ‘Halo,’ which sees him at his best - a melodic mesh of harp
samples, vocal chops and a soaring string quartet finale. It’s highly
textured, deeply melodic and effortlessly marries live instrumentation with warm
electronic beats. ‘Spring’ utilises a vocal sample he found whilst
touring China, and ‘The Last Phone Call’ merges a spoken word
voice-note from a friend with a vocal recorded on his iPhone on Hampstead Heath
- ‘I was pushing my bike and heard this guy singing in the distance,
hidden in the trees… I had to EQ out the sound of my bike wheels turning
to make it work.’ ‘Tides’ caused the most headache -
‘it went through about 20 different versions and ended up having 270
tracks of audio - there’s so much in there that you don’t
necessarily hear on first listen.’ The album also includes the
‘absolutely brilliant’ (Lauren Laverne, BBC6 Music) hit single
‘GLY’ which has received over 20 million streams to date and came
with remixes by revered British dance/pop band Hot Chip, and Ninja Tune’s
DJ Boring. Also featured is piano piece ‘Diamonds,’ which has
gathered artist support from the likes of Nils Frahm and Jungle. The album will
be released in combination with a live video performance featuring a string
quartet and a harpist.

Catching Flies has just hit 1.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify – no
mean feat given he is a truly independent artist. It has been a busy couple of
years. He was nominated for a BAFTA for his composition work on a video game, he
played a headline show at the iconic Musee D’Orsay in Paris with a string
quartet in collaboration with Cercle, and has toured North America, the UK,
Europe, India, and China. He has also recently worked with Erick The Architect
and Lord Apex.

Catching Flies released his debut album ‘Silver Linings’ in July
2019. Containing shades of everything from hip-hop to house, from soul to jazz,
it was hailed as ‘a soundtrack to Summertime’ by the 405 - and was
awarded album of the month by Future Music who described it as ‘a
brilliantly eclectic record… a moving journey that will last long in the
memory.’ Clash Magazine praised the LP’s ‘killer
beats’ and ‘artfully orchestrated introspection,’ whilst
London In Stereo praised it’s ‘exceptional production.’
Other press coverage for the album included The Guardian, Complex, Nowness,
Mixmag, iD Magazine, Dazed & Confused, The Line of Best Fit and more. He has
received radio support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Pete Tong, Annie Mac,
Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbes & Huw Stephens. Artist support for
‘Silver Linings’ has come from the likes of Bonobo, Caribou, Loyle
Carner, The Blessed Madonna, Keinemusik, Rufus Du Sol, George Fitzgerald and
Lane 8. He toured the album performing headline Live shows throughout the UK,
Europe, Asia and North America, as well as DJ shows at Bonobo’s
‘OUTLIER’ event series in Europe and North America. Silver Linings
was followed by ‘Silver Linings Remixed,’ a remix album featuring
versions of tracks from his debut album reimagined by DJ Seinfeld, Andhim,
Soundbwoy Killah, Laurence Guy, Ron Basejam, Grandbrothers, Trim and more. 

Tracklist:
1.01 - Catching Flies - Prelude (1:41)
1.02 - Catching Flies - GLY (3:41)
1.03 - Catching Flies - True Colours (2:16)
1.04 - Catching Flies - Halo (4:30)
1.05 - Catching Flies - Snow Day (3:28)
1.06 - Catching Flies - Diamonds (2:04)
1.07 - Catching Flies - Magnolia (2:33)
1.08 - Catching Flies - Friday Lake (3:17)
1.09 - Catching Flies - Orsay (4:06)
1.10 - Catching Flies & Imaginary Friend - The Last Phone Call (2:23)
1.11 - Catching Flies - Tides (3:37)

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