There have been several legends in rock history about vocalists overcoming career-threatening vocal surgery to produce career-defining records—from the oversinging of pop vocalists to the voice-shredding of punk rockers. But the hardships recently faced by the UK heavy rock group Broken Hands is a slight variant: vocalist Dale Norton underwent intensive ear surgery that left him unable to sing for about two months while the band was working on their sophomore album.
But today, the band is announcing they’ve pushed through with the exciting news of their signing with Atlantic Records for the release of their follow-up to 2015’s Turbulence. In doing so, they’ve also let loose videos for two brand new tracks, “Split in Two” and “Friends House,” which see the band performing the dense, heavy-hitting songs in parallel universes—the first of which a glowing green with a Matrix-code backdrop, and the second an ominous red. Both tracks demonstrate the band back at 100 percent, if not slightly, well, split in two.
“Both of these two songs come from a similar place—one minute you want to write a screaming, heavy record and in the next you want to write something tranquil,” Norton explains. “It’s a push-and-pull. ‘Friends House’ has that element of two-sides as well [as “Split in Two”]. It’s quite a dark song; the moment that you think you’re happy and safe, you actually couldn’t be any further from safety.”
With details of their forthcoming album still under wraps, the five-piece—vocalist Norton, his brother Callum on drums, Jamie Darby on lead guitar, Thomas Ford on bass, and David Hardstone on rhythm guitar and keys—seem thrilled with their new label home. “We’re incredibly excited to have signed with Atlantic, a label with such an amazing history and deep heritage of British artists before us. We can’t wait to get out on the road with this new record.”
