{"product_id":"formal-sppeedwear-punch-card-pre-order","title":"Formal Sppeedwear - Punch Card *Pre-Order","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date Friday 11th September\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll pre-orders will be dispatched\/made ready for collection on that day.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Tahoma;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"OutlineElement Ltr SCXW129228526 BCX0\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eStoke-On-Trent’s most tuned-in and turned-out trio are releasing debut album Punch Card, which might be the avant-garde pop record of the\u003cbr\u003eyear.\u003cbr\u003eDriven by a desire for sonic collage and bolstered by lateral thinking, ‘Punch Card’ is a crafty lesson in how, with touches of masterful\u003cbr\u003emanipulation, the collision of opposing forces can cause sparks to fly and an irrepressible need to dance. “Our aim is to undermine anything\u003cbr\u003eleaning too far one way or the other. We shoot for homogeneity - if it sounds good and its component parts can\u0026amp;#39;t be pulled out, we’ve matched\u003cbr\u003ethe job description,” they say of finding balance in their desire to ‘pull the rug’ musically whenever listeners least expect it.\u003cbr\u003eMuch like the typo in their name, now proudly worn by the band as a badge of honour, the result is an album of happy accidents that truly\u003cbr\u003eembody their audiences’ visceral knee-jerk reactions. The cut-out windows of an eighties protocomputer punch card that line the sleeve offer a\u003cbr\u003eportal into Formal Sppeedwear’s universe.\u003cbr\u003eAfter signing with melodic in 2023, the trio’s now sold out 2024 debut EP - a self-titled, self-produced 12” sample of elastic bass arrangements,\u003cbr\u003eleaping guitar motifs and sparse, un-assuming percussive work - picked up notable fans at BBC 6 Music and helped to secure shows around\u003cbr\u003ethe country with the likes of Fat Dog, Preoccupations, Warmduscher and Divorce. A legion of listeners grew, barraging Instagram DMs curious\u003cbr\u003eto unearth the mystery behind their idiosyncratic, off-kilter lyrics – usually a product of Beck’s phonetically-associated wordplay.\u003cbr\u003eProlific in their output, the band diligently produced Punch Card themselves with mastering from Paul D. Millar (Slug Bug). Led by a preference\u003cbr\u003efor sonic variety, they even discarded three tracks not belonging on the record; not because they didn’t fit - but because they did. Through their\u003cbr\u003eboomerang voice notes and a sense of telepathy that only college friends bonded by Neu! and Yellow Magic Orchestra could possess, they\u003cbr\u003eexplain; “There’s definitely a subconscious level to what we do but it’s always driven by what works sonically. The real challenge becomes how\u003cbr\u003eto recreate it live.”\u003cbr\u003eBlame those tracks which formed quickly when raw ideas and lyrics flowed from jam sessions in their Tremolo rehearsal room. Jagged, punchy\u003cbr\u003e‘Indecent’ was largely improvised by the trio as a single recorded live take, and ‘The Ballad of DCB’ (avid bookworms in Stoke may have an\u003cbr\u003einkling as to the meaning behind its acronym) was wrangled from a spritely brink of uncertainty after twilight tinkering powered a plethora of\u003cbr\u003ejangling guitar lines. Live staple ‘Wait (Hatchet Gets a New Hide) serves as collage of ideas and melodies harking back to the early days of\u003cbr\u003eSppeedwear, completed on a Tascam 488 cassette recorder.\u003cbr\u003eBut, between joyfully jarring twists and turns, it is a rare moment of wistfulness which offers the biggest hint to the album’s wider Punch Card\u003cbr\u003ethemes. A turning point in the recording process, finale ‘Friedrich Backs Up Nothing’ shimmers with strange atmospheres and sound-\u003cbr\u003emanipulated cellos; lyrically considering how history might react to the world today.\u003cbr\u003eFormal Sppeedwear may look and sound something like pop, but Punch Card emerges through collision, constraint, and chance - much like the\u003cbr\u003estamped out geometry that inspired its artwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThank you for looking at our listing, below are a few points to consider before making a purchase:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- All records we sell are Brand New - pre-orders will normally come sealed but if you are purchasing in stock items, please note the copy may have been unsealed for display in the shop. Please email straight after purchase to enquire if this is of importance to you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Orders won't ship until all items are released, so keep this in mind when purchasing multiple pre-orders or a mix of in stock and pre-order items.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- We unfortunately don't offer tax\/vat outside of the UK via the website so please keep in mind that when the items arrives in your country you may be liable to pay a further charge before delivery. (all UK orders the price you see is the price you will pay). Please also note that we are unable to adjust the declared value on items sold internationally.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Formal Sppeedwear","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":55566772896120,"sku":"MELO150LP","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD Album","offer_id":55566772928888,"sku":"MELO150CD","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0348\/2704\/2955\/files\/1_447bd581-99ac-4eb8-9494-368f5f3c6120.jpg?v=1779285932","url":"https:\/\/www.crashrecords.co.uk\/products\/formal-sppeedwear-punch-card-pre-order","provider":"Crash Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}