UK ska-punk legends Random Hand have cemented their return by announcing a new album for their 20th anniversary.
Formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, they released four albums which fused ska, punk and metal before going on indefinite hiatus in 2015.
Returning to live work in 2018, they have played a handful of dates each year since, but have turned things up a notch this year.
They will be releasing a new self-titled album, due on 29 September via Bomber Music, and shared its first single, Lifejackets.
And after a series of summer festival dates, they will be playing a UK tour in September/October to mark the release of the album.
The album is set to redefine their place as one of the UK’s most significant alternative bands, 20 years after they arrived as part of the third wave of ska-punk.
Random Hand have played countless festivals including Reading, Leeds, Slam Dunk, Rebellion, Guilfest, Glastonbury, Boomtown Fair, 2000 Trees, Mighty Sounds and toured alongside the likes of Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Propagandhi, Big D & The Kids Table, Voodoo Glow Skulls etc.
They played their 1,000th show in July 2011 and were nominated for the AIM award for ‘hardest working band’, coming a close second to Frank Turner, before taking a much-needed break.
Founding bassist Joe Tilston says: “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.
“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 [2015’s] 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.”
Lifejackets is an infectiously joyous tune that, like much of Random Hand’s music, masks a serious and weighty message, about the haves and have-nots of our society.
Catch Random Hand live at the following dates:
September 28: Nottingham, The Cold Store
September 29: Norwich, Arts Centre
September 30: London, The Dome HANDFEST
October 1: Bristol, The Fleece
October 5: Manchester, Rebellion
October 6: York, The Crescent
October 7: Glasgow, Garage Attic
October 8: Newcastle, Think Tank
