Our Lost Infantry - Interregnum (2015)

The farewell full-length from Aldershot, England's progressive indie quintet Our Lost Infantry, "Interregnum" is an absolutely stunning sendoff and every bit as good as the band's masterful debut "The New Art History." With gutsy riffs, fearless choruses, breathtaking harmonies, lyrical gems galore and a penchant to lean post-rock, this fad-free British outfit has harnessed the pure emotional power of all-out rock moments with quieter spells of delicate beauty to deliver a refreshingly potent "expect the unexpected" progressive art-rock masterpiece. Some even say Our Lost Infantry is more of a listening experience than a band. With an uncanny ability to convey hope, love, loss and fear within one almighty holler, they tick all the boxes that ever need ticking. Pushing their limits to create something absolutely pleasing your ears have not yet heard before, every song is as good as the rest and every moment as strong as the last. All encompassing, ever evolving and completely enthralling, this is a band that can do no wrong.

"We've always strived to express ourselves honestly in a way that people would understand. We wrote these new songs with the goal of getting our music into the ears of as many people as possible. We hope that these new songs stay with people. At the end of the day, it’s that connection that matters to us most. So long as one person hears the album and feels a bit better than they would’ve if they hadn’t, then we’ve done our job. The word 'interregnum' refers to the time between two rulers - that is, the time where one person has stepped down or died and the next person has yet to take over. In the context of the album, the personal upheavals that prompted us to change line ups since the release of The New Art History was definitely part of the mix of influences that led to us writing these songs" says bassist Joe Ashworth.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Thom Ashworth adds, "There are a lot of ideas swirling around on this record: that we must never lose sight of how powerful literacy can be to pass ideas between us; how a life’s work is a transitory thing, squashed together into ones and zeros on hard drives; the uneasy feeling associated with the need to have an uncomfortable conversation; faith or the lack of it; the question of whether there’s such a thing as a soulmate; our current surveillance culture; the understanding that when you tear down a curtain there most will likely be nothing behind it; and our incessant need to self-analyze. On a personal level, this record covers a period of huge upheaval for me - yet another time of misrule in my life. As for the artwork, I wanted something that reflected that period between WWI and WWII, when T.S. Eliot was creating his most intense, amazing works. I wanted an image that was not figurative, but that gave you a sense of time and place, and of the particular interregnum that the world was experiencing at that time."

Although a near tragedy for the burgeoning progressive British indie movement, it's rather often that the fun, young lives of band members lead each other in different directions. However, this is hardly the finale for any of these incredibly talented musicians. One of the finest bands to ever grace the Deep Elm roster, Our Lost Infantry will be dearly missed but not soon forgotten. In connection with the release, the band will be playing a final show on July 24 at West End Center in Aldershot, England...a show not to be missed that will be filled with surprises. "I promise, it's the start of a new chapter, not the end of the story. We’re all incredibly close, and are planning other projects together in different combinations. We’d all be lying if we said we weren’t sad about OLI ending. It’s been a huge part of our lives for years and, although we're excited to start other projects, I still wish that we’d had been able in making this huge noise on a stage that was big enough to hold it" says Thom Ashworth. If all the world's indeed a stage, the only two words that come to mind: mission accomplished.

"This needs to be heard to be believed. A successful attempt at reconstructing the status quo. Striking..." - Absolute Punk