Arliston share anthemic new single ‘Vertical’ from forthcoming album, Disappointment Machine.

“the perfect intersection of poignant songwriting and soaring instrumentals” – Notion

“captivating soundscapes and thought-provoking lyrics” – Wonderland

“highly affecting” – Clash

“Launching into a new era” – Noctis Magazine

Walking the fine line between emotive and anthemic, Arliston share ‘Vertical’, the second single from their forthcoming album, Disappointment Machine. It joins the introspective ‘Monks of Lindisfarne’ (as featured in The Independent’s Now Hear This) in their narrative of sincere soul-searching and expansive sonic landscapes. With this latest release, this time Jack Ratcliffe (vocalist/instrumentalist) and George Hasbury (instrumentalist/producer) push beyond their limits, with Sam Catchpole on drums and Brett Shaw on percussion.

Opening with intimate baritone vocals and paced piano keys, a fluttering of drum beats comes in to provide a sense of growing emotion. Within that first minute, the full spectrum of Arliston’s intensity is on display as those brooding vocals turn into soaring pleas, “how should I know just whether I can carry on?”. Throughout the track, the duo develop this tension between reserved, inward-looking lows and expressive, passionate highs.

The direction of ‘Vertical’ was created so purposefully, as George recalls:

“We had a lot of fun making this one, the drums initially started as a chopped up sample and then Sam (Catchpole) came in to re-play them and really made them sing and basically turned them into a lead drum part in the chorus. It’s a lot of fun to play live as it’s got a sort of anthemic energy to it and a guitar solo which sounds very un-arliston on paper, but I think it fits perfectly on the album and rounds the project out adding an energy that would otherwise be missing.”

Self-described as “sad song specialists”, songs like ‘Vertical’ dive headfirst into the uncertainty of that particularly fraught time of life, our late twenties and early thirties. Whether listeners are going through the fray right now, anticipating what’s to come, or reflecting on the confusion of their past, the relatability of Arliston’s songwriting is undeniable. The metaphor of “vertical”, that being a seemingly unsurpassable obstacle like a flat wall one has to climb, is especially potent.

Jack reflects on the songwriting process behind ‘Vertical’:

“I had in mind a character simply looking for something- keys or a wallet- in a crumpled pair of jeans on the floor. I have a habit of forgetting where things are and I wanted a song that could reflect that hazy absent mindedness. I also wanted to get across a sense of “if I can’t do even these basic things, how am I meant to ‘carry on’ and do more complex things”. This is where the title ‘Vertical’ comes from, as when I’m in that empty-minded state everything seems daunting, impossible and vertical.”

The outfit’s key influences like The National, Bon Iver, and Damien Rice come through in their wide-ranging elements and crisp production, drawing out what they affectionately call “hardcore misery”.

However, like every storm, the sadness inevitably ends and the clouds part. As Jack describes, this song:

“ends in a bit more of a major-key way lyrically- the lack of memory at least allows all of the negative events to slide off you, like water off a duck’s back! “I don’t remember the days I sat inside the car crying, feeling it’s vertical.”

– Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify  –

Upcoming gigs:

18th September – Katzspace, London

28th September – Under the Drum, Ballycare, N.I.

24th October – Molteno at Colours Hoxton, London