Having already earned themselves support and plays from the likes of KCRW, KCSN, and BBC Radio, LA-based rock band Troup — made up of front-man vocalist and guitarist Alex Troup, guitarist Claudio Tristano, drummer Graham Roby, keys player Evan Beigel and bassist James Jannetty — are gearing up to release their sophomore EP Mercury and Gold on October 21st.
The new collection is a considerable move away from their previous, Last Chance For Romance, and, asked about the inspiration behind the new EP, Alex says:
I’d done my acoustic break-up record, and now it was time to plug in and rock out again. I’d been listening to a lot of 70s Stones albums, early ZZ Top and early early Fleetwood Mac. My guitar heroes, basically.
I bought a new used guitar — always a catalyst for us guitarists — from a friend, shut myself in and turned up a few amps and started getting some riffs and chord sequences together. I had to keep the windows closed for the neighbours; it was summer in LA, so it was loud and hot — good conditions for guitar playing, under the lights! The chords were coming. Good news. Then I had to figure out the lyrics…
Some lyrics just pop into your head. Unfortunately for me, these are the few, the rest have to be worked on and then worked on again, over and over. I curse my favorite lyricists — Lennon, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Alex Turner, Morrissey — man, did they mine the gems, God knows!
I put on an old Bogart black and white, turn the sound down, open a beer and pray to the muses. Duly summoned, heartbreak and regret skulk into the room.
Before the EP comes out next month, however, they’re releasing another single from the collection, the follow-up to title track “Mercury & Gold”, called “Always On Fire”, which you can listen to at the bottom of the page.
To coincide with the release of the new track, Alex has also put together a playlist featuring some of his favourite songs, which you can listen to here:
Check out “Always On Fire” below, or purchase it on iTunes. For more information on Troup, visit their website, give their page a like on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.
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