The Heavy North: Liverpool band excited to release their debut album following manufacturing delay

Following a lengthy delay in vinyl manufacturing, Liverpool six-piece garage/blues rock band The Heavy North are set to release their long-awaited debut 10-track album Electric Soul Machine on Saturday 23 April 2022, coinciding with this year’s national Record Store Day.

Electric Soul Machine will be the second physical release from the band after 2020’s debut 4-track vinyl EP ‘Dive Bar Blues’, and follows a succession of single releases over the last 12 months culminating with latest track ‘Satisfy You’ released on New Year’s Day 2022.

Back in January, the band spoke to LiverpoolWorld about how they got started and the path towards releasing the album.

Who is in the band?

The band is made up of Kenny Stuart (singer/songwriter & guitarist), Jose Ibanez (guitarist and producer), Andrew Horrocks (bass player), Ste Penn (keys player) and Mark Rice (drums).

Who has praised the band?

In addition to picking up airplay on BBC 6 Music, Radio X and BBC Introducing, The Heavy North have recently been championed by Scottish actor and new music champion Robert Carlyle OBE who described the garage blues outfit as a “top, top band.”

On Christmas Day 2021 the band shared a private preview link to their upcoming debut album with fans who pre-ordered the album on 12” gatefold vinyl or CD.

“We wanted to give everyone who helped us make Electric Soul Machine the opportunity to hear it for 24 hours, and we received some great comments from people who were listening to our album on Christmas Day, which was amazing,” said The Heavy North frontman Kenny Stuart.

When was the album finished?

Kenny said: “Electric Soul Machine was actually finished in August last year, but unfortunately there’s been a global delay in vinyl manufacturing so it’s taken a bit longer than we expected, but hopefully our fans and followers will think it’s well worth the wait”.

“The album is a collection of ten tracks recorded at Jose’s 3rd Planet Recording Studio last year, and as another way to thank those who pre-ordered the album we’ve also added 150 names to the gatefold artwork of the 12” vinyl” added Kenny.

Has the band played any gigs this year?

In February this year, The Heavy North played a handful of UK shows in Bristol, London, Birmingham and Blackpool to road-test tracks from the upcoming album, and the band are looking forward to playing Electric Soul Machine in full later this year on their own UK headline tour.

“We’ve got a couple of live shows and festivals over the summer, but we’ll be back on tour in September and look forward to playing some of the Electric Soul Machine tracks live for the first time”.

How can I get my hands on the album?

Electric Soul Machine features the singles ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’, ‘No Good’, ‘Awake’ and ‘Satisfy You’, Electric Soul Machine is available to pre-order now from theheavynorth.com on CD and limited edition 12” gatefold vinyl, and is scheduled for release on Saturday 23 April 2022 (Record Store Day)