Icarus Drop New Track: Man Of The Land feat. Real Lies

2nd Single From Their Forthcoming EP: This Must Be The Place - out November 30th

Stream 'Man Of The Land feat. Real Lies' HERE

Fresh from releasing their latest track ‘Echoes’ which hit #3 on the BBC Radio 1 Dance Chart, Bristol’s innovative crossover production duo Icarus have teamed up with London trio Real Lies for their new single ‘Man of the Land’.

Both ‘Man of the Land’ and ‘Echoes’ feature on Icarus’s new EP ‘This Must Be The Place’ which follows on November 30th. The EP represents Icarus’s latest longer form conceptual project after releasing the ‘In The Dark’ EP earlier this year.

‘Man of the Land’ represents the darker, cinematic extreme of Icarus’s sonic spectrum. The hypnotic beat captures the feeling of pounding the city streets late at night before the drop accentuates its dramatic feel. It’s a track which finds Icarus strengthening the evocative atmospheric qualities of past tracks such as ‘No Sleep’ and ‘Hiding’.

Real Lies’ lyrics delve into the experiences of a transient character whose solitary life on the capital’s empty streets is set against the contrast of its hectic late night bars. It captures a feeling of urban anxiety that could only be nocturnal London. As the song’s narrator notes, “I come from Cally Road, not California.”

Widely praised for their self-titled debut album, Noisey summarised Real Lies’ approach by stating, “Although an echo chamber of past influences mixed with the contemporary ambience of Burial or Jamie xx, their defining factor is the thoroughly modern ennui that infects their lyrics.”

Icarus explain the EP’s concept: “The theme of this EP is based around always moving from one place to the next, or running away – as well as the thoughts, feelings and emotions which come from living this way. There are moments of feeling free from being tied down and having endless possibilities. But there’s also a loneliness and anxiety that comes from simply moving on rather than addressing your problems. It’s not about making a judgment on people who are in that situation, it’s just an exploration of a yin-and-yang lifestyle.”

Since debuting in 2015 with the ‘Don’t Cry Wolf’ EP, ICARUS have progressed from being a hotly-tipped name to become a regular fixture on daytime radio. Annie Mac has been a long-term admirer, not only picking four consecutive singles as her Hottest Record (‘Love Has Come Around’,‘King Kong’, ‘Trouble’ and ‘No Sleep’) but also booking them for her Lost & Found Festival.

ICARUS’s other radio highlights include a sun-scorched set at Radio 1 Live in Ibiza and contributing an Essential Mix for Pete Tong. In addition to Annie Mac, their other supporters at radio have included Pete Tong, Phil Taggart, Danny Howard, MistaJam, Monki and Alice Levine. Their wide-ranging list of fans also includes Pendulum, who invited them to remix their classic track ‘Tarantula’ from their all-star collabs album ‘The Reworks’.

Earlier this year, ICARUS debuted their full live band show which they then took on a headline tour and then to the South West Four Weekender. They’re now poised to hit the road with Rüfüs Du Sol on their ‘Solace’ tour: first with a run of North American shows which culminates with three nights at New York’s Terminal 5. Full upcoming tour dates:

November 1st - The Shrine - Los Angeles, CA
November 2nd - The Shrine - Los Angeles, CA
November 3rd - The Shrine - Los Angeles, CA
November 9th - The Complex - Salt Lake City
November 13th - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
November 14th - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
November 15th - Royal Oak - Detroit, MI
November 16th - The Danforth - Toronto, Canada
November 18th - MTELUS – Montreal, Canada
November 20th - House of Blues – Boston, MA
November 21st - House of Blues – Boston, MA
November 23rd - Terminal 5 - New York City, NY
​November 24th - Terminal 5 - New York City, NY
​November 25th - Terminal 5 - New York City, NY
November 29th - Printworks – London, UK
November 30th - The Mill – Birmingham, UK
December 1st - Queen Margaret Union – Glasgow, UK
December 2nd - Academy 2 – Manchester, UK

Alec Morris

Infamous PR

About Icarus

It’s been a long, hard-earned road to success for Icarus, the Bristol-based duo made up of brothers Tom and Ian Griffiths.

Naturally taking to instruments at a young age and developing an uncharacteristically strong passion for trance and hard house in their pre-teen years, Icarus’ all-encompassing journey through the outer realms of electronic music was rewarded handsomely when they signed to Pete Tong’s iconic FFRR imprint in 2015. “Icarus started pretty quickly,” Tom recalls. “We’d been writing music together for six or seven years, but getting signed to FFRR I’d say was our first major achievement.”

Under the guidance of FFRR, Icarus have released a steady stream of head-turning music, constantly honing and developing their signature sound that sits at the intersection of emotionally tuned, melodic electronica and deep, infectiously danceable house music. “I think as time’s gone on our sound has got a little bit more refined but we’re still influenced by a lot of different genres, such as D&B which still plays a part in our music now,” Tom agrees.

A slew of fan-favourite tracks have helped the boys embark on a sharp ascent through the ranks of UK dance music, cultivating a dedicated following in the process. With hits including ‘October’ and ‘King Kong’, the pair have garnered over 60 million streams and seven ‘Hottest Records’ on BBC Radio 1 over the course of their career. Moving away from single releases in 2018 with their five-track EP ‘In The Dark’, Icarus continue to grow and develop their craft. Following this up, last February’s concept EP ‘This Must Be The Place’ received critical acclaim, lauded as one of their most accomplished bodies of work yet.

Throughout their journey, live DJ performances have always been an equally intrinsic part of Icarus. From humble beginnings playing at Subsoul parties across the UK to delving into the world of headline tours, playing massive festivals like Parklife and life-affirming shows in Ibiza, these sets have been crucial in facilitating the boys’ ascent through the ranks. “We’ve always looked at Ibiza as that holy grail and the first year we got booked there [2017] we played five shows at five different clubs - a huge career highlight,” Tom enthuses. This was followed up with a mammoth tour of the US alongside Grammy-nominated Australian trio Rüfüs Du Sol. “If you told the teenage me that I’d go on tour with my brother and do America for five weeks I wouldn’t have believed you,” Tom adds.

As we move firmly into 2020, Icarus gear up for what they are describing as their ‘biggest and most important project to date’. Another conceptual project and the largest body of work they have created in their career thus far, ‘UNFOLD’ is an nine-track release underpinned by transformation and evolution of self.

“It seemed like the natural thing to write about was the end of one phase and the start of another - that’s what we wanted to capture in the music,” Ian articulates. “We had a chat and agreed that it feels like there’s a lot of pathways crossing right now and that naturally started feeding into the music.”

“It’s kind of like a book-end for the first period of Icarus,” he continues. “We’ve been on a journey over the past five years or so and this is a combination of all of that. It’s a bit of a summary but it’s by no means the end - rather the end of the first chapter.”

In terms of the project’s content, they modestly insist that - like much of Icarus’ music - it is simply a product of their surroundings. “When we set out to put together a body of work it really comes down to where we’re at in our lives and what experiences we’ve had,” Ian expands. Featuring collaborations with the likes of Nathan Ball and Rae Morris, it’s not difficult to see why ‘UNFOLD’ is being hailed as a career-defining release.

To coincide with its release, Icarus have also launched a live UK tour, which will see the duo perform at London’s Village Underground (23rd April) and YES in Manchester (24th) before closing off with a final show in their hometown of Bristol at The Marble Factory (25th).

The start of the new decade is primed to be the next phase of the journey for one of the UK’s most exciting electronic duos. “Over the last few years, people have entered and left our lives and we’ve both been through things that have made us grow significantly as people,” Tom explains. “These songs represent how our lives, personalities and ever-changing selves ‘Unfold’.”