Bristol rock trio Krooked Tongue returned with their first new music of 2025, with the new single ‘Let ‘Em Loose’ released at the end of February. Now there are a couple of occasions where you can see the trio of Oli Rainsford, Dan Smith & Harry Pritchard live, firstly on their own and secondly renewing their acquaintance with the Virgin Mary’s.
“Let ‘Em Loose” follows 2024’s ‘Nothing Ever Grows’ and ‘Ember Mile’, taken from a longer body of material, with further details to be announced in the coming months. Their previous singles saw support from Apple editorial’s ‘Breaking Hard Rock’, New Noise Magazine, CLOUT, Total Rock, Primordial Radio and Boogaloo Radio, and ‘Nothing Ever Grows’ was used throughout the Bivol vs Beterbiev boxing fight on DAZN Sports.
Recorded and produced with long-time producer Josh Gallop at Stage 2 Studios in Bath, the track fuses immediate, fuzz-fueled riffs, driving rhythms and Rainsford’s woozy baritone vocals using playful phrasing, scathing sarcasm and sharp humour to cast a penetrating lens on the damaging toll technology is taking on real life relationships.
Describing the single, vocalist and lyricist Oli Rainsford states, “’Let ‘Em Loose’ is a song that parallels the technological age we find ourselves in today. We’re all so addicted to screen time that we forget how important it is for us to spend time with each other, really with each other. No distractions; Harking back to that old cliche of ‘living in the moment’.
“’Let Em’ Loose’ is a song that reminds us to be a little more present in a world where it seems like being tethered to a plug socket is the norm. It’s a reminder to look up. There’s a whole universe in front of us. Whilst you’re scrolling reels or finding yourself down YouTube rabbit holes all night, you’re missing your kids growing up, you’re missing out on your Grandad’s most compelling stories and you’re eating away at the dwindling hourglass of time. It’s harder now more than ever NOT to be sucked into the world of social media, but in the words of Eddie Abbew … ‘Wake the fuck up’.
“We had a sick time recording this one with Josh at Stage 2 Studios. We made sure to get the tones and sonic palette dialled in to make those chorus and lead parts as beefed up as possible. Getting diction on the vocal down for ‘Let Em’ Loose’ felt particularly important because it is very lyric heavy, so we wanted to make sure the message was conveyed clearly. The lyrics in the chorus draw inspiration from the Black Mirror episode ‘Metalhead’. “
“I think the way in which technology is represented as these robotic minions hunting people in rural settings is quite a relevant visualisation of the message in ‘Let ‘Em Loose’. Especially now with a sudden push for AI to do everything that’s made us human. Maybe there’s a place for that somewhere, but it shouldn’t be used where it can fragment society more than it already is now. We need to regain our sense of importance. ‘Let ‘Em Loose’ is your warning.”
August 2024 saw their biggest support tour to date, supporting Kid Brunswick on his final ‘Dead Forever’ tour across the UK. They’ve also recently shared the stage with False Heads, Virgin Marys, Phoxjaw, Moriaty, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Soap Girls and Mother Vulture and have played slots at festivals such as Icebreaker, Dot to Dot, The Godney Gathering, Estonia’s Tallinn Music Week and Burn It Down.
For further information on how you can get their single or hear them live, please check out:
Website: https://krookedtongue.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Krookedtongue
X: https://x.com/krooked_tongue
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krookedtongue
