What’s on ACSOM’s Stereo? Bethlehem Casuals with ‘The Drink’

When life gets tough, it’s not unusual to hit ‘The Drink’. And it’s no exception in the case of BETHLEHEM CASUALS, who slam down their new single ‘The Drink’, on all platforms today.

A fiery concoction of exotic Middle Eastern rhythms, washed-down with swirling ’60s psychedelia, ‘The Drink’ is the third and final single to emerge from the Casuals’ upcoming concept album: ‘The Tragedy Of Street Dog’ (out 17th April 2020).

A record that tells the story of a dog who wonders where all the music in Manchester has disappeared to, this song finds its lead protagonist ‘Street Dog’ inching ever closer to the truth… As frontman Will Hearne enlightens:

“The Drink tells the story of an unveiling of truths late in the night, loose lips aided by the drink, and the unveiling of the true villain that stole music from Manchester”.

‘The Drink’ is just the latest piece of the puzzle, following a string of individually adventurous and sonically dextrous singles: ‘The Oke’, ‘Flaccid Passion’ and ‘Change’; each of which have offered their own clues to a final picture that will only become apparent on their new album release this spring.

Released on 17th April 2020, ‘The Tragedy of Street Dog’ will tell the story of a house-pet-gone-rogue. Set in the band’s own hometown, the story follows a canine protagonist ‘Street Dog’ as he embarks on a quest to rediscover the music of Manchester. Along his perilous journey, Street Dog visits some of the city’s infamous haunts like Temple Bar, The Oxford Road and The Hacienda, and encounters treacherous foes like ‘River Rat’ and ‘The Oke’. Erudite and experimental, ‘The Tragedy Of Street Dog’​ will see Bethlehem Casuals’ sleazy, sultry and saxy brand of oddball pop truly come into its own. Mind-bending and musically adept in equal measure, it’s one heck of a ride and a record that casts a fresh and fantastical light on whether a dog’s life is all that bad after all…

‘The Tragedy of Street Dog’ was recorded at Giant Wafer Studios, Llanbadarn Fynydd in May 2019. All tracks on the album were engineered by Saam Jafarzadeh and Ashwin Menon, with mastering by Peter Fletcher.

Bethlehem Casuals are a jazz/psych/rock septet based in Manchester. With an eclectic sound that infuses a world of influences, heady grooves and tribal drum circles, the Casuals’ have been dubbed by some as “urban rock styled DIY world music”; but it’s of course open to interpretation.

Gaining momentum with every one of their wonderfully weird releases, the Casuals recently caught the ear of BBC 6Music tastemaker Marc Riley who invited them in for a riotous live session and praised them as: “All over the place in the best kind of way.” With word getting out fast, last summer the band turned heads at a slew of major festivals, including Bluedot to Kendal Calling, Moovin’ to Manchester Jazz, and were even invited to make their Glastonbury debut. They even found the time to host their own biannual shindig! ’Keep It Casual Fest’ to a sell-out capacity. In Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020, the Casuals put their festival hardened live chops to the test and have left jaws hanging at a series of packed-out headline shows.

After a string of acclaimed singles and studio releases, the band will now release their upcoming album ‘The Tragedy of Street Dog’ in 2020. There are also plans to release an illustrated children’s book to accompany the release.