By Stevie Connor.
Award-winning blues rock duo When Rivers Meet are pleased to announce their highly anticipated third studio album “Aces Are High” to be released by One Road Records in September 2023.
Fresh off their second UK headline tour, the band have released two singles from the album, “Play My Game,” and “Perfect Stranger.”
Lead singer, mandolin and violin player, Grace Bond is passionate about the recent WRM single “Perfect Stranger” and says, “We wanted to write a song about our relationship and how we first met. Our relationship is intense and creative. We wanted to write a song that reflects that tension throughout.”
The previous single, “Play My Game,” is a groove-laden, driving blues track with rich riffs and searing vocals. It’s a bold statement of intent with a badass video to boot, capturing a poker game gone south leading to a high-speed car chase and daring aeroplane escape.
Regarding the forthcoming album “Aces Are High,” the duo says, “As our music is progressing, we’re finding our sound even more. When we went in the studio this time, we’ve never been so sure on what we wanted to create — we had a really clear vision and have stuck to it.
Before we held back on being too rocky, but this time we allowed ourselves to create what we wanted to hear, without restricting ourselves. We also allowed ourselves to express the different colours to our music with tracks like “Golden” and “By Your Side,” so this album has more extremes. We still call upon our influences from all the years but remain true to ourselves to create music we love.”
Since their formation in 2019, the husband-and-wife duo Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin, violin) and Aaron Bond (vocals, guitar) have been quick to prove themselves one of the most exciting names in British blues rock. Blending Americana, folk, blues, and rock in a distinctly unique manner, they have been showered with many awards and accolades.
Their forthcoming album “Aces Are High”follows two critically acclaimed records: “We Fly Free”(2020), which reached No.1 in the iTunes Blues Album Chart, and “Saving Grace” (2021), which charted at No.2 in the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, No.5 UK Official Album Downloads Chart, and No.6 UK Official Independent Albums Chart. These were based purely on chart reporting digital sales and didn’t include physical sales.
When Rivers Meet were the first band to win four awards at the UK Blues Awards 2021 and another three awards in 2022, including Blues Band of The Year on both occasions. In 2023, WRM won Blues Band Of The Year, making them the only band to win this category three years in a row, and the only band to be inducted into the UK Blues Awards Hall Of Fame for this category.
In 2021 When Rivers Meet were voted Best New Band at Planet Rock’s The Rocks Awards, and in 2022 won Planet Rock’s Blues Power Award and Album Of The Year Award with Saving Grace.
“Aces Are High”finds the duo returning with a more powerful sound than ever before. Aaron’s gnarled riffs hit harder alongside his deep vocal tones, while Grace’s vocals range wider with tantalising bite as they effortlessly climb scales like her striking slide mandolin which accompanies the likes of “Trail To Avalon.”
The immediacy of the new record is showcased from the off with the hard-hitting opener “Infected,” while no punches are pulled on the kick-out-time anthem “5 Minutes Until Midnight.” Nevertheless, its contrasting sides find delicate moments such as the reflective acoustic song “Golden” and the shimmering Americana of “By Your Side.”
When Rivers Meet developed a powerful live reputation and with their first headline tour last year, which they played to capacity crowds across the country.
This year they supported Reef of their UK tour and have just finished their second UK headline tour in larger venues, along with special guest, Brian May guitar prodigy, Arielle, receiving rave reviews once again.
This summer, the band have been announced to play a number of festivals, including Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive Mediterranean III Cruise which departs Athens on 17 August. The cruise also features Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Blackberry Smoke, and many more artists from the contemporary blues scene.
FESTIVAL DATES July
28th – Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale 29th – Hilltop Jam, Napton on the Hill August 4th – Cambridge Rock Festival, Horseheath 11th – Firevolt Rock Festival, Stockport 17th/22nd – Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping Blues Alive at Sea III, Athens, Greece October 6th – Cornwall Rocks Festival, Looe November 12th – Whitby Blues, Rhythm & Rock, Whitby
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