[27 Sept 2019]

• Liverpool four piece reimagine and remaster an immersive audio opus
• Tracks produced by mrmmr, Greg Penny & Jon Withnall
• Re-recorded at Parr Street Studios (Liverpool) mixed & mastered at Jacaranda Studios (Liverpool) and Penny Lane Studios (Ojai) 

Liverpool four piece SHARDS’ immersive audio opus “Refractions” is out on Jacaranda Records on Friday, September 27th.

Launched 50 years after the release of The Beatles’ 11th and final studio album “Abbey Road,” and produced at the same iconic Liverpool venue that launched the original fab four’s musical careers, “Refractions” is the next generation of four-piece Merseyside musician. 

A stunning cascade of 27 tracks dynamically and sonically exploring one single work, the mammoth EP release features collaborations between SHARDS and a host of leading producers, including immersive audio expert mrmmr – Elton John, KD Lang Engineer/Producer and spatial audio pioneer – Greg Penny, as well as renowned audio engineer Jon Withnall who worked on global chart blasting successes with Coldplay and Rihanna.

Jacaranda Records Capomaestro Ray Mia said:

“One of the reasons I happily left Universal Music Group to set up a record label in Liverpool, was to find a sound… a sound that is unmistakably The Jacaranda Sound. SHARDS were the first group my business partner Graham introduced me to. Reflections had only been released a week or two earlier and I saw them play at a Showcase in our venue Phase One… it was the first track I heard them play, from the first band introduced to me on my return to Liverpool, I was totally blown away. This was the sound, one of them at least! I immediately heard the notes and lyrics – saw the look and the performance, I knew instantly I wanted to sign them and work with them. So we did.

“They have a sound of the ages, they hark back to a time when musicians were musicians, they can play – you know, actually play, they look great – they are so evocative, they speak to a timeless place and a space that we can all float to and be our past and future and present at the same time. Everyone who hears them – you can’t put your finger on it, it reminds people of so many other iconic artists from Liverpool and beyond, but its new, its original, its fresh, it points to a feeling and an emotion – and its simply fucking brilliant.

“Refractions has been an absolute joy to watch re-evolve, I gave them a very special 12-string Rik designed by Tom Petty and based on John Lennon’s iconic guitar, it’s got a shorter arm and a lower bridge, with totally abnormal pick-ups, Paddy plays it to perfection, he owns it, hearing that on the tracks – and how mrmmr, Jamie, Greg and Jon reworked it on the cleaned up re-record – totally shines through like the Sun. Alex’s vocals are crystal and he has a way of singing that is unmistakable – he’s got one hell of a voice and his BVs are angelic, Dan holds it all together with a singular heartbeat on bass with a cool that can’t be learned and Cain gives the entire remix an effortless structure with a face from Mount Olympus. The tracks are a sonic exploration of a quite brilliant sound, one that translates to anyone and everyone, all ages, all genders, all orientations all faces and races. Its Liverpool, it’s all about the music and it’s in their blood. 

“Beatle references often get over used, it’s everywhere – and they are everywhere as quite rightly the most important band of all time. They wrote the book, absolutely and unequivocally. They started at The Jacaranda, they cut their cloth here – and we are deeply motivated by that, SHARDS are our step into the future, this is our four-piece, this is not some Manchester/London/New York – based facsimile of look, sound and simpleton-think. This is about sound, and being sound… and people from Liverpool know what I mean. The City has always set a very high bar for itself, and through the decades there have been many, many, many examples of the next great band from Merseyside… to be able to drop this EP on the same day as the 50th Anniversary (re)release of Abbey Road… we are saying something deliberate across the Universe.

“We’re so proud of the material, and we are massively inspired by what the band and this re-mix and remastered release represents to the label, to the City, to our history, to our future –  as well as to the possibilities Immersive Audio gives the punter. The visuals on the 52:25 continuous track is a sight and sound to behold, the team led by Iain and their manager Dave and delivered by Evey and Ben – they all dug real deep and put out one hell of a statement with this. It’s beautiful work.” 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, cats & dogs… from the venue that gave birth to Merseybeat & The Beatles… Jacaranda Records presents to you SHARDS… and the Beat goes on…”

The second release from the Liverpool four-piece band, and their first release with Jacaranda Records since signing, the indie guitar outfit have enjoyed a flurry of national and local radio airtime together with a glut of notable gigs supporting the likes of Black Honey, Zuzu and Tim Burgess.

The new EP, another exocet release from Jacaranda Records championing immersive audio technology, is an ethereal and symbolic composition designed to expand the boundaries of surround sound. Containing multiple distillations of a single song, it is a multi layered, considered re-record, rework, remaster and on some tracks – demix, that explores the lead track Reflections’ multitude of sonic perspectives in a spatial audio environment.

Remixed and reworked with the next generation of audio firmly at its core, “Refractions” is an ode to endless possibilities that spatial audio offers musicians and producers, getting to the core of what a song and its melodies contain. 

[Listen Here] [Wear Headphones]

Release Details

Refractions EP was performed by SHARDS, and written by Alex McKenzie, Patrick Gullidge, Cain Garcia and Dan Jones.

Immersive Producer: mrmmr

Immersively Mixed & Co-Produced by Greg Penny

Dry Pop Mix: Jon Withnall

Immersive Mixing, Engineering & Mastering by Jamie Barker

From Immersive-first Label Jacaranda Records, specialists in spatial audio, the Refractions EP binaural master provides anyone using a set of standard headphones a three-dimensional audio experience – and richer stereo for anyone using speakers. The track is available to stream or download via Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and all major streaming services.

SHARDS are:

Alex McKenzie (Vocals/guitar)

Patrick Gullidge (Guitar)

Dan Jones (Bass)

Cain Garcia (Drums)

About Jacaranda Records

Jacaranda Records is a reimagined record label driven by immersive audio, with a street network of live music venues and record stores in the heart of Liverpool – The UK’s music city.

Working with a wide international coalition of musicians, producers, managers and audio visual experts, the label provides a disruptive antidote to the traditional music industry ethos, forging new approaches to music creation, manufacture, promotion and distribution that leave control and revenues firmly in the hands of our artists.

We provide developing and established artists with a range of creative, technical and monetization services while preserving their full mechanical, publishing and IP rights. Artist focused, forward-thinking and expert in deploying innovative technologies and techniques through every stage of the recording, release, distribution and commercialisation cycles, the label works with a diverse range of creatives and performers to maximise the impact and returns for their work, all the while re-imagining, re-inventing and re-defining what impact and return means.

The latest evolution of the brand that launched The Beatles, Jacaranda Records is taking the soul of an organisation built on launching talent in a City where music is in its DNA, and forging a new path to support and build on the breadth of talent that walks its streets – all with an attitude and vision befitting its people and the global audiences who care about music.