SPILL EP PREMIERE: RODNEY CROMWELL – EXERCISE CLASS

RODNEY CROMWELL – EXERCISE CLASS

A SPILL EXCLUSIVE EP PREMIERE

It has been a fine year (or should I say decade) for 80s-flavoured synthpop and it’s no wonder that London still seems to be the center of it all, as it was back in the day. Today we present the latest output from an artist we have featured previously several times ~Rodney Cromwell.

Like the Dr. Who of indie pop with his transitions and quests, his music has seen three concrete phases, each entailing a different guise and each leading back to the iconic BBC trailblazer John Peel. First with 1990s indie folk-pop band Saloon and then in 2000s electronic duo Arthur and Martha, both of these acts were John Peel faves, even appearing on his legendary eclectic radio show Saloon, in particular, had four entries in John Peel’s Festive 50 & three Peel Sessions. Now, in his current incarnation as synthpop / indietronic artist Rodney Cromwell, his music was voted into the Official Festive 50 as compiled by Dandelion Radio, carrying on the tradition Peel had established.

This brand of retro-futurism sounds so good, likely made to order as the good-time Gods would have it themselves. Centred around the use of vintage synthesizers, old drum machines and a lo-fi aesthetic, his winning musical formula has earned him numerous accolades, festival invites, ‘Album of the Year’ distinctions and slots performing with A Flock of Seagulls, Damo Suzuki, Pram, Death & Vanilla, Rowetta, M!R!M, Steve Davis and Blancmange.

This week, Cromwell is back with a new offering – the Exercise Class EP is released through his long-time label Happy Robots Records, following up The Winter Palace Remixes.  Not only are we premiering the full EP, but also the video for the title track, animated & directed by Martin J Langthorne.

The retro-futuristic music Rodney Cromwell dishes out is as fitting for the indie-disco dancefloor as a sweaty exercise studio. With its dead-pan spoken-word lyrics, melodic chorus and Cromwell’s signature classic synth sound,  the EP’s title track draws influences from LCD Soundsystem, Metronomy and New Order’s “Blue Monday”, as well as the iconic soundtracks of Jane Fonda workouts videos.

On the inspiration behind the track, Cromwell says, “I hate exercising, and I wanted to write something that celebrates that fact. Despite appearances, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 20 years pounding the streets of South London as well as hanging around in cut-price gyms. So, I found myself writing a song that observes the less glamorous, sometimes creepy side, of workout culture.”

A few weeks back, Cromwell teased “Madeline Trip”, a 55-second electronic hauntological trip inspired by Marcel Proust’s seven-volume novel In Search of Lost Time. Differing somewhat from the rest of the EP, this happens to be the first song introduced to Cromwell’s live audience when his band enters onto the stage. In both senses (EP and live), this track is a delightful appetizer.

Since debuting with the Age of Anxiety album, Cromwell has been featured in NME, Electronic Sound, Huffington Post, Paste, Shindig!, Louder Than War, The Big Takeover, Magic RPM, Post-Punk.com and Bandcamp Daily. National radio play includes BBC 6 Music in the UK, RTE in Ireland, airplay in Tokyo, and RNE3 in Spain, for whom he also recorded a live session.

On May 24, “Madeline Trip” will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The full Exercise Class EP, which is already available for pre-order, will be released on June 14.

CREDITS

Written & performed by Adam Cresswell
‘Exercise Class’ produced by Adam Cresswell & Richard Bennett
‘Madeline Trip’ produced by Adam Cresswell
Recorded & mixed by Adam Cresswell
Mastered by Toby Campen Mastering
Catalogue Number Bot41
Released by Happy Robots Records
Distributed by Cargo Records UK
Publishing by Songtrust

© ℗  2024 Happy Robots Records

Videos animated & directed by Martin J Langthorne
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Also enjoy the video for each track from this EP:

Rodney Cromwell
Exercise Class
(Happy Robots Records)
Release Date: June 14, 2024

Artist Links

Background Photo Credit: Barry Limb