The Black Wizards are back, but not as you remember.

Signalling a bold step forward in sound, they shift towards a raw, garage-driven sound, built around direct arrangements, live energy and a strong sense of urgency.

............................

With comeback single 'Killing The Buzz' the Porto-based trio lay down a striking first impression: Joana Brito’s wiry, spitfire vocals volley off José Gomes’ gravelly replies, over a chugging, serpentine groove propelled by Helena Peixoto’s restless percussion. “Do you print yourself out pretty to look better in banners?” Brito questions archly, referencing the political signage that dots the streets of their home country, Portugal.

'Killing The Buzz' is out on neon-pink 7" vinyl on May 22nd via Hassle Records, backed with the exclusive and un-released track'Turning Blue'.

............................

'Force Majeure & The Acts of God' , the upcoming full-length offering from the Black Wizards, furthers the band's decisive break from their past. The doomy haze and sprawling stoner-rock tag that once followed the band has been stripped back in favour of something sharper and more poised, deftly traversing a wider sonic palette. These songs don’t lumber forward so much as lunge.
 
The fresh take on their sound is embodied by a frantic garage rock swagger and bluesy stomp. Nothing here feels overly polished or ironed flat. The rough edges remain intact, giving the record a volatile energy that mirrors the instability that inspired it. “It’s kinda nice to see imperfections these days when everything evolves into AI-based,” says Brito.

While compiling lyrics for the record, front-woman Joana Brito read books on politics, gender and toxic masculinity, including Grayson Perry’s The Descent of Man, these ideas bleeding through songs that take aim at hollow leadership, social tribalism and the performance of power. 

There’s something knowingly tongue-in-cheek about a band called The Black Wizards naming their album after bureaucratic disaster terminology. That tension between absurdity and confrontation runs throughout the record itself: funny, sharp, politically charged and constantly pushing forward.

'Force Majeure & The Acts Of God' releases September 4th via Hassle Records on Yellow/Red Splatter Vinyl w/ Fold Out Poster and on softpack CD

............................