CAULBEARERS to Release Debut Album COME BACK HOME

Manchester collective CAULBEARERS, formed by Damien Mahoney in 2007, will be releasing their debut album 'Come Back Home,' out October 30th. The ten-track release blends soul, funk, hip-hop, indie pop, dub, nu jazz and folk, and features ethereal folk artist Ruth Blake. Mixed by Seadna McPhail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble, Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays), the album is mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, The Charlatans, Factory Floor).

Lead single 'Brothers At The Wheel' traces a journey from political hope to disillusionment with empty promises, challenging systems driven by profit and power. Its accompanying video, created by Latent Variables, combines animation, photography and footage filmed by Mahoney in his Manchester neighbourhood. Contrasting boarded-up buildings with vibrant murals by local artists, it explores shared struggles and the possibility of rebuilding, reflecting the song's call for solidarity and collective action.

'Come Back Home' marks Caulbearers' first major release since their 2011 EP 'More Lie Deep.' The ten tracks on offer sound a rallying call for unity at the grassroots level and resistance to the forces intent on dividing people.

Apart from the band members themselves, the release involves several high-profile professionals, including Seadna McPhail, who handled the mixing. Recorded by Mahoney and Chris Hamilton at Toast Recordings and Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studio, the album was mastered by Jim Spencer at Eve Mastering.

A collective formed in 2007 and led by Damien Mahoney, Caulbearers are known for blending diverse musical styles, including soul, funk, hip-hop, indie pop, dub, nu jazz and folk influences. With contributors hailing from around the UK and Europe, their DIY ethic has coursed through every element of their releases, from design, production, videos and gigs to the recording process itself.

The lead track 'Brothers At The Wheel' traces a journey of political awakening - from a naive plea for those in power to change course before disaster hits, to disillusionment at hollow words and empty promises that leave the status quo.

The accompanying video presents an uncompromising challenge to the power structures governing modern life, while ultimately offering solidarity and collective action as an alternative to despair. Exploring 'the wheel' as a machine built to continually turn for profit and power regardless of the cost to people, communities and the planet, visual artist Latent Variables blends animation, photography and video to reflect the different stages and emotions of the song.

An important motif in the video is the breaking apart of everything we know; people, environments, plants and buildings shatter, with the notion that we have to consciously bring these pieces back together to heal and to create something new.

Collaborating with Manchester MC, poet and reggae artist J Chambers, Damien Mahoney filmed original footage around his neighbourhood to epitomise the song's major themes. Locations with abandoned and boarded up buildings contrast with colourful murals by local artists.

'I see the two murals featured in the video almost every day as they are really close to my house. They bring a much-needed display of beauty, nature and hope in what is a very urban environment. I live in a very multi-cultural area and I feel that both the song and the video express the notion that a shared struggle exists for many people, which echoes in other streets, other words, other languages,' says Damien Mahoney.

With an unrelenting groove, strings, bass, and keys are locked into a single insistent pattern. Past the tempo shift, the song opens into a second movement: a soaring, wordless lament by Ruth Blake — a beautiful and mournful, yet defiant, celebration of the human spirit. Underneath, the arrangement builds in waves — guitars layering, cello and violin rising, keys, bass and drums gathering weight — swelling to a crescendo before dissolving.

'Brothers At The Wheel' is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, capturing the awakening in full — appeal, disillusionment, and the turn toward unity. Caulbearers' 'Come Back Home' album is out October 30th via Single Cell Recordings.

Track List

01. Harpses

02. Truth

03. Next World

04. Over Comes A Cloud

05. Paths

06. Twisted Cord

07. Small Space

08. Brothers At The Wheel

09. Burst Through The Borders

10. Once Inseparable