Level Sedentary is a song about staying in. In stark contrast to the previous single, Dry Ice (released Nov 2022)which was all about going out, vocalist and songwriter Kel says this contradiction sums up her personality perfectly:

“I think people assume I am an always-on extrovert but sometimes, the last thing I want is to move from a prone position, never mind actually speak to anyone. Level Sedentary is about those days when, for whatever reason, you are just saying ‘no’. I got the name from a fitness tracking app, which seemed to delight in ridiculing me for my off days. Telling me the ‘level’ I had achieved was ‘sedentary’ as opposed to ‘active’ or ‘highly active’ or ‘performative fitness influencer’ or whatever. 

“I also heard John Cooper Clarke say something like, you need two things to be a writer, a pen and idleness. I want to celebrate idleness in this song although it does have an undercurrent of poor mental health too. I suppose you need a pinch of that to be a good writer, which is why I reference some famously depressed writers as well as fictional characters in the outro: 

‘I’m Vonnegut, I’m Plath, I’m Proust, I’m Bonnie Grape, I’m Charlie Brown’”

The second single released from The Empty Page’s upcoming second album was again produced by Morton Kong who is on the tools for the whole new LP. The track was recorded within the chaos of Kong’s vintage gear wonderland: Eve Studios, Stockport.

Guitarist and songwriter Giz tells us about the recording process: “Level Sedentary is another track we took apart and put back together in the studio. There are loads of pianos at Eve, and Kel started banging out doomy, droney chords on them, it sounded great as another layer to add to the track. 

“The original guitar ideas were inspired by 90’s alt and college rock bands like Pavement, Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips. We were going for a bit of a post punk Gang of Four type vibe although I think the recording has turned out more cinematic and art rock sounding. The middle section or ‘freak storm’ as Kong called it is a really important part of the track for us, everything descends into chaos for a while, it’s uncomfortable, manic and noisy. 

“Working with Morton has encouraged us to play around with ideas we might not have gone for before, we’re not just a band tracking simple songs, we’re taking time to play with our ideas more. It’s been a lot of fun.”

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Background info for editors:

The Empty Page’s debut album Unfolding was recorded with Gggarth Richardson (RATM/Biffy Clyro/Skunk Anansie) in Vancouver Canada and gained them a dedicated fanbase. 

The band released three 7-inch singles in 2019 including the breakout track When The Cloud Explodes. WTCE was spun by multiple DJs on BBC 6 Music, chosen by Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry from the BBC Introducing archives for airplay on BBC Radio 1 and stayed near the top of Spotify’s Punk List for months. 

Level Sedentary Ice is the second single to be released from The Empty Page’s second album due out in 2023.

Socials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify

The band is available for interviews/features for this single and in advance of the album.

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Praise for ‘Dry Ice’:

“Fizzing with energy, not to mention a fantastic earworm of a chorus." A Model Of Control

“Nothing short of a triumphant return” Vanadian Avenue

“It’s pop music but fuelled on MD2020 and pheromones.” 3 Songs and Out

“Sinuous bass bounds, pummeling drums and a cavalcade of riffs and synths. Spasming on singer Kel’s visceral crescendos” God Is In The TV Zine (tracks of the week)

“Buzzily scuzzed and riot grrling post punk” Screaming For Years

“‘A mind-blowing, post punk, fuzz rock explosion” Last Day Deaf

Current band references: Dry Cleaning, LIFE, Squid, Phoebe Bridgers, Remember Sports, The Lovely Eggs, Billy Nomates

Older band refs: Pavement, Dinosaur Jr, Manic Street Preachers, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Blood Red Shoes, Peaches

The Empty Page - Level Sedentary

The Empty Page