On the eve of their new album’s release, This Town Needs Guns have announced a name change — they’re cutting out all those pesky words and calling themselves simply TTNG. The album title, 13.0.0.0.0, is a reference to the rebirth signaled at the end of the Mayan calendar (we’re still here, aren’t we?!), and it’s their first album with a new three-man lineup. So in a way, it’s fitting that 2013 also sees the band rebranding themselves.

In a statement announcing the name change, the band said the following:

“Over the years, many of you have asked where the band name comes from. As a band originating in Oxford, UK, ‘This Town Needs Guns’ was simply a name chosen by a group of friends wanting to make music together. At the time, this name was not considerd particularly offensive and indeed was an ironic statement given the setting of such a historic and cultural city as Oxford.

Context plays a big part in the way a band name such as ‘This Town Needs Guns’ may be perceived. In the UK, guns are not present. Ordinarily, our police force do not even carry guns. Within this context, an idea such as a town needing guns seems too absurd to be taken seriously.

However, eight years on, things have changed. With our music now finding new cultures, the irony of the name is no longer implicit. Also, in light of the controversy over gun ownership in the US as well as tragic shootings there and elsewhere in the world, we want to distance ourselves from a band name which we are now uncomfortable with.

We hope this change of name doesn’t disappoint anyone. It is the music that is important, not the name. As Shakespeare’s Juliet said “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’”

Honestly, anyone walking by a television screen or newsstand in the last month probably saw this coming. However, as the band’s label stresses, the name change won’t be altered for the album artwork, or listings on iTunes, Amazon, etc. “The band is altering its name to the shorter TTNG for all of their purposes moving forward, but that won’t affect their web site URL, Facebook page, retail items, etc.”

Below is the Japanese version of the new Album’s Art, the first item to put into play the revision to their name.

13.0.0.0.0 hit retailers on January 22nd, through Sargent House. Below, take a listen to the album cut “I”ll Take The Minute Snake”.

Though it’s been quite a while in coming, there’s no doubting that the new This Town Needs Guns record is worth the increased wait. The band could very easily have called it quits after the departure of Stuart Smith and Jamie Cooper in 2011, but they’re still here, albeit as a slimmed-down three-piece. There’s nothing slimmed-down about the sound of ‘13.0.0.0.0’, though - it’s as full-on as anything else the band have produced up til now, and as usual it tends to veer in rather unexpected directions, focusing on acoustic beauty with ‘2 Birds, 1 Stone and an Empty Stomach’ and ‘Nice Riff, Clichard’ (the latter of which throws some glitchy rhythms into the mix), and seeing the band let their hair down with the extended outro to ‘I’ll Take the Minute Snake’. Their technical mastery remains undiminished, even if their second album is, on the whole, less frenetic than 2008 debut ‘Animals’, and the band veer into pop-like territory more often than before (especially on the brilliantly-titled ‘+3 Awesomeness Repels Water’). We don’t want to resort to cliché and call this a ‘maturation’ of the TTNG sound, but the more accessible approach taken on the album works wonders, and should bring them a whole ton of new admirers.

Call me a conspiracist, but I reckon it’s more than aesthetics behind that album title. 13.0.0.0.0. Day 1 in the renewed Mayan calendar (remember, the one that was supposed to spell the end of the world?). This Town Needs Guns; a band who have lost 5 members, 3 of them founders, in only 7 years, and yet have battled out to the other side triumphantly waving a beaut new album replete with beaut mayan-inspired artwork. This is a celebration album, a celebration of renewal, fresh starts, blank slates.

Yes, a possible crock of shit, and unlike JFK, TTNG are close on hand to raise the red flag. But whether or not they’re calling attention to it, this is a new band. Gone are the earnest wails and mad frantic drums; in their place are falsetto touches and jazz-tainted restraint. There are no ‘heavy bits’ anymore, just ‘louder bits’. To be honest the new sound has been very much a work in progress, and will seem a very logical progression to anyone who was a fan of the beautiful Big Scary Monsters-released Animals. If that album was building the ship, with this one, they’ve fully set sail, and if only three of em made it to the voyage, then so much the better – this is a tighter, better calibrated TTNG, a band with far less audible waste than before; In short, This Town Needs Guns have grown up.

It really is a stunning LP, executed by stunning musicians. ‘+3 Awesomeness Repels Water’ is a particularly choice cut, coming in near the end of the track and acting somewhat as a summing up of the lessons learnt throughout, a veritable crash course in harmony. The real comfort though is listening to the album as a whole – the flow is exceptional, oscillating carefully between straight polyrythmic drivers and softer drifters. It’s a feat rarely accomplished these days, and one that deserves maximum kudos.

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The sophomore LP can present any number of obstacles for even the most surefooted band. Throw in member changes and the equation gets even a bit more fuzzy. But when you’re talking about This Town Needs Guns, the expectations even considering all of that are still present, if not also a tad tremendous. Nevertheless, the U.K. quartet turned power trio has returned with LP #2 in the form of 13.0.0.0.0, a slightly less poppy but arguably more adventurous offering than their previous album Animals. And for what they’ve been through in the years since that release, it’s a more than pleasant surprise that this record not only lives up to such heightened expectations, but completely obliterates them in the process.

Right off the bat, “Cat Fantastic” enforces a high level of musicianship from all three members that is carried quite effortlessly through the rest of the 12 tracks on the disc. Whether it’s ethereal tapping (“Havoc in the Forum”), free-flowing meters of strange proportions (“Triptych”) or the gorgeous chemistry of all involved (“Left Aligned”), it is simply astonishing at times what This Town Needs Guns can do. The tempos here fall a bit on the less pushing side, as the slower, acoustic lushness of “2 Birds, 1 Stone and an Empty Stomach” or the mid-tempo pulsing of “+3 Awesomeness Repels Water” feel just as good to the ears as earlier TTNG cuts that invoked more dancing than an actual vibe.

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Oxford, UK native trio This Town Needs Guns have named their latest work 13.0.0.0.0. The indie rock compilation features an assortment of uniquely titled tracks, all with an air of melodic serenity battling frantic instruments. Beginning with “Cat Fantastic,” the clear notes of vocalist Henry Tremain ring out over the lighthearted, technical style of playing that pours out of these musicians. Everything about their sound is understated, including their whimsical lyrics that in “Cat Fantastic” repeat, “You’ll be happy when you’re willing to share.” The vocals are bordering on being poppy at moments, while the instrumental work is unexpected and pioneers new territory.

On “Havoc In The Forum,” the group accentuate complicated time signatures with drums that occur without rhyme or reason, but somehow marry the combating musical forces. Even with an uncommon structure, the song has a memorable quality to it, as does the following cut, “Left Aligned.” Here the guitar playing takes a progressive turn, as the pace slows and the bass grows in volume. This song rides along with complex chord progressions as its backbone. An instrumental number takes the disc in a moody, gloomier direction, blending the individual pieces together. The unorthodox manner in which This Town Needs Guns arrange their music does not sway the listener from continuing on in the journey that 13.0.0.0.0 becomes.

“I’ll Take The Minute Snake” is super harmonic at first with its riffs and then soon following with a chorus that mimics the lead line beautifully. Once again, the song heads in a progressive and erratic direction. The fingerprint of This Town Needs Guns is a one-of-a-kind distinction from any other band within the confines of contemporary indie rock. Their technical, methodic performing allows their music to shine, unparalleled on 13.0.0.0.0.

In A Word: Profound

—by Alessandra Donnelly, January 7, 2013

Where did your band name come from and any regrets with that name in today’s climate?

Our previous singer Stu actually started the band when he was at uni and chose this name from a letter his friend once sent him. His friend had signed off the letter ‘This Town Needs Guns’ in reference to a bunch of scally-wags who had thrown a brick through a bus window at him.

Yes, we’re actually kind of regretful of the name at times but we hope that people realise it is just a band name and it doesn’t convey any of our views on guns or any other weapons for that matter. We’d hope people would take the time to listen to the music before basing their view of us just on a name.

How did you come to be in a band together and with what ambitions?

The band originally started like most bands - a bunch of friends just wanting to spend their time in a positive and fun way. We recently had a bit of a line-up change in that our singer left amicably to start a family and our bass player left to pursue a career in graphic design. Since Henry has joined us (undertaking both of these duties and more) we’ve still had the same outlook and just like at the beginning of the band, we’ve had no particular ambitions besides enjoying what we’re doing and taking what opportunities come our way.

How would you describe your sound for people yet to hear your music?

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A week before its release on January 22, 2013. Sargent House is hosting the full album stream of This Town Needs Guns 13.0.0.0.0. - Check it out

VINYL & CDS can be ordered in the USA HERE or if in EU you can order HERE

See This Town Needs Guns on TOUR - ALL DATES HERE

This Town Needs Guns have faced their fair share of setbacks since the release of their debut album, ‘Animals’ over 3 years ago. Cutting numbers back from a foursome to a trio and replacing your vocalist is no easy task, particularly for a band whose signature vocals have made them a staple of the math rock community in the UK.

On ’13.0.0.0.0′ This Town Needs Guns return to form with what they do best; creative time signatures, beautifully translucent vocals and drumming that’s so tight it’s hard to believe it’s made at the hands of a human. The development of the band over the last few years all comes down to this.

Emphasizing Tim Collis’ unbelievable use of a guitar, in melodies so technically beautiful, ’13.0.0.0.0′ takes on its own character, with an ambition to prove themselves once again as textural instrumentals such as In The Branches of Yggdrasil and Nice Riff Clichard  will testify.

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Label: Sargent House
Release date: January 22, 2013

Progressing from their staple four-piece line up to a tight-knit trio, with Ex-Pennines front man Henry Tremain picking up where long-running vocalist Stewart Smith left off, This Town Needs Guns haven’t been without their share of setbacks. But with the announcement of a brand new record titled 13.0.0.0.0, the band – now currently consisting of Tremain alongside Tim & Chris Collis – are back, producing some of their most astounding music to date.

Kicking off this twelve track, ‘Cat Fantastic’ works as a delightfully apt opener; restoring and familiarizing the listener with the band’s differences and similarities from past recordings. The intricacies of masterful guitar, the impeccable groove-filled rhythm, the essential slick bass, it’s all here, like nothing has changed, yet with the addition of Tremain – both vocally and physically – This Town’s outlook feels different, sounds familiar, acting as a different entity.

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OK, wow. Bear with me, we’re heading into the twiddly math-rock world of This Town Needs Guns. The Oxford now-trio (following exit of bassist Jamie Cooper, new(ish) singer Henry Tremain has picked up bass) return with their second full-length 13.0.0.0.0 - the ornate South American design on the album artwork nods to the significance of that number, which some readings is how the Mayan calendar ticks over into a new numerical date arrangement – (i.e. 13.0.0.0.0) consider to be the ‘beginning day’ following the ‘end’ after which this release is named)*

And this is new. New stuff, I mean. Connected – of course – it’s still the same mellow sweet vocals twisting through mathy guitar and irrefutable drums, but in content and form (as album and in individual tracks) we find something more mature, more complex, with shifts in tone that turns cross hatch into gradient.

TTNG’s previous full-length Animals contained a straightforward thematic thread of the progression of a relationship (sumptuous, soaring, and eventually relentlessly sad), whereas 13.0.0.0.0 contains a series of vignettes split up by instrumental palette cleansers. In an interesting progression in content as the political and the reflective join the personal to intertwine throughout.

Cat Fantastic - kicks the record off with the boldest of their new directions in terms of content – the overtly political (though it’s still politics of the personal – of personal choice and consequence) the first track spins the web of the contemporary city; where affluence daily crosses paths with poverty. The lyrics may sound sweet, but they are vicious in places. Righteously so.

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This Town Needs Guns have added a show on January 20th in London at The Old Blue Last to celebrate the launch of the new album - they will have the cds and vinyl for sale that night as well! Then, starting on January 31st they will head off for their headline Tour with Nate Kinsella’s new project Birthmark joining them on all shows.

Jan 20, 2013 - London, UK @ The Old Blue Last- ALBUM RELEASE show!

THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS / BIRTHMARK TOUR - 2013
Jan 31, 2013 - Paris, France @ Les Combustibles
Feb 1, 2013 - Bielefeld, Germany @ AJZ
Feb 2, 2013 - Dortmund, Germany @ FZW
Feb 3, 2013 - Hamburg, Germany @ Astra Stube
Feb 5, 2013 - Denmark, Copenhangen @ Basement Show
Feb 6, 2013 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Kulturhuset Lava
Feb 7, 2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Kampen Bistro
Feb 8, 2013 - Kristiansand, Norway @ Pir 6 
Feb 9, 2013 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ BETA
Feb 10, 2013 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Klub 007 
Feb 11, 2013 - Giessen, Germany @ Muk Gießen
Feb 13, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Marie Antoinette
Feb 14, 2013 - Leipzig, Germany @ Werk II
Feb 15, 2013 - Aachen, Germany @ Musikbunker
Feb 16, 2013 - Enschede, Holland @ The Loch
Feb 17, 2013 - Leuven, Belgium @ Room 66 

SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS AND UPDATES HERE

If anyone’s reading this, it’s a pretty safe bet the apocalypse never happened!

Despite the good news of our continued existence, we still have to deal with a day of ceaseless tweets and Facebook posts, pointing out the absurdity of the End Days with asinine hashtags and irritating memes. But if we’re to live through such a humor-geddon, then there should be at least one bright spot of Doomsday-related talk worth consuming.

Cue Oxford-based math-rock band This Town Needs Guns. After their zoo-centric 2008 debut Animals, the band’s sophomore LP 13.0.0.0.0 focuses primarily on the end of the Mayan calendar. But rather than utilizing the doom and gloom aspects, drummer Chris Collis said the band explored the concept as a force for positivity and creative rebirth.

“The completion of 13 b’ak’tuns (occurring on 21st December 2012) marks the creation of the world of human beings according to the Maya. It is more the completion of a cycle rather than necessarily being a destructive event such as the end of the world which some people predict. It was this idea of completion and progression that we wanted to incorporate into the album and artwork.

The notion of change has been a large part of our band recently, having lost a singer and then a bass player. We felt as if a cycle had been completed with the old lineup and a new cycle was now starting with Henry (Tremain), our new singer/guitarist/bassist/wunderkid. It also contains the idea of progression as a band. Though Maya texts say nothing about what might happen at the 13th Bak’tun, we do know that the end of each bak’tun was considered a time of great change.”

And that upheaval has led to an album of intricate yet uncomplicated prog rock, encapsulated with the single “I’ll Take the Minute Snake”. Musically, the track facilitates a vibe similar to the limo scene from 2012: ceaseless forward momentum of crashing drums and slick guitar and bass grooves right into the ending refrain of glitchy noises. While it’s all destruction aurally, the lyrical content presents hope, with the protagonist longing for a re-connection amid the firestorm of sounds, aided in part by Tremain’s evocative yelps. Stream it below.

13.0.0.0.0 hits stores on January 22nd via Sargent House (pre-order your digital copy on Itunes here) and be sure to also check out the slightly mellower “Left Aligned”. story by: Chris Coplan

PRE ORDERS for Vinyl / CD from the USA STORE HERE
or
PRE ORDERS for Vinyl / CD from the EURO STORE HERE

This Town Needs Guns have just announced some new tour dates joining them on all shows will be Nate Kinsella’s solo project, Birthmark who are touring in support of their latest release on Polyvinyl. What a great pairing! So make sure to go see the lads and pick up their new album 13.0.0.0.0. which they will have with them on the tour on both Vinyl and CD. If they are not stopping by your city you can pre-order the album HERE too, comes out everywhere on January 22, 2013.

THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS / BIRTHMARK TOUR - 2013
Jan 20, 2013 - London, UK @ The Old Blue Last * no birthmark
Jan 31, 2013 - Paris, France @ Les Combustibles
Feb 1, 2013 - Bielefeld, Germany @ AJZ Bielefeld
Feb 2, 2013 - Dortmund, Germany @ FZW
Feb 3, 2013 - Hamburg, Germany @ Astra Stube
Feb 6, 2013 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Kulturhuset Lava
Feb 7, 2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Kampen Bistro
Feb 8, 2013 - Kristiansand, Norway @ Pir 6 
Feb 9, 2013 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ BETA
Feb 10, 2013 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Klub 007 
Feb 11, 2013 - Giessen, Germany @ Muk Gießen
Feb 12, 2013 - Moscow, Russia @ B2 
Feb 13, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Marie Antoinette
Feb 14, 2013 - Leipzig, Germany @ Werk II
Feb 15, 2013 - Aachen, Germany @ Musikbunker Aachen
Feb 16, 2013 - Enschede, Netherlands @ The Loch

SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS AND UPDATES HERE
*Birthmark is not on this show

Since the departure of the previous members in 2011, the remaining members of This Town Needs Guns have had a fresh album on the horizon, ’13.0.0.0.0’, which is due out next year, and tonight will be a good insight as to what to expect from it.

Once the custom made speakers have been set up, This Town Need Guns decide to open with ‘Chinchilla’, where it’s clear that Pennines singer and guitarist Henry Tremain has taken the reigns well as new vocalist. After, he moves the band on quickly to introduce newer songs, ‘Cat Fantastic’, and later ‘I’ll Take The Minute Snake’, both of which show they’re taking a newly adapted approach to songwriting with the altered instrumentation in mind. Lead guitarist Tim Collis’ slippy and slidy guitar lines are all still present and correct, played with the accuracy and dexterity they are known for, whilst drummer Chris Collis is on powerful form behind them.

As their set comes to a close, they end with the classically TTNG twiddly ‘Baboon’ which, despite going down more than well, is followed up with jovial calls of six, seven or eight more songs. More realistically, the band take the novelty of heading to the back of the room before setting up in front of the merch table, book-ending their set with an acoustic version of fan-favourite ’26 Is Dancier Than 4’ whilst the audience sit around them quietly like children at a campfire.

This Town Needs Guns have persevered as a three piece for about a year. However, this is by no means a band bringing in other musicians to hold the cracks together, resting on their laurels by only playing their material of yesteryear without moving forward to something new. Nope. The fact the band can still manage to wow an audience like they have tonight is a testament to how, a year on, they’re still going solid and strong.  by - JAMES FOX

“Shorn down and reinvented as a trio, with the introduction of Henry Tremain as vocalist and all round musical show-off joining the brothers Collis, there’s a definite air of edgy anticipation in the sold out cellar. Will they be as good? Can three really replace more?

Tremain, armed with what looks like a 6 string baritone guitar stands cheerfully at the back of the stage next to his personal sci-fi set of speakers and kicks us off into the mesmerizing Chinchilla. All doubts, if indeed there truly were any, instantly evaporate like a rare gas. The new boy done good. Effortlessly filling Stu Smith’s vocal and Jamie Cooper’s fat stringed shoes in one fell swoop.

The sound is absolutely astonishing. Those white cubes have strong magic within. And, as always, Tim Collis’ unparalleled tapping, sliding, hammering, tickling, caressing and stimulating leaves jaws dropped and eyes popped from the venue’s writhing front to its back pipe.

Collis is in a wonderful world of his own. Like some sort of an autistic über-genius. In a bubble. Deliriously happy. Smiling. Loving it. And the sounds that emanate from his array of Telecasters pimped and modified with all manner of capos and alien tunings defy comparison.

Arpeggios, syncopation, insane time signatures and seemingly mathematically and physically impossible progressions provide the most wonderful swirling, intoxicating and bewildering soundscape for the whispy and light alto vocals and sumptuous melodies. All welded together by the most ridiculously tight and intricate drumming of his bro Chris, delivered almost laconically and apparently effortlessly.

Ok, it’s been said before, and it’s somewhat inevitable; but when a truly original sound or style of playing is alchemically created, there is obviously going to be a risk of everything sounding too samey. There are undeniably moments in This Town Needs Guns’ offering that clearly play in the same areas and Collis’ unique and amazing style does inevitably dictate the sound. But it’s a cod and specious criticism. Mr The Edge while fucking around with many racks, boxes, pedals and set ups is instantly identifiable (sorry to mention U2, spit, cough, splutter – it’s only to make a clumsy point). Hell, Vivaldi’s pretty much immediately taggable. As are Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Rory Gallagher and even Tony Iommi.

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