27 Miles Underwater is the second studio album by British hardcore punk band Higher Power. The album was released on 24 January 2020 through Roadrunner Records.
Composition The album has been described as alternative rock, hardcore punk and alternative metal. Pitchfork called it "the most 1995 rock album of 2020", and as treating "'90s alt-rock with the reverence usually afforded to classic rock". On the album, vocalist Jimmy Wizard makes use of both screaming and "airy melodies", emphasising his dark lyrical style. Brooklyn Vegan called it "the first great rock album of 2020". In an article for Discovered Magazine, writer Matty Williamson praised the album for expanding the band's sound to include pop music sensibilities, while still retaining their prior hardcore punk sound.
Promotion The band embarked on their first tour as a headlining act in promotion of the album. The first leg of the tour was in the United States from 20 January 2020 through 10 February 2020. The band opened for Beartooth for their Disease Tour from 16 February to 6 March 2020 by playing shows in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The band was to resume touring with the Knotfest at Sea cruise ship music festival which was to be held from 10–14 August 2020 on a cruise from Barcelona, Spain to Naples, Italy. In May 2020 the event was postponed to August 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, before being indefinitely postponed in July 2020.
On 1 September 2020, it was announced that Higher Power would play at Outbreak Fest 2021 which will be held from 25–27 June 2021 at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Shows + List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and supporting acts Date City CountryVenue Supporting act(s)United States 20 January 2020 PhoenixUnited States Nile UndergroundTake Offense, Drain, Life's Question 21 January 2020 Las Vegas American Legion Post 8 22 January 2020 Los Angeles The Echo 23 January 2020 Anaheim Chain Reaction 24 January 2020 Sacramento The Colony 25 January 2020 Portland Post 134 26 January 2020 Seattle Vera Project 28 January 2020 San Jose The Ritz 1 February 2020 Dallas RidgleaN/A 3 February 2020 New Orleans Gasa Gasa 4 February 2020 Atlanta The Bakery 5 February 2020 Nashville DRKMTTR 6 February 2020 Louisville LDB 7 February 2020 Baltimore Ottobar 8 February 2020 New York City Union Pool 9 February 2020 Philadelphia Creep RecordsUnited Kingdom & Europe 16 February 2020 Stuttgart Germany LKA LonghornBeartoothThe Amity Affliction 17 February 2020 Vienna Austria 19 February 2020 Solothurn Switzerland 20 February 2020 Munich Germany 21 February 2020 Oberhausen 22 February 2020 Wiesbaden 24 February 2020 Bristol United Kingdom 25 February 2020 Glasgow 26 February 2020 Nottingham 28 February 2020 Manchester 29 February 2020 London 1 March 2020 Antwerp Belgium 3 March 2020 Amsterdam Netherlands 4 March 2020 Hamburg Germany 5 March 2020 Berlin 6 March 2020 LeipzigSummer Festivals 25 June 2021 Manchester United Kingdom Bowlers Exhibition Centre N/A
Critical reception
27 Miles Underwater was well received by contemporary music critics. On review aggregator website, Album of the Year, the album has an average rating of 77 out of 100 based on three critic reviews. Ian Cohen, writing for Pitchfork gave the album a 7.0 out of 10, calling it "the most 1995 sounding album of 2020". Cohen further said "while nearly every single part of a Higher Power song has an identifiable source, they cycle through ideas quick enough to avoid any charges of grand larceny even when they get caught stealing." He compared the album as a more accessible version of Turnstile, Creeper, or Code Orange. In a mixed review, Sam Houldon, writing for Punknews.org, also compared the album to Turnstile's sophomore album, Time & Space (also released through Roadrunner Records), and said that "straight off the bat; there is a lot of Turnstile in this record. Not to an extent that is fundamentally a problem, but certainly to an extent that you’re likely to find yourself thinking about it on more than one occasion."
Martyn Young, writing for Upset magazine gave the album an 8 out of 10 praising the composition and confidence on the record. Young wrote "it’s the sound of a confident band who know that they’re making a significant step up and are ready to shout about it."
Accolades +Accolades for 27 Miles Underwater Publication Accolade Rank Stereogum Stereogums 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Higher Power Jimmy Wizard – lead vocals, car photos, insert photos Louis Hardy – guitar, backing vocals Max Harper – guitar Ethan Wilkinson – bass Alex Wizard – drums
Additional contributors Gil Norton – production Clint Murphy – engineering, mixing Oli Norton – mixing Ryan Smith – mastering Tarrant Shepherd – additional engineering Laurence Nelson – engineering assistance Frank Maddocks – art direction, design Nat Wood – band photos
See also List of 2020 albums
References
External links 27 Miles Underwater at Roadrunner Records