Knave release latest single ‘Plain People OST’

Formed in 2017, Bristol-based rock two-piece Knave have made a stunning comeback with their latest, beautifully honest track ‘Plain People OST’, due for release Friday 5th July.

Their debut album “Songs For Quiet Consideration” was met with much acclaim and saw them playing across the country alongside artists such as Feed The Rhino, Crywank, Slaves and more, and developing a loyal fanbase in the process. Inspired by a range of artists including Radiohead, The Smiths and The Cure, the band aim to mix these styles with slightly more overdriven, post-hardcore sounds heard more prominently on their earlier material, influenced by the likes of Brand New, Alexisonfire and Thursday.

Knave disbanded and subsequently reformed in 2018, stripped down to its core components and embraced as a writing partnership, made up of Lewis Dunn & Sam Lawson. The pair completed recording their new, currently unreleased album in the Spring of 2019, set for a Summer release which will see them put together a live band featuring some new and familiar faces, play a select few chosen shows in Autumn of this year.

Knave were previously known for a sensitive approach to song dynamics, a certain lyrical style and memorable live performance. Hoping to retain their original influences but more so, push personal and emotional boundaries and step outside, and away from the tropes and traditions that defined the band once before, Knave are hoping not to stray so far from those things that they’re unrecognisable as the same band.

Plain People OST, recorded and produced with Adam Chinner of Freefall Records, hears the band introduce their new sound with the barebones of their process, just an acoustic guitar and vocals, but culminating in a critical conversation between Lawson and guest singer Katie McConnell of Hypophora about the current state that they find their world to be in.

Knave’s new music tackles a broader range of subject matter and challenging questions than before. Plain People OST explores several topics and tries to cover a lot of ground. It delves into monotony, being defeated and overworked just to stay alive. “‘Plain people’ are my favourite kind of people. I’d like to think that’s definitely where I fit in. Myself and Lewis are both from the working class, some of the poorest parts of the country, we’ve seen a lot of that. Factory and monotony. I respect that kind of person more than any other, but I can’t understand it” says Lawson.

It also covers global warming and what we’re doing to the planet. The planet is referred to as a “she” that is being abused, having female vocals on the track makes this point just a little more haunting. Sam’s vocals are more chastising, critical of how damaging mankind have been whereas Katie represents fragility, and the voice of the ‘Plain People’, mostly the youth. After a lot of back and forth, the song finally sees both vocalists singing together, instead of against each other, showing ultimately that it’s about unity.

Composer and guitarist Lewis Dunn feels that Plain People OST represents a feeling of isolation in attempting to overcome human errors but ultimately, no matter how hard we try we all end up following the same path of destruction, making the same mistakes as everyone we criticise. The idea that the path to hell is often pathed with good intentions massively impacted this song, as seen with the biblical imagery littered throughout.

Lyricist Sam Lawson feels like Plain People OST is a good place to start with transitioning their fan base to their new sound. “To me it sounds enough like our old music, and draws from that place a lot, that it’ll help transition our listeners into what we’re trying to do now. That said, it’s also moving us into a new direction.”

Plain People OST is due for release July 5^th and will be available on all major platforms

Knave Are:

Sam Lawson

Lewis Dunn