GREENLEAF release first video single ‘Breathe, Breathe Out’
and details of new album “The Head & The Habit”
Swedish heavy rockers GREENLEAF release the tongue-in-cheek video clip and super catchy tune ‘Breathe, Breathe Out’ as the first driving single taken from forthcoming full-length “The Head & The Habit”, which is slated for release on June 21.
GREENLEAF comment: “The first single ‘Breathe, Breathe Out’ conveys a message of self-reflection and resilience”, explains vocalist Arvid Hällagård. “The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the importance of taking a moment to relax and let go of negative emotions. The overall theme encourages embracing one’s current state, appreciating what you have, and navigating through life with a sense of control and acceptance. I’ve had to teach these things to myself during the last couple of years. This is also the overall theme of the album, the head and its habits.”
Tracklist
1. Breathe, Breathe Out
2. Avalanche
3. Different Horses
4. A Wolfe in My Mind
5. That Obsidian Grin
6. The Sirens Sound
7. Oh Dandelion
8. The Tricking Tree
9. An Alabastrine Smile
With their ninth full-length “The Head & The Habit”, Swedish heavy rockers GREENLEAF have reached the pinnacle of a long evolution. The musical handwriting and well-honed mastery of guitarist Tommi Holappa, who has been a pioneer and pillar of the European stoner rock scene for more than 25 years, shines clearly through. This is perfectly complemented by the soulfulness, intuitive sense of melody, and depth of character that the vocals of classically-trained singer Arvid Hällagård bring to the sound of GREENLEAF.
Apart from world-class vocal lines and massive riffs with electric fuzz-power, GREENLEAF have put extra thought into the themes of “The Head & The Habit”, which lift its lyrics far above much of the often cliché-ridden genre. As the album title implies, the new songs resemble symbolic short stories that revolve around emotional struggles and even mental illness. Written by the vocalist, the lyrics reflect real life experience as Hällagård works with people who suffer from problems with drug abuse and psychological health.
Heavy rock afficionados GREENLEAF were initially formed as an informal project by friends that were already playing in other bands including such notable names as DOZER, LOWRIDER, and DEMON CLEANER. The Swedes simply wanted an outlet for their mutual love of ’70s-era hard rock and proto-metal while being free from the expectations and pressures of their main bands.
Despite intentions to keep GREENLEAF purely for pleasure, the undiluted joy of creating catchy songs led to everyone demanding for that material to be recorded. This eventually resulted in the release of a self-titled debut EP in 2000, which was quickly followed by first full-length “Revolution Rock” only a year later.
With guitarist and founder Tommi Holappa firmly at the helm, the sound of GREENLEAF remained remarkably consistent throughout the years and releases that followed, even through a variety of personnel changes.
Inspired by growing popularity and the success of “Secret Alphabets” (2003) and “Agents of Ahriman” (2007), they began to shift gears in 2010, moving from “the side project that refused to die” toward something closer to a band with the release of fourth album, 2012’s “Nest of Vipers”.
Having turned from an on and off fling to a full-time love affair, the years of rotating line-ups ended and GREENLEAF‘s newfound focus and stability was crowned by their fifth album “Trails & Passes” (2014), which featured new permanent vocalist Arvid Hällagård. This milestone also marked the beginning of a new phase of the band.
Their next two full-lengths, 2016’s “Rise Above the Meadow” and 2018’s “Hear the Rivers”, won the band prime performing slots on European festival stages, while “Echoes from a Mass” (2021) reached the global streaming and European album charts – reflecting the quartet’s ever-growing popularity.
Weaving together psychedelia, hard rock, and metallic blues in a warm, serpentine mélange that leaves behind none of the punishing immediacy of their earlier recordings, today’s GREENLEAF merge road-tested tightness, swirling guitar-driven soundscapes, and captivating blues-laden vocals into one of the most reliably mesmerizing acts pushing the sonic horizons of desert rock to new frontiers.
With “The Head & The Habit”, GREENLEAF combine an awareness of past triumphs with mature craftsmanship, showcasing their confidence in how to rock stronger, harder, and more to the point than ever before. The Swedes melt thunderous riff-magic, enrapturing and soul-heavy vocals, frenetic rhythms and driving attacks into a ear-catching, sparkling alloy of hard rocking anthems!
Release date: June 21, 2024
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Style: Heavy Rock
Review impact date: June 3, 2024
Line-up
Arvid Hällagård – vocals
Tommi Holappa – guitars
Sebastian Olsson – drums
Hans Fröhlich – bass
Recording with Karl Daniel Lidén at Studio Gröndahl, Stockholm (SE)
Additional vocals recorded by Arvid Hällagård at Studio Baking Cabin
Mix by Karl Daniel Lidén in Tri-lamb Studios, Stockholm (SE)
Mastering by Karl Daniel Lidén in Tri-lamb Studios, Stockholm (SE)
Artwork by Arvid Hällagård
Layout by Arvid Hällagård & Lili Krischke
Shophttp://lnk.spkr.media/greenleaf-head-habit
Available formats
“The Head & The Habit” is available as a 48-page CD artbook, a digisleeve CD, and as a transparent red vinyl LP, an opaque cream white vinyl LP, and a marbled black, white & transparent green vinyl LP.
Links
www.facebook.com/greenleafrocks
www.instagram.com/greenleafband
Live
02 APR 2024 Barcelona (ES) BCN @ Sala Upload
03 APR 2024 Bilbao (ES) Bullitt Groove Club
04 APR 2024 Avilés (ES) Factoria Sound
05 APR 2024 Porto (PT) Hard Club
06 APR 2024 Madrid (ES) Wurlitzer Ballroom
05 JUN 2024 London (UK) Stoomfest
12 June 2024 Erfurt (DE) Stoned from the Underground
31 AUG 2024 Aarschot (BE) Down the Hill
12 OCT 2024 München (DE) Keep It Low
