“San Lorenz – whose dramatic art rock and cutting vocals have set them apart as local favourites” – The Guardian
“Do you believe San Lorenz? Absolutely. 100%” – Jack Saunders, BBC Radio One
San Lorenz (FKA SPQR) spent the entirety of lockdown suspended in limbo. With an album planned for release in early 2021 along with extensive touring scheduled throughout the year, the band were on a thrilling upward trajectory before the world was cast into pandemic chaos.
Pre-pandemic, San Lorenz had spent the majority of 2020 touring the country supporting bands such like HMLTD, JOHN, Childcare and METZ, with a string of headline shows in support.
During lockdown, the band made good use of the time away from touring and were able to orchestrate remote writing sessions which formed a large part of the album. When the time was right, the band teamed up with Grammy award winning Producer Mark Rankin (QOTSA, Adele, Bloc Party), and got to work self-producing the album at Yellowbird Studio in Neston, before handing over to Mark for mixing.
Where’s The Shock? is a track that, although anchored by pop-leaning melodies – if not shaped by pop itself – is lyrically dark and angsty, almost interrogating the listener in a desperate bid to make sense of the complex emotions experienced by singer Peter Harrison during a particularly difficult time.
Speaking about the song Peter said: “Where’s the Shock? Is a song that came together after hearing the news that my mum was very ill. I suppose I’d never faced that kind of live or die ultimatum with someone so close to me before and this song is specifically about the confusion surrounding my initial reaction to the news. I found that my own issues almost blocked feeling anything at all, which was terrible. The whole time that my mum was ill it was still lockdown Covid era and I couldn’t go anywhere near her for over a year while she battled to stay alive, so I suppose to stop myself going completely insane I just wrote loads of songs like this. Haha. And people say there’s no place for art in troubled times??”
Stylistically, the track is reminiscent of My Number by Foals in most recent times, but really, it feels like a small homage to Burning Down The House by Talking Heads. Saccharine and subdued in equal measure, it’s not a million miles away.
It’s not unusual for songwriters to create their art as a means of catharsis. ‘Where’s The Shock?’ is exactly that. It’s straight from the heart and perfectly demonstrates the emotional tour de force that is at the very core of this band.
The band’s latest single, Tightrope, saw them tour the country with friends, Childcare, playing a stand-out show at London’s, Lafayette. Alongside this the band were supported by Amazon Music and YouTube Music, with the band’s set also making The Guardian.
To top if all off, Jon from Everything Everything, on his Mixtape show with Jack Saunders (BBC Radio One), played the single.
Catch San Lorenz live at any of the dates below:
23.07.22 – Manchester – Be Here Now Festival w/ Bandit, HANYA
28.08.22 – Loud & Local Festival – Chester w/ Melin Melyn
08.10.22 – Twisterella Festival – Middlesborough w/ Benefits, Noisy
15.10.22 – London – The Grace – Headline
22.10.22 – Birkenhead – Future Yard – Headline
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Jem Girl at the Piano 