2024 sees Lines of Silence open new vistas and explore new creative possibilities, not just in terms of its musical output, but also the band’s line-up.

Lines of Silence are a kosmische / krautrock referencing band hailing from Todmorden, West Yorkshire by way of South East London and Manchester. Formed in 2020 as a side project for David Little, Lines of Silence subsequently expanded into a loose collective of like-minded musicians, often playing improvised live sets with an ever-shifting line-up.

Lines of Silence’s 2024 incarnation is centred around a core duo of Todmorden’s David Little and Manchester’s Dave Clarkson, with live visuals supplied by John Bonner and Adrian Ball.

The band’s newest member, Dave Clarkson, has an extensive and illustrious history in electronic and experimental music circles spanning three decades. Dave is a member of the band Scissorgun alongside Alan Hempsall of Crispy Ambulance, as well as recording as a solo artist. Recent solo work has included a series of ‘Pocket Guide’ field recording based albums and an album of mini soundtracks called ‘Dreamadelica - Music for Dreamachines’. Dave’s past work has included collaborations with Ruth Davies (as Spectral Bazaar), Factory Records legend Vini Reilly, 808 State’s Graham Massey, Alastair Stray (as Psychic Frequencies), the Burst Couch collective as well as providing soundtracks for various filmmakers.

In addition to an expanded line-up, Jamming with Jean-Hervé Peron and Amaury Cambuzat from kraut-legends FaUSt at the base of the Pyrenees in 2023 re-energised LOS and set the band’s controls for different – and stranger – destinations.

The first fruits of Lines of Silence’s reinvention can be heard on new single The Long Way Home, the title track of their forthcoming third album. The single features an exultant part-remix / part-edit version of the track courtesy of FaUSt’s Amaury Cambuzat.

Following a support slot for Cambuzat’s I Feel Like a Bombed Cathedral project in late 2023, LOS conceptualised their third album, The Long Way Home – an eclectic mix of motorik grooves, psychedelic drone rock, ambient passages and even occasional sprinklings of exotica and electronic jazz.

The creative process for the track also saw the band reach out to Cambuzat for input and guidance, but got a lot more in return: “The original drumless mix of The Long Way Home was shared with Amaury, who many will know for his work with Ulan Bator and Kraut-legends FaUSt,” says David. “Adding a driving motorik beat, percussion, additional synths and Ebowed guitar, Amaury’s contribution perfectly completed our vision for a track influenced by classic Krautrock such as Neu!, Harmonia and Can while still feeling fresh, energised and contemporary.”

David and Dave were so enamoured with the magic Cambuzat had worked on the track that they felt it deserved a place on the single, which will also feature the original edit of The Long Way Home, alongside another new song entitled Black Box Theme.

Speaking on the inspiration for the title track itself, David reveals, “Sometimes it takes a long time to get home, literally or figuratively. The Long Way Home is a celebration of the twists and turns of that journey, the wrong turns and false starts as well as the joy in reaching the destination.”