A musician back on a mission, The Undercover Hippy will be making a return in 2023.
After a few years off-grid, the alias of Billy Rowan is embarking on a fresh operation for the new year ahead, briefed with a brand new album release ‘Poor Little England’ (out 7 April), and an extensive UK Tour this Spring.
Firing the starting gun for the journey to come, The Undercover Hippy has released his first music from the new record - new single ‘Hey Boy.’
‘Hey Boy’ dates back to a time in 2019 in which Rowan found himself relying on his phone with the unnerving dependency of a life support machine.
He said of the track: “I wrote this song about my own unhealthy relationship with my phone and how I used it to self-medicate when I was feeling depressed. I was living alone at the time, and when I was in a negative headspace, I would escape into the world of social media scrolling, only to emerge 2 hours later feeling 10 times worse!
“So I wrote this song to remind myself that the best way to get out of a funk is to get up off the sofa, leave the house and seek out some real face to face interaction with other human beings. I hope it can help other people in the same situation, and also help to break down some of the stigmas around mental health and asking for help.”
A spokesperson for the artist added: “Balancing a buoyant ska beat, starry piano lines and those dextrous, pop-culture packed quips that have made The Undercover Hippy a lyrical force to be reckoned with; “Hey Boy” is taken from his long-awaited new album ‘Poor Little England’, which drops this April.
“The follow-up to 2017’s ‘Truth & Fiction’, a deeply political album forged in the shadow of the Brexit referendum and consumed with fake news, internet privacy paranoia, and the fallout of the U.S. election; its successor reflects a world with even bigger fish to fry, and a public (and artist), whose overloaded attention spans are facing critical mass…”
With writing sessions beginning in 2017 (and the album originally planned for release in 2020), ‘Poor Little England’ is said to have been a long time in the making - and in-fact almost didn’t make it at all.
Said to have been waylaid by the pandemic, politics, and just about every hurdle life could throw at him (many of which are expressed in the record’s lyrics), through grit and determination, The Undercover Hippy says he stayed true to his vision to create one of his most observed and honest records to date.
Billy added: “Covid came along and everything went out the window. It’s been a real slog getting it back on track” remembers Billy, “At times I’ve almost given up, but somehow, six years after starting work on these new songs, they are all finally finished and ready to share with the world.”
Opting for a deliberately back to basics approach, across ‘Poor Little England’, it is said that longtime listeners will notably detect the kind of signature flavours that made his 2014 breakthrough album ‘Monkey Suit’, what it is.
Taking the opportunity to reconnect with some of the acoustic elements that made that former record such a fan favourite, the new album is also said to see The Undercover Hippy experimenting with a warm array of sounds that lean from reggae to ska, dancehall to dub, hip hop to pop.
Featuring acoustic guitar, fiddle, and even a full string section (on tracks like “Breathe” and “Hey Boy”), ‘Poor Little England’ also sees the return of Andreas Millns (on organ/piano); a man said to have been so pivotal to the development of The Undercover Hippy’s sound these past fifteen years.
The artist’s spokesperson continued: “Beaming with light and rhythmic melodies that never cease to shine and time-travelling lyrics that will twist your mind; turn off the news and turn up the tunes, the new record from The Undercover Hippy is one that deserves your full attention. ‘Poor Little England’ by The Undercover Hippy is out 7 April 2023, via Uncivil Records.
“An established favourite on the festival and live circuit already, fans can rejoice that The Undercover Hippy will be touring the new album with an extensive UK tour throughout the Spring.”
The Undercover Hippy says he is planning a series of shows unlike any he has undertaken before. The live sound will be beefed-up with the assistance of the Leeds based latin-dub-ska outfit State Of Satta, who will be providing horns for the headline set, plus providing a supporting set of their own material for the whole run.
Kicking off in Oxford on 23 March, the 19-date run will take in shows across England + Wales, before visiting Plymouth on 16 April, with a special album launch party planned aboard the Thekla in Bristol midway through (5 April).
The Undercover Hippy - UK Tour Dates 2023
2023-03-23 Oxford The Bullingdon
2023-03-24 Norwich The Waterfront
2023-03-25 Manchester Gullivers
2023-03-26 Settle Settle Victoria Hall
2023-03-29 London Hootananny Brixton
2023-03-30 Ramsgate Ramsgate Music Hall
2023-03-31 Guildford The Star
2023-04-01 Stroud Sub Rooms
2023-04-02 Salisbury Brown Street
2023-04-05 Bristol The Thekla
2023-04-06 Aberystwyth Arts Centre
2023-04-07 Shrewsbury Albert’s Shed
2023-04-08 Sheffield The Greystones
2023-04-09 Nottingham The Bodega
2023-04-12 Totnes Barrelhouse
2023-04-13 Bideford Palladium Club
2023-04-14 Falmouth The Cornish Bank
2023-04-15 Glastonbury Red Brick Building
2023-04-16 Plymouth The Junction
w/ State of Satta
Tickets on sale now, here: https://undercoverhippy.com/gigs
Individuals can Listen to ‘Hey Boy’ on SPOTIFY || APPLE MUSIC || YOUTUBE
For more information, people can visit https://undercoverhippy.com/home
