Authors: Antony Szmierek, Robin Parker, Max Rad
Type: Alternative
Manchester-based poet, writer and producer Antony Szmierek has announced the release of his debut album, Service Station At The End Of The Universe, which is scheduled to drop on 28th February via Mushroom Music/Virgin Music Group. Alongside the announcement, Szmierek has released a brand new single, ‘The Great Pyramid Of Stockport’. The song’s energetic dance beats provide the perfect backdrop for Szmierek’s knack for storytelling, with an engaging northern narrative and his trademark lyricism delivered with genial charm.
Speaking about the song, Szmierek comments “Stockport Council abandoned plans for a Valley of the Kings themed shopping plaza, leaving only an empty pyramid behind. Nobody really knows what the pyramids in Giza are for. What we do know is that we’re not here long, and that the impossible is more possible than we think it is, motivationally speaking. That big blue pyramid serves as a reminder that human beings never really change - even if our pyramids are now by the side of motorways and full of office space.”
The single is accompanied by an official video that features Antony against the backdrop of Stockport’s pyramid-shaped abandoned shopping plaza, juxtaposed with scenes from the real pyramids of Egypt. Directed by Zac Watson.
The past few years have been a wild ride for the artist. Cutting his teeth on the Manchester spoken word scene and gaining notoriety for his seamless flow skewering everything from the hardships of contemporary British life to finding the unexpected beauty in the everyday, it was the 2023 release of his single ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Fallacy’ that kicked off his meteoric ascent. Set against the backdrop of a pounding kick drum and club-ready synths, Szmierek lets loose a stream of consciousness that lays out his vision of musical vulnerability and communal escapism: “Everything’s ironic now, post-post-punk. Take me away” he says on the track.
The earworming record soon found its way onto the BBC 6 Music airwaves and led Szmierek to be named an Artist of the Year 2023 by the station. There followed appearances on Later... with Jools Holland, a BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale session, multiple triumphant Glastonbury sets and a flurry of comparisons: to the pavement prose of The Streets, the poetry of John Cooper Clarke if he found himself at the Haçienda, or like Jarvis Cocker for the UK Garage generation. Yet, with the release of his 2023 indie-influenced EP Poems To Dance To and now his banger-filled, dancefloor-focused debut album, Service Station at the End of the Universe, Szmierek cements his sound as one that is distinctly his own.
While the album provides a culmination of the deep dancefloor poetry that began with ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fallacy’, it also showcases a new side to Szmierek’s writing, producing moments of downbeat, dark poignance. Co-produced by Szmierek and his long-time collaborators Robin Parker, Max Rad, Louie Fulford-Smith and fresh Mancunian talent Yves Jones, the album produces a cohesive and infectious journey through pop melodic hooks and thumping dancefloor orchestrations.
Following a busy festival-filled summer, which included the aforementioned Glastonbury performances that were highlighted by The Guardian and praised by NME as a festival highlight, as well as playing to packed crowds at Truck, Latitude, and Boardmasters, Szmierek has announced his next headline tour across the UK and Europe.
Eileen Carpio
Speaking about the song, Szmierek comments “Stockport Council abandoned plans for a Valley of the Kings themed shopping plaza, leaving only an empty pyramid behind. Nobody really knows what the pyramids in Giza are for. What we do know is that we’re not here long, and that the impossible is more possible than we think it is, motivationally speaking. That big blue pyramid serves as a reminder that human beings never really change - even if our pyramids are now by the side of motorways and full of office space.”
The single is accompanied by an official video that features Antony against the backdrop of Stockport’s pyramid-shaped abandoned shopping plaza, juxtaposed with scenes from the real pyramids of Egypt. Directed by Zac Watson.
The past few years have been a wild ride for the artist. Cutting his teeth on the Manchester spoken word scene and gaining notoriety for his seamless flow skewering everything from the hardships of contemporary British life to finding the unexpected beauty in the everyday, it was the 2023 release of his single ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Fallacy’ that kicked off his meteoric ascent. Set against the backdrop of a pounding kick drum and club-ready synths, Szmierek lets loose a stream of consciousness that lays out his vision of musical vulnerability and communal escapism: “Everything’s ironic now, post-post-punk. Take me away” he says on the track.
The earworming record soon found its way onto the BBC 6 Music airwaves and led Szmierek to be named an Artist of the Year 2023 by the station. There followed appearances on Later... with Jools Holland, a BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale session, multiple triumphant Glastonbury sets and a flurry of comparisons: to the pavement prose of The Streets, the poetry of John Cooper Clarke if he found himself at the Haçienda, or like Jarvis Cocker for the UK Garage generation. Yet, with the release of his 2023 indie-influenced EP Poems To Dance To and now his banger-filled, dancefloor-focused debut album, Service Station at the End of the Universe, Szmierek cements his sound as one that is distinctly his own.
While the album provides a culmination of the deep dancefloor poetry that began with ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Fallacy’, it also showcases a new side to Szmierek’s writing, producing moments of downbeat, dark poignance. Co-produced by Szmierek and his long-time collaborators Robin Parker, Max Rad, Louie Fulford-Smith and fresh Mancunian talent Yves Jones, the album produces a cohesive and infectious journey through pop melodic hooks and thumping dancefloor orchestrations.
Following a busy festival-filled summer, which included the aforementioned Glastonbury performances that were highlighted by The Guardian and praised by NME as a festival highlight, as well as playing to packed crowds at Truck, Latitude, and Boardmasters, Szmierek has announced his next headline tour across the UK and Europe.
Eileen Carpio
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