{"product_id":"heavenly-highway-to-heavenly","title":"HEAVENLY - Highway To Heavenly","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeavenly\u003c\/strong\u003e return! As fiercely independent as any punk band, but as sweetly melodic as any chart-topping act, Heavenly combine sharp-edged lyrics with shamelessly joyful pop music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eHighway To Heavenly\u003c\/em\u003e’ shares this musical recipe with the band’s first four albums, all of which were released in the 1990s at a time when sensitive indie types in the UK were sheltering from the prevailing macho-rock storm under the \u003cstrong\u003eSarah Records\u003c\/strong\u003e umbrella, and when women in the US were starting to find their Riot Grrrl voices in the small town of Olympia, where labels like \u003cstrong\u003eK\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eKill Rock Stars\u003c\/strong\u003e were designing a new creative space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeavenly were on Sarah Records in the UK and on K in the US - and maybe this is a useful shorthand for understanding the band’s ability to meld the attitude of American Riot Grrrl bands with the pop charms of the English indie scene. In terms of style, Heavenly presented an androgynous look – short hair and pinafores for \u003cstrong\u003eAmelia\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eCathy\u003c\/strong\u003e - while \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Rob\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eMathew\u003c\/strong\u003e determinedly avoided the theatrics of male rock. Heavenly did not want to fit in with the hyper-gendered corporate music scene of the 1990s, and the band have stayed determinedly independent ever since (this new album is released on Rob and Amelia’s \u003cstrong\u003eSkep Wax\u003c\/strong\u003e label). The new songs are full of anger, of grief, of empathy, of love, and set themselves in opposition to the resurgence of the cold ‘masculine energy’ that is making the world a miserable, aggressive place today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeavenly have recently enjoyed a huge resurgence of interest from a younger generation of fans, who have cottoned on to Heavenly’s music, but also embraced the band’s inclusive version of feminism. Portland Town is a joyful celebration of a place where diversity is welcomed. \u003cem\u003ePress Return\u003c\/em\u003e is a demolition of those men who think technology and wealth make them winners rather than sad losers. \u003cem\u003eExcuse Me\u003c\/em\u003e is an outburst of punk energy, as effervescent as a song on the first Undertones album, gleefully celebrating a teenage romance with the nerdiest boy in school. \u003cem\u003eA Different Beat\u003c\/em\u003e tells the entire story of a doomed relationship, its heroine falling for and then escaping from an oppressive man, before heading for the metaphorical disco of freedom. Heavenly have clearly been to a disco or two lately: opening track \u003cem\u003eScene Stealing\u003c\/em\u003e feels like a distant cousin of Blondie’s ‘\u003cem\u003eHeart Of Glass\u003c\/em\u003e’ and tells the story of self-obsessed YouTube influencers who don’t know how to treat women with respect. By contrast, album closer \u003cem\u003eThat Last Day\u003c\/em\u003e may be most poignant song about bereavement you will hear all year, certainly the only one you’ll want to sing along to. It’s all pop here, but \u003cem\u003eHighway To Heavenly\u003c\/em\u003e has a huge range of tones and moods.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe band comprises original members \u003cstrong\u003eAmelia Fletcher\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Momtchiloff\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eCathy Rogers\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eRob Pursey\u003c\/strong\u003e, who are now joined on drums by \u003cstrong\u003eIan Button\u003c\/strong\u003e. (An important element of the Heavenly story was the loss of \u003cstrong\u003eMathew Fletcher\u003c\/strong\u003e, who took his own life just before the fourth album was released. It took Amelia, Peter, \u003cstrong\u003eCathy\u003c\/strong\u003e and Rob a long time to get over the loss; maybe it took even longer to find a drummer as good as Ian.) The new Heavenly have played a number of sell-out shows in the past couple of years, where older fans have mingled with new devotees. The band are looking forward to their slow-motion international tour in the first half of 2026, with dates in the UK, the US, Canada, France, Greece and Spain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHighway To Heavenly\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded at \u003cstrong\u003eRumbaba\u003c\/strong\u003e (Deptford, London) and at \u003cstrong\u003eThe Sunday School\u003c\/strong\u003e (Kent). It was produced by \u003cstrong\u003eToby Burroughs\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeavenly are:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmelia Fletcher\u003c\/strong\u003e – vocals, guitar, \u003cstrong\u003eCathy Rogers\u003c\/strong\u003e – vocals, keyboard, \u003cstrong\u003eIan Button\u003c\/strong\u003e – drums, \u003cstrong\u003ePeter Momtchiloff\u003c\/strong\u003e – guitar, \u003cstrong\u003eRob Pursey\u003c\/strong\u003e – bass.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Skep Wax Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":56999625654617,"sku":"SDZ-15198","price":15.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/Heavenly_-_Highway_To_Heavenly_-_2026.jpg?v=1767693153","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/heavenly-highway-to-heavenly","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}