Bunbury alt-rockers Armchair Riot unveil new single and video ‘Hydro’

Bunbury alternative rock group Armchair Riot have released their new single Hydro, along with a video clip for the track.

Drawing from influences like Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids and Broken Bells, Hydro follows on from last year’s track Mad Dogs In The Midday Sun, as well as Crush and Submission from 2021.

“The song is a hard one to describe,”said Armchair Riot frontman Glenn Breslin. “Some parts come from an old structure that I discarded and kept the rhythm and chord progression. I rewrote the lyrics and melody so they felt relevant. I was coming from a relationship that was ending and ending badly and painfully and the song grew from a snapshot of a moment. I try to keep the lyrics as ambiguous as I can, but most of this song is open enough.”

Hydro‘s music video was directed by Glenn Breslin’s partner Armelle Chaussat. It captures the themes of the song, as it follows Glenn running from his problems rather than facing them head on.

“It was a freezing cold day, and Armelle was shooting it and was heavily pregnant with twins,” said Armchair Riot about filming the video. “We were using our drummer Paul’s car, a beautiful old Ford LTD, the rain was coming down and we had cameras everywhere.”

“The video mainly focuses on Glenn so the band had cameras too and were helping Armelle in whatever capacity they could – she used a drone for some beautiful shots. The video was about drowning the past or finding it easier to leave rather than face pain. The closing shot has four birds circle Glenn while he lay in the freezing water. That wasn’t staged. It was awesome. Very serendipitous.”

Following the new release, Hydro are gearing up for a busy tail end of 2023 with a run of live shows across Western Australia.

It all kicks off at Convenients in Northbridge on Saturday, September 23 with support from Castle Bravo, Laurie Luke and The Grots, before Armchair Riot head back to Bunbury to launch the single at The Prince Of Wales on Friday, September 29, with The Boogie Men and Drowse.

After that, Armchair Riot will play at Mojos in Fremantle on Wednesday, October 11 with Tailored Green and Juni; The Bird in Northbridge on Monday, October 16; and Nannup Hotel on Saturday, November 25 with Innasanitorium, Decapitated Chooks and The Compound.

Check out the video for Armchair Riot’s new single Hydro below. Armchair Riot have announced a run of live shows across WA, with tickets on sale now.