UK indie rock band The Twang will release their studio album, titled Bring Yourself, on January 22, 2027, through Cooking Vinyl. The Birmingham-born group announced the ten-track record alongside the release of its lead single, “Something To Someone,” following a period of intense personal grief and internal conflict that nearly ended the band.
The Personal Tragedy and Fractured Friendship Behind ‘Bring Yourself’
The album almost never materialized. In 2023, lead songwriter Jon Watkin’s wife died after a two-year battle with cancer. That loss triggered a breakdown in the relationship between Watkin and co-songwriter Phil Etheridge, leaving the future of the group entirely uncertain.
Recovery began in domestic isolation. Watkin started writing music at home during the hours between dropping his youngest child off at school and picking him up. “I’d stopped going to the studio, but for three hours every day… I’d shut myself in a room at home and write,” Watkin said.
Those home recording sessions produced the songs that acted as a catalyst for the band’s reunion. Etheridge emphasized that repairing their personal dynamic was the primary objective. “More than making an album, what I really wanted was for us to fix our relationship. We need each other for this band to work,” Etheridge told.
Etheridge also noted how the single “Something To Someone” encapsulates the band’s reconciliation. “Along the way, we forgot what the point of the four of us was. Maybe it got lost in the madness. ‘Something To Someone’ is us announcing that we’ve found ourselves again,” he stated.
Recording in Sheffield and Capturing the Live Sound
To record Bring Yourself, the band spent five weeks at producer Ross Orton’s studio in Sheffield. Orton, whose past production credits include Arctic Monkeys and M.I.A., instituted a back-to-basics approach that favored live takes over heavy studio polish.
The album title itself stems from Orton’s vernacular in the studio. “Ross had this phrase, ‘Bring thissen’, which became our mantra. It means be yourself, bring the real you and no other nonsense,” Etheridge explained.
The resulting ten tracks aim to replicate the immediacy of The Twang’s stage performances. The tracklist features frantic, pub-inspired chaos on “Sandbags,” a loose, Happy Mondays-meets-Blur clatter on “Crazy,” and more reflective numbers such as “Where Are We Going” and the friendship-focused “Always Something.” Other tracks include “Kings,” which reflects the regeneration of Birmingham, and the closing track “Put It On.”
Live Dates and the 20th Anniversary Milestone
Alongside the album announcement, The Twang scheduled their annual Twangmas Christmas show at the O2 Academy Birmingham on December 19, marking their sole UK headline performance of the year. Fans who pre-order Bring Yourself via the official artist store gain early access to tickets, with presales beginning September 30 ahead of the general sale on October 2.
The 2027 release arrives as the band approaches the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough debut album, Love It When I Feel Like This. For a band that came within touching distance of calling it quits, the new record represents a deliberate return to self-belief and foundational friendship.
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