Herd Records is proud to present Icicle’s new studio record PRUDENCE
This forthcoming, 13th to date studio album, is another excellent example of Icicle’s unique sound and poignant lyrics.
Written and recorded by the songwriter/bassist/singer in his Montreal studio, the album taps into the sonic palettes and lyrical themes of its predecessors.
“PRUDENCE is a record that I’ve been working on for a while,” Halatchev says. “I’d like to think that it captures the ups and downs of modern life and all the small print in between”.
The groove-led first single ‘Not at Ease’ (track 10) reveals Halatchev’s look back on his turbulent and traumatic childhood. It is blunt and does not shy away from exposing the weight it poses on him to this day. “Our traumas and our memories are what defines us. Confronting them is the only way to heal and grow.”
The second single ‘You Got Me Running’ (track 9) is about a heavy period he endured with his long-time partner.
“The feeling of love and all its complications and the reality of a life without that love…
It’s basically saying, albeit with a few dark edges, ‘My life is better with you in it’.”
Halatchev continues – “I think this song is very much light and dark in equal measures. Those contradictions are like love itself – exuberant and painful; blissful and melancholic…”
The closing song (track 12) ‘Beetle on My Thumb’ draws on lyrics by Halatchev’s said partner in crime, Antonia Gueorguieva.
“This is not her first rodeo” he chuckles. “In fact, she has written a number of lyrics for Icicle over the years for which I am grateful and humbled. All I can add is that I couldn’t have put it better!”
Fans can pre-order the album on BandCamp starting August 25, 2024.
For more info please visit Icicle’s website.
Herd Records Is Proud to Announce COALESCENCE by Icicle
Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) has proven with his 12 studio albums to date that he has a lot of colours in his musical palette.
COALESCENCE is the 12th studio record, and yet another milestone in Icicle’s fascinating and unpredictable music journey.
The record unfolds as an intoxicating rainbow of auditory treats, making it a winter smash for the spring season.
The first single, Think Fast and Slow Dance, is a contagious funky number that grabs you from the get go. The lyrics reminisce and reflect while riding the wave of a melodic and instantly memorable chorus. Backup vocals are courtesy of the amazing Kat Howell.
The second single, Fall, is a pure contrast to the former. It is a heavy guitar driven track with a hefty amount of vigour and intensity. The subject matter is about overcoming life’s hard knocks –
“We were meant to understand
You gotta get beat to become a man”
The closing track, Reluctant Jesus, features lyrics by Joel Jenkins – a long time pen-partner of Icicle’s. It is a simple, soft and calm piano-and-vocal song that is sure to leave you pondering.
COALESCENCE is another kaleidoscopic palette of sonic shapes and moods, conjuring mental rainbows while tempos, rhythms, melodies, even volume levels shift to near collapse, before locking together into undeniable hooks that defy their underlying complexity.
Fans can pre-order the album on BandCamp starting March 1, 2023.
For more info please visit Icicle’s website.
Herd Records Proudly Presents AXIOMS by Icicle
Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) has proven with his 11 studio albums to date that he has a lot of colours in his musical palette.
Axioms is no exception with its 12 tracks of driven alt rock/pop that is chock-full of imagination and good beats. The sound is as eclectic as it is manic, but it is the quirkiness that unifies it all.
It’s the same kind of musical Krazy-Glue that bonds such acts as Foals, The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, Beck, Spoon, Blur, Kasabian, Talking Heads… to name a few.
Halatchev handles the vast majority of the vocals but occasionally, as in previous records, would invite singers on lead and/or backups. This time it is the Brit Kat Howell who takes charge of the fairy-tail-ish One Bad Boy for Every Girl (track 4), duets in Stand Tall, and completes the choruses on The Force Within (track 2).
Axioms goes in many directions throughout its 12 compositions but the manic, head-spinning theme continues throughout. Snowman at My Door (track 2) is a cool, hypnotic trip well backed by acoustic guitar and keys, with the latter breaking into subtle shimmering stars at the choice moment. This is Not a Love Song (second single/track 9) is another enjoyable sing-along tune based around a P.I.L.-esque vocal hook and some hip-hop style well stitched verses. Desert Tree (first single/track 11) is a beautiful heartfelt piece about the colliding forces of science and ambition. It should well provide some clues to the other strange places that Icicle will lead you to throughout this record. Meanwhile, bluesy guitar grooves provide the perfectly askew backdrop for White Horse, You Against You and Tone It Down a Little.
Axioms will be available on May 24, 2022.
Fans can pre-order the album on BandCamp starting April 18, 2022.
The Trilogy Is Complete – The Latest Offering From Icicle Is Here
Restiveness – Official Release Date – 2021-05-15
Restiveness follows up Provenance (2019) and Senescence (2020) to close out this musical chapter by Krassy Halatchev – the force behind the Icicle persona.
“I wanted to put out three connected records that focused on beginnings, lives lived in between, and the ends that complete our stories”, says Halatchev.
Restiveness has a classic indie rock feel but intermingled with a great variety that is emblematic of the myriad of impacts in all our lives. It is a deeply thoughtful album, both poignant and provocative, driving and driven.
It is Icicle’s 9th studio record, and can be seen as a collection and reinterpretation of all influences on an artist’s road to self-knowledge and musical self-expression.
This Wonderful Smack, the first single (track 10), is a hooky frantic synth and heavy guitar number – right in your face from bar one! It opens a window on drug addiction, self-destruction and disillusionment – recurrent themes on the album. The vocals are filled with tension and vulnerability.
Murder Is Murder (track 2) is a groovy, bass-driven song with a heavy guitar intro riff to remind that there will always be challenges in the search for sanity and peace of mind, so often out of our reach.
We Are Both to Blame (track 13) is a song dedicated to Halatchev’s closest childhood friend, Bobby Karaboitchev, who first introduced him to the bass – still Krassy’s favourite instrument. Bobby died of an overdose before he even reached 30.
“He was my Syd Barrett” reminisces Halatchev. “I miss him to this day and hope he finally found peace or perhaps peace found him. After all, life is an incurable disease.”
The album deals with the issues we will all have to deal with eventually, but with music! The strong songwriting, heavy guitar riffs, sexy bass lines and bang on drums on Restiveness will leave you breathless!
Icicle Releases Senescence on January 20, 2020
Senescence (Icicle’s latest offering), in its essence, is about death, mortality and the finality of things.
Indeed, it is an album which deals with difficult subjects. It questions, and it consoles. It is full of zest, clarity and above all – peace and resolve. It celebrates death rather than dread. In fact, it even brings a festive feel to it.
The opening/intro track Killer sets the mood for a journey that is rich in amplitudes and anticipation.
The second track Questions (Part 1) gets to the point rather adroitly with a powerful and assertive tone. It is as if Krassy Halatchev (the main force behind Icicle) is racing with the clock but, in reality, aren’t we all?
The first single Talk Talk Talk was dubbed as “the best break-up song ever” by one of Icicle’s long-time loyal fans. It is a track that masterfully captures the feeling of abandonment, betrayal, hurt and loss. It grips with raw anger, despair and agony from the first note.
The second single Another Moment, featuring Laurie Gordon on lead vocals, is in full contrast to the latter. It is a soft ballad-esque tune which focuses on the importance of moments and details that matter the most. Time is running out after all.
Senescence is a record in the most traditional sense. It is an album which beckons you sit down and listen to in its entirety because, as Prince reminded us, “Albums still matter.”
Montreal’s Icicle Set to Release Provenance Just Before the Break of Spring
Provenance, the latest album by Montreal-based Icicle, is set to release March 12, 2019. The album will be available to download and stream through all major online retailers. Fans can also purchase hard copy CDs through BandCamp.
In line with Icicle’s previous work, described as “genre-bending” (Darcia Helle, Sound Waves Review) and “pushing his own sound to the forefront” (Richard Lyne, The Appetizer), these 12 new tracks playfully point to highly eclectic influences, all the while furthering Icicle’s ever-shifting, distinctive sound.
Krassy Halatchev, the composer, singer, bass player and driving force behind Icicle, describes the album as life-affirming, built around themes of beginnings, growth, evolution, and love: “It reveres the miracle of life, birth, and growth, as well as strength, endurance, persistence, fight — all the necessary elements for one’s survival. Of course, love is the backbone of it all. As David Bowie says, ‘The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’”
Fans who’ve come to know what Jeremy Bregman from Medium.com called Icicle’s “giant melting pot of different sounds, ranging from groovy, bouncy bass lines to tracks with a new wave, 80’s feel” won’t be disappointed with the buoyant Let It Snow or the defiant I Had Enough. The 11th track, Because You Asked, features lyrics by Antonia Gueorguieva, based off a verbatim-style notation of a conversation with Halatchev. The record also features vocals on select tracks by Laurie Gordon and Kat Howell.
Icicle’s newest record Silence is set for release on March 22, 2018
Icicle’s newest record Silence is one of the finest in his acclaimed catalogue, taking him down yet another new sonic path 5 albums into his career.
This is an act whose name has been built on the progressive evolution of its own dynamics, innovative compositions and stellar arrangements.
Silence is a bold, upfront, driven album, relying on grooves of pulsing keyboard twists, infectious guitar hooks and the off-kilter, slinky rhythms to carry the vocals of singer/bassist Krassy Halatchev.
Lyrically, the record is demanding attention and mindfulness. The topics are broad, deep and above all – painfully honest and sincere.
These 13 songs are some of the most sensual, serendipitous, sparse recordings to come from Icicle, showcasing a new dimension in his songwriting and thus marking Silence as that crucial next sonic step forward for one of Montreal’s best artists.
Herd Records presents Resonance by Icicle – 6th solo album of genre-defying tracks
Official Release Date – February 19th, 2017
Listeners are invited to discover select early-release tracks on Bandcamp (icicle-band.bandcamp.com) and SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/icicle-band).
“These 13 songs take us on a journey of style and depth,” reports Soundwaves Review. “We have funky dance, spacey grooves, instrumental tracks blending industrial and electronic sound, and lyrics that captivate with their honesty.”
Resonance reaches a broad new scope for Icicle, the alias of Krassy Halatchev who has been swept up in an intensely productive and personal wave of song-writing since going out on his own. Thus it is no surprise that this new record stands tall to its predecessors – Resurgence (2014), Theorems (2015), and Reverie (2016).
Floridian poet Joel Jenkins lends lyrics to Win Win Win, Super Connected, and Hanging Ten. The new album is characterized by especially strong and inventive writing. The mix ranges from raw and brutal sounds like those in War and Smoke & Ash, to Runaway Train – a “break-up song.” 1962, says Icicle, “is a throwback into the height of the Communist regime; a parallel between the East and the West,” while Madness Is My Home (first single) evokes “the mad scientist, working relentlessly on a small miracle, finding that Eureka moment at the break of dawn.” Resonance opens with the instrumental Tuck the Puck – Icicle’s signature, and closes with Hanging Ten – “a reminiscence and reflection upon the way of the world and its mechanisms; a call for awakening and realization; a call for revolution of the mind.”
Icicle to release Reverie – fifth solo album – International album release – April 3, 2016
Montreal writer and composer Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) invites us into the universe of his latest album – a world of sensual fantasies, eerie nightmares and biting reality. The third installment of his solo career titled Reverie, releases officially on April 3rd, 2016.
Matured and eclectic sound (think of a blend between Depeche Mode, Placebo, Simple Minds, The Black Keys and Beck) fills the 48-minute record.
This latest studio full-length consists of 12 unmistakable compositions that are woven with passion and conviction. They span through delicate slow rhythms, voluptuous mid-range and furious up-tempo.
Icicle takes us through his world of tenderness (Nothing In You), apocalypse (Fools Refuse to Learn), personal disappointment (What Day Is Today), intimate stasis (Boggles My Mind) and social criticism (Paranoid Pigeon, The Edge on Which We Run).
Icicle’s philosophy has closely tied him together with Florida-based poet Joel Jenkins, the man behind the integral and deep-felt lyrics of 4 songs on this record. This collaboration has given life to compositions that are extremely personal and universal at the same time. Paranoid Pigeon, the album’s second single, is a perfect example of their remarkable teamwork. The song is simply contagious, driven by a hypnotic groove and infectious hooks. Its imagery reflects the zeitgeist of today and the chorus resonates long after the song’s end.
Fans can pre-order Reverie on BandCamp starting February 19th, 2016. It will also be available, starting April 3rd, at every major online retailer (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, HMV, Tower Records, CD Universe…).
Icicle is back with a forth instalment – Theorems, (official release date – September 15, 2015)
Pre-ordering begins August 1, specially priced exclusively on BandCamp.
This follow-up studio record consists of 12 very strong and personal compositions. It bounces between rock and pop. It is both accessible and innovative yet open and defiant. Bright and multi-layered sounds fill this 50-minute album, created during an exceptionally intense period for the artist.
Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) has charmed Canadian and international audiences for over two decades following his defection from communist Bulgaria with the band The Clouds. From 1996 to 2012, he was a core member of the Montreal-based band Chiwawa – a group that had some success touring as well as collaborating on various film and video projects.
While Theorems marks his second solo release, Halatchev’s team spirit has closely tied him together with Florida based poet Joel Jenkins who wrote lyrics for some of the songs. The merging of the cultural and expressive styles has brought forward a work that is both unique and familiar. On And On, the album’s second single, is a perfect example of their remarkable collaboration.
Calma Calma (first single) is already making waves on conventional and terrestrial radio alike. The song is simply contagious, driven by a hypnotic groove and infectious hooks (Icicle’s specialty). Its lyrics and chorus resonate long after the track’s end.
Fans can pre-order Theorems on BandCamp starting August 1st, 2015. It will also be available, starting September 15th, at every major online retailer (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, HMV, Tower Records, CD Universe…).
Icicle Releases Resurgence – 3rd Solo Album – International Album Release – September 21, 2014
Krassy Halatchev, a familiar face in the Canadian music scene, lays new ground as Icicle with Resurgence, due for release September 21. The solo debut contains entirely original and personal compositions. It bounces between rock and pop. It is both accessible and innovative yet open and defiant. Bright and multi-layered sounds fill the 51-minute album, created during an exceptionally intense period for the artist.
Halatchev has charmed Canadian and international audiences for over two decades following his defection from communist Bulgaria with the band The Clouds.
From 1996 to 2012, he was a core member of the Montreal-based band Chiwawa – a group that had some success touring as well as collaborating on various film and video projects.
While Resurgence marks his first solo album, his collaborative spirit brought him together with Florida based poet Joel Jenkins who wrote lyrics for many of the songs. The merging of the cultural and expressive styles has brought forward a work that is both unique yet familiar. “Morning Bells”, the album’s second single and closing track, draws on a text by Halatchev’s partner Antonia Gueorguieva.
In anticipation of the September 21 release date, music fans can pre-order Resurgence starting August 1st. The album will be specially priced exclusively on BandCamp throughout the month of August. It will be available thereafter at every major online retailer (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, HMV, Tower Records, CD Universe…).