Everyone has their own version of what a summer song should sound like. If you’re more ‘Lazy River’ than ‘Kamikaze’, Meal Deals are for you. And ‘Bath Time’ may well be your slacker rock summer single. The track is released via label ‘Major Leagues’ and it marks a return from a twelve month silence. Crooning along like a genre settled Damon Albarn, the new single not only discusses a love for the tub, but also how bath time procrastination can become sleep depriving, over thinking. The label, Major Leagues, will release the track and its B Side physically as well as digitally, including a sandwich cassette (artwork above), bottle top pin badge and crisp packet zine. We spoke to the band ahead of the release and tried to get to know them a little better before they soundtrack our most lethargic days this summer.
Interview
For those of us that don’t know too much about Meal Deals (yet), Can you tell us who you are and a bit about the music you make?
Howdy howdy. We’re just a bunch of jabronis from SW London having safe, controlled and permissible fun. Not too much unlike listening to the colour beige.
Today you release ‘Bath Time’ and its your first public output for 12 months or so, why such a large gap?What have you been doing?
We’ve been recording some other stuff but I guess we’re just quite slow in general at everything. 12 months is a long time for sure. It’s just like the slacker rock lifestyle man you know? Chyuh.
Tell us about ‘Bath Time’ what’s it about and what inspired the sounds behind the lyrics?
Bath Time is a song about endless thoughts that kept Glenn awake last year when he was being all conceptual and arty and wot not during his art foundation. It’s also about how much he loves taking baths: a good place for pretentious thoughts and song writing.
If you could pick the perfect place for Meal Deals to be listened to, where would it be?
The Misty Moon, Twickenham. The greatest pub in town. Populated with sad old men with stained trousers, and us. The cheapest pints and best landlady (Sue) in town. No karaoke on Sundays anymore sadly though. It was always our dream to one day be on the Misty Moon karaoke database.
You’re releasing the single with ‘Major Leagues’ and its coming with an impressive bundle, can you tell us about that?
Yes indeed we can! The bundle is meant to represent a meal deal. The cassette has a sandwich design, the zine is a packet of Meal Deals’ own brand crisps (Dealies) and the badge is a bottle top. The idea was collaborative between us and Jake of Major Leagues, he’s such a babe. Hopefully people like it, but if not it doesn’t matter ’cause we still get paid.
Is the physical format important to the band? Tell us a bit about the zine?
It is nice to have something physical. Whether that be a relationship (which we can also offer) or a meal deal-themed cassette bundle. The zine has all the Meal Deals based stuff you’ve never wanted to know! There’s all the goss about the band, what our fave meal deals are, a hymn sheet and more!
What can we expect from you for the rest of 2017?
We’re not even what sure what we can expect from us from the rest of the year tbh. We’ve got 2 new bangermundos on the go so hopefully we can get our act together and get ’em out and directly penetrate your ears with ’em. We’ll have some shows and that as well no doubt including our release show at the Montague Arms on April 21st (with biig piig and meals)! So ya know just keep an eye on the Dealies.
Find the new single, its associated bundles and all things Meal Deals at their Bandcamp here.