No band is an island, but Ash’s peaks rise as tall as any other - **** NME
Re-animating the kind of urgent, power pop nous that fired ubiquitous 2001 single Burn Baby Burn - MOJO
Tim Wheeler and co. continue their pop renaissance - 9/10 Louder Than War
Will certainly strike a chord with anyone who’s ever had their heart broken - Q
Islands feels like a homecoming of sorts, as well as a timely reboot. This is a band to grow old with - **** Metro Album of The Week
Masters of pop-rock perfection Ash restock their tackle box with yet more unshakeable hooks - **** Classic Rock
A deft and skilful trio, here songs such as the effervescent Annabel, the spacious and confident It’s A Trap and the irrepressible, bouncing Buzzkill make this point with insouciant ease - **** Kerrang!

Ash have released a new video for‘Confessions In The Pool’, the latest single to be lifted from their UK Top 20 album releaseIslands- out now via Infectious and also featuring 6Music play-listed singles ‘Buzzkill’ and ‘Annabel’. The video arrives alongside details of three just-announced Irish shows for December, landing on the end of an European tour which will follow UK headline dates from Ash through October, including London’s O2 Forum on October 24th.

Watch ‘Confessions In The Pool’ below;

Speaking about the new video - which parodies ideas of religious devotion, with a nod towards Monty Python - Ash say; “The video is a surreal play on the song title. It takes the Confessions idea and runs with it so far it becomes surreal meditation on belief and salvation in the modern age. Blessed are the cheese makers!”

Islands - Ash’s first album since 2015’s Kablammo! - marks their debut for new label Infectious Music – previously home to the band’s number one albums, 1996’s 1977 and Free All Angels in 2001. Produced by Tim Wheeler and featuring guest vocals from The Undertones’ Damien O’Neill and Mickey Bradley (who also performed with Ash during their BBC Biggest Weekend appearance earlier this year), Islands is the band’s seventh studio album with additional production from Mark Hamilton, Rick McMurray and Claudius Mittendorfer – who also mixed the album at the band’s studio in New York.  

Following 2015’s Kablammo after the band’s self-imposed album hiatus since 2007’s Twilight Of The Innocents – Islands is an open-hearted collection of songs drawn from frontman Tim Wheeler’s reflective lyrical axis dealing with friendship and betrayal, love and loss, an album which reaffirms the band’s status as one of the most idiosyncratic and singularly thrilling guitar bands on these islands.

The band’s full live itinerary follows – tickets for shows can be purchased via the band’s website

UK/IRE Tour
16th  SHEFFIELD - Leadmill
17th  GLASGOW - O2 ABC
19th  BRISTOL - SWX
20th  BIRMINGHAM - O2 Institute
21st  NORWICH - Waterfront
23rd  MANCHESTER - O2 Ritz
24th  LONDON - O2 Forum

December
18th CORK - Cyprus Avenue
19th DUBLIN - Academy
20th BELFAST - Limelight