Diesel Park West – ‘Scared Of Time’

There’s something ironic in the fact that Leicester’s Diesel Park West have named their latest single, ‘Scared Of Time’. The band formed in 1980, and their debut album, ‘Shakespeare Alabama’, was released in 1989. Their ninth studio album, ‘Let It Melt’, from which comes ‘Scared Of Time’, came out on September 13 this year.

Still retaining three members of the 1980s lineup – singer, songwriter and guitarist John Butler, Rich Barton on guitar and vocals, and Geoff Beavan on bass, they’re completed by drummer Rob Morris, who joined Diesel Park West a mere 15 years ago.

Butler, speaking about their longevity says,

“We’ve never lost the spark. We’ve never stopped writing, recording and gigging. We’ve never let the setbacks encroach on our creativity. We’ve only ever judged ourselves by the standard to which we are performing. And we’ve pushed on through.”

They’ve seen a lot of history pass by as a band, including many changes of record labels, and ‘Let It Melt’ is their first release on Dallas-based independent label, Palo Santo. It’s a long way from Leicester to Texas, and Butler shares how the deal came about:

“They got in touch, out of the blue. I sent them some early monitor mixes of the new tracks and they wanted to get involved. They came over and we met up at a show in Brighton. They are genuine people, and very smart. It’s been great dealing with them.”

‘Scared Of Time’ sounds some parts Bob Dylan, some parts Lou Reed, with other parts in there reminiscent of Neil Young…maybe The Rolling Stones too. Rootsy, bluesy, and riff-driven, the listener would be very hard pressed to know this song was from middle England – there’s an appealing drawling “American-ness” to the track, testament to not just the mixing skills of Palo Santo founder Salim Nourallah, but also to the comfortable ease the very talented members of this band have with one another.

Speaking of the recording process, Butler says,

“The vocals are all live. We kept the vocal tracks that went down with the drums, so they retain that energy. It’s better than having some producer making you sing it with the headphones on for the 23rd time. Somewhere around take eight you’re going to be losing it.”

Watch the video for ‘Scared Of Time’ below: