"Seeing" EP by Welcome To Concrete

Welcome To Concrete is the long-running solo project of NZ musician Al Humphreys. Founded c.2009 in a basement in Auckland’s notorious Tawari Street, Kingsland, after the disintegration and dissolution of several musical endeavours, the multi-instrumentalist found himself recording lo-fi demos in that very Tawari Street basement. That hovel was a known spot for many an Auckland act (think Rackets, Boyfriend, Beach Pigs, Sidewalk Meese, High Society, Shoutin’, Preachin’, O’Lovely, Mason Clinic).

Whilst recording the first demos, an apartment block construction site with excavators, cranes and trucks filled the view from the westerly facing basement window. The name Welcome To Concrete was partly inspired from this scene and inspired the early moody track ‘God Bless the Foodcourt’.

After several MySpace era demos, Welcome To Concrete became a live 4-piece act for 1-2 years between 2010 – 2012. An early self-titled EP of sorts was released in 2011 followed by self-released full-length ‘Distant Viewer’ (2016).

Welcome To Concrete releases new EP ‘seeing’ on 15 November through Melted Ice Cream records. This EP sees Humphreys returning to songwriting after a 7 year child-rearing hiatus. It contains the emotive fuzz and melodics of old and welcomes a new era for the project.

Tracklist

1.	Seeing	3:21

2.	The Noise	2:08

3.	Long Shot	2:24

4.	Collision (Explode)	3:26

5.	Bedwetters	2:33

Credits

released November 15, 2024

All tracks written, recorded and mixed by Al Humphreys in 2024.
Cover photo by Al Humphreys. Design and mastering by Brian Feary.

Thanks to family (Tommy, Ada and Flora), friends, and fellow musicians.

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