Your Cart is Empty
HIGH VIS "Guided Tour" Tape
€12.99
incl. VAT, plus shipping
Since first forming in 2016, London’s High Vis have steadily polished their palette of progressive hardcore with shades of post-punk, Brit pop, neo-psychedelia, and even Madchester groove, mapping a middle ground between hooks and fury, melodies and mosh pits. Singer Graham Sayle describes their third album, “Guided Tour,” as an axis of competing forces: “It’s trying to be a hopeful record, while also being incensed.” Rounded out by drummer Edward 'Ski' Harper, bassist Jack Muncaster, and guitarists Martin Macnamara and Rob Hammaren, the band’s deep roots in the UK and Irish DIY hardcore scenes have kept them grounded but growing, inspired equally by restlessness and righteous anger. As Sayle puts it, “Everyone’s scratching, everyone’s working all the time, and their idea of relaxing is just getting fucked and avoiding reality. This album is an escape from that.”
From its opening seconds of a cab door slamming, a car revving away, and a baggy rhythm swinging to life, “Guided Tour” sounds like a band reaching for new heights, bristling with energy. Recorded across a few weeks at Holy Mountain Studios in London with producer Jonah Falco and engineer Stanley Gravett (who also helmed the sessions for High Vis’ previous Dais full-length, 2022’s “Blending”), the results feel dynamic and dialed-in, like anthems burned into sense memory through sweat and repetition. Harper cuts to the chase: “We had a clear idea going in, every moment got used. Maybe when we’re 60 we can sit around and get a drum sound right, but for now it’s about getting things done.”
The album’s 11 songs span the spectrum of contemporary guitar music, sharpened by experience, camaraderie, and societal frustrations. From swaggering street punk (“Drop Me Out,” “Mob DLA”) to jangling indie sneer (“Worth The Wait,” “Deserve It”) to heavy alt (“Feeling Bless,” “Fill The Gap”) to shoegazey spoken word (“Untethered”), the group’s chemistry transmutes any style to their unique intensity. Sayle champions this evolving fusion: “For years coming from hardcore, we had pretty clear boundaries – other scenes were separate worlds. Now things are getting more blended, drawing from different places.”
Nowhere is this sentiment flexed more boldly than on “Mind’s A Lie,” a dance-punk anthem inspired by Harper’s love of house, garage, and pirate radio. Stabs of sampled female vocals (by celebrated South London singer and DJ Ell Murphy) build into a razor wire rhythm of low-slung bass, tense drums, and sparkling guitar before Sayle’s staunch voice starts barking harsh truths (“Face to face with all I’ve known / I can’t call these thoughts my own”). After a sudden breakdown, the track regroups and takes off, cruising into the horizon in a haze of chiming guitars and Murphy’s ascendant voice, from the streets to somewhere beyond.
Tracklist:
Tracklist:
01. Guided Tour
02. Drop Me Out
03. Worth the Wait
04. Feeling Bless
05. Fill the Gap
06. Farringdon
07. Mob DLA
08. Untethered
09. Deserve It
10. Mind’s a Lie
11. Gone Forever
GENRE - Alternative
RECORD LABEL - Flatspot
🤝 Support The Artist
We work with artists & labels directly. The majority of profits from each sale is going straight to them.
☝️ Officially Licensed Merch
We work with artists & labels directly. The majority of profits from each sale is going straight to them.
☝️ Officially Licensed Merch
We exclusively sell officially licensed merchandise. All of our products are either licensed from the artist / record label directly or sourced from official partners.
Disclaimer: Vinyl Orders & Product Images
Vinyl Orders - Please note that we do our best to protect vinyl records ideally for shipping, using our custom made mailers and additional cardboard squares. However, we can not guarantee that no damage on the way occurs. Ordering is at one's own risk. Vinyl might be delivered unsealed as we have to open copies to check vinyl colours, if not sufficiently labeled by the distributor / label.
Product Images - Please note that most of the images in our store are not actual photos but mock ups. These mock ups are digital representations of what we expect the final product to look like - however they do not represent the final product. Final vinyl pressings, prints, etc. may look slightly different.
What does Pre-Order mean & how does it work?
Pre-order means that you are ordering an item that is not yet manufactured or in stock. Pre-Order items will not ship before their release date. If your order contains one or more pre-order items, the entire order will be shipped in one package once the pre-order item is released.