Garrow Hill Talk New EP, Their Hometown And More

Rising from the UK underground, GARROW HILL will release their their five-track stunning EP, IX, on Friday 31st July 2026. We spoke to them:

 

Who’s in Garrow Hill, how did you meet, and what do you play?

 

Myself (Stew King) and P.G. Branton.

 

I handle both lead and backing vocals, along with guitar and bass, while P.G. adds powerful drums and backing vocals to the sound.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

 

Probably listening to Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet — the first ‘rock’ album I played on repeat — closely followed by what would become a lifelong obsession with Iron Maiden, including drawing pictures of Eddie at school instead of concentrating! Coincidentally, that’s how P.G. and I became friends…

 

When did you begin songwriting?

 

Our earliest efforts were as a band called ‘Epitaph’. Inspired by Sepultura and an old VHS video of ’80s metal bands, we played in P.G.’s parents’ loft, believe it or not, and made our first tentative steps into writing original music. We’ve come a long way since then!

 

You have your new EP ‘IX’, released on Friday 31st July 2026. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?

 

We put a lot of thought into how we wanted to approach this EP. Until now, we’ve been releasing a steady run of singles, so we saw this as a chance to really elevate things for the band. We also aimed to create a strong overarching theme, using the songs to tell a cohesive story.

 

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

 

The EP was primarily recorded at my home studio, with drums tracked separately and vocal sessions recorded at York St John University. I led the production and mastering, but our process is fairly collaborative, so we regularly came together to review tracks and refine parts, arrangements, and other details along the way.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny, or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

 

Vocals have been a particularly interesting experience for me this time around. After working with a vocal coach over the past few months, it’s been a balancing act between applying proper technique and just letting rip. Interestingly, the lead vocals you hear on “Eaten by Crows” were originally recorded as guide vocals, but we liked those takes so much that we decided to keep them.

 

There’s quite a range of styles on this EP — from higher parts on EBC to more mid- and lower-register vocals on IX, as well as a mix of clean and screamo — so it’s been a lot of fun exploring those different approaches in the studio.

 

From a guitar perspective, it was challenging as well. I really pushed myself on this EP to nail every take, not just technically, but in terms of capturing the right feel for each part within the songs. The twin solo near the end of the title track is a good example of that.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, or recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

 

To be honest, most of the outboard gear and instruments are unchanged from previous releases — I heavily rely on a combination of a Gibson Les Paul and a Charvel So Cal for the main guitars, stacked three per side for most of the tracks.

 

Vocals-wise, my go-to is still the Rode NT1, which just seems to deliver consistently balanced vocals. I did make a few changes to some of the compressors I used and to the mastering chain, which probably accounts for how beefy the tracks sound on the EP.

 

Which of your new EP tracks show you at your: a) happiest, b) angriest, and c) most reflective?

 

It’s not a particularly happy EP, so I’m not sure I can pinpoint a song on that front! Maybe “Crawl Harder” is as close to happy as we get — and maybe the most reflective as well. Angriest is probably “Eaten by Crows”, given how much energy the vocal delivery has in that track.

 

Was it a difficult EP to write?

 

In some ways, yes. We definitely put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create something that would push Garrow Hill to the next level, and I think we’ve achieved that.

 

Our usual approach is to write the bulk of a track first, then use the recording process to refine and shape it further. It’s not the most efficient method, but it works well for us. Most of the music came together fairly naturally; the real challenge was pushing ourselves to execute everything to the highest standard.

 

That meant refining lyrics to match the flow of the music, perfecting lead lines and overdubs, and tightening the arrangements so there isn’t any wasted space. That’s where most of the time and focus went.

 

 

Who designed the EP artwork?

 

That was a completely collaborative DIY effort between us. P.G. came up with a strong central theme and some initial concepts, which we then developed together into the artwork you see now.

 

One of the tracks is the single ‘Eaten by Crows’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

 

P.G. Branton — “Eaten by Crows” is about the slow, inevitable process of being consumed piece by piece until almost nothing remains. It’s the feeling of being picked apart by indifferent forces, of watching parts of yourself disappear while you still try to write the final page of your own story.

 

There’s no dramatic scream, no grand final act — just the quiet, relentless erasure… and the stubborn refusal to vanish without leaving a mark.

 

Do you have any visualisers?

 

We have some lyric videos, as well as the Canvas visualisers on Spotify, etc. We tend to keep our video style story-driven where possible and make them a conduit between the audio and the visuals.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

 

Our hometown is York. I’d describe it as: historic, beautiful, insular, spooky, parochial.

 

How do you look after your voices?

 

I’ve been working with a vocal coach for about a year now, which has made a big difference in taking care of my voice and identifying bad habits. It’s really been about going back to basics and building a solid foundation.

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?

 

We’re currently planning a short UK tour in the summer, so watch this space.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

 

We want people to leave feeling like they’ve experienced something genuine and intense, and for us to walk off stage knowing we gave everything we had. Beyond that, we just want to keep building momentum and creating a catalogue of work we can genuinely be proud of.

 

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones, etc.?

 

I keep things fairly straightforward. I run a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, which accounts for about 90% of my guitar tone. I’ve also stepped away from pedalboards and tend to use effects sparingly these days — less gear, less to go wrong.

 

And when it comes to vocals, I’ll use whatever mic is put in front of me!

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

 

Jurassic Park — the metal edition! Imagine a T-Rex appearing while some sweet palm-muted riffs kick in!

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

 

It’s probably pretty clear from listening that we’re both big Maiden fans — that’s been a constant influence throughout our careers. Beyond that, our tastes are pretty varied, ranging from more extreme bands like Napalm Death and Entombed to some of the big ’90s metal and alternative bands like Pantera, Alice in Chains, and Sepultura, right through to modern acts like Mastodon and Bring Me The Horizon.

 

We’ve also got a fair amount of punk influence in the mix, so we end up drawing from quite a wide range of styles.

 

What makes Garrow Hill happy and what makes you unhappy?

 

What we enjoy most is the whole process of creating and performing music, and ultimately seeing people connect with the music.

 

What frustrates us is when bands, promoters, and others don’t support each other, or when newer acts aren’t given the chance to grow and develop.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By San PR

Garrow Hill’s latest single ‘Eaten By Crows’ is out now.

Their new EP ‘IX’ is released on Friday 31st July 2026. 

Official Website: https://garrowhill.com/

Official LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Garrowhill