Savage Beat Unleash ‘Unhinged’ from Upcoming Album ‘Bright Lights, Tall Shadows’
Amsterdam’s own Savage Beat are back with their second full-length album, ‘Bright Lights, Tall Shadows,’ dropping March 6 on Wap Shoo Wap Records.
Known for their trademark “street boogie,” the band blends late ’70s punk, Oi!, and garage rock into a riff-heavy assault. It just works. As Gilian explains, the magic lies in keeping things raw because “raw energy being channelled with three chords is just timeless.”
This new record balances fist-pumping anthems like the single ‘Unhinged’ with darker reflections on today’s world. The title captures this exact tension. Gilian notes that “in life big highs sometimes come with some very low lows.” The boys wear influences like The Hellacopters and Dead Boys on their sleeves, but they bring a unique fury to the mix. Battle-scarred and energized, Gilian calls this release their “most focused and self-confident album so far.”
‘Bright Lights, Tall Shadows’ is released 6th March 2026 on Wap Shoo Wap Records and can be pre-ordered here. Stream ‘Unhinged’ and find out more in an exclusive interview with Psychedelic Baby Magazine now.
“Raw energy being channelled with three chords is just timeless”
Why the name “Bright Lights, Tall Shadows”? What does the album title represent to you personally and as a band?
Gilian: There’s room for interpretation. On a bigger level, on the geo-political spectrum for example there are some influential figures that are acting as being the light that will save us all, but they are casting some very dark shadows over a lot of things. On a personal level I think in life big highs sometimes come with some very low lows. Besides that, the album cover is a photo of a dark street in our hometown of Amsterdam from the 1970s. While locally many things have improved for the better since then here, there’s also stuff that’s become worse. The title refers to that as well.
After several EPs, singles, a debut full-length, do you approach songwriting differently now compared to when you started nearly a decade ago? What makes this record stand out from your previous releases?
Rogier: This is our second full-length, so that’s already special. I think we managed to combine a lot of our influences on this record. There’s punk, Oi!, rock ‘n’ roll, garage, glam and more. We had a lot of fun making it. We hope people will have as much fun listening to it. We also managed to make a professionally produced music video for one of the songs for the first time as well. So, a lot of effort went into this whole project and I think it shows.
You’ve been compared to bands like Slaughter & the Dogs, The Hellacopters, and Dead Boys. What do you take from those bands, and what do you add that’s uniquely yours?
Gilian: Slaughter & The Dogs have a glam and hard rock edge to their songs mixed with punk that we take to heart. The Hellacopters definitely influenced some of the big riffs and heavy lead guitar work we have in some of our songs. From the Dead Boys it’s just the pure fury and energy that keeps inspiring. I think what we add to it is mixing these kinds of different styles together in one song, like in “Tomorrow (Might Never Come)” or “Killer Inside” for example.
Oi! and late ’70s punk are big parts of your DNA. What is it about that era that still resonates today?
Gilian: It’s been the most influential music for most of us in the band still today. ’70s punk, Oi! and rock ‘n’ roll is what we started listening to as teenagers and we still do now. The songs that still endure are usually raw, unapologetic celebrations of life or aggro evergreens that stand the test of time. To me most of the music from that time doesn’t sound dated like a lot of music productions from the ’80s and ’90s for example. Raw energy being channelled with three chords is just timeless in that way I guess.
Supporting legendary bands like The Damned, Cock Sparrer, Angelic Upstarts, and The Exploited must have been surreal. Any lessons or unforgettable moments from those tours?
Rogier: We have learned that although people tend to say and think rock ‘n’ roll is a young person’s game, it isn’t. If you can still deliver the goods, age will just be a number. In some rare cases, like a fine wine or whiskey, it can even get better.
You’ve been tearing up stages across the USA and Europe for a long time now. What’s been the biggest challenge in taking your music worldwide? What does success look like for Savage Beat at this point in your career?
Rogier: The biggest challenge in taking our music worldwide is having the time to do it. We all have regular jobs to pay the bills and wives, kids, families… We all would love to play as much as possible, but we must deal with that as good as we can. There’s only so much time we have for it and the trick is to make the times you do it count. Success is being able to release records on great labels, meeting and making friends everywhere we go and most of all playing shows to people who come to see and hear us and actually sing along and enjoy it. And having a few free beers in the process ain’t too bad either.
Is this the most definitive Savage Beat statement so far?
Gilian: It’s our first full-length studio album in a long time; a lot has changed since the last one. The line-up of the band changed, including new guitarists and songwriters for this record, a few more grey hairs here and there and the world has become a different place in general. All these changes can be heard through the music and lyrics on this album. I’d say it’s definitely our most focused and self-confident album so far, but not our last.
Savage Beat Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
Wap Shoo Wap Records Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
