BAIT

Hailing from Southend on Sea; at its essence BAIT is a band that has become a long distance relationship. For 18 months it’s lived in the cloud, with a rope around its neck. We’ve all had enough restrictions but restrictions force you to work with what you’ve got. Restrictions are precisely what BAIT needed to breathe out, sink to the bottom and propel itself back into the light of day clutching a new record.

‘Sea Change’ is the debut full-length album from BAIT. It’s a digital post-punk lockdown docu-record which watches the clock, gets the jitters, and lashes out just like the rest of us. It’s an internal monologue that accounts the anxiety, the struggles, the pressures experienced living by the sea during a global pandemic.

The BAIT sound is a mix of electronic dance, industrial and heavy metal punk rock, all held together by the raging lungs and spoken word of Michael Webster, who is previously known for indie-rock band Baddies, as bass player in Asylums & co-founder of Cool Thing Records. Imagine Keith Flint duetting with Sleaford Mods and you’re somewhere close to BAIT vocals.

“Webster’s very English and estuary-infused vocals merge seamlessly with instrumentation that recalls Nitzer Ebb and NIN with a sprinkling of Essex’s very own Depeche Mode.” - Louder Than War

‘Sea Change’ by BAIT is released 1st April 2022 on Southend on Sea based label Cool Thing Records.