LOCK-IN are ending the year by preparing the groundwork for far bigger things to come in 2024. Having just announced their biggest London headline show to date at Lafayette on April 27th (tickets available HERE), the five childhood friends from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire will release their new single ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ on December 8th ahead of their second EP ‘On To The Next’ on January 19th.

‘Red Stripe Remedy’ is the next stage in LOCK-IN’s graduation towards becoming ones to watch in the year ahead. Fusing groove-laden rhythms and a sparkling central guitar riff with melancholy synth textures and a typically soaring, anthemic hook, it’s a track which will appeal broadly across the sonic spectrum of the indie-pop and alternative worlds. Benjy Leak’s engaging, distinctive vocal style charts the experiences of a generation who aren’t living for the weekend, but rather living until the end of the working day: “Lost in the 9-5, we only work to stay alive.” 

Benjy says, “At the end of the day, we’re all working our hardest – whether that be chasing a dream, trying to make ends meet or fighting something more underlying… We’re all human and we have to find love somewhere along the way. That’s life, as the lyric goes.” 

‘Red Stripe Remedy’ joins this summer’s ‘Easy’ in previewing the five-track ‘On To The Next’ EP. A stellar leap forward from their ‘Boys Kiss Boys’ debut, it’s the sound of a band whose songwriting and musicianship have both dramatically evolved as well as a collection which will surely propel them to bigger stages in the months to come. The EP’s as yet unreleased songs further support this claim, with the feelgood title track in particular being perfectly suited for introducing the band to their widest audience to date. 

Benjy adds, “We’re working harder than ever ourselves to live our dream. With each step we take we can smell it. The engine is warmed up now, after building some good foundations over the last couple years. We’ve always lived by the saying ‘On To The Next’ as a reflection of moving on and having the fight to enter that next chapter,  to keep believing.” 

LOCK-IN wrote all five songs on the EP, which was produced by Curtis Elvidge of Ritual Sounds and recorded during sessions at Premises Studio in Hackney. 

The band – completed by Benjy’s brother Joe Leak (lead guitar) plus Angus Moore (guitar), Sam Collins (bass) and Ollie Stacey (drums) – have won a cult following in the live arena. With Benjy providing a beguiling star aura as their focal point, LOCK-IN have headlined the This Feeling stage at Truck, hit further festivals such as Y Not?, The Great Escape, The Gathering Sounds, Rewired and the Sunset Sessions, and seen their London headline shows grow with every visit – from Water Rats to Omeara to The Garage and now Lafayette. Expect another step up before 2024 is out… 

Still in their early twenties, LOCK-IN have won early attention from Radio 6, BBC Music Introducing, Radio X, Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist, Sky Sports and talkSPORT while also playing shows as special guests to Planet, Komparisson, The K’s and Spangled. The West Ham fans also had two of their songs featured in launch videos for the club’s home and away kits, which featured appearances from some of the players who went on to make Hammers history by winning the Europa Conference League. They have just completed a UK and European tour as special guests to Australia’s The Terrys, which included their first ever shows in Germany. 

Photo by Joe Rowe