Six-track release maps the song's journey from park voice memo to finished album cut.
The Itch have shared a new ‘Drugdealer’ EP, featuring alternate versions and remixes of the track taken from their debut album ‘It’s The Hope That Kills You’.
The release includes the song’s original voice note recording, an early demo and reworks from 1-800 GIRLS, Ghost Culture and MASTRRANG.
Speaking about the EP, frontman Simon Tyrie said: “‘Drugdealer’ is one of the songs we're proudest of from the record – it was a departure from our usual sound and went through many very different forms, including the demo that's on this EP.
“We actually had a hard time deciding which version to use for the album so decided to make this EP to show the evolution a song can go through.”
Tyrie added that the track was partly inspired by classic Elton John and Bernie Taupin songwriting. “The idea of a love song from the perspective of a drug dealer hit me when I was buying a pack of cigarettes for a friend at Wide Awake festival,” he said.
The duo released their debut album ‘It’s The Hope That Kills You’ in April via Fiction Records and I OH YOU. The record features tracks including ‘Space in the Cab’, ‘Ursula’ and ‘Drugdealer’.
The release arrives ahead of a run of headline dates across the UK and Europe, including tonight’s show at Brixton’s Club Cheek in London.
The dates in full read:
MAY
20 Club Cheek, London, UK
22 Castle Hotel, Manchester, UK
23 Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol, UK
24 Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham, UK
26 Toekomstmuziek, Amsterdam, Netherlands
28 Le Hasard Ludique, Paris, France
JULY
3-5 Wilde Weide Festival, Kraggenburg, Netherlands
3 All Together Now Festival, Co. Waterford, Ireland
AUGUST
8 Haldern Pop Festival, Germany
20-23 Green Man Festival, Wales
Further details surrounding the record have yet to be confirmed.
