Track appears on new Best Of album celebrating group’s 10 years
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have unveiled “Flying On The Ground,” the second new song to be taken from forthcoming album Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021). Marrying irresistible melodies with Motown-esque backing vocals, strings and brass, the track is yet another classic slice of songwriting to add to Noel Gallagher’s burgeoning songbook. The song is produced by Noel Gallagher and Paul “Strangeboy” Stacey and was recently described by British GQ as being “as good as anything he’s ever written”.
“Flying On The Ground is literally the best thing I’ve released since the last thing I released. If Burt Bacharach wrote for Motown this is what it would sound like … only not as good … obviously,” Gallagher shares of the new track.
The official video for the track is a companion piece to the current single “We’re On Our Way Now” starring actors Matt Smith and Gala Gordon plus a cameo appearance from Gallagher himself. Directed by Dan Cadan and Jonathan Mowatt for Rankin, they offer insight into the French New Wave cinema inspiration, “This video reveals the true darkness behind the relationship between our protagonists … and its tragic undoing – a blatant nod to ‘A Bout De Souffle’ and ‘Bande A Part’ (’The Outsiders’). Matt and Gala were left to their own devices to improvise each scene within both videos.”
Released this June 11th via Sour Mash Records, Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021) is a definitive 18 track Best Of package, and a timely reminder of the breadth and depth of songs from the first decade of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Curated and compiled entirely by Noel, the track listing encompasses songs from High Flying Birds’ three albums and the three acclaimed EPs. Having sold over 2.4 million albums internationally, this run of three UK No. 1 albums marks a record breaking ten consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums across Gallagher’s career.
Gallagher was also recently announced as the official ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day – the annual celebration of the UK’s independent record stores. As part of the event there will be an exclusive limited edition vinyl format of Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021) released on June 12th – a numbered, hand pressed, coloured double LP with exclusive art print.
The current period of activity celebrating a decade of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds continues throughout this week as Sky Arts broadcast Noel Gallagher: Out of the Now on Thursday, June 10th. This show presents an up-close performance of music and storytelling from London’s Duke of York’s Theatre. Powered by his formidable thirteen piece band, Gallagher will perform ten tracks spanning his career in Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Oasis, and walk us through some of the significant moments in his own life and career which continues to define British pop culture.
