Bannered Mare drop blistering new single and announce debut album

Music Review | 31st Aug, 2025 Bannered Mare

At the core of Bannered Mare’s sound is something you can’t fake, pure chemistry and an unshakable bond between its members. They like to describe their music as a reflection of the human experience, full of passion, emotion, and energy, and honestly, that description nails it. Over the last few years, they’ve dropped a steady stream of singles, including Synapses and Hip Shot, both of which scored radio play and features in multiple music publications.

Now, they’re back with their most explosive release yet, Pocket Picker, a blistering track that doubles as the announcement for their upcoming debut album, He’s Only Sleeping. Written by founding member Joe Padfield during the chaos of COVID, Pocket Picker channels the raw frustration and confusion of that time. But here’s the twist, by the time the song was done, that anger had somehow been turned into something more hopeful.

The track itself is massive, three guitars weaving together like a perfectly orchestrated storm. There’s no simple verse-chorus-verse structure here; instead, the song evolves naturally, flowing from sharp, urgent riffs into sweeping, melodic passages. And those gang vocals toward the end? They hit hard, a sonic cry for unity during a moment when everything felt divided.

The song became a kind of protest piece. I felt helpless, and this was my outlet. I wanted to inject as much energy into it as possible to capture the pace that anger can move through you. Toward the end, the song shifts into something more ethereal, reflecting a moment of clarity and the adrenaline crash that follows intense anger. The closing lyrics, - let us be light again, we move as one beam - are a plea to whatever universal powers might be listening. - Joe Padfield

What makes this release even cooler is that it’s 100% DIY. The band recorded and mixed the whole thing themselves, turning a steel garage into a makeshift drum room during a three-day heatwave, transforming a daughter’s bedroom into a wall of amps, and even borrowing a parent’s spacious living room for vocal takes. The end result is a project that feels intensely personal and, in true Bannered Mare fashion, completely their own.

With Pocket Picker setting the stage, He’s Only Sleeping is shaping up to be one hell of a debut.

Bannered Mare - Pocket Picker

The single, Pocket Picker, is available through all streaming platforms.

Photo Credit: Bannered Mare/Old Crows Promotions