Ash not splitting, but ‘only releasing internet singles’

County Down indie-rockers Ash have revealed they will no longer be making albums and will only release singles on the internet.

Rumours had persisted that the Downpatrick band were due to split when Tim Wheeler told the crowd at the Isle of Wight Festival he was playing songs from their “last album”.

However, in a statement, frontman Wheeler explained that although they will continue as a band, Ash will distribute its singles digitally in the future.

“With the advent of the download, the emphasis has reverted to single tracks,” Wheeler said.

“It hasn’t helped that most people have forgotten how to make a decent album. I’m constantly disappointed with records I buy.”

He continued by saying they were entering a “new phase of spontaneity and creativity”.

“We have our own studio in New York, we can record a track and release it the next day if we feel like it, give it to people while it’s fresh, he said.

Wheeler continued: “We’ve been one of the best singles bands of the last two decades and we’re still younger than a lot of bands on the current scene. I’m excited to push this claim further by dedicating ourselves wholly to the art of the single for the digital age.”

Ash, who formed as a three-piece in 1992, have had 17 top 40 hits in the UK, and their latest album ‘Twilight of the Innocents’ will be released on 2 July.

They will also be performing their new single ‘Polaris’ at HMV in Donegall Arcade in Belfast on Thursday 21 June, at 6pm.

(JM/KMcA)