ASHES AND DIAMONDS (feat. members of Bauhaus, PiL and Sade) are "ON" with new single
- MOVEMENT MAG
- Oct 27
- 3 min read
Paul Spencer Denman (credit: Stuart Matthewman)
On ASHES AND DIAMONDS’ slinky new single “ON,” vocalist/guitarist Daniel Ash (Bauhaus/Love And Rockets/Tones on Tail) sings “When you’re on, you’re on.” From the media praise being lavished on the new band and their upcoming debut album ASHES AND DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (release date: October 31, 2025 via Cleopatra Records), not only is the trio of rock heroes “on,” they’re revved up and ready to go. Featured alongside Ash are drummer Bruce Smith and bassist Paul Spencer Denman, veterans of Public Image Ltd./The Pop Group and Sade/Sweetback respectively. “I’m loving the positivity from the press,” beams Denman. “It’s reassuring because we really did think, in all modesty, that we had made something special.”
Garnering early praise from media outlets including Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, FLOOD, Classic Rock, Sonic Seducer, and dozens more, Ashes And Diamonds have made their mark right out of the gate. “The reaction to this album has been incredible,” adds Ash. “It’s just fabulous… BOOM!”
The fourth single to be released from the soon-to-be-released groundbreaking debut Ashes And Diamonds Are Forever, “On” moves the band into a darker, more serpentine direction, demonstrating not only how diverse the band is genre-wise, but also how musically masterful and adept they are. With Smith and Denman as the solid rhythm section, the song allows Ash to have his guitar tones ring loudly as his stirring and hushed vocals whisper seductively. “This song is about having an extreme passion for life/love,” Ash says. “It’s the antithesis of complacency… Go for it forever.”
“Daniel made a demo of the song originally, then Paul and I went to work with the arrangement,” explains Smith about the origin of the song, displaying the democratic balance of the band.
The previous rhythmic single, “Teenage Robots” which Geek Native calls “a blend of post-punk sensibilities, electronic textures, and a ‘sleazy pulse’ that has drawn comparisons to early Depeche Mode and Sisters of Mercy,” displays yet another side of Ashes And Diamonds. Where the initial single “On A Rocka” was a driving and adrenaline-infused banger and its follow-up “Setting Yourself Up For Love” was more of an introspective slowburner, “Teenage Robots” carries a pulsing, midnight dancefloor vibe. “’Teenage Robots’ is indicative of its time,” explains Denman. “It’s a message… a postcard from some older guys looking thru a lens and observing the fucked-up nature of what has become relevant to 20+ year-olds. It’s a warning. They, all of them, should throw away those fuckin’ phones and kick, push, and break down some walls like we did at their age.”
Its accompanying video, an animated retro futuristic view of youth hypnotized by the virtual activity on their smartphones while visceral life around them is ignored, is a cautionary alarm to return to the real world which Ash warns, “Get out of the city and get up into the middle of nowhere as often as possible, kids!”
The album Ashes And Diamond Are Forever will be released via Cleopatra Records on October 31, 2025 and can be preordered HERE. It was produced by Ashes And Diamonds with some co-production with James Salter and Joe Dexter. It was mixed, engineered with additional production by Robert Adam Stevenson.
ASHES AND DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Tracklisting
Hollywood
Boy Or Girl
The A Listers
Plastic Fantastic
Ice Queen
Alien Love
Champagne Charlie
2020
