The greatest pop act to never become popular.

Champagne Riot - Alcohol Kisses:



Read through to keep the fire burning...

Of all the bands who 'nearly made it' I'm quite sure we nearly made it the most. Like Stirling Moss, the legendary racing driver, and the best racer to never win the world championship.

The first call came from Island Records / Universal London. This was back in February 2008 and our first song, called Scandinavian Warfare, had been recorded and uploaded to the blogosphere only a few weeks earlier. The beauty of beginner's luck.

For reasons too stupid to mention here things never got any further with Island. And so instead we ventured into a world of indie pop, releasing obscure EPs on Shelflife Records (2008) and Matinée Recordings (2011).

Between those two EPs the interest from "bigger places" continued, thanks mainly to steady blog coverage (and with a special thanks here to Popjustice.com).

Several times we were flown to London to meet labels, countless times we were speaking to managers and publishers of all kinds. And a few times it even felt like we'd finally made it. But every time these deals ran out in the sand. All for different reasons. Some too juicy to mention here - others too boring.

By the end of 2010 we were once again dumped in the 11th hour - on this occasion by several parties at the same time, including a manager, a label and a publisher. And this was probably when we secured the unofficial world record for bands who had 'nearly made it' the most, yet never made anything at all. (If you take out a 21 Euro profit after supporting The Drums on their European tour).

Around this time things began falling to pieces. A strange element of violence was entering otherwise sugary soundscapes. Like a monster under the bed. And there was a growing feeling that everything was wrong with the world. More than what could be solved with a bottle of Vodka and The Righteous Brothers on Youtube.

We felt like starting a fire in our studio - hoping it would spread throughout our city and then to the rest of the world. To erase all the bad luck and stupidity we had met on our path to complete and utter failure.

It was under this influence that the song Alcohol Kisses was born. And it was with Alcohol Kisses that an era ended. The last glow left from that era is hidden somewhere in between the notes and bars of the song. Find it if you dare to.

Of course an end always means a new beginning - and someday that beginning may have taken us to a different place.

Until then you can download Alcohol Kisses. The culmination of an idea that existed between 2008 and 2010. One that was called Champagne Riot - and one that evolved into, perhaps, the greatest pop act to never become popular.

All we ask is that you "pay" for your download, either with a Tweet or a post on your Facebook wall. To keep the fire burning... Click the box below to make your post and get the file.

Brand new track uploaded! We're not dead... Only struggling to survive. This is a new demo. Do you like it?

http://ping.fm/pQ52z

In fall 2010 we had the pleasure of remixing The Drums' single "Me and the moon". Listen to it here:

http://ping.fm/n8TI4

Emma's house is empty - so why do I call it Emma's house?

Everything I touch turns to gold

If it was love - how would it show?

Until the feeling dies....

Anything you want is fine. Everything they ever told you was a lie.

Like a young Sharon Stone?

On night times in Elm Street Kate's only dancing alone

Is this all there's to it?

I thought you were gone forever

I'd take every punch from every glove for just a moment here with you my love.