Photo credit:Marguerite DuTeau
Last month, North London-based bandEel Menannounced details of their new 10” EP release,‘Glass Hammers’, due for DIY release onMay 15th.Today they return with second track “When I Get Rich” from the EP and announce plans for an extensive European tour to follow their London release show next month.
Yesterday’s new single “When I Get Rich”sees the band laugh through the absurdity of the daily grind of life in the UK, built on a bouncing, chugging bass-line and sawing guitars, chanting“when I, when I get rich”with cathartic abandon. It’s a middle finger to the ludicrousness of the never-ending quest for more, the thought that life might suddenly make sense once a certain threshold is reached, and the quiet realisation that it rarely resolves that way. As vocalist & guitarist Jimmy Elliott puts it,“it’s the running theme in most people’s lives to make more money, the desperation of doing anything possible to get to a point where everything will suddenly make complete sense. And I feel this just never really happens. We all come full circle in the end and still contain those idiosyncratic traits, positive and negative, that we started out with.”
Musically, the repetition becomes the point, with the chant turning into something both rhythmic and reflective, a kind of shared moment of joy and release, rather than a conclusion.
The accompanying video was shot in one take at the band’s local pub in North London.
Video for“When I Get Rich”:https://youtu.be/
EP pre-order links:https://linktr.ee/
Across the forthcoming 10”, Eel Men lean further into their more disparate influences, pulling in elements of funk, art rock and experimental pop. Artists like Herbie Hancock, Berlin-era Bowie and John Cale inform a record that embraces contrast — between tightness and looseness, polish and imperfection. Recorded live to tape at Gizzard Studios in Hackney Wick with Ed Deegan, the band deliberately imposed analogue limitations, prioritising performance and spontaneity over studio perfection. The result is a set of songs that feel immediate, unpredictable, and alive.
At its core, the EP circles themes of desperation — though rarely played straight. Instead, Eel Men tread the fine line between tragedy and comedy, inviting listeners to laugh at the darker undercurrents. As they put it, it’s about “that moment a kid falls over and looks up… deciding whether to cry or laugh.” ‘Glass Hammers’ captures a band in transition — pushing beyond their roots and into a more adventurous, shape-shifting phase.
As Eel Men amp up for the release of ‘Glass Hammers’on May 15th, everything lines up perfectly for their homecoming show in London on May 22nd where they mark the beginning of an extensive tour run.
Eel Men live dates:
22 May – London, UK – The Social
29 May – Zwolle, Netherlands – De Ondergrondse
30 May – Groningen, Netherlands – VERA
31 May – Dortmund, Germany – Kieselwiese
1 June – Brussels, Belgium – Le Chaff
2 June – Hanover, Germany – Nordstadtbraut
3 June – Hamburg, Germany – MS Hedi
4 June – Aarhus, Denmark – TBA
5 June – Copenhagen, Denmark – Råhuset
6 June – Gothenburg, Sweden – Oceanen
7 June – Oslo, Norway – Last Train
9 June – Malmö, Sweden – Medley
10 June – Kiel, Germany – Hansa 48
11 June – Rostock, Germany – Ask a Punk
12 June – Berlin, Germany – Trixxter
13 June – Leipzig, Germany – ZXRX
14 June – Munich, Germany – X-Bar
15 June – Budapest, Hungary – Kripta
16 June – Zagreb, Croatia – Attack
17 June – Postojna, Slovenia – MCP
18 June – Fürth, Germany – Kunstkeller
19 June – Bielefeld, Germany – Extra Blues Bar
20 June – Aachen/Kelmis, Germany/Belgium – Garago
‘Glass Hammers’EP track list:
1. Glass Hammers –video
2. Key Metre Romance
3. When I Get Rich –video
4. Leave The Water In
‘Glass Hammers’EP artwork:
