Hellfire

Hellfire is the third studio album by English rock band Black Midi, released on 15 July 2022 on Rough Trade Records. The band recorded the majority of the album over a thirteen-day period with producer Marta Salogni, who had previously worked with the band in recording the song "John L" from their second studio album. Released to critical acclaim, the album was preceded by the singles "Welcome to Hell", "Eat Men Eat", and "Sugar/Tzu", and entered the UK Albums Chart at #22, becoming the band's highest charting album to date. During the writing and recording process, the band experimented with first-person narratives, and expanded upon their sound with the introduction of cabaret, country, flamenco, and show tune influences. Background and composition Hellfire was written while the band was isolating in London, with singer Geordie Greep calling Hellfire "an epic action film [...] if Cavalcade was a drama". He described the characters depicted in the album as being "scumbag[s]. Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don't believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs." Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of Hellfires songs were debuted during the band's 2021–2022 tour in support of Cavalcade. The bulk of the album was recorded in thirteen days, with additional members Kaidi Akinnibi (saxophone) and Seth Evans (keyboards) contributing to the recording process.