The Devastations' album 'Coal' was released in September to universally great reviews :

"..tales of lonely, dark nights good enough to send fans of The National and Tindersticks reaching for the bourbon and grandpa's revolver" **** Uncut

"With Go-Betweens light and Nick Cave shade..'Coal' shimmers with lovelorn beauty and tales of despair. Cultdom is assured..more may follow" Q magazine

"There's more to 'Coal' than string-laden serenades, it's called passion, it means brilliance" Plan B

The band have just completed their first tour of America, which included shows with The National and the Drones, and tours in Europe have just been confirmed for December and February/March, including a London show with Damien Jurado :

Devastations have also been confirmed for the Dirty Three-curated ATP at Butlins in Minehead on 27th April.

On August 28th, Devastations released their debut single on Beggars Banquet - available on digital download and 7" (out September 4th in the UK). 'Take You Home' is the first single to be taken from the Devastations forthcoming - and Australian Music Prize nominated - album 'Coal', out 24th September.

'Take You Home' is an unstoppable force. Musically building with persistent bass and drums leading to swirling organ, while a crescendo of powerful, captivating electric feedback soars and soul bearing, emotive lyrics narrate peculiar intimacies of desperate passions with a darkly humorous edge.

Complementing the impassioned assault of 'Take You Home', the b-side 'I Found A Reason' (originally by the Velvet Underground) is indicative of Devastations' more soulful side. Softly brushed drums, gentle guitar strums and heart-warmingly simple and melodic piano glide effortlessly alongside silken harmonising.

The trials and tribulations of love, lust and life have never sounded so rich and compelling.

There'll be some Devastations tour dates announced soon!

Devastations also have a new website, check it out here: devastations.net

It has been a little over two years since the release of the Devastations' acclaimed self-titled debut - an album described by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Mojo magazine as "the best thing I've heard all year", and named the best debut of 2004 by Rolling Stone Germany. The greater part of that time has been spent in Europe, using Berlin as a home base, touring the continent and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Einsturzende Neubauten and the Tindersticks.

And now Devastations - vocalist/bassist Conrad Standish, guitarist/vocalist Tom Carlyon, drummer Hugo Cran and keyboardist Kiernan Box - return with a sophomore effort, Coal, delivering on the promise of their debut, displaying assurance, subtlety and widened scope.

Formed in late 2002, Devastations were from the outset mining a well of their own, preferring understated emotion and veiled menace to the primal strut and bluster of the much-hyped 'new rock' of the time. The critical response to their debut album, released in May 2003, earned the trio Australian supports slots with the Dirty Three, Cat Power, Tindersticks and the Black Heart Procession - but the Devastations always had their sights set further afield.

They moved to Berlin and played their first European show in September 2003 as part of 'Bada Bing', a concert series organized by Alexander Hacke of Einsturzende Neubauten. They soon scored a European deal for their debut album through influential Spanish label Munster, and toured extensively with Tindersticks. The Devastations also recorded the backing tracks for infamous Berlin duo Cobra Killer's third album '76/77'.

These many and various experiences have all put their stamp on Coal, contributing to the album's impressive richness and range. Recorded in three locations - a Prague concert hall, the former East German headquarters for radio and television in Berlin, and a Melbourne studio - Coal's gentle ballads, such as 'I Don't Want to Lose You Tonight' and 'Dance With Me', sit alongside the sharp, rapid fire assault of 'Take You Home' or 'What's A Place Like That Doing In A Girl Like You'. Strings and piano alternate with stinging electric guitars, and throughout the songwriting is deft and heartfelt.

The record's beauty is also enhanced by the contributions of a number of special guests. New Zealand songbird, Bic Runga, lends her gorgeous voice to 'A Man Of Fortune', Padma Newsome, of highly-regarded New York instrumental quartet Clogs, plays violin and viola on 'I Don't Want To Lose You Tonight' and 'A Man Of Fortune', and Genevieve McGuckin (ex These Immortal Souls) plays a woozy optigan on 'Dance With Me'. It's a testimonial to the Devastations' craft that despite its varying recording locales and special guest appearances, Coal is as cool, cohesive and compelling a record as you could ever hope to hear... a fact reflected in it's nomination for the AMP award in Australia for Best album of 2005 along with Drones, Wolfmother, Ben Lee and Go-Betweens.

Devastations recently played a wonderful set supporting The National at Koko in London.

'Coal' will be released through Beggars Banquet Records in Europe on 28th September, preceded by a single 'Take You Home' on 28th August.

www.myspace.com/devastations