Euphoria Audio - Euphoria Audio (2014)

Their debut album hasn't even been released yet, but already Wakefield quartet Euphoria Audio have supported Aerosmith before some 15,000 fans in Singapore, and drawn favourable comparisons with Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. All very promising for a band who, when invited to perform at the prestigious MusExpo showcase in Los Angeles, were forced to sell everything of value except their instruments to afford the plane tickets. But then these four friends – Matt Shirty (vocals), Ben Lloyd (guitar), Ben Hughes (bass} and Josh Hughes (drums) – know that the road to rock Babylon is strewn with many such sacrifices.

Euphoria Audio also know that to reach the promised land they have to be savvy when it comes to an evolving industry. In the past, MusExpo has helped to break Muse, Katy Perry and Adele – and the band's appearance there in 2010 got them noticed by producers Jeff Blue (Linkin Park, Korn) and Brandon Friesen (Nickelback, Sum 41), with whom they worked on a four-track EP, and led to a return invitation to the event the following year. While in LA second time around, Euphoria Audio headlined at the legendary House of Blues and Viper Rooms, and again linked up with Friesen and spent six weeks working on their eponymously-titled debut album, due for release in September.

Their influences are something of a moveable feast though, as borne out by collaborations with producers Stuart Epps (Oasis, Jimmy Page) and Steve Levine (Culture Club, The Beach Boys). Meanwhile, a sponsorship deal with Tesco Digital and an official Euphoria Audio phone app, which has so far received more than 11,000 unique downloads, are helping to spread the word on the Wakefield boys.