Manchester-based poet, writer, and producer Antony Szmierek has released his highly anticipated debut album Service Station At The End Of The Universe.
The album is a bold fusion of dancefloor euphoria and introspective storytelling. Co-produced by Szmierek and his long-time collaborators Robin Parker, Max Rad, Louie Fulford-Smith and fresh Mancunian talent Yves Jones, Service Station At The End Of The Universe is a perfectly packaged collection of deep dancefloor poetry, with moments of downbeat, dark poignance.
Also on the album is focus track “Take Me There,” fulfilling the album’s promise of one last euphoria soaked party. Antony explains, “Admissions of love, loneliness and fears of burning the candle at both ends come to light as our protagonists leave their pretences at the door and give in to the music for what feels like the final time. If you can’t take me there, then nobody can.”
The past few years have been a wild ride for the artist. Cutting his teeth on the Manchester spoken word scene and gaining notoriety for his seamless flow skewering everything from the hardships of contemporary British life to finding the unexpected beauty in the everyday, it was the 2023 release of his single “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Fallacy” that kicked off his meteoric ascent. Set against the backdrop of a pounding kick drum and club-ready synths, Szmierek lets loose a stream of consciousness that lays out his vision of musical vulnerability and communal escapism: “Everything’s ironic now, post-post-punk. Take me away” he says on the track.
Szmierek recently completed a tour across the breadth of the UK & Europe as support to Faithless. He is currently half way through a run of instore performances across the UK, ahead of his own headline tour across the continent in support of the album release.
