Checkerboard Floors Releases New Single “Hold Me Again”

Alt-rock three piece Checkerboard Floors have recently released their latest single “Hold Me Again”, watch the visualizer below!

“This was definitely a lockdown song. I finished my early demo of it in April 2021. Really I was trying to capture something that felt good and hopeful and steep it in vibes from yesteryear. Clocking in at 1:48, it holds the distinction of being the shortest Checkerboard Floors track ever recorded; a song with a stylistic nod to the past, inspired by pandemic blues, done up short and sweet, in the age of reels, shorts, tiktoks, etc. Plus, we were fortunate enough to have Loretta Hale (The Loretta Hale Big Band, Andre Bisson Band) play cello on it for us.”

Checkerboard Floors Bio

Checkerboard Floors want to play music you dance to, and they ve been doing it for well over a decade.

Aside from their energy-packed live shows that have crowds singing and dancing along, nothing more clearly demonstrates the band’s drive than the songs they’ve been releasing independently. That includes their latest single, Hold Me Again, available Dec 1, 2023.

What is Hold Me Again about? Singer Derek Palango explains, “this was definitely a lockdown song. I finished my early demo of it in April 2021. Really I was trying to capture something that felt good and hopeful and steep it in vibes from yesteryear. Clocking in at 1:48, it holds the distinction of being the shortest Checkerboard Floors track ever recorded; a song with a stylistic nod to the past, inspired by pandemic blues, done up short and sweet, in the age of reels, shorts, tiktoks, etc. Plus, we were fortunate enough to have Loretta Hale (The Loretta Hale Big Band, Andre Bisson Band) play cello on it for us.”

The 2021 EP, Music You Dance To, was recorded in isolation throughout 2020 as the band sought to remain productive while gigs had largely dried up from the pandemic. The songs themselves had been in waiting for years; 2020 became the right time to focus on bringing them to light. Music You Dance To is meant to fuse the feel of the band’s live show. The result is five infectious tracks that feel altogether new and familiar, inspiring listeners to move. Iain Key from Louder Than War wrote in his review that “ultimately Checkerboard Floors, with their layered harmonies and sunny disposition transport me to a place I ve only seen on TV or film, such as Degrassi High or a John Hughes movie which always seemed more idyllic than growing up in a dark and wet Manchester”.

Checkerboard Floors are Derek Palango (vocals, guitar), Matt Outerson (bass, vocals), and Kevin Barrie (drums, vocals) who officially replaced founding member Rob Shorney in 2018. Founding member Tyler Wilson (guitar, vocals) departed from the group in 2022. The band originally came together through work, mutual friends, and a shared love of music in early 2009. They quickly secured gigs in local venues as a cover band, and spent the next few years refining their act, performing a wide array of covers from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Tom Petty, Carlos Santana, AC/DC, and more contemporary artists such as The Black Keys, Big Sugar, Simple Minds, The Killers, and The Tragically Hip.

Their sound might be called Alt-Rock. However, it’s not hard for one to also hear varied styles within, which serve as important influences and propel the band s music forward; including though not limited to Blues, Funk, Motown, and Jazz.

The band continues to write, record, and gig. In 2023 it still seems a little tough to know for certain what tomorrow will bring; be it chaos, total standstill, or both at once. For Checkerboard Floors, no matter what, the music keeps on moving.