Stay Home by Wot Gorilla?

‘Stay Home’ marks a sharp, self-produced evolution for Wot Gorilla? It was recorded entirely by the band, with mastering by Joe Gibb (digital) and Pete Maher (vinyl). The band’s unique brand of math-rock is louder, leaner and more precise than ever, incorporating post-hardcore intensity and pop sensibility with new warmth and bite. “Wot Gorilla? have always thrived on tension — between precision and chaos, melody and math,” says Haigh. “Stay Home is the sound of us reconnecting with why we started this band in the first place.” The album distills over a decade of angular riffs, complex rhythms and melodic urgency into their most cohesive statement yet.

The process of creating ‘Stay Home’ was slow and steady, to say the least. Drums were laid down over two intense days at Hope Mill Studio in Manchester — but only after weeks of painstaking click-track mapping and tempo-change planning, ensuring every twist and technical left-turn landed exactly where it needed to. From there, the rest of the album took shape in far less conventional surroundings: guitars, bass, vocals and experimentation were tracked between Grant’s house and the band’s rehearsal space over nearly three years. Some of the music dates back to before the pandemic, which meant the gradual, DIY recording process became a way of rediscovering songs that started life in a different world. The title ‘Stay Home’ — shared with a key track on the record — nods
to that isolation period: not just the literal instruction of lockdown, but the inward focus required to rebuild momentum when the scene went silent.

With full control over their sound, Wot Gorilla? weren’t afraid to chase new tones, push arrangements and refine performances until they clicked. That freedom meant technical hurdles, late-night breakthroughs, and the odd existential “What time signature even is this?” moment — but resulted in a record made by Wot Gorilla? stretching every muscle they’ve built since 2009.

Formed in 2009 in Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, Wot Gorilla? have carved out their own corner of the UK’s math and post-hardcore scene with a wiry collision of intricate rhythms, melodic hooks and restless energy. Veterans of Reading & Leeds, 2000trees, ArcTanGent, Live at Leeds and StrangeForms festivals, they’ve shared stages with the likes of Vennart, The Get Up Kids, Delta Sleep, Cursive and Rolo Tomassi, earning a reputation for tight musicianship and dynamic live shows.

Hailing from Halifax, England, Wot Gorilla? combine elements of math, pop and progressive rock with heavy melodic breakdowns.

Formed in 2008/2009, they've performed regular shows both alone and alongside the likes of Cursive, Tera Melos, The Get Up Kids & Tubelord.

In August 2010 the band performed on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festival.

wotgorilla.co.uk