PRAISE FOR ‘THE PANIC YEARS’:
“Full of intelligent songwriting, a psychedelic edge and Americana influence.” – Wonderland
“A debut solo collection that sparkles with fizzy brilliance.” – Dork
“Lush, soaring vocals, and effortlessly cool alt-rock instrumentals.” – 1883
“A psychedelic rock feel, which perfectly caters to his rich, seasoned vocal tone.” – Euphoria
In an industry full of strategised collaborations, it’s rare to see two big names from different continents unite their talents after crossing paths almost by chance. But that’s exactly what Bradley Simpson did shortly after releasing his acclaimed Top 10 solo album ‘The Panic Years’, he connected with Hongjoong of K-Pop superstars ATEEZ.
The result is a new version of one of ‘The Panic Years’ key songs ‘Almost’. Hongjoong naturally brings his own fresh take to ‘Almost’ by reworking its second verse with new Korean-language lyrics and adding to Bradley’s topline with his own distinctive backing harmonies.
Bradley says, “It was a very organic process. Hongjoong posted ‘Almost’ on his stories and we started to chat and he sent over a verse literally two weeks later. It’s been really interesting working with an artist who comes from a different style of music to me and hearing a song that’s on the album slightly reimagined. I’ve always loved collaborating and had a similar experience reworking ‘Favourite Band’ with Nieve Ella.”
Hongjoong added, “I’ve admired Bradley’s music for a while, so when I shared one of his songs and he reached out, it was such a great surprise. Everything came together really naturally – the way he approached the track made it easy for me to find where I fit. Our styles are different, but that made it even more exciting. I love stepping into new sounds and challenges, and it was especially fun working with someone who shares a similar energy and passion for music, even if we come from different backgrounds.”
On the live front, Bradley Simpson has just completed a tour of Asia as special guest to Henry Moodie. Next up is a run of high profile UK festival dates, starting at Together Again tomorrow and moving onto Boardmasters (August 10th) and Victorious (August 24th). His touring in support of ‘The Panic Years’ has seen him play sold-out shows across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.
The eight-piece ATEEZ became South Korean superstars with a succession of domestic chart-toppers after debuting in 2018. But they soon became one of the genre’s prime players on the global stage, famously making UK chart history when they became the first K-Pop group to score three Official Album Chart Top 10 hits in one year – and their impact was further underlined with two sold-out London O2 shows at the start of 2025. They’re even bigger in the States, where they have already landed two #1s on the Billboard Top 200 and regularly pack stadiums and arenas.
