FORMER songwriter and guitarist with Wirral chart toppers The Boo Radleys, Martin Carr has released his first new material since 2017’s acclaimed New Shapes Of Life album.

Single Shapes, which became available on all digital platforms on November 26, is described as “a fascinating three minutes, which takes in odd experimentation before bursting into a brilliant, Beatles-esque chorus”.

“I wrote it on the guitar; it’s very simple, then I started throwing sounds at it,” said Martin. “I love to make collages and my music production method is identical. I move stuff around; I cut and bend and turn. I’m not after any particular sound or style. I try to be disciplined in the studio, but I wouldn’t want anything to dampen the thrill of inspiration that moves so fast, you can’t catch it all.”

Lyrically, the song is all about communication, or the lack of it. “I’m a terrible communicator,” he said. “I’m self absorbed and hardly have time for anything that lies beyond the front door.”

As he works on more tracks for a new album, Martin has also announced a new Bandcamp subscription service, where fans can get work in progress demos, exclusive live streamed performances, artwork, a regular magazine of memories and meanderings called New Shapes and, vinyl production problems allowing, actual records, among other things.

The new release and announcement coincides with a huge UK tour throughout December supporting The Charlatans - Martin’s first with his new backing band, What Future, featuring Gaz Williams on bass, Bernie Plain on drums and keyboardist Matthew Frederick.

The tour, which celebrates The Charlatans’ 30th anniversary, stops in at Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory on December 8 with a date at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse on December 4.

Formed in Wallasey in 1988, The Boo Radleys broke into the mainstream in the mid-90s with their huge hit Wake Up Boo! and 1995 number one album Wake Up! before splitting in 1999.