Sheffield dance-punk quintet Life Aquatic Band share new single'Stuck In The Mud'
New EP Stuck In The Mud out February 20th
“The psychedelic curveball you need in your life” - NME
“They fill the dancefloor, but also leave the pulse racing” - Far Out Magazine
“It's a shimmering slice of electro-punk that distils the band’s high-octane live energy into something lean, dark and instantly danceable” - Record Of The Day
“Upbeat, sun-drenched and life-affirming music that bursts out of your speakers”
- Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
“It's a great tune!”
- Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music
Today, Sheffield dance-punk quintet Life Aquatic Band have shared new single ‘Stuck In The Mud’. The track is the title-track from their new four-track EP produced by three-time Mercury-nominated Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghostpoet, Spiritualized), out February 20th, 2026.
Known for their high-energy, genre-hopping live shows, LAB have honed their sound into something tighter, darker and more dancefloor-focused, drawing on the energy of acts like DEVO, The B-52’s, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip and Fat Dog. “We were really chasing the early 2000s electro clash movement with this, with also a lot of the New York No Wave movement of the 1970s,” the band explain. “For the first time we decided not to use any guitars - or at least not in a traditional sense. The only guitar is on ‘Buggin Out’ and it was resampled a million times until it became noise rather than guitar.”
The EP’s title reflects its central themes: “It’s about feeling stuck and frustrated, but also discovering relief in unexpected ways, probably inspired by learning different types of therapy. We’ve always wanted to make positive music that helps people find happiness, and this time we explored a darker palette while making sure there’s still plenty of light and release running through it.”
LAB’s work with Shinoda marks their first time collaborating with a producer. “Shuta really helped us make this sound concise - we’d never worked with a producer before, and having his input to pull the tracks together really helped. The fact it was recorded to tape also makes up for a lot of the sound, and pulls together the acoustic/live instruments with the synths.”
Their new single blends hypnotic electronic grooves with dense, percussive textures - some made from unconventional found sounds - to explore the comfort and claustrophobia of repetition. The song had been in the band’s back pocket for years, cementing its place on the EP once audiences began singing along on first listen.
Having toured the tracks through autumn/winter 2024 before recording, the band knew they had a set that could move a crowd. “You can hear the growth on this record - we’ve learned to be more selective with our maximalism, crafting tracks that are instantly memorable without relying on traditional pop structures. It feels like we’ve carved out our own space,” says vocalist and guitarist Ben Allen.
You can catch Life Aquatic Band in the UK towards the end of this year. See dates below.
November 29th Hull, New Adelphi
December 3rd Sheffield, Sidney and Matilda
