Big Big Train release Winter single Proper Jack Froster

Big Big Train have released their new Winter single, Proper Jack Froster. The seasonal offering, which is available now, is taken from the septet's upcoming album Welcome To The Planet, which is released through their English Electric Recordings label on January 28.

“I lived in a quiet cul-de-sac in a small town in the Midlands," explains bassist and founder Greg Spawton, who based the song on his own childhood experiences. "The road was built on the site of an old quarry and we had these amazing long back gardens with a hill at the end. I had really good friends in the road (including a childhood sweetheart) and I was blissfully happy.

"Back in the 70’s in the Midlands, it was very cold and we would have snow two or three times a year. The house would be so cold there would be ice inside the windows (my Mum would say that Jack Frost had called during the night). I didn’t mind though as I’d get to go sledging with my friends. Unfortunately, my happy childhood had a sad ending. My parents went through a very difficult divorce and my childhood sweetheart moved away. In the end we had to leave the house I grew up in and we went to live in a small flat in a different part of town. I had no friends there and was very miserable for a while. Proper Jack Froster is a song about those childhood experiences."

The surprise Welcome To The Planet features nine new tracks and arrives a mere six months after the release of the band’s critically acclaimed top 40 album Common Ground. You can see the new album artwork and tracklisting below.

“The experience of the pandemic has shown us that we need to make the best use of our time on Earth," explains Spawton. "With that in mind and with new band members on board giving us a fresh head of steam, we decided on a speedy return to the studio to write and record Welcome To The Planet.”

The band had recently been streaming brand new material that hadn't featured on Common Ground, The Connection Plan, Lanterna and most recently Made From Sunshine, all of which feature on the new album.

Big Big Train will undertake their biggest UK tour in support of both Common Ground and Welcome To The Planet, with support from Mark Kelly's Marathon, which culminates with a prestigious show at the London Palladium on March 23.

Pre-order Welcome To The Planet.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.