John Mitchell praises “brilliant” Kepler Ten

White Star Records co-founder John Mitchell says Kepler Ten blew him away when he first heard the band’s demos.

The trio of vocalist, bassist and keyboardist James Durand, drummer and pianist Steve Hales, along with guitarist Richie Cahill are gearing up to launch their debut album Delta V on February 10.

And Mitchell, who started the label with Chris Hillman last year, calls the band “brilliant” and says he only had to slightly tweak the mixing as the demo tracks were so good.

Mitchell says: “Upon setting up White Star Records, we had a day of listening to demos that were submitted by artists from around the world. It was quite an extensively long day and there were a lot of demos to get through.

“In all the bands we listened to, Kepler Ten were shoulders above everything else. They jumped out the speakers at myself and Chris and we said almost instantaneously how much we loved the band.

“The whole record had already been recorded. It was just brilliant. The only thing I thought that could benefit from was a bit of the old Mitchell magic – the fairy dust on the mix.

“I think I must have mixed it over a four-day period and it was fun to do.”

Kepler Ten released a video for their track Time And Tide last year, with Hales saying: “The song is sad but the message is not. Don’t take anything for granted and make the absolute best of those good times. Fly their flags high.”

Delta V is available for pre-order. See the artwork and tracklist below.

Kepler Ten Delta V tracklist

Ultraviolet
Time And Tide
The Stone
Swallowtail
The Shallows
In The Sere And Yellow
Red Skies Rise

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.