US rock outfit Mad Painter present the official music video for “Empty Bottles,” a track taken from their album “Island Poetry”, out via Epictronic.
Blending bright guitar arpeggios, vintage 1970s keyboard textures, and soaring power-pop energy, “Empty Bottles” showcases a more uplifting side of Mad Painter’s classic rock-inspired sound.
Built around a memorable melody and an anthemic chorus, “Empty Bottles” transforms themes of post-isolation fatigue into a hopeful call to keep moving forward. With the encouraging refrain, “Why don’t you try one more time / Everything will work out fine,” the song captures the feeling of overcoming difficult moments and finding strength through perseverance.
The new Mad Painter’s album “Island Poetry” is a focused, collaborative album shaped by the current band’s lineup. Inspired by the image of island dwellers gathered around a campfire under a full moon, the record explores the idea of creative freedom and escaping everyday pressures.
Rooted in 1970s British rock, the album blends Hammond-driven hard rock, boogie, progressive textures, theatrical arrangements, and heavy riffs across twelve tracks. Recorded at Lowell Street Sound by Tom Hamilton, who handled production and mixing, the album embraces a warm, natural analog-style sound. Featuring lyrics by Dmitry M. Epstein on six tracks and closing with a cover of Uriah Heep’s “Circle of Hands,” “Island Poetry” celebrates the spirit of classic rock while adding Mad Painter’s own identity.
STREAM “Island Poetry”: orcd.co/islandpoetry
About Mad Painter
Mad Painter is a Boston-area rock band devoted to the weight, color, and melodic ambition of classic 1970s rock. Led by vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, and concept creator Alex Gitlin, the group builds its sound around roaring Hammond organ, hard-driving guitar, muscular rhythms, layered vocals, and warm analog-style production.
The band’s music draws heavily from the golden age of British hard rock, progressive rock, glam, boogie, and blues-based album rock, with Deep Purple and Uriah Heep as central reference points — particularly in the use of Hammond organ as a lead instrument rather than background texture. Elements of Rainbow, Queen, Status Quo, Wishbone Ash, Motörhead, Nektar, Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, AC/DC, Spooky Tooth, and Atomic Rooster also run through the band’s vocabulary.
The current recorded lineup features Alex Gitlin, drummer Al Hendry, bassist Kenne Highland, guitarist Al Naha, and backing vocalist Julie Gee, with Sharon Crumrine appearing as additional backing vocalist on “Island Poetry.” Together, they make vintage-minded but not nostalgic music: dramatic songs, heavy riffs, melodic hooks, and expansive arrangements, played with conviction.
Follow Mad Painter’s musical odyssey:
Website: madpainter.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/madpainter1
X: x.com/painter_mad
Instagram: instagram.com/madpainterband
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@madpainter4010
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