Howling Bells is the self-titled debut album by London-based Australian indie rock band Howling Bells. It was released through Bella Union in the UK on 8 May 2006. The album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Ken Nelson and recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, in early 2005.

Howling Bells was predominantly written by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Juanita Stein, with the majority of its themes revolving around her relationships and feelings of affection. Most of the songs were demoed in Australia but all were recorded in England, as the band relocated there to work with Ken Nelson. Five singles were released from the album, four of which appeared on the UK Singles Chart. The album peaked in the Top 100 in the UK and just outside the Top 50 in Australia. It was, at the time, the fastest-selling album on the Bella Union label, and it appeared on album-of-the-year lists in eight different publications. In 2006, Howling Bells was a finalist for the Australian Music Prize and a nominee for the Shortlist Music Prize. The 12-track set features a wide array of music styles, including rock, pop, country, folk, and blues.

Howling Bells performed at numerous club shows and festivals around the world to promote the album. They supported various artists, including Editors, Mercury Rev, Placebo, Snow Patrol, and the Killers. In general, Howling Bells was received extremely well by music critics. Those who reviewed it less favourably argued that the album's content was superficial and that the songs were repetitive at times.

Background Most of the song lyrics on Howling Bells were written by Juanita Stein when she took time off from the band's previous incarnation, the Sydney-based pop rock group Waikiki. All members of Howling Bells were also in Waikiki. After growing discontent with their pop rock sound, the band members opted to assume an indie rock identity and changed their name to Howling Bells. The group began to perform material from Howling Bells while still called Waikiki. The majority of the lyrical subject matter centres on Juanita's own interpersonal relationships.Cohen, Ben (31 March 2009). "We Meet The Howling Bells". t5m Insider. The 5th Medium Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.McNaney, Luke (24 August 2006). "Howling Bells Interview". CD Times. Poisonous Monkey Ltd. Archived from the original on 29 August 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2011. She wrote some songs about the loss felt through ending relationships and others about forming new romance. Afterward, drummer Glenn Moule, guitarist Joel Stein, and bass guitarist Brendan Picchio arranged the music around her words.Fletcher, Jon (November 2006). "Interview: Howling Bells". New-Noise. Archived from the original on 17 December 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2011.

The band found a country house in the mountains of Victoria, where they spent a month creating demo tracks for the album. "Broken Bones" and "Blessed Night" were the only two tracks not to be demoed in Australia. "I'm Not Afraid", the album's last track, was written by Peter Stein (Joel and Juanita's father), who is also a songwriter and musician."Juanita Stein". Last.fm. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.

After hearing Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head, they agreed that was how they wanted their album to sound. They sent demos to Ken Nelson, who was responsible for producing A Rush of Blood to the Head. Nelson soon responded, stating that he would be interested in working with them.Fungus, Slender (14 May 2009). "Howling Bells Interview – We Talked to Juanita Stein from Coldplay's Latest Support Act". Coldplay. EMI (IP) Ltd. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2011. With little financial security, they relocated to London and waited for Nelson to finish production on Coldplay's X&Y. The start date of the recording of Howling Bells was repeatedly delayed because Coldplay was dissatisfied with its studio sessions. In the meantime, to support themselves, the members of Howling Bells took up temporary work. Eight to ten months after their arrival in England, Nelson contacted them with the news that he would soon be ready to record.

Recording and getting signed In early 2005, the band started recording Howling Bells at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool. Some of Coldplay's equipment from the X&Y sessions was still in the facility when Howling Bells arrived. They recorded Howling Bells in two to three months, with all the main vocal and instrument tracking done in real time, as if in a live setting. This was a staple of Nelson's recording approach. Due to the personal significance of her songs, Juanita had the studio lights turned off in order to make the recording experience feel more private. The band appreciated Nelson's techniques and studio abilities. They stated that he was great sonically and very adept at de-emphasising some songs that they had initially approached overzealously. They also expressed that they felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with the award-winning producer.

As of July 2005, Howling Bells were not yet signed to a label."A&R Newsletter Vol. LXXIV". A&R Worldwide. Pangaea Entertainment Group, LLC. (5 July 2005). Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011. An associate of the band passed a copy of the album to Simon Raymonde, co-founder of Bella Union.Hughes, Rich (16 July 2007). "Bella Union Week: Interview with Howling Bells". The Line of Best Fit. Richard Thane. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011. Howling Bells signed to that label because of its genuine concern for the music and not for only its commercial viability. They also signed with Liberation to release the album in Australia."Howling Bells". Liberation Music. Liberation Records Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2011. After a year, the band left Bella Union, with whom it had a one-record only contract agreement.Strange, Francesca (March 2009). "Howling Bells: Interview". 4orTheRecord.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011. In 2008, Howling Bells signed to work with Independiente and released their follow-up album, Radio Wars, through that label.Team Inde (30 January 2008). "Independiente Announce New Signing!!!". Independiente. Andy MacDonald. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011. After signing a deal with Nettwerk Music Group, Radio Wars became Howling Bells' first album released in North America."Howling Bells Sign To Nettwerk; Join Coldplay Spring Tour". (5 April 2009). Nettwerk. Nettwerk One Publishing. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.

Singles

The release of Howling Bells was preceded by three singles, "Low Happening" (December 2005), "Wishing Stone" (February 2006), and "Blessed Night" (May 2006). A total of five singles were released from the album, which included "Low Happening" being issued twice. Four of the album's singles appeared on the UK Singles Chart, but none reached the Top 100.Zywietz, Tobias (2007). "Chart Log UK > Howling Bells". Zobbel.de (originally from OCC ∞ The Official Charts Company). Microtech Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2011. Lead single "Low Happening" was the only single released from the album that appeared on the Australian Singles Chart. It surfaced for two weeks, where it peaked at no. 76.Wallace, Ian (6 June 2006). . ARIA. Australian Recording Industry Association. (848): 4. Archived from the original on 30 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011. Note: A free, open-source original online document for this reference does not exist. In this case, the original is from Pandora Archive and was preserved there on 20 June 2006. The song's lyrics were written solely by Juanita. It was the first Howling Bells song she ever wrote, and it is about a dysfunctional relationship. The music video that accompanied "Low Happening" was directed by Josh Logue for Mathematics and was shot at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney.Louge, Josh (Director); Biffone, Francesco (Director of Photography). (2005) (QuickTime) (.MOV). "Low Happening". [Music video]. Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia: Mathematics. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2011. Note: (2005 Version) Its director of photography, Francesco Biffone, won a Silver ACS Award for cinematography.ACS Webmaster (1 September 2008). . ACS.MyLithio.com. Australian Cinematographers Society. Archived from on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011. "Low Happening" was re-issued in March 2007, where it served as the album's final single. A second music video for the song was produced to accommodate the release. It was filmed at the Barfly in Camden and directed by Dan Sully for Rebel Monk.artbandini (20 February 2007). "Howling Bells – 'Low Happening' (Dir. Dan Sully)". Videos Antville. Schaefer Tobi. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2011.Sabogal, Christopher (5 January 2011). "Christopher Sabogal • Reduced CV" (PDF). Web.Me.com. Apple Inc. p. 2. Archived from the original on 13 April 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011. Note: 2007 version. NME placed it among the Top 30 songs of 2007. Note: User required to click on year tab at left for 2006 or 2007 listings (original only). That year, the single was included on the soundtrack for Rugby 08, a video game released by EA Sports."Rugby 08". MobyGames. GF Media Inc. (25 July 2007). Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.