Diamond Thug - Cloning the Mammoth - PLGRMS
Diamond Thug - Cosmic Dreamer.Background - In 2016 the South African band, Diamond Thug, recorded their debut EP with the help of Dave Minehan (The Replacements) and released it to waves of support, Indie Shuffle calling it ‘…a joy to listen to’. After significant support at Spotify where they have now had several million plays on just one single, and in their home country, Diamond Thug have introduced their music internationally with their last single ‘Eclipsed’. And more comes in the form of their next single ‘Cosmic Dreamer’, and it doesn’t disappoint. The track is available from August 4th via Phonofile.
Since their formation, Diamond Thug have continually evolved, always striving to create a unique sound that’s stay true to their perspective. Their music glides through dream-pop, skittish, off-kilter electronica & psychedelic-rock, creating cosmic-influenced ethereal soundscapes, which swirl below Chantel’s haunting, yet beautiful melodies.
The pursuit of an authentic & honest sound has earned the band various honours in international competitions such as Culture Collide’s pick to perform at SXSW 2017, as well as Converse’s Music Global Takeover and the attention of Grammy Award winner Darryl Torr, who had this to say about the band: "When listening to Diamond Thug, you are taken on a journey. It’s the effortless vocals, supported by a solid band, that tips you over the edge & pulls you through into their world. It’s rare to find a voice that can execute such interesting melodies so effortlessly as well as a band that leaves space for the vocals to shine, yet are able to maintain musical integrity." Website here, Facebook here.
'Cosmic Dreamer' lives up to the song title with some refreshing & dreamy music. Melodic vocals are well up in the mix, adding additional power to the magnetic atmosphere.
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Background - Blending memorable melodies and driving tempos with ethereal soundscapes and ambient backdrops, Perth band Cloning the Mammoth have already honed a style that is uniquely their own.
This style is on show in their new song ‘San Francisco’, noticeably in the guitar work, which refuses to marry with conventional rock stereotypes. Heavily effected guitars are used to create synth like backdrops for the band’s more pop-oriented melodies and hooks. An extended range of notes afforded by use of a 6-string bass guitar helps give the bass playing a unique melodic edge. Combined with some unpredictable structures and arrangements, ‘San Francisco’ forms a captivating mosaic of sound.
The writing process behind this sound is very studio based as guitarist Bevan Green explains, “We spend a lot of time fiddling with effects and gear until we can create interesting sounds to fit the music. Especially lately we just write to record, and many of the songs start as sounds and ideas on a laptop before we translate it to a live band format.”
‘San Francisco’ has all the hallmarks of a young band reaching towards an eclectic, textured and refreshing new sound. With a debut EP in the works and none of the band having reached the age of 20, the future is looking promising for Cloning the Mammoth. “San Francisco” will be released 11th of August 2017. Facebook here.
The music is enticing and upbeat on 'San Francisco' a vibrant Indie track that is taken even further by the flowing vocals. This is very catchy!
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PLGRMS - Crawling Back.Background - Australian duo PLGRMS, have released their new single ‘Crawling Back’, via London-based label 0E0E Records. A hugely welcome return from the Sydney based pair - whose spritely, glitchy electronic pop has gained a reputation for being some of the most inventive, exhilarating electronic music coming out of Australia at the moment. The duo have been making some impressive waves of late. Not only have they amassed over 7 million streams for previous singles in the past 12 months, along with with tours supporting Mansionair, Vera Blue and Oh Wonder on their home soil - PLGRMS' stocks are rapidly rising.
"'Crawling Back' was one of the first songs we conceived as PLGRMS” the band explain. “Lyrically, the song is based around seeing friends go through situations where their relationship had gone bad — and they just stuck around because it was all they knew. So I guess the inspiration was more observational than a personal experience.”
Where previous singles have landed more on the electronic end of the spectrum, PLGRMS new single 'Crawling Back’ is more organic in its instrumentation. Still retaining the key elements that make it very much a PLGRMS track, but with more of live and "band” sound to their previous releases. Synths wail amongst African-tinged percussion, with Jacob’s warm vocals elegantly weaving around the beat - all carried by a funk-laced bass line. It’s another exciting step forward, for an incredibly exciting band.
PLGRMS is the Sydney-based duo of singer-songwriter Jacob Pearson and multi-instrumentalist songwriter/producer Jonathan Bowden. Website here, Facebook here.
It's getting on for a year ago that we first featured PLGRMS. The new song 'Crawling Back' can easily be described along the lines of our last review where we commentated "the superb vocals immediately grabbed my attention.. ..musically it's a sophisticated electro soundtrack". The latest release only serves to confirm this duo are consistently very good.
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