Adam & Elvis - Cara Salimando

Adam & Elvis - Modern Hitz / Thick Bob.

Background - The Reading (Berkshire, UK) band have performed their adventurous, singularly intense live shows on the same bill as Fat White Family, The Zombies and The Correspondents, and garnered resounding praise for their blistering debut single, ‘Hanging Tree’, taken from their first long-player, Through Snow and Small Talk, to be released on the band’s own DIY Freak Power label in the autumn of 2017. It’s an album fizzing with ideas and energy, capturing Adam & Elvis in all their irreverent, witty and experimental glory, the sound of a group that have come of age and are proving as hard to pigeonhole as they are to ignore.

About ‘Modern Hitz’ We’ve all been there. Another Saturday night enduring identikit clubs, watery drinks and cheesy chart music in the vain hope of stumbling across a special someone. It’s a state of affairs that Adam & Elvis sum up with characteristically mischievous prose in ‘Modern Hitz’, inspired, as vocalist Patrick Malone explains, “by times I have crossed my fingers queueing for a club, hoping the music isn’t depressing and the company isn't awful”. At the heart of the song’s intoxicating blend of carnivalesque power pop, new-wave funk, silvery synth and quivering guitar stands a hooky chorus that candidly summarises Patrick’s nightlife desires: “Please can I have a kiss/What the hell do you think I’m dancing for?”


About ‘Thick Bob’ Inspired by an Edgar Allan Poe short story where a son kills his mother to keep all the buried treasure for himself, ‘Thick Bob’ appropriately finds Adam & Elvis at their most overtly Gothic to date. Channelling late-period Damned, the song is all jagged hammer-ons, squalling lead, tumbling drums and a vocal delivery that’s equal parts melodrama and menace. The shock contrast of the summery chorus and warped instrumental break only serves to further the sense of unease – and that’s before the Hitchcockian string stabs kick in. ‘Thick Bob’ is a rare beast that puts both a spring in your step and a shiver down your spine. Facebook here.

We featured 'She Bites Mosquitoes' from the new album in September and now have two more songs from the collection, along with the back drop for both tracks above. The album comprising of ten songs, sees the band mix elements of personal incite, outside the box opinions and a level of surreal beauty that is addictive and occasionally challenging. Whilst I might not agree with all of their thoughts, the album is impressive, full of mischief and a fabulous listen.


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Cara Salimando - Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby.

Background - Cara Salimando is a singer, songwriter from New Jersey, currently based in Los Angeles. She is signed to Sony/ATV for publishing and as a writer has penned hits for the likes of Tinashe, Sabrina Carpenter, Hey Violet, Grace Mitchell, Jarina DeMarco, Whissell, Soliddisco, Grace Sewell, Lia Marie Johnson as well as co-writing songs like Kesha's "Hymn" and Dua Lipa's "Begging". Cara is the major labels' go to for effortless cool.

With her first release since 2013 - 'Nothing's Going To Hurt You Baby' is a serene cover of the Cigarettes After Sex classic. Cara noted,  "This was the first song I'd ever heard by Cigarettes After Sex; lyrically this song is so vivid and nostalgic in all the right ways, something I definitely admire about their work in general. My frequent collaborator Bram Inscore and I got to try our hand at making our own version of it and I think the lyric is painted a little differently with a female voice on it, yet the softness remains. Super versatile wording is the mark of great writing. "

The song was produced by Bram Inscore who who co-wrote/produced half of the last Troye Sivan record and whose other accolades include Bipolar Sunshine, Twin Shadow, Hayley Kiyoko, Jr Jr, Mayor Hawthorne and many more. 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' will be featured on We Are: The Guard's Volume 1 compilation, alongside others like DENM. Facebook here.

Dreamy and emotive vocals alongside an expansive and dramatic musical backdrop makes 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' a compelling listen. As cover versions go, this is a very fine example of how to make it your own, doing so with style and depth.


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