Candace - Tempesst - Ned Roberts
Candace - Greys.Background - Candace (formerly known as Is/Is) can be traced back to the summer of 2009 when Sarah Rose (guitar/bass/vocals), Sarah Nienaber (guitar/bass/vocals), and Mara Appel DesLauriers (drums/vocals) came up with the great idea to make music together.
The band released the This Happening EP (2010), the “Vowel Movements/Blackest Beat” 7” (2011), their full-length debut, III, in 2012, Is/Is (2014), and a number of single before announcing their name change to Candace in 2016. New Future, the band’s first official release under the new name, was produced, recorded, and mixed by Neil Weir and Candace at Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, Oregon, where the band all lives.
Writing momentum stayed steady following the release of New Future so the band took a trip to Iowa just a few days after Trump was elected to work on some new material. Working with long-time collaborator Neil Weir, at Flat Black Studios, built in an old barn in the middle of nowhere outside of Iowa City, surrounded by corn fields and nothing else, they ate frozen pizza, track for 12-hours a day, and then pass out in a loft sleeping area above the studio. Once the songs were done, the band handed the finished material off to Larry Crane at Jackpot! for mixing.
On November 24, 2017 Candace will release a new 7″ called “Horizons b/w Greys” followed by their highly awaited full-length, New Ruins, in early 2018. Both collections of new material will highlight a sound that is introspective, dreamy, and expansive. Reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, Warpaint, and Beach House, Candace adds an element all their own that can only be described as “hopefully crisp.” Listening to these new songs is akin to waking up on a sweltering day and plunging your face into a bowl of ice water. Wakes you up, gets the blood moving, and adds a little thrill to your day. Facebook here.
Rich and expansive dream pop with a musical arrangement that hints towards shoegaze 'Greys' is a beautiful song where the distant melodic vocals draw the listener in. As a foretaste of the 2018 album that's scheduled, it suggests something pretty special is on it's way.
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Background - London based 4-piece Tempesst are announcing the release of their much-anticipated debut EP Adult Wonderland, by sharing new single ‘Waiheke’. Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the track, Toma Banjanin of the band said: "My girlfriend Summer and I were travelling around New Zealand in a van last summer and ended up staying at her Auntie's 'Bach' (beach cabin) in Waiheke, an island off Auckland. Summer's Dad stayed with us too and gave me my first Tarot reading and I wrote this song about that conversation”.
A new chapter in the Tempesst story, the Adult Wonderland EP marks a confident stride forward for the band, with ‘Waiheke’ standing tall as an apt first taster. Guitars lilt delicately amidst the swaying rhythm section, as Toma sings of the… “first light in the morning” and “sugar coated later days". The push and pull of the expansive vocal harmonies and soothing instrumentals give the track an extremely pleasing dreamy, psychedelic quality; clearly a songwriting process carefully prepared and planned by the quartet.
It’s been a big 12 months or so for Tempesst – led by brothers Toma (vocals, guitars) and Andy Banjanin (drums), and joined by Eric Weber (guitars) and Kane Reynolds (keys) – the band’s back-to-back showcases (The Great Escape, NME Awards, Live At Leeds), festivals (Bushstock, Southsea Fest, Hackney Wonderland) and live dates alongside Mystery Jets, The Veils, Albert Hammond Jr and GUM (Jay Watson, Tame Impala) have propelled them into the spotlight. Fresh from their biggest London headline to date at The Moth Club, Tempesst saw out 2016 with a UK Tour in support of The Temper Trap.
Now the band are preparing to release their much-anticipated debut EP ‘Adult Wonderland’, set for self-release on October 27th, along with a string of UK dates in December. Facebook here.
London alt rockers Tempesst have given us a splendid new single with 'Waiheke'. Atmospheric vocals & harmonies glide above a wonderfully constructed rock soundtrack where all elements intertwine with melodic combinations. The song sets expectations high for the EP!
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Ned Roberts - Angel Station.Background - Following the release of album Outside My Mind earlier in the year on Aveline Records, hotly tipped, London-based musician Ned Roberts has announced new single Angel Station for release on October 20th with a single launch to be held at London’s Green Note on Tuesday 19th September.
Having drawn comparisons with the likes of James Taylor and Bob Dylan (Mojo); Ned has a timeless quality to his sound, a poetic turn of phrase, excellent musicianship and a perfectly judged vocal sensibility. His songs sit comfortably amongst the classics of the Laurel Canyon era.
First single Lights On The River video premiered with the Independent, whilst Gideon Coe championed the album on his BBC 6 Music show. New single Angel Station had its first spin on BBC Radio Scotland’s Roddy Hart show, who subsequently invited Ned in for a session. "A wry song about standing in the rain waiting for a girl. She arrives and tells the singer to pull himself together.” Ned Roberts on Angel Station. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.
With the above James Taylor and Bob Dylan comparisons noted 'Angel Station' rises to the occasion and Ned Roberts deserves full credit in his own right. Many years back London's Angel Station was a daily part of my travels so the video resonates personally, it's the song however that really stands out.
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