pronoun - The Camino Side Project - Fightmilk
One-woman band, pronoun (Alyse Vellturo) releases her new single 'you didn't even make the bed' (Rhyme and Reason Records) today, taken from her forthcoming record due Spring 2019.
pronoun sings of her frustrations of a break up that ended with a messy apartment, in the new track that maintains her niche, lo-fi sound and post-punk sensibilities blended with pop aesthetics that has garnered praise from the likes of The New York Times, NPR, and others.
She explains- "I wrote this when I got home after an ex had just moved out and left it kind of a mess, when I just wanted to scream at the sky, when it was the final straw." pronoun explains, "It transitions from the sad, defeated phase of a break up in to the angry one. This whole record addresses that phase, the one where you're like "really...REALLY?!".
Back in 2016, pronoun released her debut EP, 'There's no one new around you,' an ode to the Tinder message one receives once they've reached the end of all eligible contenders on the app. The four track EP is filled with delicate rock tracks that were all written, recorded, and produced by Vellturo herself after a strenuous breakup. She has since toured stateside with the likes of Turnover and Basement, launched her own record abel, played SXSW twice (and threw an official showcase in 2018). WEBSITE.
A level of simmering emotion is backed by a subtle and melodic musical backdrop on 'you didn't even make the bed' a song that quickly delivers musical hooks, whilst the vocals softly share their message with determination and commitment.
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Multi-instrumentalist Paul Farran originally hails from Montreal, Canada, and proficiently practices the poetic baritone of the city's patron saint, Leonard Cohen. But Farran’s influences extend far beyond his roots, having lived internationally and travelled extensively, including his work for the United Nations in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Viet Nam.
Paul began his music career in the alternative rock band Pacer which released two albums between 1998 and 2003, chalking up hundreds of shows each year. But balancing globe-trotting work and new family obligations made it hard to keep his role in the band rolling, and he reluctantly shelved his music ambitions to make room for new dreams. In 2008, Paul and his wife walked 400 miles of the “Camino de Santiago,” an ancient route that crosses Northern Spain, and tied the knot at the end of the journey. In 2016, they undertook another life-changing trip, both quitting their UN jobs to backpack with their young kids on a half year trip from Africa to South East Asia and back, then onwards to Europe.
It was during this journey that Paul revived his musical aspirations and conceived The Camino Side Project, with the Spanish word “Camino” meaning path or way. He put his master’s degree in international relations to good use, enlisting the musicians he met along the way and reviving musical links from his past to join him in documenting his travels, inspirations and introspections. This musical journal turned into 11 songs about 11 countries, each entry reflecting on the genuine experiences in life that impact one’s own perspectives and decisions. Often Paul’s guests provided an additional instrumental texture and on other tracks it led to full blown collaboration, like with Vietnamese hip hop artist Radical on “Highbeam”.
The resulting LP, of movement & music, was recorded on the road, on 4 continents, 11 countries, 14 studios over 18 months. It is a lush and dynamic journey, landing somewhere between Nick Cave and The Tragically Hip. Acoustic guitars bounce off modern alternative tones as Farran’s warm baritone vocals provide poetic context for the exotic instrumentals, extrapolating on a life filled with contrast and beauty. WEBSITE.
'Vilma's Soundtrack' is the second of twelve tracks on 'of movement & music' album and such is the variety across the collection it should be heard as just one dimension of the whole. The consistent side to the album is the often acoustic lead excursions into alt or indie rock and Paul Farran's highly engaging vocals.
The production is superb and refinement and quality are key elements, along with the heart and feeling that is always there, and of course the additional influences the guest contributors add to this very fine album.
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Ahead of the release of their debut album, DIY pop punks Fightmilk reveal their new single "Dream Phone", an absolute smasher of a power ballad that ramps up into a joyous drum sample pop extravaganza - based on everyone's favourite 90s secret admirer game "Dream Phone". The track is taken from their forthcoming album Not With That Attitude, due out via Reckless Yes on 2 November.
Fightmilk hit the road in November/December for a thrilling run of live dates, with delightful supports and strong line-ups, including their free album launch show at The Shacklewell Arms on 2 November, featuring flirting. and Jemma Freeman And The Cosmic Something. They'll also be playing a Nottingham show with labelmates Chorusgirl as well as Mammoth Penguins.
Fightmilk create sweaty, loud, shouty pop songs about crushing hard, acting out, and running away to solve crimes in Sweden. Blending acerbic lyrics with riffs galore and the urge to dance when you least expect it, Fightmilk revel in a certain inexplicable 90s nostalgia.
The band formed in 2015 when lifelong friends Lily Rae and Alex Wisgard were both made romantically redundant at the same time. In the wake of broken relationships and an uncomfortable year spent living at their respective homes at the age of 25, they realised there was too much angst, too much Kirsty MacColl, and too many drunk nights of making up fake band names for them not to be in a band together. They began writing songs, partly as a way to work out some of their issues and partly so that they could reference It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Moving on from just the two of them and a drum machine called Elton that they couldn’t figure out how to operate, they were joined by Nick Kiddle on drums and Adam Wainwright on bass (who was also handy at piano, cooking dinner and making electronic music in his bedroom under the name of Future Wife).
A joyous gem of a record, Not With That Attitude was recorded at Dean Street Studios in Soho with Keith TOTP across four stolen weekends over a two year period. This gave the band time to hone their songwriting, iron out the kinks and spend time over the mixing, so that it sounded meatier and more polished than their previous recordings. Drawing on bands such as Weezer, Sleeper, The Long Blondes, Martha, Charly Bliss, Diet Cig and Johnny Foreigner, Fightmilk have carved out their own sound and place in the musical universe to add a bit of joy, angst and humour to everyday existance. BANDCAMP.
Having already featured 'How You Move On' and 'Four Star Hotel' in the past three months, we now have Fightmilk's latest single 'Dream Phone' ahead of this Friday's album release. Once again we a treated to the bands catchy and likable sound, this time in the form of a power ballad which as always digs it's hooks in deep.
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