Night Flight new single 'David' precedes a new E.P due next February. We featured the band a couple of times last year and the newest track sees the band in thoughtful mode with this tender and beautiful track. === Tokyo Tea Room just released their 'Dream Room' E.P. We have already shared a couple of tracks from it and been very impressed with their psych pop creations, the final two songs are equally refined. === With a rhythmic opening 'Highlife' fromThe Broken Islands gently builds with melodic vocals before the band unleash a powerful and expansive post rock feel, on this sub six minute feast. === Last month we featured the song 'See' by Plaza as a taster for the new E.P wernotplaza ll. Now with all four songs we find that the quartet are not tied to any one style, indeed they are quite open with their influences and whats more they have served up a very fine collection of songs.
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Night Flight - David.
London based band Night Flight today announce the release of a new EP, ‘White Noise’, due for release February 28th 2020 via CRC Records. The follow-up to their widely praised self-titled debut released in 2018, the songs on ‘White Noise’ individually explore the nuances in specific pockets of life; disillusionment, isolation and self-reflection in the midst of personal recovery.
Night Flight (aka Sam Holmes, Dan Webb, Harry Phillips and Oliver Halvorsen) are a band whose strength and appeal lies in their ability to construct affecting, relatable songs - pairing meditative, honest lyrics with high-reaching folk-rock instrumentals. New single ‘David’ is a fine example of that, with singer and guitarist Sam Holmes ruminating on a past relationship: “You’re doing better than I thought without me”.
Speaking on the release of new single ‘David’, Sam describes the track as “A mourning of love through second-hand news. The conversations shared with a forgotten friend in the strange aftermath of a relationship wherein perpetuity ends.”
‘David’ portrays a scenario where two people were once so cognitively intertwined, but they now share each other through news and rumour. “‘David’ is the coming to terms of the end” Sam goes on to say. “A realisation that what once was, will no longer be; that someone you’ve known for so long, will now only exist in memory.”
Written predominantly in Sam Holmes’ hometown of Rye on the British south-coast, the songs on ‘White Noise’ were penned during a period of transition both for the band and for Sam personally. There’s a backdrop of heartbreak, the panic of anxiety and subsequent feeling of catharsis.
Tokyo Tea Room released the ‘Dream Room’ EP yesterday via A Certain Kind Records. Vibrant synths, glimmering guitars and addictive rhythm section grooves combine to provide a bed for Beth Plumb and Daniel Elliot’s airy, ethereal vocals across four quintessential examples of their hazy psych-pop sound. Occupying a similar space to the collegiate bedroom indie of MUNYA, Men I Trust or Far Caspian as well as taking cues from Tame Impala, DIIV, Air and Mazzy Star.
The release is the culmination of a process of ongoing evolution. Deciding on a fresh start at the beginning of 2019, and realising how much their sound had matured, the band removed all their previous output from digital services, choosing indeed to move forward in their new sonic direction.
This bold approach however hasn’t stopped Tokyo Tea Room achieving success on a wider level - live slots with Wolf Alice and Super Furry Animals, acclaim on key tastemaker sites The Line of Best Fit, GIGWISE and Clash and spins on audio indie bible BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 and Radio X. As well as this, they are rapidly building a cult following in the hazy corners of YouTube and Spotify, racing to over one hundred thousand plays on Spotify alone on this new, discerning set of releases.
A key tenet of the band’s approach is their focus on aesthetic, which is strong and consistent throughout - unique whilst holding a candle to the canon of psychedelic and shoegaze pioneers they take inspiration from. A further reflection of their ethos is their collaboration with established Brighton-based visual artist InnerStrings, a well-known figure in the Psych scene who has previously been involved in events such as This Is Psych Fest, and this year’s Bella Union’s Great Escape Festival showcase, and who will be bringing his kaleidoscopic backdrops to the forthcoming Tokyo Tea Room show at Quarterstone.
The Broken Islands are a Vancouver, Canada based sextet who meld elements of ambient pop, shoegaze, post-rock, post-punk, trip-hop and dark wave to create their own distinct sound. With crashing guitars and delicate sounding keyboards weaving around swooning, siren-like vocals, the band’s songs can sound at times like an otherworldly sonic experience while still being packed with emotion and moments of tenderness.
The well-received debut album entitled ‘Wars’ was released in the autumn of 2017, with a follow up, ‘Masquerade’, due out in January 2020. An opening salvo from the new record was released in May 2019 in the form of the cinematic sounding ‘Solid State’, which was issued to coincide with five UK shows.
A second single ‘High Life’ was released in September 2019 in advance of a November UK tour including a three-night artist residency at the storied London Troubadour. Like its predecessor, ‘Masquerade’ has been produced and mixed by Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie, who is best known for his work with industrial music titans such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Skinny Puppy and was the perfect choice to harness the many influences that constitute the sound of The Broken Islands. Band co-founder Stephen Cameron points out that:
“we are all multi-instrumentalists and one of the great things about being in a six-piece band is the ability to switch instruments and play different things on different songs to really makes things exciting. We love to add percussion to songs so a set of free hands usually gets a chance to pick something up and add a new sound to a track. We all have wildly varied musical references, which we believe is what makes The Broken Islands sound the way it does. It’s really great to gain insight into someone else’s perspective of a song that you might not have heard before.”
Hartlepool (England) quartet PLAZA release their new EP ‘wernotplaza’ via CLUE Records (YOWL, Crushed Beaks, Van Houten), pulling together an evolved version of their trademark, icy, visceral self-coined post-indie sound. In keeping with a growing tendency towards music free of narrow genre constraints, influences across the 4-tracks range from Foals, DIIV or Wolf Alice to the experimental RnB of Frank Ocean.
The EP is the most open PLAZA have been to date. It’s easy for bands to write obliquely, wavering around heavy points reticent to tackle them head on – which is more than understandable, as so much artistic inspiration comes from a deeply personal well. This time around however they refuse to compromise in expressing their truth.
Whilst this sounds disconsolate in sentiment, in listening to the tracks you can hear the release and catharsis it offers, generating an emotive layer to the unique sound the band have carefully cultivated over the last few years. Spiky guitars and a sprinkling of electronics, driven forward by a skittish beat, provide the layer for Brad Lennard’s confessionary vocals.
An apt example of this being the hopeful themes behind EP closer ‘WHO’S WANTING ME’, as Brad says: “When you feel like there’s nothing else in the world that matters, you have got to remember that you matter to someone.”
The quartet have built up a cult live following across the UK, also drawing attention from Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart at BBC Radio 1, alongside John Kennedy at Radio X – with the likes of DIY, DORK, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Wonderland singing their praises too.
Where they really shine though is on stage, chaotic headline shows across the country, as well as tour slots with JAWS, Gengahr and The Night Café, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting upcoming bands in the UK.
I realise that today we have more Spotify embeds than usual, so apologies if you don't use their service, this really is just a coincidence. Meres new single 'Cut' is a straight down the line rocker with punchy guitars and her totally rock & roll vocals. === Sunny Gable today releases 'Audience Of One' an album with traditional Americana vibes running throughout, her vocals adding real personal feeling to some beautifully arranged songs, and we have included a video for a solo performance of the opening song. === We have the new single 'Be Me' from Yazymyn Hendrix along with a video for a live looping performance of another song 'Better Days'. The single is melodic, soulful and creative and the live video is both fun and impressive. === A new video from Smoke Fairies was released today entitled 'Disconnect' the duo carve out a distinct alt rock sound with plenty of hooks along the way. === The Big Peach have just shared 'Run and Hide' where the band mix garage rock with some timeless sixties pop sensibilities on this highly likable track.
First grabbing our attention with a duo of “sludge rock” singles, Launceston’s indie-rock queen Mary Shannon, aka Meres, returns today with her unadulterated brand of glittering, fuzzed out punk.
Presented as an A/B package, a-side ‘Cut’ was originally recorded as a demo with Ben Simms of A Swayze & The Ghosts in their basement practice-come-studio space. The track retains Meres’ signature bold, crunchy guitar riffs and punch-pop melodies while entering a somewhat more upbeat sonic territory.
Self-described as a “giant weirdo from Tassie that loves making music”, Meres’ first release ‘Hell is on its Way’ debuted at #2 on the Amrap Regional Charts. Follow-up single ‘Feardom’ continued momentum, resulting in a busy year of performing at nearly every festival of note in Tasmania including Falls Festival main stage at Marion Bay, Panama Festival and Party in the Paddock. Lyrically, new single ‘Cut’ approaches themes of fractured friendships and feeling helpless, with Meres explaining:
“I wrote this song around the time a friend's father passed away. It was written from a strange place of guilt, grown from the expanding distance between us - I wasn't sure how to be their friend like I used to be, almost like I didn’t know them at all anymore.
“It’s about wanting to feel that intense connection with someone again, trying to fight for it, but not knowing where to start. It’s absolutely terrifying to feel like you don’t even know the people that you’re the closest with, you haven't tried hard enough to show up for them... and worse to think that maybe you do, eventually, just need to let people go.”
Meanwhile, b-side ‘Think You Like This’ changes pace as a “solo sad-sack track”. With a disclaimer, “This song was written near the start of my long-term-long-distance-long-drive romance. I don't really like writing love songs in general. I would rather talk about extremely random things like what's on the tele and dance around a lot like a loser. But it was nice to write something simple and truthful.”
Colorado artist Sunny Gable released her debut Americana solo album, Audience of One, on Friday November 29th. Harkening back to a simpler time, Gable's music draws on personal stories creating an emotional pull that is honest and vulnerable at its core.
"Audience of One was conceived as I was laying awake the night after I found out about my son Finn’s diagnosis (he was born with trisomy 21 or Down syndrome). I was 26 weeks pregnant and it felt like I had just received a life sentence - at least that’s how the doctors made it feel. The song was an expression of acceptance that my life and my career may never be what I envisioned. I decided through the process of writing this song that I would record a solo album and do it on my own terms and timeline.
The opening song "Rise" speaks of perseverance in the face of adversity - a theme I think is important throughout the album. The songs on the album vary from historical stories like "How to Catch a Northern Star" told from a creative viewpoint to songs of hope, love, nostalgia, and contentment. The last song on the album is my lullaby for Finn, my very special baby, my declaration that I wouldn’t ever want for a life without him. I’d like to think the album has an overall message of hope in a sometimes cruel world." - Sunny Gable.
Audience of One is an exquisite Americana debut from the Gable whose melodies seem familiar like the wind yet mysterious like a coming storm; and whose words create a path through your own feelings and experiences.
Yazmyn Hendrix, London-born loop artist, layers powerfully enchanting vocals, lush harmonies, haunting voice effects and gentle beatboxing. She makes her music in the now - carving something from nothing and making time stand still five minutes at a time. She’s an experimental multi-genre singer and songwriter who write simple songs about complex things; love, life, reality and dreams. Yazmym is synaesthetic, meaning she associates each song, each word and each instrument with colours and textures; this gives her original perspective when writing and performing. In her own words, “Sometimes I find myself begging for my inner self to stay strong and guide me; this outer physical world can be so distracting from the truth we already have within. I see music as channelling of a higher power that connects us all”
In terms of collaboration, Yazmyn has teamed up with Retrospective For Love on the single, ‘Let Me Know’ from their debut album, ‘Random Activities of the Heart’. The track is a carefully crafted groove with lyrics loaded with romanticism and nostalgia, allowing their sound to dabble in delirious deja vu bringing you back to the first time you ever felt heartache. A union of beautifully crafted jazz and soul vibes have enveloped a collaboration with Mrisi. ‘In The Moment’, the first track to be released online from debut EP ‘Mamela’, gathered the attention of many. A live recording from Mrisi’s mother’s house, ‘Mamela’ is a work of resilience and conscience; it has the ability to make us realise how much impact our words can have. Watch this space for more to come from the pair. Last year Yazymn was also offered a space on the stage with Madness, at their House Of Fun Weekender last year after being spotted singing in a jazz club in North London - She sand alongside the bands and even lead a couple of songs! As a big ska fan in her teens, Yazmyn was over the moon to be asked onto stage with the legends.
Having returned to London from Brighton, Yazymn is about to release her debut EP, entitled ‘Saturn Returns’. Jon Gomm says “Quite Very Good!” before giving her a support slot on his UK Tour. Yazmyn has also supported the likes of Dizraeli and Retrospective for Love. She has recently Played at Pride London, Standon Calling, Wilderness Festival in the UK, as well as Pas De Trail and Montagnola Bologna Festivals in Italy. Her social media posts have already been shared by Rag ‘N Bone Man and Shlomo, among others, gaining over 25K views on her first teaser. We are just as excited as them to see what comes next.
Smoke Fairies have today unveiled their new video for 'Disconnect' directed by Annick Wolfers. The track is the second single from their forthcoming album 'Darkness Brings The Wonders Home' out on January 31st, 2020.
Katherine Blamire talks about the idea for the clip: "The video was a really simple idea encapsulating how your everyday domestic world gets turned upside down when someone gets inside your head - how your normal world goes slightly askew and there is a sense of strangeness to everything you normally go about doing "
Smoke Fairies just played a sell-out single launch at The Social in association with Rough Trade to celebrate the release of a limited edition 7”. The show and single sold out three weeks prior to release and landed at #3 in the UK Vinyl Singles chart, surrounded by Coldplay, Queen and Kate Bush. They will play additional UK dates (below) in February just after the release of Darkness Brings The Wonders Home. The ladies will also appear on John Kennedy Radio X with an interview and live session on January 28th.
Smoke Fairies are Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire who first met at school in their native England. For this LP they traveled to Seattle to record Darkness Brings The Wonders Home with producer Phil Ek (The Black Angels, Fleet Foxes, The Shins) and over the course of a rigorous month-long session in Seattle, adopted a purposely intimate approach to achieving a singular sonic tone.
Smoke Fairies were the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label Third Man Records and was produced by White who also played guitar and drums. Other notable recordings include a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Alabama’ from his Harvest LP which appeared on a special Mojo album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of the album. Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track ‘Valentina', a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space on The Race For Space, the second album by Public Service Broadcasting. The band has toured this side of the Atlantic with Laura Marling, Rasputina, Blitzen Trapper and Dawes. More U.S. shows to be announced at a later date.
November 29th sees the much-anticipated return on The Big Peach. The Manchester based group will release their latest single “Run and Hide” on Sour Grapes Records. The new single features a heavy dollop of that 60s Rock & Roll music the band have become renowned for. Mixed by Borja Regueira and mastered by the Grammy nominated Kelly Hibbert (Allah Las, J Dilla, Madlib).
This release is the first of a series of four which helps round off a busy period packed full of gigs, appearing on line-ups with Triptides, The Dandelion, Levitation Room and The Blank Tapes. They also played at the Bingley Weekender last summer and created their own festival PeachFest that caught attention of many bands, record labels and promoters.
The Big Peach is a garage rock and roll group from Manchester. Their music gathers a lot of influence from the burgeoning garage and psych scenes of the 1960s and beyond. With influences deep in Laurel Canyon, hints of Tamla Motown and and a splash of Mod from the streets of London.
Chelsea Rose has released 'Minha Velha Amiga' accompanied by a video. I was trying to come up with an expression that captures the song and the best I can do is bossa nova dream pop, whatever this is gorgeous. === Our third song feature from Sofia Härdig's new album 'This Big Hush' is the new single 'Sucking The Flowers'. Another feisty rocker and one of nine songs on the album Sofia has served up some really fine rock and roll across the album. === Rotterdam'sCertain Animals were first featured on Beehive Candy last month and now we have another new song entitled 'Automaton' where this talented trio deliver another refined alt rocker that builds into a highly notable piece.
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Chelsea Rose - Minha Velha Amiga.
Chelsea Rose is a songstress and sorceress of the arts. Channeling through guitar, songwriting and visual arts, she shines an honest light on human truths. Themes of hope, heartache, love and its counterparts are prevalent in her work.
Born and raised in Riverside, CA Chelsea currently lives in Los Angeles. Through songwriting and self producing she conjures a timeless yet modern sound which echoes sentiments of bossa nova, jazz and R&B classics. As a photographer and art director, Chelsea's artistic eye enables her to carefully craft a visual dream world in which one may easily be swept away. The vision is strong; a vibrant perspective often arises from destruction.
The creation of Chelsea Rose began with a flood. A pipe burst in her home studio, causing water to fill the room, covering drums, amps, guitars and other prized equipment. The scene took place the night before her final show as Summer Twins - a band she spearheaded for 10 years, backed by her sister, Justine.
Asking the Universe for a clean slate, she was given just that. With the ending of a chapter she was gifted the opportunity to explore a new identity, to explore what it means to exist and grow as an artist in the modern world. This enlightenment gave rise to a new band in which Chelsea Rose takes center stage on lead guitar and vocals, backed by Andy Moran on guitar, Seamus Blackwell on bass, Charlie Weinmann on drums and Alice Sandahl on keyboard.
This band thrives on a high frequency. Their powerful performance recalls a dream of the past while igniting a hope for the future. Chelsea Rose beckons you to join in and see the world "la vie en rose."
Having released her new album “This Big Hush” earlier this month, Sofia Härdig now captivates with her high-energy track “Sucking The Flowers” that runs with infectious riffs, built on layers of scrappy percussion reminiscent of The Birthday Party or Pixies, and embellished with Sofia’s vocals as she sings “We call us in, to inner crimes, it’s tender, it’s sore, an attempt, to murder, it’s tender, it’s sore”.
With squalling guitars and vivid colours the Swedish-born multi-insturmentalist Sofia Härdig creates a cinematic vignette delivered through the poet’s eccentric palette of post-punk, playing and producing the entirety of the album. Sofia brings chugging energy, intense lyricism and a chaotic presence; she’s heading for a higher status amongst rock’s elite, and comments on the moment she met Patti Smith; “We met backstage at her gig in Stockholm and she gave me tickets to her show. We spoke about art, music and what it means to be an artist. She was generally very supportive and attentive; it was a beautiful moment sharing poetry and words.”
Talking about her fourth full-length, Sofia said “I recorded this album with the band in less than three days live in Tambourine Studios in Malmö. The vocals were all done in one day, a lot of them are even kept from the original live take. Part of the process is that my electronic demo making has become so thorough and time-consuming that they have been good enough to be released. Since they are out in the world and out of my system, I can break free and do something different with the band, and not the same thing all over again. We never play the same tempo, same length, they follow me where I lead them… this is THIS BIG HUSH”.
New Certain Animals single Automaton is the opening track of the upcoming album 'Songs To Make You Move' and immediately lets you hear what the band stands for in terms of style and content. The song tells about the uneasy relationship the three band members have with the far-reaching automation and digitization of contemporary life. In their view, nowadays people allow themselves to be led like little lambs to where tech giants and social media lead them.
The trio brings a message to the listener and at the same time a warning that is not merely bad or good, but that gives the listener food for thought. This message is wrapped in a song with an opening riff that seems to have been borrowed from the amplifier-melting arsenal of Neil Young and which then continues the pace with a relentless groove reminiscent of a marching column of robots. When the warning sounds, one arrives through typical "Ringo-fills" and "I Am The Walrus" orchestration to the final round ironically carried out with one of the favorite toys of Electric Light Orchestra: the vocoder (a device that actually is a speech computer).
Rotterdam based trio Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show which records they've been listening to. Musical giants from the 60's and 70's are spinning on their turntable on a daily basis. The Beatles, Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Electric Light Orchestra are regular companions in their musical life, but also the fuzzy and phasey sounds of contemporary bands like Tame Impala influence the music of Certain Animals.
Without being stuck in the past and with a critical view on the present, the band brings you their intriguing sound which makes for an energetic live show filled with intimate moments and explosive bursts of energy. In less then three years, the band managed to build a strong live reputation by playing shows on major Dutch festivals in famous venues all over the country. After having played across the border in Belgium, more international gigs in Germany have been confirmed for spring 2020.
While busy touring, band members Thijs van Leeuwen (vocals, guitars), Niels-Jan van Dijk (bass, vocals) and Kees Braam (drums, vocals) managed to build their own recording studio at a former red light district in the port of Rotterdam. At their home base the trio writes, produces and mixes their music single-handedly, working towards the release of their debut album scheduled for spring 2020.
MÊL (pronounced Male) is set to release 'Mêl I Gyd' this coming Friday. Sung in his native Welsh language this is an appealing song that mixes folk and indie rock sensibilities together with a fresh yet quite personal feel to it. === Black Fly has released 'Green' accompanied by a video, the song immediately resonates with the striking vocals and vibrant electronic musical backdrop. === We have already shared 'Bullets' and 'Requim' by Zinnia this year and now we have 'Yellowstone' from her debut album where the art pop artist is once again exuding originality and beauty. === oh!no?ok. have shared their feisty 'Saw Her First' alt rocker a song that has a little bit of attitude alongside plenty of good old rock and roll hooks.
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MÊL - Mêl I Gyd.
MÊL is the long awaited new musical project by the voice of mythical Dyffryn Conwy psych, garage folk band ‘Jen Jeniro’, Eryl Prys Jones.
MÊL has the familiarity of Eryl’s past work, the other worldly stream of consciousness poetry and his attachment through music to the natural world around him. It’s this honesty of expression that captivates the listener into the world MÊL envisage.
Written by Eryl whilst walking in Lyn Parc in Gwydir Forest near Llanrwst and meticulously produced by fellow ex ‘Jen Jeniro’ member Llŷr Pari, ‘Mêl i Gyd’ leaves us transfixed and wanting more.
Vermont enigma Black Fly releases the soaring electronic track ‘Green’, following the heartfelt tribute to his home, ‘Wait’. Alongside it comes another beautiful visual, this time directed by Patrick Golan (MorMor, Omar Apollo, J Balvin). It's been a while since we've heard from Black Fly, though secrecy and absence seem to be his MO. Very little is known about the Vermont native, but the music speaks for itself. The record label that he calls home, Samedi Records (Altopalo's critically acclaimed 'Frozen There'), has shown a distinct knack giving a platform to mad scientists.
Releasing his single ‘Sign 2’ a couple of years ago, a buzz began to follow Black Fly, his visuals racked up almost 60,000 views on YouTube. He continues his venture into visual art with the new singles ‘Wait’ and ‘Green’ – both videos simple at their core but in turn revealing the complexities in nature and humanity.
‘Green’ is a pulsating electronic cut accompanied by Black Fly’s hoarse, yearning vocals that add a similar element of grit in his sound. Diverting from the peaceful countryside in his last release, he plunges into the city for the new video.
Explaining the process, he describes how “’Green’ was filmed in and around the boroughs of NYC with the help of a large cast. The video is intercut between an interior and exterior world. Documenting people with a variety of backgrounds all trying to relate and relay the same material.”
“From cramped audition, to performance in various frigid winter locations, each actor lip-synchs over the same stabbing synths and perpetual beat. In mood and in message, ‘Green’ aims to find the vitality in bleakness,” a concept that is coming to define Black Fly’s approach to life and music.
"ZINNIA's debut album Sensations in Two Dot focuses on moments of doubt - creative, societal, and personal - exploring what it means to hold compassion through the multifaceted, grey areas of life.
Whether in the isolated town of Two Dot, Montana (population 143) or the buzzing streets of Toronto (population 2.6 million), these nine songs probe the complex, unsettling similarities found in the human experience: the hauntings of unrelenting dreams, tensions and tender triumphs in relationships, systems of abuse threaded through communities, and the search for compassion and visibility in everyday interactions." - Raechel
ZINNIA is the Toronto-based art pop project of Rachael Cardiello. With layered synth and driving beats, ZINNIA brings an explosive range to Cardiello’s writing, equal parts intimate and fierce. Recently described as “Kate Bush meets Meatloaf” and first to proclaim a deep love for Bruce Springsteen, this is ZINNIA.
Salt Lake City, Utah might be best known as the world headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That may change as a fertile counter-cultural underground music scene is slowly seeping into nationwide consciousness with artists such Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons, The Moth & the Flame, Sego, and Desert Noises. Up next, something weird and tuneful is poised to be Salt Lake City’s nice prime musical export. Self-described slacker rockers oh!no?ok. stake their claim to the mantle with the fearlessly catchy debut, randy warhole (or somethin).
oh!no?ok. is comprised of high school friends Ryan Osborn, Cole Miller, Jackson Ludlow, and local guitarist Nick Storey. The band is a year old, and has been working closely with locally-renowned producer Nate Pyfer (The Moth & the Flame, Kaskade, Sego). Lead vocalist Ryan and Nate laid the groundwork for the band’s music, though each member brings his unique flair, making the process a cohesive collaboration. They play the kind of music you’d hear blasting forth from a suburban garage in the height of the alt-rock boom of the 1990s but they update this scruffy aesthetic with sleek but-not-too-polished production and a dose of raw skate punk. Their songs feature cleverly abstract lyrics, bold musical dynamics, experimental textures, adventurous arrangements, and sharp pop-rock hooks. This melding of tuneful and arty conjures an array of classic and current alt-rock innovators such as Weezer, Pavement, The Presidents of the United States, Butthole Surfers, and Spoon, FIDLAR, Car Seat Headrest, and PUP.
The quartet is the local scene buzz band, playing packed shows regionally and earning accolades from key scene tastemakers. Underneath their playful veneer and intriguing wordplay, oh!no?ok. tuck in themes and narratives that illustrate society’s vices, cynicism, and the lies that we tell ourselves to avoid confronting our insecurities and depression. Ryan says: “Our music is, in part, a commentary on issues humans have struggled with as long as we’ve been around. Issues such as entitlement, pride, drug abuse, video game addiction, online persona management, and idolization. The primary theme is how we often take the first step in recognizing that we struggle with these issues, but we lack the motivation to actually fix our problems. This results in us being hyper aware of our flaws but feeling powerless to improve ourselves. Our ultimate goal is to share our message and passions with the masses.”
The band’s forthcoming debut randy warhole (or somethin) is a bold release that’s as catchy as it is playfully confounding. Throughout the 12 tracks, the band twists through shambolic indie rock, pent-up punk rock, art-damaged alt-rock, and synth-y 1980s new wave. Each sonic fishtail is hook heavy, and the band effortlessly finds a way to balance the downright strange with the sing-able.
Taken from their self titled debut album we have selected 'Oh Sweet Baby' by Gibson Wilbanks to focus on (plus it's one of my favourites on the album), their description as a back porch folk-soul duo is kind of confirmed by the album, Americana might be more straight forward, whatever it's a grand collection of music. === Sammy Miller and The Congregation just shared 'Shine' as a taster for next February's debut album and it's a gorgeous, playful and fabulously arranged song. === If you wanna know what dance rock sounds like then 222 and 'Reimagine Me' sorts that one out, and it's pretty catchy to say the least. ===If you are going to do a cover version then putting your own stamp on it, is for me crucial and BadWolf do just that with their imaginative interpretation of The Cures 'Love Song'.
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Gibson Wilbanks - Oh Sweet Baby.
The debut album from back porch folk-soul duo Gibson Wilbanks, grants the listener privileged access to the romantic union of accomplished Atlanta-based musicians BJ Wilbanks and Carly Gibson. The 8-song release is a soundtrack to love that spans warmly engaging formative moments. The Gibson Wilbanks debut is refreshingly eclectic, yet is held together by elegant Americana songcraft, and a distinct sensibility that encompasses blues, Southern rock, classic R&B, folk, and touches of country. The pair have been favorably described as “Gregg Allman meets Bonnie Raitt.”
The couple’s debut collection is an album-oriented release—available on Vinyl and CD—that’s sweetly seductive in that, from the first track, you’re compelled to listen to it in its entirety. If you’re in love, brokenhearted, or somewhere in between, the record’s broad array of earthy, love-soaked roots-rock songs will warm your heart, hitting that sweet spot between soul and country, showcasing Gibson Wilbanks gifts with textural layering and honeyed vocal blends.
BJ and Carly came together with already seasoned musical ability and careers. Carly is a graduate of AIMM’s (Atlanta Institute of Music and Media) guitar program and is a full-time musician, both with Mothers Finest as a background vocalist, as well as her rock band The Pussywillows.. BJ is also an accomplished musician with a prolific solo career, notching noteworthy press in American Songwriter, All Music and The Boot and has performed shows with notable bands Gladys Knight, Drivin N Cryin, and Mother’s Finest as well.
The couple first met eight years ago at an open mic. Initially, they admired each’s musicality, and resisted being a couple but started to hang and the creative chemistry was potent and intuitive. Gibson Wilbanks has performed regularly in Atlanta and the Southeast, sharing the stage with Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Ralph Roddenberry, Donna Hopkins, Caroline Aiken, and Diane Durrett, among others. The couple even launched a successful crowdfunding campaign towards the recording of their debut album.
Sammy Miller and The Congregation announced their debut album
Leaving Egypt will be released on February 7, 2020. They've also shared the first single "Shine," which boasts Sammy’s ingratiating vocals, undeniably uplifting lyrics, playful piano hooks, and an imaginative arrangement with dynamic horn and backup vocal-driven crescendos.
"It was the middle of winter in New York and I was hauling my drums through snow sludge west on Grand Street," Miller recalls of the conception of the track. "I didn’t have gloves. As I was waiting for the M14 bus, I started to bounce from side to side, initially to keep me warm. I was cursing my life through hums, and at some point the chorus of 'Shine' popped into my head. Suddenly I felt lightness. I could hear the whole band in harmony — there was warmth, there was sunshine, everywhere I wanted to be. For a brief moment, I wasn’t cold."
Sammy Miller, a Grammy-nominated drummer for his work with Joey Alexander, convened The Congregation in 2014 at The Juilliard School in New York City where he was getting his master's in jazz. “When I was at Juilliard, I realized jazz couldn’t just live in a conservatory vacuum. It needed to provide its initial function of being an expansive creative outlet where the rules are there for you to break and improvisation went beyond notes and into an experience,” Sammy says. He soon found a cadre of jazz students who felt similarly—outliers who were fiercely individual on their instruments, but also craved a manner of expression beyond the solo. “We all went to Juilliard and have these credentials, but we didn’t like the insular feeling of the jazz scene. I wanted to find a new audience,” Sammy states. “We played in dive bars where people were scared of jazz.”
Their live show grew to be something of a mix between a comedy troupe and a dazzling rock band that played a vigorously reimagined strain of jazz. “We let ourselves be free on the bandstand and we took the audience with us,” Sammy says. The band’s boundless energy, inclusive ideals, catchy songwriting, and revue style presentation made them a word-of-mouth buzz band. The seven-piece group is a community of adventurous and charismatic superstar musicians who are conservatory-trained but who have not lost their childlike wonder and awe for playing music. The band lineup is Sammy Miller, drums and vocals; Sam Crittenden, trombone; Ben Flocks, tenor sax; Sammy’s sister Molly Miller on guitar; Alphonso Horne, trumpet; Corbin Jones, bass and tuba; and David Linard, piano.
The Congregation’s 9-song debut album Leaving Egypt was cut in four 16-hour days at the legendary United Studios where the many famed Count Basie sides were tracked. The band enlisted drummer extraordinaire Jay Bellerose (Alison Krauss, Ray LaMontagne, Robert Plant, B.B. King) to supervise and produce the proceedings. The debut represents a milestone for Sammy Miller and the Congregation’s creative continuum. It captures the group’s vulnerability, communal nature, charming and warm wit, and playfully virtuosic musicality. “This is us,” Sammy says of the album. “I’m proud of it, and I’m eager to embark on our mission to bring joy to people’s lives through music.
222 was formed in the summer of 2014 when Jade Howard and Dennis Hamlin after hanging out at a party one night decided to record a song for fun. The result of that night was the song “One Night Stand” and would go on to be their first release later that year. On 2/22/15 they self released their first album “Libretto”.
222 delivers their own power-packed take on dance-rock via a mixture of pop-punk 80s/90s influenced rock mixed with current electronic influences. Respected music publications Pure Volume.com, Vent Magazine, Access Music, Blurred Culture, DeliMagazine.com and LABuzzBands.com have all highlighted the unique sound and songwriting talents of 222.
Their high energy live shows have built a strong following across the U.S. via a string of well-attended club dates. The band’s growing popularity is also due to airplay on influencer radio stations such as KROQ in Los Angeles.
With winter approaching, Bad Wolf is giving all of the dark, romantic feelings needed to cuddle up this season with their remake of The Cure's "Love Song." The alt-pop duo is also releasing an intimate music video alongside the single.
Based out of Los Angeles, Bad Wolf Forges sci-fi, fantasy, and a touch of goth rock into a unique brand of alternative rock.
Dubbed by their fans as 'Fantasy-Rock,' Bad Wolf creates catchy yet thoughtful songs that bring a unique and imaginative edge to the indie rock genre. With over 1 million views on their YouTube channel, Bad Wolf prides themselves on creating unique visuals and stories to go along with their music.
Braids have released 'Eclipse (Ashley)' accompanied by a video, the indie art rock band manage to achieve everything that genre bundle suggest, doing so fabulously. === 13//ali_fawn pack energy and creativity into 'Future Swim' a blistering and imaginative rocker. === It's our fifth feature for Wojtek the bear who continue to create personable and oh so likable alt rock as is the case with 'Some States'. === The Small Press have released their debut E.P 'Is This What You Want?' with five really fine indie pop and rock songs the Sydney band are lively and catchy. === We have a new video from recently formedMother Mariposa entitled 'Pilot Light'. It's a creative ten minutes of dreamy, imaginative and blissful music and it's very addictive. === From Vancouver Island Alexandria Miallot just shared 'Someone To Keep You Warm' a short electro rock song with depth and a sample of this weekends new album release from her entitled 'Benevolence'. === Two bands for the price of one and a new video thrown in as well, now that's a bargain as Approachable Members Of Your Local Community & Dulcie share 'Strangest Places' an upbeat indie pop and rock song with bags of wonderful for good measure.
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Braids - Eclipse (Ashley).
Montreal-based indie art rock band Braids announce the release of their new song "Eclipse (Ashley)." Along with the official video, "Eclipse (Ashley)" marks the trio's long-awaited return and the first taste of their forthcoming new album releasing next year on Secret City Records. Dedicated to the singer's best friend, it's a song that sinks deep into a feeling of reverie for nature, the love found in friendship, and the vital essence of personal reflection.
"'Eclipse (Ashley)' is a love song made for my best friend Ashley Obscura," stated singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston. "During the car ride to go and view the total solar eclipse, we were fretting about not having glasses to stare at the sun, you know, those funny ones that look like you’re sitting down to watch a 3D movie. Amongst the chatter Ashley said 'we should take this opportunity to think about what eclipses us in our lives.' BAM. REFOCUS. We all took this sentiment with us as we sat on the side of the quarry, as the moon came to hug the sun. We sat in silence perched amongst the tall grass, the wildflowers, the rocks and glistening water, closed eyes, reflecting. Returning to the studio, the song poured out of us in one shot."
The definition of an eclipse is "the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another." With effortless beauty, Braids have crafted a balm to combat the dark forces that cross us. To overcome the fears that plague us, the planets eclipsing our planetary bodies, the patterns that bind us, the anxiety that grips us, the heartbreak that breaks us. The balm is the perfect antidote to such darkness and chaos: that of hope, pleasure and, above all, always love.
Braids is comprised of Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts, and Taylor Smith. Formed in 2007 in Alberta, they have solidified a decade-long reputation for their musical ingenuity and established themselves as one of Canada's most acclaimed art rock bands, garnering two Polaris Prize shortlists and winning the 2016 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. With Standell-Preston's vocals as the pillar of their sound, Braids weave organic and electronic elements together amidst a lyrical landscape that is intimate, explosive, and emotionally-immersive. Their albums have earned praise from Pitchfork, NPR, New York Times, T Magazine, NME, and The Guardian among many others. They have supported or toured with artists such as Toro Y Moi, The Antlers, Wye Oak, Purity Ring, and Friendly Fires along with festival appearances around the world including Glastonbury, Primavera, Osheaga, Hopscotch, and SXSW.
Detroit-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Alister Fawnwoda AKA 13//ali_fawn releases ‘Future Swim’, the first single lifted from forthcoming album ‘Ruby Beach’, due in Summer 2020 and mixed by Welsh powerhouse David Wrench (Caribou, FKA Twigs, Sampha, Shura, The xx, Young Fathers, +++). Born in Motor City, Fawnwoda cultivated his musicianship through learning violin and piano from a young age. Honing his métier, he studied music, poetry and visual arts at The University of Miami and then the Tibetan Buddhist-founded Naropa University.
In 2016 he moved to LA to work under the tutelage of Hans Zimmer as an intern for the following three years. In 2019, Ali moved back to Detroit to quench a hankering for eclectic collaborations, both as a producer and as a musician. To date, he’s worked on projects with producers Cole M. Greif-Neil (Beck, Ariel Pink), Gordon Raphael (The Strokes), Sonny DiPerri (DIIV, Animal Collective), Marta Salogni (Björk, The xx), and many more. Additionally, he’s joined forces with musicians including Alex Carapetis (Nine Inch Nails, The Voidz), Jenny Lee Lindberg and Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint), Mauro Refosco (Talking Heads, Atoms for Peace), and Philip Peterson (Portugal. The Man).
"’Future Swim’ is about time-travel and death, and contemplates whether or not the two are intertwined as one thing," notes Fawnwoda.
"Musically and instrumentally we wanted to give the feeling of time warping and stretching as in the intro, and then skyrocketing forward in a linear fashion. Lyrically, the song is about a man who stands at the edge of a sea cliff, and hears the ocean beckons him in. In his head he hears this as an invitation into a portal in which he can go to another time and place; specifically the past to prevent the death of his loved one."
With a keen eye for aesthetics, Fawnwoda enlisted photographer Daisuke Yokota to curate the visual side of the project. Daisuke and www.anothersomething.org share some words regarding the colour photographs, “With this series,” Yokota explains, he “tried not to take pictures,” and instead sought to “draw out the physical aspect of film.” Another Something talk through the physical process,“Yokota layered sheets of unused large format colour film and applied unorthodox developing methods before scanning the results. Here, documentation is replaced with darkroom alchemy in order to show that the essence of photography rests not necessarily with the camera, but in film itself.”
Fawnwoda was influenced by Daft Punk’s breakthrough album, Homework in addition to electronic artists like Suzanne Ciani, Aphex Twin, Helena Hauff and composer Arvo Pärt. Alister’s work is a combination of all these interests, with a deep passion for production processes that harkens back to his love for The Beatles’ White Album.
Scottish Fiction are delighted to present some states, the latest and last of this year's releases from Glasgow's five-piece wojtek the bear. some states completes the band's quartet of singles released during 2019, all of which are now collected on a limited edition 12" vinyl, old names for new shapes.
some states sees the band continue their fruitful working relationship with acclaimed producer Jamie Savage at Chem19 Studios [The Twilight Sad, Miaoux Miaoux, The Phantom Band, RM Hubbert]. some states taps straight into a rich vein of melancholy with it's early '90's alternative guitar line and laid back vocals. The addition of strings to the bands permanent sound, once again serves to enrich and lift the track with soaring runs that create a lasting smile that only just the right piece of music can do.
Lead singer, and chief lyricist Tam Killean explains how the song came about, "it's a song about that particuarly painful end section of a failing relationship when it feels like all you're doing is arguing with the other person over the most ridiculous things, look who used the last of the toothpaste and didn't replace it. The title comes from that old(ish) Scottish expression - "I've never been to America, but I've been in some states!" I just really liked that dark, self-depreciating humour of it. I think it's that ability to see the humour in the darkest of times that allows us to get through things sometimes."
The video for the single, shot by Kris Boyle, sees the band expand on the darkly-comic theme of failure with a Nigel Mansell obsessed Killean trying, and failing, to emulate his hero's exploits on the track.
Packing a punch with their bright pop-punk bravado, Sydney’s The Small Press are back, releasing their debut EP Is This What You Want?
Energetic and upbeat, the four-piece’s radiant take on pop-punk shines across the project’s five tracks. Opening the EP with their three previously released singles, now remastered for this project, the opening is a brilliant introduction into The Small Press' clever indie punk mix. Whether it be the fast paced ‘Not Afraid to Love You’, boppy ‘Console Kids’ or feel-good ‘Remona’, each single stands out with it's own individual aesthetic.
Easing into ‘This Is Falling’, the first of the unreleased tracks, the group’s versatility is demonstrated brilliantly as they slow things down for this heartfelt piece. Ending on a bang, ‘8 Bit Summer’ is a scorcher which boasts gritty guitar lines and an addictive melody. Contrasting with the lively instrumental, lyrically the track is about a terrible relationship, the emotions during, and the aftermath. "It’s a song about those days when you should be outside basking in the sun, but instead you just can’t help but do nothing, stay inside, sleep in and play videos games," singer Maddie Gilholme explains.
Their three aforementioned singles were released last year, and saw spins on triple j’s Short.Fast Loud and Lunchtime shows, alongside praise across triple j Unearthed. Spending the majority of the year relentlessly gigging and honing their sound, the band have gone on to support the likes of Thelma Plum, dave and High Tropics.
Mother Mariposa is the new project of Jsun Atoms (The Upsidedown, Daydream Machine, PIA) and Thomas Mudrick. For those unfamiliar, Atoms' band The Upsidedown made a name for themselves with TV placements on shows that include HBO's True Blood, Showtime's Ray Donovan, and most recently FX's Animal Kingdom. The band went on to tour extensively with artists such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Raveonettes, Psychedelic Furs, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Echo, and the Bunnymen, Allah Las, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jagwar Ma, and friends Hope Sandoval, Luna, and The Black Angels.
As one could imagine, being around such an esteemed group of artists has to have some effect on a person. Out of The Upsidedown comes a band two years in the making. Joining forces with New Zealand’s Dan Fernie-Harper (Ride Into the Sun, The Dunes), Austin Barone (Lola Buzzkill), and Trask Schulte (Paste), Mother Mariposa have created a melding of electronica, psychedelia, and post-punk brilliance.
The band is proud to announce their debut album titled The Monarch Key. On first listen, many people think the music draws comparisons to dance music, but the spacious, droning tracks are actually the product of a five-piece band with guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. Lead single "Pilot Light" was written with consultation from legendary indie artist Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500) who described the new record as "Epic." The Monarch Key by Mother Mariposa is out everywhere now via Little Cloud Records.
Hailing from Vancouver Island, the genre-blending “swoon rock” artist Alexandria Maillot released her sophomore album ‘Benevolence’ on November 22nd 2019. Armed with razor-sharp wit and hopeless romanticism, Alexandria dissects narratives from personal life-experiences and delivers through sometimes schmaltzy and sometimes electropoppy instrumentation and arrangements. For this, she’s often been compared to heavyweights such as Feist, Stevie Nicks and Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard.
Maillot has already accumulated an impressive list of credits including being scouted by esteemed Canadian producer and songwriter David Foster (Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Whitney Houston) aged twelve, collaborating with Randy Bachman (Ringo Starr, The Beach Boys), and securing a feature on the Opera Winfrey network.
Touring extensively across Europe and Canada performing at festivals such as Reeperbahn and Iceland Airwaves, Alexandria is no stranger to the live-circuit. Her debut album ‘Time’ also saw her playlisted across national radio and gained her critical acclaim internationally across industry peers and fans.
With her second full-length ‘Benevolence’, we see a change in the Canadian singer-songwriter. On tracks like ‘I Never Liked Your Friends’, we see her exploring a more sardonic side to her songwriting, while ‘Make It Out’ comes from a darker place; she says it’s “a song about depression; the lack of motivation that plagues the day, where solace is only found in sleep at night.”
‘Someone To Keep You Warm’ sees the soloist showcasing menacing synthesisers after a Kelsey Lu-esque introduction. Themed around the joy she gained after seeing her ex struggle to find a lover, the singer had this to say about the schadenfreudian number; “It’s a song about watching a former partner struggle to find companionship and getting enjoyment out of it.”
Approachable Members Of Your Local Community & Dulcie - Strangest Places.
Approachable Members Of Your Local Community invite you to join them in another cathartic boogie as they release new single and accompanying video today for ‘Strangest Places’ - a collaboration with fellow Australian indie-poppers, all-female 4-piece, Dulcie. The new release proceeds their forthcoming, Love Thy Neighbour EP, out Jan 31st and comes as the band prepares to showcase at SXSW in 2020.
From the depths of suburban Australia has emerged a commercial partnership so robust, so well-negotiated, that the foundations of our earthly existence have indeed been shaken. ‘Strangest Places’ captures the essence of the band collaborative spirit, “The story of our interstate partnership (with Dulcie) began in the greenrooms of Australia, in what we call the Bitter Winter of 2019. We immediately developed a collaborative commercial relationship with a strong grounding in mutual respect and synergies. Hands were firmly shaken, and the deal was done: a song was to be made. 'Strangest Places' is about making new friends, being in wacky places, and getting up to the business of life.” says Micky Fisher (Bassist) AMOYLC.
Following standout sets at BIGSOUND 2019 and support slots for Polish Club, half•alive (USA), Kira Puru and Joyride and more, the EP marks a culmination of their growth as a band over the last 24 months and features the previously released singles ‘On + On’ and ‘Citrus Fruit’. Working with creative director Giulia McGauran on visuals and writing with the likes of Japanese Wallpaper and Alex Lahey, Approachable Members know that collaboration is key to a successful community. Whatever you come for, Approachable Members Of Your Local Community just want to make you feel at home, and share their little slice of suburban paradise with you.
Emmrose has a new single entitled 'Hopeless Romantics'. With hints of Latin music and Emmrose's melodic and engaging vocals this is feisty and catchy affair. === The Pairs have shared 'Will And A Way' where beautiful vocals and harmonies are accompanied by a gentle acoustic backdrop on this mesmerising track. === Formed in late 2018 The Know have a new video for '143', a dreamy and atmospheric song that seemingly glides along. === Folk singer-songwriter Big Fox has just released 'All I'm Trying' the Sweden based artist's vocals are sublime on this gentle song. === We featured 'Sunlight Follows The Night' back in September and Ben Watt returns with another video, this time for 'Balanced On A Wire' that once again suggests his forthcoming album 'Storm Damage' is going to be rather special. === We first featured Ducks Unlimited back in July and they return now with 'Gleaming Spires' which is another vibrant, melodic and charming song. === It's just over a month since we shared 'All My Friends Are Drunk' by Brooke Bentham who now returns with 'Perform For You' a fabulous track, and another massive teaser for next February's album release. === Rounding off today's musical round up we haveLilla Parasit with 'Feather Soul' where the bands brand new track exudes originality, plenty of hooks and a refined indie rock feel.
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Emmrose - Hopeless Romantics.
Darkly emotive pop artist Emmrose returns with another single “Hopeless Romantics”. As the title suggests, it delves into the frustrations of modern dating and unrequited love – hoping for something more, and feeling hopeless as a result. Though just sixteen years old, NYC-native Emmrose delivers intense, self-reflective lyrics, and cleverly catchy pop melodies that keep listeners coming back for more.
“The song is about a hopeless ‘relationship’ I had last year,” shared Emmrose. “I’d wonder whether or not it was real the entire time. On some days he’d say the nicest things and then I’d hear nothing at all. I felt used, really.” The lyrics reveal the heart-break of the story, opening with a question, “Is this it? Is this all we’re gonna be?” It’s the hope of a budding relationship, that becomes crushed when the feelings and expectations of one side are raised, teased, and left unreturned; dashed against the rocks in inevitable hurt. Emmrose’s lyrical honesty cuts deep, in hurtful anger stating, “I think you knew, I was never good enough for you.” She went on to share, “When I had first written this song, the lyrics were what I was afraid of. That I ‘wasn’t good enough’ and that we were’t going to be anything more than ‘friends with benefits’ or whatever that means. Of course, all this then happened – and it took me forever to get over it.” Continuing in the vein of previous singles, her lyrics are deeply introspective and poetically written. Relatable, yet never predictable, her music explores the swells and depths of love, relationships, and emotion with stunning finesse. Emmrose never shies from being her honest self, even if that means admitting feeling like a hopeless romantic in the modern world.
“Being so connected with phones and social media can definitely get your hopes up,” mused Emmrose, reflecting on her own experiences as a high school junior. “People can text you at any time, and be in touch so much that it begins to make you think ‘wow this person must really like me’ even though in reality they might just be stringing you along.”
Sonically, the track continues Emmrose’s exploration of a dark pop palette, but also pulls in uptempo, Latin-inspired flair. “When I first began writing this song my dad mentioned that it sort of sounded like a Spanish bull-fighting song,” laughed Emmrose. “I originally wrote it on the ukulele, and kept going with that vibe because I thought it was fun and felt really natural to try something new.” Producer/engineer Michael Abiuso (Behind the Curtains Media) commented further on the development of the single. “I recall Emmrose having such fantastic melodies and lyrics floating around; at the time she was just learning new chords on ukulele. The easiest thing I could think of to play along with her on guitar was just moving one major chord back-and-forth a half step, giving a very Latin-esque feel to the track. I could see a look of excitement on her face and that she was internally cooking up some ideas! She returned to the studio within a few days with “Hopeless Romantics” fully structured with chords, melodies, and lyrics that I absolutely adored. I then showed her some Bjork tracks such as “Hunter” to get some sonic pallet influences and the rest is history.”
The Pairs don’t quite fit any particular genre and they like that! With three unique songwriters at the helm, The Pairs create a diverse repertoire using their individual lives as inspiration. Employing music as a tool for sharing stories of life’s challenges, hope and hilarity, The Pairs inherently connect with their audience through their emotion-full performances. Powered by 3 classically trained vocalists and a former punk rock drummer, their unique blend of harmony and rhythm will hug your eardrums and inspire you to dance!
The album “Noise” is a collection of songs written from a place of hope, hilarity, tragedy and questioning. With lyrics, unique interpretations of rhythm, and unpredictable, sometimes haunting harmonies, this album articulates the idea that at any given moment a multitude of perspectives exist. The word “noise” is representative of the often chaotic experience of human life— whether it’s the noise of the world around us, the internal noise we try to make sense of, or simply the noise we can’t help but make as we fumble our way through our own beautiful journey.
The Know began in late 2018 when Daniel Knowles suggested to his wife, Jennifer Farmer, that instead of traveling home for the holidays (to the UK and Texas respectively) that the LA based transplants stay put and try to create music together, just the two of them. This would be the married couple’s gift to themselves. For the next few weeks, they isolated themselves in their home studio with no real plan except a mutual love of Beach House, Julee Cruise, Ye Ye, The Jesus and Mary Chain, 60's girl groups, and the evocative storytelling lyricism of Patsy Cline and The National.
The first result was lead single '143.' Inspired by Tom Waits’ ‘(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night’, the dream pop song melds autobiographical with fantastical lyrics and unfolds as a series of conversations, images, and hazy recollections of a night out. Their love for ethereal, dreamy atmospheres is shown in ‘143’, glistening with warm melodies, thick soundscapes, and quirky spontaneous flares. Four more songs quickly followed in the wake of 143, tracks that provide an unflinching look at the couple. The EP often delves deep into the duo’s personal lives by honestly narrating stories from their relationship and life experiences against a kaleidoscopic sonic palette.
Recording together wasn’t entirely new to the couple, a few years prior they had made an album as “Ghostel” with a friend providing vocals. Knowles, previously a producer and guitarist for UK shoegaze band “Amusement Parks on Fire” and live sound engineer for bands like Cigarettes After Sex, Sharon Van Etten, and Phoebe Bridgers, recorded the project while Farmer became a co-writer and bassist for the first time. They’d later have one of their songs featured prominently in the trailer for Oscar nominated film, “Mustang.”
The debut EP which was produced, mixed, and mastered by Knowles while Farmer handled the band’s visuals further reiterates their wish to craft something wholly their own. In addition, Knowles solely played all of the instruments while Farmer, for the first time, took on lead vocals. With a strong desire but no professional training and a deep seated fear, so intense in fact that previous attempts had reduced her to tears, Farmer’s voice emerges as courageous and powerful.
Malmö, Sweden-based artist Charlotta Perers AKA Big Fox returns six years after her last album release with fourth single lifted from upcoming full-length “See How the Light Falls”. Initially due for release in May 2018, Charlotta received some news which derailed the campaign. “A few weeks before the album was supposed to be released, I was diagnosed with Lymphoma,” she says. “It all happened very quickly and it was almost like entering a parallel world with a different time scale, rules and priorities.” The process permitted a much deeper sense of perspective to come to light for Perers; “Life suddenly became very intense, very here and now - but that amplified positive experiences too. But it felt good to know that the album was waiting for me on the other side. It was a reminder of something else, the someone I was outside the hospital.”
18 months down the line, Charlotta is better and “slowly reclaiming my life back”. The period of gestation gave the finished album more gravity and significance for the songwriter. “When I listen to it now, I actually like the album even more,” she says. “I have some distance from it. When you’re in the middle of the process, it's easy to get caught up in the details and not really hear the song anymore.” Following sync placements on Charmed, You’re the Worst and MTV’s Catfish, Big Fox’s 2013 single “Shadows” has surpassed 2million+ streams on Spotify alone, while her total streaming numbers exceed 3.6million. Charlotta didn’t allow “See How the Light Falls” to be rushed. Taking two and a half years to finish, and five years to release the album, Perers laboured over it, allowing it to unravel and accumulate organically.
“My experience of creativity is that I get this vague feeling of being pointed in a certain direction,” she says. “It rarely explains itself more than that. But I’ve learnt that if I give it time and attention then things slowly start to move and grow into something, like with the lyrics, I can search for the right lyrics for a long time, even give up, and then some months later it’s as if the missing words find me rather than the other way around.” Produced by Tom Malmros (Alice Boman, This is Head), the full-length explores varying sonic avenues, showcasing instrumental eclecticism in the form of subtle brass blasts, swelling cello and scintillating synthesisers.
At times new single ‘All I’m Trying’ can feel aurally reminiscent of Cate Le Bon or a deeply deconstructed Aldous Harding. Big Fox comments that she found it difficult to pen the lo-fi feat; “Some songs are hard to write about. They just move like a slow train, as if they had no intention of causing any big fuss or drama. But they are sincere, honest. Every word is carefully selected, every synthesizer questioned. And the more time you spend with them, the more you start loving them. That’s how I feel about “All I’m Trying”.”
Award-winning musician-writer-DJ Ben Watt releases a new song "Balanced On A Wire" ahead of his forthcoming new album Storm Damage (out Jan 31) together with an atmospheric performance video filmed at the legendary RAK Studios in London where the album was recorded in April earlier this year. The video and track, which BlackBook called "...one of the most visceral pieces of music he's ever recorded," gives a flavor of Watt's powerful new "future-retro trio" which will tour in support of the album. Additionally, Watt's first US dates in almost three years are also announced today. The US tour kicks off on March 31 in Washington, D.C. and will make stops in New York, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more.
"My kids were teenagers leaving home for the first time when I wrote it,' says Watt of the new song. "I was moved by their mixture of anxiety and determination. It reminded me of being nineteen myself, standing on the edge of something new, how you cope, how you need to open up when the other half of you is screaming 'no'. And I realised I still felt like that now sometimes. Perhaps that feeling never really leaves you."
Recently, Watt released the single "Sunlight Follows The Night" and "Irene," featuring Low's Alan Sparhawk on electric guitar and harmony vocal. Stereogum called Sparhawk "...an ideal accompaniment for the song’s central substance, which amounts to Watt crooning with earthy singer-songwriter gravitas over a finger-picked metal resonator guitar and a synthetic tape loop." Following the release of "Irene," Flood Magazine published an in-depth and inspiring conversation between Sparhawk and Watt.
Storm Damage - a hybrid contemporary acoustic-electronic set - completes a compelling trilogy of albums since Watt's late-flowering return to solo songwriting and singing six years ago after ten years as an acclaimed DJ-remixer-label boss and seventeen in best-selling duo, Everything But The Girl with Tracey Thorn.
"My closest half-brother died unexpectedly in 2016, only four years after my half-sister," he says of events surrounding the album's origins. "I got stuck for a year, angry inside and angry at the political world casually detonating around me. I felt half powerless, half driven. When the songs finally came, some were dark, yes, but there is always room for light. Always. I just tried to put that across." Emotional and inventive, Storm Damage is released on Unmade Road through Caroline International.
Ducks Unlimited are sharing their breezy new single, ‘Gleaming Spires’ – this is the latest to be taken from their debut EP, ‘Get Bleak’ which is due out next Friday (Nov 29) via Bobo Integral.
‘Gleaming Spires’ follows hot on the heels of last month’s ‘Anhedonia’ release, as well as the Brooklyn Vegan and Paste-tipped EP-titled track. It’s an effervescent new C86-tinged cut that rides the buoyant jangle-pop twang of Sarah Records and Postcard-signed acts – The Chills, Orange Juice, The Go-Betweens, etc. The new tracks –self-recorded and produced by the band in guitarist, Evan Lewis’s bedroom – add to previous singles (produced by Josh Korody, also Dilly Dally, Weaves) that found the quartet support Rolling Blackouts CF, The Goon Sax and Weyes Blood.
Speaking about the single that thematically addresses hometowns and the push-pull relationships we share with them, frontman Tom Mcgreevy says: "It’s about the emotional energy that gets put into hating a place. I feel like the manic intensity with which I've heard friends sometimes shit on the town they live in is often pretty transparently an exercise in the displacement of issues in other parts of their lives.”
“There's also this thing I've always found oddly charming about Toronto where, as a colonial leftover it has a bunch of streets named for various royal things, but normally in a vague way,” he continues. “‘King Street’ and ‘Queen Street’ being the major ones, but there are also some other names that either reference British history ('Victoria Street') or just have a kind of Camelot vibe (at least in my head) like 'John Street’.”
Brooke Bentham has announced the release of her debut album Everyday Nothing on AllPoints on the 28th of February. She also shares a second single, ‘Perform For You’, a melancholy meditation on the power dynamics in toxic relationships. Inspired by novels that Brooke was reading at the time. She probes beneath the surface of a doomed romance from the get-go. “It’s like surrendering to something, even though you know it’s never going to work, realising you’re so dependent on someone and knowing your presence in that relationship. It’s love in the worst way.” she says.
“‘Perform For You’ is probably my favourite, because it reminds me of lots of the music I love. Once we’d recorded that, I knew we were making an album. Musically it was exactly where I wanted to be.” Everyday Nothing follows two EPs of music shored up by intense reflection, which has earned the 23 year old many admirers and a rapidly growing fanbase.
Brooke writes sharp and eloquent songs about her experiences as she understands them, using words and music to resolve and record the tensions of young adulthood. Confronted with the mundanities of life and caught between two jobs in London, she finds intense lyricism in the struggle for purpose and direction. The album is, in her words, “in part an ode to the little moments in life, the frustration of being young and unaware of what you want, but getting older and realising you still don’t know. It’s an album I searched for myself in, filled with questions I asked myself."
Written entirely by Brooke, with a few contributions from producer Bill Ryder-Jones (who’s own album Yawn was showered with 4 and 5 star reviews last year), Everyday Nothing documents a fast-rising 23-year-old looking to make sense of her existence. So impressed was Ryder-Jones with Brooke’s observational lyricism that he said: "I've worked with some amazing songwriters in my career. I think Brooke at 23 is well on her way to being up there with Alex (Turner), Saint Saviour, Mick (Head) and James (Skelly). Her lyric writing will be overlooked because of her voice but it is her words that will set her apart from others.”
"Perform For You" follows "All My Friends Are Drunk" released early October which was the first taster of Everyday Nothing. A looser indie rock sound than her previous EPs pitched somewhere between Mazzy Star, Yo La Tengo, Sparklehorse and early Angel Olsen and nods to the ‘90s rock bands she was listening to leading up to the album being written, notably Low, Yo La Tengo and Broadcast.
Earlier this fall, Lilla Parasit signed with Stockholm label family Rama Lama Records (Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Julia Rakel etc.) and introduced themselves with the excellent Gaslights. Today, new single Feather Soul is released on all platforms, the second cut from the band's forthcoming, self-titled debut album which is out early 2020.
Lilla Parasit may be a new band, but the members are no strangers for fans of the Swedish psychedelic and indie scene. The band is lead by Are, who's band Melby released their debut album this spring to great acclaim, and made complete by Amanda Lindgren (Systraskap), David Svedmyr (Me and My Kites) and Jessica Klingsell.
The project started out three years ago and has since changed both names and members before finding both the perfect setting and sound. The band's grand semi-psychedelic lo-fi folk is now finally ready to reach the world's ears. Feather Soul showcases the band's softer and more melodic sides and is a beautiful piece taken from the upcoming mini album Lilla Parasit, out in March 2020.
"Feather soul is the second single from our upcoming album. The first one, Gaslights, was a mishmash of everything from the record, while this one is probably the song that stands out the most. It is much more straight-forward, both lyrically and musically. Perhaps so much so that it feels a bit off in the whole of the album, but it just had to be like that. I wrote it to my sister when she had a kind of hard time. She, and the rest of my family live in the north of Norway, almost 24 hours away by train. That was extra strange to relate to when she was unwell. So I guess that is what the song is about. "
