Panic Pocket - Jeanines - The Strange Dream - Jo Caseley
London-based Sophie Peacock and Natalie Healey have been friends since childhood, know each other’s secrets - and probably know a few of yours too. Panic Pocket are sassy, sardonic and bursting with amazing songs.
Fuelled by claustrophobia and frustration, new single Get Me is consumed by the desire to push the escape button. Lyrically, the song grapples with a fear of commitment and a determination to defy life expectations.
This sense of cathartic destruction is mirrored in the music. Get Me sees the band stomping on the distortion pedal, building a life-affirming anthem from layers of chunky riffs. The deliberately lo-fi video, shot on an old digital camera Sophie found in the attic, is delightfully deadpan – all snarls and eye rolls against candyfloss backdrops.
Get Me was the obvious choice for the opening track on debut album Mad Half Hour, where Panic Pocket set out their intentions and give you a safe space to scream it all out with them. If you want punkpop exuberance, lyrics that are so truthful they hurt, plus some very infectious tunes - then Mad Half Hour is the soundtrack you need, right down to the minute.
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Over the course of two well-received albums and numerous singles and compilation appearances, Jeanines have captured the ears of discerning listeners with a sound that recalls a diverse swathe of pop history, from 60s folk-pop and girl-group tunes to 80s DIY pop to solid gold 90s touchstones like The Aislers Set, The Cat's Miaow and the post-Black Tambourine bands of Pam Berry.
Now they're back with their first new tunes since 2022's Don't Wait For A Sign and the hits just keep on coming. "Each Day" is moody jangler that delivers melodic and emotional heft that belies its brief 1:43 length. Destined for 1,000 indiepop mixtapes, it's exactly the kind of song that the 7" was invented for.
"What The Echoes Say" is a strummy delight, showcasing Alicia Jeanine's lovely vocal harmonies to maximum effect. "Tilt In Your Eye" wraps up this ace single -- it was Jeanines' contribution to Where It's At Is Where You Are's ace 2019 compilation "The Moon And Back" and appears here on vinyl for the first time.
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The Strange Dream - Miss Annie.
As psych rock goes this is very good. Capturing the vibes of days gone by there is enough originality here to make the song stand out and the gorgeous vibes really do resonate so well. Ive got to say I kind of love this one, anyway about the band.
Hailing from the dark corners of some of Manchesters dingiest bars, Strange Dream are the cities most exciting new two piece psych-rock experience. Off the back of their instrumental debut ‘Orange’ the band release ‘Miss Annie’, a soaring guitar track with melodic riffs and driving vocals packed with jangly guitars and shimmering beats just in time for the coming summer.
‘Miss Annie’ started as a word game for guitarist and vocalist Vincent Strange, seeing how many coded narcotics he could fit into the songs verses, “So miss Annie and her pet are fiends (amphetamines) coco & dean lost in their dreams (codeine) St.Mary’s at the harbour (marijuana) Like she does (LSD) there’s no harm in her”. This second single was also the bands first real song writing collaboration, “Virgil already had the instrumental & never really intended to make anything more of it but I thought it could be a full song so I wrote three different versions and we picked them apart used the bits we liked. The chorus was from a song I wrote years ago but it seemed to fit right. For ages we really didn’t like how it turned out but we tweaked the music and words until we cracked the code.”
Strange Dream are a newly formed Manchester duo that fuse an array influences and energies to create imaginative and exciting sound-scapes resulting in dreamy and energetic psych-rock with garage roots and an indie edge. The track was written, recorded and produced by the bands two members, Vincent Strange and Virgil Strange using anything from ash trays and shoes in the recording process to create the tracks unique sound. ‘Miss Annie’ is the just a taste of the bands dreamy yet sometimes sleazy sound.
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Jo Caseley cut her teeth busking the streets of Kings Cross, landing her first real gig in a smoky blues bar next to a strip club. While miles away from where her humble and authentic stylings have landed, it served as a character-building exercise that honed Jo’s ability to write and perform songs about real life, people, places and experiences.
Her forthcoming album, “High On Heartstrings”, is full of such songs – highlighting her ability to place the listener in the moment and narrate a story in its purest form. “Houseless Never Homeless” is the first single lifted from the release and inspired whilst reading her late American Grandmother’s memoir where she was drawn to a chapter called Houseless Never Homeless. It was post World War I during The Great Depression, Caseley’s Grandmother was a child, times were tough, and the family of six were living out of their Model T Ford, desperate for work and a better life.
The song talks about how a child can be houseless, but whilst surrounded by love and hope, never feel homeless. It was a beautiful sentiment that Caseley felt compelled to share especially in the wake of the rise in homelessness in Australia within the past four years. She felt the message was as significant now as ever and took the idea to her friend and mentor, Bill Chambers.
“Bill was the perfect person to write this special song with. He has a great appreciation for the old times and hard times and was so genuinely invested in helping me share my heritage and the stories of my American family”, says Caseley. “Houseless Never Homeless” was brought to life in The Rabbit Hole Recording Studio by Kasey Chambers’ band featuring Brandon Dodd on guitars, Jeff McCormack on bass, Syd Green on drums and the swelling heart strings of Bill Chambers’ lap steel guitar; the perfect pairing in production for Caseley to share this special song of hope and dreams which was co-produced by Brandon Dodd and Syd Green.
“The comfort I find from feeling close and connected to my grandmother, singing her story years after her passing is immeasurable. I hope it can bring comfort to others knowing that with love and hope, anything is possible”.
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