Newport's Prodigal Son Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy announces his 2nd album, the terrific new ‘Cast Me Down’ which will be released on April 11th via 'Dirty Carrot Records’ When writing the bio for the "difficult second album" you are supposed to repeat the trope about having a lifetime to compose your debut LP and a few months to pen the follow-up.
Yet while the vinyl release of Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy's acclaimed debut album World On Fire was less than a year ago, much of the record that follows quickly in its wake is the product of the same prodigious gestation period.
Written and recorded in parallel to World On Fire, Cast Me Down is the other side of the coin. A non-identical and more unruly twin, it takes some of the experimental instincts hinted at on album one and doesn't so much as throw everything but the kitchen sink at the songs as rip the kitchen sink clean off the wall, jump inside it and take flight.
It's a heady ride and although Cast Me Down opens with a welcome reprise of the indie Americana sound that characterised World On Fire, an unsettling loop of backwards guitar heralds the arrival of a sequence of songs that channels sixties psych-pop, the Arctic Monkeys at Rancho De La Luna, late-night West Coast soul, Unkle, The Raconteurs, Father John Misty, and side two of Abbey Road.
And that's just for starters. Backed once again by The Royal Pharmacy and produced and mixed by Jon Greening, Joe Kelly is also joined on Cast Me Down by special guest appearances from the golden larynx of Miss Erin McNamara and Scott McKeon from Welsh folk-rock heroes Rusty Shackle, who brings his formidable violin skills to the psychedelic denouement of Living Daylights.
============================================================================
This weekend, Cult Of Venus released “Algorithm,” (Liberty Belle Records / Futures) a poignant protest song for this moment - critiquing social media as a violent surveillance tool and its poetry explores how we are all controlled by our platforms and our phones. Currently, she’s on a full USA tour as the main support to CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry.
Cult Of Venus is a multi-instrumentalist performance artist who has played MOMA PS1, Fotografiska's Chapel Bar for David LaChappelle’s FAITH exhibition, The Women's March NYC and put on concerts in prisons, including Riker’s Island women's jail in New York City.
Besides the current tour, she has been touring the West Coast for the past months, playing sold-out shows opening for City Of The Sun.
============================================================================
Following their previous release 'Wait For Spring', indie duo Tora Luna return with the soulful 'Why Wouldn't You Say So?' on February 14th.
Drawing from the soulful harmonies of Motown and the raw energy of contemporary indie rock, 'Why Wouldn't You Say So?' unfolds as a powerful dialogue between guest vocalist Deslynn Smith and band member Dominic Johnson. The track, created by core members Alex Broadgate and Dominic Johnson, with contributions on piano from Ellie Parker, masterfully captures the unspoken tensions that simmer beneath the surface of modern relationships. Through interweaving vocals and carefully crafted instrumentation, the performance embodies the push and pull of unexpressed emotions, creating a narrative that resonates with anyone who's ever struggled to voice their feelings.
"We wanted to create a conversational tone through the use of two vocalists to echo the internal thoughts of each individual and their growing frustration with each other," shares Parker. This intimate approach extends beyond the vocals into the very fabric of the recording process. "Although difficult, I found playing without a click-track to be a more relaxing style of recording and, in hindsight, felt that this helped the song feel more conversational."
Nestled in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, producer Gus White's converted barn studio provided the perfect setting for bringing this vision to life. The track blossomed from humble beginnings - "a chirpy, simplistic chord progression" tucked away in Alex's voice notes - into a rich tapestry of sound. The accomplished ensemble features guest musicians including Parker's emotive piano work, guest musician Chloë Meade's soaring violin, Edward Cross's soulful saxophone, and Gus White's intuitive drumming, all weaving seamlessly around the powerful vocal interplay between Smith and Johnson.
============================================================================
