Thyla - Fanclub - Monako - Blake Jones and The Trike Shop

Thyla make their eighth appearance on Beehive Candy with the song 'December' released today. This is a band that have consistently impressed us as they take alt rock and post punk in so many exciting directions, always with feeling and creativity. === Fanclub make their third appearance here with the brand new song 'Trespassing' the indie pop band taking a more rocky edge without losing their smooth melodic sound. === Canadian - German dream pop band Monako share their new track 'Aside' a gently paced song that has depth and emotion, it's less pop and more dreamy if you see what I mean. === Finally today we have Blake Jones and The Trike Shop with 'My Soft Rock Girlfriend'. The song has been around for more than couple of months however it came as part of a compilation album from Big Stir Records (here) who have a really supportive approach to the artist they work with, and an exceptional talent at finding fabulous music that can so easily go missing under the radar.
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Thyla - December.

Brighton post-punks Thyla continue their scintillating ascent with emotive new cut December, the third track lifted from the band’s eagerly anticipated sophomore EP Everything at Once, set for release 7th February.

Racing to the forefront of the emerging indie landscape, the rising quartet returned earlier this autumn with masterfully crafted lead singles Two Sense and Lennox Hill, having already attracted glowing praise from all corners of the press (Pitchfork, Stereogum, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Dork) and across the airwaves (BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X, KCRW) following the arrival of debut EP What’s On Your Mind? earlier this year.

Discussing the release, the quartet stated: “December shows a more delicate side to the band, Millie wrote the song for her sister who was suffering with some really tough personal issues, it came from a really dark and desperate place but the song manages to put into words what she could never say."

The indie juggernauts have had a formidable 2019 on the road supporting the likes of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, in addition to capacity shows at The Great Escape, Live At Leeds and Hit The North, and having just completed their first full-length UK tour, plans are already in place for an EP release party at Brighton Electric on 7th February.

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Fanclub - Trespassing.

Austin, TX based indie-pop trio Fanclub are back with their latest single release 'Trespassing', released independently on December 6th. Join them as they search for the nostalgia of 80s synths and 90s guitars in their songs of modern love and heartbreak.

Fanclub formed in 2018 and is comprised of Mike Lee, Leslie Crunkilton, and Daniel Schmidt. The band craft songs driven by their love of all things twee, electro and dreamy. Following on from their successful SXSW showcase this year and with their debut EP 'All The Same' already reaching over a million streams, they are hard at work with a slew of tour dates under their belt and many more to come.

"'Trespassing' is meant to embody the fleeting feelings of summer. It's about having fun in the midst of heartbreak, and how the seemingly small experiences you have and the people you spend time with carry so much significance because they become a part of your healing process." - Leslie Crunkilton

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Monako - Aside.

Canadian-German dream-pop outfit Monako continue evolving with new single ‘Aside’, as they gear up for the release of their second EP ‘Take Care’ out 17th January.

Monako was born from nomadism; When Canadian Sadek Massarweh came to Hamburg in his early 20s to study, he met Jakob Hersch and the duo jammed regularly. The addition of Montreal singer Naomie De Lorimier (studying in Berlin) formed the foundation of the band which came into full bloom when Valentin Hebel, Jan-Hendrick Schnoor and Pamier Hilal formed the full line-up.

Together they combine hazy, French-tinged vocals with soft, jazzy percussions and glimmering synths, sounding like a mashup of Brad Stank, King Krule and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Having played over 60 headline shows throughout Europe and featuring on the new Vagabon album, Monako are captivating with their dreamy soundscapes laced with intimate grooves.

Following the hazy single ‘Town’, Monako take a more sombre tone with ‘Aside’. Musically reminiscent of the likes of Portishead with epic arrangements, the band tread the line between intimate and huge sounds, including samples from the cult French film La Haine; The result is an emotive piece.

Written about the end of a relationship, the band explain: "there are indeed many ways to bring something to an end. There are always many paths to destruction. But that doesn’t mean that everything is doomed. This assessment aims at empowering one into accepting that any relationship entails a risk of destruction and failure."

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Blake Jones and The Trike Shop - My Soft Rock Girlfriend.

We shall let Blake Jones & the Trike Shop speak for themselves, befitting their legendary status:

What can five music-obsessed folks from Fresno do? What can any artsy pop band do? We’re interested in it all: the community it grows, the straight-to-the-heart communication, and even the joy of getting all those bits - guitars, theremin, flute (whatever we happen to be working with) – to dance together into an uplifting chunk o’ music. And we’ve done quite a bit with that approach. We’ve had our tunes spun regularly on both terrestrial and internet radio, including Rodney Bingenheimer’s Underground Garage and the venerable BBC Merseyside. We’ve had enthusiastic reviews in publications such as Goldmine, Endless Summer Quarterly, and Liverpool Sound & Vision. We play all over our home state of California and we've just completed our fourth overseas trip, The Glasgow to Berlin Tour.

We’ve been at it for a while. This particular combo, disregarding the detailed stats, has been playing since 2005, but Blake Jones & the Trike Shop has released 5 CDs and been on numerous compilations and collections since 1993. Our newest was released in 2018 on CD, LP, and download. It’s called Make.

“Yeah, but what kind of music do you play?” When pressed, we say Blake Jones & the Trike Shop is an “art-pop band”. David Bash (founder of the International Pop Overthrow Festival) says “The Trike Shop's ‘The Turtles meets Frank Zappa’ stylings never fail to be delightful, enigmatic and quirky! I highly recommend all of their work.” Other friends have used words like “Who” or “XTC”. Sometimes we use words like ‘guitars’, ‘theremins’, and ‘puppet heads’, for reasons best experienced in a live setting. Working in community, and a D.I.Y spirit have long been guide posts in this band’s life; I think that’s why we fit so well with and are so proud to be part of the whole Big Stir group of bands.

John Shafer: drums, Martin Hansen: bass, Michael Scott: guitar, Barbara Anderson-Jones: flute, vocals, Blake Jones: songs, vocals, guitar, theremin.

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Fanclub - Blaire - Beverly Kills - Mystery Art Orchestra

'Imprint' from Fanclub is a beautifully flowing song with appealing vocals and a finely arranged musical back drop. With their music aptly described as Punkgaze, Blaire give us 'Mimer' a distinct and hook filled song that helps explain their musics description. Gothenburg’s Beverly Kills might have created a stir locally, however 'In This Dim Light' might well be bright enough (pun intended) for their music to get noticed far and wide. We have the A side and one of the two B sides from Mystery Art Orchestra's new single as the Berlin based band demonstrate just how good their take on post punk music is!

Fanclub - Imprint.

Fanclub have just shared their new single "Imprint". Fanclub is Mike Lee, Leslie Crunkilton, and Daniel Schmidt from Austin, TX. Mike and Leslie immediately knew they wanted to craft songs driven by their love of all things twee, indie, and dreamy.

What they didn’t expect was that the songs would come out as the most mature and dazzling things they’ve ever worked on. What they also didn’t know was that Fanclub would give us a distinctly new sound that is also so incredibly nostalgic.

On the heels of their debut EP release with already over half a million streams, they want to further craft songs that find hope in the melancholy and bring that same sentiment on the road. With more and more tour dates being announced, hopefully you’ll get to see for yourself.

Tour Dates:
05/22 - Houston, TX - White Swan Live
05/22 - Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas.

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Blaire - Mimer.

Building a kingdom of textured and multifaceted guitar music—brilliantly labelled as punkgaze, Blaire creates sonics that is both visceral and maligned, maximalist and minimal. Hidden behind an explosion of layered guitars and noise lies subtlety and beauty—something Blaire have come to perfect in their two-year career.

Blaire is proud to release the new single into the world. After turning plenty of heads last year with two astounding tracks, 'Youth' and 'Smiling', Blaire's new track, 'Mimer', is out today via GD FRNDS.

Blaire has never sounded so polished and forward. Their pretence of sweltering punk swashed underneath a shoegaze current remains omnipresent, though embeds itself in a dichotomy of deepened pop movements. Using a synth for the first time in a Blaire track, there was a conscious effort to make a dreamy and otherworldly vibe on 'Mimer'.

Sparked by the passing of a family member, Blaire frontman Ben Stagg constructed a contrast of "efflorescent dreaming" and "ephemeral nightmares" to deal with or distract himself in that time.

"Mimer takes a look at the idea of distance," explains Stagg. "Whether that be a friend who lives far away, someone who's passed, a favourite place, country, anything. It is a reflection on the fact that you can still feel whatever's missing from you in a range of ways, and can be 'mimed' by something else."

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Beverly Kills - In This Dim Light.

Beverly Kills are creating an impressive name for themselves as one of Gothenburg’s up and coming bands to watch. Last year saw the band release ‘Fourteen’, ‘Melodrama’ and ‘Dreamless’, gathered great acclaim from both local and international press including being mentioned as one of the “Best Swedish Indie Debuts 2018” by HYMN and being nominated for "Breakthrough of the Year” in the Gaffa Awards. This also saw the band playing Gothenburg music showcase festival Viva Sounds and a side show at this years by:Larm Festival along with shows supporting Agent blå, Moaning(USA- Sub-pop) and Västerbron.

The release of ‘Revellers’ earlier this year came with the announcement of their debut physical release ‘In This Dim Light/Melodrama’ limited edition 7” vinyl through Australian Indie label Hell Beach. ‘Revellers’ received a plethora of editorial support among being added to Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlists, featured in Hype Machines most blogged charts and saw new live dates including taking the stage at this year’s SPOT Festival and shows supporting Terra and Westkust. ‘In This Dim Light’ signifies a new era for Beverly Kills as they join the Welfare Sounds roster, aligning with amazing fellow label artists such as Linn Koch Emmery, Terra and Tyred Eyes which is set to propel the band forward into a future that is looking very bright.

‘In This Dim Light’ may be Beverly Kills most compelling single to date and further encapsulates the bands signature sounds as they suck you in with dreamy and infectious hooks then spit you right back out with raw and thumping energy.The initial tone of the song is set by Alma Westerlund’s beautiful vocals that flow effortlessly over melodic, dreamy synths which is then completely augmented as Viggo Mattson and Hampus Höggren lay down a powerful stomping rhythm section that propels the song into full motion.

As the song builds towards its final climax, John Jonsén’s punchy and articulate guitar performance carries the song through sections of tension and release as the band artfully blend raw and energetic sonic landscapes with dreamy lush vocals. Lyrically, Alma poetically reflecting on the type of people who compulsively start talking about their exes after they’ve had a drink or two, ending up ranting about them for the rest of the evening, almost as a process of self-purification.“A gray wall can become a sky or an ocean if you look close enough, we played an eye for an eye and you took them both”. ‘In This Dim Light’ clearly demonstrates Beverly Kills song writing prowess and further establishes their emergence in the ever-exciting Gothenburg indie scene.

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Mystery Art Orchestra - Enjoy The Violence / Losing Relation.

Berlin-based Post-Punk / New-Wave band Mystery Art Orchestra released their new EP last Friday. Following six years of work on their debut album “Prismatic Dream” (2018) and several live performances, Mystery Art Orchestra returned to the studio and produced the 7" Vinyl “Enjoy The Violence”.

This cheeky new EP contains three new tracks and comes with an emergence of new darker sounds. Light-minded or not, fragments of sounds are the only form that Mystery Art Orchestra trust. Measured against the east german landscape of their hometowns, its only slightly sentimental.

Hypnotic, disruptive and sometimes strangely familiar, almost as if different musical decades have been torn apart and stitched back together in unexpected ways.

"If you like blurry guitar sounds, melancholic vocals and long stretches of instrumentals lining your car rides, lonely walks or meaningful stares out of the windows, you’ve reached the right address with Mystery Art Orchestra"



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Fox and Bones - Fanclub - Margot - Every Kid Knows

Fox and Bones - Better Land (album).

Based in Portland, OR, these internationally touring sweethearts aren't your average duo. Rather than simply documenting their experiences in song, Sarah Vitort and Scott Gilmore write from the perspective of quasi-fictional characters. There’s Fox, a down-and-out it girl, and Bones, a rootless orphan bad boy with a heart of gold. The two fall for each other, decide to hit the road, and never look back. The characters, as well as their real-life counterparts, use music as the canvas on which they paint a new life together that defies traditional relationship roles and life goals. Their music is ripe with vocal harmonies that pull at the heartstrings and a complex, at times metaphysical, lyrical landscape. Each element serves their stories of a life lived on the road, in pursuit of a dream that most never have the courage to chase. Live, they give audiences a peek into their world and challenge them to believe in life, adventure, and modern love.

 In the fall of 2017, the two began working with producer, Dominik Schmidt, and engineer, Matt Greco of The Rye Room, looking to evolve and add more mainstream pop elements to their quiet, folky sound. The first effort by the new team was the single “Love Me Like a River,” which quickly made a name for itself in Portland and beyond. The song debuted on Portland’s Kink Radio, and was met with positive feedback from fans and press alike. 

Over the last year, the duo has continued to work with Schmidt and Greco on their sophomore effort, due out fall of 2018. The album, titled Better Land, will introduce fans to a whole new iteration of Fox and Bones that was teased with “Love Me Like a River.” It’s a sound with rocking drums, grooving baselines, and melodies that are catchier than ever. But don’t worry, those who fell in love with Fox and Bones for their simple, harmony-driven songs will not be disappointed. Better Land has something for everyone, appealing to the adventurous spirit in all of us. Gilmore and Vitort continue to manifest the lives they want to live through song, encouraging listeners to dream as big as they have.

In the small window of time that they aren’t on the road, Fox and Bones has also founded Portland’s Folk Festival, which sold out in its first year and continues to grow. The two aim to create culture and camaraderie around folk music in Portland, bringing musicians and music fans together in a lasting and mutually beneficial way to celebrate Portland’s thriving folk scene.

Comprising of eleven tracks Fox and Bones new album 'Better Land' is a highly likable affair. Dual vocals and harmonies are just part of the pedigree for this duo, along with this you can add well written and constructed songs and plenty of variety. Drifting from modern Americana or folk through to indie rock and pop, this original set of songs are all available to stream below, as they take you on musical journeys in all directions.

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Fanclub - Stranger.

Austin, Texas’ newest band Fanclub share their new single ‘Stranger’ on December 5th, taken from the band's forthcoming debut EP to be released via newly founded Berlin based label Friendly Reminder.

Fanclub is Mike Lee, Leslie Crunkilton, and Daniel Schmidt from Austin, TX. Fanclub began from Mike's love of twee pop, synth pop, and dreamy guitars. He searched for a vocalist, and when Leslie started singing on a song, it became clear that her voice would be the drive of the band. The songs are dazzling, both melancholic yet upbeat. Fanclub gives us a sound that is hopefully nostalgic but also distinctly brand new.

The new single ‘Stranger’ follows on from the release of 'Reflection' and is a catchy synth-driven slice of dream pop, and another display of the band's penchant for writing songs that incorporate beauty and pain into a lo-fi, melodic aesthetic.

To cap off the year, Fanclub are performing shows in their home state of Texas in the lead up to their debut EP 'All the Same', which will be released in early 2019 and will be followed by a showcase at SXSW.

"'Stranger' is about falling out of love. Even when it’s obvious what is happening, there is the instinct to try and maintain the illusion that everything is okay. This song is positioned at that devastating moment when a decision is made, and you have to learn how to continue loving. The last line “Now let it go, we’re all the same. We’re all, we’re all, we’re all the same” removes blame, and joins us all in the shared experience of love and loss." - Leslie Crunkilton.

'Stranger' is a catchy dream pop song that rocks along as both the vocals and synths vie for attention. With some post punk and eighties vibes this is nonetheless fresh and feisty music.

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Margot - Coffee Stained Scars.

Margot are slowly becoming masters in imbuing their hazy, insular guitar lead dream-pop with a subtle drama born of a close eye on the minutiae of modern human existence, lending their music an unflinching authenticity. Characters, and relationships between them, are imagined to create a voice through which vocalist Alex Hannaway can express his personal thoughts, derived from his own social experiences and engagement with politics.

Inspiration for latest single Coffee Stained Scars came from a scene in Greta Gerwig’s coming of age film Lady Bird – in which a mother’s drive between work and home is the only time in her day when she’s not serving others, creating a time of contemplation.

“‘Coffee Stain Scars’ is a middle-aged man’s wet-traffic-ridden journey, and his partners anxiety regarding his mental fortitude.” explains Alex “I’ve had experience with adults of that age stoically withholding information in regards to their mental health and I’ve seen how this can affect friends and family. It’s desperation, it’s unconditional love, and a hope that things can turn around.”

This is a theme set to continue through Margot’s work, this being the first of a triptych of singles revolving around  characters in differing situations relating to mental health. Citing influence from various art-forms - Emily Dickinson’s poetry or John O’Hara’s unvarnished realism to The Smiths and Coronation Street – Margot’s loving treatment of kitchen-sink drama blurs the lines between high and popular culture.

Self-produced once more in the band’s own studio space, not beholden to time or financial pressure, the band’s relentless DIY approach enables a perpetual artistic process, agile to accommodate their evolving thematic interests.

Melodic guitars and some distinct and highly engaging vocals ensure that 'Coffee Stained Scars' stands out in the crowd. There is a laid back indie rocker feel at times and the musicianship is slick and considering the DIY production this is a beautifully produced song.

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Every Kid Knows - Spinning Jenny.

“The River Fowey is a magical place. From the small wharf in front of the Fisherman's Arms in Golant we took a small boat with our guitars and amps and drum cases downriver to the creek where Sawmills Studios lies buried in the woods. Down there you only hear the birds and the stream and occasionally the iron rattle of the Mineral Railway. You can't see any other houses. You can switch the world off and start looking for something - it's Heart of Darkness in reverse.

And it was important that we went there to make our album. I wanted to reconnect to some innocence, some lost spirit of pop music that has been written over by the ones and zeros. I wanted to record everything in a single take – I didn't even know whether it was even possible to make a record like that anymore. I wanted the music to be alive - not the digital plug-in facsimile of being alive. Spinning Jenny was one of the first tracks we recorded in the I’ve days that we were there. We'd performed the track a hundred times live. I had recorded a great demo that was really trippy but a lot slower. This was a chance to let it fly.

We did three takes and the third take was a spiritual experience. Tom Joyce, the engineer, asked us if we wanted to have another go. We were all just giggling, overwhelmed by what had just happened in the last four minutes. I knew that if we did a thousand more takes we'd never get close again. It was a great moment. I can't say too much about the song. It came to me like a dream – something over which I had no control. The words just wrote themselves. I like the idea of a rickety wooden machine that comes along and kickstarts a revolution. I like the idea of a girl who just blows your world apart. I like the idea of evolution and wheels and music that comes around and makes sense of where you are.

Back in Den Haag we met up with Caitlin and Jana from Glitterstudio and spent a freezing cold day on the beach. I said I wanted the video to be colourful and crazy. They kept asking me what the song was about and I kept saying I didn't know. It just felt right.” – Dylan Rippon, Every Kid Knows. The featured single will be released online by Hero Rhymes With Zero on 10th December 2018 and is a taster of the band’s debut album expected next year.

Due out on Monday the brand new single entitled 'Spinning Jenny' is a gorgeous and somewhat psychedelic sounding piece. It's oozing melodic hooks and the vocals add that psych vibe, considering this is a taster for next years debut album, it looks like we may be heading towards something rather special.

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