Shadowlands - Certain Animals - North America

Ahead of the new album '003' Shadowlands have released a video for 'Low'. The song is a good introduction for the new collection of material and is one of eight consistently impressive tracks where the bands rich mixture of warm layered sounds which span a number of rock genres support the fabulous, emotional and beautiful vocals. If you like 'Low' then next months album release is a must hear.

From Rotterdam we have Certain Animals and 'Strawberry Sunset' which opens as bluesy rocker, before morphing into an old time psychedelic piece where the vocals and harmonies are just wonderful, this is hugely addictive!

North America have just released a new single entitled 'Leave Us To Fate'. Back in August we shared 'My Baby's No One's Girl' describing that song as "a melodic and earnest indie rock song that is lush and just so natural". With the new single they up the stakes even higher, this is just gorgeous.
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Shadowlands - Low.

Shadowlands has announced their new LP entitled "003" and unveiled the first single via the video for "Low."

When Shadowlands’ guitarist of four years announced he was leaving the band for personal reasons, band vocalist and lead songwriter Amy Sabin was grappling with the recent death of a close friend. With the first few songs from third album "003" already underway, she was struggling to find direction with this loss. Enter Amy’s identical twin sister, Angie. Despite performing together as kids, they had never played in a band together, or ever fully considered the idea. Whether through their shared experience, shared DNA, or some other connection, Angie instinctively knew that she was a candidate for the open guitar role. Through a series of late night texts over the vision and shared desire to keep the band alive, Shadowlands was reborn. The band played one of Portland’s most popular venues just one month after Angie joined, followed by their first Treefort Fest Appearance.

Amy’s music explores anxiety, fear, depression, and isolation. Sabin’s songs sometimes contain moments of joy and subtle irony, a reminder that life can be hopeful and at times requires levity to persevere. Warm analog synths, shimmery guitar, and intricate rhythms carry you through these emotions made real by Amy’s dynamic voice and heartbreakingly vulnerable lyrics. The band is rounded out by Amy’s husband Casey Logan on drums and Amy’s “band husband” (she jokes it’s an official title earned after 15+ years playing in bands together), Jesse Elizondo on bass.

Shadowlands will release "003" on November 22nd and the band will celebrate with a release show on November 23rd at the Fixin To in Portland Oregon.


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Certain Animals - Strawberry Sunset.

Rotterdam based trio Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show what records they've been listening to. Musical giants from the 60's and 70's are spinning on a daily basis on their turntable. 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, other 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 wrtes, produces and mixes thir music single-handedly, working towards the release of their debut album scheduled for spring 2020.

Strawberry Sunset is the first single of the album, which shows the band's new sound. The trio doesn't pretend to be tougher than it is and isn't rougher than what the song demands. The love for music does not only show in the massive record collections of the individual members, but also in their new single. Honesty is shown when it comes to their musical influences.

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North America - Leave Us To Fate.

East London quintet North America release new single ‘Leave Us To Fate’.  A rolling ballad encompassed in ethereal guitar work, the song is a bittersweet reflection on love’s subjugation to fate.

Frontman P.F. Phillip says, “Leave Us To Fate is a bittersweet goodbye to a love now lost, a reminiscence of a romance that inevitably could not be.” Torn apart by separation, the protagonist encourages himself and his former lover to live and carry on, while admitting to a hopeless desire that they meet again in an unknown future.

Written, recorded, produced and released by the band themselves, 'Leave Us To Fate' is a cathartic release of emotion that encapsulates the band's lyrical poeticism and sense of indie grandeur.

North America are a London based 5-piece creating viscerally energetic and introspective indie-rock that embodies the anthemic quality of their songwriting. Hailing from São Paulo and California, frontman P.F. Phillip met guitarists Gabe Coulter, Jack Rennie, bassist Sandro Giacometti and drummer Sam Roberts at the world famous Metropolis Studios before forming North America in 2017 over a refined appreciation of trashy American comedies and questionable pizza joints.

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North America - Seazoo - Llovers - The Achievers - The Jensens

North America have just released 'My Baby's No One's Girl' a melodic and earnest indie rock song that is lush and just so natural.

Seazoo share 'Throw It Up' a feisty indie pop / rock song with a message and bags of hooks along the way.

We featured 'Coming Loose from Llovers back in May and they return with 'Honestly' which is another gorgeous indie rocker.

The Achievers new song 'No One Remembers' is a refreshing  and refined roots and blues rock piece with notably fine musicianship, vocals and harmonies. 

From Australia we have The Jensens and their brand new album 'Hyacinth Haze' where these genre spanning musicians have created a splendid and varied collection of songs, and really are worth our full attention.
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North America - My Baby's No One's Girl.

East London quintet North America return with their latest offering ‘My Baby’s No One’s Girl’. Written, recorded, produced and released by the band themselves, My Baby’s No One’s Girl encapsulates North America’s infectious energy and charm with its soaring guitar work and lyrical poetics.

Narrated by frontman P.F. Phillip, the song is a candid letter of warning about a lover slipping through your fingers. Describing those intimate moments of a relationship they thought would never end, My Baby’s No One’s Girl is a realisation of being blinded by love as fond memories turn to bittersweet retrospect.

North America are a London based 5-piece creating viscerally energetic and introspective indie-rock that embodies the anthemic quality of their songwriting. Hailing from São Paulo and California, frontman P.F. Phillip met guitarists Gabe Coulter, Jack Rennie, bassist Sandro Giacometti and drummer Sam Roberts at the world famous Metropolis Studios before forming North America in 2017 over a refined appreciation of trashy American comedies and questionable pizza joints.

Fresh from their main stage support for The Lightning Seeds at Create Festival, North America head into the studio to record their debut EP offering.

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Seazoo - Throw It Up.

Welsh noisy indie-pop maestros Seazoo announce their return with swaggering new effort Throw It Up, the lead single from the band’s upcoming sophomore album set for release early next year.

Recorded at Big Jelly Studios with Mike Collins (Girl Ray, Pip Blom), the group’s second full-length effort demonstrates a fresh approach and follows critically acclaimed 2018 debut LP TRUNKS, shortlisted for The Welsh Music Prize alongside acts including Boy Azooga, Gwenno, Gruff Rhys and Manic Street Preachers.

Heavily influenced by the likes of Yo La Tengo, Courtney Barnett and Grandaddy, the rousing five-piece have enjoyed significant support throughout the tastemaker community and across the airwaves (BBC Radio 1, 6 Music), with their glowing reputation as an exceptional live act leading to appearances at SXSW, The Great Escape and Green Man and slots with IDLES, The Lovely Eggs and Circa Waves.

Discussing the release, frontman Ben Trow stated: “I see a lot of people rejecting aspects of modern life, like tech, tech platforms, even careers as a way of trying to improve happiness. Some people make extreme lifestyle changes, like moving into a forest, or selling-up and moving into a van. But I also see people getting rid of their smart phones or deleting their social media. So I guess the song’s about making the decision to reject something in an attempt to improve well-being”.

Produced by Ben Trow and Mike Collins, Seazoo’s Throw It Up is out 13th August and will be available via all platforms.

Live Dates (message for press passes)
25 Aug – Golden Lion, Wrexham
01 Sept – End Of The Road
20 Oct – Swn Festival, Cardiff

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Llovers - Honestly.

Further solidifying their fledgling status as one of the North East’s finest emerging acts, Teesside risers Llovers continue their ascent with glistening new effort Honestly, the second track taken from debut EP Things That I Don’t Understand, out 30th October via Think Tank? Records.

Layered with their trademark anthemic overtones, the quintet’s immense potential is demonstrated once more in their latest psych-pop infused single, and follows their thrilling slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend alongside Dylan Cartlidge, Slowthai and The Orielles earlier this summer.

Drawing widespread acclaim throughout the online community (NME, DIY, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, Dork, Wonderland) and across the airwaves (BBC Radio, 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X) over the last 18 months with a series of early releases, the band have already demonstrated their swaggering live potential supporting acts including Sundara Karma, Dream Wife and VANT and will be heading out on the road this autumn to coincide with their debut EP release.

“Sonically the track is unlike anything we’ve done before”, reveals co-frontman Jack Brooks. “We’re always really excited to show people the breadth of what we can do and Honestly allows us to showcase another side to us that I think is really exciting. It’s about sharing a momentary connection with someone. I get so caught up in these moments myself and often find myself puzzled over how real these connections are, or whether they’re merely driven through circumstance, timing and enough delusion to allow these moments to manifest in a romanticised version of themselves”.

Produced by Chad Male (Cape Cub), Llovers’ Honestly is out 14th August via Think Tank? Records and will be available on all digital platforms.

Live Dates (message for press passes)
17 Aug – Hardwick Live Festival
13 Sept – The Georgian Theatre, Stockton

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The Achievers - No One Remembers.

Innovative Blues band The Achievers are set release their fantastic new album The Lost Arc this September 6th, have just released single No One Remembers.

The Achievers are one of the most talked about and critically new bands on the UK Blues and Roots music scene; with a reputation for innovation and originality, they prove that soul, groove and song craft still matter in the blues.

The bands brand of modern, secular ‘Dancefloor Gospel’ has catapulted them from near complete obscurity to rave reviews and big-stage appearances across Europe.

Following the success of their 2018 debut album, ‘Live at The SVA’ the UK Blues Federation have chosen The Achievers as finalists in this years 6th UK Blues Challenge, seemingly recognising the need to modernise and diversify the genre. With their infectious rhythms, joyful melodies and four-part harmonies The Achievers stand proudly as British Blues & Roots outliers.


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The Jensens - Hyacinth Haze (Album).

It's been over two years in the making, but it's finally here - The Jensens rise to the top with their heavily anticipated debut album Hyacinth Haze.

Having blasted through the cosmos with the effervescent 'Coma', peered through the psychedelic haze of 'Mt. Mura', all before settling down with some soothing sax lines on 'Four Chambers', The Jensens' have taken fans on a rollercoaster of sounds, emotions and sensations across the album's three releases.

The long awaited debut LP is the result of The Jensens locking themselves away in the studio, experimenting and recording for the better part of a year. Pushing the boundaries of their sound like never before, the seven-track album incorporates aspects of prog rock, disco and electronic to the group's signature indie rock sound, a mesmerising mix which keeps things refreshing from start to end.

"The songwriting is more complex, there's more mature lyrical themes and more experimental production too" guitarist and vocalist Nathan Kendall explains, "It was written and recorded during a time in our lives where we questioned everything we were doing, as musicians, as friends, as lovers, as human beings and as a band. The album is a relinquishing of the naivety of youth and an acceptance of reality and the world around you."

The quintet are still pinching themselves from their Splendour In The Grass debut, not to mention their wins at the prestigious QUBE Effect, taking home the 'Telstra Innovation' and 'JMC Best Original Song' awards the weeks prior. Prior singles 'Coma' and 'Mt. Mura' saw spins on triple j and triple j Unearthed, racking up over 30,000 streams between them, having landed in Apple Music's 'The New Rock' playlist along with Spotify's 'New Music Friday AU & NZ', 'Indie Arrivals' and 'Chords + Cardigans' playlists.

With two EP's already released, the youthful Everybody Talks (2016) and the melancholic Sexless (2017), The Jensens have since gone on to share the stage with the likes of The Vaccines, Last Dinosaurs, Spiderbait and Twin Peaks. Adept festival stage rockers too, The Jensens have performed at tastemaker events such as Splendour In The Grass, The Blurst of Times, Mountain Goat Valley Crawl, Valley Fiesta, Jungle Love, Grampians Music Festival.

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