BEEHIVE CANDY

Childcare - Big Man. Background - Pushing beyond the echo-chamber, Childcare follow the slinky art-rock of Put Down Your Pen with the bold and brooding Big Man, an alternative take on dealing with bubble-breaking disagreement and family friction. The second single from their upcoming ‘Luckyucker’ EP, Big Man seeks to address the difficulties of contrasting world views, immigration and accusations of liberal elitism, all in a tidy 3 minutes and 53 seconds. Frontman Ed Cares explains: "There's a place for fighting and affirming the values you stand up for, but too often we ridicule and dismiss those we disagree with. I'm bored of broad-brush Tory bashing and of hearing that everyone who voted for Brexit is stupid. This song is a reminder that we need to listen and try and understand those who believe differently from us." The band will head out on a two week UK headline tour in October to support the release of the ‘Luckyucker’ EP. With a sling of festivals includi...

The Claudettes - Don't Stay with Me / Pull Closer To Me. Background - An old upright piano, a snarling electric bass, Phil Spector-ized booming drums and seductive Cool School vocals get into a punk-blues brawl at the studio of Grammy-winning Black Keys producer Mark Neill. On their head-spinning new album, The Claudettes summon vaudeville blues, ’60s soul and Cramps-like psychobilly. Behold Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!, the band’s third full-length for Yellow Dog Records and first to feature their touring lineup of piano, drums, “Bass VI” guitar and three singers. Pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana airs grievances about the numbing and divisive effects of an Internet-dominated world all across these songs. “Nobody knows how to talk to each other these days,” begins the song “Give It All Up for Good,” while “Bill Played Saxophone” follows American political nemeses through periods of smoldering bitterness and revenge fantasies. “Death and Traffic” begs for stories of saved live...