Sunglasses For Jaws - Life In Mono - Nick Kizirnis - Raven Shelley

Sunglasses For Jaws - For Another Day.

London based outfit Sunglasses For Jaws have released their new single "For Another Day" alongside a video directed by Andrea Banjanin. The new single is the second track be released from Sunglasses For Jaws' upcoming album 'A Room In Europe' - out 16th February 2023 via Pony Recordings.

Combining a love of Scott Walker, Somalian 70’s funk, Hollywood strings with a dash of Portishead, new album 'A Room In Europe' was produced by the band in their East London studio, mixed and mastered by Elliot Heinrich  (Sorry, Parquet Courts, Deadletter).

New single "For Another Day" stems from an acoustic guitar piece the band had previously written - inspired by Bach’s use of a sustained bass-line staying in one place while a melody plays alongside it. This initial idea grew in the studio with the addition of synth chord triggers and a wonderful string arrangement composed by Clementine Brown.

Elevating the song to a more dramatic, electronic/Portishead-inspired place; vocalist Olivier Huband’s Sinatra-esque, crooner-like vocal adds captivating emotion to the piece, transporting the listener to somewhere between a romantic night in Paris and an empty English working men’s club.

Speaking on the release of new single "For Another Day" - the band shared: "Welcome to the world of lover boy, of croon, of regret. The world of feelings where you spend your time ruing your past failings while holding on to the fonder memories. If we could have one more day, one more moment, one more kiss, maybe things would’ve lasted longer? But here we are. Face to the wall, heart in a cinch, singing lullabies to no one”.

 

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Life In Mono - Blackout.

Alternative-rock four-piece Life In Mono return with their upcoming double A-side singles ‘Blackout/Sex To White Noise’ released today December 2nd 2022, following their recent support slot alongside The Virginmarys.

The band formed in 2019 after Adam and Sarah met whilst studying at Bath Spa University, drawn to one another by a shared artistic vision. James came aboard thanks to a blistering performance at a local jam night and Mike, the final cog in the machine, was the perfect drummer at the perfect time.  The result? Darkly emotional alt-rock that will caress your soul then drag you into the mosh pit.

Although individually Life In Mono’s eclectic musical influences range from Meshuggah to Bach, via Hendrix, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, AC/DC and Deftones, collectively there are echoes of PJ Harvey, early Placebo and The Mysterines alongside a darker, heavier undertone.

With a massively exciting and engaging live presence and multiple releases scheduled through the beginning of 2023 the band are expected to storm through the festival season with a UK tour to follow in the Autumn. Their recent singles ‘Smile For The Camera’ and ‘The Cold’ saw them receive support from the likes of BBC Introducing amongst others.

Life In Mono · Blackout

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Nick Kizirnis - Someone (re-imagined).

For almost 20 years, guitarist/songwriter Nick Kizirnis has explored songs and styles ranging from Americana to pop, from rock’n’roll to experimental. He has worked with Tobin Sprout (Guided by Voices) and The Breeders (last years’ “The Dirt Eaters” for 4AD) as well as his own instrumental surf trio The Mulchmen and 90’s art-damaged grunge rockers Cage.

Since releasing his 10th album, The Distance, Kizirnis has seen his music shared across the U.S. and Europe, and has now begun releasing a series of singles reimagining his diverse catalog. “Someone," the Ohio-based songwriter’s second single of 2022, is a bedroom pop torch song with beautiful, plaintive vocals from Lung’s Kate Wakefield over a lo-fi blend of Bradley Coomes’ electronic beats and vintage drumming from Son Volt’s Mark Patterson.

Despite the move away from guitar, bass and drums to electronics and effects, the song’s message of undying love remains intact. As Wakefield sings “Am I someone you used to care about?” the song holds on to hope that love can endure any separation or challenge.

Kizirnis and producer/multi-instrumentalist Bradley Coomes decided to work together on “Someone” - a song that originally appeared on Kizirnis’ most recent album, The Distance - after Kizirnis released a “re-imagined” version of “Way to Me” from the same album in August.

 

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Raven Shelley - Erroneous Lives.

Raven Shelley is a casual creator of chaos who doesn't quite fit into the modern world and all its strangeness. Her intense, complex, and honest music is influenced by her love of literature, poetry and visual mediums. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Bob Dylan and Ani DiFranco, Shelley has a unique sound that perfectly showcases her passion for the arts.

"When I first moved to Manchester to embark on a three-year uni course, the city was a shock to the system. The traffic, the noise, the people, everything contrasted sharply with the market town
where I had spent my teenage years. However, in a way this all helped to numb the pain of a recent separation. I was walking down Hathersage Road when the melody and words for the chorus of what became ‘Erroneous Lives’ popped into my head. It drowned out the bustling noise around me, and the moment I got home I ran to my room and finished writing it. ‘Erroneous Lives’ is – for me – forever associated with the cacophony of getting to know Manchester and its dirty grey streets."

Growing up in the south of France, she educated herself in English literature from a young age and went on to study it at university. It was this that sparked her desire to create lyrics that can also be described as poetry. For Shelley, “all the hurt, all the anger, all the love, everything that runs through me can be found somewhere in my lyrics, because to write something real, you have to pour yourself onto the page and into the songs.” Shelley truly understands the power of creative mediums, drawing inspiration from authors, visual artists and filmmakers, including Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare, Schiele, Van Gogh and Nicolas Roeg.

The Animal Farm Label · Raven Shelley_Erroneous Lives

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Sister Wives - Gabrielle Shonk - Bad Sounds - Sunglasses For Jaws

Sister Wives - O Dŷ i Dŷ / Streets At Night.

Sister Wives have shared two more tracks from their forthcoming debut album. The Double A single release sees the emerging Welsh speaking band release tracks 'Streets at Night' and 'O Dŷ i Dŷ', following on from a string of well-received singles and appearances at festivals across the UK this summer. Inspired by Welsh mythology, thread throughout a cavernous mix of psychedelia, folk, post-punk, garage and 70s glam rock, Sister Wives recently announced their debut album will be released on 28th October via Libertino Records.

New track 'O Dŷ i Dŷ' is about the Welsh folkloric custom of South Wales, The horse headed Mari Lwyd. The song discusses the tradition and questions whether she has been culturally appropriated, and if she has, whether this is a bad thing or not. The earliest accounts of the horse headed Mari date back to 1798, but the tradition declined in popularity in the early 20th century. The tradition saw a resurgence towards the end of the 20th century and then in 21st century has increased its popularity with the iconic image and use of the Mari spreading as far as North America. O Dŷ i Dŷ’ translates as ‘From house to house’, referencing how she attempts to gain entry to houses, where a musical battle would commence to gain entry, like a poetry slam.

"The song questions whether this is a way of celebrating Welsh culture or whether this is a form of cultural appropriation" says the band. "It mentions how ‘the mare runs free, let’s see where she ends up landing’ and asks for people to reflect on whether those who have resurrected her in other countries are guilty of stealing her skeleton."

Meanwhile, 'Streets at Night' is a literal, visceral description of what it feels like to fear for one's life when walking at night. Paired with a retro organ and a pulsing changeable tempo, the track imbues a distinctive sense of dread - almost emulating a classic horror movie soundtrack. "The song was written as an outlet for this experience that we’ve all felt" says the band. "The speed of the song changing halfway through influenced the lyrics and we hear heartbeats speeding up and slowing down throughout, mirroring the feeling of being on high alert when out walking alone."

 

Libertino · Sister Wives - O Dŷ i Dŷ

Libertino · Sister Wives - Streets At Night

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Gabrielle Shonk - How We Used To Be.

Montréal-based singer-songwriter Gabrielle Shonk shares “How We Used To Be”, her first new music in five years. The song is taken from her forthcoming 2023 album which chronicles the enormity of heartache and hope that comes with endings and new beginnings.

“How We Used To Be” marks a new chapter in Shonk’s career. After parting ways with the major label behind her debut album, she used her newfound creative freedom to collaborate with longtime friends, co-writer Jessy Caron of the band Men I Trust, and producer Jesse Mac Cormack (Helena Deland). The result is a moody single with tinges of 90s R&B exploring romantic nostalgia by reminiscing about a relationship before it fell apart.

Released today via Arts & Crafts, "How We Used To Be" is a love ballad about "a relationship that was hard to leave," explains the JUNO-nominated singer. Delicate piano lines and softly-strummed acoustic guitar accompany Shonk's dreamy vocals recalling a time in a relationship before it turned toxic. “I hate you, I love you, I miss you,” Shonk laments before the soulful chorus reflects on better times: “Touch my hand, gently / Talk to me, it’s soothing / Make me see how we used to be.”

How do you come back to yourself? Perhaps it’s important to first understand you have become lost, and admit you’ve veered off path. How then do you begin to piece yourself back together? Five years since her self-titled debut, this is the journey Gabrielle Shonk takes us on with her sophomore album set for release in winter 2023.

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Bad Sounds - Nu Me Nu Yu. 

Sounding bigger and better than ever before, Bad Sounds return with their knock-out new single ‘Nu Me Nu Yu’. Self-produced and mixed by Nathan Boddy (Mura Masa, Biig Piig, PinkPantheress), bursting with energy the track is an unmissable reminder that Bad Sounds are ever-evolving and here back once again to stay.

Sharing more, the band explained: "We’re absolutely delighted be the latest in a long list of bands ripping off the Beatles and repackaging it as our own. ‘Nu Me Nu Yu’ is a song that was originally destined for one of our side projects, but everybody we know told us it sounds too much like Bad Sounds, so we eventually got the hint and now we feel silly for not realizing it ourselves. The lyrics are pretty self explanatory, they’re just spelled stupid.

The video is super DIY just like they were when we first started out. We built a room of mirrors and spent a day bumping into our reflections, and trying to not break the glass floor/ceiling/walls. It was super fun to shoot and kinda trippy to watch. We really hope people like it!

Nu Me Nu Yu is the band's first release since January which saw the launch of their impressive EP ‘Escaping from A Violent Time Vol 2.’. The dreamy five track record played host to some stand-out collaborative moments including ‘Move Into Me’ which featured New Zealand two-piece BROODS and ‘You Move backwards’ which features hotly tipped UK artist Ruti.

The band's collaborations continue outside of their own music as their production and songwriting network flourishes in their purpose built studio in the Cotswolds. They’ve had their finger on the pulse collaborating with lots of important new acts coming through, including Arlo Parks (co-writing and producing track ‘Bluish’ off her debut album) and others like Rose Gray, Miso Extra, Joey Maxwell, Devon, Max Pope, VC Pines, SOFY and LCYTN.

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Sunglasses For Jaws - Under a Rainbow.

London based outfit Sunglasses For Jaws today announce their new album 'A Room In Europe' will be released 16th February 2023 via Hackney tastemaker label Pony Recordings (Tempesst, Caleb Kunle). The trio mark the album announcement with the release of the album's first single and album opener, "Under A Rainbow" - featuring vocals from Australian singer Elle Musa.

Widescreen, psych-rock with a penchant for the dramatic, Sunglasses For Jaws consists of David Bardon, Oscar Robertson and Olivier Huband. The outfit's new album was produced by David and Oscar in their London studio and mixed by Elliot Heinrich  (Sorry, Parquet Courts, DEADLETTER).

Combining a love of Scott Walker, Somalian 70’s funk, Hollywood strings with a dash of Portishead, new single "Under A Rainbow" opens with a spiralling string arrangement intertwined with splashes of Turkish Yazh - before dropping into its riveting, luxurious psych-groove. Never short of epic reveals, the instrumental is punctuated by welcome splashes of wah wah guitars and triumphant horn sections.

Featured vocalist - Brisbane based painter and musician Elle Musa adds a delicacy and poise to the track, as she pines for normality, new experiences and good times amidst unusual circumstances.

Speaking on the lyrical inspiration, Elle Musa said: "At a time of isolation in Byron Bay, when we weren’t able to go out or see the world, I wrote this song about longing for newness and good times. I recorded my vocals on a very old little tape machine that my partner found. It was used to record nature documentaries back in the day. I love how the tape machine only records mono but somehow it sounds stereo due to the nature of how well rounded the saturation is. The sounds become more alive and that’s exactly how I wanted to feel when writing the song. In my mind I saw the evening light with the sea close by... Falling in love and the bliss that comes with it. Feeling so free as if dancing underneath a rainbow."

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Sunglasses For Jaws - Miesha & The Spanks - Mara Simpson

Sunglasses For Jaws - What Does It Look Like.

London based outfit Sunglasses For Jaws today release their new single "What Does It Look Like" - the third track to be shared from upcoming album Everybody's Made Of Bones, out June 3rd via Pony Recordings. Widescreen, psych-rock with a penchant for the dramatic, David Bardon and Oscar Robertson along with recently recruited vocalist Oliver Huband recorded Everybody's Made Of Bones at Sean Ono Lennon's studio in upstate New York.

Produced by Lennon's partner Charlotte Kemp Muhl and mixed by Elliot Heinrich (Temples, Sorry, Parquet Courts) - the album examines the story and struggles of Huband's character 'Frank', with Huband's hushed singing and spoken word narratives impeccably delivered across the sprawling, kaleidoscopic instrumentals. A cacophony of horns, driving guitars and lilting xylophone runs, new single "What Does It Look Like" provides a cinematic insight into the band's new album.

Speaking on the new single, Huband said: "We ask questions for the purpose of getting answers, and if your question remains unanswered, you’ll just keep asking the question. Over and over. And we, humans, love to ask questions as much as we like to find answers. ‘What does it look like’ is a broad, vague, all-encompassing question that has a million different answers. Everything can be everything, anything can be anything. It’s a question that speeds into the highway eternally, picking up information and passengers and ideas and thoughts along the way. It’s everything that appears on your tv screen, on billboards, in your dreams, behind your eyes, the incessant overload of visual and psychological stimuli. It’s the coke can and the wet soil, and everything in between. Don’t try and answer this particular question. Trust me. The pursuit is a hell of a lot more fulfilling than the destination."

Sunglasses For Jaws at its core is the project of drummer and bassist Oscar Robertson and David Bardon. A rhythm section session pair, touring the world together playing for acts including Sinead O'Brien, Geowulf, Nick Waterhouse, Yak and This Is The Deep - the creative duo explain: "Sunglasses For Jaws is our vessel to experiment and make any kind of music we want to. This time we've given it a lot more intention and thought, and we wanted to create an entire little world.”

Adding more context to the full project, the trio added: "Everyone has versions of themselves – exteriors, barriers, walls, personalities, facades, fronts and so on. They separate people and make them unique. But everyone is made of blood, bone and skin. And bone is the most breakable. The hardest. The weakest. The softest. The most beautiful, smoothest component of the body, holding the entire artifice together. And whatever experience you live or embody, it’s your bones that get the beast in motion. This record is about the different experiences lived. The various forms and iterations of a person – where they place themselves, who they exist with, how they behave, how they recover. Frank does all of these things throughout the record, taking on the personage of the narrator, the protagonist, the psyche and, to some extent, all three at the same time. He doesn’t fear jumping in at the deep end and allowing himself to really feel. He feels so much that he feels in in his bones. When we get wet, we get soaked to the bone. When we feel adrenaline, we feel it in our bones. And when we write music and lyrics and throw art and romance and human complexity into the world… we do it with our bones."

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Miesha & The Spanks - Singles (E.P).

Miesha & The Spanks offer a dynamic mixture of punk, garage and hard rock embellished with straightforward lyrics, gritty production and hard hitting performances. Inspired by proto punk classics like The Runaways, MC5 and The Stooges, and 90s riot grrrl/grunge like L7 and The Gits, M&TS conjure an energy that hits you in the face, throwing you into a world of killer riffs and sweaty gig venues.

Originally a punk rock kid from the East Kootenays, front-woman Miesha Louie started this project a decade ago after moving to big city Calgary, AB. She toured and released like crazy, building momentum and a reputation for her DIY approach, with any drummer up for the challenge. Joined by Sean Hamilton five years ago, he brought big Bonham style that’s intuitive like John Freese, always creating the right feel for the song.

Recorded in Brighton UK, their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of punk legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It received multiple adds on SiriusXM Canada, and was even given attention from Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show in the US. At the YYC Music Awards, Girls Girls Girls brought home Rock Recording Of The Year and Single Of The Year (“Summer Love”), as well as securing Miesha as Female Artist Of The Year.

Girls Girls Girls saw Miesha & The Spanks on their second cover of Beatroute Magazine, and was accompanied by 30 dates across Canada, with festival appearances at Blizzard Music Fest (Rossland BC), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), Sled Island (Calgary), Rifflandia (Victoria BC), Halifax Pop Explosion (Halifax), Big Winter Classic (Calgary), The Great Escape (Brighton UK), FOCUS Wales (Wrexham UK), and Breakout West (Whitehorse YK).

Taking a brief hiatus while Miesha birthed twins, M&TS are back with their next release, Singles EP. While the Covid-19 pandemic did slow down production, the duo have put their full weight behind first singles “Unstoppable” and “Wanna Feel Good” – a juggernaut garage rock banger and a gritty fuzzed out anthem, respectively – reminding us that sometimes head first, full throttle, is the only way to get it done. Both songs received adds to SiriusXM Canada’s CBC Radio 3 and Indigenous Peoples’ Radio, with features on The Verge and Rodney Bingenheimer Show. Wanna Feel Good charted Top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown.

What was meant to be a mixed tape of self-serving, standalone tracks for radio and licensing, Singles EP instead became a collection of songs influenced by the immediate life-changing effects of life during lockdown. Working with Western Canadian Music Award winning artist/producer Leeroy Stagger was meant to reign in Miesha & The Spanks, to clean up the noise for crisp, polished songs – but visited from the ghost of punk rock past, Stagger instead turned it up (way up) and imbued their crunchy mono-guitar sound with extra doses of fuzz and feedback, guaranteed to get the blood pumping.

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Mara Simpson - Reason.

UK multiinstrumentalist and story-teller Mara Simpson has shared new single ‘Reason’, a heady blend of alt-folk, analogue synth and classical composition. Serving as the first taste of her third studio album, ‘Reason’ is a tale of quiet rebellion and taking back control, a theme that is central to her upcoming release.

Whilst the struggles of 2020 will go down in history, for Mara it was 2019 that was the tough one.  A year spent consumed by worry, whilst in and out of hospital with her one-year-old daughter, had left Mara feeling like she was playing a constant game of catch up with a world that wouldn’t slow down. With songs ready to be recorded for her new album, she headed into the studio to record with her producer. “I stepped into the studio not needing my hand held, just my voice heard” explains Mara, who quickly came to the realisation that she was working in a toxic environment with a producer whose moods everyone had started to dread. “Ironically, at the end of a year spent managing my daughter’s breathing issues, I had an asthma attack induced by the studio’s hypoallergenic cat” she laughs. “Enough was enough.”

It was whilst waiting for a train that she had the sudden realisation that the album she was recording would never see the light of day. Struck by an overwhelming feeling of failure, Mara began to ruminate on the time and money she had wasted but then something clicked. “Perhaps it’s something about train stations, the coming and the going that allows one’s stagnating frame of mind the grace and space to clear” she says. “The funny thing is, upon realising failure, the despair I’d been feeling was now replaced with something else...Relief”.

Feeling re-energised, Mara called her dream producer Ellie Mason, of Voka Gentle, and together the pair began working on a new record. “I’ve been more hands on with this album than I’ve ever been, taking a much more active role in production. Through the whole process Ellie has heard my voice, and been open to any possibility” explains Mara. “We’ve stumbled across golden moments, recording four-part harmonies in Brighton’s oldest church, using every drum there is in Brighton Electric, layering New Zealand bird song with tape-delayed piano, all thanks to her nurture, playfulness and grace” she continues.

With her new material, Mara Simpson hopes to promote a gentle, yet radical shift toward kindness and it’s this warmth that can be both heard and felt across her new record. ‘Reason’ is available to stream and download now, with the new album to follow in Autumn 2021.

Mara Simpson music · Reason

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Sunglasses For Jaws - Diane Arkenstone - Your Paris

Sunglasses For Jaws - Walk Me Home.

London duo Sunglasses For Jaws have announced details of new album Everybody's Made Of Bones with the release of new single "Walk Me Home". Creating widescreen, psychedelic instrumental music as a production duo since 2017, David Bardon and Oscar Robertson are branching out with their fourth full-length album, Everybody's Made Of Bones - out June 3rd via Pony Recordings.

Produced by Charlotte Kemp Muhl at (her partner) Sean Ono Lennon's studio in upstate New York, and mixed by Elliot Heinrich (Temples, Sorry, Parquet Courts) duo also recruited vocalist and actor Olivier Huband to join the band for the new album - taking on a new character of his own for the project - Frank.

"Frank is a deluded paranoid schizophrenic, essentially,” the band explain. “He believes that he's in a film, but he's not, just like everyone thinks that they're in a film in their own head. Really though, it's a man having a nervous breakdown. It's an exploration of method acting and having an existential crisis in this role you're playing. It's a bit meta and in the rabbit hole!"

As a trio, the band’s music took on a largely new shape, weaving Huband's hushed singing and spoken word narratives through their already vivid, colourful musical landscapes. "Sunglasses For Jaws is our vessel to experiment and make any kind of music we want to," the duo – who also produce for the likes of Miles Kane – explain. “This time we've given it a lot more intention and thought, and we wanted to create an entire little world.” The story and struggles of Huband's character 'Frank' are manifested magnificently across the sprawling, kaleidoscopic album while on opener and new single "Walk Me Home" the lyrics specifically zoom in on temptation and its potential consequences.

Speaking on the track, the band said: "The concept behind the song is that of temptation. Of making a decision that could have disastrous consequences. But, just as Eve plucked the Apple from the Tree, we want to take our own risks and taste our own apples. And those risks seem even more exciting when they’re forbidden. Who knows what could happen. What could change. How you could feel. You’ll never know unless you try it. So I’d just say this: don’t go home with strangers... unless you want to."

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Diane Arkenstone - Beyond the Golden Sea

Diane Arkenstone, for over 20 years a pioneering musical force in a variety of genres, has kicked off a busy 2021 with the release of a new single and E.P both titled Beyond the Golden Sea via her label Neo Pacifica Recordings.  

Best known for her soulfully meditative and heartfelt instrumental recordings, the 6-song EP contains new vocal work that evocatively merges her many musical muses—from guitar-based songs to sensual, beat-driven work.  “Beyond the Sea” in particular takes the listener on an exotic trip to Zanzibar—one that she had planned and had to miss due one of her many heart surgeries.  The effortless exoticism of “Beyond the Golden Sea,” which also features contributions from David Arkenstone, is truly transportive.

Says Arkenstone of the single: ‘While recovering from heart surgery, some of my family travelled overseas and I was unable to go along with them. They sent beautiful photos of Zanzibar, so I wrote a song imagining all the magic and wonder they experienced, and ‘Beyond the Golden Sea’ was born. The song took me so far away, that it felt like I was right there in Zanzibar. And it still does.”

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Your Paris - First.

Nick Babcock and Laila Kharouba make up your new favourite pop duo, Your Paris. Praised for their poignant lyrics and on stage chemistry, they’ve been told that even while singing about heartbreak, they make others want to fall in love. 

Their pop tunes are fresh yet familiar upon first listen, and have been compared to Julia Michaels and Scott Helman. Since their commencement at the start of 2020, the duo has made a splash in the Ontario music scene. 

They’ve opened for Toronto indie-rock band Birds of Bellwoods, have been featured by many media outlets including Global News and CTV’s Your Morning, and have organically grown their Spotify audience to over 16,000 monthly listeners. 

Their last single “Rooms” reached new listeners after being placed on three Spotify editorial playlists:“New Music Friday Canada”, “It’s a Bop”, and “Fresh Finds: Pop”. They are determined to stay in the honeymoon phase of their career: in love with, and inspired by their music.

Your Paris · First

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