Trampled By Turtles - Chakra Efendi - Willie Breeding - Scratch

Trampled By Turtles - The Middle.

Background - The much-adored Minnesota sextet, Trampled By Turtles have shared their new single, ‘The Middle’, the second to be taken from their forthcoming album Life Is Good On The Open Road, due for release via Thirty Tigers on June 1, 2018 - you can listen to the new single here. After an indefinite hiatus, the band are returning with their first new album in four years following in the wake of previous Billboard-charting records which have included three No.1s on the Bluegrass and Folk charts.

Life Is Good On The Open Road is the welcome return that the group’s legions of passionate fans have been waiting for. Led by the songwriting of lead singer Dave Simonett, the new songs touch on key elements from the entire spectrum of Trampled By Turtles’ body of work, while creating something that sounds fresh and invigorated. Simonett, and bandmates Erik Berry, Ryan Young, Dave Carroll, Tim Saxhaug and Eamonn McLain reunited at a cabin in the Minnesota woods to see if the special chemistry they once shared still existed. It did not take long for the magic to reveal itself with an invigorated sense of purpose and the result shines brightly on Life Is Good On The Open Road.

After 15 years of recording and performing high-energy live shows, Trampled By Turtles have built a large and loyal fanbase that fill venues in their home of the US and here in the UK. As well as touring with the likes of Hiss Gold Messenger and Deer Tick, Trampled By Turtles have performed at festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza, and performed twice on the David Letterman show. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Trampled By Turtles have a developed and beautifully crafted maturity to their music as is demonstrated ably by 'The Middle'. The bands musical competence is gorgeous and the vocals are a perfect match for the bands take on roots music, mixing Bluegrass, folk and with this track even a hint of country rock. Foot stomping and catchy as anything, this track is like a magnet pulling us towards the June album release.


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Chakra Efendi - Waste of Space.

Background - Having already amassed a dedicated following in far-reaching corners of the internet, prolific 18-year-old wunderkind Chakra Efendi shares his first official release, 'Waste of Space'. Attracting streams of 100K+ on a series of demos on SoundCloud, Chakra Efendi's uniquely forthcoming, noise-tinged brand of lo-fi pop has been steadily connecting with pockets of fans around the globe. Coming to further attention last year with a collaborative track with Memo Boy, 'Insomniac', the Brisbane based artist's characteristic sullen-yet-uplifting soundscape meets heavy-lidded lyricism in this debut, 'Waste of Space'. 

"I wrote ‘Waste of Space’ during a part of my life that I was experiencing dissociation for the first time. I was completely oblivious and uneducated as to what it was that I was feeling", Chakra Efendi explains. A seldom acknowledged topic often disregarded as a symptom of approaching adulthood, the track traces "a very confusing time where my world was a constant blur of artificial people and scenarios that seemed as if they had been written as the plot for a bad sitcom."

Chakra Efendi expands to a four-piece live, consisting of Marli Smales (bass), Thomas Hobbs (guitar) and Fin Marx (drums) and in their short existence, the band have supported the likes of GUM, Crywank, Good Boy, I Know Leopard, These New South Whales and featured on bills for Gizzfest, Mountain Goat Valley Crawl and Against The Grain festivals. If a debut single wasn't exciting enough news for the young Brisbane artist, he can now add a manager to his team, in the form of Mucho Bravado's own Aisling Kissane. Garnering a reputation as a must-see live act and with more music on the way, 2018 will witness the burgeoning sonic coming-of-age of Chakra Efendi. FACEBOOK, TWITTER.

'Waste of Space' has a vibrant musical backdrop that complement Chakra Efendi's vocals as he sings his lines in an almost casual manner. Collectively the song flows with gentle hooks everywhere, and a level of interpretation that is natural and beguiling, another artist to keep an ear out for.  

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Willie Breeding - Ride On.

Background - Nashville based newcomer Willie Breeding will release his debut album ‘Big Sky’ later this summer.  The melodies are rich and wavy, complementing the lyrics born from a life torn between their years in New York City, and their generations in Nashville. 

Following the release of ‘Prague Spring’ from it at the end of 2017 (a lonesome ballad featuring guest vocals from Caitlin Rose), now comes next single ‘Ride On’.  “It’s a song making fun of myself” Willie explains.   "When I first moved to Nashville,  I used to go out and often when I would walk into the bar, I would walk straight through it and out the back door.

It wasn’t a conscious thing, I almost wouldn’t even remember being in the bar. Then I would have no idea where to go or what to do. Living in New York, I always loved going out by myself. Did it for years. Nashville seemed very different. So I wanted the music to sound huge, and I had this big riff. Seemed appropriate for a song making fun of myself." FACEBOOK.

A somewhat dramatic rhythm is soon joined by some wonderfully wailing guitars as 'Ride On' gets underway. The vocals are rich and enticing on this genre defying indie something song, it's addictive and demands far more attention than just a couple of listens.

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Scratch - Newer Things / Soak.

Background - Scratch is a rock band based in New York and Perth combining diverse musical influences and comprising of Ruzbeh Irani and Avinash Lalwani.

Living thousands of miles apart hasn't stopped band mates and childhood friends, Ruz and Avi, from pursuing their dreams of making music together. 

Scratch's debut album is set for release in 2018, and the duo are excited to share their creation with the world. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Whilst we don't have much information on Scratch we do have two fine tracks from the band to enjoy. 'Newer Things' quietly gets underway with an understated musical arrangement and some intriguing and pleasing vocals, before eventually upping the power and developing the music into something more rocky.  'Soak' is more of a fully energised rocker from the opening chords and something of a mini epic as the piece unfolds. Pretty good to say the least, for a duo with an ocean to separate them.


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I'm With Her - Robin Martin - Soho Rezanejad - Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Empathy Test - Willie Breeding

I'm With Her - See You Around.

Background - I'm With Her, the band of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan, have announced the release of their full-length debut, See You Around, out February 16, 2018. “See You Around”, the title track from the album, is available everywhere now. Co-produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Laura Marling, Paul McCartney) and the band and recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England, See You Around is a 12 track LP filled with finespun narratives and breathtaking harmonies – full track listing is below. Additionally, I’m With Her has announced an international headlining tour that will kick off in March 2018 and bring the band to major cities across the world including Los Angeles, Paris, London, and more.

See You Around presents a warmly textured, yet stripped-down sound layered with lush guitar tones and crystalline harmonies. The album is comprised of 11 originals, penned by the band in Los Angeles and Vermont, plus the never before released Gillian Welch-penned “Hundred Miles.” With each member playing guitar and handling various aspects of the instrumentation— including fiddle and ukulele for Watkins, mandolin and banjo for Jarosz, piano and synth for O’Donovan—the band cut most of the album live, performing just a few feet away from each other in the tracking room. All through See You Around, I’m With Her exhibits a refined musicality that reflects their deep musical roots.

After years of crossing paths in their intersecting scenes, I’m With Her came together by happenstance for an off-the-cuff performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival during the summer of 2014.The multi-Grammy-Award-winners have individually released nine solo efforts, co-founded two seminal bands (Nickel Creek and Crooked Still), and contributed to critically acclaimed albums from a host of esteemed artists. The band has garnered tremendous acclaim for their unique blend of instrumental interplay and indelible harmonies.

"We all feel immensely fortunate to be in this band together,” says I’m With Her. “As longtime friends and fans of each other’s music, it’s been wonderful to realise that writing and collaborating together fits so seamlessly into our lives. And now, we’re so excited to get to tour and share the work we’ve done as a band with our debut album, See You Around." WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

UK Tour Dates: 
Jan 30 London, UK @ Bush Hall
May 11 Belfast, UK @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
May 12 Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
May 14 Gateshead, UK @ Sage Two
May 15 Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall
May 16 Bristol, UK @ The Station
May 17 London, UK @ Union Chapel

I'm With Her just oozes class with 'See You Around'. The music is highly crafted yet restrained allowing the superb vocals & harmonies to hold centre stage. February feels like a long time to wait for the album, this song suggests it will be worth each week.


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Robin Martin - Drunk On You.

Background - Robin Martin is a recording artist from Northern Ireland. While making a living from cover bands, Robin always had a passion for American country music. “The first singers voice I remember as a child was Willie Nelson singing "Yesterdays Wine" while traveling to the north coast to visit family.”

Robins influences include Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and more recently, Chris Stapleton, Zac Brown Band and Brad Paisley!

Robin has recently teamed up with the very talented song writer and producer Paul Mahon from Croc Recording Studio' to record his song "Drunk On You" After shooting the video Robin and Paul decided that this would be a partnership worth pursuing.

“With the help of my beautiful wife Karen, we will share our love of country music with anyone who wants to share the journey with us." FACEBOOK.

American country music has travelled well across the Atlantic to Northern Ireland care of Robin Martin. 'Drunk On You' is a natural helping of classic Americana, considering how many folk from Ireland made the journey west decades ago, music like this might well be part of Irelands heritage.


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Soho Rezanejad - Greed Wears a Disarming Face.

Background - 'Greed Wears A Disarming Face' is the first track to be released from Soho Rezanejad's debut album 'Six Archetypes', which is due out 19th January 2018 via Silicone Records.

The single marks the first in a series of videos, which will be themed around a different Archetype from the record. Speaking about the concept, Soho says "“The first passage in the video relates to the record’s overarching narrative and title, Six Archetypes. Apple seeds rest in my hand while I sleep, searching for my mother in a dream — a reference to the orphan complex that Carl Jung writes about. He thought that children orphan themselves by abandoning their heritage for the pursuit of a particular quest, one which in no way fits their parents' or caretakers' expectations.

In a different sense, one can become orphaned from society. An idea or ideology can become so common that the mass establishes a system of expectations: one person's idea becomes the people's image. So what choice do we have other than to be orphans? I am drawn to this archetype because it possesses qualities shared by all visionaries of the world. Inasmuch as the orphan relates to being alone, it's also about the obsession for breaking and challenging systems.”

Soho Rezanejad’s Six Archetypes is an exploration of humanity’s essential postures, and a bold statement of the artist’s range. The album is at once an opera and intimate ledger. Like in any good theatre, gestures within this album suspend not only reality, but a division between the universal and the particular. FACEBOOK.

A thought provoking song title such as 'Greed Wears a Disarming Face' left me hoping for something a little different. A rhythmic and atmospheric piece with gorgeous & almost pleading vocals, above a dark and sombre soundtrack, yes this is a little different, it's pretty special as well.


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Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Battle Born.

Background from Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Here's a song from yours truly, me, Jason S. Matuskiewicz, Esq. This is a song about similar formative trials--experiences that are, in a way, mutual to my girlfriend and me. It was written while she was undergoing intensive chemotherapy and was essentially bed ridden for the majority of the time. 

To watch someone that you don't just love but love more than you ever imagined yourself capable of loving someone is a profoundly challenging experience. My only outlet is song. So, I wrote an EP and this is the opening track. And my friend let me record it at the studio he heads.

This song explores the alt folk and alternative styles that I have always loved, but band members have not embraced as much as I have, which is the magic and the frustration of collaboration. It also features Adam Kruckenburg, my band mate in Shapes on Tape, and Justin Craig, our producer, who produced the track and drums on it.

The major third garners The Pixies comparisons, my team of experts has determined. I hope you like it.  FACEBOOK.

'Battle Born' may have come from extreme and difficult circumstances, I suppose from an artistic point of view, that situation fuelled the emotional charge in the vocals, and passion across the song. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not, I guess plenty of music has come from intense pain and concern. If this seems a little deep, it's because a relative & friend faces this treatment very soon. Art from angst, on reflection this is a fine song.

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Empathy Test - All It Takes.

Background - Empathy Test shares new LP track "All It Takes".  Empathy Test will be releasing two LPs, Safe From Harm and Losing Touch (Remastered), next Friday, November 17th, both of which contain remastered versions of previously released material as well as brand new tracks. You can pre-order the LPs here.

Empathy Test was formed in 2013 by childhood friends Isaac Howlett and Adam Relf. Sharing a mutual love for all things sci-fi, the London-based duo draw inspiration from ‘80s movie soundtracks, ‘90s guitar bands and underground dance music. Their name, borrowed from Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi masterpiece, Blade Runner, gives a clue to the DNA of a band that, since its conception just three years ago, has self-released a string of meticulously layered, life-affirming Synthpop tracks that have won them both critical acclaim a legion of dedicated fans worldwide.

The twin debut albums, Safe From Harm and Losing Touch, represent the culmination of four years' work from Howlett and Relf, who, in a now wholly over saturated synth scene, have used their considerable talents to form an enthralling, standalone identity. Starting out with the dark, melancholy nightscapes of early tracks like their debut, ‘Losing Touch’, which has now had over half a million plays on Spotify, the duo's sound has continuously evolved, propelling them towards the genre-defying territory reserved for the likes of other UK acts like Editors, Hurts and White Lies.

Fiercely independent, the band remains unsigned, having already turned down their fair share of record deals in favour of crowdfunding their twin debut albums via PledgeMusic. The hugely successful campaign is now 600% funded and counting, showing the huge weight of support they have behind them. Despite the lack of label-backing, they’re also turning in the kind of Spotify streams you would expect from the latest industry-backed buzz band, with their last single Bare My Soul already having racked up 85K+ plays. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

We featured Empathy Test less than a month ago, however 'All It Takes' is gorgeous and deserves to be shared immediately. Electronic pop of a very high calibre.

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Willie Breeding - Prague Spring ft. Caitlin Rose.

Background - Kentucky based newcomer Willie Breeding will release his debut album ‘Big Sky’ in early 2018.  With influences ranging from Lee Hazlewood to The Strokes, Marty Robbins to A Tribe Called Quest, "Big Sky" is first and foremost an album of well-crafted tunes. The melodies are rich and wavy, complementing well the lyrics of someone torn between their years in New York City, and their generations in Kentucky.

The first single to be take from, ‘Prague Spring’, features a guest vocal from Caitlin Rose.

Detailing the story behind ‘Prague Spring’ he explains "One night in Prague, 1962, the son of the Italian ambassador met an actress they called, “The Czech Bridgette Bardot”.  Their adventures were like a black and white noir. Bullets were drunk out of martini glasses. Official diplomatic vehicles were stolen.  14 years later, my wife was born"

"I knew I wanted to make these stories into a song.  The melody came first, but it was a hard story to tell in song form, and I didn't want it to be spelled out and specific like a folk song. I just wanted it to evoke what I imagined the feeling to be. I called Caitlin because she's one of my favorite lyricists, and I thought she would enjoy the story. I felt too close to the material working on it myself. Later, when I was showing my wife the lyrics Caitlin and I had written, she instantly came up with the last line of the song, which I took as a good omen" FACEBOOK.

With an eclectic range of influences mentioned above Willie Breeding set expectations high and with the help of Caitlin Rose on 'Prague Spring' delivers a fabulous song. If the pass mark is wanting to hear more, then it's A+ and as soon as possible please.

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