Quality Not Quantity: The Insatiables - Stillwater Giants - ISLES - The Broadcasts

The Insatiables - I Know My Scars.

Background promo - Perth based indie-popsters The Insatiables are gearing up for the May 9 release of their second EP 'Impatient Creatures', with a live launch May 22 at everyone's favourite watering hole The Rosemount Hotel.

Spearheaded by lead single 'I Know My Scars', the six track EP was recorded at Underground Studios with resident producers Mark McEwan and Brody Simpson. 'Impatient Creatures' treads the alternative path, not shy of a trumpet melody or a cinematic sub effect, ultimately providing an expansive landscape. The moodier tracks could sit on a shelf with artists like Lana Del Ray and London Grammar where cyclical guitar and piano riffs swirl around a commanding vocal line.

Following on from their debut 'Let Go of Limbo', which quickly saw the group play the 2013 WAMi Saturday Spectacular showcase, The Insatiables are now armed with an inviting 2016 release that is both lyrically and musically passionate.

'I Know My Scars' is the second of six really good songs on the forthcoming EP. The band have a distinctive indie pop sound that runs through the collection, plenty of melody and well crafted material.

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Stillwater Giants - Montage.

Background bio - Gearing up for the imminent release of their debut album, lovable Perth scamps Stillwater Giants announce the release of 'Montage', the second single from the upcoming LP.

Brotherhood. It’s a word thrown around often, but for Stillwater Giants, it’s now gospel.  These days, two years can seem like a lifetime between new releases. For this Perth four piece it was a necessary hiatus that’s helped to turn them from boys to men, both within their song writing and the mateship that hard times bring. After originally being Unearthed by triple j in 2012 to play the Groovin' the Moofestival, this group of young guns from Margaret River began their steam rolling journey across the country. Swiftly finding themselves warming up the stage for the likes of The Delta Riggs, Birds of Tokyo, Stonefield, Ball Park Music, British India, The Rubens and Regurgitator, they also clocked festival time at Future Music, Parklife, Southbound, St Kilda Festival,as well as heading to US taste maker festival CMJ. The lads were even given the unique pleasure of being the first ever band to perform at the brand new Perth Arena when it opened.

With an intention to head back into the studio for a quick six month follow up to their hugely successful single and EP ‘Fly Under the Radar’, things went slightly awry as they sometimes do. This once cheeky group of musos - who were famous for their happy-go-lucky attitudes and not taking life too seriously -turned. Internal conflicts ensued, university degree debts went up and personal differences almost drove the band apart. Then, something amazing happened. They began recording. The decision to record all parts to their new album live at RADA Studios with Matt Gio (Birds of Tokyo, Katy Steele, San Cisco) presented a chance to bond but also to write new material, together. Inspired by the rawness and evidence of mistakes heard by other artists who recorded live such as Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Parquet Courts, they began.

Continuing to write helped pull the band back from a period of stagnation and the results are stunning. With their fun-loving attitudes back in-tact and a polished new live show,complete with equally polished Dad jokes,this certified party band are finally ready to unleash the very first Stillwater Giants full-length to the world. Long live the Stillwater Giants wolf pack.

Indie rock song 'Montage' is one catchy piece. The band have kept things simple and concentrated on making a foot stomping number, with vocals and harmonies providing as much melody as the perfectly timed chord changes.

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ISLES - The First Act.

Background promo - London-based ISLES are set to release their new single The First Act.


The indie-pop quartet is made up of Goldsmith students: Amber, Luke, Miles and Oliver - a 75% Northern group of friends who now reside in South London.

Taking references from bands such as Orange Juice, Neil Young and REM, the band manage to perfectly blend art school sensitivities with an alternative, bluesy sound. The band spent most of 2015 writing and touring across the UK. Bury Me is their first track of their double A –side single Bury Me / The First Act which will be unleashed on line over the coming month.

Bury Me, the first track to be released, is a soulful song with rugged, dreamy vibes. The melancholy female lead-vocals work perfectly in tune with upbeat guitars, ambient drums and backing vocals from fellow band mates.

Despite being described as indie pop in the press release, ISLES could slip into a number of genres quite comfortably. As regards 'The First Act' vocals are dreamy and delightful, and the music is bright and breezy, almost hinting that summers on it's way. Looking forward to hearing more.

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The Broadcasts - This Is Life.

Background promo - The Broadcasts are a four piece Alt Rock/Acoustic band who are based just outside of Cardiff, South Wales. Previously signed to indie label Right Recordings, the band released a double A side single recorded by legendary producer Stuart Epps (Oasis, Elton John) before leaving their label to pursue an alternative path.

Since forming in 2012 The Broadcasts have played at the BBC Club, London in front of music industry professionals, supported bands like Press To Meco, Dead! and Owen Paul in Cardiff as well as sharing the bill with BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens at Newport Student Union. The boys recorded their debut nine track album in May 2015 at the beautifully scenic Mwnci Studios in Pembrokeshire, embarking on their first UK Tour shortly afterwards. Adam Walton of BBC Radio Wales' Introducing Show, described their music as "Heart on your sleeve, gritty Rock" and that's exactly what to expect from this storming eponymous debut album.

The album is released digitally on June 3rd and will be available on CD from June 17th.

One of nine songs on the new album, 'This Is Life' gives a good flavour of the alt rock side of the album, with super tight musicianship and gutsy vocals. There are some more acoustic based songs that add to the whole in a very positive way,  indeed the band seem quite happy to explore different ideas. It's creative without being pretentious, and there is plenty of good old feisty rock'n'roll.

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Four For Friday: Kid Cupid - The Aves - Winter1982 - AM

Kid Cupid - Siren.

Background promo - After joining forces only a year ago and already being compared to huge acts including London Grammar and Young Galaxy, the London-based indie-electro quartet Kid Cupid are definitely ones to watch in 2016.

Their upcoming new single Siren is the perfect introduction to what’s yet to come. Filled with backing harmonies highlighting the importance of the lyrics and topped with Laura’s incredible vocal delivery instantly draws comparisons to Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry.

Produced by the band themselves, the track ticks all the right boxes from start to finish. It consist of attention-grabbing lyrics, flowing real-world analogies as well as plenty of space for the listener’s diy interpretation. Their clever use of a broader range of instruments such as the snare drums to add the captivating rolling and additional tribal drum patterns resemble the likes of Jungle as well as Bastille’s hit Pompeii. Siren is the lead track taken from their forth-coming EP, and it will be available for sale and download everywhere 3rd June 2016. 

There's a couple of comparisons in the promo above, both have some credibility. Kid Cupid are not however clones, and a reasonably distinct and attractive sound emerges with the song 'Siren'. With a solid beat and rich background vocals, Laura glides above and hints at what is still to come from the bands eagerly awaited EP.

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The Aves - We Were Young.

Background promo - Adelaide's favourite garage kids The Aves have lifted a new single 'We Were Young', a definite highlight from their cracking debut album 'Good News'. Vocalist/guitarist Lucy Campbell says of the track, "For a long time this one was called 'Complicated Chords', because the structure took so long for us to get – the chorus never repeats itself. In the studio we faffed about with it for a long time just to get that rhythm right. The guitar solo had nine takes and Thomas’ hands blistered so much he had to stick them in methylated spirits between takes. Lyrically We Were Young takes cues from Bruce Springsteen, it’s a nostalgic, bitter sweet call back to when I was a teenager. In a lot of ways The Aves have grown up together and this song epitomises all of that energy for me."

With three impressive EP's, a Big Day Out slot thanks to triple j and a stack of touring under their belts that includes Canada's NXNE Festival, New York's River Rocks and Brisbane's Bigsound, The Aves have become known for their high energy live shows, infectious pop-smarts and tongue in cheek lyrics. Initially taking cues from a varied range of the greats like Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, The Kinks and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Good News' is an album that's both energetic and textured - an ode to Adelaide, Hollywood and suburban dreams. 'Good News' is out now through all good digital retailers via Firestarter Distribution and via the band on CD.

How time flies, it was just over five months ago that we featured The Aves for the first time and after a few positive words finished with "more please", so thank you! If anything the band have an even stronger song with 'We Were Young', which besides being extremely catchy, demonstrates a more developed sound, all of which makes the album a must have.


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Winter1982 - Friend.

Background bio - Winter 1982 are Phil Barber (vocals, guitar) and Luke Phillips (piano, bass) from Birmingham. Trampled by their increasingly grey and relentless nine to five existence, they wanted to make music that spoke about their existence, sometimes beautiful, other times desperate and depressing, both knew their experiences could be drawn upon to create haunting alternative folk...  

Phil says "I have always written music, making little acoustic songs and recording them, very roughly. We are a duo so once I have something I like I send it to Luke. If he likes it too we work on it together, building in piano, bass, drums etc. We like songs....or maybe are just compelled to write songs....about life, love, hurt, doubt, mistrust. Basically what it is to be flawed human beings fumbling through life. I think everyone is continuously falling in and out of love, feeling great, hurt, happy, depressed, haunted and we are all trying to deal with that - sometimes privately -  the songs tend to be about those very human experiences. I've always loved soulful music that can be as dark as it is beautiful."

The duo, who have drawn comparisons to Ray Lamontagne and Ben Howard, have had support from both Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing.

Winter1982 are releasing 'Worry' on the 13th May, it's a beautiful song that unfortunately, I cannot feature here at the moment. Having been so impressed by the track, I pretty much wanted to share something, and the song 'Friend' makes for an excellent substitute. The duo create an expansive sound, laden with well crafted music and vocals, and creative song writing.

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AM - Precious Life.

Background promo - "Precious Life", produced with drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, Yeasayer, Atoms For Peace), is the new single from Los Angeles songwriter AM, with the album of the same name following on May 20. Returning from an ultra prolific period with electro-soul partner Shawn Lee (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra), AM summons a dreamy sound on his new solo outing. With Waronker behind the drums and the board and with AM doing just about everything else on synths, bass, and guitar, the two carefully craft a record that is honest and emotional, yet swings and pulses.

When Joey's name was mentioned as a possible producer I thought 'how crazy would it be to work with one of my favourite drummers'...his work on Beck's "Mutations" and "Sea Change" were a huge influence and still remain some of the best drumming on record to date.  The first day we hooked up we banged out "The World Will Go On Without You", the last track on the record.  It was so effortless and fluent...with me on the bass and Joey on drums...I think we had the whole track done by the end of the day.  I think we both new then we had to make a record together."

The first single "Precious Life" delivers a bare, soulful guitar driven track rotating the question, “Who are you, with your precious life?” which openly critiques social class hierarchies of this time. Music made for the headphones...the big ones that is. Album available in stores on May 20, 2016 on Limited Edition blue vinyl and CD.

This is a really fine song. 'Precious Life' has a classic soul feel to it, and has been produced with care and attention. Musically it's crisp and precise with enough funk and feeling to complement the dreamy soulful vocals, the album sounds very promising.

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Thursday Double Play: Jack Berry - Stone Cold Fox

Jack Berry - Coal.

Background bio - Originally from Reno, Nevada, Berry created his first album for a school project while studying in Los Angeles. After performing along the West Coast in a duo, Berry decided that he was meant for a career in music and relocated to Nashville. After several months of sleeping on a couch and working to catch the attention of the local press, Berry’s “ample supply of good hooks and riffs” (Nashville Scene) eventually gained the praise of critics throughout Nashville and beyond, earning him spots at well- known festivals, including North by Northeast in Toronto, New York City’s CMJ Music Marathon and SXSW’s Red Gorilla Festival.

Since then, Berry has logged dozens of shows from Nashville to New York City. He most recently appeared at No Country For New Nashville’s December showcase in 2015 and earned the runner-up spot in Hard Rock Rising’s Battle of the Bands. Mean Machine is poised to serve as Jack Berry’s breakthrough record, so be sure to stay tuned to the Reno-native’s every move! The new single, "Coal," is from his forthcoming LP, Mean Machine, out May 13th.

The mix of Alt rock and blues is a really good background for Jack Berry's naturally potent vocals. 'Coal' is a bruising rocker of a song with vocals and band delivering a concerted piece of in your face music. The music and harmonies are a mighty powerhouse, and Jack is the vital messenger.

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Stone Cold Fox - Firing Squad.

Background promo - The best kind of road trips are the ones that are spontaneous. You know where you want to go, you have a final destination in mind - you just don’t necessarily know how you’re going to get there. But that’s ok, because it’s all about the journey, right? Brooklyn-based four piece, Stone Cold Fox want to take a road trip with you- they’ll get you to where you want to go, you just gotta let them take the wheel, because in the end whatever will be, will be. And the soundtrack? Their forthcoming EP, Tunnel Vision.

Tunnel Vision is a stunning contradiction- a collection of journeys made up of distorted dance synths that bleed with a rock-heavy heart. Written, recorded and produced over a period of two years, the sound of Tunnel Vision resembles a mindset that is anything but narrow minded- instead, it’s a collection of tracks that skew in every which way, that ultimately steer back to it’s original course to create a wistful, cohesive sound. “Tracks started as total rock songs, then turned into chilled electro songs, eventually finding its way somewhere comfortably in the middle,” explains guitarist and vocalist Kevin. “They find middle ground with a rock core and a dancey pulse,” he adds. So, imagine a world where John Lennon is rose from the dead and conceived a love child with The Strokes while listening to LCD Soundsystem and Beat Connection - that’s the kind of world that Tunnel Vision creates.

A spacey dreamy guitar driven indie song topped with delightful vocals is how I would describe 'Firing Squad'. Sometimes that's enough, Stone Cold Fox add their little twist and it becomes more than enough.

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50 Foot Wave - Bath White.

50 Foot Wave - Bath White.

What The Promo Says: This LA-based power trio formed in 2003 by Kristin Hersh and Bernard Georges of Throwing Muses (with Rob Ahlers on drums), was named after the lowest note audible to human ears. The band was intended as an outlet for the noise/math rock pieces that didn't fit the aesthetic of Throwing Muses or Kristin Hersh's solo work. They are known for pioneering the name-your-own-price movement.

The band works with Creative Commons licensing to allow film makers and other artists to use their songs without incurring costs or copyright infringement. Though their records are available for purchase on CD and vinyl, 50 Foot Wave gives away its music free for download and encourages all forms of music sharing. As their records state: "Share This Music - burn it for friends, burn it for enemies - Use It" All those involved with the band donate their time to make this possible. Their most successful and influential release, 2009's Power + Light, is thirty minutes of non-stop music, a barrage of free-form sound that found the band challenging its own complex song structure. 

This year's Bath White is their sixth release. Again, they've chosen to work with Los Angeles producer Mudrock, best known for his work with Godsmack. As Mudrock states, "These are the best musicians I've ever worked with, easily the most facile...they're pros and they're good people. 50FootWave is why I do what I do."

Kristin Hersh on the track "Bath White"
"Swimming in Laguna salt water, coming clean, laughing with the kids, etc., I looked down and saw a pretty big (I wanna say enormous, but I’m not gonna) shark, between my toes and the sand. California will do this to you sometimes; catch your breath between spoiling you and inflicting unspoiled on you. It shrinks you to your appropriate size, an un-mattering. Sharks are the matter that matters in that sun-sparkled world. It’s their ocean, not yours.

Anyway, smart people already know that, but I paddled away, pale and embarrassed. And still, pale and embarrassed, I wander an ocean that isn’t mine. Not a lot of choice, really. Maybe something new is on the other side, but I guess none of us’ll know for sure until we finish piling up the new that keeps getting pitched our way here. Ducking or gathering, depending. New can be hard, but together we move forward, backward and in circles, nudged by these suggestions:
1. Don’t hurt each other. If you can’t help, do nothing.
2. And try not to fall for impure when purity is waiting: a rotten apple can’t feed you, a shadow is'nt a person.
3. When the glare of fluorescent human-ness obscures the light of humanity, let it wake you up a little, help sort out your noisy addictions.

One Bath White butterfly is the oldest pinned entomological specimen, the others fly up and over the Himalayas. I’m not making a judgement call here, just saying. Cuz it doesn’t get any better than high on the ground, in my opinion. We don’t get any better than that. Clumsily, sweetly, we surf the sharks’ ocean, fly the butterflies’ sky, but grounded is pretty great. And it’s the only greatness that’s really asked of us."

The title track and the first of six powerful songs 'Bath White' introduces us to a collection of material that is rich in ideas and sounds. There is a raw, pure rock feel throughout, totally unpretentious, at one level the band are seemingly just getting thoughts and feelings out of their system.  That said, on occasions 50 Foot Wave become more musically intricate and vocally more sensitive, however the underlying passion and belief never goes away. Overall this is a massive blast of fresh dynamic rock'n'roll, with a lot of spark.


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