Hussy has released 'YLMD' where her creative alt pop has a rockier edge as Sophie Nicole Ellison impresses us big time. === Lannigan poses the question 'Where Do We Go From Here?' his vocals urging for an answer on this melodic bedroom pop track. === Duo Tall Heights share 'Under Your Skin' a blissful, melodic song with an atmospheric and gorgeous vibe. === Our second feature for Smoke Fairies following 'Disconnect' (just over a week ago), they are back with another fine rocker 'Elevator'. === Talking of quick returns to Beehive Candy Albon is back with 'Big Sur Theme' we described his last track as "a refreshing and bright sounding piece" something he is clearly good at creating. === Swiss band Dirty Sound Magnet have a new video for 'Social Media Girl' the distinctive psych rock band are in splendid sonic form. === Scottish band John Edge & The Kings Of Nowhere have a new song and video for 'It Calls' a beautiful folk rock track. === Finally today we have a second appearance here by Jennah Barry with the beautiful and tender folk song 'Pink Grey Blue'.
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Hussy - YLMD.
HUSSY, the moniker of Sophie Nicole Ellison, has been tucked away in South East London creating her trademark alt-pop sound, perfectly encapsulated in newest offering, ‘YLMD’. The multi-instrumentalist moved from North East England to London and has been playing drums for various bands and working as a studio engineer. During this time, she started writing for HUSSY, her avant-garde dream pop project.
Having only released three singles since October 2019, she has quickly worked up a reputation as one of the most exciting new alt-pop acts around. Like (Sandy) Alex G, Jay Som, Ty Segall, Sophie plays, produces and layers all of the instrumentation entirely herself. Gathering support at DIY, So Young, The Line of Best Fit and Clash, she recently supported FEELS and Lala Lala, whilst also being invited back to The New Colossus Festival in New York for 2020 after playing this March.
A pivotal release for HUSSY, ‘YLMD’ is the first track to have spent longer in the studio than Sophie’s bedroom with a particular focus on production: “I really wanted to up what I’ve been doing sonically. Before now I’d been recording nearly everything at home but went to a proper studio to redo some elements from the original home demo.” As a talented musician, being a multi-instrumentalist became a kind of superpower: “The whole process became a reaffirmation of how/ why I make music the way I do. Playing everything myself enables me to immerse myself in the creative process and in the end became a form of self-empowerment, something I wanted to prove to myself I could continue to do”
Although the message of ‘YLMD’ is moody, musically it feels “dramatic and fun, inspired by new wave ballads with some conflicting noise underneath.” Sophie explains “I could almost say at this stage it has become a love letter to self-empowerment and things going wrong. You can guess once you hear the lyrics, YLMD stands for You Let Me Down. I wrote it a few years ago and feels like it’s almost taken on a new meaning for me now than when I wrote it. Originally it was the frustration over seeing loved one’s self-destruction. Ultimately though, it’s a journey of reflection and self-empowerment.”
Emerging as a completely independent artist, HUSSY’s steady rise seems shrouded in strength and she puts it best herself: “This song has become a reminder of how important trusting yourself is to me."
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Lannigan - Where Do We Go From Here?
Fresh from a creative slumber, Sydney bedroom-pop act Lannigan have dreamt up a single for the tender hearts and those lost in love with Where Do We Go From Here.
The silky guitars and pillowy synths in Where Do We Go From Here are the perfect support as Lannigan explores the feeling of uncertainty experienced in a relationship when you’re not sure whether staying or going is the right thing to do. His calm but sonorous voice leaves you staring into the ceiling, exhaling, relaxing into the songs charmingly therapeutic vibe.
Lannigan is the studio project of singer-songwriter Ben Roach. The project started in 2015, when Ben started working closely with producer and high school friend Luke Payne. The initial stages of the project were made up of mainly love songs played and written on acoustic guitar. However, after years of writing and recording music together, their partnership has developed and the sound of Lannigan has matured immensely with their debut single High attracting positive reviews from Eastside 89.7FM and was even added to Good Intent’s Weekly Playlists.
Majority of the track was recorded at Parliament Studios in Leichardt, Sydney. The mellow maturity of the song’s production belies the extent of the how fully the sentiment sits within the confusion and yearning of young love, Where Do We Go From Here has a low-key approach to a good groove and but a rousing sense of song. All things considered, Lannigan know exactly what they’re doing.
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Tall Heights - Under Your Skin.
From playing on the streets of Boston to now performing in venues across the globe, the duo of Paul Wright and Tim Harrington, together known as TALL HEIGHTS, have built a career from the ground up, diligently as a relentless touring act. It’s been a journey of consistent evolution for the longtime best friends – everything from instrumentation to production to the size of their band has changed throughout the years, hand-in-hand with an ever-growing audience of listeners. Yet with all of this change, there remains a distinct DNA that courses through the entirety of Tall Heights’ music. The potency of their sound cannot be credited to harmony alone, but rather a unique union of two distinct voices that makes the music inarguably their own.
Tall Heights’ story begins just outside of Boston in Sturbridge, MA, where Paul became close friends with Tim’s elder brother. Two years Tim’s senior, Paul grew up in a family of classically-trained musicians, taking up the cello at a young age, while Tim, the middle brother of three boys, grew up in a household largely devoid of music. While Paul was a consistent fixture in Tim’s life, it wasn’t until high school, when they both took up playing the guitar, that the two began working on music together. Paul recalls, “This kid who had been my best friend’s little brother, not someone I had ever felt connected to, was suddenly my best bud with a shared dream.” Tim echoes the statement, describing himself as the “eternal little brother” and musing on the disparate beginnings that eventually evolved into the musical partnership it is today.
Flash forward to 2018 and the twosome continue on their biggest winning streak yet; with 130 million streams under their belt and touring alongside the likes of Ben Folds, CAKE, Judah & the Lion and Colony House, they now gear up for their sophomore album Pretty Colors For Your Actions. Co-produced by Oliver Hill and Steve Wall (both of whom worked with the group on their 2016 LP Neptune), the 11-track album is a sonic universe where man-made instrumentation meets grandiose, contemporary production. Stepping back from the production-heavy, synthetic palette of Neptune, (itself a reaction in part to the acoustic instrumentation of 2015’s Man of Stone), Pretty Colors For Your Actions was recorded with a live band in-studio, creating what Tim describes as, “something much more alive and tactile,” than their previous work.
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Smoke Fairies - Elevator.
Smoke Fairies have released ‘Elevator’, the lead single and the latest to be teased from their upcoming new album ‘Darkness Brings The Wonders Home’ (out January 31st 2020). ‘Elevator’ finds Smoke Fairies at their most fierce and riff-heavy.
Talking about the origins of the song, Katherine Blamire explains “Someone said to me ‘I never say goodbye in elevators’ and then the doors rolled shut and I whizzed off upwards. The exchange spurred this song - there is no way of knowing what is going on in someone else’s mind and sometimes it just feels like you’re kind of lost, like being in an elevator stuck between floors, trying to figure them out”.
“The song is set in Hollywood. How many weird exchanges, miscommunications and career breaks and falls must have taken place inside of Hollywood elevators?”
In support of the release of ‘Darkness Brings The Wonders Home’, Smoke Fairies will play an 8 date UK tour, their first full headline tour in the UK in 5 years. It follows a sold-out single launch show played in London last month in association with Rough Trade to celebrate the release of a limited edition 7” picture disc of tracks “Out Of The Woods” and “Disconnect” (which sold out on pre-order and landed the band at #3 in the UK Vinyl Singles chart).
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Albon - Big Sur Theme.
LA-based singer-songwriter Albon creates folk inspired indie rock falling somewhere between the dreamy lineage of The Beach Boys, Grizzly Bear, (Sandy) Alex G and the whimsical soundtrack to Disney’s 1953 rendition of Peter Pan.
Albon, originally from Chicago, has clearly taken in what California's Pacific Coast Highway has to offer, as his new EP Dream Weaver/Bee Keeper shines with motifs dealing with loss, exploration, and a general sense of wanderlust. The music is perfect for those long drives where you zone out and effortlessly seem to have a deep emotional journey play out in your mind. Furthermore, it’s interesting that Albon cites Peter Pan as a defining influence, as his material is indelibly linked to the nostalgia of his youth and the darkness and power associated with attaining your childhood dreams.
Alexander B. Lappin aka Albon, began making music in his Northern Chicago suburban bedroom at the age of 12. Initially, he played his dad’s nylon string guitar upside down. Lappin quotes, that playing the guitar upside down was most likely caused by his learning disabilities which included symptoms similar to ADHD. Currently, Albon’s style of writing is informed by “upside down mind” as he tends to write songs backwards, starting with the end and working his way to the beginning of the song. Lappin’s public musical career has been somewhat limited due to his perfectionist qualities, as he has a library of over 150 plus finished songs, but has only released 14. Plublossums (2014), was Albons first attempt at creating a cohesive body of work, as he wrote, engineered, and recorded everything on the record. The album was eventually picked up by LA tape label Hellhole Supermarket.
Clearly, leaps and bounds have been made as Albon’s new EP, Dream Weaver/Be Keeper, embraces space when necessary yet allows for bursts of dense sonic compositions to enlighten the listeners experience, driven by sincerity, exploration, and heavy pop hooks. The songs are embellished by myriad of orchestral instruments and interesting pop production techniques such as pitch shifted vocals and soaring harmonies. The EP was recorded at Tropico Beauty, a studio created by LA’s native Hartunian brothers which opened one year ago, but has none the less hosted acts such as Devendra Banhart, Alex Bleaker (Real Estate), and Florist amongst many other reputable artists. Dream Weaver/ Bee Keeper was tracked with the help of artist’s Cameron Wisch (Porches), Alexander Babbit (LAG), and Sasha Smith.
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Dirty Sound Magnet - Social Media Girl.
A few weeks after the official release of their new album 'Transgenic', Swiss psych-rock alchemists Dirty Sound Magnet just unveiled a brand new official music video for the song "Social Media Girl", available right now on YouTube.
Dirty Sound Magnet is a psychedelic rock power trio from Fribourg, Switzerland. To members Stavros Dzodzosz (guitar, lead vocals), Marco Mottolini (bass, backing vocals) and Maxime Cosandey (drums, backing vocals), their collective means so much more.
Dirty Sound Magnet is a lifelong pursuit built on a feverish, border-line-religious passion for music and a common set of guiding values and beliefs.
The three state it plainly: “there is no plan B”. Their dedication is unconditional, unequivocal, and unavoidable. Not one of the members has been engaged in any side projects since the band’s formation a decade ago; Dirty Sound Magnet offers them a musical framework without any boundaries to their creative expression.
The band’s DNA can be traced back to the ancestral ‘Golden Age of Rock’ (60s, 70s), but it would be incorrect to think that DSM is...“retro”. The musicians are inspired by contemporary artists and modern production techniques, pushing the boundaries as they see fit. The results are personal, unique and original.
Simply put: the Dirty Sound Magnet experience is a mystical journey back to the future…
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John Edge & The Kings Of Nowhere - It Calls.
Glasgow/Edinburgh based band ‘John Edge & The Kings of Nowhere’ have just released the first single ‘It Calls’ from our upcoming album. The song could be described as euphoric folk-rock. Their debut album ‘Only Fear Dies’ will be released at the end of January with a tour to follow.
John Edge & The Kings of Nowhere provide an energetic live show with songs about love, truth, death, and the miraculous fragility of life. The Edinburgh and Glasgow based group are genre defying, yet perhaps best described as euphoric folk-rock.
The band carry an abundance of raw power, melodious songs, huge dynamics, and all is fused together and driven by Edge’s enchanting lyrics and totality on stage. Everything they have to offer is poured out in their performance; passion is abundantly clear. Each of the members hail from the Scottish Highlands and the dramatic landscape of their upbringing can be heard in their songs.
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Jennah Barry - Pink Grey Blue.
Jennah Barry, who hails from Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, is sharing her new single, 'Pink Grey Blue'. The new music arrives in tandem with the details of her second album, 'Holiday' which is due for release via Forward Music Group on March 27, 2020.
Produced by Colin Nealis (prev. Andy Shauf, Aidan Knight, and musician in Foxwarren), 'Pink Grey Blue' follows on the heels of the CBC-tipped first single, 'The Real Moon'. Once again detailing Barry's knack for intricate guitar-playing, the new single further outlines her compelling way with narrative whilst tackling the important topic of body dysmorphia – writing from the perspective of her own mind, instructing her eyes to view her body with love and care.
Jennah, who's beguiling vocals lead for comparisons to Bedouine and Natalie Prass, previously built audiences across Canada and Europe with her 2012 debut album Young Men before having to halt her career in 2015 with emergency vocal surgery – a frustrating time for Barry that partly inspired the new record. Following the release of the new album, Jennah will tour the UK in the spring (dates tbc) following previous dates opening for the likes of Ron Sexsmith, Jenn Grant and Rose Cousins.
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Saturday, 7 December 2019
Friday, 6 December 2019
Imperial Daze - Silent Forum - Natalie Bouloudis - West Wickhams - M Ward - Oliver James - Thom Sawyr - Teeniest - Sam Weber
Imperial Daze have released 'Centerpole'. We have featured the band a couple of times this year and the latest song reinforces just how talented these indie rockers are. === Silent Forum have a brand new album entitled 'Everything Solved At Once'. Having featured the band a few times I have to say the album lives up to expectations, with the band keeping the interest and intrigue rolling throughout. === Another artist who has been on our radar for sometime is Natalie Bouloudis who today shares 'Outlaster' a moody, atmospheric and addictive song. === West Wickhams today release 'He's Acquired A New Face' the a side of two impressive, distinct and hook filled songs. === With a new album scheduled for April next year M. Ward creates anticipation with the first taste entitled 'Migration Of Souls'. === Comprising of four songs Oliver James has released 'The Hardest Part' an E.P that takes in folk, indie rock, psych and mixes it all up beautifully. === Thom Sawyr shares 'Help Me Out' a striking song with wonderful vocals and a musical arrangement that adds even more. === Teeniest new song 'Set Me Up Boys' is simply gorgeous, with a fabulous choice of musical instrumentation and those warm melodic vocals, that regulars to Beehive Candy should find familiar. === Finally today we have a new lyric video from Sam Weber for 'Probably Not' a refined singer songwriter piece and a taste of next January's new album release.
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Imperial Daze - Centerpole.
And the band tell us... Since forming in 2016, and our first single release in 2017, we’ve released 2 EPs, scored a short film, built own own recording studio in a disused eel warehouse in Tower Bridge, and shared stages around the UK with the likes of The Maccabees, Mystery Jets, Nilufer Yanya, All We Are and Matt Maltese.
Our latest EP, Surfaces Sensibles was released in June 2019 and received a very positive response from UK radio, with singles being playlisted on Radio X and Amazing Radio as well as receiving a multitude of spot plays across the BBCnetwork and being invited for interviews with the likes of Amy Lame and Guy Garvey over at BBC6 Music.
The song we’re sharing with you now is called Centerpole and is about a dialogue with someone close who is stuck in a loop and struggling with addiction, depression and self-doubt.
In contrast to its heavy subject matter the song itself is an up-beat, groove based crooning number, as equally indebted to 90’s US hip-hop as it might be to Lee Hazelwood or Toro Y Moi.
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Silent Forum - Everything Solved At Once (Album).
4-piece Silent Forum are a contrary bunch. Cardiff dwelling but lacking the quirky and often dulcet left-of-centre pop of their Welsh contemporaries, Silent Forum instead offer up a much edgier angular noise, perhaps more representative of the gritty streets of London from which they originally came.
Yet Silent Forum’s sound isn’t straightforward. It’s a textured, technicoloured trip that separates it from punk’s three chords or post-punk’s monochrome doom. Silent Forum have been described, very fittingly, as an “uncouth Talking Heads” (Buzz magazine), sharing a sophistication and playfulness of the latter with “the progressive pop sound of XTC and the new wave idiosyncrasy of Squeeze” (Destroy/Exist). Or as Silent Forum put it, many of their songs are “punky without being punk.” Rejecting both geographical and musical pigeonholing, the themes of ‘Everything Solved At Once’ also veer towards the unexpected. Avoiding cliched break-up or party tracks, Silent Forum’s album is in part themed around a disgruntled office worker, with an awareness of the tongue-in-cheek humour in juxtaposing corporate life lyrics with jagged punk numbers.
One single Spin is an observation of the boredom and misery of the average office worker, whilst Robot offers a character piece written from the perspective of a jaded, stressed and deskbound employee. The bleak lyrics, “I feel a shortage of high pressure in my life/ I need the office chair/ I need spreadsheets I hold dear/ I love coffee, I hate beer”, play out over a merging of 70’s punk and early noughties jangling indie of a Good Shoes variety.
Other songs are themed on Silent Forum’s experience of being in a band, such as How I Faked The Moon Landing, an exhilarating shape-shifting track reminiscent of Simple Minds’ Berlin dance scene inspired new-wave, or more recently The Horrors, Skying-era, whilst taking influence from LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture. Released as the album’s first single in 2018 it ironically picked up a tonne of BBC Radio play given its lyrics: “Music’s not business, we’re destined to be a local band not on the local radio.”
Whilst album track Pop Act is a 6-minute pop song with a deep dark groove, written as a two-fingered response to a DJ who called the band too serious. Elsewhere on the record Silent Form touch on Spanish folk music on Credit to Mark Sinker, with its wonderfully chaotic mix of trumpets, discordant guitar lines, sleazy bass and Flamenco pattern; there’s the “face-melter” Outmoded, a track indebted to David Gilmour’s transition into noise-rock; Safety In Numbers dips its toe into British folk style guitar (curtesy of some Nick Drake influence), crossed with Nu Jazz drumming and a nuanced Johnny Marr guitar jangle; Kind of Blue is jazz inspired with a subtle touch of baggy’s stoner haze; Great Success is awash with The Cure-esque nostalgic melancholy, and album title track Everything Solved At Once is deliberately ‘pop’ with a Samba like break-down. Silent Forum have a special magic whereby their music has echoes of every seminal band you ever loved across every pioneering and forever fresh genre of the last four decades, yet crammed into edgy, enthralling, infectious songs with a fervent originality and unrivalled energy.
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Natalie Bouloudis - Outlaster.
There’s a giant tidal wave incoming; the world is in chaos but there is assurance in the cool and defiant vocals of Natalie Bouloudis in Outlaster, the first single to be released in two years by the London-based and Sussex-bred singer-songwriter.
Outlaster is a song for our time, inspired by Bouloudis’ life-long fascination of the dystopian genre, be it Margaret Atwood’s bleak myths of an unreachable paradise or the sound of dripping oil against one of Ridley Scott’s burnt orange skies. Outlaster combines storytelling with a tenacious spirit, painting visions of a not-too-distant apocalyptic future which is nevertheless overcome with strength of character. An ode to hope and reconciliation and a much needed beacon to lead us out of the gloom of 2019.
Outlaster speaks of endurance, Bouloudis sings of ‘savage beauty’, hard lessons and redemption, with directness and lyricism. The song bursts into action with pulsating drums and an urgent glissando bass that conjures up a sense of suspense. The tension continues to rise like a cool mist, with plucked violin dancing across the droning guitar riff before an explosive release into the hook-laden chorus. It is an exhilarating and transformative listening experience, driven by a melody that rises and falls hypnotically like the waves on an energetic sea, and with vocals that soar on each undulating crest, effortlessly evoking reminders of Patti Smith. The song culminates in a spectacular outro, both melodic and imaginative, completing the track’s triumphal arch.
This is an anthem for survival at a time when we are haunted with the idea of extinction. ‘Here comes disaster’ and ‘I’m the outlaster’ Bouloudis sings, in her unmistakably smoky tones, with both a power and a level of control that can only derive from performing regularly. Outlaster offers an atmospheric soundscape, a revelation to anybody who wishes they could hear David Bowie’s Rock & Roll Suicide for the first time again, only this time with a female vocal reminiscent of the lurching tones of PJ Harvey and the soulfulness of Cat Power.
Bouloudis says, ‘what makes the dystopian genre so captivating is how it provides a thrilling and escapist ride full of awe but even more importantly, it holds up a mirror to human nature’. In Outlaster, we are introduced to the themes to be found throughout the forthcoming EP, Devil is Doubt which she says has ‘moments of reconciliation throughout the record’ but just like Outlaster ‘it holds together with a unifying sense of an unbreakable spirit pushing ahead of existential agonies.’
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West Wickhams - He's Acquired A New Face.
West Wickhams are a psychedelic garage noir duo from the Isles of Scilly, Tresco. Consisting of Jon Othello and Elle Flores, West Wickham’s music manifests itself with such style, the effect is a timeless body of sound. Hailing from Tresco, the island of lost souls, subtropical plants and shipwrecked figureheads, the pair recently relocated to Richmond Surrey, proclaiming themselves an imagined rival gang to punk style icons, the Bromley Contingent.
Their colourful history brings a depth to their sound reminiscent of legendary bands such as The Doors, Blondie and Siouxshie and the Banshees.
However, the band themselves declare their influences largely from sources outside the music industry; Whitby Abbey, Pipe Organs, Flowers, Polka Dot Cats, Dark Punk, Gothic Novels and Rock n Roll Autobiographies, Castles, Abstract Painting, Euphoria, Mist, Autumn, Halloween, Optical Illusions, Edgar Allan Poe and Andy Warhol.
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M. Ward - Migration Of Souls.
M. Ward has revealed plans for his latest album, 'Migration Stories', to be released on 3rd April 2020 via Anti Records. Captivating first track, 'Migration of Souls' is out now.
A prolific writer, producer and performer, M. Ward has established himself as one of modern American music’s most unique and versatile voices. For his tenth album, he journeyed to Quebec, Canada to work with Arcade Fire’s Tim Kingsbury, Richard Reed Parry, producer/mixer Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine) and Teddy Impakt. Together they recorded a collection of 11 songs inspired by stories of human migration. Languid, hazy and often dream-like in narrative, these songs have their origins in pictures from newspaper and television reports, stories told by friends and tales from Ward’s own family history. At Arcade Fire’s Montreal studios the assembled talents recorded what he describes as “11 largely instrumental ballads - a sci-fi fast forward to a more silent night many generations from here to a maybe-era where movement is free again.”
Says Ward of the stories which informed these songs, “Some time went by, the stories wove together and I remember them now closer to characters in a dream of how people could treat each other than any kind of front-page news realism. I think music subconsciously - whether writing or listening - is a filter for me. Helping to process all the bad news into something new to build from. Some records to me are like self-fulfilling prophecies - visualizing change to wish something into being. Those records inspired this one.”
M. Ward’s music has always felt intricate, intimate and otherworldly. With Migration Stories he breathes beautiful life into vignettes of human flight, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy as it reckons with a world that feels more divided than ever before, even as its inhabitants grow more inextricably linked by the day. With a rich, emotive croon - which Uncut Magazine once likened to “honey drizzled onto a dry creekbed” - he conveys a huge depth of emotion, captured in the studio, almost entirely on the very first take.
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Oliver James - The Hardest Part (E.P).
San Diego-based Oliver James creates hushed psych folk pop, falling somewhere between Nick Drake and REM. The singer-songwriter has always been reluctant to follow any trend or singular direction, choosing instead to follow the path of the individual song’s inspiration, rarely treading the same artistic ground twice.
The band was born out a friendship between Oliver and key collaborator Brett Levine, who bonded over red wine, 1970’s television shows and a pervasively satirical optimism. From the start, they have sought out other artists who reflect their creative spirit. Their debut album was recorded at NYC’s Magic Shop with engineer Brian Thorne (responsible for David Bowie’s final albums, Blackstar and The Next Day) and their subsequent releases have all been tracked at San Diego’s Pacific Beat studio with producer Alan Sanderson (Rolling Stones, Weezer, Fleetwood Mac). By 2017 the band was gigging full time as a six piece, replicating their detailed studio productions on stage, while their song streams and video content chalked up tens of thousands of organic streams.
Oliver James’ new EP, The Hardest Part, is a song-cycle about the fragile, darker and uncertain aspects of being in love, and showcases their most haunting, personal and intimate songwriting to date. As Oliver reflects, “As human beings, we’ve all experienced the immense highs and tremendous lows of falling in and out of love. I think these songs speak to all of us.”
The songs are grand in scope and sonic quality, augmented by pedal steel, string orchestra and brass sections. “Good music should give the listener a feeling of belonging and should underscore the good times and sooth the bad times,” James asserts. “And both times are important....Like Brian Eno says, ‘there can be no flowers without fertilizer.”
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Thom Sawyr - Help Me Out.
“Help Me Out” is an acknowledgment that we aren’t alone in this world and, in order to overcome life’s adversities and the challenges that humanity faces we need each other. Together we can make it happen but alone often times it is hopeless. The goal is that we can find the strength in ourselves to be there for someone else in their time of need.
I remember when I wrote the song I was applying it to so many different experiences I had gone through in my life and wanted to try and make it universally applicable to any challenge that requires a helping hand. Transcend your fear, love your neighbor and help someone who needs it. -Tasso Smith (Thom Sawyr)
The brainchild of music executive and singer-songwriter Tasso Smith, Thom Sawyr is a project inspired by frustration with the status quo. After touring with bands like Panic! At the Disco, Walk the Moon, and P!nk, Tasso moved into A&R and creative management where he continued to hone his skills as a songwriter. He now presents Thom Sawyr as an illumination of the strife for a meaningful existence. In a time where music has fallen into the shallow depths of materialism and fame, the EP offers perspective on what music should truly represent.
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Teeniest - Set Me Up Boys.
Teeniest introduce us to “Set Me Up Boys,” a new song -- about giving up on, and drowning your wounded dreams -- a mercy killing of sorts.
The vibe is distinctive, with unusual instrumentation, including dulcimer and vibraphone. Teeniest are a duo from New York.
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Sam Weber - Probably Not.
Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Sam Weber is sharing the new big picture rock’n’roll single, ‘Probably Not’ – this is the latest to be taken from Weber’s third album, Everything Comes True which is set for release in the UK via Sonic Unyon Records on January 10, 2020. Produced by LA-based Tyler Chester (player with Andrew Bird, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne), the new record will be trailed with 2020 UK dates – these to be announced shortly.
Tipping hat to the sprawling guitar sounds of Bruce Springsteen, Alice Coltrane and The Band, ‘Probably Not’ pulls on buzzing riffs and a wanderlust swagger that places itself amidst the vast American landscape, sonically paying testament to the themes of the album. It’s a record well-versed in a road worn wisdom with Weber saying of the new single: “‘Probably Not’ is about driving through the night like one of those fish with the lantern on its head that lives in the deep ocean. You follow the road into the abyss and listen to the radio and thoughts pass through your mind as you drive, contemplating existence, overthinking everything.”
Alongside Weber’s own skill for storytelling and guitar playing, the new album finds the artist borrowing the skills of a heavyweight cast of session players including guitarist, Dylan Day (Jenny Lewis), pedal steel player, Rich Hinman (St Vincent, Cyndi Lauper), guitarist-vocalist, Adam Levy (Tracy Chapman, Norah Jones), trombonist, Elizabeth Lea (Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend) and percussionist, Justin Stanley (Prince, Beck, Paul McCartney) amongst a whole host of other names. The stellar roster is further cemented with the Grammy Award-winning engineer, Gavin Lurssen.
Weber, who draws heavily from his experiences travelling across the North American continent, looks to build upon the foundations cast by his recent New Agile Freedom EP, as well as earlier LP releases, Shadows in the Road (2014) and Valentina Nevada (2016). Everything Comes True explores the psychological and physical excursions that come with touring heavily – lyrically and musically painting a vivid narrative of the emotional journeys that come with spending extensive stints away from home, as well as the stories that accumulate.
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Imperial Daze - Centerpole.
And the band tell us... Since forming in 2016, and our first single release in 2017, we’ve released 2 EPs, scored a short film, built own own recording studio in a disused eel warehouse in Tower Bridge, and shared stages around the UK with the likes of The Maccabees, Mystery Jets, Nilufer Yanya, All We Are and Matt Maltese.
Our latest EP, Surfaces Sensibles was released in June 2019 and received a very positive response from UK radio, with singles being playlisted on Radio X and Amazing Radio as well as receiving a multitude of spot plays across the BBCnetwork and being invited for interviews with the likes of Amy Lame and Guy Garvey over at BBC6 Music.
The song we’re sharing with you now is called Centerpole and is about a dialogue with someone close who is stuck in a loop and struggling with addiction, depression and self-doubt.
In contrast to its heavy subject matter the song itself is an up-beat, groove based crooning number, as equally indebted to 90’s US hip-hop as it might be to Lee Hazelwood or Toro Y Moi.
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Silent Forum - Everything Solved At Once (Album).
4-piece Silent Forum are a contrary bunch. Cardiff dwelling but lacking the quirky and often dulcet left-of-centre pop of their Welsh contemporaries, Silent Forum instead offer up a much edgier angular noise, perhaps more representative of the gritty streets of London from which they originally came.
Yet Silent Forum’s sound isn’t straightforward. It’s a textured, technicoloured trip that separates it from punk’s three chords or post-punk’s monochrome doom. Silent Forum have been described, very fittingly, as an “uncouth Talking Heads” (Buzz magazine), sharing a sophistication and playfulness of the latter with “the progressive pop sound of XTC and the new wave idiosyncrasy of Squeeze” (Destroy/Exist). Or as Silent Forum put it, many of their songs are “punky without being punk.” Rejecting both geographical and musical pigeonholing, the themes of ‘Everything Solved At Once’ also veer towards the unexpected. Avoiding cliched break-up or party tracks, Silent Forum’s album is in part themed around a disgruntled office worker, with an awareness of the tongue-in-cheek humour in juxtaposing corporate life lyrics with jagged punk numbers.
One single Spin is an observation of the boredom and misery of the average office worker, whilst Robot offers a character piece written from the perspective of a jaded, stressed and deskbound employee. The bleak lyrics, “I feel a shortage of high pressure in my life/ I need the office chair/ I need spreadsheets I hold dear/ I love coffee, I hate beer”, play out over a merging of 70’s punk and early noughties jangling indie of a Good Shoes variety.
Other songs are themed on Silent Forum’s experience of being in a band, such as How I Faked The Moon Landing, an exhilarating shape-shifting track reminiscent of Simple Minds’ Berlin dance scene inspired new-wave, or more recently The Horrors, Skying-era, whilst taking influence from LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture. Released as the album’s first single in 2018 it ironically picked up a tonne of BBC Radio play given its lyrics: “Music’s not business, we’re destined to be a local band not on the local radio.”
Whilst album track Pop Act is a 6-minute pop song with a deep dark groove, written as a two-fingered response to a DJ who called the band too serious. Elsewhere on the record Silent Form touch on Spanish folk music on Credit to Mark Sinker, with its wonderfully chaotic mix of trumpets, discordant guitar lines, sleazy bass and Flamenco pattern; there’s the “face-melter” Outmoded, a track indebted to David Gilmour’s transition into noise-rock; Safety In Numbers dips its toe into British folk style guitar (curtesy of some Nick Drake influence), crossed with Nu Jazz drumming and a nuanced Johnny Marr guitar jangle; Kind of Blue is jazz inspired with a subtle touch of baggy’s stoner haze; Great Success is awash with The Cure-esque nostalgic melancholy, and album title track Everything Solved At Once is deliberately ‘pop’ with a Samba like break-down. Silent Forum have a special magic whereby their music has echoes of every seminal band you ever loved across every pioneering and forever fresh genre of the last four decades, yet crammed into edgy, enthralling, infectious songs with a fervent originality and unrivalled energy.
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Natalie Bouloudis - Outlaster.
There’s a giant tidal wave incoming; the world is in chaos but there is assurance in the cool and defiant vocals of Natalie Bouloudis in Outlaster, the first single to be released in two years by the London-based and Sussex-bred singer-songwriter.
Outlaster is a song for our time, inspired by Bouloudis’ life-long fascination of the dystopian genre, be it Margaret Atwood’s bleak myths of an unreachable paradise or the sound of dripping oil against one of Ridley Scott’s burnt orange skies. Outlaster combines storytelling with a tenacious spirit, painting visions of a not-too-distant apocalyptic future which is nevertheless overcome with strength of character. An ode to hope and reconciliation and a much needed beacon to lead us out of the gloom of 2019.
Outlaster speaks of endurance, Bouloudis sings of ‘savage beauty’, hard lessons and redemption, with directness and lyricism. The song bursts into action with pulsating drums and an urgent glissando bass that conjures up a sense of suspense. The tension continues to rise like a cool mist, with plucked violin dancing across the droning guitar riff before an explosive release into the hook-laden chorus. It is an exhilarating and transformative listening experience, driven by a melody that rises and falls hypnotically like the waves on an energetic sea, and with vocals that soar on each undulating crest, effortlessly evoking reminders of Patti Smith. The song culminates in a spectacular outro, both melodic and imaginative, completing the track’s triumphal arch.
This is an anthem for survival at a time when we are haunted with the idea of extinction. ‘Here comes disaster’ and ‘I’m the outlaster’ Bouloudis sings, in her unmistakably smoky tones, with both a power and a level of control that can only derive from performing regularly. Outlaster offers an atmospheric soundscape, a revelation to anybody who wishes they could hear David Bowie’s Rock & Roll Suicide for the first time again, only this time with a female vocal reminiscent of the lurching tones of PJ Harvey and the soulfulness of Cat Power.
Bouloudis says, ‘what makes the dystopian genre so captivating is how it provides a thrilling and escapist ride full of awe but even more importantly, it holds up a mirror to human nature’. In Outlaster, we are introduced to the themes to be found throughout the forthcoming EP, Devil is Doubt which she says has ‘moments of reconciliation throughout the record’ but just like Outlaster ‘it holds together with a unifying sense of an unbreakable spirit pushing ahead of existential agonies.’
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West Wickhams - He's Acquired A New Face.
West Wickhams are a psychedelic garage noir duo from the Isles of Scilly, Tresco. Consisting of Jon Othello and Elle Flores, West Wickham’s music manifests itself with such style, the effect is a timeless body of sound. Hailing from Tresco, the island of lost souls, subtropical plants and shipwrecked figureheads, the pair recently relocated to Richmond Surrey, proclaiming themselves an imagined rival gang to punk style icons, the Bromley Contingent.
Their colourful history brings a depth to their sound reminiscent of legendary bands such as The Doors, Blondie and Siouxshie and the Banshees.
However, the band themselves declare their influences largely from sources outside the music industry; Whitby Abbey, Pipe Organs, Flowers, Polka Dot Cats, Dark Punk, Gothic Novels and Rock n Roll Autobiographies, Castles, Abstract Painting, Euphoria, Mist, Autumn, Halloween, Optical Illusions, Edgar Allan Poe and Andy Warhol.
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M. Ward - Migration Of Souls.
M. Ward has revealed plans for his latest album, 'Migration Stories', to be released on 3rd April 2020 via Anti Records. Captivating first track, 'Migration of Souls' is out now.
A prolific writer, producer and performer, M. Ward has established himself as one of modern American music’s most unique and versatile voices. For his tenth album, he journeyed to Quebec, Canada to work with Arcade Fire’s Tim Kingsbury, Richard Reed Parry, producer/mixer Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine) and Teddy Impakt. Together they recorded a collection of 11 songs inspired by stories of human migration. Languid, hazy and often dream-like in narrative, these songs have their origins in pictures from newspaper and television reports, stories told by friends and tales from Ward’s own family history. At Arcade Fire’s Montreal studios the assembled talents recorded what he describes as “11 largely instrumental ballads - a sci-fi fast forward to a more silent night many generations from here to a maybe-era where movement is free again.”
Says Ward of the stories which informed these songs, “Some time went by, the stories wove together and I remember them now closer to characters in a dream of how people could treat each other than any kind of front-page news realism. I think music subconsciously - whether writing or listening - is a filter for me. Helping to process all the bad news into something new to build from. Some records to me are like self-fulfilling prophecies - visualizing change to wish something into being. Those records inspired this one.”
M. Ward’s music has always felt intricate, intimate and otherworldly. With Migration Stories he breathes beautiful life into vignettes of human flight, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy as it reckons with a world that feels more divided than ever before, even as its inhabitants grow more inextricably linked by the day. With a rich, emotive croon - which Uncut Magazine once likened to “honey drizzled onto a dry creekbed” - he conveys a huge depth of emotion, captured in the studio, almost entirely on the very first take.
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Oliver James - The Hardest Part (E.P).
San Diego-based Oliver James creates hushed psych folk pop, falling somewhere between Nick Drake and REM. The singer-songwriter has always been reluctant to follow any trend or singular direction, choosing instead to follow the path of the individual song’s inspiration, rarely treading the same artistic ground twice.
The band was born out a friendship between Oliver and key collaborator Brett Levine, who bonded over red wine, 1970’s television shows and a pervasively satirical optimism. From the start, they have sought out other artists who reflect their creative spirit. Their debut album was recorded at NYC’s Magic Shop with engineer Brian Thorne (responsible for David Bowie’s final albums, Blackstar and The Next Day) and their subsequent releases have all been tracked at San Diego’s Pacific Beat studio with producer Alan Sanderson (Rolling Stones, Weezer, Fleetwood Mac). By 2017 the band was gigging full time as a six piece, replicating their detailed studio productions on stage, while their song streams and video content chalked up tens of thousands of organic streams.
Oliver James’ new EP, The Hardest Part, is a song-cycle about the fragile, darker and uncertain aspects of being in love, and showcases their most haunting, personal and intimate songwriting to date. As Oliver reflects, “As human beings, we’ve all experienced the immense highs and tremendous lows of falling in and out of love. I think these songs speak to all of us.”
The songs are grand in scope and sonic quality, augmented by pedal steel, string orchestra and brass sections. “Good music should give the listener a feeling of belonging and should underscore the good times and sooth the bad times,” James asserts. “And both times are important....Like Brian Eno says, ‘there can be no flowers without fertilizer.”
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Thom Sawyr - Help Me Out.
“Help Me Out” is an acknowledgment that we aren’t alone in this world and, in order to overcome life’s adversities and the challenges that humanity faces we need each other. Together we can make it happen but alone often times it is hopeless. The goal is that we can find the strength in ourselves to be there for someone else in their time of need.
I remember when I wrote the song I was applying it to so many different experiences I had gone through in my life and wanted to try and make it universally applicable to any challenge that requires a helping hand. Transcend your fear, love your neighbor and help someone who needs it. -Tasso Smith (Thom Sawyr)
The brainchild of music executive and singer-songwriter Tasso Smith, Thom Sawyr is a project inspired by frustration with the status quo. After touring with bands like Panic! At the Disco, Walk the Moon, and P!nk, Tasso moved into A&R and creative management where he continued to hone his skills as a songwriter. He now presents Thom Sawyr as an illumination of the strife for a meaningful existence. In a time where music has fallen into the shallow depths of materialism and fame, the EP offers perspective on what music should truly represent.
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Teeniest - Set Me Up Boys.
Teeniest introduce us to “Set Me Up Boys,” a new song -- about giving up on, and drowning your wounded dreams -- a mercy killing of sorts.
The vibe is distinctive, with unusual instrumentation, including dulcimer and vibraphone. Teeniest are a duo from New York.
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Sam Weber - Probably Not.
Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Sam Weber is sharing the new big picture rock’n’roll single, ‘Probably Not’ – this is the latest to be taken from Weber’s third album, Everything Comes True which is set for release in the UK via Sonic Unyon Records on January 10, 2020. Produced by LA-based Tyler Chester (player with Andrew Bird, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne), the new record will be trailed with 2020 UK dates – these to be announced shortly.
Tipping hat to the sprawling guitar sounds of Bruce Springsteen, Alice Coltrane and The Band, ‘Probably Not’ pulls on buzzing riffs and a wanderlust swagger that places itself amidst the vast American landscape, sonically paying testament to the themes of the album. It’s a record well-versed in a road worn wisdom with Weber saying of the new single: “‘Probably Not’ is about driving through the night like one of those fish with the lantern on its head that lives in the deep ocean. You follow the road into the abyss and listen to the radio and thoughts pass through your mind as you drive, contemplating existence, overthinking everything.”
Alongside Weber’s own skill for storytelling and guitar playing, the new album finds the artist borrowing the skills of a heavyweight cast of session players including guitarist, Dylan Day (Jenny Lewis), pedal steel player, Rich Hinman (St Vincent, Cyndi Lauper), guitarist-vocalist, Adam Levy (Tracy Chapman, Norah Jones), trombonist, Elizabeth Lea (Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend) and percussionist, Justin Stanley (Prince, Beck, Paul McCartney) amongst a whole host of other names. The stellar roster is further cemented with the Grammy Award-winning engineer, Gavin Lurssen.
Weber, who draws heavily from his experiences travelling across the North American continent, looks to build upon the foundations cast by his recent New Agile Freedom EP, as well as earlier LP releases, Shadows in the Road (2014) and Valentina Nevada (2016). Everything Comes True explores the psychological and physical excursions that come with touring heavily – lyrically and musically painting a vivid narrative of the emotional journeys that come with spending extensive stints away from home, as well as the stories that accumulate.
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Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Emma Charles - Phonettes - Weed & Dolphins
Emma Charles returns with a new single 'You' not that many weeks after we featured her last release 'Vertigo'. Once again her vocals are sensitive and heartfelt on this melodic and dreamy track. === We have already shared three songs from the new E.P. by Phonettes now we have the full collection as 'Algorithm Love' is set for release this Friday. === Weed & Dolphins is about to release 'High' a powerful and feisty alt rocker with plenty of rock and roll hooks along the way.
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Emma Charles - You.
Los Angeles-based folk-pop singer/songwriter Emma Charles has reteamed with longtime producer/collaborator Doug Schadt (Shaed, Maggie Rogers) on her new single, their fourth together, “You.” With themes of love, companionship and gratitude at the fore, Charles creates a gorgeously evocative vibe with an acoustic guitar and piano--based track with electronic flourishes that evolves into a transcendent showcase for her shimmering vocal talents.
“You” is released digitally on Sky Records, the pop unit of the Resilience Music Alliance. It is the follow up to her last single “Vertigo” which appears on the recent NOW That’s What I Call Music! 72 (released 10/25) as a featured “What’s Next” selection.
Says Charles: “’You’ came around after finding myself really enamored by someone for a long time. I found myself feeling like this person was the only person I wanted to come back to, to talk to, and to be with. After days where I felt like nobody heard what I had to say, and after spending time doubting myself and my abilities, this person was able to bring me back to reality and keep me grounded.”
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Phonettes - Algorithm Love (E.P).
Phonettes is the project around the songs of Amsterdam based singer-songwriter and film composer Daan Hofman. About two years ago he started writing material from scratch with only an analog synthesizer, two guitars and a computer. He sings, plays all instruments, and wrote and produced all the tracks of the EP Algorithm Love, which have been released as singles over 2019.
The songs of Phonettes are shaped by minimalistic beats with dreamy vocal choirs, pickin’ guitars and warm analog synth sounds, even flirting with laid back techno, but preserving the song as its beating heart.
The tracks on Algorithm Love: Wide Awake is a mix of an acoustic song with electronics. Analog synth sounds are circling around the whisper of an acoustic guitar in this brittle song about the clear visions that a sleepless night can bring, If the Stranger Things soundtrack was composed by Sufjan Stevens and featured a unique warm voiced singer with whiffs of David Sylvian, this is what it would sound like.
First Delight is a new-wavish synthpop song, celibrating the spark of youth. On the outer borders of childhood, where we were high on life and restless from everything that was to come. Algorithm Love is the title track of the EP. This ballad on romantic love in the age of online dating, floats in an ambient modular choir towards the edges of the dancefloor.
Morning Brings New is the only lovesong of the EP. A deep and smooth vocal is floating over minimalistic patterns, where dreamy choirs finally celebrate the glory of a new found love. Now We've Lost It All takes the listener back to early Pink Floyd 60s days. Make Up Your Mind is a gospel with a twist. Modular synths and minimal beats bring salvation to a troubled soul.
Algorithm Love (EP) is released 6 December 2019 on BERT music (a division of TCBYML).
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Weed & Dolphins - High.
A few years ago a bunch of friends climbed into a local sewerage system to have some fun, drink beers and make photos. But what they found deep in the tunnels turned their whole lives inside out and changed all their plans. To explain their strange behaviour and their sudden regular disappearances from home they teamed up in a band under the name Weed & Dolphins and started to rehearse as a live act for their vocalist’s one-man-band home project.
In 2016 they released a bunch of their early singles on Russian vk.com and started getting themselves into local gigs while reaching their first international audience through Instagram. In the beginning of 2017 the project dropped its debut album - ‘Islandkid cassette’. It was released on cassettes and tagged as ‘cloud-punk’ by Belarusia's biggest art and music magazine 34mag. ‘Islandkid cassette’ summed up the sound and the aesthetics of Weed & Dolphins music of that period. It was a compilation of home recorded playful pop songs with gloomy lyrics behind childish guitar melodies and freaky synths. The production of the album was based on clashing the '80s & '90s post-punk/grunge type arrangements with chopped-n-screwed rap refrains, monotonous spoken word verses and trippy vocal melodies.
The independent Belarusian music guide Experty.by described it as “something between sequenced freak-punk of Atom and His Package and lazy dream-pop of Beach Fossils”. Due to the DIY way of releasing the album and lack of promotion, major blog appearances and management, ‘Islandkid cassette’ didn’t get much international attention as a record. At the same time putting the album on cassette tapes allowed to spread it among retro DIY aesthetic lovers, while positioning the project as an active live band capable of bringing the actual album sound on stage gave Weed & Dolphins a chance to start getting on shows and events outside their home country.
In late 2017 and during 2018 the band did a number of gigs and festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary with appearances at Ment Ljubljana, What’s next in Music? and Budapest Showcase Hub. In January 2019 Weed & Dolphins performed two showcases at the internationally renowned Eurosonic Noorderslag Festival in Groningen, The Netherlands. To divert attention from what is really hidden somewhere underneath the slums of Minsk, the Belarusian self-proclaimed 'shoegaze-rap project' continues to do underground gigs across Europe.
New single High is the TCBYML debut for Weed & Dolphins, and the first single since their 2017 debut album. The song is about trying to get away from pressure by using illegal substances, getting trapped in an illusionary world, losing your way and staying there forever.
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Emma Charles - You.
Los Angeles-based folk-pop singer/songwriter Emma Charles has reteamed with longtime producer/collaborator Doug Schadt (Shaed, Maggie Rogers) on her new single, their fourth together, “You.” With themes of love, companionship and gratitude at the fore, Charles creates a gorgeously evocative vibe with an acoustic guitar and piano--based track with electronic flourishes that evolves into a transcendent showcase for her shimmering vocal talents.
“You” is released digitally on Sky Records, the pop unit of the Resilience Music Alliance. It is the follow up to her last single “Vertigo” which appears on the recent NOW That’s What I Call Music! 72 (released 10/25) as a featured “What’s Next” selection.
Says Charles: “’You’ came around after finding myself really enamored by someone for a long time. I found myself feeling like this person was the only person I wanted to come back to, to talk to, and to be with. After days where I felt like nobody heard what I had to say, and after spending time doubting myself and my abilities, this person was able to bring me back to reality and keep me grounded.”
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Phonettes - Algorithm Love (E.P).
Phonettes is the project around the songs of Amsterdam based singer-songwriter and film composer Daan Hofman. About two years ago he started writing material from scratch with only an analog synthesizer, two guitars and a computer. He sings, plays all instruments, and wrote and produced all the tracks of the EP Algorithm Love, which have been released as singles over 2019.
The songs of Phonettes are shaped by minimalistic beats with dreamy vocal choirs, pickin’ guitars and warm analog synth sounds, even flirting with laid back techno, but preserving the song as its beating heart.
The tracks on Algorithm Love: Wide Awake is a mix of an acoustic song with electronics. Analog synth sounds are circling around the whisper of an acoustic guitar in this brittle song about the clear visions that a sleepless night can bring, If the Stranger Things soundtrack was composed by Sufjan Stevens and featured a unique warm voiced singer with whiffs of David Sylvian, this is what it would sound like.
First Delight is a new-wavish synthpop song, celibrating the spark of youth. On the outer borders of childhood, where we were high on life and restless from everything that was to come. Algorithm Love is the title track of the EP. This ballad on romantic love in the age of online dating, floats in an ambient modular choir towards the edges of the dancefloor.
Morning Brings New is the only lovesong of the EP. A deep and smooth vocal is floating over minimalistic patterns, where dreamy choirs finally celebrate the glory of a new found love. Now We've Lost It All takes the listener back to early Pink Floyd 60s days. Make Up Your Mind is a gospel with a twist. Modular synths and minimal beats bring salvation to a troubled soul.
Algorithm Love (EP) is released 6 December 2019 on BERT music (a division of TCBYML).
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Weed & Dolphins - High.
A few years ago a bunch of friends climbed into a local sewerage system to have some fun, drink beers and make photos. But what they found deep in the tunnels turned their whole lives inside out and changed all their plans. To explain their strange behaviour and their sudden regular disappearances from home they teamed up in a band under the name Weed & Dolphins and started to rehearse as a live act for their vocalist’s one-man-band home project.
In 2016 they released a bunch of their early singles on Russian vk.com and started getting themselves into local gigs while reaching their first international audience through Instagram. In the beginning of 2017 the project dropped its debut album - ‘Islandkid cassette’. It was released on cassettes and tagged as ‘cloud-punk’ by Belarusia's biggest art and music magazine 34mag. ‘Islandkid cassette’ summed up the sound and the aesthetics of Weed & Dolphins music of that period. It was a compilation of home recorded playful pop songs with gloomy lyrics behind childish guitar melodies and freaky synths. The production of the album was based on clashing the '80s & '90s post-punk/grunge type arrangements with chopped-n-screwed rap refrains, monotonous spoken word verses and trippy vocal melodies.
The independent Belarusian music guide Experty.by described it as “something between sequenced freak-punk of Atom and His Package and lazy dream-pop of Beach Fossils”. Due to the DIY way of releasing the album and lack of promotion, major blog appearances and management, ‘Islandkid cassette’ didn’t get much international attention as a record. At the same time putting the album on cassette tapes allowed to spread it among retro DIY aesthetic lovers, while positioning the project as an active live band capable of bringing the actual album sound on stage gave Weed & Dolphins a chance to start getting on shows and events outside their home country.
In late 2017 and during 2018 the band did a number of gigs and festivals in Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary with appearances at Ment Ljubljana, What’s next in Music? and Budapest Showcase Hub. In January 2019 Weed & Dolphins performed two showcases at the internationally renowned Eurosonic Noorderslag Festival in Groningen, The Netherlands. To divert attention from what is really hidden somewhere underneath the slums of Minsk, the Belarusian self-proclaimed 'shoegaze-rap project' continues to do underground gigs across Europe.
New single High is the TCBYML debut for Weed & Dolphins, and the first single since their 2017 debut album. The song is about trying to get away from pressure by using illegal substances, getting trapped in an illusionary world, losing your way and staying there forever.
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Monday, 2 December 2019
Julia Jonas - Umbrella Assassins
Julia Jonas returns with 'Air' following the song 'Lift You High' which we featured around two weeks ago. Once again her beautifully crafted indie pop is both melodic and quite captivating. === Umbrella Assassins have a new single out this coming Friday entitled 'Dads Song' accompanied by this wonderful video from the masters of shed-punk.
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Julia Jonas - Air.
Sweden based artist and producer Julia Jonas has released new EP Air, which sees her sharing her honest and at times challenging life experiences.
Julia was born in Cape Town but grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. Having spent years of her childhood in a conflict-ridden country, later followed by the challenges of adapting to a society with little resemblance to her roots, music became her way of expressing herself and she started exploring and experimenting with sounds in her basement home studio as a means of escape.
Along with new track Air, these experiences inform the subject of other recent single 'Lift You High'. She tells us that “the track reflects a feeling of loneliness and alienation when feeling pressured to fit in but having the strength to strive for diversity and tolerance despite it. Being quite obviously different in a world where people strive for uniformity creates very strong feelings of loneliness and exclusion.
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Umbrella Assassins - Dads Song.
Responding to a post from Rebel Arts Radio, asking for radio stings the band knocked up a riff and used lyrics that drummer Garry's dad gave to them. They liked it so much, they adopted it into a song.
The new single 'Dads song' recorded in Tiny Eyes Studios concludes a busy year for the Haverhill Shed-Punk trio. Andy's words describe a meeting with Carol at a party in Wood Green 1970. A love story that continues fifty years later.
3 years ago Umbrella Assassins were reborn in Steve's shed. Escaping everyday lifes' boredoms and unpleasantness, making a haven for creativity and the appreciation of beer at the bottom of the garden. The punk trio would go on to create something special, that would change their lives forever, Shed Punk!!!
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Beehive Candy Music Radio (BCMR) - HERE.
Includes all the artists featured on Beehive Candy along with some familiar songs from days gone by and the odd eclectic musical masterpiece that may have escaped your attention at the time.
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Julia Jonas - Air.
Sweden based artist and producer Julia Jonas has released new EP Air, which sees her sharing her honest and at times challenging life experiences.
Julia was born in Cape Town but grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. Having spent years of her childhood in a conflict-ridden country, later followed by the challenges of adapting to a society with little resemblance to her roots, music became her way of expressing herself and she started exploring and experimenting with sounds in her basement home studio as a means of escape.
Along with new track Air, these experiences inform the subject of other recent single 'Lift You High'. She tells us that “the track reflects a feeling of loneliness and alienation when feeling pressured to fit in but having the strength to strive for diversity and tolerance despite it. Being quite obviously different in a world where people strive for uniformity creates very strong feelings of loneliness and exclusion.
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Responding to a post from Rebel Arts Radio, asking for radio stings the band knocked up a riff and used lyrics that drummer Garry's dad gave to them. They liked it so much, they adopted it into a song.
The new single 'Dads song' recorded in Tiny Eyes Studios concludes a busy year for the Haverhill Shed-Punk trio. Andy's words describe a meeting with Carol at a party in Wood Green 1970. A love story that continues fifty years later.
3 years ago Umbrella Assassins were reborn in Steve's shed. Escaping everyday lifes' boredoms and unpleasantness, making a haven for creativity and the appreciation of beer at the bottom of the garden. The punk trio would go on to create something special, that would change their lives forever, Shed Punk!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beehive Candy Music Radio (BCMR) - HERE.
Includes all the artists featured on Beehive Candy along with some familiar songs from days gone by and the odd eclectic musical masterpiece that may have escaped your attention at the time.
Sunday, 1 December 2019
Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic - Lake Jons - Philip Brooks
Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic have shared 'Echo' a gorgeous alt pop song with beautifully harmonised dual vocals and a sweeping musical arrangement. === Lake Jons return for a fourth time on Beehive Candy with 'Human'. Last month we shared the track 'Simone' also taken from their brand new album 'The Coast', as the Finish folktronica duo continue to really impress. === We have the debut E.P from Philip Brooks entitled 'Half alive in a dream' which comprises of singles released this year where dream pop reigns supreme.
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Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic - Echo.
Singer-songwriters Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic combine on the rousing alternative-pop anthem “Echo”. Drawing on influences from Zoe’s indie background and Antonio’s stadium-filling pop tones, it’s an epic piece of pop-fusion that details a longing for adventure at the expense of personal relationships.
A coming together of two worlds, Zoe is a singer-songwriter and producer from South London whose musical background is rooted in grass-roots venues and indie culture. Her impressive catalogue as both a solo artist or as part of her band CATBEAR, has picked up support from BBC 6Music, Clash Magazine and Spotify, who supported Zoe on their influential Out Now playlist. A DIY musician to the core, Zoe takes complete control of her artistic output, producing all her own tracks and recording her vocals in her wardrobe for better acoustics. She also runs a regular grass-roots music night Stop Look Listen at The Finsbury, a platform for London’s emerging artists including Eliza and the Bear, Kimberly Anne, Holly Walker and Karima Francis.
Antonio Lulic has spent the last few years touring around the world. From humble beginnings in Yorkshire, he found himself touring the live circuit where he became good friends with none other than Ed Sheeran. Years later, this chance friendship and a lot of hard work led to Antonio supporting Ed Sheeran across the UK & USA, as well as his stadium shows in Latin America. The track was recorded between tours with Ed Sheeran, Zoe working on the production while Antonio travelled across the globe. It’s an anthemic piece of songwriter-pop that showcases both musicians’ expansive musical skill set. On the new single Zoe states:
We wrote Echo just after Antonio came off tour with Ed Sheeran. We recorded it before he went on tour for the second time with Ed whilst I finished the production. The lyrics tell of longing for adventure and escaping the everyday life, sometimes at the expense of personal relationships when the pull to get away is too strong to stay together.
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Lake Jons - Human.
Lake Jons, hailing from Helsinki and born from the woods by the darkest waters as their namesake reflects, is comprised of Jooel Jons and Mikko Pennanen, who walk a fine line between producer-tandem and full-on band. Since their formation in 2014, the Finnish duo has come through with delicate folktronica-tinged dream-pop. Following from their self-titled debut, which the band performed on their live circuit during the last year, and championed at festivals across the Nordics as well as by Ja Ja Ja, who showcased the band across London, Berlin and Hamburg.
With the upcoming release of their sophomore full-length ‘The Coast’, Lake Jons reconnect with their roots, leaving the city and delving into the viridescence of their moniker’s birthplace, the Towars forest. Thematically, the album is Jons’ endeavour to dismantle life, space and time. They present parts of rough instrumental parts, layering them with harmony-laden toplines, while each of the singles’ overall structure seems to assemble again seamlessly.
Jooel Jons comments on ‘Human’, focus track for the album: “I’m fond of lyrics that are more like thoughts rather than stories. This one feels like a stroll in the forest for me. Almost a story but not quite. “I wanna turn around” resembles the idea of turning back from the road we once started as humans. Honouring nature more and more. For me it also means dancing in the forest among the trees and animals like a hippie cliché. This song has evolved from two different songs that I felt were at a dead end. Combining them left some good parts unused but made one whole.”
“There are all kinds of emotional releases when roaming in the nature far from civilisation,” he adds in his short essay on the new album, “In a way ‘The Coast’ is an emotional perspective. There are times when you are simply stuck in that gateway. Looking forward to the oceans or backward to the mountains, you choose. Time is irrelevant as long as you’re moving and evolving. I believe that’s the essence.”
For their self-titled debut album, Lake Jons retreated to an isolated cabin deep in the Finnish forest during the few summer months of the year that the Nordic country thaws out. The cabin had no running water and no inside bathroom. It’s there, in a state of severe isolation and deep connection with the wilderness that they wrote and recorded the majority of the self-titled album. The aim was to try and examine, capture and represent whatever tenuous connection still exists between the natural world and all its organic elements of randomness and authenticity and the human world.
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Philip Brooks - 'Half alive in a dream'.
Philip Brooks releases his debut EP, 'half alive in a dream', a collection of previous singles from this year, and his now signature shimmering and dreamy indie pop sound.
Featuring previous singles like the pounding four-to-the-floor 'so long see you someday', and the stunning 'can't fix the things i left behind', the EP rounds off an incredible year for Philip which has seen him quickly establish himself as one of the most exciting new artists to arrive, being described by early critics as “nostalgic and emotionally charged” and a “dreamy mélange of spacey guitar lines and airy melodies”.
'half alive in a dream' sees Philip tackle the painfully relatable lyrical themes ingrained in his generation: millennial on-off relationships, the pains of modern dating, anxiety attacks and the fear of being alone, all rapped into a blend of dreamy indie-pop inspired by the likes of Bleachers and The Japanese House
Philip has also been cutting his teeth in the live arena, touring with acts such as EUT and Tiny Ruins as well as a sold out headline show at Paper Dress Vintage in late November where he confirmed himself to be not only promising as a recording artist, but as a live performer as well.
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Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic - Echo.
Singer-songwriters Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic combine on the rousing alternative-pop anthem “Echo”. Drawing on influences from Zoe’s indie background and Antonio’s stadium-filling pop tones, it’s an epic piece of pop-fusion that details a longing for adventure at the expense of personal relationships.
A coming together of two worlds, Zoe is a singer-songwriter and producer from South London whose musical background is rooted in grass-roots venues and indie culture. Her impressive catalogue as both a solo artist or as part of her band CATBEAR, has picked up support from BBC 6Music, Clash Magazine and Spotify, who supported Zoe on their influential Out Now playlist. A DIY musician to the core, Zoe takes complete control of her artistic output, producing all her own tracks and recording her vocals in her wardrobe for better acoustics. She also runs a regular grass-roots music night Stop Look Listen at The Finsbury, a platform for London’s emerging artists including Eliza and the Bear, Kimberly Anne, Holly Walker and Karima Francis.
Antonio Lulic has spent the last few years touring around the world. From humble beginnings in Yorkshire, he found himself touring the live circuit where he became good friends with none other than Ed Sheeran. Years later, this chance friendship and a lot of hard work led to Antonio supporting Ed Sheeran across the UK & USA, as well as his stadium shows in Latin America. The track was recorded between tours with Ed Sheeran, Zoe working on the production while Antonio travelled across the globe. It’s an anthemic piece of songwriter-pop that showcases both musicians’ expansive musical skill set. On the new single Zoe states:
We wrote Echo just after Antonio came off tour with Ed Sheeran. We recorded it before he went on tour for the second time with Ed whilst I finished the production. The lyrics tell of longing for adventure and escaping the everyday life, sometimes at the expense of personal relationships when the pull to get away is too strong to stay together.
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Lake Jons - Human.
Lake Jons, hailing from Helsinki and born from the woods by the darkest waters as their namesake reflects, is comprised of Jooel Jons and Mikko Pennanen, who walk a fine line between producer-tandem and full-on band. Since their formation in 2014, the Finnish duo has come through with delicate folktronica-tinged dream-pop. Following from their self-titled debut, which the band performed on their live circuit during the last year, and championed at festivals across the Nordics as well as by Ja Ja Ja, who showcased the band across London, Berlin and Hamburg.
With the upcoming release of their sophomore full-length ‘The Coast’, Lake Jons reconnect with their roots, leaving the city and delving into the viridescence of their moniker’s birthplace, the Towars forest. Thematically, the album is Jons’ endeavour to dismantle life, space and time. They present parts of rough instrumental parts, layering them with harmony-laden toplines, while each of the singles’ overall structure seems to assemble again seamlessly.
Jooel Jons comments on ‘Human’, focus track for the album: “I’m fond of lyrics that are more like thoughts rather than stories. This one feels like a stroll in the forest for me. Almost a story but not quite. “I wanna turn around” resembles the idea of turning back from the road we once started as humans. Honouring nature more and more. For me it also means dancing in the forest among the trees and animals like a hippie cliché. This song has evolved from two different songs that I felt were at a dead end. Combining them left some good parts unused but made one whole.”
“There are all kinds of emotional releases when roaming in the nature far from civilisation,” he adds in his short essay on the new album, “In a way ‘The Coast’ is an emotional perspective. There are times when you are simply stuck in that gateway. Looking forward to the oceans or backward to the mountains, you choose. Time is irrelevant as long as you’re moving and evolving. I believe that’s the essence.”
For their self-titled debut album, Lake Jons retreated to an isolated cabin deep in the Finnish forest during the few summer months of the year that the Nordic country thaws out. The cabin had no running water and no inside bathroom. It’s there, in a state of severe isolation and deep connection with the wilderness that they wrote and recorded the majority of the self-titled album. The aim was to try and examine, capture and represent whatever tenuous connection still exists between the natural world and all its organic elements of randomness and authenticity and the human world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip Brooks - 'Half alive in a dream'.
Philip Brooks releases his debut EP, 'half alive in a dream', a collection of previous singles from this year, and his now signature shimmering and dreamy indie pop sound.
Featuring previous singles like the pounding four-to-the-floor 'so long see you someday', and the stunning 'can't fix the things i left behind', the EP rounds off an incredible year for Philip which has seen him quickly establish himself as one of the most exciting new artists to arrive, being described by early critics as “nostalgic and emotionally charged” and a “dreamy mélange of spacey guitar lines and airy melodies”.
'half alive in a dream' sees Philip tackle the painfully relatable lyrical themes ingrained in his generation: millennial on-off relationships, the pains of modern dating, anxiety attacks and the fear of being alone, all rapped into a blend of dreamy indie-pop inspired by the likes of Bleachers and The Japanese House
Philip has also been cutting his teeth in the live arena, touring with acts such as EUT and Tiny Ruins as well as a sold out headline show at Paper Dress Vintage in late November where he confirmed himself to be not only promising as a recording artist, but as a live performer as well.
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Saturday, 30 November 2019
Night Flight - Tokyo Tea Room - The Broken Islands - Plaza
Night Flight new single 'David' precedes a new E.P due next February. We featured the band a couple of times last year and the newest track sees the band in thoughtful mode with this tender and beautiful track. === Tokyo Tea Room just released their 'Dream Room' E.P. We have already shared a couple of tracks from it and been very impressed with their psych pop creations, the final two songs are equally refined. === With a rhythmic opening 'Highlife' from The Broken Islands gently builds with melodic vocals before the band unleash a powerful and expansive post rock feel, on this sub six minute feast. === Last month we featured the song 'See' by Plaza as a taster for the new E.P wernotplaza ll. Now with all four songs we find that the quartet are not tied to any one style, indeed they are quite open with their influences and whats more they have served up a very fine collection of songs.
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Night Flight - David.
London based band Night Flight today announce the release of a new EP, ‘White Noise’, due for release February 28th 2020 via CRC Records. The follow-up to their widely praised self-titled debut released in 2018, the songs on ‘White Noise’ individually explore the nuances in specific pockets of life; disillusionment, isolation and self-reflection in the midst of personal recovery.
Night Flight (aka Sam Holmes, Dan Webb, Harry Phillips and Oliver Halvorsen) are a band whose strength and appeal lies in their ability to construct affecting, relatable songs - pairing meditative, honest lyrics with high-reaching folk-rock instrumentals. New single ‘David’ is a fine example of that, with singer and guitarist Sam Holmes ruminating on a past relationship: “You’re doing better than I thought without me”.
Speaking on the release of new single ‘David’, Sam describes the track as “A mourning of love through second-hand news. The conversations shared with a forgotten friend in the strange aftermath of a relationship wherein perpetuity ends.”
‘David’ portrays a scenario where two people were once so cognitively intertwined, but they now share each other through news and rumour. “‘David’ is the coming to terms of the end” Sam goes on to say. “A realisation that what once was, will no longer be; that someone you’ve known for so long, will now only exist in memory.”
Written predominantly in Sam Holmes’ hometown of Rye on the British south-coast, the songs on ‘White Noise’ were penned during a period of transition both for the band and for Sam personally. There’s a backdrop of heartbreak, the panic of anxiety and subsequent feeling of catharsis.
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Tokyo Tea Room - Dream Room (E.P).
Tokyo Tea Room released the ‘Dream Room’ EP yesterday via A Certain Kind Records. Vibrant synths, glimmering guitars and addictive rhythm section grooves combine to provide a bed for Beth Plumb and Daniel Elliot’s airy, ethereal vocals across four quintessential examples of their hazy psych-pop sound. Occupying a similar space to the collegiate bedroom indie of MUNYA, Men I Trust or Far Caspian as well as taking cues from Tame Impala, DIIV, Air and Mazzy Star.
The release is the culmination of a process of ongoing evolution. Deciding on a fresh start at the beginning of 2019, and realising how much their sound had matured, the band removed all their previous output from digital services, choosing indeed to move forward in their new sonic direction.
This bold approach however hasn’t stopped Tokyo Tea Room achieving success on a wider level - live slots with Wolf Alice and Super Furry Animals, acclaim on key tastemaker sites The Line of Best Fit, GIGWISE and Clash and spins on audio indie bible BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 and Radio X. As well as this, they are rapidly building a cult following in the hazy corners of YouTube and Spotify, racing to over one hundred thousand plays on Spotify alone on this new, discerning set of releases.
A key tenet of the band’s approach is their focus on aesthetic, which is strong and consistent throughout - unique whilst holding a candle to the canon of psychedelic and shoegaze pioneers they take inspiration from. A further reflection of their ethos is their collaboration with established Brighton-based visual artist InnerStrings, a well-known figure in the Psych scene who has previously been involved in events such as This Is Psych Fest, and this year’s Bella Union’s Great Escape Festival showcase, and who will be bringing his kaleidoscopic backdrops to the forthcoming Tokyo Tea Room show at Quarterstone.
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The Broken Islands - Highlife.
The Broken Islands are a Vancouver, Canada based sextet who meld elements of ambient pop, shoegaze, post-rock, post-punk, trip-hop and dark wave to create their own distinct sound. With crashing guitars and delicate sounding keyboards weaving around swooning, siren-like vocals, the band’s songs can sound at times like an otherworldly sonic experience while still being packed with emotion and moments of tenderness.
The well-received debut album entitled ‘Wars’ was released in the autumn of 2017, with a follow up, ‘Masquerade’, due out in January 2020. An opening salvo from the new record was released in May 2019 in the form of the cinematic sounding ‘Solid State’, which was issued to coincide with five UK shows.
A second single ‘High Life’ was released in September 2019 in advance of a November UK tour including a three-night artist residency at the storied London Troubadour. Like its predecessor, ‘Masquerade’ has been produced and mixed by Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie, who is best known for his work with industrial music titans such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Skinny Puppy and was the perfect choice to harness the many influences that constitute the sound of The Broken Islands. Band co-founder Stephen Cameron points out that:
“we are all multi-instrumentalists and one of the great things about being in a six-piece band is the ability to switch instruments and play different things on different songs to really makes things exciting. We love to add percussion to songs so a set of free hands usually gets a chance to pick something up and add a new sound to a track. We all have wildly varied musical references, which we believe is what makes The Broken Islands sound the way it does. It’s really great to gain insight into someone else’s perspective of a song that you might not have heard before.”
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Plaza - wernotplaza ll (E.P).
Hartlepool (England) quartet PLAZA release their new EP ‘wernotplaza’ via CLUE Records (YOWL, Crushed Beaks, Van Houten), pulling together an evolved version of their trademark, icy, visceral self-coined post-indie sound. In keeping with a growing tendency towards music free of narrow genre constraints, influences across the 4-tracks range from Foals, DIIV or Wolf Alice to the experimental RnB of Frank Ocean.
The EP is the most open PLAZA have been to date. It’s easy for bands to write obliquely, wavering around heavy points reticent to tackle them head on – which is more than understandable, as so much artistic inspiration comes from a deeply personal well. This time around however they refuse to compromise in expressing their truth.
Whilst this sounds disconsolate in sentiment, in listening to the tracks you can hear the release and catharsis it offers, generating an emotive layer to the unique sound the band have carefully cultivated over the last few years. Spiky guitars and a sprinkling of electronics, driven forward by a skittish beat, provide the layer for Brad Lennard’s confessionary vocals.
An apt example of this being the hopeful themes behind EP closer ‘WHO’S WANTING ME’, as Brad says: “When you feel like there’s nothing else in the world that matters, you have got to remember that you matter to someone.”
The quartet have built up a cult live following across the UK, also drawing attention from Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart at BBC Radio 1, alongside John Kennedy at Radio X – with the likes of DIY, DORK, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Wonderland singing their praises too.
Where they really shine though is on stage, chaotic headline shows across the country, as well as tour slots with JAWS, Gengahr and The Night Café, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting upcoming bands in the UK.
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Night Flight - David.
London based band Night Flight today announce the release of a new EP, ‘White Noise’, due for release February 28th 2020 via CRC Records. The follow-up to their widely praised self-titled debut released in 2018, the songs on ‘White Noise’ individually explore the nuances in specific pockets of life; disillusionment, isolation and self-reflection in the midst of personal recovery.
Night Flight (aka Sam Holmes, Dan Webb, Harry Phillips and Oliver Halvorsen) are a band whose strength and appeal lies in their ability to construct affecting, relatable songs - pairing meditative, honest lyrics with high-reaching folk-rock instrumentals. New single ‘David’ is a fine example of that, with singer and guitarist Sam Holmes ruminating on a past relationship: “You’re doing better than I thought without me”.
Speaking on the release of new single ‘David’, Sam describes the track as “A mourning of love through second-hand news. The conversations shared with a forgotten friend in the strange aftermath of a relationship wherein perpetuity ends.”
‘David’ portrays a scenario where two people were once so cognitively intertwined, but they now share each other through news and rumour. “‘David’ is the coming to terms of the end” Sam goes on to say. “A realisation that what once was, will no longer be; that someone you’ve known for so long, will now only exist in memory.”
Written predominantly in Sam Holmes’ hometown of Rye on the British south-coast, the songs on ‘White Noise’ were penned during a period of transition both for the band and for Sam personally. There’s a backdrop of heartbreak, the panic of anxiety and subsequent feeling of catharsis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tokyo Tea Room - Dream Room (E.P).
Tokyo Tea Room released the ‘Dream Room’ EP yesterday via A Certain Kind Records. Vibrant synths, glimmering guitars and addictive rhythm section grooves combine to provide a bed for Beth Plumb and Daniel Elliot’s airy, ethereal vocals across four quintessential examples of their hazy psych-pop sound. Occupying a similar space to the collegiate bedroom indie of MUNYA, Men I Trust or Far Caspian as well as taking cues from Tame Impala, DIIV, Air and Mazzy Star.
The release is the culmination of a process of ongoing evolution. Deciding on a fresh start at the beginning of 2019, and realising how much their sound had matured, the band removed all their previous output from digital services, choosing indeed to move forward in their new sonic direction.
This bold approach however hasn’t stopped Tokyo Tea Room achieving success on a wider level - live slots with Wolf Alice and Super Furry Animals, acclaim on key tastemaker sites The Line of Best Fit, GIGWISE and Clash and spins on audio indie bible BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 and Radio X. As well as this, they are rapidly building a cult following in the hazy corners of YouTube and Spotify, racing to over one hundred thousand plays on Spotify alone on this new, discerning set of releases.
A key tenet of the band’s approach is their focus on aesthetic, which is strong and consistent throughout - unique whilst holding a candle to the canon of psychedelic and shoegaze pioneers they take inspiration from. A further reflection of their ethos is their collaboration with established Brighton-based visual artist InnerStrings, a well-known figure in the Psych scene who has previously been involved in events such as This Is Psych Fest, and this year’s Bella Union’s Great Escape Festival showcase, and who will be bringing his kaleidoscopic backdrops to the forthcoming Tokyo Tea Room show at Quarterstone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Broken Islands - Highlife.
The Broken Islands are a Vancouver, Canada based sextet who meld elements of ambient pop, shoegaze, post-rock, post-punk, trip-hop and dark wave to create their own distinct sound. With crashing guitars and delicate sounding keyboards weaving around swooning, siren-like vocals, the band’s songs can sound at times like an otherworldly sonic experience while still being packed with emotion and moments of tenderness.
The well-received debut album entitled ‘Wars’ was released in the autumn of 2017, with a follow up, ‘Masquerade’, due out in January 2020. An opening salvo from the new record was released in May 2019 in the form of the cinematic sounding ‘Solid State’, which was issued to coincide with five UK shows.
A second single ‘High Life’ was released in September 2019 in advance of a November UK tour including a three-night artist residency at the storied London Troubadour. Like its predecessor, ‘Masquerade’ has been produced and mixed by Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie, who is best known for his work with industrial music titans such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Skinny Puppy and was the perfect choice to harness the many influences that constitute the sound of The Broken Islands. Band co-founder Stephen Cameron points out that:
“we are all multi-instrumentalists and one of the great things about being in a six-piece band is the ability to switch instruments and play different things on different songs to really makes things exciting. We love to add percussion to songs so a set of free hands usually gets a chance to pick something up and add a new sound to a track. We all have wildly varied musical references, which we believe is what makes The Broken Islands sound the way it does. It’s really great to gain insight into someone else’s perspective of a song that you might not have heard before.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plaza - wernotplaza ll (E.P).
Hartlepool (England) quartet PLAZA release their new EP ‘wernotplaza’ via CLUE Records (YOWL, Crushed Beaks, Van Houten), pulling together an evolved version of their trademark, icy, visceral self-coined post-indie sound. In keeping with a growing tendency towards music free of narrow genre constraints, influences across the 4-tracks range from Foals, DIIV or Wolf Alice to the experimental RnB of Frank Ocean.
The EP is the most open PLAZA have been to date. It’s easy for bands to write obliquely, wavering around heavy points reticent to tackle them head on – which is more than understandable, as so much artistic inspiration comes from a deeply personal well. This time around however they refuse to compromise in expressing their truth.
Whilst this sounds disconsolate in sentiment, in listening to the tracks you can hear the release and catharsis it offers, generating an emotive layer to the unique sound the band have carefully cultivated over the last few years. Spiky guitars and a sprinkling of electronics, driven forward by a skittish beat, provide the layer for Brad Lennard’s confessionary vocals.
An apt example of this being the hopeful themes behind EP closer ‘WHO’S WANTING ME’, as Brad says: “When you feel like there’s nothing else in the world that matters, you have got to remember that you matter to someone.”
The quartet have built up a cult live following across the UK, also drawing attention from Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart at BBC Radio 1, alongside John Kennedy at Radio X – with the likes of DIY, DORK, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Wonderland singing their praises too.
Where they really shine though is on stage, chaotic headline shows across the country, as well as tour slots with JAWS, Gengahr and The Night Café, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting upcoming bands in the UK.
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Friday, 29 November 2019
Meres - Sunny Gable - Yazymyn Hendrix - Smoke Fairies - The Big Peach
I realise that today we have more Spotify embeds than usual, so apologies if you don't use their service, this really is just a coincidence. Meres new single 'Cut' is a straight down the line rocker with punchy guitars and her totally rock & roll vocals. === Sunny Gable today releases 'Audience Of One' an album with traditional Americana vibes running throughout, her vocals adding real personal feeling to some beautifully arranged songs, and we have included a video for a solo performance of the opening song. === We have the new single 'Be Me' from Yazymyn Hendrix along with a video for a live looping performance of another song 'Better Days'. The single is melodic, soulful and creative and the live video is both fun and impressive. === A new video from Smoke Fairies was released today entitled 'Disconnect' the duo carve out a distinct alt rock sound with plenty of hooks along the way. === The Big Peach have just shared 'Run and Hide' where the band mix garage rock with some timeless sixties pop sensibilities on this highly likable track.
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Meres - Cut.
First grabbing our attention with a duo of “sludge rock” singles, Launceston’s indie-rock queen Mary Shannon, aka Meres, returns today with her unadulterated brand of glittering, fuzzed out punk.
Presented as an A/B package, a-side ‘Cut’ was originally recorded as a demo with Ben Simms of A Swayze & The Ghosts in their basement practice-come-studio space. The track retains Meres’ signature bold, crunchy guitar riffs and punch-pop melodies while entering a somewhat more upbeat sonic territory.
Self-described as a “giant weirdo from Tassie that loves making music”, Meres’ first release ‘Hell is on its Way’ debuted at #2 on the Amrap Regional Charts. Follow-up single ‘Feardom’ continued momentum, resulting in a busy year of performing at nearly every festival of note in Tasmania including Falls Festival main stage at Marion Bay, Panama Festival and Party in the Paddock. Lyrically, new single ‘Cut’ approaches themes of fractured friendships and feeling helpless, with Meres explaining:
“I wrote this song around the time a friend's father passed away. It was written from a strange place of guilt, grown from the expanding distance between us - I wasn't sure how to be their friend like I used to be, almost like I didn’t know them at all anymore.
“It’s about wanting to feel that intense connection with someone again, trying to fight for it, but not knowing where to start. It’s absolutely terrifying to feel like you don’t even know the people that you’re the closest with, you haven't tried hard enough to show up for them... and worse to think that maybe you do, eventually, just need to let people go.”
Meanwhile, b-side ‘Think You Like This’ changes pace as a “solo sad-sack track”. With a disclaimer, “This song was written near the start of my long-term-long-distance-long-drive romance. I don't really like writing love songs in general. I would rather talk about extremely random things like what's on the tele and dance around a lot like a loser. But it was nice to write something simple and truthful.”
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Sunny Gable - Audience Of One (Album).
Colorado artist Sunny Gable released her debut Americana solo album, Audience of One, on Friday November 29th. Harkening back to a simpler time, Gable's music draws on personal stories creating an emotional pull that is honest and vulnerable at its core.
"Audience of One was conceived as I was laying awake the night after I found out about my son Finn’s diagnosis (he was born with trisomy 21 or Down syndrome). I was 26 weeks pregnant and it felt like I had just received a life sentence - at least that’s how the doctors made it feel. The song was an expression of acceptance that my life and my career may never be what I envisioned. I decided through the process of writing this song that I would record a solo album and do it on my own terms and timeline.
The opening song "Rise" speaks of perseverance in the face of adversity - a theme I think is important throughout the album. The songs on the album vary from historical stories like "How to Catch a Northern Star" told from a creative viewpoint to songs of hope, love, nostalgia, and contentment. The last song on the album is my lullaby for Finn, my very special baby, my declaration that I wouldn’t ever want for a life without him. I’d like to think the album has an overall message of hope in a sometimes cruel world." - Sunny Gable.
Audience of One is an exquisite Americana debut from the Gable whose melodies seem familiar like the wind yet mysterious like a coming storm; and whose words create a path through your own feelings and experiences.
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Yazymyn Hendrix - Be Me / Better Days.
Yazmyn Hendrix, London-born loop artist, layers powerfully enchanting vocals, lush harmonies, haunting voice effects and gentle beatboxing. She makes her music in the now - carving something from nothing and making time stand still five minutes at a time. She’s an experimental multi-genre singer and songwriter who write simple songs about complex things; love, life, reality and dreams. Yazmym is synaesthetic, meaning she associates each song, each word and each instrument with colours and textures; this gives her original perspective when writing and performing. In her own words, “Sometimes I find myself begging for my inner self to stay strong and guide me; this outer physical world can be so distracting from the truth we already have within. I see music as channelling of a higher power that connects us all”
In terms of collaboration, Yazmyn has teamed up with Retrospective For Love on the single, ‘Let Me Know’ from their debut album, ‘Random Activities of the Heart’. The track is a carefully crafted groove with lyrics loaded with romanticism and nostalgia, allowing their sound to dabble in delirious deja vu bringing you back to the first time you ever felt heartache. A union of beautifully crafted jazz and soul vibes have enveloped a collaboration with Mrisi. ‘In The Moment’, the first track to be released online from debut EP ‘Mamela’, gathered the attention of many. A live recording from Mrisi’s mother’s house, ‘Mamela’ is a work of resilience and conscience; it has the ability to make us realise how much impact our words can have. Watch this space for more to come from the pair. Last year Yazymn was also offered a space on the stage with Madness, at their House Of Fun Weekender last year after being spotted singing in a jazz club in North London - She sand alongside the bands and even lead a couple of songs! As a big ska fan in her teens, Yazmyn was over the moon to be asked onto stage with the legends.
Having returned to London from Brighton, Yazymn is about to release her debut EP, entitled ‘Saturn Returns’. Jon Gomm says “Quite Very Good!” before giving her a support slot on his UK Tour. Yazmyn has also supported the likes of Dizraeli and Retrospective for Love. She has recently Played at Pride London, Standon Calling, Wilderness Festival in the UK, as well as Pas De Trail and Montagnola Bologna Festivals in Italy. Her social media posts have already been shared by Rag ‘N Bone Man and Shlomo, among others, gaining over 25K views on her first teaser. We are just as excited as them to see what comes next.
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Smoke Fairies - Disconnect.
Smoke Fairies have today unveiled their new video for 'Disconnect' directed by Annick Wolfers. The track is the second single from their forthcoming album 'Darkness Brings The Wonders Home' out on January 31st, 2020.
Katherine Blamire talks about the idea for the clip: "The video was a really simple idea encapsulating how your everyday domestic world gets turned upside down when someone gets inside your head - how your normal world goes slightly askew and there is a sense of strangeness to everything you normally go about doing "
Smoke Fairies just played a sell-out single launch at The Social in association with Rough Trade to celebrate the release of a limited edition 7”. The show and single sold out three weeks prior to release and landed at #3 in the UK Vinyl Singles chart, surrounded by Coldplay, Queen and Kate Bush. They will play additional UK dates (below) in February just after the release of Darkness Brings The Wonders Home. The ladies will also appear on John Kennedy Radio X with an interview and live session on January 28th.
Smoke Fairies are Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire who first met at school in their native England. For this LP they traveled to Seattle to record Darkness Brings The Wonders Home with producer Phil Ek (The Black Angels, Fleet Foxes, The Shins) and over the course of a rigorous month-long session in Seattle, adopted a purposely intimate approach to achieving a singular sonic tone.
Smoke Fairies were the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label Third Man Records and was produced by White who also played guitar and drums. Other notable recordings include a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Alabama’ from his Harvest LP which appeared on a special Mojo album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of the album. Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track ‘Valentina', a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space on The Race For Space, the second album by Public Service Broadcasting. The band has toured this side of the Atlantic with Laura Marling, Rasputina, Blitzen Trapper and Dawes. More U.S. shows to be announced at a later date.
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The Big Peach - Run and Hide.
November 29th sees the much-anticipated return on The Big Peach. The Manchester based group will release their latest single “Run and Hide” on Sour Grapes Records. The new single features a heavy dollop of that 60s Rock & Roll music the band have become renowned for. Mixed by Borja Regueira and mastered by the Grammy nominated Kelly Hibbert (Allah Las, J Dilla, Madlib).
This release is the first of a series of four which helps round off a busy period packed full of gigs, appearing on line-ups with Triptides, The Dandelion, Levitation Room and The Blank Tapes. They also played at the Bingley Weekender last summer and created their own festival PeachFest that caught attention of many bands, record labels and promoters.
The Big Peach is a garage rock and roll group from Manchester. Their music gathers a lot of influence from the burgeoning garage and psych scenes of the 1960s and beyond. With influences deep in Laurel Canyon, hints of Tamla Motown and and a splash of Mod from the streets of London.
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Meres - Cut.
First grabbing our attention with a duo of “sludge rock” singles, Launceston’s indie-rock queen Mary Shannon, aka Meres, returns today with her unadulterated brand of glittering, fuzzed out punk.
Presented as an A/B package, a-side ‘Cut’ was originally recorded as a demo with Ben Simms of A Swayze & The Ghosts in their basement practice-come-studio space. The track retains Meres’ signature bold, crunchy guitar riffs and punch-pop melodies while entering a somewhat more upbeat sonic territory.
Self-described as a “giant weirdo from Tassie that loves making music”, Meres’ first release ‘Hell is on its Way’ debuted at #2 on the Amrap Regional Charts. Follow-up single ‘Feardom’ continued momentum, resulting in a busy year of performing at nearly every festival of note in Tasmania including Falls Festival main stage at Marion Bay, Panama Festival and Party in the Paddock. Lyrically, new single ‘Cut’ approaches themes of fractured friendships and feeling helpless, with Meres explaining:
“I wrote this song around the time a friend's father passed away. It was written from a strange place of guilt, grown from the expanding distance between us - I wasn't sure how to be their friend like I used to be, almost like I didn’t know them at all anymore.
“It’s about wanting to feel that intense connection with someone again, trying to fight for it, but not knowing where to start. It’s absolutely terrifying to feel like you don’t even know the people that you’re the closest with, you haven't tried hard enough to show up for them... and worse to think that maybe you do, eventually, just need to let people go.”
Meanwhile, b-side ‘Think You Like This’ changes pace as a “solo sad-sack track”. With a disclaimer, “This song was written near the start of my long-term-long-distance-long-drive romance. I don't really like writing love songs in general. I would rather talk about extremely random things like what's on the tele and dance around a lot like a loser. But it was nice to write something simple and truthful.”
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Sunny Gable - Audience Of One (Album).
Colorado artist Sunny Gable released her debut Americana solo album, Audience of One, on Friday November 29th. Harkening back to a simpler time, Gable's music draws on personal stories creating an emotional pull that is honest and vulnerable at its core.
"Audience of One was conceived as I was laying awake the night after I found out about my son Finn’s diagnosis (he was born with trisomy 21 or Down syndrome). I was 26 weeks pregnant and it felt like I had just received a life sentence - at least that’s how the doctors made it feel. The song was an expression of acceptance that my life and my career may never be what I envisioned. I decided through the process of writing this song that I would record a solo album and do it on my own terms and timeline.
The opening song "Rise" speaks of perseverance in the face of adversity - a theme I think is important throughout the album. The songs on the album vary from historical stories like "How to Catch a Northern Star" told from a creative viewpoint to songs of hope, love, nostalgia, and contentment. The last song on the album is my lullaby for Finn, my very special baby, my declaration that I wouldn’t ever want for a life without him. I’d like to think the album has an overall message of hope in a sometimes cruel world." - Sunny Gable.
Audience of One is an exquisite Americana debut from the Gable whose melodies seem familiar like the wind yet mysterious like a coming storm; and whose words create a path through your own feelings and experiences.
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Yazymyn Hendrix - Be Me / Better Days.
Yazmyn Hendrix, London-born loop artist, layers powerfully enchanting vocals, lush harmonies, haunting voice effects and gentle beatboxing. She makes her music in the now - carving something from nothing and making time stand still five minutes at a time. She’s an experimental multi-genre singer and songwriter who write simple songs about complex things; love, life, reality and dreams. Yazmym is synaesthetic, meaning she associates each song, each word and each instrument with colours and textures; this gives her original perspective when writing and performing. In her own words, “Sometimes I find myself begging for my inner self to stay strong and guide me; this outer physical world can be so distracting from the truth we already have within. I see music as channelling of a higher power that connects us all”
In terms of collaboration, Yazmyn has teamed up with Retrospective For Love on the single, ‘Let Me Know’ from their debut album, ‘Random Activities of the Heart’. The track is a carefully crafted groove with lyrics loaded with romanticism and nostalgia, allowing their sound to dabble in delirious deja vu bringing you back to the first time you ever felt heartache. A union of beautifully crafted jazz and soul vibes have enveloped a collaboration with Mrisi. ‘In The Moment’, the first track to be released online from debut EP ‘Mamela’, gathered the attention of many. A live recording from Mrisi’s mother’s house, ‘Mamela’ is a work of resilience and conscience; it has the ability to make us realise how much impact our words can have. Watch this space for more to come from the pair. Last year Yazymn was also offered a space on the stage with Madness, at their House Of Fun Weekender last year after being spotted singing in a jazz club in North London - She sand alongside the bands and even lead a couple of songs! As a big ska fan in her teens, Yazmyn was over the moon to be asked onto stage with the legends.
Having returned to London from Brighton, Yazymn is about to release her debut EP, entitled ‘Saturn Returns’. Jon Gomm says “Quite Very Good!” before giving her a support slot on his UK Tour. Yazmyn has also supported the likes of Dizraeli and Retrospective for Love. She has recently Played at Pride London, Standon Calling, Wilderness Festival in the UK, as well as Pas De Trail and Montagnola Bologna Festivals in Italy. Her social media posts have already been shared by Rag ‘N Bone Man and Shlomo, among others, gaining over 25K views on her first teaser. We are just as excited as them to see what comes next.
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Smoke Fairies - Disconnect.
Smoke Fairies have today unveiled their new video for 'Disconnect' directed by Annick Wolfers. The track is the second single from their forthcoming album 'Darkness Brings The Wonders Home' out on January 31st, 2020.
Katherine Blamire talks about the idea for the clip: "The video was a really simple idea encapsulating how your everyday domestic world gets turned upside down when someone gets inside your head - how your normal world goes slightly askew and there is a sense of strangeness to everything you normally go about doing "
Smoke Fairies just played a sell-out single launch at The Social in association with Rough Trade to celebrate the release of a limited edition 7”. The show and single sold out three weeks prior to release and landed at #3 in the UK Vinyl Singles chart, surrounded by Coldplay, Queen and Kate Bush. They will play additional UK dates (below) in February just after the release of Darkness Brings The Wonders Home. The ladies will also appear on John Kennedy Radio X with an interview and live session on January 28th.
Smoke Fairies are Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire who first met at school in their native England. For this LP they traveled to Seattle to record Darkness Brings The Wonders Home with producer Phil Ek (The Black Angels, Fleet Foxes, The Shins) and over the course of a rigorous month-long session in Seattle, adopted a purposely intimate approach to achieving a singular sonic tone.
Smoke Fairies were the first UK act to release a single on Jack White's label Third Man Records and was produced by White who also played guitar and drums. Other notable recordings include a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Alabama’ from his Harvest LP which appeared on a special Mojo album to mark the approaching fortieth anniversary of the album. Jessica and Katherine also contributed vocals to the track ‘Valentina', a tribute to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space on The Race For Space, the second album by Public Service Broadcasting. The band has toured this side of the Atlantic with Laura Marling, Rasputina, Blitzen Trapper and Dawes. More U.S. shows to be announced at a later date.
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The Big Peach - Run and Hide.
November 29th sees the much-anticipated return on The Big Peach. The Manchester based group will release their latest single “Run and Hide” on Sour Grapes Records. The new single features a heavy dollop of that 60s Rock & Roll music the band have become renowned for. Mixed by Borja Regueira and mastered by the Grammy nominated Kelly Hibbert (Allah Las, J Dilla, Madlib).
This release is the first of a series of four which helps round off a busy period packed full of gigs, appearing on line-ups with Triptides, The Dandelion, Levitation Room and The Blank Tapes. They also played at the Bingley Weekender last summer and created their own festival PeachFest that caught attention of many bands, record labels and promoters.
The Big Peach is a garage rock and roll group from Manchester. Their music gathers a lot of influence from the burgeoning garage and psych scenes of the 1960s and beyond. With influences deep in Laurel Canyon, hints of Tamla Motown and and a splash of Mod from the streets of London.
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