“F***ing hell, this is…this is really s****ing good,” was the response of my oldest friend when he overheard me listening to Junodream’s new single. I could just leave it at that, and those words would sum up my feelings equally accurately, but I feel like a band such as Junodream deserve more than to be […]
Author: Sam Kemp
TRACK OF THE DAY: Bdrmm – ‘The Way I Want’
After the critical success of their single Kare, Hull’s finest dream-poppers appear to be on quite the roll. Bdrmm blend the best elements of cinematic, dream-pop and lo-fi music with ease in this curiously uncanny slow-burner. On the surface ‘The Way I Want’ is a meticulously crafted pop tune. However, it still bristles with bdrmm’s […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Good Guy Clarence – ‘Yell’
After a sustained period of performing alongside bands such as Happyness, Holy Bouncer and Demob Happy, Brighton’s Good Guy Clarence have emerged from the studio with a brand new track, which showcases the group’s quietly dexterous and highly imaginative approach to song-writing.
TRACK OF THE DAY: Bdrmm – ‘Kare’
I first saw Bdrmm in a sweaty, smoke-filled basement in Huddersfield. It was the single-most ethereal and chaotically loud gig ever to be put on next to a deaf institute. It was during this set that I realised Bdrmm were definitely my new favourite band. Blending a powerful combination of lo-fi, slacker-rock and shoegaze, the […]
In Conversation with…ROBERT EARL THOMAS
Another Age is the debut album of New York’s Robert Earl Thomas. Released back in February on Captured Tracks, it is a record which envelopes the listener in a blanket of warm guitar tones, expansive synths and meditative lyrical content.
ALBUM REVIEW: Tugboat Captain – ‘Everybody Seems To Think That I’m A Raincloud’
It’s funny to think Tugboat Captain may never have existed. After writing a collection of songs for a private project, the Captain himself Alexander Sokolow, was content to just sit on the material and that be the end of it. However, as the songs got passed around from one friend to the next, he was […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Oh Joy – ‘So Swell’
Having supported the likes of Pinegrove, Vant and Show Me The Body; Dublin-based angst provocateurs Oh Joy burst onto the scene with their new single ‘So Swell’. Combining pop-fuelled hooks and powerfully dynamic noise-rock soundscapes, it is a track smattered with the wry melancholia of grunge, and the sensitive and poignant lyrical content of artists […]
In Conversation With…HONEYBLOOD
There’s something about Honeyblood. I remember the first time I heard those swirling, nectar-sweet guitar lines; those drum patterns with the strength of industrial steel. I was looking out of my window, where great black rainclouds like bruises melted into the soft white. In many ways it was the perfect image to reflect the kind […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Westerman – ‘Keep Track’
In the world of music, it is often those who shout the loudest, or those who unapologetically thrust themselves upon their audience that gain the most attention. This is all well and good, but you can only shout for so long before one runs out of things to be angry about. Just look at Iggy […]
In Conversation With…COURTS
Ahead of Goose Island’s infamous LDN Block Party on 23rd September, I spoke with Dan Baker of Basildon’s disco provocateurs, Courts, to discuss the band’s genesis and their visions for the future. Now in its second year, this party is renowned for bringing beer and music lovers together for a night which transports the spirit […]
LISTEN: Low Chimes – ‘Sulphur Silk’
It has been a long time since I’ve heard a piece of music which so effortlessly manages to intertwine itself with the natural world. Lauded by the likes of 6Music’s Marc Riley and Lauren Laverne, Low Chimes make such a feat look like second nature. Indeed, the Stroud-based quartet’s previous singles have earned the band […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Forever Cult – ‘Glass Eye’
Forever Cult’s ‘Glass Eye’ is the opening track on the Leeds-based band’s new EP ‘Homewrecker’, released 7th July 2017 via Clue Records.
In Conversation With…CLEAN CUT KID
It is a sweltering Saturday afternoon in London. I’m talking gas mark 4 kind of heat. You could cover yourself in egg wash and call yourself an omelette after 20 minutes in the sun. But within the cool shade of Hoxton Bar and Kitchen where Clean Cut Kid are preparing for their set for the […]
LISTEN: Videocean – ‘Fruitless Fever’
Born in a small back room in Peckham, Videocean’s ‘Fruitless Fever’ is a testament to the DIY innovation of the artists and musicians who are bringing the district into the creative limelight. Clocking in at just over four minutes, every second of this song is one of pure euphoria, of absolute sonic bliss which wraps […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Method Actress – ‘Point Of View’
‘Point of View’ is the first single from the newly formed Brighton post-punk outfit Method Actress. After a great deal of personal difficulty, Milo McNulty and Max Wright are throwing themselves back into the musical melting pot. They have expanded on the powerful dual guitar dynamic, which in many ways defined their previous project Morning […]
TRACK OF THE DAY: Team Picture – ‘Air, Not Air’
Team Picture’s ‘Air, Not Air’ is a swirling, fuzz-laden maelstrom of intoxicating psychedelia, which leaves the mind liquefied and the lungs breathless. The Leeds based ensemble are the perfect example of a band consistently pushing the boundaries of their sound. They are explorers, adventurers into the dark recesses of guitar based music. Indeed, much like […]
LIVE REVIEW: Phobophobes + Dead Pretties + Horsey + Education
As I stand in line to gain entry to Hackney’s renowned musical Mecca – Moth Club, an energy is already forming within the night’s prospective audience. Anticipation blends with the frigid North London air like the smoke from countless cigarettes.
TRACK OF THE DAY: Wyldest – ‘The Poet’
Wyldest’s new single is a joy for those individuals who, like myself, are synesthetic. It is a song which gushes colour from every pore. Purples, Pinks, Blues; each colour tells me that the legacy left behind by the likes of Cocteau Twins and Blonde Redhead isn’t dead yet.
LISTEN: Johnny Lloyd – ‘Running Wild’
Listening to Johnny Lloyd’s new single feels like jumping out of a plane at 30,000ft, dusting yourself down and then heading off to the pub with all the people you love. Written as a reaction to the success of his care-free and energetic live shows, ‘Running Wild’ is a song which screams at the top […]