“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 […]
Hilariously, my first exposure to Dead Naked Hippies came a year ago at Live At Leeds 2017. My friend misread their name on the lineup as ‘Dead Naked Nipples’ and oh how we laughed. Dead Naked Nipples: what does it even mean? However after over a year, having finally got round to listening to the […]
I’ve previously had the pleasure of interviewing Otzeki, and so jumped at the chance to review their latest release ‘Angry Fix.’ The track is an excellent example of Otzeki’s switched on and self aware songwriting – hooky enough to get stuck in your head, but with enough depth that repeat listens reveal undiscovered detail and […]
Fragile power – that’s what I think best describes Brighton band The Family Chain’s new release ‘Catholic‘. The vocal delivery is strong yet wounded, filled with emotion but restrained, matching perfectly with the story of fear and rejection contained in the relatively short lyrics. It’s a story that many people in our progressively more secular […]
Off the back of a great set at this year’s Live At Leeds, Night Flight return with an excellent new single, combining all the charm of their previous material with a grungier instrumentation that’s perfectly primed for the wide arenas of this summer’s festival season. ‘God Knows’ opens with the band’s’ typical immediacy and intimacy, […]
Stockholm quartet Melby bring a shimmering frantic energy to their new track ‘Reject‘. Launching into its main groove with little in the way of pomp and circumstance, the fast bass, erratic shaker percussion and clean guitar lines immediately showcase the track’s simple, no holds barred vibe, a reflective of a band with similar attitudes.
We might as well get into it from the start. This is a startlingly good debut from an artist with a seemingly acute grasp of the kind of lo-fi Americana that festivals like End of the Road fill their bills with.
Like a dog chasing its own tail, the guitar lines in Haze’s ‘Ladz Ladz Ladz’ single are constant and repetitive, burrowing into your head. Deadpan vocals drawl over them, mocking toxic lad culture, that alternate between somewhat-excited yelps for the chorus. Mark E. Smith never died.
Good Karma Club is a London-based monthly club night curated by BBC Introducing’s Abbie McCarthy with the aim of celebrating and promoting new music. The event came to Leeds’ Chapel venue in April as part of a UK tour with the line-up including local band Talkboy, Liverpool-born singer ZuZu and The Academic, as well as […]
An expression of rain-hammered window gazes, Irish trio, Oh Joy craft in latest single, ‘Cab Sad’ – a brief moment of the morose, charged by numbed 6/8 lurches and sweeping guitar strokes.
I certainly wasn’t in the mood for a gig that evening. I had been at a conference in Swansea all day, was knackered and had a monstrous hangover to boot. You can imagine the state of mind I was in when I arrived (late) at the Old Queen’s Head in Islington to see Genevieve Dawson’s […]
Gentle piano chords introduce JC Stewart’s latest cut, ‘Medicine.’ His voice is soft – a little soulful – it almost feels like he’s singing directly at you, up close and intimate. It certainly has this (good) weird intensity about it that draws a listener in.
Life hits us all differently; we take different paths, we share in the experience; sometimes we find strength in others, but we must also learn to rely on our own ability to pull ourselves through. Along we way we find the power of expression and individuality, channeled through various means but each avenue distinctively vital. […]
A Manchester musician known for his captivating songcraft and innately downcast ballads. Dom Major writes evocative music from a very personal place, his first release of the year—’Cigarettes & Beer‘—airs first below.
Australia’s Holly Rankin (better known under the nom de plume Jack River) is a warrior, her music is testament to a determination to triumph over the impossible. The songs which make up debut album Sugar Mountain are in no way frivolous pop offshoots of a young artist hungry to find relevance, but beacons of bravery: […]
It’s the opening lines, and the way that they’re sung that really gets to you on ‘Conditions.’ Ella Williams (aka. Squirrel Flower) calmly delivers: “I’ll be gentle, and I’ll take it slowly, just as long as you say you don’t need me.” Words imbued with sadness, delivered with a quivering authority.
Social media is a helpful kick starter these days for any up-and-coming band to share their musical projects and so, grow their fanbases. And the four guys from Polar States have used this to take their music sharing even a little further.
The London-formed foursome are no strangers when it comes to performing live – preparatory to their biggest headline show to date, ISLAND jumped back in the tour van, taking in shows across Europe and the UK. Fortunately for us, we were able to catch them in the intimate and atmospheric venue that is, Nottingham’s Bodega.
Vibrant African influences burst through the latest track ‘Break My Silence’ from Gabrielle Sey—which airs first below—delivering not just a sound which is distinctly refreshing but commands a whole new rhythm to deliver a determined message: speak your mind, speak your experiences.
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 […]