DATE ARCHIVES : March 2018

Lauren Ruth Ward – ‘Sheet Stains’

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Baltimore bred, Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, Lauren Ruth Ward, started 2018 on the front foot, releasing her debut album Well, Hell.

The latest track lifted from the album is ‘Sheet Stain’ and we find Lauren Ruth Ward in fine but a little rowdy and loud, form. It is a swaggering slice of americana soul, with its loose swing, stomp and jangly guitar hooks. The rolling and rumbling and rowdy combination provide the energy and propulsion, while Ward’s smokey vocal, casual yet compelling, is given space to breathe. With its rowdy aggressive tones, swing and swagger, ‘Sheet Stain’ makes for a brilliant, catchy and compelling song.

Listen to ‘Sheet Stains’ below and if you like what you hear, Lauren Ruth Ward’s debut album Well, Hell is available here.

Born in October – ‘No Friend of Mine’

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Based between Sydney and Nundle NSW, Born in October are indie/folk lovers Rachel Webster (vocals, guitar, ukulele & tambourine) & Matt Thomson (vocals, guitar).

The pair’s love of indie/folk has had beautiful and beguiling results, as evidenced their recently released debut EP, Running in Bare Feet. The latest taste of their deliciously irresistible indie-folkish jangle is ‘No Friend of Mine’ – whisking us far, far away, over mountain streams and spacious valleys. Perfectly intertwined and emotive harmonies, mingle graciously with wistful finger picking and splashes of delicate rhythms, and all coated in an alluring veneer of classic ‘60s/’70s pop melodies. This beautiful and meticulously pieced together popcraft is brushed aside, and complimented, by some fleeting moments of mild but delightfully lush psych-sonics and guitar twangs coming to the fore. An utterly divine creation of rather splendid allure.

Tune in to ‘No Friend of Mine’ below and while you’re at it, why not check out the debut EP, Running in Bare Feet over here?

Mt. Joy – ‘Dirty Love’

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Philadelphia-based indie folk outfit Mt. Joy will release their debut self-titled album in March on Dualtone Records

Ahead of its release, Mt. Joy have shared ‘Dirty Love’, the band’s sixth single, which enhances their rep for their richly textured, minimalist and expansive brand of Americana – and anticipation for said record. ‘Dirty Love’ strikes a brooding, emotional tone as a solitary ukulele leads us in, met by Quinn’s deeply affecting vocals, all-consuming bass and whimsical mash of folk-pop instruments. Marked by protruding doubt through, the clamour of sound grows manic toward the end, climaxing as a piercing guitar spikes, conjuring further depth to Quinn’s deprecating thoughts. A powerful, emotionally charged and deeply affecting song; shrouded by a richly textured indie folk blanket, the vulnerability of ‘Dirty Love’ drawing the listener under its spell.

Listen to ‘Dirty Love’ below & keep your eye out for Mt. Joy’s self-titled debut, out on March 2.

DRINKS Announce New Album; Share ‘Real Outside’

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With the release of their 2015 debut, Hermits On Holiday, DRINKS arguably bamboozled as many as they impressed – with I firmly in the latter camp.

The collaboration between Cate Le Bon and White Fence’s Tim Presley, DRINKS is about as peculiar as it is marvelously creative, and absolutely magnificent. Last week, to the sound of much jubilation, the pair confirmed the release of a second album, Hippo Lite, and shared the first track from the LP, ‘Real Outside’. A mash of the jerky angularity of post-punk and the creativity of ’60s-leaning-psychedelia and art-rock, ‘Real Outside’ is instantly bananas but as it reveals itself, a mesmeric hypnotic pattern emerges. The slowly plodding, off-kilter bass-line saunters at its own pace as if it exist in its own space, time and dimension while it mingles with jarring guitars that meld into the percussion and repeated jumbled lyrical phrases. Taken separately, it makes no sense but in tandem these discordant components hum sweetly.

Individually, Le Bon and Presley are formidable artists in their own respects but together as DRINKS, they are creative tour de force.

Hippo Lite is out April 20th via Drag City – for now, ‘Real Outside’ is below for your listening pleasure.