DATE ARCHIVES : February 2019

Leggy – ‘Taffy’

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Next month, Cincinnati trio Leggy will release a new album, Let Me Know Your Moon.

It was announced in mouthwatering fashion with expansive, gritty and anthemic indie rocker ‘Eden’ last month, and they are back, sharing another new track from the forthcoming record called ‘Taffy’. Leggy continue their trend for irresistible garage rock with a punky edge, ‘Taffy’ is a gloriously frenetic and chaotic swirl of noise. It skitters as drums slam, guitars buzz and generally fizzes with a boisterous energy before abruptly crashing to ground. ‘Taffy’ tip-toes between light and dark, teetering between harsh and melodic, a perfect companion for Veronique Allaer’s initially nonchalant reflections of self-doubt which swell powerfully with an emotive, compelling intensity. Phenomenal.

Listen to ‘Taffy’ below – Let Me Know Your Moon is out on March 8th via Sheer Luck Records.

Paris Love-Child – ‘Don’t Leave it Alone’

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Paris Love-Child (PL-C) is London-based singer, songwriter, DJ and model who is blurring the lines between hip-hop, grime, dancehall & electronic.

Latest single ‘Don’t Leave it Alone’ more heavily indebted to the former irresistible; it is brilliant, cool, staggeringly smooth and funky disco-jam. Shuffling along an irresistible, swaggering groove, crisp, popping neon beats, phasing bursts of frazzled electronics, winding synth and super smooth soulful vocals are all employed to bring about eight-minutes of spacey synth-disco, and it’s one hell of a ride! ‘Don’t Leave it Alone’ is rather special; beautifully crafted it is a real groover of resplendent colour, pulsating and relentless electronics.

Tune into ‘Don’t Leave it Alone’ below now:

Adam Melchor – ‘3 Hours Ahead’

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Adam Melchor is a Jersey-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter with a penchant for rich, melodic and heartfelt old-fashioned pop.

Originally trained as an opera singer, with his new single ‘3 Hours Ahead’, Melchor wistfully weaves a wide-eyed ode to friendship across time zones. Led by beautiful keys and dramatic dripping melodies, ‘3 Hours Ahead’ moves along a soft, steady and hushed drumbeat. There is a softness to his tone, conveying an intimate vibe and vulnerability that coalesce with some swooning orchestral-esque vibes, a gentle acoustic strum and lush layered vocals, vivid lyrics and beautiful keys. While he’s got quite a few releases already under his belt, his latest effort finds him in fine form, with his best and most affecting work to date. ‘3 Hours Ahead’ is beautiful song plain and simple – musically and lyrically – it is powerful and emotive, with a melancholic and lamentable feel. Beautiful and compelling, this is brilliantly moving.

Listen to ‘3 Hours Ahead’ below now:

Madou – ‘Odo Island’

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Belgian production duo Madou swear by a maxim of “no genres, no expectations, no strings attached”, and their latest single ‘Odo Island’ (a first for East London label Needwant) certainly lives up to that billing.

‘Odo Island’ is a colossus of power and atmosphere, named after the island Godzilla first made landfall on in the 1950s films, it fuses discombobulating trance like synths to cavernous bass, shuffling beats and rhythms that grows to a euphoric and techno thumping climax. A delicious, dance floor ready blend of precision beats, wonderfully melodic progression and euphoric vibes – it is easy to see how the Belgian duo’s previous work has earned comparisons to the producers like Moderat, Four Tet and Jamie xx, and there is plenty more to come from Madou throughout 2019 apparently.

For now there is the not so small matter of ‘Odo Island’ to contend with – tune in below:

Three Thieves – ‘Ivory Coast ft. Ruby Atlanta’

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Three Thieves is the moniker of Cardiff based producer, Tom Clugston, who specialises in a spellbinding synthesis of sound embracing all things hip hop, electronica, drum & bass and a wealth of other electronic beat driven genres.

Clugston’s beat wizardry and melodic, fluid electronic compositions was acutely evident on late 2016’s superb, Zero Hour EP. Three Thieves has kicked off 2019 on a high with brand new single ‘Ivory Coast’ featuring Welsh vocalist Ruby Atlanta. Shifting along a procession of soft, shuffling beats with a gentle swaggering groove, ‘Ivory Coast’ radiates an aura of uplifting positivity and warm vibes. Melodic, fluid and mellow, the single’s beauty is augmented by the stunning, soulful vocals of Ruby Atlanta. An infectious, melodic little earworm – you’ll have it on constant rotation for sure.

Listen to ‘Ivory Coast ft. Ruby Atlanta’ below now:

Fold – ‘Stronger Than the Evils’

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Over the past few years, Leeds-based Hip-Hop/Trip Hop outfit Fold have proven themselves a reliable source of incredible music.

Fold’s 2015 self-titled debut was magnificent, pitting an enviable creativity with a powerful social consciousness to craft something thoroughly powerful, unique and memorable – as was their 2017 EP Written In The Sky.

After a four-year wait, Fold have returned with news of the follow up to their eponymous debut which is penned for release on April 13. Two new singles will precede the album’s release and Fold have shared the first ‘Stronger Than the Evils’, a brilliant and powerful track with Nottingham based MC / beatboxing champion MotorMouF. Fold have always stress a socially-conscious message and that continues as they rail against the many political and social issues, or evils if you prefer, that the world faces today. ‘Stronger Than the Evils’ is a funky-edged hip-hop tune with a irresistible groove and rhythm, laced with ominous blasts of synths, vocal samples and the blistering wordplay and beatbox work from Motormouf. An incredible and irresistible track – roll on April 13 and the new album.

Take a listen to ‘Stronger Than the Evils’ below now:

HAVVK – ‘Birds On A Wire’

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Formidable Berlin-based Irish outfit HAVVK will release their debut album Cause & Effect later this year and following from ‘Always The Same’, released late last year, ‘Birds On A Wire’ is the latest track lifted from the forthcoming record.

Dark, chilling and compelling, a sense of of impending doom is never far away on ‘Birds On A Wire’. Pulverising drum beats combine with razor sharp guitar licks as Hawk’s stunning, searing vocals soar above to create a thunderous backdrop of pent up rage and and fury unleashed. A powerful, a fierce, uncompromising and compelling slice of searing grunge-filled indie-rock, ‘Birds On A Wire’ is a formidable follow-up to ‘Always The Same’, and it ratchets up the anticipation levels for the album.

You can listen to ‘Birds On A Wire’ below and keep an eye out for the debut album later this year – is a hell of a way to kick off 2019.

Eyesore & The Jinx – ‘On An Island’

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Liverpool post-punk outfit Eyesore & The Jinx return with second single ‘On An Island’; a politically charged cacophony of pent up post-punk fury.

Recorded in a former slaughterhouse and produced by Jonathan Hartley from superb Liverpool garage/psych stalwarts Clinic, ‘On An Island’ is a tightly wound, caustic slab of guitar noise and distortion. Underpinned by an insistent, nagging bassline and increasingly manic, winding guitar lines and metronomic drumbeat, it shifts between taut spoken word segments and thundering one chord bedlam without so much as a moment’s notice. The thrashing chaotic noise over one chord, barking chorus and quick pace rambling vocals makes ‘On An Island’ hard to ignore as it tackles “the cultural residue of post-Brexit Britain…”. Drawing sounds and aesthetics from an abrasive clutch of early-eighties post-punk groups (particularly The Fall, The Gun Club, and The Birthday Party), other influences include Parquet Courts and the unmistakable energy of The Cramps – their frantic whirlwind approach is nothing short of phenomenal.

Listen to ‘On An Island’ below – just as a point of interest, it is best served LOUD.

Death Hags – ‘Electrochemical Communication’

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Death Hags is the multifaceted project of Los Angeles-based, French electronica artist, Lola Jean. Working mostly from the secluded hideaway hills of East LA, Jean crafts hypnotic, futuristic and minimal electronica inspired by the likes of like Brian Eno or Björk.

The latest release from the enigmatic creative force that is Death Hags, is new single ‘Electrochemical Communication’. A hypnotic, futuristic and post-industrial-themed track, it revels in its charmingly monotony and krautrock-esque gripping repetitiousness. A steady drum machine tips along at a metronomic pace and joined by hooks and melody, as synths swarm and cascade to create a rich atmospheric soundscape; a perfect backdrop for Jean’s soothing vocals and poetic lyrics (in both English and French) to thrive. ‘Electrochemical Communication’ is born of a shadowy futuristic world of that is hypnotic, dreamy and filled with spellbinding electronic beats; simply astounding.

Listen to ‘Electrochemical Communication’ below:

Sal Dulu – ‘Xompulse’

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Following up on from a string of stellar singles last year – ‘Duluoz Dream’, ‘Antasma’ & ‘Tyko’ – Dublin-based producer Sal Dulu impresses yet again, returning with the atmospheric ‘Xompulse’.

‘Xompulse’ is a beautiful piano piece punctuated by the classical, jazz and ambient influences ever present in Sal Dulu’s work to date. It is elegant, calming and spacious as we’re lulled into a dreamy opening sequence floating along a graceful reverbed piano that twinkles, ushering a richer, warmer second half as the melody gently shifts to a brighter tone, shimmering like an early morning sunrise. ‘Xompulse’ offers a decidedly calmer side to Sal Dulu’s talent; it is an elegant, tranquil and atmospheric beauty.

You can listen to ‘Xompulse’ below now. The Dublin producer’s other work is available here too, and well worth some of your time.