DATE ARCHIVES : May 2020

LocalBlac – ‘Five9’

LocalBlac aka Travon D. Bryant is a rapper and hip hop artist from Los Angeles, who’s latest single ‘Five9’ brings all the smooth, soulful and funky vibes that you need in your life.

LocalBlac has deft ear for rhythm, and knowing how to harness its power and allowing space for it to enhance the potency of his lyrical prowess – patently obvious from but a few seconds of his new jam. It swaggers slowly along a seductive groove as lyrics are delivered unhurried, unworried and in his own time backed by bombastic beats, funky riffs and blasts of brass and soulful vocals. A bonanza of head-nodding, rump-shaking and swaggering grooves, ‘Five9’ gets inside your head and refuses to leave; but hey, you’ll be all the better for it.

Get introduced to LocalBlac and ‘Five9’ below now.

Bee Bee Sea – ‘Daily Jobs’

Italian garage-psych trio Bee Bee Sea specialize in loud, propulsive and guitar-driven psych infused garage rock stompers.

New single ‘Daily Jobs’ encapsulates everything you need to know about their scuzzy, frantic and frenzied sound in just over three minutes. It is a furious assault of frenzied riffs, crunchy guitars, sharp tempo shifts, melodic choruses, euphoric singalongs and whopper hooks all bathed in fuzz and distortion; it is both wildly manic and ridiculously catchy. The latter reflective of the burden of life as it swings wildly and the all-consuming thirst for hope, release and escapism; shitty jobs can be suffocating. ‘Daily Jobs’ a frantic, frenzied of barrage of scintillating riffs, hooks and fuzz; an absolute beast but one that is rather easy on the ear at the same time.

Listen to ‘Daily Jobs’ below:

Accü – ‘Is There A World?’

Cardiff-based artist Accü aka Angharad Van Rijswijk has returned to the fold with her first new material since the release of her stunning 2018 debut Echo The Red; a beautiful, mysterious, delicate yet strident otherworldly listening experience.

New single ‘Is There A World?’ continues to reside and thrive in a hazy world of psychedelic electronic-pop and warped imagination. It tips along a playful yet eerie, almost nursery rhyme-esque melody while the kaleidoscopic swirl grows and swells, increasing the disorienting otherworldly air as we desperately attempt to cling onto some semblance of reality. This hypnotic and kaleidoscopic adventure waltzes along with warped Casio tones threaded with winding bass lines and flashes of scorched riffs and topped off with hazy vocals. Van Rijswijk is not one to rest on her laurels creatively, always moving forward and exploring, and ‘Is There A World?’ is no different – it is magnificent in fact.

Listen to  ‘Is There A World?’ below – it is out now via the ever reliable Libertino Records. 

Hooton Tennis Club – ‘Monsoonal Runoff’

Liverpool indie outfit Hooton Tennis Club have been on hiatus since 2016’s Big Box Of Chocolates with primary songwriters Ryan Murphy and James Madden concentrating on their side-project Seatbelts (great in their own right, do check them out).

Hooton Tennis Club were in the midst of planning a full return to business when COVID-19 wreaked havoc across the globe but the band have released a double a-side ‘Monsoonal Runoff’ / ‘People Want People Who Want People’ – and the good news is they have lost none of their charm in the intervening years. In fact, it feels very much like a natural evolution from where they left off as ‘Monsoonal Runoff’ whisks us off on a Jacques Cousteau inspired exploration of hazy guitar jangles, irresistible melodies and breezy vibes with bittersweet, beautiful vocals sailing above. It’s companion, ‘People Want People Who Want People’, opens with a mournful air as gentle strum, rich violin and heartfelt vocals smouldering with emotion before exploding, ripped open by a scintillating riff and powerful rhythm, into a rousing indie-rock jam. It is hard to discern which is the best of the bunch so it’s pretty lucky they released the pair together – and in case it is obvious, it is great to have Hooton Tennis Club back.

Listen to ‘Monsoonal Runoff’ / ‘People Want People Who Want People’ below, along with fun video for the former.

Simen Mitlid – ‘Birds’

Simen Mitlid is a Norwegian singer-songwriter hailing from the woodlands of Os, who has a proven precocious talent for lush, dreamy indie-folk.

This assertion is given great weight by two sublime albums – 2017’s Everything is the Same & 2019’s Neutral – and not long since ushering the latter into the world, Mitlid is back offering delectable offerings from a forthcoming new album Birds. Mitlid shared the beautiful Weeks’ earlier in the year and now is the turn of title track, ‘Birds’. A gorgeous acoustic ballad about black metal, skateboarding, life, birthdays, dying and yeah, birds. Mitlid’s lilting vocals, imbued with warmth and tenderness, rises gracefully above the serene  sea of softly plucked guitar and lush choral-esque backing harmonies, as it slowly swells to a stirring and heartfelt crescendo. It is yet another charming, heartwarming and utterly bewitching slice of indie-folk – Mitlid’s calling card.

Listen to ‘Birds’ below and the new album is expected in the Autumn.

Dumb – ‘My Condolences’

Dumb are a Vancouver foursome who’s output to date has been nothing short of startling. Their intoxicating brand of post-punk noise wields a mighty power and it is a sound enhanced by dalliances with indie, punk, garage, post-punk and even occasional surf elements.

A fact abundantly clear from even a cursory glance at their back catalogue; Dumb have impressed no end from early EPs Friendship and Tulips, and of course albums Beach Church and last year’s Club Nites. While on the road supporting the latter, Dumb recorded a Tapetown Session between shows on the Scandinavian leg of their European tour, and the song the chose to perform is ‘My Condolences’. Lifted from 2019’s Club Nites, it captures the raw energy of the bands live shows caught for posterity in a ‘live in-studio’ setting. It is a frantic, frenzied of barrage of barked vocals backed by scintillating riffs, angular guitars and relentless jerky rhythms; ‘My Condolences’ is an absolute beast but one that is rather easy on the ear at the same time.

Listen / watch ‘My Condolences’ below & check out their back catalog here



Cate Von Csoke – ‘Dream Around’

Cat Von Csoke is an Australian-born, Brooklyn-based musician and songwriter with a flair for cinematic, ethereal, and transfixing psych flavoured soundscapes.

Von Csoke is gearing up to release a new LP, Almoon, on June 5, and ahead of which, she has shared ‘Dream Around’. Adorned with all the aforementioned attributes, ‘Dream Around’ whisks us away on a woozy waltz through a sun-drenched haze awash with layers of warm fuzz and distortion. Anchored by dark, hypnotic and reverb-laden vocals and intriguing lyricism, slumbering melodies undulate amid a nonchalant air as guitars purr and jangle, rich with melodic allure and swelling emotion. It is a mesmerizing slice of evocative, ethereal and sun-drenched musings – utterly divine.

Listen to ‘Dream Around’ below – the new LP is out on June 5.


Silverbacks Announce Debut Album; Share ‘Muted Gold’

Yes, you read the headline correctly, Irish post-punk outfit Silverbacks have announced their long-awaited debut album will be released on July 17.

Entitled Fad, it was recorded with producer Daniel Fox (of Girl Band fame) and features previous singles ‘Dunkirk’, ‘Just In The Band’ and ‘Pink Tide’, and new one ‘Muted Gold’, which is every bit as brilliant as previous singles. Unspooling the ingredients of their sound is always an ask; there are touches of post-punk, art-rock, new wave and 90s indie to name but a few as they venture realms not many can tread (lyrically especially) to craft a colorful, vivid and exuberant sound. Built around a motorik rhythm and taut groove, ‘Muted Gold’ rushes past with a whirlwind of shifting multi-sensory sound as triple guitars attack. It is a peculiar, groovy, urgent and extremely catchy concoction up there with the very best of their output to date. Their debut album has been a while coming but judging how they gone from strength to strength over the past few years, one feels it will be worth the wait.

Listen to ‘Muted Gold’ below – and Fad is out on July 17.

FONDA – ‘No Begonias’

It’s been four years since we’ve heard new material from Irish post-punk outfit FONDA but the intervening period was anything but boring.

Lead singer and frontman Liam O’Connor did a stint with brilliant Limerick post-punk powerhouse Slow Riot through to their conclusion and subsequent posthumous album release, while Patrick Bourke & Laura Kelly left for pastures new in North America.

All that aside, O’Connor and FONDA are back with a new line-up featuring fellow Limerick musicians; John Ahern (Hey Rusty), Paul Cosgrave (Slow Riot) and Sean O’Mahony (Inner City Radio) and the first fruits from this new formation comes in the shape of powerful new single ‘No Begonias’. It is a huge and epic post-punk anthem with dark and dramatic vocal soaring stridently above as urgent guitars burn, riffs surge with intense and searing intensity, and meaty basslines relentless rhythm reverberate amid the distortion below. A gripping, insistent and emotionally charged post-punk fervour – a triumphant return from FONDA.

Listen to ‘No Begonias’ below:

Kidsmoke – ‘The Bluest You’

Welsh indie outfit Kidsmoke – Lance, James, Sophie & Ash – have been charming us with their woozy indie-pop wonders for sometime now.

Following a string of sublime singles, the Wrexham outfit have announced their intention to release their debut album in June via the Libertino Records and are previewing it with another beautiful slice of dream-pop splendour; ‘The Bluest You’. Tender, melodic and hushed vocals drift majestically above the undulating, alluring and dreamy haze of mild fuzz and distortion below. It slowly but steadily grows and swells while guitars shimmer and jangle, riffs burn brightly and divine harmonies melt your heart. This is absolutely flawless indie, executed with a deft touch and heartwarming sentiment; it is hypnotizing, hazy and euphoric – a divine combination.

Listen to ‘The Bluest You’ below and keep an eye out for the debut album coming on June 17th.