DATE ARCHIVES : September 2020

Bee Bee Sea – ‘Day Ripper’

Italian garage-psych trio Bee Bee Sea specialize in loud, propulsive and guitar-driven psych infused garage rock stompers – something patently clear from a cursory glance at their output to date.

Following on from ‘Daily Jobs’ & ‘Gonna Get Me’ early in the year, the Italian outfit continue to get us hyped for their new album Day Ripper – due on October 9 via Wild Honey Records – with the record’s title track. ‘Day Ripper’ is packed with all those trademark upbeat, frenzied riffs, sharp tempo shifts, melodic choruses, singalongs and huge hooks; all bathed in a haze of warm fuzz and distortion. Driven relentlessly onward with a propulsive motorik groove and  mesmerising, angular guitars, hypnotic vocals and bold and addictive choruses do battle with the jerky, spiraling riffs and swirls of distortion. ‘Day Ripper’ is a relentless, all-consuming and addictive jam – no question about it!

Listen to the single below and Day Ripper (the album) is due on October 9 via Wild Honey Records.

Low Hummer – ‘Sometimes I Wish (I Was a Different Person)’

Low Hummer are a Hull quintet who do a fine line in wonderfully crafted post-punk meets indie-pop, sprinkled with synths, it is danceable and ridiculously infectious.

Having formed in 2019, Low Hummer have been indulging us with a steady stream of superb singles of the aforementioned ilk – the latest of which, ‘Sometimes I Wish (I Was a Different Person)’, is the best yet. A song about alienation, confusion, contradictions and wishing you could be someone else. ‘Sometimes I Wish (I Was a Different Person)’ opens  with a twinkle of electronics and buzzing angular guitar riff, it swaggers along a deep groove interspersed with jerky rhythms, synth riffs, stellar guitar work, fuzz and formidable vocals, and all dripping with syrupy smooth melodies. A massive, powerful and memorable jam – you will be all the better for a wee bit of Low Hummer in your life,

‘Sometimes I Wish (I Was a Different Person)’ is out now through Dance to the Radio.

Karras – ‘Blades of Grass’

Karras is a rapper from America’s midwest who’s style finds a sweet spot between the grit of classic hip hop and off-kilter surrealism as he marries the mystical with manifest.

The latest from Karras is ‘Blades of Grass’ and it brings all the smooth, soulful and funky strutting vibes that you need in your life. Karras has an ear for melody and rhythm, and more pertinently, knows how to put it to good use and allowing space to enhance the potency of his lyrical prowess – all patently clear from even just the opening bars of ‘Blades of Grass’. It ambles along cooly, and calmly, over a seductive groove and rumbling bassline as lyrics are delivered unhurried and in his own time backed by dusty beats, funky riffs and stabs of brass. ‘Blades of Grass’ is a treasure trove of head-nodding, melodic and super smooth swaggering seduction that gets inside your head and refuses to leave; but hey, you’ll be all the better for it. 

Tune in below:


Andrea Franz – ‘Stupid Nerves’

Andrea Franz is a Mexican American artist from Southern California who crafts, in her own words, ‘Sad Pop Rock’ – as apt a description as you are likely to find.

Last we heard from Franz was with ‘Running Back’ – a lush, woozy and dreamy affair permeated by melancholy, irresistibly blurring the lines of beauty and darkness. Cut from a similar cloth, Franz is back with a new single ‘Stupid Nerves’. Hushed, honeyed vocals drift breezily by recalling tales of anxiety and fear and juxtaposed by the charming dreamy indie-pop ruminating below as guitars shimmer, bassline bubble amid playful bursts of twinkly chimes, warm melodies and waltzing grooves. It is lush, woozy and bewitching fare, that given a modicum of time, will be jangling around your head for days.

Listen to ‘Stupid Nerves’ below now, you are in for a treat.

Total Rubbish – ‘Honey Ryder’

Total Rubbish are Philadelphia-based garage rock trio – Bre Steinfeldt (bass), Cass Nguyen (guitar) and Kiki Schiller (drums) – who will be releasing their debut EP, Triple Negative, soon and have introduced it, and their wares, with phenomenal single ‘Honey Ryder’.

While taking their cue from 90s alt-rock and grunge, on the evidence of ‘Honey Ryder’ there are 60s psych brustrokes and echoes of shoegaze at play too. It stomps and swaggers out of the blocks with distorted guitar, buzzing meaty riff and scorching lick cutting through a wall of fuzz and distortion as we tread carefully along a steady, solid beat with the hypnotic hushed vocals floating above. With ‘Honey Ryder’ the inappropriately named Total Rubbish have eked out a perfect balance with powerful, brute force and ear for melody, coexisting in a sea of dense atmospheric tones and swirling riffs.

Listen to ‘Honey Ryder’ below now and Triple Negative is out on November 20th via Born Losers Records

Black Sails – ‘Musk Lazarbaby’

Black Sails is a Ventura, CA-based producer/artist with a preference for computer-generated electronic experimentation with touches of middle eastern, symphonic and dance/club influences.

The fourth release from Black Sails is three-track EP, entitled Alt+Fn, it is led by ‘Musk Lazarbaby’, a tune inspired by Elon Musk. Bob Lazar. Area 51. Space X. Indestructible CyberTrucks. Nanochips. Implants.Propelled by robotic rhythms, a winding synthline and big club beats, ‘Musk Lazarbaby’ drives along a seductive groove and peppered by flashes of frazzled electronics, glistening tones and psychedelic reels, bleeps and bloops with breezy vocals, dash of euphoria and some middle eastern flourishes completing this stunning excursion. In short, it all translates into something captivating, dancey and utterly irresistible – and one that really reminds of the more psychedelic side of The Chemical Brothers – which is no bad thing.

Tune in to ‘Musk Lazarbaby’ below and the EP is here too.

Ailbhe Reddy – ‘Looking Happy’

Dubliner Ailbhe Reddy is gearing up to release her debut album, Personal History, on October 2 and has been teasing the record with singles ‘Time Difference’ and ‘Between Your Teeth’, and now ‘Looking Happy’.

‘Looking Happy’ is a buoyant and bouncy indie-pop jam that is simultaneously happy and sad.Punchy guitars dance above a bouncy beat, jerky groove and splashes of cosmic synth while Reddy’s vocals soar powerfully above. ‘Looking Happy’ is a bright and buoyant indie-pop-powerhouse, adorned with addictive hooks you could hang your hat on but with melancholic themes seeping through as lyrically, Reddy laments an ex’s life unfolding on social media. An irresistible jam that exquisitely blurs the lines of beauty and darkness.

Listen to ‘Looking Happy’ below and keep an eye out for debut album, Personal History, on October 2. 

Arms That Fit Like Legs – ‘What it is is’

Arms That Fit Like Legs are an electronic instrumental-rock trio from Dublin – composed of Mark Lynch, Gordon McCaughley & Mike Mahon – who take their cue from the likes of El Ten Eleven, Battles, Redneck Manifesto, Fridge and Aphex Twin among others.

We were introduced to their electronic experimentations with ‘My Mind is Going’ and accompanying album Legwork earlier in the year, and have shared new single ‘What it is is’ and revealed plans for a new record next year. The single is an immersive and hypnotic cut, elegantly blurring the lines between experimental electronica and propulsive Krautrock leanings. It is a transfixed coming together of glistening guitars, soft synths and breezy chilled-out vibes that gracefully mingle above lush, fast paced grooves the woo the soul before all culminating an epic climax – and then, silence. It is majestic sound, one that is vividly imaginative and elegant, and all consuming.

Listen to ‘What it is is’below and why not check out their most recent album Legwork, here.

Justy – ‘Cool’

Justy is an independent musician & singer/songwriter from Staten Island, New York inspired by the likes of J Dilla, Amy Winehouse, NoName, and Lauryn Hill.

We were introduced to Justy’s delectable talents through debut record Soul Food earlier this year; a smooth, soulful and lush blending of hip hop, R&B, soul, jazz and pop, and filled with soul searching, heartbreak, loss, self-awareness and renewal. Building on these aforementioned attributes, Justy has returned with the aptly titled new single ‘Cool’. It is a smooth, woozy and super soulful coming together of lush hazy tones, syrupy melodies and seductive grooves as a gentle, warm strum is joined by subtle brass swells while soft beats patter below the chilled mellifluous vocals. In short; ‘Cool’ is another simply stunning and soulful cut from Justy – and one that will leave an ineligible mark on your soul.

Tune in below:


Field Trip to the Moon – ’62 Bullets’

Field Trip to the Moon is the musical project of London-based Manchester native Angela Christofilou, who with band in tow, has a flair for dark, potent – sometimes jagged or dramatic – post-punk infused garage-rock.

Together they released their debut album Something Owed in 2017 and they are back with a new self-titled EP, heralded by lead single ’62 Bullets’; a raw, raucous and thrilling jam. Opening with a catchy, fuzz-drenched riff introducing Christofilou’s raspy vocal before ’62 Bullets’ hurtles off in a blaze of buzzsaw riffs, stomping beats and shredded guitars all basking in a sea of fuzz and distortion. From the off, ’62 Bullets’ is a rip roaring blast of guitar wielding brilliance underpinned by a relentlessly driving beat and fiery energy, and whirlwind of fuzz, that is utterly irresistible.

Listen to the brilliant ’62 Bullets’ below and check out the new EP here.