Quality Not Quantity - Tuesday Just Got Better

Dirty Hearts - Promo Says - Nothing gets a true-blue Aussie more ready for a cold beer on a hot day than a dose of instantly distinguishable, solid '90s pub rock. Inject a 70s Brit infusion, plus a trio of hard-working blokes and you can begin to imagine what a driving live force Dirty Hearts have become. 

Favourites on the live scene for years now, Dirty Hearts have supported the likes of Violent Soho, DZ Deathrays, You Am I, Velociraptor, British India, Airbourne, Dallas Crane, Magic Dirt and Jebediah. Now, they officially release their debut single 'Louis XIV'. With a sound that demands to be listened to – loudly - 'Louis XIV' embraces distorted vocals, a decadent guitar solo and a driving belt-it-out chorus as singer Matt Doe and the rest of the band wail a catchy 'get high on my own' lyric. 

With more shows to be announced later this year and an official release of Dirty Hearts' self-titled debut EP on the way, there's not stopping these lads as they win over both the cleanest and dirtiest of hearts towards a growing '90s pub rock revival.

Beehive Candy says - Crack open the beers and enjoy. As the TV advert tells us 'it does exactly what it says on the tin'.

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Slow Turismo - and we are told - Luring in listeners with infectious melodies and rolling grooves, Slow Turismo is a dynamic indie band from the Nations Capital (yep Aus) already making waves on home soil and abroad. The four-piece band creates the kind of indie pop that alternative listeners are looking to hear. Similar to the bold work of Alt-J, Cloud Control and LCD Soundsystem, they write music that nestles in between several genres.

Slow Turismo are proud to release ‘I Sit Down As Soon As I Get Up’ the lead single from their debut self-titled EP. This latest release was recorded between Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, and a log cabin hidden away in the hills surrounding Robertson. 

Having spent time with Magoo for pre-production and tracking in 2014, the band have settled into their sound and, with the help of Aaron Dobos, self-produced ‘I Sit Down As Soon As I Get Up’ over the first few months of 2015. ‘We really got a lot out of our time with Magoo last year, committing to sounds during the recording process became a production focus for the project. Being able to get away to the cabin was also a really great excuse to delve into the tracking whole-heartedly and let the songs become their own.’ “I Sit Down As Soon As I Get Up” will be released 24th July 2015.

This is a catchy and well crafted song and yes there is an element of Alt-J in some of the structuring, however that cannot be a bad thing. One listen will not be enough!

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Painted Palms - their words - Painted Palms' second full-length album, Horizons, exudes a sense of confidence and purpose that is only present when two creators share a singular focus and absolute trust in each other's talents. On Horizons, emotional states are suspended between light and dark, driven by the tension of efficient song structures. This week the band shares the synth-laden "Tracers," melding '60s psych pop with heavy-footed '80s drum machines. 

Though vocalist Chris Prudhomme and producer Reese Donohue chose to collaborate on their second full-length by sending song ideas back and forth over e-mail, just as they did when crafting their 2014 debut Forever, Horizons marks the first time the duo has expanded their sound beyond the bedroom by stepping into the studio. Mixed by former DFA house engineer Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, Classixx), Horizons engages with a diverse sonic palette on each track: '60s psych-pop, '80s synths, hypnotic vibes of the kind induced by Bjork and early '90s Creation Records bands, and the trunk-rattling minimalism of Southern hip-hop.

Horizons is a meditation on achieving balance in a place where things are always changing, and there are no real ends. As a result, Painted Palms refines and executes their best work to date.

Somewhere along the line 80's synth pop has crept back in, which at one level should be quite alarming. However with Painted Palms that's just one element and thankfully not the old over produced sound that I find painful to listen to these days. This is actually a breath of fresh air and one well worth a feature.

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Flagship - cut and paste time - North Carolina band Flagship debut their new single, “I Want You” off their highly anticipated new EP Faded (out July 10 via Bright Antenna Records). In support of their new EP, the band will play July support dates with Good Old War in The must-see tour in support of their new EP, kicks off July 12 in Cleveland, and culminates with two California dates at the end of the month.

Of the new EP, Drake Margolnick (one half of Flagship along with Michael Finster) says, “It is the most mature writing we have done. We didn’t feel like we were writing songs, just writing lines. It’s just real life; that’s all it is. That’s what we’d like to create; something that’ll be around for a long time and people will still listen to it. Leave a good legacy, write good music and have a lot of fun doing it.” Flagship is best known for its impressive blend of pop-minded melodies and passionate, aggressive performances.  The band sifts through the pastoral folk rock graces of bands like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, with occasional detours into wide-eyed pop catharsis. Since releasing their debut album, Flagship has shared stages with the likes of Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, The Shins, Iron & Wine, Little Daylight, Terraplane Sun, The Wombats, and others.

Good Old War support dates:

7/12 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues (Cambridge Room)
7/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
7/15 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
7/17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
7/19 – Alta, WY @ Targhee Festival
7/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
7/21 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
7/23 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
7/24 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
7/27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
7/28 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre

This is a great song, it has that drive that makes watching a live performance of them very attractive (not a plea for tickets I'm to far away). Another one that demands a second (and third...) play.

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