Showing posts with label Black Bordello. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Bordello. Show all posts

Sunday, 20 September 2026

NP York - Waterpistol - Black Bordello - Rami - Siv Jakobsen - Cassandra Coleman

Photo - Jens Martin York
NP York - What's Next (Album).

Released this weekend ‘What’s Next?’, is the sophomore album from Danish artist NP York, it's a dreamy indie-rock record that reflects on lost youth and the places, people, and versions of ourselves that we leave behind as we grow older. Written in the aftermath of a severe period of depression and as somewhat an outsider of Copenhagen’s music scenes, ‘What’s Next?’ is an album about the strange distance that develops between who we were and who we're becoming. Across the record’s 10 tracks, NP York turns that distance into melancholic, guitar-driven songs about aging, memory, friendship, ambition, and the quiet realization that youth is something you can never quite return to.

Rather than treating growing older as a simple loss, ‘What’s Next?’ lives in the tension between grief and acceptance as it moves between existential reflections and epic moments of blissful uplift. There’s the paradox of leaping headfirst into new love when you know the cost of failed romance in ‘As Bold As A Heart’, there’s revisiting late teenage night drives and old friendships in ‘One More Day’ and there’s the effervescent gem ‘Trier’, which deals with holding on, waiting for answers and persevering.

Musically, ‘What’s Next?’ draws from the emotional immediacy of indie rock, balancing chiming guitars and restless rhythms with expansive poignancy. NP York’s rich baritone vocals anchor down lyrics that combine a poet’s ear for emotion with a humourist’s wit as he ironically muses on childhood dreams and expectations from the reality of becoming a man in his mid-30s and the absurdities and chaos of the world around him.

The result is a record that feels nostalgic without becoming sentimental, a collection of songs less interested in preserving the past than in understanding why we miss it. As the wild and exuberant yearning for youth in tracks like ‘LIE!’ and ‘As Bold As A Heart’ turn to maturity in more mellow tracks like ‘Let’s Talk’ and ‘Better Place’, ‘What’s Next?’ becomes about a past that has shaped us and the moment we realize we have outgrown it. It asks what happens when places that once felt like home become a memory, when old friends begin living different lives, and when the future starts to feel less like an open road and more like something that requires choosing.


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Waterpistol - Hey Harry (EP).

Waterpistol just unleashed their debut EP 'Hey Harry' described as just right for fans of unhinged psychedelic garage-rock. To coincide with the release, Waterpistol have been supported by BBC Horizons and Art Council Wales’ 2026 Launchpad Fund. The South Wales band have previously released lead single She Flies.

Making a name for themselves with their shimmering debut single Living in a Dream, which has since climbed to nearly 30,000 streams on Spotify, Waterpistol blend the swagger of golden-age rock ’n’ roll with the hazy textures of ’90s shoegaze, carving out a sound shaped by some of their biggest influences in The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Shack and The La’s.

After riding the momentum of their formation, performing across several festivals (FOCUS Wales, Green Man, Sŵn Festival and In It Together Festival), the six-piece turned to the studio to record two follow-up singles, Où est ton âme? and Shotgun. They recorded these at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Monmouth.


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Black Bordello - Midheaven Tempest (EP).

London art-rock five-piece Black Bordello have returned with their most expansive and theatrical work to date, out this weekend. Black Bordello return with Midheaven Tempest, a new EP that finds the London five-piece pulling further into the shadows of their own strange mythology. Released 18th September the record is a feverish meeting point between gothic-rock, post-punk, psychedelia, trip-hop, industrial-rock and theatrical, expressive experimentation - the EP is ornate and intimate in places, brutal and intense in others, and always unexpected.

Fronted by Sienna Bordello, the band's music has always existed somewhere between theatre and nightmare. Her voice can move from an ethereal soprano to something guttural and confrontational, while her songwriting conjures characters, ruins, rituals and strange little worlds. Across this new EP, those worlds become darker and more cinematic, with songs that seem to emerge from the smoke rather than begin.

Working closely with bands guitarist Jerome Alexandre, who has toured, recorded and performed with Peter Doherty, Sylvain Sylvain (Ny Dolls), Mark Keds, Senseless Things, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) , Clem Burke (Blondie), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Legendary Goth group Sex Gang Children and Flatbush Zombies to name a few, the new EP showcases the rich, colourful, yet dark and unsettling sound which stylises Black bordello as a project.


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Rami - Save Myself.

International  artist Rami has just launched her Nashville career with the new single "Save Myself." Rami makes a striking introduction with “Save Myself,” a heartfelt pop ballad that puts her commanding vocal presence at the center of a deeply personal story. The song moves through loss, confusion, and the feeling of having nowhere left to turn before arriving at its central realization: sometimes the person you are waiting for is yourself. As Rami explains, “I wanted to create a ballad about a very difficult period of my life — a time of loss, confusion, and feeling as though everything around me was falling apart. But I did not want the story to end in sadness.”

That evolution comes through most powerfully in the chorus, beginning with, “I was tired of waiting for someone / to come rescue me from what I’d done,” before turning the familiar fairytale image on its head: “All alone in a tower big and tall / but I was the prince here after all.” By the time Rami reaches, “When no one was there, and I cried for help / I had to save myself,” the song’s message becomes unmistakable.

Hungarian-born pop artist Rami began her professional music career at 17, following the release of her acclaimed debut “Szeress Forrón!” In 2008, her talent led to a recording contract with mTon, Warner Music’s Hungarian subsidiary, where she began work on her debut album. She was also selected as VIVA’s first VIP Member, marking an early milestone in her career.

Rami later continued her musical studies in Rome and Milan, developing her artistry while collaborating with musicians and professionals across Italy. Her international work has included a cover of Enrico Caruso’s “Caruso,” as well as collaborations with artists around the world. Her recent release, a global cover of the iconic Hungarian ballad “Gloomy Sunday,” further reflects her ability to connect her Hungarian roots with an international audience.


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Photo - Jørgen Nordby

Siv Jakobsen - The Fixer.

Acclaimed Norwegian songwriter Siv Jakobsen shares new single 'The Fixer' via The Nordic Mellow/Virgin Music Group. Co-written with longtime friend Benjamin Francis Leftwich, the track is her first original material in three years, following her 2023 album Gardening and offers an early glimpse of a new body of work. From an intimate, piano-led opening, the new song gradually blooms into rich layers of group vocals, strings and horns, with arrangements by Marcus Hamblett (Bear’s Den).

"I’m gonna save all of the world today / I'm a complex god, hard and soft," Jakobsen sings, reflecting her impulse to help the people around her, even when that risks losing herself.

Jakobsen says: "Setting boundaries is difficult, especially for a fixer. The fixer is a song about my tendency to lose myself in others, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. To be so near someone that the lines between the self and the other become blurred can feel good with the right person, and terrible with the wrong. The song draws parallels to my overwhelming wish to help the people in my life who might be struggling, even when it goes too far; I'm drawn into someone else's deep end, and I lose myself."

On her most recent full-length, Gardening, Jakobsen confronted the lingering imprint of a destructive relationship through what she called "emotional gardening": unearthing memories and returning to feelings that refused to stay buried. 'The Fixer' brings that same searching honesty to the desire to help and the difficulty of knowing where to draw the line.


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Photo - Sophia Matinazad
Cassandra Coleman - End Of Your Love (EP).

Emerging singer/songwriter Cassandra Coleman has released her anticipated debut EP End Of Your Love, available everywhere now through Warner Records. The 8-track collection arrives after months of unveiling a series of new singles that have led to a breakout summer and quickly established the Nashville-based artist as one of indie-pop’s most compelling new voices. 

 Coleman also shared the official video for the title track; a slow-burning reflection on the fear of showing one’s imperfection. As a sparse intro of upright piano and voice grows into something enormous, the song's arrangement mirrors the anxiety at its very center — the more Coleman tries to contain her emotions, the more impossible they become to hold in.

"This song makes me cry, every time I sing it," stated Coleman. "I wrote it from a place of vulnerability, worried that the closer someone gets to me, the more aware they'll become of my flaws. Will someone deem me unlovable, once they can see all the cracks?"

Anthemic indie-pop. Folk-inspired torch songs. Cinematic piano ballads. They're all woven throughout End Of Your Love, an expansive EP that finds Coleman letting go of the life she thought she was supposed to live and learning to trust the one unfolding in front of her. Most of its songs are brand new, written between festival slots at Lollapalooza and Outside Lands, tours with artists like Bleachers, Young The Giant, and Stephen Wilson Jr., and onstage duets with Noah Kahan. Others reach back several years, offering glimpses of an artist growing into the songwriter she was always meant to be. Together, they form a portrait of a creative life in full swing — one filled with closing chapters, new beginnings, and the hard-won self-assurance to step into whatever comes next.



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Sunday, 13 September 2026

Royal Commission - Margo Cilker - The Lumineers - LG Galleon - Lydia Saint George - Black Bordello

Royal Commission - Hard To Defend.

New to Beehive Candy Royal Commission, the alias of Melbourne, Australia musician Dean Robb have been releasing a single each month in 2026,  having listened to a few of the tracks we have to say, there is plenty of originality with a firm emphasis on the 'alt' in alt rock. Going back to the releases most of which make up the debut album ‘Into Rock ‘n Roll’, and will be available from Bandcamp and all the usual streaming services from Thursday, September 24th. 

File under alternative rock, post-punk, DIY, 'noise' occasionally, 'outsider' probably, and there are a few 'nice' ones where a bit of melody or a singalong comes through too. Created on a TASCAM Digital Pocketstudio (DP-006) with some second-hand guitars and pedals, a $13.95 microphone from Jaycar and a drum machine. That all gets loaded into Audacity for a basic mix and master and to export a digital file, but that's about it. Bona fide 4-track recording like back in the old days.

Earning kudos from the likes of Dave Graney and Rob Critchley (The Fods) for their sound and recording technique, Royal Commission have been championed on UK radio by Dandelion DJ Mark Whitby, while Louder Than War called them “a raw and ready burst of irreverence and alt-rock charm.”

‘Into Rock ‘n Roll’ collects the singles released between January and September and adds 3 tracks from the ‘Dossier #1’ EP released in March. ‘The Magyar Dancer’ will be released as part of the album rollout in October, followed by a couple of non-album tracks to finish off the year.


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Photo - Jon Moore
Margo Cilker - Molly and Me.

Acclaimed Western folk singer-songwriter Margo Cilker recently announced her highly anticipated third album, Little White Cross, which is due out October 9 via Fossil Records, a label she formed with fellow musician ISMAY. Cilker previously shared the album's title track as the lead single, and she returns now with album standout "Molly and Me," an unflinching song about the teenage sister of a suspect in a mass shooting, written from the perspective of the sister's best friend.

Cilker recorded the upcoming 10-track set in Lockhart, Texas, with Bruce Robison, the writer/producer behind work by Charley Crockett, Lee Ann Womack, George Strait, and The Chicks. "You could definitely call it a concept record. If that concept is that I got really sad and went to Texas," she offers. "I had some material so dark I didn’t think I’d show it to [Bruce]. Then I remembered this is the man who wrote 'Travelin’ Soldier.'"
 
One of the songs she's referring to is today's single, “Molly and Me." It's an artful and affecting display of human complexity that emerged from an insistent urgency that sometimes accompanies Cilker's songwriting: “I often feel haunted by stories, kept up at night by a kind of external pressure to tell them. I’ll write a song just to alleviate the grip it has on me.”
 
With lines like And her mom did what she could to listen / And it’s true that we sincerely miss him / It’s just a shame they had to die when he did / None of this will ever be undone, Cilker withholds no nuance in conveying the unthinkable, allowing human suffering its due specificity. "Just because something horrible happens time and time again, that doesn’t make it any less horrible," she explains.

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The Lumineers - Isabelle Fly.

Beloved Nashville-based indie label Dualtone Records just announced the release of Keep Pressing On: 25 Years Of Dualtone, a new 17-song collection of rarities and covers celebrating the label’s 25th anniversary. Out December 4, 2026, the album brings together Dualtone artists past and present including The Lumineers, flipturn, Mt. Joy, Shakey Graves, Kathleen Edwards, and Langhorne Slim in celebration of the label’s enduring legacy and the artist-first vision established by Co-founder (ret.) Scott Robinson and the late President and Partner Paul Roper, who passed away in 2024.

As part of the anniversary The Lumineers have released a new song “Isabelle Fly.” “In April of 2012, we had just released our debut album and were on a pretty intense run; every day seemed to involve the trifecta of morning acoustic radio performances, interviews and shows,” The Lumineers reflect. “On the humid Nashville evening of April 27th, we met an angel in the form of our label head, Paul Roper. 

We were about to play the Basement, below Grimey’s record shop, and Paul could see we were truly haggard. Earlier that day, we had done a long photo shoot which felt awkward.  Paul appeared like a mirage in the desert, opening his trunk to us to reveal his bounty of Dominoes Pizza and a 12-pack of Stella’s. As we ate and drank, we felt looked after. And although it was a small gesture, it defined what Paul and Dualtone have done for us all these years. They do the little things and manage to always show up. It’s a rare quality in a label and a person, and I’m grateful for it.

“The song ‘Isabelle Fly’ never actually took flight. It felt like some sort of failed attempt. But I’ve always loved this song anyway, and am glad it’s got a place on this 25 year compilation so we can share this song finally.”


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Photo - Silvia Saponaro
LG Galleon - Paralyzed.

LG Galleon releases “Paralyzed,” his second solo single, via Lost in Ohio. The single comes from Galleon's debut solo full-length, I Am Your Pity, which sees release November 13.

For more than a decade, LG has been the guiding voice behind Dead Leaf Echo, the Brooklyn art-rock collective whose reverb-drenched blend of shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk have earned them comparisons to Spiritualized, Cocteau Twins, and Deftones, and drew collaborators like 4AD producer John Fryer and designer Vaughan Oliver. He also fronts Brooklyn post-punk outfit Clone, whose Martin Bisi recorded debut CL. 1 trades atmosphere for agitation.

'New face, new wounds, new crimes' is about instantly falling in love with someone on sight alone and then the instantaneous fear you have of losing said person or being hurt by someone you don’t even know," says Galleon. "While the 'no more no more no more' Jim Jones sample in the middle adds to a feeling of past betrayal and disengagement over initial feelings of love.”


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Photo - Elena Cornwell
Lydia Saint George - Lungs.

North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Lydia Saint George has released her new single, “Lungs,” via Gold Ship Records. The track offers the first glimpse of a new collection of music that Lydia will reveal through a series of singles over the coming months.

Blending atmospheric indie pop and alternative music with folk-rooted storytelling and a haunting gothic undercurrent, Lydia writes songs that feel like quiet confessions unfolding in slow motion. Her introspective songwriting transforms deep emotion and lived experience into slow-burning stories carried by intimate vocals, shadowy textures, and reflective lyricism.

“Lungs” captures the emotional exhaustion of giving everything to a relationship while receiving little in return. Gradually building around an evocative keyboard loop, the song turns resignation and disappointment into something intimate, atmospheric, and quietly devastating.

“This song is about giving up on a person and the relationship between the two of you—being tired of the excuses and the constant lack of effort on their part while you gave everything you had,” Lydia explains.


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Photo - Susu Laroche
Black Bordello - Fugue.

Art-rock provocateurs Black Bordello announce their new EP, Midheaven Tempest, due 18th September via AWAL, and follow up the single 'Fugue' with a new video for the track this weekend.

'Fugue' offers the first glimpse into the immersive world of Midheaven Tempest, a collection that sees Black Bordello deepen their singular dialogue between art-rock, post-punk and cinematic atmosphere. Expansive yet intimate, the EP embraces contrast, where ornate arrangements meet raw immediacy, and gothic romanticism collides with moments of striking clarity.

With 'Fugue', the band continue to blur the boundaries of artistic, gothic and experimental rock, while drawing more openly from the dramatic sweep and melodic ambition of 1970s rock music. Threaded with baroque flourishes and taut post-punk tension, the single unfolds as a richly layered introduction to the conceptual landscape of Midheaven Tempest, hinting at an EP that is both emotionally resonant and sonically adventurous.

The romantic Hammond-organ introduction to ‘Fugue’ evokes 1920s picture houses and travelling carnival calliopes, hinting at a Fitzgeraldian world of sepia-tinted nostalgia. But any promise of reverie is quickly upended by the verse’s psychedelic, buoyant theatricality. Dripping with the weary, eye-rolling detachment of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is?, the track instead unfolds in a haze of Velvet Underground fuzz, Black Heart Procession gloom, and Nick Cave–esque refrains. It moves through jarring shifts in tempo and melody, each one underscoring the band’s restless drive to experiment rather than settle into nostalgia.

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Sunday, 26 July 2026

Josaleigh Pollett - Bywater Call - Lynn Hollyfield - Rusty Shackle - Black Bordello - Bri Fletcher

Josaleigh Pollett - If I Let It Quiet (Album).

Salt Lake City-based singer-songwriter Josaleigh Pollett has issued their fourth full-length album, ‘If I Let It Quiet.’ Produced by long-time collaborator Jordan Watko (Crowd Shy), the record is released via Audio Antihero (Frog / Tiberius / Avery Friedman / CIAO MALZ / Darren Hayman) and Lavender Vinyl on digital and vinyl. A tour of the Pacific Northwest and West Coast accompany the album's release. The work of Pollett and Watko has received a slow burn of recognition over the years, reaching a broader audience with 2023’s electronics-infused ‘In the Garden, By the Weeds,’ thanks to support from notable outlets, including NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, as well as awards and end-of-year lists.

Pollett went on to share bills with St. Vincent, Torres, Deep Sea Diver, DeVotchKa, Mini Trees, and Hibou, as well as performing at Kilby Block Party. Outside of their work with Watko, Pollett’s output included a prolific run of collaborations that included Ekko Astral in 2024 and 2025, in addition to writing a song a day in January 2025 (released as ‘bro’s bad january’). 

“This album is an exploration of what it takes to quiet the noise of geographical and emotional distance in order to hear ourselves and the ones who see us. In true independent DIY fashion and similar to 2023's In The Garden, By The Weeds, If I Let It Quiet is recorded mostly at home between my Salt Lake City makeshift home studio and Jordan's apartment in Japan. The difference this time is that we're bringing in more collaborations. In particular, Andrew Goldring, who in addition to mixing and mastering, brought deeper instrumentation to If I Let It Quiet.” – Josaleigh Pollett. 

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Bywater Call - Broken Souvenirs (Album).

A powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada; Bywater Call was nominated for the 2025 UK Blues Award for International Blues Artist of the year for the second straight year, alongside artists such as Beth Hart and Walter Trout.

The band has also received multiple Independent Blues and Canadian Maple Blues Award nominations including Entertainer, Electric Act and Best Female Vocalist for the 2024 Awards Season.

Bywater Call’s music is an exploration of life’s highs and lows. From intimate ballads that lay bare the complexities of human emotion to electrifying anthems that demand to be played at full volume, their catalogue is a journey through human experience, featuring influences from the likes of The Band, The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Otis Redding, Little Feat, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more.

Often transcending genres, Bywater Call is known for their dynamic, emotional live shows, featuring powerful vocals and exciting interplay between all band members. And now, on the heels of a highly successful European tour and in the middle of their American tour here is their new album. 


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Lynn Hollyfield - Diving In (Album).

We have the new folk album Diving In from award-winning singer-songwriter Lynn Hollyfield. The album was produced by Grammy-nominated Seth Glier and 
is a stunning collection of songs that reveal the twists and turns in life, our humanness, loss, love, the times we are in, and the path we choose to go through. The range of styles on the album can mostly be called contemporary folk, with a few having a traditional feel and a timeless vibe.

Blend a beautiful alto voice, crisp acoustic guitar, and a heartfelt perspective on the world, and you have Lynn Hollyfield. Known for her warm stage presence and emotionally rich songs, she connects effortlessly with audiences. Writing in a contemporary folk style, Lynn weaves in jazz-influenced chords and bluesy guitar alongside passionate vocals, think Mary Chapin Carpenter meets Bonnie Raitt with a touch of George Gershwin. The result is her own distinctive voice, witty, soulful, and reflective.

Lynn has been writing songs since her teenage years, growing up on Staten Island, NY, surrounded by a wide range of musical influences, from jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to artists like The Beatles and Neil Young. She began performing locally at a young age and later gained recognition as part of the duo Hollyfield & Spruill, appearing at festivals such as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

After launching her solo career, Lynn released several acclaimed albums, including LAYERS (2010), IN THE BALANCE (2014), and LOOK UP (2024), earning national and international airplay along with multiple songwriting awards including being listed in the Top Artists/ Top Albums for the International Folk Alliance. During the pandemic, she also published a children’s book, The Tree, The Ship and Me, with its accompanying song recognized as a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest.


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Rusty Shackle - Stand Up Tall.

Welsh Folk / Rock band 'Rusty Shackle' new single 'Stand Up Tall' was released Friday 24th July. Taken from their forthcoming Album 'Mayfield' which is set for release at the end of August. A raw, heartfelt reflection on friendship, self-confidence andperseverance when times are hard. The universal message inviteslisteners to find their own meaning within the song, but at its heart,it serves as a mantra of encouragement for anyone who feels lost oroverlooked in life.Musically, the track embraces a stripped-back folk sound inspired bythe poetic storytelling of Neil Young, the pastoral textures of The Decemberists and Fleet Foxes, and the understated warmth of Wilco.The unvarnished arrangement allows the song's message to takecentre stage, creating an intimate and timeless atmosphere thatreflects its themes of resilience, compassion, and hope

Rusty Shackle are a hard-gigging folk-rock band from South Wales, known for their infectious energy, anthemic songs, and genre-blurring sound drawn from folk, rock, and indie roots. Since forming in 2010, they’ve built a loyal following through relentless touring and a reputation for exhilarating live shows that get crowds on their feet.

The band have released five studio albums to date, each one expanding their sonic palette while staying rooted in rich melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and a love of storytelling. Their 2022 release, Under a Bloodshot Moon, reached number 2 in the UK Folk Albums Chart and was praised as “a winner” by Get Ready to Rock and “their finest album yet” by Liverpool Sound and Vision.


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Black Bordello - Fugue.

Art-rock provocateurs Black Bordello announce their new EP, Midheaven Tempest, due 18th September 2026 via AWAL, and unveil its first offering with the new single 'Fugue' (24th July 2026), a Fitzgeraldian world of sepia-tinted nostalgia. 'Fugue' offers the first glimpse into the immersive world of Midheaven Tempest, a collection that sees Black Bordello deepen their singular dialogue between art-rock, post-punk and cinematic atmosphere. Expansive yet intimate, the EP embraces contrast, where ornate arrangements meet raw immediacy, and gothic romanticism collides with moments of striking clarity.

With 'Fugue', the band continue to blur the boundaries of artistic, gothic and experimental rock, while drawing more openly from the dramatic sweep and melodic ambition of 1970s rock music. Threaded with baroque flourishes and taut post-punk tension, the single unfolds as a richly layered introduction to the conceptual landscape of Midheaven Tempest, hinting at an EP that is both emotionally resonant and sonically adventurous.

The romantic Hammond-organ introduction to ‘Fugue’ evokes 1920s picture houses and travelling carnival calliopes, hinting at a Fitzgeraldian world of sepia-tinted nostalgia. But any promise of reverie is quickly upended by the verse’s psychedelic, buoyant theatricality. Dripping with the weary, eye-rolling detachment of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is?, the track instead unfolds in a haze of Velvet Underground fuzz, Black Heart Procession gloom, and Nick Cave–esque refrains. It moves through jarring shifts in tempo and melody, each one underscoring the band’s restless drive to experiment rather than settle into nostalgia.

Speaking on the single, vocalist and songwriter Sienna Bordello says: “Fugue is a joyful stab into the cardboard cutouts on the set of society's stage. It's our gift to music nerds, inspired by Bach.” 


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Bri Fletcher - Salt Water.

Nashville country artist Bri Fletcher releases new single "Salt Water." Bri Fletcher is crying good tears on her new single, “Salt Water,” an R&B-leaning country anthem that cleverly uses the healing properties of salt water as a remedy for heartbreak. While the production embraces a smoother, more soulful sound, Fletcher’s signature storytelling remains at the heart of the track, blending emotional honesty with undeniable vulnerability.

The song explores the idea that sometimes the first step toward moving on isn’t pretending you’re okay — it’s allowing yourself to feel everything. Fletcher transforms tears into a symbol of hope with the lyric, “Thought I’d never be the one to cry online / But WebMD just said I’ll be alright.”

Its memorable chorus reinforces the song’s central message: “Salt water, it’s good for my skin / I ain’t bothered, it’s got healing benefits / It’ll clean my wounds, rid me right of you / When these tears are running down my face / Salt water, yeah I’ll be okay.”

“Salt Water” marks another step in Fletcher’s evolving artistry, pairing contemporary R&B influences with the heartfelt lyricism that first established her as a country songwriter. It’s a reminder that growth doesn’t always come from hiding your emotions — sometimes it comes from embracing them. With “Salt Water,” Bri Fletcher continues to carve out a lane entirely her own, proving that authentic storytelling can transcend genre while resonating with anyone who has ever cried, healed, and found strength on the other side of heartbreak.


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Friday, 3 December 2021

Black Bordello - The Sully Band - Chrissi Poland - Mae Mae

Photo - Lou Smith
Black Bordello - Drones.

Peckham, London based band Black Bordello today release new single "Drones" and announce their new EP 'White Bardo', out March 2022 via Hideous Mink Records (Opus Kink, Fake Turins, Body Horror). With inspirations ranging from PJ Harvey and Björk to Aphex Twin and David Bowie, Black Bordello's carnivalesque blend of art-rock, punk, jazz and Turkish psychedelia is a wholly unique aural experience.

Recently supporting the likes of Goat Girl and L.A. Salami as well as being handpicked by The Libertines to support them on their November UK tour, Black Bordello are a truly captivating live proposition. Regularly appearing on the London underground circuit alongside fellows risers Opus Kink, Blue Bendy, Modern Woman, Malady, Honeyglaze and Robbie & Mona, they have organically garnered a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the country.

The band's self-titled debut album was released in 2020 to a small but fervent wave of acclaim from publications including So Young Magazine ("It takes very little persuasion to fall under Black Bordello’s spell") and Loud And Quiet ("...simply calling Black Bordello's self-titled debut album 'genre-defying' doesn't do it justice. This album is an exercise in world building.")

The band announce their first body of work since their debut album, new EP 'White Bardo' - out next March via tastemaker indie label Hideous Mink Records. The announcement coincides with the release of new single "Drones" along with an accompanying video directed by Lou Smith. Written during lockdown 2020, (somewhat illegally) in a basement underneath a closed pub, "Drones" opens with a theatrical descending bass line, before erupting into a roar of magisterial brass, fizzing synth runs, and frenzied percussion.

Discussing the initial inspiration behind the track, vocalist Sienna Bordello said: "The idea for 'Drones' came about after I watched a documentary about a Drone pilot. He was a gamer who had been headhunted by the US military and recruited into the military workforce. He was given a gaming station with Xbox-like controllers and vintage screens which showed simplistic colours, much like the platform arcade games of the 80s and 90s. He was given missions like ‘cut the grass’, ‘trim the weeds’, ‘tidy this area’. After his service was done, he suffered PTSD when the realisation that he’d been controlling the distribution and attack of drone missiles on civilians sank in. I thought of this as an interesting subject matter for the song, namely because we were in a global pandemic and all life as we knew it had been halted, yet at the same time the UK and US (amongst others)  governments had put more money into military than ever before, and had recruited more troops to attack parts of the middle east throughout our so-called ‘international emergency’. I was gobsmacked that they were passing needless military operations whilst the world was distracted by the pandemic. Every person in this situation is a puppet, but who is pulling the strings?"

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The Sully Band - When The Battle Is Over.

On March 11, 2022, The Sully Band, voted Best Live Band at the 2020 San Diego Music Awards, will release their debut LP, Let’s Straighten It Out, conceived in the hallowed halls of Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California (formerly A&M Studios). With Let’s Straighten It Out, Sully and his bluesy, nine-piece beast of a band take us on a journey through the ups, downs, and all-arounds of love by way of 10 classic ‘60s and ‘70s soul, blues, and R&B tunes. The album will be released via Belly Up Records, and marketed and distributed by Blue Élan Records.

This labor of love album was recorded in only five jam-packed days, with “mostly-live” versions of carefully curated love-themed songs that made a mark when they were originally released and yet also feel relevant today. Sully’s soulful, heartfelt vocals cut across layers of horns and guitars that take the listener on an emotional arc of joy, disappointment, struggle, and redemption.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning producer Chris Goldsmith (Blind Boys of Alabama, Ben Harper, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Head Todd) provided the musical curation that makes up Let’s Straighten It Out. Treasured tunes like Billy Preston’s “Nothing from Nothing” and Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher” share the tracklist with lesser-known nuggets like “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” by Ray Charles; the title track, first recorded by Latimore in 1974; Shuggie Otis’ “Ice Cold Daydream”; and “I Wish It Would Rain,” first made a hit by The Temptations. Acclaimed San Diego soul singer, Rebecca Jade, shared vocal duties with Sully on Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John) and Jessie Hill’s “When the Battle Is Over,” while on “If You Love Me Like You Say,” the late Albert Collins is evoked by Anthony Cullins, the 20-year-old guitar sensation from Fallbrook, California.

Anchored by Grammy Award-winning slayer of the bass, James East (Eric Clapton, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and many others), The Sully Band is composed of seasoned, accomplished players who hail from diverse locales like Japan, Panama, and the island of Lemon Grove. The horn section features sax-flute-harp-man Tripp Sprague (Kenny Loggins, The Little River Band, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops) and trumpet and flugelhorn player Steve Dillard (The Righteous Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd).

Sully himself is an enigma. He caught the music bug at age six after picking up a nylon-string guitar and playing the first few chords of “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” with his dad. In high school, the barrel-chested, all-American football player rocked out to Boston and Foreigner with his buddies, starred in every show-tune-laden musical theatre production through college, and ended each day with James Brown or Stevie Wonder on his Pioneer receiver.



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Chrissi Poland - Destination Home (E.P).

Becoming a parent completely changes one’s perspective. Singer-songwriter Chrissi Poland chronicles her journey through music and motherhood in her upcoming EP Destination Home. Vocalizing the raw balance of being an active touring musician and a new mom to a two-year-old baby girl, Poland speaks her truth about life within her contemporary styled tracks.

Poland’s passion for music was fueled when she was born into her musically inclined family and has only flourished since then. Rooted in Poland’s shift of view when she embarked on motherhood, Destination Home shares how this journey has influenced her music and all aspects of life. The songwriter’s honest mid-tempo EP highlights the universal ups and downs of parenting while striving to achieve one's dream. Hoping to inspire parents across the globe with this intimate project, Poland shares:

“When I began to write the songs for what would become Destination Home, I was a new mother and had just come off of my first tour since my daughter had been born. After growing and carrying this little human, suddenly she was out in the world, and then a handful of months later, I was out in the world, without her. What an unsettling, strange and often at times debilitating feeling, to suddenly be away from her for stretches of time. And so goes the plight of every working mother around the world, no matter what field of work.” Poland continues, “I remember being on a plane with tears streaming down my face as I wrote the words to 'Destination Home,' grappling with feelings of guilt and anxiety, of general unease."

A personal and yet recognizable sentiment, the multifaceted musician aims to let her story be heard while inspiring others to believe in their own dreams as well as in themselves. Poland shares: “The whole EP turned out to not only be a letter of love to my daughter, but to mothers and caregivers. To all the mothers and caregivers everywhere who are forging ahead with their careers and also being loving parents and guardians, I see you! This is for you.”


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Mae Mae - Apple Boy.

Atlanta-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Mae Mae will soon announce the release date and track list for her debut EP, Gummy Heart Eyes. 

She has released the second single from that record, “Apple Boy” a fizzy pop song with a stylishly groove.

“Apple Boy” joins Mae Mae’s previously released debut single from Gummy Heart Eyes, “Squishy” a song that Consequence called “an easy, playful, sunny ode to a happy afternoon” and lies “somewhere between cutesy and dreamy.”

 

 

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Wednesday, 25 August 2021

Black Bordello - Sylvie - Gustaf

Black Bordello - Nunhead.

Peckham, London based quintet Black Bordello have released their new single "Nunhead". An uncompromising 5 minute art-rock attack of the senses, the track examines the gentrification of Peckham, its new generation of disrespecting residents and the inevitable fate of us all.

The release of "Nunhead" coincides with the announcement of the band's signing to Hideous Mink Records (Opus Kink, Fake Turins, Body Horror) and arrives alongside an accompanying video for the track, shot in Nunhead cemetery and directed by Will Reid (recently working with the likes of Malady, Slowthai, LEGSS and Lauren Auder).

Comprised of singer and guitarist Sienna Bordello, Eddie Amos (drums/percussion), Anthony Boatright (bass), Rachel Asafo-Agyei (backing vocals) and Henry Carpenter (keys), Black Bordello are widely regarded as one of the most unique and exciting live acts in London right now.

Pulling together the shapeshifting creativity and theatrics of PJ Harvey, the jazz-flecked tones of Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith with the emotional intensity of Patti Smith, Black Bordello are a force to be reckoned with and "Nunhead" is a momentous statement of intent from the 5-piece.

Speaking on the track, the band said: "'Nunhead' was written during the plague, at a time when people were confined to their houses. Sienna would visit Nunhead cemetery frequently as a place of refuge and to see the graves of her family members. There she was met face to face by the ills of gentrification. The place that always held profound, peaceful contemplation and wisdom buried deep within its grounds was now ruined by over-privileged pleasure makers who had no real connection to the area or its history. Sienna and the band felt this reflected the overarching psychopathy in our times."


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Sylvie - Falls on me.

Last month Sylvie announced their self-titled debut EP on Terrible Records, and shared its epononymous title track. The song is a cover of a song from an obscure 1970s record by Ian Matthews called Later That Same Year, and a track that serves as a partial inspiration for the band's existence. Before they adopted it as a name, the band (which is led by some time Drugdealer & Golden Daze member Benjamin Schwab and features Marina Allen and Sam Burton) started using the term "a Sylvie" to refer to "a song from the past that’s incredible but for whatever reason, is basically unknown," and the group's sound is a sort of homage to lost gems like Matthew's songs, and the recordings of Mad Anthony, the Southern California group that Benjamin's father John Schwab played in during the '70s. 

Now the band are sharing a new single from the EP and their first original composition, a track entitled "Falls on me" that features lead vocals from Allen, whose well-regarded solo debut Candlepower, came out on Fire Records earlier this year.

A gorgeously rendered song that feels as though it could have been airlifted directly out of Laurel Canyon, the track is anchored by a powerful and strikingly nuanced performance from Allen, but was written by Schwab who identifies it as the most personal song on Sylvie's debut.

"A lot of the songs on the EP feel like they're about other people's lives, my experience with them, or a time and place in the past, but this is the one off the EP that is directly about my life and my growth," Schwab explains. "When I was writing 'Falls on me', I was sorting through all these emotions that had built up over the past 5-10 years. Through rel-tionships ending, bridges burning, or whatever it was, I found myself at a place where I felt very distant from the source. 

Repeating similar patterns, being heartbroken over someone over and over again or whatever it was. I found myself really lost to the point where there was really no other place to go but home. The first half of the song explores this feeling, and then 3/4 of the way through the character meets a friend who reminds them of themselves. There is this person who reminds them just enough of who they are so that they can see themselves again or what it would be like to return home, back to the source, to yourself. This song to me is about deliverance and a returning home that took me many years to arrive at. Itʼs sung by Marina Allen, who realy did such an amazing job delivering the sentiment."

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Gustaf - Best Behavior.

Brooklyn’s Gustaf are sharing "Best Behavior", the follow up to the NPR-approved "Book" and second offering from the debut album Audio Drag For Ego Slobs, out October 1st on Royal Mountain Records. A frenetic and suitably buzzing from one of New York’s “hardest working…and most reliably fun bands” (BrooklynVegan), it comes ahead of an extensive of touring throughout the US, UK and Europe that sees them sharing the stage with IDLES, Pillow Queens, and Osees.

Vocalist Lydia Gammill explains, "“Best Behavior” was fun to record because it was one of the first songs we finished/crafted in the studio rather than onstage. It started out as a demo we had in the early days of the band but never ended up playing live. It sat forgotten until we began planning the record and came together pretty effortlessly in the studio." She continues, "Unlike the bulk of the album that we developed over the course of many live shows, it was exciting to be making decisions and constructing the final song as it was happening. It also helped us get our footing and identify how we wanted to steer and produce the remaining recordings."

"The song’s ethos is a bit of the old and the new attitude for Gustaf. Our narrator, the ‘ego slob’, is bargaining with itself, scrounging for self compassion and self assurance despite a pile of hurt feelings in its wake. In demanding spoils despite having done nothing to earn them, we see the initial cracks in a brutish facade— our antihero slowly realizing maybe the shell they built for themselves was not built for the world."

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Holly Wild - British Birds - The Legendary Ten Seconds - Saycouth - Eidetic Dreams - The Spongetones

Holly Wild - Technicolour (Album). Sydney-based indie-pop artist Holly Wild embraces the messiness of life through dreamy guitar, catchy ch...