Showing posts with label Cherry i. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cherry i. Show all posts

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Amber Hotel - Pacifica - Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice - Cherry i

Amber Hotel - Midnight’s Echo.

Enter Amber Hotel. Still flickering, still rising, from the darker corners of modern-day Chicago. If Digital Ghost haunted the wires of broken connection, and Shadowed Face forced you to stare into the mirror you’d rather avoid, then Midnight’s Echo is the sound of being swallowed whole by the dark itself. A song of corridors without exits, whispers without faces, and time slipping through your hands like shattered glass.

This is not comfort. It’s hypnosis. The guitars circle like restless shadows, the bass drags like chains across midnight floors, and the voice drifts between confession and surrender — pulling you deeper with every line. “Every breath feels like a crime / We’re just ghosts against the time.”

Post-punk and darkwave DNA runs through its veins — echoes of Lebanon Hanover, The Cure, She Wants Revenge, Boy Harsher — but warped into Amber Hotel’s own fever dream. Brooding, cinematic, electric, and alive. Midnight’s Echo is chapter four of Amber Hotel’s descent. Another door unlocked. Another step further into the unlit world that waits behind it.

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Pacifica - In Your Face (Album).

Formed in Buenos Aires by Inés Adam and Martina Nintzel, Pacifica have been on a fast, furious rise since transforming their bedroom YouTube covers into a fully-fledged global phenomenon. Blending the gritty immediacy of early-2000s garage rock with the swagger of post-punk and the emotional punch of ‘90s alt, the duo have built a devoted following and a reputation for blistering live shows that channel friendship, chaos, and catharsis in equal measure.

Now, Pacifica return with their highly anticipated sophomore album In Your Face, out now via TAG / The Orchard. The record marks a new era for the Buenos Aires-born duo — one that captures their trademark mix of vulnerability and rebellion with more bite, confidence, and self-awareness than ever before.

“In Your Face is an introspective journey that brushes through themes of heartbreak, betrayal, lust, spite, immaturity, and regret — all with a pinch of humor and light-heartedness,” the band explains. “It’s about cause and consequence. Accepting fate and flaws, realizing some things really are the other person’s fault, falling in love and wanting to jump off a building for someone, learning to be patient, and just living through it — Tokyo streets, Maseratis, vibes.”

The album’s focus track, “Indie Boyz,” is a riff-heavy, tongue-in-cheek ode to late-night indie sleaze — all sweat, irony, and hazy dancefloor nostalgia. The band note that it’s “not to be taken too seriously — just a description of a week of going out almost every night. No poetry, just vibes.” "Indie Boyz" is also a nod to a trendy club in LA called Tenants of the Trees. Other highlights include “Fixer Upper”, a biting reflection on toxic relationships and performative self-destruction, “Just No Fun,” an irresistible, chaotic anthem about knowing you’re self-sabotaging — and doing it anyway, and “What You Doing,” a sharp, emotional spiral set to driving guitars and sardonic wit.

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Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice - Sailboat in the Sky.

Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice have unveiled “Sailboat in the Sky,” the bands hugely anticipated new single. This marks the debut collaboration between Nathan Bryce and songwriter Candace Crockett, blending heartfelt storytelling with Bryce’s soulful edge, creating a sound that’s both timeless and new.

With “Sailboat in the Sky,” Nathan Bryce delivers a laid-back, feel-good blend of Southern soul and his signature honey-bourbon blues-rock, with a modern edge. The vintage soul, swampy grit, punchy drops and sunset-coastal vibe feels both nostalgic and cinematic. It has a hook-laden, sing-along chorus that lingers long after the last note yet it’s more than a song, it’s a breath of freedom, a moment to rise above the noise, and remember what it feels like to be fully alive again.

Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice are known for their energetic blend of classic rock, blues, and southern rock influences, bringing a fresh perspective to the guitar-driven rock tradition. With a line-up featuring Nathan Bryce (guitar and vocals), Dylan Halacy (drums), and Jerry Paswaters (bass and vocals), this Missouri-based trio continues to make waves in the music world. NBLD has been touring the U.S. and internationally for the past 3 years as backing band and supporting act for Australian guitar prodigy Taj Farrant. They are now embarking on their own Tours, bringing their unique blend of Rock N’ Roll, nostalgia and high energy performances to audiences nationwide and beyond.

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Photo - Ramzi Karam
Cherry i - Mistake.

London art-rock group Cherry i return with their new single ‘Mistake’, a magnetic follow-up to previous single ‘The Arsonist’, continuing their collaboration with producer Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Youth Lagoon, Soccer Mommy). Built around an uneasy dialogue between artist and art, ‘Mistake’ captures what vocalist and lyricist Nikol describes as “a relationship with defeat”, embodying the tension of not being able to control what you create.

The track moves from hushed reflection (“I know who I am / I know what I lack”) into something unrestrained, as guitars scrape and shiver over taut percussion. Lyrically, ‘Mistake’ is full of surreal, visceral imagery (“The sun rays are filled with disease / My hopes are lost in you”), with Nikol reflecting on the frustration and compulsion that underpin creative pursuit - her performance leading the song from quiet restraint into full cathartic release.

On the lyrical inspiration behind 'Mistake' - Nikol said: “The idea behind the song is essentially a one way conversation between a person and something inanimate, in this case it is the fraught relationship one can have with music and choosing that as a career path. Wanting to have a sit down conversation with something so opaque and undefinable as art is what inspired the lyrics."


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Tuesday, 19 August 2025

Home Counties - Ant Thomaz - Kramies - Cherry i

Photo - Luca Bailey
Home Counties - New Best Thing.

Home Counties today release their new single 'New Best Thing', a stomping, synth-laced thrill ride and the latest preview of their eagerly awaited second album 'Humdrum', out 24th October via Submarine Cat Records - produced by Al Doyle (of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem).

Written in a rare moment of spontaneity, 'New Best Thing' unspools like a strobe-lit meltdown - half blog-era dance-punk, half indie sleaze fever dream. Synths squelch and guitars stab between swung, danceable rhythms, as vocalists Will Harrison and Lois Kelly skewer the kind of brash self-belief that thrives in a world of instant gratification and blurred moral lines. 

Will Harrison explains: “Inspired by the electroclash of Peaches with the Cowboy-guitar blues rock of Alabama 3, we tried to make something that was fun and immediate – something that wouldn’t feel out of place on a PlayStation 2 driving game. Pairing swung drums and obnoxious synths and guitars, it felt sleazy and swaggering.

"This feeling inspired the lyrical content, capturing the overconfidence that comes from consumption and how society either tolerates it or looks down upon it depending on class. Writing the lyrics and music quickly also added to the general immediacy of the song. It was a rare moment of not allowing ourselves to overthink things, which I guess in a way reflects the carelessness of the subject matter.”


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Ant Thomaz - Feet on the Ground.

Ant Thomaz is a Glasgow-based singer-songwriter and musician with roots from the Bayou of southern Louisiana. Drawing from a vibrant mix of folk, soul, pop, zydeco, and rock, his music carries a raw, lived-in warmth shaped by years of self-taught songwriting since the age of twelve. Known for his heartfelt lyrics and a sound that blends grit with soul, Thomaz weaves personal experience into every note, echoing both his Southern heritage and his journey as an artist.

His latest single, “Feet on the Ground,” is a warm, sincere tribute to real love, written with his wife and creative partner, Frances. The track speaks to the importance of presence, and the power of staying grounded through life’s distractions, worries, and external noise. Opening with the lyric “walking through the rain without even a stain, not knowing anyone’s name…”, the song sets the tone for a reflective journey about choosing peace, clarity, and connection over chaos. It’s a reminder that even when the world feels uncertain, love can be an anchor.

Inspired by their late-night conversations as artists, parents, and partners, Thomaz uses the song to explore what it means to grow in love without losing your sense of joy and self. “Feet on the Ground” is also an expression of gratitude for the strong women who inspire him daily, especially Frances, whose impact on his life and artistry is woven through every lyric. At its core, the song urges us to hold on to our youthful spirit, to slow down, and to honour the everyday beauty of life and love, free from ego or comparison.

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Kramies - Hollywood Signs.

As the summer scurry fades and autumn winds drift eastward, the days grow shorter, the lights dimmer - Kramies makes his timely return. And “Hollywood Signs”, the lead single from an upcoming new LP, is a clear departure in sound for the cult Ohio songwriter. 

Three years after his critically acclaimed self-titled LP—which earned multiple Album of the Year accolades and saw Billboard christen him “The Dreampop Troubadour” - in 2025 Kramies begins anew and turns the page to his next chapter with its follow-up.

Operating in a genre of his own devising that he dubbed Folklore Dreampop - a blend of dreamy textures, poetic myth, and spectral beauty - his self-titled debut offered a collection of songs steeped in wonder that found the singer-songwriter drifting deeply through a series of otherworldly realms. But for his next act, Kramies marks a creative shift from any former labellings with the decisively titled new album: ‘Goodbye Dreampop Troubadour’. 

Seeking to expand his creative world into new dimensions, his upcoming work finds him collaborating with Grammy-winning producer Mario McNulty (David Bowie / Prince) to conjure dusky soundscapes shaded with nighttime colors and a nostalgic melancholia. Unlike previous releases that have been scattered with the stardust of luminaries such Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Patrick Carney (Black Keys), Alma Forrer, Jerry Becker (Train) and more, his new album is a stridently confident solo creation, with Kramies playing 90% of the instruments across the album. 

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Photo - Zosia Kibalo
Cherry i -The Arsonist.

London outfit Cherry i emerge today with their unsettling and cinematic new single ‘The Arsonist’, produced by Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Youth Lagoon, Soccer Mommy). A slow-creeping art-rock dirge that draws from myth and modern conflict, the single reframes harrowing events through a cryptic, surrealist lens: a divine arsonist trapped inside a dog, prowling the streets of Kyiv.

Built on detuned guitars and submerged percussion, ‘The Arsonist’ drifts through the liminal space between The Smile’s unsettling surrealism and King Krule’s shadowy melancholy, with glints of Portishead’s brooding atmosphere and Beth Gibbons’ fragile intensity. The result is vivid and enigmatic - anchored by singer Nikol’s spectral delivery, her voice carrying a distinctive, quivering lilt that shifts between whisper and lament.

On the release of 'The Arsonist' Nikol said: “The lyrics came out of a very tough time. I wanted to take a fairy tale or Greek myth-style approach to something too difficult to look at head-on. Some of our band members are Ukrainian refugees, so the song became a way to process those feelings, by creating distance without losing the truth. It revolves around themes of processing the trauma of war, displacement and loss. The lyrics themselves take on a more vague approach consisting of a fairytale-like reimagining of events wherein The Arsonist is this Greek god type destructive force, trapped inside a dog wreaking havoc on the streets of Kyiv."


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Celestial Bums - The Brook & The Bluff - KiKi Holli & The Remedy - Cut Flowers - The Legal Matters

Celestial Bums - The Letters. Shoegaze warmth and dream pop elegance converge in Celestial Bums’ “The Letters” Barcelona’s Celestial Bums ...