Lung - Velvet Flare - Johnny Payne - Value Void

Lung - Butcher.

Background - 'All the King’s Horses' marks a shift from Lung’s first album, Bottom of the Barrel. The content was largely influenced by the band’s experiences from their national tours. “We’re excited that it [the new album] is going to be out of our heads and into the world.” Wakefield explains, “The album reflects what we (Daisy, Rachelle, and me) have experienced as a band touring around this confusing and awesome country. It is a snapshot of what we have seen, lived-through, and what’s been shared with us. The record aims to take you on a journey of personal and shared struggles and goes to some pretty vulnerable places. I hope that people listening to the record get some sort of cathartic release by the end of it.”

Sonically the album has a dark, biting edge. Kate Wakefield (vocals, cello) and Daisy Caplan (drums) have developed a powerful, sinister sound created from total immersion into music culture and life on the road. Thematically, the record has a wide range, with songs directly confronting issues of consent such as “Brock” and “All the King’s Horses” in addition to more fantastical narratives of reality as in “Spiders” and a few pointed anti-love songs.  The art for Lung directly reflects these intense experiences. Their artist, Rachelle Caplan, interprets the music visually in real-time as songs are being written and consistently tours with the band.

Lung, which formed in April of 2016 and includes Daisy Caplan on drums, has played over 250 shows to date. Known for their live shows, they are looking forward to returning to the West Coast, hitting spots old and new. “I’m excited to play places we’ve never been before, to see every part of this country,” says Daisy. The two are not new to the road. Both have performed in multiple touring projects. Kate has been writing and performing solo since 2014. Daisy was a core member of the prolific rock band, Foxy Shazam and feminist punk band, Babe Rage.

When asked about what we can expect for the next record, Wakefield hinted at heavier thematic material. “This next record is going to bring something different. A lot has happened in the world since our first release (Bottom of the Barrel, Spring 2017) and this album reflects that intensity.” Tracks from All the King’s Horses show a maturation in the band’s songwriting and an evolution in content. There is a more demanding and provocative edge to the record that illustrates undeniable feelings of paranoia and unease with the onset of the Trump presidency. “We were in Texas during the election. Nobody could believe it. We were playing small towns and big cities alike. The feeling was intense; a new ‘uncomfortable normal’ began to take over,” said Wakefield on the experience. WEBSITE.

Taken from the duos brand new 'All The Kings Horses' album released this week we have 'Butcher'. Lung are a potent musical pairing, the instrumental choice adding natural individuality, and the vocals delivering plenty of attitude and emotion, this is passionate and feisty.


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Velvet Flare - My Femme Fatale.

Background - Following the release of their first album Worlds Apart in 2017, Velvet Flare announce the release of their second album Despair and Desire, which includes the latest single My Femme Fatale.

My Femme Fatale is inspired by classic 1940s/50s Film Noir. A seductive woman persuades her new lover to kill her husband for financial gain, but she ultimately betrays that lover. This dark theme is punctuated by humour with lyrics such as: “Got you what you wanted - Got his money and a room with a view - I lost my moral compass - When you asked if I could ‘just shoot him too’ - Shoot him too? Well, what else could I do?”

Despair and Desire includes the previously released single Ms Fox, which was reviewed by Beehive Candy: “.... ‘Ms Fox’ is another very impressive song. Mixing pop and indie rock vibes, the production is distinct and the gentle melody is full of hooks, in what is a top quality piece”. Ms Fox is the personification of Fox Glacier, NZ and the song is a lament for global warming.

Despair and Desire is primarily a collection of songs about relationships in various states of disintegration or buoyant aspiration. The album was recorded and engineered by Slade Gibson at Slade Gibson Audio, The Gap, Brisbane.

The release of their first album Worlds Apart in 2017 included the singles 6th of June, Animal (Arun Kendall in Backseatmafia: “Straight out of Brisbane and seemingly via the tenements of London comes Velvet Flare with Animal, a visceral, angry stab of glam rock that has all the hallmarks of an Antipodean Suede. Singer Paul English has a soaring voice, complete with eviscerating lyrics, that moves effortlessly into a falsetto…… a refreshing blast of unadorned indie guitar music with all the necessary posturing and sneer any good rock song should have”.) and Ice Age (which was No. 22 in Tomatrax Top 100 Songs of 2017). These singles and the album track The Brightest Light have all had airplay in Australia, England and Europe, and the USA. FACEBOOK.

Our third musical share for Velvet Flare comes in the form of their latest single 'My Femme Fatale'. The duel vocals really work well on this song, at times almost duelling rather than harmonising, doing so above a vibrant rocking backdrop.

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Johnny Payne - Never Stop Learning To Love.

Background - I began writing Never Stop Learning To Love on an escalator in a mall in Spain. The mall had about ten floors and by the time I got to the top I had a verse and a chorus. All that was at the top was a restaurant so I went back down.

The song is a reminder to myself to always practice tolerance and acceptance amidst chaos, the way children do. It’s about as psychedelic as I get in my writing. Not the Jimi Hendrix, Sgt Pepper version of Psychedelia, but the Brian Wilson, Disney version.

I always subscribed more to that: The idea that psychedelia isn’t entirely about drugs, but rather about a return to childlike innocence through purity of mind and a reverence for the natural world. For this reason, we felt it appropriate to shoot the video on the same beach where I spent so much time as a kid, just running around with a dog. It seemed to say everything about the song.

I recorded my upcoming solo EP with Tennis at their home studio in Denver and recruited Beach House drummer James Barone for the studio sessions. TWITTER.

Our second song from Johnny Payne is the gorgeous 'Never Stop Learning To Love'. Understated psychedelic vibes pour out, with some timeless sixties charm and fabulous hooks, this is instant replay material, and some.


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Value Void - Teen For Him.

Background - London trio Value Void share the third single, "Teen For Him", from their debut album Sentimental, due out on 26 October via Tough Love, released on limited edition green vinyl, CD and download. Last week the band played their first ever BBC6 Music session for Tom Ravenscroft. They will play an album launch show at The Stag's Head in London on 1 November.

Marta Zabala from the band explains more about the "'Teen for Him' was written in Buenos Aires ages ago, probably 2015 whilst Paz and I were working as assistants in a Social Gaming Company. It's a childish song about those moments when someone is having a personal crisis and are overcome by some weird infatuation, where the object of their desire has nothing to do with them. Like filling a gap."

This follows the singles "Babeland" and "Back In The Day." The album is instantly affecting, with an ease and clarity that suits the elegance of the lyrics: coded love songs and cool reflections on life which are all the more vulnerable and touching sung in Paz Maddio's lilting, ultrachromatic voice - a ceramic-sharp diagonal transatlantic on a pure open tone, with subtle waves of vibrato at its top end. It's a particular heart breaker on tracks such as “Babeland” and “Dead Ladies Lament”. BANDCAMP.

Having already featured the first two singles from Value Void 'Teen For Him' makes it three and does so with class. The bands individual and delectable sound is all apparent, the vocals slipping into pure London accent at times is charming, the album 'Sentimental' is now a must hear asap!

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Join The Riot - Velvet Flare - The Lonely Biscuits - No Alarms - Erin Pellnat

Join The Riot - Fantasies.

Background - Swedish indie band Join The Riot are celebrating the new year with releasing their brand new five-track EP, “Echo”. The first single, ’Pretenders’, has already been rotating on Swedish radio P3 and picked up by Spotify playlists such as Indie Radar.

 "Echo" EP will take you on a voyage deeper into the core soul of the band, immersing in various landscapes, from dreamy arena pop in “Fantasies” and “Bonsoir” to dark epic singer-songwriter ballads like ’Echo’ and ’X My Heart’.

The five Stockholmians Henrik Ljungqvist (vocals), Jonas Engdahl (bass), Simon Santunione (drums), Andre Sund (guitar) and Patrik Berg-Almkvith (keys) met in school and started playing together in 2013 with a vision to make great pop and rock music, inspired by childhood heroes Phoenix, early Coldplay and Empire of the Sun to mention a few. In four years Join The Riot has released their debut album, one EP and several singles, including a feature in the Scandinavian Volkswagen commercial. The energetic indie band has often spiced up their releases working with quite unorthodox methods to find their listeners, sending carrot threats to the media, recording albums in a glass-cage and embarking on crazy China tours.

When Simon has been touring with Zara Larsson the band has played with the backup drummer Leo Sund, who's also Andre’s twin brother. With the original line up, Leo has taken on the percussions instead, making the riot grow even further.Their infectious sound of sunny melodies has started to build a solid fan base around the world and we think it's just a matter of time before Join The Riot gets the global recognition their music truly deserves. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The first of five tracks on the new EP is 'Fantasies' a rich and expansive sounding track. Synths and refined vocals alongside a tight rhythm come together to create a high calibre dream pop song. The band can and do explore other directions across the EP, their overall sound however, remains consistent and pleasing.

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Velvet Flare - Ms Fox.

Background - Following the release of their retro-inspired debut album Worlds Apart last year, Australian rock band Velvet Flare have released the first single from their forthcoming second album. The single is called Ms Fox.

The Ms Fox of the title is a personification of the melting Fox Glacierof New Zealand; the song a lament against global warming.

Velvet Flare consists of Paul English (lead vocals, guitar), Patrick Kennedy (piano, keyboards, backing vocals), Paul ‘Shep’ Shepherd (lead guitar, backing vocals), Graeme Smith (bass) and Plato (drums). 

They have worked with producer Slade Gibson who has also played various instruments on recorded tracks. FACEBOOK.

We featured Velvet Flare back in May of last year and the new song 'Ms Fox' is another very impressive song. Mixing pop and indie rock vibes, the production is distinct and the gentle melody is full of hooks, in what is a top quality piece.


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The Lonely Biscuits - Blue Glass.

Background - Nashville indie-rock trio The Lonely Biscuits release "Blue Glass", the first single off their debut full-length record The Universe In You, out March 30 via Soundly Music. The Lonely Biscuits have released two EPs to date, the most recent being The San Francisco EP which included their hit single "Talk About" and a fantastic cover of Liz Phair's "Never Said".

After establishing that alt-rock sound in The San Francisco EP, The Lonely Biscuits teamed with Cage The Elephant guitarist Nick Bockrath to produce “Blue Glass”, a driving anthem with creative production that mixes fuzzed out rock with hints of motown esque percussion. "Blue Glass" coincides with the launch of the independent zine, Ordinary Thoughts, curated by lead singer Grady Wenrich.

Grady was inspired by all of the art happening around him from his friends like Cyle and Cain Barnes of The Weeks, Ian Bush of Diarrhea Planet, Grant Gustafson of Blank Range, Mackenzie Howe of The Wild Reeds, Aaron Martin and Kole Sharp of Okey Dokey, Liza Anne, Becca Mancari, Wrenne Evans and more. He wanted to put something together to document this and share with his friends and community.

The Lonely Biscuits formed in August 2011 at Belmont University, where Wenrich and Sam Gidley were roommates and bassist Nick Byrd lived on the same floor. They first started gaining attention on college campuses around the country while they were still students themselves. Since, they've played on numerous festival stages such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Hangout Fest, Austin City Limits, LouFest and SXSW. In 2013, MTVu named The Lonely Biscuits “College Artist of the Year”. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'Blue Glass' is a very catchy indie rocker with a melodic feel throughout and choruses that are almost anthem like. There is a simmering level of power beneath the surface of this song that suggests the band could explode into a full on rock crescendo at any given moment.


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No Alarms - Right is What's Left.

Background - "'Right Is What's Left' is ​​about the little lies we tell each other to paint a false picture of ourselves. Especially early in a relationship or a friendship, before the veneer wears off, we sometimes try to convey a character that we think the other person wants to see, instead of just conveying ourselves.​ ​This is about ​​realizing that the only way to genuinely connect and move forward in a relationship is to convey your actual self and let the other person form their own picture of you​ ​based on that.​ ​" - No Alarms on "Right Is What's Left"

After nearly an entire decade of searching for the ideal sound to share with the world, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Boles made the most important move of his life by relocating to Detroit to bring his music-career to the next level in 2016. Boles decided to shift away from solo-life to a five-piece band, taking on the incredible talents of 4 up and coming Detroit local musicians into the official lineup to play the songs live. Immediately discovering the depths of the bond between them – the songs Boles had written never sounded better; the high-energy melodies and dynamically transformative, wild, synth-drenched indie-pop music of No Alarms became the realized version of its intentions & ambitions.

"What's Right Is Left" is the first single from No Alarms's forthcoming EP, which was self-recorded in both Texas and Detroit, and mixed and mastered by a legend in the industry, Sefi Carmel​ (​Phil Collins, Massive Attack​). The EP conveys the struggles of getting through to friends with serious addictions, codependency, and finally, the overwhelming hope of getting through to the other side. FACEBOOK.

Potent synths and feisty guitars come together to provide a robust backdrop for 'Right is What's Left'. The vocals have a measure of angst and emotion to them, giving the song some real edge.

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Erin Pellnat - Neighborhood Boys.

Background - “Neighborhood Boys,”  a song about falling in love with a guy on a bus — but he just gets off at his stop and leaves you with the neighborhood boys....

Erin Pellnat is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter whose lovely voice can be tender as well as forceful, but always completely expressive and intimate. BANDCAMP.

It was back in December 2016 that we were introduced to Erin Pellnat at that time she had just released her 'Dream in Color' EP a collection of songs that impressed me big time!

It's a pleasure to be able to share her brand new tune 'Neighborhood Boys' where once again the vocals are distinct and engaging. Gentle and melodic and with charming lyrics, lets hope it's not to long a wait for some more tunes from Erin.

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Beauty Sleep - Carrington MacDuffie - Velvet Flare - The Peace Life - Munroe

Beauty Sleep - All In.

Background - Beauty Sleep are back and have just played their first UK shows at The Great Escape Festival last week. To support, the dream pop 3-piece have a new single ready here called All In.

Turns out the tales are true and one can quite simply never have enough beauty sleep, especially when it’s in the form of a dreamy pop three-piece. Beauty Sleep were born after a bonding session ft. fridge magnets, rude words and a lot of G&T’s (creatives eh) and just one year down the line are giving Belfast another name (on top of Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club and Pleasure Beach) to shout about.

All In when it comes to their upcoming debut EP “Nature Will Eat Me”. “All In” see’s us met straight away with the serene synths we have grown to expect from the trio which, although shockingly somehow manage to seem enough alone, are joined shortly by a pop-meets-indie-and-gets-on-very-well drumbeat and keys. Skip to the chorus and prepare to be hooked, quite literally. With a melody and lyrics highlighting yet again Beauty Sleep’s ‘Sparkling Songwriting’ and guitars reminiscent of Fickle Friends, expect a hook that could challenge even the best of pop ‘hey’s. Facebook here.

'All In' has a vibrant dream pop vibe, where melodies, vocals and harmonies all compete for our attention. For me it's a case of attention gained and I'm loving it!

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Carrington MacDuffie - Rock Me To Mars.

Background - Carrington MacDuffie recently released her latest EP, Rock Me To Mars. The six-tracks were all produced by Rob Halverson, and recorded at his Halversonics studio in Austin. A multi-genre artist, Carrington describes her music “electronic Americana,” while reviewers have called it “alt-cabaret.”

Carrington wrote the songs for Rock Me To Mars on ukulele and keyboards, and plays both acoustic and electric ukulele on the EP. In addition to producing, Rob also plays multiple synths, baritone, bass, guitar, hammered dulcimer, and accordion on the tracks. They were joined on various tracks by Thor Harris on drums, Daniel Jones on drums, and Paul Klemperer on saxophone.

Rock Me To Mars features more electronic influences than her previous recordings, utilizing filters, synths, and voice modulation.

“I’m fascinated with electricity, and how it can be manipulated to make sound,” says Carrington. “I like experimenting with unconventional ways of integrating electronic sounds into my music.”

The title track, “Rock Me to Mars,” is a love letter – of sorts – to a guitarist… but keep in mind Carrington says, “it seems like I always fall in love with every musician I ever played with. It just translates for me that romance and making music are practically interchangeable.” Website here, Facebook here.

'Rock Me To Mars' gives a good feel for the EP. Title track and one of six, it typifies the meeting of natural Americana and electronic sounds, the latter complementing and adding to the songs, rather than dominating. The result is a melodic and desirable EP produced to a high standard.


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Velvet Flare - Ice Age.

Background - Following the release of the singles “6th of June” and “Animal”, Brisbane rock band Velvet Flare announce the release of their latest single “Ice Age” from their forthcoming EP, Archetypes. 

“Ice Age” is a modern tragedy. A girl, who likes her ecstasy, meets a boy whose new drug of choice is crystal meth. In a moment of violence he kills her. The haunting refrain in the outro: “It looks like she showed him now” is pure irony and sadly cynical. “Ice Age” was recorded, mixed and mastered by Slade Gibson at Slade Gibson Music studio, The Gap, Brisbane.

Velvet Flare was formed by Paul English. He writes the music and lyrics, sings vocals, plays the guitars, and some keyboards. Patrick Kennedy plays piano and most keyboard parts. Patrick also provides live Background Vocals. Slade Gibson is a studio only member of Velvet Flare. He has written and played bass, occasional guitar solos and keyboards parts, and has programmed drums. Slade mixed and mastered the songs. 

‘Ice Age’ is in in Digital Stores now, The Archetypes EP by Velvet Flare will be released 9th of June 2017. Facebook here.

It would be easy to draw comparisons with other artists with Velvet Flare, however for me, at least they are some of the finest. 'Ice Age' is full of hooks and has something of an eighties vibe to it, alongside a more modern, richer production quality.


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The Peace Life - Ethenogen.

Background - The Peace Life are a married couple from Minneapolis, Minnesota who have already established their unique brand of euphoric Folk music through the independent release of two albums and a single.

Their latest album 'Jupiter Beach' features seven original tracks with cover artwork designed and hand-painted by Tessa. Jack plays the majority of instruments on the album, including rhythm and lead guitar, drums, percussion and saxophone.

The Peace Life strive to spread positive and peaceful vibrations through their potent blend of retro Folk Rock, Jazz and World Music with a modern twist. 

With a knack for mind-bending, poetical and meaningful lyrics, O’Connor’s songwriting delves into the mystical cosmos, influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, John Lennon, Elliott Smith, King Tubby, Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Facebook here.

From the 'Jupiter Beach' album we have 'Ethenogen'. I love the above description of their music as "euphoric folk" as it has stopped me from trying to come up with a decent enough expression. Take that as their musical anchor point, The Peace Life have a long chain and can drift comfortably into other genres and styles.

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Munroe - Oblivion.

Background - Following her self-titled EP, Munroe has announced the forthcoming release of her debut full length Oblivion - out June 16, 2017. Sonically influenced by spaghetti westerns and 60s film scores, the artist also cites the presence and intimacy of vocalists such as Vashti Bunyan and Angel Olsen as musical inspiration. Along with the announce comes the release of the LP’s title track.

Munroe says of the track, “‘Oblivion’ is a confessional, or an exploration of confession. I'd been thinking about a whack of material that deals with that territory - some kind of rupture in the space between private and public selves.” She cites crime stories such as ‘The Jinx’ and ‘Serial’ as examples. “I think there's something interesting about a kamikaze instinct; the way we get compelled to do things that are identifiably bad. I had this idea of someone pleading a case for their own damnation, listing all the bad things they'd done, bargaining with a void, and the image of that conversation is what I was playing with here.”

Born in Hamilton, ON, the artist now splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles both acting and making music. Michael Keire (co-producer), Benjamin Munoz , and Anthony Carone (Arkells) were all collaborators on this new record and helped Munroe fully develop her ideas into the final 8 vulnerable and confessional tracks. Facebook here.

Haunting and atmospheric from the beginning, 'Oblivion' is a beautifully crafted song. As a teaser for her debut album, it sets expectations high, that said a song half this good will still be wonderful.

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