Joy Autumn - The Kut - Odetta Hartman

Joy Autumn - Brave.

Background - Brave is her poppiest song to date and possibly her best. Her chamber-esque, Kate Bush influenced voice is still front and center, but the instrumentation, full of synths and drum machines, is intriguing and the chorus, incredibly catchy. 

Written as a personal pep talk during a dark period of depression, the song ultimately became something larger—an encouragement to confront your fears, to be honest about your experiences, to reach out for help and take tremendous leaps of faith like approaching a love-interest or chasing your dreams.

“I wrote Brave when I was feeling so depressed I could hardly get out of bed. I forgot why I created music in the first place and Brave was written as a personal pep talk to myself. Depression is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, but is not something that I’ve talked about publicly, until this song. 

If I can help one person become inspired, despite their obstacles, to get out of bed, take a chance, and continue to chase after what they love, then I feel like making this record was all worth it." WEBSITE.

We shared 'Go' from Joy Autumn back at the end of May and the new song 'Brave' is equally inspiring. Once again her vocals are just so appealing and feel very personal. With some refined melodic hooks and a musical backdrop that ebbs and flows in harmony with her voice, this really is one delightful tune.


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The Kut - Hollywood Rock n Roll.

Background - The Kut debut album has landed entries at No. #7 in the UK Rock Album Chart, No. #6 in the UK Indie Breakers Album Chart & No. #18 in the UK Indie Albums Chart.  This was after a mid-week sales bulletin, putting the album at No. #136 in the Multi-Genre Chart. The debut album 'Valley of Thorns' has been released alongside a string of headline tour dates, with vinyl 12 inch to follow their 22 date U.K. Album Launch Party Tour.

Rock category Finalist of the UK Songwriting Contest 2017 and Semi-Finalist of the International Songwriting Competition, The Kut, is the alter-ego of multi-instrumentalist and PhD Graduate, Princess Maha. Live, The Kut is a three-piece, featuring Diana Bartmann (drums) and Stella Vie (bass / BVs).  Active on the UK and European alt.rock scene, festival performances in the last year have included Download Festival, Camden Rocks Festival, Rebellion Festival, Hard Rock Hell, Amplified Festival, Nice N Sleazy and Strummercamp among others. Meanwhile, tours have spanned the UK, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

2017 was a significant year for The Kut. They featured as one of Kerrang! Magazine's Breakthrough Acts of the year, while 'The Kut EP' was released on 500 limited edition picture discs for Record Store Day 2017, also featuring at number 4 in Kerrang! Magazines Top 10 Record Store Day Releases, alongside Baby Metal and Gerard Way. The summer saw The Kut playing over 50 UK mainland dates, and the year ended with the band claiming the Number 1 Spot in the Beyond 50 Promotions Top 50 Under the Radar UK Bands.                 

2018 has seen a worldwide record deal announced with Cargo Records for the long-awaited debut album, 'Valley of Thorns'. Produced by James LeRock Loughrey (Skindred / Def Leppard / White Zombie / My Vitriol) the debut sees some of the live favourites heard on The Kut tours, and was released back in May. WEBSITE.

'Hollywood Rock n Roll' mixes some classic punk attitude with a truck load of full on, no nonsense guitar rock. The trio are powerful, potent and feisty, with the new video adding some LA vibes to the song.


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Odetta Hartman - You You.

Background - NYC artist Odetta Hartman releases her new album 'Old Rockhounds Never Die' through Memphis Industries on 10th August. Odetta has now released a new track taken from the album. 'You You' is an effusive love song to her partner, Jack, as Odetta explains: "This song illuminates the fuzzy feelings of first love. We've been blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world, exploring & playing music together. From rainbows & waterfalls in Iceland, to Medieval medinas in Morocco, we have climbed mountains & crossed rivers, blossoming our love along the way.”

'Old Rockhounds Never Die' is a bonanza of beautiful contradictions: intimate yet fiercely internationalist, spiritual and yet tangible, sweet and also sexy. It convenes with the ghosts of the past while marching relentlessly forwards. Drawn from experiences as far-flung as riding a train from San Francisco to Chicago with an old-style, rootin'-tootin' cowboy for company ('Cowboy Song'), to experiencing the intense natural beauty of Icelandic waterfalls ('Dettifoss'), it’s a record that taps into the musical traditions of the past while being a collection of songs about living in the moment.

Raised by pioneering parents on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC, Odetta’s milieu was a “colourful culture of artistry,” that included early exposure to community activism, renegade film screenings, poetry readings and trips to CBGB's. Inchoate punk and hip hop were aural wallpaper, as were the 45s spinning in the household jukebox featuring her dad’s extensive collection of soul and afrobeat records, as well as her Appalachian mother’s classic country selections. A classically trained violinist with a penchant for back-porch banjo, Odetta combines these variegated sounds of her childhood with her personal passion for folk music and the musicological legacy of Alan Lomax. Lomax is writ large on 'Old Rockhounds...' at least in spirit anyway. Odetta plays all the instruments on this and her debut '222'.

And yet, 'Old Rockhounds Never Die' also embraces modernity without ever sounding incongruous. It’ll probably not surprise anyone listening to the album then that it's a co-production. Odetta writes and performs all the songs while her partner Jack Inslee is in the background bringing the digital dark arts. Experimenting with found sounds & foley, the two have developed a sonic vernacular built around playing around with a-typical instruments. FACEBOOK.

Having already featured 'Sweet Teeth' and 'Widow's Peak' in June and July, it makes perfect sense to round things off ahead of the new album with 'You You' this month. That "Cowboy Soul" sound is once again lurking around, as Odetta Hartman carves out a glorious niche, doing so in a grand and irresistible manner.

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Michael Nau and the Mighty Thread - Dot Dash - Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease

Michael Nau and the Mighty Thread - When.

Background - Michael Nau will release his new, full band album ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ through Full Time Hobby on 3rd August. ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ is the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed album ‘Some Twist’ and its extension ‘The Load’ EP.

Following the release of singles 'Less Than Positive', 'Funny In Real Life'  and 'You You', the band have now shared a video for album track 'When'. “The video is just a bunch of old (public-domain) home movie footage that I liked and I’ve been trying to assemble in different ways,” says The Mighty Thread drummer and 'When' video creator Graeme Gibson. “Good people moments. I found that editing visuals is a bit different than audio so I enlisted the help of an experienced documentary editor Emilee Booher to put the footage to good use.”

“There was a musical language that we created; something without a guiding pattern that you could really just jump into and see where things could go,” Michael Nau says of the process of recording ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’. He’s wildly poetic, especially when recounting his dedication to music, and the work that led to this particular collection of delicately passionate songs. “These things became the vehicle by which we traveled, giving us reason to spend most of our lives in a van of uncertainty.”

The sprawling new album was recorded in guitarist Benny Yurco’s one-bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington, Vermont. Nau and his collaborators had a cool little set up going in Yurco’s spot — drums and bass took over the bedroom, the guitar amp in the bathroom, Nau’s vocals and piano in the living room, and a vibraphone in the kitchen. It’s the first time one of Nau’s records happened all in one place, and “it feels most like a band record than ever before”. Nau and this particular group of musicians held it down together as a true team, which is why Nau named the record in their honour. FACEBOOK.

We have already featured 'Less Than Positive' and 'Funny In Real Life' and without hesitation the inclusion of the album track 'When' makes it three songs this year from Michael Nau and The Mighty Thread. It's another refined song, catchy from the opening moments, the bands natural Americana feel is there, along with something of a classic sixties vibe. The video works so well, adding a vintage dimension that complements the musics overall feel.


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Dot Dash - Proto Retro (Album).

Background - Dot Dash’s new album Proto Retro, the band’s sixth long player, is out now on The Beautiful Music.  It’s the label’s 42nd release. Proto Retro was recorded at Inner Ear and The Bastille in Arlington, Virginia and produced by Geoff Sanoff (Lloyd Cole, Darlene Love, Television.)

Coming off of 2016’s amped-up, fuzzed-out Searchlights, the 12 track Proto Retro sees Dot Dash taking a poppier, janglier direction but one that retains the punky, garagey energy that has marked the band’s previous releases.

Dot Dash is a Washington D.C.-based trio -- Terry Banks (guitar & vocals), Hunter Bennett (bass), and Danny Ingram (drums.)  Ex-bands within the Dot Dash orbit include power-poppy indie rockers Julie Ocean;  harDCore pioneers Youth Brigade and The Untouchables;  indiepoppers The Saturday People, Tree Fort Angst, Glo-Worm, and St. Christopher; plus Swervedriver and Strange Boutique.

Along the way, Dot Dash has played shows with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Richard Lloyd (ex-Television), The B-52s, The Monochrome Set, The Psychedelic Furs, The Chameleons, The Dickies, Ash, Hugh Cornwell (ex-Stranglers), The Clientele, Stiff Little Fingers, The Godfathers, The Bats, Ian Hunter (ex-Mott The Hoople), The Fleshtones, Urge Overkill, Glen Matlock (ex-Sex Pistols), The Drums, Ultimate Painting, The Trashcan Sinatras, Sylvain Sylvain (ex-New York Dolls), Drivin'n'Cryin, Frankie Rose, Tommy Keene, The Empty Hearts, Wussy, Matt Pond PA, Moon Duo, Terry Malts, Soulside, Jack Grisham (TSOL), Wax Idols, Chris Stamey (ex-dB’s), Allo Darlin', The Supersuckers, Adam Franklin (Swervedriver), X___X, The Explorers Club, D.O.A., Elf Power, Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), Eternal Summers & lots of other rocking combos. TWITTER.

Commencing with 'Unfair Weather' a two minute blast of garage rock, the album 'Proto Retro' does indeed see the trio include some notable jangle pop sensibilities alongside plenty of "play me again" hooks across the album. We featured Dot Dash once before back in January 2017, with a track from each of the five previous albums, having spoken highly of them on that occasion, let's just say that album number six, ups the stakes even further (and some!).

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Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease - Polaroids On The Floor.

Background - The new single Polaroids On The Floor, is another joyfully raucous cut from their new album Catholic School, which is coming out September 7th.

Their new album Catholic School is so steeped in dad-rock influence (and lots of sax) that it’s wearing a Members Only jacket and trying to get a job working for the city. The album’s also a joint release between Burnt Toast Vinyl and The Giving Groove, who will be donating half of ALL profits to Rock To The Future, a 501(c)3 organization that provides music education for Philadelphia’s underserved youth, at no cost to them or their families. Rock to the Future aims to empower individuals and strengthen communities through programs that ignite passion and creativity, support academic achievement, and improve self-esteem... definitely a great cause to get behind!

Joey Sweeney is a Philadelphia-based songwriter who has been writing songs and prose since in the 1980s. His songs and records have received widespread critical acclaim over the years; of his last record with The Trouble With Sweeney, Fishtown Briefcase. 

Joey Sweeney’s songwriting draws inspiration from sources as disparate as 1970s Philly nightlife folklore and Denis Johnson’s The Incognito Lounge. In their new songs, chiming guitars, classic rock sax solos and rainy bedroom Velvet Underground listening sessions all blend together. In these songs are little stories of triumph over dirty circumstance and grace under pressure, with the friendship of an urban family “street band” woven throughout. BANDCAMP.

'Polaroids On The Floor' is our second feature for the new album following 'And Soon' back in June. With plenty of passion in the vocals and an upbeat and positive musical backdrop, the song is something of a classic soul, fused with rock and roll epic!

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Alex Arpino - Johnny Payne

Alex Arpino- I Remember You (Dancing with the Devil).

Background - Alex Arpino has had a rich history in Perth music, with a decade fronting indie pop purveyors The Autumn Isles behind him, he has now set out on a solo escapade by releasing his debut self-tilted record - also to receive a hometown launch this September 1.

Following on from first taster Space Ghost (In a Puppet), current single I Remember You (Dancing with the Devil) heralds an open playing field and showcases not only his songwriter prowess, but Arpino's skills as a producer. Written and recorded in his studio, Alex Arpino handles all instrumental and vocal duties with help from Malcolm Clark (The Sleepy Jackson) on drums and has pieced together an infectious set of songs balancing the line between new wave and psych pop.

A creative force, Alex Arpino has been described as a renaissance man, whether it’s producing large scale urban art murals and delicate portrait work or constructing records, his depth of artistry and attention to detail consistently shines through. On the conclusion of The Autumn Isles in 2015, Alex spent the next few years working on a list of songs that connects to his childhood, the wide-eyed years of discovering the joy of pop music.

As a lyricist he has historically painted pictures in metaphor and existential themes. This work has been far more autobiographical, recollections of lost love, childhood hopes and adolescent adventures. There is a cinematic quality here, no more apparent than with Bright Lights Disaster, a haunting song that suggests a dystopian scene with a longing for connection and solace. Melodies and Self Deprivation a song presented across several acts, a lush foot note to the personal challenges faced in the lead up to the production of this ambitious album. FACEBOOK.    

The vocals are distinct, energised and totally melodic on 'I Remember You' a clever, upbeat and very catchy pop/rocker. The video is fun and fits perfectly alongside the song, both are arranged and produced to a high standard.


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Johnny Payne - Lazy Love.

Background - Craving an escape from the endless parade of yoga mats and craft beer culture that defines my native Vancouver, I accepted the invitation of Pat Riley and Alaina Moore (of indie heavyweights Tennis) to record in their home studio in Denver, Colorado. We traded instruments and ideas, and with Beach House drummer James Barone in tow, I came out the other side with the solo EP Johnny, out September 28th.

Lazy Love is just something that came when there was nothing much on my mind. It breezed in one morning and landed on my piano. Just a couple of chords for the melody to dance around on.

There is nothing wrong with being lazy. Especially in love it is a virtue. I finished the song very quickly and made a demo which I sent to Pat and Alaina because it reminded me of them. I suppose that was the birth of this little EP. 

For the video, we just wanted to film an honest performance of the song with me at the piano in a white suit. But as the day of shooting dragged on I decided to have a few drinks and I ended up, inadvertently, making the whole scene extra schmaltzy. So where I was going for a sincere John Lennon I think I wound up with more of a drunken Liberace. Fortunately, it suits the song better. I knew from the start that I wanted Alaina to appear at the end like that. Two Alaina angels on my shoulders. TWITTER.

Opening with a striking piano and vocal arrangement 'Lazy Love' gently builds into a melodic and dreamy song that oozes charm. The addition of a soaring guitar ups the power, without interrupting the gorgeous vibe this piece creates. 


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Sophie Morgan - Whyte Horses - Beck Pete

Sophie Morgan - Sons & Daughters.

Background - Twenty one-year-old singer-songwriter Sophie Morgan has announced her second EP Sons & Daughters will be released on 21st September, with the lead title track Sons & Daughters, out now.

Born in Liverpool and raised in Rainhill and Widnes, Sophie began playing piano aged 6 and wrote her first songs aged 9. Brought up on an early musical education of Nick Drake and Van Morrison, and later introduced to Joni Mitchell and Carole King, Sophie released her first singles Marionette and Quietly in 2016. She followed these with the release of her debut EP Annie and lead single Hey Annie last year, alongside a UK and European tour with The Waterboys, whose track The Whole Of The Moon features on the Annie EP.

Sons & Daughters was written in the same afternoon as previous single Hey Annie, with The Verve’s Simon Jones and Davide Rossi (Goldfrapp, Coldplay, The Verve). It is an emotive folk song which fully showcases Sophie’s warm delicate vocal, building to a gorgeous melody that pulls you in close like a welcome embrace. Sophie says;

“The song itself is quite simple in its nature. I think it had been something I was thinking about for a while... that we are all just somebody's son or daughter. I think remembering that can be quite reassuring. The song is a sort of rejoice, that regardless of the different lives we lead, we all begin and end at the same place.” WEBSITE.

Intimate and personal sounding from the very beginning 'Sons & Daughters' is a subtle, melodic and captivating modern folk song. The musical backdrop is creative as instruments weave around each other, and Sophie Morgans vocals glide beautifully above.

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Whyte Horses - Never Took the Time.

Background - Manchester psych-pop outfit Whyte Horses today release their first ever official video.  Alongside director/producer/editor James Slater, the band have created an accompanying video for ‘Never Took The Time’.   Filled with shimmery, wistful, 60s pop hues, ‘Never Took The Time’ features Leonore Wheatley and Mélanie Pain on vocals.  Written by Dom Thomas and recorded by Mike Burnham at Buzz Studios, it is taken from the bands latest ‘Empty Words’ album (released via CRC records in March 2018).

The video is released just a few weeks before members of The Go! Team will join The Whyte Horses Experience (alongside La Roux, Badly Drawn Boy, Melanie Pain and St Barts Choir) at their huge multi-media, special guest-laden headline show at Royal Festival Hall on September 13th.

Talking about the show, Dom Thomas describes the Whyte Horses Experience. “We approach each gig as stand-alone event in which we attempt to bring together all of our favourite films, music, art and squeeze it into one evening. We want to create an experience, a night that feels like The Velvet Underground sound-tracking a Stan Brakhage film, or The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour with an Exploding Plastic Inevitable-inspired lightshow”.

"We’ve invited like-minded special guests to perform songs with us in a quasi TV special format, between songs from our albums Pop or Not and Empty Words. The Whyte Horse Experience is a place to hide away and forget about the outside world for a couple of hours." WEBSITE.

The music is lush and fresh on 'Never Took the Time' a dreamy psych pop song where the vocals are equally melodic and dreamy, and the hooks are everywhere.


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Beck Pete - Gently Break It.

Background - We now have the highly anticipated single from Los Angeles songstress, Beck Pete. Entitled ‘Gently Break It’ the single truly takes the listener on a ride featuring intricate hooky melodies and multiple musical scene changes all with an overall underlying indisputable element of soul. From her emotion-forward approach to sharing across all platforms to her songs stemming from her most intimate moments, everything about Los Angeles artist Beck Pete bursts with every inch of her truth. Gravitating towards unconventional melodies and authentic storytelling lyricism, the songstress curates a unique style of pop songwriting that is always rooted in experience, written from a place of yearning, and always brutally honest.

Inspired by a need to highlight the most vulnerable and extreme sides of the herself in an attempt to accept them, Pete has created an outlet for people to feel a little less alone. Combining the most feminine and masculine versions of herself, along with the most emotional and most overwhelming artistic, Pete finds herself able to thrive in these extremes and seeks to encourage others to do the same.

Fusing contemporary pop elements with rock and roll textures and unpredictable, buoyant background vocals, Beck creates an undeniably distinctive sonic landscape that listeners can truly lose themselves in, and that defies current musical landscapes. Mastered by Joe Laporta (Shawn Mendes, Leon Bridges, Imagine Dragons) and mixed by Ryan Gilligan (Kevin Garrett) Pete’s music serves at a reminder of the importance of the duality of vulnerability and strength. "I hope that every one of my songs facilitate communication. The only way that we will move forward in any capacity is to normalize uncomfortable situations. We need to normalize communication. Normalize feeling. Normalize heartbreak”, confides Pete.

Upcoming single ‘Gently Break It’ thematically sheds light on a situation that is all too common romantically, where a person convinces themselves that they are undeserving of love and therefore romanticizes the idea of playing a victim in an unhealthy relationship. Pete reveals, "I have been that girl, and can’t say that I won’t be again. I’m just hoping that this song serves a reminder of that tendency, and spreads awareness to everyone who hears it that, one, they are not alone in this cycle and two, they can break it by believing they are worthy of something positive and healthy”. Sonically the song truly takes the listener on a ride featuring intricate hooky melodies and multiple musical scene changes all with an overall underlying indisputable element of soul. WEBSITE.

Opening with a feisty bass that slowly and rhythmically drives the song forward, Beck Pete's vocals  quickly add some vibrancy and emotion to 'Gently Break It'. Stripped back and with some natural rock and roll feeling, the addition of just a sprinkling of pop vibes gives this track some real edge.

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Fortuna POP! - Colour Film (featuring Caroline Brooks of Good Lovelies)

Fortuna POP! - You Can Hide Your Love Forever.

Background - Indiepop institution Fortuna POP! quit the scene last year amid much gnashing of teeth from discerning music fans, going out in a blaze of glory with five days of sold out London shows by artists spanning their twenty year tenure, before label owner Sean Price fled Brexit Britain for a new life in Tokyo, Japan.

That would have been it for Fortuna POP!, were it not for the label’s Jukebox 45s Singles Club. With one final single still owed to subscribers, Price saw the opportunity to do something special for what would be the very last release on the label. Taking one of the label’s best-loved releases, Comet Gain’s classic 2001 single “You Can Hide Your Love Forever”, as his starting point, contributions were solicited from Fortuna POP! bands past and present for a Band Aid-style cover version.

Over twenty bands contributed, with the music recorded by a crack band featuring Amos Memon of Fanfarlo (drums), Emma Kupa of Mammoth Penguins (bass), Laura Kovic of Tigercats (keys) and Paul Rains of Allo Darlin’, Ben Phillipson of Comet Gain and Sam Ayres of Flowers (all guitar) at Soup Studios in London. Mikey Collins of Allo Darlin’ then recorded percussion at Big Jelly studios in Ramsgate, and The Victorian Horns aka Gary Olson (trumpet) and Kyle Forrester (sax) of The Ladybug Transistor put down their brass parts at Gary’s Marlborough Farms Studio in New York.

Vocals were recorded in various studios and kitchens around the world, with Amelia Fletcher of Tender Trap, Daniel Ellis of Martha, Lan McArdle and Owen Williams of Joanna Gruesome, Adam Todd of The Spook School, Bill Botting and Elizabeth Morris of Allo Darlin’, Jeff Greene and Dan Greene of The Butterflies Of Love, Lisa Horton and Iain Ross of Bearsuit, Katherine Whitaker of Evans The Death, Silvi Wersing from Chorusgirl, Helen King of Shrag, Rachel Kenedy of Flowers, Pete Dale of Milky Wimpshake, Darren Hayman, Pete Astor and Simon Love all contributing. Giles Barrett at Soup Studios then made sense of it all and mixed the track.

The result is a fantastic, uplifting indiepop anthem that’s sure to be lifting the lids off indie clubs around the world this summer and for many years to come. Oh, and there’s a B-side too, in which DC Feck of Thee Comet Gain International Psychedelic Pop Conspiracy may have had more than a hand. TWITTER.

'You Can Hide Your Love Forever' is an absolute feast of all things good, indie pop style. Despite the large number of talented contributors, the song has clarity and definition throughout. Feel free to sing along and enjoy the buzz.

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Colour Film (featuring Caroline Brooks of Good Lovelies) - Open Road.

Background - Music for your mind’s eye. With songs that play like home movies rich in imagery and characters, Colour Film is the stage name of Hamilton, ON's Matthew de Zoete. The moniker embodies his idea of songs as little films, where a combination of characters, stories, and emotions create a visual element in the listener's mind.

His latest release Super 8 blends pop and folk to set six of these cinematic songs in an atmospheric soundscape conjured with producer Les Cooper (Jill Barber, Good Lovelies). Imagine Nick Drake cheering up a bit and meeting Beck.

Since 2006, de Zoete (pronounced "duh-ZOO-tuh") has released three previous albums under his own name and toured throughout North America and Europe. He has shared the stage with acts such as Serena Ryder, Great Lake Swimmers, and Whitehorse, and he's performed at festivals including North by Northeast, Canadian Music Week, JUNOfest, and Stukafest (Netherlands). TWITTER.

Smooth, gentle and uncluttered 'Open Road' drifts along with an acoustic backdrop and some gorgeous duel vocals. Folk pop of sorts, the song is accompanied by a fine video that adds a little extra imagination to a refreshing piece.


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Grace Inspace - The Brother Brothers - Value Void

Grace Inspace - Uncertain, CA.

Background - English-American musician Grace Inspace has announced new single Uncertain, CA, which follows recent releases Watersource and Tame Teens, and is out now through AWAL.

Continuing her unique “Protest Pop” sound, Uncertain, CA is as fictional as it is true to life and addresses the uncertainty of living in America. Produced by David Peters and featuring Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, Grace takes things down a notch on Uncertain, CA, letting her vocals do the talking with a relaxed melody mixed with gentle steel drums. Grace says;

“Uncertain, CA - it’s a make-believe town, a microcosm of the state. I’m wandering through the town, the classic western stranger, the outsider, witness to this place’s constituencies and landscapes and seeing it is a land of topographical and cultural extremes - politically divided, deserted, overcrowded, majestically beautiful, scary, Paleolithic, ultra-modern. In California we are comfortable with the apocalypse and I think it’s because we know to call it by its other name, Rebirth, as well. Ultimately, like the fictitious town and very real state its named for, this apocalyptic song is optimistic.”

A lyricist and singer but also a drummer at heart, Grace plays drums and sings in a California trio Apocalyptic Kitchen. Many of Grace’s current songs began life as beats that she would play on her drum kit while singing melody lines dreamt up “on long window gazes, hours of window gazes, riding shotgun up and down the interstates in a big, lifted Dodge truck loaded with cannabis, survival equipment and guitars”. Her broad sound fuses electronic, country, hard rock and pop to create something that is musically unique and unequivocally memorable, all the while expressing matters close to her heart.

Grace has been working on two forthcoming EPs, produced in part by John King of the Dust Brothers and featuring Steve Perkins of Jane’s Addiction as well as Nick McCabe of The Verve, and will be announcing further music soon. FACEBOOK. 

The vocals are melodic, purposeful and hold a simmering level of emotion on 'Uncertain, CA' a gently paced pop song accompanied by a thoughtful musical backdrop, the steel drums giving the piece an additional layer of attractive hooks.

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The Brother Brothers - Frankie.

Background - Brooklyn-based Americana darlings The Brother Brothers have announced their debut album Some People I Know to be released October 19 on Compass Records. The Brother Brothers will embark upon a full U.S. tour this fall, including an extensive support run with I'm With Her and an album release show in Brooklyn on October 19 at Union Pool. Dates are listed below.

Identical twins David and Adam Moss honor a contemporary dissonance with the nostalgic tenderness of another time. Their stunning songcraft blends masterfully gentle guitar, cello and five-string fiddle with the sublime sort of two-part harmonies only brothers can carry. With palpably fraternal stage presence and wonderfully familiar heart, The Brother Brothers have earned repute among today's rising artists, having recently opened for Big Thief, Lake Street Dive, Shakey Graves and more.

More about the song: "Frankie" delves into David's longtime neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn, the members of its community and the tumultuous development it's endured. His melodic testimony sings like a microcosm of problematic economic shift, both in NYC and across the country. In David's words:

I've looked upon the Statue of Liberty, and cherished the idea that someone can come to these shores and have the freedom to make a life unspoiled by an oppressive government or strong handed oppressor. But in her shadow I've seen money take precedent over the things I find most valuable: community, conversation, art, expression. These are the things that make us American and vibrant, but they are not things that allow us to pay our rent or buy property when faced with people who place more value in economics and finance ... value hardly ever begets values."  WEBSITE.

From the opening chords on 'Frankie' I was engrossed. The music has everything a classic Americana song needs to make it special, the vocals and exquisite harmonies take the piece even further, this really is a fabulous and timeless piece.


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Value Void - Babeland.

Background - London trio Value Void announce their debut album Sentimental, due out on 26 October via Tough Love, released on limited edition green vinyl, CD and download. Value Void are an offbeat proposition. A startling bolt from nowhere, their debut album Sentimental  is a collection of luxuriantly deep, shag pile-warm, analogue proto-punk. Paz Maddio and Marta Zabala grew up with each other in Azul, a small town south of Buenos Aires, where the seeds of this project were sown. They collaborate in the same way that Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote songs, with Marta penning lyrics then taking them to Paz to spin them in to music.

The single "Babeland" was one of those songs. As Paz explains; "it was one of the songs we made while Marta was living in London and I was living in Azul, Argentina. So basically it was one of the first songs we made before we started playing". Upon deciding to flesh the songs out for a full length, they returned to TVT studios with Euan in April this year, tweaking the mix and laying down two new songs: “Mind,” a down tempo lullaby/lament in which the band track into the territory of early St. Vincent, Grouper or Julianna Barwick, supported by a raw dirge that blossoms in feedback, and “The Deluge,” which is also reflective but structured by a roaming curiosity and big chorus seeking road movie oblivion.

Marta first came to London on tour with the super-slanted art punks Los Cripis, where she met Luke Tristram (of Cop, Score and Owner) who released their record via his Unwork label. Paz followed to join them and scrape rent from the city's bars and cafes. 

By early 2017 the three of them were holed up in practice rooms, Luke adding Evens-esque basslines that laid concrete to their minimalist guitar-lead pop songs. Originally as WVS, they started playing shows with bands that had once orbited the tiny Power Lunches venue in Hackney and, since its death, were now to be found on bills at DIY Space, New River Studios and other dusty successors of its autonomous, cheap drink, creative-friendly spirit. 

In common with bands like Shopping, rudimentary surroundings and resources fed into nonetheless ambitious, hooky work. Songs such as “Teen For Him,” a self-effacing lark importing strains of Leslie Gore and the Velvets; the minimal, Guided by Voices-reminiscent chug of “Bariloche” and “Cupids Bow,” an up tempo, Breeders-esque standout, were lynch pins of a pummeling, inspired set. BANDCAMP.

'Babeland' is an uncomplicated and immediately likable song. Value Void's music is refreshing and engaging, it could be described in part as minimalist, I would suggest it's more a case of "less is more" as passion and emotion adds to the sound.

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Ace of Wands - Jan Mittendorp

Ace of Wands - 10,000 Feet.

Background - Drawing on a background of rock and roll, classical violin training and folk music, we expand our songwriting to incorporate facets of cinematic soundscapes, pop melodies and interlocking guitars and vocals.

Our debut single, “Grown From Good,” included a download code card embedded with wildflower seeds and accompanied by a glass jar of full of soil. The wildflower download cards encouraged our audience to engage with their environment and communities while consuming music. “10,000 Feet,” our new single and video, is being released today as a digital download, and is accompanied by an 8″ balsa wood glider. We are particularly interested in the idea of play as a philosophy by which to engage our music and our community. Facilitating an audience’s ability to move beyond the passive act of listening to the music is a central component of everything that we create together.

Filmed and directed by Samuel Scott, “10,000 Feet” is the second instalment in a trilogy of videos that carry themes of physical and spiritual transformation. This video introduces audiences to Anna Mernieks, our lead guitarist. Continuing the visual elements of Canadian landscapes, fire and fabric, “10,000 Feet” sees a change in the season from summer (as previously seen in the “Grown from Good” visuals) into winter. We hiked across a frozen lake, carrying 100-pound bags of equipment, to film the video. All costume components were built by hand (including the masks, capes, prop books and fabric entity.)

“10,000 Feet” introduces a character called the Lioness, and we watch as she completes her transformation from woman into animal. The Lioness will return in the trilogy’s final video, set for release this coming fall. Each of the videos will see our band travel through different landscapes and seasons, chronicling their journeys of self-discovery, self-hatred and self-love. TWITTER.

The vocals have something of an ethereal feel that builds into something more powerful as as the chorus unfolds. '10,000 Feet' musical backdrop is detailed yet expansive, and all to soon the song is over.


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Jan Mittendorp - St James Infirmary.

Background - KuvVer Records is a new sub label of Black and Tan Records. It is especially created to release refreshing cover versions of well known songs in any musical style. This is their first release.

Guitar player Jan Mittendorp recently started re-visiting songs that he hasn’t played for years. Here is his current version from one of the first jazz/blues songs that he ever played on a guitar (apr 45 years ago). 

It’s an instrumental version of this classic song with a touch of electro.

This new single is released digital and available on all major download and streaming platforms. LABEL.

This is a refined instrumental cover of 'St James Infirmary' with some fine guitar musicianship. It's a subtle performance that allows the natural blues feeling to come through, and the tiniest addition of some electro rounds things off beautifully.

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Armies - Mothers

Armies - Young Criminals.

Background - There's no voice quite like Dave Gutter's, a weathered coffee-and-cigarettes growl that can turn vulnerable to vicious and crackles like a vintage Fender amp when he screams. 

That voice is the result of the thousands of shows over the last 20 years fronting Rustic Overtones, the funky, psychedelic Maine rock institution that, to a certain crowd, are as synonymous with the state as Moxie soda and going "upta camp."

Gutter pays the bills as a songwriter; he's had tracks on recent albums by Aaron Neville, Tedeschi Trucks Band and in the Netflix show Narcos. His latest project, Armies, started as one of those gigs when he was hired to write a series of duets that were to be used in commercials and films. 

The project fell apart, so Gutter took his poppiest songs ever into darker directions. He teamed up with friend Anna Lombard, whose understated, ethereal vocals defined records by folk group Gypsy Tailwind. WEBSITE.

With their new album (Armies II) due for release next month, it's high time to feature the video for 'Young Criminals' released just a few weeks ago. Having had the chance to listen to all eleven tracks, the fact that I am a little late to the table with this song, is I would venture to say, irrelevant. The simple fact is, 'Armies II' is rammed full of  indie soul pop gems, fabulous duel vocals, and so many good vibes, that Beehive Candy would not be doing their collective duty, to let this album pass by!


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Mothers - Pink.

Background - “’Pink’ deals with the passage of time,” explains Mothers lead singer and songwriter Kristine Leschper of their new song from upcoming sophomore album Render Another Ugly Method, coming out September 7 on ANTI- Records. “It describes a series of memories within cars - cars of my childhood, recent past, and present - and subsequent feelings of childlike removal and helplessness. The video aims to reciprocate these three vignettes of idling, through limited actions and minimalist set design divided into three parts.”

Now based in Philadelphia, Mothers originated in Athens, Georgia where Leschper was attending printmaking school. In 2016 they released their debut album When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired to great critical acclaim.

When You Walk also kicked off a sprawling eight months of touring across the US, UK and Europe, as the group honed their take on left-of-center indie rock with an explosive and surprising live show that displayed how forceful the songs translated to a full-band setting. Influences on this album came from new music Leschper explored while on that tour, including polyrhythmic groups like T.P. Orchestre Poyly-Rhythmo de Cotonou and Lifetones, as well as rhythmically dense Fred Frith records like Gravity and The Technology Of Tears.

"The first time I heard Mothers I knew it was a band that I wanted to work with,” said John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, The War on Drugs), who produced Render Another Ugly Method. “So special and idiosyncratic, it is impossible to ignore their point of view. I loved making the record and seeing them work." FACEBOOK.

My initial description for 'Pink' (after the first listen) was seven minute plus of rapidly paced sonic intrigue. Then I reflected and thought that sounded vague and a tad pretentious. Another play and the vocals became more apparent as a key driver of this song, particularly as they drift slowly acting as a  juxtaposition to the rhythmic backdrop. Then I bothered to read the promo material that tells us that the piece deals with "the passage of time", and cue my own personal light bulb coming on. In that context and from an artistic point of view, a very fine song becomes an incredible song, or does that also sound a little to pretentious, if it does, I still stand by it....


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Brooks Thomas - Sarah Nixey

Brooks Thomas - Good Sleep.

Background -  Brooks Thomas are an experimental electro-pop group based in the Bronx. Fusing elements of R&B with classic soul and electro-pop, Brooks Thomas is sharing their lead single “Good Sleep”, the first taste of their new album Poison.

The brainchild of Danny McDonald, Brooks Thomas concocts unconventional electronic R&B that's inspired by classic soul and artists like Dirty Projectors and Miguel - disparate influences that share a common thread: intensity of feeling. Exploring new ways to reach those emotional heights, Danny began programming beats, pushing Brooks Thomas's bassist Rocky Russo towards experimenting with pedals to change the textures, and having their dual singers Colleen Cadogan and Arianne Lombardi create three-part harmonies that deviate from the standard 1-3-5. What they recorded at home became a script for their live performances, where fresh colors and depths would be discovered as they translated the digital maelstrom into an organic setting. Those recordings would then get re-digitized, spliced together and warped as Danny reworked the production. Poison's opener "Fade In", for example, features the live recording of an old song Colleen wrote about Danny played backwards over a reversed saxophone sample. It ends with harmonies pulled from the penultimate song, "Gravity", unintelligible in their manipulations.

All of it lives as a creative feedback loop, the recordings affecting the live show affecting the recordings. Life was affecting the music too, of course, but not in a way Danny nor Colleen were conscious of. Though they weren't aware of it yet, these songs were about the end of their romantic relationship. Drugs and alcohol mixed with denial to shield the musicians from the truth of their own work. Looking back, they could hear it… as much as the hazy electro-R&B of "Faded" is about being lost in substance abuse, it reflects the unhealthy codependency of a souring romance. Where the David Longstreth-gone-Motown of "Hard Wind" is a breakup song written before the split, the weighty realization of the end floats in on "Gravity”.

In that way, the Poison track sequencing very clearly acts as a time-lapse of this failing relationship. If anything, it's made their music that much more impassioned. As emotional as it's been for them to live these songs again on stage, their bandmates - close friends who'd been as much a part of their relationship as the former couple themselves - have been right there with them. They've all experienced the agony of that sort of dynamic in their own lives, and getting to share it with their bandmates in such interesting, intimate fashion has only strengthened them as a band. Together, Brooks Thomas has taken everything from their uptown world -- their helter-skelter neighborhood, the flowing alcohol, their sundry influences, the prolonged heartbreak -- and distilled it into Poison, a rare, inimitable album. Stunning even as it burns, it's a toxin well worth drinking down. WEBSITE.

The tenth and final track on Brooks Thomas new album 'Poison' is 'Good Sleep', a slower paced song which combines classic soul and modern production techniques. As for the remainder of the album, I am pleased to say that you really can expect to hear considerably more variety and the promoters use of the expression "experimental" is not out of place. The band explore and create some splendid pieces, fused together with an overall sound nonetheless their ability to test boundaries results in some very exciting and hook laden material.

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Sarah Nixey - Coming Up For Air.

Background - Sarah Nixey is delighted to announce her brand new shimmering nocturnal album Night Walks, which is due out on 5 October via Black Lead Records. “Coming Up For Air” is the first single to be taken from the record and her first release in over six years - a four-track EP comprising the single and three definitive remixes by Ön, Father and Butler Elves. “Coming Up For Air” showcases the glittering electronica and 1970s analogue recording techniques used on the new album. The song explores themes of teenage mental health illness and parental love – the antithesis of her previous band Black Box Recorder’s “Child Psychology”.

Written whilst struggling with insomnia, Night Walks is set in a metropolitan sub-world where everyone dodges the dangers of reality. The lyrics describe episodes that take place over one night, spanning several decades, in a tiny enclave, at the heart of London's bohemia. It is a modern, sophisticated album, rooted in classic record making. Nixey won over audiences as the singer of darkly glamorous pop group Black Box Recorder at the turn of the 21st Century, along with fellow band members Luke Haines (The Auteurs) and John Moore (The Jesus and Mary Chain). The band just released a box set of all three albums called Life Is Unfair via One Little Indian.

Since then, Nixey has honed her own musical voice with an eclectic solo career. Night Walks arrives seven years since her second solo album Brave Tin Soldiers, which was described by The Independent as “a thing of subtle gorgeousness,” and Uncut called it an “understated triumph.” Her debut solo album Sing, Memory, from 2007, was praised by CD UK who said; “In a time before Alison Goldfrapp and perhaps Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sarah Nixey was the closest thing you’d get to royalty in the charts.” For this new album, Nixey made a conscious decision to move away from her previous solo work by not focusing solely on electro pop or the live instrumentation approach. This time, she wanted to use a blend of electronica and classic 1970s analogue recording.

A few years ago, Nixey had just started writing and recording again at her home studio, after taking a break from music to have her third child, but was forced to stop when she became ill.  She had entered a long phase of insomnia, which no doubt contributed to her illness, and this sleeplessness continued during her recovery period. In 2016, she began writing songs again, during the early hours of the morning. As Nixey explains; “I discovered that the best time to write songs was in the middle of the night, and without any interruptions, I also recorded the demo tracks then too.”  Her writer/producer husband Jimmy Hogarth then offered to help record the songs in the studios they own and run in North West London.

With whip smart lyrics and an ear for an adventurous avant-pop tune, it’s Sarah’s captivating voice that truly mesmerises. Alternating between a soft whisper, rhythmic talking and full-blown soprano, she manages to encapsulate inky dark nights bathed in a neon-glow, full of desperation, mystery and passion. WEBSITE. 

If you desire a song that has timeless pop sensibilities, an imaginative arrangement and vocals that are enticing and just cannot be resisted then 'Coming Up For Air' is pretty much all of that. Surely that's enough to be getting on with. As a teaser for what we can look forward to in October, this is encouraging at the very least.

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Polyplastic - Night Flight

Polyplastic - My Prescription.

Background - LA-based, post-punk band Polyplastic share their music video for "My Prescription" off their just released EP, Not No.

Polyplastic is the project of Los Angeles natives Charlie Ellis and Emily Ibarra. Inspired by his time as a welder in North Philadelphia, Ellis’s songwriting is influenced by industrial and post-punk genres, marrying lyrical melodies with angular guitar lines and a driving rhythm section.

With a few bare-bones demos, the band started playing shows in LA and touring the US, supporting acts such as Wolf Alice, Ryley Walker, Draemings, and Tennis System. Polyplastic have released a few one off singles over the past few months, leading up to the release of their EP, Not No, due out June 29th. The band will be touring nationally, in support of the EP. TWITTER.

Earlier this month we shared 'Next Slide' by Polyplastic and commented that - "The band develop intriguing post punk orientated music where the vocals are just right for the genre adding depth and passion, whilst the musical backdrop is solid and robust". With the new song and video for 'My Prescription' we have another musical treat, as their atmospheric music and creative visual interpretation pretty much confirms the duo are really carving out a distinct and compelling sound.


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Night Flight - God Knows.

Background - London based band Night Flight have just released their much-anticipated second EP ‘Carousel’, featuring previously released singles ‘Parade’, and ‘God Knows’.

The five-piece encapsulate sounds from a pleasing variety of eras and genres, with the EP offering up a stunning journey centred around topics ranging from the drive of chasing a dream, to personal defiance and resilience in search of closure.

Alongside today’s EP release, the band are also sharing a beautifully shot video for latest single ‘God Knows’. Filmed across a stretch of fields in Wiltshire fields, strange geometric shapes begin to unfurl across seas of wheat and barley.

 Speaking a little on the new ‘Carousel’ EP, frontman and songwriter Samuel Holmes said: "Carousel marks a departure (band pun intended) from the itinerant lust of our debut EP. Exploring themes of self-doubt, nostalgia and a more contemplative tone”.

The director of the ‘God Knows’ video Ben Cowan went into a bit more detail on the idea behind the visuals: "I wanted to weave intrigue and tension with light and landscapes in creating this narrative. Crop circles spark debate around the world, my goal was to build a story grounded in a simple understandable theory that is no-less impressive than the other wilder claims. The circles are both of the land and alien to it, part of the wonder and attention they draw is the precision and intricacy of the patterns, but here we find the simplicity of construction, the crop circle methodology more mind blowing, more fascinating than science fiction or fantasy... Just don’t get caught!” TWITTER.

Back in April we shared the music video for 'Parade' and it's a real pleasure to be able to do the same now for 'God Knows'. We had this to say in our first feature - "Melodic and beautifully crafted the gentle vocals are totally engaging and the band deliver music with heart and quality, ensuring the emotion and feeling of this song resonates gorgeously." 'God Knows' is all of that with just a little more musical bounce this time around. I think it's reasonable to assume that Night Flight are firmly on Beehive Candy's radar.


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We Were Promised Jetpacks - Haiku Salut - Basement Revolver

We Were Promised Jetpacks - Hanging In.

Background - Scottish rock mainstays We Were Promised Jetpacks have shared emotionally wrought new single ‘Hanging In’ and announced a brand new album, their first in four years, to be released on 14th September via Big Scary Monsters. The band will also embark upon an enormous tour in the UK, EU and US throughout September, October and November. The More I Sleep The Less I Dream marks a new chapter in We Were Promised Jetpacks’ career. It’s about going back to the heart of who they are, a high school band that never stopped. It’s about four people who have grown up together, making a conscious choice to keep writing music and seeing where that takes them.

“The album is so much about us going back to our basics and relying on our instincts.” Mike says. “There’s a range of songs that span everything we do as a band, and we’re the connection between them. It feels like this album is us.”

The musicians connected with producer Jonathan Low (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs) and were inspired by his approach to their vision and his grounded style. After making their prior albums in England, Scotland and Iceland, it felt like a good opportunity to try crafting songs in the U.S. The album was recorded over the course of five weeks at Minor Street in Philadelphia and Long Pond in New York’s Hudson Valley in early 2018.

First emerging a group of 20-year-olds in 2009, with their exciting debut These Four Walls, the four members went on to release two further widely lauded albums throughout their ‘20s, 2011’s In the Pit of the Stomachand 2014’s Unravelling. Each band member turned 30 during the making of new album The More I Sleep, The Less I Dream, and felt like vastly different people to the four 20-year-olds that they were when they first started releasing music. Having spent ten years almost consistently writing and touring, it was time to decamp home to Scotland and take a breath. They reverted back to their original four members and dealt with several behind the scenes changes. They celebrated a few marriages and tried to remember who they were when not on the road. A decision was made. No more touring until a new album had been written. WEBSITE.

We Were Promised Jetpacks have all the hallmarks of a band who can instinctively produce natural and passionate rock music. 'Hanging In' is a very fine song, the vocals are fabulously Scottish, the band relaxed and in full control, and the music is jam packed with exquisite rock and roll hooks.

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Haiku Salut - The More And Moreness.

Background - Following the announcement of their forthcoming album There Is No Elsewhere via PRAH Recordings on 7 September, Haiku Salut share the second single "The More and Moreness". The track sees the Derbyshire trio working again with Glastonbury Brass, with an ambitious interweaving of electronic and organic, natural and unnatural with the triumphant warmth of a brass band in full flow. The video was shot by their friend and collaborator, fellow Derby-based artist Grawl!x (aka James Machin), and sees them go on a covert mission in the local countryside.

Sophie Barkerwood from the band explains more about the track and video: "The More and Moreness" started life as the soundtrack for an ice-cream van on the North-West coast. We were asked to write something illuminating for a travelling art exhibit and the bones of this song are it. It used to have a whole different twinkly introduction. A dead music box, in a dreary seaside town, coming back to life. The end section with the accordion loops and the brass band were written very quickly, I barely remember how that came together. One day it wasn’t there and then it was, in all its moreness.

In January 2017 we travelled to Somerset to record the brass sections with Glastonbury Brass, they were amazing to work with. Brass band in winter, a feeling I can’t quite place, belonging or pride? We went for a drink with a few of them afterwards and it was warming to hear about their community.

We wanted to continue the sense of belonging and solidarity in the video and decided to work with with our longtime friend and collaborator James Machin from Grawl!x. The video is an inky dark noir, we play a group of revolutionaries working together to bring an explosive change to the World. Much like the brass band, the revolution is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Video director, James Machin (Grawl!x), said; “The premise came from a short film I wrote a few years ago. We then combined that with the idea of Haiku as a band of revolutionaries, which I thought was quite a striking image. Mainly, the theme relates to the album in that it's about community resisting oppressive bullies.” WEBSITE.

The musical arrangement and production of 'The More And Moreness' is of a very high quality, allowing the imagination and creativity that has gone into this piece to come through in a stunning manner. The video adds even more, telling a silent story, and collectively we have a beautiful and thought provoking piece of music.


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Basement Revolver - Dancing.

Background - “Dancing” is the new single to be taken from the album Heavy Eyes by hotly tipped Canadian indie rock trio Basement Revolver. An up tempo but still heavy-lidded fuzz pop number, the song is about confronting feelings of boredom with a cry for adventure. As singer Chrisy Hurn explains; “When I’m feeling down, I like to borrow a car and drive until I am lost – it makes me feel better and distracts me a little. So, yeah, break out of your shell and dance… or get some fresh air.”

Blending 90s-infused indie rock with fuzzy dreamy pop and poignant, yearning lyrics, Basement Revolver have honed a sound that is capable of stripping listeners of inhibition, yet heavy hitting enough to leave a lasting impression. Unable to disguise the emotion in her voice, songwriter Chrisy Hurn shares intimate stories and personal wounds from her past. The band is rounded out by Nimal Agalawatte on bass and Brandon Munro on drums.

Their ascent to the spotlight has been a steady trajectory, capitalising on the success of their debut single “Johnny” in 2016. The track garnered endorsements from DIY Magazine and Exclaim! as well as respected tastemakers Gold Flake Paint, who hailed it a “favourite song of the year” contender. They were signed by Memphis Industries’ UK sub-label Fear Of Missing Out, who released their debut self-titled EP in 2016. They followed this up with the Agatha EP in 2017 where the single “Bread & Wine” reached the B-list on Radio BBC 6 Music and also garnered support from John Kennedy at Radio X. The band have racked up over one million plays on Spotify across the two EPs.

To record their debut full-length, the band returned to local studio TAPE where they had recorded both their EPs. They had build up a solid relationship with producers Adam Bentley and Jordan Mitchell, as they continued to hone their signature sound. In this comfortable environment, they found the freedom to get heavier for some songs and more laid-back for others. As Chrisy explains; “It also gave me the confidence as a writer to not take myself so seriously, to let myself get cheesy or goofy with some songs.” TWITTER.

Just a month to the day since we featured 'Knocking' Basement Revolver have introduced their new single 'Dancing' much to Beehive Candy's delight. I have checked, and yes this is feature number eight for them, but far from any kind of obsession for this band, it really is a simple case of their music resonating on so many levels and our ability to share it, that keeps them surfacing here.


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Dyan - Guerilla Toss - Lewisburg

Dyan - Absence.

Background - "Absence is about leaving, but not before inquiring about doubt." the band explain. "It could be about being in love with a person whose loyalty is to someone or something else, realizing it, and then you move on. Or holding on to what you want to hold on to, even if it's painful." 

Minimal, inventive, and introspective, Dyan’s music offers more than you’d typically expect from the now-common guitar/synths/drums trio - which makes sense, as the trio is about as uncommon as you’ll find. Dyan was started by Alexis Marsh (singer/guitarist/bassist) and Sam Jones (guitarist/synths), a film scoring duo who fell in love and got married...and then, perhaps unexpectedly, got divorced. The growing and healing from those divides fueled the songs on what became the group’s debut album, Looking For Knives, which the two continued to create despite the fraught emotional territory. But the real twist was the addition of the third member: Dan Dorff Jr. (drums/synths), whom Alexis had started seeing in the meantime. Born of an old creative partnership, an expired romance, a new love, and an unlikely new friendship, Dyan defies all odds by simply being, and further shatters expectations with poignancy, unity, and optimism.

Since their debut album, Dyan released the single “What Fiction Is For,” which stayed on Spotify’s Ultimate Indie playlist for 16 weeks. With the upcoming release of a new EP, titled Absence, and a cover of the Jose Gonzalez song “Cycling Trivialities”, Dyan shows no sign of slowing down, which means even if we can’t hope to navigate complicated relationships with their deft maturity, at least we’ll have their music to help guide our way. TWITTER.

In the few days that 'Absense' has been streaming it's already gained considerable attention, and that is hardly surprising. This is a refined and flowing indie song that has so much going for it. What on the surface seems to be a simple enough musical arrangement, manages to overflow with feeling and warmth. The vocals delicately entice you in further, as Dyan deliver one gorgeous track.

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Guerilla Toss - Meteorological.

Background - Guerilla Toss has announced its third LP for DFA, Twisted Crystal, due Sept. 14. The video for the album's first single, "Meteorological" was made by Giraffe Studios.

Analog synthesizers give tangible life to the works of Guerilla Toss. Whether it be the sound of a rocket ship, a kitten-with-a-wah, distorted dolphins, or a clavichord made out of honey-baked ham, the band consistently finds new ways to bring together the many ideas that combine to shape each new batch of art-rock puzzle pieces. 

Twisted Crystal, Guerilla Toss’ new LP, feels more personal than ever for the band.  Angular yet irresistibly catchy, this collection of pop songs pulls influence from powerful groups like The Slits, ESG, Gina X, and early Madonna, with sing-speak vocals from Kassie Carlson nodding to legendary artists like Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, and Lizzy Mercier Descloux – combining this all into a twisted, crystalline concoction. 

Oracles and enigmatic egos are common lyrical themes, but charismatic instrumentality springs the listener back to extraterrestrial comfort. Old favorite sounds ring true from the trusty Sequential Circuits Six Track Synthesizer and Clavia Drum Machine. New, more refined sounds are molded and polished by drummer/producer Peter Negroponte, whose passion for perfection and creation goes far beyond an all-consuming Tetris effect.  Peter has truly excelled on this new recording, creating a complex networks of beats and sound that become easily intertwined with the rhythmic fabric of life. WEBSITE.

Rhythmic and shall I say, just a little off-centre, 'Meteorological' is quirky, in a wonderful way. The video only adds to the alternative and zany vibes, this is addictive, uplifting and pretty much impossible to sit still to!


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Lewisburg - Wasted / Clear The Air.

Background - “Wasted feels so bittersweet to me. Bitter in that it draws from the sadness of nostalgia, but also is about finding the courage to walk your own path, no matter your doubts. Clear The Air is about how things are a bit screwed, it's basically saying we gotta get out of this mess of a society we've created for ourselves.”

Lewisburg are a band from North London born out of the solo project of singer-songwriter Ali Robertson. Described as dark-country they are influenced by acts such as Phosphorescent, Eels and The Deep Dark Woods. The band craft mellifluous, nostalgic songs with occasional widescreen sensibilities.

Through Lewisburgs’ previous release ‘Slow Morning / Terminal’ the band received airplay on LA radio station KCRW, BBC6 Music and Amazing Radio and also earned plaudits from several online tastemakers. 4-Piece Lewisburg includes members Ali Robertson (guitar, lead vocal), Julien Baraness (lead guitar), Alessandro Taglione (bass) and Adrien Latge (drums)

The double A-Side was recorded early this year in the band’s own studio in Haringey, North London. They favour a quick, predominantly live way of recording. ‘For us this is the best way to do it. We work fast, we try to retain the human element in our recordings wherever possible.’ Lewisburg are currently putting the finishing touches to a pending EP which will be released in the autumn.

Lewisburg new double A-Side ‘Wasted / Clear The Air’ might be from a North London based band, however their sound easily crosses the Atlantic and would be comfortably conceived in the home of Americana. Described in part as dark country, the bands music is so full of hooks and quality, putting their music into any one or two categories, seems to short change them. 


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