Smoke Rings - Majken - Ian Randall Thornton - The Max Tribe

Smoke Rings - Happiness.

Background - Yearning for a slice of 'Happiness' Melbourne five piece Smoke Rings plug-in with a bittersweet new single from their double A side 7" Go To Hell and a string of live dates. 

Strengthening their penchant for writing incredibly well constructed melodies, 'Happiness' sees the band once again pay homage to 90s brit-pop in three minutes and thirty three seconds of clever instrumentation and cavalier lyrics. Recorded with producer extraordinaire Malcolm Besley (City Calm Down, The Creases), the band take a sonic leap forward from their debut self titled offering while retaining their signature melancholy. 

Pricking ears with 2016 single 'Rose Coloured Glasses' from their debut EP, Smoke Rings achieved spins and praise from triple j's Richard Kingsmill and Dom Alessio. With an add to triple j's sister station Double J and love from key community radio stations nationwide, they've been solidifying a strong national profile and will head out on the road later this month. No strangers to sticky stage floors and eager crowds, Smoke Rings have impressed on bills alongside Northeast Party House, Moses Gunn Collective, Green Buzzard, Jarrow and Good Boy. Smoke Rings will surface 'Happiness' on the live stage when the band support Siamese in Adelaide and formidable electric lady Ali Barter in September/October. Website here, Facebook here.

'Happiness' is an expansive indie rocker, that does as mentioned above, have some 90's Brit-pop vibes running through it. What's more the band have their own distinct sound and an ear for some fine, catchy material.

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Majken - Here And Now.

Background - LA-based, Nordic indie pop artist Majken will release her debut album, Dancing Mountains, this month on August 25, 2017. Last week, Majken shared her third single and video, "Here and Now." 

Majken wrote and recorded Dancing Mountains on a journey between gritty Los Angeles, romantic Paris and the simple, laid back feel of the Nordic Fjord, where she spent her childhood. Influenced by experimental rock legends such as The Velvet Underground and the sensibilities of master songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Majken creates experimental pop with accessible themes and song structure. Her collection of dreamy songs contain raw, emotive lyrics, cushioned by indie beach rock and a vintage Europop vibe. She's inspired by wild nature, breakfast in bed, the various cities she's visited and called home and the people in those places.

Dancing Mountains reflects on vivid dreams, fond memories and restless nights. Majken's sultry vocal melodies, intoxicating layers of sound and surf rock guitar come together to create an ideal soundtrack for a summer daydream. Album track "Everything's Wild" encapsulates this feeling, inspired by floating wild in a bizarre dream state - not alive and not awake. "A Little More Time," produced by Cody Crump, is about a hazy heartbreak while "Fainted Love" reflects on a summer fling, through rose colored glasses and introspection. All songs were written by Majken, with the majority produced in collaboration with Jesse Nolan and Maxime Sokolinski. "You And I" was produced by Fingazz. Website here, Facebook here.

We featured Majken back in June & it's a pleasure to be able to share 'Here And Now.' This is a much gentler piece where atmospheric music and vocals hold down a simmering tension that slowly unleashes as the song develops.


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Ian Randall Thornton - See You Through.

Background - “See You Through” is the third and final single from Ian Randall Thornton's gorgeous debut album Lineage, which is coming out August 25th. Thornton wrote the song on a Swiss train a few years back, halfway through an extensive house show tour across Europe. The train went through a mountain, and when it emerged, Thornton was overtaken by one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen - vineyards stretching for miles, sloping down to the crystal clear waters of Lake Geneva that stretched out towards the Swiss and Italian Alps in the distance. It was the sort of sight that takes over all of your senses, causing your entire body to vibrate with adrenaline. 

At the time, Thornton was in the middle of writing his debut album Lineage, a brilliant conceptual album about family and heritage, while spending much of his travel time meditating on the concept. Each song on his new album flows from one to the next like movements in a symphony, ideas weaving incandescently throughout. Sparks of world influence and folk traditions light up different tracks, such as the African influences heard in the fretless banjo dancing through “Philadelphia,” and distinctly Appalachian influences mixed with sounds of hope and history in “Dance Upon the Tables.” With “See You Through,” an ode written from a father to his daughter, the album comes to a crescendo of three part harmonies and a unique combination of Asian and Appalachian melodic influences.

Ian Randall Thornton’s sound resides in a delicate balance between Americana, timeless folk, and progressive post-rock. His sound provides a unique tension, the balance of remembering the past and hoping unabashedly for the future. One could see Lineage as a soundtrack to the film of Thornton’s life experiences, carrying secrets of friendship, made from family and for family. Its concept carries a definitive story of the golden threads of family history. In this Thornton finds purpose, writing odes to generations past, with songs such as “See You Through” serving as a guidepost for generations to come. 

The chance to share another track from the imminent album release is something I am more than pleased to do. 'See You Through' is the third & final single from 'Lineage' this time showcasing the Americana side of this very fine album. Highly recommended.

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The Max Tribe - Yellow Pages.

Background - The Max Tribe share their new single "Yellow Pages," the track comes off of the band's forthcoming album Retrofit, to be released on August 18th, 2017. 

The Tribe was born in 2013 when Nashville native Austin Max (Guitar/Vox) united with Northern Virginia Native Conner Kessler (Drums) at music school in Boston. For a year they developed a psych sound playing around New England. Their Debut Single, “Tape Machine” was featured on Sound of Boston as one of the top 5 releases of 2015. 

Max, Kessler linked up with Noah Lubert (Keys/Vox) and Rafael Minerbo (Bass) in 2016. Noah and Rafa contributed to form the intertwined charisma that became the group's signature Psych sound. Over the course of 15 months, the Tribe wrote and Recorded their Debut LP Retrofit at 1867 studios due August 2017. In January of 17, they embarked on a Winter tour covering the North and Southeast. They are currently gearing up for their LP Release and summer tour of the record. 

Together, the Tribe creates a unique blend of psych rock with influences stemming from The White Stripes, The Beatles, The Doors, The Black Keys, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, and Cage The Elephant. The Tribe have kicked off their East Coast tour, dates available on Beehive Candy's tour news page, website here, Facebook here.

A stylish arrangement slowly unfolds alongside some very natural and engaging rock edged vocals. 'Yellow Pages' is a fabulous psych rocker, which occasionally lets the power organically build, suggesting the band might blast some mighty riffs anytime they choose.


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FAERS - Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease - Prawn - Lunar Hand - Me for Queen - Freedom Baby

FAERS - Last Of Our Kind.

Background - FAERS’ latest single ‘Last Of Our Kind’ is a rousing reflection on the state of modern guitar music, an allegorical love story, and a clear nod to their childhood heroes The Maccabees. Written during a songwriting retreat to the welsh countryside, and recorded in Gothenburg with producer Anders Lagersford, ‘Last Of Our Kind’ is a shimmering example of the bold and brazen songwriting that inspires youngsters to pick up guitars and form bands in the first place. Steven Anderson-Howard’s rich vocals are bolstered by intensely atmospheric and colourful production as the song effortlessly mounts to a heady climax. ‘Last Of Our Kind’ is the sort of song that leaves a lasting impression in the hearts, minds, and ears of listeners long after it’s finished. It’s a clear and powerful indicator that there’s still life left in that old dog we call rock and roll.

FAERS’ singer Steven Anderson-Howard met his future bandmates at his popular weekly indie night Club Yuck in Uxbridge in early 2015. Named after his label, the event showcases groups he’s signed alongside guest DJ slots from established bands. A bond quickly formed between the London five-piece and they released their debut EP ‘Waves’ in October that year. Before long they were selling out shows in London and Brighton and netting support slots with Jaws, Native People and The Cribs. Having sold out Barfly, The Borderline, and single launches at The Water Rats and The Lexington, alongside appearances at the Y Not, Penn and Camden Rocks festivals, FAERS are rapidly growing a loyal fanbase thanks to their intriguing melange of afrobeat and psychedelic indie. 

Staunch radio support has come from John Kennedy at Radio X and Gary Crowley on BBC Introducing. Throughout the coming year FAERS’ fanbase will undoubtedly grow. Their raw, visceral sound and effortless songwriting is channelled through their electrifying chemistry when they perform together. With a host of new material that will showcase new frontiers for the group, FAERS may well prove to be one of the most vital acts in the capital, and by extension, the nation. Facebook here.

FAERS serve up some refined alt rock with the new song 'Last Of Our Kind'. Energised and passionate both musically & vocally, this is a notable song.

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Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease - Black Ice (feat. Renée LoBue).

Background -  “Black Ice” is the second new single from Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease’s forthcoming project. Joey Sweeney is a long-established fixture of the Philadelphia songwriting scene dating back to the early 90’s, having previously fronted the influential Philly bands The Trouble With Sweeney and The Barnabys. “Black Ice” follows their rollicking debut lead single “Baptized In Vibe”, and is one of the first songs Sweeney wrote for the new project after taking an extended hiatus from performing and songwriting after the dissolution of his previous projects.

“Black Ice" feels like a narrative or storytelling song about the tropes of the latent menace of the suburbs, and features spooky 12-string guitar, vaguely influenced by goth mystery love songs from the late 1980s — stuff like "Under The Milky Way" by the Church or "All In My Mind" by Love & Rockets. It also features back-up vocals from Renée LoBue, the singer from Elk City, who Joey met when back in his Trouble With Sweeney days.

Sweeney's new songs draw 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. His songs and records have received widespread critical acclaim. A jack of all literary trades, he's also the publisher of Philly-centric blog Philebrity, co-curator of the literary fest The 215 Festival, and a creative director at Quaker City Mercantile. Facebook here.

'Black Ice' is a hook filled rocker where the musical arrangement is striking and the vocals flow smoothly above adding to the melodic feel.

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Prawn - North Lynx.

Background - On September 22, Ridgewood, NJ's Prawn will release their new album entitled Run via Topshelf Records. Prawn’s magnetism has always come from the textures they produce. Drawing as much influence from post-rock and punk as the emo world they’re often written in to, the Ridgewood quartet have released two full-length albums, two EPs, and three splits since their 2008 formation - and make their return this year with a new record, Run, which is released this September on Topshelf Records.

Recorded in the space of just two weeks this March at The Barber Shop Studios, a lake-front old stone church in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, but written over the course of two painstaking years, the new album sees the band expand upon those aforementioned influences, carving out a dark but wildly immediate collection of songs that sits as their most formidable work to-date.

“A lot of what came out was the sheer difficulty of truly relating to one another,” Tony Clark says of the records thematic poise. “I felt like everywhere I looked at relationships in my life, there was some feelings of alienation and isolation. I tried to go further than my personal relationships and analyze how I was relating to ideas or communities I partake in.”

A significant release on its own terms, let alone as a building block to wherever this band might take themselves, Run is the sound of a band truly finding comfort in their surroundings and channelling it in to the most focused and exhilarating work of their life. Live Dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour news page, Facebook here.

The gentle intro on 'North Lynx' soon explodes into some fine alt rock music, the vocals have some fine rock'n'roll edge to them and a funky bass line adds a little more muscle to the track.

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Lunar Hand - Smoke and Chandeliers.

Background - SoCal garage psych trio Lunar Hand exhibit a musical maturity that belies their young age, exhibiting the same kind of smart and streamlined chops that pulled other high school bands like Arctic Monkeys from the depths of obscurity to international awareness.

Band spearhead Junior Reed began writing original songs at age 15, an endeavor which synchronistically coincided with his father’s first foray into recording music. “He had just set up some recording gear so it was good timing” Junior asserts, referring to his dad’s Northern San Diego-based studio. “I’d give him material and he was eager to record and experiment with it.” Around the same time Junior and his father began hashing things out in the lab, the young songwriter found kindred musical spirits in bassist Derulo Boulet and drummer Christian Ruth, whom he connected with in his high school jazz band. They quickly formed the rock trio Voltage Control and began playing out, exciting the local scene with their streamlined blend of amped up rock with vintage pop appeal.

After extensively touring the West Coast, the band returned to the studio to officially record their debut. Things had shifted, influences had expanded, and while they remained a tight musical unit with a cohesive vision, Junior felt a new name was in order - one that properly represented the sound they had carved out on the road and reflected the more melodic psych elements they had touched on. Now operating under the banner of Lunar Hand, the trio is gearing up to release their new EP, Magic Hour, is due out September 15th on Desert Coast Records. Website here.

Some potent riffs open up 'Smoke and Chandeliers', a thunderous psych rocker that's packs that extra layer of energy that rock trio's are more capable of offering up.

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Me for Queen - Jessica.

Background - Critically-acclaimed soul-folk artist Me for Queen (aka Mary Erskine) will release her new single ‘Jessica’ on August 19th. This is the first song Mary has written and recorded on the guitar. It is “a vulnerable song about vulnerability” as well as a reflection on the role of art and that of the artist. The intricacy and elegance of Me For Queen’s songwriting and delivery has prompted comparisons to Regina Spektor, Alessi’s Ark and Carole King, with a slight touch of Kate Bush and Laura J Martin.

Mary has already garnered support from prolific songwriter Gretchen Peters, as well as Tom Robinson at BBC Radio 6 Music. The Edinburgh Metro described her as “blessed with a profound skill in the art of songwriting”, and she was also featured in The Guardian in 2014, who highlighted her “beautiful, soaring vocals”. 

Years of classical training together with a Blues guitarist for a father make for an interesting mix of Soul and Folk. While Me For Queen’s piano-based songs inevitably draw obvious comparisons to Regina Spektor and Laura Marling, Mary cites Judee Sill & This is the Kit as a few of her favourites and says Me For Queen is “a sort of sketchpad for whatever’s happening in my head. I just try to write songs that talk to people.”

Her last single, Slow Train, from her EP “Who I Am and What I’m For” (released in February) was included in Tom Robinson’s personal top 5 Fresh Faves on BBC6’s Fresh on the Net and was also single of the week on the Janice Forsyth BBC Scotland Culture show. 

This August will see Mary head out on tour for the 4th time in one year. Having supported Lewis & Leigh and Bryde on their respective UK tours, she is looking forward to her first headline tour, which will also include some co-headline dates with Emily Maguire. Live Dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour news page, website here, Facebook here.

'Jessica' is a beautiful, personal & intimate song, that's wrapped in a delightfully breezy acoustic arrangement. Instantly captivating, no wonder the attention Me for Queen is starting to gain.

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Freedom Baby - Video Daydream.

Background from the duo - Freedom Baby is a boyfriend-girlfriend duo. We met at a local show that we both performed at back in 2013. We fell in love with each other's record collections and then with each other. In 2016 we decided to try making records together. 

It was after a while of experimenting with electronic sounds and orchestral elements we came up with “Video Daydream”. We arranged the song with a Snakes & Ladder game board as our blueprint. Each melody and instrument snakes and climbs from one place to another and each time you play something new is going to reveal itself.  

We recorded “Video Daydream” in the spring of 2017 in Eric’s apartment along with a handful of other songs (which will be released early fall on our debut EP). The combination of Brianna’s voice paired with Eric’s arrangements creates a dreamy and melancholic experience. Facebook here.

'Video Daydream' is a sweet sounding chamber pop song, that is very catchy. The gently building musical layers add further vibrancy to a melodic & very imaginative piece.

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Mo Kenney - Macy Todd - The Vex - Norma - Bunny

Mo Kenney - If You're Not Dead.

Background - This is the year that Mo Kenney plugs in, quite literally. Known for her smooth vocals and fearless lyrics, the Canadian singer is back with her new album The Details, on September 29th, 2017. Mo has released two records with long-time producer and Canadian rock mentor Joel Plaskett since 2012. With her third album, Mo comes fully and completely into her own as an artist; she swaps her trademark acoustic guitar for a Fender Mustang, tracing her own strange, devastating, and ultimately hopeful trip through the trials and tribulations of booze-fuelled breakdowns, clouds of depression, and disintegrating relationships.

On each of its 14 tracks, Mo unflinchingly confronts her annihilation and eventual redemption, leaving nothing out. The concept album is her most personal and cohesive work to date. Combining elements of bruising rock ’n’ roll, vivid psychedelia, and haunting, left-of-the-dial pop, Kenney navigates the darkest waters in her life with self-deprecation, genuine soul-baring, and typical black humour.

Before and during writing the album, Kenney was enroute to rock bottom: depressed with dark blues and drinking like a fish, unable to hold herself or her relationships together, alienating the people she loves, and living hell-bent on oblivion. It’s a journey, thankfully, that finds Kenney sailing to calmer seas, closing gently on the sparse, clear-minded “Feelin’ Good.” But the storms weathered to get there are the kind that leaves scars. The self-destructive drive of “On The Roof” explodes out of the gate with blistering intensity. “June 3rd” channels the late Elliott Smith with spectral atmospheres as Kenney comes to terms with her alienating behaviour. And the vicious, rollicking “If You’re Not Dead” shows her playing mind games over feral guitar solos and biting hooks.

She explains, candidly, “The Details is a fourteen song concept album. The album starts off kind of hopeless and gets progressively more optimistic. This album is the details of coming out the other side.”

As well as having toured in Canada alongside the likes of Joel Plaskett and Ron Sexsmith plus extensively in her own right, Mo is already no stranger to international audiences, stunning crowds with full band and solo sets at this year’s Great Escape Festival. Website here.

The forthcoming album 'The Details' may have come about in a pretty dark spell of Mo Kenney's life. 'If You're Not Dead' suggests the flip side of this (or perhaps irony) was her ability to create some very impressive songs, plus thankfully and much more importantly recover.



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Macy Todd - Give It Up.

Background - Her debut single "I've Got A Feelin'" racked up over 600K streams since last year. Praised for "merging elements of the likes of Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith and Macy Gray," it was covered by everyone from Indie Shuffle to HillyDilly, before finding its way onto numerous reddit threads and multiple Spotify playlists. 

Macy is finally set to release her sophomore effort "Give It Up," channeling the vocal powerhouses that launched her career the first time around. "Give It Up" came to Macy while her longtime producer and collaborator, Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra, A Rocket To The Moon) was recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his vocal cords. 

While in the hospital, he was told he wasn't allowed to speak for three days, but couldn't get the melody (or the idea of Macy singing the track) out of his head. Deciding to break doctors orders, he whisper-sang the single to Macy on a call, and ran right from the hospital to the studio to record it the very day he was discharged. Facebook here.

With a rich and powerful musical arrangement, Macy Todd adds real vibrancy to 'Give It Up' a feisty and addictive song. The above comparisons are well founded, her passionate and soulful delivery is a delight.

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The Vex - Education Kills.

Background - An electrifying injection of no-holds-barred punk rock, ‘Education Kills’ is a tribute to the extraordinary bravery of Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Pakistan Taliban while campaigning for women’s rights to education. With this now Nobel Laureate in mind, The Vex’s treatise on the evil that men do is set to overdriven punky-reggae riffage and a fiercely anthemic chorus. 

Though hailing from London’s outer fringes, where the capital unceremoniously bleeds into Kent, The Vex actually came into being some 1,500 miles away, with an Eighties pop superstar playing his part. While on tour in Moscow with a previous band, the schisms in the group were made apparent by an offer of management from one Adam Ant. The faction that opposed the deal broke away to form The Vex, playing their debut gig at Moscow’s BlastFest, where the only thing that wasn’t ice-cold was, typically, the band’s beer rider. 

Back in the UK, Josh (guitar/vox), Jacko (guitar/vox), Andrew (bass) and Joshua (drums) soon honed a sound inspired by the classic roots and rock of both Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England. Dealing in dirty guitars and big beats, played with passion and precision, the quartet’s heavy rocksteady sonics became a draw on both sides of the Thames, their ferocious shows earning them a rep as one of the best live bands on the circuit. The Vex hit hard and they cut deep. Spin this EP and hear for yourself. Facebook here.

'Education Kills' is a powerhouse of uncompromising punk rock, where the band channel energy & urgency in this sub two & a half minute blast of fresh air.


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Norma - Spectacular Bid.

Background - Swedish Kraut-rock 3-piece Norma are finally ready to deliver sophomore album. No rush. Ten years from their debut single, Norma is about to release their third album. Since the beginning, Norma has been about building big, atmospheric scenery with sounds and music. With the goal to put the listener into another world or a feeling of hypnosis, the trio has been experimenting with dream interpretation machines, old synthesizers, racehorses and Formula 1 Cars.

Norma was formed in a living room, as the band says, “this way we could sit comfortably, having a glass (or two) of wine and watch a movie inspiration at the same time as rehearsing”. The band was vey influenced by the movies of David Lynch, experimenting with instruments like pedal steel, old organs and synthesizers. After a while, the trio starred rehearsing in a shelter and a bigger, heavier more kraut influenced sound started to grow which resulted in the debut EP “1” in 2007.
One and a half years later, the full-length album, “Book of Norma” was released, followed by the bands second record in 2013 “The Invisible Mother”.

The bands music has been compared to German Kraut Rock Bands like Neu and Faust, whilst also references like Silverbuilt, 120 Days, Serena Maneesh, War on Drugs and Sigur Ros. New single “Spectacular Bid” gives a feeling of being in the middle of a horse race. Horses are neighing, legs gallop and the legendary horse Spectacular bid is like always-running fast, led by his jockey Ronnie Franklin.

The idea of making this song came up when Erik was going through belongings from his grandfather and found a picture of a racehorse that he remembered from his childhood. In the seventies Eriks grandfather was working in the postal service and in 1978 he saved up for a vacation in the US. During the trip he went to a thoroughbred horse race for the first time in his life, the Young America Stakes in New Jersey where he placed a bet on Spectacular bid and won. It wasn’t that much money but enough to be able to stay and rent a studio in New York for one month where he was painting his arts. Website here, Facebook here.

Just the mention of Kraut-rock tends to spark my attention & 'Spectacular Bid' has some of that vibe coursing through it. It's more than that, although the reference is not misleading, this band have a broader musical feel, where melody and emotion are also key parts. Very impressed & looking forward to more.

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Bunny - Let Me Be Your Dog.

Background - Chicago's Bunny shares new single "Let Me Be Your Dog." Bunny, formed in Chicago during the winter of 2016, toes the bleary line between dream pop and bedroom rock. The first project of Jessica Viscius, their tunes take on a soft grunge feel, mixing dainty, pretty melodies with hazy lyrics delicately laced with sarcasm. 

Her tongue-in-cheek songs are a testament to the tried-and-untrue stereotypes of female frailty, dependency, and hopeless romanticism. "Let Me Be Your Dog" is deceivingly seductive, a mix of sweetness and sarcasm. 

She might charm you, but she’s certainly not fooling herself. The debut EP from Bunny, Sucker, will be released later this year. Website here, Facebook here.

Second time on Beehive Candy & in less than a month Bunny has now shared 'Let Me Be Your Dog.' It's another beautiful dose of dream pop with that hint of garage rock lurking just beneath the surface.

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Lauran Hibberd - Year of October - Michael Malarkey - Soviet X-Ray Record Club - Kansas Smittys House Band

Lauran Hibberd - Old Head Young Shoulders.

Background - Lauran Hibberd’s low-key, beautifully arranged nu-folk single “Old Head Young Shoulders” seems to drift through eardrums and straight into the listeners’ souls. Innocent, soft and with more than a breeze of fresh air around it, it will warmly appeal to the fans of Lucy Rose, Laura Marling or Billie Marten.

In ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’, this Isle of Wight based singer/songwriter manages to convey wisdom and talent well beyond her tender years. At just 19, Lauran is beautifully skewing her love of literature with her ethereal vocal and delicate guitar style. 

If The Guardian’s Kitty Empire named Ben Howard ‘a surfing troubadour high on a new wave’, we’d like to hail Lauran Hibberd ‘a truthful spirit high on a low key nu-folk wave’. Why? With the hope this will encourage you to hear this 2:51min sonic window into this genuine teenage girl’s existence.

Already supported by BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music and Radio X, Lauran says: “To me ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’ is all about losing touch with my youth and the shelter that comes with it. It was one of the first songs I ever wrote, and definitely one of the most honest. I wrote it at a time, where I had no idea what I was feeling, no idea where I was heading and certainly no idea what life was actually all about".

Real is rare, isn’t it? Well, Lauran Hibberd’s child-like love and innocence effortlessly flicker through her new single ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’, which will be available everywhere 1st September. Website here, Facebook here.

Now as I have so many fond memories of holidays and days out on the Isle of Wight, any artist from there is potentially on the receiving end of some rather friendly bias. 'Old Head Young Shoulders' needs none of that, in fact Lauran Hibberd could be from St Kilda Island (UK) albeit that would be impossible (oh just Poogle it) this is just one fabulous vibrant and lovable song.

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Year of October - Come & Get It.

Background - Sweltering husband-wife duo, Year of October, are excited to unveil their first official single “Come & Get It”, from the impending 3rd studio LP Trouble Comes, out in (you guessed it!) October. Following the release of their critically acclaimed 2nd album Golden Days, the singer-guitarist duo, Phlecia and Josh, toured throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, and the South. 

They have built up a loyal fan-base, and have received raving media attention from outlets like No Depression, PRX.org, Country Fried Rock, and Indie Band Guru. “Come & Get It” is a groovy, distortion-laced track that teeters between aggressive and soulful. Phlecia said of the new project, “We like to take influences from all genres of music. We find inspiration in everything and I think if something is good then it doesn’t necessarily have to sound just like us to be a major influence.” 

Formed at University of Kentucky in 2010, Year of October is the passion-project of Phlecia and Josh Sullivan. Mixing their diverse influences of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles for Josh, and Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald for Phlecia, Year of October stands out due to their clawing Nashville-rock edge, and yet soulful, swirling vocals. 

Previously, the band has released debut LP Stories and sophomore album Golden Days. Year of October has played over 250 shows across the South, and has built up a devoted community of fans with their cohesive yet genere-elusive style. Check out their brand new single “Come & Get It”, and stay tuned below for the new album out in October! Website here, Facebook here.

'Come & Get It' is a bluesy and potent rocker. The vocals are full of passion and feeling, whilst the band kick out some feisty riffs.

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Michael Malarkey - Mongrels.

Background - This is the title track from the forthcoming album, accompanied by a new video shot in the UK. Mongrels will be released 8th September 2017 via Cap On Cat Records and you can catch up with Michael Malarkey on the road shortly after for the next step of the journey. 

Quote from Michael: "Mongrels represents the many-faced animal within us that is here but never quite from here; the dreamer within us, stricken with wanderlust, who is tuned to the frequencies of change; the nomad within us whose roots grow not in the ground, but in the wind. It represents the mystery of our vagrant nature, at times a source of weakness and at times a source of power.” 

Michael Malarkey rose to fame, appearing in the HBO series The Vampire Diaries where he played the character of ‘Enzo’ up until the series finished last year.

An avid singer/songwriter, Michael has turned his attention back to touring, with more dates still to be announced around the release this fall. Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour news page, Facebook here.

The title track and one of twelve songs on the forthcoming album 'Mongrels' helps showcase Michael Malarkey's distinct and somewhat poignant vocals. The album comprises a fine mixture of material, occasionally dark in nature (but only occasionally), the refined melodies and desirable feel of each song, makes for a rich and pleasing listen. This deserves to be heard not because of The Vampire Diaries, but because it is a very affecting album.


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Soviet X-Ray Record Club - Houses.

Background - Soviet X-Ray Record Club are set to launch new EP 'Houses' today Wednesday, 9 August 2017. Since the release of their debut album 'Wake', SXRC have incorporated glitch, electro and industrial influences into their established shoegaze, post-punk, surf fuelled sound. More upbeat in comparison to their first bleak album,  the new EP ‘Houses’ will be released on 9 August 2017 and will be accompanied by a vinyl release featuring new singles ‘Glasslicker’ and ‘Love So Cold’. 'Houses' will be the band’s first multi-track release since 2015.

Lead single 'Glasslicker' features an aggressive bass and drum track, interspersed with laconic vocals. The track is an observation into the push/pull awkwardness of dancefloor relationships, and is complimented by unique pop/industrial keys to complete the club setting. 

'Love So Cold' underscores crooning, decaying vocals and harmonies with an insistent drum track and polystyrene static, bound together by SXRC's signature haunting shoegaze/surf melodies. Lyrics like "I'm living it up, while my family dies" hide amongst the noise-pop guitar-jangle and add to the impact of the song's title, “No list of emerging artists on the Brisbane music scene would be complete without the inclusion of this band… they are deservedly growing in stature on the back of their commendable ability as a live act.” SONAR

SXRC have received acclaim for their intense and explosive live performances, and have toured with Australian and International acts such as Flyying Colours, Hinds, The Belligerents, Raave Tapes, The Peep Temple, The Courtneys, New Gods and Nantes. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

The new 'Houses' EP is featured in full here, with each track demanding attention as the band drift between a multitude of genres. Sometimes it sounds a little like Ultravox with a bad attitude (OK I know there are more recent references to be had), whatever this is a potent collection of songs, more than worthy of a feature.

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Kansas Smittys House Band - Party Party Party.

Background - Leave all your preconceptions at the door this is Kansas Smitty's House Band. Since their last studio album, the band have headlined and sold out shows at Ronnie Scott's, the Jazz Cafe, and the Shoreditch Town Hall and became proprietors of their own bar.

Kansas Smitty’s House Band’s music is not without influence. Imagine a head-on collision of the sonic worlds of Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Curtis Mayfield, Brad Mehldau, and Willie Nelson. Don't get ideas though, this sour mash of jazz genres is steeped to perfection, making the the KSHB's music very much their own.

‘Party Party Party’ is the next track to be taken from the band’s forthcoming new album ‘Movin On’ due later this year and is an infectious summer anthem-in-waiting. Opening with raucous crowd noise and with a gang crowd vocal main hook, the track sums up the band’s incredible flair and taste for live performance with a tropical feel that invites a vibin’ party atmosphere that could potentially be heralded as an instrumental on par with Average White Band’s ‘Pick Up The Pieces’.

Kansas Smitty’s House Band loves company and has inducted a host of performers into their scene down at their East End London bar. The band features leader Giacomo Smith with the KSHB steadfast lineup of Pete Horsfall, Adrian Cox, Theon Cross, Pedro Segundo, Joe Webb, Ferg Ireland and Dave Archer while the shortlist of internationally recognised musicians who've been down to the bar to play or just to dig what the KSHB do include: Louis Cole, Nitin Sawhney, Kit Downes, Nick Mulvey, Laura Marling, Beth Rowley, Michael Janisch, and Shingai Shoniwa to name a few.
The eclecticism in the KSHB's sound is rooted in this diverse buzz around Smitty's Bar. It's the constant flow of people through their home that makes collaborating with artists ranging from Curtis Stigers to Kitty, Daisy And Lewis easy for the band to flit to and from. 

Smitty's have also taken the show on the road. When they can, the band likes to bring their bar along with them. Takeovers at the Peckham Liberal Club, Stamford Works, The Vault Festival, four nights at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and for an entire month at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - where they programmed a series of concerts in their pop-up venue featuring Sons of Kemet, Swindle and Ska-legends Bad Manners alongside themselves.

The band continue their exciting touring schedule following a main stage shows at Love Supreme and Cornbury Festival with appearances at Boomtown, Goodlife Experience and a return to Shoreditch Town hall as part of London Jazz Festival. Live dates are over on beehive candy's tour news page, Website here, Facebook here.

Today we can end on a real high! 'Party Party Party' is just so invigorating, wonderful, fun packed and vital! Hopefully you get where I'm coming from....

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