Nocturnal Animals - Paul Mosley and The Red Meat Orchestra - October's Child - ORFILA

Nocturnal Animals - Dark Lit Places.

Background - Atlanta alternative/indie rock group Nocturnal Animals new EP is entitled "Dark Lit Places."

Nocturnal Animals is an American Alternative band from Atlanta, GA. The group consists of Mason Jones, Will Bennett, Derrick Stephen, and Dawson Tucker. Formerly known as "Rude!", Nocturnal Animals revamped themselves and have caught attention with their brand new debut EP of the name "Dark Lit Places".

"This band is very talented and promising. The vocals are charismatic and relateable, reminding me of the Arctic Monkeys with a dash of Billie Joe from Green Day. The production is stellar, as is the songwriting. This really makes alternative rock sound big and relevant again. Just beautiful arrangements and a unique dynamic/mixture of rock styles."

The band are - Mason Jones: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, Will Bennett: Lead Guitar, Dawson Tucker: Bass, Derrick Stephen: Drums, FACEBOOK.

The new EP 'Dark Lit Places' comprises of four tracks which test the spectrum of indie & alt rock. A mixture of feisty rock & roll alongside less intense melodic moments ensures variety is a key ingredient of this fine EP.


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Paul Mosley and The Red Meat Orchestra - Wintersun.

Background - The beautiful new single ‘Wintersun’ by Paul Mosley & the Red Meat Orchestra comes in light of the release of their ghostly new EP ‘Wintertide’ due 1st December. 'Wintertide.'

The epic title track updates the classic English Folk Carol 'I Saw Three Ships'... casting Red Meat Orchestra regulars Jack Harris, Esther Dee and Josienne Clarke as the three ships’ captains, stranded when the wintertide freezes, trapping their ships in the ice.

'Wintersun' -  described by Mosley as 'An exercise in smart-arse time signatures' but in fact a tale of the unkindness of unrequited love. The warm acoustics, layered harmonies and sky scraping saxophone bring to mind West Coast Americana and hazy, dreamy 70's folk pop. 

Having received astounding praise from press such as The Quietus, Q Magazine and R2 in the past, Paul Mosely has a reputation for turning heads and this new single is going to be no different. WEBSITE.

'Wintersun' has a timeless folk feel to it. Gently melodic the vocals and harmonies are natural and pleasing. The music gradually develops into a beautiful arrangement, it's a clever tease for the EP.

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October's Child - Orion.

Background - Songstress Britt Warner and producer Jordan Waré are October's Child. Britt and Jordan are both October babies, though they're opposites—she's a self-proclaimed "death-obsessed" lady, growing up in Los Angeles she used to write songs to help soothe her anxiety about mortality. 

On the other hand, Waré thinks of himself as an in the moment type of person, borrowing his musical sensibilities from something a bit more silent: meditation. What an interesting mix, right? Their debut album "As You Go" is coming up, but while we're waiting for this release you can check out their first single, "Orion".

Orion is a haunting yet upbeat track featuring Warner’s angelic range soaring over a seamless blend of orchestral and electronic. The instrumental framework for this leading single was written following Britt’s father’s death, and is wrapped up in the absence she felt during “his” holiday, Thanksgiving. 

"The lyrics wrote themselves", says Warner, "I'd fallen for someone who, due to life's circumstances, was unattainable, but there was this undeniable, torturous mutual spark. Orion is that person you click with immediately but are forever after left to wonder what might have been, if only…” FACEBOOK.

Britt Warner's gorgeous vocals are accompanied by a thoughtful and sensitive musical setting on 'Orion' a lush and soothing song. Jordan Waré's attention to detail ensures everything comes together with considerable beauty.

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ORFILA - Snow, Rain and A Hurricane.

Background - “Build With A Dreamer’s Hand” is the upcoming EP by sibling country music trio ORFILA to celebrate their five year anniversary. An anniversary that has allowed the trio to nostalgically reminisce about how far they have come together as a band, and grown together in that time. 

As they release what is without doubt their strongest material to date, the trio can proudly recall performing alongside a diverse collection of artists including Alvin Stardust, Dodgy, Beverley Craven, 911 and the legendary Albert Hammond.

"The EP is definitely a reflection of where we are as a band at this moment in time. When we recorded our second album we felt that we had found our sound and we wanted to continue down this route for this EP. 

We all contributed to the writing process and we had a small band behind us who we had worked with before and who were friends of ours which made it such a fun, laid back experience. The three tracks are three of the strongest tracks we have ever written and we hope people enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed making them." WEBSITE.

'Snow, Rain and A Hurricane' is an energised country song, where the vocals and musical arrangement compete for attention and both easily win through, in this upbeat affair. 


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The Bats - AyOwA - Skelhorn

The Bats - Busy.

Background - New Zealand indie-pop legends The Bats started the year off by releasing their ninth album, The Deep Set, and now they finish it with a new video.

Directed by Marc Swadel it sees the four-piece performing the track 'Busy' (off The Deep Set) in Christchurch Emigre, James Atkinson's, practice room under the arches of London's Haggerston Station. 

Filmed the day before their final show in the Tufnel Dome, the onscreen triptych also features footage from around London during the band's UK/EU summer tour earlier this year.

"Marc Swadel has done an amazing job of editing together band footage with some “busy” film of London's underground and overground using a wide triptych format" - Paul Kean, The Bats. BANDCAMP, WEBSITE.

It was back in February of this year that we first featured The Bats. The band end 2017 with a new video for 'Busy', another refined song from the album 'The Deep Set' where indie pop and rock are presented with class.


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AyOwA - Insomnia.

Background - The new single has just been released on Music For Dreams. Awake in the night, the Danish duo AyOwA go searching their sub conscious to the haunting lyrics of Danish writer Mette Moestrup.  “Insomnia” is the first single from their forthcoming EP “Farvel”, to be released in May 2018 on Copenhagen label Music For Dreams. Based on their trademark electronic approach, but this time with many acoustic elements, the duo goes exploring new sides of their nordic, dark and moving electronic songs.

Sung in Danish, but with a certain universal and dreaming approach,  AyOwA combines noise pop with electronica and melodies with improvisation, in an evocative and playful mix.

AyOwA has had a busy year, playing big festivals like Spot and Roskilde.The duo has been featured on BBC 1, Radio X and Apple Music Beats 1, as well as P3 and P6 in Denmark. They were also chosen as one of five bands of significance in 2017 by nordic blog and showcase JA JA JA.  AyOwA has been featured on Wonderland Magazine, Line of Best Fit, The Clash, Noisey, Vice, The Independent (UK) and Huffington Post (US), and marks the very rare occasion of a band singing in Danish, featured outside the country. FACEBOOK.

Our fourth feature for AyOwA this time with 'Insomnia' a gorgeous song sung in the duo's native language. Whatever might be lost in translation, the atmosphere, passion and beautiful music makes up for. In fact for non Danish speakers it adds another layer of fascination.

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Skelhorn - A Wondrous Place Of Our Own.

Background - Skelhorn debut single is 'A Wondrous Place of Our Own'. The song boasts meaningful lyrics, masterful musicianship and polished production techniques to create a record with a unique atmosphere.

Skelhorn makes music to reflect old and new, fusing his acoustic roots with electronica and wonderfully authentic vocals. Tarantino meets Morricone, with a dusting of Twin Peaks and a shot of Rock’n’Roll Quickly garnering support from key radio tastemakers through his strong catchy hooks and meaningful lyrics, the singer songwriter from Liverpool is generating a real buzz across his home city and beyond.

Skelhorn began his musical career at the age of fourteen, performing in clubs and pubs across the North West of England. He was quickly noticed by Radio Merseyside and Radio City and could regularly be heard and seen on live broadcasts and roadshows. Through this early radio support he was able to meet and perform with legendary songwriter Bill Dees (Pretty Woman) and Sonny Curtis (The Crickets).

Skelhorn has recorded, performed and toured with three bands prior to launching his solo career, gaining an enviable reputation and invaluable experience to stand him in good stead for the next chapter. FACEBOOK.

As debut singles go 'A Wondrous Place Of Our Own' has confidence and character to say the very least. Melodic and with lush layers of melodic music the vocals are definitely what give the song that special dimension.


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Esther & Fatou - Typhoon - Death of Guitar Pop

Esther & Fatou - At Night.

Background - At Night is the brilliant debut single from Esther & Fatou, a folky dream-pop tune perfect for the winter months. Hailing from Leuven, Belgium, the co-vocalists by equal turns charm and invigorate on a track that belies their lack of previous releases in its confidence. Warm, pin-point harmonies are accompanied by a snowy flurry of rootsy instrumentation, delivered in such a way as to retain a modern feel.  

“It’s a song about the way everything is seen in a different light at night”, E&F explain, “the track was inspired by a nighttime walk through the city, when we began to wonder about ourselves and other people. In a very organized society in which everyone is expected to make a distinct contribution, there comes the night: full of chaos, everyone is left with their thoughts, insecurities and secrets. The nighttime raises more questions about existence and faith. By morning; they all seem to disappear’"

Produced by Gaetan Vandewoude (of the beloved Belgian indie-band Isbells) and mixed by Luke Smith (Foals, Anna Of The North, Slow Club) it’s the perfect introduction to Esther & Fatou’s wonderful world of dreamy Americana, combining the joyful and gloomy over 3-and-a-half blissful minutes. At Night by Esther & Fatou is out now via [PIAS] Belgium. FACEBOOK.

Esther & Fatou have merged together natural folk sensibilities with dream pop and the resulting song 'At Night' is a lush and beautiful song. The vocals and harmonies are gorgeous and are supported by some imaginatively crafted expansive and warm music.

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Typhoon -  'Floodplains: Wake / Rorschach / Empiricist / Algernon'.

Background - Typhoon have announced their new album "Offerings" which will be released January 12th via Roll Call Records. If a Fellini film, a Bosch painting, and a Rorschach drawing had a collective sound, it would be Typhoon's new release. The 14-track record Offerings is a musical and lyrical excursion into surreal imagery, eerie soundscapes, and an emotionally jarring narrative.

The 70-minute album for Roll Call Records, which is the Portland, Oregon indie rock band's fourth studio album, centres on a fictional man who is losing his memory, and in turn, his sense of self. "I've always been preoccupied with memory, losing memory, and trying to recapture memory. I wanted to explore the questions: What does a person become if they don't know where they came from? What is the essential quality of the person if you strip away all memory?" explains singer/songwriter Kyle Morton.

Motivated in part by his own preoccupation with "losing it," Morton also found a treasure trove of inspiration through various books, art, and film he was immersed in during the writing of this record. "I was watching a lot of David Lynch, and thought a lot about the Christopher Nolan movie, Memento, and Fellini's 8 ½. And there were a lot of books on my nightstand that played into this. It made it a much darker album for sure," he says.

"Offerings" is divided into four movements (Floodplains, Flood, Reckoning, and Afterparty) to represent the mental phases the main character goes through where he first realises that something is wrong, then struggles through the chaos of his situation, and finally moves into acceptance before succumbing to his dreadful fate. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The band have also announced a run of UK tour dates for 2018.

28th Feb 2018 The Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK
3rd March 2018 Broadcast, Glasgow, UK
2nd March 2018 The Lexington, London, UK.

The first movement from Typhoon's forthcoming album (Offerings) is 'Floodplains' which comprises of  'Wake / Rorschach / Empiricist / Algernon'. Crammed with creativity these four songs are a generous taste of January's album setting expectations very high. The bands core genre might be indie rock, clearly however that does not anchor them and the imaginative ideas are present both lyrically and with the musical directions they take.


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Death of Guitar Pop - 69 Candy Street.

Background - Essex-based Death of Guitar Pop released their debut album ’69 Candy Street’ earlier this month, and will make their live debut as a 9-piece ska band (taking place at Oslo, Hackney on Friday 1st December).

Death Of Guitar Pop have been sparking huge interest from over recent months, with The Orginal Rudeboy Neville Staple (The Specials) collaborating on their last single ’Suburban Ska Pop', the Bad Manners horn section (aka The Mafia) throwing their hat into the ring to play on the album (and will play as part of the Death Of Guitar Pop live band playing at Oslo on December 1st). and w

With the likes of Pauline Black (The Selecter) and Dave Wakeling (The Beat) give the lads big props on social media. FACEBOOK.

We featured and thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration with Neville Staple in the form of 'Suburban Ska Pop' and with the album just released we have the title track to enjoy now, '69 Candy Street'. It looks likely that those going to the live debut as a nine piece band are gonna have some fun, for the rest of us we have at the least one more tune to leap about to!

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Verge Collection - Lesley Barth - Folia

Verge Collection - So Vain.

Background - Off the back of a buzzing sold out national tour for first single 'For The Story', Verge Collection announce their latest tune 'So Vain', from their highly anticipated debut LP 'Flanuer' (out March 30).  

The brand new follow up single - which premiered on triple j's Home & Hosed with Dom Alessio on Monday and online with Pilerats yesterday - is a two minute banger that see's the  Perth indie-pop natives flip the bird to judgmental folks. Drawing on an awkward party experience, songwriter and band front-man Ben Arnold finds humour in a petty argument with a pretentious party-goer where he claims he "was getting razzed by someone that had a superiority complex." 'So Vain' acts as a helping hand, urging the listener to move towards something bigger; something greater than the predictable sameness of current life.

With a presence that's cemented itself wholly in the suburban Australian whirlpool, Verge Collection's debut album is set to sink deep into the bones of every listener. Flaneur represents the band's mature side, where self-reflective tendencies and the art of letting go of negativity are personified in the complex lyricism highlighted on tracks like 'Stop Think About It' and 'Sleep It Off'. The debut album soars to new heights showcasing catchy hooks and heavy bass lines that provoke a nostalgic yearning for simplicity and unfiltered youth. The album's 10 track's document goose-bump worthy reflections ('Feelin' Old'), knowing when it's time to say goodbye ('Last Ciggie') and finding light in dark situations ('Black Dog'). With the same production team behind their 2016 triple j mini hit 'Our Place', the album is set for release on deluxe 12" vinyl via Rhubarb Records on Friday 30 March. 

Since their inception, Verge Collection's list of successes brims with achievements. Nominations for four WA Music Awards (WAMi's) resulted in the crown for "Best EP" ('Open Plan Living') in 2016 following their set as one of the most talked about acts at Bigsound. Earlier this year, the band signed with Rhubarb Records following a wicked sold out national tour in August and the release of Flaneur's first single 'For The Story'. With a back catalogue of tours supporting the likes of Skeggs, Stonefield, The Wombats, Cold War Kids, Bad Dreems, Bleeding Knees Club, Tiny Little Houses, Good Boy, City Calm Down and Saskwatch, Verge Collection will reveal national album tour dates in early 2018. 

Verge Collection's single 'So Vain' is out now. Flaneur is out physically on Friday 30 March via Rhubarb Records and digitally via Believe Distribution. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

'So Vain' is a vibrant indie pop song that mixes melodic vocals and a feisty musical arrangement, and at just under two minutes every second appears to be crammed full of musical goodness.

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Lesley Barth - Song Without a Name.

Background - After performing around top NYC singer/songwriter venues for a few years and capturing audiences with her strong voice and compelling lyrics, Lesley Barth released her debut EP, “Good Like This,” as a surprise to her supporters on her 28th birthday in summer of 2015, quickly building a loyal and devoted fanbase off of its warm reception.  

Only several months later, in partnership with OvationTV and Rockethub as part of their first “Creative Studio” of artists, she was able to crowdfund her first full-length album from the growing number of supporters who were hungry for more from Barth.

Her crowdfunded album “Green Hearts,” released earlier in 2017, was made at Brooklyn’s Mission Sound, where Barth recorded her debut EP in 2014.  Elements from disco, folk, country, blues, and retro pop have been woven together by themes of longing, soul-searching, and young love in her first full-length album.

Lesley has this to say about her brand new music video - If you think I wouldn't make a music video using my old kitchen's teal walls as a green screen and free stock footage, You Were Wrong! WEBSITE.  

We featured Lesley Barth back in January and were rather impressed with her then new album. 'Song Without A Name' now in music video form is to good not to show and it looks like some new material will be on it's way early next year.


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Folia - Heart Beat.

Background - Folia are an alt-pop duo out of Melbourne serving up ambient, dreamy sounds and raw, honest vocals.

After forming in late 2016, the pair released their debut single Without You in August 2017 to positive reviews, drawing comparisons to UK trio London Grammar. Heart Beat is the second release from the duo and was both self-written and self-produced by the band at Ginger Recording studios in Melbourne with help from studio owner and audio-engineer Jimi Wyatt. The song depicts the pain, confusion and devastation that comes from unexpectedly losing a loved one and transcends from deep, hollow vocals to ambient harmonies and progressive riffs.

“Though fortunately neither of us have lost a significant loved one, Heart Beat is our own perception of the agony and frustration that would ensue following the loss of a loved one, encompassed with the fear of this happening and not having the chance to say goodbye”.  ‘Heart Beat’ is in Digital Stores now. FACEBOOK.

A distant atmospheric start soon evolves into an impressive alt pop song with 'Heart Beat'. The vocals are emotionally gorgeous and the musical arrangement builds in layers adding warmth along the way.

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