The Kat O Army - Frederick The Younger - Juanita Stein

The Kat O Army - I Don't Wanna Fight

Background - Kat O (ex- Kathematics, Kill TV) formed The Kat O Army in June 2017, releasing the single Victim of Truth (Minorities Unite) independently and launching the song with a successful Victorian tour, followed by NSW shows. Her passionate songs connect to the hearts of everyone who has been let down by friendships, relationships and even the government.

The new single I Don’t Wanna Fight was recorded at Toyland in Melbourne and produced and engineered by Adam Calaitzis. Kat played guitar and bass on the track. The song was written in 10 minutes as an ode to 2017, one of the most unbelievably argumentative years ever for Kat. Basically, she didn’t want to fight anymore. Raw and honest, the catchy pop/punk track is sung in Kat’s unmistakable Aussie accent.

Kat put up a video on Facebook of her performing the song unplugged in her music room which garnered an amazing response, including someone in her network wanting to cover the song.  The track was recorded, immediately resulting in airplay on community radio in Melbourne and Adelaide. The song was also put on Melomania radio’s playlist, alongside Pink, giving the track airplay in 40 countries around the world. TWITTER.

'I Don't Wanna Fight' opens as a stripped back rocker before powering up the energy. Kat O's vocals are feisty and ooze rock & roll vibes, in this no nonsense blast.

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Frederick The Younger - Jessica.

Background - “Jessica” is the new song that Louisville’s psych-pop band Frederick The Younger is sharing from their new album which will be coming out later this year. The band is sharing the infectious song due to their spring tour in support of Houndmouth that is now underway.

Comprised of their soulful powerhouse vocalist Jenni Cochran, virtuosic guitarist Aaron Craker (who’s pulling double-duty playing guitar w/ Houndmouth on this tour), and their new rhythm section Jake Hellman (bass) and Dave Given (drums), Frederick The Younger is back with a newfound energy that they’ve channeled into the songwriting on their upcoming album. Channeling vintage melodic rock and roll through the lens of psychedelic garage pop, the band has drawn comparisons to everyone from St. Vincent and Angel Olsen, to The Zombies and Arcade Fire.

“Jessica” is the first taste of new music since the release of their debut album Human Child, which was produced by the veteran sonic wizard Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, Twin Limb). There is an earnestness to their new songs that rings true, the kind of sincerity born from experience. These songs feel alive and well-lived, tragic, beautiful, and contemplative, all with a solid hook. FACEBOOK.

We featured Frederick The Younger just a month ago with the song 'Human Child II' and now we have 'Jessica' from the bands next album due later this year. Their psych rock infused style has plenty of melodic hooks on the new track, other influences may be their but the band have developed their own sound, and it's a good one.

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Juanita Stein - Forgiver.

Background - Juanita Stein, the Howling Bells front woman turned solo artist, will release a brand new single, Forgiver on 13th April (impacts 1 June). The single was co-written and produced by Brandon Flowers while Juanita was on tour with The Killers in Northern Europe this February.

Forgiver is the first taster of Stein’s upcoming second album, Until The Lights Fade, which will be released by Nude Records on 31st August. Says Stein of the song, “I remember wanting it to feel swaggering and wise, just like she is in the song. She a knowing seductress and he an endearing fool, completely at her mercy. It’s only once we get to the chorus that she shows any kind of vulnerability.”

“I’d written the bones of the song a while ago and began working on it again on the EU leg of the Killers tour. I’d managed to get Brandon to hear the song as was, with the intention of seeing if he could maybe help take it somewhere, and he ended up not only co-writing, but also producing the track, which we were able to record backstage during those last few days on the road.  I loved the spontaneity of the recording. As with the album itself, everything unfolded very instinctively.”

Juanita Stein’s second solo album arrives less than a year after her first, ‘America’, saw her exploring the iconography and cultural landscapes of a country that had always fascinated her from afar. Yet, while ’Until The Lights Fade’ is cut from the same musical cloth as its predecessor - the crepuscular twang of bar-room guitars, the keening romanticism of its melodies, the sparseness and simplicity of its arrangements - the album’s ten songs are concerned with thoughts, feelings, stories and characters rooted far closer to home.

“I feel like the two albums are different sides of the same coin,” Stein explains. “If ‘America’ was the starting point of a journey - the musical equivalent of me spreading my wings, but also treading carefully, trying to figure myself out having come from such an intense period of camaraderie in the band - then this record is me starting to gain a bit more traction, feeling more confident in where I’m coming from and what it is I’m doing.” WEBSITE.

This our our fourth feature for Juanita Stein an artist that consistently impresses us with her charismatic music. 'Forgiver' is a gliding rock song that is cleverly arranged adding a few extra layers of sound as it flows. That it is a catchy teaser for her second album goes without saying.

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Claudio Conti - Long Branch - Harry Permezel

Claudio Conti - Blazing Lair.

Background -  Claudio Conti presents 'Blazing Lair' is the second single off his new album 'Garnet Dusk' album, out now via Seahorse Recordings. This follows up the earlier revealed single ‘Old Clouds Fell‘-. both tracks reel in a delightful ebb and flow, while the new single beautifully embodies California dreaming.

The new accompanying video was entirely filmed last September in Los Angeles, mainly in the West Hollywood and Venice areas in September 2017, this video was filmed and directed by Claudio Conti and Frederick Byron, who also edited it. The two previously cooperated on the video for ‘Old Clouds Fell‘, shot entirely in San Francisco and California's Bodega Head Beach.

The new film portrays the shadows and lights of Los Angeles, a city that has always been blessed, cursed, crowded and infested by artists, and who shape this luminous place with their greatness, their weaknesses, their achievments and their failures.

"L.A. is ambrosia, whispers and caresses of inspiration but also the kiss of death," says Claudio Conti. "To have artistic recognition there is the greatest challenge, the city of angels (or of lost angels)  seems like the most dangerous and highest mountain to climb unharmed for any artist."

Claudio Conti is an Italian songwriter whose style is rooted in the same romantic pensiveness that mark the music of Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, Gene Clark. and Tim Hardin. Largely drawn to psychedelic music, folk rock and 80's indie rock, he considers Gram Parsons, The Doors, The Smiths and early R.E.M. as his main influences. FACEBOOK.

'Blazing Lair' is a fine representation of the quality and beauty that is 'Garnet Dusk' a collection of fourteen magnificent songs. Claudio Conti's influences are wide ranging both in terms of artists and musical genres, and it is quite an achievement to take some of the best of those and carve out an album that is still very much his own work and styling. Expect quality, it's packed full of it.


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Long Branch - Ash.

Background - Toronto/Honey Harbour band Long Branch releases their debut full-length album, Found the Setting Sun, May 25, 2018 on boutique label DWR, home to Michelle McAdorey's Polaris Prize long-listed album, Into Her Future.

Long Branch recorded Found the Setting Sun at Noble Street Studios throughout 2016-17 in a series of sessions helmed by Executive Producer Gavin Brown. Co-produced by Long Branch and Shaddy Roman, the album gathers ten songs from the group's repertoire, and expands on the sound the band first introduced to audiences with their self-released 7" single, "Lucky Me/Just in Case" in 2015.

Dead leaves, bare trees, redemption, and resurrection are embodied in the fuzz-fueled guitars, violin, and vocal harmonies of Long Branch's sound. Formed in 2014, the band is stacked five-high with members from beloved Canadian combos, Adaptor 45, Chicken Milk, The Good Family, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and Venus Cures All.

Long Branch's sound emerges from a solid guitar bedrock, with haunting violin voicings and the layered harmonies of the band's four formidable frontwomen supported by nuanced, driving rhythms. Introspective, moody, and evocative, Long Branch songs are narratives of overcoming hardship. Yet the songs are hopeful: A whisper of sadness appears one moment only to be blown away by grit and determination. BANDCAMP.

A chunky rhythm is soon joined by some melodic guitar licks on 'Ash' which make a splendid backdrop for the refined and splendid vocals and harmonies. Indie rock of sorts and catchy throughout.

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Harry Permezel - Bonehead.

Background - Melbourne-based artist Harry Permezel recently shared his new single "Bonehead". The track is the first to be released from his upcoming new album Wax Man, out 5/4 on Muscle Beach Records.

Wax Man, the sophomore album from Melbourne, Australia native Harry Permezel, is an intimate reflection of a twenty-something’s formative era of self discovery. The ten tracks flutter from introspective observance to guided narration on the forming and failing of relationships, uncertainties of the future, suburban isolation, and a hopeful foresight. The warm production of the record allows these themes to become illuminated with haunting harmonies, head-bobbing hooks, clockwork percussion, sporadic flecks of synthesizer, and crooning ruminations.

 Learning guitar at a young age and have being influenced by his older brother, Permezel began to develop his sound at his parents' house in suburban Melbourne. After unearthing a set of his dad's old speakers in the garage, Permezel began to slowly build a home studio, where he would repeatedly find himself after long, hazy nights in the city with his friends. This home studio is where he eventually recorded and produced his self-titled debut, which was released in 2016 on the Oxford, MS based label Muscle Beach Records. Over the next two years, Harry and Muscle Beach kept in close contact, building a tight friendship and creative bond - a unique and deeply personal relationship between label and artist.

Wax Man is the result of incredible determination, self assurance, a deep knowledge of solitude, and a true appreciation of company. This meditation on loneliness, lessons learned, and optimism lingers long with the listener. TWITTER.

There is something of a laid back surf vibe to 'Bonehead' as it gently carves out it's way. Collectively understated and yet solid enough to grab my attention, it's the vocals that round things off and drive in those catchy hooks.

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My Pleasure - King of the Travellers - The Rivers - Night Flight

My Pleasure - These Things Take Time.

Background - My Pleasure says of the upcoming album: "It's only been six months since my first album came out, but I wanted to deliver on my promise to myself to release as many albums as possible before I die. This one is called Mostly Happy because I am mostly happy with the album, and I'm mostly happy with life."

And with regards to the single: "These Things Take Time refers to all manner of trivial things, but generally it's about trying to be patient whenever you feel held back. And seeing as the song features a reference to family, the recording has my partner, daughter and stepdaughter joining me on vocals. It's usually just me in the studio going mad on my own, so it's nice to have a trio of vocalists backing me up for this one."

My Pleasure's previous releases, 'Domestic Bliss' (album), 'Party Popper' (an EP) and 'Your House is Made of Nothing and You Are No One' (a collection of ten singles) received support from BBC 6 Music, Radio 2, Radio X, Absolute Radio and BBC Introducing.

He has supported the likes of Jeffrey Lewis, The Wave Pictures, Public Service Broadcasting, H Hawkline, Art Brut and The Lovely Eggs. A UK tour is planned for the Summer. FACEBOOK.

The video works well with 'These Things Take Time' however it's the song that jumps out and cries for a listen. Different in a fine sort of way, the track pumps out rhythmic hooks by the dozen, listen and love! 


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King of the Travellers - Señor Oxido.

Background - Intertwining layers of Romani, Balkan and Celtic folk into a punk-fuelled tornado, King of the Travellers summon the musical ghosts of yore from every corner of the globe. On their fierce new single Señor Oxido, the Fremantle 7-piece ride into new territory with a heavy gallop – immersing the listener in a scorching Spaghetti Western.

While the song's lyric is a playful ode written upon the departure of former bandmate Rusty, Señor Oxido is a powerful orchestration of the band's impressive roll call: Nathan Hull (vocals), Sam Reed (French horn), Djan Irianto (guitar), Alex Green (bass), Tristan Hull (mandolin), Josh Cutler (drums) and Ben Power (clarinet, organ). Although sounding nothing like their previous work, Señor Oxido is perfectly at home amidst King of the Travellers' set-list – bursting at the seams with the band's innate ability to inspire a heaving dance floor.

Since day one, King of the Travellers have been this way... a band able to get the whole room moving. It has been their constant, no matter which direction their music has come from. 2013's The Puncha Hoedown was a rousing collection of howling folk-punk songs that felt almost like sea shanties. Building on this, 2014's Rambling Jackson involved more instrumentation and a broader range of ethnic variations of folk music, but was again delivered with maniacal energy. By 2016's Pros & Cons, King of the Travellers had fully developed their sound – fittingly bringing the music of all the world's great traveller cultures and distilling it into one potent brew.

With more material up their sleeve to ensure one hell of a 2018, King of the Travellers are ready to tear the roof off any place that'll have them. FACEBOOK.

The hashtag says #Alternative and 'Señor Oxido' is all of that and more. This is creative, imaginative and a joy to listen to. Genres galore are put in the mixer and come out as a musical smoothie of renown, come strut your stuff to this one...

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The Rivers - Tricks and Lovers.

Background - The Rivers are a brand spankin’ new indie/roots act from the South-West of WA. The Rivers’ name is symbolic of the many musical tributaries who have contributed to the band’s rich cinematic sound.

The band prefers to live underwater, away from the rage and chaos of modern life. The songs, scribed by the elusive Doug Boatman, are nostalgic, electronically layered and vocally harmonic, drawing richly from roots music - telling tales of hope and loss.

In recent travels, singer/songwriter, Doug Boatman drifted from port to port, writing a tea chest of songs later recorded in Los Angeles, New Zealand, Perth and the South-West of W.A. Tricks and Lovers is the first of the songs let loose from the chest, a message in a bottle seeking harbour in your headphones.

Tricks and Lovers is an early-morning alleyway glimpse of gratuitous love gone wrong - a broken heel struck through the heart of a willing victim. It depicts the complex nature of love surviving on the edge of morality, where sanity is tenderly balanced by the contents of a ‘pretty pill box.’

Ye who enjoy driving old V8 cars at night on country roads through the wind and rain, cruising with the heater set just right, will love The Rivers’ sound. You may, at times, drive recklessly fast; occasionally, you may just pull over and cry. WEBSITE.

The vocals and harmonies are the first part of 'Tricks and Lovers' to register in a good way, the musical arrangement provides a vibrant background on this folk pop/rock song, and the catchy nature of the piece ensures at the least a few more listens.

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Night Flight - Parade.

Background - London based band Night Flight return with the news of their second EP Carousel, along with the release of new single ‘Parade’ — the first track to be lifted from the EP.

Co-written with Billie Marten, 'Parade' beautifully drifts in on the back of a simple, yet effective guitar chord passage - as frontman and songwriter Sam Holmes sings: “Hey there, how’ve you been in this world, since I fell out of yours?”. Wonderfully paced, and lyrically riveting - Night Flight are a real breath of fresh air. Parade's carefully considered use of soft acoustic guitars, soothing keys, and steady, shuffling percussion is a joy to behold, building to its atmospheric - almost psychedelic close.

Its accompanying video also released today, directed by Dan Harris, feels like the perfect backdrop. A Peak District covered in snow, shot in beautiful 16mm, mirrors the turmoil of ex-lovers explored in the song.

Speaking on the new track, Sam explains ‘Parade’ is…"A conversation between ex-partners set some time after their break up. While the motive is for cathartic reconciliation, it quickly turns into a passive aggressive back and forth of one-upmanship." WEBSITE.

'Parade' has already received considerable attention in the last few days since it was released. 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.


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Juliet Quick - Lou - Second Still - Umbrella Bed

Juliet Quick - Changeling (EP).

Background - Brooklyn-based, alt-folk artist Juliet Quick shares her new release Changeling EP, out now on DSPs.

Changeling is a 3-part song series, using the folkloric trope of the changeling, in which a child is stolen by fairies and replaced with an imposter, to explore feelings of alienation from the self and the familiar that characterize early adulthood. They don’t follow a strict narrative, so much as trace different points in the evolution of that psychic experience.

The imagery is heavily grounded in the landscape of the Hudson Valley, where the artist was raised. It was recorded in Carmel, NY, where it was engineered and co-produced by Rees Shad in his own studio. The orchestral strings were arranged in a collaboration with Juliet Quick, Rees Shad, and Nathan Kamal. WEBSITE.

We featured 'Changeling Part 1' back in February and I am very pleased to be able to now share the whole EP. Regarding our last feature we commented "Part I' is a gorgeous and quite unique indie folk song, where Juliet Quick's vocals are quite beguiling and the musical arrangement adds a chamber folk dimension to this sumptuous and almost epic piece". Having now listened to the three tracks together, it's worth noting how each is a distinct piece, they share the same name but the differing attributes of each tune is notable, this is a fabulous EP.

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Lou - Beaten.

Background - Singer-songwriter Lou shares her poignantly arresting first single "Beaten." With this first release, Lou’s powerful voice and emotional delivery stand out and offer a glimpse into the first page of her story; that suffering and aloneness can be turned into a force. 

The song is a raw and unfiltered journey into her world. A definite talent to watch, Lou performs around LA and can often be heard at No Name on Fairfax.

Lou says of "Beaten" - "I originally wrote “Beaten” as a poem about being betrayed by love. The pain and the rage that band together to abandon you at the bottom of a dark hole. With nothing around, the only way out is to create light from within and hope that it saves you.”

Growing up in a musical household, Lou started singing at a very young age. As an only child, when her parents separated, Lou found a sanctuary by escaping into herself. She wrote a lot through her teens and, after a life changing moment, decided to share her voice with the world. Lou's debut EP is slated for release later this year. WEBSITE.

Lou's vocals are beautifully passionate and soulful on 'Beaten' a song that exudes feeling and emotion throughout. The slow paced rock orientated musical backing adds even more to this striking song.

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Second Still - Echelons.

Background - Second Still announce their second EP due this month and share the single "Echelons".  This EP is due April 20th on Sentimental Records.  The band is also set to release their sophomore EP Equals that same day.

After their first full-length record was named “best post-punk debut LP of 2017” by Post-Punk.com, While the songs from this newest release retain the sheer power and intensity of the band’s previous two releases, Equals sees Second Still evolving their sound and progressing forward into sonically uncharted territory.

The four main components of the band’s signature sound are still there –chorus and delay-heavy guitar, hypnotic bass grooves, heavyweight drum machine beats, and hauntingly beautiful vocal melodies– but they have added a couple analog synthesizers into the arsenal for Equals, mixing a whole new element into their already uniquely realized style of post-punk. Commanding synth bass, subtle ambient soundscapes, and forceful lead synth hooks now supplement and enhance the distinctive sound that Second Still had already crafted on their first two releases. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

Our third feature for Second Still this time with the new single 'Echelons'. Previously we have said "the band create unique material, that challenges referencing including some classic punk vibes, alongside a hint of shoegaze and a swathe of catchy hooks." The new song is a darker, brooding track, with a hypnotic rhythm and a musical arrangement that builds into a powerful crescendo.

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Umbrella Bed - Rotate.

Background - Picking up on a 2-Tone ska sound might have seemed like a strange choice in the summer of 1995 when Umbrella Bed first assembled itself into existence; after all, the 2-Tone ska sound was a very short-lived period 15-years earlier and, without a doubt, in '95 the newly reborn ska genre "third wave" was creating a much harder-edged ska sound.

Third-wave ska was very much guided by the rise of the alternative music scene and infused ska with a more punk/grunge bent. It moved the "ska sound" pretty far away from 2-Tone's inherent pop roots. But, 2-Tone's shorter life had also left a lot of room to explore. Six full-length releases, hundreds of wildly energetic shows and two European tours later, doing anything but build on 2-Tone's legacy would have been a tragic loss.

As a live act, Umbrella Bed have also played a support role to a who's who in the ska/reggae world including The Skatalities, The Specials, English Beat, The Toasters, Mustard Plug, King Chango, MU330, Mad Sin, The Selector, and many others.

The band's primary line up has rotated some over the years but has remained largely intact. Lead vocalist Hellrocket, drummer Mitch Thompson, trombonist Al Teagarden and ska's (if not rock and roll's) premier French Horn player Eva Washburn have been around from day one. Trombonist Joy Judge and saxophonist Scott Wilcox have been with the band nearly a decade completing the "Horns of Mass Destruction". Although hardly new to the band anymore, Umbrella Bed's most recent addition Francisco Guerra on bass and Kabel Lefto on guitar bring a youthful element to a band just wrapping up its second decade -  proof that there a lot more fuel in the energy tanks. WEBSITE.

The new full-length album from American ska band Umbrella Bed is entitled 'Rotate' of which we feature the title track. The bands take on Ska & 2 Tone is vibrant and upbeat, with hints of rock and roll along the way. The band have a fine live performance pedigree, that said they certainly can and do record some fabulous tunes in the studio, as this latest collection of music ably demonstrates.

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