She Rides Tigers - Cousin Kula - Frankie Lee - Lady Nade - James Clayton - Wovoka Gentle

From She Rides Tigers we have the debut album 'Scars' to stream in full, the trio deliver a powerful mixture of rock styles with enough pop sensibilities to ensure a mass of musical hooks along the way. Cousin Kula's 'Stacked' sees the psych pop element of the band in full flow, this is an imaginative song where their jazz influences are just nudging away in the musical arrangement. 'In The Blue' from Frankie Lee takes on the subject of ageing and loss and yet adds a tender and quite beautiful feel with this fine song. Lady Nade's fabulous vocals are a perfect fit for soul and jazz, so it's no surprise that 'Drive Home Safely' (a mixture of both genres) is simply wonderful. James Clayton sent us Avalene with a few personal comments, the song did the rest and with pleasure it's shared below. Wovoka Gentle have given us another song from their forthcoming album which includes The Kids Club Kampala Choir, it's our fifth feature for the London trio who just keep on creating great music. 

She Rides Tigers - Scars (Album).

Chicago trio She Rides Tigers have released their debut LP Scars which follows their debut EP, Standing On The Edge, which was released in 2015.

The band is made up of Joe O'Leary - Guitar, Vocals - James Scott - Bass, Vocals and Ryan Birkett - Drums

She Rides Tigers’ single "Roll With It" was featured extensively in the 2015 production of Grand Concourse at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company. The band has also been featured on Fearless Radio, Voclao (via NPR), WGN Radio, New City, Radio One Chicago and Static Multimedia.

She Rides Tigers is a fuzz guitar, riff-laden power trio blurring the lines between psychedelic rock and powerpop.

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Cousin Kula - Stacked.

Bristol based outfit Cousin Kula are sharing new single 'Stacked' - the second track to be lifted from their forthcoming second EP, due for release later this year.

Melding psych pop, jazz, and electronic pop to brilliant effect, 'Stacked' was lyrically inspired by singer Elliot's Mum going through a divorce. His band mate, Douglas said: "Although it's a song to his mum post divorce, I hear its message as being quite positive and hopeful, like: 'you've got it all stacked up against you, but I back you to come through it all on top.'"

Opening amidst a canvas of atmospheric electronics, reverb-touched synths, and stunning guitar motifs – 'Stacked' kicks into groove, with Elliot sending a message of encouragement: "It'll be alright / You'll find solutions / Yeah you got it stacked / But it's you you're choosing".

Walking into the Cousin Kula household you’re met by bundles of bicycles in the hallway, friends’ artwork on the walls and instruments everywhere. In the garden a self-made pizza oven and an array of home grown vegetables demonstrate their ambition for self-sufficiency. Cousin Kula are a band with an energy not just about the way they make music, but about their day to day life, which translates to the stage with vigour – turning audiences, into fans, up and down the country.

The 6-piece's undulating, refreshing brand of psych-pop was originally born out of Bristol’s progressive jazz music scene. Bonding over their shared love for an eclectic range of music from pop and psych through to prog, disco & afrobeat; the six members soon found themselves living together and with a rehearsal room in their basement became one of the tightest and most impressive bands on the Bristol circuit, blending these genres into something both modern and refreshing.

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Frankie Lee - In the Blue.

Frankie Lee is sharing the second single from his new album, Stillwater, with the beautifully dark rumination on aging and loss. In The Blue sees Lee taking a soft piano approach to the subject, somehow softening the stark reality that time comes for us all. Lee explains that the song “dramatises the confusion felt by the narrator as he watches the important things in life slip away.

Realising he cannot hold on to even one grain of sand, he is led to his final question whether all things are just a dream.” American Songwriter, who premiered the song, says “In The Blue finds the sweet spot between modern, soulful folk and old-school Western balladry, with Lee’s gentle vocal lending an emotional heft to the track’s understated, piano-forward arrangement.”

The video for In The Blue follows on from that of that of previous single Downtown Lights in using archival footage of Frankie Lee’s hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota from which the album takes its name. The footage was taken from the Washington County Historical Society’s John Runk collection by videographer Paul Creager.


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Lady Nade - Drive Home Safely.

Soulful, rootsy-jazz singer-songstress Lady Nade announces the release of new album Safe Place (digitally available from May 17th) impact date June 21st on Mintlime Records. Fresh from supporting fellow Bristolian Elles Bailey on her UK tour, Lady Nade will be embarking on a further tour supporting the 'Queen Of Country Soul' Yola in May.

Lady Nade's music has been likened to a rich fusion of musical greats, with comparisons to the soul-bearing velvet tones of Nina Simone with a heady, jazz splash of Jeff Buckley thrown in. Her songs fill your heart with nourishing words and melodies, her tender soulful voice drawing you in.

The success of her first debut album ‘Hard To Forget’ received support from BBC2 Dermot’ O Leary, Tom Robinson’s BBC6 Fresh Net show, BBC Bristol’s Introducing, France National Radio and Sam Bain (writer of Peep show and Freshman) ‘Yours Truly, Pierre Stone’ BB4 Radio Show. Hotly-tipped shows and residencies, performing in countless locations, from underground bars to festival fields and European cities, have continued to spark further interest and her increasing profile has earned her endorsements from Taylor Guitars, Sontronics and Icon Films.

Nade has collaborated with two familiar musical powerhouses on Safe Place and created with them a bright new world of sonic experiences. Dan Everett has brought his earthy, rootsy folk and Americana to enrich these sonic pastures, and mixing saucier Paul Isaac has conjured new and vibrant soundscapes to support and enhance the album. With Nade at the creative centre, these three chefs stripped down each track to its vocal base and painstakingly built up layers of melody and improvisation to release each song's full potential.


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James Clayton - Avalene.

Fuelled by nostalgia, “Avalene” is a psychedelic retelling of a euphoric night shared with your best friend.

“Avalene” is formless in both it’s composition and lyrics. The song always reminds me of a time where I felt more carefree, and I hope you feel the same way while listening.

Determined to capture the essence of a live performance, “Avalene” was recorded off the floor to tape with Peter Woodford at The Bottle Garden (his studio in Montreal) - James Clayton.


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Wovoka Gentle - Xerxes '19 (ft. Kids Club Kampala Children’s Choir).

London trio Wovoka Gentle have announced the release of their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' on 7th June through Nude Records.

After releasing '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', 'Peculiar Form of Sleep', 'Sin is Crouching At Your Door' and 'Tell'em, Makoto!', Wovoka Gentle have now shared a new track from their upcoming debut LP. 'Xerxes' features glitchy electronics, soaring beats and the exuberant voices of Kids Club Kampala Choir.

They add: "You could say there’s an atmosphere of celebration in Xerxes ‘19, even though it’s more or less about death. There’s an imagined ecstatic moment of submission before departing a world running election campaigns for tried and tested tyrants, where legends are equal parts seductive and dangerous. The Kids Club Kampala Choir was recorded in Uganda by a friend of ours, originally for the Kids Club Kampala charity. We wanted to create a call and response dynamic between our vocals and their vocals; the conversation flung across continents."

Wovoka Gentle are an experimental three-piece from London, comprised of William J Stokes and twins Imogen and Ellie Mason. Taking its root in folk and Americana songwriting, the Wovoka sound draws upon the psychedelic soundscapes of the late 60s as well as contemporary experimental, pop and collage music; marrying classic instrumentation with sampling, analogue synthesis and sound manipulation.


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Hannah Scott - Illuminine ft. Hannah Corinne - Mountain Head - In Caravans

We featured Hannah Scott's album "Pieces of the Night" last summer and are really pleased to share her latest single 'Walk A Wire' a vibrant modern folk song with bags of energy. 'The Many Deaths Of Letting Go' from Illuminine and featuring Hannah Corinne on vocals is a dreamy, gentle song that soothes and pleases. Mountain Head's alt rocker 'We Stole Your Head' touches on the information overload that so often distracts us, it does so with some fine hooks and a very engaging musical arrangement. The recent E.P release from Denmark's In Caravans is worth catching up with, the four songs are infectious as the band carve out their own quite individual and attractive sounds.

Hannah Scott - Walk A Wire.

Hannah Scott presents her new single, “Walk a Wire”. Inspired by a friend with a disability who closed herself away for fear of rejection, it invites people to take a chance and open up to life. Hannah tries to follow her own advice despite living with chronic health condition Ankylosing Spondylitis; a recent example saw her speaking in Parliament to a room full of MPs about how her condition affects her life and her music career, despite being terrified of speaking in public! Her MP Rupa Huq, who was in attendance, subsequently described her as “inspirational and courageous”.

Co-written and produced with long-standing collaborator Stefano Della Casa (Ultra Music Publishing), “Walk a Wire” expertly combines organic, live elements with electronic sounds. The two artists have struck a perfect balance between Hannah’s traditional songwriting craft and Stefano’s exquisite synth-rich production.

Since releasing her well-received album, “Pieces of the Night”, through AWAL last summer, Hannah has signed a publishing deal with Chelsea Music and has opened shows for Madeleine Peyroux, as well as touring in Europe and across the UK. Previous releases have been featured on BBC Radio 2, including a live session with Dermot O’Leary, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, The Guardian, MOJO and Clash Magazine, to name a few. Hannah’s music can also be heard in shops and bars including Caffè Nero, Costa, TK Maxx and Marks & Spencer.


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Illuminine ft. Hannah Corinne - The Many Deaths Of Letting Go.

Flemish composer Kevin Imbrechts, the artist at the helm of Illuminine, deftly blends neo-classical with post-rock influences.

The new song is a follow up to his hypnotic third album, simply titled “#3”, which deals with his anxiety disorder and accepting an Asperger diagnosis. For this new release he works again with Hannah Corinne, who gave her soft voice to this track for a very intimate and deep sound.

Kevin Imbrechts about the song: “”The Many Deaths of Letting Go” was first written as a poem. Sometimes you need to write those words to cope with a very difficult time in your life in which it feels like the future is slipping through your fingers like water. You need to make peace with that feeling and the song is the result of that.”

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Mountain Head - We Stole Your Head.

The current influx and acceleration of information has brought on an immense amount of distraction and anxiety that separates us from feeling the presence of the current moment.

“We Stole Your Head” is a reminder to be here now, to connect with life. There are a lot of things out there looking to take your head and lead it down an endless labyrinth.

The sound conception of Mountain Head started with this song. It was one of those moments where it just hits you.

It wasn’t until we brought the song to the studio that it really started to take shape; you could say that “We Stole Your Head” and the ideas it conjured truly did steal our heads. It cleared the foundation and set up our base camp before we ascend this mountain.

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In Caravans - Sunken Streets (E.P).

Denmark's In Caravans recently released their Sunken Streets EP which is their third release of 2019, with two singles "Maybe" and "Courier" released earlier this year.

In Caravans are Lasse (drums), Sebastian (bass), Niels (guitar & synths), Søren (guitar) and Magnus (vocals). They come from the beautiful city of Aarhus, Denmark, which is home to some internationally recognised facilities and events like Tapetown Studio or SPOT Festival. And just like these two brands mentioned - In Caravans, taking inspirations from neo-psychedelia or alternative rock, create a sound that’s unique to that scene but blends right into the exciting indie rock scene of today.

On Sunken Streets EP, there are moments of reflection and ones that will leave listeners hungry for more. Some actually may find themselves thinking why there aren’t more tracks on this EP, why it’s over when they’ve only just got comfortable with this Danish band’s inviting sound. In reality, the release is teasing all indie aficionados into doing exactly that - wanting more. It invites them to be a part of the process and experience what In Caravans have yet ahead of them - and, more importantly, to experience it together; in a mysterious but powerful way.

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Fanclub - Blaire - Beverly Kills - Mystery Art Orchestra

'Imprint' from Fanclub is a beautifully flowing song with appealing vocals and a finely arranged musical back drop. With their music aptly described as Punkgaze, Blaire give us 'Mimer' a distinct and hook filled song that helps explain their musics description. Gothenburg’s Beverly Kills might have created a stir locally, however 'In This Dim Light' might well be bright enough (pun intended) for their music to get noticed far and wide. We have the A side and one of the two B sides from Mystery Art Orchestra's new single as the Berlin based band demonstrate just how good their take on post punk music is!

Fanclub - Imprint.

Fanclub have just shared their new single "Imprint". Fanclub is Mike Lee, Leslie Crunkilton, and Daniel Schmidt from Austin, TX. Mike and Leslie immediately knew they wanted to craft songs driven by their love of all things twee, indie, and dreamy.

What they didn’t expect was that the songs would come out as the most mature and dazzling things they’ve ever worked on. What they also didn’t know was that Fanclub would give us a distinctly new sound that is also so incredibly nostalgic.

On the heels of their debut EP release with already over half a million streams, they want to further craft songs that find hope in the melancholy and bring that same sentiment on the road. With more and more tour dates being announced, hopefully you’ll get to see for yourself.

Tour Dates:
05/22 - Houston, TX - White Swan Live
05/22 - Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas.

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Blaire - Mimer.

Building a kingdom of textured and multifaceted guitar music—brilliantly labelled as punkgaze, Blaire creates sonics that is both visceral and maligned, maximalist and minimal. Hidden behind an explosion of layered guitars and noise lies subtlety and beauty—something Blaire have come to perfect in their two-year career.

Blaire is proud to release the new single into the world. After turning plenty of heads last year with two astounding tracks, 'Youth' and 'Smiling', Blaire's new track, 'Mimer', is out today via GD FRNDS.

Blaire has never sounded so polished and forward. Their pretence of sweltering punk swashed underneath a shoegaze current remains omnipresent, though embeds itself in a dichotomy of deepened pop movements. Using a synth for the first time in a Blaire track, there was a conscious effort to make a dreamy and otherworldly vibe on 'Mimer'.

Sparked by the passing of a family member, Blaire frontman Ben Stagg constructed a contrast of "efflorescent dreaming" and "ephemeral nightmares" to deal with or distract himself in that time.

"Mimer takes a look at the idea of distance," explains Stagg. "Whether that be a friend who lives far away, someone who's passed, a favourite place, country, anything. It is a reflection on the fact that you can still feel whatever's missing from you in a range of ways, and can be 'mimed' by something else."

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Beverly Kills - In This Dim Light.

Beverly Kills are creating an impressive name for themselves as one of Gothenburg’s up and coming bands to watch. Last year saw the band release ‘Fourteen’, ‘Melodrama’ and ‘Dreamless’, gathered great acclaim from both local and international press including being mentioned as one of the “Best Swedish Indie Debuts 2018” by HYMN and being nominated for "Breakthrough of the Year” in the Gaffa Awards. This also saw the band playing Gothenburg music showcase festival Viva Sounds and a side show at this years by:Larm Festival along with shows supporting Agent blå, Moaning(USA- Sub-pop) and Västerbron.

The release of ‘Revellers’ earlier this year came with the announcement of their debut physical release ‘In This Dim Light/Melodrama’ limited edition 7” vinyl through Australian Indie label Hell Beach. ‘Revellers’ received a plethora of editorial support among being added to Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlists, featured in Hype Machines most blogged charts and saw new live dates including taking the stage at this year’s SPOT Festival and shows supporting Terra and Westkust. ‘In This Dim Light’ signifies a new era for Beverly Kills as they join the Welfare Sounds roster, aligning with amazing fellow label artists such as Linn Koch Emmery, Terra and Tyred Eyes which is set to propel the band forward into a future that is looking very bright.

‘In This Dim Light’ may be Beverly Kills most compelling single to date and further encapsulates the bands signature sounds as they suck you in with dreamy and infectious hooks then spit you right back out with raw and thumping energy.The initial tone of the song is set by Alma Westerlund’s beautiful vocals that flow effortlessly over melodic, dreamy synths which is then completely augmented as Viggo Mattson and Hampus Höggren lay down a powerful stomping rhythm section that propels the song into full motion.

As the song builds towards its final climax, John Jonsén’s punchy and articulate guitar performance carries the song through sections of tension and release as the band artfully blend raw and energetic sonic landscapes with dreamy lush vocals. Lyrically, Alma poetically reflecting on the type of people who compulsively start talking about their exes after they’ve had a drink or two, ending up ranting about them for the rest of the evening, almost as a process of self-purification.“A gray wall can become a sky or an ocean if you look close enough, we played an eye for an eye and you took them both”. ‘In This Dim Light’ clearly demonstrates Beverly Kills song writing prowess and further establishes their emergence in the ever-exciting Gothenburg indie scene.

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Mystery Art Orchestra - Enjoy The Violence / Losing Relation.

Berlin-based Post-Punk / New-Wave band Mystery Art Orchestra released their new EP last Friday. Following six years of work on their debut album “Prismatic Dream” (2018) and several live performances, Mystery Art Orchestra returned to the studio and produced the 7" Vinyl “Enjoy The Violence”.

This cheeky new EP contains three new tracks and comes with an emergence of new darker sounds. Light-minded or not, fragments of sounds are the only form that Mystery Art Orchestra trust. Measured against the east german landscape of their hometowns, its only slightly sentimental.

Hypnotic, disruptive and sometimes strangely familiar, almost as if different musical decades have been torn apart and stitched back together in unexpected ways.

"If you like blurry guitar sounds, melancholic vocals and long stretches of instrumentals lining your car rides, lonely walks or meaningful stares out of the windows, you’ve reached the right address with Mystery Art Orchestra"



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Honey Moon - Swanes - Le Boom & Æ MAK

Honey Moon have released 'IF I Could Only Dream' a fresh and vibrant jangle pop song that exudes classic pop vibes from decades ago. Toronto duo Swanes have created a lush, rhythmic and dreamy electronic piece in the form of 'Dreams Of Iceland'. Irish electronic-pop duo, Le Boom have teamed up with Æ MAK to share 'Dancing Bug' accompanied now with a fabulous video, adding a little extra to this upbeat song. 

Honey Moon - If I Could Only Dream.

London jangle-pop crooners Honey Moon stomp into 2019 with new single If I Could Only Dream, teaming up once more with Manchester label Heist or Hit  (Her’s, Pizzagirl, Baywaves, Guest Singer). It’s the first jangly slice of sound the quintet have delivered since last year’s acclaimed Four More From… EP, which drew fans from tastemaker tomes DIY and DORK magazine to BBC 6 Music and legendary cratedigger Elton John.

Distilling their trademark doo-wop sound to first principles on the new single, Honey Moon capture snatched moments of 50s/60s jukebox culture. Bright, plucky 50’s sounding guitars, lively baselines and poppy drums carry the song as a confident and direct strut through the ballroom, whilst vocalist Jack Slater Chandler serenades with a commanding quiver.

As Jack posits: “'If I Could Only Dream' is about change, transition and wishful thinking. It's about trying to right some wrongs. Sounds quite corny for someone in their mid-twenties but it was written during a cycle of change in my life that needed documenting in some way, and ended up in a sweet ditty. A sunny little pop song - one for the tried and tested mooner.”

The months between the last release and this return have been busy for the lovelorn boys. Support tours with label mates Her’s as well as fellow retro dreamers FUR have kept them on the road, before burying their heads in mixing desks and vintage equipment at The Nave studio in Leeds, with producer Alex Greaves (Working Men’s Club, The Orielles, Heavy Lungs).

The 5-piece will be performing their biggest headline show to date at The Sebright Arms in London on April 26th,  with an appearance at Are You Listening? festival also in the calendar.

Honey Moon are… on the drums, Glenn Rawcliffe, on the bass and vocals Joey Julliard, on lead guitar and vocals Zach Urch, on keys Daniel Moore and on guitar and lead vocals Jack Slater Chandler.

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Swanes - Dreams of Iceland.

Radio 1-tipped Toronto duo, Swanes, comprising of brothers Michael and Stefan Bildy, are today sharing their new single, ‘Dreams Of Iceland’. The lucid new cut follows previous releases on French/Japanese label, Kitsuné (Parcels, Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco) and will be supported with a date as part of Canadian Music Week where they will perform at The Garrison, Toronto on May 7, 2019.

With production that is coloured by rich atmospherics and vibrant idiosyncrasies, ‘Dreams Of Iceland’ is another expansive step forward for the pair. Drawing on ancient Nordic song forms, melodies, and recorded folklore, ‘Dreams of Iceland’ cuts a fine curve between icy electronic soundscapes and tropical pop, looking to explore various tropes of relationships through sultry vocal harmonies and an earworm chorus hook.

Alongside tips from the likes of Colors and Bandcamp Daily, as well as continued support from David Dean Burkhart’s esteemed YouTube channel, SWANES have found success on influential Spotify playlists such as ‘Indie All-Stars’ and ‘Fresh Finds’. The pair, who were recently highlighted by Australian electronic heavyweights, Future Classics (Flume, Jagwar Ma), have plans to tour North America extensively later in the year.

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Le Boom & Æ MAK - Dancing Bug.

Irish electronic-pop duo, Le Boom, comprising of Christy Leech and Aimie Mallon, and fellow Dubliner Æ MAK (Aoife McCann) are now sharing the video for their new BBC Radio 1-supported collaborative single, ‘Dancing Bug’. The new music is shared alongside news of Le Boom’s largest headline to-date, a stop at the 1250-capacity Olympia, Dublin on October 11, 2019 - tickets available here. The new date will follow a summer of festival touring and a brief May run, taking in stops at Thousand Island, London on May 3, 2019 and further dates at Live At Leeds and Hit The North - all dates below.

Following the impeccably choreographed ‘Just Want To’, the compelling melodies of ‘Dancing Bug’ - which visually finds Leech, Mallon and McCann gliding through the streets of Stoneybatter, Dublin City - is the latest cut from the forthcoming EP, ‘All Of My Highs’, set for release May 3, 2019. “‘Dancing Bug’ is about falling into your bedroom after a bad day and dancing like fire to your favourite song; to escape the stuff you just had to deal with,” says McCann. “That energy taking you off into the other world that you're visualising as you dance.”

Speaking about the musical coming together, McCann continues: “I’d always loved Le Boom's live shows - myself and my mates dancing ourselves into the ground, high energy and love. Myself and Christy met at The Great Escape last year and got on like a house on fire. We were both like 'I like your music - I like your music, cool'. We wrote Dancing Bug in a couple of hours late last year. Loved every minute.”

2018 signposted an exciting milestone for Le Boom, it was a year that found the pair performing across some of Europe’s largest festivals, including Primavera, Longitude, Body & Soul and Electric Picnic, whilst also taking their eccentric live show to Reykjavik, New York and Bilbao. The year also found the duo selling out an Irish headline tour - including a stop at Dublin’s 1000-capacity District 8 venue - and achieving playlist success at Spotify, attaining spots on ’New Music Friday’ & ‘Hot New Bands’ amongst others.


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