Peach Pyramid - 5K HD - The Black Watch

Peach Pyramid first single from their 'Bright Blue E.P due in September is 'Wear Sunscreen'. The bands indie pop is fresh, melodic and beautifully arranged.

Austrian experimental pop band 5K HD have shared 'Crazy Talk' the latest single from the album 'High Performer' which is out on September 6th. It's a fine pop song and yes the band do have an element of experimental nature within the piece.

The Black Watch return here after their first feature in June with a taste of 'The Crying All The Time' E.P due for release as a 7" in October, their slick and addictive rock as always engaging, to say the least.
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Peach Pyramid - Wear Sunscreen.

Peach Pyramid are announcing their EP Bright Blue (due out September 20th on Oscar St. Records) with its first single "Wear Sunscreen." Co-produced by and featuring keyboards from Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers, the track is a gorgeous example of Peach Pyramid's timeless dream pop, matching frontwoman Jen Severston's assured and melodically imaginative songwriting with rich harmonies and layered synth parts, creating a sonic palette that blends a hazy summer psychedelia with a sound that recalls Glaswegian indie greats Camera Obscura and the earlier releases from Severston's fellow Canadian Feist.

Peach Pyramid is the sonic exhale of Jen Severtson, Adrian Heim and Rowan Mackenzie. Weaving shimmering guitars into Severtson’s blooming vocals, the group deliver lush palettes, punctuated by a warm and familiar rhythm section of bass and drums. Based in the rising art capital of Victoria British Columbia, the group integrate the city's foundation of indie rock into Jens narrative and earnest lyricism - drawn from her roots in prairie based Calgary Alberta.

In 2017 Peach Pyramid released their debut LP “Repeating Myself”, on Oscar St Records. The album explores themes of abuse and healing, through sun soaked guitars and smooth vocal climbs. An internalized cry pulled to the surface; transformed and juxtaposed by way of graceful melodies and swirling guitars.

Peach Pyramid’s sophomore release “Bright Blue” showcases effervescent pop gems that are anchored by narratives of love and self doubt. Blushing vocal harmonies are backed by a rich foundation of guitars and colourful rhythms leading through the seasons of sparkling spring into a late summer haze. Re-joined by producers Colin Stewart (Dan Mangan, Black Mountain, Destroyer) and Kathryn Calder (The New Pornographers, Frontperson, Immaculate Machine) the EP is a magnificent showcase for one of Canada's most promising new songwriting voices.

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5K HD - Crazy Talk.

Austrian experimental-pop group 5K HD return with new single Crazy Talk, out August 21st. Crazy Talk is the latest single to be taken from new LP High Performer which is out on September 6th.

"As is the case with our new album, 'Crazy Talk' is a criticism of the fast-paced, capitalist world we live in. That’s where the 'High Performer' comes into play again. As if the performer is subject to a force of nature, captured in a daily grind, he continuously pushes himself to unachievable goals and is never satisfied by the results."

Fresh and colourful Austrian avant-garde pop group 5K HD produce expansive, electronic sounding music using traditional instruments. Without ever losing sight of a pop sensibility, 5K HD's music moves fluently through jazz, dubstep, breakbeats, funk and even into a prog rock escalation. Their singer Mira Lu Kovacs is regarded by critics and peers as one of the most expressive voices in the scene.

As five incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists, 5K HD's performances have earned them a reputation as one of Europe's most exciting live acts on both pop festival stages & experimental and jazz line-ups alike.

The band are on tour throughout October, including the following UK dates:
Oct 6th, Brighton - Hope and Ruin
Oct 7th, London - Thousand Island

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The Black Watch - Hypnotic Bridge (7" EP).

Having just released their new album 'Magic Johnson' ever-prolific jangle-pop band, the black watch return with another release to tide fans over until the release of another album called Brilliant Failures out soon, the Santa Barbara outfit have a new vinyl 7′” EP to tide over their fans.

Released by the Hypnotic Bridge label, the three-song offering is called The Crying All The Time EP. Comprised of the title track plus “One Hundred Million Times Around The Sun” and “Much Of A Muchness,” this stopgap release finds the prolific band at the top of their game.

Of the EP, the band’s songwriter John Andrew Fredrick says: “In anticipation of the forthcoming Brilliant Failures LP on A Turntable Friend, we decided to bring out a bit of vinyl on LA psych label, Hypnotic Bridge, who are mad for all things 60’s, musically-speaking.  Stu Pope, who runs Hypnotic, asked us to add some purple granny-glasses and The Monkees-haircuts kinda sounds to some songs we’d done, plus record a b-side, so we rolled out an old mellotron and imaginary sitar and away we went.”

Produced & engineered by Andy Creighton, the new 7″ EP is out October 11.


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Katrina Parker - Michael Blakeman - SoccerPractise - Brynn Andre

Katrina Parker was featured a couple of times here in July and returns with 'Don't Give It Up' her latest single which is a fabulous mixture of folk & Americana plus, a further taster for the album 'Stars' due out early next month.

From Michael Blakeman we have his brand new E.P 'Future'. This is beautifully textured synth pop that is imaginative, sometimes a little experimental, but never dull.

Just four weeks since we were first introduced to SoccerPractise they are back with 'Younger Looking Skin'. It's a genre defying electronic piece that is atmospheric and understated, it's also very, play me again material.

Minneapolis singer/songwriter Brynn Andre has shared 'Bright Side'. It's a refined modern alt pop song that slowly lets it's hooks dig in.
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Katrina Parker - Don't Give It Up.

Katrina Parker knew from a very young age that music was her calling. Swinging in her backyard in rural North Carolina, belting Patsy Cline at the top of her lungs, she felt connected to the pure joy of expression and knew it was something she was meant to do. “Music was total catharsis. It provided me both a means of escape from the world around me and a way to connect to the people around me - something lifesaving for a painfully shy, awkward kid,” Parker remembers. This love of music carried over into her teenage years and young adulthood.

After a move to LA where she worked on honing her songwriting and playing live whenever and wherever she could, Katrina found herself on Season 2 of NBC’s The Voice where she progressed into the top 8 contestants, gaining thousands of new fans and glowing nods from LA Weekly and Rolling Stone. It was a whirlwind experience that ended abruptly, leaving Parker to check off all the post-reality competition boxes. Red carpets and TV appearances became the norm, but the busier she became ‘maximizing’ her opportunity, the further away she felt from what made her love music in the first place. Her full-length album, In & Out of the Dark, was created in the turbulence of this period. “I was overthinking the entire thing, working from my head instead of my heart and missing the mark,” Parker reflects.

Feeling buried beneath the trappings of post-reality TV, Parker abruptly cut ties and stopped her promotional appearances. Her focus shifted to developing a sense of normalcy and reconnecting to that original spark, taking time to remember why she started singing and writing in the first place. The image she called back was from her childhood - swinging in the backyard, singing her heart out all by her lonesome, bathed in the natural reverb of her rural surroundings, doing exactly what she was born to do. She continued to cultivate that feeling and began writing again, this time with a clear touchstone for why she was making music.

Parker’s new album, Stars, reflects the duality of a childhood spent in rural North Carolina and an adulthood in LA, shifting between sinuous Southern roots and starry Laurel Canyon magic. Parker describes it as “Sparkling Desert Pop/Folk with a lot of warmth, a little bit of magic, and a touch of banjo.” Producer Josh Doyle of 3 Theory Music knew it was important to not overwhelm the songs with ornamentation, leaving Parker’s rich and tender voice front and center. The resulting recordings are clearly made from a place of confidence, channeling the clear-eyed nuance of Gillian Welch, the emotionality of Hozier, and the deep-rooted Americana of Over the Rhine.


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Michael Blakeman - Future (E.P).

Future is the experimental debut EP from Michael Blakeman. The Perth musician has re-directed his progressive energy into the circuits of the analog, the lead single Brazier To The Lake a synthwave revitaliser.

After spending years on various rock and metal projects, the EP is Michael’s first foray into the sounds of the 80s. Self-produced and recorded in his home studio, Future matches revivalist gore with an emphatic melancholic energy. The lead single Brazier to the Lake a dark and brooding march of operaHc drama and retro-futuristic voguing.

Fueled by the complexity and experimentation of metal music, composition and songwriting quickly became a large part of his musical focus. Michael's second love is technology, and it wasn't long before he learned how to combine them by pursuing audio production and sound engineering.

Fast forward to 2019 and Michael has released his first solo EP effort, Future. “This release was a huge step outside of my comfort zone,” says Michael. “I’ve been involved with music for a while, but nearly all of that time was spent playing guitar in various bands. I wanted to push myself by creating something of my own from the ground up. Earlier this year I became enamored with the classic Minimoog synth sound, so I decided to take a deep dive into the sound and aesthetic of the era it inspired.”

Spanning six songs, Future listens through like The Human League have been hacked by Pertubator, Michael Blakeman expands upon the tireless tropes, re-invigorating the textural and rhythmic possibilities with an influx of technical and metal-rooted inspiration. The tweaked instrumentals and warbled odes only deepening Blakeman’s commitment to exploration and electric vibes.

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SoccerPractise - Younger Looking Skin.

New Zealand electronic voyagers SoccerPractise return with the icy and melancholic 'Younger Looking Skin', the latest release from their forthcoming album, Te Pō, due for release October 18, 2019.

Bringing to mind the frozen isolation of New Zealand’s Deep South, new track 'Younger Looking Skin' evokes the feeling of walking home alone on a winter’s night, a tightly wrapped coat the only protection from the biting air.

The song opens with a breathless choir sample and programmed hand-claps which echo with cold indifference before spilling into a deep bass line, garage guitars and a deeply personal lyric exploring the conflicted memories of childhood and loss, enveloped in a frozen choral chamber.

“Hanging pictures on the wall / I was witness to it all / the silence is dull photos are all we have left now”

Although the song brings to mind elements of bands such as The Chills, Joy Division and The Stone Roses, 'Younger Looking Skin' remains suspended within SoccerPractise’s peculiar vision of genre-defying electronic music delivered with an off-kilter, human pulse.

The visual accompaniment, created by Wellington-based visual artist Erica Sklenars, features real footage of faceless students returning from a university toga party on a cold night in Dunedin, a southern New Zealand city with a large student population.  Their faces buried in their phones, the subjects are seemingly oblivious to the cold, to the camera and to their fleeting presence on the landscape itself.


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Brynn Andre - Bright Side.

Brynn Andre is a Minneapolis singer/songwriter. With echoes of Ingrid Michaelson and Sia, her voice conveys heartbreak and hope in equal measure.

Brynn is a vocalist, composer, and pop producer. She believes in combining delicate, sensitive sounds with driving, electronic textures.

Fever is a track about wild love. The kind that will melt you down but feels so good in the process.

It’s anthemic and escapist with a beat that will stay with you. A singer/songwriter feel paired with huge instrumentation. Cinematic and intense.

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R.W. Roldan - Misty Blues - Acoustic Black

From R.W. Roldan we have the new album 'Can You Feel This' and what a gorgeous album it is. His mixture of folk and Americana is melodic and produced to a very high standard, however it is the story telling lyrics that make a fabulous difference. They are totally engaging and can't but help draw the listener in, this collection of songs is thoroughly recommended for a listen!

Misty Blues recently released their 8th studio album 'Pickled & Aged. They are a natural blues band who take their music into other musical areas without losing that blues centred feel, they can add in some funk, jazz or whatever, the music remains consistently honest and quite addictive, this is a class act.

We have a music video from Acoustic Black for one of their singles 'Destiny Ride' which is also included on their forthcoming album. The bands mixture of feisty vocals, acoustic and electric rock combination is well demonstrated by the featured song, and overall there is an upbeat vibe at the centre of their music.
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R.W. Roldan - Can You Feel This (Album).

Born to an outlaw biker father and 16 year old mother, R.W. Roldan came of age in the Los Angeles of the 60’s and 70’s. His family spent a few years homeless, prompting him to join the navy at 17. His young life was full of hard circumstances and difficult environments but Roldan always seemed to soften things with his easy knack for storytelling.

Upon returning to California from his time abroad, R.W. worked all around the San Fernando Valley, immersing himself in the blues and Americana scene. He gravitated towards music and poetry, appreciating contemporary wordsmiths like Dylan and Dr. Seuss as much as American treasures such as Yates and began crafting his own indelible blend of country blues folk rock - a sound that lands somewhere between Hank Williams and Cowboy Junkies.

R.W. now splits his time between his house in the Topanga hills and a newly-purchased dwelling that once belonged to Fatty Arbuckle in Silverlake, where he’s building a studio in the basement. It was professed to be haunted for the past 12 years, but R.W. found it a suitably creative environment to craft the songs on his official solo outing, Can You Feel This, due out August 17th.

The new LP puts Roldan's adept storytelling front and center, backed by his easy going guitar, mandolin and dobro chops. Tracks like “Big Skies” and “Falling Star” paint an authentically haunting, nostalgic panorama of Los Angeles, while laidback ballads such as “Lauryn’s Song” reveal a sweeter side to the man. It’s all melted in the sweet butter sauce of producer Max Allyn who recently signed R.W. to his AllsWell Records imprint out of Nashville.

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Misty Blues - Pickled & Aged (Album).

From Gina Coleman - I’m the lead singer of Misty Blues ... 2019 International Blues Challenge Finalists. Misty Blues is a female led band from Berkshire County Massachusetts playing traditional and original blues with a hint of funk, soul, jazz and tent revival gospel since 1999.

The band has recorded and shared the stage with Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers, and opened for contemporary blues artists like Tab Benoit, John Primer, Albert Cummings and Michael Powers.

Misty Blues has toured New England extensively and performed in New York City, Harrisburg, Mishawaka, Knoxville, Birmingham, Memphis and New Orleans.

The band has aired on B.B. King's Bluesville, Ole Harv's Blues Revue and Oogie Richards' Mighty Mouth Blues. The band’s original recordings have hit the airwaves throughout the U.S. and the UK.

We just released our 8th studio album on July 1, 2019 entitled "Pickled & Aged".

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Acoustic Black - Destiny Ride.

What would have happened if Sublime and The Clash had been set up as one band? Maybe it would have sounded something like ACOUSTIC BLACK from Freislassing (Bavaria / Germany). The Band sets up new standards to alternative acoustic-rock and is really freshing up its genre.

Bass and drums deliver an authentic rock sound whilst the special character of the costume guitar, in combination with distinctive lead vocals, form the bands unique sound. Diversifying modern arrangements round up the music and present the genre in a completely new light.

Of course, the album is about sex drugs and rock ’n’ roll but also everyday occurrences such as travelling, wanderlust and enjoying life. Also one and the other taboo subject is thematized in a cheeky and humoristic way. The 11 songs of the album will put you in a good mood straight away and will leave you wanting more.


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Aweful - Bjørn Tomren - The Warp/The Weft - Sunscreen - Laid Blak

Aweful released 'Me Me Me' a five song E.P earlier this month. A maelstrom of uncompromising rock and roll the trio deliver hook filled rock that mixes garage basics with more sonically imaginative moments and it's a blast.

A month after featuring Bjørn Tomren for the first time he returns with 'Bad Science Fiction' the title track from his album due next month. His Americana folk style is slowly paced and a little sombre on this atmospheric and beautiful song.

The Warp/The Weft were featured here with 'A Sun Filled Room' at the beginning of June, and they return with the full album (Dead Reckoning) from which that track came. I have to say this is a really good collection of material where the bands progressive folk and psychedelia is notable throughout. If you can, then listen to the whole piece, bands like this deserve to be heard, their imagination and creativity, positively demands it!

Sunscreen return for a second time this year with 'Think About You'. last time we commented that "the bands alt rock style is uncluttered, each instrument has it's space, with the vocals adding further melodic vibes". That's something they clearly have the knack for, this is fabulous song.

From Bristol (England) we have Laid Blak and their second full album 'About Time'. Fans of reggae from any era should absolutely love this band and their oh, so, fabulous music. File under "sublime".
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Aweful - Me Me Me (E.P).

Chicago’s Aweful, which features Traci Trouble (HotLips Messiah), Lucy Dekay (Mystery Actions) and Izzy Price (Velcro Lewis Group), released their debut vinyl EP 'ME ME ME' via BeerCan Records on Friday, August 2. The band celebrated the release with a show at The Empty Bottle in Chicago and played gigs in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin the weekend of the release.

"Traci Trouble is back with a brand new three-piece combo called AWEFUL, and it’s a sweeping new sound you might not expect. Joining up with Lucy Dekay (Mystery Actions) and Izzy Price (Velcro Lewis Group), this new project juts forth with a streamlined, layered vocal and a wiry guitar tone; it’s a new direction; a subdued sonic approach with slithering dynamics and cavernous depth.

Echoing solid 80’s Gun Club and Fur Bible’s chorus pedal-soaked vibes with a wall of dripping female vocals cascading over what sounds like a primitive and ominous lost Love and Rockets outtake, AWEFUL are a welcome new breath of fresh air to Chicago’s underground sounds.

Stepping aside from pandering to the pedantic tropes of endless post-punk operatives, AWEFUL draw out a more luscious and moaning fuzzed-out experience, drilling their sticky repetition into your cortex with songs that pull you in immediately. Fans of Grass Widow, Wax Idols, and The Breeders take note; this band is turning those same corners and will soon turn those same heads.” -Todd Killings 2018.


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Bjørn Tomren - Bad Science Fiction.

Bjørn Tomren releases the title track from his upcoming album ‘Bad Science Fiction’, which is due for release on 20th September via Norwegian powerhouse Propeller Recordings.

The modest yet mesmerising Americana-Folk track 'Bad Science Fiction' captures a delicate Johnny Cash-esque, while maintaining Tomren's poetry-like, enigmatic storytelling.

Inspired by an article he came across, Bjørn says of the track “I wrote the song after having read an article on truth-out.org about depressed climate-scientists grieving the human caused climate changes and the impact it has on the planet and its species. Through a blog they find some comfort in sharing their mourning's. Even though it’s quite a concrete inspiration it´s not as obvious in the lyrics."

Tomren hadn't intended it to take this long before releasing his debut but life got in the way.  ‘Life’ included navigating his native Norway from South to North numerous times – on skis, in a rowboat, walking – resulting in the world record for such crossings and a career path that includes studying Psychology, Greek and Philosophy, working in a mental hospital and working as a clown in a small family circus.

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The Warp/The Weft - Dead Reckoning (Album).

The Warp/The Weft, active since 2012 in and beyond New York's Hudson River Valley, has earned praise for its uniqueness and song-crafting from casual and devoted listeners alike.

Blending traditional and avant-garde styles, the warmth of a good wool sweater and the sometimes-bleak cold of an upstate winter, the progressive folk and psychedelia that the band brings to bear is propelled by poetic lyrics and a "spirit-conjuring" lilting tenor that prompted psych-folk legend Tom Rapp (of Pearls Before Swine) to ask, "Can I have your voice when you're through with it?"

The band will release its third LP, DEAD  RECKONING, in August 2019. Trevor Larcheveque: Bass/Vocals, Christian Lark: Drums, Shane Murphy: Vocals/Guitar
Chris Pellnat: Lead Guitar.


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Sunscreen - Think About You.

Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated Falling In An Elevator EP this Friday via Spunk! Records, Sunscreen announce they will be hitting the road on an East Coast tour next month. Recently joining the New World Artists family, Sunscreen will embark of on a string of live dates, visiting Wollongong, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, kicking off Thursday 29 September.

Produced by Simon ‘Berkfinger’ Berkelman (Philadelphia Grand Jury, Art Vs. Science), Falling In An Elevator exudes a beautiful toughness across its five tracks. Reflecting the psyche of a romantically confused young person trying to survive in the big city, the EP was written over the course of years, and explores concepts like romantic idealisation, heartache and self-possession with frank, powerful vulnerability.

Following the release of 'High Over Love', a slice of dynamic, hook-driven rock, and latest propulsive and romantically charged single, 'Think About You', Falling In An Elevator sees the band find their lush, indie-rock sound informed by a new-found confidence and lucidity. The previous singles received strong online and radio support with adds to Fbi Radio rotation, triple j play, adds to Spotify's Broad Chords and Chords + Cardigans, and the accompanying music video for 'High Over Love' added to rage.

Having recently supported the likes of DMAs, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Jen Cloher and Ali Barter on tour and taking stage at Farmer & the Owl and Grampians Music Festival, Sunscreen hit the road last month in support of 'High Over Love', performing to packed out venues in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Sunscreen prepare to do it all again, with their captivating performance and unheard new material in tow.

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Laid Blak - About Time (Album).

Bristol’s Laid Blak have trailed a unique path through the music jungle and picked up influential friends on the way. They don’t come much bigger these days than this key ally – Ed Sheeran. The red-haired one is a big fan, so much so that he used a section of the band’s earlier signature tune, ‘My Eyes Are Red’( 3.6 million views on You Tube) in one of his own album chart busting songs and to close his shows.

It’s a useful thing to have in the creative locker, but Laid Blak’s new second full album, ‘About Time’, more than stands on its’ own merits. Core members, DJ Bunjy and MC Joe Peng, easily use every strand of elements that turn their ears and make a musical cocktail that is heady and delicious. There’s something for everyone, regardless of age or musical taste on ‘About Time’. It comfortably straddles styles that cover a range of bases in contemporary reggae music. And most of the time it’s anything but laid back!

Sure, the breezy album opener ‘Cool Dude’ is more low-key, the band taking the brave step of introducing themselves here with a track that is programmed riddims, rattling percussion, piano, keyboards and restrained, jazzy, minimal bass! It’s – well – cool, but filled with humour, whistling, street observed lyrics, scatter-fire vocals and am easy confidence that radiates. But after that the fare on offer heats up, seeing a glorious classic dancehall style tussle on ‘Mic Man’ with the fabulously UPFUL and agile vocals from Tita Lau adding a winning dimension. The guest female singers – Tita and the equally dextrous Tanya Lacey – add a soulful and playful dimension to other up-tempo blasters like ‘It’s A Pity’( the first single), ‘Hold On’, and ‘Serious’ which head out into anything from lovers rock to a sleng teng, old school step it, rub a dub, wrap it up, mash it groove with fat horns, melodica, wailing guitar, sound system busting bass and kicking rhythms.

There is some serious business attended to in ‘Changing’, which illustrates how priorities change in life, and how in ‘No Way Out’ and the darker, more militant Aswad era take in ‘I Feel It’, that life isn’t easy. But that period of reflection is a temporary break as it’s always the contrast of celebrating life in the cheeky, chatty Smiley Culture vibe of ‘Little Bit of This’, and the Mediterranean holiday romance possibilities in ‘Fatal Attraction’. Fresh, fun and fabulous while flowing with great tunes, this is an irresistible album of the band’s distinctive brand of street soul. It’s so powerful that the band felt the need to do a rush release of it! This is music that just can’t be contained or limited. Laid Blak don’t fail in their objective to bring ‘a fun filled sunshine dance music that keeps your feet moving and your face smiling.’ So, bang on cue, spring and summer is a’ coming, and about time too! Fire up the barbeque, slap on the jerk chicken to the flames, grab an ice cold Red Stripe and put on ‘About Time’! Let the party begin!

“About Time” is released by Sugar Shack Records on Strictly Limited (500 copies) Clear Vinyl on 16th August 2019 distributed by Shellshock and available from good retailers worldwide.

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