London trio headboy release their debut EP 'Was It What You Thought', out yesterday 9th June via Blitzcat Records. Swaying from lo-fi bedroom tones to tumultuous blasts of snarling post-punk, headboy's blend of influences, ranging from Sleater-Kinney and Radiohead to Modest Mouse and Grizzly Bear informs the immediacy of their sound, whilst the band also note the impact of post-punk and no wave acts á la Gang Of Four, Orange Juice, Pixies and Television.
Consisting of guitarist/bassist and vocalist Mars West (they/them), bassist/guitarist vocalist Jess Collins (she/they) and drummer Oli Birbeck (they/them), headboy's debut EP 'Was It What You Thought' was born amidst a period of acute political turbulence. Rediscovering and reflecting on the importance of friendship and loyalty during that time, ending with a heartfelt treatise on loss and vulnerability; ultimately the EP forms a study into the often cyclical, yet always unpredictable nature of life itself.
An examination of knowing and not knowing, 'Was It What You Thought' was written during 2022 and recorded over that summer at Hackney Studios in East London with producer Joe Futak. The EP's four tracks draw on the community-led London scene they've become a key cog in after a year of intense gigging. "We pretty much condensed every emotion we’ve felt in the past two years into 14 minutes. There are moments of anger, fear, and sadness, but also moments of joy, or acceptance, at least," guitarist and vocalist Jess added.
With racing stories of passion, intimacy and connection ("Reservoir"), societal distress and government blunders ("Sheep's Skin") and taking refuge in friendship ("Cement" and "Jackal Lake"), headboy deliver their shrewd social observations through a lens of deceptively dark, climactic post-punk.
Organ Morgan is the moniker of songwriter and guitarist and ex-Blaenavon drummer Harris McMillan. This week he releases new single "The Argument" and announces his debut EP 'Figurehead' will be released on 20th July on London based label Everybody's.
Organ Morgan's debut EP 'Figurehead' was recorded and produced (over the course of 2 weeks in 2022) at Black Bay Studios, an ex-crab processing factory on the Hebridean Island of Great Bernera, Scotland.
Gracefully intertwining Laurel Canyon-esque harmony-drenched passages with intricate, towering indie-folk instrumentals, Organ Morgan's music is spacious, grandiose and romantic all at once. New single "The Argument" opens with McMillan's warm vocal weaving between bowed double bass, before swelling into its bracing folk-rock second section, as he retells and reimagines the stories surrounding a coastal meeting point...
Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind the "The Argument", McMillan said: "‘The Argument’ was inspired by a beachfront cafe in Brighton called ‘The Meeting Place’, it was usually deserted on rainy days but would call out order numbers for invisible customers over the tannoy. I started imagining the stories that might lead to a meeting there and one particular idea of two lovers trying to stay cross with each other during the course of an argument became the song."
With their nonchalant and carefree attitude, this raucous Byron Bay-based garage surf rock trio, Off Judy, are releasing their latest single, 'Under The Weather' with its accompanying music video today Friday, June 9. Formed as a duo, Off Judy originated with singer and guitarist Finn Mcildowie and drummer Thomas Cameron-Duncan. They have since welcomed the addition of drummer Axl Delandro and Thomas Cameron-Duncan’s transition to bass, solidifying their powerful lineup and expanding their sonic possibilities.
'Under The Weather' is the exhilarating new track that showcases Off Judy's fusion of sun-kissed punk and invigorating surf shack anthems. The song effortlessly combines infectious melodies with euphoric energy, creating a proverbial earworm. 'Under The Weather' has their punk roots shining through with a raw rock foundation that bursts with chant-worthy chorus. Masterfully, they have found a sweet spot between a palatable indie rock bop and a punk-laden belter.
The song reflects the struggles of being in a dark place and emphasizes the importance of supporting one another through difficult times to ultimately emerge stronger together. With Men’s Health Week starting on Monday, June 12th, the boys thought now was a fitting time to release the track. Finn Mcildowie speaks on the meaning behind the track:
“We’ve all found ourselves in dark places. Whether it’s a momentary bad headspace or it feels more like an endurance race with no finish line. This song came to life while I was stuck in a quarantine hotel in Hamilton, New Zealand, which undoubtedly influenced its emotions. However, the message is pretty clear—Be there for your mates, let them know they’re not alone. Lean on each other through the shit times and come out better on the other side.“
It Should Have Been You. And why not? But reality isn’t always as straight-forward as that. Missed opportunities and luckily also second chances are both daytime realities of our real life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But there is always hope. Always. Even beautiful things can come out of this. See the eponymous new single of Moving Into Tucson. It’s fresh, it’s pop, it’s everything you want from your favorite band. Almost anthem like.
Moving Into Tucson is entering new territories with this second single and heading to even greater promises. But that’s for the near future. First this great new track. It Should Have Been You don’t you think? Definitely!
Moving Into Tucson is basically the side effect of the COVID epidemic. Why, you will ask. Well for the simple reason that the band was formed during the pandemic. Can you call Moving Into Tucson a band? Well, yes as in, it's a band, with a singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer etc. But also no because it's not a band as usual. Band members do not come from the same city or even country, but from different parts of the world. When the world was in lock-down and many were forced to stay at home, there wasn't much left for musicians to do other than work from home. But, how? And better, with whom? Like for many, Zoom video brought a solution. Fortunately, we live in an advanced digital world and a lot is possible without necessarily having to be somewhere. Only someone who arranges it. This is where the label TCBYML, the label of the various artists in the band Moving Into Tucson, stepped in.
Result, twenty songs composed over a period of 18 months. These have now been brought together, mixed, mastered and provided with artwork. In 2023, five of them will be released as singles and together with eight more songs will form the album "Distraction" that will see the light on November 24 of this year. A great initiative that may be followed up in 2024. Who's to say.
The legendary no-wave punk band Bush Tetras have released the title-track from their upcoming LP, They Live in My Head, out July 27th on Wharf Cat Records. It's a jangly and jagged barn-burner, "about people living in your head rent-free and how life is not all it seems," the band writes in a statement. "Not quite a ballad, with its wild fast choruses, kind of like falling off a cliff."
On the heels of the album announcement and a sold out show at Brooklyn's Union Pool, the New York Times selected the lead single "Things I Put Together" as the first track on their weekly music roundup, proclaiming them "a quintessential Lower East Side post-punk band." Bush Tetras has been credited as the band that "bridged the gap between the Ramones and Sonic Youth" (NY Post), and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore said they are "without a doubt, one of the greatest rock-and-roll groups born and bred in New York City." Needless to say, Bush Tetras have made an enormous impact on rock 'n' roll in New York City and beyond.
Their first album in 11 years, They Live in My Head was produced by Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, who is now the band's drummer, joining them after founding member Dee Pop passed away in 2021. Also joining the band on bass is Cait "Rocky" O'Riordan of The Pogues and Elvis Costello. You can catch the new Bush Tetras lineup at their album release show on September 15th at Greenwich Village venue Le Poisson Rouge.
The Tiger Moths release their debut album 'When Sunshine Departs' on June 16th 2023. It includes the current single 'Dreaming Of Yesterday' which has garnered numerous excellent reviews.
An established live act on the London scene, The Tiger Moths reached the Grand Final of the Isle of Wight Festival New Blood Competition in 2021 - making it to the last 20 acts from more than 5,000 who applied.
'When Sunshine Departs' was recorded at the band's home studio in North London, produced and engineered by the band's keyboard player, Alex Rosenberg. While the roots of the Tiger Moths' sound can be traced back to the heydays of the 60s and 70s, the band aim to forge a modern twist on the Americana genre by infusing it with other influences.
In large part, the songs for this album were written during the pandemic. Overall, 'When Sunshine Departs' is a snapshot in time of a band who came together during troubled times to create a record that offers a fitting reflection of that period.
After the rousing response to their highly-praised debut album ‘Yoga Horror’ last year, award-winning Finnish dream-pop duo Babel are now looking to preview their eagerly-awaited sophomore record with the captivating new single ‘Closer’.
With their new single ‘Closer’, the band depicts a story of a couple enjoying their last night together on a vacation. Both parties realise that their passion is gone, but still give in to the romance one last time. Reminding us that in a worst-case scenario, we might as well go out giving it our all.
Conjuring more of the same rich and immersive textures they have developed since their earliest beginnings, ‘Closer’ makes for the perfect introduction to this new era within the band’s catalogue so far. With an uncompromising approach to their kitsch and romantic pursuits throughout this new record, they are looking to make their next full-length their most original and distinctive work to date.
Their newest offering breathes inspiration from soft French sounds, Brazilian bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto, and last but not least, the EDM hit ‘Stereo Love’. “We browsed a Korg 05R/W synthesiser’s presets and found a wonderful musette sound that started to guide us in the studio. Karin played the first half of the accordion riff, and Mikko figured out the rest. The end result is a perfectly symmetrical accordion riff that makes you want to listen to it forever. We realised that this is our chance to achieve the dream of a one-hit wonder. The song's story is based on the excitement and euphoria, the crushing feeling that all experiences are transient.”
Babel also drop the new music video for the single, shot abroad on vacation in Madeira: “We stayed in a five-star hotel in Madeira with director Reetta Saarikoski for eight days and filmed everything. We wanted the video to be as epic as possible, which includes life in miniature: sunbathing, falling in love and exercising.”
Drab Majesty have announced details of a new EP, entitled An Object in Motion, to be released on August 25th via Dais Records. Along with the announcement, they have shared the majestic first single “Vanity” which features a rare guest vocal appearance from Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell. On the Cure-esque ballad, her iconic freefall voice adds poetic gravity to the doomed refrain: “If the valve breaks / then the earth quakes / and history finds a way / to put you in your place.”
The collaboration came as the result of a mutual admiration for each other's work. Drab Majesty's Deb Demure comments: "As a long time listener and devotee of Slowdive, a band that literally shaped my DNA as a listener and musician, it was truly humbling to have Rachel offer her iconic vocal stylings to this song. Her voice is a sonic treasure and unmistakable. I'm infinitely grateful to call her a friend and am still pinching myself wondering - how did we get here?"
Rachel Goswell adds: "It’s no secret that I am a long time Drab Majesty fan so when Deb asked me some years ago now if I would be interested in collaborating it was an immediate yes. Honoured to give my voice to Vanity."
Jordan Moser shares "Greenbelt Vision" this week, the first single from his new album PERIL out digitally July 28, 2023. About "Greenbelt Vision," Jordan Moser says: "Give me back my green belt vision, bring us back to the wild land. We aren't well equipped for our gray concrete environment. It harms us and keeps us from our true human thriving. This song is a hopeful rally for those who hear the call from the earth (earthtone) to return to our proper place in the earth system. The damage we are doing is displacing all of us from our natural niches in the ecosystem.
Solastalgia is a new word coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2003. As opposed to nostalgia--the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home--solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting all of us. Our disconnection from nature displaces the other beings we share the planet with. This song hopes to act as an invitation to turn this grief into action."
PERIL follows 2019s Long Night, an album created with Molly Burch, that Paste called "understated, but quietly vibrant and unexpectedly absorbing.” Jordan Moser recently retired from a decade-long career as a professional ballet dancer and now continues to focus on filmmaking and his songwriting.
Psychedelic upstarts The Family Battenberg announce the release of their reverb coated,fuzz founded new track ‘Runny Hunny’, out today 6th of June! Cardiff, Wales: Runny Hunny is The Family Battenberg’s third release. Born out of a band-wide love for garage rock, 'Runny Hunny' plays with the ethos of pushing the limits andbending the rules of recording equipment to produce overly saturated and noisy results.
The band successfully create fuzz fuelled walls of sound, draped behind Lennon-esc double trackedvocals, with plenty of reverb to boot. Thematically, the song is a commentary on the universalwish of a stable income, from the perspective of a fresh faced arts graduate. The track wasrecorded by The Family Battenberg at Cardiff’s Music Box rehearsal rooms and mixed by Eliot in the back room of his flat.
A total of 4 arts degrees were utilised in the creation of this track.Of the track, producer and lyricist Eliot Jones explains: “Runny Hunny truly is just about having a whinge. Universities do a fantastic job of convincing you that you’ll walk into your dream jobweeks after graduation. ‘LIGHT THE BEACONS, CALL ABBEY ROAD, A 20-SOMETHING POST GRAD HAS JUST COMPLETED A MUSIC PRODUCTION DEGREE’! Being back at your parents house and catching the train to the job centre on a Wednesday morning is quite sobering after you’ve had your photos in your funny hat.”
Following the release of their acclaimed new album ‘Misanthropioid’, Fellow Robot have released a superbly dark and striking animated video for the album’s opening track. “Rabbit" sets an ominous tone to the album, and its video counterpart is a perfect pairing. Pulling from two previous animated collaborations, the Prebich sisters and Fellow Robot continue their social commentary with a voyeuristic, occasionally red pilled rabbit. We follow the rabbit down a series of disturbing paths, observing drip feed propaganda streams from the outside of your work and living room windows, and ultimately, the rabbit has enough and leaves Earth.
For ‘Misanthropioid’, Fellow Robot has teamed up with Andrew Scheps (Green Day, RHCP, Adele, Metallica, Hozier, Johnny Cash) who helped co-produce and mix the album from his home studio ‘Punkerpad’ in Titton, UK. Scheps joined the team during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 and over the course of two years helped the band complete the album remotely. Fellow Robot’s latest album will be released through Scheps’ own ToneQuake Records.
Fellow Robot originally started out as a concept piece in 2016, pulling lyrics from the sci-fi novel “The Robot’s Guide to Music” written by singer Anthony Pedroza. While deeply rooted to its origins, “Misanthropioid” is an album that lives closer to reality than science fiction however blurred those lines are these days.
Fellow Robot named their new album ‘Misanthropioid’, due to its brutally honest lyrics and melancholy feelings surrounding what it is to be a human. “It’s our soundtrack to the last few years'' says Pedroza, adding “it’s a diverse take on the perception of emotion, especially regarding how we feel about our fellow humans''. The band does well in reflecting their disappointment of humanity, especially in the opening track ‘Rabbit’ which is a clear reflection of the BLM movement in the US. However dark ‘Misanthropioid’ is, it’s ultimately hopeful within its vulnerable and carefully stitched arrangements. The album at times is theatrical and dramatic, each song seemingly being sung by different characters in a stage production, especially in songs like ‘I’m Going to Hell’ and ‘The People Next Door’. “Society has many voices, and the space in between the harshest opinions are the most truthful”, says drummer, engineer, and cofounder Luis Renteria.
Yesterday, the Grammy-nominated trio Semisonic released “Little Bit Of Sun” and “Grow Your Own,” their first release of new music following their 2020 EP You’re Not Alone. The two new songs arrive as the band embarked on their first national tour in over 20 years with the Barenaked Ladies. In the coming weeks, the band will play their home state of Minnesota, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.
The songs were recorded between Creation Studios in Minneapolis, MN and Ballroom Studio in Los Angeles, and produced by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Dan Wilson and his co-founding bandmates John Munson and Jacob Slichter.
“’Little Bit of Sun’ came out really fast one day - I think I wrote the first minute of it in one spontaneous take. It felt so right. We’ve all been beaten down by darkness for the last few years, it’s like we can hardly ask for a full sky of sunshine. We’d be willing to scrape by on a glimpse of it. But obviously, the song is asking for more. I can get by on a little bit, but at some point I want it all.” Wilson explains.
“I wrote ‘Grow Your Own’ about the joy and blue sky of starting up a band. If you’re a musician and you hear some music you love, you’re gonna want to make some of that music for yourself. Grow your own. And if you don’t hear the music you want to hear in the world, well then, all the more reason to grow your own. A lot of the imagery in the song is from the years when I lived in Boston, going to Harvard during the day and playing in the clubs at night. I definitely longed to be welcomed by the grungy rock people way more than I needed approval from the scholars. In retrospect, I guess it makes sense when you look at what I’ve done with my life.”
The Nora Kelly Band traveled to Area 51 to confirm your suspicions on their new single "Roswell." The track is featured on the Montreal quintet’s upcoming debut full-length Rodeo Clown, due to arrive August 25 via Mint Records. In addition, the Nora Kelly Band has announced July dates in the Pacific Northwest along with East Coast dates in August. Rodeo Clown was written by Nora Kelly, produced by Kelly with Ethan Soil, and mixed by Pietro Amato (The Luyas/Belle Orchestre).
Discussing “Roswell,” Nora notes, "As a massive UFOlogy nerd, Roswell was a place I really wanted to visit. Luckily for me, I was in that area of the world when my cousin got married in 2022. In the first verse, I mention an interaction I had with an astronomer at the wedding. He revealed he’d seen a lot of UFOs but, to my dismay, all these events were explainable, according to him. Throughout the rest of the song I try to show the underlying reason why I love thinking about UFOs and aliens. For me, allowing oneself to suspend disbelief is the best way to keep life interesting. If you don’t necessarily believe/not believe something and are just interested in the stories, life stays weird. Once the wedding festivities had ceased, I took off towards New Mexico in a rental car. I wrote the lyrics to ‘Roswell’ in the back seat.”
Regarding the video, directed by Sarah Bradshaw, Nora continues, “Sarah and I shot footage on a recent trip to Mexico (not New Mexico!). I brought along a green alien morph-suit and we had Sarah’s boyfriend wear it all over the country. The result is a silly and whimsical video to accompany the ballad that is ‘Roswell,’ and with this I hope to bring in a little of that weirdness and suspended disbelief.”
