Rat Fancy - Swirlies - Simone & Girlfunkle

Rat Fancy - I Cant Dance To The Smiths Anymore.

Background - Rat Fancy (ex-Sweater Girls) debut new track "I Can't Dance to the Smiths Anymore" and announce new album "Suck A Lemon" released May 26th on HHBTM Records. Dreaming of a world where reruns of The Adventures Of Pete And Pete are on every channel and kids are free to be as weird as they want to be, Rat Fancy emerges with their fiercely different brand of indie pop. Hailing from Los Angeles, CA—where despite all that sunshine you might choke on the smog and ambition all around you—Rat Fancy is ex Sweater Girl Diana Barraza (vocals/guitar), Gregory Johnson (guitar / keyboard) and Gavin Glidewell (drums).

It’s a six-song EP about saying goodbye to all that, one kiss-off after another, possibly the sweetest collection of ‘fuck you’s ever committed to vinyl. Every track is a killer. Every track is a keeper. It’s the sound of being fd up on pollen and sugar, skidding through a dizzy blissful spring of laughter and loss.

The title track appears in two versions, a fast one and a slow one (just like Yo La Tengo used to do!) and they’re both capable of moving you to tears, because despite the sourness of the EP’s title, this music is almost impossibly sweet.

Subject matter veers from the ultra-personal to the paranormal. ‘I Can’t Dance To The Smiths Anymore’ isn’t about the Smiths, it’s about growing up. ‘Five Fingers’ is, quite literally, a slap in the face. Its synth-line stays in your head for days. ‘About You’ is a killer rant against small-mindedness, a manifesto for non-conformity that blends the Pixies and bubblegum into something altogether amazing.

Indiepop is in tatters and the ashes are all around us, and yet, and yet, a record this vital and brave, a record this alive, gives us hope for the future. Suck A Lemon succeeds by being smarter, sharper, and realer than its contemporaries. And if you don’t like it, I think you know by now what you can go do. Website here, Facebook here.

A fabulous song title such as 'I Cant Dance To The Smiths Anymore' deserves a fine tune to go with it. Thankfully Rat Fancy dish up a beautiful indie pop/rock track, that coming in at just over two minutes, requires an immediate replay at the very least.

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Swirlies - Vigilant Always.

Background - This August, 90s shoegaze veterans Swirlies will play their first west coast dates in 14 years, on the heels of the vinyl reissue of their Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP (1993), which recently reached #11 on Pitchfork’s list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time.

Swirlies' last US appearances were in the eastern US and Canada in 2015. The lineup will include founding members Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vocals) and Andy Bernick (bass/keyboards), Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) on drums, Deb Warfield (Gold Muse) on guitar/keyboards/vocals, and Elliott Malvas (You're Jovian) on guitar and keyboards.

In January 2016, Swirlies were included on Cherry Red's definitive box-set of the early shoegaze movement: Still in a Dream. In July 2016, Swirlies released a new song ("Fantastic Trumpets Forever") exclusive to the Joyful Noise Recordings’ 2016 Flexi Disc Series. A remixed version will be released digitally in summer 2017. In October 2016, the Swirlies' 1993 classic Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP was finally repressed on vinyl. It is currently available for purchase online and in local record stores. Copies will also be available for direct purchase from the band during the tour.

The band's members have collaborated with a number of noteworthy artists. Damon Tutunjian produced Mew's first LP, co-wrote a number of their songs, and has performed (guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards) on all of their recordings to date. Adam Pierce has played with Mice Parade, HiM, Philistines Jr. and múm. Rob Laakso has played bass, guitar, and keyboards for Kurt Vile and the Violators since 2011. Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page.

As shoegaze goes 'Vigilant Always' is no wall of sound, the power can and does occasionally explode, however there is plenty of clarity and at times an alt rock feel, that just adds more passion to the track.

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Simone & Girlfunkle - Fight On.

Background - Beloved WA six-piece Simone & Girlfunkle are pleased to announce their new effervescent single Fight On, a delightfully arranged slice of indie-pop featuring the group’s signature three-part female harmonies.

Produced and engineered by Dave Parkin (Tired Lion, Bob Evans) and mastered by William Bowden (Gotye, Emma Louise), Fight On revels in upbeat, lush, wall-of-sound Belle and Sebastian style smarts while exploring themes of heartache, conflict and loss. It’s a balance the band strike effortlessly, holding space for joy and despair - offering a weight and substance to their dreamy pop spirit. 

Simone & Girlfunkle were born on one of North Perth's hazy, sun-drenched afternoons and quickly issued a self-titled EP followed by the full-length ‘Hurry, Harry’ which X-Press hailed as “A debut that has no weak points”. Their music has been heard all over TV in programs like Winners & Losers, MTV's Awkward, ABC's Giggle and Hoot and Packed to the Rafters, while diverse support from radio has been very welcoming from many at community radio, Triple J, Radio National and commercial stations Triple M and Mix FM.

As warm and captivating on stage as they are on record, Simone & Girlfunkle have appeared alongside some of Australia’s finest - Gurrumul, Holly Throsby, Wendy Matthews, Owl Eyes and more - while notching up performances at Southbound, St. Kilda Festival, State of the Art, Channel Nine's The Weekend Today Show, Nannup Music Festival and Fairbridge Folk Festival, where The Music wrote "the girls' flawless harmonies were a force to be reckoned with”. 

Combining a solid artistic vision with an antipodean sense of humour, these best mates have been busily writing, recording and sprinkling harmonic joy all over their upcoming sophomore album, due for release this year. Facebook here.

'Fight On' mixes rich and well produced music with vivacious and sparkling vocals. Production is top class allowing this indie pop song to ooze with quality and good feeling.

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Hermitess - The Charlatans - Pattern Language

Hermitess - Blood Moon.

Background from Hermitess - I’ve just released a video for “Blood Moon”, taken from my upcoming self-titled full length.

I’ve been making a series of artworks alongside the musical compositions: photographs and almost-still videos set against remote landscapes. Each of these settings depict Hermitess as a central figure in a settings that evoke the songs. The Blood Moon video was shot by my friend Tatiana Losev who helped direct the simple performance that the video depicts. The final product is meant to express a feeling: something repetitive, hypnotic, and a tad sinister.

As the name implies, this album came about at a remove from modern life. While isolated in a cabin in northern Michigan, I began to conceive of this character (Hermitess) and a set of songs that would feel at home in the wintry knee-deep snow drifts and creaking trees. Website here, Facebook here.

'Blood Moon' is one of nine tracks on the new album. This is an imaginative collection of material and the featured music video indicates the style and direction of the self titled full length. Natural folk sounds mix with deeper material, sometimes quite stripped back, other times more atmospheric and layered. Overall the music is enchanting, dreamy and desirable.


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The Charlatans - Plastic Machinery.

Background - The Charlatans have released the official video for their first album single "Plastic Machinery," featuring Johnny Marr, from their upcoming studio album Different Days, due out May 26 via BMG. The video was shot in Barcelona by filmmaker and photographer Ewen Spencer, who is also responsible for creating the Different Days album artwork. “It was great fun to make the video," explains Tim Burgess. "Barcelona is such a beautiful city - the song is about finding beauty in uncertain times and we knew there'd be some sunshine there too."

Different Days is the band's thirteenth album. Co-produced by Jim Spencer, the album was recorded at the band’s studio in Cheshire and features contributions from an array of friends... from Paul Weller and Johnny Marr to crime writer Ian Rankin and writer/actress Sharon Horgan. It follows on from the success of The Charlatans' last album Modern Nature, which drew critical praise across the board, and notched up their eighth Top Ten on the album chart, all capped off with a lifetime achievement award from Q Magazine. The Charlatans had a whirlwind 2015, completing two sold-out UK tours, world tours and popping up as unannounced opening act at Glastonbury, and headlining at the Isle Of Wight and Kendall Calling festivals amongst others.

In support of the upcoming album, The Charlatans have confirmed two signings and acoustic performances at the now-legendary Tim Peaks Diner: 05/26 - The Lowry; Salford - 05/28 - Soundcity; Liverpool. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page.

The Charlatans are back with 'Plastic Machinery' giving fans of their music a taste of what is to follow. They hardly need our support, however with live dates also on there way, it's a case of any excuse to feature a band of this calibre.


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Pattern Language - By Time We Get There.

Background - ​​London’s Happy Robots Records has announced they will be releasing the ‘Total Squaresville’ mini-album from synth-electronic crafter Pattern Language. From this collection of six tracks, they are teasing the lead single ‘By Time We Get There’ with a catchy retro video by Cheyene Grow at 75 Ohms. Created using obsolete corporate video equipment from the 20th century and generating real-time video landscapes and infinite textures.  This is Pattern Language’s debut release, scheduled for release in June 2017.

Pattern Language is the new project of Chris Frain. Currently based in Boulder, Colorado, Frain was previously keyboard player for the indie-pop band The Giranimals (where he developed a love for the staple sounds of the Minimoog and Melotron instruments) and bassist for the power-prog rock trio Tanuki. In 2013, Frain decided to pursue a solo electronic music career after a chance viewing of the BBC4 documentary “Synth Britannia”, which made him fall back in love with the sound of the synthesizer.

“Each one of the pieces on this album were started from some very basic idea about sound or structure or primary influence, and yet I was surpirsed by all the twists and turns they took through the stages of composition, recording, and mixing," says Chris Frain. "It’s still fun to listen to each piece and how they took on a life of its own to become something new and unexpected, even to me.”

‘Total Squaresville’ is the ninth release on Happy Robots Records and is distributed by Cargo Records, mastered for analogue warmth on digital devices. Facebook here.

'By Time We Get There' is indicative of the layered synthy sounds to be found in this six track collection. Uncomplicated and melodic, each piece is remarkably addictive. Whether you cut your teeth on Kraftwerk or Neu, or similar artists more recent, there is a good chance this will appeal.


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Yeomans - Chloé - Los Colognes - Alan Getto

Yeomans - Just As You Want.

Background - Yeomans new single "Just As You Want" is out April 30 via NYK. This is a video for anyone who’s ever been sober at a party. It can be a strange and isolating experience to watch everyone getting gradually more intoxicated and their judgement getting cloudier without experiencing the same effects. Sometimes you have to get creative to make it fun for yourself too." - Kieran Heilbron (Yeomans).

Garage rock bands always tend to weigh heavily on the retro vibe and Toronto’s Yeomans are no exception, naming themselves after the hardworking farmers of colonial America. However, their music isn’t quite that ancient. Glimmers of 60s fuzz pedals, melodic surf, psych grooves and reverb soaked vocals haunt the Yeomans’ sound.

The band formed in 2013, during the height of the Rob Ford crack scandal. Guitarist Kieran Heilbron met then Yeomans’ drummer Jocelyn while selling “Rob Ford Smokes Crack” t-shirts to raise money for the Gawker "Crackstarter" campaign. Realizing they were both into psych and both looking for a new project they started jamming and Yeomans was born, joined by Calgarian Ian Kilburn on vocals & guitar.

Signing with NYK Records in 2016, Yeomans released “My Fish Got Drunk”, a shimmering surf instrumental, as their first single with the label in November 2016. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

We featured the bands first single back in November last year and I had no hesitation in sharing the new single 'Just As You Want'. The sparkling surf vibes are there again, along with some psych rock overtones and a melodic hook that courses it's way through this dazzling song.


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Chloé - The Dawn.

Background - Sounding the promise of long days ahead and late nights to follow with its opening salvos, Chloé’s The Dawn heralds the return of the Paris-based DJ and producer, and a new dawn in her ever-evolving career.

Indeed, The Dawn is her inaugural release on her own label Lumière Noire, which she recently set up as a separate entity and of course for her infamous Rex Club night, which has since 2014 become a bit of a club house for Parisian electronic music fans. Operating Lumière Noire as a fully-fledged label will enable Chloé to release a new full-length album (of which The Dawn is the lead single) sometime in the next few months.

Over the ten-plus minutes of The Dawn, a spoken-word track languishes over melodic washes in a dramatic progression that evokes a novel, or noir-ish cinema – a method that the producer has taken a shine to since Take Care. This cultivation of the strange and the beautiful has become her calling card, putting her in a league with likeminded producers, who take the basic tenets of techno and inject them with their own singular poetic visions. A visual-arts analogue could be found in Noémie Goudal’s photographs which grace the EP’s cover as they will Chloé’s upcoming releases.

This stirring aesthetic gives The Dawn a slightly cerebral dimension, which is taken to new depths by Dixon’s stubbornly technoid remix. The Berlin-based whiz kid, who has over the last few years risen to the top of the international electronic music scene, inverts Chloé’s light-drenched, full-bodied production into a tense, captivating chiaroscuro. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page.

'The Dawn' is ten minutes of electro bliss. The songs rhythmic flow slowly evolves through sonic alterations, whilst the spoken word lyrics act as a central piece and add to the atmosphere. Wonderful!

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Los Colognes - Sneakin' Breadcrumbs.

Background - Nashville quintet Los Colognes will release their third album The Wave on May 12th via Big Deal Media / Thirty Tigers. One of the highest and rarest aspirations in popular music is to reach for the transcendental, to access the spirit. On The Wave, Los Colognes succeeds at this – in breaking through the confines of everyday pop song lyricism to tell a holistic story. It’s not a concept piece, but it’s a brooding and joyful song cycle filled with philosophical rumination, effortless hooks, inspiring musicianship, and expansive arrangements. It’s an album perfectly suited of the current zeitgeist of unease and hope.

Unlike the live approach used to record the group’s previous records, The Wave was built from the ground up with attention to each part. There is a certain economy of space in the songs that feels deliberate, while never ceasing to be warm and inclusive. Guitar and keyboard lines drift off each other in between lyrical exchanges while Mortenson propels the beat, sometimes meditative, sometimes driving. 

The journey to finish recording The Wave was its own quest for Rutherford and Mortenson, a more deliberate process of creation and craft that shows a band becoming fully aware of its voice and its vision. Los Colognes have given us a singular collection of quietly anthemic tunes held together by philosophical reflection and damn fine rock and roll chops. The Wave is coming. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page.

We featured the first track shared from the new album back in January and were pretty excited about the forthcoming release then.  'Sneakin' Breadcrumbs' pretty much confirms the optimism was well founded and only a few days now, to wait for the rest.

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Alan Getto - Into the Briars.

Background - Alternative folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, Alan Getto announces his debut album, Versus, due out August 2017. The LP was recorded over one long weekend at Studio 101A in Southern New Hampshire. The recordings were mixed by Simon Katz and mastered by Jonathan Wyner (David Bowie, Nirvana, Miles Davis) a Berklee professor and Chief Mastering Engineer at M-Works.

Inspired by paradoxical elements of life and examining his own transition into his current lifestyle, Getto finds a perfect balance between various dualities through his artistic expression. Having recently located to an unfinished farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania from Brooklyn, Versus presents Getto's personal confrontation with his own ambivalence. The album intentionally plays with cliché oppositions such as nature vs. the city, good vs. the bad and male vs. female. One can’t exist without the other, and for anything to exist, there must be a degree of conflict: "the versus." 

Getto's guitar-driven, simple melodies act as a backbone for the lyrical emphasis in his music. Having studied literature, theology, and philosophy in college, his lyrics pay homage to these intense, existential topics, but with a unique, irreverent spin. Tracks, "Soap In My Whiskey," and "It's Fine; You're Ugly," present Getto's blunt voice and narrative, with gorgeous melodies and organic, roots-y instrumentals. Getto is inspired by rock, blues and folk legends, such as Tom Waits and The Band, and newer folk artists including, Steve Gunn, Lady Lamb, The Tallest Man On Earth and Deer Tick. 

Once Getto had the concept, which was embodied by Leah Blanchette’s cover art, he enlisted friends to play on the album: three out of four members of the Boston “guerilla roots” band Damn Tall Buildings, along with cellist Kurt Villiard, drummer Tim Maxwell and pianist Jeff Davison.

Having previously released a live EP, All Different Times, Versus is the first full-length body of work to be released by Getto. While in Brooklyn, Getto performed around the city at various venues but has since moved out to the country, where he'll finish renovations on his farmhouse during the release of the record. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

Alan Getto's vocals are personable and engaging as 'Into the Briars' beautifully demonstrates. The songs understated folk rock music allows the passion and power to develop through the singing, and boy it does.

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The Human Circuit - Wendy Bevan - Trevor Sensor - Jordan Mackampa

The Human Circuit - Greeves.

Background - “Greeves”, the first single from The Human Circuit’s upcoming album, ‘Electric City’, is the perfect introduction to the band. Combining classic Indie Rock elements like male / female unison vocals and a driving beat with the more eclectic instrumentation of Jazz. “Greeves” touches on Arcade Fire, `a poppier take on Talking Heads and piano rock for something truly unique.

Mat, The Human Circuit, on “Greeves”: “We too often look at love as a singularly defined “thing”. By desiring love, we immediately crave the array of expectations composing our concept of it. How much more at peace would we be if we could narrow our focus to the meanings we use to define love, rather than “love”, in and of itself?”

The Human Circuit is a touring Alternative Indie-Rock band from Austin Texas. Their catchy psychedelic grooves range from the mystic vibes of David Bowie to the intricate arrangements of Arcade Fire. Their most recent album, Frequent Seas (2015) independently charted top ten on public and college radio stations nationwide. 

The Human Circuit has performed with bands such as The Zombies, The Octopus Project, Boogarins, The Peach Kings, Smoke Season, Calliope Musicals, Ringo Deathstarr, and has been booked by Transmission Events, C3 Presents, among others. The Human Circuit has performed events and festivals including SXSW, 35 Denton, Pecan Street Festival, and more. Website here, Facebook here.

There is an upbeat feel to 'Greeves' right from the opening notes. Vocals are lustrous and lively whilst the musical arrangement shows off the quality and capability of the band. As a taste for the new album, then the band clearly are capable of some extremely good music, definitely on my must hear list.

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Wendy Bevan - Love From The Moon.

Background - British cold wave artist Wendy Bevan has shared new track "Love From The Moon". t's the title track from her forthcoming new EP, out May 12th on Kwaidan / !K7 Records.

Wendy Bevan’s own take on cold wave inspired electronica has seen her compared to the likes of Depeche Mode, The Knife and Siouxsie Sioux. Her debut album ‘Rose and Thorn’ produced by Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague) was released on Kwaidan Records & !K7 in September 2016. Wendy’s vocals accompanied by glimmers of dark, pulsing electronic synths, minimalist post punk basslines and featuring live strings from the Balanescu Quartet. Her vivid, often surreal theatrical storytelling to creates something thrilling unique in her vocal delivery, both in performance and on the album. The new 4 track EP, ‘Love From the Moon' is out May 12th. It features a remix by Bruno Coviello (Light Asylum/ Bliscord) and a remix of her song Lover by D-Code & Psylence. In addition there is a new bonus track; ‘Running From Waking’ produced by Robert Harder (Nenah Cherry and the Thing, Brian Eno).

Wendy Bevan is a British Musician and Multimedia Artist who combines a surreal and theatrical approach to her work across genres in performance, photography, live visuals and experimental art-works, on stage, musical performance, galleries and photographic imagery. She has developed a unique cinematic world and style of her own making. Wendy’s free spirit and personality as an artist in the most authentic sense enables her to freewheel between genres making panoptic, multifaceted art works. She believes in creating a universal language and balance in the crossover of disciplines. Her vivid and dramatic imagination reveals her immense creative, surreal energy as a story teller, conjuring an alternative, ethereal universe.

The various roles Wendy has cast herself over the last decade, be it as vocalist, visual artist, lyricist, photographer, filmmaker, and performer she melts and morphs wherever a concept leads her, conceiving and manipulating her work as a means of creating a character, enabling her to deliver immersive experiences to her audiences. Wendy is a visionary and her love of theatricality is ever present in whatever she pursues. The world she creates as an artist will continue to mesmerise, inspire and bewilder audiences. Website here, Facebook here.

'Love From The Moon' is a smooth and clean cold wave piece, where Wendy Bevan's vocals melodically surf above the flowing deep and rich synthy sounds.

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Trevor Sensor - High Beams.

Background - On June 16, Trevor Sensor will release his debut album Andy Warhol's Dream via Jagjaguwar. The album was recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, IL and was produced by Richard Swift (The Shins, Damien Jurado), Foxygen's Jonathan Rado and Brandon Darner (Imagine Dragons, The Envy Corps). Backing Sensor up is a rhythm section of Julien Ehrlich (drums) and Max Kakacek (bass) of Whitney. Today, Sensor shared "High Beams," the first single from the forthcoming album. 

"The song derives from the desire to be one of those people on the television - a desire instilled in us since childhood in America and the western world at large. A desire that consumes us, especially those few born in middle America who look for supposedly greater things beyond the horizon of cornfields and prairies, or the northern factory towns of England - those places where nobody of any pop cultural significance is suppose to come from - for there is only so much room in the camera lens, the television screen, and we must save it for the pretty, plastic people," 

Sensor explains. "It revolves around things lost, things hoped for and the dreams we tell ourselves to keep us from the possibly horrifying conclusions that forever creep up on us in the back of our minds. To these conclusions and this desire, I curl back my feelers and hiss - for I am twenty-three and tired."

Trevor Sensor has just announced a spring and summer tour with The Family Crest and Mt. Joy, respectively. Find a full list of tour dates below, with additional dates to be announced in the coming months. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page.

There is something beautifully bizarre about the video for 'High Beams' which struck a chord with me, before I fully appreciated the actual song. The vocals are arguably quite unique, and once the music and chorus hooks dug in, the track really did resonate with me. An ingenious song, can't wait to hear more.


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Jordan Mackampa - Battlecry.

Background - Coventry-based singer Jordan Mackampa is sharing 'Battlecry' - the second single from his new EP ‘Tales From The Broken’, set for self-release on 15th May. A track about refusing to be silenced - and standing up for what you believe in, it's a sumptuous, passionate return.

New single ‘Battlecry’ showcases his unique gospel-tinged vocal, paired with irresistible folk-pop instrumentation - delivering a track as delicate as it is powerful and inspiring.

Speaking on the release of the new single, Jordan explained: “Battlecry is a reflection of the times, it’s about standing up for what you believe in, refusing to be silenced and coming together. It was written to make people feel powerful in the face of adversity, comforted in times of isolation and brave in the face of change.”

Often described as a troubadour, Jordan Mackampa is an artist with timeless soul, and lyrics drenched in heart-felt empathy. As a man who was born in Kinshasa, grew up in London and became an artist in Coventry, Jordan’s music is swimming in the sounds and stories of the cities he’s inhabited over the years. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page.

Our second feature for Jordan Mackampa this time with 'Battlecry'. I think it reasonable to say that this individual has a certain WOW factor. Musically the piece has a rhythmic background that allows the vocals and harmonies to carry both the melody and the heart of this beautiful song.

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Chloe Foy - The Howlin' Souls - The Vex - Quiet

Chloe Foy - Are We There Yet.

Background - Following live dates this month in support of Jesca Hoop, Chloe Foy returns with "Are We There Yet", the second track to be taken from her forthcoming synonymous EP which will be released on Friday 12th May. Showcasing her talent for skewed, ambitious folk songwriting, The Line Of Best Fit described her first single 'Flaws' as "stunning" in their premiere last week. Folk Radio UK said in their premiere of 'Are We There Yet' that "she has a unique quality, one that can be heard in her vocal delivery and which is heightened by delicate musical arrangements."

Chloe Foy has previously been likened to such artists as Laura Marling and Sharon Van Etten. Her songs are imbued with lyrical and textural inflections evocative of much of the music she loves - taking inspiration as much from neo-classical music as much as wider trends within indie-rock, Chloe’s new EP comprises carefully constructed arrangements that delicately compliment her cryptic lyrics.

Chloe’s last single, ‘In The Middle Of The Night’, received generous support from Steve Lamacq on both his Radio 6 & 2 shows. The single has generated over one million plays on Spotify, being featured on two popular playlists ‘Stress Buster’ and ‘The Most Beautiful Songs in the World’. Facebook here.

Our second feature for Chloe Foy and once again we have a fabulous song. 'Are We There Yet' demonstrates her artistry and finesse, melodic and captivating vocals and a beautifully produced musical arrangement, makes the forthcoming EP something to be excited about.


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The Howlin' Souls - Free And Young.

Background - Formed in Downtown Manhattan in 2012, The Howlin' Souls have emerged onto the music scene with a fresh yet classic sound that has been welcomed by critics & fans alike.

Singer-songwriter, Pete Smith has infused his Indiana roots into his songs with raspy and honest vocals and lyrics reminiscent of Petty and Dylan. Pete’s guitar playing is supported by lead guitarist and New York native, Scott Sepe, who lends his nostalgic riffs to the Souls’ sound, pulling from the blues and modern rock standards he mastered as a teenager. The rhythm section is comprised of New England natives, Nate Lang (drums) and Robbie Sokolowsky (bass). Their shared love of classic blues, Motown and R&B offer a humble yet infectious backbeat groove.

The Howlin’ Souls’ collective influence includes British rock greats The Rolling Stones, as well as the blues legends that inspired them - Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and the iconic Howlin’ Wolf (whom they honor in their name). Fritz Lang, long time engineer with time at CBGBs, Record Plant NYC, Sigma NYC and others as well as touring with Miles Davis, the Stones, Prince and other icons of music, co-produced the record with songwriter, Pete Smith.

Smith and Sokolowsky self-produce the band’s music videos while Lang has been taking roles in front of the camera, most recently as drummer Carl Tanner in the Oscar nominated film Whiplash. In the Fall of 2016, the band released their first single, “Anyway You Take It.” Their debut self titled EP, The Howlin’ Souls has just been released. Website here, Facebook here.

The bands self titled EP comprises of four songs and 'Free And Young' is a fine bluesy rocker that gives the listener an idea of the calibre and talent of the band. They can and do mix there rock'n'roll styles, adding variety to a passionate and potent collection of music.

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The Vex - EP.

Background - Though hailing from London’s outer fringes, where the capital unceremoniously bleeds into Kent, The Vex actually came into being some 1,500 miles away, with an Eighties pop superstar playing his part. While on tour in Moscow with a previous band, the schisms in the group were made apparent by an offer of management from one Adam Ant. The faction that opposed the deal broke away to form The Vex, playing their debut gig at Moscow’s BlastFest, where the only thing that wasn’t ice-cold was, typically, the band’s beer rider. 

Back in the UK, Josh (guitar/vox), Jacko (guitar/vox), Andrew (bass) and Joshua (drums) soon honed a sound inspired by the classic roots and rock of both Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England. Dealing in dirty guitars and big beats, played with passion and precision, the quartet’s heavy rocksteady sonics became a draw on both sides of the Thames, their ferocious shows earning them a rep as one of the best live bands on the circuit. The Vex hit hard and they cut deep. Spin this EP and hear for yourself. 

About the ‘The Vex’ EP - A vital meditation on life, death and melodica, The Vex’s eponymous third EP ups the ante with its vice-like grooves, searing rock’n’roll edginess and volcanic dynamics, peaking with the fluid vocals of Jacko and Josh. It was recorded straight to tape at Ranscombe Studios in Medway and engineered by Jim Riley, key protagonist of the famed Medway scene. Within are five songs that tackle the big issues impacting on 21st-century existence, evidence of the band’s awareness that in our wide, wonderful and sometimes terrifying world, peace, love and unity are the only things that truly matter. Facebook here.

The Vex's five song, self titled third EP is boisterous and exuberant, with the bands robust and dynamic heavy rock-steady, providing a scintillating listen. It pretty much demanded a second play!

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Quiet - Powerful Me.

Background - Quiet is anything but. It’s gnawing, encapsulating atmosphere, with real post-punk / metal-rock songs within dark, heavy, disturbing sounds. Their debut EP introduces the listener to a deep world of intimate confessions and barely concealed revelations — songs made from subterranean urges, feeling like a forbidden roller coaster ride through tidal wave riffs surrounding epic lyrical psychodramas. 

Quiet is a brand new Seattle band made up of lead Avtar (ex-Atomic Bride and Our Mother the Mountain bassist, now on guitars), Count Louisifer lll (bass), Eamon (guitar), Ulysses (drums), and features the lead vocals of Æon (ex-Wandering King). This is basically everyone else's first "real" band in a sense, as they put it, brought together by Avtar, who eventually connected with Æon through a mutual friend. 

The quintet write and rehearse in the same space as The Gods Themselves and Kid Leather, the members of which came from Atomic Bride like Avtar did. After some woodshedding, vox and drum-free for a year, the band found their missing members, and roiled on the lovely yet leviathan “Deepest Blue Sea,” their first single that was the first step in realizing the expansive emotional palette they were after. 

Quiet's debut EP 'Walk Into The Night' will be accompanied with a Barboza release show on June 9, 2017.

'Powerful Me' gives some idea of what to expect on the bands EP, although it's not actually included within the collection itself. The band tend to drift across genres with imaginative albeit sometimes darker musical ideas. As debut's from recently formed bands go, clearly they have something to offer, I guess expectations will be set quite high on the strength of these few tracks.


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