Avalanche Party - Ruby Cikada - Ratboys - Cool Ghouls - Surfer Blood

Avalanche Party - I’m So Wet.

Background - Avalanche Party frontman Jordan Bell says; “This is a song born from staring at the Irish Sea, in all its frothing, rolling, flirtatious glory, battered and broken by the gale and rock to which it is eternally bound. A tempting, trembling, perilous Vista which, direct to our brain, shouted ‘Yes! …I’m So Wet’. Add to that a few verses inspired by our tour manager’s Army background and we were ready to go. With water comes life - and we are alive indeed.”

Released via Leeds’ Clue Records (Allusondrugs, NARCS, Team Picture), ‘I’m So Wet’ follows the band’s previous R1 and 6Music supported single ‘Solid Gold’. Having previously toured with the likes of The Amazing Snakeheads, VANT and Public Enemy, Avalanche Party are currently on an extensive UK & EU run - taking in a set at this year’s Camden Rocks, June 3 (5pm at Be At One, Camden High St).

Avalanche Party’s sound and energy brings an intensity and immediacy reserved for only the most compelling of artists. Brimming with vigour, lyrics are spat through gritted teeth and notes are played through white knuckled fists – their raucous sound pendulums between the likes of The Stooges, Fat White Family and The Amazing Snakeheads. The reputation the band has earned in recent times has gained them main support slots with the likes of Public Enemy and VANT, praise from Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and Vic Galloway alongside a 6 Music session and slots at the Leeds and Reading Weekend. Facebook here.

A slower paced, yet thumping rhythm makes 'I’m So Wet' stand out pretty much straight away. The vocals are edgy and passionate, and collectively the song is both potent and pleasing.


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Ruby Cikada - All You Pretty Girls.

Background - Formed in 2012, Ruby Cikada is a-five piece alternative/psyche-rock band based out of Toronto, ON. 

Suiting a range of tastes, the band has taken a 'variety' approach to live music in its 'psyche pop' oriented songwriting and progressive arrangements, harvested from a diverse range of stylistic traits and disparate genres that range from folk to funk and grunge to jazz.

Since their inception, Ruby Cikada have been performing almost exclusively within the Toronto underground, however consistently putting out albums which include Magicikada (2014), EP (2015), and finally, Ep II in June 2017.

The band released the album online yesterday June 1st, and this will be followed by a release show in Toronto at the Piston on June 8th. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

The second of six songs on EPII 'All You Pretty Girls' gives just a glimpse of the whole. Ruby Cikada are a band that fit skillfully into a number of genres, and a keen sense for melody and arrangements is another clear strength, as their second EP comfortably demonstrates.

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Ratboys - Westside.

Background - Chicago's Ratboys, led by singer/guitarist Julia Steiner and guitarist Dave Sagan, will release its sophomore album entitled "GN" on June 30th (Topshelf Records). Drawing influence from the down-to-earth sincerity and confessional confidence of Kim Deal and Jenny Lewis, the songs on "GN" (aka ‘goodnight’) “largely detail experiences of saying goodbye, finding your way home, and then figuring out what the hell to do once you’re back.” says Steiner.

Steiner and Sagan felt the impulse to make music together from the get-go – they first met as university students, quickly put out an EP together, and started performing as an acoustic two-piece in dorm rooms and backyards. During the next few years, the friends travelled separately, eventually reunited, and recorded what would become the first Ratboys record, AOID, which the folks at GoldFlakePaint describe as ‘a gleaming, joyous, raucous display of melodic indie-rock.’

After a year and a half of touring the US and Europe as a plugged-in full band (featuring the additions of drums, bass, and trumpet), the members of Ratboys returned to Chicago and holed up at Atlas Studios for two weeks to record with engineer Mikey Crotty (who had previously worked with the group on the songs 'Not Again' and 'Light Pollution'). ‘This time around, we were lucky enough to feature the talents of friends who play the pedal steel, accordion, cello and violin to give the songs an extra something,’ says Steiner. ‘Dave finally got to show off his ridiculous skills on the pocket piano, and the whole thing felt like one big loving experiment.’

Those good times and long days yielded the 10 songs that make up GN, which Evan Hall of Pinegrove calls "a delectable chapter in the Ratboys story." Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

Our second feature for Ratboys following 'Control' which we shared back in April. New song 'Westside' can be described as an alt rock song that features melodic hooks throughout, which was exactly what we said about the last track. So I thinks it's fair that we add consistently fine music, this time around.

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Cool Ghouls - (If I Can't Be) The Man.

Background - San Francisco's Cool Ghouls have shared the video for their single "(If I Can't Be) The Man", which was featured on their 2016 album 'Animal Races'. 

Cool Ghouls is a rock'n'roll band from San Francisco on Empty Cellar Records. A band for playing rock'n'roll - that electric American folk art - without pretense. Think of rock'n'roll less as a genre and more as an action. A ritual performed with electric guitars and a drum kit to conjure a certain youthful spirit.

Inevitably, when listening to Cool Ghouls, you may recall performers of the past, other summoners of this same spirit, whose fingers were also channels through which rock'n'roll was made physical. But this band's purpose is not to reference, fetishize, or even celebrate these incarnations of rock'n'roll that came before them. Their intention is to animate their medium - bring to life the inanimate framework that is rock'n'roll. Get the kids dancing. Get the floor at the house party to cave in. Not to sound like a rock'n'roll band, but to do what a rock'n'roll band does. A band for playing rock'n'roll.

They have toured the world and released 3 full-length albums: Cool Ghouls, A Swirling Fire Burning Through The Rye, and Animal Races. Facebook here.

'(If I Can't Be) The Man' is now accompanied by a music video. Last years creepy clown epidemic has hopefully passed by, allowing Cool Ghouls to bring back a level of daftness, precisely where clowns belong. As a side point the song is absolutely fabulous.


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Surfer Blood - Taking Care Of Eddy.

Background - Surfer Blood has released the video for their single "Taking Care Of Eddy".

When talking about the video co-director Niko Guardia said, "The main idea with the Taking Care of Eddy video was to match the intense energy in parts of the song, juxtaposed with the pretty and soothing melodies. 

We wanted the world within music video to be full of strange pretty lights and ominous settings, yet our main characters are not deterred from roaming and squashing the creatures known as 'Eddys'." 

US & Canada Tour Includes Dates With The Shins can be found on Beehive Candy's tour news page, Facebook here.

Manic guitars and a feisty rhythm, compete with melodic vocals, indeed, it's not clear which direction the song might take next. 'Taking Care Of Eddy' is full of hooks, the video adds too, rather than distract from the music, overall it's one blast of great music.


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Spaceface - Hollow Everdaze - Head North - Kim Free

Spaceface - Spread Your Head.

Background - Spaceface’s music video for their single “Spread Your Head” is a hallucinatory, head-first dive into the pysch-rock band’s Merry Prankster-esque adventures. It offers a visually fantastical, mind-bending glimpse of the band’s live performance, while featuring a mysteriously bizarre character called Glowworm, dancing throughout. Led by frontman Jake Ingalls (guitarist/keyboardist of The Flaming Lips), Spaceface's “Spread Your Head” comes off the band’s recent album Sun Kids and is the perfect catalyst for their upcoming tour.

The music video was shot in conjunction with scenes for the film Extremeophilia, in which the band is featured. It offers an even further look into the touring life of Spaceface, as it follows the journey of Glowworm, played by G’nat. Frontman Jake Ingalls, who also is a member of The Flaming Lips, explained, “Our video is sort of a little glimpse into what it’s like on the road with us. It was shot as a much smaller part in our friends’ movie about an interplanetary glow-worm that withstands brutal conditions and has come to Earth to keep the fabric of spacetime together. Somehow, she crosses paths with Spaceface for about two weeks and engages in endless partying.”

Spaceface hits the road this summer, with a Digital Tour Bus sponsored tour in support of the video and their latest album, Sun Kids, released this April. “We booked the tour ourselves a while ago,” Ingalls shared. “I’m hyped because we’ve upped the ante with a bunch of new sound reactive LED’s, and new tunes like the one featured in the video! We’re touring in support of our new record, Sun Kids, which came out just last month. We also get to play with a lot of really great bands such as Broncho, Sugar Candy Mountain, Flaural, and tons of others.” Live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page. Website here, Facebook here.

'Spread Your Head' is already getting noticed. An expansive psych rock song that gently allows the power to unfold, the video adds some of the bands live capability and the many hooks do the rest.


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Hollow Everdaze - Cartoons.

Background - "Cartoons" is the latest single from the upcoming album Cartoons, due June 23 via Deaf Ambitions. Hollow Everdaze capture the urgency of a band who have traced their own weird, divergent path through the haunted backwoods of songwriting.  

It shows through in their stunning debut EP, released in 2013 which received rave reviews from Australia’s most highly respected journalists and earned them support spots for international artists including The War On Drugs (US), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (NZ), and Wavves (US), plus saw them join American Football (US) on their East Coast tour of Australia in 2015.

Having spent the last year working on the release of their debut full length album, recorded by rising Melbourne producer, John Lee (known for his work with Beaches, Lost Animal, The Ocean Party), mastered by David Walker (NUN, Beaches, GOAT, Jen Cloher) at Stepford Audio, and with video and art collaborations from James Thomson, Niv Bavarsky and Micheal Olivo, the band are set to unveil their newest work to the world. Facebook here.

The second time on  Beehive Candy this year for Hollow Everdaze and this time with the title track 'Cartoons' from the album due for release later this month. It's another psychedelic pop/rock song, we mentioned last time that the band clearly have the knack for this type of music, the latest share kind of confirms that massively!


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Head North - Pulse.

Background - Buffalo, NY-based, cosmic rock band Head North announce their debut LP, The Last Living Man Alive Ever In The History Of The World, due out on June 2nd. The album was produced and mixed by Brett Romnes (I Am the Avalanche) and mastered by Jesse Cannon (Animal Collective, Man Overboard) at Barbershop Studios in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. Head North is currently gearing up for the release of their full body of work and accompanying tour.

The concept album revolves around an alternate world where both God and love are forbidden. The personal narratives are told through the perspectives of principal songwriters Brent Martone, Ben Lieber and Alex Matos, whose driving force can be heard through their transition from harder, louder rock driven tracks to the more atmospheric and dreamy second half of the record. 

Martone's gritty lyricism and the accompanying instrumentals reflect the groups evolution, as they reflect on their previous release and more forward with an air of wisdom and continued understanding of the band's place in the world, and the alternate universe they've created. Live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page. Website here, Facebook here.

The bands music is described as cosmic rock and a listen to 'Pulse' explains that. It also happens to be deliciously original, the energy and passion really does make the song noticeable, at the very least and a second listen was quite compulsive.


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Kim Free - Goth Blues.

Background - Kim Free has a new EP 'Goth Blues and Other Hues' which was just released on Spotify and iTunes. It also features a gorgeous remix from Andorkappen.

To recap, she’s a classically trained violinist whose love of popular music has compelled her to compose, record and perform the enchanting bewitching music that’s uniquely her sound. Toward the end of the first decade of the new millennium, she embarked on a her first recording project, under the name ‘Black Church’. These avant-goth cassette-only releases and the performances that went with them gave her a small but dedicated cult following.

In 2012, she shed her pseudonym and released Angel Shadow as Kim Free. It was followed a year later by Nevermind the Blue Skies, a 14-song collection of dreamy pop. Kim continues her evolution with her most ambitious project yet - Slips. Slips sees Kim reunited with producer Alex De Groot, who she first worked with while playing violin for the Zola Jesus world tour. 

For Slips, Kim has recorded several songs with a full rock band - a first for her. She navigates the delicate balance between these songs and her more familiar violin-based numbers with aplomb. The Slips project will initially be presented to the public through a series of digital EPs. The first, Make Me Yours, was released in December 2016. The second, Malibu, was released March 2017. Bandcamp here.

Kim Free has impressed me twice this year and 'Goth Blues' makes it three. Her superb musicianship and gorgeous vocals, combine to provide a gently melodic and atmospheric song. I do urge you to check out her other material!

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Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - INHEAVEN - Vivienne Chi

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Isotype.

Background - Written, recorded, produced and mixed by OMD – Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys – ‘Isotype’ is taken from the duo’s brilliant new album ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’; a daring collection of stylish synth pop and masterful song writing that will rank alongside their very best.  

Boasting an infectious synth line and soaring melody ‘Isotype’ sees the band address the issues of communication and technology within the 21st century.  Speaking of the track Andy said ‘"It’s about the modern world where our communication value systems are so reduced that you wonder if we’re actually getting any clear point across’.   

Having played a triumphant sold out show at the Royal Albert Hall in May last year, OMD head back out on the road again this autumn for a string of must-see shows, including a show at The Roundhouse November 13th.

The album takes its name from an 1891 painting by the Italian Giovani Segantini and contains everything from the Kraftwerkian ‘Isotype’ and ‘Robot Man’ to the blue eyed soul ballads of ‘One More Time’ and ‘The View From Here’ as well as more traditional OMD songs like ‘Kiss Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang’ and the synth heavy title track. Website here, Facebook here.

I am glad I have kept most of my original vinyl albums, of which OMD remain a valued member. It does not seem like thirty seven years ago that I first got so excited by the band. Their new material including the featured song 'Isotype' is just as fresh and pleasing, why say more!

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INHEAVEN - Vultures.

Background - Fresh from a set at The Great Escape that inspired The Guardian to state, “Inheaven leave Brighton's new music shindig shaking”, INHEAVEN’s growing cult of devotees looks set to expand exponentially when they release their self-titled debut album on September 1st. To coincide with the announcement, the band have also shared a new video for their recent track ‘Vultures’ which compiles footage from their adrenaline-fuelled live experience.

Produced by Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Pixies, The Maccabees) and recorded at Rockfield Studios, INHEAVEN’s debut is the sound of a band who are set to change the lives of teenagers the length and breadth of the nation, and beyond. The life-affirming energy of their music combined with their individualistic ethos combine to make a band worth investing in beyond simply adding a few tracks to your Spotify playlist.

The album kicks off with ‘Baby’s Alright’, in which a prominent bassline that evokes the arresting openings of bands like The Ramones and The Damned merges into a rabble-rousing melody to make for a rallying call to arms. Although INHEAVEN are best known for evoking Slowdive and My Blood Valentine by layering dreamy vocals on vast waves of distorted guitars on tracks such as ‘Regeneration’, ‘Vultures’ is a very different beast. Its doomy, metallic opening riff erupts into life before Chloe Little’s urgently enunciated vocals provoke a radical change of pace. Not to be outdone, James Taylor’s stream-of-consciousness hook is delivered in a feral rush of punk ‘n’ roll.

Having already confirmed a variety of summer festivals which include the NME / BBC Radio 1 Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, INHEAVEN can now also announce details of an autumn headline tour in support of the album. Live dates can be found on Beehive Candy's tour page. Facebook here.

'Vultures' is a forceful and vigorous, no nonsense rocker that pretty much explains the love this band are currently receiving. Another band where rock'n'rolls legacy is in safe hands.


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Vivienne Chi - Vivienne.

Background - The powerful alt-pop debut ‘Vivienne’ hones in on lo-fi grittiness from The White Stripes while unifying her classic British influences including Massive Attack and Bat For Lashes. Fronted with a distorted, driving bassline that strikes like a marching parade. 

The melodies and lyrics are delicate yet powerful & the songs tell tales of escapism. First single 'Vivienne' is a track with a distinctly British edge. 

Vivienne Chi comments “I wrote 'Vivienne' about getting through the aftermath of a break-up and that little voice in your head that persuades you to do something stupid. It's about losing control and letting your other, less dignified self take over for a moment.”

Sculpting lyrics and melodies into a catalogue of songs touching on belonging, heartache & the darker sides of London’s excessive lifestyle. This exciting debut is the first of many works from Vivienne Chi. Website here.

There is a beautiful divide between the vocals and the powerful, yet understated musical arrangement on 'Vivienne'. Refrains rather than choruses, seem to break the song up, as debut's go this is one ear catching piece.

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Walrus - The Luxembourg Signal - BUHU - The School Book Depository - ARGRPH - Tomten

Walrus - In Timely Fashion.

Background - Halifax's Walrus announce tour in support of Family Hangover. Walrus will release their debut LP, Family Hangover, on June 9th via Dan Mangan's Madic Records. 

Currently available for pre-order, it features a soulful, fuzzed-out mix of swirling vocals, wailing guitar riffs, and Spacemen 3-style drone, all with a laid-back, '60s-infused vibe. 

"...just because Walrus doesn’t seem to take itself terribly seriously doesn’t mean Walrus shouldn’t be taken seriously. These lads can do pretty much anything." - Toronto Star.

Today, the band has detailed their tour in support of the album. The Halifax-based band offered a first taste of the album with lead single "Regular Face" and followed it up with the psych-tinged "In Timely Fashion". Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour page, website here, Facebook here.

'In Timely Fashion' is a whirlpool of psychedelic vibes where melodic vocals and rich sounding guitars, create four minutes of aural delight.

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The Luxembourg Signal - Laura Palmer.

Background - With the release of their first single and debut album on Shelflife in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly found a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Since the debut release, the band's lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums) and Ginny Pitchford (keyboards) has been expanded with the addition of Kelly Davis (guitars) and Daniel Kumiega (bass). 

The seven-piece played a handful of shows in the UK and Europe in the summer of 2015 to promote their debut album, including a Sunday evening performance at Indietracks that many cited as one of the highlights of the weekend. 2015 also saw the release of a split 7” single with Soft Science (Test Pattern Records), which featured a remix of Dying Star by Robert Hampson (Loop/Main).

The band returned to the studio in 2016 to complete their second full length Blue Field coming out this fall on Shelflife and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. "Laura Palmer" is the first single from the album and one of our favorite tracks of the year. The b-side is a special cover version of "Let's Make Some Plans" by the Close Lobsters. 

For their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife), The Luxembourg Signal returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and produced an album that reveals a bolder, more developed sound with a darker undertone. The new LP also features guest vocals by Bobby Wratten (Field Mice, Trembling Blue Stars) on the reflective track "Fall Feeling."

The Luxembourg Signal will be playing various dates in Germany (TBA) in September 2017 as well as The Paris Pop Fest on Friday September 22, 2017. Website here, Facebook here.

With a pleasing melody and dreamy vocals 'Laura Palmer' is a gorgeous indie pop song, that just builds and builds to a crescendo of musical power.

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BUHU - La Truth.

Background - 'La Truth' is the first single released by BUHU that was solely written, produced, recorded and mixed by frontman Jeremy Rogers. The song is a retrospective of Jeremy's guilt in being dishonest with his wife and the strains that keeping secrets can cause on a loving relationship. 

La Truth was recorded on a 1990's Korg 8 track multi track recorder. Inspired by the lo-fi recording techniques of Sufjan Steven's Michigan album, Jeremy set out to record a whole new set of "Bedroom Pop" songs that reflect the emotional and complicated relationships he shares with his loved ones and the world around him. 'La Truth' released May 15th on FMF Records

BUHU has also announced the summer 2017 'Love and the Wild' tour in partnership with The National Parks Service. The 'Love and the Wild' tour will take BUHU through Canada, the West Coast and nine national parks. BUHU is doing the tour in advocacy for environmentalism, musicians mental health and the conservation of North America's greatest natural treasures. Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour page, Facebook here.

Dominant bass sounds, swirling synths and haunting, distant vocals ensure 'La Truth' is a memorable musical piece. Lo-fi electronic music with an under current of potent power.

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The School Book Depository - A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science.

Background - The School Book Depository - "A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science" With this year’s possibly most complicated title The School Book Depository is following up it’s last single ”Salvation” with a both strange and inspiring pop-cocktail. This catchy tune is a psychedelic trip to the outskirts of sanity where groovy, Motown-flavored hip hop meets catchy pop melodies in an awkward universe where absurdity clashes with geniality. 

An odd pop gem in a lo-fi outfit that bring both Beck and Eels to mind. When it comes to the lyrics it would probably require a masters degree in both psychoanalysis and behavioural science to figure this one out. The initial line pretty much sets the tone for the lyrical content: “I’m duct taping pork chops under my feet, the comfort it brings, it is stress release for my knees”. If norm criticism is the popular term for this decade, this song sure would be the perfect theme song, bringing the term yet another dimension. Bandcamp here.

'A Fork In The Road For Behavioural Science' deserves to be heard for the song title alone. Our second feature this year for The School Book Depository and it's another superb piece, where the hypnotic rhythm supports a genre defying mixture of vocals and musicianship.

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ARGRPH - Cymorth.

Background - Cymorth (meaning Support/Help) is ARGRPH's follow-up single to the majestic melancholy that was 'Tywod' from late 2016. Spending studio time again with producer Llyr Parry (Y Niwl, Palenco, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog), songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Emyr Sion was joined by Caradog Davies (drums+vocals) and Gwyn Rosser (guitar+vocals). 

Together they have created a song that musically brings a darker hue to their already distinctive dreamy, surf pop. Emyr is fastly developing to be one of the bravest and singular new creative voices from Wales. 

Cymorth is a song "Dealing with the inadequate and destructive advice given to those suffering from mental health". "Mocking the sentences that I (Emyr) have heard time after time during the darkest points of my life" Cymorth is a poetic and emotionally bruising song. There lies the magic of ARGRPH sound, making the universal personal and the personal universal with music that is always emotionally stirring and beautifully uplifting. Facebook here.

Singing from the language of your heart always seems to add an additional layer of feeling as, I would suggest, is clearly the case with 'Cymorth'. The song is somewhere between surf pop and shoegaze, a strange combination on paper and a beautiful one in reality.

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Tomten - Limbo's Daughter.

Background -  Cremation Songs is the forthcoming album from Seattle baroque dreampop trio Tomten, known for their dreamy organ tones, analogue synths and enchanting three part harmonies. Cremation Songs, a bittersweet collection of 13 sparkling and singed beauties, will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on Plume Records on July 7th.

'Limbo's Daughter' is one of the album's more poppy upbeat numbers, and it came together in an unexpected way, cause half the keyboard on the Wurlitzer was out of tune, so I had to play the Wurlitzer and Rhodes set up next to each other -- higher octave on Rhodes. The happy accident moments like this made recording this LP a more exciting experience...One of my favorite things about this song is the little dueling guitar part in the middle that was played by Jake Brady and Jason Quever: Jake's guitar going direct to get that curdled milk tone, and Jason's FDA approved melody line.

"Cremation Songs features just about everyone we've ever worked with and more, which makes me happiest," says Noyes-Watkins. "We have past band members Gregg Belisle-Chi and Lena Simon on it, as well as Jason Quever who recorded The Farewell Party." Andy Meyer engineered and mixed the album at The Unknown in Anacortes, WA, and Carl Saff, based in Chicago, mastered the record. Facebook here.

'Limbo's Daughter' is an engaging and quite timeless sounding song. At the heart of the song are some most agreeable vocals and harmonies, however the musical arrangement and fine musicianship nudge the song up, making the forthcoming album a very interesting prospect.

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Diamond Thug - LUMER - Chances

Diamond Thug - Eclipsed.

Background - In 2016 the South African band, Diamond Thug, recorded their debut EP with the help of Dave Minehan (The Replacements) and released it to waves of support. After significant support from their home country and now at Spotify, where they have had several million plays, and with the wind in their sails, Diamond Thug introduce their music internationally with upcoming single ‘Eclipsed’, an evocative track that takes influence from the likes of Warpaint, Beach House and Vulfpeck.

Since their formation, Diamond Thug have continually evolved, always striving to create a unique sound that’s stay true to their perspective. Their music glides through dream-pop, skittish, off-kilter electronica & psychedelic-rock, creating cosmic-influenced ethereal soundscapes, which swirl below Chantel’s haunting, yet beautiful melodies.

The pursuit of an authentic & honest sound has earned the band various honours in international competitions such as Culture Collide’s pick to perform at SXSW 2017, as well as Converse’s Music Global Takeover and the attention of Grammy Award winner Darryl Torr, who had this to say about the band: "When listening to Diamond Thug, you are taken on a journey.  It’s the effortless vocals, supported by a solid band, that tips you over the edge & pulls you through into their world.  It’s rare to find a voice that can execute such interesting melodies so effortlessly as well as a band that leaves space for the vocals to shine, yet are able to maintain musical integrity." Website here, Facebook here. 

Alternative pop might be something of an oxymoron, however with Diamond Thug and songs like 'Eclipsed' it's pretty much spot on. The track is fabulously original, hard to put in any one genre, and yet the attention this band have received so far, suggests their music is very pop, as in popular.

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LUMER - Gruel.

Background - Hull postpunks LUMER return this Spring with their new standalone single Gruel. With slots at BBC Radio 1 ’s Big Weekend in 2017’s UK City of Culture Hull (the band’s home town) and also Dot to Dot festival in Manchester during the week of release, Gruel takes the band to new heights in their very short life and meteoric rise as “a band to watch out for in 2017/18”.

On Gruel the four-piece have branched out into something borderline schizophrenic, with their twitchy guitar riffs and warped vocals giving way to something softer and more downtempo. To quote the band’s lead vocalist and bass player Alex Evans: “Gruel is about jealousy, anger, and failed attempts at escaping false thoughts. We had a lot of inspirations for Gruel, but mainly it’s a combination of Goth and Post-Punk bands like Bauhaus & Viet Cong (Preoccupations) as well as being inspired by our environment. Practicing in a dark, damp warehouse building in Hull has shaped the dark nature of the song.” This darkness is captured in the single’s somewhat tortured vocal and eerie instrumental middle section.

With their scuzzy and feverish grunge riffs LUMER are fast becoming a manic force to be reckoned with. Recently likened to acts such as Yak, King Nun and Black Flag, LUMER have bloomed out of Hull’s thriving
alternative music scene, holding the garagepunk torch aloft and lighting the way for the angry and the disenfranchised. Formed in the wintery beginnings of 2016, LUMER have develop their cryptic post-punk sound and have gone on to play high-octane shows supporting Life on their UK tour, Weirds and Vulgarians on their Manchester dates plus a performance at the prestigious Rough Trade Nottingham. Facebook here.

'Gruel' is one of those "cut to the chase" pieces. Post punk, ploughs straight into some alt rock, full of attitude, angst and passion. The resulting explosion of incredibly fresh music, gives hope to first generation punks. Those who remain in search of a refill of those years of the youthful vigour. Something only punk genres can deliver.

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Chances - Leave The Light On.

Background from Chances - We are excited to be releasing our new single after our debut single received so much support from listeners and taste makers like you. 

The song is about trusting that you’ve got some things to learn along the way from the connections in life that may be fleeting yet beautiful. It describes going ahead with something or someone, even when you know right from the start that it may not take you all the way to the finish line.

Musically, the song features a rhythmic counter-play between the melody and percussion. We wanted the vocals to be uplifting - infused with a feeling of hope and possibility. Near the end of the song you can hear some french lyrics weaved into the line; reflecting our roots.

We came together in Montreal in 2016 to sketch out a few songs, just to see where uninhibited brainstorming might lead us. New rules brought new possibilities, one person’s writer’s block became another’s building block. Website here, Facebook here.

And if alternative pop is not enough 'Leave The Light On' takes us into the wonderland of experimental pop, and by it's very credentials establishes such a place exists. With this song, it is also clearly thriving.

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