Sofia Härdig - Once & Future Band - Varvara

Sofia Härdig - Let Me Fall.

Background - Sofia Härdig’s new single “Let Me Fall”, from the upcoming album “Changing The Order” is crafted from new wave, electronica-influenced layered synths, amongst other live instruments, and powerful vocals. Championed by Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson, Sofia has worked with major Swedish artists including Grammy Award winners The Hellacopters and bob hund. Furthermore, she has collaborated with Yoshimi from Japanese noise-rockers Boredoms and the alternative indie band Free Kitten. Sofia’s experimental nature shines through with her new material that blends new wave and electronic influences.

“Let Me Fall” is a thickly textured, four-to-the-floor synth-focused electronica anthem. Sofia repeatedly sings ‘infatuation’ – each syllable on beat, but reverberating around the track, creating sonic space, drawing vocal influence from 90s house music. Deviating heavily from her previous single “Illuminate”, “Let Me Fall” features synth arpeggios throughout as the main focal point of the song. “Let Me Fall” can be described as fitting with synth-influenced new wave, comparable to Depeche Mode or New Order but the fact that the track draws more influence from 90s dance music makes it unique and a stand-out single.

‘I laid down the bass line for this song using a borrowed, broken, hopeless, but fine old synth during a tour in England. I continued building ‘Let Me Fall’ with other synths and programming, and then brought these recordings with me on tour and added recordings with other musicians I met. Amongst them were a classical pianist in Berlin, a synth player in Copenhagen and a cellist from the opera. John Essing (bob hund) and I recorded the guitar parts in a shed – these parts were added also. I smashed the new recordings into pieces and rebuilt them; deconstructed and reconstructed. At the end, I brought in Jari Haapalainen to produce the song. The bass line from the old, broken synth I used in London, is the main focal point of ‘Let Me Fall’ – a song from London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Malmö.’ – Sofia Härdig. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Just weeks after featuring Sofia Härdig’s 'Illuminate' earlier this month we now have another track 'Let Me Fall' to enjoy. We described the vocals as intoxicating last time around, this time they are potent and immersed in a fierce synth driven soundtrack that demands our attention.

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Once & Future Band - Destroy Me.

Background - Once and Future Band are hitting 2018 with a belly fresh with fire. After attacking the auditory senses of those in need of slick and expertly crafted psychedelic pop with their 2017 self-titled LP release on Castle Face Records; the group has reached into their vault of older material to bring back their Brain EP. The group has teamed up (again) with John Dwyer's label Castle Face Records to re-release this aural gem, which had a vastly limited run in the past.

2017’s “Once & Future Band” landed upon our brains like the birth of a starchild - fully formed, otherworldly, yet comfortingly familiar in its contours…Floyd, ELO, Queen, Steely Dan, and Beach Boys rearranged into an unapologetic poignant pop moment, underpinned by 4 guys that could play their way out of a Faustian bargain.

While we await whatever warlock’s potion they are brewing up next, they’ve pulled a maxi-EP Brain from the vaults for a moment in the sun. All of the mastery you’ve come to expect is at play here; enough chops to make a vegetarian’s mouth sweat, songs that tug at the heart while they play tricks on your mind, and with the steady hand of a of studio wizard sprinkling stardust around the edges just so. It’s out on Castle Face Records March 9th. FACEBOOK.

'Destroy Me' has some timeless pop/rock sensibilities to it, as it drifts amiably along. The comforting vibes, melodic hooks and relaxed atmosphere, make this a play again song within moments.

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Varvara - Gone.

Background - Varvara release their new new single 'Gone'. Varvara have unleashed their fourth full-length album ”Go” released under their own Haminian Sounds imprint. The new album ”Go” as a whole is about that moment when summer turns into autumn. This reality hits you right in the face reminding that the calm and relaxation of summer is over. From time to time there is a strong contrast between energetic rock tracks and gloomy lyrics.

Produced and mostly recorded by the band themselves ”Go” offers an intriguing mix of aggressive garage and melodic rock sounds. The album was mixed by the leading underground rock, indie, and punk scene producer in Finland Lauri Eloranta and mastered by Brad Boatright.

Varvara's beginnings were humble, but the band quickly became more than a friendly pastime as demo releases became picked up on by various sections of the Finnish music media. With the help of an old friend Tommi Muhli, Varvara helped establish Haminian Sounds, a collective of musicians which releases music from local acts including Varvara and organizes events to cheer up the small town’s nightlife.

Since then Varvara's output, three albums and an EP, has slowly been recognized as a distinctive collection that harnesses diverse influences into a unique sound. The 2016 album ”Death Defying Tricks” was the bands first release actively promoted outside Finland. The album represented a self-confident band with an exceptional sense of melody amongst a series of quirky details. Combining off kilter rock shapes to straight-up rock, Death Defying Tricks collected nothing but praise in domestic and international rock media. Following the release the band also made their first shows outside the Finnish borders. FACEBOOK.

Our second feature for Vavara's latest album 'Go' this time with the new single 'Gone'. The bands brand of powerful & kicking rock is given distinction by the addictive vocals and a band where every chord resonates with vitality, the album is a good one!

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Elisa Kate - 10 O'Clock Chemical

Elisa Kate - Promise Me.

Background - The dreamy pop piano invitations of Elisa Kate captivate you with that skin deep smoky vocal tone. The warmhearted farm girl strips away the clutter, summoning your soul to awaken. Bursting onto the pop scene with a USA tour and a feature on New York radio with her 2015 EP release To The Sky (iTunes), Elisa Kate's new single Promise Me is set to erupt on February 23.

Sitting beneath the warm indie pop vibes, the engaging piano melody propels the driving pulse forward, with the strong reassuring movement projecting the unforgettable chorus into your heart. Promise Me delivers an honest reflection on how easily life can accumulate.

The song explores an uncanny freedom found in releasing unnecessary things from our lives, returning to whats most important. Elisa Kate contemplates, "We surround ourselves with so many "things", and sometimes it takes losing it all for us to find clarity within. In those sobering moments, I find myself listening more intently to the unshakable voice that was there all along, crowded out."

Engineered and produced by S&M Production's Matt McLaren, in conjunction with top Sydney Producer Andrew Kerridge, Promise Me draws you deeper with it's lyrical intimacy woven into the spacious layers of strings, vocal delay and breathy harmonies. A small town dreamer with a 100 year old piano, Elisa Kate was told she couldn't sing. Little did they know, this only ignited her passion for defying the odds and achieving her dreams.

Inspired by her two favourite Johns, Mayer and Foreman (Switchfoot), Elisa Kate combines her freelance piano style, with her frustration over meaningless pop music, creating an infusion of chilled, catchy melodies, filled with hope. FACEBOOK.

'Promise Me' is a charming melodic song, where Elisa Kate's vocals are engaging and the musical arrangement is sprightly, with hints of country and plenty of fine indie pop flavours.

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10 O'Clock Chemical - Babylon Is Fallen.

Background - ‘Babylon is Fallen’ is a slick foray into cutting-edge synth pop. The thematic conception of the song occurred to singer Rhys, who, at 23 years old has been writing songs in his bedroom for many years while also having a background in social activism. Describing their sound as ‘Gritpop’, the group have here created jagged and danceable electro-pop that directly expresses the edgy uncertainty of contemporary life. ‘Babylon is Fallen’ is about the cultural malaise that has led to a culture that it’s easy to be cynical of.

With production by electronica wizard Matt Johnson (best known for his work on Jamiroquai’s latest album Automaton) and mixed by Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, etc) it’s as slick a debut single as any band could hope for. Restless funk elements, slippery bass grooves and a lysergic dance outro make for a profound and danceable exploration of the current and troubling state of our international media neuroses.

10 O’Clock Chemical are comprised of songwriter, keyboardist and vocalist Rhys, drummer Danny, bassist Josh and guitarist Jack. The four of them met through Stoke On Trent’s local music scene, sharing a deep love for rock and electronica. In addition to the core lineup is a mysterious cyber entity called Zed, who carries administrative duties for the band and even makes the odd cameo appearance. With radio support from BBC Introducing Stoke, and the accolade ‘Best New Artist’ as voted by six hundred of their peers at the Staffordshire and Cheshire Music Awards in Spring 2017, they’re now set to release debut single ‘Babylon is Fallen‘ on February 23rd via the group’s own label GRITPOP.

A still from the locally filmed video, made on a snowy January day, forms the single’s sleeve. Their follow-up will arrive in April ahead of their debut EP in June. Having had a string of festival appearances n 2017, including Lymelight and LeoFest, 10 O’Clock Chemical will celebrate their debut single’s release with a headline show at The Exchange in Stoke On Trent on its release night before confirming more live shows, WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Rhythmic vocals and a feisty synth pop soundtrack, 'Babylon Is Fallen' is catchy, vibrant and with plenty of energy this one digs in.

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The Tracys - Alessi’s Ark - Super Hi-Fi

The Tracys - People Scare Me.

Background -  If you're feeling stuck in a repetitive blur of everyday life, NYC old-school punk-rockers The Tracys new single and music video "People Scare Me" will jolt you awake with a blast of sonic power. The single comes with a darkly alluding and paranoiac music video, that will leave you looking over your shoulder when you're next traveling alone.

The band utilizes the track to question the current state of the world, with the actions and behaviors of others developing a slow-building anxiety of questioning where society is headed.  The band shared, "'People Scare Me' is a humorous jaunt into the feeling of alienation, derived both by the day to day struggle of living in a city that has largely given away its creative, cultural heritage in favor of impossible real estate values and self important millionaires, and living in a world controlled by social media that celebrates and rewards Tide Pod eaters and elects narcissistic half-wits to the highest office in the land."

Directed and edited by Benoit Gabriel, the video for "People Scare Me" features drummer Matt Ernst's son, Jonah, an amateur boxer. Cutting between live shots of the band and following Jonah's day throughout the city, an increasingly unsettling feeling of worry and fear is formed through simple yet powerful scenes and split screens. Jonah's portrayed as, "an alienated and possibly deranged young man, stalking the band and perhaps being stalked (by Matt)... or is that all in his mind?"

The video was shot on-location at Ernst’s home in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, along with scenes from the NYC subway system, and Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn. "[Hank's] is one of the last great punk rock venues in NYC, slated to be demolished at the end of the year," the band shared remorsefully, as regulars of Hank's musical rotation.

The Tracys upcoming third full-length album Humdinger is scheduled for release on March 23; the band will celebrate that night will celebrate their record release show at Hank's Saloon on March 23, with Live Ones, Cash Register, and The Measurements. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Lets liven things up a little with 'People Scare Me' a scrumptious classic punk rocker with all the trimmings including, energy, manic vocals and a band that are on fire. At just two minutes duration, that's all the boxes ticked for a refreshing blast of pure punk.

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Alessi’s Ark - DLD.

Background - London based singer-songwriter Alessi’s Ark AKA Alessi Laurent-Marke releases a warming video this winter for the single ‘DLD (Door Light Dream)’ from her new album Love is the Currency, produced by Mercury Prize nominated producer Jago Jago, and in collaboration with Felix and Will White of the Maccabees.

DLD (Door.Light.Dream), is the directorial debut for long-time friends Aude Chagnon-Caument and Paris based photographer, Julien Bourgeois. Having collaborated on the album cover of Love is the Currency, Julien and Aude were the natural pairing for Alessi's new video.

DLD captures the closing of British summertime on the beautiful Isle of Wight. Weaving through the hills and along the coast, the video follows two strangers while they independently traverse the same route through a Victorian seaside town. For a moment, their paths intersect. However, the strangers never actually meet.

The video closes as Alessi discovers a photograph of the two strangers together, looking out to sea, and we're left wondering whether the photo is a premonition of the two strangers eventually finding one another.

Hailing from Hammersmith, Alessi Laurent-Marke takes influence from bands such as Broken Social Scene to incorporate electronic elements into folk songwriting. Her work has seen her tour with the likes of Laura Marling, Jenny Lewis, M. Ward and John Grant. FACEBOOK.

Hammersmith is an old stomping ground of mine and the Isle Of Wight is my favourite UK Island therefore Alessi's Ark has my geographical interest before even playing the video! 'DLD' is in fact a graceful and melodic song, where the vocals hold my attention and the soundtrack adds some layers whilst allowing the singing to standout, wonderful...


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Super Hi-Fi - Gone.

Background - The process of creating Super Hi-Fi's new video for "Gone" started when bassist Ezra Gale snuck into the Pratt Institute and hung-up fliers advertising a need for filmmakers. It wasn't long after this stealthy mission that Gale connected with aspiring cinematographers William Bermudez, Sam Friedman, and Caden Ghen, who were eager to collaborate. From there, the conceptual vision for "Gone" quickly came into focus; a vision that would lead the group to Dead Horse Bay and what they would come to jokingly refer to as their "Revenant" experience.

"Gone," was filmed on a freezing December afternoon in Dead Horse Bay. It is this one-time Brooklyn landfill that provides the bleak setting for Super Hi-Fi's mysterious music video for "Gone." Littered with old bottles and debris, the polluted beach in Dead Horse Bay is the perfect backdrop for a song that uses the concept of pining for lost love as a metaphor for mankind's fragile relationship with mother earth. Actor Gus Cuddy stars in the video, playing the role of a man who is desperately trying to repair an old shipwrecked boat to search for his lost love. He wanders the shoreline futilely picking-up bottles and trying to clean-up a mess that far exceeds his capabilities. After stopping to rest, he awakens to discover that the boat has vanished, and all that is left is the trash-strewn beach and a small blue vial containing a mysterious note.

The song itself is built upon a slow-moving reggae groove that features Super Hi-Fi's signature, interweaving trombone melodies. At times the music builds to almost cacophonous heights, with wild flourishes of experimental electric guitar, only to ease back down to its original relaxed pace.  Much like the lyrical content, the music for "Gone" conveys a sense of losing control, or feeling powerless in the face of unnameable forces.

"To me, the song "Gone" is supposed to work on two different levels; on the surface it's a song about a relationship and pining away for someone who doesn't care about you, but on a deeper
level it's about our relationship with the earth, assigning all these protective feelings to 'Mother Earth' when in fact the planet is indifferent to us." - Ezra Gale. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

This is our second feature for Super Hi-Fi in a matter of weeks this time with 'Gone' which is another refined and catchy reggae affair. Vocals and harmonies are a fine fit for the genre, the musicianship is fabulous, Super Hi-Fi are naturals through and through.


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Blue Nation - Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir - Fontaines DC

Blue Nation - Rich Girl.

Background - Blue Nation come confidently striding out on to the streets to deliver you their brand new grooving slice of gritty sing-a-long, fist in the air, authentic rock. ‘Rich Girl’ the new single from midlands very own Blue Nation is released 23rd March. The single is taken from the brand new forthcoming album due for release later this year.

The riff-rocking Birmingham trio, pair the unrestrained emotions of music with the capricious nature of life. Front man Neil Murdoch explains; ‘Travelling on a train back from London a girl sat next to me (Neil) and began to sob her heart out. She had just left her fella as she had caught him cheating. During the journey, said cheater rang the heart broken girl and begged her to come back to him, promising to never do it again. It became obvious that the relationship was based on lies and convenience.

Said girl then started to negotiate with the cheater about what he would give her to come back to him…a car, a holiday you name it. The song is not about love but more the contractual terms that this relationship was based on.‘

Blue Nation hit the road with fellow UK up and coming rockers ‘Dirty Thrills’ this month for four shows including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Norwich.  Murdoch and the boys are raring to go as he adds;  ‘The tours are going to be off the scale! We can’t wait to hit the road with the Dirty Thrills lads.  The audiences are going to see one hell of a show.’ WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Blue Nation on tour this month with Dirty Thrills:
26/02 | Factory, Manchester
27/02 | Waterfront Studio, Norwich
28/02 | Underworld, London
02/03 | O2 Institute 3, Birmingham

Whilst the video is steeped with sixties imagery 'Rich Girl' is anything but dated, the rich rock production, the superbly definitive vocals and an energised presence from start to finish, ensures this rocker stands out. Blue Nation are clearly not following the crowd, they are doing their own thing, and splendidly at that.


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Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir - Between The Lines.

Background - Denver-based group Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir shares the second track off their debut LP Long Way Home, with the song "Between The Lines."

"Between The Lines" is about growing up, plain and simple. Frontman Blake Brown says of the track, "I’ve always been taught to follow my dreams, so there’s that dichotomy that I really struggle with. Do I follow them, or move on from them? No choice is necessarily right or wrong, it’s just a deep down feeling that I’m constantly questioning. Reminding myself to hold my dreams with both hands, as to not drop such delicate things. All in all, I’m still not sure what the result is, but I think baring your truth and admitting that  “I don’t know” is important in figuring it out. Only to understand that there may be a time when a choice has to be made. So what will it be? Dreamin’ is believing so start. You gotta hold them with both hands.”

Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir is made up of frontman Blake Brown (vocals/guitar), Tiffany Brown (keys/vocals), Adam Blake (drums), Jason Legler (bass), and Trent Nelson (guitar).

Long Way Home is a collection of songs that represent different periods and experiences in Brown's life. Heartbreak, healing, deception, reflection, growing up, and everything in between. Produced and engineered by Joe Richmond and mastered at Lurssen Mastering by Reuben Cohen, Long Way Home is due out March 9, 2018 on We Believers Music. It will be available on CD and vinyl direct through the website, and available for pre-order on all digital outlets on March 2, 2018. The first time they will be performing the record live will be at SXSW 2018, in an official showcase to be announced. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

We featured 'Stop Shakin' at the end of January and just weeks later we have 'Between The Lines' another top quality alt rocker from Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir. There is a hint of Southern rock vibes on this hook laden song and an atmospheric groove that is hard to shake off, the album is looking plenty good.

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Fontaines DC - Boys In The Better Land.

Background - Fontaines D.C. met as a quintet in Dublin, influenced and driven in equal measure by the rich history of their hometown’s counter-culture, their response has been to make concise and immediately authentic indie-punk that has done anything but fall on deaf ears.

The last six months have seen Fontaines D.C. release two hotly received double A-side singles, both of which were named as singles of the week by Rough Trade, and garnered early support from the likes of Steve Lamacq and others on BBC 6 Music, as well as earning feature space from every major Irish publication. Similarly, the band have played a number of shows across Europe, Ireland and the UK earning a reputation for their brooding and trenchant live performances, supporting the likes of The Horrors, Girl Band and The Lemon Twigs, as well as playing festival slots at Electric Picnic, Hard Working Class Heroes and Other Voices.

Previous singles such as ‘Liberty Belle’ and ‘Hurricane Laughter’ call to mind the likes of the Modern Lovers, The Fall, Iggy Pop and The Strokes, seamlessly blending immediate lyrical hooks with melodic golden-era indie instrumentation, and ‘70s Stooges punk thrust, all of which is strewn with defiant rock and roll overtones. On their new single ‘Chequeless Reckless’, the band have decided to delve even deeper into their influences (which they personally cite as spanning from The La’s, to The Pogues to Buddy Holly) employing hypnotic, kraut-rock infused cyclical riffs, whilst channelling Dublin into their concise and often-unassumingly poetic lyrics with a distinctive gritty Irish drawl.

Fontaines D.C. have gone from strength-to-strength with each release, and with a vast range of critical acclaim, renowned live shows and a series of sold out releases behind them over the course of just six months, ‘Chequeless Reckless’ stands as a huge statement of intent, which is not to be ignored. FACEBOOK.

Live Dates:
 Fri 2nd March - Derry - Dutch Kills, Mason's Loft.
Sat 3rd March - Dublin - Button Factory
Wed 7th March - London - The Victoria, Dalston
Fri 30th March - Mayo - Garbo's - Castlebar.

Now in my modest opinion (well I think it is) Fontaines DC may very well be a band to keep an ear out for and an eye upon this year. 'Boys In The Better Land' might have just a twist of The Fall vocals wise, however they are clearly natural & not contrived. The sheer energy and desire the band display is noteworthy. The most striking feature is the ease in which the band appear to deliver their material, slick, uncompromising and very addictive.


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Zoë Dellaca - Ganser - The Busy Twist - Angela Soffe

Zoë Dellaca - Still.

Background - Zoë Dellaca writes songs that make you want to cuddle up in front of the fire on a rainy night. Still is the first single from her debut album Sweater Weather. Hailing from Bunbury in WA, Zoë has been making her mark on the local music scene, playing regular shows around the south-west and peel regions since 2016. Still explores the darker side of the indie-folk genre featuring haunting electric guitar swells, moody bass and a raw, vulnerable vocal performance. The track is a soul-exposing song dealing with themes such as heartbreak. Still was recorded and produced in Zoë’s hometown of Bunbury by Nat Marshall at his studio Township Sound.

“Still is essentially about being hurt by someone you care about and allowing them to keep on hurting you even though you know you shouldn’t. Writing Still was a long process that happened over several months as I was able to gain some perspective. Completing this song was a very freeing experience for me, helping me to accept that it was time for my heart to move onwards.” – Zoë Dellaca. 

Telling a story and creating an emotional landscape which others can relate to is one of Zoë’s main aims when creating music. She prefers for the lyrics and feel of a song to be the main focus, lending a stripped back feel to her music.

In 2017, she started chipping away at recording her debut album, Sweater Weather with local ‘Legend’ producer Nat Marshall. While still new to the scene, Nat has already proved himself to have extraordinary vision and helped to shape the songs that Zoë brought him into more than she could ever have hoped for. Centred around Zoë’s stripped back acoustic sound, the album incorporates sensual synths and catchy guitar riffs that complement her sweet and melodious voice.

Accompanying the upcoming release of her single Still in 2018, Zoë is excited to be playing a myriad of gigs at some of her favourite local venues where she will continue to promote her original music. FACEBOOK, WEBSITE.

There is a warm expansive feel to 'Still' from the opening notes. Zoe Dellaca's melodic and engaging vocals passionately drift gently above the music, and it's just so comfortable and easy to be drawn right into this piece and leave reality behind for a while.

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Ganser - PSY OPS.

Background - Ganser are an awesome post-punk band out of Chicago. The band has just announced the release of their debut album Odd Talk (out 4/20 via No Trend Records) along with sharing its first single “PSY OPS.”  This is a frantic, runaway train; half-growled absurdist vocals from Nadia Garofalo dance with chaotic, crunchy guitar riffs that are in a knife fight with an unknown assailant.

The music video juxtaposes a droll dream with its groove-based momentum - it’s a dance song for end times, with the video focusing on routine as spectacle. Directed by the band with camera work by Jason Kraynek, the individual members haunt a subject (Matt Blanton) preparing his morning's breakfast. He is observed and filmed as such, the paranoia of the song creeping into the cinematography. The absurdity and strange in the banal makes for a strange morning ritual. Coupled with Brian Cundiff’s sinewy, propulsive drumming, the rhythm section plays off the tension between danceable no wave and post-punk’s determined focus.

Throughout Odd Talk, Ganser’s amorphous sound takes on the form of their comedically grim, absurdist subject matter. Exercising both introverted melody and extroverted noise, the band finds meaning through echolalic shouts and murmurs. Garofalo shouts and barks with an acerbic edge, while Alicia Gaines' vocals soothe and swell. Mumbled, spit out, Ganser explores communication breakdown from beginning to end... seeking meaning in mess, they sort through syllables and signals to find the right words.

After a string of big hometown shows in Chicago supporting the likes of Ought & Snail Mail and Shopping (on top of their record release show @ Empty Bottle on 4/16), the band will also be heading out on tour in support of Odd Talk (all dates below). They’ll be performing a string of shows with Bloody Knives before heading venturing out on their own in the Southeast. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Ganser Tour Dates
3/09 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall (w/ Ought, Snail Mail)
3/28 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen (w/ Shopping, Tyvek)
4/16 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (Record Release Show)
4/25 - Detroit, MI - Outer Limits Lounge %
4/26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Howlers %
4/27 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville %
4/28 - Philadelphia, PA - Mothership %
4/29 - Providence, RI - Alchemy %
5/01 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus
5/02 - Baltimore, MD - Sidebar
5/03 - Richmond, VA - Flora
5/04 - North Carolina TBD
5/05 - Atlanta, GA - 529
5/06 - Memphis, TN - Bar DKDC
% - with Bloody Knives

'PSY OPS' is a feisty post punk song, where energy and emotion collide, the vocals call out for attention, the music is urgent, in this shock wave of gorgeous chaos.


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The Busy Twist - Sunny Side.

Background - Since last releasing music in 2016, The Busy Twist have been busy been travelling, exploring and working hard on some of their most ambitious music yet, setting up new label, Busy Life Records, in the process.

Busy Life is a project focused on joining the dots between West African, South American, Caribbean and UK electronic music by developing a sound which not only melds the sonic genealogy of all four palettes, but also presents such crossovers faithfully. Developing an exchange with local artists that works in both directions is key to the label, and crucial to creating borderless music that can be shared with their family worldwide.

The label’s debut EP, ’Sunny Side’, is a record years in the making and highlights the ever-decreasing gap between UK and modern African music. Many of the ideas heard on ‘Sunny Side’ were born during their very first trip to Ghana, and have been continually refined as Afro and UK sounds intertwine year on year.

The EP is led by strong vocal performances from lead singer Zongo Abongo, an artist from Northern Ghana who has been part of the Busy Life family since its inception, and also features additional vocals from Kyekyeku and Siaka Djarra from Burkina Faso. FACEBOOK.

Global styles collect together on 'Sunny Side' and merge seamlessly into a feast of upbeat smile inducing music. The Busy Twist create a beautiful musical arrangement, the vocals add even more energy, and dancing becomes close to mandatory!

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Angela Soffe - Rocks.

Background - Angela Soffe was raised in the Philippines, but her father was American and her mother was raised in Argentina. She grew up speaking English, Spanish, and Tagalog, surrounded by Filipino and international friends. Her family was devoutly religious, and Angela would spend much of her life dedicated to the​ Mormon​ faith.​

Angela found joy and musicality after ​escaping the religion and establishing healthy mental health habits to create a life of purpose and joy. Today, Angela is a galvanizing speaker, and soulfully rousing musical artist, sharing an uplifting story of recovery after abuse and psychological confinement.

"​This song was written while sitting on a mattress on the floor one evening, in the aftermath of leaving a religion. The song is about feeling judged on a personal level, and the judgement we each carry around for humanity as a whole. It calls for social change and greater acceptance for the people who share our planet.​" - Angela Soffe on "Rocks" FACEBOOK.

'Rocks' opens with a flourish of folk vibes and Angela Soffe's elegant vocals add both power and melody. This is one of those songs that gently throws out musical hooks and before the finish, is cued for a second listen.

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