Catholic School - Gary Sohmers & Various Artists - Rama Lama Records 2022 - Honey Harper

Catholic School - Suicide at Sun Studio (Sessions Mixtape).

Memphis' Catholic School uploaded four more songs from the previously unreleased Suicide at Sun Studio session to Soundcloud.

When Catholic School has released all the music from the session is released, the band plans to upload the release to Bandcamp as a "pay what you wish" download. The effort, which was recorded at the famous Memphis studio, follows the "Needle In The Storm" single released earlier this year, and which Brooklyn Vegan called, "dark-hued, post-punk-inspired rock."

After undergoing many musical shapes and forms over the decades, West Tennessee multi-instrumentalist John Christie started making solo material in 2019. These songs caught the ear of other better-known artists, one of whom urged him to come up with a new name for his project. Christie chose Catholic School as a new moniker and took to the studio in 2020, reaching deep into his past as a recovering drug addict.

He constructed a debut, self-titled EP built on the memory of lost loved ones, incarceration and undying friendship. With the help of local Memphis artist Ben Ricketts, the album was completed over a year later and was released on Cercle Social Records as a cassette and digitally by Christie’s Maudlin Jerk Records.

Catholic School · Suicide at Sun Studio (Sessions Mixtape)

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Gary Sohmers & Various Artists - Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera Act One - Impulse.

“Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera Act One - Impulse” has been released across all digital services this week, soon to be followed by CD and Vinyl releases in early 2023. Act Two is being mixed and will be released in April 2023.

Following along the path paved by other cult classics, this cast concept album is just the beginning of a pop culture work of art aimed at saving the planet and humanity from climate destruction and societal corporate corruption.. Gary Sohmers crafted a story around these songs in early 2017, having written several of the songs over the course of his life, he wrote 9 new ones, along with 3 novels from the perspectives of 3 of the main characters. Having a 50+ year career in pop culture and showbiz, Sohmers releases his first record since his initial release in 1980.

Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera On the brink of planetary climate destruction, an otherworldly impulse rallies humans and their out-of-control beasties to save terra firma from corporate corruption in the midst of a concert in Central Park.

"Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera" is a story about a rock band that finally has a hit record after years of touring, performing a free concert in Central Park that attracts a huge crowd. But, without telling the band, the promoter sold a sponsorship to a corrupt politician, Dick T.Raitor, who interrupts the concert in an attempt to hijack the audience's attention. The hero, Grā (pronounced: Gray), currently a stagehand and a retired singer, is affected by an alien intervention from an otherworldly impulse—which infuses within him a schizophrenic identity with special powers—to make humanity aware of their inner Beasties. Two intertwined rock and roll love stories, one between humans and one between the universe and the sci-fi rock known as earth, to save the planet from climate destruction by societal corruption.

The cast concept recording to be released Dec. 14, 2022 features singers Dave Bickler (Oscar nominated, Grammy winning vocalist of "Eye of The Tiger") as Grā (an alien impulse from the cosmic universe); British rock star Chris Farlowe (1966 hit "Out of Time" with Mick & Keith, also sings with Jimmy Page, Van Morrison, among others) as the villain Dick T.Raitor; rock n soul singer Barrence Whitfield (of The Savages) as the "star" of the concert, Voice; and new-comer Liz Proteau as the female lead Terra. Orchestrated, arranged and co-written by Bill Holloman (Nile Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen, others). Record mixed by Paul David Hager (Miley Cyrus, Katie Perry, Jonas Bros., Devo).

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Rama Lama Records 2022 - A compilation with the best from 2022.

2022 is coming to an end! As usual, we’ve put together a compilation with some of our favourite releases from the year, this time a year which we were awarded the "Indie Label of the Year" award at the Swedish Indie Awards Manifestgalan.

In 2022, we released a great album called "Swedish Punk" by a Danish act called Kindsight who doesn't play punk, either way there's no doubt that the album is an instant classic in the Rama Lama catalogue and the band is set to play SXSW 2023.

Talking about classics, Melby returned with their second album packed with psych/indie/folk-pop/rock bangers and six years in you're probably tired of hearing us declare our endless love for the band. Fun fact - Melby are the only ones who's managed to release something every Rama Lama year so far.

NOVA BLAST's melodic, dynamic and LOUD debut album showed how rowdy we can be. The EP game was strong with Guds Pengar's long lost debut EP getting an official release and Wy treating us with three beautiful songs once again showcasing why they are one of Sweden's best songwriters (probably parents to). Gula Blend's Jesper charmed us once again with his JERKA project and Per och Olof's hits were gathered on one incredibly strong and handy album.

On the singles side, we released everything from slow jams to experimental hypnotic rock from both newcomers such as Mary Anne's Polar Rig (more on them early next year...)  to familiar faces such as E. Björklund, Jo Yonderly, Meet Me At The Quarry and Hippopotamus, with the two last being a part of the brand new Rama Lama Family Club.

There’s already a lot to look forward to in 2023 with some of these acts and some secret ones we can’t wait to share it with you. Huge thanks to everyone who’s supported us and the acts we work with this year, we hope you will enjoy this compilation and see you in 2023!

1. Mary Anne's Polar Rig (Malmö) - "Summer Girl" - single
2. Guds Pengar (Malmö) - "Innehåll" from "Solens uppgång och fall" EP
3. Melby (Stockholm) - "Waiting Game" from "Looks like a map" LP
4. Kindsight (Köpenhamn) - "Hi Life" from "Swedish Punk" LP
5. Per och Olof (Malmö) - "Jag drömde om dig inatt" from "Rädd häst" LP
6. NOVA BLAST (Stockholm) - "IndoorSong" from "Eccolalia" LP
7. Wy (Malmö) - "High Score" from "Something Amazing" EP
8. Meet Me At The Quarry (Lund) - "Daydreaming" - Rama Lama Family Club #2
9. E. Björklund (Stockholm) - "Jag ser bara fel" - single
10. Jo Yonderly (Malmö) - "I think I've got it, alright?" - single
11. Kindsight (Köpenhamn) - "Love You Baby All the Time" - single
12. Per och Olof (Malmö) - "Jag ska göra allt för dig" from "Rädd häst" LP
13. Melby (Stockholm) - "Other Nations" from "Looks like a map" LP
14. Hippopotamus (Uppsala) - "Horse Race" - Rama Lama Family Club #1
15. NOVA BLAST (Stockholm) - "Lurad" from "Eccolalia" LP
16. JERKA (Malmö) - "Annika" from "JERKA" LP

Rama Lama Records · Rama Lama Records 2022

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Honey Harper - Heaven Knows I Won’t Be There.

The Toronto-based cosmic country band Honey Harper has released the official video for “Heaven Knows I Won’t Be There” from their new album Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky out now ATO Records. The video was directed by Angus Borsos and was filmed in Golden, British Columbia.

“I found the original version of this song on my friend Matthew Deloach’s Soundcloud in 2016,” explains frontman William Fussell. “We fell in love with the track and immediately asked if we could cover it for Starmaker. We made multiple versions of it but felt we couldn’t get it just right so we held on to it. When we were recording in LA, we decided to give it another shot with The Infinite Sky. This version was originally inspired by Harry Nilsson’s ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ but ended up somewhere in between that and ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. When we were listening back home in Toronto before finishing the vocals, Alana decided to add a new chorus that gave a Lou Reed ‘Perfect Day’ dynamic to the song.

The video was filmed exactly a year ago to this day in Golden, BC by our dear friend Angus Borsos. We convinced someone to forklift a piano to an abandoned helipad on the side of the mountain, so we could pretend we were John and Yoko for a day. A very cold day.”

Honey Harper & The Infinite Sky emerged from a deliberate revamping of the band’s creative approach with Honey Harper co-founder and keyboardist Alana Pagnutti taking on a far greater role in the songwriting process alongside Fussell. The 12-song collection marks their first time recording with their stacked band The Infinite Sky, featuring their longtime bassist and contributing writer Mick Mayer, pianist John Carroll Kirby (Solange, Steve Lacy), Spoon keyboardist Alex Fischel, guitarist Jackson MacIntosh (Drugdealer, Jessica Pratt), pedal-steel player Connor Gallaher (Black Lips, Calexico), and TOPS drummer Riley Fleck. The album was mixed at Wowcat Studios in Los Angeles by Joel Ford (yes/and, Ford & Lopatin).

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Karen Harding - Dutch Uncles - Brian Dunne - Maraschino

Karen Harding - It's Okay / Greener On The Other Side (feat. Cologne Chamber Orchestra)

Following on from previous single, ‘Strong For You’, Australian Singer-Songwriter, Karen Harding reveals the second half of her musical project with Argentinian P&M Records, with the dual release of ‘It’s Okay’ and ‘Greener On The Other Side’, featuring the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, on Friday 16th December 2022.

Written by Karen Harding and produced by P&M Records, ‘It’s Okay’ tells a story of self-frustration.. of believing that you should be somewhere, someone or somehow different than where you are.. and then allowing yourself to drop it and let go in compassion for yourself, letting yourself know that it is truly ok for things to be exactly as they are.

Co-written with P&M Records and featuring the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, ‘Greener On The Other Side’ was written when considering some big changes. It highlights the fears that come up with the change and questions whether what you imagine on the other side of change is truly the reality of how it is. Is the grass really greener on the other side?

“It was such an incredible honour to be able to have the Cologne Chamber Orchestra play on ‘Greener On The Other Side’. It has always been a dream to work with an orchestra, and to work with such a talented and world class orchestra is beyond my dreams” Karen Harding

Since her debut single release in May 2021, ‘I Didn’t Realise’, Melbourne, Australia singer-songwriter, Karen Harding has been on a journey of musical and personal exploration, determined to see what is truly possible in music and creativity.

Karen Harding has recently collaborated with Argentinian P&M Records, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Canadian producer, Landao, Melbourne Hip Hop artist, Serif, and a stunning inspirational project with Misia Julia, as well as winning the 2021 Bendigo Bank sponsored Radio Eastern songwriter talent show and being nominated as top 10 winner for the World Songwriting Awards, and a nominee for Best International Artist on Crags Radio Independent Artist Awards in February 2022.

KarenHarding · It's Okay

 

KarenHarding · Greener On The Other Side (feat. Cologne Chamber Orchestra)

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Dutch Uncles - Poppin.

Dutch Uncles have released their new single “Poppin’" - the second track to be lifted from the band's long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, out 10th March 2023 on Memphis Industries. Named after the original demo of the track (as is tradition for one song on each of Dutch Uncles' previous albums), "Poppin'" was primarily composed by the band's guitarist and synth player Peter Broadhead and was partly inspired by Talking Heads' Brian Eno-produced albums.

Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the new single, vocalist/lyricist Duncan Wallis said: "Poppin' is a minimal take on the age-old anxieties, dread and fear we all experience at certain times - bumping into old faces hungover (or worse, not hungover), taking too long to answer the question ‘you alright?’, forgetting everyone’s name and constantly assessing if old faces were present at any moments of particular cringe in your past.”

Taking inspiration from Yellow Magic Orchestra, Prince, Steely Dan, Ennio Morricone, The Blue Nile, Kate Bush and Roxy Music, new album True Entertainment is the long-awaited follow up to Big Balloon (2017) and features guest vocal contributions from Metronomy's Anna Prior and Everything Everything's Jonathan Higgs.

Sharing new insight into the new album, Wallis commented: "True Entertainment is a soundtrack for the pursuit of anonymity within ever-changing societal norms, and the trappings that come with it. Those trappings are presented in a series of life-changing scenarios and epiphanies that include: abandoning one’s identity and accepting one's generation as a useless vessel; to suffering for betterment and dealing with challenges from other generations."

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Brian Dunne - Sometime After This.

Brian Dunne makes his debut on legendary indie rock label Kill Rock Stars with his new single “Sometime After This.” A transcendent embodiment of the phrase “this too shall pass,” the new single is accompanied by a music video that finds Dunne in the role of a barstool philosopher wandering the empty streets of New York City searching for what it all means. Dunne has also announced an east coast tour kicking off next spring, with stops in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Nashville and more.

“At its core, this song is my way of saying ‘this too shall pass’ but in a way that feels honest, and not like a HomeGoods wall stencil,” says Dunne. “It starts with a big idea and gets smaller with each verse. The first one addresses the social and political state of things, and how sad it is that we can't even agree on what it is that we disagree about (and also has the first, and likely last use of the word ‘email’ in one of my songs). Verse two is about everything that led me here, to this particular song, and finds me asking a classic NYC vampire - a sacred character to me - what exactly to do with it. And verse three is just about a single cup of coffee and how it all just comes down to that; being grateful for a hot beverage.”

Slim Moon, founder and head of Kill Rock Stars, explains why Brian Dunne is right at home on the label: “KRS means different things to different people, but we’ve always had a wing in the building for great singer-songwriters. In the 90’s we had Mary Lou Lord and Elliott Smith. In the 00’s we had Thao Nguyen and Colin Meloy (Decemberists). In the 10’s we had Corin Tucker and Justin Ringle (Horse Feathers). Now, we have Mya Byrne and Brian Dunne.”

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Maraschino - Walking On Thin Ice (Yoko Ono Cover).

Here's a non-album cover song from Maraschino that will fit right in on your Winter playlist (but maybe not your Xmas playlist!). A cover of Yoko Ono's classic "Walking On Thin Ice" from 1981. When John Lennon was shot, he was famously holding in his hand a tape with the final mix of this song on it. So sing along friends.

Walking on thin ice
I'm paying the price
For throwing the dice in the air
Why must we learn it the hard way
And play the game of life with your heart?

I gave you my knife
You gave me my life
Like a gush of wind in my hair
Why do we forget what's been said
And play the game of life with our hearts?
I may cry someday
But the tears will dry whichever way
And when our hearts return to ashes
It'll be just a story
It'll be just a story

Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai-ai

"I knew a girl who tried to walk across the lake
'Course it was winter when all this was ice
That's a hell of a thing to do, you know
They say the lake is as big as the ocean
I wonder if she knew about it?"

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The Last Waves - Shira - Ben Reel

The Last Waves - under a black sun (E.P).

A couple of months after the release of 'dark is the path', French cold-wave/post-punk/dark-pop/indie-rock five-piece The Last Waves just released another EP called 'under a black sun'.

These five new songs lead us immediately to worry, anguish, loneliness. New uninhabitable space, he shares with us his distress and his despair. The music of The last Waves offers us the sound image of an inaccessible world, it convinces us of its reality. 'under a black sun' was recorded, mixed by the band and mastered by Benjamin Joubert at the Biduloscope studio in Paris.

The Last Waves is a new band created in the middle of the pandemic around three boys and two girls. The name of the band is a wink to the new wave of the eighties, the famous new-wave whose name was borrowed from the new wave of the French cinema of the 50's and 60's and carried notably by the British Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode or Simple Minds.

Concerts suspended, venues padlocked, this period of forced silence was the spark that made the band's first two EPs spring up in late April and late June 2021. 'Revenge of the blue' and 'In cold colors avenue' were composed by founding guitarist Romain Champiot in an urgent, visceral and uncompromising way, like the last waves of an uncertain period.

The tracks are a mix between New Wave, Cold Wave, Pop and Indie-Rock. The harmonies are put forward, precise and often dancing. The Last Waves is inspired by the independent music of the 80's and the pop rock of the 2000's, adding a touch of electro rock when the intensity requires it.

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Shira - New York City in December.

Shira shares of the stunning track: "The holidays can be a tough time.  Three years ago was extra hard for me when I was alone, sheltering in place, during the pandemic, while my partner was stuck on the other side of the ocean and I was dreaming of having him here with me in NYC.  There's a certain magic in NYC around the holiday that really doesn't exist anywhere else. I hope this song brings comfort to whoever is listening and reminds them that they're not alone. "

Born in upstate NY to Israeli parents, Shira split her time growing up between Israel and the States. After finishing her service as a singer in the Israeli Army Band, Shira moved to NYC where she studied music and theatre at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The New School.

After graduating, Shira met music producer Paul Carbonara (Blondie) as a performer in New York’s vibrant theatre community. She starred in his Off Broadway musicals Solitary Light and Evening 1910 to much critical acclaim. Shira went on to record two albums produced by Carbonara along with an ace six-piece band, including Israeli-American Grammy-nominated drummer Dan Pugach.



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Ben Reel - U People/Scoring Goals.

In memory of my good friend Rainbow George Weiss "The wondering jew" who sadly passed away around this time last year 2021 on the 1st December aged 81. Myself & George co wrote these 2 songs together. George was a mystic visionary that was 100 years ahead of his time. He was definitely the most eccentric person I ever met who became a kind of guru for me even though some of his ideas where totally outlandlish. Rainbow George lived in Hampstead, London where he had some very interesting friends like Ian Jury & his once next door neighbour Peter Cook. When I once visited him in Hampstead to my amusement he was then living in a flat over a shop named "Over the Rainbow" which Rainbow George found very mystical.  George had a great way with words as an example of one of his last quotes was "Everything is relative & we are all related".

I was first introduced to George in 2001 by Belfast legend Terri Hooley in Good vibrations record shop. When I walked into the shop Terri said -  "here is the very man you are looking for George"  As George was looking for an Irish musician to put music to these revolutionary lyrics he had written which was U People and he wanted it in a Reggae style. I may have tweaked some lyrics here and there to make it work better as a song - U people was first recorded in 2005 in Eastcote recording studio in London, produced & mixed by Philip Bagnell who worked with bands like Aswad. The song was recorded on the same recording console as Bob Marleys Exodus album so U People has got the spirit of Bob. The song and video was used as a BBC party political broadcast when George created The Rainbow party with the campaign slogan "Make politicians history" to run in the N.Ireland elections of 2005. I stood as a candidate in Derry and got 33 votes. A very mystical number for George which he thought significant.

The song U People features great London based Jazz musicians Gilad Atmon on Soprano saxaphone, Dylan Howe on Drums, Yaron Stavi on bass & Frank Harrison on keys. Scoring Goals was recorded around 2008 in Tuff Paddy studio Tralee Co Kerry with Alex O'Brien & Miguel Lonergan on beats & mixing. Spoken word by Judd Charlton & backing vocals from Cathrine Taylor Dawson & Sugar Rainbow. I play guitars and sing the vocal. George imagined that it would become an anthem at soccer grounds so I made a special video for the song with some great classic goals from the World Cup. George was a big soccer fan and would surely be enjoying the present World Cup. A lot of people don't know that he once played with QPR reserves as a left winger before a broken leg ended his career. It's funny  that he was a left winger as I think he was the most far left person I ever met. Hopefully now he is scoring goals in Rainbow land.

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The Barefoot Bandit - Cajsa Siik - Resignation

The Barefoot Bandit - Criminal Damage.

South-West, UK 6-piece The Barefoot Bandit return with the striking new single ‘Criminal Damage’, released at the same time as the band’s debut album Hello Welcome. Blending elements of reggae, dub, electronica and even punk rock and world music the band have built a strong and loyal fan base, as well as a growing hype and are set to take things to the next level with the release of the new album.

Talking about the album, the band explain: "’Hello Welcome’ is a collection of sounds written by The Barefoot Bandit. A pipe dream turned true when we had the opportunity to record the album at the awesome Karma Sound Studios in Thailand. A dub fueled exploration of reggae, punk and world music takes you on a journey from the South-West of England to South-East Asia.”

The album’s lead single ‘Criminal Damage’ is a prime example of the band's work. Tight ska rhythms, infectious brass, choppy piano, driving guitar lines and elegant splashes of atmospherics and electronics create an infectious, musically rich soundscape under the pointed, effortlessly catchy lead vocals. Showcasing a unique and supremely polished approach to creating dub, the single is a brilliant example of the kind of inventive ideas and intuitive songwriting to expect across the new album.

Talking about the new single, the band share: “It is about a true event where someone we know ruined an allotment patch when they were young. The song is basically expressing that mistakes are made and you (hopefully) learn from them.”

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Cajsa Siik - Sometimes.

Stockholm based Cajsa Siik’s fourth studio album ”Ninjō” will be out on January 26th via Birds Records. The album holds everything we’ve learned to love with Siik’s songwriting: strong melodies, sparse intelligent arrangements and lyrics aiming straight to the core of your feelings. It’s both playful and powerful. ”Ninjō”, the album, is the sound of an artist once again reinventing herself, working out the songs and sounds during lengthly sessions with producer Erik Moberg.

Cajsa Siik released her debut album ”Plastic House” back in 2012 and has since followed up with 3 full length albums and 2 EP:s. International praise has been constant with the likes of Q Magazine, BBC6, Line of Best Fit and Nylon all joining in. In her home country Siik’s done critically acclaimed appearances on national TV shows ”Babel” and ”GoKväll” as well as being praised by Sweden’s main music journalist Jan Gradvall for her 2018 lo-fi EP ”Low Light Key Sessions”. Tours with, for example, Mitski has taken her to shows in London, Berlin, Dublin and other key European cities.

”Sometimes”, a new single off of the forthcoming album, is out now. A beat driven track that grows bit by bit into a full blown pop anthem.

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Resignation - Eddie Kingston.

Toledo, Ohio's Resignation will release their You Are More Than Right Now EP via Friend Club Records, February 10. 2023.   Vocalist Wes Allen says, "I wrote this song to my family. It’s an admittance of an intense mental health battle and the fears of watching time slip away. I named it after Eddie Kingston because he’s a collective favorite amongst the four of us (my wife, kids, and I). Additionally, Eddie is a strong mental health advocate and has been very open about his own struggles with mental illness. These are the most personal lyrics I’ve ever put to a song. It’s the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written, but I’m the most of proud it as well."

Resignation's members comprise two different generations in the Northwest Ohio punk/hardcore/emo scene. The result is an amalgamation of their collective influences creating a message of hope, honesty, and empathy for people living in the strangest of timelines. This approach has found them a home amongst their hardcore comrades having such closely aligned philosophies.

The culmination of sounds that make up Resignation’s music is most often labeled post-hardcore, bringing together the primary building blocks that informed that genre. Their foundational influences are apparent: Grade, Hot Water Music, Fairweather, Samiam, Elliott. However, upon further inspection, one can hear the impact of early '00s emo that would have found them comfortably fitting amongst the ranks of bands featured on the Emo Diaries.

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Lucero - Doom Flower - Dead Leaf Echo

Lucero - Raining For Weeks.

Memphis rock/alt-country band Lucero releases their new single “Raining for Weeks” from the upcoming album Should’ve Learned by Now, out February 24 via Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers. With a soulful piano and a plucky acoustic guitar, the song offers a meditative rumination on mistakes made and love lost. It is accompanied by a music video featured this morning at Garden & Gun, who said the “ballad-like melancholy falls into equilibrium over jaunty piano, Nichols’s tenacious vocals, and old-school guitar drones.”

“This was a new guitar part that I wrote while playing guitar and chasing my daughter around the basement,” explains bandleader Ben Nichols. “It reminded me of something I might hear in a Wes Anderson film. Maybe one was on TV while we were playing. For such a simple little song, it has some of my favorite lyrics on the album, suggesting the narrator has been completely unaware of the consequences of his actions.” 

Should’ve Learned by Now is a reflection of a band that knows itself. Since forming in Memphis in the late 90’s, Lucero has evolved and embraced everything from southern rock to Stax-inspired Memphis soul, while maintaining their distinctive sonic foundations. After exploring darker, more atmospheric landscapes on their two previous releases, the band’s 12th studio album finds them returning to their punchy driving rhythms and punk-rooted guitar licks. The record is already garnering early acclaim with Lucero’s two previous singles – “One Last F.U.,” which Rolling Stone declared “has the defiant, sneering energy of Lucero’s loudest recordings,” and “Buy a Little Time,” which BrooklynVegan said “finds them embracing fuzzed-out, anthemic heartland rock, sounding like Tom Petty jamming with Crazy Horse but in the way that only Lucero can.”

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Doom Flower - Candle Habit.

Writing about Doom Flower for a feature in the Chicago Tribune last month, Britt Julious says: "There’s a ferocity in their decision making, from their controlled notes on the guitar to their minimalist percussion to Price’s soft, yet emotionally piercing vocals. Moody and evocative, Doom Flower has landed on a formula that should surely make them one of the city’s newest breakout successes."

The next single from Doom Flower's forthcoming full-length "is about choosing to keep going. The candles represent rotations. The chime-like guitar sound replaces the word 'time.'"

I've been really moved by this music and have found it easy to forget that I've already listened through the full-length once, twice, three times. Hypnotically beautiful and effortlessly cool, Doom Flower's Limestone Ritual recalls early Cat Power and Mirah and Bowery Electric but there's more than nostalgia at play here. Jess Price, Bobby Burg, and Matt Lemke expertly and effortlessly use this familiar mode to get their hypnotically beautiful songs into our minds. But it's then impossible not to get to know them for what they are: effortlessly cool, totally dialed in and completely satisfying.

Everyone involved here has significant history in the indie world. Bobby's a longtime member of Joan of Arc and Make Believe and of course his own project Love of Everything; Jess has been fronting Campdogzz since 2013; Matt's got Wedding Dress with Chris from Chin Up Chin Up; and Areif Sless-Kitain has drummed for The Eternals with Damon Locks and Brokeback with Doug McCombs.

The full-length drops next month on January 6th and will be available as a limited cassette and download via 'record label' and on all streaming platforms.

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Dead Leaf Echo - Boo.

Part-inspired by the seminal Madchester movement of the late 80s and 90s, the track is now accompanied by suitably vintage-styled visuals. Directed by New Visions’ Dylan Brannigan, the “Boo” music video arrives like a lost cut from the Granada music show, So It Goes… but with a supernatural twist.

Speaking about the concepts behind the video, L.G. Galleon of Dead Leaf Echo explains: “The Boo video intensifies the viewer’s visions of paranoia and fear about losing a loved one as they are trapped within a television screen forever set to watch themselves on repeat."

An indie-dance anthem with a deliberately retro feel, the track is intended as a tribute to the late Denise Johnson (Primal Scream / New Order), the Mancunion powerhouse vocalist who blessed some of the greatest Madchester-era records with her inimitable character. Scratch beneath its Hacienda-primed sound though and you’ll find an altogether darker and paranoid lyrical substrata. As L.G. Galleon reflects:

“Boo was written five years ago when I was pressed by my girlfriend at the time to write a joke “Manchester” song with a hook. It quickly morphed into a partial ode to Denise Johnson who passed away during the pandemic and also into a creepy Halloween song about surveillance, discovery and scaring your “Boo” with the truth about all your hidden secrets.”

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Ladytron - Zoe Sky Jordan

Ladytron - Faces.

Today, Liverpool’s iconic synth quartet Ladytron release “Faces,” the third single from their highly anticipated seventh studio album ‘Time’s Arrow’.

Over an echoing disco soundscape, “Faces” with title taken from the Cassavetes film of the same name, evokes bittersweet longing and euphoric escape, with expansive synth heavy production recalling 1970s euro diva Amanda Lear.

“Faces” follows the first two singles from Time’s Arrow, “City of Angels” and “Misery Remember Me.” Both garnered media praise upon their releases, with “City of Angels'' and its accompanying music video being described by Flood as a “dynamic electronic track with rich, industrial textures and utopian, shoegaze melodies,” while Brooklyn Vegan praised the sound of “Misery Remember Me” as “an ethereal dream pop song, drifting into Cocteau Twins territory.”

“Faces” also follows Ladytron’s announcement of West Coast U.S. tour dates in Spring 2023, where the band will take the stage in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco in support of their forthcoming LP, ‘Time’s Arrow’. These will follow a run of previously-announced UK dates in March 2023 in Glasgow, Liverpool, and London.

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Zoe Sky Jordan - Just Fine (Live From The Great Hall).

Zoe Sky Jordan has just dropped two new singles from her upcoming album, "Just Fine" and "Achievement of Youth". Reminiscent of Soccer Mommy, Zoe's new music focuses on acknowledgement, forgiveness, understanding and self-acceptance.

The title track, "Selfish", kicks in with echoey, haunting piano and synths trailing a diary style confession which reveals a main plotline of Zoe Sky Jordan’s new album.  Penned during the pandemic, which saw Zoe and her husband move in with her parents for seven months, the album is reflective, introspective, investigative and dissective. In the same way that many of us gained perspective once we were forced to sit still, Zoe’s voyage home, after years out on her own living in Toronto and Nashville, gave her fresh eyes and ears to embrace a new frame of mind.

Daughter of acclaimed artist / songwriter / producer power couple Amy Sky and Marc Jordan, Zoe watched first-hand the differences afforded a successful man vs a successful woman in the music industry.  The harsh judgements cast upon her ‘not so stay at home’ mother, impacted the at the time very young Zoe.  She brings those feelings to the surface in many of the 13 tracks that comprise the full Selfish album, set for release in Spring 2023.  Acknowledgement, forgiveness, understanding and self-acceptance are the themes that abound.  This is an album that takes you through all of the emotions and plunks you at the doorstep labelled ‘Be at peace with yourself’.

Musically this album is reminiscent of Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail and Ethan Gruska. The first two singles released off the upcoming album, “Just Fine” and “Achievement of Youth”, were produced by Liam Russell, and mixed by Rob Shnapf (Kurt Vile, Elliot Smith). Stepping into a bolder and more brazen persona, "Just Fine" is a jammy and angsty track complete with sloshy guitar, bouncing drums and hypnotic, soaring vocals that proclaims “I always live up to the hype, never crack under pressure”. Zoe shares with us that the inspiration for "Achievement Of Youth" came from some very powerful words spoken by actress/writer Carrie Fisher: “Youth and beauty are not accomplishments.  They’re the temporary happy by-products of time and / or DNA.  Don’t’ hold your breath for either”.  As the years go by, you get a better understanding of who you are as an individual and you’re happy with just being you.

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Beat Awfuls - The Tearaways - Ghostbox

Beat Awfuls - Interstate Skeletons.

Beat Awfuls is the artistic vision of Boston expat and musical factotum Dave Vicini. Drawing from drugs, pop culture, and his personal experience all with a punk rock ethos, Dave dismantles his inspirations until the result is uniquely Beat Awfuls.  Like his heroes in The Breeders, The Velvet Underground, and Violent Femmes, his songs range from driving, enigmatic rockers to dark, vulnerable laments.  These songs are meant to linger, seductive like a pop hook, all while Vicini explores themes of disaffection, drug dependency and the realities of late-stage capitalism.

Beat Awfuls forthcoming album, PAWS, has the visceral and intimate quality of past releases, but finds new voice with dense distorted guitars, layered synths, and dissonance in all the right places. The title is an acronym for “Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome,” an affliction of the after-effects of substance misuse.  While the title may pinpoint Vicini’s location during the recording process, it doesn’t bind him; this album isn’t a slow, dour reflection on drug addiction and abuse; it’s an earth-clawing grasp to regain ground.

Dave started Beat Awfuls in 2005 as a 4-track bedroom recording project while living in Boston. These early recordings were released as People’s Champ: Anthology 2005-2011.  After moving to Lexington, KY, and forming a band he released two EPs: Party Slip and Hair to the Throne. In 2016, Beat Awfuls released their first full-length album, Nothing Happens on indie label Jurassic Pop. In 2019, Dave made his way back east, recording his sophomore album, Banana Appeal, before landing in Richmond, VA in 2020. In 2021, he reformed the band and then in 2022 he released a split cassette with Colleen Green. Beat Awfuls await their next full-length release, PAWS, slated for Feb. 10, 2023.

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The Tearaways - Charlie, Keith, and Ringo.

The London-based Dirty Water Records has signed the California-based rock and roll outfit The Tearaways to a 5-year deal.

The label will be releasing the Ed Stasium-produced (Ramones, Talking Heads, Smithereens) record on 1 April 2023 called “And For Our Next Trick.” The band features the dual lead singers of bassist John “Fin” Finseth and rhythm guitarist Greg Brallier, lead guitar David Hekhouse and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer Clem Burke (Blondie). Also, from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench plays keyboards and Steven McCarthy (The Jayhawks, The Long Ryders) added pedal steel guitar.

The new record was recorded at the legendary Village Recorders in Los Angeles and was mastered at Sterling Sound by Greg Calbi. The first single being released to radio is “Charlie, Keith and Ringo,” as well as the award-winning video (Raindance Festival directed by Stephen David Brooks (“Flytrap”). The spring single track “Are You Effing Kidding Me” will be released when the record is launched.

Label chief Paul Manchester: “We are thrilled to have assembled an all-star team including global distributor Cargo Records UK, Wipe Out Music Publishing, and US publicity specialist Lou Mansdorf in the US to help launch this project.“

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Ghostbox - Orbit.

Ghostbox is composed of, Mike Buccino: Bass, Ted Knight: Guitar, Synth, Greg Parent: Drums & Percussion, Tim Parent: Guitar, Synth, Dermot Quigley: Vocals & Percussion, Andrew Stein: Percussion & Produced by Marc Dykeman

"Orbit" has a blues-infused psychedelic sound, which could be compared with The Record Company or The Black Keys. Other artists we appreciate include The War on Drugs, Radiohead, Bon Iver, and Lord Huron.

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Sophie Jamieson - Manuela Iwansson - IST IST

Sophie Jamieson - Boundary.

Sophie Jamieson has released her highly anticipated and already much acclaimed debut album Choosing via Bella Union. Additionally, Jamieson has shared a video for “Boundary”, one of album’s many standout tracks, about which she says: “This song comes from a kinder place than some of the others on this record. It steps back and acknowledges self-inflicted pain and the repeated effort to heal. It’s about trying and failing, knowing there is something you’re trying to grasp but that keeps slipping out of your reach. The journey isn’t smooth or pretty but it’s hopeful, and the light starts to creep in once you choose to be honest with yourself.”

Released via her new home at Bella Union, Choosing is a strikingly personal document of a journey from a painful rock bottom of self-destruction, to a safer place imbued with the faint light of hope. It’s an album that sings openly of longing and searching, of trying, failing, and trying again – and always and throughout, the strength of love in so many varying forms.

Following on from the pair of EPs she released in 2020, Choosing finds its own shape by a subtle reforming of Jamieson’s sound into something both organic and simpler. Sophie describes the songs on those two EPs as “black holes” and while Choosing covers similar ground it never takes its eye away from what lies beyond, never fully releases its grip even when everything is telling her to let go.

“The title of this album is so important,” Sophie explains. “Without it, this might sound like another record about self-destruction and pain, but at heart, it’s about hope, and finding strength. It’s about finding the light at the end of the tunnel, and crawling towards it.”

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Manuela Iwansson - Dark Tracks (Album).

Swedish new wave punkster Manuela Iwansson released her debut album ‘Dark Tracks’ a week ago through Lack of Sleep Records, a long-awaited effort that is the result of almost four years of work after unveiling her self-released EP ‘Dream Lover’ in 2018. Highlighted by the 80s-esque, gritty synth-pop anthem that is focus track ‘Strangers on a Train’, the album flaunts a musical journey that takes from the callous rock stylings of the late 70s and mixes them with the new wave evolution characteristic of the Blondie era, all serving to present an alluringly dystopian listening experience that lingers on the beauty of impermanence.

‘Dark Tracks’ is unrelentingly self-explorative. Iwansson wears her heart on her sleeve for anyone to see as she belts across the ten tracks, familiarizing listeners with a darkness stemming from unmet desire and lovers lost. The album plays like a jukebox with every song standing on its own as a vintage and vigorous tour de force. The singer and bassist seamlessly synergizes with a cast of musicians including guitarist Henrik Palm and drummer Erik Klinga, and engineer Joakim Lindberg mixes the project to a quality reminiscent of the soundscape of four decades past.

Iwansson had this to say about the fabric of the project: “The album is basically a portfolio of me. It is very much a debut album - a little rough around the edges at times, but made with a lot of heart. I put a lot of thoughts into the lyrics, and a lot of emotion into the melodies. At times I play around with words a lot, and I constantly want to improve my writing … The whole project is about 80s aesthetics with 70s punk vibes; grit, rain, cities at night, neon lights, trains, and cars, and movement; leather and lace and rock ‘n’ roll. Nothing ever looks as good as a photo booth photo in black and white.”

The Stockholm-based artist once toured the world with punk outfit Terrible Feelings but now looks at her solo career as an opportunity to make timeless new wave hits, boasting a sound inspired by influences such as Pat Benatar and Suzi Quatro yet entirely her own. With ‘Dark Tracks’, makes a point of crafting earworm hooks and choruses that work in the middle of a rowdy yet heart-wrenching punk aesthetic.

Manuela Iwansson · Dark Tracks

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IST IST - Mary in the Black and White Room

IST IST - pause for reflection with the philosophical new single: “Mary In The Black And White Room”. A reminder of their keenly-anticipated third album ‘Protagonists’ (slated for Spring 2023 via Kind Violence Records), the track finds the band revealing one of its most cerebral, synth-driven moments.
With shades of classic OMD, The Cure and New Order, “Mary In The Black And White Room” effervesces in the darkness with its potent blend of layered synthesisers, darting basslines, and labyrinthine lyrical intrigue.

“Mary…” is inspired by a thought experiment proposed by the philosopher Frank Jackson that has since become known as ‘the knowledge argument’ (or ‘Mary's room’). Hypothesising the work of a scientist called Mary, who exists in a black and white world where she has extensive access to physical descriptions of colour, but no actual human perceptual experience of colour; Jackson’s theory wonders whether Mary will gain new knowledge if she actually experiences seeing colour.

Speaking about the track, frontman Adam Houghton says: “Mary in the Black and White Room is about trying to figure out if experience trumps knowledge. See ‘the Knowledge Argument’ where the subject, Mary, exists in a black and white world but has extensive descriptions of colour, but you don’t know if she knows what they actually look like until exposed to it. Really interesting stuff.”

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H.C. McEntire - Portland - Scott Goldbaum - The Velvet Hands

H.C. McEntire - New View.

H.C. McEntire shares “New View,” the latest single from her forthcoming album Every Acre, which releases January 27 via Merge Records. Accompanied by a music video directed by Jethro Waters and performed by choreographer/dancer Maya Orchin, “New View” straddles the line between music and poetry, weaving back and forth between each realm. Citing poets “Day, Ada, and Laux, Berry, and Olds,” McEntire’s voice is at moments fierce and others tender, offering a sense of both giving and taking, releasing and claiming.

H.C. McEntire expounds on the new single: “Inspired by a late-night meditation under an October full moon, the lyrics for ‘New View’ were written from a place of possibility and promise – the feeling of falling in love, affirming its realness and rawness, committing to the openness and bravery required for it to fully emerge, being willing to let it lead. It is about leaning into the notion that what you seek is seeking you and making room for its manifestation.”

She continues, “Musically, ‘New View’ is the most collaborative composition on Every Acre, an album that rejoices in creative partnership – Luke, Casey, Daniel, Missy, and myself. In many ways, it is a song that wrote itself, while the tape was rolling – five bodies in a room together, each willing to offer an unfiltered view from where they were standing.”

 
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Portland - Stardust.

Belgian duo, Portland have released the new single, "Stardust" which marks another taste of their forthcoming album Departures – out via [PIAS] Recordings on March 17, 2022. "Stardust", written and composed by Sarah Pepels, is a true wonder of a song. Sarah’s magnificent voice tiptoeing gently through winds and melancholic organ sounds, slowly growing and gaining confidence while getting to the breathtaking chorus. It’s a song about lost love, lives turned upside down and putting the pieces of a broken heart back together.

“In January 2021, I was heartbroken, I had to leave a lot of memories and a part of my life, my love, behind,” Sarah explains, “I didn’t know where to go, but I knew, I had to write music to put those thoughts and heavy emotions into. I needed to be alone, so I went cat-sitting at my niece’s apartment. I locked myself up for four days with nothing but the warmth and company of the furry kittens. It turned out to be a very intense and cathartic journey. And so ‘Stardust, a song that means the world to me, was born.”

It’s also about healing, getting stronger and more confident. The song starts off shy and slowly, barely noticeable, but grows into a beautiful, epic and majestic celebration of once’s inner strength.

Portland is the magical & musical bond between Jente Pironet and Sarah Pepels. The two shared the same student house while studying at the PXL Music School in Hasselt and more so, they shared the same love of music with a specific soft spot for the work of Elliot Smith. Portland, a nod to the home of the late singer-songwriter, came to life. From the start it was clear the chemistry between Jente and Sarah was palpable. Their voices blend and complement each other as a perfectly mixed gin & tonic. Tangy yet soothing, addictive and intoxicating.

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Scott Goldbaum - Trigger Finger.

Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist Scott Goldbaum, whose credits include Sting, LAUV, Keith Urban, Skylar Grey, Charlotte Lawrence and Maddie Poppe, is releasing his first solo EP “Protector” this fall.

Prior to his five year hiatus from releasing music, Scott Goldbaum's speciality was in providing “transient and breathtaking guitar work” (The Deli Magazine) as well as “beautifully textured vocals” (Indie Music Filter) both on stage and in the studio fronting his former bands Forebear, Wise Cub and The Harm. With songwriting cuts regarded by Consequence of Sound “as an exhilarating testament to abilities” his brand new EP is sure to satisfy fans of the artists whose music inspired the production including Chris Isaak, Radiohead, Bombay Bicycle Club and Damien Rice.

“Protector” is his self produced folk-infused indie rock EP with lush string arrangements by Molly Rogers (Hans Zimmer, Game of Thrones), upright bass from Kaveh Rastegar (Sting, John Legend, Bruce Springstein), drums/percussion by Kiel Feher (Selena Gomez, Zella Day) and mixing from the famed ScottGordon (Alannis Morissette, Alexi Murdoch).

Thematically, the record follows a vulnerable character who’s in need of protection as he becomes the protector of others.  "Drive Too Fast" is a face first collision course into the dark corners of a speed induced lifestyle.  Whereas "Trigger Finger" takes place in a school, a grocery store, a parade, a place of worship or just about any other public gathering place in America. "Blood Knot" acknowledges the roots you grew out of and the tree limbs you wish to keep attached while others tear off in the wind.  In contrast to the beginning of the EP, "Mourning Coffee" makes a distinction between codependency and partnerships that are chosen and decisively cared for while the world is falling apart around you.  "Incremental" is a mediation to stay on the course of progress and empowerment, despite the shadows that closely follow.

 

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The Velvet Hands - Over It Now.

Rising London-via-Cornwall four-piece The Velvet Hands have dropped their last track of the year, “Over It Now”. The track arrives as a tantalising sneak-peek of the new album ‘Sucker Punch’, which lands 3 February 2023, with a special vinyl edition planned for release on Blood Records.

Blending hedonistic hooks reminiscent of The Strokes with a slacker kind of storytelling plucked straight from Pavement’s playbook, the band’s latest outing is an anti-capitalist anthem spun with an easy-going, lackadaisical charm.

As The Velvet Hands explain: “One of the more laidback songs on the album, this came from the four of us just playing around in rehearsal. Lyrically the song focuses on ‘the grind’ culture, which personally we have always found to be exploitative and somewhat ridiculous. The main message is that not everything in life is about money, and you can do things at your own pace. In a nutshell: stick to your guns.”

The band’s final release of 2022, “Over It Now” comes ahead of their second studio album ‘Sucker Punch’, which will be streaming from 3 February 2023. Delivering coming-of-age tales with slacker-rock sensibilities, the new record combines the punchy guitar licks of The Strokes or Parquet Courts with rousing punk choruses that recall The Clash or The Vaccines.

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Sunglasses For Jaws - Life In Mono - Nick Kizirnis - Raven Shelley

Sunglasses For Jaws - For Another Day.

London based outfit Sunglasses For Jaws have released their new single "For Another Day" alongside a video directed by Andrea Banjanin. The new single is the second track be released from Sunglasses For Jaws' upcoming album 'A Room In Europe' - out 16th February 2023 via Pony Recordings.

Combining a love of Scott Walker, Somalian 70’s funk, Hollywood strings with a dash of Portishead, new album 'A Room In Europe' was produced by the band in their East London studio, mixed and mastered by Elliot Heinrich  (Sorry, Parquet Courts, Deadletter).

New single "For Another Day" stems from an acoustic guitar piece the band had previously written - inspired by Bach’s use of a sustained bass-line staying in one place while a melody plays alongside it. This initial idea grew in the studio with the addition of synth chord triggers and a wonderful string arrangement composed by Clementine Brown.

Elevating the song to a more dramatic, electronic/Portishead-inspired place; vocalist Olivier Huband’s Sinatra-esque, crooner-like vocal adds captivating emotion to the piece, transporting the listener to somewhere between a romantic night in Paris and an empty English working men’s club.

Speaking on the release of new single "For Another Day" - the band shared: "Welcome to the world of lover boy, of croon, of regret. The world of feelings where you spend your time ruing your past failings while holding on to the fonder memories. If we could have one more day, one more moment, one more kiss, maybe things would’ve lasted longer? But here we are. Face to the wall, heart in a cinch, singing lullabies to no one”.

 

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Life In Mono - Blackout.

Alternative-rock four-piece Life In Mono return with their upcoming double A-side singles ‘Blackout/Sex To White Noise’ released today December 2nd 2022, following their recent support slot alongside The Virginmarys.

The band formed in 2019 after Adam and Sarah met whilst studying at Bath Spa University, drawn to one another by a shared artistic vision. James came aboard thanks to a blistering performance at a local jam night and Mike, the final cog in the machine, was the perfect drummer at the perfect time.  The result? Darkly emotional alt-rock that will caress your soul then drag you into the mosh pit.

Although individually Life In Mono’s eclectic musical influences range from Meshuggah to Bach, via Hendrix, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, AC/DC and Deftones, collectively there are echoes of PJ Harvey, early Placebo and The Mysterines alongside a darker, heavier undertone.

With a massively exciting and engaging live presence and multiple releases scheduled through the beginning of 2023 the band are expected to storm through the festival season with a UK tour to follow in the Autumn. Their recent singles ‘Smile For The Camera’ and ‘The Cold’ saw them receive support from the likes of BBC Introducing amongst others.

Life In Mono · Blackout

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Nick Kizirnis - Someone (re-imagined).

For almost 20 years, guitarist/songwriter Nick Kizirnis has explored songs and styles ranging from Americana to pop, from rock’n’roll to experimental. He has worked with Tobin Sprout (Guided by Voices) and The Breeders (last years’ “The Dirt Eaters” for 4AD) as well as his own instrumental surf trio The Mulchmen and 90’s art-damaged grunge rockers Cage.

Since releasing his 10th album, The Distance, Kizirnis has seen his music shared across the U.S. and Europe, and has now begun releasing a series of singles reimagining his diverse catalog. “Someone," the Ohio-based songwriter’s second single of 2022, is a bedroom pop torch song with beautiful, plaintive vocals from Lung’s Kate Wakefield over a lo-fi blend of Bradley Coomes’ electronic beats and vintage drumming from Son Volt’s Mark Patterson.

Despite the move away from guitar, bass and drums to electronics and effects, the song’s message of undying love remains intact. As Wakefield sings “Am I someone you used to care about?” the song holds on to hope that love can endure any separation or challenge.

Kizirnis and producer/multi-instrumentalist Bradley Coomes decided to work together on “Someone” - a song that originally appeared on Kizirnis’ most recent album, The Distance - after Kizirnis released a “re-imagined” version of “Way to Me” from the same album in August.

 

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Raven Shelley - Erroneous Lives.

Raven Shelley is a casual creator of chaos who doesn't quite fit into the modern world and all its strangeness. Her intense, complex, and honest music is influenced by her love of literature, poetry and visual mediums. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Bob Dylan and Ani DiFranco, Shelley has a unique sound that perfectly showcases her passion for the arts.

"When I first moved to Manchester to embark on a three-year uni course, the city was a shock to the system. The traffic, the noise, the people, everything contrasted sharply with the market town
where I had spent my teenage years. However, in a way this all helped to numb the pain of a recent separation. I was walking down Hathersage Road when the melody and words for the chorus of what became ‘Erroneous Lives’ popped into my head. It drowned out the bustling noise around me, and the moment I got home I ran to my room and finished writing it. ‘Erroneous Lives’ is – for me – forever associated with the cacophony of getting to know Manchester and its dirty grey streets."

Growing up in the south of France, she educated herself in English literature from a young age and went on to study it at university. It was this that sparked her desire to create lyrics that can also be described as poetry. For Shelley, “all the hurt, all the anger, all the love, everything that runs through me can be found somewhere in my lyrics, because to write something real, you have to pour yourself onto the page and into the songs.” Shelley truly understands the power of creative mediums, drawing inspiration from authors, visual artists and filmmakers, including Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare, Schiele, Van Gogh and Nicolas Roeg.

The Animal Farm Label · Raven Shelley_Erroneous Lives

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