Friday Round-Up

Animal House discuss dating culture madness on Modern Romance!

Ahead of the release of their self-deprecating debut album Premium Mediocre, Brighton boys Animal House have now shared their hilarious new single Modern Romance, out now via Radicalis.

Talking about the single, Will McConchie (vocals and hips) elaborates, “why does everyone on tinder go to Machu Picchu? You can now pay a guide to accompany you up the famous mountain to take photos of you whilst you hike the mountain. Wedding photographers in Los Angeles are now getting more bookings for dating profiles than weddings. It’s all pretty weird, so is this song."

Premium Mediocre - out on 15th November 2019 - combines catchy hooks, off-kilter riffs and a blistering energy akin to that of The Strokes and Twin Peaks to create the insatiably addictive garage-pop sound we all know and love.

Catch them live on 7th February 2020 for their Premium Mediocre album launch - Tickets.

Stream Modern Romance on all platforms here.

Wonky pop duo st.martiins release ambient new single saw the moon!

Alt-pop duo st.martiins continue to push boundaries with their ambient new single, saw the moon, out now via LAB Records.

Combining their love of wonky pop and indie, st.martiins have been able to create their own enchanted sonic dreamworld. On saw the moon, languid melodies are entwined with woozy guitar tones, velvet-like vocals and a steady drum beat to create a sound that is both moody and arresting. Of the single, lead singer Katie Lynch explains, “it was written when we lived in Glasgow, in fact, it was the only thing we wrote in that time. Moving there was supposed to be an energising, creative experience for us but it became the opposite. The imagery in the song reflects how close we felt to our own creativity but then feeling it was out of reach. It is an angsty song, probably the last song that was derived from our teenage minds.”

Stream saw the moon on Spotify.

Sive returns with idiosyncratic new single Oh Mother!

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Idiosyncratic alt-folk artist Sive returns with her most significant release to date. Oh Mother is out now via Veta Records.

A personal response to a universal issue, Oh Mother reflects the helplessness and guilt Sive - aka Sadhbh O’Sullivan - and many others feel in the face of what's happening to the planet. “With this song, I wanted to give voice to those feelings that so many of us are experiencing,” Sadhbh explains, “but also to use imagery that invokes some of the reasons why this home is worth saving.”

Oh Mother encapsulates the poignant message of the song by combining rich, haunting tones with Sadhbh’s beguiling voice to create a sound that is truly otherworldly. Sive’s signature abstract songwriting style is both distinctive and powerful, reminiscent of the likes of Jesca Hoop and This Is The Kit.

Listen to Oh Mother on Spotify.

Eliza Shaddad shares poignantly nostalgic new single Girls!

Confessional singer-songwriter Eliza Shaddad gets poignantly nostalgic on new single Girls, out now via Big Indie Records.

An ode to one of Eliza’s oldest friends, Girls is a refreshingly candid take on what it’s like to grow up in an all girls school and the relationships you build. Talking about the track, Eliza elaborates, “it lays bare how scary it was, standing on the sidelines, growing older, watching someone deal with some insanely hard human experiences, unable to find a way to connect with them about it.” The first taste of Shaddad's forthcoming EP - which navigates through multiple forms of withdrawal and isolation and was recorded in a remote bungalow in the wilds of Cornwall - Girls combines chiming dream-pop with shimmering indie-rock sensibilities to create a sound that is both tantalisingly sentimental and assertively modern. Eliza’s soft, breathy vocals reminiscent of the likes of Daughter’s Elena Tonra and Marika Hackman.

Eliza will also be headlining a free show on 6th November 2019 at London's Pop Brixton for Big Indie Autumn Sessions, in partnership with The Line Of Best Fit. Prima Queen has been confirmed as one of the support acts, with the other still to be announced.

Girls taken from Eliza’s new EP, due for release early next year.

Alt-folk troubadour Alex Bayly returns with Animal!

Alt-folk troubadour Alex Bayly returns with his delicately weaved new single Animal, out now.

Poignantly earnest from the offset, Animal yet again showcases Bayly’s ability to pen richly emotive tracks that are stunningly intricate. Bayly’s distinctive, baritone vocal oozes with passion as it soars over the atmospheric soundscapes created from the gorgeous layering of instruments throughout. Animal is a jump in the astral plain of the folk/rock world. Echoing the British psychedelic 60s works of Pentangle or Van Morrison’s Astral Week. The twisting guitar parts and strings meet with ethereal lyrical reference’s to a different plain of consciousness. Talking about the single, Bayly elaborates, “Animal looks at relationships and how they shape you into the person you become.” Fans of the likes of Local Natives and Benjamin Francis Leftwich will feel at home here.

Based in London, Bayly has been a part of both the indie and folk scenes for some time. His previous releases have received praise from the likes of Clash MagazineDIYEarmilk and BBC Introducing to name a few, as well as being added to Spotify’s official Fresh Finds: Six Strings and Lost In The Woods playlists.

Listen to Animal on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud now!

Maria Kelly shares confessional new single i leave early!

Poignant singer-songwriter Maria Kelly makes her 2019 debut with her latest confessional offering. i leave early is out now via Veta Records.

Lyrically intimate and sonically tender, i leave early once again showcases Maria’s ability to create stunningly introspective soundscapes that are both visceral and honest. Maria’s distinctively soft vocal style reflects the song’s vulnerability effortlessly, evoking comparisons of the likes of Lucy Rose or Julia Jacklin.

Talking about the song’s meaning, Maria explains, “i leave early is the first of a series of songs about avoidance. I've touched on social anxiety before but this one is about one party in particular. I really wanted to leave but so desperately wanted to be included at the same time. I had so many distorted thoughts during that period and I made many excuses of why I would be better off if I just left. Anything to avoid admitting that it was probably my own insecurity holding me back. I hope if anyone has been in a similar position, they can feel less alone with that feeling. This song has made me feel a little lighter about that, and I hope it does the same for you.”

Stream i leave early on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud now.

Enter the odd-pop world of tameBERSERK on new single Favourite Years!

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Multi-Instrumentalist James Pain, aka tameBERSERK, has unveiled his his dreamy new single, Favourite Years. The track is taken from forthcoming debut album Super Thinking, out on 7th November 2019 via Poster Boy Records.

One of the first tracks written for the new album, Favourite Years is a kaleidoscope of arrangements and themes that strays into literate, cerebral psychedelia. The track centres around a maniacal doctor experimenting on someone with supernatural powers and tackles themes of control, jealousy, love and hate. The result is, like all good pop songs, a single that deals with kidnap, imprisonment, torture, psychotic doctors and squandered dreams.

Favourite Years is both quirky and playful while being reflective and dark; a description that fits perfectly with tameBERSERK’s fractured, often, complex style of music.

Stream Favourite Years on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud now.