The Fat Angel Sings

Bombay Bicycle Club are a band built on collaboration. Soon after their breakout, they began inviting new voices into the mix. They could have easily stuck to a classic path after their 2009 debut album, “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose“, solidified their position as one of the defining acts in the new era of indie scene.

Across their six LPs to date, the band has proven to be a dynamic and fascinating outfit, determined to forever change and evolve. From the gentle folk of “Flaws” to the expansive global sounds on “So Long, See You Tomorrow”, Bombay Bicycle Club have switched it up every time but kept their core the same. You could argue that the core of the band has always been collaboration.

On their new EP, “Fantasies”, they truly celebrate it. The band’s collaborative history began with Lucy Rose. As they stripped back their sound on “Flaws”, the addition of Rose as a vocalist was hypnotic and perfect. So perfect, in fact, that they kept her involved. Rose’s voice colours later tracks like ‘Leave It’, ‘Lights Out Words Gone’, ‘Home By Now’ and more. For several albums, she was an essential part of the puzzle, so her return after a decade on their new track ‘Willow’ is beautiful.

Rose’s vocals have always meshed so naturally with Steadman’s own, so their duet feels as effortless and light as ever. As a long-time follower of the band, all of my preferred songs feature Lucy Rose, and this new track is no different. 

If the collaboration with Lucy Rose celebrates the band’s long legacy, the opening track with Matilda Mann looks excitedly to the future. As a new vocalist for the group, they’re continuing their habit of including promising new female vocalists in their work. ‘Fantasneeze’ delivers on all the fun you expect from the band, reminiscent of the optimistic air of ‘Shuffle’ as this EP feels like a return to, or maybe more a continuation of, their glory. 

Bridging the gap between Lucy Rose and Matilda Mann, two other former collaborators get involved. If Lucy Rose was the OG, Rae Morris was who she passed the baton to, providing vocals for the huge hit ‘Luna’. She’s another distinct vocalist who brought so much to the band’s discography thanks to her unique tone and style. As the group build another energetic indie nest, her singing only makes it stronger and bigger, making ‘Better Now’ a mainstage-ready track. With roaring guitar and bass lines like the ones we know and love on the early cut ‘Evening/Morning’, this new track ties several different eras together with a fresh bow.

Liz Lawrence was a later addition as she got involved in the 2020 record “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong“. More indie than angelic, Lawrence’s vocals assert themself on ‘Blindfold’. It feels more like a duet than any of the other songs, where Steadman’s singing generally melds into the other’s.

From those early albums through to this EP, the band has been at its best when inclusive and expansive, never shying away from sharing the spotlight. This EP doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to their sound. It’s much of the same, continuing their run as a fun, vibrant indie band that seems incapable of ever disappointing when they deliver vibes this high. Instead, “Fantasies” is a beautiful nod towards the talent and importance of their collaborators. Or, more specifically, it’s a homage to the women that helped this band become so great.

Oxford based shoegaze pioneers Ride have shared the single ‘Last Frontier’, the second offering from their forthcoming album, “Interplay”.

The new track is a resounding sonic palette that fuses the band’s shoegaze origins with the expansive, electronic-inflected style they established on their most recent albums, 2017’s “Weather Diaries” and 2019’s “This Is Not a Safe Place”. ‘Last Frontier’ follows the record’s lead single ‘Peace Sign’, which arrived in January.

Discussing the track, vocalist and guitarist Andy Bell explains: “This was the runt of the litter of the very first jam session from Mark’s OX4 Studio and I didn’t even include it on my shortlist of the best tracks. It was our producer Richie Kennedy who saw the potential of the song, and we attacked this with a vengeance at Vada studio. A complete revamp of the backing track and arrangement was needed and we took it right back to basics, more towards a pounding Joy Division feel.”

He continues: “For the topline, I tried improvising at the mic, singing it all different ways, and coming up with new parts on the spot. I felt really exposed but kind of said to myself, ‘You’re among friends, it’s good to push yourself to try new ways to write.’ It feels different to every vocal I’ve ever done. It’s still a new way of working for me but it’s something I want to continue trying as I think it makes for better vocal lines; a good mixture of written and improvised.”

Ride’s seventh studio album, “Interplay”, arrives on March 29th via Wichita Recordings and PIAS. Their third since reforming in 2014, the quartet, comprised of Bell, Mark Gardener, Steve Queralt and Loz Tolbert, have now been together longer than their first stint, which lasted from 1988 to 1996. 

Produced by the band alongside Richie Kennedy and Claudius Mittendorfer, the new album looks to delve deeper into a “more expansive sonic template” inspired by the 1980s groups who made a mark on Ride in their early years, including Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and early U2.

After teasing new material, DIIV have announced their fourth album, “Frog In Boiling Water”, and released the single ‘Brown Paper Bag’ to mark the news.

The song picks up from where their 2019 album, “Deceiver,” left off, combining sludgy and shoegaze elements with a touch of country and 1990s alternative to cap things off. A slow-burning composition featuring crunching guitars, a piercing but ethereal lead line, and Zachary Cole Smith’s typically whispered vocals, .

“Frog in Boiling Water” is the second album from the latest iteration of DIIV, comprised of vocalist and guitarist Cole Smith, guitarist Andrew Bailey, bassist Colin Caulfield, and drummer Ben Newman.

The title of the new record is a reference to Daniel Quinn’s 1996 novel, The Story of B. The band explain: “If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.”

They continue: “We understand the metaphor to be one about a slow, sick, and overwhelmingly banal collapse of society under end-stage capitalism, the brutal realities we’ve maybe come to accept as normal. That’s the boiling water and we are the frogs. The album is more or less a collection of snapshots from various angles of our modern condition which we think highlights what this collapse looks like and, more particularly, what it feels like.”

Produced by Chris Coady, it arrives on May 24th via Fantasy.

Leeds-based English Teacher fuse their eclectic sound (read: total disregard for genre) with surrealistic lyrics and an idosyncratic aesthetic. A wholly unique band, and one with big plans for 2021 that will surely thrill their growing audience. The storming new single ‘R&B’, taken from their forthcoming album “This Could Be Texas”.

The Leeds-based post-punk group previously released ‘R&B’ back in 2021 on a limited edition seven inch record via Nice Swan Records. However, the group have re-recorded their early track for inclusion on the upcoming album. 

Before the world turned into a work of Orwellian fiction we visited Colne in Pendle – the place where I grew up and where ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab (allegedly) calls home. I’ve been putting together clips from that visit with some archive footage from local videographers to create this – big thanks to all who contributed. I hope you enjoy and stay safe xx

According to lead singer and frontwoman Lily Fontaine, the track is about a relationship she was in which left her with some creative difficulties, “When I was with him I had writer’s block” the singer shared, “and to add insult to irony, the only idea I had was for an R&B top line – the genre people always assumed I worked in.”

Continuing, Fontaine said, “As soon as he ended it, I converted that top line into the lyrics and riff for ‘R&B,’ and took it to my three best mates. Putting the effort that you could potentially put into a partner, back into yourself and your career, is cool and sexy and gets you signed to Island Records and writing press quotes in a tour van in Holland and you get to meet Jools Holland”.

English Teacher are among the most exciting up-and-coming post-punk outfits in the country, with their previous releases such as ‘Polyawkward’ and the Speedy Wunderground-released ‘Song About Love’ firmly putting the band on the musical map.

“This Could Be Texas” is slated for release on April 12th via Island Records.

Big Thief vocalist Adrianne Lenker has shared her latest solo offering, ‘Fool’. The single provides the third glimpse at her upcoming album, “Bright Future”.

Following the release of the bittersweet ‘Sadness As A Gift’ earlier this year, ‘Fool’ provides yet another dose of tender indie folk. Over plucked strings, Lenker begs her lover to “just say what it is that you want.” It’s characteristically soft and sentimental, but contains a greater sense of optimism compared to her more recent offerings.

Producer Philip Weinrobe believes the song is one of Lenker’s most joyous creations, sharing, “I feel like I can hear her laughing and smiling when I listen back to this song. The joy is palpable. It’s easy to forget that Adrianne can do unbridled ecstatic happiness just as deftly as every other emotion in the human experience.”

The tender track is accompanied by a music video directed by Lenker’s brother, Noah. Amidst snowy landscapes, a collage of imagery features Lenker and her family in cowboy hats, while their dog rocks a neon tutu. On her latest (sixth) solo album, “Bright Future”, Adrianne Lenker has crafted a suite of songs that worm their way into heart and soul. Its eerie opener, “Real House“, depicts the fragile haze of childhood memories over sparse piano, leaving Lenker’s soul-searching vocals with nowhere to hide. Indeed, the spectre of the past hangs over much of the record. The brutal vulnerability of “Ruined” lingers like a fading echo, its scattered murmurs and floor squeaks leaving the listener feeling as though they’re eavesdropping on a hushed, private conversation. The straight-to-tape recording bottles up wispy nostalgia and lays it out in stripped-back, plaintive piano and country-indebted guitar, while Lenker’s emotional gut-punch lyrics leave you reeling.

The song marks Lenker’s third offering ahead of her upcoming record, “Bright Future”. Set for release on March 22nd, the album is now available to pre-order on CD, cassette, and vinyl. A black LP will be available, as well as a unique recycled vinyl edition.

Following the release of “Bright Future”, Lenker is set to head on the road, taking to stages across Europe and North America. “Bright Future“ is out on March 22nd

Liverpudlian four-piece The Mysterines have announced details of their new album, “Afraid of Tomorrows”, set for release on June 7th.

The new album is highly anticipated and serves as the follow-up to their debut “Reeling”, which was released in 2022. To accompany the announcement, they have also released the single ‘Stray,’ which premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Clara Amfo’s ‘Hottest Record’ on February 20th.

“’Stray’ focuses on the aimless and untamed nature of the polarities of behaviour that we experience when dealing with suffering,” said guitarist and vocalist Lia Metcalfe, “Whether it’s guilt, paranoia or unexplained feelings of grandiosity.”

She continued, “Often, when the hands of loneliness have a firm grip over one’s eyes it can turn dangers into open doors inviting you in. We find a certain point of no return and we’re often led astray.” 

The song is filled with brooding guitar, electric drums and sleek vocals. It was recorded and produced by John Congleton, the Grammy Award-winning producer who has previously worked with acclaimed artists including St. Vincent and Angel Olsen.

“Afraid of Tomorrows” is a mirror where you find you’re nothing more than a formless being, one made from celestial constellations – of traumas, of the old and new, mistakes, addiction, fear and happiness, loneliness, but ultimately a desire for life and the fight to keep living. It’s a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded.” Notably, last summer, The Mysterines supported Arctic Monkeys on their stadium tour of the United Kingdom.

Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers have released their new single, ‘Me Before You’, which provides yet another glimpse at their upcoming self-titled album, “Bleachers”. The record is set to arrive on March 8th.

Following the release of catchy indie pop track ‘Tiny Moves’ earlier this year, ‘Me Before You’ is an understated but twinkling effort which underscores Antonoff’s words with soft saxophones. The verses chart who he was before he met his lover, while the choruses repeatedly declare, “That was me before you.”

‘Me Before You’ marks the fourth single ahead of the release of their fourth album. Inspired by Antonoff’s observatoins on modern life, the new record will mark the first full-length release from Bleachers since 2021’s “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night”.

Following the release of the record, Bleachers will embark upon a sold-out tour of the UK, including two consecutive nights at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. Later in the year, they are set to take to stages across North America, before returning to the UK to play Reading and Leeds festival.

Since the last Bleachers record was released, Antonoff has produced records for Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine.At this year’s Grammys, Swift’s Antonoff-produced tenth album, “Midnights”, took home the ‘Album of the Year’ award, while Del Rey’s “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” also received a nomination in the same category.

“Bleachers” is set for release on March 8th via Dirty Hit. 

On this record, the band Kings Of Leon harkens back to their gritty origins while simultaneously finding new gears.

Kings Of Leon are back & bigger than ever with their 9th full-length studio album, ‘Can We Please Have Fun’. as the title suggests, it’s a document of one of this era’s great rock & roll bands cutting loose, trying new things, and, yes, having some fun. recorded at dark horse studio and produced with new collaborator kid harpoon (harry styles, florence + the machine) the album sees a new side of Kings Of Leon. it’s the sound of a band unified in vision and purpose, freed from any expectations, and the album the band says they’ve always wanted to make.

The Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum rock band Kings of Leon are coming back big with their 9th full-length studio album, “Can We Please Have Fun”.

“Untame the Tiger” emerges 15 years after Mary Timony’s previous release, following the end of a significant relationship and framed by the passing of Timony’s father and mother. “This was the hardest thing I’ve been through,” Timony explained, “Every week I had to manage a new crisis.” While this appears to reflect Timony’s usual struggle with imposter syndrome and wavering self-confidence, “Untame the Tiger” resonates with both poignancy and vulnerability, each lyric and note peeling back layers of intricate emotions.

Throughout the album, Timony’s profound emotional journey stemming from the end of a significant relationship and the loss of her parents deeply shapes her lyrical content. Whether she personifies loneliness as a haunting presence whose persistent knocks at the door are inescapable or navigates themes of loss, Timony skilfully combines pure, unfiltered rock with profound depth and meaning.

Her approach may seem one-dimensional, but that’s precisely why it appeals: a guitar hero as esteemed as Timony wouldn’t be expected to hold back on her strumming prowess, just as a chef wouldn’t be reprimanded for creating a tasty meal. The riffs in “Untame the Tiger” complement the themes being explored without overshadowing the lyrical content, creating an experience akin to the sheer bliss of discovering your favourite band for the first time.

There’s a euphonious heart double-fast-pumping beneath lovable licks and dangerously infectious lyrical twists that fires these jangly songs along like the proverbial train full of gasoline. Where previous record ‘Modern Fiction’ wore its influences proudly on its sleeves, this time round, they’ve ripped off their shirts, spread their wings and are taking off entirely under their own independent volition.

Their last album reached dizzy heights, featuring prominently in our end of year round up, and we think that this one even out-soars that, gliding easily over the golden-hued vistas it so effortlessly invokes with each gleaming shard of indie rock excellence. 

Two and a half albums into their career, you can still draw a straight line through Ducks Ltd.’s discography. Aside from a few extracurriculars and a subtle name change, the Toronto-based duo have stayed true to their core mission of keeping the Kiwi definition of ’80s guitar pop alive and healthy as retroactive interest in subgenres of rock from the following decade continue to dominate our attention.

Yet after a few listens to their new LP “Harm’s Way”, and with a bit of context from the band, these nine breezy tracks begin to solidify as a project apart from either of their past releases. While the instrumental palette feels familiar from the opening track’s guitar twangs, tight drumming, and mellow vocals, frontman Tom McGreevy and fellow guitarist Evan Lewis fill every crevice of “Harm’s Way” with ideas inspired by a voracious appetite for new musical discovery far beyond—though certainly still including—The Clean. 

From the bright Telecaster sounds of Merle Haggard’s backing band, to the economical lyric-writing of The Weather Prophets and Aussie songwriter Paul Kelly, to the blown-out jangle-pop of early MBV, McGreevy and Lewis aren’t shy when it comes to sharing how the tracks they had on repeat at the time of the album’s recording seeped into the final product. They even appreciated the backing vocal work in Dehd’s recordings enough to borrow co-vocalist Jason Balla for a track while putting the album together in Chicago.

With the LP dropping tomorrow via Carpark Records, get an early taste for what “Harm’s Way” has in store For fans of: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever / Kiwi jr / Orange Juice / the Go-Betweens / the Pains of Being Pure at Heart / the Reds, Pinks and Purples