This is exciting sound. Dublin four-piece Sprints continue their burst out of the starter blocks with their debut EP, ’Manifesto’. Produced by Girl Band’s Daniel Fox, it is a thrilling ride that more than lives up to the band’s name and threatens to rip up the new punk landscape once again.
The more the opening track ‘Drones’ builds and builds in rage and self-doubt, the more it is inescapable. Packed full of interesting textures, the Girl Band influence is strong with clangs and yes, drones dropped in throughout but that is to take nothing away from Sprints themselves. “You’re getting better and I’m getting bitter” spits Karla Chubb from the depths of imposter syndrome. Pumped up and bristling with rage at a world where pleasure pursuits are prioritised for funding over critical social issues, ‘Swimming’ flirts with IDLES’ thunderstorm style before soaring off in a different direction while the previously unheard ‘Ashley’ roars along an untethered Marmozets. It’s a thrilling, exciting glimpse into the future.
Every time it feels like saturation point has been reached within the scene, someone new comes along to tear all that up. Sure, we’ve heard three-quarters of this EP already but when you slot it together like this, Sprints feel like they could very well be the next band that reshapes the landscape.
Last year was certainly busy for the singing sensation James Vincent McMorrow, having already collaborated with Kygo on his single “I’m In Love”, had his music been streamed over 100 million times and had his cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” used on the trailer for hit HBO series Game Of Thrones.
The Irish musician’s career first started whilst working in partnership with fellow talent Aisling Fagan before striking out as a solo artist.
His first album Early In The Morning was released in 2011 and drew comparisons with Bon Ivor for both its style and the recording techniques implemented in its making. He also made an appearance on Later… With Jools Holland in the same year.
McMorrow drew on wider inspiration for his second album Post Tropical which moved in more of a soulful direction. The 2014 record was influenced by hip hop beats rather than indie folk and made use of electronic instruments and drum machines. It included the songs Glacier and Cavalier.
The expansion into new sounds certainly went down well with audiences and critics as it shot to #2 in the Irish Album Charts, #3 in the UK Independent Album Charts and won him the Choice Music Prize. He also played to sold out shows across the world while promoting the album.
This last year has been a massive lesson in patience for all of us. I had this album finished last year and then the world stopped and I had to stop. Then I wrote ‘Waiting.’ It’s a song about feeling sorry for myself, and then going home and talking to the one person in my life who understands just how awkward a fit all of this is for me, and who loves me for the actual human I am and not what I curate in order to feel like the person I need to be.
‘Grapefruit Season’ is about embracing the idea nothing makes sense. Music isn’t some holy grail to a greater meaning, it’s supposed to remove you from where you are for a moment and take you somewhere else. And I believe/hope I have done it well with this album.
Los Angeles-based quartet Milly have shared their second EP via Dangerbird Records, following their 2019 debut “Our First Four Songs”, whichwas hailed as one of that year’s best EPs. “Wish Goes On’s” five tracks include October 2020’s Star Thistle Blossom and February 2021’s “Denial.” Milly make gauzy slowcore that vacillates between guitar-rock crunch and emotive dream pop, and on Wish Goes On, they do with it a noticeable new cohesion, as principal songwriter and guitarist Brendan Dyer is now joined by Spencer Light on guitar, Yarden Erez on bass and Zach Capitti Fenton on drums. Their new songs reckon with change, assuming perspectives both collective (“Star Spangled Banner”) and individual (“Denial”), and changing themselves, shifting instrumental gears with newfound fluidity. Ultimately, Wish Goes On is about finding a flicker of hope to light the way, like when Dyer sings on the EP’s closer, “When her birds fly free / This life goes on / Could it be all you want?”
Milly is a rock band from Los Angeles fronted by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Dyer. Their sound melds together elements of classic shoegaze, slowcore, and lo-fi indie rock, coalescing into an intense, singular musical impression. Milly began as Dyer’s home recording project in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut before finally taking its current formation as a live band in Los Angeles.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Star Spangled Banner 2. Denial 3. Star Thistle Blossom 4. Teach Old Dogs New Tricks 5. Birds Fly Free
As if the ever evolving style and sprawling narratives of Creeper didn’t already keep him busy enough, Will Gould reacted to last year’s initial lockdown by delving into the archives to complete the debut ep from his side project Salem.
Now the second chapter in the Salem story emerges from the underworld with the news that they’ll release their new ep ‘Salem II’ on May 7th and now share the first taste of the ep in the shape of the new single ‘Draculads’.
‘Draculads’ opens with the kind of larger-than-life b-movie horror love letter that can only come from Gould’s poison pen: “maybe the blood of jesus christ is laced upon your lips / i get a little closer to god and too drunk each time we kiss.” it sets the tone for a blitzkrieg rush of melodic punk and raucous rock ‘n’ roll that only stops for breath for the song’s cabaret croon breakdown. elsewhere, the EP builds upon the style that Salem established with their debut. from the tongue-in-cheek reference to the Smiths on the opening track ‘William“, it was really something’ to the closing ‘Heaven Help Me’, Salem play it fast, frenetic and fun. as with the best old school punk eps, ‘Salem II’ is an escapist rush of attention that commands your attention for 15 minutes before it’s time to drop the needle back to the start.
Expected release: 7th may 2021 On Roadrunner Records
Cult of Dom Keller have today announced their fifth album “They Carried The Dead In A U.F.O.” and shared the first single, ‘Last King of Hell’.
Cult of Dom Keller will release their fifth album, “They Carried The Dead In A U.F.O”, on May 21st via Fuzz Club Records. Since 2007 the British band have been leaving a trail of sonic fever dreams, dark psychedelia and experimentalism that beats with a heavy industrial heart and the forthcoming LP sees them conjuring their heaviest and most adventurous work to date.
Since 2007 the UK group have been leaving a trail of sonic fever dreams, dark psychedelia and experimentalism that beats with a heavy industrial heart. Talking about the track, they said “The Last King of Hell is a big, big track. What begins with almost a Western sci-fi vibe builds over 7 minutes into a monster of sound. Lyrically it’s about a protagonist who – no matter how hard he tries, and how in harmony he thinks he is with the world – fails to see that he is actually part of the problem. As the track builds and spirals out of control so does our protagonist. Singles shouldn’t be 7-minutes long but who gives a sh*t when it ain’t gonna be played on the radio anyway.”
They’re probably not wrong in that line of thinking, but that makes the track no less enchanting, with a motorik beat driving from the core with organised chaos reigning elsewhere.
We’re thrilled to announce that Cult of Dom Keller are back with their fourth album, ‘They Carried The Dead In A UFO’ – due for release May 21st on Fuzz Club
“We managed to create our most experimental and exciting album to date without being in the same room together. U.F.O. was recorded, mixed and produced by ourselves, meaning we had total control over every noise on the record. This was the exact record we wanted to make: Experimental and playful; moments of light and pure dark… we wanted to f*ck with the listener and pull them in with moments of beauty and chaos. We hope you enjoy the trip!”
The new album ‘They Carried The Dead In A U.F.O’, is released May 21st via Fuzz Club Records. Promo video created by Jason Holt
On “Giver Taker”, the gorgeous debut album by Anjimile, death and life are always entwined, wrapping around each other in a dance of reverence, reciprocity, and, ultimately, rebirth.
Giver Taker is a confident, intentional and introspective. Anjimile Chithambo (they/them, he/him) wrote much of the album while in treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, as well as while in the process of living more fully as a nonbinary trans person. Loss hovers over the album, whose songs grieve for lost friends (“Giver Taker”) and family members (“1978”) along with lost selves (“Maker,” “Baby No More,” “In Your Eyes.”) But here, grief yields an opening: a chance for new growth. “A lot of the album was written when I was literally in the process of improving my mental health, so there’s a lot of hopefulness and wonder at the fact that I was able to survive,” says Chithambo. “Not only survive but restart my life and work towards becoming the person I was meant to be.”
Each song on the album is its own micro-journey, adding up to a transformative epic cycle created in collaboration with bandmate Justine Bowe of Photocomfort and New-York based artist/producer Gabe Goodman. “1978” and “Maker” both begin as Sufjan Stevens-esque pastoral ballads with Chithambo’s mesmerizing voice foregrounded against minimal instrumentation and swell into the realm of the majestic through the addition of warm, steady instrumentation (informed by the mix of 80’s pop and African music Chithambo’s Malawi-born parents played around the house) and harmonies by Bowe. “In Your Eyes” starts out hushed and builds to a crescendo via a mighty chorus inspired by none other than The Lion King. The allusion is fitting: each song encapsulates a heroic voyage, walked alone until accompanied by kindred souls. The choirs present throughout are equally deliberate. Chithambo grew up as a choir boy himself, and several songs (notably “Maker”) grasp not only towards reconciliation between his trans identity and his parents’ strong religious beliefs, but towards reclaiming his trans identity as an essential part of his own spirituality. (“[Less] Judeo-Christian, more ‘Colors of the Wind.’”) There is a boldness to this borrowing and shaping, a resoluteness that results from passing through hardship and emerging brighter, steadier. As a closing refrain on “To Meet You There” might sum it up: “Catalyst light of mine / now is your time.”
Giver Taker was recorded in Brooklyn, Boston, and New Hampshire by Goodman, thanks in part to the Live Arts Boston Grant by the Boston Foundation.
Anna McClellan began performing original songs in her hometown of Omaha, NE at the age of seventeen and has been actively recording and touring ever since. Her debut, Fire Flames, earned her an opening slot on a Frankie Cosmos tour. Through the doors that tour opened, McClellan eventually met Father/Daughter Records which led to the release of her second full-length record, Yes and No, in 2018. After a stint in NYC, several subsequent tours and meandering, Anna returned to Omaha and recorded “I Saw First Light“, her latest effort for Father/Daughter.
The album was recorded over two weeks with a multitude of local cohorts, and it documents Anna’s journey from the Midwest to the east coast and back again, probing both the roots of her creative impetus and her ongoing commitment to social issues. The process of composing and recording I saw first light has both reformed and renewed her dedication to exploration, be it inward or external, and to her own boundless creative energy.
Watch the beautifully animated visual companion to Anna McClellan’s single “Raisin” directed. by Thalia Rodgers. Her highly anticipated third full-length, “I Saw First Light“, is out now.
Anna says the following about the track:
“I have long romanticized the idea of jumping off a cliff, and categorized it as the perfect metaphor for letting go. If I could only take that leap of faith, I’d awaken. I’d been wanting to capture the idea in song for a while and thought it would be a longer and more epic endeavor. And I’m sure there is still much more to say about it. In Raisin though, upon jumping, the subject appears to float and become weightless. Never actually landing at all.”
“I Saw First Light” available on Father Daughter Records.
Remember Sports was a self-categorized “basement rock band” when they formed as a group of Kenyon College students in 2012. The band’s electrifying pop punk bonafides and the inimitable vocals of frontperson and primary songwriter Carmen Perry found them quick acclaim and a home at Father/Daughter Records. 2018’s Slow Buzz, their first as Philadelphians, saw a new line-up of the band collaboratively writing, building depth and elaboration to their compositions and production. Heavy touring alongside high-energy art punk heroes like Jeff Rosenstock and Joyce Manor brought their tightly synced playing to a stronger level, while headlining dates supported by favourite artists like Lomelda, Trace Mountains and Pllush inspired them to embrace meandering flourishes in their songs. When they came off the road, they were ready to write, entering a meticulous pre-production and demoing process, rehearsing in sectionals to help every moment blossom. “Like a Stone”, is the result of that work, contains some of the smartest performances and arrangements in contemporary indie rock. While they’ve maintained the warmth and immediacy that made the quartet so beloved when they first connected to one another years ago, it’s hard to imagine songs this huge relegated solely to the basement.
Remember Sports’ third album for Father/Daughter builds on the promise of their last, with an elevated sense of space and sound. Taking a multi-instrumental approach, the band members—bassist Catherine Dwyer, guitarist Jack Washburn, drummer Connor Perry and guitarist and singer Carmen—traded instruments throughout, resulting in biting bass-and-drum grooves, entrancing percussion layers, saturated synths and drum machines, and found sound minutiae from Connor’s circuit-bent electronics the band calls “evil items.” Carmen’s singing, meanwhile, even more expertly turns on its heel from pop-perfect vocal runs to squirmy sneers. “I like mixing the pretty and polished with our vibe, which is more detuned and discordant,” says Carmen of their distinctive approach.
Remember Sports’ most influential rock forebears make compelling reference points, from the interlocking guitar sophistication of Built to Spill, the eclectic pop snark of Rilo Kiley, the blown-out might of Sleater-Kinney’s The Woods, and the catchy intimacy of Yo La Tengo, who the band went to see together on a tour field trip. Former tour mates also provided inspiration, especially Nadine, whose Carlos Hernandez and Julian Fader engineered and mixed the album while frontperson Nadia Hulett provided backing vocals. Catherine describes the experience of working with proper analogue outfittings as “thrilling” and used the studio environment to channel another of the band’s co-writing heroes: Fleetwood Mac. “I love Tusk and tried to copy the lovely straight into the console tone they get on some guitars on that record,” she says. “I love when a guitar sounds like it has absolutely no air around it at all.”
A gorgeously anxious ballad about avoidance, their latest single, Materialistic is a stone-cold stunner and likely to appeal to those of you who are fans of the likes of Hop Along, Great Grandpa and The Beths.
Remember Sports have written through breakups before, but Like a Stone is instead about breaking away from old versions of yourself. Carmen rummages through feelings of doubt and spins them into an imperative to treat herself more kindly; her experiences growing up with Catholicism and later studying religion, as well as living with an eating disorder, provide a visceral lens for the literal blood-and-guts self-scrutiny she writes through. “Like a Stone references something that’s slipping away, or sinking down into your brain to a place you can’t find,” Carmen explains. “The hard songs are guilt and anger coming out of me, and the soft songs are forgiveness.” Repetition, both musically and lyrically, represent the negative thought loops that come alongside mental illnesses. “Do something right, just do anything right”—a refrain at the end of hard-edged, frenetic “Easy”—becomes a polar star thesis that Carmen returns to as a countermelody on “Materialistic.” A gorgeously anxious ballad about avoidance, that song provides a plaintive centerpiece at the end of Side A, as well as an astonishing outlet for Jack’s time-bending, scale-redefining guitar solos.
Despite its sometimes heavy themes, Like a Stone’s twelve tracks riff better than your very best memories of MTV, and never quibble about shifting genres when it suits the song. Gates-storming opener “Pinky Ring,” road-tested by the band on its headlining 2019 dates, takes a teasing schoolyard melody and pairs it with bright tambourine. “Eggs” and “Odds Are” show off Nashville licks and croon-along vocals respectively, drawing from Carmen’s childhood love for Tejano music and country, including her uncle’s band Los Jackalopes; the latter has one of the album’s best examples of her darkly funny lyrics when she asks, “Why’d you lick those tongs – the ones you just got raw meat on?” With gated drums reminiscent of an aughties pop highlights comp, “Out Loud” sees the contributors trading lead vocals over portamento synth scoops, resonant strums and even bongo overdubs from Connor. “Carmen got to go full Ariana Grande,” Jack says of the diva-leagues vocal chops on display, “and the whispering she does on that last chorus is one of the most special moments on the record for me.” “Flossie Dickie,” composed by Catherine, nods to the band’s punk roots with untethered fretboard acrobatics. And “Coffee Machine,” with music written by Jack, manages to meld easy organs, muted surf guitar, and aloof group harmonies in an eerily cozy 39 seconds.
Unexpected section changes abound, but are never inscrutable; these songs reward repeat listens to unpack every exacting hook. They’re about insecurity, sure, but they’re also about optimism—emerging from an intrusive thought with a new way to perceive and care for yourself, represented in spectacular denouements made possible by the closeness between the band members. “We’ve grown up together and grown to trust each other,” says Carmen. In recording, Jack felt drawn to music that’s “communal and loud and cathartic, but also kinda confidential and private. I hope we achieved something similar, where you can hear the influence of each of us in the album.” Carmen seconds that; “It feels seamless. To me, Jack and Catherine’s writing feels like an extension of my own.” If Like a Stone is an exploration in treating yourself with more generosity, it’s an encouraging example, and also a representation of the magic that can happen when you surround yourself with people who love you—especially when you lose sight of how to do that for yourself.
Remember Sports is Catherine Dwyer, Carmen Perry, Connor Perry, and Jack Washburn
Beginning at Vassar College in the fall of 2016, the story of Spud Cannon charts the emotional journey of finding oneself with vignettes of rock and roll highs and lows interspersed throughout. All, mostly, before the quintet of Meg Matthews (lead vox), Jackson Walker Lewis (guitar), Ari Bowe (keys), Lucy Horgan (bass) and Benjamin Scharf (drums) could buy a drink (legally).
Spud Cannon’s forthcoming third full-length, “Good Kids Make Bad Apples,” bristles with an immediacy inspired in-part by all-night, definitely-allowed recording sessions at the Vassar squash courts. Each song recorded in the Wall of Sound-style court are pure takes capturing the energy of the Spud Cannon live experience in its purest form to date.
Returning from a stressful tour that nearly broke them apart for good, the album’s nine songs find the band locked in on the other side of turmoil stronger than ever. Reflections on relationships, knowing one’s worth, or simply just wanting to have a good time are all spun through Spud Cannon’s infectious rock sound. Like a good friend who knows exactly how to cheer you up or clock an ex from across the room and steer you away, “Good Kids Make Bad Apples” is a hand on the shoulder in the times that led you to yourself.
“Good Kids Make Bad Apples” out June 25th via Good Eye Records.
All Songs Written by Spud Cannon.
Meg Matthews: Vox Ariana Bowe: Keys Lucy Horgan: Bass Ben Scharf: Drums Jackson WalkerLewis: Guitar
Psych-punk psychic warrior, ear worm-farmer, and possessor of many stamped passport pages John Dwyer does not let up. Hisgroup Oh Sees (aka Thee Oh Sees, OCS, The Oh Sees, etc) have transmogrified to fit many a moment – from hushed druggy folk to groovy demonic pop chants to science fictional krautrock expanse and beyond – to suit his omnivorous whims.
Back in September, OSEES performed a blistering set out in the desert at Pappy & Harriet’s, which aired on the Levitation Sessions streaming series.
The live album is now being pressed on 3 limited vinyl pressings via The Reverberation Appreciation Society record label. OSEES and the label are donating 100% of proceeds to independent music venues. Music venues have been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many in danger of closing their doors permanently. Unfortunately some have already.
The NIVA Edition proceeds will be donated to the National Independent Venue Association’s Emergency Relief Fund. The fund has been launched to raise money for the most vulnerable venues, and keep them afloat during these unprecedented times for live music.
Special editions for two independent clubs have also been created: Zebulon Edition – benefitting Zebulon in Los Angeles, California, Hotel Vegas Edition – benefitting Hotel Vegas in Austin, Texas
Both venues hold a special place in OSEES history, and have irreplaceable roles as incubators of their local indie music scene.
“During this particularly hard year, it was a pleasure to work with our good friends over at Levitation and Pappy and Harriet’s to reach out to some of our fans, if only for a fleeting hour. This is the proper plastic that came from that evening. We are trying to keep some of our favourite haunts, dives, glorious old venues and bars open through this triail, as it’s obvious the lizards that make up the current administration have no real interest in extending any realistic help to struggling businesses.
Venues have been hit particularly hard by this and without them, there is no us….so this is a small token of appreciation and a grassroots effort to lend a helping hand in their time of need. Take care, be well and keep your eyes on the horizon.”
The live album from OSEES episode of Levitation Sessions.
“Lots of old favorites and 7 never before performed live hits from the crypt recorded dusk till dawn in Pioneertown, California its raw and shreddy with a bit of elastic improvisation thrown in come hang out with us for a few crack a beer meant to be played loud” – JPD
The Fat Angel Sings 