The Fat Angel Sings

The UK art rock band get just a little more accessible (and embrace harpsichords) on their immersive third album, The world that Squid envision on third album “Cowards” looks a little bit like our own—but it’s just a little off. With songs inspired by books about cannibals and reflective of modern society’s seeming lack of self-awareness, it might just as easily be called Villains. But there’s an absurdity here that tints these vignettes in a strange light, bending reality just enough to put an even more absurd spin on human behaviour as they build some of their most dazzling musical arrangements around them. Ornate art-pop, minimalist-inspired new wave, buzzing post-punk and swirling psychedelia—it’s all part of Squid’s kaleidoscopic and twisted vision, perhaps a no less perilous world than the one we inhabit but frequently more interesting. 

Squid hail from a London scene that tends to pride itself on musical complexity, but for their third album “Cowards“, guitarist Louis Borlase says “we were thinking of an album of great songwriting. Simple ideas that resonate in a very different way to “O Monolith”, which was dense and complex.” Right from the kaleidoscopic harpsichords that open the album, you can hear the difference. In trademark Squid fashion, “Cowards” still often sounds like a jam session between the Talking Heads, Slint, and King Crimson, but with a sweeter, lusher baroque pop side that suggests maybe some Zombies records were on their mood board this time too. It’s more accessible but still a twisty-turny journey, and it’s best moment is its eight-minute closing track, which builds and builds to the album’s most towering climax and then fades away.

Like the other key bands coming out of the scene that’s coalesced around the South London pub and music venue The Windmill, Squid’s used modern post-punk as a springboard to more experimental music, and on their third album they continue to delve further into sonically elaborate, textured art rock. That said, this one’s both more kinetic and frenetic than 2023’s “O Monolith“, and to my ears it’s also more consistently engaging. Highlights: “Cro-Magnon Man,” “Blood on the Boulders,” “Well Met (Fingers Through the Fence”

Squid frame “Cowards” as a series of “dark fairy tales” about cruelty and complicity, with songs that zoom in on specific characters and scenarios (including cult dynamics and cannibalism themes). The sound stays restless: knotty post-rock builds, sudden pivots, and vocals that lean into the grotesque to match the writing.

Critics liked how the album widens Squid’s scope while keeping their tension-heavy momentum intact

Written & Performed by Louis Borlase, Ollie Judge, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell, Anton Pearson
Published by BMG

The debut single by Dove Ellis who is scheduled to open Geese’s North American tour dates sounds like he’s been here forever as “To the Sandals” unravels. The song, which is about “reflections on a failing shotgun marriage in Cancún,” and was mixed by the great Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Dijon), summons the ghosts of Radiohead and Black Country, New Road without depending on their styles for relevancy. He gravitates toward tonal contrasts; instruments collide until they coalesce. The guitar reminds me of David Gilmour’s on “Wot’s… Uh the Deal?” and Ellis’ vocal isn’t too far away from Thom Yorke’s, his decaying holler never raising itself above Fred Donlon-Mansbridge’s wilted saxophone.

With 30 seconds left to spare, the song takes a strident plunge, piecing corroded fragments of woodwind, acoustic guitar, rattling percussion, and Ellis’ now-distant vocal together with scotch tape. In his conclusion, Ellis delivers either a list of destinations or a collapsing salutation: “To the back teeth, to the front teeth, to the split tyres, to the penthouse, to the milk deal, to the wax seal, to the cracked heel, to the sandals.” Every song could sound like this and I’d still beg for a thousand more. 

Dove Ellis arrives with a debut built around close-mic intimacy and slow-burn melodies that leave room for big emotional climaxes. Early reviews have focused on how fully formed the songwriting feels for a first full-length.

Since 2024, R.E.M. have reunited a couple of times, and Peter Buck has launched supergroups like the Silverlites and Drink The Sea. Now, he’s joining the Icicle Works’ Ian McNabb for a cover of R.E.M.’s Reckoning track “So. Central Rain.” “In the year just passed, I recorded some guitars on a version of ‘So. Central Rain’ by my friend Ian McNabb,” Buck wrote on R.E.M.’s website. “You might remember him from the Icicle Works. It’s a cool version. Hope this helps start the new year off well!”

The track – originally released as a single from R.E.M.’s second album ‘Reckoning’ in 1984 – came together last year and has now been shared by Buck on R.E.M.’s official website.

Superb version of the R.E.M. song from Ian Mcnabb’s forthcoming album ’65’

Peter Gabriel has announced a new album and shared the first taster from the record ‘Been Undone’.

“I’m delighted to say that tonight, at the full moon, we will be beginning another year of full moon releases under the name ‘o\i'”  The release, which is the follow up to 2023’s ‘i/o’, will once again see him release a new song every time there is a full moon, with the full LP set to drop by the end of the year.

Each song on ‘o/i’ will come with “differing interpretations in the shape of Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes”, according to a press release. The first single ‘Been Undone’ is a Dark-Side Mix by Tchad Blake,

Each track on the new album will be accompanied by a piece of art and ‘Been Undone’ is accompanied by Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome) by São Paulo–based artist Janaina Mello Landini.

“The first artwork is a special piece from Janaina Mello Landini. The way she takes the rope and moves it out, unravelling it, is almost like fractals or tree trunks and looks like the brain in some ways too, so I see a lot of entry points,” said Gabriel.

“I am delighted that Janaina is willing to participate and be part of the process. We are using one of her existing images for this month to open the whole proceedings but I’m excited that she’s now going to create a piece, especially for the song. That always gives it a little more excitement from my end to see what’s going to come up. Please do check out her work.”

The track was written and produced by Gabriel and recorded at Real World Studios, Bath and The Beehive in London.

Of the album, he said: “I’m delighted to say that tonight, at the full moon, we will be beginning another year of full moon releases under the name ‘o\i’. The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings.

“I have been thinking about the future and how we might respond to it. We are sliding into a period of transition like no other, most likely triggered in three waves; AI, quantum computing and the brain computer interface. Artists have a role to look into the mists and, when they catch sight of something, to hold up a mirror.”

Gabriel went on to say that “these are my lumpy bits – i/o: the inside has a new way out and o\i: the outside has a new way in”.

He added: “We are not, and have never been, the exclusively self-determining, independent beings that have been given the run of the world. We are something else, a part of nature, a part of everything and feeling a connection, shaking our booty and giving and receiving some love can help us find our place – and put a big smile on our faces.

“Some of these songs are going to form part of the brain project that I’ve been exploring for a number of years, and some just make me feel happy. I hope you like them.”

Perhaps the follow-up to Hotline TNT’s 2023 breakout “Cartwheel” wouldn’t sound so bright, anthemic, and grandiose – in other words, uninterested in sticking to stylistic trappings – had the lovely sentiments of its predecessor not been amplified by devotion and confidence, not to mention the dynamism of Will Anderson’s touring band joining him in the studio. After many months of the road, the frontman was eager to return to the familiar, for him, introverted process of making another album, but guitarist Lucky Hunter, bassist Haylen Trammel, drummer Mike Ralston, and producer Amos Pitsch convinced him otherwise. If nothing else, “Raspberry Moon” is evidence that at least sometimes, such a leap of trust – for the people in the songs no less than the ones making them pays off.

After writing and recording his first two Hotline TNT albums almost exclusively on his own, Will Anderson decided it was time to go bigger. “Raspberry Moon” is the first Hotline TNT album made as a full band, and that added personnel is evident in the record’s heavy-hitting blend of power-pop and shoegaze. Amid all the fuzz, however, Anderson’s vocals still come out on top as he recounts the highs and lows of being newly in love. It’s a massive-sounding album for overwhelming emotions, with plenty of catchy melodies to help shake out the nerves.

Will Anderson – Guitar, Vocals Lucky Hunter – Guitar Haylen Trammel – Bass Mike Ralston – Drums

Hotline TNT performing live in the KEXP studio. Recorded May 12th, 2025.

Songs: Break Right 00:40 Julia’s War 04:25 Candle 07:16 Son In Law 12:07

There’s nary a misstep to be heard on Messa’s fourth record and first studio effort in three years, “The Spin”. And, in another step of maturity and confidence, the Italian quartet ditched their Pallbearer-esque slow, heavy, chunk guitar sound from their previous full-lengths. The results are illuminating, in at least a few ways. For one, Messa’s compositions shine more brightly than ever before thanks to Alberto Piccolo’s and Marco Zanin’s shift to a more shoegazey guitar sound. For another, the band flaunting its ability to crafty catchy, metal-pop probably wasn’t too high on anyone’s bingo card.

Eleven years into their career, they achieve exactly that on “At Races” and penultimate track “Reveal,” which is the strongest song “The Spin” has to offer. The record also gives vocalist/percussionist Sara Bianchin more opportunities to showcase her expertise in singing without a lick of irony or pretense. Add in some intriguing passages pockmarked with synthesizers and horns, and what you have here is a great, if not perfect, record. 

Armed with chorus pedals, gated drums, and a mood board that simply read “The Eighties,” the Italian band Messa made their masterpiece. “The Spin” isn’t great because it successfully emulates familiar sounds but because it finds Messa making those sounds their own. There’s bouncy post-punk, smoldering power balladry, and noirish dark jazz here to augment the fundamentally doom metal core, but it’s all processed through the singular machine that is Messa — four generationally talented musicians whose symbiotic closeness you can hear in every note.

Released April 11th, 2025

Behold, the country-fried slow core album of your dreams! On “God’s Gonna Give You A Million Dollars”, Shallowater conjure the tumbleweed-strewn environs of their West Texas homeland in the form of patiently creeping pensive twang, but from time to time the gad-dang thing explodes like an improperly lit propane tank. The vibes are too dour to be described as immaculate, but you can just bask in this thing until it blows you away.

 There’s a wonderful synthesis of sounds on this album – it’s solid from the start until the finish, overall an excellent album and I hope this one gives them some more hype! 

Shallowater is possibly the best act in slowcore right now. Their debut was a great taste of the eventual magic that would appear here. The cohesion, the consistency, and oh my god that distorted guitar is absolute bliss! A truly marvelous record from one of the most promising talent around right now in the genre.

This Sunderland producer’s previous work included one EP of power electronics, one of antic club tracks, collabs with Aya and 96 Back as Microplastics, gigging with Kero Kero Bonito and a smattering of other credits. So her staggering, fully formed songwriterly debut was a total bolt from the blue. A swarming orchestral epic with shades of Julia Holter and Phil Elverum, it addressed her grief for her late father in serenely surrealist images – hitting a deer with a car in the middle of the night – and the painfully mundane realism of sitting in hospital corridors together.

The standout “Miss America” combined both to stunning effect, a numbed incantation of everything Walton had seen on the US trip where she learned of her father’s diagnosis, the familiar now remade horribly mythic.

Walton is a beloved figure across various sectors of the alternative music underground. Outside of her own music and soundtrack work, she has been a live drummer for Kero Kero Bonito, collaborates with Sarah Midori Perry on the pair’s Cryalot project, has remixed Metronomy and worked with Iceboy Violet, BABii and more. She recently contributed to London collective caroline’s acclaimed “caroline 2” album.

The first seeds of Walton’s debut album were sowed during touring North America in 2018, where whilst ticking off life-long music goals, Walton’s father was dying of cancer. Grief is a constant presence throughout “Daughters”, and specifically the surreal nature of having to process it amongst a blur of airports, flight connections, hotel rooms and battles for stolen medication with the American healthcare system. Strip malls, drug deals, panic attacks; the artificiality of downtown American city districts dovetailing with reality in its most brutal form. “Miss America” for a day while life is changed forever.

Weaving between real life diary entries, travelogue-style storytelling, imagery that ranges from mechanical to religious and a scattering of fiction (though we are obliged to mention that ‘Shelly’ is based on a true story), “Daughters” climaxes with the staggering run of ‘Saints’, ‘Miss America’ and its title track. Sampling unattended machines harmonising bleeps into the void in a London hospital ward, ‘Saints’ narrates Walton taking her father to and from cancer research trials, “sat, hunched and sick in the concourse as minutes became hours”. And to be very real for a moment, Jen is a friend, and first hearing the ‘Miss America’ demo is up there with the most emotional moments we’ve had in 15 years of running this record label.

Finished in London across the second half of 2024, “Daughters” features musical contributions from some of the closest friends and collaborators that Walton has made in her time as a musician: aya (who also mixed the album), Daniel S. Evans, Joshua Barfood and Nick Granata (all of Shovel Dance), Alex McKenzie (of caroline and Shovel Dance), Aga Ujma and Bob Lockwood.

Local Action is proud to present “Daughters“, the debut album by Jennifer Walton.

Lisa Knapp has long been an exciting folk singer and interpreter, with a range that’s open-hearted and wild, and her husband, Gerry Diver, is an innovative producer working with ease across folk, pop, film and TV. The couple’s first officially collaborative album includes a brilliant, cinematic rendition of the murder ballad “Long Lankin” and a moving, fragile rush through the emotions of Irish ballad “Lass of Aughrim”. Knapp’s spry facility with the fiddle in Monaghan Jig/Monks Jig Set also impresses, as does her spoken-word delivery of travelling snapshots in “Train Song”.

Since her 2007 debut, “Wild and Undaunted“, Londoner Lisa Knapp has blazed an impressive trail at the avant edge of British folk, her bravura vocals lighting up self-penned songs and well-loved standards, while the inventive arrangements of partner and producer Gerry Diver – now credited as co-creator – have helped capture the wyrdness, wonder and darkness of folklore.

On “Hinterland“, the pair repeat the trick to thrilling effect. Opener “Hawk & Crow” has Knapp at her larkish best, giving voice to a cast of birds over a stumbling, broken rhythm – a kind of elfin Tom Waits. The spoken-word “Train Song” relocates us to today’s mundane realities – “poplars tall, village hall, stately home, sewage works” – before “Star Carr” “whisks us back to the Mesolithic Yorkshire site where ritual headdresses of red deer antler hint at ancient raves.

The most transfixing song too few people heard in 2025 has actually been around for nearly 300 years. “Long Lankin”, an insanely violent traditional folk murder ballad, has been performed by musical ghouls since at least the 1750s. Far more recently, its dark soul has been conjured by trad stars as esteemed as Martin Carthy, Shirley Collins and Steeleye Span. Never, however, have I heard a version as bone-chilling as the one by the English folk star Lisa Knapp. (It appears on “Hinterland“, her first album co-credited to her longtime partner in music, life and, for all I know, crime, Gerry Diver). Knapp’s quavering soprano manages to sound, at once, pristine and menacing, a silky ghost of a thing equally skilled at seduction and threat. The clarity of her tone has a Sandy Denny purity, but her vibrato portends imminent danger, underscored by Diver’s creepy-crawly glockenspiel andPete Flood’s spooky drums, which have the jazzy surprise of Terry Cox’s work with Pentangle. While the musicians orchestrate the shifting perspectives of the lyric, Knapp delivers a vocal so arresting, you won’t know whether to shudder or swoon.

Along with intense fiddle playing from Diver, crepuscular instrumentation accompanies a clutch of traditional ballads; the tender romance of “I Must Away Love“, But the murderous “Long Lankin” and the forlorn “Lass of Aughrim“, the last with Knapp in heartbreaking form. She sings carefully throughout but remains unafraid to spill the odd yowl and yelp; you get the whole person. Folk at its most exalted.

In a year that saw the troubling rise of AI-generated slop music, there is something endlessly comforting about a song that can only have been written by a messy, complicated human. The first lines of Al Olender’s delightfully specific track “The Cyclone”, draw on a memory of driving to Queens to “try to get laid”, and from there the song takes our unwinding narrator to a Baltimore freeway, Planet Fitness bathroom, and, yes, the titular Coney Island attraction. It’s a well-trodden theme, though usually sung by classic dude troubadours such as Townes Van Zandt or Merle Haggard: no matter where she runs, she’s herself, and it’s a problem.

But the song’s crescendo is one of the prettiest, and lasting, that I have heard in a while. After losing love (or maybe it was just some guy), the singer resolves to replace all of her glass with paper plates – “things I cannot break”

“The Cyclone” off Al Olender’s sophomore record, ‘The Worrier’.