Organised by the people behind the infamous Coachella Festival, All Points East is a series of major outdoor events taking place this summer at Victoria Park in East London which boasts a huge headliner each night.
Jessica’s Brother first started playing together in October 2016 when Jonny Helm (drums, also of The Wave Pictures) asked Charlie Higgs (bass, previously of Ramshackle Union Band) to come and play some songs written by Tom Charleston (Jessica’s Brother). The trio clicked immediately, and just 9 months later recorded the album with Laurie Sherman at The Cube and with Darren Hayman.
Jessica’s Brother are a London-based trio, fronted by songwriter Tom Charleston. The band recently shared their debut single, “Overnight Horror”, a track that blends the worlds of Americana and 1960’s folk into a perfectly formed sound entirely their own. The track was the first taste of an upcoming album, coming soon on Fika Recordings. A record the band suggest blends themes of, “joy, anger, silliness”. The album, which features guest appearances from the likes of Allo Darlin’s Paul Rains and Enderby’s Room violinist Dan Mayfield, was, the band say, a result of changing characters, and, “instruments clambering over each other in a small room”. So far so intriguing, Jessica’s Brother may not have shared much material to date.
There are themes of joy, anger, silliness. The characters change, the instruments clamber over each other in a small room. Their shared influences include Silver Jews, Jason Molina, Richard Thompson and Neil Young.
Olden Yolk are a New York based group built around songwriters, vocalists and multi-instrumentalist Shane Butler who was also a member of, the psych-rock band, Quilt and Caity Shaffer. The band is set to release their self-titled debut album in February, on the ever excellent psych-and-more label, Trouble In Mind Records.
The band have suggested the tracks on their debut album are a series of odes to city living, resulting in a genre they coin as “urban psychedelia”. Olden Yolk are a band who seem to constantly reinvent themselves, even over the course of a single record: a fascinating album that’s set to take the coming year by storm.
Olden Yolk’s sound is intriguing; the band citing, “a penchant for dystopian folk, abstract poeticism, and motorik rhythms”. The resultant record is one that seems to flitter through genres, drifting from the hazy-kraut driven, Takes One To Know One, to the angular Cate Le Bon-like, Vital Sign and the psych-folk of Gamblers On A Dime.
Still in her teens at the time, Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison and her indie rock project Soccer Mommy turned some heads in 2016 with her cassette-only release of For Young Hearts, 8 tracks of minimal bedroom pop budding with melancholy chord progressions and refreshingly frank lyrical accompaniment. It was enough to catch Fat Possum’s attention, signing her in 2017 for a collective album . Fans of Waxahatchee, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers will dig this one for sure.
Soccer Mommy – Songs from my bedroom
In between playing 117 shows last year, Courtney Marie Andrews managed to make time to record her new album titled May Your Kindness Remain. Much of the new album was written when Courtney was on the road but she says that the new album “it’s not a road record like its predecessor.” Instead she say it was inspired by the people she met along her travels. Many of her songs depict “complex people and places with all too common struggles.” May Your Kindness Remain was produced by Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, and Willie Nelson), and features a great set of session players. Courtney has an amazing voice and that is full force on the title track/lead single. It is a slow building track with some beautiful gospel harmonies and a bit of fuzzed out guitar. Check it out below.
So far, there are two limited variants, a ‘Pink Rose’ version you can pick up directly from Courtney or the Fat Possum web store (limited to 300) and a gold variant that will be sold at independent record stores.
“…a collection of songs, borne from interactions with others, that strives for healing and empathy in the midst of division and discord.” – NPR
“…awash in church organ, lush harmonies, and a soaring, impassioned lead vocal from Andrews, whose twang quivers and shudders as she scales the song’s climactic final refrain.” – Rolling Stone
“Andrews gives us a glimpse as to how far her voice will go with the gospel-powered title track. Electric guitar and a soulful organ bass combine with Andrews’ traditional folk songwriting to drive the chorus…We’d all do well to listen”
Olympia, WA post punk trio UK GOLD wound up among my top singles of 2017, and they look to be continuing with that momentum in 2018 with the release of this tough little post punk rumbler called “Off Duty Nuns”. It’s the first track teased from the upcoming Girlsville benefit compilation OUR VOLTAGE.
FROM GIRLSVILLE:
“OUR VOLTAGE IS A BENEFIT COMP FOR LEGAL AID FOR ANTI-RACIST ANTI-FASCIST ACTIVISTS, GAS/FOOD MONEY FOR CITIZEN JOURNALIST LIVESTREAMERS, AND FOR LEFTIST SELF DEFENSE GYM HAYMAKER IN CHICAGO.
THIS COMP FEATURES BRAND NEW TUNES BY UK GOLD, DAMAGED BUG, MR.AIRPLANE MAN, FREAK GENES, BUMMERS EVE, VIRVON VARVON, BEASTII, GERM HOUSE, MR. & THE MRS.,THE MYRMIDONS, PLUS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED JAMS FROM THE PRISSTEENS, THE BUZZARDS, & ATOMIC SUPLEX.”
Lauren Ruth Ward’s music has spread like wildfire these past two years in LA after leaving her hometown of Baltimore. Her lyrics are secrets to strangers, writing about her life’s trajectory sharing both vulnerability and strength delivered with grit and vibrato. Her band re-creates 60’s rock and roll nuances, allowing Ward to release a powerhouse of raw, visceral emotion in their live show.
The Band
Lauren – Vox & Guitar
Eduardo – Guitar & Background Vox
Livia – Bass Guitar & Background Vox
India – Drums & & Background Vox
Releasing a new single on Lost Map Records (Pictish Trail, Kid Canaveral, Rozi Plain). It’s a song called ‘Build A Building’, and it’s about seeking release from feeling like a cog in a machine.
The band are Mike Cranny, Laura Copsey, Martin Thompson, Giles Littleford and Tom Hargreaves. Together they write lyrical alt-pop songs which are filtered through joyous surges of collective noisemaking and bursts of electronic sound from synths and guitars. The debut album ‘Never Closer‘ came out at the end of 2014 and the new album ‘The Year Dot’ will be out on Lost Map Records in early 2018. The first single taken from it ‘Build A Building’ is out now.
For The Rabbits blog premiered it and described it as: “a lush flourish of sound – breezy guitar lines combined with sun-dripped melodies and bursts of textural electronic noise”.
“Hey there, ho there, do you wanna go there?” Yeah Nah? Then man you better get the fuck out of the way because Lazertits are quickly joining emus and roos in the ranks of Aussie icons that never evolved any interest in backing down. Triple J’s Home & Hosed host Dom Alessio called Boss Bitch “a late contender for the Best Lyrics Of 2016 award” and their full-length debut in November had all the wit, sarcasm and furious guitar fuzz of the 2016 single nine times over. Catch them live ‘round the country in Jan for the Swim Tits summer tour.
Melbourne’s BATTS aka Tanya Batt has released her melancholic debut EP ’62 Moons’ alongside single ‘Somedays’. Her previously released singles ‘For Now’ and ‘Little White Lies’ received fans from FBi, BBC, triple j and Radio X for her signature shoe-gaze, psych-tinged, folk/pop similar to the sounds of Mazzy Star and early Daughter. Recently signed to THAA Records alongside lanks as their first two signings. What an absolute dream come true! To infinity and beyond
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