Honeyblood – No Big Deal/Black Cloud (FatCat Records): The Scottish duo bring their characteristically sarcastic and observant lyricism to the forefront with this brilliant tale of a love that’s lost its lustre, accompanied by a B-Side version of ‘Black Cloud’. This is a double A-side 7″ from the Glaswegian duo is brimming with jangly riffs with a fuzzy, grungy sound. Both songs have a energetic buzz .
With a release on the last Record Store Day 2015 , The Scottish two-piece Honeyblood have shared new track ‘The Black Cloud’ .
Describing ‘The black Cloud’, front-woman Stina Tweeddale says:
“‘The Black Cloud’ is an ode to the people who keep you strong. Everyone has days when they feel like it’s over, it’s just good to remember that it will always pass. I’m also excited about this one as it’s a bit heavier and fast-paced than many songs on the album.”
‘The Black Cloud’ will be released on a run of limited edition 7” vinyl via Fat Cat Records.
Starting out around two years ago, Glasgow’s White have been kicking up a fuss since the release of their debut track ‘Future Pleasures’. Comprised of Leo Condie (singer), Hamish Fingland (guitar), Chris Potter (guitar), Lewis Andrew (bass), Kirstin Lynn (drums), Leo explains how the band first got together.
“I was put in touch with Hamish,” Leo begins. “He was looking for someone to do some singing on a side project he’d been working on, but as soon as we got together we realised we could do something more full on.”
“A more substantial thing!” Hamish continues, “I live with two other people in the band and we write music anyway, so we tried Leo singing on it and decided to make a full band out of it. We then got Kirstin to play the drums, and she added the magic touch!”
After adding Kirstin’s “delicate yet magic touch” (she jokes calling it “the elephant touch”), things have only gotten bigger for them, but the past two years haven’t seemed as fast paced as they may seem.
“We spent some time writing songs and deciding what we would be about before putting ourselves out there, so we were ready for what the world’s got,” they start. “We didn’t tell anyone about the band existing for around seven to eight months. It was a secret for over half a year so it feels like a long time coming.”
After months of preparation and a couple of previous releases, White dropped their track ‘Living Fiction’ on SoundCloud. Following a mention in NME’s Radar feature, Mario, a DJ at Hamburg’s Molotow, got in contact to book them for their first gig after hearing their track and playing it in his set. “It was an awesome night! We felt no pressure,” Leo explains before reminiscing over their Hamburg experience.
“We’d just driven for 20 hours so were were in a strange mind-set anyway. It was all dream life. We’d also rented a warehouse there through Airbnb and it had a sex swing in, and the stage had a window at the back and the front so people in the street could see all!”.
White are due to release their debut EP, Cuts That Don’t Bleed, in autumn and will feature five (“four and half really”, Leo adds) tracks. They’ve already unveiled ‘Step Up’ and ‘I Liked You Better When You Needed Me’, and plan to slowly leak little bits.
I Liked You Better When You Needed Me will feature on WHITE’s debut EP, Cuts That Don’t Bleed, released this Autumn
Modern Studies‘ debut album Swell to Great is out on digital, CD and vinyl on Song, by Toad Records on the 12th September 2016.
Modern Studies are a chamber pop band from Glasgow-via-Yorkshire. Their quietly experimental landscape songs are played on analogue synths, cello, double bass, drums, guitars, a wine-glass orchestra and, at the creaking centre of things, a Victorian pedal harmonium.
The band came together in early 2015, when Glasgow songwriter Emily Scott recruited old pals and collaborators Pete Harvey (King Creosote, The Leg), Joe Smillie (boss of Glasgow’s The Glad Cafe) and Rob St. John.
Working throughout the year at Pumpkinfield – Pete’s rural Perthshire studio – the band shaped a set of Emily’s skeleton songs, drawing largely from the salt and spray of the sea. This communal arts-und-crafts-werk resulted in their debut LP ‘Swell to Great’ (named after a stop on the wheezing old harmonium), which will be released on Song, by Toad Records of Edinburgh, Scotland in September 2016.
The band also began an ongoing collaboration with London-based label Earth Recordings in 2015, contributing a Shirley Collins cover ‘The Bold Fisherman’ to the ‘Shirley Inspired’ tribute LP. More releases with Earth are planned for later in the year.
Modern Studies will play a selection of UK shows and festivals throughout 2016.
To those who were there from the beginning, to those who have just discovered us: without your support none of this would be possible. Without people that still embrace new music in this time of commercial domination we wouldn’t be here today, on the eve of our debut album.
A special thank you to everyone that has pre-ordered the album. On 26th February, 2016 we will share with you something that we can’t put into words.
We hope to see you on our upcoming tour where you can experience the other side of Holy Esque. Raw and live.
Catholic Action are a product of Glasgow’s famously fertile music scene but have won fans across the UK thanks to their peerless pop masterpieces. After a run of rapturously received gigs in their hometown the group are ready to release their long-awaited debut release for Luv Luv Luv Records (Spector, Only Real, Splashh, The Garden)
The four-piece band are centered around the singular talents of vocalist and guitarist Chris McCrory – already known among key taste-makers as the drummer in Casual Sex, another of Glasgow’s leading musical lights.
McCrory, still only 24, became a full-time producer and recording engineer straight from school after establishing his own studio. While helping many of the artists in Glasgow’s burgeoning DIY scene, McCrory is also an exceptional songwriter in his own right and his group quickly became the most talked about in town.
Catholic Action were formed in 2014 by McCrory alongside Jamie Dubber on bass and Ryan Clark on drums. Andrew Macpherson later joined as lead guitarist to add extra sparkle to the group’s own brand of glam noise rock.
The group were personally invited by Alex Kapranos to support FFS at their sold-out show at the famous Barrowland Ballroom last August. Just days later, Carl Barat was in touch to ask them to open for The Libertines when they played Glasgow’s Academy the following month – an invitation to open on Swim Deep’s UK tour in October 2015 followed.
L.U.V. was recorded at the Green Door Studio in Glasgow by Sam Smith (Casual Sex, Mother and the Addicts). The single was mixed at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool by Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Clean Cut Kid).
Amalgamating 3 EP’s, calling it ‘Resort’ and releasing it as a monster 15 track chronological compilation is a stroke of genius by Glaswegian guitar pop duo ‘Tuff Love. ‘Resort’ gets its official release on January 29th 2016 via Lost Map Records and it brings together both of the (now sold out & for the foreseeable future digitally deleted) two EP’s ‘Junk & Dross’ & more recent sonically brilliant ‘Dregs’ with a view to introducing Tuff Love’s brand of dreamy, grunge tinged, guitar pop to those who haven’t previously heard the band before. The only missing piece on this epic collection of tracks was the previously released and equally fuzzed out ‘Record Store Day 7’ single’ – ‘Groucho’. Having spent the summer of 2015 accompanying reformed shoegazing stalwarts ‘Ride’ on their UK tour to also sharing the stage with ‘Perfect Pussy, PAWS, Real Estate & Joanna Gruesome’ along the way, Tuff Love’s DIY approach to home recording & producing has carried them in good stead. The band are made up of Julie Eisenstein – Guitar & Vocals, Suse Bear – Bass & Vocals plus live Drummer Iain Stewart (Also A Member Of The Phantom Band).
opens up with the jangling tones of ‘Sweet Content’. Sublime reverb laced vocals straddle a simple beat until we’re treated to a fuzzed out explosive thrill ride to its finale. Up next, ‘Flamingo’ begins with a melodic guitar line but quickly rolls out into a brilliant slice of fuzzy, grunge tinged guitar pop. ‘Copper’ brings a fuzzed out plodding drum pattern intertwined with that immense vocal & an utterly addictive guitar line. ‘Poncho’ is steeped in early 90’s fuzzed out grunge but just like track five ‘Penguin’ it vocally has a melodic splattering reminiscent of early 4AD stabled bands such as the recently reformed UK based – ‘Lush’. The menacing intro of ‘Slammer’ begins and it continues to build & build until it explodes to a melodic & colourful ending leading the way for track seven, the charging ‘That’s Right’ & again we’re treated to another melodically fuzzed out sonic journey. ‘Sebastian’ brings us back to the heady early ‘Brit Pop’ days and is particularly reminiscent of UK band ’Elastica’ with its repetitive plodding guitars and melodic vocal lines whilst ‘Doberman’ is sun bleached and full of melody as it builds and erupts into its fuzzy chorus parts. Full on jangling guitar pop leads the charge with the impressive ‘Cum’ and again I’m impressed with just how much melody and structure Tuff Love manages to cram into a three and a half minute song? Really cool actually. The fast paced ‘Duke’ enters the frame and fans of early 4AD records stuff will instantly fall in love with its explosive chord structures & duel vocal harmonies.
‘Crocodile’, the bands latest single, is more of the same, all be it for that 60’s psych pop like guitar line that breaks the monotony every now and again & that synth line towards the end. ‘Threads’ is by far my favourite track on this whole release. Its has a very post shoegaze era ‘RIDE’ sound with their album ‘Carnival Of Light’ coming to mind. I think its all down to the charging tempo, jangling guitars & effected vocal lines? Either way, it ticks all of the sonic boxes for me. We’ve slowed the tempo considerably for the opening salvo’s of ‘Amphibian’ and we’re treated to some fuzzed out shimmering psych pop with impressive vocals and a sweet bass line. The albums closer entitled ‘Carbon’ swims in jangling, reverberating guitars & beautifully golden vocal harmonies.
‘Resort’ is a chronological snap shot of work created by Tuff Love from 2012 – 2015. Old & new fans alike will love what this band have to offer as they skip through grunge tinged, jangling guitar pop & shimmering psych pop with aplomb.
Fatherson – Rage Music Studio Session Earlier this month we popped by the studio of Rage Music in Glasgow to play a session as part of their ‘RageMusic Studio Session‘ series. Watch the live acoustic versions of ‘Cat Stevens’, ‘Mine For Me’ and ‘I Like Not Knowing’ For the second installment of the Rage Music Studio Sessions, we invited Fatherson to our sun speckled garden. The ink had barely dried on their Easy Life/Sony recording deal so the boys were in high spirits; reflected in this fantastic, stripped back performance.
The glorious antithesis of the contemporary hunger for fast culture and fatuous fleeting music consumption, Glasgow’sC Duncan is a throwback in many ways both vocally and musically. A former student of the city’s renowned Royal Conservatoire, the classicist with a penchant for pop has married the choral harmonies of the Baroque and Gaelic with the hazy afterglow of 60s groups such as Harpers Bizarre and The Beach Boys, then added veiled whispers of Talk Talk, The Cocteau Twins and (stay with me on this one) Sting to craft something magical. Impressive not just on record but pulling it off live with his extended trio touring band (seriously, one of the best performances and talents we’ve ever had the pleasure to witness), Duncan’s soothing venerated tones and musicianship are encapsulating.
But rather then use the grand and extended orchestral tools and acoustic spaces of classical music, Duncan methodically and intricately layers his ethereal, and sometimes transcendental, songs in his bedroom studio. Precise, purposeful and planned to the latter, each note, chime, melodic suffused wave and example of interplay is meticulously placed. Architect is then, perhaps one of the most finely crafted albums of late. Yet, most impressive of all is Duncan’s ability to make this precision sound so dreamily and amorphously lush and drifting.’
Having been around for a couple of years, Tuff Love are finally set to release their debut full length album, Resort, in January 2016 – an amalgamation of their three previous EPs, all put together in one release.
The Glaswegian duo take the husks of humiliation, anger, and dependency, and turn them into fully-fledged, shimmering rock songs. And, writing and recording their material in bassist/vocalist Suse Bear’s flat, their sound remains consistent, smooth and authentic.
Oozing a cool, no-frills vibe, alongside sunny melodies and grungey hooks, Tuff Love have created their own brand of scuzzy indie-pop that’s both tuff and lovely. And now, having toured with the likes of Ride, Real Estate and Joanna Gruesome, their first full length album promises to showcase just what Julie Eisenstein and Suse Bear are capable of.
They’re due to play The Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May – which is where The Big Moon & Ratboy both played earlier in the year – so a trip down to the seaside to hear Tuff Love should definitely be inked on to your calendar! Over the last year, this Glaswegian duo have become firm favourites and we’ve no doubt that throughout 2016 the Tuff Love love will be spreading far and wide.
In January, Glasgow duo Tuff Love are compiling their essential first three EPs into one collection, ‘Resort’. It’s technically being dubbed as their debut LP, and for good reason – the 15-track release follows their journey from rough-edged lo-fi pop chancers to serious reckoners, just like any fully-fledged debut.
Ahead of ‘Resort’’s release and before 2015 bids farewell, Tuff Love are getting reflective in their new ‘Crocodile’ video. This Ben Cowie & Alan Cameron-directed clip goes bonkers with the mirror and kaleidescope game. Everything’s distorted into surreal angles and strange shapes – it’s Julie Eisenstein and Suse Bear like you’ve never seen them before.
Watch the brand new hypnotic video from Tuff Love, for their current single ‘Crocodile’, The track is taken from their forthcoming EP compilation, Resort – which is being released on Lost Map on 29th January 2016 on LP / CD / digital.
The band are doing a small run of UK dates in Feb, have a looooook …
FEBRUARY
05 Glasgow, Stereo
22 Edinburgh, Sumemrhall
24 Hebden Bridge, Trades Club
25 London, London Fields Brewery
The Fat Angel Sings 