Like all involved in the arts and culture sector, Roxy Girls haven’t been able to pursue their passion for performing live since March. During the slight reprieve between lockdowns, however, the four-piece were able to reunite to record a new EP. The four-track record has been released as a limited edition vinyl, with 75% of profits going towards Sunderland Foodbanks, who’ve provided a lifeline service to the city’s most vulnerable during the pandemic. Made up of Tom Hawick on lead vocals and guitar; Isaac Hirshfield-Wight on guitar and vocals; Matthew Collerton on bass and Aidan Rowan on drums, the band had already built up a firm following in their native Sunderland and were gaining real momentum, with their first headline UK tour booked, before lockdown hit.
Tom, who founded the band with Isaac after the pair met as teenagers at the city’s Pop Recs culture hub, said: “We had the opportunity to finally get together in August and it was very much needed. We’ve all been doing our own musical endeavours in lockdown, but that was the first time we could actually get together. As performers, our entire life has been turned on its head and it’s been really difficult.
Recorded over two much needed days at First Avenue Studios, Newcastle Upon Tyne. The Effect of Tomorrow was only meant to have 100 vinyls pressed, but after all 100 were pre-ordered, subscription service Flying Vinyl donated a further 100 to the cause, with around 90 of those left. Discordant mackems in every which way.
Tom lives with Isaac and the pair already have a backlog of songs written during lockdown, which they’re hoping to be able to perform with the rest of the band for audiences next year.
The singer said: “Having such a backlog of songs is one positive to come out of this and puts us in a really good position for when we’re coming into our first album. We’re confident we’ll be doing gigs again next year and we’re already getting offers in for next summer. Rather than rescheduled dates, they’re new offers, which is great.”
*The Effect of Tomorrow limited edition pink vinyl is £6.99 and is available from theRoxy Girls Bandcamp page.
Released November 23rd, 2020
Written and produced by The Roxy Girls
The Roxy Girls are,
Tom Hawick – Guitar and Vocals Isaac Hirshfield-Wight – Guitar and Vocals Aidan Rowan – Drums and Percussion Matthew Collerton – Bass and Turner Rollies
Debut album on Specialist Subject from the partly California-raised ‘anarcuties’ Charmpit. Quietly subversive cultural politics with a barrelful of musical sugar to ease the medicine down. File under femme, not twee (then burn the filing system; they’re anarchists). “Cause A Stir” by Charmpit (by Emma Prew) London via California DIY pop(star) punk band Charmpit are gearing up to release their much anticipated debut full-length on the 3rd of April. Titled Cause A Stir, the album is being released by the always excellent Specialist Subject Records and follows on from Charmpit’s previous releases on Keroleen Records and Everything Sucks.
This London x California 4 piece, Charmpit, deliver Pop(star) Punk in a queer, DIY “Anarcutie” package. Through playful harmonies, sparkling guitar and to-the-point lyrics, they place a high value on friendship, the power of femme, and FUNctional social justice politics. Their debut LP Cause A Stir is a shining showcase of powerful song-writing twisted up in their hot couture and glittering vision. Charmpit got their start in 2016 during the DIY Space For London’s ‘First Timers’ project; an annual series of workshops, skill-shares and first time performances that ‘celebrates demystification’ and pours fresh, diverse, new talent into the UK music scene. They are what ‘First Timers’ dreams are made of! Releasing their first 7” vinyl single,
New single from upcoming CHARMPIT LP ‘Cause A Stir’ out 3rd April, 2020 on Specialist Subject,
‘A Wealth Of Information’ sees Roxy Girls expand on their unique and idiosyncratic take on the post-punk format. Whilst the band still conveys the same breathless intensity and intricacy in their instrumentation, the new material also finds them developing on their stripped-back sound and experimenting with warmer and more densely structured dynamics. Whereas ‘A Poverty Of Attention’ introduced Roxy Girls high-energy and mordacious lyrical humour to the world, ‘A Wealth Of Information’ exemplifies a more considered insight to the band. Whilst the musicianship is still largely rooted in hook-driven indie-rock territory, the new EP shows a very natural evolution of a sound that has become completely their own.
Speaking about the new EP, Tom Hawick (frontman) says, “A progression in musicianship and technicality, A Wealth Of Information takes A Poverty Of Attention and flips it on its head. Focusing on the tropes of 21st century living and the mundanity that comes with it, these songs focus on themes that have, in one way or another, affected each mortal modern human life.”
Sunderland band, Roxy Girls consists of… boys and kit on his A wealth of information, released by Moshi Moshi Records, a good string of pieces of post-punk obedience, nervous and no frills although not hesitating, within a single essay, to change lanes. Active, in terms of releases, since 2017, the English have been plotting with Dirtier, establishing a punk emergency, recalling Parquet Courts and touching the impact. Commands ,just as jerky and in between, evokes Gang of Four for the raw riffs a tad funky, and demonstrates that here, it seems that we came across a bunch of four guys who do things without derailing, with a youthful spirit that makes them win, again, in impact. You Have To Waste Your Time (if it’s to listen to this skeud, it won’t be a waste of time), based on a similar approach, also unfusses on a short time that makes it all the more efficient. Poor Cow, at first hesitant, then sets up his jolts without softness, his songs allied to the snatch. We’re a taker.
The sketch takes well, it sends itself a draft. Suddenly, she breaks, slightly tempers the ardour of the men. The droid features chatty guitars, one of the advantages of the quartet of Tom Vocals/Six String, Matthew Four String, Aidan Drums/Cowbell, and Isaac Vox/Six String. By regaling us with their late 70’s impulses, with a rough modernism, the young wolves display real virtues.
All talk, its riffs and dry rhythms, confirms. This is a reliable tape, whose work betrays nothing wrong. It sends continuously, nuanced by remaining in excellence. At Moshi Moshi, it is rare for the product to smell bland. The proof here is assailed, with a noticeable aplomb. Get Up (Seize The Day), carried by the “high energy” mentioned on the Bandcamp of Roxy Girls, completes the work without crumbling. From a block, A Wealth of information reveals tense and vigorous tracks, crossed by a beautiful inspiration.
At the end, and after replay, we will go to explore the previous releases of the clique, while keeping an eye on the products of his laudable label. This one offers indeed, and in frequency, a nice scramble of records that deserve an extended stay in our readers of his indies.
Sault and the incredible ‘untitled (black is)’ double album from the band of mystery themselves has just this minute landed!
Mystery is a rare commodity in rock and pop these days. The internet has made investigative journalists of us all, and an artist who expends a lot of effort creating an enigmatic aura will almost invariably find themselves revealed online. So hats off to Sault, who managed to release two albums in 2019 – titled “5” and “7” – without anyone managing to conclusively solve the puzzle of who was behind them.
The incredibly elusive band Sault released their debut album “5” on Vinyl via independent record label Forever Living Originals. The record fuses African, soul, funk and post-punk vibes amongst other flavours. With support from Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne and USA’s KWRC and KEXP, the band are set to go from strength to strength becoming one of the most prolific bands of 2020 with a barrage of material up their sleeves.
It was not for want of trying. Some people suggested the involvement of a London-based musician called Dean Josiah, whose CV boasts co-writing and production credits for Michael Kiwanuka, the Saturdays and Little Simz – the last of whom raved about Sault on social media. Others have posited that British soul singer Cleo Sol and Chicago-based rapper and sometime Kanye West collaborator Kid Sister – both signed to Sault’s label, Forever Living Originals – are the vocalists. But no one has confirmed or denied anything. Sault’s 2019 release is an incredibly strong collection of tracks, a near perfect blend of Soul and Post-Punk aesthetics that works powerfully and seamlessly together.
Political and thought provoking, “5” challenges existing structures and forms while simultaneously keeping listeners moving and dancing.
Without pausing for breath and hot on the heels of their exhilarating debut album 5, the elusive Sault returned with their sophomore full length titled 7. The signature hybrid of funk, dance, post-punk, soul and disco is front and centre once again, confidently delivered with their typical fearless nature. If 5 had you out of your seat,7will have you dancing in the streets….Spread the word, Sault are back at it!. “7” is a great album with strong percussion and vocals, tight production and solid song writing, really great music that’s catchy, accessible, and all around awesome…
You can understand why people are intrigued, because both of Sault’s albums are fantastic, walking an idiosyncratic path that zig-zags between ESG-esque post-punk funk, early 80s boogie and something approaching neo-soul, without ever really fitting into any of those categories or sounding like straightforward homage. Whoever is on drums is clearly a big fan of Can’s Jaki Liebezeit: their playing adds a strange, hypnotic intensity to tracks even as laidback and sunlit sounding as 5’s We Are the Sun. Elsewhere, the dubbed-out spaciness of the production consistently gives everything a weird, disorientating edge, no matter how poppy the melodies get. The mysterious Sault returned with album number three that was announced when the whole album was played on BBC 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson’s show. This is the most essential album for 2020. The 18 track album is an absolute joy whilst delivering a powerful message. Each tracks title nods towards revolution, expression and a celebration of black culture. The sound once again mixes R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop together. For fans of classic soul, ESG and groove.
For all the sparseness of the arrangements – drums and bass, the odd wash of electric piano or blast of fuzzed-out guitar and synth – Sault seem as interested in writing songs as constructing grooves. Virtually every track is concise and to the point, rarely tipping over four minutes, and even the furthest-out moments – 7’s Red Lights or 5’s warped closer BABE – come with really powerful hooks woven through them. The net result feels simultaneously exploratory and confident, a really appealing, intriguing combination. Whoever they are, Sault sound like they know what they’re doing.
Depending on your definition of “supergroup,” Adulkt Life are either a handpicked ensemble of some of the U.K.’s most fondly recalled punk acts—spanning the culty riot grrrl of Huggy Bear to the overcast take on West Coast American garage rock of Male Bonding—or just another collection of nobodies who stumbled into each other’s lives at a record store. Either way, Book of Curses sounds as complex as its individual band members’ back stories, fusing the influences of grunge, post-punk, and post-hardcore icons like Flipper, Wipers, and Nation of Ulysses with modern sensibilities.
With their debut record out today, Chris Rowley—co-vocalist for Huggy Bear coming off a quarter-century musical hiatus—gave us an enlightening and frequently cryptic breakdown of each of the record’s tracks, touching upon moral decency, “hopelessfullness,” and raising kids in a world that struggles with such concepts. Reading Rowley’s scattered thoughts on the project, that silent “K” in the band’s name starts to make a little more sense.
1. “Country Pride”
Simply put, it’s an escape song, it’s the embodiment of too much casual racism and sexism and the need to stop accepting it as part of your day-to-days’ poisons that’s not going to kill you necessarily but… We should all get a sense of humor, right?
It’s a reverse-engineered anthem with all the jingoistic bits and flag-waving burned and buried—our protagonists aren’t ideally suited in a perfect world, but as we said, it’s a messed up one, so tradeoffs in car parks and behind supermarkets better count for something!?
2. “JNR Showtime”
Maybe we’re becoming too mistrustful or cynical about decency and morals and goodness in the world!? The little things that used to give us hope and make us want to love our neighbors—working for a children’s charity for a good few years we’ve heard and seen some stories you would not want in your head…and having children myself you can’t help but become more repelled and vigilante in your thinking however wrong this is to admit. The scumminess of wrongness turned out to be shown for what it is. Cowards and liars should be scared. Always hurts to play this dark rager out, but that’s what you do with poison, innit? Suck then spit!
3. “Whistle/Country”
John’s guitar part translated to the drums and bass so quickly it unlocked a feeling in the room as we practiced it. It’s a plea for authenticity, whatever that means, a song about illusions or cutting through bullshit. Who knows, it’s a series of images linked to what it says in the lyrics—old guys round fires, wanting to be real/looking from a slightly (?) younger point at experience and rich lives lived. But who decides what that is, and if things are tough like they have been for us at points? Is anything better? But this is optimistic, a stone skimmer for the lost generations…
4. “Taking Hits”
This is the Adulkt Life (please don’t worry about pronouncing the “K”) “battle anthem.” We needed to write a song that lifted us up, and the KO’d and arisen scream for deliverance got us there. We were and are a lot of the time about boxing—fights, failures, movies, writing—and this became our backdrop, complete losers (as the idealistic and too sensitive can be) finding a glint or glimmer of something to believe in again! We’ve traded the Joyce Carol Oates book around us a good few rounds, so this is a thanks to no one and for nothing.
5. “Flipper”
I used to love the weird second Flipper album Gone Fishing and really didn’t understand it in the context of what I was listening to at the time, and it’s haunted me a bit with my probable misreadings.
Anyway, John wrote a guitar part that was akin to how I thought the Flipper record was. So it had the subterranean feel and we knew it was going to be a sodium light noir journey of a track, episodic and about revenge, making do, looking after family but risking it all because of your postcode or what yer famz do. The clapping coda is the triumph in the murk if you like…and so we had to name it “Flipper” in homage.
6. “Stevie K”
Kevin’s bass tearing into this idea with Sonny rocking after him set the touch paper for a cyclone of a track that John sabotages beautifully from a chronological sense with feedback lacunas. It’s meant to be a mod anthem, but who cares about the mods anymore anyway?
So it’s a cool song for Steve Kroner from Nation of Ulysses, a band that we loved and that was ruined for regular life by (they were/are just “too much”) and wanted to cast Kroner as a catcher-in-the-rye type figure, literally beyond good and evil…ice-cream under the pier as bottles fly.
7. “Room Context”
One of the first Adulkt Life songs that sort of arrived fully formed—a paranoia anthem casting spells and occulting damage against those who would trespass against us. The album was originally called “Deliver Us From Evil” for a host of reasons we won’t go into. “Room Context” is against power structures and authority charlatanism. It’s for misfits and outcasts, it reminds me a bit of, like, a record biz version of the De Palma movie The Fury, but I’ll get over that in a week or two. Being an older band, I felt not just like we’d be tarred with an ageist brush maybe, but there were whole swathes of audiences/fans who were not allowed or were shunned from feeling part of something. We don’t hate “the kids,” but we definitely don’t get them anymore.
8. “Move”
In the context of feeling separated from activism or rebellion or underground action, because of age or class or gender roles, I tried to write a Wipers song for the disenfranchised using the Kelly Reichardt film Night Moves as the inspirational germ for the narrative. I say all this loosely, but we’re all big film fans and lovers of cinema discourse in Adulkt Life, and that film/filmmaker is “the bomb” as they say—and aptly—here. To move forward we have to get rid of guilt impulses and relationships to past failures or success/require new dialogue. The changes in this are always hard to play if you’ve seen us play the two times so far we have. You’ll know what I’m talking about.
9. “Clean (But Itchy)”
This was Sonny’s defining moment in the young Adulkt Life story. His epic movement of boulders and rock face to scrape and bash this wild styler into shape. John was conducting hot lab sources and Sonny went after him with little concern for his well being. Maybe you can hear this? It’s a lovers’ quarrel played out large—the worst curses, the can’t-take-it-back moments, the no apologies stuff all rolled into one, but perversely it all sounds weirdly sexy, too. Who would’ve thought?
10. “New Curfew”
This ends the Adulkt Life record Book of Curses. Everyone—well, the three people that’ve heard it—think it’s strangely prophetic, and that we were ahead of a curve with prophesying this one, out of the sound dust and word play. Who would’ve wanted to predict where we are now, for goodness sakes, so this is an urban/suburban paean to disappointment, fear, hopelessfullness. In the face of age and responsibilities—the law, your belief/our belief in it, or turning away from it—at a certain point we/you will be replaced and our energies and counter intuitions gone. When you have children of your own or are around kids, you’ll know. They are the future, whether you like it or not. It’s a parents’ prayer in the smoke and petrol.
Adulkt Life’s debut LP Book Of Curses available November 11th.
It will likely turn a few heads that ‘The Mirror’, a dark, brooding track around halfway through this latest from Hey Colossus, features an appearance by the one and only Mark Lanegan. A bonafide alternative rock titan, his reputation for collaborative work is well known, but so are his exacting standards. Only working with the best, the fact he’s even here says volumes about where this shapeshifting, hardcore-cum-post punk noisemakers are at.
Dances / Curses is loud when it needs to be, for example the growling riffs of Tied In A Firing Line, or the stadium-filling, doom-laden frenzy of Dead Songs For Dead Sires, but isn’t afraid of intimacy either. Stylites In Reverse’s delicate melodies, or Blood Red Madrigal’s hazy, woozy, melancholic air. A broad brushstroke that confirms Hey Colossus are among the most vital we’ve currently got.
Hey Colossus is an English rock band formed in London in 2003. Since its inception, the band has undergone several line-upchanges, revolving around founding members Joe Thompson and Robert Davis. Longterm Hey Colossus fan Mark Lanegan makes an appearance amidst the languid and sun-soaked denouement of ‘The Mirror’, the existential gravitas of his tones entirely at home in these revelatory surroundings.
The band is characterised by its ‘heavy’ sound, DIY ethic, prolific output, and stylistic experimentation.
New double album ‘Dances / Curses’ on Ltd Clear 2LP/2CD/DL released on November 6th via Wrong Speed Records (UK/Euro) & Learning Curve Records (US).
Chloe Foy is a Singer/Songwriter from Gloucestershire, UK. Poignant singer-songwriter Chloe Foy soars into 2020 with her introspective collection of enchanting vignettes leading the way. The EP is an intimate selection of songs, old and new, that have been re-imagined within the setting of a string quartet.
Each track effortlessly compliments the next as the violin, viola and cello combine to create a sound that is otherworldly. Lyrically intimate and sonically tender, title track and upcoming single Callous Copper bewitches instantly. Mixing sweeping melodies with Chloe’s silk, smooth vocals and distinctively bittersweet songwriting style, Chloe has managed to create a sound that is both relatable and blissfully emotive. Fans of the likes of Laura Marling and Julia Jacklin will feel at home here.
At last, a new studio album from superb London duo, The Left Outsides, to follow up on 2018’s amazing All That Remains.
The basic building blocks remain the same — half of the sound is Alison Cotton and her viola and keys, the other half is Mark Nicholas with a stunning array of guitars — but the structures they create this time are darker and more forbidding than their antecedents. This album feels very much a piece of the season in which it is being released, as the leaves strip themselves from trees and the sky grows colder, greyer by the hour. More than once while “Are You Sure I Was There” spun I was put in mind of the classic Rainy Day LP, masterminded by Kendra Smith back in 1984. The Left Outsides possess the same sure grasp of that place where sorrow, ecstasy and psychedelics meet in a shower of dying stars.
The tunes here are wonderful. Most are new, although a few have been heard before in different forms (if you knew where to listen.) “The Wind No Longer Stirs the Trees” (with its glorious blend of backwards and forward motion) was on a 7” lathe, backed with “As Night Falls” (a beautiful ode to the promise of winter.) The track “Seance” was first recorded as part of a celebration of Help the Witch, the debut novel by former music critic Tom Cox (whose words were used for most of the lyrics.) And “My Reflection Once Was Me” (which recalls The Trees’ epic tunes by combining massive blocks of raging guitar with Alison’s steady vocals) was featured on the live A Place to Hide LP.
The other compositions are all-new and utterly great. The tunes that Mark sings tend to evoke a certain ’60s whisp. Whether it’s the Floydian lilt of “Only Time Will Tell,” the freakbeat pop of “November on My Mind,” or “Pictures of You,” which stacks a dreamy ’60s overlay upon contempo pop structuring. Alison’s vocals often display a more folky essence. “The Stone Barn” has a vibe very similar to some of Sandy Denny’s later solo work, grounded by stately piano chords. “Things Can Never Be the Same” centers on a gorgeous mid-paced vocal performance, encased in spinning webs of very elegant guitar. And the conjoined vocals on “A Face in the Crowd,” sit atop a huge fuzz riff, sounding like the perfect anthem for the new Slow Music Movement. They wont back down!.
And you shouldn’t either. I’m not exactly sure where anyone gets their records these days but wherever that is, you should march there tout de suite (even if only figuratively) and demand a copy of Are You Sure I Was There? today. And yes, I am sure. Today!
“Eel Drip” is a 4 track EP on digital and solid white 12″ vinyl https://hth.lnk.to/eeldrip“‘Eel Drip’ Is about honouring the dead, the passing of lives within you and beyond you” Trappes explains. “It’s about physical or emotional change, acknowledging fears, and being true to yourself… reaching your full potential.” Eel Drip sees fragile arpeggiated electronics and hazy vocals swell to a celestial hallow. It sets a delicate, unhurried sense of peace that flows throughout the EP’s four tracks – both sparse and gentle, yet rushing with light and emotion. The accompanying video was directed by Agnes Haus and inspired by artist Francesca Woodman’s 1970s series of nude self-portraits with Eels.
Of the video, Trappes comments: “In the process of changing and shedding past notions of myself, there is another world between the past and the future. An eternal state, unknown, warped, slippery, free. Submitting to change, dying… being reborn.”
‘Eel Drip” sees fragile arpeggiated electronics and hazy vocals swell to a celestial hallow. It sets a delicate, unhurried sense of peace that flows throughout the EP’s four tracks – both sparse and gentle, yet rushing with light and emotion. She is a shapeshifter known for being a goddess of war and battle, the cycle of life and death, and is also associated with wisdom and prophecy, magic and the land. Often portrayed as a trio of sisters who appeared as a crow, she was the keeper of fate, teller of secrets and purveyor of prophecy.
Of the video, Penelope comments: “In the process of changing and shedding past notions of myself, there is another world between the past and the future. An eternal state, unknown, warped, slippery, free. Submitting to change, dying… being reborn.”
if this were any further up our street, it’d be in our living room! Trappes‘ brooding dreamscapes are just impossible to resist.
summoning the great ghosts of vintage 4ad and kranky, the Australian singer and producer makes inky dream pop that’s as heavy and welcoming as a weighted blanket in winter. ‘Eel Drip’ is referencing the celtic goddess of war and death, Morrigan, the phantom queen. she is a shapeshifter known for being a goddess of war and battle, the cycle of life and death, and is also associated with wisdom and prophecy, magic and the land. often portrayed as a trio of sisters who appeared as a crow, she was the keeper of fate, teller of secrets and purveyor of prophecy. …in her tales and prophecies there were crows, ravens, wolves, vultures, eels and cows. fans of grouper, Hilary Woods and Cross Record will love this.
Following Brutalism (2017) and Joy as an Act of Resistance (2018), two releases that garnered global critical acclaim, IDLES return with their highly anticipated third album – “Ultra Mono”. Sonically constructed to capture the feeling of a hip-hop record (including production contribution from Kenny Beats), the album doubles down on the vitriolic sneer and blunt social commentary of their past work. Not far beneath the surface of their self-admitted sloganeering lies a deeply complex and brutally relevant album that chews up clichés and spits them out as high art for the masses. This is momentary acceptance of the self. This is Ultra Mono.
Since their 2017 debut Brutalism, British punks IDLES have seemed like a band on a mission. Release a record, tour hard, write more songs, make another album, do it all again. Their new record Ultra Mono is their third in four years, which is impressive when you see the band’s immense pre-pandemic touring schedule. “We never stop writing,” says frontman Joe Talbot,
The band have a method for writing an album that goes well beyond standing in a room and playing. They are organised and focused, which ensures their records remain centred on a theme. “With every album, we start with the title – and artwork normally comes to mind – with a theme around it, and then I kind of build the idea around the album,” Talbot says. “Then we start writing the songs specifically to those ideas, with the idea that if we’ve got boundaries, we can all work within them and work together better, because we’re very different people.
“It’s important for us to understand each other moving forward, because we write democratically. We don’t want it to be some sort of autocracy. We all pitch in.m This time around, Talbot wanted to write about internal struggles. The frontman admits to struggling with certain sides of fame, notably the understanding that his work will now be noticed by more people than ever. Such a profile comes with pressure, and feelings that threaten to inhibit creativity. “I was going through a lot of self-doubt around writing,” he says. “There’s a lot of eyes and ears on us, way more than before Joy… [2018 album Joy Is An Act of Resistance] came out.
“So, I just wanted to focus on that idea of self-awareness as a way of progress and understanding what self-care really meant.” So, Ultra Mono became a record about accepting yourself for who and what you are.
KEXP.ORG presents IDLES sharing songs recorded exclusively for KEXP and talking with Kevin Cole. Recorded Thursday, October 1st, 2020. Songs:
Model Village
Mr. Motivator
War
Grounds
The Fat Angel Sings 