EP Review: Rex – Rex
The filthy, dirty, squawling guitars in ‘Punk por Buleria’, the closing track to Dutch band Rex‘s eponymous EP, epitomises why this band is so special and rare. ‘Rex’ (the EP) is raw and visceral – carnal even – dealing with themes of desolation, loneliness and survival on a bed of delirious and wildly intoxicating music. …
Track: Even As We Speak – Unknown
Even As We Speak are of the most successful Australian musical exports in the late eighties, early nineties – catching the attention of the legendary John Peel and signing to the iconic Sarah Records. Recent years have seen the band reform, and the release of a new single, ‘Unknown’ fills one’s heart with gladness. Off …
Premiere: Jo Meares – The Dirty Game of Art
Here at Backseat Mafia we are very proud to premiere the brilliant new track ‘The Dirty Art of Game’ from Sydney artist Jo Meares. This is a stunning and mesmerising song – haunting, poetic and celestial in its tone. Foremost is the rumbling hypnotic vocals that weave an enticing tale of temptation and sin in …
Premiere: Beezewax – Mom and Dad
Beezewax have been pillars of the Norwegian indie scene for over a decade, fading in and out of the scene, as bands do from time to time, but providing consistently energising material throughout. We are privileged to premiere their new song ‘Mom and Dad’ which is in fact a cover of a song by fellow …
Track: Fontaines D.C. -Televised Mind plus tour news
The mighty Fontaines D.C. are warming up to the release of their much anticipated second album ‘A Heroes Death’ on 31 July 2020 (through Partisan Records) with another tasty morsel: ‘Televised Mind’. Providing a thicker more complex sound palette, ‘Televised Mind’ maintains the almost stream of consciousness poetic exhortations of singer Grian Chatten, building and …
Track: The Institutes – Heal In Time
In my mind, there is absolutely nothing like a classic indie anthem with sky-high choruses, a crescendo of shimmering guitars and a sense of confidence and bravado. The Institutes, in their new single ‘Heal in Time’, have delivered just that. Intelligent lyrics reflecting a senses of resilience and optimism, the shard-like guitars and the dream-like …
Album Review: Kidsmoke – A Vision in the Dark
There is an ethereal majestic sheen that permeates the new album from Kidsmoke. It may well stem from the wild and beautiful landscapes of northern Wales, where the band comes from, but nonetheless sparkles and glitters like a golden thread throughout ‘A Vision in the Dark’. Every track on this vital album is imbued with …
Track: Eep – Hogar
It seems shoegaze/dream pop bands are flourishing in the south of the US at the moment. We were highly impressed by Tan Cologne from New Mexico, and now Eep, from El Paso, Texas have released an epic single ‘Hogar’: a shimmering wall of noise with singer/guitarist/synth Rosie Varela’s floating vocals weaving in and out of …
Album Review: PJ Orr – Tightrope Walker
There is a calming beauty in PJ Orr’s new album ‘Tightrope Walker’ which incorporates the vibrant genes of fellow Australian indie bands – both past and present – and packages this into its own distinctive, mellifluous tones. For PJ Orr are unashamedly Australian: the undisguised vocal twang, the raw lyrical exposition and a jingle jangly …
Track: Border. – Double Rainbow
Here at Backseat Mafia we have written a number of times about the creative petri dish in Italy over the last few years, and this phenomena shows no sign of dissipating through the age of isolation. Bologna’s Border. (and no, the full stop is not a printing error, it’s part of the name) are, like …