Track: The Psychedelic Furs – You’ll Be Mine
If you are like me, the very sound of The Psychedelic Furs‘s singer Richard Butler’s voice increases the pulse and sets free a wave of nostalgia. One of the coolest of the cool post punk new wave bands in the eighties, The Psychedelic Furs had such a distinctive sound and a way with melody and …
Track: Wray – Jogging/Neon Forming
‘Jogging/Neon Sway’ is an absolutely immersive and magic single from Birmingham band Wray – gentle bubbling dream pop with shimmering guitars and haunting melancholic vocals: it hits all the right buttons. And it subverts expectations – distorted voices echo in and out and a synth wash interpolates the structure. The band describes the song as …
Track: Varanasi – Mishima
Formerly known as Japan Suicide, Italy’s Varanasi have re-invented themselves into something slightly more accessible and singing in their native tongue. Their first release under this name was last year’s magnificent ‘Rosemary’s Baby’. They have now released a haunting video for the track ‘Mishima’, now in Italian and it is just as magnificent. Directed by …
EP: Jekyll – The Whispering Gallery
Here at Backseat Mafia we are unabashed fans of Jekyll since their debut, and have already reviewed – very enthusiastically – a number of singles off their new EP ‘The Whispering Gallery’ (The Escapist, I Do What I Can and Marionette). ‘The Whispering Gallery’ collates these releases and adds two new track – ‘Echoes (Uncut)’ …
Track: Hannah Georgas – That Emotion
Produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner, the new single from Hannah Georgas is a gorgeous, dreamy pop song that is celestial and majestic: soothing, crystalline guitars and a driving rhythm, with Georgas’s voice the absolute icing on the cake: Georgas says of working with Dessner: Aaron and I agreed the production needed to bring out …
Live: EWAH and the Vision of Paradise, Altar, Hobart 14 March 2019
EWAH and the Vision of Paradise were launching their single ‘Play Hard’ (see my review and interview here) in their home town, seemingly on the cusp of the apocalypse, and it was a great performance from a band that is incredibly mature and poised. While undoubtedly the enigmatic EWAH, as the principle songwriter, guitarist and …
Track: DMA’S – Life Is A Game Of Changing (Orbital Remix)
DMA’s darkly melancholic ‘Life Is A Game of Changing’ has been remixed by iconic dance duo Orbital to create a slightly more ominous bubbling version of a great song. The bones of the vocals remain, dressed in something far more dance oriented and arctic in tone: Orbital said of the remix: It was great fun …
Track: prettything – One More July
Bella Venuti has form as part of Melbourne band IV League and prettything is another avenue for her work – expressly not a side project but a separate outlet. prettything has just released a dream pop single ‘One More July’ and it is a luminescent delight. ‘One More July’ has at its a heart a …
News: Gena Rose Bruce – UK Tour Announced
One of our favourite Australian artists, chanteuse Gena Rose Bruce, released a brilliant album ‘Can’t Make You Love Me’ late last year which we called ‘ an extraordinary debut that brings to the fore Bruce’s gorgeously rich and expressive vocals with personal tales of love and loss.‘ After the disappointment of the cancellation SXSW where …
Video: Bambara – Stay Cruel
We absolutely love Bambara‘s new album ‘Stray’ – calling it the most satisfying pulse-quickening pure rock’n’roll you could wish for, and said of the song ‘Stay Cruel’ that its alluring siren song backing served to highlight the darkness below the surface. Melodic and foreboding. Bambara have released a new video to the song following sell …