Indie
Track: The Radio Dept. – Occupied
Swedish dream poppers The Radio Dept. returned, rather unexpectedly last September after a four year absence, with a track, Death to Fascism, just in time (or timed perfectly?) for the Swedish elections. Now they’re back for real, with Occupied, taken from their long awaited fourth album, and available now on 12″ limited edition vinyl and …
Psych Insight: EP Review – Array 1 by Loop
When the Pixies released the first of their three EPs after a prolonged absence, back in 2013, many suspected that the decision to stagger their new material was deliberately made to circumvent the critical emphasis that would have been inevitably placed on the songs, had they been released together in the traditional album format. It’s …
Meet: Interview With Auction For The Promise Club
The indie trio Auction for the Promise Club may come from a beautiful beach town in Cornwall (St. Agnes) with a vibrant music scene, but if you are expecting laid-back Beach Boys tributes or upbeat sunshiny summer party music, think again. With the punchy, brooding lilt of singer and guitarist Zoe White Chambers’ voice and Perran Tremewan’s Muse-like inky guitar, they …
Track: The Districts – Chlorine, plus Summer festival dates
Coming off the back of a run of UK shows, which included a sold out date at London’s Scala, as well as a contender for an album of the year with the brilliant A Flourish and A Spoil, Philadelphia quartet The Districts return with a new single, Chlorine. Out on July 17th via Fat Possum, …
Album Review: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – The High Country
Springfield, Missouri five piece Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, despite the fantastic name, were a band that had largely passed me by. So reviewing The High Country, the bands fourth album – out now on Polyvinyl, was a voyage of discovery for me. As it turns out it was a very enjoyable journey as …
Meet: Lisbon – Lead singer Matthew Varty interviewed
One of the North East’s finest, Lisbon, stop off on their first headline tour of the UK to chat to me ahead of their Sheffield gig at The Rocking Chair. Lead singer Matthew Varty chats Whitley Bay, Westeros and what’s in a name… WARNING – CONTAINS “GAME OF THRONES” SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5!!! Backseat Mafia: …
Track: Why We Run release the melancholic indie of Ignites
We were already mightily impressed by Why We Run’s debut single, ‘Comfortable Lie’, earlier this year and their follow-up release, ‘Ignites’, indicates this Sydney four piece are no flash in the pan. Out today, ‘Ignites’ is another lilting, sparkling and extremely assured song from a band that has created its own fresh, unique sound, and …
Track: Ducktails release new single, Surreal Exposure
Ahead of the release of his fifth album, St. Catherine – out on 24th July via Domino Records, Ducktails aka Matt Mondanile is releasing a new single, Surreal Exposure. The sometime Real Estate man recorded the album in bedrooms from Berlin to New York to fit around his other projects heavy touring schedule, but has …
Live Review: Lisbon, Bayonet, The Rocking Chair, Sheffield, 18.06.2015
Lisbon first came onto my radar last year when I accidentally caught them supporting Saint Motel at Plug in Sheffield. They were enthusiastic, exciting and totally deserving of a bigger crowd than their support slot offered them. In the months since this visit to Sheffield, they’ve been working on their material and should see an …
Live Review: Long Division 2015 – Wakefield 12th – 14th June
Long Division, a three day urban festival, spread over eight venues all within spitting distance of each other. Over 60 bands on offer and with the added bonus of it been just down the road in the city where I grew up, and still live. What started out five years ago as a full on …