single

SINGLE | Ought: Men For Miles

 

Montreal’s Ought just released a beautifully enigmatic new single Men For Miles, which shifts between crackled post-punk obscurity and a somewhat vulnerable delicateness. Arguably an ambiguous opener for forthcoming album Sun Coming Down, but only a fool would argue against it.

Guitars vault from a fuzz of jangley echoes to a bouncy, yet still fuzzy erratic riff underneath equally erratic low to high vocals in a brilliant Parquet Courts-esque style. Singer-frontman Tim Darcy utters over a barbaric bass line “there were men for miles / there were men for miles / and does it just bring a tear to your eye” followed by a contrasting almost falsetto imitation of the lyrics “a tear to your eye / a tear to your eye”. This single is so infectious and totally audacious in the way it swoons between it’s extremes, between contentious and mellifluous.

Ought are definitely stirring something for this new album (out on Sept 18th via Constellation Records) so it’s not one to miss. They’re doing a handful of shows in the UK in September with Shopping including End Of The Road festival before heading out on a North American tour in October so catch them while you can.

RELEASE DATE (ALBUM): 18 September 2015

RECORD LABEL: Constellation Records

FOR FANS OF: Joy Division, Parquet Courts, Eagulls, Speedy Ortiz, Ty Segall

SINGLE | Hinds: Chili Town

 

I sincerely doubt you could find a band quite like Hinds, who seem to have the ability to demolish your life-induced anguish and cause you to actually do something reasonably productive, even if, in my case, it’s just trying to figure out one of their songs on guitar and dance to it manically around my bedroom. It shouldn’t then come as any surprise that this band are my new favourite this summer.

Chili Town was published by the band via Soundcloud this morning and captioned it with the self-motivational note “fuck it dude, why are we always the weak one in our lyrics??? what’s wrong with us??? so yeaaaaahhh we made it! we wrote a winner song! …right?”. Everyone needs a winner song first thing on a Tuesday morning and Hinds definitely delivered.

The introducing jangley strums of guitar brighten the track immediately. Vocals bounce and intertwine both playfully and hazily between singers Ana Garcia Perrote and Carlotta Cosials, which make you feel you’re floating. This, along with an underlying, demo-esque echo and fuzz. Lyrics “I am stealing your cigars / just ’cause they’re closer than mine” do put Hinds, inspiringly, in that headstrong “winner” position in a totally non-pretentious and humorous way – the best way to be.

A mention of a debut album was also slipped in the song’s caption, but the details are still frustratingly unannounced. For now you’ll just have to catch them at the handful of festivals they’re due to play such as Secret Garden Party (this weekend) or End Of The Road (4-6 September), or even in their home country of Spain at DCODE (12 September) or Solar Fest (11 September). Just, whatever you do, never take your ears off this band.

RELEASE DATE: TBA

RECORD LABEL: Lucky Number Music (Europe)
Mom and Pop (US)

SINGLE | Girlpool: Ideal World

 

LA duo Girlpool unleash, with only a bass and electric guitar, a beautifully uncomplicated new single Ideal World, along with super exciting details on debut album Before The World Was Big to be released via Witchita records on June 1st later this year.

A fuzzy bounce of individual notes harmonise between an electric guitar and a bass guitar, preceding the first 10 seconds or so of the track, until joined by the harmonious vocals of Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad declaring lyrics such as “I thought I found myself today / no one’s noticed things are okay” and “now I’m only certain that no one is free” illustrating a sense of uncertainty or distrust in the world around them. Dreamy guitars twinkle in gaps between vocals and all I can think about is that I want to be part of Girlpool. With the track coming to a close, lyrics melodically descend with the lyric “Tranquillise me with your ideal world” and an outburst of brilliant distorted electric guitar.

Girlpool are currently touring the States, and will be for a couple more months as well as, I’m sure, a handful of UK festivals such as recently announced End Of The Road, so be sure to catch them when you can.

RELEASE DATE (ALBUM): 1 June 2015

RECORD LABEL: Witchita Records

FOR FANS OF: Waxahatchee, Peggy Sue, Slutever, The Courtneys

SINGLE | Ezra Furman: Restless Year

 

The almighty rock’n’roll madman, Ezra Furman, and his band, The Boyfriends, tease us with bustling new single Restless Year, along with the exciting announcement of his signing to Bella Union (joining the likes of The Flaming Lips, The Walkman and Father John Misty) and forthcoming album.

We can hear that Restless Year, is almost immediately drenched in effervescence, especially in the introducing charm of a guitar riff which later playfully frolics beneath backings of “ooh’s” and “aah’s”. As frontman Furman chants lyrics such as “snapping my fingers / walking around”, you can’t help but subconsciously adopt a raucous sassiness. Perhaps slightly more synth-based than most recent album Day of the Dog, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less guitar… It’s what I’d call a splendid mix. Although falling somewhat astray from the madness of numerous instruments, it’s not difficult to hear Furman’s idiosyncratic audaciousness we revelled in with Day of the Dog. 

Word on the street (or rather, Ezra Furman’s Facebook page), Shepherds Bush Empire is the place to be on October 22nd later this year. Having experienced these boys’ brilliantly mad live performance, I can say with certainly that you’ll be dazzled, but in the most rock’n’roll way, of course.

RELEASE DATE (ALBUM): TBA but sometime in Summer

RECORD LABEL: Bella Union

FOR FANS OF: The Walkman, Father John Misty, Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts

SINGLE REVIEW | Telegram: Inside Outside

 

London’s psych-rock indie kids, Telegram, follow up their infectious psychedelic 2013 track Follow, with fresh new single Inside Outside via Speedy Wunderground. If you’re yet unfamiliar with their unconventional recording procedure, here’s what you need to know:  Speedy Wunderground is the brainchild of producer Dan Carey (who’s produced music for the likes of Franz Ferdinand, TOY and Django Django), in which all recordings are completed in 24 hours and will be bashed out onto two hundred and fifty 7″s as quickly as, and I quote, ‘humanly possible’.

This rapid manner of recording gives Inside Outside a brilliant sense of immediacy, especially in the preceding 45 seconds as distorted guitars churn climactically. Splashes of glam and psychedelia burst as frontman Matt Saunders introduces the melody while chanting “take you on the inside / take you on the outside”. The noise created by the end is fantastically galvanising and sparkling with Telegram’s recognisable nostalgic glam-rock sound. The B-side of this forthcoming 7″ is Dan Carey’s mellower, dubbed remix.

Although, much to my, and I’m sure many other’s dismay, there’s been no definite word of an album to be out any time soon. However, festival season is rapidly approaching and Telegram have announced their place at Live in Leeds this year (1st-4th May), which hopefully indicates that they’ll be spotted at many others this summer.

RELEASE DATE: 9 March 2015

TRACKLIST:

A. Inside Outside
B. Mr Dan’s Inside Out Dub

RECORD LABEL: Speedy Wunderground

FOR FANS OF: Temples, The Voyuers, TOY, Childhood

SINGLE REVIEW | Joanna Gruesome: Last Year

 

Much to my delight, Cardiff’s raucous punk-pop five-piece have at last announced May 11th as their highly anticipated release date for album two dubbed Peanut Butter on Fortuna Pop! Along with this, they’ve teased us with Peanut Butter‘s opening track, Last Year.

An explosive buzz of fast-paced rowdy guitar strums commence the track, alongside singer Alanna McArdle’s blaring vocals in a reckless, slightly Parquet Courts-esque manner. There’s something fantastically immediate about the track, at least in the opening. Partway through, McArdle’s vocals shift to being euphonic and delicate, which contrasts brilliantly with the fuzz of electric, rambunctious guitars blasting alongside her, an attractive idiosyncrasy heard frequently in debut Weird Sister.

Last Year just illustrates a mixture of the purely magnificent rowdiness and the mellower, more delicate mellifluousness that we can expect from Joanna Gruesome forthcoming Peanut Butter, so there’s no excuse for not having this album when it hits the shelves in May.

RELEASE DATE (ALBUM): 11 May 2015

RECORD LABEL: Fortuna Pop!

FOR FANS OF: Speedy Ortiz, The Courtneys, Perfect Pussy, The Fall

 

SINGLE REVIEW | Swim Deep: To My Brother

 

Absolutely swarming with sparkle, funk and psychedelia, B-town boys Swim Deep return after nearly two years since their sunshine-drenched debut Where The Heaven Are We. 

It’s no secret that this newly five piece have slicked up their look to match their new, maturer sound. Swirling, kaleidoscopic synths wander beneath singer Austin Williams’ only just recognisable nonchalant falsetto vocals which chant “I start to get the feeling / all I do is preach to my brother”. You could safely assume these boys have been listening to the likes of Tame Impala or Pond, and given it their acclaimed uplifting flare. A definitive reverb-ed guitar accompanies the sea of impetuous riffs to create layer on layer of psychedelic mayhem to end the track.

Quite a change.

FOR FANS OF: Tame Impala, Pond, Peace, Toy

SINGLE REVIEW | Oscar: Daffodil Days

 

Conceived from a classic autocorrect misunderstanding, deep-voiced indie-pop bedroom slacker, Oscar, revels in his recent signing to Witchita (alongside the likes of Cate Le Bon, Fidlar and Los Campesinos), by indulging us with his bustling new single Daffodil Days.

An underlying melancholia swoons the background of this track, yet is complemented with something beautifully honest and optimistic as Oscar’s handsome baritone vocals glide through the lyrics “I never thought that I’d be wrong / I always knew this day would come slowly” with a bass-y guitar riff chanting climatically alongside him. The chorus, however, is just bursting with a hopeful vivacity as the snare drums batter their way to attention and Oscar’s euphonic vocals reach their highest pleading “don’t waste away / the feelings that we have remain / it tastes the same / daffodil days”.

While lazing in a field in the glorious sunshine, I was lucky enough to experience Oscar’s wistfully effervescent set at Knee Deep festival last year, in which he was accompanied by one of Parlour’s vocalists and his fuzzy indie-pop echoed pure optimism into the charming little field we shared.

A wonderful song to lead us out of winter and guide us to the spring. Available to pre-order here.

RELEASE DATE: 02 March 2015

TRACKLIST:

1. Daffodil Days
2. Caramel Brown

RECORD LABEL: Witchita

FOR FANS OF: This Many Boyfriends, Morrissey, Spector