Category: New Music

With the release of their latest single One of These Days, London based Car Boot Sale continue to add to their impressive catalogue of soulful indie-pop tracks. We caught up with them to chat about making music before, during and after isolation…

Introduce us to Car Boot Sale – who’s involved and does your name come from a love of haggling on a wet Saturday morning?

Jim and Ciaran here, we’re two housemates that have been working on music together for the past couple of years. Car Boot Sale started as a recording project but has become more of a band since we started playing live with our pals. (Shout out to Jamie, Tim and Bryn!)

Neither of us are really morning people, so the name came from the fact that our sound and influences were quite disparate and varied, just like the stuff that’s sold at a car boot sale. We also didn’t want it to sound too serious and thought Car Boot Sale was a pretty silly name for a band.

Your new single One of These Days is out now; you’ve described it as being ‘An ode to dreaming, about maintaining an optimistic view of the future that you can carry through difficult times’. That seems incredibly apt for right now – when did you write the song and what was the inspiration?

This song was written last summer, just after we’d spent the weekend at All Points East Festival. We’d been listening to Toro Y Moi on repeat around about that time and seeing him live was mind blowing, we both felt super inspired by his band and performance and came away wanting to write a song that reflected that. The line ‘One of these days I’ll be where you’re standing’ was sort of the inner voice that was in our heads during the set.

How are things with both of you – what’s helping you through isolation?

We’re all good, but currently quarantining separately, having to do the whole the online thing feels a little odd. Jim’s been tinkering away on some demos and has invested in some quite smart looking AstroTurf for the 2ft square balcony. Ciaran’s learning bass and bought one off Gumtree. When he went to collect it he had to post the cash through the letterbox and step away, luckily the guy was legitimate and left the bass outside for Ciaran to disinfect afterwards haha!

There are obviously no gigs or festivals happening now or any time soon. If you could play with any other artists who would you love to share a line-up with?

Jim – Lionel Ritchie would be amazing. We’re huge Tame Impala fans, or perhaps someone like Whitney or Tops or Parcels. There’s too many great bands to choose from!

You have Theo Verney mixing and mastering for you – are you fans of each other’s music, what influence does he have on your work?

We’ve been big fans of Theo’s songs and mixes for a while actually! Ciaran followed him on Instagram a couple years back and really hoped we’d get a chance to work together, so as fate would have it, Theo got in touch and offered to mix a track as a test.

When it came back we were both pretty blown away as we’d been doing all the mixing ourselves up until that point. It felt like we were hearing ourselves properly for the first time which was really cool. He’s also got a sick new band called Public Body.

An abridged version of Desert Island Discs – you’re allowed 3 albums, 1 book and a luxury item of your choice, what will you take?

We like our classic songwriters, so we thought we’d take some albums that have already stood the test of time:
David Bowie – Hunky Dory
Gerry Raffety – City to City
Neil Young – After the Gold Rush

We’re not really huge readers so perhaps it’s best if we take some sort of survival guide, otherwise I think we’d be in trouble.

Jim – Our old housemate left us with a huge painting of a sunburnt David Beckham. I think I’d bring that just to wind Ciaran up – he hates it! (I also reckon we could fashion a shelter out of it).

What are your plans when lockdown is lifted in terms of releasing more music and live dates?

We’ve got a bunch of songs demoed and we were planning to go into the studio with Theo around May, obviously that’s been pushed back so hopefully we’ll still get them recorded this summer. I can imagine we’re going to be really rusty after a couple of months not gigging, so as soon as lockdown is over we’ll be back in the practise room!

And what are you most looking forward to when we’re all allowed out again?

Playing gigs, watching gigs, beers in the park with mates, all the simple joys of life really!

Check out One of These Days below and more from Car Boot Sale here

Interview by Siobhan
Photos via Car Boot Sale

16th April 2020

With the release of their debut LP Unmask Whoever, Activity bring an intensity rarely found in such a new project. The tracks are at times darkly poignant yet also strangely reassuring with their cathartic brand of art rock. We talked to vocalist Travis about the album, the impact of lockdown and future plans…

Your album Unmask Whoever has just been released, tell us about it and how it all came together…

We started the band very loosely, having no idea what was going to happen or what kind of music it would be. Things came together through lots and lots of jamming. People would bring in little shards of ideas, or a sequence on a sampler or something, and we’d just work on it without ideas about what would be off limits. I guess we’d started to form some kind of identity for ourselves. When we recorded with Jeff Berner (of Psychic TV), he totally got what we were going for and made everything much better.

I imagine when you planned the release you had no idea of what would be happening in the world – how has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your plans and projects as a band?

Yeah, everything, our tour dates, etc. is on hold until it’s safe to resume. Obviously, for everyone’s sake we hope that will be sooner rather than later but it would be ridiculous to try and tour or play shows now. So, without being in a room with each other, we’re just trying to keep going, sending recordings to each other, like I imagine a lot of bands are.

And how are you all doing – what’s the situation like where you are?

We’re in New York and Philadelphia, so it’s intense and scary here and we know lots of people getting sick. I would imagine it’s pretty similar to anywhere that’s been hit (or will be hit) hard.

Unmask Whoever has a very filmic feel; if your music ended up as a soundtrack for film or TV where would you like to see it being used?

I suppose it would depend on the song, but maybe a montage of unsuccessful bank heists, or a party in a forest, or the end credits.

It feels like, more than ever, music is a really important thing to provide some familiarity and comfort – what are your go-to albums that you wouldn’t want to be without?

For me personally, a few all timers are:
Pastels – Illumination
Grouper – Alien Observer
John Coltrane – Crescent
Alice Coltrane – Monastic Trio
Faust – IV
They’re not necessarily the most emotional sounding records, but I get a lot of comfort from them. I’m curious what the other Activity folks would say actually. I’m gonna ask them.

Amidst the tough times we’re in, how can people best continue to support you as artists and the music scene in general?

I think this really applies at all times, but buying records or downloads and not just streaming things makes an immense difference for musicians who are just getting by. Ordering directly from Bandcamp, or a band’s record label, or an independent record store means the world. When we can do so again, going to shows is obviously great too, but in the meantime, ordering records is great!

And what are your plans when things head back to normal, what’s next for Activity?

To start working on the songs we were starting to write before we had to cut ourselves off from each other!

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Unmask Whoever is available now on Western Records
Watch the video for Calls Your Name below

Interview by Siobhan
Photo by Ebru Yildiz via One Beat PR

7th April 2020

Making waves on the Irish music scene and hitting the BBC 6 Music playlist, Odd Morris bring equal measures of intensity and vulnerability to the table. Their latest single Cold Water made Steve Lamacq’s track of the week and anticipation is growing for what the band do next. Get to know them here and check out their music if you haven’t already had the pleasure…

Give us an introduction to Odd Morris, who’s involved and how did you all come together as a band?

(Kris:) Just the four of us, Daragh, Kris, Mac & Sam. We all went to the same school and hung around in similar circles then came together to form the band a couple of years ago. It all happened quite naturally to be honest, just searching to play more music was all.

Your latest single Cold Water was released recently – what’s the reaction to it been like?

(Kris:) The reaction to it has been positive. It feels great to release music that people can connect with. Once you start to get more material out there it becomes easier for people to engage with your music and develop a better understanding of what the band is all about – more of a rounded picture of our progression and where we’re heading.

There’s been a resurgence of interest in new music coming out of Dublin lately – is it a supportive scene and who would you recommend we listen to?

(Kris:) The music community in Ireland as a whole is buzzing at the moment. Artists like Junior Brother from Kerry and His Father’s Voice from Limerick are two acts we’d definitely recommend checking out. Alex Gough is playing a blinder as well, it’s refreshing.

Dublin’s known as a cultural hive of activity and creativity – where are your favourite places to go in the city?

(Daragh:) Well it was Garage Bar, but it was recently closed down. That place was home to many of us. Trev, Fontaines D.C. manager, was responsible for its success. It was a tiny bar in Dublin’s city centre where we could just drink pints to great tunes, dance, and have the best laugh really. We made a lot of friends there, it was a keystone in social life for a lot of people with similar interests. Now that it’s gone, along with many other great spots, it feels like the end of an era.

If you could only listen to one album for the next month what would you choose?

Kris – Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Daragh – Hung at Heart by The Growlers
Mac – Selected Ambient Works Vol I by Aphex Twin
Sam – To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

What’s been the highlight for Odd Morris so far?

(Kris:) I’m sure we’ve all got our own individual highlights but, collectively, I’d say playing our first gig outside of Ireland (London’s The Old Blue Last, November 2019) was special.

What’s coming up for you in 2020 and where can we see you live?

(Kris:) More shows. We’re focused mainly on writing at the moment and plan to release another single before the Summer. We’ll be touring in May across the UK so do keep an eye out across our socials.

You can catch Odd Morris at The Windmill, Brixton on 5th March and Gulliver’s, Manchester on 19th May. Look out for announcements of further live dates and new music here – in the meantime watch the video for Cold Water below.

Interview by Siobhan
Photos © Jack Martin via Chalk Press Agency

24th February 2020

Deserta is the new project from LA based Matthew Doty, a former mainstay of post-rock band Saxon Shore. Following the recent release of his debut shoegaze-tinged album Black Aura My Sun, we spoke to Matthew about going solo and his process for writing and recording…

Having been part of bands and collaborations, is it daunting to release a solo album?

The only unfamiliar territory that came with this album is having to sing. That’s something I’m still getting used to. In past bands I’ve always kind of fallen into the role of coordinating the behind the scenes work of being in a band such as booking tours, hiring publicists, arranging studio time, etc. All of that was a pretty natural transition.

You’ve said that you were inspired to write new material when you discovered you were going to be a father – what’s been the impact on your approach to making music?

My approach to making music has pretty much been the same. I think the fatherhood piece was more of an inspiration in the sense that there was a surge in confidence and decisiveness that came along with being a father. I trust my gut a lot more.

Black Aura My Sun feels like a very personal and powerful project, how long did it take to put together and, apart from fatherhood, what’s been the inspiration?

From the time I started putting Hide together until it was mastered that album was probably 2 years in the works. Musical inspiration isn’t something I’m able to pinpoint. The songs just kind of happen with a lot of patience, time, writing, rewriting, adding layers, simplifying… I mix my rough ideas down and listen to them inside the studio. I’ll then listen outside the studio while walking around my neighbourhood or something. It’s in that setting that I’ll often hear parts that aren’t in the song yet and make voice memos of whatever it is that I’m hearing.

What are your thoughts on streaming versus physical purchase of music?

Streaming has brought our music to a wider audience than would have been reached if we were just selling limited edition cassettes or something. I think/hope the people who buy records are always going to buy records.

You’re making an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony – who do you thank (for the album and your career so far)?

My wife – she keeps our house/life afloat and makes sure our kiddo is in the best hands so I can spend time in the studio making records, rehearsing or touring. Without that kind of support I wouldn’t be able to do any of it.

And what’s in store for you in 2020?

A good amount of touring and trying to finish LP2 for 2021.

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Black Aura My Sun is out now on Felte Records; you can listen to Save Me below and buy the album here

Interview by Siobhan

Photos and artwork via One Beat PR, promo shot © Jacob Boll

3rd February 2020

With their beguiling new album Stray Fantasies set for release tomorrow, we caught up with electro-pop wife-and-husband duo Hollie and Keith Kenniff, collectively Mint Julep, to find out how their music has evolved and what to expect from this album and future projects…

Mint Julep formed back in 2007 – how does it feel listening to the music you’ve made over the years, does it just bring back lots of memories or do you feel yourselves critiquing it?

It’s a bit of both, we always make the releases the best they can be at that particular time. There’s a certain tug to think about what we would do now with different experience but it seems futile. There’s more nostalgia than anything, our first son liked to sleep to our first album, he really liked hearing Hollie’s voice, so listening back to that reminds us of that time a lot.

Stray Fantasies is out tomorrow – how would you say your music’s changed or evolved into this album?

I feel like the songwriting technically has gotten more solidified. We made a conscious effort to really think about song structure and melodic contour within verse/chorus relationships. Production-wise also it’s moved in a bit more of a synth-centric direction, but it’s been really fun to suss out a lot of textural differentiation using only a minimal array of synth resources.

Do you have a favourite track and why?

Keith likes Vakaras as it has a raw emotional quality. Hollie likes Iteration as she loves shoegaze stuff and it has that ethereal, textural, spacious vibe, and she likes how the chorus turned out.

I would say the album makes for a very cathartic listen, emotive but with a positive energy. How do you think or hope that people will react to it generally?

I think we want the music to feel relatable but unique. It’s not always about breaking new ground, but about creating a listening experience that’s enjoyable and has enough new things in there to propel the genre forward. Hollie’s lyrics are often dealing with issues people often face throughout most parts of our adult lives and we hope that people will connect with that in a meaningful way.

Aside from the two of you, who else has been instrumental in making the album happen?

Our record label, Western Vinyl, has been very supportive in taking us on (this is our first album with them, although Keith has done multiple releases as Goldmund throughout the years with WV), it’s a great home. Also Yuuki Matthews, who helped mix the album, was a great supporter and motivator.

Which other artists have you been listening to lately that you would recommend?

We both like Broncho, Girl Band and Ruby Haunt a lot. We are also enjoying seeing more female composers represented in the ambient genre, like Maria Somerville, Saariselka, Anne Muller, Felicia Atkinson, Mary Lattimore, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, etc…

And what’s next for Mint Julep?

We already have another release all ready to go, so we’ll let this one simmer for a bit and then release details of that within the year. Keith will be releasing some more piano/ambient music as Goldmund this year and Hollie also just released a solo album of ambient-ish material late last year and is continuing to work on new material for upcoming releases.

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Stray Fantasies is released on 31st January 2020 via Western Vinyl – you can listen to Escape below and pre-order the album here

Interview by Siobhan

Photos/artwork via One Beat PR

30th January 2020

Being a recording artist and playing live can be testing at the best of times. Add to this a diagnosis of chronic illness and many people would be inclined to call a halt to the whole thing. But by approaching the process with a different perspective, musician Edward Perry is far from quitting his much loved musical career, producing tracks and performing live as Ban Summers. Recent singles No Better and It’s On You pit lyrics written about being ill in modern Britain against a relaxing, soulful, lo-fi backdrop and have caught the attention of BBC Music Introducing (Solent) amongst others.

We spoke to him about living and making music with fibromyalgia, a condition described by Fibromyalgia Action UK as ‘… a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The pain tends to be felt as diffuse aching or burning, often described as head to toe… The fatigue ranges from feeling tired to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. It may come and go and people can suddenly feel drained of all energy – as if someone just pulled the plug’.

You’ve been a musician for some time, how did you get started?

I had been interested in music for a while but, when I was about 14, I heard Lightspeed Champion’s album that Dev Hynes recorded in a day, which was before his proper debut album, just something he put up to download on his blog and I loved it so much. It made me think that if he can do that in a day, maybe if I pick up a guitar, I could do something almost half as good over a year. It’s now about 12 years on and I’m still learning how to make an album. So I went with my Mum to Lidl and got a £30 nylon stringed acoustic guitar. I think Mum wanted to test out whether I was going to stick to guitar before having to shell out for a proper one. But I learnt a couple of songs and chords and moved on to my Squire Strat that I still play now. I wasn’t any good at learning other people’s songs though, so soon moved onto writing my own really bad songs. I was 15 when I played my first gig as The Boy I Used To Be (and I eventually got to support Lightspeed Champion at Wedgewood Rooms) and then that ended up after a lot of gigs and festivals becoming a full band with Max, Callum and Andy as Show Home for a short while.

When did you find out about the fibromyalgia; what was your reaction?

Well, I’ve been ill since my teens in different ways, ME and mental health the bulk of it, so I was kind of prepped for it when the diagnosis came. A family member also has fibromyalgia, so it wasn’t unknown to me, but was a new thing to be experiencing personally and that took time to understand what was happening. I still don’t totally understand it now and new symptoms pop up regularly, so understanding it is an ongoing process for me. I think it was a bit disappointing as I had previously had a few good years of health and my ME was in remission, so it flipped my life upside down still, for sure. It took a long time to start building myself back up. Then band stuff took a back seat and I really lost interest in music for a while because I was frustrated and jealous of not being able to take part.

How does it affect you day to day?

I am tired, like all of the time. I’m not sure if I can remember a time where I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t uncomfortable in some way. The joint and muscle pain is bad across my back, legs and hands, it affects my concentration and muddles my brain, plus lights and noise can be an issue which isn’t a great recipe for a budding musician. On top of that, all the medication makes me feel worse too with other side effects, but I’ll stop moaning for now!

So how have you adapted things in terms of making music?

Well, I’ve had to reshape my expectations of myself in my general life and I had to reach that acceptance in my musical life too. At the moment, my hands swell up after I’ve played guitar, so I’ve moved onto using a launchpad and using samples of my songs to play them live in a way that is hopefully more accessible to me but is still true to what a live show is. So now I just make music whenever I’m able and over time I’ve amassed a lot of songs so I can just work at my own pace and then these songs get deconstructed to play at gigs. Plus I don’t have any money at all, so it’s all recorded at home on basic and cheap equipment that I’ve collected over the years in the simplest way it could be done, finishing it on the laptop, bouncing it down to an MP3 and uploading to Soundcloud and Spotify. It’s the most DIY way you could probably be, though admittedly not unusual these days recording and releasing music from your bedroom, but that suits me because though I have no money and this makes no money, I’m not really spending out on it either. It’s the cheapest and most soul enriching thing I can do and, despite the pain and fatigue it causes, it does help me be a happier and more fulfilled person.

Tell us some more about your new tracks It’s On You and No Better…

It’s On You is about privilege and how that may shape your world view or blind you from seeing privilege in process. People can get defensive about it and think that inviting diversity is limiting their opportunities or discriminating against them, but it isn’t. There is more than enough room for everyone and we should be seeking more diversity everywhere, because we miss out on those important voices otherwise.

No Better was written not long after the Brexit referendum and was a way of me getting my frustration out at the state we were in, with people lying and profiteering, but also acknowledging the rise in my generation’s passion to be heard. It’s like venting my thoughts in the first half but also builds to a more hopeful ending.

Hopes and plans for the rest of 2019?

I am going to be releasing as much music as possible this year, with maybe an album coming later in the year (so surprise if you’ve read this far, that secret is just for you). I’ve been silent for too long and I have a lot to say and music to share. I’m also going to be playing a few gigs here and there and really just trying to get as many people listening as possible.

Follow Ban Summers and listen to No Better and It’s On You here

Next live date is at The House of Rapture, Portsmouth, on 2nd April with Penelope Isles and Barbudo 

You can access more information and support with fibromyalgia on the Fibromyalgia Action UK website

20th March 2019