Category: Review

New releases – Francis of Delirium, Car Boot Sale

Francis of Delirium – The Funhouse

Building up a hefty amount of anticipation as their debut US venture kicks in, Francis of Delirium’s The Funhouse kicks the chair, dropping us into a soundscape of chaos that keeps its listeners (willingly) captive.

The energy of the track can be felt from the first five seconds – a searing guitar splitting in two between the stereo, keeping pace but creating immediate seeds of sonic disorder. Despite these tonal singes appearing throughout, they never feel like the ‘most’ that the track can do. Instead, throughout Jana surrounds you, the track knits enticement and gloom, flowing despairing lyrics in ever-changing rhythms that keep the track engaging until its end. Bahrich’s elusive delivery of lyrics centred on “attempting to remain unphased by the mayhem” drastically transforms between rhythms.

Supported by a video that iconises the chaos of the track, it’ll be hard to stop the carousel that is The Funhouse from being repeated over and over.

Francis of Delirium

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Car Boot Sale – Headhouse

Headhouse is the latest single from Car Boot Sale, that brings dreamy indie pop right back into its prime.

The tune is primed for its soft yet bouncy atmosphere with its initial collaboration of tones, with the band keeping a sync, allowing each member their time as the tune unfolds – each six-string guitar laterally owning their space while the bass expands rhythmically into some fun styles throughout. Key standouts are drummer Ciaran Forth and vocalist Jacques: the former keeps the track solid, but in a jelly-like state, where variation never dulls the track down; the latter’s twisting vocal energy lifting listeners between tranquility and shout-out-loud lines, done with “ain’t that a lot of love?”.

It’s hard to see what’s not to like about Headhouse, stirring up even more love for the band and the future ahead of them.

Car Boot Sale

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Words by Jacob Rose

15th March 2022

Fräulein – Drag Behind

Fräulein’s new single Drag Behind continues the duo’s streak of creating small fires with which to burn emotions on. 

The tune starts with an infectiously drab riff, one which as the track progresses, begins searing with the energy to go further, energy stopped perfectly by the bleak atmosphere of the tones created. This seems to go hand in hand with Joni Samuels’ lyrics, conveying the search to reach potential, until “your constant comparisons drag you down”.

Samuels’ voice brings an intricacy to the classic styles of post-punk singing, seen in the likes of influence PJ Harvey and equally Bristol-stemming contemporaries wych elm, with each lyric seemingly hiding a hidden emotion to decode, from playfulness to despair. Van der Tol’s drumming, too, can’t go unmentioned: capturing the perfect rhythm with which the track casts equal measures of fever and underlying gloom. 

With their style freshly evolving through the band’s London/lockdown era, it’ll be a despondent delight to see where they next take our ears. 

Fräulein

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Words by Jacob Rose
Photo by Hannah Mason

4th March 2022

cheerbleederz – cute as hell

cute as hell is the latest from London punks cheerbleederz, a blast of nostalgic rock sprinkled with just the right amount to add a modern twist.

This dissonant spin is felt in the first few seconds of the track, as a guitar gently sears over a bass line that jumps right near the edges of easy listening. In the verse, the band come together in an image of desire dangled just above danger – the hell is definitely not to be left unseen, or even in jest, when it is followed with “I’m going to bash your brains out your skull”.

The track, as hinted with the music, always feels on the edge of chaos, on the edge of destruction, which keeps its pop-punk vibe immaculate, and it’s dips into the styx of aural and lyrical aesthetic.

Released on Valentine’s day, cheerbleederz have given the first of their lovely gifts, one of many to come in the build up to their album’s release in the summer.

cheerbleederz

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Words by Jacob Rose

25th February 2022

Pushpin – Deep Dive Brain Drive

It’s hard to tell where Pushpin will go with every new single. Their animal-drawing singles gave ranges of math-rock styled indie, to Radiohead-esque anthems to all out indie rock. With Deep Dive Brain Drive, they venture into something different.

Deep Dive Brain Drive begins with a rhythm: a strong beat that feels like its own voice in the track. From this, the musicality can expand, beginning with a creation of a sonic atmosphere, one that feels perfect for a road trip on the sunrise, if that helps visually create the song. Lead vocals and piano intervals manage to supplement this atmosphere without replacing it all, only adding more. However, this is the least of the track’s capabilities.

As we pass the halfway mark, Pushpin break from film to video game soundtrack – synth keys and distorted bass line push the notch to 11, bending into that indie rock style with an even higher intensity than any previous tune.

With their debut EP set to release in April, it’ll be hard to anticipate (but a joy to wonder) where the band head next.

Pushpin

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Words by Jacob Rose

21st February 2022

Blue Bendy – Motorbike

Motorbike is the new debut EP of South London sextet Blue Bendy – a glorious exploration of experimentation, that weaves through so many great aspects of music it’s hard to really pin it down – then again, was music ever meant to be pinned down?

The EP begins strong, with Spring 100: the closest the band will get to a consistent sound. A waning bass along with some near minimalist percussion brings a steady atmosphere, that only elevates through the brilliant range of tones on display – from lifting flute melodies to wheezing guitars. Even the vocalist, Arthur Nolan, brings an engaging range of potential influences, from pre-Morrissey Morrissey to (and in saying this I fear a sigh of repetition from the number of times they must hear this) Alex Rice.

So many styles manage to interweave within one another, and yet the band never feel stale – never rehashing new ground. Clean is Core provides new energy in a backbeat, train-chugging rhythm, which itself blends so well with shifts into effervescence, with backing vocals and a lo-fi guitar shift, matched with artificial, yet oddly beautiful, strings.

Even with the use of similarly coating synths and backing vocals in next track A Celebration, Blue Bendy find new ground, letting the phrase “I’m no longer on my baby’s mind” and its mild despondence deliver another descent within a funkily energetic song.

A strong personal highlight comes in Settling: Cool, where the band’s style is perfectly emanated within just 3 minutes. From its calm-yet-tense opening, with extraterrestrial sounds, we explode into an eclectic mix of jumping chords, leaping vocals and drums that skip along, never being contained in the rhythm. Occasional grand atmospheres give Nolan’s lyrics (i.e. “My dad is a spaceship”) a glow, bringing an even larger impact that fades in and out on a whim.

As we are brought in and out of a melancholic mid-8, the stakes have somehow never been higher. The song and the EP end with the heaviest of the band’s style, bringing all aspects together in a clashing finale that helps to show the band’s strong potential for the future.

Listen to Motorbike below and purchase on Bandcamp

Blue Bendy

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Words by Jacob Rose
Photo © Jason Sheehan

18th February 2022

New releases – Kathleen Frances, Pearz 

Kathleen Frances – Boy

Bristol songwriter and producer Kathleen Frances has a voice that demands your attention in the subtlest, most captivating way. Her deep baritone vocal has a timeless feel that would sit equally at home in a prohibition jazz bar as it does today. It reminds me a little of the heart-rending sound of Anohni and, if pending EP Through the Blue maintains this standard, it doesn’t seem unrealistic to think that Kathleen could claw those levels of success too. Very firmly on the ones to watch list, take a listen to Boy here and discover the talent that’s lurking therein.

Kathleen Frances

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Pearz – Saudade

The new track from multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini, aka Pearz, quashes the idea that you can’t tell a story without words. The accompanying video plays out scenes to match the music, but you could just as easily visualise your own journey through the crescendos and dramatic changes in pace on offer. Hailing from Florence, Pearz uses his established production skills to present the music as a composition with definite filmic values, encapsulating waves of nostalgia and yearning. The video, shot by Jules Apollinaire, is equally enchanting – watch below.

Pearz

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Words by Siobhan
Photos: Kathleen Frances © Michaela Frances, Pearz © Tess Parks 

17th February 2022

Divorce – Services

It’s hard to pick out a ‘best’ part of Divorce’s debut single Services. Is it the charm of their gorgeous split-scene music video, produced by Bristol superstars Clump Collective? Is it the already clear talent, seen through each member’s work in bands including Megatrain and Do Nothing? Is it the fact that I keep on getting the wrong results from searching “Divorce Services”? Or is it (almost definitely) the playfulness of it all, the collaboration of so many moving elements?

Maybe it’s even the music.

In a lot of ways, Services brings the feel (and joy) of some haunted carousel. Each tone brings its own purpose: a heavily pumping bass line to the dancing staccato of electric guitars; infectious drums twist the atmosphere effortlessly with a change of cymbals; and, of course, the vocals, bringing a quaint image amidst the building…macabrity?

The chorus brings even more to the table, pumping a pseudo-musical duet of melodrama, tainted perfectly with a harsh twist of discordance – all before returning to that quaint image with: “That’s where my miracle ends”.

A perfect summation of the engaging catastrophe, in cardboard flames and scorching tones, that sparks the beginning of Divorce’s well-earned existence.

Divorce

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Words by Jacob Rose
Photo © Aria Shahrokhshahi

2nd February 2022

Cliché Cult – Say It Like You Mean It

Leeds’ own Cliché Cult, with their new track Say It Like You Mean It, scorch the music scene with harsh and catchy tones, blending a mix of the uproar rock can bring with a mix of the sour.

The band’s presence can be felt in the first crash of sound into the track, in an introduction to the wonderfully upbeat, but still delightfully dissonant chorus – one that almost finds a delight in the despair of those eponymous words – say it like you mean it!

Speaking of which, vocalist Jimmy Sweeney certainly means it. His vocals throughout the track dance from following the suave murkiness of Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch (the band being one of many inspirations for Cliché Cult) to searing with energy, especially towards the song’s powerful close – all instruments ramping to a full punch of fire.

It’s clear that the Cult means business, and it’s only going to be more satisfying to see how they’ll be saying it in the coming year.

Cliché Cult

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Words by Jacob Rose 

31st January 2022

New releases – deep tan, Peaness

deep tan – beginners’ krav maga

There is much to take from deep tan’s first single of 2022. A feel of some of those classic punk tracks that in actuality were pretty perfect pop songs, a well fitting juxtaposition of spiky riffs with smooth vocals, and an opportune use of music with a message for starters.

In beginners’ krav maga, the band continue to show why they remain firmly at the top of numerous publications’ breakthrough artists lists. At just 2 minutes 38 the track is concise, crisp and catchy; the message behind it no less serious as a consequence.

The band say, “beginners’ krav maga is a response to the idea that womxn should take self defense classes in order to feel safe on the street at night. womxn shouldn’t have to. yet it seems like every day there’s a new sarah everard, sabina nessa or aisling murphy. educate your sons, brothers, guy friends. male violence against womxn is an epidemic and it needs to stop, so we made a pop song to talk about it.”

beginners’ krav maga is out now, details of tour dates and ticket links here.

deep tan

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Peaness – How I’m Feeling 

Good to hear new music from Chester trio PEANESS as they build interest for their long-anticipated debut album. World Full Of Worry is due for release on 6th May through the band’s own label, Totally Snick Records. In the meantime, How I’m Feeling sets the scene for a long player filled with their distinctive brand of sugar coated indie-pop sure to please long time fans and grab some new ones too.

Peaness say, “In an unfulfilling job? Need a shake up with something in your life or you’ll go mad? Well, that’s How I’m Feeling and it can’t be ignored anymore! Amongst self loathing and melancholy there are sparks of determination and a belief that you deserve more. I hope it works out.”

How I’m feeling is out now with album pre-order on this link. Peaness have also shared details of tour dates here.

Peaness

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Words by Siobhan 
Photos: deep tan © Alex Loveless, Peaness © Derek Bremner

24th January 2022

New releases – White Lies, Maida Rose

White Lies – Am I Really Going To Die

When it comes to singing about death, who can compete with White Lies? In the new single Am I Really Going To Die, the band jam between despondence and hope through scenes of medication and phenomenon.

After an introduction that would perfectly play as a hero rises to overcome defeat, the funk of White Lies’ new track kicks in. Each tone of the track dances in its own right: the bass intricately weaving between notes, the guitar adding its own percussion with syncopated chords and the anthemic rises of the keyboard especially. This, of course, helps back singer McVeigh’s upmarket character, transitioning between the stages of recognising his own mortality.

Considering this as the first of two songs discussing this narrative only boosts hope and anticipation for White Lies’ upcoming album in February, both to conclude the narrative and to deliver more of the band’s seminal style.

White Lies

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Maida Rose – I Remember

Using almost exactly the same instruments and taking them in a completely softer direction, I Remember is the latest track from Maida Rose: a construction of a dreamy landscape that feels like it could last a lifetime (somehow without even taking up three minutes).

The main forces of the track come down to Maida Rose’s voice – a carefully melodic, tranquil presence, backed throughout by a synth that pulses, giving a lovely light weight to the building percussion. As soft guitars kick in (delightfully reminiscent to The Strokes’ Ode to the Mets), this universe expands, adding a rhythmic path with which to explore the landscape the group have audibly created.
In their ability to form beauty out of unchanging, yet ever present memories, Maida Rose form another piece of the puzzle of their upcoming album, sure to carry just as many dreamy tunes as I Remember.

Maida Rose

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Words by Jacob Rose 
Photos: Maida Rose © White Lies © Charles Cave, Lin Bartraij

22nd January 2022

Crows – Slowly Separate

Returning with their first new music in three years, Crows are clearly in fine form. Their live shows, intense and at times frenzied, have built a huge following, and a last minute slot at last weekend’s Rockaway Beach pulled a packed and delighted crowd. The new music will no doubt please their fans just as much, as pulsating and hypnotic as could be expected and hoped for.

Talking about the new track, Crows frontman James Cox says, “Slowly Separate is about living in London, working a job you hate and just going through the mundane routine of hand to mouth living. Don’t get me wrong, I love London. It’s been my home for 13 years, and this song translates to any city and anytime you’re working a job that doesn’t fulfil you. When it gets to the end of the month, all your rent and bills come out and you’re barely left with enough to get through the next month. It gets to you, I’m sure a lot of people can relate. It just makes it sweeter when you are finally making changes in your life for the better and you can leave those feelings in the past.”

Slowly Separate is the lead track from forthcoming album Beware Believers, due for release on 1st April via Bad Vibrations Records – pre-order here. Tickets for tour dates go on sale on Monday at 10am.

Words by Siobhan
Band photo by Jamie Noise

13th January 2022