Night Flowers - 'Fortune Teller'

Night Flowers release their second album FORTUNE TELLER from Dirty Bingo Records on 25th October

Following on from the critical acclaim of their debut release Wild Notion, the transatlantic five piece have returned with another pop-tastic album that does well to overcome the nerves of any second album syndrome.

For this album drummer Zebedee Budworth mixed originally at Tie Dye Studios (Sheffield) with Adam Jaffrey taking final production reins on the album which again finds Sophia Pettit leading the band on vocal duties with support from lead guitarist, Greg Ullyart.

While the first album had a real mix of electro dream pop with little nuggets of pop goodness filled with nostalgia and appreciation for musical heritage such as 'Hey Love' and 'Sandcastles', this album is definitely an alternative feel in that it takes more of a rockier road on the journey to pop magnificence.

From album opener, 'Night Train' the sense of respect to the school of rock is apparent and with a female vocalist the similarity to Fleetwood Mac will not be mistaken, yet throughout the album there are nods to many an American sound of years past be it Tom Petty or the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.

Album track, 'Fortune Teller' tells a tale of travelling with the seven sins on your shoulder and this mix of lyrical mysticism and a rock soundtrack would not look out of place from even a Dave Grohl back catalogue.

The impassioned reverence to these rock gods are worn proudly on their sleeve as seen by 'Lotta Love' a remembered hook from a bygone era, with synths leaving you dreaming of a highway. This is further encapsulated by 'Merry-Go-Round' inspired by Jane Weidlin, which has a real 80s synth hook. This is the beauty of the band, they are a happy band to listen to singing about the joy of life rather than the depressing social climate we find ourselves in - not a mention of Brexit, race relations or snowflakes to be seen here.

Fortune Teller is an album to be embraced and to be loved, an album about new beginnings and celebrating the wonder of life. You need not look further than penultimate track 'I've Loved You (Such a Long Time)' a track that is the big power ballad with big drums and in dire need of an air guitar and hair brush video; a song albeit about a relationship breaking down, nevertheless a relationship where not a minute was wasted.

Yet for the downbeat lyrical nature of many of the songs, there is one message being sung and the overpowering emotion that resonates throughout both albums by this band is one of hope.

Wild Notion was one of my albums of 2018, and after a few listens I do not think there will be many albums to challenge Fortune Teller for a position in my final rankings of 2019.  Does it push envelopes, perhaps not, but it is a reminder that you can still make happy music nowadays.

The band will have an album launch at Redon, London on 31st October before touring in support of LIFE from 2nd-13th November.

My thanks as always to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Night Flowers Return 'Fortune Teller'

Night Flowers return with new video and material ahead of new album on October 25th from Dirty Bingo Records

Night Flowers who wowed the British music industry with their full debut album, Wild Notion, have announced the release of their second album Fortune Teller on October 25th from Dirty Bingo Records.

The first music released is the title track and it is accompanied by a new music promo which is a 360 degree interactive video.

Featuring Sophia Pettit's great vocal, the London Indie quintet's album is a love letter to 20th century rock greats - Petty, Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac - and with Pettit at the helm the song carries a dream-pop uniqueness in this down on its luck political climate.

The song has chiming guitars, reflective synths and epic drums for a power ballad; with the lyrics evoking a need of the seven sins encompassing the singer on a journey. Reminiscent of their first album, there are great hooks, sweeping vocals and a feeling of euphoria.

It is great to have Night Flowers back and perhaps this will be the album that helps them break into the mainstream, the album cover is great and they are having a live show at Redon, London on 31st October.

The album can be pre-ordered here 

Follow Night Flowers on Twitter

My thanks to One Beat PR for the link

Night Flowers 'Wild Notion'

Debut Album Wild Notion out now from Dirty Bingo Records

Following a string of sold out singles, London indie popsters Night Flowers release their debut album Wild Notion on Dirty Bingo Records - written in various basements and bedsits, the album is one of those gems you must seek out and may well fall in love to.

When I was given a link to this album it was during the month of March in London, which saw an obscene amount of snow and rainfall throughout the city and country.  Then the link to Wild Notion, came along and it instantly got me excited for the summer; the album is full of dreamscapes, futuristic hooks and has a sense of sunshine flowing throughout.

Fronted by vocalist Sophie Pettit, the band are originally from Hull and that being placed near the sea helps explain the romanticism of the music throughout, sitting on beaches looking at horizons can create energy and wonder.  Guitarist Greg Ullyart says,

'The album deals with time, place and memory. The memory often plays tricks and blurs the lines between present, past and future tense, and sometimes when you're writing, it's only with hindsight you can see what you were writing about. The songs put a few demons to bed.'

From the shimmering opener 'Sandcastles' to the lead single 'Losing the Light' there is an over-riding sense of play and love pouring through the speakers.  It is good to hear an opener such as 'Sandcastles' a statement of intent by a band to be heard and yet keep that smile on your face for the album's entirety; too often a band will start with something mysterious which may well alientate listeners whereas this is indeed what they want you to feel.

Other good songs include 'Fireworks' and 'Hey Love' with the album culminating with the epic 'Cruel Wind' a seven-minute crescendo for a band which is hopefully the play-off music at their gigs.

This reviewer cannot speak highly enough of this album, one of joy, one of pop and one of optimism which in this world of myriad paranoia and angst cannot be ignored and should be embraced by music lovers everywhere.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review link

Night Flowers will be performing at The Lexington, London for an album release show on Friday 27th April

Night Flowers 'Wild Notion' Album preview

Following years of single tracks and EP releases the London quintet, Night Flowers are pleased to announce the release of their debut album Wild Notion on Friday 13th April from Dirty Bingo Records.

Two weeks ago, saw the release of lead single 'Losing the Light' which showcased the shimmering transatlantic pop the band are slowly becoming renowned for. On today's album release news, they share a video for new single 'Cruel Wind' the last track on the album. Epic in sound and scope, the video shows lead singer Sophia Pettit putting astronauts through their paces in training to reach for the moon; the video by film-making duo James Doherty and Laura Whittell is a mixture of ingenuity, archive footage and vision.

This goes hand in hand with the London dream poppers, who have been championed by Pitchfork and the NME, whilst featuring on shows by John Kennedy, Steve Lamacq and Radcliffe and Maconie.

The 'Cruel Wind' single can be purchased online here: http://hyperurl.co/cruelwind.  The song is a lovely sounding single which is a great example of the band's sunshine tinged music with sun tinged guitars, exhilarating compositions and goosepimply vocals.  As much as anything, it shows a band dealing with the past and embracing the future ahead of them with this album release.

Currently the band have one live show on Friday 27th April at The Lexington, London for the album launch which will be followed by various festival appearances across the summer.

Follow the band on twitter: @Night_Flowers_