Fightmilk - Contender

 

New album from indie pretenders out via Reckless Yes on Friday 14th May

The second album from the South London four-piece is breaking out in May, following on from the 2018 debut Not With That Attitude.

Formed in a beer garden in 2015, Lily and Alex used the energy of post-break-ups into an indie pop soundtrack indebted more to the Britpop era culminating in the 2018 release on the Fierce Panda label after two EPs. The DNA of the band is alt-rock with power pop riffs about the embrace of failing relationships but with a sunny disposition.

In response to the pandemic which put everybody on hold, vocalist/guitarist Lily speaks about her writing process; 'I was inspired to write ‘...Space’ by watching someone who keeps loudly proclaiming they’re going to save humanity and change the world constantly make excuses for why they haven’t got round to it. It’s largely about emotional labour and rockets and I’m dead proud of it.”

Heavier material abounds from 'Cool Cool Girl' and 'Banger #4' to the more vulnerable 'If You Had A Sister'; a trend this reviewer is noticing in recent releases is that many bands are putting on tracks that may well run less than 90 seconds. 

In the past such tracks would be deemed surplus or merely unnecessary filler but now following the pandemic - it is more evidence of a band or performer making up for lost time by issuing an idea or riff as a matter of pride on the sequencing of an album as more of a bridge to the next track rather than an afterthought.

From the handclap feel good of 'Hey Annabelle' to the 'The Absolute State of Me' with its personal subject matter there is a lot of accessibility and engagement within this album.

Full of synths, guitars and group vocals, Fightmilk have created an infectious album of pop and indie vibes incorporating the surfer vibe of California and goes hand in hand with this newest of new wave of indie bands along with Pillow Queens and Sonder Bombs; bands led by female vocalists who infuse their music with an energy and power that is refreshing.

Contender is out from Reckless Yes and is available here

Thanks to Wall of Sound for the review opportunity.

Buffet Lunch - The Power of Rocks

 

Eclectic debut album from Scottish four piece out 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Buffet Lunch are a four man band from Scotland, who are on a mission to serve up imperfect pop songs with humour and energy, this has been formed into the kaleidoscopic debut album that is The Power of Rocks out on 7th May from Upset the Rhythm.

The parts of the band consist of Perry O'Bray (vocals/keys/guitars), Neil Robinson (bass), John Muir (lead guitar) and Luke Moran (drums), who came together through a love of all things pop and indie and everything in between the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Together the foursome of constructed a wonky DIY feel to their cacophony of sound which runs the gamut of emotions from loneliness and downbeat to the upper echelons of breezy melody.

Recorded on the banks of Upper Loch Fyne in Argyll over four nights and five days at the beginning of March 2020 before the world pandemic took hold, there is a sense of living in the moment when listening back to the album's eleven track sequence.

A blend of production and musicianship take hold as the run times of songs differ throughout from the sub two minute shouts of 'Pebbledash' and 'Bladderwrack' combine against the longer more traditional 'Looking at Liz Talent's Chair' and 'Ashley's New Haircut'.

This encompasses everything with a seemingly brief 38 minutes total run time yet the melodies and compositions stay with you throughout and after the fact - from the bop and riffiness of 'He Wore Two Hats' to the anthemic title track which embraces the feeling of climate and location of recording that took place.

An album of time and place at once, this is a work that may be difficult to access for many but you are certain people said this of Black Country, New Road at the beginning - when the ear worm worthiness of songs take hold it cannot be denied.

For fans of such obscure artists as Sweet Baboo (do check out Wild Imagination from 2017) and those other eclectic bands of the last few years such as BCNR and Pet Shimmers; this is an album that is both mesmerising and engaging.

The Power of Rocks is released on 7th May via Upset the Rhythm

Follow the band on Twitter and Instagram

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity

Gum Country 'Somewhere'

The debut album from the duo of Courtney Gavin (The Courtneys) and multi-instrumentalist Connor Mayer, is released via Bandcamp on June 19th.

The album is a buzz of fuzz, feedback ricocheting off of walls and eardrums a plenty, Garvin’s open-tuned guitar has a warmness reminiscent of The Breeders and Mayer’s accompaniment is the perfect compliment of piercing percussion with gritty guitars.

There is a richness to the melodies being explored by the group, with a mixture of highs and lows in terms of expressions amidst the mundanity of normal life but touching upon love, loss, tennis and gardening.

All topics though are treated with sincerity and her dry delivery helps touch a nerve with the listener be it an instrumental portion of a song that concludes ‘There’s A Crumb’ or the vibrancy of ‘Talking To My Plants’.

In conclusion, this is an album that is ripe for listening and offers plenty of joys amidst the twelve track album. Gum Country are a band to keep an eye on and leaves you salivating at the thought of what they could become in years to come.

From the ferocity of ‘It Lives It Breeds It Feeds’ to the rightly so pomp and circumstance of ‘The Queen Rules’, this album serves as an entry point for punk and indie rock in this most uncertain of years.

The album is available on the band’s bandcamp page here.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

This review first appeared on Backseat Mafia on 18th June 2020.

Pynch 'Somebody Else'

'Life is strange but at least I get paid' 

The new single from Pynch band is out July 6th from Speedy Wunderground.

A subtle political piece where the message is 'somebody else' the times have caused you to act and feel like someone else, when you are without the routine of everyday life, when it is taken away from you what do you become.

While this has a driving hum to it, there is a melancholy

'I just want to feel something real' - is the rallying cry after the lyrics go back and forth from defiance to being unassured, being uncertain about what you want is the only certain thing in this life currently.

This song is a distant relative of 'Born To Run' and that thread of uncertainty that runs through Springsteen's work or about the individual putting themselves front and centre in his own narrative in reaction to the oppressive society around him.

The video is a kaleidoscope of imagery from walks and activity during the lockdown period mainly in May 2020, so this is a time capsule piece featuring walks across fields, cycling without chains on your bike, harking back to a period of innocence ending on a journey at the lido this mythical place you used to attend when younger and more carefree.

Somebody Else is out on 6th July as a single.

Doomshakalaka

The debut album from former Hot Club De Paris frontman Paul Rafferty via Moshi Moshi records

Rafferty has constructed a collection of ten songs that work as both a great piece of work but also a piece of archive material as he looks back on his life in and around music starting with the album opener 'One Last Saturday Night' a song he originally wrote in 2011 about the feeling of possibility and invincibility that would come with a weekend night out as he refers to.

 

‘James Asleep’ is one of those driving melodies reminiscent of other Liverpudlian bands with a jingle jangle guitar with a bassline to match. The bass may be a bit sombre but the prevailing mood is one of hope and happiness by the end.

Befittingly, the album is of this era, with tracks such as 'This Is War (And I'm So Bored)' about negative thought and having to cope with them in this difficult time for everyone and this is backed up by the final track of the album 'Black Balloons'.

As Rafferty states in an exclusive interview, the process of the album was to describe a tough time, an album that is as much for himself than for others, but the universal appeal of this work speaks large.

All in all this album is one of genuine passion, of recalling past glories not for yearning but for embracing those memories as a moment of expression and how it expresses you.

Doomshakalaka is out from Moshi Moshi Records on 5th June

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Doomshakalaka/Paul Rafferty interview

The debut album by Doomshakalaka is out next Friday 5th June.

Here is an exclusive interview with Paul Rafferty

• Following the break-up of Hot Club de Paris, what have you been up to?
  

I've been touring with other people, did a punk band for a while (called Bad Meds), have been composing music for film and TV, tinkering with the Doomshakalaka record in between bouts of existential dread brought on by the onslaught of late capitalism.

 

• What is genesis of Doomshakalaka as a band/moniker and a concept?
  

When Hot Club de Paris ceased to be I just wanted to make a record where I was in control of all the aspects of being in a band. I didn't want to write to please a label, I didn't want to have to compromise on ideas, I wanted full control over the production aesthetic and so on. It wasn't necessarily a response to being in HCdP as being in that band was a total blast for a long time, I just wanted to make music for the sake of doing something fun and good. I soon realised however that the best thing about being in a band is the fact that you get to share all of those aspects and that compromise is a very valuable asset in the writing process, especially in terms of getting stuff done quickly. I also realised that it's quite hard to have fun on your own, so was kind of instantly burdened with this responsibility towards a record that only I cared about. The name Doomshakalaka probably describes this process quite well; a fun word changed to describe a tough time.

 

 

• Was there a reluctance to branch out on your own?
  

Not really. It becomes quite difficult to do bands with your friends when you hit your 30s because everyone's responsibilities change quite suddenly. Being in a band (at least in my experience) is to enthusiastically pour all of your money down the drain and convince yourself that doing so is worthwhile. That outlook isn't particularly compatible with real life. You could say I'm branching out on my own because my friends are less stupid than I am.

 

• You have gone back to a lot of old material, and this album focuses on memory – is there a tinge of regret in not releasing this music sooner or is the time right now?
  

No regrets. The album was ready when it was ready so there's no point wishing it was any different. I learned a lot making it and feel like I've developed a good stamina for all the processes involved in making a record. I've nearly written a new record already, so perhaps I'm catching up on all that time I spent on procrastination. 

 

• You are from Liverpool? Was it either football or music for you? 
  

I've lived in Liverpool for 20 years but I grew up in a small town in Cheshire. I stopped liking football in about 1992 when I discovered Guns n' Roses so I guess it was a kind of binary choice for me. A lot of my music friends love football too, though.

 

• What have you learnt about yourself in producing this record?
  

That I hate the sound of my own voice and that Instagram is the enemy of all progress.

 

• What expectations do you have for the album?
  

I'm not sure I have any! I'd be happy if some people liked it but it's not a requirement. The important thing for me was to make it as good as I could at the time so everything here on in is just sort of admin. 

 

• How have you coped with the Covid-19 crisis? And where do you see the music industry going?
  

I still have access to my studio so I've just continued to make music alone, which is what I do in my life day to day anyway. I'm not too sure where the industry is going other than continuing to shave off more percentage points for the actual people who make the product, but that was happening anyway. I'm probably not helping by self-financing my own record and happily proceeding in the knowledge that I'll make no money, but that's the reality of the indie labels and bands. 

 

• What is next for you?
  

Breakfast.

Doomshakalaka is out from Moshi Moshi Records on 5th June on all formats.

Spice 'All My Best Shit'

The new single release from Californian band, Spice, this is a rip-roaring piece of grungy, fast adrenaline rock.

This is a song as much about anger and how to express it compared to sitting upon your emotions. In this day and age of mental awareness and being expressive about feelings, this is a guitar-driven indie rock song seeking to be heard amidst this pandemic of epic proportions.

The single 'All My Best Shit' is released ahead of the self-titled album out on July 21st from DAIS records.

The album is a nine track 30-minute cut of sonic infusion sparking discussion about co-existing with spikes of loud and soft, short and long but yet full of sparky punch and authority in this world of unrest.

The group comprise of Ross Farrar (vocals) and Jake Casarotti (drums) from the band Ceremony, along with Cody Sullivan (bass), Ian Simpson (guitar) and Victoria Skudlarek (violin) the band have honed a sound from the Bay Area pedigree full of modernity and anthemic yearning.

Spice is out from DAIS records on July 21st

Melenas - Dias Raros

The long awaited mainstream release by Spanish four-piece Melenas is released by Trouble in Mind on Friday 8th May.

A bracing shot of adrenaline for the senses following a long period of docileness, this is a winning formula for fans of indie rock music.

For the band this is a step in the direction of more mainstream awareness across Europe following a long period of admiration in their native Spain.

From album opener 'Primer Tiempo' the intent is clear and what resonates most for the first time listener is to hear the tightness and unity of the group, the level of musicianship on display is a wonder to behold. 

There is a hum an energy that thrusts through the album from the indie-pop jangle of the album opener to 'Los Alemanes', but there is also opportunity for melody and slower moments on this swelling work.

The waltz of album closer 'Vals' is testament to this as is the gorgeous 'Ciencia Ficcion' that offers a chance for the band to engage with melancholic content with great cascading voices coupling with guitar waves.

This is a punk album for indie fans, and an indie sounding album for the stubborn punk fan.  The band hail from Pamplona, a region of Spain most famous for people being chased by bulls through the streets.  In this case, Melenas take the bull by the horns announcing themselves to the world and created a foundation full of influences both musically and culturally in a space full of promise and bursting verve.

Dias Roras is released by Trouble in Mind records, and the first label outside of Spain to release Melenas to the world.

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