Real life has meant we haven’t had much time on weeknights to delve into our overflowing inbox. The positive of this is that when we do finally have the chance to work our way through the various email, there’s an electrifying selection of music from new bands and old favourites to wrap our ears around.
Here are some of the songs that we’ve recently been enjoying:
Fatherson – ‘Just Past the Point of Breaking’
Fatherson have long been on our radar and appear to be going from strength to strength. They have a huge tour including a headline slot at London’s prestigious Scala coming up (supported by The Xcerts, no less) and now they’ve released another new song from their upcoming album. ‘Just Past the Point of Breaking’ is, unsurprisingly due to its title, a break-up song but it’s also a powerful anthem that mixes the emotional heartbeat of Dry the River with Twin Atlantic-style hooks.
Lovespeake – ‘DNA’
In the week, we lost Prince it’s only right that we put in a pop band that have a toe-tapping and irresistibly soulful edge. With an unashamedly funky sound, Lovespeake are a Norwegian group that could be soundtracking parties and festival all over the place this summer. ‘DNA’ opens with a blast of electronica before it grooves into something akin to CSS jamming with Phoenix. The song instantly demands your attention and when Lovespeake instruct you to ‘Go with the flow or you’ll never know’, it’s hard to resist.
Clique – ‘Top Field’
Signed to Topshelf Records, this new video from Clique gives an indication of what’s to come on their upcoming album, ‘Burden Field’. The video starts with studio footage of the band saying how bad they want their music to sound, and how the more ‘garbage’ it is, the better it will be. Opening very slowly, the song combines the intricate stylings of Tangled Hair with the experimental tone of emo icons like Cap’n Jazz and Pedro the Lion.
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love – ‘Guard’ (Live at Servant Jazz Quarters, London)
Long-time friends of Spectral Nights, Audio Antihero Records have released Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love’s live take on their final album ‘Last’ via Bandcamp and it finds the band offering up stripped-back versions of all the songs. ‘Guard’ opens with an introduction that goes wrong, with Ellis Dyson having to repeat the name of it before then delivering something that is quite jaw-droppingly spectacular. The sparseness of the sound means the emotions of the song come to the fore and the vocal interplay is to die for.
Garbage – ‘Empty’
After a four-year break, grunge-pop legends Garbage are back with a new album called ‘Strange Little Birds’ and this single, ‘Empty’, makes it sound as if they’ve never been away. Shirley Manson is as captivating as ever as she delivers lines about how ‘I’m so empty, you’re all I’m thinking about’ with some spite and the song itself is full of huge-sounding, dirty riffs and powerful hooks. It’s unmistakably Garbage, but with added melody that recalls Tegan and Sara.
A Dead Forest Index – ‘Summit Down’
Signed to the ever-reliable Sargent House, A Dead Forest Index is a band made up of two brothers from Auckland who appear to have grown up on a diet of post-rock and more laid-back, but no less emotive, acts similar to Loney, Dear or The Flaming Lips. Very atmospheric, ‘Summit Down’ starts off like a dream-pop collaboration between Anna Calvi and Beach House, but as it reaches its drone-fed climax, something more sinister is going on…
Elvis Depressedly – ‘Slip’
Clocking in at just over two minutes and with a deliciously DIY feeling, this mixture of waltzy melodies and distorted atmospherics sounds will appeal to fans of Diamond Youth and Nai Harvest. Coming out on Run for Cover Records, it’s a hazy listen bursting with ideas and has summer vibes running right through it.
Filed under: New music, Preview Tagged: A Dead Forest Index, alternative music, audio antihero, Clique, Elvis Depressedly, Fatherson, Garbage, indie music, Lovespeake, Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love, music videos, new music, new music video, pop music, Run For Cover Records, Sargent House, TopShelf records
