With Glastonbury taking place next week (which we won’t be going to for the first time since we started attending in 2003 – damn ticket servers), our inbox has unsurprisingly been packed with new music of bands getting set for festival season. Here’s some of the best we’ve heard lately.
A Compilation in Aid of C.A.L.M Part II
Released by our friends at Till Deaf Do Us Party records, all proceeds from this compilation go to a very worthy and deserving cause. Released to promote the fact that mental illness is no longer a taboo and to help people realize there are people looking out for them, it features the likes of The Xcerts, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Night Owls and Tellison. By downloading it, not only will you have a bumper 20 new songs to listen to but also be helping an important cause.
Bearpark – ‘Distant Fields‘
One of many Revere spin-offs, this is a gentle and acoustic-based gem from Bearpark. With a relaxing atmosphere and heartfelt lyrics in the style of Sharon Van Etten, it’s a love song with a positive message: ‘I can’t help but smile’. It finishes with a defining statement of ‘We will face each other’ over the minimal guitar sound.
Field Mouse – ‘The Mirror‘
Ahead of Augusts Topshelf Records-released album ‘Episodic’, Philadelphia/Brooklyn band Field Mouse have unveiled ‘The Mirror’. Recorded with Hop Along’s Joe Reinhart (whose band could be a touchpoint), it’s a vibrant and refreshing two-and-a-half minute punk song packed with irresistible hooks in the vein of early Cloud Nothings.
Giants of Diving – ‘American Weekend‘
Any band that has the words ‘multi-hyphenated’ in their biography are going to raise our attention. Washington, D.C.’s Giants of Diving has a classic songwriting skill that brings to mind the likes of Brendan Benson or Dawes and has just released his debut EP. ‘American Weekend’ is a slice of Americana with added synth breakdown at the end that seemingy comes out of nowhere.
Good Good Blood – ‘Passing Place‘ EP
Released via Bandcamp by the ever-reliable Fox Food Records, Good Good Blood’s ‘Passing Place’ is available for name-your-price download or as a cassette complete with photo print, thank you card and a ‘small surprise’. Gentle, folk-tinged rock for Sufjan Stevens and Wilco fans with distinctive vocals and brilliant bursts of trumpet.
Filed under: Album review, New music, Preview Tagged: alternative music, Bandcamp, Bearpark, CALM, Campaign Against Living Miserably, Field Mouse, Fox Food Records, Giants of Diving, Good Good Blood, indie music, new music, pop music, revere, rock music, soundcloud, The Xcerts, Till Deaf Do Us Party Records
