Another fine week – and now the sun’s out! What better time to discover some new music?
Tancred – ‘Sell My Head’
With their album Out of the Garden out now on Polyvinyl, Tancred are gearing up for tours with both Speedy Ortiz and The Good Life. Clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, there are jaunty guitar lines and an aesthetic that comes across as if Laura Stevenson was fronting Into It. Over It. in ‘Sell My Head’. In-between tasty riffs, Tancred sing about how ‘I drank you up like wine, till my teeth were black and white’.
Revere – ‘Last Bridge Standing’
A glorious, cinematic opening marks the welcome return of Revere. Very keyboard lead, the opening lyrics ask ‘How can we sing when there’s no voice left singing? How can we win when there’s no fight worth winning’ and it’s clear the band are in political mode (‘Our strength is in numbers and we’re calling you out’) although the proggier aspects – along with songwriting nous in the vein of British Sea Power – that have served the band so well are still correct and present.
Constant Companion – ‘Curious Design’
Although the punky, rock and roll sound is full of velocity, the subject matter is a little more downbeat (if not more important): ‘I made myself untouchable by letting everybody have their fill. Now I am numb to the touch of an honest will and I am always alone’. Sounding like a mixture of Chairlift and The Runaways, Constant Companion have recently played with Beach Slang and this is such a touching song that raises important questions about today’s world: ‘I want violence and love, fear and lust. I want radical thought and political dissidence’.
Night Owls – ‘Call Me Out’
A duo from Leeds that grew up in the scene dominated by Pulled Apart By Horses and Hookworms, Night Owls ‘Call Me Out’ is a song that may have a grungey aesthetic but is also brimming with melodic moments. A combination of Menace Beach’s grittier sounds and the power-pop of Brawlers, the lyrics ‘Call me out again, it’s all you ever do. How can I forget when I’m stuck here with you’ showcase the brash and uncompromising nature of the band.
Junius Meyvant – ‘Neon Experience’
A folky singer-songwriter from Iceland who’s very much in the vein of his country mates Of Monsters and Men, Junius Meyvant adds an extra layer of soul to this fantastically slice of Nordic chamber pop. As he delivers the relentlessly positive message of ‘Don’t let the whole world break you down, a new day will come around’, there are strings, choral harmonies and even some handclaps within its six minutes. It’s a song that will leave you smiling.
Filed under: New music, Preview Tagged: alternative music, Bandcamp, Call Me Out, Constant Companion, Iceland, Icelandic music, Junius Meyant, Last Bridge Standing, Leeds, music video, new music, Night Owls, pop music, revere, rock music, soundcloud, Tancred