Boy Scouts – ‘Queen’
San Franciscan Taylor Vick recorded this EP in various houses across her home city, begging and borrowing instruments along the way. It has a Sparklehorse meets Alex G feel and its tender yet glitchy atmospherics will enchant you from the first note. Taylor’s gorgeous vocals glide over the acoustic strums as she sings about sleeping in a bed for two and offers other intimate insights.
Murderhouse – ‘Gallahad’s Nightmare’
Murderhouse’s new song opens with a burst of Topshelf Records band-esque guitars before Jamie Murphy comes in to sing about getting wasted and slurring his speech. As the tempo ramps up, dual vocals are added to the mix of riffs and jangly guitar hooks. The song slows down halfway through as Jamie pours his heart out (which he quite literally admits) and examines the way he’s been treating someone: ‘Every metaphor is a lie’. The quiet ending just adds to his despair.
Me & the Moon – ‘It’s Alright’
Guildford’s Me & the Moon return with their second single on My Little Empire Records. ‘It’s Alright’ is a defiant slice of Noah and the Whale-meets-First Aid Kit folk pop with a killer synth-led chorus. Tamara Grzegorzek rallies by singing about how: ‘I don’t think we’ve reached the end’ and ‘I don’t need to hear the secrets’ before then pleading ‘Hold me, don’t let go’ over summer-laden guitar hooks.
Cloud – ‘Wildfire’
‘Wildfire’ is the first single to be aired from Cloud’s forthcoming album, which is coming out via our friends at Audio Antihero Records. Three minutes long, it’s a mixture of echoed vocals and atmospheric effects in the vein of a calmer Phoenix or Matt Pond PA. The vocals come in claiming ‘something’s got to give’ over an exuberantly noisy climax.
Good Good Blood – ‘Dead Set’
The first song from Good Good Blood’s new ‘Everlasting Light’ EP (which you can buy via Bandcamp now) is a short song with reliably intense lyrics that combine elements of darkness and light: ‘Dead set on me dying, obligatory after life, dead set on the mourning, just happy to share my life’. These words are sung almost trance-like over a hypnotic electric guitar riff that sounds somewhat akin to the result of a thrilling collaboration between Badly Drawn Boy and Field Music.