In the first of two posts of new music this weekend, we showcase some of the fine music that’s been sent to us over the past month or so.
Modern Studies – ‘Dive Bombing’
Modern Studies emailed us after reading our Whitney review and their sound is equally sun-drenched despite being a Glasgow-via-Yorkshire-based band. Almost ambient to begin with, ‘Dive Bombing’ has a slow build and the lilting vocals perfectly float over the alt-folk sound. We’d recommend for fans of Bright Eyes and the Delgados.
Losers – ‘Chainsaw’
Featuring members of The Cooper Temple Clause and YourCodeNameIs:Milo, it’s no surprise that Losers are a loud band – especially when you throw in a member of Vennart’s live band and new music guru Eddy TM into the mix. With his trademark snarl, Tom Bellamy sings: ‘You poison me and I’ll poison you’ in an industrially heavy that lives up to the noise of its title; think Mansun meets Menace Beach. You can feel the force of anger as Tom later states: ‘I think I’ve got a handle on myself, take away one picture of you to remember what you put me through.
Rain – ‘Lethargy’
With hushed vocals and huge-sounding guitars, ‘Lethargy’ has the feeling of a song that sits somewhere between Ride and Basement. Starting off as a tender love story with the words ‘rest your head upon my chest and sleep’ being repeated time and time again, there’s a breakdown around the 2.50 mark before everything is picked up again in a Twilight Sad-style crescendo.
Hope & Social – ‘Sunrise Laughing’
Describing themselves as a ‘Yorkshire E Street Band’ in their tags on Bandcamp (and who wouldn’t want to listen to that), Hope & Social have long been a favorite and in the first single from their new album they showcase a happier and quirky side to the band – although there’s some darkness shining through the lyrics: ‘I smell the napalm burning and wonder what we know?’ Synth-heavy and with its celebratory tone, the words ‘come on out the pouring rain’ are chanted Duke Special style while the musings of ‘is there escape in another dimension?’ and ‘is there solace in space?’ capture the exuberant spirit of Emperor Yes.
I Drink Therefore There’s Darkness – ‘There’s Always Another Summer’
Formed by members of Deep Elm stalwarts Goonies Never Say Die, I Drink Therefore There’s Darkness (and what a name that is!) open ‘There’s Always Another Summer’ with a full minute of instrumental stylings in a Vasudeva vein. There’s almost a samba beat going on before the British Sea Power-style vocals come in. As the song progresses, the band deliver the definitive line ‘Don’t take the living for granted, thank you’ and there are power-pop hooks, odd time signatures and stop-start guitars – basically all the things you want from a fun math rock band.
Filed under: New music, Preview Tagged: alternative music, Chainsaw, Dive Bombing, Hope & Social, I Drink Therefore There's Darkness, indie music, Lethargy, Losers, Modern Studies, new music, pop music, Rain, rock music, Sunrise Laughing, There's Always Another Summer