Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Bad Love
Stoke On Trent, Alt-Pop band Bad Love have released their debut single ‘More Than Friends’ which has already got support from BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 1. This fizzy guzzle of indie pop saturates zesty guitar jingles in effervescent swirls of synths while a spongy beat caresses the background in a buoyant bubble of jubilation. With a nostalgic sweet melody, shimmering indie pop soundscapes this passionate youthful track showcases Bad Love’s honest musicianship. The sun kissed, vibrant yet chilled soundscape as well as the bands meticulously layered arrangement makes for a satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.
About the track Frontman Andy Gannon says : “It’s a story a lot of people connect with I guess . After a break-up it all feels very melodramatic. Every nuance of your relationship gets analysed while you try and piece together what happened. Especially with socials the way they are ; nowadays you ’ re unfortunate enough to see every sun-kissed, party-going, ‘night with the girls’ moment of your ex getting over you.”
Portsmouth band The Pretty Visitors have released their new single ‘Mystery Woman’. 2019 saw the release of four demos, features on BBC Introducing, and huge headline shows at The Wedgewood Rooms (Portsmouth), The Joiners (Southampton) and Heartbreakers (Southampton).The band kick off 2020 with a live performance on BBC Radio Kent, showcasing six tracks on air, alongside a headline slot at Ice Breaker Festival (Portsmouth), a headline show at Heartbreakers for Independent Venue Week, and shows in London and Manchester.
With delicate guitar work entwining intricate bass lines ‘Mystery Woman’ continues The Pretty Visitors run of rich, mature and compact musicianship. The tense verses chill with a sense of mystery as the band surge the track with moody, luring qualities while the catchy chorus erupts against a vibrant indie soundscape. With punchy drums creating a foot tapping tempo the track coils and twists with a rumbling dark undertone. The band top all this fine musicianship off with a steamy guitar solo soaring above a wonderful meandering bass line before the crescendo. ‘Mystery Woman’ is a sublime, well crafted track from The Pretty Visitors.
Belfast noir-pop duo Dark Tropics have released their new single ‘Badlands’ taken from their upcoming debut album, due out later this year.The formation of Dark Tropics was inevitable. Drawn together by a bond that stretched from Ireland to Morocco, musicians Rio and Gerard found common ground in the form of Radiohead, Aretha Franklin and The Velvet Underground.Their creative vision has bore fruit with timeless, cinematic, pop-noir powered by analogue instruments and retro recording techniques.
‘Badlands’ is a melancholic drift of noir pop as Dark Tropics present emotive melodies with twinkling elegant accompaniment and rich moving songwriting. Rio’s clear immaculate vocals lull over a sombre melody as she creates the goosebump-inducing atmosphere that could stop time in an instant. The meandering piano ventures between deep surges to soft crystal twinkles of elegance as the band build and cultivate a mysterious yet moody song with a dreamy dark undertone. With tense strings adding a lamenting and warm nostalgia to the track Dark Tropics have created a moving and utterly mesmerising number that submerges you in a rich delicately swirling soundscape.
Alternative four piece band Bullet Girl have released their new single ‘Whacked’ produced and mixed by Daniel Fox. Late 2019 saw Bullet Girl refine their live sound with gigs such as co-headlining the first ever TILT at the Button Factory in October, hosted by John Barker of Totally Irish 98fm. They’ve also seen success in supporting bands such as FEET at the Sound House in November. On February 16th they played The Workman’s Club in aid of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. ‘Whacked’ is the first of four songs recorded with Daniel Fox of Girl Band, all of which centre around modern Dublin culture.
‘Whacked’ is a berserker of mania slapped into a fury of punk as Bullet Girl flesh out their raw unadulterated musicianship in all its blood thirsty glory. Sharp guitars lacerate and swivel through the track in a swarm of turmoil as they shrill and soar through the crashing soundscapes. The bruising drum pummels and batters with relentless stamina while the majestic bass rumbles throughout. There is a masterful balance between utter anarchy and tense suspense as Bullet Girl bubble and simmer for the verses before erupting into the battering assault that is the sublime chorus.
Like burning acid the track fizzes and seethes behind the bristled vocal yelps and exclaims. ‘Whacked’ is a well crafted, precise yet messy conundrum ready to blast from the speakers. This track is going to be epic live.
We sat down to have a chat with Isaac Butler in The Library Bar at Central Hotel Dublin. We talked about how he crafts his songs and his inspirations as well as how he likes to conduct his shows. Isaac also performed two acoustic tracks for us ‘Young Forever’ and ‘Good Enough’ check them out below.
East Manchester indie band Palava are set to release their new EP ‘Singles’. The new singles EP will be available on Spotify and Apple Music on February 21st followed by a huge show with RGM Live at The Castle, Manchester.
‘Singles’ is a blistering collection of Palava’s energetic alternative rock. With ‘Blow Us Away’ taking a strong lead into the EP the band waste no time providing raw guitar strides and punchy drum progressions to create a crashing wall of sound sure to be superb live. Peppering their slick soundscapes with striking bass lines and shredding solos the band build each track meticulously to create blazing crescendos and fist pump power throughout. The sweeter more brooding side to Palava comes in the form of the lamentful ‘Believe’ as the band coat tender lyrics in chiming guitars that twinkle through a sulken backdrop while ‘Next Room’ glimmers with dark undertones and nostalgia.‘Under The Waves’ is a sparkling gem within this EP. The vibrant guitar sparkles through a subtle punchy backdrop as the track flows with a majestic and beautiful arrangement that is charming and well presented.
Palava provide a tight EP laced in spirited musicianship with dynamic melodies and soundscapes. With wonderful guitar work and emotive moments between the crashing instrumentation its a well rounded EP. Palava are creating and developing their sound beautifully.
‘Singles’ is released on February 21st for more you can follow Palava on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/palavauk/
Mike Paterson returns with a new sound and fresh passion.He has released his new single ‘Stuck Around’. Previously releasing work as Mike Paterson, he is simplifying his moniker to just Paterson. Paterson writes, records, and produces his own work. This is his first release since his acclaimed EP “Devils In The Water” (Homebeat Presents, 2018). Paterson signed a publishing deal with Avant Music group in May 2018.
Rooted in a brooding aesthetic and laced with wisps of airy synths and strong grooves ‘Stuck Around’ presents Paterson’s sound in all its glory. Darkened reverb layered soundscapes swirl between jangly guitar lines as the track slips into an echoed dream-like distortion with hints of psychedelia. Paterson provides a dizzying almost confused atmosphere around the constant that is, his deep vocals, which creates a moody almost nonchalant tone through the bubbling whirling backdrop. The track lifts for the guitar heavy echoed chorus creating a sense of euphoria as the fizzy beat lays down a buoyant backdrop behind this breezy ethereal atmosphere. With quite the earnest push and pull effect teamed with compelling production and intriguing musicianship it’s an enticing and honest return from Paterson.
Dublin soul-infused pop-funk sextet Toshín have released their debut EP ‘Get Your Life’.The EP was recorded by Rob Kennedy in his studio in Donabate, Co. Dublin. It was co-produced by Zapho (Ele Breslin) and the band themselves. Zapho also co-wrote lyrics for two of the songs, “Eat, Sleep, Sex, Desire” and “Seriously”.
‘Get Your Life’ is a fun richly textured EP as Toshín create wonderful soul smacked tunes with R&B influences and a tasty peppering of Motown. These guys have a tight sound that oozes confidence and sass. They provide jubilant sounds with sublime saxophone blasts, tantalizing bass grooves and superb guitar work. Toshín possess the mesmerising ability to create elegant moments with their music through the use of wonderful strings and vocal harmony.
The funk flavoured licks and buoyant backdrop glitter with swagger and attitude in ‘Seriously’ and ‘Eat, Sleep, Sex, Desire (ft. Zapho)’ as the band layer the tracks with lush textures and grandeur. Jazzy keys and warm brass elements create a sophisticated and wholesome soundscape. The guitars in each track flamboyantly prance with a fluid majesty that maintains contrasting elements of grace and ear-splitting, fret-melting aspects with gritty undertones – all while blending perfectly against the driving bass grooves and elastic beat. The band veer their songs from wiggle worthy sensuality to mosh pit mania seamlessly creating something enjoyable for everyone. Toshín chat through the jam-like ‘Get Your Life (Interlude)’ while ‘Oh Lord’ provides that enthralling glimpse into the bands Motown faction. With its sway-like tempo building tension and creating a smoky atmosphere, the track forms the bands transition into a sound which is darker and more gripping than its predecessors while the outstanding recent single ‘Knock Knock’ is a refreshing strong and moving finale to the EP.
The obvious factor holding all these fantastic and instrumentally deft tracks together is Tosin Bankole’s retro, big-lunged, soulful vocals. She commands attention and controls her powerful voice masterfully bellowing with might before cooing with a sultry sweet rasped tone. She can evoke such emotion, passion and sass with just her voice alone – its mesmerising.
Within each track on ‘Get Your Life’ the band flex their Motown, indie and funk/soul muscles to create a sound that is as lush and vibrant as it is moving and honest. Toshín present an EP brimming with big soul stompers, smooth R&B gems and oodles of swagger. The dynamic soundscapes, crisp production and fizzy rhythms within ‘Get Your Life’ is admirable. Toshín have built a fine body of work doused in professional prowess and slick musicianship.
About the EP Tosin says: “This EP is about getting your life! It’s about feeling good aboutyourself, and being the best you can be. It’s also a mixture ofemotions; “Oh Lord” is about daddy issues, “Seriously” isabout being a queen, and “Eat Sleep” is about trying to get theride. Isn’t that what we all go through?”
The Star Prairie Project have released their new single ‘Steady As She Goes’ which follows on from the success of their last single ‘Sophia’ which has amassed more than 110,000 streams on Spotify and reached #48 on the DRT Top 50 Adult Contemporary chart. The Star Prairie Project gets its name from the village of Star Prairie outside of Minneapolis and the AlanParsons Project. The Star Prairie Project is made up of Nolen R. Chew Jr. and Rick J. Vogelpohl. Their upcoming album ‘Panacea’ will see them teaming up with more vocalists and musicians as they create a truly collaborative and highly polished album.
‘Steady As She Goes’ is a warm upbeat Americana number as The Star Prairie Project create a smooth flowing track that is sweet and melodic. This charming ditty drifts effortlessly into the ears as the tender vocals and lush harmonies warm the cockles of your heart. With cruising guitar strums and mellow twangs along with soft keys and spongy beat its a velvety cosy track for easy listening.
About the track Nolen recalls “the lyrics to the song came unusually fast” with the main idea of the song being written in under 20 minutes! “Steady As She Goes’ brings the best of Americana with its infectious melody and rhythm. Teaming up with vocalist, session musician and producer Rudiger (All American Rejects, Foghat) who delivers the smooth top vocal line, ‘Steady As She Goes’ invites listeners with its slick instrumentation and lyrical story.”
Elisabeth Elektra has announced the release of her debut album ‘Mercurial’ release date 8th May along with her new single ‘Crystalline’ released today.”Crystalline” was written by Elisabeth Elektra, co-produced by Elisabeth Elektra and Lewis Gardiner (Ellie Goulding, Prides, Kloe) and features instrumental contributions from Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand) and Graeme Ronald (Remember Remember).Under her previous artist name Zyna Hel, Elektra worked with diverse collaborators including Ben Power of Fuck Buttons, Nurse With Wound’s Andrew Liles and This Mortal Coil’s John Fryer.
With lush mystical wisps on synths ‘Crystalline’ presents Elisabeth Elektra’s wonderfully weaved electronic pop with majestic refinement. With a bubbling rhythm and light twinkling on keys the track flows beautifully creating an oceanic feeling filled with glittering scintillation. The pristine vocals and sparkling melodies flood the track in cool ambiance as the track submerges you deep into the calming soothing and enchanting sounds of Elisabeth Elektra’s musicianship.
Stream ‘’Crystalline’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
