Liverpool’s POLAR STATES have released their new single ‘Sellotape The Skies’. This is the bands second single recorded remotely during lockdown, working from their bedrooms, following, ‘2020’ which was championed by Huw Stephens and featured on Spotify’s Hot New Bands and Fresh Finds (Global). Since their formation the band have had strong support from Radio 1 including a feature on the best of BBC introducing playlist, entered Spotify’s Viral 50 Chart, and have played a number of major UK festivals, supporting Wolf Alice, The Japanese House, and Clean Cut Kid.
‘Sellotape The Skies’ is ethereal, anthemic and surging with gripping indie vibes. With raw biting guitars rushing through an intense sonic build the track erupts with kinetic adrenaline and invigorating indie rock. The soaring guitars flourish and ricochet off the buoyant punchy drums while the rooted bass lines create that hip coaxing groove.These guys always pack oodles of passion and youthful energy into their tracks and they have out done themselves with this new release. Exuding a catchy uplifting melody and smooth emotive vocals ‘Sellotape The Skies’ has that blood rushing state of suspense that is sure to spark something within the listener. The band build tension superbly through the verses before the powerful anthemic chorus bursts with jubilation of epic proportions. Robust and packing a hefty punch ‘Sellotape The Skies’ is a joy to listen too.
On the song and the experience of recording remotely, vocalist Paul Tong commented: “When I was a kid, I used to think Sellotape could fix anything. It even held my BMX together at one point, till someone stole it. I guess when you don’t really understand a problem, you think it can be fixed so easily. ‘Sellotape The Skies’ is like my way of going back to that simplicity.I wrote it at 3am in my bedroom in a bit of a hazy state. I woke up the next day and was like, ‘where did that song come from?’ It didn’t have a chorus for a while, and was more just like a big poem. It sat around unfinished for months, but we went back to it during lockdown and recorded remotely from our bedrooms. It’s weird releasing a song that we’ve never actually played together from start to finish. The lads were like, ‘we’re gonna get sued for this title’, but then we figured The Kinks sung about Coca Cola and they got away with it. “
Roscommon Rock and Roll Teens The Flies have released their sophomore EP ‘Looser’. The band have been playing together for three years, starting off playing shows in local schools and at small festivals as well as playing headline shows in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon in the period before the Covid 19 pandemic.Last year the band released their debut EP – ‘Catch Up To You’ which received radio play including national radio play on RTE 2FM after it’s release The Flies played shows including a show in Dublin supporting the inimitable Jinx Lennon and their final gig before the lockdown hit was a support slot with The Stunning.
‘Looser’ is an EP laced in shredding instrumentation as The Flies develop their sound through some pretty slick tunes. The band use punchy drums, blistering guitars and groove layered bass lines to whisk their sound into an adrenaline shot of exhilarating alternative rock. ‘Back Pocket’ and ‘Director’s Cut’ blast through brawny sonic soundscapes with slinky frills on guitar and drums which provide a glimmer of the bands own character and musical prowess however it is in ‘Fool’ where The Flies show the most promise. With a blazing solo, lighter indie sound and lamenting tone bursting through robust instrumentation, the track surges with emotion, passion and earnest songwriting. Oozing a swaggered confidence and rock n roll tone the quartet set the EP up to impress. There is no shortage of catchy melodies and hooks within this band’s music and their tight wall of sound is impressive. The rapid punch of ‘Council House’ brings the EP to a close with early Arctic Monkeys vibes and a crowd friendly sing along “da da da” lyric that is just too infectious to resist.
‘Looser’ is an energetic EP with thrilling surprises within each song. Whether its a sharp guitar flourish, elastic bass wriggle or ground shaking drum rumble the band keep each track interesting while balancing the right amount of heavy rock and engaging indie. The Flies present a fun vibrant sound sure to get anyone up and dancing. A solid second EP from this promising band.
Bitch Falcon have recently released their new single ‘Test Trip’ taken from their forthcoming debut LP, ‘Staring At Clocks’, to be released 6th November via Small Pond Records (Clt Drp, Wild Cat Strike).BITCH FALCON was formed by frontwoman Lizzie Fitzpatrick in Dublin in 2014, and are mainstays of the festival circuit in both Ireland and abroad (packing out rooms in the US, Canada and Europe). Since these freshman days, the lineup has galvanised around the rhythm section of Barry O’Sullivan on Bass and Nigel Kenny on Drums.The trio has played shows with Girl Band, Fontaines DC, Torche, Black Peaks and Pussy Riot.
Once again Bitch Falcon deliver another slice of grunge perfection with latest release ‘Test Trip’. A relentless bass rumbles through eerie soundscapes for the verses while drums tease and foreshadow the chaos to come. The track oozes spine-tingling instrumentation, tension and dark atmospherics as the trio push and pull the verses into the heavy chorus with majestic and masterful musical flair. The band place droplets of dreamy tones through the track which gives brief moments of release between the striking guitars while the harsh riffs and pummeling drums provide a thunderous backdrop for Lizzie Fitzpatrick’s powerful vocals (which is the all commanding constant within the bands songs.) Her range is bewitching as she controls her icy lulls and mighty wails with dignified dominance while the crazed guitar fuzz, shattering bass and dead summoning drums explode into a frenzy behind her. Her cool, calm approach has a sense of passionate nonchalance which she unleashes without warning, making each track the band release an energetic shock to the system. Bitch Falcon’s sound is absolutely thrilling and first class. These guys are in a league of their own.
About the track frontwoman Lizzie Fitzpatrick said : “I wrote this about running away from home. When I was young I would always pack my bags in a bid to manipulate my mother into forgiving me for something I did (too stubborn to just apologize). I linked this with manipulation in love. When the partner ‘tests’ each other by trying to leave when they just want to be fought for. Really it’s a take on myself, rather than dealing with the situation, just packing your bags and running away (which is not the answer).”
The Rupees have released their new single ‘Mother Said’.The Rupees and their music has been showcased on BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens), BBC Radio 6 (Steve Lamacq), and Sky Sports (Soccer AM). The band have played Reading Festival, Glastonbury and Bristol Harbourfest, supporting bands such as Blossoms and The Growlers and selling out numerous headline shows,
‘Mother Said’ is a powerful indie ballad as The Rupees saturate their emotive songwriting in raw biting indie rock. With sharp guitar cutting into the dramatic soundscape the track has an anthemic rock ballad atmosphere. The song builds becoming more epic as the drums kick in while a bass rumbles throughout. Displaying strong growth the band pack a punch with this melancholic tune as they forge another whopping single for us to indulge.
I caught up with frontman James McGregor from Galway quartet The Clockworks to talk about the band’s new single ‘Can I Speak to A Manager?’, their move to London as well as how they prep for live shows.
Written in 2018 while the band were still living in their hometown of Galway, McGregor found himself taking refuge from the drudgery of his 9-5 in a number of café’s and pubs during his lunch break. Infuriated by the plastic world around him and nauseous with the monotony of a rat-run routine, his paranoid thoughts and pent-up rage spilled into a song that dares to point out the failings of an ailing society. Inspired by the straight-up social commentary of lyrical icons like John Cooper Clarke, Mike Skinner, and Ray Davies of The Kinks, ‘Can I Speak To Manager?’ sees McGregor exercising his songwriting abilities with a similar no-nonsense and observational approach.
“Initially I had the idea of the first verse, so the idea of a really specific story of something just happening like a really mundane story and trying to make it sort of dramatic. That’s why, the first line is like “my god what a palava” because it’s just so mundane and you expect it to do with something crazy and dramatic, but it’s not. And then from there I wanted to see where I could go with that and the feeling of everything is kind of broken was sort of on my mind and came out through that. That’s the inspiration for it anyway, that’s sort of how it started. It was sort of written nearly in order. It was the first verse and a really particular story and then trying to make it, I guess…a more universal idea.”
I wondered when he was writing the track did he think of the vocal melody as well and how he was going to sing it, or was it just mostly words and getting it to flow.
“Oh that’s a good question, I haven’t been asked that before. The very first lines I had, so like that first line “my god what a palava” and the “Wrong model and no charger” and then, “Now at a loss, I’m sitting”, I had that straight away, it was the first thing that came to me and then the rest I guess was more rhythmical and then the melody followed.”
There is a sublime build in this track especially how the band venture from a hypnotic rhythm and then lead into a blasting crescendo.The band definitely enhance the instrumental backdrop to match and highlight the lyrical content to create something quite cinematic
“Yeah, we usually try to make the instrumental music reflect the lyrics in a way that maybe a soundtrack might, and so that song is about something that’s quite ridiculous and maybe light hearted, finding who you are. You could say it’s light hearted or not but something ridiculous that becomes crazy and the whole thing is, like, “when I become a cynical”, it’s one of the lines and it’s all about the descent into cynicism, that you might get from something as simple as your laptop breaking might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and send you into that frenzy toward the end where you think that everyone is all out to get you. Obviously I don’t want to dictate how anyone would listen to that song but for me, that was kind of the impetus. It was that something simple happens that isn’t really a big deal. You know, you’re not going to remember it five minutes later maybe or five days later, for sure, but at the time it just sends you off.”
Not only does the band provide powerful punk rock and an abrasive wall of sound they pack in some serious themes and lyrical depth. Themes of isolation, paranoia, and helplessness all glimmer through their songs and hit hard through their lyrical content.This is something McGregor strives to achieve when crafting the tracks, that all important connection with the listeners.
“For us personally it’s important. I’m not gonna speak for how I think every musician should be. Because I think everyone plays music for different reasons or writes songs for different reasons. But for us, it’s expressing a feeling, or an emotion and hoping that the message,I guess is that, this is something we feel, you know, this is something that we maybe think about, do you? I’ve always been fascinated with the fact that maybe if you’re feeling nostalgic you might listen to one song. You might listen to, I don’t know, Frank Sinatra, you might listen to maybe the early indie music or The Beatles or something if you’re feeling like getting back to the music you listened to when you were a child or something. Then if you’re feeling heartbroken you might listen to Damien Rice and these people speak to you in ways that they wouldn’t normally. I remember one of the lads, saying to me before that they’d never got Sam Smith, until they were heartbroken and then suddenly Sam Smith makes sense. I think it’s like, these people are putting an emotion out there, or, an observation or something that you could relate to, and it takes maybe a certain situation or turn of events to relate to that. That really fascinates me. It’s not something that I would think about all the time but it’s definitely something that we try to do across the songs. I would try to have different songs for different times, different songs for different rooms in your mind, that you might need to go to.”
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The Clockworks relocated to London last year and the quartet signed to Alan McGee’s new record label ‘Creation23’ almost overnight. We discussed the advantages of moving to London for artists
“I think there are definitely more opportunities here than in Galway, I can only speak for living in Galway. I don’t think that’s any fault of Galway, as a place. I think firstly, there’s a slightly different cultural relationship to music or maybe our type of music, or rock music or contemporary music…and I feel people generally feel like it’s more of a young person’s thing to maybe go to gigs loads and stuff. I think secondly, obviously, it’s just the music industry itself, it’s all here. If we play, you know, here somewhere, we’ve had plenty of gigs where people who didn’t know us have turned up and they’ve been this person or that person in the music industry, you know,”
Like other bands of his generation The Clockworks have the power and influence of streaming platforms which gives artists huge exposure however it doesn’t make them money. They have the opportunity to reach more people but don’t reap the benefits as much as an artist would with album sales and touring. However McGregor doesn’t think it has bothered the band that much
“ I think we’re lucky enough as it’s all we know. So I think maybe if you’ve come from, the age where buying albums and making money from people buying your albums was the norm it would be a lot more shocking and maybe more overwhelming. For us we don’t expect people to have paid to listen to our music. So I guess it doesn’t affect us as much. I definitely do understand what you mean about like, you can see, Spotify plays, you can see Facebook likes, Instagram followers. All these numbers and then you see like, zero pounds or euros. Or you might have this many followers, and play a gig in Whelan’s to nobody. You know, in the past, especially when we sort of didn’t know how things worked as well, we would support a band, and be like ‘oh this band has this many followers. This is gonna be a packed gig. This is gonna be huge’ and then we’d be playing to nobody and they may be playing to a handful of people, and it never made sense to us. But because of the fact that we were post that change we have always played in the Spotify age, I guess, we are lucky because we don’t know any better. Sort of blissfully ignorant.”
The music scene in the UK and Ireland is very vibrant lately – there are so many amazing acts gigging and producing great music.I wondered is there competition between the bands and does McGregor feel pressure to fit into the scene.
“I think its cool. I think it’s good. Galway again, because its not Dublin it’s so far removed from 90% of music in Ireland, but it was great for us because we were just, the opposite to the thing you’re talking about, there was a handful of bands, a lot of singer songwriters or, you know, singers or instrumental musicians or whatever, who sort of all supported each other and there was no clique per se, so that was great. We were able to just do our own thing and we came over to London and I think we’ve carried that with us so we’re not too worried about trying to jostle through other bands in the same venue to be, like the cool band in this group of bands. We’ve never done that and I think, historically it always works out better if you just support other bands and make friends where you can and apart from that keep your head down and just get on with it. Again, I think we’re also lucky because we moved to Northwest London, which is the equivalent of Galway, London-wise. There’s no bands that we know of around us. Most of the bands are in South London, that we know. The bands that we know would be in South London, East London or West London or different parts of North London but Northwest London we’re kind of removed, so again there’s no scene here, there’s no scene where we are. It’s nice because we can sort of not worry about fitting into it.”
I saw The Clockworks perform a few years ago in The Workmans Club supporting BLESS. and SISTERAY. The intense energy they had and expression through their music was impressive. It’s no surprise they have had slots at festivals including Eurosonic and Electric Picnic. The band have also performed to a huge crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool in support of Kings of Leon. Preparation is the key to a good live show but the band don’t overthink it.
“oh yeah and I burst in ( on Indie Buddie’s interview with SISTERAY at the time).We go in and play but we do give ourselves a little pep talk before we go on. We’ve always done that just, sort of like, jump up and down and say, you know, ‘this is it’ kind of thing.I think it’s especially important when there’s three people in the room and back in the day you know when you play maybe, Róisín Dubh for the 40th time. Some days would be busy sometimes it wouldn’t and we were lucky to be able to play there so much and really practice. Obviously you have to apply yourself in a certain way, when you’re playing to three people, you know, because you’re not playing to sold out crowd singing back your words at you and we’ve always thought that those three people are worth as much, every person is worth as much as every other person in the room, regardless of how many there are, of course. Just because there’s more people in the room you shouldn’t give them more of yourself. You should try and give everything to any gig because, what are you on the stage for if you’re not gonna do your best. So I guess we go in with the mindset of just giving everything we can. Every time and just before we go on, I guess we say that, but we’re not actors and it’s not like ‘alright, let’s go into costume and change character now’ it’s not like that, which is fine if you are like, David Bowie, he literally got into costume and changed his name.But that’s just not what we do. “
With live shows cancelled it’s easy to see how bands and artists can become overwhelmed with the pressure of making the most of their spare time and McGregor did fall pray to this at first.
“ I think I put pressure on it. Because, obviously, everyone was immediately super productive, you were just seeing people everywhere immediately like fit and healthy and taken up four new languages and cleaned their house and had done everything they have ever wanted to do. That isn’t what happened but that’s how you felt. Everyone was being super productive and for the first few weeks.”
“What I usually do is write lyrics in pubs, or cafes. I don’t know why, but I like to be that little bit removed from home.I haven’t quite worked out exactly why but maybe I don’t want to ask myself too much because I don’t want to ruin it if I find out the answer. But obviously without being able to do that sort of thing at home I found it a bit stifling for lack of a better word.”
“Once I got used to that it was alright. It was good. We got some good writing done. We got a few new songs on the go and because obviously it was so extended, initially we thought it could be a couple of weeks and for the first few weeks it was like, ‘Yeah, I can wait to go back to the pub or whatever to get some writing done again’. Then once you were like ‘no we’re in this for the long haul’ I sort of, had to surrender to it, and go right, ‘well if you don’t write them, what are you gonna do’…just because you technically have more time because you’re not, you know, going into work every day. It was, it was a stressful time. I think everyone, regardless of what, personally happened to you or your family, with this I think it was stressful for everyone at least a little bit and still is for a lot of people.”
The Clockworks have been touring and releasing music for a few years. From McGregor’s experience of the Irish and UK music scene and life as a band in general I wondered what advice he would give to someone who wants to start a band. His answer imparted words of wisdom which any budding artist should take onboard.
“Industry-wise I think everyone says it but then it is so true. I would say just write, write as much as you can and read as well. Or, take in stuff as well, listen to music, read books, watch films, whatever it is that you do to build your imagination and write as much as you can, because it’s like turning on an old tap that hasn’t been used. It’s like you have to run the water until it stops being brown. I think it’s easy to turn the tap off again. If you don’t write for a while. Personally I find if I don’t write for a while it takes me a while to get back into it, like I just said over the summer, so I stopped for a couple of weeks and then suddenly you know you get back into it again. Write as much as you can. You can have the worst gig ever, you can have terrible reviews, you can have every label, manager, agent in the world, turn you down. But as long as you’re still writing music, if you can still write music and enjoy doing that. Then, you know, all is not lost. You’re still doing the thing that’s the most fundamental thing and I think it’s very easy to get caught up in the peripheral things like reviews or bad reviews or bad comments from someone or someone turning you down or a gig that you don’t get or whatever it is. So I guess maybe for both industry and creatively, I think, to focus on the fact that writing is THE THING , and everything else is peripheral.”
“I can’t remember who said this, I read it the other day and I can’t remember – this could be anyone from like Oscar Wilde to like a gossip magazine. Someone said ‘Don’t take on criticism from someone you wouldn’t be prepared to take advice from’ which I thought was a great quote. It’s really difficult and a lot of people get very anxious about it. I think that’s what I was getting at with being in Galway and being now in North London is that we’ve tried to make sure that we don’t feel like we have to conform to a sound that’s been dictated to us by someone else musically, you know, or dress a certain way or whatever, You can’t be restricted by it because you end up running around chasing other people’s expectations and that can be very dangerous. To chase other peoples expectations of you, is probably impossible.”
The bands previous single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ was praised at radio by BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac on her “New Names” showcase, BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq on his ‘Recommends’ show. The track received day-time radio play on RTÉ 2FM, and even impressed the legendary Rodney Bingenheimer show in the States on Sirius XM. The band are keeping the momentum going with their new single ‘Can I Speak to A Manager?’ as well as writing and building for when live shows finally do return.
“Definitely writing, we’re writing a lot at the moment and recording as well at the moment. We’re trying to next year, consolidate the gigs that we weren’t doing this year and see what we can do.Hopefully, everything is good to go by then. It’s quite a weird thing to be booking gigs, that you’ve already cancelled that you may have to cancel again.It’s strange, but that’s what we’re trying to do and it’s good to try. So, that’s it, just writing loads because that’s the fundamental, that’s the important thing. We’re doing everything else we can too. We have loads of time, we’re not playing gigs. The first thing we have to do is write and record music and then after that it’s everything we can try and get gigs, do interviews like this, meet people as we can, you know zoom meetings and all that.”
The Clockworks have created a unique and intense sound all their own. Their ability to craft songs which blend moody punk with frantic rock outbursts is impressive and the lyrical content carries depth and masterful poetic insight. I can not wait to hear more from them. THE CLOCKWORKS are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Rising Irish act State Lights have released their new single ‘Give Me Something Human’. Over the past twelve months State Lights have firmly established themselves as one of Ireland’s best Live acts. The band recently sold out a headline show at Whelan’s in Dublin and London’s Islington and their track ‘Let You Go’ was ‘Track of the Week’ on the 2fm Breakfast show with Doireann and Eoghan.Recently the band were ‘Homegrown Hero’ on Today FM’s flagship morning show Dermot & Dave, they performed on the country’s biggest television entertainment chat show (and the longest running in the world!), ‘The Late Late Show’ and also tallied substantial airplay and support from KROQ Los Angeles, Radio X (UK) and a host of other International radio stations. This positive uptake resulted in a slot at the prestigious Electric Arena Stage at Electric Picnic, where they shared the stage with The Kooks, St Vincent and Cigarettes after Sex. This was followed up with support slots with The Fratellis and The Academic. Last summer the band also played the highly acclaimed Indiependence and Kaleidoscope Music Festivals.They are due to headline the Button Factory on Saturday February 20th 2021.
Surging with exhilarating energy and biting instrumentation, ‘Give Me Something Human’ fleshes out State Lights majestic and blossoming sound. Their ability to express character and emotion through instrumentation is masterful and perfectly shown in this new release. Punchy drums and piercing bass grooves keep the track grounded as strong guitar strides lament and pine through the raw rhythmic foundation which creates wild chaotic outbursts for the chorus. The verses brood and simmer as the distinctively powerful vocals from Shobsy rush with passion and tenderness. With a catchy melody, epic rock explosions and elements of distortion ‘Give Me Something Human’ boasts wonderful cinematic soundscapes that are sure to give you goosebumps.
Birmingham based quartet Y!KES have released their new EP ‘MASS!VE’. A spine chilling collection of tracks filled with raw crunchy guitar lines, stabbing drums and manic dark soundscapes, ‘MASS!VE’ stays the course the band unleashed with their debut EP ‘Everything Pointless Is Correct’. The new EP captures the abrasive nature of Y!KES in a nutshell showcasing their unapologetic, gut-punching alternative grunge rock is a force to be reckoned with.
These guys have a knack with catchy guitar refrains which they mangle beneath wild unruly instrumentation while the odd guitar riff peers above the bands musical onslaught. ‘Pirouette’ follows this format perfectly. There is a ‘My Chemical Romance’ tone and Emo residue to the track which wallows within the songs underbelly – swarming with loathing and moody aggression.
Of course this bands instrumental prowess and flair is what makes them so intriguing however, it is Oli Long’s aggitated vocals which gives Y!KES enough drama and crazed intensity to take their sound to epic heights. His vocals are luring, moody and almost psychotic as he wails, growls and mumbles through the tracks creating quite the unique and exhilarating character for each song. This is especially shown in ‘Alice’. Long’s vocals slither with a gravelly texture truly displaying the sinister range and capabilities of his vocals. It’s utterly thrilling. With a 90’s rock bravado the verses are manic and full of surprises while the chorus is strong and melodic, all leading to a glorious ending, ‘Alice’ is one of the pinnacle moments on the EP.
The high intensity, mind frazzling rock doesn’t end after ‘Alice’, instead Y!kes expands from this point. The EP only gets better and heavier from here as the band push and explore the depths of their tantalizing sound. With a cinematic rush on guitars, shredding solos and melodic frantic flurries to delight the listener, ‘Door Frame Angel’ and ‘Faker’ take their triumphant place on the EP. Although just as coarse and sharp as previous tracks, the band inject sweeter melodies into the thrilling, alternative rock instrumental.
However it’s not all a screaming assault of alternative rock, final track ‘Step Away’ brings the album to a surprising close. Here the band effortlessly slip into a more indie pop outfit with light jaunty guitar riffage providing an indie spring through the buoyant drum progressions. There are glimmers of Sugar Cult, early Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes in this song. I have to hand it to these guys, they always deliver a slap in the face of some kind and this sunkissed and moody number is the rosy-hued ( yet dark themed ) gem to do it. Absolutely love it.
‘MASSIVE’ showcases Y!KES is growing and harnessing their raw unbridled rock to create music with a memorable balance between drama, anarchy and deft musicianship.The band have created an invigorating sound of their own to discuss themes of depression and conflicting emotions through anthemic tunes with choppy chords, gnarled vocals and ground shaking drums. It’s quite the masterpiece.
London based indie-alternative outfit, Oli Barton & The Movement have released their new live cover of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’. The band take the haunting track and put their unique spin on it, twisting and coiling the eerie moments into something just as dark but with a mighty punch behind it (even adding the chorus of Slowthai’s ‘Doorman’ into the track’s mammoth finale). With sharp guitars blazing through pounding drums the band present a blistering assault to the senses while maintaining the mystery and spine chilling momentum of the original. Oli’s vocals are harsh and brazen. He prances through the verses with attitude and sass as he wails, whispers and bellows. Oli Barton & The Movement take the chilling aesthetic of ‘Bad Guy’ and turn it upside down to create a rock-doused, swagger-drenched force to be reckoned with.
Watch ‘Oli Barton & The Movement’ live video for ‘Bad Guys’ below
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From INSIDEAWAVE
Following the release of singles ‘Ivy Honey’ and ‘Bright Windows In The Night’, Dublin five-piece indie rock band, INSIDEAWAVE have released their self titled debut EP with lead single ‘Tour Guides’. To date, the band have amassed over 15,000 streams on Spotify, with ‘Ivy Honey’ having achieved 4,000 streams in 2 months.Their mid-tempo, heartening indie vibes have led them to performing extensively in premier music venues in Ireland such as Whelan’s & The Grand Social, The Bello Bar, Workman’s Club, The Wiley Fox, Bruxelle’s, Tramline, Spirit Store and many more.
‘Tour Guides’ is an intriguing listening experience. Presented within clean production the band create a spacious and airy track with soft falsetto vocal coo’s and dreamy melody. Guitar stings slice through a wispy atmosphere as the band blend dark psychedelic elements with raw indie to create an invigorating soundscape.The rumbling bass entwines the track in an ominous sense of mystery while the rich rhythm and percussion create a bubbling foundation. There is a wonderful contrast between the brooding darker verses and blossoming burst of the chorus as the band slip effortlessly into a brighter luminous soundscape. With haunting vocals wailing as the track fades to its end INSIDEAWAVE keep you on the edge of your seat all the way through. These guys are master musicians.Their ability to compress so much wonderful sounds and elements into one track is impressive. INSIDEAWAVE are a band to keep an eye on.
Chay Snowdon have released their new single ‘What The Kids Want’ taken from from the bands upcoming debut EP ‘Are You Sitting comfortably? (Then we will begin)’, which will be released in the autumn. Chay Snowdon are an Indie Rock four piece who met whilst at University in Bristol. The band joined forces with highly acclaimed music producer John Cornfield (Muse, Supergrass, Razorlight etc.) to record this high tempo track
‘What The Kids Want’ is a blistering display of Chay Snowdon’s swagger drenched rock n roll. With shredding guitars soaring, wailing and searing through a curdling drum rumble and pulsing bass line the band showcase their ability to produce a high powered anthem laced in panache and refined instrumentation. It’s a well paced track which builds and simmers as a gritty riff and bubbling rhythmic section lead the intense verses into the mighty chorus. Dynamic vocals flood the track with attitude as the rock n roll backdrop chugs along behind however voice samples are placed onto the track as the drums gallop into the powerful crescendo. Well crafted with masterful production and musicianship ‘What The Kids Want’ is an energetic new single for this very talented band.
About the track Snowdon explains : “‘What the Kids Want’ is an amalgamation of lots of different stories and experiences as told through one central character. Most of the subject matter in the song derives from things Chay heard, experienced, or witnessed whilst living in Bristol. The story unfolds as if it could be the plot to an old Hollywood Blockbuster.“
Stream ‘What The Kids Want’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
