Leeds indie four piece Ten Hands High have released their new single ‘6 Weeks’.After releasing their debut single in January 2019,Ten Hands High have played several packed out shows in their hometown of Leeds. The band were in creative overdrive, releasing 5 singles in 5 months, selling out their debut London headline at the Hope and Anchor in Islington along the way. Having supported Split Milk Society, The Clause and Luna Bay, Ten Hands High are quickly becoming a live act to be reckoned with.
Saturated in light guitar lines and summer vibes, ‘6 Weeks’ presents Ten Hands High’s tight indie in all its glowing infectiousness. A buoyant beat bubbles in the backdrop providing sweet punchy rumbles while the intricate bass weaves and wiggles creating a spongy foundation.The band use warm guitar refrains to provide subtle bursts of scintillation as the song progresses to the chorus.With a catchy melody and laid back vocals ‘6 Weeks’ is the perfect sing along indie tune.
Ten Hands High are cultivating their sound perfectly. Each track they release shows strong musical growth and impressive musicianship. I can not wait to hear more from this band.
Jack West has released his new single ‘Forever’. The song was recorded remotely from Virginia, New York, Rochester and Seattle using ProTools and Logic with fellow band members and co-writers keyboardist Abe Nouri and drummer Matt Bent (both graduates of the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Jack’s hometown) – along with Barrett Jones [Nirvana, Foo Fighters], who produced West’s debut album ‘For the Record’.
With a nostalgic 90’s alternative pop melody combined with an indie doused backing ‘Forever’ is a tune to treasure. The song shows natural growth and maturity to West’s sound as he builds the track slowly allowing it to blossom into a sweet indie pop delight. With light twinkling guitar and buoyant beat this track flows smoothly into the ears with subtle bursts of jubilation bubbling beneath a dreamy soundscape. West’s vocals are charming and confident as he warmly coos over the earworm melody. The track maintains a soaring guitar refrain that provides an ethereal quality to the song as West surges adrenaline, emotion and youthful bliss into this exceptionally crafted track.
Jack West is building his sound superbly bending and blending his rock origin into a sound that is truly special and passionate. Keep an eye on this dark horse.
Pauric O’Meara has recently released his new EP ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’.Pauric is an independent singer-songwriter from Co. Tipperary, based in Dublin. He has been making his mark on the Irish music scene for quite a few years. His raw, powerful vocal has been known to grab people’s attention, and his previous work has garnered over 150K on Spotify alone. Through the years, he has performed in many top venues around Ireland supporting bands such as Hermitage Green, Hudson Taylor, Billow Wood, Amazing Apples and HAWK but had a breakthrough year in 2019, with 2 headline shows in Dublin in The Soundhouse and Workman’s Club, as well as making his Electric Picnic Festival debut.
‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ presents Pauric O’Meara’s folk-hued musicianship through warm melodies and earnest song writing. With soothing guitar, melancholic tones and soft twinkling soundscapes ‘Is this Real’ kicks the EP in to motion. Instantly Pauric’s rasped velvety vocals exude passion and emotive tones lifting each track and providing a comforting constant throughout the EP. Pauric takes his honest lyrics about heartbreak and places them on a vibrant bed of indie pop with ‘Wasting time’. With sprinkles of zesty radiant guitar, buoyant rhythms and catchy refrains the track sits snugly as the half point of ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ . Highlighting the importance of staying positive through hard times ‘Beacon Call’ brings the EP to an upbeat finale – a vibrant pick me up the track is an adrenaline inducing gem that will make you instantly press replay.
As a whole ‘Looking forward to Hindsight’ is a journey through a relationship and break up. We get a wonderful glimpse of the heart warming songwriting of Pauric O’Meara as he establishes himself as a talented musician crafting wholesome enjoyable tunes that venture through folk and indie genres with ease. There are sweet tender moments expressed through beautiful melodies and heartwarming guitar as well as fun and golden moments creating a well rounded EP with something for everyone.
Exhilarating Manchester indie-rock band The Covasettes have released their new single, ‘Be Mine’ today. Firm favourites on any indie music fan’s playlists, the four-piece have totted up an impressive 1 million streams on Spotify alone, after being added to ‘The Indie List’ and ‘Summer Indie’ playlists. The Covasettes have already had a game-changing start to the year – previous single ‘Spin’ buzzed through the airwaves in February and in April they made the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition longlist.
With adrenaline pouring from the curdling rhythm, blazing guitars and dirty bass rumble, ‘Be Mine’ is another irresistible anthem from The Covasettes. There is swagger dripping off every note as the band flourish a raw driving indie rock backdrop with scorching guitar refrains and sultry licks while the rampant beat stamps the track firmly into your head. With cool vocals spread upon a catchy blues-hued melody the band present a chilled attitude driven sound brimming with confidence and blazing instrumentation. The Covasettes are building and crafting their sound superbly creating pockets of refined splendour within their blistering indie rock format. These guys write vibrant tunes for you to dance and mosh to. Another absolute smasher from the quartet.
About the track the band said: “Be Mine is one of our favourite tracks ever. As soon as we’d written it, we couldn’t wait to play it live and get it recorded in the studio.Every time we play Be Mine at gigs, it gets such a lively reaction and creates a real buzz in the room, so when it came to deciding our next single, Be Mine was the clear favourite. We think it follows on really well from Spin as it has a raw, gritty sound that is more rock driven than some of our previous releases. We’ve had Be Mine ready to go for a long time now and we can’t wait to get it out there for everyone to hear. We hope that people get behind it like they have with our other releases and come and sing it back to us at the live shows.”
AER Music, Fluttertone and dootdoot Records have come together to create a series of intimate evenings of exclusive live performances from the best emerging and established artists.Last night they had the music sensation that is Sam Wickens.
Sam Wickens enchanted the viewers of Virtual last night.There is nothing more special than a performance from Wickens. We saw him in his home studio all geared up and tech savvy. He ventures through tunes with acoustic guitar, synths and reverb as well as some haunting effects. He has become known as the “tech wizard of Oz”, for he has been helping other artists that have performed on Virtual making sure their sound is crisp and clear. However tonight it’s all about the beauty in his songs and majesty of his voice.
Wickens is a passionate performer and exceptional instrumentalist ( he made his synth himself) however it’s the moments of heightened emotion and depth within his songs that takes your breath away – tracks such as ‘I Was’ breaks your heart in a swift, raw and striking instant.His performance is wholly consuming as he ventures between country, soul and folk with ease while subtly adding delicate textures in the background. While having a cheeky little vape during the set as well, Wickens explains he is “mathematically challenged when it comes to song length times “ and planning his time for shows.
Wickens shows the tenderness and emotion in his voice through the immaculate ‘Winter’ while ‘Oh Mother’ displays the rich and soulful marvel of his vocal range. He uses synths and effects to create a haunting atmosphere and reverb. The synths fill out the sound while at the same time emphasising the purest form of his music. Wickens treats us to some new tracks from an EP he will be releasing later this year.Yet to be released ‘Murky Waters’ in particular is perfection.The lush falsetto, foot tapping tempo and soothing melody creates a heavenly melodic ambience while ‘Cliff Side’ is a folk-hued number that has Wickens “trying to be a didgeridoo”. The set continues with fans asking him to do four more… five more songs, Wickens jokingly replies “I’ll do none, I’ll feck off now” before delving into the latter half of his set.
There is real serenity to the performance, a great relaxation that’s beautiful to witness as Wickens plays guitar and keys with ease. Not only can Wickens present moving and lyrically poetic songs he can drift through some pretty slick covers as well. A time stopping cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Crawling Back To You’ graces the setlist however it is the much sought after ‘Jericho’ which leads to revered appreciation and adoration from the viewers.
Sam Wickens is an artist to treasure. His songs form their own universe, primed for the listener to dive in and find their own little corner to indulge and delight in. His technical virtuosity and moving vocals are incomparable and this Virtual medium gives a real frisson of excitement and thrill to Wickens performance creating the space, silence and mood to truly appreciate his beautiful songs.
A Q&A follows the performance which satisfies the insatiable need of the viewers to ask and connect with Wickens. Questions from what’s your favourite fruit, favourite burger joint to how does he get into the head space for his songs, inspirations as well as more personal topics such as him being a “sober little pickle”.He has fans in Canada and America watching. Unfortunately “Sammy” is “too cool to say it back” to fans declaring their love for him however this does not halt the flood of compliments and love for Wickens from pouring in.This Q&A in particular is lively and Wickens banters and chats honestly to his fans providing them with a more personal one to one conversation approach which is a special feature of this Virtual medium. Another mind blowing performance on our weekly fix of Virtual.
After Three extremely successful single launches, Finnian has released his new single ‘Fly’ taken off his debut album ‘Under The Influence’ which will be released on July 24th. Growing up in Dundalk, Ireland, Finnian has carefully nurtured his songwriting to the point where he is now being lauded by his peers as one of the most exciting talents in the country.
Saturated in bluesy swag and jazz elements ‘Fly’ is a bright number steeped in the sleek and engaging songwriting of Finnian. The song is anchored by the jazz piano refrains while elements of blues rock and retro soul adorn the track in lush tones. With banjo twangs between a foot moving rhythm, jaunty organ and warm guitar the track has a strutting sass all of its own. Finnian’s clever turn of phrase and passionate songwriting are at the forefront of his powerful, intricate musicianship. This is best shown when the listener admires the song as a whole – the instrumental backdrop flourishes behind Finnian’s rasped vocals giving the track a fluctuant and kinetic texture that is vibrant and uplifting without becoming overpowering.His beginnings as a folk based songwriter have now truly evolved and this song is a fine display of Finnian mastering his craft.
Irish pop/rock singer-songwriter Fly the Nest is set to release his new single, ‘Borrowed Time’ on July 24th.Dublin native Fly the Nest (Stephen Cooper) started playing music at a young age, performing in various bands. Last year he started solo project Fly the Nest, under which he writes and releases his own music. Stephen also writes for sync, and says that writing for film and TV has opened up another facet of his creativity. The name Fly the Nest came from travelling and moving on from a previous musical journey to the one he’s currently on.
‘Borrowed Time’ is filled with lush instrumental surprises as Fly the Nest crafts an anthemic rock track laced in heartfelt passion. From warm string laments to triumphant brass the song drifts through a majestic arrangement with ease. Cooper allows the track to unfold beautifully. The anthemic rock remains at the forefront creating emotive tones through dusty drum beats and steady guitar strums however its the brass that lifts the song into an adrenaline induced state of jubilation.
The song is a journey through someone’s life and finding their purpose. The lyrics talk about giving life everything you have while you are on this earth, appreciating what you have, and embracing every opportunity. Coopers emotive rasped vocals portray this message perfectly while powerful progressions and a catchy pop-rock melody ensures the track will stay in your head all day. ‘Borrowed Time’ is well paced with Cooper taking his song writing to new heights – looking outside the box to bring a track that is sweet, sincere and bursting with cinematic energy.
1000 Beasts has released his debut EP ‘On A Different Page’.1000 Beasts is an electronic producer & musician from Cork City. Starting off producing electronic pop songs in 2017 he has already achieved great critical success, with spins on BBC R1, heavy radio support in Ireland (TodayFL, 2FM…) and some of the biggest editorial playlists on Spotify (Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds: Pop, New Music Friday UK, The Pop List, A breath of Fresh Eire…), Apple Music, and Deezer.
‘On A Different Page’ reveals 1000 Beasts impeccable ability to create rich layers of brooding electronics filled with R&B, pop and lo-fi elements as he provides a collaborative EP ready to tantalize the senses. The laid back night-time vibes envelope tracks like ‘Is This Love?’ in ethereal atmospheres of swirling synths while the sticky slapping beats provide a danceable groove.
The use of different vocalists on the EP gives each track its own character and persona. 1000 Beasts pulls in mesmerising vocals from Shiv, Kayleigh Noble, Lenii and Alex Tierney to surge soul, warmth and R&B sass into the EP. However it is through the subtle intricacies and layering that 1000 Beasts excels. If it’s the soft jazz guitar in ‘Le Marais’ and funk elements in ‘It’s Cool’ to the tropical rhythm and bubbling electronics in ‘Tokyo’ the soundscapes within each track are meticulously crafted for a satisfying listening experience.
The tone of the EP is quite dark at times and this dark theme continues in ‘Waistcoat’ which boasts sweet vocal coos over skittish trap beats and a smooth noir pop melody. There is something eerie about the track as it ventures down a sound that could fit on Billie Eilish’s debut ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’
The tender ‘5 Points’ brings an end to the EP – a euphoric track with a building background full of suspense-filled synths and breathtaking pulsing beats.
‘On A Different Page’ is an engaging musical experience with laid back lo-fi pop elements sweetening the more weighty electronic and groove rich moments. 1000 Beasts presents himself as a musician to get excited about as he creates a sound laced in depth and dexterity with masterful musicianship at its core.
Luke Clerkin is set to release ‘What Little Time We Have’ on July 24th. The Dubliner’s highly anticipated EP was produced by previous collaborator Gavin Doyle, and Jack Keenan, at Cabin Space Studios in Dublin. It was mastered by the internationally renowned Pete Maher (Jack White, Damien Rice, U2), in London. Luke Clerkin has been playing and releasing music for the last five years, gaining international airplay and support, whilst also topping the Irish Singer Songwriter Charts on multiple occasions. He is also known for playing over 250 gigs in 2015 as a way of honing his craft. Since then he has headlined famous Dublin venues such as Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club, and The Button Factory. His music has brought him all over the world, with multiple tours of Germany, as well as festival slots in America, The UK, and Ireland.
‘What Little Time We Have’ is an earnest emotive collection of tracks which showcase the tastefully memorable and enjoyable musicianship of Luke Clerkin. From the wonderful build of ‘Confession Box’ to the tender struggle with mental health in ‘Stones’ Clerkin displays his ability to present sweet melodies and heartfelt songwriting through a lush blend of genres. The classic rock ‘Not In Love’ is the boldest expression on the EP. Clerkin’s vocals spread over sharp guitars and punchy drums with a stinging guitar solo bringing the track to its crescendo.The track grows into its loud, sweeping finish, with the lead guitar blending perfectly into the thumping background.
Though Clerkin experiments with pop rock he maintains the stripped back wholesome style we have come to know him for. The emotive ‘Closure’ surrounds heartbreaking lyrics and sweet falsetto on vocals with graceful piano accompaniment. Within the melody there is innocence and glimmers of positivity and healing. ‘Nocturnal’ brings the EP to a close with a catchy chorus, charming guitar refrains and danceable atmosphere. Instrumentally it’s an upbeat and vibrant end to an EP that pulls at your heart strings.
‘What Little Time We Have’ is a poignant honest account of self-discovery and self-reflection.With instrumental subtleties appearing throughout the EP which often at times is mixed behind the vocals there is something to enjoy with each subsequent listen. ‘What Little Time We Have’ is deeply personal and a sublime EP from Luke Clerkin.
Talking about the release Luke said ”For this project, I wanted to experiment with new genres, and new sounds. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with amazing musicians and songwriters from all over the world, each of them influencing me in a different way. So these recordings are a reflection of that.’I’m known mostly for my heart-on-sleeve vulnerability, so when moving to a more pop rock genre for songs like ‘Nocturnal’ and ‘Not in Love’, I tried my best to retain this. My lyrics on this project are still as honest as they’ve ever been. This is especially present on ‘Closure’, I think this is the most personal song on the EP, and I feel because of that, it’s the most relatable.”
‘What Little Time We Have’ is set for release on July 24th.For more you can follow Luke Clerkin on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/LukeClerkin/
Arthur Valentine is delighted to announce the release of his latest single, ‘Fruit Juice’, ‘Fruit Juice’ was born out of quarantine, the making of which has been described as a “cathartic exercise” by Arthur. Recorded over two weeks between tea and basketball breaks in the back garden, Fruit Juice is the brain child of Arthur and fellow Hausu collaborators-turned-roommates Actualacid and Automatic Blue.Despite relative newcomer status, Arthur has already clocked up a lot of ‘gig-miles’ on the Irish circuit including headline slots at the Button Factory’s Crowbar, Cork’s Cyprus Avenue, Bodytonic’s Pot Duggans and a sold out Ruby Sessions show. In addition to this, he has performed numerous times in Cork’s Plugd (The Roundy) and Coughlan’s, as well as an additional performance in Cyprus Avenue supporting Sorcha Richardson.
‘Fruit Juice’ blends Arthur Valentine’s intricate, velvety sound with R&B elements and smooth pop to create a luscious summer track. The melody and sugary production seeps into the ears with ease while the bubbling electronics and jaunty guitar provide zesty bursts of scintillation throughout. A buoyant bass weaves through the tracks elastic backdrop while rich percussive spurts and vibrant beat lay down a hip hop hued foundation for the swirling soundscapes to flourish off.
Arthur Valentine has a wonderful ability to create ear-worm worthy tracks which ooze subtle sonic intricacies and ‘Fruit Juice’ is a perfect example of this. It is a wholly satisfying, irresistible track that is both wonderfully euphoric and masterfully crafted.With elements of Lauv glimmering through the sweet emotion and a Mac Miller sprinkling on top, Arthur Valentine has created a sound that builds on the balmy bliss of lo fi debut single ‘Selfish’ – ‘Fruit Juice’ is a fantastic example of the suave musicianship and precise alternative/pop of Arthur Valentine.
Stream ‘Fruit Juice’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
