Alternative rock band Faded Shades have released their latest single ‘She Left Yesterday’. This jangly indie pop track drifts cheerily over a buoyant guitar riff and punchy drum foundation as Faded Shades flesh out their heartfelt indie musicianship. With an upbeat melody, rich percussion and elastic bass groove the track oozes radiance and vigor. The zest laced guitar line saturates the song in glorious sunshine while the laid backed vocals and dreamy melody makes the track flow effortlessly. A heartfelt message of solace regarding a love lost to the allure of travel ‘She Left Yesterday’ is a charming and catchy new track from Faded Shades.
FloodHounds have released their new single ‘Something Primeval’. The trio have been selling out headlines in London and Sheffield and playing packed support slots with the likes of The Blinders, Calva Louise, BlackWaters Avalanche Party as well as shared festival stages with False Heads, and Demob Happy. Not only that the band have been Championed by BBC Introducing Sheffield, and were winners of a Pirate Studios’ National apply to play competition, and joint winners of Sensoria Festival’s Composition award, presented to the band by Steel City musical icon, Richard Hawley.
Swarming in raw sharp guitar riffs, slinky bass lines and punchy rock n roll swagger, ‘Something Primeval’ is quite the knockout alternative track. FloodHounds have created a tune whose melody strolls in, cool collected and sleek while the blistering instrumental backdrop whirls around in a display of anarchy. It’s a wild and tameless number as pounding drums stomp about sharp gritty guitar lacerations creating a hefty bruising foundation. Majestic moments within the track are created through rough and tumble squeals on guitars coupled with warm harmonica wailing throughout and dynamic vocals cooing over the eerie melody. ‘Something Primeval’ is a thrilling dark track from FloodHounds.
This band have a wonderful ability to present exhilarating tunes drenched in impressive musicianship. Their tightly honed sound and intoxicating blend of blues, alternative and rock n roll is definitely worthy of attention.
Alex Brenchley has released his new album ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’. ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, was the idea of Songbook, a crowdfunding music company. The concept was an EP of The Beach Boys covers, giving Alex Brenchley the opportunity to revel in their songwriting genius. Sparked by Dutch director Arthur Petri requesting a cover by Brenchley of ‘God Only Knows’ as an engagement present, this fun project has resulted in simple indie-pop re-imaginings of the songs. London based artist and musician Alex Brenchley was recently awarded the Mayor of London award for emerging artists after releasing his debut album ‘Daylight Snobbery’ in 2019. He has performed and exhibited at some of London’s finest venues including St Pancras Old Church, the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Roundhouse and the Barbican Art Gallery and has worked with artists including Noah and the Whale and Tom Rosenthal.
Alex Brenchley takes some of The Beach Boys classics and puts his own unique twist to them. His smooth vocals and luscious pop persona makes ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ a sweet and radiant EP. Title track ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ takes a more tropical tone than the original with the percussion. However the song is presented instrumentally sparse allowing that catchy melody and a jangly guitar refrain emphasize the songs beauty.
Brenchley presents each track wonderfully; highlighting the melodies and exposing the beautiful vocal and lyrical core. ‘Heroes & Villains’ is a fine example of this. Brenchley strips back the rock ‘n’ roll bop while maintaining The Beach Boys harmonic bridge and building on it – decorating it with soft guitar twinkles and lush vocals while horn melodies glimmer between the lush harmonies and elegant soundscape.
‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These TImes’ is another sweet stripped back rendition of the original. Brenchley chooses ‘Your Summer Dream’ to bring this collection to an end. Taking the dreamy doo-wop track and mellowing it out into a chill-time classic with delicate guitar and easy going soundscapes.
Alex Brenchley provides another insight into the wonderful tunes of The Beach Boys by putting his laid back and melodic stamp on them. Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ is a charming and lush collection of tracks.
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From The Clockworks
Photo Credit: Oscar Ryan
The Clockworks are set to release their new single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ via the Creation 23 label tomorrow Friday 12th June.Written by The Clockworks, ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ was produced by Michael Rendall and The Clockworks in Willesden, London.
The track has already grabbed the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac on her “New Names” showcase, as well as legendary Rodney Bingenheimer show in the states on Sirius XM, and even received day time radio play on RTÉ 2FM.
The Clockworks are a four-piece comprising James McGregor on Vocals/Guitar, Sean Connelly on Guitar, Damian Greaney on Drums and Tom Freeman on bass. Relocating to London in 2019, the quartet signed to Alan McGee’s new record label ‘Creation23’ almost overnight. They have since impressed audiences across Europe with live performances at festivals including Eurosonic and Electric Picnic, performing to a huge crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool in support of Kings of Leon, as well as a head-turning televised appearance on Sky 1’s Soccer AM.
‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ is an accelerated slap of The Clockworks intense post punk in all its exhilarating glory. The band create a hyper sound that pivots around chiming guitar lines and blood pumping drums while a raw gritty bassline rumbles through the foundation. The track has a hypnotic metronomic rhythm that buries into the brain while the sweet guitar laments with a soothing quality. The rapid lyrics are delivered with a relentless stamina as James McGregor sings the catchy chorus and spits the verses with fiery angst. Blurring timelines past, present and yet to be, ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’, sees the band comparing the once optimistic visions of ‘the future’ of generations past, with the bleak reality that we currently live in. The band portray this through a palpitating tune that rushes through to its blistering almost asphyxiating crescendo.The instrumental glitches and itchy texture of the song create quiet the unsettled and almost frantic wall of sound as The Clockworks continue their real, honest and punchy musicianship with another absolutely fantastic tune.
About the track James McGregor explains: “This song is about trying to bring together two main ideas: The feeling that everywhere you look things are going wrong, to the point of cynicism, and the way that the idea of the future is better that its reality. Art and articles in the past would talk about 2020 and expect us to be driving flying cars in houses that clean themselves where nobody has to work. In reality we’re driving third hand Fiat Punto’s to 9-5’s that barely pay the rent. I guess the point is that the lifestyle may change but a lot of the problems are the same.”
‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ will be available digitally on 12 June 2020, via the Creation 23 label.
Watch the video for ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ below
Josaucy 8 has released his debut single ‘Toby’.The creative result of the first week of quarantine self-reflection, ‘Toby’ is the first single in the run up to his album, due for release later this year.
‘Toby’ layers abstract sounds, intricate electronics and sweet twinkling melodies to create the unique and experimental sound that is Josaucy 8. There are light tropical elements blended into the track while rich rhythmic bounces adorn the backdrop. The lyrics contrast the radiant dazzling soundscapes with outbursts of frustration through auto tuned vocals while the catchy melody soothes the songs irritable nature. ‘Toby’ is a playful debut from Josaucy 8 and a unique expression of complex ideas.
After some small technical difficulties and discussions of which mode of contact would be best due to Johnston’s phone’s decision to pack in, I sat down to have a chat with singer-songwriter Sion Hill (Nate Johnston) last week. A lot has happened since our last chat. The world went into lockdown, Johnston’s shows were postponed and he released a new single ‘Speak Up’. Given the fact that everyone now is living a new way of life due to covid-19, the track has been released at the perfect time as it discusses mustering the courage to tell your surroundings how you really feel. ‘Speak Up’ is an infectious, upbeat and utterly radiant tune. It’s quite the ray of sunshine on a miserable day and for Johnson it speaks about his anxiety through a natural upbeat and melodious medium.
“I think I wrote it about a year ago. I suppose a lot of people are thinking nowadays about technology, social media and everything else. I suffer a lot from anxiety and I don’t know where it’s brought on. I’ve always kind of had it but I think there has always been a stigma with talking about that. People are getting up and speaking about mental health issues in the last few years and I think it’s a great thing. With the walk into light and that, a lot more people are aware of it.Especially guys, who are just not very good at talking about their emotions in general. It’s still taking a while but I think people are better at it now, you know at least calling up a friend. In all my tunes I just try and keep a pretty positive upbeat melody and the music is always upbeat but I still try to say something that has some meaning. I mean most of the songs I hear coming out are just the same old story so I’m trying to say something but also keep it upbeat and hopefully that inspires people.”
Johnston slips into country/ traditional folk territory with this track especially with the perky fiddle melody. However it wasn’t his original vision for the track. In fact it was almost different tune altogether.
“ I actually listened back to the original demo I did for the song which is like five munites long.There’s two verses in it and a completely different chorus and its much slower. Its just electric guitar and voice. It was never really intended to go anywhere. It was just something I wrote for myself and I played it for a producer I work with in Hamburg and a couple of lads from another band that were there at the time. There was a fiddle player and we just started jamming and we sped it up slowly because there was a few people around and we were having some beers and we were kind of in a party mood. So we sped the thing up and it worked really well in this more upbeat faster tempo and then the fiddle player started playing this thing. He was actually German so we had to tell him how to change the notes in a way that would give it that Irish feel.
He was a seriously good violin player but it was more in the classical style so we had to get him to venture into this Irish thing.It wasn’t the intention of the song, it just went in that direction and it was cool. I mean the producer I work with, he is just insane with producing beats and finding new melodies and soundscapes so it was just a collaborative thing really the way it developed. The original song is completely different.
It’s really funny, sometimes going back and listening to the old demo, it was a different name on the computer and I was just listening to some old tracks for inspiration. Sometimes I go back to old songs and listen to them again and see if there is something there, you know, why did I stop working on this track, did I work it into something else or can I re-work it into something else and this was one of these tunes. I was looking through stuff and I heard it. I thought how on earth did that become this. It’s interesting how that happens sometimes. Its really cool when you see the end result and go back to the beginning and see how far it came. Sometimes it doesn’t change at all which is also pretty nice. “
Johnston recently represented Ireland performing his new single ‘Speak Up’ in the Free European Song Contest in front of a TV audience of 4 million viewers, finishing in the Top 10. The Free European Song Contest is a music competition in the Eurovision format that aired on German, Austrian and Swiss TV, organised by the German broadcaster ProSiebenSat Media and Stefan Raabs production company Brainpool TV. It served as an alternative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was planned to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A surreal experience!
“Its really funny that whole thing. I was probably the first unofficially elected Irish representative for the fake Eurovision. But yeah it’s a shame the actual Eurovision was cancelled. I haven’t been a big supporter of it since Dustin the Turkey was our rep. I just thought after that it kind of went a little bit downhill. There was a couple of nice entries the last few years, the whole thing is just such a big spectacle now but it has a really loyal fanbase.
There is so many people that love that and were really missing it this year. There’s this guy, Stefan Raab and when he heard it was cancelled he was like I want to try and do something along the same lines as the Eurovision. He has a production company and he is a huge German talk show host. He’s actually retired for 2 years but his production company only runs Germany, Austria and Switzerland so he was like look that’s kind of the best I can do, so it was only open for live viewing if you were in those countries unfortunately. So that meant back home people couldn’t actually watch it live or tune in to vote.It was more of a German Eurovision style but it was on the same level. I think there were 4 million people watching and Conchita Wurst presented it. It was still a huge production and a massive audience but its not really the Eurovision at the end of the day. They knew that and they made a tongue in cheek version and they made fun of a lot of the countries but in a nice way before everyone went on.
It was also terrifying with the social distancing, that was still going on over there although Germany is pretty much opened up now at this stage but they were still wearing masks going in between backstage and onto the stage.There was perspex glass everywhere and people were dressed up in these ghostbuster outfits with visors, but it was a pretty surreal experience. It was cool to be able to perform after 2 months without playing a gig. Even though it was only 1 song, it’s still nice to get to stand up on a stage and perform.”
It’s a tricky time to release music as bands and artists can’t tour to promote their tracks. However, Johnston has already broken into the Billboard Top 100 songs in Germany and the Shazam Top 200 charts for ‘Speak Up’
“ Yeah its good, I’ve signed with Warner Brother Music but we released this with an independent label. Actually I think it was meant to come out this weekend but we brought it out early…I think a lot of people were shazaming it and it’s got a lot of radio play in Germany at the moment so we will see how it goes. I think it’s really difficult right now to release music. I’ve seen a lot of bands that normally would release an album then do a tour and have postponed the album release so that they can tour it but then some of them have just gone ahead with it. Yeah it’s such a weird time to release music you have so many battles with trying to get things into playlists you just can’t promote the song without playing it live. It’s doing alright though, I think in Germany its doing great. Hopefully it picks up a little bit in Ireland. “
The music video for ‘Speak Up’ was shot in Berlin.However this was not the original plan for the video but Johnston has had to improvise to get the shots he needed including creating fake rain.
“Originally I was meant to film it in Ireland.But that was cancelled obviously so when I went over to Berlin to do this competition. I had to quarantine in Berlin for 2 weeks and then I had to quarantine here for 2 week when I came back to Ireland. So that was 4 weeks for a 3 minute and 21 second performance its ridiculous! but we were just there and originally I filmed myself with a webcam playing the song and lots of different clips. I put it together and it was pretty cool but the label were like we want an actual video so I put all that work in and had to scrap it.
I called up some friends who work with a band in Germany called Giant Rooks and Milky Chance and they go around with them and do these live videos and photography and stuff. They came over to the apartment and I said let’s just walk around and film. I like their style I like their vibe its quite personal and sometimes that’s nice just the personal introspective look at the artist. I went for a walk and they came to the house, played the song a few times, went out, walked around the streets, drove through Berlin for a bit and that was it. Nothing major but sometimes its nice to just have a look at the artist just walking around singing the song.
Actually we used the film directors car. He had an old Mercedes Hatchback from like the late 80’s or early 90’s or something.It was quite a cool car to drive, the gears are really sticky and it actually has some decent acceleration on it as well. It was meant to rain that evening and it didn’t so we went down to this sort of car park old petrol pump place. It’s in the video, you can see me walking around there where I parked up. [We] tried to mimic the rain and the lights. [We] basically just put all these random things into the car and then just got one of those car wash spray things and sprayed water over the car. There was a girl who had to hold this, I don’t even know what she was doing. I think she had to hold a light and she had a massive rain coat on and she just got soaked by this thing for 10 minutes. You do what you gotta do to get the shot but its pretty fun being on these sets sometimes.”
Johnston always looks confident and at home in his videos.I wondered was he always confident in front of the camera or is it just something he has had to get used to.
“ Oh I’m not confident in front of the camera at all. I hate it but you have to do it. At the beginning, one of the first tracks I released we did a video that wasn’t released [ for it ]. It was with some directors that wanted a group of people, a few of them were dancers and I’m rubbish at dancing and they were like just do some dancing while your walking toward the camera. I was like, what! get me a choreographer, I’m not a dancer. It was the first music video I had done, the first video I had done since I was a kid when we just filmed things with little cameras running around the place playing Lord of The Rings, but now I’m more comfortable with it. I kind of know how it works.
I have a good few friends who are filmmakers and photographers so I chat with them a lot about how it works. Obviously it’s pretty interesting to hear about it first hand and to be honest I’ve done it enough times so it’s fine.I just prefer being behind the camera but in the end its difficult to convince the label guys and the management that I shouldn’t be in the video. Although I’d love to be able to film a story and maybe have a cameo or something or just not be in the video at all but they want you to be in the video unless you are like an indie rock band.
It’s a brand in the end and you have to represent the brand, but then, Ed Sheeran, I think his first video, The A Team song, he’s only in like one clip, Hozier’s not in Take Me To Church. There are so many videos like that in the pop realms, because obviously when you go down into indie territory, rock music it’s often just a story. You’re not always going to have the band or the artist in the video.Sometimes it doesn’t matter, it is just an artists thing anyway. In the pop industry it’s rare that you don’t have the artist and it’s rare that they are not singing to the camera as well. I always find that a bit strange because it’s more of a hip hop style to actually sing to the lens. The hardest thing when you are on film or recording your own voice is listening back to it, especially with other people but once you do it and put it out there you get so much encouragement from people and you realise that people really appreciate when you do that because it’s not easy. Most people know it’s not easy. It gives you a confidence boost for the very first time you do it. It’s just the first initial get up and go that’s difficult. It’s like anything, like going for a run. Once you get out there you’re grand but initiating the run is horrific.”
Last time we spoke Johnston told me he had a new album in the works. Thankfully the lockdown has not slowed the progress of the album too much, although he has had to do a lot of remote collaboration with his band to lay down the drums etc.
“Yeah it did but it’s almost finished. I had one more session left to do that was cancelled..the ones I have done… my drummer, he’s got a studio in his house. So I sent him the tracks, he recorded some stuff, I sent some stuff to a violin player to put some things on, I sent some stuff to another guy who plays keys. Most of it was finished, half the songs are actually done.The rest of it, a lot of it has been done remotely and it’s really interesting sending it because when you are in the studio you can influence what happens and tell them what you want but when you just send something over to a drummer and say, yeah play on it and send it back. It’s going to be pretty cool to hear what they try and do to it. It’s coming along. I think it should be finished by the end of July. We have a session set up for mid July. I don’t know when it will come out but it’s nearly done.”
Johnston was due to perform at a number of music festivals and had the Last Minute Tour postponed which opened up his schedule a little. He has made the most of his time and has a few things planned for the coming months
“It’s not the worst thing, I think when I spoke to you last I was in Hungary. Those were the last gigs I played and around that time they were saying things were closing down and my tour was sort of being postponed around then so I knew it was coming. That was early March. I don’t know, you just have to make the most of it. I’ve been just writing songs. I think that’s been better for me right now. Just having time for myself, I think most people have benefited from this if you have a garden or an outdoor area. The weather has been nice so you have time to go out in the garden and get healthy. That’s sort of what I’ve been doing. I think tour life is not the healthiest so I probably saved myself a couple of years in this last few months.
It’s still quite busy though, I mean I went to Germany and I did that and you have to get up in the morning you can’t just be lying around the place. For me I just tried to get fit, start eating healthier, focus on myself and spend a couple of hours a day just writing. There is a lot of crap that comes out of it. After a while you kinda think yeah I need to travel and I need to meet people and go out in public and see things to find inspiration. I find it gimmicky writing from things you see online.I want to get back into the world. I think a lot of people need that. Writers, artists, musicians especially if you are writing lyrics you need to go out in public there is only so much you can do from your bedroom.
I’m doing a couple of these street music festival things. There is a couple around mainland Europe, in the Netherlands, one in Hungary again. I don’t know, they seem to like me over there, they keep asking me to come back. Which is nice I really like it there it’s beautiful.So I’m doing a street festival where they have a couple of small stages and they limit the amount of people that can come in and watch. Apart from that we are rescheduling some dates for September/October but I don’t know we will see what happens. I think things are opening up a little bit but it’s just hard to actually make a plan.I know loads of people have already set out tour dates but I’d be afraid of it being cancelled again and it’s just a nightmare when that happens.”
Sion Hill as an artist is gaining traction and his new single ‘Speak Up’ is a delight to the ears. He is developing his sound allowing the beautiful soulful tones of his debut album ‘Elephant’ flourish and blossom as he adds catchy pop elements and warm folk hues into the mix. Each of his releases have been tight, vibrant earworms. Johnston’s knack for sweet melodies make his tracks dangerously addictive. If his velvety tone, passionate vocals and swaggered personality alone don’t pique your interest then the upbeat sunny glows that surround his tunes, rich musicianship and irresistible hooks will get you for sure.
Bio : Pauric O’ Meara 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.
Track: Beacon Call
Why We Like It:This bright buoyant and infectious track floods with O’ Meara’s passionate musicianship as he saturates a warm radiant backdrop in infectious powerful melodies. Highlighting the importance of staying positive through hard times the track is an instant shot of adrenaline and the pick me up we all need. With jaunty guitar strides spreading golden sunshine and scintillation over the punchy drums and an instant rushing wall of sound, O’ Meara provides another dynamic catchy number sure to brighten your day.
Bio : Originally from Co. Armagh Rodney Owl is the moniker of Galway based artist Mark McConville.He has opened shows for Malojian, Duke Special and Nick Harper, as well as headlining his own stripped-down 2/3 piece shows.Recording of Rodney Owl’s second album is on-going, it’s being released on a song by song basis, 6 songs have been born so far and the 7th single is due soon
Track: Waiting
Why We Like It: It’s quite the sinister number as the foreboding yet innocent piano twinkles around eerie synth pines and raw guitar injections. The track gives off panicked palpitations through the use of pulsing broken beats.With a country twang nestled beneath a soft vocal harmonic and haunting soundscape it’s quite the tantalizing and ominous tune.
Bio : Alex Luca returns with his new single ‘House Of Endless Dreams’, the first new music since his 1.6 million streaming, self-released debut track, ‘Only The River’. As self-release debut singles go, and at the tender age of 20, it would be fair to say that most artists could only dream of the reactions his first single received, taking him into many of top frontline Spotify playlists including New Music Friday UK, Most Beautiful Songs In The World, Sweet Soul Sunday and The Stress Buster. His hometown BBC Introducing North West were not to far behind, playing the track several times.
Track: House Of Endless Dreams
Why We Like It: Wisped in soft instrumentation and beautiful songwriting ‘House Of Endless Dreams’ oozes Luca’s passionate and supple musicianship. With ethereal strings gracefully swirling around warm guitars and lush harmonies the track swoons in nostalgic romanticism while Luca’s emotive vocals caress the dreamy melody. The track flows with melancholic bittersweet longing yet the euphoric strings and elegant piano provide an uplifting quality and comfort. Alex Luca’s knack for writing emotive innocent tunes which exude incomparable charm is mesmerising. A joy to listen to.
Bio : Based in Portsmouth, Crystal Tides are often selling out hometown shows, and they’re also building their loyal following throughout London and other areas surrounding the capital. From headline shows, to supporting the likes of The Snuts, Larkins and even topping the bill at Victorious Festival’s Seaside Stage. As well as the live circuit, they’ve pricked up the ears and won over the hearts of some of the biggest names in the business, including making the Radio X Evening Playlist with their track ‘Deserter,’ not to mention having the same track crowned as BBC Introducing Solent’s Track of the Week.
Track: Monday
Why We Like It: It’s a fun anthemic indie banger brimming with energy and vibrancy. With zest stricken guitars weaving sharp bursts of vigor through punchy drums and groove-laced backdrop the band present an adrenaline-inducing track to indulge in. Crystal Tides blend their indie rock with power pop choruses and infectious melodies to create a blazing indie gem bursting from the seams with summer vibes and good times. With smooth vocals, body thumping rhythm and shredding guitar refrains, ‘Monday’ is a hyper blood rushing tune that will have you dancing around the room in no time. Love it.
About the track the band said: “Monday’ is about the turning point in life where the band is starting to realise we are not as young as we used to be. We can’t keep going out like we used to but there’s an internal battle you have of ‘am I told old for this?’ or ‘You only live once, why not?!’.Ultimately it’s about pushing aside the responsibilities of real life and having fun.”
I had a chat with Alfie from Hudson Taylor last week about their new single ‘Favourite Song’, their music writing process and how they create those perfect harmonies. Between a little banter about the lull in the sunny weather and the shock of a bird flying into Alfie’s window during our conversation which was apparently “the most exciting thing to happen in a while” Alfie explained how he has been spending his time on lockdown as well as his inspiration for ‘Favourite Song’.
Five years have passed since the release of their debut ‘Singing For Strangers’ – which charted at number three in Ireland – and in that time the brothers have been hard at work crafting the songs which make up “Loving Everywhere I Go”. The album, which was recorded in Seattle, Nashville and Dublin. It features the hits ‘Feel It Again’, ‘Run With Me’, ‘Back To You’, ‘What Do You Mean?’ as well as current single ‘Favourite Song’ and went straight to number one on the Irish album chart. Hudson Taylor are also the first Irish artists to top the charts in the new decade.The duo put a lot of work into the album and were chuffed with how it all payed off.
“ Yeah it felt absolutely amazing. We worked hard on this album for the best of three and a half years, it took us all over the world and lots of our friends and family are involved in making the album and the whole campaign and lead up to the release of it was just amazing. We got to meet so many people that were listening to our music. We went around and promoted it all over Ireland. So yeah the two of us were so delighted on the day we found out.”
Hudson Taylor have taken their time releasing their tracks and although they have plenty of music and EP’s out there ‘Loving Everywhere I Go’ is the duo’s second album. They don’t try to rush their music but allow it to be created at a pace that is right for them.
“We had released a lot of EP’s in between our albums. So we have two albums out and I would say technically three albums out and then about eight EP’s which would amount to, if you counted up all the songs and you had ten songs on each album, I think we’d have six albums out by now. So that’s what we did to bridge the gap. Our label chose to do that while we were out touring in other countries, so we could delay the album so we could play to more people and release more music in the meantime before committing fully to an album. I think that was the idea but I think there is no right or wrong way to do it really. Some people may write very fast and might write an album in a year and they might have the visual concept ready and their music and everything else ready and they can do that.Other artists I think, yeah sometimes it does take time. If I was to say what are we going to do with our next album?, I would say yeah it’s not going to happen in a year.It could be another three years or something like that. I haven’t even thought about that yet.”
‘Loving Everywhere I Go’ is an energetic rich album brimming with vibrant passionate musicianship, utter joy and hope. Their new single ‘Favourite Song’ encapsulates this perfectly
“Well, the chorus was just in my head. I dont know why Favourite Song came into my head. ” you are like my favourite song” ( lyric ), .. maybe I heard it in passing or maybe I said it but it just came into my head.Then I put that to a little tune and wrote the rest of the chorus. Harry was due to come over, we were due to do a bit of writing with some friends of ours in the UK and just before we got into the studio I sang it to Harry and said hey what do you think of this idea, its called Favourite Song. He loved it and said yeah lets work on it with the lads. So we got in, the lads started making up a track and I wrote down a couple of the verses, the boys helped me a little bit and that was it. We sat on it for about 9 months and when we came to looking at recording and putting together our second album that song came into play and then recording it was a whole different beast.”
‘Favourite Song’ is quite the contender to be everyone’s favourite song this summer. The duo released it at a time when everyone was on lockdown and it was the fun golden ray of sunshine we all needed.
“We released ‘What Do You Mean’ prior to this that came out when our album did around February and we were due to release another single before we started gigging again in the summer but obviously that didn’t happen. I always thought Favourite Song would be a good song to release in the summer because it’s got that certain thing about it. So I was happy that everybody else agreed that it would be a good song to go with and then this happened. I think we delayed it a little bit just because we didn’t know what was going on and we wanted to give it the best and as much time as we possibly could. Other than that we kind of planned to release it anyway and it just so happens that it is upbeat. Hopefully it is what people do appreciate at this time and help people for a brief moment forget about what’s going on and maybe move around.”
There is plenty happening in the world at present and some artists feel compelled to write about the topics in the news. Alfie takes a personal and perhaps emotional approach to world events
“ Well, the personal experiences, kind of is new as well for me. I could write a song about what happened to me on a day where some world event happened and I’ll feel a certain way because of that world event and that will inspire my writing. I love talk radio, I love hearing people’s stories and telling my own stories. There would be lines in the album that were inspired by something that happened on that day or a big world event. I think all that stuff, if you’re tuned in and listen to the news it will affect you. It’s dark or moving in whatever way, shape or form and it will influence your life. I tend to write about things that influence my life so it does creep in, absolutely. Now, I have not been able to get Coronavirus into a song nor will I try. Really it will be more the effect it has on us all and myself and my surroundings.”
Music has the ability to relate to and move people. One song can evoke and connect with people in so many different ways allowing the listener to express their feelings through someone else’s words. Hudson Taylor fans bellow out their lyrics at the top of their lungs and I wondered what were Alfies thoughts on how his lyrics reach people and how they connect with the duo’s songs.
“ I think with most of our songs, certainly the lyrics I write have to mean something to me otherwise there isn’t really a point in doing it. Unless of course it’s a fun song and you’re trying to write something meaningless then that’s different. If it is a song that’s about something affecting you well, it has to mean something to you and if it means something to you it most likely means something to someone else. So I try and be as honest as possible without obviously telling everyone what I had for breakfast. Being straight up with emotions I think helps me to write songs and I just think what’s the simplest way to describe how I’m feeling now and often the simplest thing is the best way.“
With the gigs, I love hearing people say they relate to a tune because often it’s completely different to why I wrote the song. They have taken on their own meaning and getting their own story and I think that’s what it’s all about. I really like that a song I wrote about my partner could be someone’s wedding song and it means something completely different to them.I love that and I love hearing other people stories and connections.It’s something that is quite special with music “
This is only their second album but it feels like Hudson Taylor have been a household staple forever. In the twelve years since they began their journey they have gained a steady and dedicated following. But Alfie doesn’t feel pressure to follow up previous successes with each release
“ Some maybe yeah, I try not to. I try to write music that I like to hear. Often if I think about what’s on the radio or if you try to write a song that would sound good for this and that it doesn’t work, for me anyway. For some people it might work. I just try to write catchy melodies or catchy lyrics that I want to hear or that Harry might go, oh that’s nice. It’s just following your instincts really, thats usually where it all comes from. So in that extent I suppose we are able to know from the songs we have released what songs get played on the radio and what songs don’t. We are lucky enough to know that and that gives us a little bit of an indication. But then of course there’s trends all the time and you can be just lost in making music for the radio.
It’s pretty hard to do, if it was easy everyone would be doing it. So we just try and write music we like, that means stuff to us and then hopefully it will mean something to our audience and if our audience like it enough then the radio might pick up on it and if the radio pick up on it, it might get exposed to more people. I still like to think our music is word of mouth and that a good song will hopefully get heard. I tend not to think about it too much but I feel very lucky to get played. I just learn from what we have done so far and take that into account.”
Hudson Taylor have been doing a live stream each week which has been a great way to give people a taste of that live vibe. However they are no strangers to this medium of performance. They were doing this nearly 10 years ago to reach a larger audience.
“Yeah we started very early. In 2008 / 2009 we were doing live streams from our family home in Dublin, performing to all sorts of people all over the world and then we stopped using all that stuff as we got more busy with gigs. So now we are finding ourselves back on it. Obviously everything has changed but we have an idea of what to do and we have a load of songs to play and loads of different ways to play them and they have been really fun.
We have been asking people to request songs and we are doing it for everybody who has been supporting our album and would have been seeing us at gigs. It’s just something that we are enjoying doing and it’s just keeping us engaged in music and hopefully keeping other people engaged and giving people something to watch during these mad times.Its quality over quantity like how much do you go on and how good is it.
We have discovered that we both can’t play on Instagram, it will just be one of us so that will be more relaxed. Its like busking, I like it. The YouTube stuff is a little bit more organised.I think about them as if it was a show or if it was something I was watching on a TV show. The beauty of it is its live and its not too over thought but still a high quality thing.
I’ve learnt loads in the process. I’ve learnt with recording myself at home, like I’m so used to having an audience so now I’m just singing into a camera, no ones there and its the weirdest thing ever.I’m starting to get the hang of it now. I don’t take many selfies and I’m not like that or used to that so its been weird getting used to it. But we got there in the end. Harry has been amazing; he edits it all together and makes it so slick. But its been fun.”
Hudson Taylor have beautiful harmonies that no matter the circumstance they can provide an amazing show and their perfect blend has been something the duo have had all along.
“That’s our thing you know, the vocals and then us being brothers and what we both individually bring to the project.That’s our thing.We grew up listening to a lot of music with harmony in it you know Simon & Garfunkel,The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys,The Beatles. Harry was in a lot of choirs and I was in a few choirs as a kid. Harry has always been the harmoniser. I picked it up over the years and I can now sing harmony but it took me a long time to learn it.The blend has always been there from the very beginning. When we started singing songs together I start singing the melody and boom Harry was in on the harmony. It was always natural and then when we went into our own songs, you know we can write a song thats good to sing harmonies too and a song that isn’t good to sing harmonies too that takes a lot of experimentation. But its something that we are very lucky to have.From the first time we started singing together that was the story. Harry has been great at it really , He has such an understanding of harmonies. Since I can remember you could be any situation and a song comes on the radio and Harry’s there singing the harmony. It’s embarrassing at times but its served him well.”
It was quite a shock at first finding out all the gigs planned have been cancelled however Alfie is enjoying the time he now has and making the most of it.
“ Absolutely, at first I was watching everything happen and I was in the UK. Things were going on in the UK and everything had shut down in Ireland. It was just a really confusing time, I was in a complete freak. I was told, yeah you’re going to be going… you’re not going to be going.We were due to go to Denmark and tour all over Europe. I was really worried about it and now in hindsight I just don’t look at the gigs I missed. I just don’t look at the festivals that are happening this weekend or whatever. But I’m enjoying it in whatever way I can. I haven’t spent this much time in one place in 10 years and thats been really nice. I’m with my partner and my dogs. I’ve never had this much time to think about what we have done. We are all grounded. For now we are going to keep on doing these live streams, gonna keep making noise about Favourite Song without leaving the house.I hope to be writing more songs and getting lots of inspiration and doing other things while I can’t be on the road. My friend owns a cafe I might jump in and help out with that. I really like the atmosphere there. I think it might be good for me and something a bit different. He plays great tunes as well. We are keeping ourselves busy with the live streams and that.”
Hudson Taylor have the deft ability to create pop tunes that are sure to put a spring in your step and a smile on your face. They blend emotive songwriting and lush harmonies to make enjoyable and rich songs that exude energy and passion. Whether it’s a live stream or a sell out show they are definitely worth checking out.
Electric Skyline have released their new single ‘Hit Play’ which is part of their two track EP entitled ‘A Side / B Side’.Electric Skyline started putting out songs on their own in Spring of 2020. Long-time friends, Robby Walton and Blake Brock -both indie artists from the same town- joined forces with Nashville guitar player Jesse Walpole to form a band that knew what they were going for. The band’s process is a self-sustainable machine. Everything you see and hear was created by the band; no label or management. They’ve written, recorded and produced all of the material that’s been put out in 2020 as well as all of the business details that come with releasing music as an artist.It’s a very communicative process and with the members living in different cities, (Robby and Jesse in Nashville and Blake in Birmingham).All of the band’s songs could be considered, “recently released,” the most so being their fourth publication and first EP, “A Side / B Side,” that is a two-song, modern day representation of a cassette tape with a single song on each side. “Hit Play” was a song that Blake had half- written and “No Phones,” the same of one of Robby’s. Both songs were eventually co-written and feature both of the vocalists in the tracks.
‘Hit Play’ is a dreamy electro-pop number as Electric Skyline entwine laid back melodies with luscious production and synths to create a mellow sweet gem. The gentle lilt of the vocals warmly hugs the soft synth-pop melodies while the track grooves through the backdrop with danceable rich rhythms and infectious diso hued grooves. There is a cool vibe drifting over the song as the delicate key twinkles float wistfully through the buoyant beats and infectious funk peppering provided by the guitars.With a nostalgic tone of longing, rippling undercurrents and laid back persona, the electro pop sound Electric Skyline embrace is magnetic. The trio’s sound reminds me of Troye Sivan’s debut ‘Blue Neighbourhood’ however their disco elements, funk zest and rich composition puts Electric Skyline’s stamp and unique twist on the electronic pop genre. Their tunes are enthralling, satisfying and sweet as honey to the ears.
After releasing three successful back to back singles in April and the single ‘Family’ on May 26th, 21-year-old rapper RUNOFFBROKE (Jordan Wilson) has released yet another catchy, slick track entitled ‘Wish you Knew’. RUNOFFBROKE started writing music at 11, and by 13 was playing gigs and signed to underground label Mic-A-Blaze Records. Jordan worked with multiple Irish groups before making his way to Germany to work with Citizen Soldier Entertainment. He has toured in the US and Germany, supporting artists like Infidelix alongside Papke. After two years in Berlin, Jordan returned to Ireland in 2019 and has since been working on new music, gigging, and building his team. Known for his dark humour and haunting music videos, he has released an EP and several singles.
‘Wish you Knew’ is a chill and precise dancehall/house track that displays RUNOFFBROKE’s slinky rich sound through well thought out grooves and melodies. With spacey synths glimmering between afrobeats and deep rhythmic flows it’s a liquid smooth tune that merges house and R&B pop with wispy crisp electronics. RUNOFFBROKE flexes his signature quick rhymes and clever lyrics which explore the cyclical nature of toxicity in relationships. The track ferments bubbles and pivots around catchy body grooving hooks and ethereal cold soundscapes. The vocals coo over a rich tapestry of beats by FEEL.FACTORY (aka NINETY7HERTZ) creating an enticing backdrop for the listener to indulge in. ‘Wish you Knew’ is an interesting and fresh listening experience by RUNOFFBROKE
Stream ‘Wish you Knew’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
