Released in December, the latest single from Metal Machine Music sees the Darlington group flexing their creative edge.
Love Bombing oozes fun, with the group appearing to have a ball creating what is a real groove reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem and David Bowie.
You are immediately greeted by a danceable beat, which sounds like something straight out of New York in the mid-2000s, with funky guitar lines layered all over the top.
The impact of all this is an incredibly danceable bit of indie music that has been beautifully produced.
The inventive rhythm, from an array of different drum machines, brings an interesting twist while perfectly playing into the track’s sparseness.
Love Bombing is a really nice, inventive indie dance track that will definitely bring a boost to your day.
Labyrinthe Oceans’ latest single, pinch, perfectly teases their upcoming EP, home showcasing the band’s strong melodies and savvy production.
These three track single shows the band off at their very best, highlighting their dreamy sound while emphasising their even dreamier songwriting.
The first track, pinch, opens the single off in hazy fashion, with beautiful swirling melodies created by reverb-laden guitars. This swells into a gorgeous supernova in the massive, emotionally charged chorus.
The track illustrates the songwriting talent at the band’s core, conjuring thoughts of traditional dream pop bands such as Slowdive, as well as indie pop titans like Wolf Alice.
Labyrinthe Oceans– image by @gracroc (instagram)
Bass makes up a huge part of the EP and this is illustrated in the beginning of home, where the bass work shines. The massive bass notes perfectly build tension within the song, while the guitar lines are elaborate, dancing elegantly throughout. The entire track has a touch of The Cure to it.
Another huge chorus allows lead singer Julia O’Neill to show off her impressive vocal range, nailing the landing with ease.
untitled feels like a heavier version of The xx, with the bass and vocals intermingling perfectly before the song takes a change of direction as it builds. O’Neill delivers another strong vocal performance, selling the track perfectly with both emotion and control in equal measure.
Overall, this is a really strong collection of songs and serves as a great introduction to the band if you haven’t heard them before. By blending elements of rock, shoegaze, and indie, they create a gorgeous kaleidoscope of sound. Make sure to check it out!
Monte Grisa’s Resurrection EP showcases the Darlington based post punk band at their very best with four meticulously crafted tracks that encapsulate their dark and moody sound.
The EP opens with “A Confession” driven by dark ominous synths reminiscent of groups such as Joy Division during their darker moments. The lyrics repeat a self-deprecating mantra, acting as a nice metaphor for the struggles of having low self esteem and setting the brooding tone for the rest of the record.
Next “Deep” begins with a sharp drum machine section that builds anticipation. The synths enter as the song progresses, accompanied by an ethereal chorus of backing vocals, which act as unheavenly choir enhancing the gothic atmosphere. The track breaks down into an engaging guitar riff, which keeps the listener on the edge of their seat with it’s interesting structure.
The third track “Regression” discusses the declining standards of society, with frontman Josh Cowey expressing his shame and apathy towards it to excellent effect with an introspective set of lyrics.
The excellent “Shotgun” ends the EP with a driving rhythm section and Cowey’s passionate baritone vocals, which bring a beautifully dark energy to the song. The emotion in the vocal delivery, paired with the descending guitar line, creates a compelling finale.
Overall, this EP is an excellent offering and should not be missed if you’re a fan of dark and gothic post punk with deep meaningful lyrics and well thought out, clever song writing which makes the EP well worth a listen. You can check it out here.
At around quarter past 3 on Tuesday afternoon, the Sports Team bandwagon (in the form of a spray -painted Piaggio Porter) rolled into Newcastle to play an exclusive show at RPM Music.
The promo show forms part of their ongoing UK tour for their upcoming sophomore album GULP! which hits stores on Friday.
The venue of RPM Music made it an interesting evening, as around 40 spectators piled into the tight confines of the cosy record store.
To say that the venue was intimate would be an understatement however this only increased the special feel of the gig which brought a different vibe to the standard Academy fayre.
The band posed with fans for pictures before and after the gig adding to the friendly, intimate atmosphere which radiated around the Old George Yard throughout the evening.
The setlist was formed of songs from their new record, “GULP!” with new singles “The Drop” and “Dig” performed to an audience of those who had pre-ordered the LP and those lucky enough to squeeze in.
Throughout the performance, more and more latecomers arrived perhaps demonstrating the challenging nature of the start time of 17:30 which is perhaps more forgivable for a smaller record store date.
Those who did make it down in time were treated to an excellent show filled with the usual high energy antics expected from a Sports Team performance conducted within smaller confines.
The band began with their latest four singles, which open their new LP, before throwing themselves into a rendition of “Unstuck”, the first unheard of number of the evening which saw frontman Alex Rice take advantage of the novelty of a wireless mic seeing him serenade the streets of Newcastle and the punters of the nearby Old George pub.
Alex Rice unchained
The band’s trademark sound was not compromised even in the tight surroundings leading to a number of vinyl and eventually a shelf falling on drummer Alex Greenwood who managed to play on throughout the vicious attack by boxsets from The Doors and The Who.
New tracks “Getting Better” and “Light Industry” were firmly dispatched with songwriter Rob Knaggs taking vocal duties on the former following on from vocal performances on 2020’s “Long Hot Summer” and “Lander”.
The evening was rounded out by a rendition of “M5” from their 2019 EP “Keep Walking” which beat out “Here’s the Thing” in a fan vote.
Fans were then treated to an album signing session as well as a chance to chat with the band and buy merch from the “GULP!” branded van, which is transporting the band around the country. This rounded off a really fun night which highlighted what makes Sports Team so special in comparison to other artists around today.
A ‘Different Kind of Heartbreak’ is the debut single by local Americana band Matt Dunbar & The Autonomous Collective.
Matt Dunbar & the Autonomous Collective
The single shows the band reacting to the allegations surrounding Ryan Adams and the loss of trust in idols.
That is immediately clear in the vocals which are delivered in a passion filled strain which goes a long way to selling the song.
Lyrically, the song is punchy whilst perhaps not the most unique, the simplistic tone works with the subject matter demanding a raw response.
The narrative of the song is one which many people can relate to, the idea of someone you respect and idolize disappointing you and this is conveyed well within the track.
However, the lyrics do become weaker as the track progresses as the song title is repeated and repeated.
Whilst this plays into the catchyness of the single, it does get repetitive after hearing the same phrase repeated 15 times in a three minute track.
Despite this, the track delivers well on it’s message and keeps focus throughout.
From a musical standpoint the track is extremely well produced, the rich lead guitar line underneath the verse deliver dreamy distorted riffs which really add to ambiance of the track.
The punch of the band exploding to life at the start of the chorus also works well delivering big country vibes of which the lyrics also appear to have taken influence from.
The track as a whole is well put together and sounds easy on the ear and is definitely worth checking out especially if you’re into country and folk.
Different Kind of Heartbreak is out on Friday 19th June 2020 on Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp.
It’s Christmas time so this month’s playlist has a festive twist. As per usual most of these are not going to be songs you won’t have heard of but are simply tunes that I’m listening to at the minute.
There are some local artists in here so make sure you check them out as well. The list is bizarre this month but Christmas does that to you.
This cover of the Wham! classic Christmas hit is actually really good. Pale Waves aren’t necessarily my favourite band in the world however this cover really works for me.
The song takes the sadder elements of the song and ramps them up to ten bringing a completely new vibe to the song.
The song is only available on Spotify but is definitely worth checking out for a different twist a Christmas classic.
I Dream Guillotine – IDLES
IDLES are one of the best bands out there at the minute the mixing of aggressive punk rock with loving lyrics is a perfect marriage of two juxtaposing forces.
With the disastrous election result earlier this month this song has all the more importance. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the playlist but I really don’t care.
Camel Crew – Sports Team
Last month Sports Team treated me to the best gig of the year at the Riverside which has made me go into overdrive about this Cambridgeshire band.
Camel Crew is a perfect indie rock song with a soaring chorus and a bittersweet quality to it.
I could have picked any Sports Team song they haven’t released a bad song and with an album on the way in the new year the group could be the next big thing in guitar music.
The Motorist – Nation of Language
Probably the strangest song on the list with a real eighties electronic vibe to it.
The song sounds a bit like New Order with a dreamy twist to it which I really like.
The band who come from Brooklyn are just the latest in a long line of great artists to come out of the Big Apple.
All I Want for Christmas Is You– My Chemical Romance
I’ve put this in simply for the bizzareness of it. Who doesn’t want Mariah Cairy infused emo?
It’s everything you could hope for as cheesy and over dramatic as the original with extra additional angst.
With the band’s return recently, there was no way this wasn’t going on.
Nice Guys – Easy Life
Similarly to Sports Team, Easy Life are building a really good collection of songs.
This song is a particular highlight with the pop elements coming to the forefront of their dream pop sound.
It’s very good and ramps up the excitement ahead of their debut album next year.
Trip Advisor – Primary Colours
The new single from the Newcastle based band is definitely a change in direction for the group.
The song is powered by a wall of sound and is another great addition to the bands backcatalogue.
The Keeper – Blossoms
As it stand the first two singles to come from Blossoms’ upcoming third album really paint the record in a good light.
Both this song and ‘Your Girlfriend’ display a change in direction for the band as well as both piercing into the band best five songs.
The album sounds like it has the potential to be their seminal record with both previous album being good and solid but nothing in particular to write home about.
Everything – Dream Wife
Dream Wife are amazing, their 2018 debut album was one of the most underrated album of the year and deserved more recognition that it gained.
This song however comes from their debut EP and I’m completely infatuated with it.
It captures everything (pun intended) which is great about the band and comes together really well. I really love it.
2000 Miles – Pretenders
A classic Christmas song which has such an amazing guitar riff which is immediately recognizable and is extremely catchy.
The song does everything that a Christmas song should do in being memorable as well as having a touch of sadness to it.
Some people will disagree with me but the best Christmas songs all have a hint of sadness to them or are flat out sad songs.
However, unlike other Christmas songs this doesn’t get melodramatic which is a hard line to balance upon which is proven by my final song…
Stay Another Day – East 17
It has it all it’s melodramatic, it has more cheese than a Dairylea factory and it’s got those damn bells.
However, it is a bit of marketing genius that this song is even a Christmas song because let’s be honest it isn’t.
It is so shit that it completes the circle goes all the way around to becoming amazing. A weirdly endearing song for being a commercial product from a boy band but it worked and is now a Christmas staple.
Humbug North East 