Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Keen For Kick Ons?
Perth-based Psych rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are cut from the same fuzzy, guitar noodling cloth as Australian heavyweights King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The four-piece’ latest single ‘Keen For Kick Ons’ was released over the weekend on What Reality? Records and is a full-blown indie anthem, designed for long-haired head-banging, in sweaty, underground music venues.
Frontman, Jack McEwan says of the track “Keen For Kick Ons? is about those fruitful days working at a pub. I got fired for getting trollied at an open mic night trying to sing Queen. It seemed like a good premise for a track so I weaved in this narrative of a purple-haired French girl who spoke in blotted English but wanted to head out after the bar closed. It’s a mix of tour life and reminiscing about my days at Indi Bar, good times”.
Having already earned their stripes in their homeland with national tours alongside Royal Blood and Nothing But Thieves, the quartet will be heading over for their debut US tour (alongside SXSW) in March with Frankie and the Witch Fingers.
Listen to ‘Keen For Kick Ons?’ below.
FFO: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Pond, The Murlocs
Hockeysmith – Lonely Loving Me
Previously a duo, Falmouth-based Hockeysmith is now the solo project and musical alias of Annie Hockeysmith. Rumour has it that Aphex Twin attended some of the project’s earlier gigs, when the then duo were making music in a caravan. Hockeysmith’s new EP ‘Tears At My Age’ is set for release on Jan 25th via Ex-Local and looks to explore the emerging rave subculture in Cornwall with Annie’s love of pop music. The second single from the record “Lonely Loving Me” is an assured pop tune, in the vain of Neon Indian and other 80s electronic enthusiasts.
Speaking about the track, Annie said “I wrote this in a cabin in Cornwall one winter after listening to tuns and tuns of early Kylie Minogue. It explores the idea of loving and being loved as an ambitious person. It can be lonely loving yourself and lonely for someone else.”
FFO: Chvrches, M83, Neon Indian
Snapped Ankles – Rechargeable
‘Rechargeable’ is the second single taken from mysterious outfit Snapped Ankles forthcoming album Stunning Luxury – a throbbing motorik rhythm is charged with voltage by jabbing keyboards and increasingly frantic Gang of Four-esque vocals that scream ‘we need a pulse’ colliding with the absurd synth wave energy of Devo. Its a call to ‘harness the kinetic energy of dance to push against the rigid continuity of the daily routine.’ Insurgent, belligerent slightly odd and frankly brilliant.
Emerging from the undergrowth, music still ringing in their ears, the woodwose make their way home through the early morning commute. Walking among the shameless and spangled weekday ravers illuminated in a sea of corporate grey suited early risers heading to work in their enormous crystal towers. (BC)
Live:
Sat 2 Feb The Smokehouse (SOLD OUT) Ipswich
Sat 23 Feb Mutations Festival Brighton
Thu 28 Feb Oslo London
Wed 6 Mar Deaf Institute Manchester
Thu 7 Mar Brudenell Social Club Leeds
Fri 8 Mar Invisible Wind Factory Liverpool
Sat 9 Mar Star and Shadow Cinema Newcastle
Sun 10 Mar Sneaky Pete’s (SOLD OUT) Edinburgh
Mon 11 Mar Mono Glasgow
Thu 14 Mar The Exchange Bristol
Sat 23 Mar La Maroquinerie Paris
FFO: DUDS, Gang of Four, Devo
The Dawdler – Around Eve
Geordie musician John Edgar is known for his work with Newcastle-based bands such as Eat Fast, Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister and Okay Champ and is now releasing tracks under the moniker The Dawdler. Debut track ‘Around Eve’ is a slowcore ballad of the most ethereal ilk, a delicate waltz of picked guitar and softened vocals that could bring goosebumps to most weathered skin.
This is music to cry to and also to feel alive to. In its Three and a half minutes of minimal, post-rock inspired ambience, ‘Around Eve’ manages to capture euphoria, sadness and life-sized contemplation. An album is said to be in the works so keep an ear out. In the meantime watch the eerily beautiful video for ‘Around Eve’ below.
FFO: Low, Money, Explosions in the Sky
Winter Gardens – Coral Bells
Styling themselves as ‘Dream Punks’ exciting new band Winter Gardens make their debut on Austerity records with the splendid ‘Coral Bells’. Speeding into the intersection of the motorway propelled by early New Order-esque baselines section and bursting forth with jagged reverb peddle dappled guitars, threaded by singer bittersweet refrain that cling and bite with an addictive and tantalising quality, the outros spiralling guitars and promise that ‘the constellations are ours’ sounds like a moment of clarity and a promise of more to come. A superb debut offering that possesses the rippling exocet qualities of The Organ by way of the hazy ethereal qualities of aspects of the Cocteau Twins back catalogue.
Hailing from Brighton Winter Gardens have managed to secure support slots for Modern English, Say Sue Me, Magic Wands, Charles Howl and opened this year’s Rockaway headlined by Gary Numan and Echo & The Bunnymen.
January has seen them feature on Love Thy Neighbours next Triptych – three nights, each featuring three of our favourite bands and each accompanied by a lathe-cut vinyl release, one for each night, limited to 15 copies each.(BC)
FFO: New Order, Cocteau Twins, The Organ
Kudu Blue – Auras
After signing to Nettwerk Records four-piece Kudu Blue have shared an igeneuous video for their catchy new single ‘Auras’ that fuses dancefloor and ambuent elements of electronic music, with quickfire hazy refrains and tumbling trip hop of early Massive Attack. Sultry and addictive it hooks you in with its hypnotic melodies and genre blurring samples.
“Auras is a sexy, deeply hypnotic song. I wanted to create a film which moved and breathed with it”, explained Video Director, Ella Woollgar. “It was key to have a simplistic shoot and a highly stylised edit to fit with the pacing of the track.”
The song is taken from the Brighton band’s forthcoming new EP Auras, which will be released later this year.
Made up of Owen (keys), Tom (bass), Creeda (rhythms) and Clem (vocals), the band’s forthcoming new EP is entirely self-recorded and produced, using a home studio that they moved between their various homes. (BC)
FFO: Massive Attack, Bicep, Art School Girlfriend
Ora The Molecule – Sugar
Ora The Molecule are a global music collective who take inspiration from a disparate range of artists from Fleetwood Mac, Kraftwerk, Suzanne Vega, Mecano to Norwegian Sami musician Mari Boine. Ace debut single ‘Sugar’, released on their own imprint Uhh Ahh Records, is a ‘hedonistic satire of consumerism, ego and the deeply rooted human phenomenon that always needs more’. Rippled with bubbling synths, sultry half sung half spoken vocal refrains and entwined flute & saxophone solos its a subtle yet heady brew of electro-pop oscillating between the stately majesty of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Goldfrapp. Delicious and sweet!
FFO: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Goldfrapp, Róisín Marie Murphy
