Who? Working Men’s Club
Where? Hebden Bridge
What? Teeth
What they say? With a summer of causing absolute havoc at pretty much every festival this year with their new fan favourite ‘Teeth’, the last 12 months has seen the 4-piece buckle up for a meteoric rise that’s been one hell of a ride – touring with Fat White Family, signing to Heavenly, turning TGE into a total sweat box, and getting hammered to death by 6Music: “We do this because we love it.”says enigmatic singer Sydney Minsky-Sargeant, “But it’s not about us, we’re just faces. Working Men’s Club is about the music, the vibe, and that feeling, forcing you to move. Anyone can join.”
Why we love it?
Visceral, abrasive, jagged assault on the senses. An electric shock to a apathy, waking up with a start and being plunged into nightmarish chaos. Laying a crunching techno beat and welding it with ominous vocals that ruminates on the absurdity and existential despair of life in 2019, amidst caustic burrowing guitars and instrumental loops. It sounds like the end times it feels like we are hurtling towards. Excellent!
FFO: Cabaret Voltaire, John Foxx, Pil, Underworld
Who? Current Affairs
Where? Glasgow
What? ‘Cheap Cuts’
What they say? “It’s a dig at the government slashing public services and has already attracted attention from BBC 6 Music – who’ve played it three times in a week & booked a live session already for 17 September!”
Current Affairs are Joan (ex-The Royal We/Seconds/Rose McDowall’s band), Seb (ex-Anxiety/Pissy), Josh (The Downs/Kaspar Hauser/ex-Rose McDowall’s band) and Andrew (Shopping/As Ondas). Between them the band also run the Spite House collective – an all ages punk party focused on supporting female and queer independent music from Glasgow and a platform for touring bands to play to a welcoming audience.
Why we love it? Urgent, hooky and snarling this tangled beauty is riven with bounding post punk bass, a scratching frenzy of guitars and hollered screams. emanating from the garage of four particularly pissed off people. This kick in the nuts to austerity is also smothered in an addictive tune. Awesome!
FFO: The Slits, Hole, Shellac
Who? Melin Melyn
Where? Cardiff
What? ‘Big Society’
What they say? Lovely psychedelic country pop from these London based Cardiff and North Walians. Their vintage-country-surf-twang and songs packed with a cast of curious characters that will leave you beaming from ear to ear. With their debut EP you can get some idea of the melodic zing they are capable of.
Why we love it? One of the highlights of this weekends Hub Fest in Cardiff. Melin Melyn lend a charming and artful whimsy to this psych smothered tune that spirals past your nose like a multicoloured rainbow. The title maybe a reference to Cameron’s failed joke of a big society. But the surreal almost kids telly lyrics and toe tapping hooks punctuated by harmonic interludes, make this a knowing earworm of a tune, from a band that hold much promise.
FFO: Gorkys, SFA, Roxy Music, Talking Heads, Syd Barrett, Squeeze
https://soundcloud.com/melin-melyn/big-society-1
Who? Peach Pyramid
Where? British Columbia, Canada
What? ‘Wear Sunscreen’
What they say? The first single from their new EP, Bright Blue, it is co-produced and featuring keyboards from Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers. It’s a super catchy, hazy slice of dream-pop, totally perfect for this warm summer’s day.
Why we love it? Lilting and harmony laden, this little indie pop gem shimmers like the heat off the sand dunes, Jen Severtson’s vocals are both intimate and universal, the yearning choruses that helter skelter down glistening riffs are supremely delectable. Lovelorn and bittersweet, falling in love never sounded so good!
FFO: Camera Oscura, Feist, Beach Boys
Who? Manu Delago
Where? Austria
What? ‘Zeitgeber’
What they say? “The last track on the album, Zeitgeber, is the most upbeat track on the record, it represents the morning hours – a sort of ‘musical alarm clock’ – and the meaning of the track title is something that puts you back into a 24hour rhythm. I played drums on the track – it’s a really fun energetic track to play, which I think comes through in the way the musicians play on the recording” said Manu, speaking about Zeitgeber.
Why we love it? A fee years ago Bjork collaborator and renowned hang player Manu Delago produced one of the best shows I’ve ever witnessed. This track is no different inventive, adventurous, percussive and energetic. Layering joyfully played percussive circadian rhythms with horns and woodwind. Epic yet gleeful, this could be the soundtrack to a heist film. Thrilling.
FFO: The Comet is Coming, Portico Quartet, Bjork, Hidden Orchestra
Who? A. Girl
Where? Sydney
What? ‘2142′
What they say? “When writing ‘Play’ I brought out my inner goddess. Recording it felt so natural – I just tapped into my sensual side and let it flow. Offstage I’m kinda shy so I wanted to create a track that would allow my inhibitions to fall away. If it has that effect for others too, I’ll be so happy.”
Why we love it? Rippling with sway and swag, Play possess an old school melodic intricacies that fuses hooky refrains, laid back beats, smooth rnb, layered vocals and popping lyrical flow. Awesome and addictive.
FFO: Lauryn Hill, All Saints, Missy Elliot
Who? Gross Net
Where? Dublin
What ? ‘Gentrification’
What they say? Gross Net – the experimental electronic project from ex-Girls Names guitarist Philip Quinn – new album Gross Net Means Gross Net, is out via Felte on 30th August .
“I mined my feelings and where possible I tried to fit them in with other things going on in the world; political turmoil especially in the USA/UK, refugees crossing the Mediterranean sea for Europe from the Middle East and Africa, and the effects of capitalism. I never like to write too much about myself but there was a lot that seeped in this time. In the year or so since I finished the record, I went through a period of almost not wanting to release it. Like, I didn’t recognise the person that wrote it anymore, that it seemed too painful and I should just close a door on this chapter and move on to do something else, maybe I wasn’t in my right mind while making it and I wasn’t good enough then or something. I think, however, that it holds some value as a milestone along the way, and that I can listen back and think of what a fucked up time that was.”
Why we love it? Ominous and enveloping this evocative electronic gem, taps into the uneasiness of a bland corporate gentrification that rips the history and soul from cities. Anchored by the excellent central refrain “gentrify my heart”, underscored by layers of deftly produced strings, synths and a throbbing beat theat conjures a vista. An imperious piece of songwriting that makes us intrigued to hear more.
FFO: COIL, Scott Walker, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nabuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy soundtracks
Who? Molly Sarlé
Where? California
What? ‘Twisted’
What they say? Molly Sarlé has shared a new song and accompanying video from her forthcoming debut LP Karaoke Angel – out Sept 20th via Partisan Records. ‘Twisted’ is a captivatingly patient album highlight, and its video (dir. by Megan Lovallo) was shot in California this past spring on Sarlé’s 30th birthday.
Sarlésays of the song: “‘Twisted’ is a song I wrote to myself. I wrote it while working on a David Mamet play called Oleanna. The play is written so well that it’s impossible to tell who is right, and who is wrong! And so empathy ensues. That’s what ‘Twisted’ is about. If you are paying attention to your life, and to the lives of other people, it’s impossible to escape empathy. Unless you’re a sociopath. And yeah, sociopaths are playing quite large roles in our society these days…Enjoy!”
Why we love it? Space is a rate commodity in music at times, Molly Sarlé’s Twisted is a haunting stopping of time, skeletal guitar bars and her exquisite vocals are like taking a breath amongst the chaos. An affirmation of empathy and compassion amongst the twisted words, it’s a startlingly good song.
FFO: Joni Mitchell, Marissa Nadler, Phoebe Bridgers
