It’s Monday again. You don’t like Mondays? Tell me why? Ok, fair enough, but stick these gems in your headphones, cans, buds, speakers, etc etc and drift off.
Peaness – irl
Why we love it: Chester indie-pop trio Peaness have released the video for their new single ‘irl’. The track is the latest to be taken from the band’s debut album World Full Of Worry, which is set for release on 6 May through the band’s own label, Totally Snick Records.
Peaness make glorious music, full of soaring harmonies and seemingly sugar-coated, but herein lies their utter genius. They confront the up and downs of life, of the complexities of the modern world and the challenges it presents itself. ‘irk’ is no exception and confronts that gap we find between our online ‘selves’ and our real ‘selves’ which can lead to stress and anxiety. However, this being Peaness it is delivered in its own unique style which essentially provides us with a wonderful comfort blanket of delicious music.
Commenting on the track, the band said: “For those born pre-1990, irl is an online chat acronym for “in real life” – ’irl’ is about your online persona not aligning with what’s actually happening in your day-to-day life. It describes that craving for digital validation and the support of an echo chamber you’ve created for yourself, because that’s easier than talking to a professional about the state of your mental health, right?
NOTE: There’s no shame in seeking professional help. All three of us do.”
Peaness have an extensive UK headline tour scheduled for May and June plus numerous festival appearances throughout the summer. (Julia Mason)
Joan Shelley – The Spur
Why we love it: One of the many musical disappointments that emerged out of the first pandemic lockdown in 2020 was not being able to catch Joan Shelley in concert in this country. Along with everybody else at that time her scheduled tour dates were cancelled. But she is now back with news of her first new album in three years. The Spur will be released on 24 June through No Quarter Records. And to herald, the arrival of the album the American songwriter and singer has shared the video for the record’s imperious title track.
Speaking about the album in general Joan Shelley says “The Spur is the result of a period of opposite extremes: of intellectual hyper-connection and physical isolation. This album will forever be fused with the memory of our marriage (to Shelley’s musical partner and now husband Nathan Salsburg), the birth of our child, and the intense joy despite the darkness.”
‘The Spur’ feels like a remarkable re-awakening for Joan Shelley; the inhalation of a deep breath of modern folk air that captures all of those intense feelings of shared happiness created at a time of disconnection from the wider world. (Simon Godley)
Deanna Petcoff – Trash Bag
Why we love it: Canada’s Deanna Petcoff shares the final single ‘Trash Bag’, from her debut album To Hell With You, I Love You out on now via Royal Mountain Records (home of Pillow Queens and Gustaf). The video speaks volumes in its simplicity, why do we stand and take all the rubbish that’s thrown at us in relationships? ‘Trash Bag’ is a breezy indie-rock track with its captivating lyrics full of self-deprecation, and too much apologizing. Why do we do that? It describes the insecurities we all have particularly in our youth.
“Sorry I’m a trash bag
I really wanna see you
But I’ve got lots of shit that’s going on
I hope you’re not too angry, I hope you still like me
When I finally put my clothes on”
Deanna expands further on the inspiration behind ‘Trash Bag’:
“I wrote this song as a little tongue in cheek moment. I was starting to see someone new in the throes of the pandemic, and I had to cancel on them almost every time we had planned because I was having an anxiety attack or a depressive episode or a chronic pain flare and couldn’t get myself out of bed. I didn’t want them to view me as a sick person, and I wanted them to still want to see me when I got better. This song came out of nowhere one day while my roommate was doing laundry and moving around bags of garbage that we hadn’t been able to take out in a few days because neither of us had our shit together. In the end I hope this song resonates with anyone that has a mental illness, chronic illness, or anything that prevents them from feeling normal, healthy, and cute.” (Julia Mason)
Floating Points – Grammar
Why we love it: One of 2021’s rightly acclaimed albums of the year was Floating Points’ Promises, a record made in collaboration with the legendary American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. And Sam Shepherd, the man who is Floating Points, has wasted no time in consolidating that success and furthermore showing his great productivity and versatility in the process. Last month we enjoyed the heavy vibe of ‘Vocoder’ and now it is the turn of the dancefloor dynamism of ‘Grammar’.
Clocking in at just under eight minutes ‘Grammar’ just stretches out ever so invitingly, its pulsing, throbbing groove welcoming us all to enjoy yet another huge slice of Shepherd’s mastery of electronic sound. (Simon Godley)
The Queens Head – Your God Owes You Money
Why We Love It: The Queen’s Head have released their new track ‘Your God Owes You Money’ via the Speedy Wunderground label. The track will be part of Speedy’s next limited 7″ series with 500 copies available to buy now and released on 22 July. It follows their self-titled debut single and announces them well and truly onto the label. It’s produced by Dan Carey and is a fierce funky mix of disco, noise-rock and post-punk. The Queen’s Head are a five-piece from South London comprising Joel Douglas (vox/guitar), Tom Butler (vox/bass), Robbie Cottom (keys), Mike Hendry (guitar) and George Thompson (drum/percussion). Together they produce music that may be inspired by modern anxieties and the turmoil of the world we currently live in but trust me, this is pure escapism. Thrilling with spine-tingling energy – to see this performed live must be electrifying.
As The Queen’s Head explains:
“We are a band interested in world-building, with our process normally meticulous, pouring over tiny production and song-writing details. Taking ‘Your God Owes You Money’ into Dan Carey’s space and method was a deliberate attempt to disrupt our complacencies. We played live, welcomed error and followed improvised ideas, under Dan’s guiding hand. The version of this song we produced in just a day hopefully captures the rage and range of our live show – a direct glimpse into the band, what we believe and our frailties as confessed performers. An honour, a privilege and a wholly enjoyable day amidst Dan’s Aladdin’s cave.”
Dan Carey is one of the most productive individuals at the moment and in The Queens Head he has uncovered yet another outstanding addition to the Speedy Wunderground label.
2022 Shows
14th April | London, UK – Sebright Arms
29th April | London, UK – The Windmill, Brixton
(Julia Mason)
Jemima Coulter – SST
Why We Love It: because it sounds like a hot, long summers day driving in an open top old banger in the U.S.A, like the Pacific Coast Highway, double-tracked vocals with cdouble-trackedeases us in, but we get brush drums, subtle acoustic, gentle piano, atmospheric keyboards, almost angular guitar hooks in places; it is a layered, warm, sun-on-your-face beauty of a song.
Jemima says “The character I sing about in ‘SST’ leaves their old life with the clarity that the illness gave them, suddenly free from all of the reason that says that it’s a stupid and dangerous idea.
The Haunted Youth – Shadows
Why we love it: The Haunted Youth (AKA Joachim Liebens) recently shared their new single ‘Shadows’. This dreamy song’s gentle percussive rhythms lap like the water in your feel, and melodies bubble with a wistfulness that echoes the likes of Beach House or the gaze pop work of M83. Sewn with glistening guitar lines that dance across the night sky like shooting stars and a yearning melody imbued with a longing to escape somewhere where you feel like you are sidelined.
“It’s a song about being stuck in a place where you don’t belong,” Joachim says of ‘Shadows’. ‘And where nobody understands or even listens to you’.
Joachim hails from the city of Hasselt, 50 miles east of Brussels. Despite hosting the renowned Pukkelpop festival, it’s a location where hometown heroes are yet to leave a mark on the international musical landscape. (Bill Cummings)
Fresh – Babyface
Why We Love It: London 4-piece Fresh have released their new single ‘Babyface’ ahead of their next album Raise Hell which is set for release on 1 July via Specialist Subject Records. It is a slower version of the indie-punk vibe we are used to from Fresh but still with those crystal clear vocals of Kathryn Woods. Joined in Fresh by bassist George Philips, guitarist Myles McCabe and drummer Daniel Goldberg together they have created an indie blast of guitar riffs and fabulous harmonies perfect for our times. We are overloaded with multiple social media channels and 24hour news which can become overwhelming. And yet we can find ourselves bored amongst this overload of stimulation. This is crisply encapsulated in ‘Babyface’ and bodes well for the album which follows up on 2021’s EP The Summer I Got Good At Guitar.
Kathryn further explains about the track:
“It’s a song about having a mind that’s both overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time. The light, airy synths make it a cry for help masquerading as a pop song.” (Julia Mason)
