I’m sick of this, England’s shit, it’s pissing down and people think it’s Christmas already. THE WORLD CUP HAS BARELY STARTED. We’ve got Wales vs England to look forward to first. Go and check out our Wales World Cup Song piece and then listen to these bangers (or vice versa seeing as you’re here). Rinsin’!!!
Floorshow – White Noise
Why We Love It: Irish 4-piece Floorshow have released their fourth single ‘White Noise’. It’s a gloriously atmospheric track, full of haunting vocals which take you to another place. Combining elements of shoegaze and noise rock in their music, the band draws musical inspiration from artists such as Slowdive and Sonic Youth and the guitar part in ‘White Noise’ confirms that Floorshow have that versatility in their arsenal. The guitar hook is immediate in its impact and dominates throughout the track, while the drums and cymbals give the song its backbone. However as the track progresses all this emotion and drama builds until, fittingly, it’s the guitar that ends ‘White Noise’.
The band further expands on the inspiration behind the track: “’White Noise’ highlights circumstances where people of high influence and control can often lead public opinions and actions through the media. It is about the ability they have, to mask truths and shift perspectives to suit their own narratives.” (Julia Mason)
Josephine Sillars – Spend Time Wasting
Why we love it: The non-profit music development organisation, Come Play With Me last Thursday shared the final release of their concluding singles club that has showcased incredible emerging talent from the West Yorkshire region over the past few years. This ultimate offering sees Leeds-based artist Josephine Sillars present her new single ‘Spend Time Wasting’, sharing the 7” vinyl release with exciting local talents Fuzz Lightyear who, in the true spirit of equal opportunities made it onto our Tracks of the Week a fortnight ago.
Josephine Sillars says “‘Spend Time Wasting’ is about being anti-grind culture and not feeling guilty about wasting time. It’s really easy to get overly concerned and find yourself working to the bone, and this song is about celebrating wasting time and not worrying too much.”
With its delightful swagger this is a tune to light up daytime radio and serves as a grand finale to the most estimable Come Play With Me singles club. Listening to ‘Spend Time Wasting’ is unquestionably time well spent. (Simon Godley)
Fucked Up – Found
Why We Love It: Canadian hardcore heroes Fucked Up release the second single from their forthcoming album One Day which is set for release on 27 January via Merge Records. ‘Found’ follows title track ‘One Day’ and sees the band in perhaps a more melodic mood. The vocals are of course your typical hardcore fare but musically the track is a little calmer, and that’s an observation not a criticism. Lyrically it’s a reflection on the conquering of one people over another, and the eradication of their history. The track loses the vocal in the final third and provides reflection on what has been said before, perhaps emphasizing that we should take the time to stop and consider the impact on the original citizens.
With regards to ‘Found’ guitarist and songwriter Mike Haliechuk further expands: “I used to live on Davenport Road, which is one of the oldest streets in North America, and has been a First Nations trail for thousands of years, running along the north shore of Lake Iroquois, which receded after the last ice age. Just to the east was Taddle Creek, which was buried underground during the 19th century to build the streets I walk on. I thought about gentrification a lot, watching little stores get swallowed up by big buildings until I realised I am one of those big buildings. The name of the song comes from the Shadi Bartsch translation of The Aeneid, where she points out that the words “found” and “stab” open and close the book, which are two meanings for the same Greek verb. That discovery is actually conquest, and that settlement is always violence. And that any story I try to tell myself about the place I found to live can only be a story to justify the expansion of one people across the world of another.” (Julia Mason)
Holy Moly & The Crackers – Hot Red
Why we love it: November is turning into quite a month for the Newcastle sextet Holy Moly & The Crackers. Nominated for “Live Act Of The Year” in the Americana Music Association UK; announcing details of a UK and European Tour in April and May of next year; and then breaking news that their brand new album, Solid Gold will be released on 17th March 2023 via Pink Lane Records. And the first single to be taken from the forthcoming album is ‘ Hot Red’.
“Hot Red’s about being addicted to the road, about moving from horizon to horizon,” band co-leader, Conrad Bird explains. “I guess it was on our mind a lot over the last few years when we couldn’t go further than our local park. It’s the first track from our new album and shows off what we are trying to do musically – we focused on grooves, bass lines, finding space for the vocals to move and breathe. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Vance Powell on the mixes. You know, this guys a powerhouse, he brought a lot of energy to the table.”
Created for dancefloor satisfaction, its a full-blooded rockin’ soul incarnation that is going to go down an absolute treat on next year’s live dates at home and abroad. (Simon Godley)
The Short Causeway – Tripping Down The Stairs
Why We Love It: Hebden Bridge’s, The Short Causeway have released their debut single ‘Tripping Down The Stairs’. The trio have produced a jazzy indie-pop debut, full of twangy guitars, and a lightness of vocal. The pace ebbs and flows, demonstrating an ambition and talent. It’s an unusual sound, with its variety in pace throughout and seems to pack so much into its 4mins and yet there is a cohesive whole. The Short Causeway call The Trades Club home and their musical apprenticeship has included supporting bands such as Peaness, The Lounge Society, Katy J Pearson and The Orielles. ‘Tripping Down The Stairs’ sees the band create their own sound however, with the notable influence of A Certain Ratio as the early-Factory band’s vocalist/bassist, Jez Kerr became an early admirer, friend and mentor. Evidence here that quality breeds quality.
Claudie Nicholson (vocals, guitar) further explains: “We have always been keen to try bring something about that sounds a bit different. Being a three piece has been massively important to us and our identity, not just as a mirror of our friendship, but in the how it has forced us to think about the way we write, both in terms of needing to make more noise in some instances and needing to make use of an absence of noise at other times.” (Julia Mason)
Somebody’s Child – We Could Start A War
Why We Love It: On first listen to ‘We Could Start a War’ I thought this was Sam Fender. The quality and strength of the vocal immediately made me sit up and pay attention. Plus the music was minimal at the outset, meaning the vocal had no place to hide. Cian Godfrey is the driving force behind Somebody’s Child and newly signed to cult label Frenchkiss Records this is an anthemic track, full of passion and with lyrics both heartfelt and honest.
“So what the fuck are we fighting for?
What are we hoping to achieve?”
On the track Cian explaines: “’We Could Start A War’ is a huge track for us. The original version was a demo I wrote in 20 minutes or so and Shea produced in our little makeshift studio in Dublin. We spent 50 quid on artwork and just put it out, now it’s our biggest song. This is now the real version, I guess. The timing is also serendipitous because the video is about where it was written, and the juxtaposition between beauty in tradition, and the ugly face of gentrification – of which both are in abundance. Now I’ve moved to London, partly because of the result of this – not being able to afford life in my hometown.”
Somebody’s Child’s self-titled debut album is set for release in February. Described as a melting pot of the band’s influences including ‘80s synth sounds inspired by The Cure and Joy Division and guitar riffs which recall the mid/late 2000s indie rock it’s an intriguing prospect. In addition confirmed to play SXSW and Eurosonic plus a debut headline tour in early 2023, Somebody’s Child are going to be one to watch in the year ahead. (Julia Mason)
Swim School – Kill You
Why We Love It: Edinburgh’s swim school recorded their latest single ‘Kill You’ with Iain Berryman (Wolf Alice, Florence and the Machine, Beabadoobee) at London’s Narcissus Studios. The title is playfully misleading as it’s actually a song about being in a love. The production here gives the track an expansive sound. Indeed the trio have created a song which showcases just why swim school have had such a successful 2022. Anthemic and soaring it’s evidence indeed that 2023 should see the band continue to go from strength to strength.
“I’ve not stopped smiling since the day I met you,
You looked at me as if there was no-one else in that room”
Frontwoman Alice Johnson further explains the background behind the track: “’Kill You’ is about being in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone. It’s about the confidence you feel when you are in a good relationship and you feel comfortable enough to show your true self. I didn’t want it to be your stereotypical love song, which is why I chose the title ‘Kill You’, it’s funny feeling vulnerable whilst writing a song about vulnerability.” (Julia Mason)
Bethan Lloyd – Cutting Circuits
Bethan Lloyd is an emerging Welsh artist who has performed at both Focus Wales and Wide Days Scotland. Her new single ‘Cutting Circuits’ is a deeply emotive swirling electro pop song that fuses together Lloyd’s folk influenced, pagan like, refrains that gradually creep from personal and enveloping to swooping awestruck call to the heavens, underpinned by an intricate and pulsing tapestry of shadowy electronic sounds. For fans of Bjork, The Knife and Jane Weaver, it’s a very promising introduction and lifted from her upcoming album, Metamorphosis.
Morgan Harper-Jones – Swimming Upstream
Harper-Jones returns following the success of her ‘While You Lay Sound Asleep’ EP. Recorded in Brighton, ‘Swimming Upstream’ came out of ongoing sessions with producer Iain Archer (James Bay, Snow Patrol, Lisa Hannigan). Cycling through tumbling acoustic motifs and Harper-Jones’s affecting tone that hangs with the pain and struggles of long-term ill health issues and injury, she tells the story of meeting someone whose life was changed by injury. Replete with the twinkling chorus, it’s hanging on to hope and light amidst a dark road. It’s wonderful.
Morgan says of the new single: “Swimming Upstream is mostly fictional. It came from an injury I had last year which took about 10 months to fully heal. I was so pissed off that I was missing going out dancing or hiking or on holidays with friends. And I met someone who had a terrible injury when they were younger, but it led them down a particular path in their life and they said how if it hadn’t happened they’d be totally different. I become a bit obsessed with reading about people who had suffered but were ultimately grateful for their suffering because of where it led them when they let go of fighting it.
“I’m not saying that bad things happen for a reason, I don’t think that’s very empathetic or even true. For me the frustration of what I was missing was hurting me more than the injury itself and opening up the idea that this could give me opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise made things calmer and smoother for me. It’s probably the first time I started to actively look for and appreciate what is, rather than obsessing over and struggling against what isn’t.”
