Slyrydes are set to release their new single ‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ on March 8th. Slyrydes are a four piece band from Galway. The band released their first five singles from March 2019 to March 2020 (Mental Health, Point of view, Out Patience, Dangerous Animals & I claim to be intelligent). The singles collected much critical acclaim nationwide and in the UK. In 2020 against many odds Slyrydes managed to record their Debut album which will be available on 12″ and is set for release this year.
‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ is a raw and coarse new single from Slyrydes. The band create a dark and exhilarating sound smothered in refined instrumentation.
Slyrydes have become known for tackling the emotional themes of mental health through their songs and ‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ follows this trend. By surrounding this hard-hitting rock track in earnest and sinister tones, they drive home the harsh reality of life and mental health through masterfully expressive instrumentation.
With a majestic and nimble guitar display embellishing the track in finesse and swagger Slyrydes create a piercing and light contrast to their brawny sound. A rampant bass and fluctuant rhythmic foundation exudes an ominous undertone while deep expressive vocals roar about the harrowing realisation when you see the picture of a missing person you know “I am in shock cos I saw him last week… We were in the same place”. The verses build tension as the coiling bass wanders through the song’s underbelly evoking a sense of mystery that builds into the dynamic and frenzied crescendo.
‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ is a brilliant display of musicianship from Slyrydes. Their compelling sound is blossoming into something to truly admire. Looking forward to hearing more from this talented four piece. ‘Boy In The Debs Suit’ is set for release on 8th of March.
Back with their very first single of 2021 ‘A Poet’s World’, Manchester-based indie-punk band Urban Theory are set to take new heights in the year ahead. Forming in 2016, this four piece guitar band has set about becoming a firm favourite on the Manchester indie-punk scene. In their short reign they have already sold out a number of notable North West venues, supported a host of big names and gained numerous plays on BBC Introducing and XS Manchester.
Gritty and seeping with energy, ‘A Poet’s World’ displays the catchy punk rock of Urban Theory. The band introduce the track with a raw guitar riff that slices through a punchy drum and resounding bass foundation. Urban Theory layer and craft the track meticulously to create maximum impact through teased instrumental explosions throughout the song.
The verses simmer in dark soundscapes as the band use the gnawing backdrop to create a tense and jogging pace before the powerful chorus erupts into an instrumental frenzy. Melding punk aggression with infectious indie and edgy rock, the band present a sound that is both intoxicating and rousing. ‘A Poets World’ is a wonderfully fierce, well-crafted indie punk track ready for the mania of live shows.
Pretty Happy have returned with their new single ‘Salami.’Pretty Happy are an Art-Punk three-piece from Cork with a growing reputation for their dynamic live performances and electric eccentricities. Made up of Abbey Blake (Guitar), Arann Blake (Vocals, Bass Guitar), and Andy Killian (Drums), the trio have established themselves as one of the most exciting acts on the Cork music scene. They use a combination of absurdist lyrics, demented emotions, and idiosyncratic melodies to create an all-consuming noise rock sound.
‘Salami’ is an abrasive whirlwind of post-punk as Pretty Happy spread raw instrumentation over psychedelic flashes to create one exhilarating frenzied smasher. Coarse jagged guitar lines gash through a rugged drum and bass foundation while exuding a hypnotic thumping tempo until the chorus announces itself with a roar of frenzy. Within the chorus crashing guitars, wailing vocals and barbed bloodthirsty bass slaps create the song’s instant spiral into chaos. However light shoegaze guitar breaks up the frenzy, as the band masterfully blends wild barbaric post-punk with dreamy moments to create a thrilling savage listening experience.
Pretty Happy have an intense and blustery sound. They know exactly how to craft their quirky madness to create a wonderfully expressive wall of sound. They meld and mangle haunting vocals, spoken quips, and screams between a harrowing onslaught of gnawing guitars and a rumbling rhythmic section to create unruly, and absolutely thrilling music.
Indie-punks TV People have released their new single ‘String’. Joining forces with Dan Doherty at Darklands Audio (Fontaines D.C., Vulpynes) and Christian Wright at Abbey Road Studios (Radiohead, Blur, LCD Soundsystem) the Dublin outfit are taking on 2020 with force; building a name for themselves as the latest in a wave of talent bursting out of Dublin. ‘String’ follows the release of singles ‘Nothing More’, ‘Kitchen Sinking’ and ‘Time Eats Up’ earlier in 2020, with ‘Nothing More’ collecting praise from Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music and The Line of Best Fit to name but a few, ‘Kitchen Sinking’ earning a spot on Spotify’s ‘An Alternative Éire’ playlist, and ‘Time Eats Up’ receiving heavy promotion from the legendary Abbey Road Studios.
‘String’ is a perfect example of TV People’s personal and thought provoking musicianship. Exuding cold, sombre tones, the track pivots around precise drum beats and sharp chimes on guitar. Simmering dark undertones rumble under sweet guitar refrains and moody, lonely soundscapes as the song builds against a shadowy backdrop.
TV People craft their tracks beautifully. They expertly capture emotion through their instruments while also giving the guitars, bass and drums characters of their own within the song. It is as if the band allow the instruments to freely wander about the track engrossed within their own consciousness – a fantastic display of musical prowess. In true TV People manner the track builds becoming more harsh and expressive without losing the lonely casual pace. The drums and bass increase in intensity while the piercing on guitars embellish the track in bittersweet tones.
Penned in the cruel clarity of hindsight, the lyrics ruminate on addictions and self destructive behaviours. Evoking a sense of dissatisfaction, regret and at times anger; the lyrics give the listener a glimpse into the writers thoughts at the time ” .. as I become my own regret…”.The honest and poetic nature of the lyrics is complimented greatly in their delivery. Paul Donohoe’s vocals are nonchalant yet emotive. His deep mesmerising tones guide the listener through the track’s drifting soundscapes and brooding atmosphere.
There is something about this track that is intriguing; perhaps it is the poetic flair and artistic turn of phrase within the lyrics or perhaps it is the clever and expressive use of instruments within the songs brooding soundscape. One thing is for certain, ‘String’ highlights a moment of significant musical growth for TV People and showcases the bands lyrical depth and deft musicianship. They have honed in on their sound and established themselves as ones to watch.
Speaking about ‘String’, frontman Paul Donohoe details: “String’ is about my past experiences with addiction and using self destructive behaviour as a coping mechanism for life’s problems. In the culture we have surrounding drinking and sessioning, the line between having a good time and seriously damaging your mental health isn’t always clear. Self-destructive behaviour is normalised and even encouraged. I’ve seen a lot of people around me going through it. It’s hard to escape from even when you’re aware that it’s a problem because it’s so hidden and ingrained in the way that we socialise. The song is about the feelings of hopelessness, regret and frustration that I’ve felt in the past when I’ve been stuck in that situation and the damage that they do to your mind over time.”
The Clockworks have released their new single ‘Enough Is Never Enough’. Formed in Galway and drawn together by a mutual appreciation of all music, past and present, The Clockworks are a four-piece comprising James McGregor on Vocals/Guitar, Sean Connelly on Guitar, Damian Greaney on Drums and Tom Freeman on bass. The latest and last in a series for Alan McGee’s Creation 23 label sees the Galway four-piece take aim at the injustices and prejudices rife in our society with an assault of straight-up punk rock.
The Clockworks paint a vivid picture of our fractured society with new release ‘Enough Is Never Enough’; aconcise, energetic and hard hitting track which is sure to knock your socks off.
Clever and well placed lyrical content is where The Clockworks excel. With raw commentary and witty turns of phrase McGregor’s biting delivery wavers between emotional, disgust and nonchalant acceptance, “And everybody loves to bitch, Factions speak louder than herds”. The canvas for the track is a bristly energetic blend of harsh punk rock and moody grunge with a sweet peppering of indie to provide a buoyant light embellishment on top. A constant drum beat crashes between the rumble on bass while jaunty guitars meander between striking, acute exclaims and gentle laments accompanied by an infectious melody which coils underneath; the band use these contrasting elements to build diverse textures into the song which are a delight to listeners ears.
The Clockworks ability to wrap energetic soundscapes around an expressive lyrical delivery is impressive and makes the track entirely consuming. ’Enough Is Never Enough’ is a vigorous and catchy tune from a band that keep getting better with each release.
Speaking about the track James of The Clockworks says: “This was the last song we wrote in Ireland. I’d been working on the lyrics for ages. I like to write about the social or emotional by writing about a specific character or scene. I think focusing on the particular and the specific is the best way to get to the general and abstract… Musically, this song was all about getting the feeling right. We wanted it to be forceful and relentless but also for there to be enough space for melody and emotion.”
Vulpynes are back with their latest EP ‘Us Against Them’ on FOAD/Advance Records.The four blistering tracks were initially penned as part of their debut album, however when Covid hit they decided to release the four tracks as an EP.
‘Us Against Them’ is a fantastic display of raw untainted alternative rock. Vulpynes lean heavily on a punk, abrasive attitude to create a knockout four track EP boasting some seriously heavy riffage. With fuzz-laced guitar riffs and pummelling drums ‘One Horse Mind’ is the perfect album opener. This adrenaline-fuelled song is sure to have you moshing within seconds.
Vulpynes douse their sound in sinister undertones, catchy melodies and vigorous hooks to make ‘Sister’ one of the pinnacle moments on the EP. This track is an invigorating blast of alternative rock which leaves the listener feeling pumped and craving for more.
However the frantic gallop of ‘This Motor Is Me’ and the dark, fuzz-saturated ‘Control Is Not What I Need’ deserve special attention. These two glorious tracks display the talent and musical growth of this duo, showing Vulpynes’ sound has fermented and curdled into something truely thrilling. The tight brisk riffs are executed with such precision and brawn it’s awe-inspiring while the groove presented on drums by Kaz is an otherworldly rampage of terror and delight as she shifts nimbly between raw rumbles, mighty thumps and thunderous bashes. Maeve Molly’s distinctive, raspy vocals anchor the listener within the musical maelstrom. She spits and bellows out the lyrics matching the all consuming wall of sound with her enticing tone.
Exuding a heavy dollop of riot attitude, Vulpynes have created a fiery alternative rock EP in ‘Us Against Them’. With tunes full of catchy melodies and addictive riffs Vulpynes are a force to be reckoned with.
Dublin four piece Bullet Girl have released their new single ‘Concrete Bed’.Bullet Girl are guitarist Dylan Keenan, singer Aaron Doyle, bassist Tony Keyes and drummer Noel Dempsey. Their recent shows, including a standout set at TiLT in the Button Factory for 98fm’s Totally Irish, have elevated their standing in the Dublin live scene and earned them an invitation from Aiken Promotions to support hotly tipped The Mystrines of Liverpool for their performance at Eastbound Dublin.
‘Concrete Bed’ is a thrilling taste of the raw post punk Bullet Girl do so well. With scraping sharp guitars shrilling over an abrasive bass the band create an intoxicating wall of sound which accelerates from ominous tension to frantic chaos. This fantastic build and progression is why Bullet Girl’s musical prowess is mesmerising. They mix coarse piercing soundscapes with lighter guitar shrills and ferment this concoction until it’s simmering with unadulterated red hot fury. The pounding drums bash the tracks foundation with bloodthirsty mania while the frantic vocals scream and shout over the explosive anarchy. It’s anger, aggression and disdain all set to exhilarating musicianship, to create a mosh worthy onslaught for the listener to indulge in. Lyrically the track paints a vivid image of drug culture, homelessness and modern despair in Dublin City and the band reinforce this with dizzying soundscapes and the honest, bruising yet beautiful sound that is Bullet Girl.
About the track the band says: “Musically we wanted to create a spiralling soundscape to emphasise this endless cycle. We purposely wanted to write a song that went out of its way to strip away the romanticism of Dublin. As a city, Dublin and Dubliners have a lot to celebrate but while sleeping bags lay parked outside government buildings, it’s hard for us not to feel anger for the current state of our city. We don’t pretend to offer the solution to these issues, we only want to shine a light on it by presenting it in the most unfiltered manner possible.”
I caught up with frontman James McGregor from Galway quartet The Clockworks to talk about the band’s new single ‘Can I Speak to A Manager?’, their move to London as well as how they prep for live shows.
Written in 2018 while the band were still living in their hometown of Galway, McGregor found himself taking refuge from the drudgery of his 9-5 in a number of café’s and pubs during his lunch break. Infuriated by the plastic world around him and nauseous with the monotony of a rat-run routine, his paranoid thoughts and pent-up rage spilled into a song that dares to point out the failings of an ailing society. Inspired by the straight-up social commentary of lyrical icons like John Cooper Clarke, Mike Skinner, and Ray Davies of The Kinks, ‘Can I Speak To Manager?’ sees McGregor exercising his songwriting abilities with a similar no-nonsense and observational approach.
“Initially I had the idea of the first verse, so the idea of a really specific story of something just happening like a really mundane story and trying to make it sort of dramatic. That’s why, the first line is like “my god what a palava” because it’s just so mundane and you expect it to do with something crazy and dramatic, but it’s not. And then from there I wanted to see where I could go with that and the feeling of everything is kind of broken was sort of on my mind and came out through that. That’s the inspiration for it anyway, that’s sort of how it started. It was sort of written nearly in order. It was the first verse and a really particular story and then trying to make it, I guess…a more universal idea.”
I wondered when he was writing the track did he think of the vocal melody as well and how he was going to sing it, or was it just mostly words and getting it to flow.
“Oh that’s a good question, I haven’t been asked that before. The very first lines I had, so like that first line “my god what a palava” and the “Wrong model and no charger” and then, “Now at a loss, I’m sitting”, I had that straight away, it was the first thing that came to me and then the rest I guess was more rhythmical and then the melody followed.”
There is a sublime build in this track especially how the band venture from a hypnotic rhythm and then lead into a blasting crescendo.The band definitely enhance the instrumental backdrop to match and highlight the lyrical content to create something quite cinematic
“Yeah, we usually try to make the instrumental music reflect the lyrics in a way that maybe a soundtrack might, and so that song is about something that’s quite ridiculous and maybe light hearted, finding who you are. You could say it’s light hearted or not but something ridiculous that becomes crazy and the whole thing is, like, “when I become a cynical”, it’s one of the lines and it’s all about the descent into cynicism, that you might get from something as simple as your laptop breaking might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and send you into that frenzy toward the end where you think that everyone is all out to get you. Obviously I don’t want to dictate how anyone would listen to that song but for me, that was kind of the impetus. It was that something simple happens that isn’t really a big deal. You know, you’re not going to remember it five minutes later maybe or five days later, for sure, but at the time it just sends you off.”
Not only does the band provide powerful punk rock and an abrasive wall of sound they pack in some serious themes and lyrical depth. Themes of isolation, paranoia, and helplessness all glimmer through their songs and hit hard through their lyrical content.This is something McGregor strives to achieve when crafting the tracks, that all important connection with the listeners.
“For us personally it’s important. I’m not gonna speak for how I think every musician should be. Because I think everyone plays music for different reasons or writes songs for different reasons. But for us, it’s expressing a feeling, or an emotion and hoping that the message,I guess is that, this is something we feel, you know, this is something that we maybe think about, do you? I’ve always been fascinated with the fact that maybe if you’re feeling nostalgic you might listen to one song. You might listen to, I don’t know, Frank Sinatra, you might listen to maybe the early indie music or The Beatles or something if you’re feeling like getting back to the music you listened to when you were a child or something. Then if you’re feeling heartbroken you might listen to Damien Rice and these people speak to you in ways that they wouldn’t normally. I remember one of the lads, saying to me before that they’d never got Sam Smith, until they were heartbroken and then suddenly Sam Smith makes sense. I think it’s like, these people are putting an emotion out there, or, an observation or something that you could relate to, and it takes maybe a certain situation or turn of events to relate to that. That really fascinates me. It’s not something that I would think about all the time but it’s definitely something that we try to do across the songs. I would try to have different songs for different times, different songs for different rooms in your mind, that you might need to go to.”
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The Clockworks relocated to London last year and the quartet signed to Alan McGee’s new record label ‘Creation23’ almost overnight. We discussed the advantages of moving to London for artists
“I think there are definitely more opportunities here than in Galway, I can only speak for living in Galway. I don’t think that’s any fault of Galway, as a place. I think firstly, there’s a slightly different cultural relationship to music or maybe our type of music, or rock music or contemporary music…and I feel people generally feel like it’s more of a young person’s thing to maybe go to gigs loads and stuff. I think secondly, obviously, it’s just the music industry itself, it’s all here. If we play, you know, here somewhere, we’ve had plenty of gigs where people who didn’t know us have turned up and they’ve been this person or that person in the music industry, you know,”
Like other bands of his generation The Clockworks have the power and influence of streaming platforms which gives artists huge exposure however it doesn’t make them money. They have the opportunity to reach more people but don’t reap the benefits as much as an artist would with album sales and touring. However McGregor doesn’t think it has bothered the band that much
“ I think we’re lucky enough as it’s all we know. So I think maybe if you’ve come from, the age where buying albums and making money from people buying your albums was the norm it would be a lot more shocking and maybe more overwhelming. For us we don’t expect people to have paid to listen to our music. So I guess it doesn’t affect us as much. I definitely do understand what you mean about like, you can see, Spotify plays, you can see Facebook likes, Instagram followers. All these numbers and then you see like, zero pounds or euros. Or you might have this many followers, and play a gig in Whelan’s to nobody. You know, in the past, especially when we sort of didn’t know how things worked as well, we would support a band, and be like ‘oh this band has this many followers. This is gonna be a packed gig. This is gonna be huge’ and then we’d be playing to nobody and they may be playing to a handful of people, and it never made sense to us. But because of the fact that we were post that change we have always played in the Spotify age, I guess, we are lucky because we don’t know any better. Sort of blissfully ignorant.”
The music scene in the UK and Ireland is very vibrant lately – there are so many amazing acts gigging and producing great music.I wondered is there competition between the bands and does McGregor feel pressure to fit into the scene.
“I think its cool. I think it’s good. Galway again, because its not Dublin it’s so far removed from 90% of music in Ireland, but it was great for us because we were just, the opposite to the thing you’re talking about, there was a handful of bands, a lot of singer songwriters or, you know, singers or instrumental musicians or whatever, who sort of all supported each other and there was no clique per se, so that was great. We were able to just do our own thing and we came over to London and I think we’ve carried that with us so we’re not too worried about trying to jostle through other bands in the same venue to be, like the cool band in this group of bands. We’ve never done that and I think, historically it always works out better if you just support other bands and make friends where you can and apart from that keep your head down and just get on with it. Again, I think we’re also lucky because we moved to Northwest London, which is the equivalent of Galway, London-wise. There’s no bands that we know of around us. Most of the bands are in South London, that we know. The bands that we know would be in South London, East London or West London or different parts of North London but Northwest London we’re kind of removed, so again there’s no scene here, there’s no scene where we are. It’s nice because we can sort of not worry about fitting into it.”
I saw The Clockworks perform a few years ago in The Workmans Club supporting BLESS. and SISTERAY. The intense energy they had and expression through their music was impressive. It’s no surprise they have had slots at festivals including Eurosonic and Electric Picnic. The band have also performed to a huge crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool in support of Kings of Leon. Preparation is the key to a good live show but the band don’t overthink it.
“oh yeah and I burst in ( on Indie Buddie’s interview with SISTERAY at the time).We go in and play but we do give ourselves a little pep talk before we go on. We’ve always done that just, sort of like, jump up and down and say, you know, ‘this is it’ kind of thing.I think it’s especially important when there’s three people in the room and back in the day you know when you play maybe, Róisín Dubh for the 40th time. Some days would be busy sometimes it wouldn’t and we were lucky to be able to play there so much and really practice. Obviously you have to apply yourself in a certain way, when you’re playing to three people, you know, because you’re not playing to sold out crowd singing back your words at you and we’ve always thought that those three people are worth as much, every person is worth as much as every other person in the room, regardless of how many there are, of course. Just because there’s more people in the room you shouldn’t give them more of yourself. You should try and give everything to any gig because, what are you on the stage for if you’re not gonna do your best. So I guess we go in with the mindset of just giving everything we can. Every time and just before we go on, I guess we say that, but we’re not actors and it’s not like ‘alright, let’s go into costume and change character now’ it’s not like that, which is fine if you are like, David Bowie, he literally got into costume and changed his name.But that’s just not what we do. “
With live shows cancelled it’s easy to see how bands and artists can become overwhelmed with the pressure of making the most of their spare time and McGregor did fall pray to this at first.
“ I think I put pressure on it. Because, obviously, everyone was immediately super productive, you were just seeing people everywhere immediately like fit and healthy and taken up four new languages and cleaned their house and had done everything they have ever wanted to do. That isn’t what happened but that’s how you felt. Everyone was being super productive and for the first few weeks.”
“What I usually do is write lyrics in pubs, or cafes. I don’t know why, but I like to be that little bit removed from home.I haven’t quite worked out exactly why but maybe I don’t want to ask myself too much because I don’t want to ruin it if I find out the answer. But obviously without being able to do that sort of thing at home I found it a bit stifling for lack of a better word.”
“Once I got used to that it was alright. It was good. We got some good writing done. We got a few new songs on the go and because obviously it was so extended, initially we thought it could be a couple of weeks and for the first few weeks it was like, ‘Yeah, I can wait to go back to the pub or whatever to get some writing done again’. Then once you were like ‘no we’re in this for the long haul’ I sort of, had to surrender to it, and go right, ‘well if you don’t write them, what are you gonna do’…just because you technically have more time because you’re not, you know, going into work every day. It was, it was a stressful time. I think everyone, regardless of what, personally happened to you or your family, with this I think it was stressful for everyone at least a little bit and still is for a lot of people.”
The Clockworks have been touring and releasing music for a few years. From McGregor’s experience of the Irish and UK music scene and life as a band in general I wondered what advice he would give to someone who wants to start a band. His answer imparted words of wisdom which any budding artist should take onboard.
“Industry-wise I think everyone says it but then it is so true. I would say just write, write as much as you can and read as well. Or, take in stuff as well, listen to music, read books, watch films, whatever it is that you do to build your imagination and write as much as you can, because it’s like turning on an old tap that hasn’t been used. It’s like you have to run the water until it stops being brown. I think it’s easy to turn the tap off again. If you don’t write for a while. Personally I find if I don’t write for a while it takes me a while to get back into it, like I just said over the summer, so I stopped for a couple of weeks and then suddenly you know you get back into it again. Write as much as you can. You can have the worst gig ever, you can have terrible reviews, you can have every label, manager, agent in the world, turn you down. But as long as you’re still writing music, if you can still write music and enjoy doing that. Then, you know, all is not lost. You’re still doing the thing that’s the most fundamental thing and I think it’s very easy to get caught up in the peripheral things like reviews or bad reviews or bad comments from someone or someone turning you down or a gig that you don’t get or whatever it is. So I guess maybe for both industry and creatively, I think, to focus on the fact that writing is THE THING , and everything else is peripheral.”
“I can’t remember who said this, I read it the other day and I can’t remember – this could be anyone from like Oscar Wilde to like a gossip magazine. Someone said ‘Don’t take on criticism from someone you wouldn’t be prepared to take advice from’ which I thought was a great quote. It’s really difficult and a lot of people get very anxious about it. I think that’s what I was getting at with being in Galway and being now in North London is that we’ve tried to make sure that we don’t feel like we have to conform to a sound that’s been dictated to us by someone else musically, you know, or dress a certain way or whatever, You can’t be restricted by it because you end up running around chasing other people’s expectations and that can be very dangerous. To chase other peoples expectations of you, is probably impossible.”
The bands previous single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ was praised at radio by BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac on her “New Names” showcase, BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq on his ‘Recommends’ show. The track received day-time radio play on RTÉ 2FM, and even impressed the legendary Rodney Bingenheimer show in the States on Sirius XM. The band are keeping the momentum going with their new single ‘Can I Speak to A Manager?’ as well as writing and building for when live shows finally do return.
“Definitely writing, we’re writing a lot at the moment and recording as well at the moment. We’re trying to next year, consolidate the gigs that we weren’t doing this year and see what we can do.Hopefully, everything is good to go by then. It’s quite a weird thing to be booking gigs, that you’ve already cancelled that you may have to cancel again.It’s strange, but that’s what we’re trying to do and it’s good to try. So, that’s it, just writing loads because that’s the fundamental, that’s the important thing. We’re doing everything else we can too. We have loads of time, we’re not playing gigs. The first thing we have to do is write and record music and then after that it’s everything we can try and get gigs, do interviews like this, meet people as we can, you know zoom meetings and all that.”
The Clockworks have created a unique and intense sound all their own. Their ability to craft songs which blend moody punk with frantic rock outbursts is impressive and the lyrical content carries depth and masterful poetic insight. I can not wait to hear more from them. THE CLOCKWORKS are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Birmingham based quartet Y!KES have released their new EP ‘MASS!VE’. A spine chilling collection of tracks filled with raw crunchy guitar lines, stabbing drums and manic dark soundscapes, ‘MASS!VE’ stays the course the band unleashed with their debut EP ‘Everything Pointless Is Correct’. The new EP captures the abrasive nature of Y!KES in a nutshell showcasing their unapologetic, gut-punching alternative grunge rock is a force to be reckoned with.
These guys have a knack with catchy guitar refrains which they mangle beneath wild unruly instrumentation while the odd guitar riff peers above the bands musical onslaught. ‘Pirouette’ follows this format perfectly. There is a ‘My Chemical Romance’ tone and Emo residue to the track which wallows within the songs underbelly – swarming with loathing and moody aggression.
Of course this bands instrumental prowess and flair is what makes them so intriguing however, it is Oli Long’s aggitated vocals which gives Y!KES enough drama and crazed intensity to take their sound to epic heights. His vocals are luring, moody and almost psychotic as he wails, growls and mumbles through the tracks creating quite the unique and exhilarating character for each song. This is especially shown in ‘Alice’. Long’s vocals slither with a gravelly texture truly displaying the sinister range and capabilities of his vocals. It’s utterly thrilling. With a 90’s rock bravado the verses are manic and full of surprises while the chorus is strong and melodic, all leading to a glorious ending, ‘Alice’ is one of the pinnacle moments on the EP.
The high intensity, mind frazzling rock doesn’t end after ‘Alice’, instead Y!kes expands from this point. The EP only gets better and heavier from here as the band push and explore the depths of their tantalizing sound. With a cinematic rush on guitars, shredding solos and melodic frantic flurries to delight the listener, ‘Door Frame Angel’ and ‘Faker’ take their triumphant place on the EP. Although just as coarse and sharp as previous tracks, the band inject sweeter melodies into the thrilling, alternative rock instrumental.
However it’s not all a screaming assault of alternative rock, final track ‘Step Away’ brings the album to a surprising close. Here the band effortlessly slip into a more indie pop outfit with light jaunty guitar riffage providing an indie spring through the buoyant drum progressions. There are glimmers of Sugar Cult, early Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes in this song. I have to hand it to these guys, they always deliver a slap in the face of some kind and this sunkissed and moody number is the rosy-hued ( yet dark themed ) gem to do it. Absolutely love it.
‘MASSIVE’ showcases Y!KES is growing and harnessing their raw unbridled rock to create music with a memorable balance between drama, anarchy and deft musicianship.The band have created an invigorating sound of their own to discuss themes of depression and conflicting emotions through anthemic tunes with choppy chords, gnarled vocals and ground shaking drums. It’s quite the masterpiece.
Punk rock duo Vulpynes have released their new single ‘Sister’. A week before Covid19 struck, the duo were half way through recording their debut album in Black Mountain Studios with James Darkin. Due to travel restrictions and Ireland being in complete disarray, they were unfortunately unable to finish it. After much consideration, Vulpynes have decided to release the first half of the album as a single sided limited edition 12″. The EP, entitled ‘Us Against Them’ will be released via Ireland’s premier punk rock label F.O.A.D/Advance Records.
‘Sister’ is another no nonsense smasher from Vulpynes. It’s a speed battering of the duo’s frantic punk rock at its most potent and all consuming best. The thrashing guitars and rapid pogo slaps on drums create that lean mean sound we have come to love from the band.
Molly’s powerful vocals are the heart of the song. The sheer attitude, ballsy fire and grit in her compelling voice gives her such a dominating presence it leaves much to be admired.
‘Sister’ is quite the razor cut anthem. Kaz’s jackhammer assaults on drums is the most beautiful battering ever to bruise your ears as her fast and poisonous whack creates the track’s all authoritative foundation.
Vulpynes’ music is always a joy to listen to. The duo produce some of the most visceral and kinetic forms of music on the Dublin scene at the moment. They have a slick, raw and majestic way of presenting their blood thirsty rock and ‘Sister’ is a fine new example of this.
Stream ‘Sister’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
