We sat down to have a chat with the dapper trio Andrew Flood, Aoife Power and Niall Burns from whenyoung before their show in The Grand Social, Dublin earlier this month. We talked about their tunes, the inspiration behind their sound and their eye catching colour coordination.
Watch the interview below
Callow Saints are a female-fronted indie/rock band from Aylesbury. After taking the local music scene by storm, the band rapidly spread further afield, becoming more and more in demand in the Oxford and London scenes. They were voted one of the top bands out of 20,000 entrants to win a slot at the prestigious Camden Rocks Festival; performed alongside the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs, Bryan Adams and The Pretenders at Cornbury Festival, have headlined a packed out O2 Academy in Oxford and had two sold-out EP launch shows in the past two years.The band have just released their latest EP, ‘Unhinged’.
Callow Saints deliver a varied batch of memorable songs that exude energy and passion in their ‘Unhinged’ EP. ‘I Should Run’ sets the EP in motion, seeped in emotional tones as a moving melody drifts upon a vibrant backdrop of crashing drums, elastic bass and strident stinging guitars. The flicker between the zealous guitars and sensual groove on bass makes for a wholly enthralling experience for the verses as it teases and builds in intensity for the gritty explosive chorus. They blend the raw expressive emotion and edgy rock soundscapes perfectly creating a meticulously layered sound. This EP gives a sublime taste of the sound Callow Saints have developed, the tracks are catchy, dark and extremely consuming. ‘E.M.M.A’ is pushed by a driving rooted bass line while punchy drums pummel through staggering, slick, guitar work. The whispered bridge adds a creepy, haunting quality that keeps you on your toes- this track is sublimely mesmerising. Ruby’s vocals command attention- her power and control is masterful as she croons, whispers and bellows with magnificent control. Her sultry vocals for the verses of ‘Ten’ is particularly enticing as steamy guitars whine over a steady beat and sensual bass. Once again they produce a fiery aggressive chorus which interrupts the vaporous atmosphere. That guitar riff is hypnotic and spine chillingly good.‘Kiss Is Bliss’ brings us to the end of the EP with a lighter tone. The riff has a Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ feel while the buoyant rhythm, catchy lyrics and peppy melody lusciously makes this track a sing along anthem. It’s an animated, bright way to the end the EP while still packing in some rock punch.
‘Unhinged’ is a thoroughly satisfying EP filled with all the right ingredients to have you rocking out, dancing and singing with ease. Each track is brimming with delicious melodies upon gritty rough instrumentation with a sweet, swagger soaked sliver of silky sleekness on top. Ruby’s vocals are just sublime and powerful she transmits passion and emotion from every note effortlessly to create enthralling, gripping tracks that are wonderful to listen to but mighty enough to have a nice kick.
Stream ‘Unhinged’ below
The Elephant Room are a three piece band from Wexford, Cork and Louth based in Dublin and have been purveyors of their own genre Alco-Pop since early 2017. As a band they haven’t forgotten about the importance of having a hook. They inject their melodies with lyrics that switch between either abstract word painting or touch on the more dark and honest aspects of human nature. In late 2017 the band recorded an eight track EP in a Studio in Bray and in May 2018 released it across all platforms independently. The band recorded live with very few overdubs attempting to capture the authenticity of the three piece playing together in a room. What little overdubs that were used plays to the bands love of using subtle studio experimentation such as using analog organs and playing autoharp through Lesley speakers. Since their inception they have been regularly gigging the indie scene playing nights such as The New Love & Terror Cult in The Sin É, Gigonometry in the Workmans and The Midnight Hour in Whelans. The band have now released a video for their single ‘Blue Horrors’ which is taken from their ‘Music On The Bones’ EP.
With its hazy dreamy atmosphere creating a euphoric backdrop for the sweet calming melody ‘Blue Horrors’ is a tranquillising creation from The Elephant Room. Light shaky percussion rattles and bounces off a steady beat and psychedelic hued instrumentation while lush backing vocals coo behind creating a little world of soothing bliss. The velvety vocals caress the luscious melody while warm guitars gently stride and playfully weave between the rich percussion. It’s a laid back number that sways and glides with a gentle little spring in its step creating a delightful easy going atmosphere which consumes you in a bubble of euphoric bliss. It’s a sedating soothing gem which develops steadily becoming a little more intense as striking symbols and strong guitar strides increase for the psychedelic- esque crescendo. This compact track is brimming with infectious grooves that are subtle enough to add luscious flavours without becoming overpowering. They maintain a heavenly, floaty vibe with a touch of sweet monotony that is just captivating- leaving you craving more.
Watch the video for ‘Blue Horrors’ below
Fresh from their first UK headline tour Dublin trio Fangclub have have announced the release of their highly personal new EP titled ‘True Love’ along with their new single ‘Knife’. The 5 track EP, set for release on June 29th, is a fiery collection of Fangclub’s unique brand of alternative rock. 2018 has already been a busy one for Fangclub, having toured with The Cribs, Milk Teeth and Nervus as well as rocking the UK with their first headline tour. 2017 was a hell of a year for the band too. Not only did they release their self titled debut album (available now on Vertigo Records) to mass critical acclaim but they also toured the UK and Ireland with their own headline dates as well as playing shows with Biffy Clyro, Muse, Pixies, and SWMRS. Fangclub have gathered major attention from specialist DJ’s at BBC Radio 1 (Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Daniel P.Carter, Phil Taggart) with their monstrous tracks ‘Bullet Head’, ‘Loner’, ‘Dreamcatcher’ and ‘Bad Words.
Now this track raises the bar. ‘Knife’ introduces a more aggressive mind destroying sound that is just fantastic.It bulldozes in with pure unruly aggro as the rooted bass boils and bubbles beneath a chilled eerie vocal line before the chorus bludgeons you with its crashing wall of sound -screaming vocals and distortion galore. It’s a thrilling, electrifying whack of gritty, rugged, garage rock at its most fermented. The drums bash your skull while the melody still firmly grips the pop infectiousness of their previous tracks however, the intensity is at dangerous levels. I love the energy in this track the destructive, barbaric, chaos churning and coiling for the verses becomes effervescent and erupts for the riveting chorus. This is something special.
Speaking honestly about the music and its lyrical content, enigmatic frontman Steven King said this of the EP.
“True Love is a collage of an intense year that almost ended the band.Last year I became infatuated with the idea of True Love. But not just love of a person. Love of drink, drugs, people, actions & habits. Anything can be your “One True Love” if you let it. Love can be painful. True Love can cut deep like a Knife. “Knife” was my skewed idea of an obsessed love (at the time). It’s the introduction to the EP’s theme. Am I using you or are you using me? I don’t care, I need you. Keep me alive, kill me, keep me warm, make me cold, make me happy, make me sick, wake me up & make me sleep. I don’t mind being chained to you under the blanket of True Love.”
You can catch the band live at the following shows this summer
June
1st Vestrock, Hulst, The Netherlands
2nd K-Fest, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
July
13th 2000 Trees, Cheltenham, UK
20th Truck Festival, Oxford UK
27th Sunflower Festival, Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Stream ‘Knife’ below
Manchester unsigned indie band The Breaks have recently released their latest single ‘Masquerade’ which is the lead single on their ‘Trap Door’ EP. This blistering fuzzed indie rock track swarms in all ruffled and scuzzy as coarse guitars sting and crash against pummelling drums and elastic bass. Though initially appearing a mighty force of bruising rock this track maintains a slick chilled underbelly as laid back swagger drenched vocals cool the scorching instrumental backdrop with a slinky melody and effortless charm. The guitar riffs sear and swelter while that rooted bass groove pushes the track into impressive adrenaline rushing heights. It’s a high voltage rampage from The Breaks that entices with sweet chilled tones luring underneath a thrilling tight wall of sound that surges through your veins heightening every sense. It’s brawny and sensual all at once and i’m sure makes for one manic mosh pit when performed live. This exhilarating track makes The Breaks ones to watch out for.
Watch the video for ‘Masquerade’ below
Andrew Puckett has recently released his newest single ‘Stronger Now’, a catchy, melodic track with a deeper underlying message. With the aim of bringing meaningful messages with chart topping melodies, Andrew Puckett has drawn comparisons with the likes of Twenty One Pilots and Kodaline, yet maintains a unique position of creating high energy music with a relatable lyrical undertone. His newest single ‘Stronger Now ‘was inspired by a time in Puckett’s life when he experienced a struggle with mental health. As a message of hope, the message conveyed in the track is that although it may not feel like it, fighting to keep going every day is a small victory.
Sometimes we all need that track that will act as a mantra to keep you pushing through and ‘Stronger Now’ is exactly that- an emotive gripping number with a catchy motivational chorus to give you hope and strength. Puckett’s laid back vocals glide from a rap to a soothing coo as twinkling piano strides with a sturdy surety while also elegantly glimmering adding a delicate yet confident quality to the track. The piano glides over sticky slapping beat pulses while the infectious sweet melody embraces this endearing soundscape. It’s a gripping, enthralling indie pop track that has a touching message. Puckett has displayed his mature, moving musicianship and it’s pretty impressive.
Stream ‘Stronger Now’ below
https://soundcloud.com/andrewpuckett/stronger-now
The Los Angeles based brother and sister duo The Fontaines (Hank Fontaine and Charlotte Fontaine) have released their new single ‘Freak’. It’s a sultry, electronic drizzled retro number that entices and grooves all while packing in some slick instrumentation. These guys have come a blushing long way from the sweet doo- wop days of ‘Dusty Springfield’. This effort sees Charlotte coo a sweet delicate melody through scorching stuffy electronics while a sticky beat slaps and hops keeping the mesmerising foundation. The steamy guitar whines break up the muggy intoxicating atmosphere with a dash of stinging zest – refreshing the dazzling psychedelic hued soundscapes. This track slowly creeps and smoulders as each component takes its time- building the intensity of the track from elastic basslines and shaky groove infested rhythms to sizzling guitars and seductive vocals. They have layered this track perfectly. A mesmerising number and sassy display from The Fontaines. They are developing their sound more and more with each release. Can’t wait to hear what they do next.
Stream ‘Freak’ below
West London based singer-songwriter, FREEMAN is set to release his eagerly awaited debut album ‘Truth’ on Catapult Records tomorrow the 25th of May. ‘Truth’, recorded at Eastcote Studios in Kensal Rise with Jamie Brown and engineer Andy Hughes, features fourteen tracks including the current single ‘Weekend’, the recent ‘Good Times’ and last year’s debut ‘Lay On’ all of which have picked up widespread critical support from the likes of the Huffington Post to plays on BBC Radio London. ‘Lay On’ was accompanied by a video featuring footage from the Oscar winning French short ‘The Red Balloon’ and had 180k views and over 1.5k shares on its first week online.
‘Truth’ is a collection of catchy indie pop tracks sprinkled with sweet Americana to create a sublime tight album that is enjoyable to listen to. ‘All About Love’ kicks off the album with a sensual bassline and punchy beat that will have those feet tapping and body grooving in no time. The melodies in this album are delightful, this particular tune has a sing along ready chorus and melody that is luscious, sweet as taffy and utterly golden. ‘Best Days’ and ‘Rolling Stone’ steamroll in with a stomping beat and rock and roll swagger soaked guitar strides, there is definitely a Bryan Adams country-esque vibe about the former while ‘Weekend’ hops about with a indie pop buoyancy and vitality as jangly guitars drive through free wheeling, sunny soundscapes and upbeat animation. ‘Good Times’ which is my favourite track on the album takes on the role of the sweet slow jam. It is warm glowing and feathery light with delicate tapping percussion wrapped in a luscious sway-able melody and soothing vocals. ‘Indiana Girl’ and ‘Redemption’ follow the emotional slow burner pathway as does ‘Lay On’ which adds a soulful hue to the mix provided by delicate keys and supple guitar injections caressed by soft whispered raspy vocals. This romantic little ditty is soothing, delicate and heartfelt. The Americana and country flavours shine through tracks such as ‘Watchtower’ and ‘Hearts Of America’ as warm guitar (and harmonica twangs in the former) fill the tracks with cosy melancholic tones and rich depths as the ever catchy melty melodies melt upon this beautiful balmy backdrop. There is no shortage of sing along choruses in this album nearly every track has a hook that invades your brain, constantly revolving in your head all day ‘Rolling Stone’ is a prime example of this so is ‘Life’- who doesn’t fall under the trap of a good “la la” lyric especially when it’s surrounded by a sweet delicate melody. Freeman brings the album to a fluid and gentle end with the aching yet glowing positivity of ‘Midnight Wanderer’ followed by the hushed heartbreaking ‘Goodbye My Love’ and finally the tender ethereal ‘Fire’ closes the album on a calm beautiful tone.
‘Truth’ is a heartfelt charming collection of tracks that are warm, cosy and sweet with some swagger and fun thrown in to keep you singing along and bopping between the emotional tears. The album will be released on limited edition vinyl and CD and will be available to download at all the usual major outlets tomorrow.
Watch the video for ‘Lay On’ below
Hull band Little Blue Thula have released their new single ‘River and a Creek’. The single is taken from the duo’s (Niall Tennison -Vocals, Guitar and Toby Needler -Guitar) upcoming debut album ‘Things You Hear Down the Road’ which will be released on the 8th June. ‘River and a Creek’ is a passionate twanging number with wholesome melodies doused in warm Americana elements. The sweet toned guitar twinkles and whines longingly throughout the bluesy hued melancholic melody while Tennison broods and pines flooding the track with emotion. The lush backing vocals provided by Sarah Shiels add a heavenly sweetness to the track while the tapping beat provides a steady foundation for the mournful guitar to weave between. This track holds a purity that is quite gripping as light instrumentation glides and wisps about building in intensity to the the passionate fist pumping your chest crescendo. A solid new single for this duo.
Stream ‘River and a Creek’ below
Genre: indie
Bio: Automatic Fiction is a 3 piece band formed in Bordeaux in 2015.Recorded during the fall in a vast baroque salon and mixed in caves, they released their first EP “Spring Inclination” in March 2016. Automatic Fiction is : Lise Data, Tom Data and Dany Ladrat.
Track: Lightness is a Greatness
Why We Like It: It’s a breezy ethereal track that swirls with aerial electronics around a throbbing beat and jangly biting guitars. The infectious melody flows with an icy chill while the cinematic soundscapes rush past creating an adrenaline buzz through a darkened eerie atmosphere.With the sublime, sharp stings on guitar meticulously layered upon enthralling musicianship this magical track is a well crafted and gripping display from Automatic Fiction.
You can follow Automatic Fiction on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/automaticfiction/
Stream ‘Lightness is a Greatness’ below
Genre: indie synth pop/rock
Bio: The Voques are an indie synth pop/rock band emanating from Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, comprised of members Myles (Guitar/Vocals), Jonni (Bass/Vocals), Joe – (Drums/Vocals) and Aiden (Keys/Vocals)
Track: ‘Easier Said Than Done’
Why We Like It: It’s a zealous hop of blazing indie pop that radiates bright golden tones through a delicious melancholic melody. This sweet melody melts upon a fiery blast of dynamic instrumentation as a reggae flavoured buoyant rhythm rebounds off zesty scorching guitars and shimmering keys. This track beams and glows from every note.It’s a glorious dazzling indie pop gem.
You can follow The Voques on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/TheVoques/
Watch the video for ‘Easier Said Than Done’ below
Genre: ska-punk
Bio: Los Angeles ska-punk band The Interrupters will release their third studio album Fight the Good Fight on June 29th via Hellcat Records.Formed in 2011, The Interrupters came together when the Bivina brothers (guitarist Kevin Bivona, bassist Justin Bivona, drummer Jesse Bivona) found themselves on bills with Aimee during a 2009 tour. With their self-titled debut arriving in 2014, the band soon shared stages with bands like Rancid, Blink-182, and Bad Religion. The Interrupters embarked on a world tour in support of the release, headlining their own shows as well as supporting Green Day in Europe, Australia and South America, solidifying the band’s status as a dynamic force on the stage.
Track: She’s Kerosene
Why We Like It: This is such a good track, if you want an infectious rhythm, catchy melody and just something to jump around to this is the track for you. With an energetic beat constantly ricocheting off the animated sing along ready melody teamed with blistering guitar injections that scorch images of sunshine into your brain- this song is a blistering delight. It’s upbeat, fun, empowering and just a great tune.
You can follow The Interrupters on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/wearetheinterrupters
Watch the video for ‘She’s Kerosene’ below
Genre: Alternative
Bio: Matt Corrigan’s solo project Ghostking Is Dead aims to bring audiences on adventure into a variety of styles, combining Corrigan’s varying musical fields of interest. The result is new sounds, borne from experimentation and integration, while always maintaining a pop edge. Citing influences including The Antlers, Mac DeMarco, James Blake and David Bowie, his tracks switch from delicate and carefree to towering, glistening synths placed carefully throughout. His work has been featured on Nialler9 and as a full band Ghostking have performed acclaimed live shows including at the It Takes A Village festival and Cork Loves Music.
Track: ‘Fool’
Why We Like It: It’s a soulful number that begins stripped back and peppy as Corrigan’s vocals hop about with a lively melody along peppy guitar strums before building into a luscious, sweet, melodic tune that swoons you into a stupor. A warm guitar jingles with delicate balmy tones while elegant strings glide upon gentle piano twinkles creating a wholly satisfying, beautiful number that engages all your senses. It’s a sublime track that sweeps you away with rich guitar, lush backing vocals and the most glorious sun speckled fine wine instrumental. It’s simply beautiful.
You can follow Ghostking Is Dead on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/GHOSTKINGISDEAD/
Stream ‘Fool’ below
