Psychedelic three piece Serene have released their new single ‘Drowning Lessons’ with an accompanying video which was recorded and edited by Serene’s own Kieran Day. Documenting their tour in Italy. The new single is taken from their forthcoming new album ‘The Lonely Road’ which is set to be released on the 30th of September. With blissful warm toned guitar ‘Drowning Lessons’ instantly slaps you in the face with the refined slick musicianship of this trio. That riff is so smooth and sublime as it breaks up swirling mind bending soundscapes. With raspy vocals and heavy mosh ready injections this track soothes you into a lulling wobbly desert hot mirage before blasting you with gritty rock. With groovy, funky basslines adding a sultry elasticity and dance- like wiggle texture these guys have packed a lot into this stunning track. With a reggae flavoured bridge smothered in hallucinogenic delusions interweaving among dark fuzzed guitar, it’s multi textured and richly layered creating an intricate trippy experience. Seamlessly flowing from gloriously breezy to heavy and moody ‘Drowning Lessons’ sets these guys up for big things.I’m a big fan of Serene and this song is exactly why.
Aldeburgh’s energetic Indie-rock trio Fick As Fieves have released their new single ‘English Weather’. Comprised with members Archie Arthur (Guitar + Bass/Vocals), Harry Campbell ( Guitar + Bass/Vocals) and Richard Aries (Drums) the band have been championed by BBC Introducing in Suffolk, and currently being featured on Spotify’s “HOT NEW BANDS” playlist, they play an upbeat style of indie rock with riff driven ear worms and tight catchy hooks which their growing audience widely recognises as their ‘own’ sound. 2017 has seen the trio release a series of singles which have generated hundreds of thousands of views and streams across many platforms, as well as playing across the UK in many well respected venues and festivals. They have supported the likes of Redfaces and have also appeared on the same bill as Slaves, Madness and Seasick Steve.
‘English Weather’ is an exuberant bouncy ball of slick indie rock. These guys have produced a snappy infectious groovy track that exudes swagger and strut- like flamboyance. Zesty shredding guitars shrill, pierce and lick while punchy peppy drums and elastic bass add a meaty yet flexible texture to the springy track. Each verse brings a new fresh dimension and layer to the sound as they showcase their ductile and proficiently intricate guitar work and musicianship. It’s finger clicking good and catchy as hell while remaining laid back and cool. ‘English Weather’ glides in on a wave of foot shuffling slicked back panache induced rock and roll. It’s a pretty impressive track that blast these guys into the ones to watch list.
Stoke/Manchester based band Fears Chella have released their new single ‘Lush’. The track follows the success of their last single ‘Girlfriend’, which earned the band playlists slots with Ditto Music, Spotify, Hattie Pearson and Shell Zenner along with BBC Introducing ‘Track of the Week’, support from Huw Stephens on Radio 1 and a plethora of media. With upcoming shows supporting The Big Moon and MISFIRES, whispers of a headline tour around the corner and previous shows headlining a stage at Dot To Dot, slots at Threshold and Sonder Festival as well as slots supporting All Tvvins, Honeyblood, LIFE, King No-One and PINS these guys are really grabbing attention and making their sound heard.
‘Lush’ is a juicy burst of refreshing indie pop. Smooth and breezy these guys glide in on an effortlessly cool wave of sun soaked indie sprinkled pop with a hint of grunge underneath. Dreamy lavish soundscapes swish around sharp guitar stings and a soft bouncy beat. It’s anthemic with a catchy chorus and exhilarating instrumentals. It’s an adrenaline rush of youthful bliss. Sugar coated and sweet yet blustery and raw. Fears Chella keep their sound edgy and polished at the same time to create a hazy dreamy, airy almost chaotic 90’s tinged indie banger. To put it simply it’s well ‘Lush’.
Wicklow band Feuds have released their new single ‘Anything I Wouldn’t’. The track was recorded in the Hot Spot, Greystones and recorded, mixed and mastered by Eoin Whitfield. A beautiful ethereal guitar melody introduces the track followed by gritty heavy crashing guitars and pounding drums. The track finds the perfect blend between sweet and sour as Feuds seamlessly flicker between luscious delicate guitar melodies and heavy mosh worthy soundscapes. Light and twinkly they excel with intricate nimble blissful guitar lines and wispy dreamy soundscapes. You could relax safe and comfortable in the hazy sun kissed, honey coated guitar refrains. The rumble elastic rhythm gives the track a rippling quality and adds movement and body. The simple vocal melody lets the music speak for itself as it encapsulates and wraps you in its dreamy state. When it’s heavy it’s striking and powerful yet still maintains that hazy structure however a little more fuzzed and darker toned. An impressive track from the Wicklow lads.
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From FAMILY JOOLS
Bristol’s FAMILY JOOLS have release their fourth single ‘American Dream’ on End Of The Trail Records. ‘American Dream’ is blissful sun soaked nostalgia in the form of blistering alternative rock smothered in unadulterated Americana. With a honey drizzled melody that is instantly catchy and euphoric, it’s a sweet luscious two-minute nostalgic dose of heaven. A sharp stinging guitar riff announces this track triumphantly with piercing scorching humidity. Spikey, jagged and a bit The Strokes- esque, its instantly thrilling and wholly satisfying. Punchy drums add a sticky elasticity while smooth vocals coo with a soothing warmth and passion. It’s fiery and tightly knit. This sweltering track exudes soul yet is fresh and modern. There is no doubt about the slick musicianship of these guys.
FAMILY JOOLS are now working on completing their debut LP (still unnamed) which will be released before the end of the year. So, keep an eye out for that.
In the meantime, watch the video for ‘American Dream’ below
Ben Bateman is a singer/songwriter from the northeast of UK. He began playing guitar at the age of ten and writing songs at thirteen. He traveled to New Zealand at the age of 17 to perform music and develop his live performance skills, which he brought back to the UK shortly after and began performing at all the folk clubs in the north east. He has recently released his new single ’Make Believe’. Acoustically based it’s a sweet gentle track that warms the cockles of your heart. Feathery light plucked guitar adds a nice little bounce and elasticity while soft percussion fills out the sound creating an uplifting peppy vibe. Reminiscent of a simple barn or pub dance from The Shire (Lord Of The Rings reference) it’s swoony and swishy while having a hop and skip liveliness. Wholesome and pure ’Make Believe’ is quite the joy to listen to and raised my spirits on a very dull morning.
Reading Indie four piece Mellor have released their new single ‘Bone Idle’. The band consisting of members Gary, Sam, Kris, and Josh have had a whole host of national and regional media support from the likes of Absolute Radio, BBC6 Music, BBC Berkshire, BBC London, and BBC Introducing. Labelled by Alt Reading as “one of Reading’s most exciting acts”, they bring a live show packed with high energy, raucous vocals, big guitar riffs, and pounding drums. The bands dedicated following is steadily on the rise thanks to shows up and down the UK sharing stages with the likes of The Kooks, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Carl Barat & The Jackals, Flyte, and The Milk.
‘Bone Idle’ is a snappy infectious buzz filled blast of indie rock. Energetic and high powered it sends shivers down your spine creating groove induced dance and shimmy symptoms. Punchy drums slap against shredding razor sharp guitars while elastic bass rebounds with vigorous stamina. Its fizzing instantly catchy indie rock that explodes with youthful energy and some slick piercing guitar moments. With a delectable melody and anthemic chorus ‘Bone Idle’ is destined to be epic live. Raspy vocals and intricately weaved instrumentation add a nice little gritty texture and multi dimension to the track. Once again Mellor knock it out of the park with this peppy effervescent track. These guys just keep on belting out some pretty slick bangers.
Leeds indie rock five-piece Atlanta House have released their new single ‘Cold Love’ which is taken from their upcoming ‘Home’ EP due for release September 29th.The band who have receive slots supporting Circa Waves, Marsicans and King No One, as well as performing Tramlines 2016 and the inaugural Kazoopa Festival in November 2016 have built a reputation in the local music scene through energetic shows and memorable hooks. Consisting of members Matt Hirst (Lead Vocals), Jake Ingleson (Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals),Luke Williams (Lead Guitar), Nigel Ngwenya (Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals), Connor Carbutt (Drums & percussion) the band have also released a video to accompany the new single.
‘Cold Love’ is a dark throbbing breezy indie rock track. Thudding drums back a luring eerie verse while guitars glisten and flicker in-between. The chorus blasts in with a catching pop drizzled melody while blistering guitars stride, piercing against rich textured percussion and smooth swagger filled vocals. It’s anthemic and mighty with sharp injections of breezy stinging soundscapes. Passionate and melodic it strikes you with a melancholic melody and powerful intricate instrumentation. The rumbling elastic bass and sliding guitars brings the shadowy bridge to life creating a hair raising effect. The track builds to a massive crescendo featuring soaring instrumentation with crashing guitars and meaty drums. Atlanta House have created a track that is immensely emotive and explosive yet chilling and eerie. Slick and radio friendly it’s polished but maintains enough rawness to keep it sharp and thrilling.
The Only Ocean are a four -piece atmospheric rock band from Lompoc, CA — a town most notable for its high security prison and its annual Flower Festival. Friends since junior high, the band taps into a level of unity that is typically only achieved by sibling groups, like the Beach Boys or the Jonases, their tight modern grooves locking together to support a soft bed of crackling guitars and soaring vocals. In 2015, they released their self-titled debut album, a polished collection of dreamy psych-rock bangers, produced by Jonathan DeBaun (The Mars Volta, Omar Rodríguez-López). After a year of supporting the record with energetic shows spanning the California coast, they returned to studio to record a 5-track follow up EP, titled ‘TOO’; a denser and more aggressive effort, with lead single ‘Cul-De-Sac’ approaching hardcore and punk rock in its ferocity. Tracks like ‘So Shy So High’ hinted at a more ornate and melodic direction to come. With the recent addition of guitarist Mic Singh, The Only Ocean’s sound has expanded to even grander proportions. Their recent release, ‘Good Morning’, is a confident and deliberate side-step into the festival rock arena, with producer DeBaun again returning to put his signature flair on things, dutifully guiding the band into new territory. The Only Ocean have now released their new single ‘Fake Sunflowers’ which follows the new solid sound of ‘Good Morning’ .
‘Fake Sunflowers’ flickers and bleeps with flashing sonic soundscapes against strident sharp guitars and an infectious beat. The soaring chorus adds an ethereal quality to the track while the lush sweet melody glides along smooth and creamy like honey to the ears. Tight harmonies add a multi dimension and rich texture to the track while the electronic soundscape adds a psychedelic dreamy vibe. It’s displayed simply but backed by richly layered intricate instrumentation. Another sublime track from The Only Ocean.
Singer-songwriter Ali Tommis has announced the release of his debut 5-track EP ‘Leave It All Behind’, a piano driven rock EP which is set to be available from 22nd September 2017. Being born into a family of musicians, Tommis was surrounded by music from a young age and began playing piano at the age of three which then lead to his passion for writing music at the age of 17. Eight years on, his songwriting ability has matured and developed into his own unique sound which is well represented through ‘Leave It All Behind’. The EP, written by Tommis himself, follows a theme of finding the strength to follow your dreams rather than settle with being the person you’re expected to be in order to please others. As described by Tommis, “[The EP] describes the fears, frustrations and insecurities that come with doing that, and also the joy, happiness and satisfaction that you get from doing it.” Taking his inspiration from an eclectic range of musicians such as John Mayer, OneRepublic and Led Zepplin, the EP has a distinctive sound yet every track is different and fresh.
Lead single ‘Leave It All Behind’ kicks of the EP, energetic and bouncy it’s an infectious springing ball oozing oodles of passion. Sprightly guitar riffs rebound and smack off the dynamic melody while punchy drums rumble and bubble throughout. With an anthemic powerful chorus bellowed out passionately by Tommis it’s quite the force to be reckoned with. ‘Everything’ is once again immensely passionate and dynamic. It glides elegantly with a sweet piano feature floating with graceful grandeur while jittery flickering soundscapes dart in and out of the delicate piano melody. Powerful choruses seem to be a large part of Tommis’ music style as each chorus explodes with the most intense eruptive fist pump energy possible. ‘Home Again’ cools the fiery tone of its predecessors a little. Sweet guitar twangs while smooth velvety vocals whisper for the verse and croon sweetly for the chorus. It’s melancholic and tender building in intensity as the track progresses. The piano feature in this track is so beautiful and sublime adding a heavenly escape before the celestial mighty track finale. ‘Passing By Me’ holds an air of danger and mystery with sharp stings on guitar between wandering piano and blustery percussion. ‘The Fear’ ends the EP with an intricate piano feature weaving between guitar strides and punchy drums. It’s dramatic and powerful with a spine chilling almost creepy atmosphere bringing us to a massive almost theatrical end to the EP.
‘Leave It All Behind’ displays Ali Tommis’ expressive passionate musicianship with powerful anthemic (at times dramatic) choruses and intricate melody compositions, he hasn’t held back. It feels like he has put everything, body and soul into this EP.
The lead single ‘Leave It All Behind’ is accompanied by a music video, a humorous narration of Tommis’ passion to follow his own dreams instead of living his life to please others. Shot in Portmeirion, home to Festival No 6 and the same place Supergrass filmed the video for hit ‘Alright’, the video follows him on his journey to ‘leave it all behind’.
Leave It All Behind will be available worldwide via all major media platforms from 22nd September 2017 and is a sign of what’s to come from Ali Tommis. More information about Ali, future releases and any upcoming live dates can be found on his social media pages here https://www.facebook.com/AliTommis/
Watch the video for ‘Leave It All Behind’ below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
