Dublin-based new wave rock band Hook have released their new single, ‘I Want To See You Tonight’. The band formed in early 2019 consists of Eoin O’Donnell (vocals, guitar), Morgan O’Brien (drums) and Danny Spelman (bass, vocals). The tight-knit three-piece released their critically acclaimed debut EP back in March 2020 and received much-deserved airplay from around the world.
‘I Want To See You Tonight’ sees Hook take their irresistible sound and saturate it with emotion to create one glorious listening experience. Bright guitar glimmers between a pop-punk backdrop to create an uplifting and dynamic soundscape for listeners to indulge in. The track is brimming with gusto with rasped vocals exuding emotion and urgency as O’Donnell exclaims “ I want to see you tonight” between kinetic instrumental builds. Hook have become known for their richly layered, catchy tunes and ‘I Want To See You Tonight’ is a perfect example of this. The track is a magnificent new single that is sure to have you singing along in no time.
Drogheda pop-punk band Rowdy Outsider have released their new single, ‘I Know You Don’t Wanna Talk to Me’. The band consists of vocalist Matthew Doyle, guitarist and bassist Conor Whearty and drummer Sean Murtagh.
‘I Know You Don’t Wanna Talk to Me’ surges with youthful vigour as Rowdy Outsider pour shredding indie rock into a pop-punk backdrop. Drizzling sweet melodies into crashing guitars and shimmering synths the band create an exhilarating tune that slips into the ears with ease. Boasting intricate guitar lines that ricochet off a punchy drum foundation and irresistible groove-filled bass, ‘I Know You Don’t Wanna Talk to Me’ marks Rowdy Outsider a band to keep an eye on. Enjoy.
About the track the band say: “I Know You Don’t Wanna Talk to Me is about dealing with a traumatic series of events in your life and being able to look back, laugh and not take life too seriously”
Self-produced, the band say it’s the least precious they’ve ever been about the recording process. “We wrote and recorded everything really quickly for this song and didn’t worry about perfection in performance or production. We wanted to reflect the tongue in cheeklyrics in the music and production”
Irish indie-rock outfit modernlove. have released their new single ‘Follow You’ through Akira Records (Phoria, Henry Green, Mt. Wolf, Rosie Carney, Shura). Produced and mixed by Tom Leach (Col3trane, Lewis Capaldi, The Streets) and mastered by Kevin Tuffy (Alfie Templeman, Matt Maltese) the new single is a rousing ode to the anthemic indie bangers of the early 00’s that the boys grew up on. Their debut EP ‘monochrome blue’, released in September 2021, saw modernlove. combine their earliest work into a statement debut offering. Featuring the singles ‘Liquorice’, ‘2 Missed Calls’ and ‘lmk (if you wanna see me)’, they received strong playlist support, landing on New Music Friday UK, Fresh Finds, Alt-Pop and The Pop List amongst others on Spotify, as well as New Music Daily, New in Alternative and Breaking Alternative on Apple Music. They have also received strong radio support with 2FM, BBC R1, BBC R6, BBC Ulster, XS Manchester, Across the Line, and Radio X.
Filled with sharp guitars and a brisk rhythmic foundation, ‘Follow You’ is an instant shot of adrenaline. In true modernlove. manner the track hurries behind clever, well-crafted lyrics while warm main vocals and lush backing vocals exude a sweet and irresistible charm. The band flesh out their sound with vibrant drums, hook-filled melodies and jaunty guitars that inject a dash of zest throughout. modernlove. are becoming known for their rich tunes and utterly lush production and ‘Follow You’ is a perfect example of this. With a dynamic clap along feature and swirling instrumentation ‘Follow You’ is a catchy banger that evokes images of live crowds bellowing back the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Press play, turn the volume up and enjoy.
Speaking about the new offering, the band said, “‘Follow You’ is a love song about the early stages of infatuation in a relationship. It’s about finding yourself in a relationship so intimate that spending each waking moment together still isn’t enough, hence the lyrics “when you fall asleep I’ll follow you. Musically, we wanted to write a song that resonated with the nostalgia of those same naive infatuations and took us back to when we first started the band as teenagers finding ourselves as people as well as artists. A simple four chord structure that echoed the likes of bloc party, the cure and new order. A song that we could fully jam on together and jump around to.”
Whelan’s plummeted headfirst into an energetic maelstrom last night as Dublin indie rock band Emily 7 took to the stage for their eagerly anticipated headline show. The crowd and band were hungrier than ever for this performance as the show was two years in waiting due to covid.
Against a backdrop of helium balloons spelling Emily 7, the two support acts KLDD and Curtisy tackled the task of warming up the crowd. Sleek sounding, tight and exuding an impressive nonchalant stage presence, four-piece KLDD had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. Comprised of Kilian Callegari on bass, Liam Bennati on drums, David Bradford on lead and Davy O’Toole on vocals and rhythm the band blend moody indie rock with grunge hues and glimmers of punk-pop to create a dynamic sound filled with vigour. The crowd bopped, cheered and some even fangirled over this budding band’s sound. With driving basslines, a fantastic rapid drum assault and some pretty slick guitar work there was plenty of talent on stage – an impressive performance from the four-piece.
Filled with some pretty sleek hip hop backing tracks, Curtisy‘ssetfollowed. Curtisy’s loose performance style, fun attitude on stage and wandering wordplay made for an intriguing listening experience. With raps drifting between topics of girls, drinking and social insights; the artist’s swaggered rhymes and repetitive “yeah, yeah” phrase lingered in many of the crowd’s heads for the rest of the night. Curtisy is fleshing out his style and refining his sound, it will be interesting to see what the hip hop artist does next.
‘Put ’em Under Pressure’ triumphantly introduced Emily 7. The crowd bellowed “Olé Olé Olé Olé, Olé Olé” while clapping and cheering as the band took to the stage. It was a whirlwind of antics, frantic post-punk and sweaty moshing from the get-go. Whelan’s shaked beneath our feet as the cheeky resounding sound of ‘Stephanie’ caused a dance frenzy from the crowd. Filled with thrilling rhythms, soaring wails on guitar and roaring bass grooves the band’s sound is impressive and the four-piece wasted no time in delighting the crowd’s ears with a constant glorious onslaught of instrumentally riveting tunes.
Kyle Bellew and Daniel Clarke are charismatic frontmen who share lead vocals. They exuded a charming persona throughout the set while subtly fighting off the entangled helium balloons behind them. Scott Bellew’s charismatic drumming was a joy to witness and perfectly complemented Brandon Carrig’s superb laid back bass. It was fun chaos all around that was rapturously well-received by the audience. This was particularly evident when the band played ‘Oh Me, Oh My’; the crowd bellowed back the catchy lyrics with such vigour and enthusiasm that made it a memorable moment on the night.
Like all good shows, a broken instrument or two is the norm and a kick drum malfunction,- “we f*cked the kick drum” saw the band styling out the brisk repair with a sleek instrumental jam. The four-piece were comfortable on stage and a broken instrument hiccup was nothing to these guys, within seconds they were back, filling the venue with more blazing tunes.
Emily 7 are a must see live act. They delivered a fantastic live show with an intense conviction that few bands can muster. There are exciting things to come from this band, and I for one am looking forward to it.
Delivering anthemic stadium-filling rock, ‘Like a River’ is the latest release from iconic 90s Rock band Sundogs Wilder Seasons. After making their long-anticipated comeback, Sundogs Wilder Seasons teamed up with former Led Zeppelin producer Leif Mases who guided them through this record. ‘Like a River’ started as a three-chord progression from Scott Bush, with the rest of the band joining in simultaneously and the song organically taking shape. Inspired by unending love, ‘Like a River’ was written to convey feelings of true passion. Formed in Florida in 1994, Sundogs Wilder Seasons have made a big name for themselves, having had three singles in the Top 100 Powercuts and several other charts without major label backing.
Drenched in anthemic might ‘Like a River’ is a passionate tune from Sundogs Wilder Seasons. The band build the track superbly, the song broods atop steamy guitar lines, groove infested bass and punchy drums creating a powerful wall of sound while the rasped vocals and shredding guitar solo drive the track to epic heights. Smooth on the ears with a classic rock edge ‘Like a River’ is a compelling new single from Sundogs Wilder Seasons.
Retro Video Club have released their new single, ‘Faking’. It arrives whilst the band are on a three-date tour for Independent Venue Week. Retro Video Club burst onto the scene in 2018 with a series of high-octane single releases and a sell-out hometown show at Edinburgh’s 650 capacity Liquid Rooms. In 2019, they were selling out 1,000 capacity venues (Edinburgh Assembly Rooms), and sharing stages with The Libertines among others.The Edinburgh-based band are kicking off 2022 in commanding fashion. Having seen out 2021 with their first tour of the UK, which included a sold-out date at Glasgow’s 1300 capacity SGW3, Retro Video Club are now set to play to their biggest audiences to date, as they support The Kooks for two nights at Glasgow’s 2500 capacity O2 Academy
Bursting from the seams with kinetic energy and clever lyrical content, ‘Faking’ is a glorious gem from Retro Video Club. The band batter resounding basslines and sharp guitars off a pounding drum foundation to create a song that is sure to ignite a live audience. ‘Faking’ is a superb display of the band’s talent for creating mighty hooks and irresistible melodies. The bellow back chorus, sharp lyrics and elevated backdrop make the track an infectious firecracker that beckons repeat plays. Evoking images of joyous arena sing-alongs and mosh pit jumping ‘Faking’ marks Retro Video Club as a very talented and promising band. Looking forward to hearing more from Retro Video Club.
About the track, the band said: “Faking is about being bitter, and trying to leave one last dig at your ex before moving on with your life. It’s the age-old tale of a lover scorned, and how in the 21st century, people get their licks in.”
Jack West is set to release his new single ‘Montreal’ on February 25th. Doused in washes of synths, bouncy keys and a heartfelt melody ‘Montreal’ is a sublime glimpse into a more electronic facet to West’s sound. Smooth vocals are dipped in moments of auto-tune while sticky beats and jazz speckled keys create a sonically intriguing backdrop. With fuzz laced electronics fleshing out the tracks ethereal soundscape, ‘Montreal’ is an enticing and earnest bop from Jack West. It’s interesting and always a joy to hear this artist experiment and express his diverse musicianship and style. He creates such fresh and exciting tunes with each release and ‘Montreal’ is a fine addition to the singer’s repertoire.
About the track, West said: “I started writing Montreal In September of 2020 in NYC with a few band members. I remember writing the lyrics, walking along the Hudson River looking at Manhattan …. It was a great feeling, writing this new music, in NYC, with people who are great at what they do ( Matt Bent and Abe Nouri). The main picture I guess of the song is running back to someone, and trying to get back what we had …”
The Assist, one of the UK’s most established underground groups formed of Mikey Stanton (Vocals), Jorge Poole (Bass), Luke Jones (Guitar), Ryan Stanton (Guitar) & Ben Faulkner (Drums), have released their new single, ‘Television Kid’.The Assist have sold out venues across Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield as well as shared the stage with The Happy Mondays and Blossoms. They also played in Paris with Black Honey and toured the main rooms of the UK’s O2 Academy’s with local heroes The Twang. Their 2018 EP, LOST, charted in both Spotify’s “Top 50 most-streamed tracks in the UK” and iTunes’ “Top 10 indie chart”.
‘Television Kid’ is a hook-laden delight that boasts the dynamic and bright indie sound of The Assist. Saturated in radiant guitar riffs slickly weaved between buoyant drums and elastic basslines the track has a feel-good vibe that is simply irresistible. It’s a fun vibrant bopper with sharp and relateable storytelling expressed through eloquent lyrics. The track narrates “the mischievous nature of a fictional socialite character who we will have all met at some point in our lives. The absorbent kind that becomes over-enthused by the smallest of occasions, takes on the role of Andy Murray during Wimbledon and Tyson Fury when there’s a boxing pay-per-view.” The band enhance this story through earworm melodies, lush guitar solos, sun-kissed atmospheres and upbeat indie rock that is easy on the ears and a joy to listen to again and again.
Irish rock band THUMPER have released their new single ‘Overbite’. Contemporaries of Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital, THUMPER are among the leading lights of the Irish post-punk scene. Over the last two years, the north Dublin six-piece have been developing their sound – and building an increasingly passionate following. They combine intense poetic lyrics with a big punky sonic assault to startling effect.
Swarming in on thick asphyxiating fuzzy guitars, ‘Overbite’ is a tantalizing new tune from THUMPER. The band’s ability to balance sharp bruising instrumentation with lush earworm melodies is mesmerising and leaves the listener craving to hear more. Acid-laced riffs bounce off heavy brisk drums and a relentless bass assault to create a frenetic, chaotic sound that is utterly thrilling to the ears. In true THUMPER manner, the song takes wild unpredictable twists throughout its blustery journey as the track shifts from ballsy outbursts to a stripped back break before the massive finale. ‘Overbite’ is a refreshing and utterly magnificent tune from THUMPER that showcases the band’s constantly evolving sound and incomparable talent. Turn the volume up, press play and enjoy.
About the track lead singer, Oisín Leahy Furlong said: “With lyrics full of nightmarish images alluding to the failure of a relationship ‘Overbite’ is the first part of a sprawling 20-minute long psych opus that ends our debut album. Releasing one-third of a song as a single is probably a strange career move, but then nothing about the THUMPER process ever seems to go by the book. With ‘Overbite’, we applied a different method to our songwriting, changing from our usual approach where I bring a musical concept for the band to run with. It’s one of the first purely collaborative efforts, in that Alan wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics.”
Young rocker Minerva is pondering the meaning of life with her new single ‘My Kind’. Asking if there’s more to life than getting drunk at parties and falling in love, Minerva hones in on that all too familiar feeling of not quite fitting in with your peers, and asks if there’s more she can be looking for. Recorded at JBJ Studios on Portobello Road in London, ‘My Kind’ was mixed by Jamie Brown and features drums from Marko Obradovic and bass from Josh Dougherty with Dan Clark stepping in as recording engineer.
‘My Kind’ is an energetic, gritty rock tune that surges with dark tones and Minerva’s relatable lyricism. Jagged guitar riffs lacerate through a punchy drum and bass foundation while Minerva’s smooth attitude-laced vocals glide atop the catchy melody. The swarming alternative rock backdrop contrasts the sweet backing vocals and slight nonchalance within the main vocal to create an engaging listening experience. Filled with an infectious chorus and blazing guitar work, ‘My Kind’ is an impressive new single from Minerva.
Stream ‘My Kind’ below
Author: Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
