Los Angeles band Mini Mansions will be releasing a collection of B-Side tracks entitled ‘Flashbacks’ in September. The trio (vocals and drummer Michael Shuman, vocals and keyboardist Tyler Parkford, bassist and multi instrumentalist Zachary Dawes) released their critically acclaimed second album ‘The Great Pretenders’ in 2015. While eager fans await their return with their third album, Mini Mansions have decided to ease their withdrawal symptoms a little and let them indulge on some unreleased/unheard B-Sides. ‘Fiona’ is one of the tracks on the lineup for ‘Flashbacks’ and it gives us a nostalgic glimpse of the Mini Mansions we heard on their 2010 self titled debut. ‘Fiona’ has a dreamy swoon like tone, drenched in psychedelia with dark undertones. The diversity between Parkford’s sweet falsetto and Shuman’s warm deep vocals is refreshing. Their vocals intertwine and switch ranges all while harmonising, blending and swirling in a lush melody. Dawes’ elastic bass gives a smooth seductive tone to the track while the drums provide a staggering swagger. The track reels you in from the start and seems to coax you with its luxurious irresistible melody. It builds to a massive crescendo with distorted bass and climatic instrumentation before slowing the tone to a soft gentle echo finish.
‘Fiona’ is another fantastic example of Mini Mansions superior musicianship.Their music is a work of art, refined yet dynamic. Lyrically and instrumentally they are setting the bar high for other musicians. It is clear this trio are getting bigger and better.
You can pre-order ‘flashbacks’ here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/mini-mansions
Motions are an alternative rock band based in Dublin formed by Tom Daly and Dave Nulty. They have released their debut single ‘Back To Where I Begun’ which was produced by Philip Magee. The track deals with the theme of contemplating starting over when you’re close to the point of no return. ‘Back To Where I Begun’ starts with a strong raspy vocal with very light accompaniment that builds slightly for the first chorus with dramatic chord strides and pulsating beats. The track slowly builds tension for the second verse with an added dance synth quality and bendable beat. The return of the chorus brings us a brief instrumental blast with dynamic strident guitars. The track reaches its crescendo with an aerial yet strong instrumental with shredding guitars and pounding drums while still holding an atmospheric breezy vibe.
‘Back To Where I Begun’ is a strong debut single with an impressive rhythm that drives the track forward and gives a bendable quality to the track. The vocals are solid and emotion filled while the guitars are sharp and refreshing. A great start for Motions look forward to hearing more.
Watch Motions we recently released a video for ‘Back To Where I Begun’ with Crooked Gentlemen below
Trickster Guru is the alternative rock and electronic project of Los Angeles singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Christopher Caplan. Trickster Guru’s debut EP ‘Problem Child’, was released earlier this year. He has also released a video for the title track ‘Problem Child’. ‘Problem Child’ is a innovative emotional track that tells us a story by beautifully fusing vintage rock and soul with the excitement and innovation of modern electronic synth. The track begins with a steady fuzzed beat that holds the foundation throughout the track. The vocals enter in a smooth tender manner. This track flows fluidly with a sway waltz -like quality. The addition of the synths and beats from alternative electronic co-producer AWAY enhances the passion and evokes the emotion of desire in the track giving an effective release of tension for the crescendo. Caplan has a deep smooth velvety vocal which is luring and seductive. With a dark mysterious atmosphere lingering in the background while the soft instrumentation and vocals attempt to ease your mind this track evokes every emotion and creates goosebumps while you are seduced by its melody and swoon like atmosphere of indulgence.
Daisy Victoria has announced her third EP ‘Animal Lover’ which was recorded with producer Dan Austin (Pixies) and is set for release 19th August this year. Daisy Victoria is a socially anxious songwriter who lives in a Suffolk wood with her six chickens and OCD. Since she released her first EP ‘Heart Full of Beef’ in 2014, Victoria’s music has been compared with artists such as P.J. Harvey, Kate Bush, Nick Cave and Patti Smith, winning her support from the likes of i-D, NME, CLASH, Line Of Best Fit, The 405 and Radio 1’s Huw Stephens. Lauren Laverne has called her a “rising star” and BBC 6 Music hailed her follow up 2015 EP ‘Nobody Dies’ as “majestic”. She has played shows at The Great Escape, Latitude, Radio 1 Academy and Dot To Dot.
The EP was co-written with her brother Sam, and it articulates their shared sense of wonder at the world’s strangeness. Victoria describes herself as a “pessimistic dreamer”, perhaps going some way toward explaining some of the bizarre lyrical juxtapositions, and jarring world-views of her characters. ‘Animal Lover’ is the title track on the EP and it is song about a man whose house doubles as a menagerie. The track brings the listener on a surreal journey through the mythical landscape of Daisy Victoria’s imagination. This journey is portrayed to us with a catchy bright melody, dynamic guitars and soft beats which contrast with Victoria’s full bodied enchanting vocal which give a haunting eerie atmosphere. Victoria’s vocals are compelling as she showcases her fantastic vocal range that resembles something like Kate Bush. Her vocals are clear, sharp and flawless and shine throughout the track. This track is energetic and has a dance effect with catchy chorus and emotional vocals that are captivating and make you want to put it on repeat.
You can catch Daisy Victoria live at
9th August – Birthdays – London,UK
23rd September – John Peel Centre, BBC Introducing Showcase – Stowmarket, UK
Stream “Animal Lover” below
Hide&Seek are an Indie band from London. Niall, Sam, Bant Ant and James have been creating a name for themselves with their energetic live shows that come alive and will have you laughing and dancing. They have supported acts such as the Amazons, Declan McKenna and Lisbon. They have already started playing some of London’s best live venues and gigs including the Barfly, Sofar Sessions and the Bloomsbury Bowl as well as getting various bookings with Mama Group.
They have just released their debut EP ‘Ready Or Not Pt1’ which is full of warm indie pop rock tracks that are just blissful. The EP kicks things off with ‘Saturday Night’ its light rumbling drums and bright guitars to start sets the track off strong for the verses they then hit the chorus with a heavier sound with a rock and roll dance vibe. The sharp refreshing perky guitar feature and mosh like instrumental towards the end of the track adds a light sunny feel and also gives us that rock element to sink our teeth into. ‘Drugs’ begins with a zesty guitar riff that radiates sunny vibes and with soft bouncy beats this track is ablaze with sunshine. Its a beaming indie pop/rock track that is bursting with feel good vibes. ‘Darling’ closes the EP with a more sombre tone. This melodic track is sweet and catchy with gentle instrumentation accompaniment that runs smoothly with lush harmonies in backing vocals for the chorus which lifts the track and gives it a sing along effect.
‘Ready Or Not Pt1’ is a strong debut EP which shows Hide&Seek’s style and talent. Each track has its own identity while blending well with the other tracks and showcasing their musicianship. Look forward to hearing more from Hide&Seek.
Stream ‘Ready Or Not Pt1’ below.
Fossils are an alternative band from Liverpool. The band consists of members Jonathan Gibson (Lead vocals, guitar), Jay Denham (bass, backing vocals), Ryan Culshaw (Guitar) and Jack Robertson (Drums). Their debut single ‘Lo-Fi’ has been played on BBC Introducing Liverpool and they have supported Martha Ffion who’s on Jake Bugg’s label. ‘Lo-Fi’ is a refreshing aerial track with echo vocals and soft beats. The use of reverb gives this track a breezy flying vibe and teamed with the delicate bubbling drums you get the feeling you are running to your freedom as you feel the refreshing wind on your face cleansing you of whatever you are running from. The guitar is bright and sharp and adds an effective contrast to the smooth drums adding an edge to the track and giving that breezy vibe.
This track shows Fossils great musicianship and potential . Look forward to hearing more from them.
You can catch Fossils at soundstation Liverpool in St Michaels station on the 24th July.
Stream ‘Lo-Fi’ below
The first thing we found out about our trip to The Pine Lodge Cork on Saturday to catch King Harvest & The Weight live was that Myrtleville is the best place to be stranded. We found lovely helpful people that made us feel at home and helped us out after our designated driver crashed into a wall just up the road from the venue, destroying our car but leaving the wall without a mark. A little shook up and bruised we headed to the Pine lodge to organise a way home and of course get to see as much live music as we possibly could before our lift came.
The night began with a set from TheSour Seeds an alternative rock band from Dublin. These guys have a slightly unusual set up with the addition of two saxophones. The Sour Seeds are refreshing and talented. Their smooth soulful tunes with added psychedelic and rock influences bring something new to the table, and come on who doesn’t love a saxophone especially when it works well and adds diversity and depth to their tracks. Their witty humour and banter goes down well with the crowd, a brilliant warm up for a great night ahead. King Harvest & The Weight begin their set with their single ‘Unstuck’ an upbeat catchy rock track bursting with great vibes. This track is brilliant live. It takes a new dimension with a dynamic bass, mighty drums and spirited guitar. This track is a strong opener and is so easy to dance to. It quickly becomes apparent that they are at their best live and to really appreciate their diverse sound you need to go to one of their gigs .’Dream’ follows with its bright upbeat bubbly sound which I thought had a slight country twang when i listened to the album, however when performed live they give us punchier drums and a fantastic lustrous guitar that is compelling. The edgy bluesy ‘This Town’ give us a rock and roll feel with swagger. The heavy riff is brawny yet flexible and can coax you to dance without you even realising it. Its an energetic track that the crowd reacts well to and seems to sweet talk the crowd to bopping along. They slow down the tone with the melodic smooth ‘Morning Light’ showcasing their lush harmonies. Its a soft track that has a sway almost soft bop effect on the crowd. The set flows smoothly as they glide into the catchy ‘Diana’ which shows us their funky side. Unfortunately we had to leave at this point but not before we got to hear the smooth sensual ‘New York Is Dangerous’ with its slick darker tone.
King Harvest & The Weight make performing look so effortless and easy with the flowing guitar solos, polished bass and punchy drums while they blow us away with a mixture of genres and sounds. There is no doubt of their talent.
I would highly recommend going to see both these bands live and unfortunately I didn’t get to see The New 52 perform but i will definitely head down to one of their next shows.
Stream The Sour Seeds ‘Can’t Bring Me Down’ and King Harvest & The Weight ‘Unstuck’ below
Serene is a three piece band from Cumbria consisting of Kieran Day (vocals, guitar, bass, synth), Ryan Patterson ( lead guitar and synth) and Matthew Southwell (drums and percussion). We did a feature on their track ‘Rainbow Mind’ earlier this year and once we heard their new track ‘Violet Lines’ we decided to choose it as our worth a listen track. ‘Violet Lines’ contrasts everything you expect from Serene it’s a groovy, funky track with hazy summer vibes. It gives us a sweet tickling guitar riff to start with light bouncy beats for the verse. The vocals for the verse are deep and mysterious while for the chorus they become more dynamic and raspy. The band still keep their psychedelic feel with “wah wah” guitars and a shredding yet smooth and sleek guitar solo. Its cool, airy tones give a light summer breeze to the track that is relaxing. From the intro this track has the power to relax you’re body and make you groove with the sensual bendable bass. Its bursting with swagger and has a strut quality while the guitar keeps it zesty and fresh. A fantastic summer song from a band that keeps you on your toes!
A must listen!
Stream ‘Violet Lines’ below
Love Ghost are an alternative rock band from Los Angeles. The band consists of members Ale Sierra (Drums), Ryan Stevens (Bass), Finn Bell (Vocals/ keys, guitar) and Mya Greene(Viola). Despite only being together for little over a year the five-piece teen garage rock group have seen tremendous success, opening for such artists as The Tubes, Berlin, Ozomatli and Buckcherry. They have also played several high profile festivals including Make Music Pasadena and Echo Park Rising. Love Ghost’s musical composition is inspired by a mix of old universal horror films meshed with iconic grunge artists such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains. Their debut single ‘Mystery Box’ taken from their six-song debut self-titled EP was produced by Mark Renk (P.O.D) and they are back with their new single Smashing Pumpkins inspired ‘Friday Afternoon’ ‘Friday Afternoon’ aims to reflect the importance of standing up for oneself especially during a time of hardship in teenage years. Love Ghost conveys this theme to us through soulful and emotional lyrics, distorted guitar melodies and punchy drums. Their mix of 90’s grunge and alternative rock takes you back to your youth while the addition of the viola is original and effective as it adds a soft nostalgic tone to the track. This track is extremely melodic with vocals that are sombre while the guitar is gentle and melancholy yet sharp keeping a refreshing edge to the track. The drums give us a heavy rock sound adding a slight mosh effect. The lustrous guitar solo is bright and zesty and gives us that classic rock element.
This is a strong track for this fresh young band as they showcase their talent and great potential.
Stream ‘Friday Afternoon’ below
Velvet Kills are an electro punk, electro rock, post wave duo with Susana Santos on vocals/bass and Harris Iveson on guitar/synths. The group came to life in 2015, beginning with a chance encounter on a trance dance floor where Susana and Harris discovered their mutual love for rock, synths and beige Steinberger guitars. Velvet Kills has since gained a steady following, leading to their debut EP, ‘Memory’, being released in March this year. They are now planning a Europe Tour, followed by an album release this Autumn.
Their debut EP, ‘Memory’, is a striking, rhythmic , seductive EP that exudes a fantastic mix of sounds and textures that explodes the mind with a euphoric atmosphere of full rich sensual music. The EP begins with the track ‘Rain’ which is an electro rock track full of attitude and oozing cool lustful swagger. With trance dance beats and slick guitars this song lures you into a world of dark alluring psychedelia while Susanna’s deep seductive vocal is captivating and inviting. ‘Clog’ follows again with a confused psychedelic atmosphere. The sound is complex and abstract with the instrumentation taking the attention almost as if the vocals are accompanying the music. It gives the feeling that the room is spinning and you are in a haze surrounded by churning electronic sounds or hallucinating in a dessert with no water. ‘Red Shoes’ calms the tone slightly from the intensity of its predecessor. The track appears more cinematic and dramatic with strings playing a main feature. It has a dark “dooms day” feel with the strings and guitar playing in a call and response manner adding deep undertones to the song. ‘Memory’ finishes the EP in a shadowy tone with soft beats and dynamic synths. The vocals are again deep and luring grabbing the listeners attention. This track has a dark dance quality with light synths at times and lustrous guitar to add a refreshing contrast.
Velvet Kills ‘Memory’ EP is full of driving beats and bewitching textures that are tempting and enticing, with striking seductive vocals, gritty guitars and abstract sounds this EP is an experience and a really solid debut.
Look forward to hearing more from Velvet Kills
Stream ‘Memory’ below
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
doesn’t love a saxophone especially when it works well and adds diversity and depth to their tracks. Their witty humour and banter goes down well with the crowd, a brilliant warm up for a great night ahead.
to go to one of their gigs .’Dream’ follows with its bright upbeat bubbly sound which I thought had a slight country twang when i listened to the album, however when performed live they give us punchier drums and a fantastic lustrous guitar that is compelling. The edgy bluesy ‘This Town’ give us a rock and roll feel with swagger. The heavy riff is brawny yet flexible and can coax you to dance without you even realising it. Its an energetic track that the crowd reacts well to and seems to sweet talk the crowd to bopping along. They slow down the tone with the melodic smooth ‘Morning Light’ showcasing their lush harmonies. Its a soft track that has a sway almost soft bop effect on the crowd. The set flows smoothly as they glide into the catchy ‘Diana’ which shows us their funky side. Unfortunately we had to leave at this point but not before we got to hear the smooth sensual ‘New York Is Dangerous’ with its slick darker tone.
is no doubt of their talent.
