We’ve dug everything we’ve heard from Quivers and this single, released toward the end of 2019 is no exception. That blend of jangly/chiming guitars, melancholy and effortless momentum. It’s like a road trip soundtracked by The Byrds and The Bats. Lovely stuff.
Quivers is the lyric-driven guitar-pop project of Tasmanian Sam J Nicholson. Having moved to Melbourne, the band is rounded-out by Bella Quinlan (bass), Holly Thomas (drums) and Michael Panton (lead guitar).
There are some really interesting new bands coming out of the UK at the moment. From Black Midi to Dry Cleaning, Shopping to Black Country, New Road. All of them are taking indie rock, post-punk and art pop and sifting in experimental elements of free-from expression.
Talk Show combine post-punk rhythm and edge really nicely on this new track which comes from their forthcoming March EP These People.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Harrison Swann says of the track; “At its core, Banshee is a frustrated lovelorn tale. We didn’t want Banshee to feel depressing or hopeless, more heartfelt and ardent. I wanted the lyrics and song to progress through a relationship which brings no resolution, nor closure for the protagonist. Focused on melodic guitar lines and the rhythm section supporting the lead vocal, it helped us to create an uplifting track with a melancholic undertone.”
Talk Show are: Tom Holmes (Guitar), Chloe MacGregor (Drums), George Sullivan (Bass), Harrison Swann (Guitar and vocals).
Irish rock music has had a strong year – with albums from Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital particular standouts.
The song ‘Sirens’ by Silverbacks also caught our ear with its Krautrock insistency, chanting vocal and guitars that splinter, chime and spark off into interesting dynamic directions.
New Zealand collective Fly My Pretties have been a live proposition up until recently when they entered the studio to record new imaginings of tracks from their back catalogue.
The Studio Recordings Part One involved 25 contributors over a 12 month period – including Barnaby Weir (The Black Seeds) accompanied by Anna Coddington, Bailey Wiley, A Girl Named Mo, Hollie Smith, LA Mitchell (Terrible Sons), Lisa Tomlins, Adi Dick, Age Pryor, Iraia Whakamoe (The Nudge), James Coyle (The Nudge), Jarney Murphy (The Black Seeds), Laughton Kora, Mike Fabulous (Lord Echo), Nigel Patterson (The Black Seeds), Paul McLaney, Rio Hunuki-Hemopo (TrinityRoots), Ryan Prebble (The Nudge), and on this track ‘Quiet Girl’ – Samuel Flynn Scott (The Phoenix Foundation).
The song takes a smoky, late-night dreamy angle that conjures up the sound of Twin Peaks, Chris Isaak , and a distant ghostly echo of The Doors.
The Studio Recordings Part One is out now on Bandcamp and the usual streaming services.
New sounds from New Zealand band Salad Boys. ‘This Issue’ is a fine blend of hypnotic rhythms and guitars that tease and twist themselves into fascinating melodic shapes. At times the guitars reminded me of the warped brilliance of the 3Ds but the rest of the song is on a different trip. Heavy-lidded mantra-like vocals. It’s all wrapped up in a caustic and brittle lo-fi kinda mix which adds to the scratchy psychedelia of it all.
The single also features the track ‘Onwards and Downwards’ and is the follow-up to last year’s This Is Glue LP.
Chicagoans Daymaker recently released their new album Let The Sun Fall and this is one of its highlights, the jerky, yelp and howl of ‘Mpc’.
The start of the track reminds me of Hot Snakes and then they throw their jagged-edged guitar shards across the song before Erin Delaney lets loose with her strident holler. She’s part Siouxsie Sioux, part Carrie Brownstein as she leads the song into the open framed chorus – tautness still intact as the song churns and spins dizzyingly on its post-punk axis.
A blistering sonic harmonic scree is the order of the day on this new track from the Southampton, UK band Burning House. You can hear the spirit and verve of bands like Swervedriver, Trail Of Dead, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth as they careen across the speakers, leaving vapour trails of melody and distortion.
‘Her Vowel No’ comes from their debut LP Anthropocene which came out mid year.
When he hits the central tangled and tumbling guitar riff, JW Francis sounds like the lovechild of The Strokes, Real Estate and Talking Heads on this smart earworm of an art rock single. ‘Lofi’ is the second of three singles he’s released in 2019. Check out the others too – ‘Is That The One’ in particular is excellent.
Francis was born in Tulsa Oklahoma, raised in Paris, France, and now based in New York City.
