Right now, the shoegaze scene is more buoyant than it’s been in years. There’s a whole new generation folding that shoegaze sound into their collective consciousness and creating a fresh new direction for the genre. Every now and again though you’ll hear a track that is dripping in authenticity and it’s obvious that the band involved absolutely get what great shoegaze is. What’s even rarer though is when a release features two such bands.
I first heard the new split single from Philly band Doused and San Diego based Sparkler a couple weeks back. I’m not overstating things when I say my jaw hit the deck.
Doused
I’ve been a big fan of Doused for a while now. I grabbed copies of their stunning debut album Murmur and recent single ‘cherrycolacrush’ on vinyl almost on release day. It was a no brainer for me to check this single out.
‘Asleep (In A Dream)’ has one of the greatest shoegaze intros of all time. It captures that 90’s aesthetic and folds in that grunge attack to propel us headlong in the sonic assault of that twin guitar attack. What Doused recognise is that at the heart of any great shoegaze song is a great pop song. The boy girl vocal approach only lends another layer of authenticity to their songwriting. The delivery of the song swathed in the waves of glide and reverberating guitars makes this song perfect top my ears. Check it out for yourself.
Sparkler
Sparkler were relatively new to me but their sound hit me immediately. This was the sound of 1991 somehow transported through time to today. Much like Doused this band hooks you in right from the intro which takes a drum sample and layers those glide guitars over the top much like My Bloody Valentine did on the segues between tracks on Loveless. The song then blossoms and is as heady as it comes. Punctuated by that intro riff the song has beautiful vocals, sparse and barely audible through the fuzzed-out haze of the song. The way it should be. I cannot stress how much I love this band and cannot wait to explore their back catalogue. Check out the track here.
The single is out now and available digitally via Flesh and Bone Records and on Bandcamp. There’s also a limited-edition cassette and t shirt available now too. No vinyl option yet but if we all send begging letters maybe we’ll get a seven inch too.
It seems that a lot of friends of Static Sounds Club have new releases happening this summer. Amongst that motley crew are my good muckers from the Shropshire hills, Thought Bubble. Their music has always set its own trajectory and they have consistently established albums that excite the listener with their uniqueness. That sound has veered from electro psych to chillout house and world music of every flavour.
Lyrics, until now, have been relatively sparse in Thought Bubble’s output. But, at the beginning of 2024, synths player Chris Cordwell and percussionist Nick Raybould invited songwriter and vocalist Peter Gelf to join the group. Universe Zero, their sixth album, is the result. Adding vocals to the mix is exactly what you would expect a group like Thought Bubble to do. They push the envelope of their sound and take it off to new vistas. I’m incredibly excited to dive in and find out what we have in store.
Opener, ‘No Hiding’ is classic Thought Bubble. Its skronky, itchy groove gets your foot tapping immediately. Gelf’s vocals feel like they’ve been a part of their sound forever. They just float along on the vibe adding a new and welcome dimension. They’ve created a rather cool video whose visuals really draw you in to the track. Check it out here.
We enter new territory on ‘The Angel In The Loft’. The track opens with the band sitting back and giving us a proper introduction to their new vocalist. Gelf’s voice, rich and full of intent, is given centre stage, letting us really appreciate this new side to Thought Bubble. The minimal instrumentation is eerie and atmospheric wrapping the song in an enigmatic mist.
‘Their Own Scars’ maintains that minimal approach however this time Gelf layers his vocals in harmony. This brings a new punctuation to his delivery which is incredibly impactful. I’ve been really hung up on this track since first hearing it a few weeks back. For me it feels like the sound of a band discovering themselves all over again and revelling in the joy that brings.
Not content with fomenting a whole new sound the band evolve even further on ‘Six Stones’. This sounds like a lost Bowie track launched into the milky way. The inventiveness on show here breathtaking. The backbeat holds the song down while the synths strain at the heavens seeking freedom. As a shift in perspective goes, this just oozes cool and I’m loving it.
‘I Wish You Free’ is a pulsing, airy ballad. The lyric warm and inviting. It feels like the soundtrack to that dream you wish you could have again. You know, that one? The synths sound immense trading off between a sub bass wall of sound and a squelchy motif in the choruses. It’s such a relaxing song, I could listen to it all day. This track also features guitar parts by Shaun Bailey, who has added embellishments to each and every Thought Bubble release, somewhere! Raybould says “He’s like a good luck charm for us! We had to include him.”
We return to the cosmic jams of Thought Bubble of old on the expansive ‘Entropy’. With Gelf’s vocals in the mix I’m getting Peter Gabriel vibes such is the quality on show. I love it when bands get all experimental and just go where the music takes them. Thought Bubble are masters at this and the many winding turns in ‘Entropy’ are evidence of this.
As if hearing me write this Thought Bubble bring the album to a close on a masterclass in the art of musical experimentation. ‘Crystal’ is a staggering 13 minutes in length but not once do you find yourself looking at the clock. It’s an incredible journey through the Thought Bubble universe, exploring new tones, rhythms and textures along the way. I love how welcome this music makes you feel. No barriers are put up to impact your enjoyment of the experience, you just latch on to the groove and off we go!
Once again Thought Bubble have created a beautiful galaxy of grooves for us to visit. The addition of vocals throughout is nothing short of a masterstroke. The choice of Gelf as vocalist too is inspired. It’s like he’s been a part of the band forever. His parts feel, right, for want of a better word. Universe Zero is the sound of a band finding a new trajectory and hurtling themselves forward trusting in their collective vison and by God, it’s paid off.
Universe Zero is releasing early in July and will be available digitally and on limited edition CD from the Thought Bubble Bandcamp page.
You can follow Thought Bubble on social media here…
Back in the hazy days of 2020 I stumbled across this amazing album called Fake Flowers Never Die by Geography of the Moon. The band is a collaboration between singer/pianist Virginia Bones and multi-instrumentalist /producer Andrea AKA Santa Pazienza. After touring for several years, they moved back to Glasgow where Andrea’s family is originally from. Largely influenced by bands from the 80s and the 90s, somewhere between psych rock, post punk, new wave and indie rock, they create their own brand of mashed up styles: Psychwave if you will.
Lyrically they come at their music with real purpose. Every word matters. How each word is said or sung matters. Ultimately this is great poetry set to great music. The perfect marriage.
Since then, the band have upped sticks and been travelling almost constantly. They have played over 450 live shows since the end of Covid restrictions, honing and refining their songs and sound.
Which brings us to their latest release. They have just dropped ‘Pick It Up (And Put It Down)’ accompanied by a guerrilla shot video by Boris Meshkov on the streets of Bangkok in Thailand.
The track opens on a stuttering bass with the lyrics talking about the importance of recognising we have one life and to live it to the full, experiencing this amazing world before we’re gone. As always, the delivery swings from spoken word to singing which is Geography of the Moons signature style. The guitar sympathetic to that vocal delivery throughout delivering the dynamics with surgical precision. Check out the video to see what I mean.
‘Pick It Up (And Put It Down)’ is out now and is the second single to be released that will feature on their upcoming album Aberdeen-Hiroshima. For my review of previous single ‘Sometimes’ follow this link.
There’s some amount of talent coming out of the emerald isle at the moment in the shoegaze and dream pop world. Joining the charge are Belfast’s Bobsled Team who are the DIY-duo of Olly and Kimberley. Very much like myself this pair are vinyl maniacs and like nothing better than the sound of an old valve amp and vintage 90’s recording equipment.
In 2021 the band released their debut album, The Colours Blur and were long-listed for the NI Music Prize. Citing the 80’s underground music scene and Sonic Youth as big influences they have made a name for themselves mainly through word of mouth. Now they are back with their follow up album called All the Flowers Bloom and Olly had this to say on the release.
“We wanted to create an album that took a little more time to grow on the listener. But really, we are just trying to make music that we enjoy. We love the freedom of recording the songs ourselves. Almost everything you hear is us just playing together in a room. We only record when we are inspired. We take our time, and we like to experiment. This time round I got obsessed with old tube amps and the sound of Steve Albini’s drums.”
Let’s see if Bobsled Team grow on us.
The album opens on the slacker ballad, ‘Blue Love’. Theres a real wibbly wobbly feel to the track that’s cemented together with a searing fuzz line. Kimberleys tender vocals weave amongst it all in a most other worldly way. It’s a strong opener and sets the bar high for the rest of the album.
As if hearing me say that Bobsled Team say hold my beer and in comes ‘Analita’. This is dreampop with a capital POP all in bold. The song is painted in the brightest technicolour chords with hooks for days. Check out that chorus, it’s just sublime.
Keeping the pace up ‘Wear it so Well’ is next. It wears two hats this one. In the verses it floats along on the bands twin vocals and minimal instrumentation. Then that chorus comes in and everything tightens up and we are propelled at pace on fuzzed put riffs and on point harmonies.
Taking the pace down a notch or two is ‘Bring It All Together’. Its falsetto vocal line immediately offering us a new texture to enjoy. The drums are brilliant, always moving and creating a really interesting space for the bass to inhabit.
‘See You Soon’ follows with its atmospheric and moody backing vocal contrasting with Kimberleys direct and melodious approach. It’s here we find the lyric lifted for the album title and I totally get it. This album is so bright and uplifting, It’s the perfect choice.
Using a call and response motif between guitar and vocals ‘Waiting for You’ gives us another glimpse into the bands balladeering songbook. Everything feels so precise and deliberate especially in those changes into the breaks.
So good they named it twice ‘Rewind, Rewind’ follows. This is another song where we get to enjoy the interplay between Olly and Kimberleys vocals. That instrumental breakdown halfway in is so neatly done. Switching up the rhythm before coming back bigger and brighter for the closing section.
Theres something about the vocal melody on ‘Time Goes By’ that’s making think of Springsteen. Can’t put my finger on it. Kimberley puts in stellar performance here. It’s their most ambitious track so far. Drums are bigger, melodies more complex and powerful. This one left me breathless.
‘Just Say’ again sits in ballad territory however its also the first time we hear both Olly and Kimberley rather than harmonising, sing the same vocal part in the chorus. It’s really impactful and turns your head every time.
The album closes on the utterly beautiful ‘Skin and Bones’. Featuring a delicately plucked guitar and the twin vocal approach it captures a real intimacy that is deeply affecting. It has me instinctively reaching for the play button to listen again. That’s how you finish an album.
In All the Flowers Bloom Bobsled Team have created a wonderfully whimsical album that explores all corners of their collective songwriting minds. It’s melancholic and yet uplifting, sometimes in the same verse (‘Wear it so Well’ I’m looking at you). Whilst they cite Sonic Youth and 90’s alternative guitar bands in general as touchpoints, that’s all they are. Those influences are worn in some of the chord changes and guitar tones maybe but Bobsled Team are their own thing. Intimate and vital at every turn.
All The Flowers Bloom is out now on very limited-edition vinyl and digital via the Bobsled Team Bandcamp page.
Some bands take a while to filter through into your consciousness. Into that place where all your favourite music lives. Not so with DEHD. One listen to their single ‘Loner’ from their 2020 breakout record Flower of Devotion was enough for me. That album is just sublime, hit song after hit song. How do you follow that up though? Hold my beer say DEHD as they gleefully launched Blue Skies on the world in 2022. One listen to ‘Bad Love’ from the album will convert you in a second. Again, it’s the perfect album. Now, the band had releases prior to this which are also worthy of your attention, 2019’s Water is a beauty. How does a band keep that momentum going with the weight of expectation hanging over them.
DEHD are Jason Balla (guitar), Emily Kempf (bass/keyboards), and Eric McGrady (drums). As a unit they couldn’t be tighter, having recorded and produced all their albums to date. They create a mix of surf rock, shoegaze and heart wrenching balladeering. Their lyrics are sung direct from their collective heart, being honest and direct at every turn. Sometimes the heartbreak is palpable but what is always constant is the optimism. On this, the bands press release has this to say.
“Across fourteen songs, DEHD throw themselves against the question of what it means to hope, knowing all too well that things end and hearts can break. “You can’t beat death, but you can beat death in life,” wrote Charles Bukowski and upon listening to this album it’s obvious the band has chosen to attempt the latter.”
This time the band have added Ziyad Asrar (of Whitney) to their gang to lend another perspective to the recording process. This is their first time collaborating with someone out with the band and the process has definitely paid off. Let’s dive into the album and see what DEHD have on offer for us.
It’s straight in to a good ol’ DEHD bop with ‘Dog Days’. In its opening two lines it perfectly demonstrates that underlying thread of hope and joy in DEHD’s music. “Everyone I know is breaking hearts tonight. Everyone I know is bleeding, but I know we’ll be alright” It has that propulsive dynamic that the best of their songs possess. Balla fronts this one vocally but Kempf is on hand to lend her considerable talents. I’ve said in a previous blog that I view her vocal as the bands secret weapon. It’s truly unique and special and long may it serve her.
That secret weapon comes into play on ’Hard to Love’ next. Kempf leads the way with her tale of a summer romance. This is a lush sounding track, it’s mostly in the lower register which lends it a certain darkness.
That darkness seems to leak into the intro for ‘Mood Ring’. Kempf’s fuzzed out bass seemingly taking us into garage punk territory. It’s all just a smoke screen though as soon it blossoms into a gorgeous love song. It’s a two hander with both Balla and Kempf trading vocal lines with a focus on the contrast in their styles. Balla’s laid back drawl against Kempf’s acrobatic, pacy melody.
‘Necklace’ leans into that chilled out Balla vibe and delivers a track that’s as cool as a cucumber. “Pressure for connection when we’re not together. Necklace banging on my chest I cross it for protection” opines our narrator, with a longing for home and the love that lies there. Is this a cry for help or a catharsis of sorts. Could be both, all I know is it’s a great song.
All three band mates team up vocally on ‘Alien’. A song that Kempf says “is about me being otherworldly, an artist of light, an angel, an alien or maybe some sort of faerie creature and wanting to find someone like me in this world, someone of my kind.” The overlapping vocals, including McGrady this time, are an absolute treat for the ears. If ever three voices belonged together it’s DEHD.
‘Light On’ starts off low key. A skipping drum beat from McGrady and walking bassline from Kempf is completed by Balla’s typical understated guitar and vocals. Again, the production is so lush and luxurious sounding, something that really suits DEHD’s sound. What gets me is how they make something so impactful with so little in the mix. This is the level of songwriting and musicianship we are dealing with.
Those heady days when you begin a relationship where you’re consumed by that person is explored on ‘Pure Gold’. There’s some amazing lyrics in here like “Easy, breezy, ooo ya, we laugh so freely” or “I accept you as you is. Friend or lover. I don’t care as long as we’re together”. It’s a great example of the optimistic romanticism that typifies DEHD’s music. It’s something that is sadly missing in a lot of todays music. We need more DEHD’s.
Kempf’s muted performance on ‘Dist B’ next tells a story in and of itself. The song was written by her for her bandmates who helped her through a tough time she had with her mental health. It’s absolutely testament to that optimistic thread DEHD weave through everything that although the majority of the lyrics here are brutally honest and taken right from her heart Kempf chooses to end the song with this couplet. “Yes! I’m feeling love. I’m looking up.”
‘So Good’ almost never made the album. Balla had been crashing at McGrady’s place after a breakup left him between places. He would hear him humming the song around the house so they knew it had to be on here. Thank goodness they did. It’s a storming pop number that whips along at a great pace. It’s pretty special when the verses are just as catchy as the chorus!
I mentioned earlier how Kempf’s voice is DEHD’s secret weapon. Well, each member has their moment to really shine on this album. ‘Don’t Look Down’ is Balla’s. This is a perfect pop song. He uses his guitar parts to the max. Just listen to both riffs in the chorus. Angelic and soaring in and out the melodies they create. That’s just genius to me. Couple that with his most direct and powerful vocal performance to date and you have an impeccable song.
After one perfect moment we come to another, this albums centre point and brightest star. ‘Knife’ see’s Kempf taking a swipe at the patriarchy in what she says is “the closest thing to a political song that I’ll probably ever write”. It’s a beautifully measured delivery in the verses that simply blossoms into the most raw and honest declaration of love in the choruses. This song is all Emily and is an incredibly important moment in DEHD’s canon.
‘Shake’ tackles that balance of people’s expectations of us weighed up against our own need to be our true selves. The sparse guitar riff is augmented by a busier drum part from McGrady that just instinctively fills up the space. Minimalism paying dividends once again.
The band took a new approach when writing ‘Magician’. They swapped around the instruments for this one. Balla recounts “This song started with me on drums and Eric on bass. We’d bounce around the room playing different instruments, dreaming up different ideas.Approaching things from a new place felt so fresh, like the energy we had when we first started out writing together.” That freedom they felt in that process translates so well into the finished song. You can really hear that the bass and drums were the backbone that everything else was draped around,
The album closes with the bitter sweet ‘Forget’. Whilst the song is led by Balla’s mournful vocal and guitar, the band support with their backing vocals too. That explosive chorus floors me every time. It’s like they’re singing through the static of confusion that you feel after a relationship ends.
In Poetry DEHD have made a seismic shift in how they approach their songwriting, how they view the recording process and they sound even more in love with it all than ever. The songs are buoyant and full of life. The lyrics ripped wholesale from their lives and shared in these songs forever. Whilst the track listing is fourteen songs long, at a pacy 41 minutes in length it never outstays its welcome. What it delivers is tales of longing, heartache and self-determinism. All through a lens of love and hope. There’s a lesson there for all of us I feel.
DEHD’s fifth album, Poetry is out now on Fat Possum Records on a wide variety of coloured vinyl, cassette and CD. Head over to DEHD’s Bandcamp to check it out.
Almost five years ago DIIV unleashed onto the world what would prove to be a genre defining album in Deceiver. A record that was universally loved by fans and lauded by the music press. A record I played constantly for months and months after its release. How do you follow that? A question that plagued the four members of DIIV, Andrew Bailey, Colin Caulfield, Ben Newman, and Zachary Cole Smith. It was clear to them the direction this new album, soon to be titled Frog in Boiling Water, had to head in. They needed to make a record that challenged them, that pushed their sound beyond any previous parameters. They decamped to a rented home in the Mojave, guitars, recording gear, and a clutch of books about humanity’s failures, psychological warfare, and Zen poetry in tow. But stress mounted as they struggled to solidify what their fourth album could be, to funnel their individual passions into a collective whole that also said something about humanities precarious moment.
After these fruitless sessions concluded they moved base to the home of renowned producer Chris Coady. With his steady hand at the helm a record slowly started to form, one that was true to their collective vision. These sessions led the band to a realisation. They needed to talk. Not just talk but get it all out. They dropped the shields of professionalism that had let them work amid the rancour and allowed themselves to get mad and bummed, real and vulnerable. Really, it could have broken DIIV before Frog in Boiling Waterwas finished. However tense this intervention was, it worked. It actually worked, allowing DIIV to finish the album in front of us today.
On what the album sounds like their press release has this to say.
“It is a gorgeous and haunted record, as DIIV gaze into our collective oblivion and try to articulate a trace of hope inside that enveloping gloom. Balancing rhythms first built from breakbeats and inspired by post-industrial power with guitars and vocals that often billow like diaphanous drapery, Frog in Boiling Water is mighty but breezy, greyscale but opalescent.”
Sounds like this album is going to be breaking new ground. Let’s drop the needle and see what awaits us in these grooves.
Side A opens with ‘In Amber’. Already I can tell these drums are augmented with the breakbeats they mentioned. Against those sludgy guitars it’s a really interesting contrast. The lead guitar sound is something else that’s new here. It’s almost like another voice, wailing in response to the rest of the band. Gloriously sombre and uplifting this is a really assured and sure-footed way to open an album. The time spent finding this sound has been very well spent.
‘Brown Paper Bag’ swaggers on to the speakers and sets about winning you over from the opening chords. When that second guitar starts crying over the that chorus “So there I go, torn, faded, a brown paper bag” the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Total goosebumps. The hopelessness you feel from the lyrics is completely offset by how utterly triumphant the music is. There’s a nice little nod to ‘I Only Said’ from My Bloody Valentines seminal Loveless album as well. Two songs in and I’m hooked.
We get our first glimpse back to that DIIV sound of old. ‘Raining on Your Pillow’ has melodic echoes of ‘For the Guilty’ from previous album Deceiver. This time however the band have a slow burn approach allowing the vocals to be the focal point instead of the wash of guitars. In the chorus especially you can’t help but be impressed at the care and attention the band have taken. The lyrics are delivered in such a rhythmic way they bolster what the drums are doing. Hats off to DIIV this is next level.
It’s the album title track next. It’s another relatively straightforward riff that is transformed by a hypnotic vocal melody. That drop out before the chorus is a killer move. Dynamically a lot of time and effort has gone in to making these songs interesting at all points. That’s obvious. That effort has paid off in buckets meaning as a listener you are really kept on your toes.
We’re thrown a curveball next with an almost acoustic number in the shape of ‘Everyone Out’. Played in a really unusual time signature it feels like the vocals are draped around the guitar chords rather than on top. Theres a real tension created in the song throughout, none more so than in the harmonic picked guitar sections. I’m starting to feel the dystopia the band are writing about in the music now. As the closing track to side A this feels seamless.
Into Side B we go with ‘Reflected’ getting us underway. The dystopia is real now and the glide guitar warping in and out adds to the sense of confusion and disorientation. The chorus melody isn’t as optimistic sounding as those on Side A. Could the weight of the world be slowly pressing down on DIIV as we go on.
‘Somber the Drums’ continues that DIIV shoegaze sound with a very defined hook. Again, the band utilise dynamics to the fullest weaving in and out to almost silence and then returning with that killer hook. Guitars chiming like a bell over a pulsing bass and enigmatic drum beat that just keeps building. This side is definitely leaning into a darker sound.
“Losing the war, you got another one up against the wall” is the opening to ‘Little Birds next. The futility of conflict and the horror of war is contemplated against an ominous backing. Guitars are bent out of shape and sounding like synths in places and is that a drum machine? If so, it really plays into that industrialism of warfare theme.
If you’ve been following DIIV on social media of late you’ll know all about their meta website experience https://www.soul-net.co/ that sprung up in the run up to the announcement of the new album. A mirror held up to all the new age nonsense and conspiracy theories out there masquerading as “The Answer”. That’s where we got our first taste of the song ‘Soul-net’. Another slow builder formed on the foundation of a hypnotic and steady drum and bass pattern. Atop that a discordant picked out guitar adds an uneasy atmosphere. The jagged guitars and keyboards that appear latterly just heap more anxiety and worry into the mix. As we approach the end of the album DIIV are really upping the ante.
The album comes to a close with ‘Fender on the Freeway’ an apocalyptic walk across what’s left of America. The album summed up in the line “You can’t unring a bell. We live in heaven and we live in hell”. That complex dichotomy we all abide. That we live in a time where the forces of darkness are seemingly surrounding us whilst at the same time, we persist. We cling on to our beautiful, imperfect but oh so beautiful existence. The sombre tone is not lost on me. The guitars almost like an arm round your shoulder. With a subject matter so bleak why is it I feel so optimistic after listening the to this song. It bookends this listening experience perfectly.
This album is the sound of four friends pushing that friendship to the very edges of what the bond can take. They took their brotherhood to the brink and there they found the substance that permeates every song on Frog in Boiling Water. That titlecomes from the 1996 novel The Story of B, environmentalist author Daniel Quinn spends a chapter on the metaphor of the boiling frog, using it to describe human history, population growth and food surplus. He laments we have lived through the great forgetting where we have lost our appreciation for where our food comes from and just don’t care anymore. If what we need is a great remembering then this album is a good start. A wake-up call.
Musically DIIV have pushed themselves once again to explore the genre they inhabit and rework old tropes into something fresh and exciting. The sounds on here are vital and impactful. Direct and imaginative. As a listening experience it has a very clear narrative and flow which is incredibly satisfying. This is what it sounds like when you give a fuck, when you endure. Will you?
Frog in Boiling Water is out May 24 2024 on Fantasy Records. There’s a a variety of coloured vinyl to pick from and CD version too. Check out your local record shop or head over the DIIV Bandcamp page to find out more.
The Inverclyde music scene has had its fair share of hit bands over the years. From the chart bothering pop rock of Whiteout to the indie art rock of My Latest Novel the area has always punched well above its weight. Now it’s the turn of the next generation and leading the way are teenage sisters The Cords.
The Cords are Eva and Grace Tedeschi. Fortunate enough to be brought up in a house with a killer record collection (courtesy of Mum and Dad) they’ve been taken along to gigs for a few years now. Seeing bands like The Cure, The Umbrellas, BMX Bandits and The Bug Club inspired them to have a go for themselves. Spurred on by their drum teacher from Rig Arts in Greenock they formed The Cords while taking part in their Rock School. For those of us attending those early Rock School shows it was obvious that the girls songwriting and performances were worthy of a larger stage. While at the Rock School they met Carla J. Easton (Teen Canteen, Poster Paints) who has since been a huge support to the Tedeschi’s.
The single was recorded with Simon Liddell (Frightened Rabbit, Poster Paints) and Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES) which is an indication of how highly thought of The Cords are on the Glasgow scene. With support slots with The Umbrellas and The Vaselines under their belt that reputation is starting to get out there.
I asked Eva from the band tell me a bit about their sound and what made these two songs stand out for them
“I would say we are jangly pop reminiscent of C86 or, as we were described recently, C24. ‘Bo’s New Haircut’ got a great response from the audience and ‘Rather Not Stay’ is one of our favourites and is perfectly in time for summer”
First track ‘Bo’s New Haircut’ just bursts from the speaker. A joyous drum roll takes us straight in to a sparkling pop song. Singer Eva, has a voice that is reminiscent of Tracy Tracy from The Primitives. She exudes an effortless cool that belies her age. The song is told from the perspective of their family dog Bo after an unwanted shearing. Grace fills those gaps in the song with killer drum rolls that speed us along until the end. Clocking in at under two minutes you’re definitely left wanting more.
‘Rather Not Stay’ next is a different kind of song altogether. Leaning into that Postcard Records sound, adding a dream pop twist and making it all their own. Starting off slow the band quickly kick it up a gear as the quickly strummed verse suddenly blossoms into this beautiful, technicolour chorus. It shimmers like a summer haze and is bound to melt even the hardest of hearts.
This is a stunning debut for The Cords. Having seen them live a few times I know they have even more great songs just waiting. It’s obvious they have a knack for a killer melody and their choruses have hooks for miles. I’m so excited to hear what comes next from this pair of talented musicians.
Brighton’s Shore Dive Records have come up trumps again with the new compilation release from Sea of Days. Started back in 2022, Sea of Days is the solo project from multi-instrumentalist Shane Speed. After years away from music a bout of bad health and the discovery of a heart condition spurred him on to create once again. This led to the release of his debut album, Adrift, where he took the name Sea of Days. This latest project finds him releasing a series of EP’s themed around the elements. The Water / Air EP is the first two ‘Elements’ EPs bundled together. On choosing the elemental theme Speed had this to say.
“I started making music again a few years ago after being diagnosed with a heart condition. I had an operation and the recovery was a slow process and though I couldn’t record vocals due to breathlessness it led to me focusing on the songwriting process. In this productive time, I noticed a theme of nature coming through the songs. The re-evaluation of life due to illness had focused me on what was important in life and nature had become a source of comfort in the recovery, particularly walks in the country and by the sea.”
“I wrote down the four elements down on a sheet of paper and strangely there seemed to be two songs about each of the elements, water, air, earth and fire. I then wrote an instrumental piece for each element using field recordings as the basis for each track. And the elements series then had a format.”
The EP opens on the dreamy ‘Float Away’. A simple guitar motif over tumbling vocals eases us in and welcomes us to this experience. However, it’s when the bass suddenly hits double time that the chorus blooms in this sumptuous ascending melody. Speed captures that feeling of gazing out over sun dappled water, the well being washing over you as you breathe in the briny air. I really identified with this track as a coast dweller myself.
‘Barefoot on the Ice’ next, an undoubted allegory for the uncertainties of life, is a more measured and deliberate song. The vocal delivery assured and warm. The chorus sneaks in almost unannounced. When your delivery is this dead on you can let the melody speak for itself. In this case the melody is magnificent.
The first of our instrumentals follows with ‘Not Drowning But Waving’. The field recorded waves lapping on the shore ushering in an exultant slow burner. I love how this one builds into a majestic, layered epic. A fine way to close out the Water EP.
It’s into the Air EP next with ‘Flying High’. A song contemplating on the perspective looking down on earth from an aeroplane window. “We are so privileged looking down. On the one home we all have to share.” The lyrics are truly observational and wholly relatable. The production, again, is grand and has the sense of altitude or space in it.
‘Moon’ is something different, a stream of consciousness delivery against a velvety soundscape. Multi layered guitars shine through a haze of feedback and fuzz. We find ourselves on a moonlit walk with Speed as he laments on how connected we all truly are but there remains that distance that disconnects us. That regret is palpable in each chord change and that’s what makes this so impactful. Music and lyrics in simpatico.
The second instrumental closes out this compilation. ‘Above the Clouds’ is described as “A track evoking the feeling you get when flying. Looking down rather than up to see clouds is disorientating but beautiful.” There’s an otherworldly feeling evoked from the juxtaposition of the hypnotic chord sequence and the wailing lead guitar. It perfectly captures the oddness you feel staring at the top of the clouds at altitude.
These first two EPs of the Elements Series are like little windows into the songwriter’s soul. There is a real comfort and solace in music. In our hardest times music has a way of lifting us back up, giving us a second wind and sending us on our way. This collection has a cathartic air that is so relatable and inclusive. You feel like you are welcomed into the world of Sea of Days where Speed knows us and takes us with him on his journeys. What a gift that is to give.
Great news, the Earth EP is out digitally on 24 May and Fire will be out the following month with the plan to collect these 2 releases together for a digital release on Shore Dive Records.
Anyone who follows this blog will know that I’ve been following the rise and rise of Belfast gazers, Virgins, for a couple of years now. From the amazing Transmit a Little Heaven EP to their recent singles ‘s l o w l y, l o n g’ and ‘s o f t e r’ they have shown steady development borne out through the hard yards on stage in front of their ever-growing army of fans. For those just discovering the band they are Michael Smyth on guitar with David Sloan also on guitar, James Foy on drums, Brendy McCann on bass and Rebecca Dow on vocals. Together they create the most amazing noise that has now come into perfect focus on their debut album nothing hurt and everything was beautiful.
What does the album sound like compared to previous releases? The band have this to say.
“The songs were recorded over a period of months after having spent the previous two years filling rooms all over Ireland and the UK with all-enveloping sounds. Taking the tracks from the stage to studio injected a sense of space, purpose and drive into the songs. The size and energy of each room distilled into the sonic make-up of the songs. Thematically the record moves between sex and love, romanticism, the need to escape and loss all draped over an immersive sonic tapestry.”
That sounds like something I need to hear so let’s drop the needle and give this a spin.
The album opens with previous single ‘s o f t e r’. From the hooky riff intro into the explosive drums thundering in ‘s o f t e r’ takes no prisoners. Dows vocals are given tons of space in the verses to weave her siren like spell. This is augmented by the glide guitar parts and tremolo picked stuff. Meanwhile holding it all down the bass provides a steady pulse, never sitting still for a moment. It’s an assured opening salvo and we’re off!!
Next up it’s another single, ‘s l o w l y, l o n g’. The song opens on reverberating chiming guitars before exploding into life and they propel us into the song. Dows vocal performance is dynamic and expressive. Anyone who has seen the band live knows how she embodies the spirit of the songs. The multi textured guitars vary from dreamy and floaty to pummelling fuzzed out chaos. It’s another winner and it’s obvious that Virgins have brought their A game.
‘c l o s e’ is something else entirely. A driving indie rock track peeks pout from behind the fuzz drenched curtains. Propelled by Foy’s insistent drumming the pace is set and the band accept the challenge. Dow has a lot of fun; you can hear that over the verses in particular as she yelps out those last lines. ‘c l o s e’ is proof positive Virgins have hooks for weeks and if you go to see them live be prepared to get sweaty!!
The extended intro to ‘p a l e, f i r e’ builds the tension nicely so that when the levee breaks and the song blossoms on the speakers we are lifted and sent soaring. The vocal range on show is breathtaking as are the layers of guitars with their myriad textures. I don’t tend to use the word ‘epic’ too often but in this case, for this song it’s well warranted.
The melancholic ‘a d o r e’ follows. Whilst this song maintains that heavyweight backing that typifies the Virgins sound, there’s a yearning in the melody. When we hit those verses its like the song opens up like a vista across some wide expanse. No matter what dynamic we’re in that yearning thread is carried on through the vocals and guitars.
“d i s a p p e a r e r” brings an ever so slightly calmer yet entirely driven sound. Dow’s vocals shine amidst a swirling storm of noise. “Wax and wane, fall and rise” she sings as we dive headlong into one of the best choruses on the album. There’s a blissful energy about this track that makes me smile every time.
It’s into darker territory next with ‘s u n s p o t s’. Theres a guttural growl from the rhythm guitars as they grind out the intro. Every guitar tone in here is painted with fuzz to a lesser or greater extent yet there’s an undeniable clarity to everything. The vocals sit nicely in the mix like a dingy bobbing on a sea of distortion. This to me demonstrates how far Virgins have come. The skill on show from all involved is breathtaking.
The album comes to a close all too soon with ‘t e n d’, a juggernaut of melodies, angst-driven guitar, and blissed-out percussion. It builds on all that came before it giving us a glimpse into the future sound we can expect from Virgins. Theres a maturity in all aspects here, most notably that lead guitar line and the assured vocal delivery. The stop start delivery of that closing section leaves us elated and wanting more. Shouldn’t all albums finish that way?
I think its fair to say they’ve done it again. Virgins have released a debut that redefines their sound. There’s a new cohesive quality to all these tracks that make them more than a collection of songs. This is an album. One that has been meticulously planned, written, performed and track listed. Each song flows into the next. When listening on vinyl side A and B feel like they have a natural break between them. This feels like the perfect storm for Virgins. From looking at the album artwork you can tell this is a shoegaze album but whilst there are nods to their influences throughout, make no mistake, this is an evolution, or maybe a revolution.
nothing hurt and everything was beautiful is out now via Blowtorch Records on a pressing of 300 starburst coloured vinyl which you can also grab via the Virgins Bandcamp page.
Back after their stellar Os Overdoses release earlier in the year it’s the good folks over at Dirty Filthy Records. This time they bring us Drumhard Sessions Vol I from Splitterzelle.
Splitterzelle are Sidney Jaffe (Arcane Allies, Burnpilot, Parse) on drums and synths and Pedro Pestana (10 000 Russos, Tren Go! Sound System) on guitar and pedals. Following their solo collaboration as Tren Go! Sound System & Ornamental on 2021’s album Assessment, they decided to combine their forces under one band name.
Drumhard Sessions are a series of recording sessions hosted by Splitterzelle with guest musicians which are recorded live at the Drumhard venue in Bielefeld Germany. Vol. 1 is the first session they hosted and it features Rouven Bienert (TV Strange) on guitar synth and also handling the recording and Jonas Heheman (Burnpilot, TV Strange) on bass.
The album opens on spaced out jam that is ‘Sink Positive’. Steady bass grooves guide us through this intergalactic journey. The guitar is super heavy and fuzzy slowly finding its way into the fray as a synth drones in the background. The track slowly accelerates bringing in sharper textures and ever ascending guitar riffs send us skyward. All in this is an expansive exploratory piece full of gentle waves and explosive crescendos.
We’re back on terra firma next for the motorik experience of ‘Under The Speed Limit’. Imagine a drive through a moonlit desert when a cosmic portal opens and transports you through time and space. The psychedelic wig out guitars and ever accelerating bass and drums are our cosmic highway and who knows where we’re going.
‘Slide’ is a taught affair, bass and drums in the pocket from the outset. Guitars shimmer like some lost constellation or ripples on a star-soaked lake. The guitars soon become frenetic and out of control before reigning themselves in again. This cycle continues each time throwing us further and further into the cosmos. Equal parts haunting and exhilarating.
The album closes out on the otherworldly embrace ‘Hypernets’. As if following from our journey into the cosmos we approach a celestial gateway to the interstellar expanse. The guitars forming the ethereal waves on which we soar. The bass and drums in whispered conversation with the universe keeping us true on our voyage.
As a huge space rock fan this album absolutely blew me away. That throaty guitar sound that signals our sonic journey has begun is prevalent throughout this album. The bass and drums are on point, keeping us on the straight and narrow whilst throwing in flourishes here and there to keep us on our toes. If you too enjoy this type of psychedelic rock then close your eyes and surrender to the currents. Let Splitterzelle carry you toward the unknown.
Static Sounds Club 