Lital Hagayan – Singularity

From the garden city of Tel Aviv in Israel comes singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer Lital Hagayan. A stalwart of the shoegaze and dreampop scene over the last couple of years she has treated our ears to a series of sumptuous singles. Always with the dreamiest production and deeply emotional lyrics, her music has touched countless fans hearts and gained her a loyal following. Now she is ready to release her debut album, Singularity, and I’ve been lucky enough to have been given a very early peek at the album. Before we explore the songs in here, I asked Lital what the overall theme of Singularity is.

“The album was created in a very unplanned way. The first song of the album, Eternity, was written after a relatively long period in which I did not create music. And I wrote this song out of a very deep pain, I would say heartbreak, but it was much more than a heartbreak. It’s hard for me to go into details. I had an experience of a loss. A partner that I loved to the core, lost himself in the mental sense of the word. It was a long process that left me with quite a few traumas. The album actually describes my dealing with life in the first year without him, while he is in hospitals, etc.  Even the order of the songs on the album is arranged chronologically, it’s really a journey album. I think anyone would be able to notice the process I went through this year while listening to the album. The album also describes the stages of heartbreak, anger, faith, hope, disappointment. At that time, I started listening to a lot of shoegaze music, dream pop, synth wave, and yes these are some of the musical influences on the album.“

This album deals with an incredibly painful time in Hagayan’s life, telling the story through her music. Let’s turn to the first page and begin.

The album opens with ‘Eternity’. From the opening notes, ‘Eternity’ captivates with its hauntingly beautiful melody. Hagayan’s ethereal vocals glide effortlessly, drawing you into a dreamlike realm where every word feels like a delicate brushstroke on a canvas of emotions. The song’s atmospheric instrumentation adds a touch of magic, creating an enchanting soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive. The pain she described earlier is almost tangible. This is going to be an emotional ride.

From the very first note, ‘Waiting’ sets a contemplative and introspective mood. The haunting vocals immediately draw you into the emotional centre of the song. The stripped-down and intimate instrumentation allows her voice to take centre stage, creating an immersive experience that feels like a personal conversation with the Hagayan. The song’s themes of longing and patience resonate with anyone who has experienced the complexities of love and relationships.

‘Monsters in Your Head’ explores the struggles of inner demons and the battles we face within ourselves. Hagayan’s poetic storytelling paints a vivid picture of the complexities of the human mind, where darkness and light intertwine in a delicate dance. The raw vulnerability in her delivery makes the song feel deeply personal, as if she is baring her soul to the listener. On this track she says “this song that speaks about the paranoia he had about me in his head, the paranoia I called his Monsters”.

‘You Are My’ immediately sets a tender and affectionate mood. Hagayan’s gentle and soulful vocals wrap around you like a comforting embrace, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and love. The subtle instrumentation complements the song’s heartfelt sentiment, allowing the purity of the emotions to shine through. Lyrically, ‘You Are My’ is a beautiful declaration of love and devotion. Her heartfelt words paint a vivid picture of deep affection and connection, the very essence of being utterly enamoured by someone. The sincerity in her delivery makes the song feel wholly personal.

‘Like I Remember You’ is a poignant vignette of memories and the passing of time. Hagayan’s words paint vivid images of cherished moments and the ache of missing someone. From the very first chord, ‘Like I Remember You’ transports you to a world of reminiscence and longing. The tender and lilting vocals instantly draw you in, infusing the song with a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. ‘Like I Remember You’ is a musical time capsule that holds the essence of cherished memories and reminds us of the import of nostalgia.

Hagayan’s cover version of ‘Songbird’ is a stunning and soulful rendition that pays homage to the timeless Fleetwood Mac classic while infusing it with her own unique charm and emotive artistry. This cover showcases her exceptional talent as a vocalist, capturing the essence of the song’s beauty and vulnerability in a way that is both heartfelt and captivating.

At this halfway point let’s pause for a moment. I also asked Hagayan about how this album was recorded.

“Everyone who played on the album, without exception they are all talented and brilliant musicians one and all. This album beyond refuge was also an abnormal experience. I had some very good colleagues and friends who took part in this album, with the drums and bass, and also more guitars recorded by not only me, in one song a good friend of mine jammed on the keys and I arranged the midi notes afterwards, one studio colleague also played some piano in the song Eternity which also was kind of a jam on the song which I arranged afterwards. I mixed the tracks, but my talented studio partner collaborated, which was the best thing I could have! The mastering was sent to one of the best mastering technicians in Israel, which I’m also very satisfied with. Back then, at these times I worked in a big studio and I also rented a little acoustic room that I mixed in the album with my colleague who shared with me that room. Almost every day when I finished my work day, let’s say at around 9-10pm, I stayed in the studio into the night to create and work on my music. It was my refuge, it was my anchor, and it helped me survive my grief.”

 ‘When Words Been Said’ opens gently with a lightly plucked acoustic with dreamy synth pads providing the atmosphere. Hagayan’s lush vocal reverberates over it all. The song is incredibly dynamic with lots of changes in the arrangement as we go on. As a listener it really keeps you on your toes with its false stops and when those drums kick in, wow! She has a real ear for a melody, you’ll be humming this one to yourself for days. As always, her lyrical style is very much heartfelt and on her sleeve.

‘Stay’ is a mesmerizing and emotionally charged track. The ethereal and emotive vocals immediately draw you into the emotional journey of the song. It’s a deep dive into love, longing, and the fear of losing someone dear. The heartfelt words paint a vivid picture of the complexities of relationships, capturing the beauty and fragility of human connection.

The instrumentation of ‘See Me See You’ is delicate and evocative, drawing listeners in with its warm and inviting sounds. The gentle strumming of the acoustic guitar sets the foundation for the song, creating a sense of intimacy and vulnerability. This track is an exploration of understanding and being understood. ‘See Me See You’ reminds us of the power of empathy and the beauty of genuine human connection.

Next up is ‘Alone’. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill love song; it’s a raw and vulnerable confession that is genuinely personal. It’s a revelation of the intricacies of solitude and self-discovery. Hagayan’s heartfelt words convey an authentic vulnerability, like a personal diary entry shared with a dear confidant. It feels like the end of a journey in some aspects.

As if to put a full stop on the experience we finally come to ‘Miss You’. Hagayan’s heartfelt words unveil the complexities of solitude and the beauty found within it. The simplicity of the music speaks volumes, leaving space for the emotions to take centre stage. This track is an absolute treat for the ears in headphones. The ethereal production envelopes you and you lose yourself. Just the most perfect way to close off this musical journey we’ve been on.

In Singularity Lital Hagayan has created some of the most honest and heartfelt songs it’s ever been my pleasure to review. You have to keep reminding yourself that she wrote, recorded, mixed and produced this album largely by herself. It’s an incredible achievement and one that should serve as an inspiration to budding solo artists everywhere. Grief has the power to drive us into the ground and prevent us from engaging with the world. What Lital has chosen to do is to taker her grief and channel it through her creativity. Through this emotional catharsis we now have Singularity. Through her courage we all now have somewhere to turn when our grief threatens to swallow us. Isn’t that most amazing achievement of them all.

Singularity is available to pre order now from the Lital Hagayan Bandcamp page.

You can follow Lital Hagayan on social media here….

Photo credits

Daniel Gan-Or Alon Levin Ohad Elimelech

T.G. Shand – Cinnamon EP

As a big Miniatures fan, I was so happy when lead singer Annemarie Duff returned with her solo project T.G Shand.  Hailing from Ōtautahi New Zealand she is creating some sublime dreampop. She’s released some stellar singles over the last few years. I’m particularly fond of ‘Little Sieve’ not least because it came of a lovely lathe cut 7 inch single (still a very limited amount of those available as I type).

Today she coalesces her last two singles and folds them into the Cinnamon EP. Here’s what Duff had to say on the release.

“I tried to make these tracks an imaginative mix of shoegaze, beats and ethereal floatiness. They come with a classic twist from the 90s shoegaze scene. My shoegaze roots found influences from the likes of Curve, Chapterhouse, Medicine, and equally from modern R&B/hip-hop heroes like Pip Millet and Little Simz. Hopefully someone out there enjoys listening.”

The EP opens with ‘Notions’ a synthwave, lo-fi sweetener. The atmospheric swirling of the electronica surrounding Duffs dreamy guitar chords take us away. The vocal performance is, as always, wholly engaging and I can see exactly why she picked this as her opening track.

Next up is the title track. Offsetting lyrics about baking with the off-kilter instrumentation is a killer move. This is a golden nugget of a pop song wrapped in a fluffy cloud of effects and punctuated beats. I can see this one sitting on many a summer playlist, and rightly so.

‘Fatwood’ is a glorious melting pot of sounds and textures. The fuzzed-out bass rattles against hip hop beats which in turn drives the heavenly guitars. Duff channels her inner Liz Frazer and delivers a vocal performance to remember. This is the sound of someone creating a world for their songs to live in. A video for ‘Fatwood’ will be launched on August 11 over on YouTube, funded by NZonAir, with art direction by Thomas Russell it’s a cool mix of performance and dreamy landscapes.

Her single from earlier in the year follows. ‘WAOW’ (standing for We Are Way Off) it’s another beautiful bit of world building. Duff displays such a light touch yet at the same time it’s such a dynamic track coming in and out. It really holds your interest start to finish!

The EP closes out with ‘Streets’. A chilled number that blends conga drums over an electronic pulse to provide the backing to this delicate song. I can’t help but think of a meadow at dawn, dew hanging on every blade of grass glistening in the early morning sun. As with all her tracks Duffs vocal is the beating heart of it all, this time more malleable and somehow just out of reach.

With the Cinnamon EP Duff has stepped her game up another notch and delivered on each and every track. With able assistance from drummer Cory Champion and the engineering and mastering skills of Bevan Smith, these songs truly do demonstrate why T.G. Shand is one to watch.

The Cinnamon EP is available on all digital platforms and as a 10” mono lathe-cut vinyl via Bandcamp and selected record stores very soon indeed.

You can follow T.G. Shand on social media here….

Dot Allison – Consciousology

Scottish singer songwriter Dot Allison is probably best known for her time fronting the indie dance band One Dove back in the early nineties. However, Allison has produced some absolutely stellar solo albums as well as collaborating with the likes of Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Peter Doherty. Most recently she contributed vocals to the latest Mark Peters album, Red Sunset Dreams which I covered here on the blog. So, it is only fitting that following that release on Sonic Cathedral her new solo album should also be released by the acclaimed indie label.

Consciousology finds multi-instrumentalist Dot joined by the London Contemporary Orchestra, her new labelmate Andy Bell from Ride, who plays guitar on two tracks, and Hannah Peel, who is responsible for some of the string arrangements with both the LCO and a stellar group of Scottish string players. On the inspiration for this albums themes and sound she has this to say.

“I wanted to make some albums that felt like a set, exploring love, what lies beyond the visible and how all these aspects dovetail together. For me, it is an imagined voice of a conscious universe expressed through music. I see Consciousology as a more psych Heart-Shaped Scars with a fuller, more immersive
sound and so, in that sense, it’s a more wayward, bolder, rule-breaking partner.”

“It’s a plea, an embrace, a longing, a last-gasp, perhaps, imbued through the music, voice, harmony and a harmonic composition, with the lyrics taking an interest in the differing levels of consciousness apparent in all self-organising, natural systems. It takes a less mechanistic, inanimate but more infinitely complex view of the nature of reality and how feelings of love and loss – and consciousness itself – are potentially less ‘molecular’ in nature and more electromagnetic.”

Let’s hit play and explore this musical universe Allison has created for us.

The album opens on the bucolic ‘The Shyness of Crowns’. The strings reminiscent of the great Robert Kirby and his work with the late, great Nick Drake. Whilst there is a very definite folk direction, the track is punctuated with some glorious electronica making this something else altogether. Add to that Allison’s gentle tones weaving around the mix in the most delightful way (headphones are a must!) and you have a devastating opener.

We segue neatly into ‘Unchanged’ the opening picked out chords again bringing our minds back to Nick Drake. It isn’t long until the song opens up into a soaring, uplifting chorus which takes us away on a driving rhythm to the heavens. There’s something colourful about this melody. Like a rainbow coming from the hearts of the musicians.

Things are stripped back to the bone on ‘Bleached By The Sun’. The song leaves me breathless each time I listen to it. I don’t know whether it’s Allison’s harmony singing or the sumptuous strings arrangement, punctuating the song in key moments. This is such impactful song writing, like when she pleads “Don’t give up on us yet, there is more that can be”. Gets me every time.

Allison’s voice really comes to the fore on ‘Moon Flowers’. Voice, guitar and lilting strings lead us into this evolution of a song. The strings, again, are so cleverly used to perfection. Adding the emotional punch at just the right moments. Like hanging tinsel on a Christmas tree. The tree is already beautiful, as is this song. The strings pick out the changes and just draw your attention to how well defined they are. The modular approach to the construction of the track draws my mind to Smile by The Beach Boys but it’s so much more.

We take a sharp detour into Kosmische territory next on ‘220Hz’ (the frequency at which tree roots communicate beneath the ground in the ‘wood wide web I’m reliably informed). The synth pads and atmospherics creating an ambient playground for our ears. The strings and Allison’s voice dance merrily around creating a heady tone poem, a punctuation mark in the midst of the album. This had me smiling from the get go.

‘Double Rainbow’ dials us back into that nu folk sound with strange and eerie electronica piercing through from time to time. To achieve this, Allison actually recorded the electrical activity in a plant which was then translated into pitch variations. You feel like you’re lying in a blooming meadow staring at a summer sky. There’s been a transportive quality to the songs on this album that sharply comes into focus here. That, for me, is the sign of a master of their craft.

We head into a soporific and imagination sparking lullaby next. ‘Milk and Honey’ has that cinematic quality that makes you certain you’ve heard it in on a movie soundtrack somewhere. It’s when the voice and gently picked guitar blooms into the strings and piano opening up an aural vista that’s nothing short of stunning!

‘Mother Tree’ continues that exploration of the natural world that is the underpinning thread in all these songs. The drums in particular eschew the constraints of standard time and explore the song, providing another unique element to enjoy. This is perhaps the most sparsely arranged track so far but Allison’s vocal performance fills every nook and cranny.

The album closes out on relatively straight forward arrangement of ‘Weeping Roses’. Like a classic Laurel Canyon number but given that unique spin that only Dot Allison can. This is up there with Joni Mitchell and Carole King.

Consciousology is one of those albums that just consumes you. Every song is its own carefully constructed galaxy in the universe of the album. The juxtaposition between that traditional acoustic folk aesthetic and the more forward leaning trip hop sound we know Allison for is so refreshing. The production has placed each instrument wide across the sound stage, defining each sound and giving them room to be. It is reminiscent of Nigel Godrich’s best work (Beck’s era defining Sea Change) in that respect.

These songs feel like they could’ve been around for fifty years or more yet at the same time, sound like they’ve just landed from space. That is testament to the intricacy and skilfulness of the songwriter.

 Consciousology is out July 28 2023 on Sonic Cathedral. You can grab a copy on digital, limited edition orange vinyl or CD from Bandcamp. You can also grab an exclusive Dinked Edition copy on vinyl from all the usual indie retailers. This comes on “Flax flower” blue vinyl with exclusive alternative sleeve artwork and a 12” art print signed by Dot.

You can follow Dot Allison on social media here….

Sugar For The Pill – Colours

Sugar For The Pill are a Greek dream pop outfit based in the beautiful city of Athens. The name, as you might have guessed, is a tip of the hat to the seminal Slowdive tune. The band consists of Vana Rose (vocals), Spyros Mitrokotsas (guitars), Elias K (guitars), Stefanos Manousis (bass/keyboards) and Konstantinos Athanasopoulos (drums).

Their debut album, Wanderlust, had me entranced this time last year and I’ve been waiting for some new sounds for a while now. I need wait no longer as the band have just dropped a brand-new single called ‘Colours’.

Right from the opening notes, ‘Colours’ grabs your attention and refuses to let go. The song’s infectious melodies are brought to life by a dynamic arrangement that seamlessly merges elements of alternative shoegaze and indie pop.

One of the standout features of ‘Colours’ are the vocals. Rose’s voice effortlessly soars over the music, conveying a range of emotions from introspection to a fiery passion. The chorus of “Colours” is undeniably catchy, leaving an indelible imprint on your mind. It’s the kind of chorus that demands to be sung along with, providing a cathartic release. The song’s uplifting energy and infectious hooks make it a surefire hit and one that will be showing up in many a summer playlist.

There is also a brilliant music video to accompany the release which you can see here.

‘Colours’ is a single that immerses you in a kaleidoscope of vibrant sounds and electrifying energy. With its bold blend of genres and captivating lyrics, this track delivers a refreshing and exhilarating listen.

You can grab a copy of ‘Colours’ now over on the Sugar For the Pill Bandcamp page.

You can follow Sugar For The Pill on social media here….

Helicon – God Intentions

Glasgow’s psychedelic generals Helicon return with their third album, God Intentions. Once again releasing on one of my absolute favourite labels, Fuzz Club, the band are promising their most ambitious, collaborative and psychedelic record to date. For those of you new to the band they were formed in 2011 by brothers John-Paul and Gary Hughes in East Kilbride. Signing to Fuzz Club in 2017 they have since released an incredible amount of music, three singles, nine EPs, three studio albums and a Fuzz Club live session album to be precise. These days the band consists of the Hughes brothers, Graham Gordon, Mike Hastings, Mark McLure, Billy Docherty and Seb Jonsen.

On the subject of the new album John-Paul had this to say.

“‘God Intentions’ is inspired by my brother Gary’s story and a few other influences. It’s a journey through regret, redemption and resurrection. Our familiar darkness is there, but the record carries a fresh and uplifting positivity. I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to sound and feel long before it began. We’re so pleased we achieved it. “

“We managed to hold true to the idea whilst allowing the string quartet, Sotho, Lavinia, Anna, Mark, Jason, Luigi and other collaborators the space to put their mark on it. The album art, by San Francisco-based collage artist Nina Theda Black, captures the depth and breadth of themes and sounds we brought together to create a kind of motion in your mind.”

The album emerges from the eternal nothingness, like a signal from the edge of the universe with opening track ‘Dark Matter’. An instrumental piece full of menace and foreboding. It’s screeching feedback and pulsating rhythm resolve back to silence before the album bursts into life.

‘Flume’ gives us our first taste proper of what God Intentions is all about, the juxtaposition of the darkness of this subject matter against the utter joyous music. This has all the fun of the fair; the whirling organ is utterly triumphant. The swooping guitars adding texture whilst the rhythm section keep it tight at the back.

As the album moves into ‘Château H’ it becomes immediately obvious that this band are no one trick ponies. Oh god no, not by a long chalk. What opens as disco driven guitar anthem suddenly evolves into eastern flavoured magic carpet ride. We’re transported into orbit and soaring through the cosmos. The violin pulls off some serious riffs, the kind you’d normally expect from screaming guitar solo. It’s that experimental approach that makes this band and this album. More on that as we go on.

A gentle tabla and sitar intro bloom into this forward leaning rhythm that carries us into ‘Heliconia’. Guitar picks up the mantle and cosmic vibes ensue lifting this song into and another place. Bass walks around in the spaces between picking out the melody and holding it down. More and more textures join the throng before the song absolutely explodes into lightspeed. The unmistakable vocals of Lavinia Blackwall creating a wailing wall of pitch perfect tones that drive this song into memory. This is going to be setting off mosh pits wherever it’s played live.

Giving us a breather next is the sedate and serene ‘Disobey’. The watery lead guitar warbling against the sumptuous lolling bassline is utterly compelling and transportive. Layer that up with the sweeping string section and sitar punctuating the verses and you have what could be the theme music for a euro art film.  Every song is inhabiting its own place within the world of God Intentions, yet all sound at home together. None more so than this vignette.

After that small detour we return to the grand lysergic soundscapes of ‘Zen Roller’. The fuzzed-out guitars shoegaze wall of sound makes this an absolute must to experience in headphones. It’s like the guitars are swirling around your head, rattling about your skull. The treated vocals add an extra dimension of “outthereness” is that a word? If it isn’t I’m insisting on it being added to the dictionary next to a photo of Helicon. I’m a big fan of fake stops too. When the song returns the organ ramps up and the maelstrom intensifies not receding until the song climaxes.

‘Whiplash’ maintains the momentum with some really tasty slide guitar work. Whilst only a short number it fairly packs a punch. The riff is absolutely massive and leaves you crying out for more.

It’s the turn of the title track next which takes the feeling of melancholia and slowly evolves it into something epic. We start off quietly enough with a sombre piano refrain before that trademark wall of noise appears ushering in a sympathetic guitar line. When those pauses, full of static and chaos, come around you feel yourself lift and held motionless. That feeling of being completely at the mercy of the music, it’s overwhelming and addictive. I always find myself skipping back to enjoy it just one more time.

‘Last Tango in Glasgow’ is the albums ballad, a beautiful melody to a slow shuffle. It sends you to a smoke-filled dance hall at the end of the night. Whiskey on your breath as you take one last turn around the floor. Again, the band make use of some really interesting sonic textures to make this song something really special.

If you’ve been following Helicon for a while, you’ll know the previous single ‘Tae the Moon’. It’s a full rework of ‘We’re Gaun Tae the Moon’ from their 2015 Gehenna EP. Whilst that guitar riff remains as majestic the song now has a really spacey vibe, like it’s been hit with gamma rays and has started to hulk out. This feels like a technicolour trip at lightspeed into another dimension. The band are throwing everything into the mix creating a sonic whirlwind that blows your mind. Phew, that was one wild ride.

The band bid us farewell with one last tone poem at the end of this rainbow. ‘Starlounger’ closes things off in a celebratory but gentle way as Helicon head off into the cosmos.

In God Intentions Helicon have demonstrated what a collaborative and exploratory approach to making music can achieve. They make the complex feel like child’s play when it’s anything but. That level of ease comes from their collective years of experience, undoubtedly, but it also comes from having trust in each other, and their collaborators to follow the vision. To honour the songs and where they lead. In doing so they have created something truly unique and special.

God Intentions is out now on Fuzz Club and is available on gold nugget vinyl.

You can follow Helicon on social media here…

Tremours – Dark Glasses

After wowing us with their Affectations EP last year LA based musicians Lauren Andino and Glenn Fryatt return with a new single, ‘Dark Glasses’. This band have been out on two full US tours pulling material together for a full-length album later in the year. Until then they are teasing us with another serving of the shoegaze / dream pop sound they have made all their own.

Foe those of you new to Tremours you may be wondering what kind of band they are. Here’s what they have to say on the matter.

“Most of our songs centre around loneliness. Not necessarily sadness, but the comfort that you can find in being lonely.  It’s when I feel most calm. Live, we have been told that it can be intense, I have no choice but to let go and trust Glenn when we are playing. This is the only band where I’ve had to do that, and I think that’s where our intense stage dynamic comes from — focusing and trusting one another,”

‘Dark Glasses’ really amps up the drama with Andino’s ghostly vocal drifting over an ominous guitar line. Fryatt’s drumming both sympathetic to the guitar and full of character in its own right. This is only amplified by the psychedelic Moog that brings the whole song together. It’s the secret sauce to this recipe. The swirling, pulsating textures send this song soaring.

‘Dark Glasses’ is a bold step on from the sound on the Affectations EP and bodes well for the album later this year. The single is backed with a Kosmische remix courtesy of Peter Holmström (Pete International Airport) of the Dandy Warhols.

‘Dark Glasses’ will be released July 7 2023 via Little Cloud Records. The tracks will be available digitally on all platforms and on 7″ colour vinyl which you can grab from the Tremours Bandcamp page.

In the meantime, check out the amazing video which was shot and directed by Carlos Colón in the Mojave Desert.

You can follow Tremours on social media here…

Talking to Shadows – Lost

Baltimore gazers Talking to Shadows are getting set to release their latest EP out to the world. The band who are Cat Van Glide (vocals), Ron Weldon (bass) Gregoire Palmer (guitar) and Alex Hughes (drums) have been together since 2018 releasing their self-titled EP in 2021. I had the good fortune to have sneak peek of this EP for a while now. I thoroughly enjoyed it; in fact, I loved it so much I featured the lead track on my last DKFM Radio show. Let me tell you why.

Opening track ‘Soma’ is a gutsy, riff driven number that feels like it’s creating an earthquake in your head as you listen. Van Glides lush vocal tone is the perfect foil to the fuzzed-out bliss Palmer creates with his guitar. The rhythm section is an absoluter powerhouse sending the song soaring. What an opener.

‘Exit Wound’ takes the intensity down a few notches allowing us to hear another side to the band. The dreamlike guitar tones that lead us in to this song are quickly proven to be a feint as the hammer drops. The wall of sound engulfs us but never overwhelms the mix. Production values are top drawer and make this track shine.

The riffs return on the, now rerecorded, version of ‘Give Me Some of You’. The band channel their Smashing Pumpkins influence to great effect in the chorus. That throaty fuzz, its guttural static shroud enveloping you in its sonic embrace. What Talking to Shadows do really well is melody. Whilst, yes, they know how to play loud, underneath it all is a great song. Full of nuance and most importantly, hooks!

The EP closes out on the tour de force that is ‘Lost’. This track I find myself coming back to, time and again. It has everything. Let’s start with the drums. Hughes could so easily have played a simplistic beat behind this but instead he treats us to a master class in how to make your drum part sing. Vocally Van Glide really goes for it and those soaring notes are nailed each time with ease. Guitars and bass weave around each other in a fuzzy haze then when things quieten down, they give each other space, guitars chiming and bass sitting back. This song is the perfect way to round out a perfect EP.

Lost is out on June 30 2023 and you can download the EP and grab a cool t shirt from the Talking to Shadows Bandcamp page.

Follow Talking to Shadows on social media here…

Bdrmm – I Don’t Know

Back in 2020 a debut album from a Hull band caught us all by surprise. Bedroom from bdrmm is a stunning debut for any band. Song writing of the highest calibre coupled with a nailed down shoegaze aesthetic across all the tracks. It was that cohesive, seamless listening experience that earned the band plaudit after plaudit. After an eventful three years that has saw then move from their home at Sonic Cathedral to Rock Action (founded by Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite), touring with Ride and Mogwai and playing to the biggest venues of their career, they’re back with a new album, I Don’t Know!

‘That difficult second album’; is something you hear often but bdrmm have taken their time. Relentlessly touring, building their fanbase and writing and honing these new songs on the road. Whilst the band who are Ryan Smith (vocals/guitar), Jordan Smith (bass/synth), Joe Vickers (guitar) and Conor Murray (drums) have chosen to record at The Nave, their spiritual home, these songs are a document of a bands journey both literally and figuratively. So, what can we expect from I Don’t Know, here’s what the band have to say.

“We’re still coming from the same place, but the influences have got much broader. A lot of it is just us gaining confidence, and also not wanting to retread old ground. We’d made the guitar album so, we were thinking, ‘What else can we do?’”

“Lyrically everything’s still probably based on things that have happened to me, but I’m writing more ambiguously, so that it can be understood by others in whatever situation they’re going through. I always think the first record feels like one person’s relationship, whereas this is so much broader, and can be interpreted in different ways.”

Album opener ‘Alps’ sets out the bands vision immediately. If you’re here for another shoegaze album then you best buckle in. Ambient electronica reminiscent of Atoms for Peace washes over us. These sounds are transportive creating a visual picture of flying at breakneck speed down an Alpine Road. This is the sound of a band reinventing themselves, fearlessly and with an absolute eye on the prize. The vocal melody weaves around the beats creating this hypnotic atmosphere whilst the bass holds it all down with a solid groove. ‘Alps’ is a very deliberate choice of opener. A statement of intent and has set a very high bar for the rest of the album.

‘Be Careful’ reintroduces the guitars to the album however just check out those drums with that slippery bassline for a minute. Is this a trip hop song we’re experiencing? It is, but with that bdrmm spin to it. Lyrically Smith is offering us a caring warning we should heed.

“I struggled with alcohol during lockdown and it’s a song about realising how we can all act when we’re not in our right minds. You know, it can unleash stuff and it’s not always nice. So ‘be careful of yourself’!”

The washed-out guitars are augmented by some subtle keyboard motifs that offer us a cleaner sound from bdrmm than we have heard from them so far. This album is going to keep me on my toes.

Back in 2021 I had the pleasure of meeting the band after their Glasgow show at the Hug & Pint, at my first post covid show. I was really excited about a new track they had played for us and eagerly asked Ryan its name. He said it was called ‘Picky New’ and they were really enjoying playing it.

Fast forward two years and ‘Picky New’ has bloomed into the utterly monumental ‘It’s Just a Bit of Blood’. The Hail to the Thief era Radiohead influence here is undeniable. The band lean into it and as the gentle picked out atmospheric intro erupts into a wall of urgent noise the wind is knocked out your chest. The band take their time laying the foundation for the soaring chorus that is to follow. The line “Where do you get off?” becoming a refrain that crowds will be singing back at them. Their time on tour with Ride and Mogwai playing venues like the Ally Pally have given bdrmm a taste for the epic and I believe we’re only just seeing that first green shoots of that on this album.

The metered rhythm of ‘We Fall Apart’ follows, all brooding and understated. Capturing the zeitgeist in those three simple words. The song again leans into that Radiohead influence, the claustrophobia is reminiscent of the song ‘There There’ but more defined, more immediate. The motorik drums and sparse arrangement capture that melancholy perfectly and create an atmosphere that captures your attention and doesn’t let go. The false stop again will lend itself to the big stages that bdrmm will undoubtedly be asked to play. Utterly beguiling and all consuming as the song builds to its epic conclusion.

The band let themselves explore further on the ambient instrumental, ‘Advertisement One’. Driven by a piano motif and hypnotic drone the band weave various sounds, tones and textures to create what I would call a natural soundscape. To me this is the sound of a summer meadow viewed from above. You travel through it at speed, the music getting gentler as you fly higher and higher. The vocal samples, synth stabs, guitar strums and electro drums are used in just the right places at just the right time to make your journey and experience like no other.

It’s not often I take the time to really call out the drummer in a band for their role in a songs sound. In ‘Hidden Cinema; Murray brings his A-game. In the opening verse it’s like he’s playing around the song not in the song. What he’s doing shouldn’t logically work but, by God, it does. It’s a tired phrase but, he really is the beating heart of this song.

Again, the band use that droning sound with chiming, picked out guitar to form the skeleton the melody hangs on. Smiths’ breathy delivery is deeply affecting and when swathed in the electronica of the chorus is elevated to something really quite special.

‘Pulling Stitches’ is the closest we have to a song that bridges the gap between that fuzzy shoegaze sound of the first album and the new, cleaner, more intricate lines of I Don’t Know. The bass driven crystalline verses are countered by the distorted guitars of the choruses. Even when the guitars reach that fuzzed out sound of old, they still manged to be clearly defined in the mix and they never overwhelm the rest of the band. It’s testament to how far bdrmm have come.

This album closes on something new for the band. The aptly titled ‘A Final Movement’ comes in on hushed strings that were written specially for this song by Jordan Smith, notably his first-time arranging strings. This is no shrinking violet of a song at over eight minutes in length. It demands your attention and you’re more than happy to capitulate to its ebbs and flows. It’s a gentle end to an equally gentle and well-defined album.

I Don’t Know is a wonderful surprise of an album. It catches you off guard from it’s opening second and then it has you locked in until the final note. It would’ve been so easy for the band to produce another Bedroom continuing that shoegaze sound. Instead, they looked inwards and said let’s try something different. Let’s move our sound on and try new things, explore our influences and bring them to bear. It’s so obvious that their time on larger stages has opened their eyes and ears to what a song can be. I’m really excited to hear these songs live, which I’ll be doing shortly in Glasgow. I can only imagine they’ll sound massive. Kudos to the band for taking the road less travelled, it’s certainly paid off. On that point I’ll let Ryan have the last word.

“We’ve always followed our instincts and done what felt right. Surely, if you’re in a band, that’s the most important thing you should do.”

I Don’t Know is out on June 30th on Rock Action. You can grab your copy over on Bandcamp or from your favourite indie retailer.

Follow bdrmm on social media here…

Sweeping Promises – Good Living Is Coming For You

Back in the plague ridden, lockdown times of 2020 I was scanning my Bandcamp feed one day for something new to listen to. It was then I discovered Lawrence, Kansas based duo Sweeping Promises. Their debut album Hunger For a Way Out immediately caught my attention with its prescient title. When I listened to the songs though, I was hooked. The production sounded like something from a DIY label in the 70’s. Potent firebrand punky riffs with CBGB vocals had me skipping that needle back to the start time and again.

In 2023 they return to us with their new album, Good Living Is Coming For You. Such a hopeful optimistic title, or is it a threat?? But who are Sweeping Promises?

“Sweeping Promises are Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug. A chance meeting in Arkansas led to a decade of playing in an eclectic assortment of projects together. Their relentless practice made perfect. Bass playing Lira is an emotive bolt of thunderous energy with the iconic blast of a girl group rolled into one robust throat. Caufield is an intentional guitar player and drummer. “

“Together they are meticulous sound engineers, using space as a key ingredient to their distinct sound. Controlling every aspect of their craft, from the first note they write together, all the way through to the final mastering process, each record is an unspoiled fingerprint unique to their dynamic chemistry.”

Let’s dive in and see what they have on offer for us.

We kick off with the lead single ‘Eraser’. Like their debut album we are off at pace. That punky spirit hasn’t faded between albums and has only intensified. Mondal almost spits out lyrics “She’s efficient, She’s so vicious”. The song sounds like an ode to that inner demon in all of us. The spiky guitar and modal synth now that trademark Sweeping Promises sound in full effect. It’s great opener and rings in the changes with an acapella intro.

‘Shadow Me’ however, is led by the bass intro into a twisted fifties style girl group pop song. This is totally new and highly effective. Mondal is on fine form vocally with Schnug supplying some neat riffs to mix things up. The hanging note to end the song I liked too.

It’s the turn of the title track next. Now this is something totally new. The drums pound out a slow march while the band hang their sparse melody in the spaces it provides. The guitars scream and wail while Mondal’s vocal adopts a guttural growl in places really making you sit up and pay attention. This is darker territory for the band but, my god, they are absolutely owning it.

The intriguingly titled ‘Connoisseur of Salt’ follows with a pacey delivery, Guitars give way to synths in the chorus sections allowing for a variety in tone and texture. Latterly what sounds like a saxophone is employed in a most unusual way. I normally find the saxophone a quite obnoxious sounding instrument, here it’s used like a guitar, playing a short riff. It’s really effective.

‘Walk in Place’ takes us to the disco. That discordant sax sound again being used as a texture rather than a noodle some lead instrument. There’s something optimistic about this track which makes it stand out from the dark tone set by the album so far. This is still Sweeping Promises but my how they’ve grown.

We’re back to that CBGB sound for ‘You Shatter’, the sparse sound they forged on Hunger For A Way Out now fatter, rounder and in sepia tones. I can visualise this as a soundtrack to a short detective movie. It’s no wonder they’ve chosen this as our second taster for the album.

It’s off on a musical tangent next with ‘Petit Four’. This album really keeps you on your toes. Whilst all the musical palate is familiar the band now take us into Europop with a slice of Teutonic whimsy. This is a gem of a track. Mondal really exploring every corner of this one and providing the phattest of basslines. This is going to be one to hear live!!

‘Can’t Hide It’ is reminiscent of early 80’s Specials at the start with the mono note delivery. This soon takes a widescreen stance as the guitars switch things up. Short stabbing riffs are the order of the day with the vocal harmonies in sympathetic response. For me this is the band at their most evolved. This feels like a band on album four or five.

‘Throw of the Dice’ seems to sense my enjoyment and throws another gorgeous pop melody my way. This is, again, a simplistic melody but it’s what this band does within the confines of these four chords that sets them apart. It could be the switch from the breathless delivery of the verses into the soaring chorus. It could be intricate guitar work playing of that potent bassline. Whatever it is, it’s got me smiling.

All too soon we’ve reached the final track. Is that ideal? ‘Ideal No’ is so much fun. You can hear how fun the band are having. It’s screaming from the speakers. The bass is skipping along while Mondal delivers an ecstatic vocal. Schnug knows that the vocal is core to this one so sits the synth and guitar neatly in those gaps. What a way to finish.

Sweeping Promises could so easily have delivered us Hunger For A Way Out 2. Instead, they have taken the space and time to really explore what they can do together with their instruments. I have no doubt that this is just the beginning of that evolution in their sound and we have a lot to look forward to in the future. But for now, let’s just enjoy these ten tracks and wonder at the musicians, the sonic sculptors whose art we adore.

Sweeping Promises release ‘Good Living Is Coming For You’ on vinyl, digital, CD and Tape, June 30th via Feel It Records and Sub Pop Records. You can also grab a copy from the groups Bandcamp page too.

Follow Sweeping Promises on social media here….

Baleen – Baleen EP

I’m always watching for my postman coming in case he’s bring me records. This week he had one from Massachusetts four-piece Baleen. Their self-titled ep landed on my doorstep courtesy of the band Gregg Bothwell – Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Michael Anctil – Drums, Katy Beyer – Vocals and Austin Hatch – Bass. I had been immediately floored by the opening track ‘Halfmoon’ and upon exploring the EP further I found a diverse range of sounds and textures throughout its six tracks. This band are off to an exciting start that bodes well for future releases. Let’s dive in and find out exactly why I think that.

As I mentioned, we kick off with ‘Halfmoon’. The intro smacks you about the face with its sheer power. Fans of Nothing will appreciate the dynamics of this one. Hushed vocals over gently picked guitars in the verses erupt into a ferocious wall of noise in the chorus. The descending chords into that chorus are a stroke of genius that lifts this track and excites our ears. The almost ambient final minute seals this as a song to remember.

‘Smokestack’ barrels onto the speakers next, all attitude and melody. The guitars here are superb, I mean all the guitars. Listen how the lead guitar gives way to the bass for a flourish or two. The expansive chorus evolving into that hooky riff that will have your toe tapping and head nodding along.

My weak spot in any shoegaze song is glide guitar, that skilful use of the vibrato arm on a guitar to create that weaving around a note sound that Kevin Shields pioneered all those years ago. On ‘Ocean Hue’ Baleen use it to genius effect, lending an otherworldly atmosphere before the song blossoms into this monster rock epic.

‘Whalebone’ next, is an ambient tone poem very much influenced by the band’s namesake. These could be whales talking through an eerie drone. It’s a refreshing palate cleanser before we move on.

The pace drops on the sunlight kissed ballad ‘For Age’. The band stretch their slowcore muscles and blend it seamlessly with their brand of shoegaze to create a unique and beguiling track. Things are no less intense or engaging because of this, far from it. It just shows that Baleen are no one trick pony.

As to make my point for me Baleen choose to close out the EP with a sumptuous piece of Midwest Emo, ‘High School’ blends the aesthetics of an American Football track with the whispered vocal shoegaze style. What a surefooted way to end this musical journey in Baleens world. A tip of the hat to their predecessors but making it something entirely new and all their own.

As someone who was around for the nineties and the birth of shoegaze and grunge, the Baleen EP is steeped in nostalgia. Whilst that longing is there it’s never clawing or derivative. Baleen simply make their references and go about their merry way, creating their versions of those sounds and moulding them into new and exciting melodies and soundscapes.  Isn’t that what great music is all about.

The Baleen EP is out now and is available digitally and on 12” vinyl from the Baleen Bandcamp page.

Follow Baleen on social media here…