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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
New Zealand-based artist Lukas Mayo has sought out the magic in the mundane for their latest album, Laundromat. Mayo crafts an engaging lo-fi bedroom pop sound that has drawn parallels with Sufjan Stevens, Grandaddy and Youth Lagoon among others. After the more elevated, cleaner sound of their previous albums, Mayo was keen to return to their musical roots in order to produce an album of songs that they were happy with. Here’s what Mayo has to say on that very subject.
“I felt that I couldn’t just follow my instincts anymore, I wanted to return to how I made music right at the very start. For it to be a daily practice I have to focus on what it is that I enjoy about it, I became really excited to make music for myself again––to just enjoy making music again.”
With a lot of the songs on the album clocking in at under two minutes it’s obvious Mayo has enjoyed not only the musicality of this process but also defining how long (or short) a good song can be.
All that said let’s drop the needle on this one and get exploring.
The album opens on the childlike lullaby of ‘Early Geometry’. The simple melody and stripped back instrumentation set the scene nicely for us. No chorus or verse is identifiable. This is simply a songwriter pouring their heart out into the music and letting it fall as it may.
That form continues into ‘In Good Health’. The opening gambit of “The last time you said I was wrong to bend my life around a song. I climbed inside a Higgs boson to cry” is just inspired writing. The melody perfectly encompassing the break up story, like an elongated haiku.
‘King of Joy’ is described as an introduction in reverse. It has that tick tock meter of a Postal Service song and evolves over its short run time into driven, chiming masterpiece.
The first of two lengthier tracks follows. ‘Head Terrarium’ is a song of two halves. It opens on a gentle stroll of a verse. The writers inner monologue laid bare in the lyrics. It’s only in the second half where we get to the root of our narrators’ insecurities. “Well, I’m not as pretty as I like. No, I’m not brilliant as I like”. Instantly identifiable and hugely engaging through its melodic joyous delivery.
‘Choruses’ is a conversation with a “Jonny”, an artist who writes enviable choruses. The effected vocal playing off the gently plucked banjo is a delight to listen to.
The conscious brevity continues with the bite sized ‘Computer Repair’. The tale of receiving a link to some online content with riveting comments beneath. Again, the banjo picks out the melody with stabbed strums accenting the changes. All whilst a wonderfully wonky keyboard motif wobbles away in the background.
It’s the turn of the title track next. The first hook of the album presents itself and, in that moment, you realise just how alien that concept feels. We’re now at the halfway point and Mayo is changing things up, introducing a new texture in a more distorted guitar (I think). But it is the song structure itself which marks this transition point. Up until now we have eschewed all form and pre conceived ideas, and got lost in it. This is so clever. It’s like they are saying, remember this is what you think a song should be like.
Which makes ‘Marcie’ all the more beautiful and special. The microcosm of the girl’s life encapsulated in these precious seconds. The musical accompaniment slightly baroque and perfectly sympathetic to the subject matter.
An ebullient and upbeat instrumental follows in ‘Kinds of Love’. It’s layered with a voice memo from Mayo’s friend Bedbug and coaxes a wry smile from the listener. I like to leave long messages for my friends too and can totally identify here.
The second of our longer form tracks arrives in the shape of ‘Invercargill Hotel’. In this song Mayo opts once again for that clockwork rhythm which is so affecting and effective in its role at moving the story along. I defy anyone not to well up when Mayo, in a moment of complete selflessness sings “I hope he makes you feel at home”. The flatline tone signalling the end of that relationship and the song.
‘Scared’ relaying that moment when our narrator loses their voice and “Can’t feel it in my throat”. For a performer that would be a scary moment and this artist just knew that capturing that emotion in a song would work.
The album closes on the second instrumental of the album. ‘More Kinds of Love’ is a fitting adieu. It’s structured like a fond farewell and features another voice memo, this time from Tony Stamp. It’s measured cadence and rhythm send us on our way sated and, if you are anything like me, back to the start of this wonderful album to listen again.
In Laundromat Mayo has created a collection of songs that draw the meaning and emotion from the minutiae. Songs now feels like a redundant term actually. We need a new word to describe what we have just experienced. This insight they have afforded us into their head and heart is both touching and uplifting and I feel much richer as a person for listening to it. This feels like it could change things. Let it change you.
Laundromat is out on 16th June 2023 on Father/Daughter Records. There are a couple of lovely vinyl variants to choose from as well as CD, cassette and digital options. You also find it over on the Pickle Darling Bandcamp page.
You can follow Pickle Darling on social media here…..
I’ve made no secret of the fact I love shoegaze music. What I love even more is when I hear someone take that genre I love so much and push and stretch it into new and exciting shapes. In the UK we’re lucky to have Matt Catling aka Under The Sun. Regular visitors to Static Sounds Club will know I covered Matts last release Ocean Breeze where I discovered its meditative beauty. Now he returns with a new EP called Robot World. Here’s what he has to say about his new release.
“Following from my last release “Ocean Breeze” I’m back with “Robot World.” This time mastered by Andrew Rose (Whimsical, Tears Run Rings & Monster Movie). The title track “Robot World” brings the dark atmospheric of post punk vocals with the political climate over the last three years alongside the filters of electronic beats like Trip Hop and the wall of shoegaze guitars into the surface with robotic spoken words.”
Sounds intriguing, let’s check it out!
The EP opens on the slow burn of the title track. The guitar work is subtle, dynamic and fluid. Nimbly filling the space around his hushed vocal delivery. The drums add an element of electronica which should clash but this works. Catlings ear for experimentation is finely tuned and you know he’s a safe pair of hands. This is densely textured shoegaze with a psychedelic edge teamed up with a dystopian political message at its core. The promo video illustrates this beautifully whilst demonstrating Catlings optimism too. No spoilers…
‘Abstract Art’ was originally released in demo form back in 2021. Now we are treated to a fully realised version. The guitars now headier and in your face whilst the vocals have a distant, yet vital role in the mix. The wall of beautiful noise is overwhelming and all-consuming and fans of the genre are going to eat this up.
Catling amps things up with ‘Submission’. I think this is his most experimental piece to date. This is extreme volume. Like a hurricane of guitars in your head. If you close your eyes and crank the volume in your headphones this becomes almost hypnotic and meditative. The guitars sound like they are being played with chainsaws at points. This is wholly intoxicating and I’m happy to go under.
The EP closes on sedately paced ‘Sunrise’. This song oozes warmth and comfort. The guitars are gentler than anything we’ve heard thus far. They ebb and flow, peeling back to reveal a hidden vocal every so often before swallowing it in their waves of distortion. It’s a psychedelic daydream and one you can get lost in.
Once again Under The Sun has produced a stunning release. It never fails to astonish me how shoegaze can morph and bend into something new but still recognisably shoegaze. Catling pulls this off with consummate ease on Robot World and has set the bar high for sonic experimenters everywhere.
Psychedelic dream weavers Thought Bubble are back with a new album. Weaving is the follow up to their 2022 release Nowhere and this time is being released through the ever-amazing Woodford Halse label. Thought Bubble, as you’ll remember, are keyboardist Chris Cordwell and percussionist Nick Raybould. They create a colourful soundscape based around luscious synth patterns and varied percussive instruments.
On Nowhere the band were processing the aftermath of Raybould’s lifesaving heart surgery. I asked the band what informed the recording of this set of songs.
“Some of these tracks were recorded during a very testing two-year period, where, despite living in fairly close proximity to each other in the Shropshire hills, we were separated by that original Covid-19 wave. And then, when one of us was diagnosed with something more serious, we had to resort to isolation for even longer.”
“This is another album created mainly via remote recording, from our own home studios. That’s when some of the darker and eccentric weaving patterns on these tracks presented themselves. Anyway, that’s more than enough explanation. The listener and their imagination should perhaps interpret these tracks beyond the starting point we have provided here.”
Its time to lie back, put the headphones on and let Thought Bubble take us away.
The album opens on the feedback squalls of ‘Plasma Playpen’. This cosmic shuffle takes us on a paranoid trip to the outermost corners of our imaginations. Like that episode of the X-Files that had nothing to do with aliens but some weird happening or other. It’s a great opener and sets us up nicely.
What do sounds do? ‘Sounds Affect’ is the answer and Thought Bubble are making their point well here. There’s a flavour of eastern promise and desert journeys at dusk. Raybould’s percussion and drumming driving us along on our way. Synth strings sweep us off our feet and excite our senses. This is a prime example of why I love this band. They vividly conjure images in your mind, and so readily too.
Flipping the story, in comes ‘Sloping’ an ambling giant with a mile wide stride. Cordwell is firmly in charge here and uses his synths to paint a sonic canvas so wide and deep it totally consumes you as a listener. Drums adding their punctuation to the story in a really sympathetic way. It really speaks to the unwritten communication these two guys have.
We head off into our dreams next with ‘Sound Asleep’, but it’s a restless slumber for us. That nervous twitch that’s part of the DNA of Thought Bubbles music captures our attention. The piano dances around us prodding and poking our senses. Making sure we’re still paying attention. Really clever stuff is this!!
‘200 Teeth’ harks back to Nowhere in its structure and tone. Guest guitarist Shaun Baily from ambient electronica outfit MonkeyTrial makes his triumphant return. He brings another texture to the album, a freedom that is the natural reflection of the boys locked tight tone.
Another collaborator paints his psychedelic flourishes on ‘Pondlife’. Sonic explorer Shankara Andy Bole brings his deft touches to the party and man, this track soars. It feels like a spaced-out raga or cosmic Bedouin band. Amongst all this there’s this almost p-funk bassline going on. How this all works together I don’t understand but it just does.
‘Adjust Your Soul’ introduces the golden tones of actress Julia Binns. This feels like an eighties style ballad but skewed through that anxious Thought Bubble lens. When the band pause to allow space to hear Binns voice for a moment its like they pull back the musical curtain, just for a second or two. It’s only momentary as we’re soon back into their many textured world.
The album closes on the two-part epic that is ‘Indelible’. The opening half has this call and response synth part that carries that trademark nervous energy. It’s a slow driven intro which makes the second half so impactful when it arrives. Drums and Bass in perfect sympatico, picking up the pace and morphing this track into something cosmically uplifting.
Thought Bubble are a one of those unique bands. You know it’s them after only hearing a few seconds of a track. Not many bands can claim that. Each album has transported me off in my imagination and had me smiling ear to ear and Weaving is no exception. I keep having to remind myself that this is only two guys! The broad sound stage they create is so impressive as it gives us so much to explore as listeners. If this is your introduction to the world of Thought Bubble then I envy you. You have the journey of a lifetime ahead of you.
Weaving will be released by Woodford Halse on 1stJune 2023 on cassette and digitally via their Bandcamp page.
You can follow Though Bubble on social media here……
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