Best Tracks Of The Month

TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 20 Best Tracks – Februrary 2023

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER on Spotify…

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TRACK BY TRACK

1. ‘Someone Up There’ by THE WAEVE (UK)

British duo THE WAEVE feat. Graham Coxon (Blur‘s guitarist) and songstress
Rose Elinor Dougall – launched their sterling self-titled album early February.

One of the highlights is this turbulent, riff-rotating and capricious groover
named Someone Up There that works as a mesmerizing magnet.

Touchdown!

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2. ‘Casting No Light’ by NOBLE ROT (Canada)

Clamorous frontman Alex Edkins of Canadian noise engine Metz and Graham Walsh, keyboardist of dance punks Holy Fuck, got together for a project of their own, named, Noble Rot. They have their debut ‘Heavenly Bodies, Repetition, Control.‘ out next month.

They just dropped first single Casting No Light. A motorik Krautrock-like mindfucker that circles around like forever, pushed by a pumping synth/drum/guitar riff-boom-beat that grows in hypnotic intensity along the way. Fucktastic!

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3. ‘Drum’ by YOUNG FATHERS (Scotland)

This Scottish dance-funk-punk trio is on an unstoppable roll. Their new, 3rd LP Heavy Heavy is a total triumph (Turn Up The Volume‘s Album of the Month) and their swirling concert in Antwerp (Belgium) blew the roof off the building.

One of the standout tracks on the album is Drum.
A flamboyant, head-over-heels stormer.

Vibe!

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4. ‘How To Replace It’ by dEUS (Belgium)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

The Belgian Gods released their new longplayer How To Replace It?,
their first in 10 years, a couple of weeks ago.

The title song is a phenomenal piece. A mid-tempo stunner, driven by big
drums and frontman Tom Barman‘s bewitching vocality. It advances with
swelling orchestration toward the grand symphonic climax.

Top!

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5. ‘Islands In The Sky’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles, CA)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

The amazing Los Angeles Amazons delivered their
best album (so far) Islands In The Sky only last Friday.

The title track is a blissful guitar-pop earworm that sticks from the get-go
with Bonnie Bloomgarden‘s spell-binding vocals inviting you to her island of joy.
I’m on my way. Join me.

You’re in charge of your perception of your life
You can choose what you keep
And what you leave behind

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6. ‘Heart On’ by 2LIBRAS (Seattle)

This Seattle-based Cyberpunk duo – Wesley and Jewels Foster – nailed it with this arousing mid-tempo, electro-drum-beat-driven knockout from their upcoming full length World’s End. It’s sexy, catchy, trippy, and makes your blood pumping through your heart.

Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus for the dancefloor.

Sonic sex.

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7. ‘Samo’ by A CERTAIN RATIO (Manchester, UK)


(Press credit)

Manchester’s vibrant dance legends A Certain Ratio
canned their 11th LP, named 1982. It lands at the end
of March.

Single SAMO is as funky as hell. Consult your doctor
if your limbs refuse to move to this nightclub corker.

Tune in.

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8. ‘Sinatra Drive Breakdown’ by YO LA TENGO (New Jersey)


(Press photo)

The imperishable indie veterans keep on doing what they do best,
releasing notable LPs, this time with fresh one titled This Stupid World.

Riveting psych-riff jam Sinatra Drive Breakdown
is the track I always go back to.

Here’s why.

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9. ‘Scatterbrain’ by FILIBUSTER (Belgium)

This Belgian 4-piece outfit is gearing up for their 2nd longplayer, baptized
Quiet Part Out Loud, out next month, on 15 March, via Fons Records and
Gazer Tapes.

Newest single Scatterbrain is a riff-roaring rocker that grows on your ears
with every spin. It has a moody, shoegazy resonance annex reflective vocals.
Striking stroke. Bring on the album.

Press play here.

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10. ‘What If?’ by QUIZ SHOW (US)


(Photo by Phil Silverberg)

This fresh high-energetic trio features members from
Shudder To Think, Guided By Voices and The Dambuilders.

Their self-titled debut LP will see the day of light on 17 March.

What If? is a freaked-out, riff-drunk sucker punch that could
easily come from a Hüsker Dü LP. Herky-jerky electricity with
a steamrollin’ sticky chorus. Wowzers.

Lit up here.


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11. ‘I Expire‘ by MALE TEARS (L.A.)

This dark-Goth-wave duo from the City of Angels look like vampires,
they sound like vampires and they fabricate vampirish stuff.

The torrid tandem unleash their
new album KRYPT on 28 April.

Ahead of the release, to get us in the right make-up mood, they hit us
with first single I Expire. A punked-up electro uppercut to set batcaves
on fire with. One listen and the brisk beats will haunt you all day long.

In the accompanying video, Male Tears get straight in
your scared face and suck you into their wicked world.

Roll the tape.

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12. ‘The Court’ by PETER GABRIEL (UK)


Press photo GB – FB

No retirement yet for the once-upon-a-time face/voice
of art-prog-rock titans Genesis. His 9th, solo album,
named i/o lands next month.

Newest single The Court is Gabriel trippin’ in synth-pop land.

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13. ‘Tiger Girl’ by TEROUZ (France)

Canadian pop noir artist Terouz, as I said before, has a midnight-hour voice, that resembles the tone and timbre of Tindersticks frontman Stuart Staples and The National‘s maestro Matt Berninger’s.

His new song is a groovy love-drunk gem featuring the sensuous voice
of his ex-partner. It gets under your skin from the kick-off. Two spins and
you’re hooked.

Beware, tiger girl is a femme fatale.


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14. ‘Death Beats’ by NECRØ (Lisboa, Portugal)

NECRØ is the latest project of Portuguese musician João Vairinhos
featuring idiosyncratic singer and keyboard player Sara Inglês,.

The title track of their 6-track EP Death Beats
is Turn Up The Volume‘s favorite.

A dark-techno-wave rumbling that stomps and whomps with intense
impetus doing your head in from the get-go. Doomed beats for twilight parties.
The tenebrous vibe at play here sends shivers down your spine, while Sara Inglês‘s
ghostly wailing is reminiscent of shadowy Siouxsie Sioux moments.

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15. ‘What A Day’ by THE MYSTERY PLAN (Charlotte, US)


(photo: Daniel Coston)

This Charlotte-based collective seduced my sensitive ears with the title track of
their 3-track EP What A Day. The harbinger for upcoming 7th LP ‘Haunted Organic Machines’.

Feel-good tunes like these are always welcome on my headphones. What A Day is
a breezy synth-scintillating vibration that triggers sensual body moves. Its featherlight tonality causes a dreamy state of mind with trancy tinglings. And when that sweet flute came on, I swear, I saw a Spring bird flutter in the blue sky.

Enjoy!

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16. ‘Lonely Town’ by GALEN & PAUL (UK)

Multi-instrumentalist and songstress GALEN AYERS and former The Clash
bassist PAUL SIMONON have a collaborative album, named Can We Do
Tomorrow Another Day? out on 19 May.

I’ll be a pretty special one as the pair wrote a collection of bilingual duets, with both of them singing in English and Spanish and explore a variety of European music cultures. First single Lonely Town is a sweet, little pop ditty. You can sing/hum/whistle along.

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17. ‘I Remember What You Said’ by Artist: DYAN VALDÉS (Cuban-American)


(Photo credit: Petra Valdimardottir)

This Cuban-American singer-songwriter, living in Berlin, played/plays
in several bands and works as a solo artist too and has now a new single
out, named I Remember What You Said.

It follows her last year’s excellent debut album Stand.

The pretty poppy song is about a nightmarish memory of a poisonous
relationship. With its agitated words-flowing drive it feels like Valdés
wants to wash away all the BS and move on. Mission accomplished.

Check it out.


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18. ‘Dust’ by SUMMIT OF THE BIG LOW (UK)

Summit Of The Big Low is the moniker of British musician Toby Uffindell-Phillips,
who was a member of the early 00s folktronica group Sound Sanctuary.

This new piece, from his self-titled album out on 19 May, is an affecting folk-pop reverie that streams as a brisk brook. Sparkling, crystal clear, and glimmering in the sun. Its wistful tone, smooth vocals, and frisky finger-picking guitar play combine for a sweet little pearl.

Stream/buy.


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19. ‘Prisoner’ by 7DESCENT (Nashville, TN)

This 4-piece from Nashville produces a mix of metal, opera & 80’s rock.

Their new single Prisoner is about being captured and trapped by someone’s love.
It’s a mid-tempo power ballad that slowly but surely infiltrates your ears with its
anthemic dynamics, impassioned vocals, and weeping guitars.

Play here.

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20. ‘Tongue Of Kalina’ EYEMOUTH (Sweden)

This musical project started in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2014 and presents a soundscape based on electronic backgrounds and a more classic rock instrumentation blended with mellotrons, vibraphone, santur, harmonium and other alluring sounding instruments. In short, atmospheric psychedelic darkness with occult undertones.

Eyemouth‘s new longplayer, titled A Headlong Fall Into The Vast Ocean Of Anxiety reverberates a cinematic synth soundtrack to an atmospheric, hallucinatory dream
movie yet to be made.

Closing track Tongue Of Kalina gives you a perfect idea of it.

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TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 20 Best Tracks Of January 2023

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER on Spotify…

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TRACK BY TRACK

1. ‘Crossing Guard’ by MODEL/ACTRIZ (Brooklyn, NY)

Wham bloody electro drone bam.
LCD Soundsystem-like rhythmics that
make your head spin uncontrollably.

A super-duper sucker-punch.
A kicks-ass knockout.

New album Dogsbody
is out on February 24.

Hit it!.

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2. ‘An Individual Soul’ by PRINCESS UGLY (Portland, Oregon)

This is a psychedelic, non-stop mindtwister. After a short shock intro, psychobilly
guitars take over and riff and roll all the way through, surrounded by darkwave synths.
Add Christopher-Rome’s creepy whispering and you’ll feel transported somewhere into a twilight zone where Goths party. Princess Ugly s ominous mind mystifies and the enigmatic she-devil in the video is a misleading character.

Save your soul, surrender.

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3. ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ by ULTRA SUNN (Brussels)

The rapturous chorus hits you from the first spin.
Its adrenalized vocals and entranced synths make
your head spin uncontrollably. Wham bloody bam.

Another booster, another upper, another triumph.

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4. ‘Leo With The Gun’ by CLARENCE & THE MODERN LIFE (London, UK)

Clarence: “On a trip in LA I saw a man walking down Hollywood boulevard passionately screaming at nothing. It felt like a metaphor for life. Being young and not feeling heard, being older and not necessarily wiser but still more confident for some reason. I guess it’s a bit ‘us against them’ lyrically, but also questioning how we decide who and what we listen to and
who we ignore”

Clarence (born Louis Matlock) says he finds inspiration with
Brit giants like Gorillaz, Jamie T, David Bowie, The Clash and Blur.

With this dynamic debut single he nails it big time. Once that bass strikes
your limbs feel that a groovy buzz and funky fuzz is coming. The ongoing,
repetitive cadence works like a mesmeric magnet. It wouldn’t be out of
place one of Beck‘s early records.

Check!

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5. ‘True Love Knows No Death’ by KELE (London, UK)

The frontman of British indie greats Bloc Party has his
new, 6th, solo LP titled The Flames Pt. 2 out on 24 March.

First single True Love Knows No Death is a nightclub
booster for Saturday Night Fever every day of the week.

Tune in.

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6. ‘Everybody’s Baby’ by MONTA (Kansas City)

The new cut by this post-punk electronic collective is a sickly
sticky dancefloor killer. It’s funky, it’s vibey and it’s sexy, spiced
with Mikal Shapiro‘s alluring vocality and some sparkling
guitar lines, and it goes on like forever. Glorious.

Touchdown.

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7. ‘UK Grim’ by SLEAFORD MODS (Notthingham, UK)

Jason Williamson: “Maybe we are proud of the country. Maybe we are proud to be English. Maybe I’m proud of the horrible grey streets and the shit weather and the stupid fashions I find myself investing in. It’s just that the English we’re proud of being is absolutely nothing like the English the authorities want to try and promote.”

First rap-punk bite and title track of their
new, 11th longplayer, out on 10 March.

Love the UK.
Fuck Putin.

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8.‘I Play My Bass Loud’ by GINA BIRCH (UK)

Birch is best known as the founder of feminist
post-punks The Raincoats (1977–1984, 1993–present).

She’ll release her debut full length
I Play My Bass Loud on 24 February.

The title track is one hell of a frisky reggae bass tune. Topnotch.

Birch: “It’s a celebration of the bass guitar as a voice, simple or layered, pounding or dancing or everything at once. The bass is sometimes assigned as a lesser instrument, and yet because of reggae and the creativity of a lot of women players, it has always been a creative and phenomenal instrument.”

Turn up the bass.

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9. ‘Ride On’ by THE NUDE PARTY (North-Carolina, US)

These smart-dressing cowboys unleash their
new, 3rd, LP baptized RIDE ON on 10 March.

The first taster Ride On rolls, rattles and rumbles, grooves and moves
as if The Velvet Underground went country rock. It’s a jangly earworm with
an easygoing flow.

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10. ‘Found’ by FUCKED UP (Toronto, Canada)

The hardcore veterans are quite busy lately. Last year
they released no less than 4 LPs centered around the
same theme Year Of The Horse and a couple of EPs.

And another new one, called One Day,
recorded in just, 24 hours landed last week.

My favorite whack is Found.
A rare, yes, catchy sledgehammer.

Scream along.


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11. ‘These Thrilling Lies’ by THESE THRILLING LIES… (Swansea, Wales)

Imagine John Bonham‘s ghost on drums, assisted by a wayward bassist,
a sultry 60s Hammond organ, psycho guitars, schizo synths and a demonic
vocalist, mixing prog-rock and garage punk into a messed-up rumpus to
scare corrupt politicians with. Sounds wicked, right? You bloody betcha.

And do I hear an Australian aboriginal playing didgeridoo in there?

Get puzzled.

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12. ‘Trippin’ by AUGUST GONZALEZ (Iowa, US)

Gonzalez mixes trap metal/pop punk/blended hip-hop
in an eyeblink. like here with this new barnstormer.

‘This was a song I wrote about 10-11 years ago about the first and
last time I tried acid. So I found out later on that the acid strip I took
was actually 10 hits of acid and I tripped for 14 hours so you can
imagine how scary it really was.’

If you dig new hip-metal-hop sensation Nova Twins
you’ will dig Gonzalez definitely too.

Trip here.

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13. ‘Truth Is The New Gold’ by FERAL FIVE (London, UK)

The electronic-pop duo release their long-awaited debut album
Truth Is The New Gold on 10 February via ethical independent
label Reckless Yes.

The title track is a kickback, de-stressing, mid-tempo ambient tune with a heartening effect. Smooth synth sparks, trance-inducing electro beats, combative guitars, and crystal vocals come all together in an easy-going and groovy way that creates a laidback feel for mind and soul. Golden thrill.

Enjoy.


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14. ‘Sometimes’ by WOLF MANHATTAN (New York City)

Wolf Manhattan is the alter-ego of musician, composer, producer and post-punk
electronic wizard João Vieira. A bedroom producer who lives alone above a local
shop in New York City, with his uncle’s record collection, a 4-track and a guitar from
the 50s that belonged to a well-known artist,

Last year he released his noteworthy,
infectious tunes-filled debut album.

Highlight Sometimes is representative of the longplayer.
A feel-good retro pop ditty, a lazy hum/whistle/sing-along
earworm to dream away to.

The song is now visualized in this new video clip.

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15. ‘Unlucky’ by SWAN HILL

It’s a fuzzy alt-rock band from Wales.
The Pixies, Weezer, and Pavement think
they’ve died and gone to Jazzmaster
heaven.

Unlucky has a slow-mo Dinsosaur Jr slacker vibe fueled
with glowing guitars. It has a slowly but surely addictive
impact after a couple of spins.

Feel lucky.

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16. ‘Johnny Was An Ocean Child’ by GOOD GOOD BLOOD (UK)

This is the project of British musician James Smith.
He’s also the founder of Fox Food Records.

He dropped a new track called Johnny Was An Ocean Child

On first hearing, my ears told me that Swedish pop collective I’m From Barcelona
are back in town with a new psych-pop choir chant. My ears were wrong regarding the performer/artist, but totally right about the instant aural impact of this far-out tune.

Roll it.


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17. ‘Barfight’ by CARBELLION (Winsconsin, US)

Barfighter is a monumental motherrocker of a roaring ripper. Like Deep Purple
on speed with Slash hooks and licks, John Bonham hammering his drums to pieces
and Ronnie James Dio screaming his lungs out. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but I bloody like it,
so does my banging head and my trembling ears. Hell yeah!

It’s the 2nd shared piece of their upcoming 2rd LP,
baptized Weapons Of Choice landing on March 17.

Damn it feels so good to be alive.

Holy smoke!

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18. ‘Thin Ice’ by LEATHERETTE (Italy)

“Musically, it’s a nervous mid-tempo post-punk-ska orchestral tune, sort of Talking Heads-esque. Lyrically, it is quite representative of our approach, both as people and as a band. An approach that can be summed up by the famous Winston Churchill’s quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. We learnt, as musicians and young adults, that things tend not to work properly way more often than they do. But it’s not a big deal, It’s actually what makes life, love and art
so special”.

TUTV: Mid-tempo razzle-dazzle groove you can show your best ska moves to.

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19. Panikuluk by QATTTU ((pronounced “KAT-suu”)

She’s a singer, throat singer, songwriter, performing artist, and
experimental Indigenous expressionist, originally from Pangnirtung,
Nunavut, currently living in Ottawa, Ontario.

Panikuluk a mid-tempo moving love song from a mother written for her little daughter. Inuit drums beat like a vivid heart with a mesmerizing and dreamy slo-mo pace while Qattuu throat vocals create a both, otherworldly and spiritual ambiance. A truly special performance and a wonderful way to express motherly love for your child.

Enjoy here.

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20. ‘Nadia’ by IAN ARDEN (Toronto, Canada)

Arden wrote Nadia it one emotional and traumatic night. It’s a compassionate and concerned plea to someone close to him who had been suffering for way too long.

Nadia resonates like a yearning mantra, especially on the captivating chorus,
sending shivers down your spine. This heart-rending contemplation balances between
fear and hope, between pain and content, but in the end there’s faith in the future. Arden‘s sensitive and tender voice stands out and feels so natural for romantic reveries like these.

The video features footage of a historic speech by former US president,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was meant to console America and the world
during the Great Depression. Spine-chilling.

Enchanting.

20 BEST TRACKS For NOVEMBER 2022 Picked By TURN UP THE VOLUME

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings

All 20 on Spotify

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Track by Track

Stoogefather IGGY POP still wants to be your dog.
Next January he launches a new album, named Every Loser.

First lead single FRENZY is a motherfucker of a punk bomb
featuring an all-star band including Watt, Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff
McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith.

I’m in a frenzy
Fucking prick
I’m in a frenzy
Goddamn dick

Turn it up!

IGGY POP: Facebook – Instagram
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Last April grime-rape/punk-rock duo BOB VYLAN caused noisy waves
with their second longplayer Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life

But they’re not done yet this year. They teamed up with Laurie Vincent
of London‘s punk duo Slaves for a brand new hammer blow called
THE DELICATE NATURE

It goes like this…

BOB VYLAN: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: DEAD PATRONS
Who: British noise trio

Debut single: LOVER

Both a gloomy and foot-tapping drum/bass are the backbone of this ominous post-punk stroke. Haunting guitar layers inject this jaw-dropper with edgy electricity, grim vocals add a kind of dark tension, while the sickly catchy groove rattles on and on, before a surprising finish with a weeping violin.

The video features the English comedian Sean Walsh in a much darker tone than his usual TV appearances, as he is seen battling his inner demons through the bottom of a whisky bottle.

DEAD PATRONS: Facebook
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Band: ULTRA SUNN
Who: Cold/darkwave duo – Sam Huge
and Gaelle Souflet – from Brussels

New single: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT

Turn Up The Volume: Can you believe this? Even before the music comes
on I’m already moving furniture to make room, because with ULTRA SUNN
it’s always shake your booty time.

The tantalizing combination of boosting beats, shadowplay sound textures,
reverberant vocals, and a pumping chorus at work here, attract you to act the
whole way through. Just irresistible. With ambitious artists like ULTRA SUNN
darkwave music will never age.

Dance into the night here…

ULTRA SUNN: Facebook – Instagram
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Toronto label We Are Bodies releases Remix The Universe on 27 January 2023.
It’s a compilation of new perspectives on The Upsetter’s final collaborative LP, 2021’s acclaimed Lee “Scratch Perry’s Guide To The Universe by NEW AGE DOOM.

First taster LIFE IS AN EXPERIMENT (Cloud Climber Version) is vintage dub electronica honoring Lee “Scratch” Pery wonderfully. The Jamaican dub music pioneer who gave reggae another vibe with his revolutionary studio wizardry and visionary production technics. He passed away last year, aged 85. R.I.P.

Hear the ghost of Perry at work…

NEW AGE DOOM: Website
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(Keira-Anee Photography)

Band: BUGEYE
Who: Female pop quartet from London blending cherry-liqueur lyrics,
bubblegum-kneecap bass electrics, goth-heavy drum compactions and
hi-rise guitar sculptures.

New single: SIGNS & EXIT

Middle-finger to bullies. Stay home, dress funky, paint yourself up,
turn up Bugeye, pirouette yourself in a trance and let the sweat flow.

The clip is directed by Laura Jean Marsh and inspired by psychological
drama movie We Need to Talk About Kevin from 2011.

Watch it here…

BUGEYE: Facebook – Instagram
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Swedish electro-pop artist FEVER RAY (born Karin Elisabeth Dreijer, 47 years ago)
canned her 3rd album and named it RADICAL ROMANTICS. It comes out on
10 March 2023. More info here.

Spicy taster CARBON DIOXIDE is an edgy
Björk-esque disco-pop stomper. Bingo!

Tune in.

FEVER RAY: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: MEMES
Who: A noisy Glasgow duo (cousins) called John and Paul – not that John and Paul, obviously. And as band name John Paul II would be ridiculous, they called themselves Memes, and hit the scene in 2019, and have been twisting heads ever since

New single: LEADER

After their eponymous bonkers debut EP (2020) followed by some staggering singles,
the high-decibels tandem nail it with another sucker punch. Leader is a funk-punk riff ripsnorter that kicks forth and back before a freakish guitar outbreak slashes and
trashes its way to the end.

Watch out for the pigman,
he looks like a meme in disguise…

MEMES: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

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(photo by Turn Up The Volume)

DEATH VALLEY GIRLS, the garage rock fury from Los Angeles, led by vocalist/guitarist/organist and charismatic voodoo doll Bonnie Bloomgarden,
who love to doom boogie while glowing in the dark, have their new – 5th – album,
baptized ISLANDS IN THE SKY out on 24 February 2023. Pre-order info here.

Along with the great news, DVG spoil our ears with the first single WHAT ARE THE ODDS.
It’s a ridiculously sticky juiced-up power-pop chant triggering your limbs to get up and move. And when the under the spell of joy choir joins Bonnie Bloomgarden on the elated chorus you just feel that the odds are huge for the simulated Californian girls having another top album are huge. Fact!

We are living in a simulated world
And we are simulated girls!

Stream/buy
the track here…


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DVG: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: CROSS WIRES
Who: fervid post-punk 4-piece
from Romford, UK.

Single: MOURNING
The first piece of the band’s
upcoming second longplayer.

TUTV: Great news for all Cross Wires fans, including myself, out there.
Their 2nd album is finished/recorded and ready to leave its vault early
next year through Culture Wars Records. It follows the band’s album
A Life Extinct. One of the most poignant debut records of 2019.

Lead single. Mourning is not a happy story. It’s a post-break-up cry out,
a cathartic shout out. Sixties psychedelic-sounding wah-wah guitar fuzz,
alternated with cutting six-string fervor stoke up the energy of this crackerjack
all the way, along with a steadfast drum/bass tandem, and back up frontman
Jonathan Chapman‘s harrowing confession of lovesickness.

Press play here…


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CROSS WIRES: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: JUSTINE PAYNE & CO.
Who: Musician, composer and performer, describing himself
as a “natural born underdog.” With over 15 years of experience
in the industry

Track: TOGETHER AS ONE

Payne describes how his life is changing throughout the song, but no amount
of fame or distraction could deviate him from the one he loves. The tender lyrics
contrast in the baddest way possible with Justine‘s gritty delivery.

TUTV: Expect a slow-burning slacker cracker with poignant Dinosaur Jr echoes and
garage rock reverberation stoked up by cranked-up guitars. As the song progresses
Payne spellbinding voice takes over. Breathtaking.

Get puzzled.

JUSTIN PAYNE & CO: Facebook – Instagram
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NOEL GALLAGHER and his HIGH FLYING BIRDS
return with a new single, titled PRETTY BOY.

A speedy psych roller featuring guitar lines from Johnny Marr.
The song is the first piece The Chief shared from a new album
coming next year. Details follow later.

Gallagher: “For this new record it was the first thing I wrote, the first thing I demoed and the first thing I finished, so it’s only right that it’s the first thing people get to hear. Massive shout out to my mainest man Johnny Marr for taking it somewhere special. Oh… and watch out for a cameo from me in the video… first one to spot me wins a bag of Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Giants!!”

Music, maestro, please…

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: VAZUM (Detroit, Michigan)

Who: Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm. The project started in 2017.
They describe their sound as deathgaze, combining the raw energy
of deathrock with the depth of shoegaze. So far the duo released
four albums and a handful of singles and EPs.

New single: THE PRECIOUS ONES

TUTV: Vazum ventilate their anger versus the money-greedy corporate music industry
with this brutal straightforward shocker generating a wall-of-fuck-the-elite-labels sound that bulldozes its way on repeat with schizo guitars, a non-stop spiteful rant and Emily Sturm‘s freakish backing vocals. Bang-on!

Buy/stream here…


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VAZUM: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: ONISM E
Who: Committed indie quartet based in New York, fronted
by wholehearted singer/songwriter Eline Chavez

New single: IT’S NOT OVER.

Lyrically and sonically it follows Lin Manuel closely. Lyrical guitar play
stars along Chavez‘s fervid soul/blues voice. She still has hope for the
future. No, it’s not over yet.

Onism E are survivors.
No doubt about that.

Listen.

ONISM E: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


(Photo credit: Keira Anee)

Artists: FERAL FIVE
Who: Electro-punk dance music duo – Kat and Drew Five – from London
with bite, fusing snarling guitars, sparkling synths, and ferocious beats.

Single: GOLDEN RULE
Fresh piece from their long-awaited debut album, named
The New Truth Is Gold out on 10 February 2023 through
Reckless Yes.

FF: “‘The golden rule is people come together. This is a shimmering
anthem of renewal, and a clarion call for people to come together.”

TUTV: Golden Rule is a desirous pick-me-up pop tune. Airy, breezy, instantly catching and an invitation to get together in these troublous times. Kat Five‘s vocals float all over this romantic reflection and glossy synths sparkle throughout. The most notable component, to my ears, of this new piece, is the distinctive Cure-like guitar sonority. Feverish, shadowy and arresting. Pretty cool. Bring on the album FF.


.

FERAL FIVE: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: VOGUE VILLAINS
Who: A hard-rocking alternative band from Vancouver Island, Canada with a musical foundation planted firmly in catchy melodies and multipart harmonies. Set on making music that feels unique, yet unafraid to wear the boys many influences on their sleeves, this powerhouse of a band has created a sound that is undeniably and unmistakably VV.

New single: WRONG SIDE OF THE MIDNIGHT

TUTV: Hells bells! This nasty motherrocker of a hammer blow speeds up your adrenalin machine from the kick-off. VV mix blues rock, classic rock and hard rock seamlessly into a red-hot-blooded wall-of-riff-sick sound. A boiling mishmash of intimidating guitars, a powerhouse rhythm section, a Herculean chorus, boogie-woogie flashes and vociferous vocals is what your stereo speakers will spit out. Just what you need to bang your head against a wall. Hells bell, indeed.

Here come the bloodthirsty villains…

.
VV: Instagram – Facebook
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Band: TAPE TRASH
Who: This new duo project draw inspiration from the music they listened to when
they first picked up their instruments as enthusiastic teenagers: Indie rock induced with infectious choruses, catchy guitar riffs, and huge drums. After an involuntary break due to the corona epidemic, they have spent the past year working on their debut album.

Single: OLD HIGHS
2nd piece, following lead-single Not Going Home,
from their upcoming debut longplayer

TUTV: Expect a multi-layered, towering and schizophrenic wall-of-guitar-electricity propelled by a pushing rhythm section. When they take the decibels a bit down it’s
only a foreplay moment for a stormy finale. Breathtaking stroke!

Check it out.

TAPE TRASH: Facebook – Instagram
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(Photo: Josh Cohen and Max Marren)

Band: SUEP
Who: A stubbornly high-spirited combo creating oddball music with
a touch of theatrical storytelling. Fronted by Georgie Stott (Porridge Radio,
Garden Centre, The GN Band) and Brain Wastefield. SUEP is born out of a
near-decade of wearing silly clothes and deconstructing pop together.

News single: IN GOOD HEALTH

TUTV: I love the vivid vibe here. In Good Health resonates like a comforting chant with friends, hand in hand, taking care of each other. It’s a frisky tune that plays instantly on your inner stereo in your head. It’s an all-together ditty that puts a big smile on your face.

More of that is expected when SUEP release their debut album, named Shop,
It lands on 27th January 2023 via Memorials Of Distinction.

Listen/watch and feel in good health…

SUEB: Twitter – Instagram
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Band: THE SHORT CAUSEWAY
Who: Three young indies from
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, UK

Debut single: TRIPPING DOWN THE STAIRS

TUTV: Both wayward and playful. I hear early Talking Heads guitars, vibes
from Manchester’s legendary Factory Records (A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column,
Section 25) and also from Welsh daydreamers Young Marble Giants (1978-1982).
All indie music that never ages and still is around today.

The Short Causeway are a notable 2022 example. They zig-zag their way through
this debut single with capricious tempo changes, with glimmering guitar sparks,
breezy melodiousness, and moony vocals. Welcome!

Tune in.

.
THE SHORT CAUSEWAY: Facebook – Twitter
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American nightdreamer GREG GONZALEZ and his combo
CIGARETTES AFTER SEX shared their first piece of new music
in over two years.

PISTOL brings together all of the elements that have made CAS such a celebrated band, while also introducing a subtle yet impactful increase in tempo. Equal parts transportive and romantic, the song’s driving rhythm meets a stark, minimalistic atmosphere that is given dimension by dreamy, washed-out guitars, swelling synths, and intimate, yearning vocals from Greg Gonzalez.

Listen/buy here…
Lit a candlelight
and listen…


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CAS: Facebook – Instagram

20 BEST TRACKS OCTOBER 2022

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings

All 20 on Spotify

.
Track by Track

Blood-tingling Scottish dance-funk-punk trio YOUNG FATHERS
have their new, 5th LP, called Heavy Heavy out on 3 February 2023.

Sickly sticking stunner I SAW. is the first taster.
I added this spicy scream-along earworm to
my best-tracks-of-2022 list.

Touchdown!

YOUNG FATHERS: Facebook – Instagram

Finally back on track. James Murphy and his musical vehicle LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
are part of the soundtrack of the movie White Noise based on the 1985 novel by
American author Don DeLillo.

LCD Soundsytem still sounds like LC Soundsystem. New track NEW BODY RHUMBA
has that familiar hypnotic and groovy speed-up rhythm propelled by a steady bass riff, guitars popping up now and then and Murphy singing with his characteristic, nervous voice.

Catch the catchy vibes.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM: Facebook – Instagram

Band: DECIUS (UK)
Who: Members of Trashmouth Records, Fat White Family (frontman Lias Saoudi)
& Paranoid London finding themselves climbing out of a hole together at a disco
after hours.

Single: SHOW ME NO TEARS

Put up your make-up and shake
your booty to the techno beat.

DECIUS: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Last month dark-Goth-wave artist Raymond Watts aka PIG
unleashed his gloom and doom album The Merciless Light
.

Hammering brainbreaker THE DARK ROOM is one
of the many highlights on Turn Up The Volume‘s album
of the month.

Let’s roll…

PIG: Facebook – Instagram – Spotify
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Band: GLYTSH
Who: 2 seasoned female musicians from the London music scene.
They mix their love for metal music with their passion for dark and
haunting sonic soundscapes and visuals.

Single: SAV@GE

Want some references: Ho99o9, Skunk Anansie, Nova Twins. Fucking cool, right?
You betcha. Sav@ge is a badass piece, a metal beast. Hell bloody hell yeah!

GLYTSH: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: THE BYKER GROVE FAN CLUB
Who: Ponderous post-punk three-piece from the UK.

I heard and watched this British post-hardcore bulldozer play
in Antwerp, Belgium recently. They blew my mind and turned
me into an instant fan. What a find.

Here’s why…


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T.B.G.F.C: Facebook – Instagram – Spotify
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(photo by Niklas Hawkesworth)

Band: RED LAMA
Who: Formed by five friends from Svendborg, Denmark in 2011. Since then, the sextet has been refining their unique take on psych rock, music for the inner journey, carried forward by melody, groove and soundscapes exploding in grand crescendos.

Single: CHAOS IS THE PLAN
Third shared track from the upcoming new
album – their 3rd – Memory Terrain, landing
on 4 November.

Expect a hypnotic and magnetic psych jam moving
hauntingly, propelled by a groovy bass riff, sinister
synth layers, weeping guitars and emotive vocals.

Grand score!


.
RED LAMA: Facebook – Instagram
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(Credit: Luci Lux, Chiara-Meattelli & Dominic Lee)

Band: THE PULL OF AUTUMN
Who: The art-rock collective of Rhode Island musician Daniel Darrow,
from 80s post-punk group Johanna’s House Of Glamour. working
constantly with other notable artists

New album – the 4th – Beautiful Broken World is a 15-track
undertaking that involves a number of experienced musicians.
It arrives on 18 November. Pre-order info here

The first single, named OUTLAW EMPIRE grooves and moves with Massive Attack‘s
trip-hop swagger, spacey reverberance, and a mesmeric, ongoing dub rotation. If you were/are a Pop Group fan you’ll recognize Maffia Godfather Mark Stewart‘s voice from
the first note.

It’s a beautiful swing-and-sway activator
for a broken world, as we know it.

Stream/buy here.


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THE PULL OF AUTUMN/RBM Records: Facebook
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(Press photo via C & The R)

Scottish post-hardcore punk and tattoo artist FRANK CARTER
and his RATTLESNAKES had their 4th longplayer Sticky out last year
(Carter also released 3 albums with his first band Gallows and 1 under
the moniker of Pure Love)

For new single THE DRUGS Carter invited his friend Jamie T to the studio.

An anti-drugs slam.
A nasty rant. Holy cow.

FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES: Facebook – Instagram
________________________________________________________________________________________________


Artist: HANG LINTON
Who: British musician, visual artist, filmmaker
and avant-funk enchanter based in Berlin.

Debut single: SALE feat. LeBron Aggressive

TUTV: This funky hip-hop uplift does what great hip-hop vibes do. Having
a prompt impact on your hips’ movements that in turn activate your whole
body’s spryness. Think of rap hero Roots Manuva‘s flamboyant flow.

SALE is for sale, go get it.


.

HANG LINTON: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: BUGEYE
Who: Female pop quartet from London blending cherry-liqueur lyrics, bubblegum-kneecap bass electrics, goth-heavy drum compactions & hi-rise guitar sculptures.

Single: SUMMER IN THE CITY
“A song that explores the highs and lows and stories of life in the city. From feeling like you’re winning in life, to turning a corner to tensions and violence, to dating app cringeworthy dating experiences and the death of David Bowie. It is a playful song that highlights our fickle nature and our scrolling boredom obsession.”

Time flies. It’s already 2 years since these 4 colorful Amazons had their swinging
dance-punk debut LP Ready Steady Bang out. But the wait is over with this new
firecracker. It’s sexy bugglegum pop, it’s groovy electro-funk, it’s effervescent fun.

Helloooo!


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BUGEYE: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: PAISLEY PARC
Who: Robust rockers from
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales

Single: COMPLICATED

“The song captures the frustrations of people across the globe as we all try to make
sense of our new emerging world following the pandemic and the economic mayhem
it has created.”

This Welsh turbo bring their celebrated countrymen Stereophonics to mind here, but
with three guitarists, a John Bonham drummer and a red-hot-blooded vocalist who’s alarming voice fits the confusing times we live in. Wowzers!

“Don’t call the doctor he won’t save you tonight”

.
PAISLEY PARC: Facebook – Instagram
______________________________________________________________________________________________


(Press photo via YYYs)

Band: YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Who: Pop/rock trio from New York
fronted by the gorgeous Karen O
Active: Since 20000 / 6th LP (new one incl.)

Their new album Cool It Down – first in 9 years – is out now.
The title is taken from the Velvet Underground song of the same name
from their 1970 LP Loaded.

YYYs burn again…

YYYs: Facebook
______________________________________________________________________________________________


(Photo by Rose Dekker)

Band: BLACK NITE CRASH
Who: A psych collective started by Jim Biggs (vocals, guitar) twenty years ago
in Seattle Washington. The band had more than 30 members over the years.

They just released a new full length, baptized Washed In The Sound
Of Black Nite Crash, the band’s fifth. A must hear psychedelic journey.

Opener THE TAKE sets the tone for the full remarkable longplayer.
Influences by masters of the genre such as jangly hero Anton Newcombe
and his Brianjones Town Massacre gang, The Black Angels, and Heart
are all around.

Top stuff!

BLACK NITE CRASH: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

KAT KOAN is a Berlin-based artist with a passion for expressing intense emotions through music and visuals. With her Belgian musical partner Raymond Rose she canned her second album Coccoon and released it on 7 October.

A sonically versatile and compelling record with Koan speaking and singing
her mind and her heart out. Think Garbage‘s charismatic lady Shirly Manson.

One of my fav tracks is this moody pearl titled STAY
featuring Freddie Dickson and her band The Lost Souls.

KAT KOAN: Website – Instagram – Linktree
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: CMON CMON
Who: Indie rock trio from Belgium, signed by renowned manager
Stephen Budd (Gang Of Four, Heaven 17, The Magic Numbers)

Single: SAY WHAT IT MEANS
From their new self-titled debut EP.

The jangly guitars and the glossy resonance of R.E.M. and Teenage Fanclub are obvious,
but my ears also detect the slacker rock mood of Dinosaur Jr. ‘Say What It Means’ is an
ideal post-summer musing for grey Autumn days for confused and vulnerable souls.

Listen/watch

CMON CMON: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________


(Photo by Jeremy McGuire)

Band: MIKE & THE NERVE
Who: A Florida-based folk punk band.

Debut single: CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER

Mike Llerena (vocalist/songwriter) “This song is our love letter to The Fest, a punk rock festival held in Gainesville every year during Halloween weekend. I’ve attended, volunteered, and/or played at Fest almost every year for the past decade and I’ve made a lot of great friendships and memories because of it.”

Melancholia on Halloween? Why not? When it sounds moony, warm
and romantic as Christmas In October does I’m all ears. So should you.

.
MIKE & THE NERVE: Facebook – Instagram
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No retirement for 80-year-old JOHN CALE.

The Welsh icon will release his 17th solo longplayer, titled Mercy
on 20 January 2023 via Double Six/Domino.

Single NIGHT CRAWLING was written with David Bowie in mind when
both had fun in New York City in the 70s. It’s a synth-trippy and chilling
reflection.

Watch/listen here.

JOHN CALE: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: MODERN STARS
Who: Spacey shoegazers from Italy. Their work is loaded with stringed
and electronic sounds laid down through a multilayering approach that
has more in common with Indian traditional music and Techno,

Single: DROWNING
New piece from the trio’s upcoming third album,
named Space Trips For The Masses.

If I tell you that my ears here echoes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre
and The Black Angels on Drowning you know that you’ll enter a dark space
with enigmatic, psychedelic encounters.

Roll the tape and get puzzled…

MODERN STARS: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: USE KNIFE
Who: Started as a Belgian duo – Stef Heeren and Kwinten Mordijck – born out of the mutual love for analog and modular electronic machinery. They explore and express hallucinatory freethinking visions to contemporary living. Iraqi artist Saif Al-Qaissy recently joined the duo, making a trio now.

Track: TO FEED THE GENTRY

A spectacular ambient jam from their spectacular debut album The Shedding Of Skin.
An intriguing and fascinating piece featuring Iraqi, Brussels-based artist Saif Al-Qaissy
adding Eastern vibes.

Press play here…

.
USE KNIFE: Facebook

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS Of The Month – AUGUST 2022

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings

All 20 on Spotify.

.
TRACK BY TRACK

Band: GILLA BAND
Who: Raw Irish post-punk projectile
New album: Most Normal,
their third, out on out 7th October.

Dara Kiely (frontman man): “The lyrics are from a stream of consciousness rant, weird imagery and all that. The track is about attraction – fancying someone and not knowing what to say exactly. It’s an indirect love song, knowing you like someone but can’t quite articulate it.”

Single: BACKWASH

No brakes, no breaks. Always forward.
The Irishmen rock big time. Bang-on.

GILLA BAND: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: MUSE
Active: Since 1994 / 9 LPs (new one included)
New Album: WILL OF THE PEOPLE, released 26 August.

Single: WILL OF THE PEOPLE

This is Muse turning up the decibels. Giant gem.

MUSE: Facebook – All Albums
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: SUEDE
Who: Britpop champions from London
Active: 1989–2003, 2010–present
9 longpayers so far (new one included)

New album: AUTOFICTION
Out: 16 September

15 Again is 90s Suede.
Epic. Monumental. Glamtastic.

Tune in and feel young again.

SUEDE: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Artist: BUZZKILL JOY
Who: A genre-fluid punk in pink from the North of England
who always aims to energise, inspire and surprise.

New single: LEHMAN WEEKEND

It follows the character of Billy as he loses his job, his house, his wife and kids, and ultimately maybe his life. After pursuing everything at all costs, we follow Lehman brother’s banker Billy as he chronologically loses everything throughout the worst day of his life, after the bank collapses and everything just keeps going wrong.

Be ready to jump up and down, left and right. This not-so-happy song sounds terrifically happy. A riveting pop tune that could come straight from a Yungblud album. If this devil-may-care earworm doesn’t make you go gaga I don’t know what will.

Volume to max.

.
BUZZKILL JOY: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: THE BANKROBBER
Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
brother ad sister Giacomo and
Maddalena Oberti‘.

New single: HATE ME
From their new, second full-length Lighters and Lovers
arriving on 23 September.

New single: HATE ME

Turned-on guitars and Oberti‘s quick-fire vocals – on the cracking
chorus he goes as fast as a rapper – inflame this straightforward
standout. From bankrobber to bankrocker.

Fantastico!

THE BANKROBBER: Twitter – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


(photo by Sandra Ebert)

Band: MODERN WOMAN
Who: London-based act that began as the songwriting project of Sophie Harris.
The band’s music, still based around Harris’ songwriting, explores a diverse range
of sounds drawing from their melting pot of influences.

New single: FORD

Following their splendid 2021 debut EP Dogs Fight In My Dream these up-and-coming gunslingers score again with their new sassy bass/drums motorized and guitar-spiced stunner, extra energized with Sophie Harris‘s clear-cut vocals and a schizo finish. They should get the same attention as Liverpool‘s sensation The Mysterines. NOW!

MODERN WOMAN: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: THE KILLERS (Los Angeles)
Active: Since 2001 / 7 studio albums

New single: BOY.

Brando Flowers (frontman): With ‘boy’, I want to reach out and tell
myself, and my sons, to not overthink it. And to look for the ‘white arrows’
in their lives. For me now, white arrows are my wife, children, my songs
and the stage.”

The tunesmiths experts do what do best, writing
lyrical anthems for huge stadiums.

Boy, oh boy.

THE KILLERS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Artist: WHERE WE SLEEP (London, UK)
Who: Alter ego of Beth Rettig, former
front force of electro-rock band Blindness

New single: BROKEN BONES

It follows the ambient 5-track EP Experiments In The Dark (2019)
and soul-stirring debut album The Scars They Leave (2021)

This slow-mo reflection on personal turmoil is driven by an ongoing bass-riff that got under my skin and kept on rotating in my head after just one spin. And when Rettig adds psychedelic guitar pizazz and flashy fingertip touches, the bone-chilling progression gets even more poignant. Her shadowy vocality seduces once again. To hypnotise, magnetise and mesmesize are familiar Where We Sleep characteristics I never get tired of.

Broken Bones is a triumph in sound and vision.

Listen/watch

WHERE WE SLEEP: Buy on Bandcamp – Instagram – Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Artist: MEAGN THEE STALLION
Who: R & B rapper born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete,
27 years ago Megan Jovon Ruth Pete
New album: Traumatize – her 2nd one

Track: HER

MTS is a non-stop word waterfall embedding her stories
in bulletproof disco stompers like she does it here.

Roll the tape and dance.

MEGAN THE STALLION: Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


(Photo by Kris Parenti)

Band: ULTRA SUNN
Who: Cold/darkwave duo – Sam Huge and
Gaelle Souflet – from Brussels

New single: THE SPEED
B-side: Out Of The Cage

With The Speed this Belgian darkwave duo invites you once more to get off your
lazy couch, to dress black and head to the nightclub where they are waiting
to make your booty shake to their ghostly bass synth riffs. Nirvana guaranteed.

Here’s why.

.
ULTRA SUNN: Facebook – Instagram
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Artist: JODIE LANGFORD
Who: A swirling wordsmith from
the Hull / East Yorkshire area.

New single: HOW IT IS feat. Marx

Jodie: “How It Is, the recurring tale of getting messy with your mates to escape from the standard 9 to 5 working life. This track celebrates the poor life choices made after deciding to go for a drink with your friends/colleagues and the chaos and amusement experienced along the way. “

It’s only Langford‘s third single.

This new one is a brisk clap-along groover with an instantaneous swaying
impact on your hips. Could be the ideal remedy when trying to get out of bed after
a 48-hour weekend revelry and shake your hangover off. Sheeny synths, hip-hopper
Marx‘s jaunty contribution, and the zestful chorus, it all comes together seamlessly.

A hattrick! Let’s drink to that.


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JODIE LANGFORD: Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: TUHAF (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Who: The fusion of different types of musicians and all kinds of genres
– Anatolian folk, indie rock, free jazz, Danish traditional songs and US
roots rock – wondrously merges into the sound of TUHAF. The band is
fronted by Turkish-born singer Berrin Bas.

New single: HAFLA
From their debut album ‘Mere Guld’,
out this Friday.

Berrin: “‘Hafla’ is about celebrating oneself. It is dedicated to
Bicop (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and everybody
can join the party.”

Hafla is a sensual groove with an exotic Eastern vibe. Its ongoing vibe
gets you, slowly but surely, into an elevating trance, while Berrin Bas‘s
vocals add a mesmerizing touch that works as a magnet.

Everybody is invited to Tuhaf‘s politically progressive party to celebrate
diversity with them. Music has the power to unite people. We all should
use that power to get together and respect each other as humans without
any kind of discrimination. Tolerance of diversity is the one and only key
to live together, side by side.

The marvelous black & white video will help
you to get in the right mood to dance…

TUHAF: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: BURN THE LOUVRE
Who: The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone

New single: HEY STACEY

Jordan Speare: I wrote “Hey Stacey” for a friend of mine named Stacey, who also just
so happens to be one of the best people I’ve ever met. I remember when we first met, she
had mentioned how she hated whenever she’d meet new people, they would always make
a reference to that Fountains Of Wayne song “Stacy’s Mom” – she would joke: “it’s not funny
and my name isn’t even spelled that way!” I thought that was hilarious, so I wrote this song especially for her, with her name spelled correctly, of course.

Jingle jangle pop at its exciting best. Hey Stacey is a steamy swinger with all
cylinders rollin’ all the way. It’s sticky as first-class glue and you can sing
the chorus to your lover.

Check the vibe.


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BURN THE LOUVRE: Facebook
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Band: THE ZINVANDELS
Who: 4 uproarious rockers from Wales

New single: BLACKHOLES
Their sixth one. A statement of intent
ahead of their debut LP release.

Oh my, oh my. Expect riff schizophrenia bucking up this flipped-out
corker for its whole 4 minutes. Blackholes is a rollicking post-punk
juggernaut that scurries full tilt without looking back.

Add a steamed-up drums/bass tandem and poignant vocals and you
know this head-over-heels thunderstorm will attack your speakers
mercilessly.

These Welshmen are a burning engine.

THE ZINVANDELS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: STICK TO YOUR GUNS
Who: The famous Californian hardcore tormentors
Active: Since 2003 / 7 studio LPs (new one incl.)

New album: Spectre
Released: 29 July 2022

Track: OPEN MY HEAD

The slowest and moodiest piece on the LP. But as intense
and fanatical as their hard-screeching-core missiles.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


Photo Credit: August Wolfe

Band: REIGN MAKER
Who: Australian prog rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2020.
Reign Maker is the collaborative project of passionate, activists who weave
politically charged, social commentary throughout their songs to raise
awareness and give voice to a wide range of current issues faced
in the world today.

New single: THE KILLING

The band take a stance here against racial discrimination and
police brutality needlessly taking the lives of innocent people.

This mighty-powered and impassioned ballad blows your mind in sound and vision.
Its metallic sonority and its titanic fervency send shivers down your spine. Astonishing.

And the monumental heart-and-soul cutting vocals are just flabbergasting, making me think of the haunting voice of Tarja Turunen from Finnish metalheads Nightwish. Midway, when the decibels go sky-high, the delirium increases to a jaw-dropping level.

Goosebumps all the way.

REIGN MAKER: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Band: GATHERING OF STRANGERS
Who: Impassioned indie rockers from Manchester

New single: RED & GOLD

Sky-scraping emotions.
Blazing orchestration.
Mammoth chorus.
Feverish vocals.
Sickly sticky.

Get the picture? Yes, this is a towering stonker
with an aroused impact. Touchdown.

Don’t be a stranger, press play
and get overwhelmed.

Right here, right now.

.
GATHERING OF STRANGERS: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: ERASE ME
Who: Sludge pop band from Phoenix, Arizona. Their songs cover the gamut of topics but are often driven deep into what it’s like to be piece a of desert trash blowing through gentrified downtown phoenix landscapes, just tryin’ to survive.

Single/clip: JOAN OF ARKANSAS
From their brand new, hit-and-run EP
¡Distortionista!.

Expect a hugely catchy guitar booster with a head-spinning cadence, an electrical rush, and elated vocals As short as a Ramones song. For some reason, my ears tell me that this could be Pavement if they would write a pop tune as silver-toned as this one. Sounds like kick-ass fun, right? You betcha

Listen/watch.

JOAN OF ARKANSAS: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________


(credit: Bianca Petris)

Band: THE CASE
Who: Firm 4-piece from Romania who started their journey in 2012, always
refining their rock & grunge sound. On their creative process, the band reckons
they “tried to create a space where originality prevails, to detach themselves from
the current musical cliches while glorifying their lord and savior David Bowie.”

New single: FEVER

“‘Fever’ is about the passage of time, about the failed attempts to correlate the quality of
a relationship with its duration and intensity. The song is about happiness, sadness, breakup, and forgiveness. It would be love if we were to associate our new single with just one word.”

This is a mind-magnetic and slow-burning sonic torch. Sounds both riveting and piercing as American alt-rockers The Afghan Whigs did/do so impressively for years. The Case develop a similar sensation of vivacity.

A cast-iron winner.

THE CASE: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: THE TRUSTED (Southend-on-Sea, UK)
Who: Formed in 2016, making music with strong melodies and catchy hooks. Being inspired by the new age Brit-rock bands like The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Trusted have made their own unique sound by the fusion of post-punk and punk energy with a little hint of modern rock.

“A song about being abandoned by the good guys.”

It was composed during lockdown. The band couldn’t write together
face to face. The creative collaboration went through computers.

Smooth synths, and gently weeping guitar lines take you immediately
on a dreamy head-in-the-clouds trip that moves slowly, heading to an
epic climax. Stylishly composed, greatly arranged.

A bittersweet symphony.
A romantic beauty.

.

THE TRUSTED: Facebook
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