Smitty: âMany people in both the Detroit and Boston music community know of me, but they donât really KNOW me,â Smitty says with a thunderous laugh. âI thought this would be a great way to get under the hood, and really show everyone what drives me. Both cities are part of my DNA. I decided a song referencing that fact was due. The guitar groove in the song is very reminiscent of an MC5 type of guitar line, by design.â
TUTV: Put this smoking cannonball on your hard rockin’, guitar freakin’ playlist along
big cannons Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses. Never a dull moment with this flamboyant hit team. Put your leather jacket on, jump on your motorcycle, and pretend you’re Marlon Brando in the 1953 classic movie The Wild One.
Artist: KURTYS KIDD Who: Rocker/actor from
Kingston, ON.
Track: OUT ON THE SPIRAL
First single from his upcoming,
2nd full-length, This Dirty Machine.
KK:ââOut On The Spiral Armâ is a song about isolating yourself because you’re hurt, but then finding out that wherever you go you can find love if you open yourself to it. Love is all around us in this universe – but you have to be open to it to receive it.â
TUTV: Be ready for a titanic riff-insane jackhammer, revved up with burly vocals that will roll all over your stereo and over Beethoven. Kidd produces enough red-hot hooks-and-licks to get your ears burned. Fervent fan of classic thunderous-heavy rock, annex flaming guitar solos? Here’s some fierce fuel to start you up.
Band: SUCCULENTS Who: Manchesterâs girl-and-boy-next-door lo-fi indie duo
who blend upfront plugged-in guitar riffs, candy-floss-sweet harmonies and a sense of joyful togetherness intact.
“The song is about conflict resolution, but also about that strange apathy you can feel when youâre surrounded by constant arguments, whether thatâs protests, politics or toxic online spats. The protagonist is almost taking the attitude of âI canât be bothered with thisâ, while knowing that sometimes avoiding conflict doesnât necessarily make it disappear. âBe careful what you wish forâ is probably the most important line in the song.â
TUTV: Full steam ahead from the kick-off. A flood of jangly guitars overwhelms your eardrums, while the stoked duo comes up with brisk vocals pushing the pace even further, with urgency and panache. For everybody who likes to twist and shout now and then, this is the melodic barnstormer to play when you lose your temper; for everybody else, this indie buzz is what you wish for. We’ll work it out together.
Press info: “A narrative work examining a year-long relationship
in intimate and often brutal detail, realised in the studio with the
legendary Trevor Horn.”
Okereke wrote the record in the wake
of a more than decade-long relationship.
âEvery lyric youâre hearing on this record was something that
actuallyhappened to me. I had to tell the story, from start to
finish.â
Joe Love (frontman) was inspired by John Lennonâs song ‘How Do You Sleep’ combined with
what Anatolian rock experimentalists AltÄąn GĂźn would sound like if they were under siege from a thumping club beat.
Track: COWBOY ON AISLE THREE
Piece for their upcoming self-titled debut full-length,
which comes our way on September 25th.
Harry Hanson (frontman) says: âI came up with the idea when I was in Lidl.
Iâm sure everyone has thought, âImagine if I just went nuts now,â to get out of
doing the big shop.â
“It’s a song about impossible tasks. It’s about trying to do everything you have been told to do in life, and never achieving what was promised. The goalposts have shifted, no, that isn’t how you do it.”
TUTV: Really Good Time are manic motherrockers, racing and rushing with puissance and roasting power. They develop a kind of Gilla Band disturbance, but less chaotic, way more movin’ and groovin’. Whether you want it or not, your head goes 360. Blimey.
Band: FARVEBLIND Who: Electro dance-pop-rock trio from Copenhagen, Denmark that fabricates
sonic touchstones ranging from Battles and The Chemical Brothers to Underworld
and Viagra Boys.
TUTV: A cocksure, motorik-feverish dancefloor filler for sweaty nightclubs. A tsunami of synth extravaganza hits you straight in the face, while rollicking vocals add a jaunty feel.
Artists: ARAB STRAP Who: Trippy Scottish electro-pop vets, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton (1995â2006, 2011, 2016âpresent).
Track: YOU YOU YOU
First single from their new full-length Half-Told Tales,
their 9th, out on September 4th. Tracklist here.
AS: “A disco-metal sound and lyrics that explore
overcoming troubles and tumultuous times”.
TUTV: Trip Trip Trip! Hip Hip Hip! We We We!
âIâve got a portly paunch I just canât shift/I feel undesired, dismissed, adrift/
My get-up-and-go is long gone/ and the days keep dragging on/ But Iâve got
you, you, youâ
Okereke wrote the record in the wake of a more than decade-long relationship.
âEvery lyric youâre hearing on this record was something that actually happened to me.
I had to tell the story, from start to finish.â
TUTV: Damn. Time flies with supersonic speed. BC are entertaining our eager eardrums since 1999. Well Okereke took time, now and then, for solo work, but it’s always a sonic pleasure to hear them coming up, again and again with firm, dance-spiked singles.
TUTV: Soft Cell on adrenaline. Erasure on amphetamine. Enriching electro pop nirvana
at its most beautiful. Ignore the outside bedlam for about 6 minutes on repeat. The beat goes on and on and on. Twirl yourself dizzy.
Track: WHAT FUTURE
The title song of his new album.
Carr: âIâve been putting together these sounds for many years but this
is the first time where I thought âthis doesnât really sound like anything else
and decided to put it out.”
TUTV: Techno daft-punk on the run. Electro rock shock. Winding mix of paranoic synths, bass booms, and some helium-infused Carr interventions. Good grief. What a brainfucker.
TUTV: This is a sassy, kind of fuck you stunner, that speeds all over your
trembling stereo with Rønnenfelt throwing sneers around. Vicious sucker
punch all the way.
Band: THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA Who: London-based DIY duo – Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy)
that fills a gap in music by bringing literature, art, and history together into a
space where rock and metal meet electronica.
Track: GIROTONDO
Single from their forthcoming 4th album, named Misantropi.
Out June 22nd. Tracklist and pre-order info here.
TUTV: This Metallica-echoing shocker thunders unstoppably and peaks every time its fistpumping chorus kicks in. TCOMAS rock here as never before. They kick ass with this striking uppercut.
Band:SOCIAL DISTORTION Who: The robust, generational Californian rockers fronted by the only
original member, voice/guitarist/songwriter Mike Ness, who beat tonsil
cancer a few years ago, are one of the most notorious and celebrated
American punk bands ever.
Band: CASSIUS WOLF & DAS ABS Who: The musical project of Cassius Wolf and Don Watson. Formed in Liverpool during the original wave of post-punk and new wave. Now, decades later, that same spirit is driving the bandâs long-awaited return.
Track: LOSING SLEEP
Single from their brand new full-length, An Afternoon in Bedlam. Stream here.
TUTV: When I say that this avid anthem has an epic Echo & Bunnymen sonority,
you should pay attention instantly. The flamboyant flair, the whirling drive, the
euphoric vocals. I see Ian McCulloch standing around the corner, with a big smile
on his face.
Band: DELFOI ROAD Who: A Finnish alternative rock act, formed at the turn of the millennium.
The four-piece blends artistic sensitivity, strong melodic songwriting, and
atmospheric depth with an energetic and dynamic edge.
Track: TAKE ME AWAY
New piece from their upcoming debut full-length, planned to come out in the fall. âIt’s one of the catchiest and most radio-friendly tracks on the album.â
Artwork single
TUTV: Think Mumford and Sons‘ arousing passion and vocal eagerness. Take Me Away draws you into its stirring spirits, its intensifying orchestration,
and its exhilarating euphoniousness. Towering tour de force.
BZ: âIâve spent a long time thinking about where to take my musical journey next & Real Problems, ironically, has become an unexpected solution. I wrote this track off the cuff a while back, as an outlet for feeling disconnected from the so called âreal worldâ. For my entire life Iâve been told âthatâs just how the world isâ but all Iâve learnt in my 23 years alive is that it seems the world was never meant to be like this.
Humans have this disturbing desire to disconnect themselves from the natural world & forget that weâre in fact all a part of it. Real Problems is my attempt to reconnect to that part of myself that I feel has been hidden away due to societal noise. Iâve never met âthese peopleâ & theyâve never met me, so why am I expected to uphold their ideas of who I was meant to be!â
TUTV: Industrial slam-bang EBM for all dance-addicted misfits out there.
You need to be in top shape to catch up with Bizarre Fae. She zooms with
steamy swiftness throughout this boomtastic missile. Face your problems
and sway them into oblivion. Trust me, it’s unquestionably worth a try.
Artist: KAT FIVE Who: EBM songstress from London. She fuses together a raw
punk energy with a dark pop magic, she consistently creates
indefinable, politically-engaged glitched-up anthems.
FIVE: âThis is a call out to all kinds of creators, and also a shout out
for some simple moves you can make against techno-feudalism.â
TUTV: Kat Five offers a both luring and foreboding-sounding EBM tune for
shadow-dancing fans. Despite the hazardous times worldwide, she suggests,
rightly so, that togetherness is the only way to get out of the intolerant chaos
we have to go through right now.
Artist: SOUTHPAW GRAMMAR Who: British garage musician and producer. He has toured extensively with some
of the biggest names in popular music. His music speaks directly to the realities of working-class life while delivering dancefloor-ready grooves.
“It captures the evolution of a generation raised on late nights and pirate radio, now navigating mortgages, energy bills, and nursery pickups. With his signature dry wit and unmistakably British storytelling, Southpaw Grammar delivers a relatable anthem for anyone whoâs swapped the rave for responsibility but still hears the bassline in everyday life.”
TUTV: This is cheer fun. Its ska-esque beat and jumpy flow kick-start hectic body movements. Bouncy piano touches and frolicsome rappin’ piggyback the feel-good tone. Ideal to play when workin’ out, although I fear that many of us (certainly me) will fall over our feet when trying to follow the pace. Fervid ambiance.
LV: âAt least four or five of the songs on the record speak to a life lived being in bands, the bonds forged, and the life of a musician and performer, with themes of loss, addiction, death and redemption woven through. All the cliches about spending your time in bars, being on the road, being âoutâ and not at home, are real.â
TUTV: Overall, this is a warm, hearty, and nostalgic energizer, spiced with classic textbook riffs and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed vocals. A stimulating upper for moody moments. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but we’ll never stop liking it.
Okereke wrote the record in the wake of a more than decade-long relationship.
âEvery lyric youâre hearing on this record was something that actually happened to me.
I had to tell the story, from start to finish.â
DIY: “As an exercise, a flexing of musical muscles, âThe Singing Winds pt. 3â
is interesting enough so long as youâre only seeking bops as a bonus.”
TUTV: On his solo work Kele sounds like a Bloc Party Light. His trippy cocktail of ambient, trip-hop and guitar pop is entertaining with several bouncy tracks but misses some peppy punches and stand-out tunes. The three best pieces are the singles (listen/watch below). On the other hand, Kele‘s guitar play is (again) sterling, elaborate, and sparkly and his light-toned vocals are as euphonious as ever.
Singles: Hometown Edge / It Wasn’t Meant To Be / Kintsugi
Pitchfork: “On their fifth album, the White Stripes’ ambitions finally seem to outpace their limited musical vocabulary. Making an almost-entirely clean break with the jet-fueled blues
rock of Elephant and De Stijl, they forsake electric guitar on all but a couple of tracks, working instead with pianos, acoustic guitars, marimbas, and other assorted oddball percussion.”
Album: The Back Room
Their first one. No. 2 in the UK.
No21 in the USA.
Pitchfork: “They imitate bands with dramatic vocalists … but the best moments
on The Back Room aren’t the theatrical onesâit’s when the four of them are playing
and discovering their own chemistry”.
PLAY
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AllMusic: “Don’t Believe the Truth the closest Oasis has been to great since the
summer of Britpop, when they were the biggest and best band in the world.”
AllMusic: “The group offers an album that refuses to be pinned down to a single
style. Despite the extended break between albums, dEus picks up right where they
left off with The Ideal Crash.”
The Guardian: “Hard-Fi’s edge over more derivative rivals lies in a formula
that delivers old Specials and Clash reggae vibes with the big-tune ratio of
a boy band.”
NME: âLullabies To Paralyzeâ will use its enigmatic mysticism to lull you into
a blissful daze so you donât at first notice that the riffs have broken your neck.
Better. Than. Sex.”
Album: A Bigger Bang
22nd LP. #2 in the UK,
#3 in the US.
The Guardian: “There is a sense of finality about A Bigger Bang. It may not be quite
the blazing ship to Valhalla they intended, but then nor is it the unmarked grave you
might expect.”
Album: LCD Soundsystem
Debut one. #6 in the US,
#20 in the UK.
AllMusic: “Like just about everybody else these days, Murphy’s more skilled at creating isolated tracks than making full-lengths, even though this particular full-length has few weak spots and unfolds smoothly as you listen to it from beginning to end.”
Bloc Party‘s orchestrator KELE OKEREKE jumps from left
to right, from recording with his band to working on solo
projects.
Last year he released with BC a 4-track EP named The High Life
followed last June by a stand-alone single, called Flirting Again.
Last month he dropped a new funky solo single, titled Hometown Edge and here’s another fresh one. IT WASN’T MEANT TO BE is a bouncy, repetitive electro loop with Kele articulating all over it. Listen below.
Kele: “Once the dust has settled, there might be the intention to be a grown up and achieve closure with the other party. But sometimes, even with the best will in the world, you canât get past the fact that this person, who you once loved, has hurt you. Itâs a song about anger concealed in pleasantries.”
He also confirmed that both songs will be on his new, 7th solo longplayer,
baptized The Singing Winds Pt. 3. It comes out next year, on January 17th.
