Unquestionable standout from the Irish indie
stars’ much applauded 4th LP Romance.
TUTV: Intense jam, rollin’ on with a bone-chilling flow and
frontman Grian Chatten raps all over it with his characteristic
uptight parlando and grasping for his breath every time the
refrain comes on.
Part of their upcoming 5-track EP
that’ll land early next year.
“Progress is a song about changing places, people and times.”
TUTV: Epic. Grandiose. Staggering. Amplified guitar-pop at its mind-blowing best.
One of those not-everyday puissant killer tracks overwhelms your emotions
from the first spin.
Piece from their forthcoming second longplayer, baptized Never Exhale. It’ll hit the streets on 25 January 2025.
TUTV: Taximan does your head in the way we, brainbangers, like it.
Bam Bang Boom. No mercy for the wicked. Manic mayhem as usual.
You’d better check out if Robert ‘Travis’ De Niro is behind the wheel
before taking a cab.
The song is about rediscovering old lovers after a night out from disco(theque) to disco(theque), with references to The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan and his excessive
drinking, and a legendary Belgian crooner.
TUTV: Full steam ahead from the get-go. All engines on. Decibels up, amps up.
The breakneck speed and the relentless synth/percussion riff make your head
spin 360°. I dare you to catch up with this missile all the way.
Band: LAMBRINI GIRLS Who: A two-motor punk bulldozer from Brighton, UK who have built
a notorious reputation over the past 2 years, on record and on stage.
Cut from the duo’s upcoming debut LP Who Let The Dogs Out. Out next year, on
January 10.
TUTV: Without a shadow of a loud doubt, one of the grrrlz’s best stormers so far.
An amazeballs wall-of-nasty-guitar/bass hullabaloo, a ruthless octopus drummer
and Phoebe‘s best vocals. Hell-tastic.
‘True love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.
TUTV: The jaw-dropping vitality these volcanic Irish beatniks develop here is off the charts. They build a near-unbearable tension and explode insanely, time after time, along the rough ride. Vocalist/songwriter Karla Chubb knows terrifically well how to double your adrenalin production.
TUTV: Dog Dribble operates somewhere between Yard Act and Sleaford Mods.
Its limbs-activating groove is simply irresistible. Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to bounce up and down like mad.
Band: FAT DOG Who:South London-based gang that made thousands
and ‘true love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.
thousands of ears go bonkers with their first-rate debut
longplayer Woof.
TUTV: A ballistic disco-punk whopper to end and start all (il)legal
raves with. When the huge orchestral injections blast out of your
vibrating speakers you know that these misfits are your new
favorite dogs. Hallelujah!
One of the stellar singles from their
new, third, album Insight.
TUTV: Drums and bass team up for an incessantly beat that carries
this instantaneously infectiuos trip, along with a magnetizing Cure-esque guitar riff that gets you in a trance.
Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals
and darkwavish synths in the back adding a twilight tone.
TUTV: No, this is not a New Order song but it could easily be one, actually a stellar one. Summer Breeze sparkles from the very start to finish with scintillating guitar riffs, zealous percussion, shiny synths and Gibbard‘s eager vocals. It’s a pure pop pearl for all seasons.
Artists: ARROWS OF ATHENA (Boston, MA) Who: A pandemic project that found its two main players – multi-instrumentalist and producer Scott Lerner and vocalist and lyricist Jac-Lyn Gibson – reuniting after the latter spent some time away from music, Arrows of Athena are crafting a distinct sound on
their own terms, bridging usually disparate ends of the pop and rock spectrum for an illuminated sound of big dance beats, heavy riffs, and melodic intensity.
On this song the duo explores the mental and emotional work required
for a successful marriage, and how we’re often careless with love.
TUTV: I’m quite sure that Arrows Of Athena are huge fans of former Swedish glam and glitter pop duo Roxette. The bliss and blitz at play on Reckless Heart is sonically similar. Sizzling guitars, battering drums/bass grooves, sensuous vocals and a peppy chorus combine here for a power pop pearl that flames lustrously. Orchestral melodiousness, fiery 90s spirit, and musical. An invigorating joyride.
TUTV: This is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony
propelled by about a thousand guitars, a mindboggling bass riff, and combative
drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals come from another galaxy.
TUTV: What’s in store for humankind. Nuclear war or peace and free love?
Or will we be just another brick in the wall? Whatever happens, never stop
pirouetting yourself dizzy to Leg Puppy.
We don’t need your education
We don’t need no your thought control
TUTV: The most energetic, exciting, pizzazy band around. Cooking on record and on stage. Sultry garage rock for party animals. This is my absolute favorite of this years Boomerang LP. Chipper tune.
TUTV: Think Cypress Hill fronted by Zack de la Rocha, rattling like
a rapid-fire riot-gun. An avid anthem that celebrates freedom and
invites you to shout along while pumping your fists in the air.
TUTV:Hallelujah rages against the anti-LGBTQ
haters with knives between their teeth and an
unstoppable drive.
“To express oneself, now expressly forbidden/ That’s a spiritual hell, that’s
a new prohibition/ And they’ll boil you down to reproductive function/ When
they see you as a vessel and not as a person!”
Track: Anna Save A Life
. TUTV: A manic motherrocker from a duo who sound as a 4-motor hit-and-run team. Riff-o-rama all the way while bashing drums do your head in. Garage punk ‘n’ roll at its filthy best. Call your own Anna and challenge the anti-decibels police.
TUTV: Wham bloody wham bam. Expect a sharp-splitting punk rock juggernaut. Amps up and full steam ahead. No rest for the wicked with this razor-blade cutting, head over heels bombshell spiced with sneering vocals. Wham bloody wah-wah guitars bam. Scrunched Up Fist hits your face really hard. Hurry-scurry stroke.
Band: SOFT SKIES INC Who: Philadelphia-based identical-twin duo and longtime musical confidants Ryan and Martin Rex, their shared sonic compass draws a straight line from the
classic alternative of their youth to the modern alternative and dream-pop of
today.
A song of hope, riding those tender waves of nostalgia, understanding that a loss of innocence comes with age but that we emerge from the other side with newfound perspective and awareness.
Melodic guitar pop at its Sebadoh best. Uptempo shoe-slacker-gaze
spiced with scintalling synths and ethereal vocals. Start dreaming in
overdrive.
TUTV: Just Like Everybody Else is a glorious, full-orchestrated pop gem, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three highly-entertaining minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann
The flabbergasting energy these ear-splitting loud Irish beatniks develop on their ace debut LP Letter To Self is off the charts. The opener Ticking is what these 4 Irish indies
do on repeat. Building a near-unbearable tension and exploding insanely along the rough ride.
Since this Australian punk tornado released their 2nd
longplayer Comfort To Me back in 2021 they’re on an
endless tour around the globe.
Yet, in between all gig mayhem they found some time to write/record/release
two new searing sucker-punches with U Should Be Doing This as my favourite.
Amyl: ‘This song makes me laugh, but it’s also in a way poking fun at the shock that
people still feel at a little bit of skimpy clothing, and the bitchy high school way that
the music community still is.’
Washington‘s flamboyant guitar pop quartet release
their 3rd LP, baptized Wearing Out The Refrain next
September.
On Hallelujah they rage against the anti-LGBTQ
machine with knives between their teeth and an
unstoppable drive.
“To express oneself, now expressly forbidden/ That’s a spiritual hell, that’s
a new prohibition/ And they’ll boil you down to reproductive function/ When
they see you as a vessel and not as a person!”
The feminist-punk duo went nuclear the past year following their
amazeballs 6-track EP You’re Welcome and this year’s bulldozing
and gender-themed missile Body Of Mine.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. will share their 4th LP,
named ROMANCE with the world on August 23rd.
The lead single Starburster is a feverish corker
with a bone-chilling gush and frontman Grian
Chatten rapping all over it with his characteristic
uptight parlando.
Last March the Dandys came up with their 12th album, named Rockmaker.
Lead single Danzing With Myself features Pixies‘ general Frank Black and
is a gloomy and doomy groover. With its poignant progression, this piece
creeps under your skin in an eye/ear blink.
UK’s rock/hip-hop team Rapturous invite us to scream
our lungs out on their avid anthem that celebrates freedom.
“The song was inspired by the old blues style of call & response, we wanted to create something that could be easily sung back to us by the crowd. The song is about being free from anything that is getting you down, be it your job, finances, the world, or the weekend’s football scores. Freedom from misery, that’s the idea.”
Think Cypress Hill fronted by Zack de la Rocha,
rattling like a rapid-fire riot-gun.
This Norwegian band specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. So far they released two
albums.
On this new, superb single drums and bass team up for an
incessantly beat that carries this instantaneously sticking ride,
along with a magnetizing Cure-esque guitar riff that gets you in
a trance.
Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals
and darkwavish synths in the back adding a twilight tone.
This hepped-up EBM duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track EP, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a mindblowing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Lead single Softer is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony
propelled by about a thousand guitars, a mindboggling bass riff, and combative
drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. A titanic thrill.
19. ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ by DEAD ANYWAY (UK)
This British duo combine the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold
against the music and soundscapes of Marc Symonds.
They caught my attention with last February‘s top album Partially Eaten By Animals.
Highlight ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ dives into trip-hop-pop territory with Arnold‘s crystal clear voice floating all over shiny synth dynamics. Catchy as hell.
20. ‘Welcome Tou Your New Future’ by LEG PUPPY 2.0 (London, UK)
This madcap techno act scored their best (so far)
album with Humanity 2.0 which came out last May.
You can shake your (p)elvis to single Welcome To Your New
Future while getting nervous about the unknown tomorrow.
What’s in store for humankind. Nuclear war or peace and free love?
Or will we be just another brick in the wall? Whatever happens,
never stop pirouetting yourself dizzy to manic music .
We don’t need your education
We don’t need no your thought control
Just Like Everybody Else is a glorious, full-orchestrated pop gem, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three highly-entertaining minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann
New star tandem Gallagher-Squire produced/released their debut LP last March.
The lead-single Just Another Rainbow is partly Oasis, partly Stone Roses. Liam sings like Liam (who else?) and Squire does his psychedelic 6-string Stone Roses thing.
Stress Dolls is the musical moniker of songstress Chelsea O’Donnell.
Last May she released her enchanting debut album Queen Of No.
Close Enough is one of my favorite tracks. A captivating pop song.
Tantalizing tunefulness, glistening guitar sparks, and gratifying vocals
combine for a top tune.
Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds have canned album number 18.
It’s baptized Wild God and will show up on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know him,
but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity go up and from halfway on, this diamond turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty.
NME: “This is easily KOL’s most promising, liberated record for over a decade but still surprisingly restrained in places. Can they have fun? Yes it appears, in places, but they
could have had a whole lot more.”
TUTV: With singles Mustang and Nothing To Do the expectations of a back-to-their-thunderous-rock-and-roll-roots went sky-high, also because that’s what KOL promised
in interviews. They wanted to come back with lots of big bangs.
But they don’t, except for Hesitation Gen, and the two aforementioned smoking singles they serve us several solid mid-tempo rock songs. Not many fireworks. But after a couple
of spins soft-hearted, sepia-coloured tracks such as opener Ballerina Radio, Rainbow Ball, Actual Daydream, M Television and Seen revealed their bona fide quality with Caleb Followill‘s singular voice still starring in the middle. They cut their hair a long time ago, but they get older with stylish swagger and most importantly, with affectionate tunes that will last for a long time.
Maybe the rockin’ Nashville family fooled us a bit when they declared their new LP
was inspired by hefty post-punks such as Idles, but if this is their way of having fun (again),
I’m all in.
Singles/clips:Mustang / Nothing To Do / Split Screen
The Nashville rockers KINGS OF LEON announced the release of their 9th LP
a couple of weeks s ago. They titled it Can We Please Have Fun and will land
on planet Earth on May 10.
Following the red-hot-roasting lead single Mustang and the more laidback
follow upSplit Screen the Kings make some ablaze amok on the third
taster, named NOTHING TO DO. A vicious motherrocker of a haymaker.
Wake up, people
and have fucking fun
like KOL have.
Boston‘s hefty garage blues-rock act released their new EP The Red Angel.
Six barbed wire bursts is what you get. To give you a loud and clear idea
here’s the closing crusher Wave Out Sunkiss.
S o f t e r is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony propelled
by about a thousand guitars, a mind-boggling bass riff, and combative drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. What a titanic thrill.
This disco-punk sucker-punch is just perfect to start and end all (il)legal
club nights with. High Value Man is a jiving bass-insane jackhammer that
doubles your adrenaline production on the spot and triggers your hottest
body contortions.
The orgastic ‘dance with me’ chorus revs up the sultry temperature and invites you to go mental, like a kangaroo on E. London‘s boiling dancefloor wackadoos Warmduscher should take these Welshmen/woman on the road with them. Frisky fun guaranteed. Machos not allowed.
Seattle‘s rock giants led by towering voice Eddie Vedder are back in business.
They canned their 12th longplayer, called it Dark Matter and they will share
it with the world on April 19.
Single Running sounds like if Vedder & Co
found their young razor-blade rock legs again.
This dazzling electronic duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a tantalizing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Spring is in the air, titillating tunes are in the air, like this frisky one
that circles around a disco beat in overdrive, and has an instantaneous,
activating impact on your eager limbs.
Lively vocals and a jumpy synth chorus augment the briskness at play here.
Get up, stand up, take your blue suede shoes out of the closet and show us
your best hip moves. Shake your dancefloor fright off with this rad
head-over-heels twister.
Expect a synth-adrenalizing thrill, a head-spinning belter,
infused with whirlwind vocals and UK garage dynamics. Imagine The Streets on acid or Yard Act pressing the accelerator.
11. ‘Diana’ by AUTOGRAMM (Seattle/Chicago/Vancouver)
Photo by Dave Paterson
Diana comes out of the gates like a speed train and never looks back.
Dynamizing synths start the rapid trip, the powerhouse drum/bass
engine pushes the rotating rhythm with vivid vigour, and zippy vocals
complete the accelerating sonic picture.
No, I don’t speak/understand Spanish, but hey, there are a lot of English/American hardcore/punk bands that scream and shout in such a cacophonous way, that I have no clue whatsoever what they’re on about. Who of you understand, except the people from Iceland, what world-famous orchestral pop outfit Sigur Rós, are singing about? It’s always about the music first.
Oceans Sangrientos is a titanic psychedelic blast. Be ready for a wall-of-fuzzing-and-buzzing guitar attack. Think The Brian Jonestown Massacre turning up their amps to the max and coming up with layers of mind-blowing electricity. Blimey.
These Boston rockers let the good times roll. Op-Operator is a dynamite
power pop tune that gets you out of your bed, after a night on the town
and triggers your limbs to start partying all over again.
This is how British blues rock titans Royal Blood would sound if their producer
is a fanatic post-punk fan. Trying is a riff-rough roller coaster going forth and back.
The crude combination of hammering drums, stoner rock electricity, and yearning vocals create a shocking effect that bangs on and on. Yokophono not only try, they succeed with bold brio.
Nick Cave and his iconic bad seeds band have bagged album #18.
It’s called Wild Godand will hit the streets on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know
him, but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity goes up and from halfway on, the song turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty. Best piece they wrote in years.
Blansjaar is an up-and-coming 21-year-old singer-songwriter
born in Amsterdam, raised in Oxford, now based in Brooklyn.
Anna Madonna echoes Ezra Koenig and Vampire Weekend. It’s a frolicsome tune that flutterers around in your head like a happy-go-lucky butterfly. A sweet little pop gem.
Worldcub are a group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals). They produce material from their home studio on the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves and hypnotic psych tinged Cymru vocal harmonies.
They have their new album ‘Back to the Beginning’ out 17th of May.
The title track gets under your skin from the kick-off with its
bass-pulsating groove, its breezy guitar sparks, and its layered,
affecting harmonies.
The 76-year-old singer-songwriter/producer has recorded his 15th solo
full-length, his first in 18 (!) years. The Other Side comes out on April 19.
First single ‘Waiting For You’ is a vintage romantic, longing, bittersweet, sentimental and good old ballad. I’m a sucker for lullabies like this (certainly after a day with lots of noisy music) that calm me down and touch my heart and soul. Burnett‘s warm voice and crystal guitar play turn this song into a wonderful, timeless, and charming musing. A universal love song.
The Nashville family band KINGS OF LEON announced the release of their 9th LP
a couple of weeks s ago. They titled it Can We Please Have Fun and will show up on
May 10.
Following the red-hot-roasting lead single Mustang (best track of the month
on TUTV’s list) KOL take it easy on their second new piece SPLIT SCREEN.
