Band: LAMBRINI GIRLS Who: Sharp-cutting riot girrrrlzz – vox/guitarist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira – with a razorblade tongue and an insatiable appetite for
moshpits.
Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Lille, France – 24 February 2024
Press info: “The album rips through a laundry list of social ills. Sirens blare over a heavy distorted bass and a live drum breakbeat. The band dance between upbeat poppunk, dirty grunge tones and discordant post-punk. There’s even some noise-popcheer for putting yourself first, whether it’s having an autistic meltdown or doing apoo at your mate’s house.
With instrumentals that inhale you like a Level 5 tornado and sentiments that make you want to kick the nearest door through, it’s a take-no-prisoners debut from one of the UK’s most fun and fearless bands.”
Singles (shared so far): Love / Big Dick Energy / Company Culture
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
Band: DITZ Who: Unbridled post-punks from Brighton, UK (where everybody is
in a band).
Track: TAXIMAN
Piece from their forthcoming second longplayer, baptized Never Exhale. It’ll hit the streets on 25 January 2025. Pre-order
info here.
TUTV: Taximan does your head in the way we, brainbangers, like it. Bam Bang Boom.
No mercy for the wicked. Maddening mayhem as usual. You better check out if Robert ‘Travis’ De Niro is behind the wheel before taking a cab.
Last August former white stripe JACK WHITE (aged 49 now) released
one of the best LPs of the year with powerhouse record NO NAME,
his 6th solo one. A crazed punk blues LP with a total of 13 thunderous
outbursts.
TUTV: I’m quite sure that this song was recorded during the No Name
sessions. Anyway, it’s as if Jimi Hendrix woke up from the dead for a day
to play firework guitar on this blistering blow.
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 move in mysterious ways.
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.
Track: LOVE
Piece from the duo’s upcoming debut LP Who Let The Dogs Out. Out next year, on
January 10.
TUTV: Don’t be mistaken, it’s not because the new single is titled ‘Love’
that LB wrote their first-ever song about the birds and the bees. According
to the lambrinis tandem, ‘true love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.
It’s one of their best knockouts so far.
An amazeballs wall-of-flaming-guitar racket
and a manic drummer with 4 arms. Hell yeah.
Band: BILLY ZACH Who: German act described by singer/guitarist Max Zacherl as “the sandpaper of pop music”. So
far, they canned/released two albums.
Track: PAINTED NAILS
Single from their notable brand new 5-track EP, called Interferer (you can stream/buy it below via Bandcamp).
TUTV:Painted Nails is a flabbergasting post-punk tour de force, a jawdropping
psychedelic trip burning its way through a turbulent trip, fired-up by schizophrenic
guitars and bone-chilling vocals. Petrifying thrill.
The rap-punk poets teamed up with the famous synth-pop band to collect money for help organization WARCHILD. An organization that works with parents, caregivers, community members, NGOs, governments, corporations, and other partners worldwide to ensure that children have access to protection, education, and psychosocial support.
It’s an unlikely collaboration, but it’s pretty cool that they do it together
for charity. They recorded 2 tracks in London’s famed Abbey Road studios.
You can buy both here, viaBandcamp.
One of them is a frisky punk-disco stomper; called CAT BURGLAR
Band: CAMLANN Who: Intruiging Indonesian
dark disco duo.
Track: RONNY (BURN IN HELL)
The song is deeply rooted in the personal experiences of lead singer Ony Godfrey,
who candidly addresses the sexual harassment she faced as a teenager at the hands
of a middle-aged man named Ronny. Through this powerful narrative, Camlann channels
a raw and unfiltered expression of female rage that resonates with many women who
have endured similar traumas.
TUTV: Expect a knockout headbutt, an in-your-face sucker disco-punk punch.
Hells bells. A blazing blast that goes after all sexual abusers out there. Bullseye.
The message is loud and clear. To hell with all harassing predators. NOW!
“You have played with fire
And the fire’s now burning you alive
So have fun suffering
‘Cause God knows that you will be
Burn in hell forever”
TUTV: The band say they have written this energizer, they want to compete
with at the Eurovision Song Contest of 2035. Say what?. The big question, of
course, is ‘will the world still turn in 2035?‘ as devastating wars destroy lives
every single day on half of our planet and the future doesn’t look bright
whatsoever. We can only hope for peace.
Artist: SOMEBODY’S CHILD Who: Musical project led
by Irish songsmith Cian Godfrey.
Track: TIME OF MY LIFE
First taster from his upcoming 2nd album
When Youth Fades Away, out 28 March 2025.
New album artwork
TUTV: If you can resist this epic guitar/drums/piano-driven earworm
you need to change your meds and/or consult your shrink and you’ll
have the time of your life.
Band: CANYONS AND LOCUSTS Who: Two-piece garage rock act, Justin Keane (vocals, guitar) and Amy Young (drums, backing vocals), from Boston, MA. Fueled by the current chaos of the world and an urgent need to be part of the conversation, the two took the indie rock foundation they built in previous bands and upped the ante by adding new levels of noise via pervasive, edgy guitar sounds, low and thundery drumbeats, and emotional vocals.
Rowdy piece the tandem’s forthcoming
2025 concept album, The Goal Gigolo.
TUTV: Another manic motherrocker from this duo who sound as a 4-motor hit-and-run band. As usual, amps way up, and the volume to the max. Riff-o-rama all the way while bashing drums do your head in. Garage punk ‘n’ roll at its turbulent best. Call your own Anna and challenge the anti-decibels police. Sounds like far-out fun, right? You betcha.
Rabbit Hole is an invitation to explore life’s hidden corners, where desire and despair
often collide. The accompanying video clip immerses fans in distorted shadows and dramatic visuals, that perfectly mirrors the raw and introspective.
TUTV: Expect a motorized riff-ripper
with a titanic fists in the air chorus.
Steaming stuff. Punktastic!
Band: NOVANOISE Who: Italy’s rising alternative
punk rock outfit.
Track: LEVELS
It’s a fresh blend of punchy punk rock riffs, bold synth lines, and the undeniable
energy of frontwoman Luna Esmeralda Rizzi. Known for their high-voltage performances and cyberpunk flair, Novanoise delivers a track that’s both defiant and uplifting.
A shout-out to staying connected in a chaotic world.
TUTV: Levels is a high-voltage blowout,
with biting vocals, Herculean powerhouse
intensity and full-on electricity.
TUTV: It’s a heartfelt, sepia-colored musing where sparkling guitar lines
and Perrett‘s unique voice come together to shine. Moony melancholia in
motion.
Band: CMON CMON Who: Brussels/London based indie rock trio from Belgium,
who started to realize their childhood dream 5 years ago,
in their 40s.
.
New track: ALL THE OTHER KIDS
It’s the first taster from their upcoming, new EP, titled Headwind that’ll land
next year and recorded in renowked producer’s James Brown‘s studio in the
world-famous Portobello Road in London. It’ll follow CC’s 2023 debut album The Crack And The Light.
Single artwork by Belgian designer Lisa Van de Vyver
with cover images by Swedish photographer Moarlberg.
TUTV: All The Other Kids is a breezy, zippy and riff-juiced
tune that brings notorious songsmith Evan Dando and his Lemonheads to mind.
Its easy-going melody and feel-good vibe make you want to whistle,
hum, or sing na-na-na along. That’s what pop-ular music is about.
Band: NEVERLESS.AM Who: Prolific Boston trio who pulls threads from their hard
rock, psych, and funk influences to create a distinctive sound
that blurs a line between shoegaze and dream-punk.
Track: WILL I EVER?
Preview from their forthcoming
debut album, out in February.
It details a horrific personal experience vocalist and guitarist CA Newcomb endured
two years ago, as she relays the story and emotion of being hit as a pedestrian by a
drunk driver, sending her to the hospital and placing her on a long path to recovery.
TUTV: Woozy layers of fuzzy guitars and Alice-in-Wonderland vocals take you on a shoegazing trip to a place where reality and surreality meet. Btw, don’t get petrified
when you hear some freaky growling for a moment.
Artist: BLAIR GILMOUR Who: An 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter from Irvine, Scotland. Immersing himself in music at a young age, he quickly realised that performing helped suppress his Tourette’s tics. Diving into music on a sensory level, the young artist explores the secrets of songwriting, producing and performing, inviting listeners along for the journey.
The tune was written at a songwriting camp in Spain. Initially inspired by the heat of their environment, the song eventually transformed into a love song, with Blair exploring the question: “How can you love something or someone so much that you know it is bad for you and your mental health, but you’re still in it for the chase?”
TUTV: Swirling pop bliss is what you get, adrenalized amorousness is
what you feel, euphoric elation is what you hear. Touch play and enjoy.
Band: WYLDERNESS Who: Welsh shoegazers from Cardiff
with 2 full-lengths under their belt.
Track: BIG IDEA
First taster from their forthcoming new EP
entitled ‘Safe Mode‘ which will be released
in 2025.
TUTV: Glistening guitar sparks set the glistening tone
for this sonically colored rainbow, all the way through.
Woolgathering vocals and arresting melodiousness.
Peter Murphy – photo by Jolene Siana / Boy George – photo by Dean Stockings
Former Bauhaus voice/face PETER MURPHY (67) and Culture Club‘s voice/face BOY GEORGE (63) team up for a beauty of an epic reflection. A romantic ballad
titled LET THE FLOWERS GROW with another legend, Killing Joke’s Youth taking
care of the track’s production.
The song was originally written by the Boy George with its initial message being
“one of personal acceptance about being gay. As the song developed, it took on a more expansive and universal scope with its lyrics extending beyond sexuality and embracing
race, gender, creed and religion.”
TUTV: It’s a surprising, but terrificallyt gripping heart-and-soul
collaboration. Starry-eyed magic spreading gold dust.
“I’ve been changing / and mama don’t know /
let her tears fall / and make the flowers grow,”
Brighton two-motor punk bulldozer LAMBRINI GIRLS have built a
notorious reputation over the past 2 years, on record and on stage.
Loudmouth/guitarist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira released their incendiary
6-track debut EP You’re Welcome last year and toured non-stop. In Europe aswell as the first time in Trump‘s future fascist country where women are treated like inferior human beings, where the LGBTQ community is in real trouble when that megalomaniac felon gets back in the White House and where immigrants will be treated like the Nazi‘s treated the Jews at first, when they were deported en masse.
Early next year the razorblade gurlz will go nuclear when their debut LP,
baptized Who Let The Dogs Out will attack our ears and stereos, the way
we like it. More info here.
Single artwork
Ahead of it, we get preview track #3.
You can stream all three below.
TUTV: Don’t be mistaken, it’s not because the new single is titled LOVE
that LB wrote their first ever song about the birds and the bees. According
to the lambrinis tandem ‘true love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on”.
I guess every individual has their own experience/perception of what true love
means or doesn’t mean to them. But describing it the way LG do sounds not like
a romantic story whatsoever. Anyway LOVE is another slam dunk for all headbangers among us who want to get up in the morning and smack their head to the wall to
check if they’re still alive and ready to kick some far-right-wing butts.
Hi, what does true love mean to you?
“True love is nothing more
Than the wrong hill to die on
Trauma bonding over exes,
µwith the best of intentions
Put me on a pedestal
So you can rip me off ”
All 3 singles
. Tour 2025
(Live photo by Turn Up The Volume – Sonic City, Belgium – 10 November 2024)
In order to not miss a beat Turn Up The Volume scans the musical
horizon daily (doing it for years now, actually) to stay in touch with
all new things sonically great and shares the results on a weekly
basis.
FULL JUKEBOX
(390 tracks)
.
The 10 new ones added this week
TRACK-BY-TRACK
Band: DARKSIDE Who: Alt electro trio from Rhode Island. So far 2 LPs.
Track: NO TIME TO LOSE
Cut from their upcoming, 3rd LP, called Deep Drives. It’ll invade
our ears on November 29. Pre-order info here. Trust me, I already
had it on my headphones, it’s an ace haymaker.
With No Time To Loose you can start
and finish your upcoming Halloween party.
No rest for the psycho-tic wicked.
Matt Tavano (bass/vocals) “‘Witches’ is about a road rage incident I was involved in a couple years ago that quickly escalated into a roadside robbery,” Tavano admits. “As the scenario was playing out it seemed like violence was going to be unavoidable. But with a little luck, everyone went home in one piece, even the bad guys. It was, as they say, a wicked nail biter.”
Artists: SPIRITUAL MINIMAL Who: Brand new musical project formed by Lindsay and Tim Baker
in the late summer of 2024. Taking influence and inspiration from the
likes of Slowdive, Nico, Warpaint and Unloved the duo aims to create
a true, sonically induced transcendent experience.
Band: FLYGHT CLUB Who: The musical project of Los Angeles-based Shauvik Sharan.
His music emphasizes versatility, covering a wide range of
popular genres and exploring new styles, with each song
designed to fit different moods and emotions.
“For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have
never come out of my mouth – ever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was
curious – what would happen? In an hour we wrote two songs that ended up becoming
“I Can’t Imagine” and “Southern Life.”
Track: AFTERLIFE
First preview from the self-titled LP,
coming our way on 7 Feb 2025.
Vintage vocal Van Etten splendour.
Bewitching song. Longing romanticism.
Artist: STEVE HEWITT Who: Singer-songwriter from Edenbridge , Kent (England).
Track: COLD WORLD
First taster from his upcoming album Never Two Days The Same.
The song spotlights the darker side of our reality and human nature. Hewitt observes through his own eyes the pervasive existence of conflict,
distorted moral values, betrayal and personal suffering.
Americana country pop the British way.
Gloomy musing for gloomy times, as we know it. Hewitt‘s warm voice shines in the darkness.
Band: BABY SCHILLACI Who: Welsh alt-act producing a raw, unfiltered sound. Rooted in post-punk
and noise, the band’s aggressive yet intricately layered compositions evoke
comparisons to seminal acts like Mclusky, At the Drive-In, and Fugazi.
Track: BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA
From their upcoming debut album
‘The Soundtrack’ out next week.
A barbed slice of mayhew. Think Sonic Youth going forth
and back, and finishing with a flabbergasting finale.
Band: BLACK DOLDRUMS Who: British synth-pop-Goth trio, with key
members Kevin Gibbard and Sophie Landers.
Track: SUMMER BREEZE
Song from their their second longplayer In Limerence which lands on October 18.
No, this is not a New Order song but it could easily be one, actually a stellar one.
It’s a pure synth-pop pearl for all seasons. Uplifting, heart-warming, and gratifying.
The high-octane rock ‘n’ roll explosion tells the darkly humorous and gripping tale of a woman who has taken drastic measures against a deceitful lover. Noanne ventures into uncharted emotional territory, portraying a dramatic shift from dependence to outright animosity—and beyond.
Band: SOME REMAIN Who: Young punk gunslingers
from Ireland.
Track: DEATH DEFYING STUNTS
The first taken from an upcoming EP
slated for release early 2025.
Not only does it defy death, it pretty much defies description as it takes you on a glorious and wild ride through early UK punk (Read About Seymour – Swell Maps) and surf rock (Miserlou – Dick Dale) with some Dr Feelgood and The Cribs thrown in for good measure.
“A hectic party tune that leaves you feeling like you’ve
just landed a sick kickflip over a tank of sharks.”
CC have that uplifting drive of the Levellers and the eurythmic catchinesss of Mumford & Sons. Wash Away The Day is a brisk pop tune going forth and back, from
low-key to vivacious and back, while ardent harmonies and energetic violins complete
the swirling sonic picture.
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. Right here.
Nicks: I wrote this song a few months after Roe v Wade was overturned. It seemed like overnight, people were saying ‘what can we, as a collective force, do about this…’ For me,
it was to write a song. It took a while because I was on the road. Then early one morning I was watching the news on TV and a certain newscaster said something that felt like she was talking to me ~ explaining what the loss of Roe v Wade would come to mean. I wrote the song the next morning and recorded it that night.”
A vehement pro-reproductive rights anthem that
overwhelms on the chorus. Nicks‘s impressive voice
lights in the middle.
The first composition of the Goth icons’ upcoming 14th LP, their first
in 16 years, titled Songs Of A Lost World. It’ll drop on planet Earth on
November 1st.
Alone is an almost 7-minute funeral march, a slowly progressing lament, layered with mourning synths. Smith only starts singing halfway and augments the sombre atmosphere all the way through. After a couple of spins the songs keeps on coming back to haunt you. Sonic cure for restless minds.
Band: JOHNNY MARR AND THE HEALERS Who: Short-lived (2001-2004) Johnny Marr project
after he left The Smiths.
Track: THE WAY THAT IT WAS
Previoulsy unreleased song from the deluxe
reissue (released last week) of their one and
only album, named Boomslang.
A sweet 18-carat pop diamond with a melancholic resonance and impassioned
and affecting Marr vocals. No idea why this gripping reverie was hidden for so long,
but happy that my ears can enjoy it today. The Way That It Was wouldn’t have been
out of place on The Verve’s 1997 classic ‘Urban Hymns‘.
These sharp-cutting riot grrrls – vox/guitarist Phoebe Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira – are coming up faster than an out-of-control comet. Only April last year the lambrinis played in a bar in Belgium for 30 people (I was there) but this summer they turned up the heat at the iconic Glastonbury Festivalin the UK, and invaded the US for the first time.
Last year, the plain-spoken feminist Brighton warriors released their cooking 6-track EPYou’re Welcome, followed this year by two new eruptions God’s Country and Body Of Mine. Make no mistake, the grrrlz are here to stay.
Wake up people.
The lambrinis keep on racing.
Here’s their brand-new rollercoaster.
Go nuts and support Palestina.
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.
Superb track from Ride‘s new superb album Interplay
It starts with Mark Gardner‘s starry-eyed vocals glistering over a poppy mid-tempo soundscape. At the 3-minute mark, the song fades out with subtle piano touches but restarts for a psychedelic, multi-layered wall-of-orgastic sound finale.
These British indie upstarts take you on a bouncy ride with
this jagged juggernaut from their upcoming debut LP.
Enrage Engage is a roaring roller coaster ride, going forth and back, left and right,
circling around a pulsating Yard Act like groove that gets under your skin without
asking, while the song derails in different surprising, up and down directions, now
and then.
Don’t miss these young bloodthirsty dogs, they’re going places.
Another supersonic gender sucker-punch from Brighton‘s riotous feminist punk duo fury.
They slash, trash, and smash with unbridled vigour and biting zing. Not your typical girls.
7. ‘Something To Fight For’ by TYPHOID ROSIE (Brooklyn, NY)
Photo: Janier De Jesus, via Typhoid Rosie
It’s the first single off their, forthcoming 5th LP, called Last Words. It lands on June 21. More info here.
As we experienced before Typhoid Rosie always storm full steam ahead from
the kick-off until the very last rollicking riff. This punked-up, harmonious chant
with its sickly sticky refrain triggers your best zigzagging moves.
Expect 122 seconds of afire party fuel peppered with Rosie Rebel‘s
combative rawk’ n roll vocality and vociferous pizzaz.
I’m quite sure that AOA 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.
10. ‘Just Like Everybody Else’ by SPIELMANN (Leeds, UK)
Photo credit: Thandiwe Zivengwa
This song will feature on his debut EP, titled ‘Fifteen Minutes With Spielmann’, and landing
on 31 May.
This is glorious, full-orchestrated pop, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann sounding not like everybody else.
“The song and video have been largely informed by the unfolding events in Gaza. Body Bags looks at humanity turning in on itself. For all the beauty & harmony in the world, we are chaotic by nature – violent and cruel to our own. It explores the human condition and our ability to inflict pain and suffering upon the most vulnerable.”
Producer Owls shares his thoughts about the dramatic Gaza fiasco with
a disturbing techno twister that sounds like an ultimate alarm alert.
Get up, stand up, and fight for your right to go out, and do it with
these Boston beatniks. They make your pelvis shake and swing with
some riff-infused rock ‘n’ roll while Avril Lavigne‘s chick alter ego,
named Jennifer Tefft, as your vocal guide.
A previously unreleased album, named Insurrection by the late Brooklyn born master of minimalism ALAN VEGA (1938-2016), half
of proto-punk duo Suicide, comes out on May 31st.
Ahead of the release comes this taster, called Mercy.
Uncanny percussion, ghostly vocals, and other-worldly
vibes.
Expect a captivating bluesy and moony slice of music that grows slowly but
surely in ardency and fervency along its Springsteen-esque strumming way. Wistful
and impassioned alternating/duet vocals flow upfront and lead us, beat by beat,
into a glowing and electrical finale.
Lonely Little Kitsch do it their own Fleetwood grunge way.
Start spreading rumours about this enthralling duo and
this new notable score.
Following last month’s frolicsome song Anna Madonna, Blansjaar entertains our ears again with this topnotch tune.
It’s a folky, sickly sticking, jangly earworm with Blansjaar
laid-back vocals rollin’ all over it.
“My face looks like I spent the night with Freddie Krueger”.
From the band’s new forthcoming longplayer, titled Broken Hearted Blue, out on June 14. Pre-order info here.
Country Americana at its romantic and heavy-hearted best. Heart-and-soul vocals and easy-going, lovey-dovey vibes for the midnight hours. Wurlitzer jukeboxes were invited
to play this kind of lullaby in bars where the lonely gather for some companion.
The opening piece from this Swiss poppy shoegazers
brand new 5-track EP, titled Hide And Seek.
Crystalline vocals, soothing resonance with warm synths and glimmering guitar play.
A sWeet little, soft-hearted ballad. Think The Sundays fronted by the wonderful Harriet Wheeler
Shoegazy dream pop musing from Seadog‘s upcoming LP Internal Noise, out 15 May.
Harmonious vocals, fanciful sonority, bedazzling guitar solo, and a head-in-the-clouds chorus combine for a top effort.
TUTV: From playing in a bar for 30 people last year, in April, in Belgium (I was there)
to the upcoming 800 cap. gig in the legendary London venue Scala half June, to the
iconic Glastonbury Festival at the end of that month.
The plain-spoken feminist Brighton warriors went supersonic the past 12 months, with
their cooking 6-track EPYou’re Welcome under their belts, and nothing/nobody will stop them to keep on turning our world upside down as we like it.
They surely play their two new nuclear sucker punches everywhere,
the Brexshit attack on GOD’s COUNTRY and the sharp-knife-cutting
gender-themed BODY OF MINE. Now available on 7″.
Beware music junkies and gig addicts, don’t miss the best band in
the universe right NOW, as they probably tour Mars to play for green Martian punks by the end of the year.
