Number One (lead vocalist/producer) explains: “This song is about trying. It’s about that feeling when you give enough of a shit that it actually hurts, but you do it anyway. We wanted to capture the raucous, bloody energy of the crowds we’ve played for in Prince Edward Island and Scotland—places where people know how to celebrate and mourn in the same breath.”
TUTV: You can expect anything from these mental friends. This one resonates loudly
as if The Pogues team up with The Dropkick Murphys for a zippy punk chant before heading to the pub. I dare you to keep up with the pogo pace without tripping over your own feet and going down, head first. Sounds like big fun, right? You betcha?
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon, who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that
traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.
Band: CHALK Who: Electro punks
from Belfast, Ireland.
Track: I.D.C.
Newest preview from their debut LP, named Crystalpunk. It’s out on March 13th.
TUTV: Boom! Boom! Boom! Chalk do it again. Here’s another jump here,
jump there, jump everywhere stomper. Their electro fuzz ignites your
funkiest dance moves.
In order to not miss a beat TURN UP THE VOLUME scans the musical
horizon daily, for 10 years now, to pick ace tracks and add 5 new ones
twice per week, to the one and only JUKEBOX playlist that matters.
ALL TOGETHER
The 5 fresh ones TRACK BY TRACK
Artist: PETE BRILEY Who: American singer-songwriter who used to be part
of the country-rock band Outlaw Orchestra and released
his self-titled solo album in 2023.
Track: COPENHAGEN
Newest preview of his
upcoming, 2nd album.
Briley: “I realised I’d passed through that airport over a dozen times but never
stepped foot in the city itself. I was always just a ghost—present, but never rooted.
That fleeting sense of presence grew into a broader meditation on transience.”
TUTV: Expect a limbs-activating and jaunty pop tune with a funky groove
you should add to your 2025 summer playlist, pronto. A stimulant in the
morning, a nightcap in the evening, an inspiration during the day.
Press info: It’s a powerful reflection on the digital age of division. Inspired by the rise of keyboard warriors and the echo chambers of modern politics, the track delves into how social media fuels conflict and polarization, with poignant lyricism and sonic intensity.
TUTV: Think Dinosaur Jr and Grandaddy teaming up for a psychedelic stroll. Jangly melodic, vocally harmonic and shoegazy electrical. One spin and your dreaming ears are hooked. Share this therapeutic trip on your social media, all you music junkies out there, and light up our digital world.
Band: SMOKING OCEAN Who: 4-piece alt outfit from London, who blends inspirations from the greatest to create a unique, absorbing sound. Always delivering huge riffs and raw energy, creating music that makes you feel alive and inviting you to sing along and dance.
TUTV: A short metallic intro is followed by a bouncy, electrically-charged, forth and back pop rollercoaster propelled by greedy guitars, vivid vocals, and a chorus that counts.
Press info: Drawn from the thunderous rhythm of Lunar Paths’ Zero Trust Mentality,Celestial is pMad’s cosmic, post-apocalyptic meditation on distance, connection, and collapse. It’s an ethereal yet hard-hitting track that bridges Cinematic rock with pMad’s unmistakable gothic roots.
TUTV: Vintage dark-pMad-wave. Glowing six-strings sparks, meditative vocals,
and accelerated dynamics and reflective pauses alternating organically. Stellar.
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that
traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.
The single opens with raw introspection: “I got lines on my face, lines on my skin from
living life within.” These words set the tone for a journey through themes of isolation,
the inescapable weight of past burdens, and the unrelenting pressure of modern life.
The refrain “No escape if you can’t hide” echoes like a mantra, a reminder
of the challenges we face when we confront our inner demons.
TUTV: Paul Dillon still operates in his beloved Goth-pop universe. Here with Feed iconic darkwavers Bauhaus and Killing Joke come to mind. Obscure and chilling. It’s a shadowy contemplation full of doubt, with a very weak light at the end of the tunnel. Many of us
are familiar with those sinister sentiments. It’s human, it’s real. It’s 2025.
Band: iNNUENDO Who: Irish indie act founded in 2022. Their goal is to create a captivating and dynamic atmosphere with melodically compelling and distinct original songs, all while honouring classic and modern influences.
Track: DON’T ASK AWAY
Piece from their debut EP, named On Occasion, out in September.
It captures the frustration and anger of feeling unseen and used, offering
today’s youth a voice to scream out against those who value them only for
their image rather than their true selves.
Artwork by Keelin Sutcliffe
TUTV: Following rad single clear motion this new one is another sonic
and emotive triumph. These Irish indies are going places. Don’t miss them.
TUTV: What a riveting and rotating blue-wave gem, enforced by Krautrock dynamics, ongoing motorik beats, glowing guitar lines and echoing vocals. MM nail it once again
with this hypnotic and magnetic jam. Bring on the album.
F333 about the new one: “There are no diamonds to be produced without pressure.
No lessons to learn without trials. ‘Higher Power’ revolves around these ideas and reveres
the beauty in the adversity induced magic performed by marginalized communities.”
Alert your ears and check your speakers
before playing this ballistic uppercut.
Rogers: “I thought it was interesting to get under the skin of death as a being with
a conscience, but who had to get on with the job like so many of us. We wanted to explore the idea that people are more than their jobs and that we need to consider there’s more to people than meets the eye. We liked the idea of death giving birth as well, so Death became a woman and why not?”
TUTV: The song’s protagonist is named Death. She seems to be a female grim reaper, who’s pregnant, you and you need to escape from if you want this short life live the longest you can.
Death Knocked Up is a jagged word-waterfall jam rolling over a repetitive beat and trippy synth dynamics. Rogers advices us to choose future, to choose life. A spot-on proposal in these turbulent rat-race times on its crushing way to Death‘s big party if we do not make the right choices right now.
The song touches on the fact that people mostly use Pride
as an excuse to party when actually the rest of the year, the
LGBTQIA community suffers from dangerous stigma and
abuse.
TUTV: Here is an explicit middle-finger for all LGBTQIA-haters. To hell
with them. Queer-trans-punk trio Daffodildos just entered the indie
scene with sharp-cutting knifes between their teeth and are here to
stay.’No Pride‘ is a fast-forward projectile that rattles and battles for
251 barbed wire seconds.
“We’re here, we’re queer
We’re never gonna disappear.”
Band: HUGE MOLASSES TANK EXPLODES Who: Italian outfit that offer a kaleidoscopic experience,
ranging from rugged and evocative beats to dreamy
soundscapes, inspired by post-punk and psych-wave.
Track: INDETERMINATE
Piece of their 3rd album, named ‘III’,
out on September 6.
TUTV: Don’t miss the start of this supersonic Krautrock missile, or you won’t
be able to catch up. Indeterminate goes full steam ahead from the kick-off and
never looks back, never slows down. All cylinders, all burners on, and fast-forward.
Track:LE RISQUE
From their upcoming, 26th LP in 14 years (no this is
not a typo), called Flight b741. It’ll land on August 8.
TUTV: Frenzied bass-and-guitar-crazy projectile that rocks and
rolls straight on with racy panache. It has drummer Michael Cavanagh
on vocals for the first time.
Artists: RED PERIL Who: The new endeavour of the London-based Italian-Mexican musician Stefania F. Cardenas, co-founder, singer and guitarist of the now defunct all-female indie act Madonnatron (I loved them, criminally underrated) and musical partner Dexter.
RP: “Space Dogs is a song about trusting the wrong people. It’s a reflection on loneliness
and the extreme things people do when they are desperate for love and have nothing left to lose. Sometimes the only thing you can do is shoot for the stars. It might work out, or not.”
TUTV: Sultry, zippy and sprightly. Imagine your dog teaming up with Pet Shop Boys
for a Space Bowie Oddity trip. A titillating tune to move to in mysterious ways
surrounded by mysterious people in a mysterious universe. Pretending that you’re Laika in the sky with diamonds will help.
Seamus Hayes (vocalist): “The song starts with what seems like an apology. It’s been a crazy year of self-reflection and self-improvement and I owe most of it to my girlfriend. The verses are in some way directed to my girlfriend.”
TUTV: The first time I listen to this new Oscar Mic tune on Spotify it was automatically followed by a Sleaford Mods tune. Get the vibrating picture? I’ll add to this that Beastie
Boys (Paul’s Boutique era) are fighting for their right to party in there too, and that Roots Manuva definitely would rap along if this punchy buzz hits his ears.
TUTV: I had no idea that extraterrestrials could be an inspiration for a straightforward rocker like this glorious one. It’s an adrenalized, speedy and sparkling guitar-spiced energizer with an infectious chorus. Those extraterrestrials should form a band and entertain planet Earth.
Band: DEREK SMITH & THE COSMIC VULTURES
Who: Captivating pop/rock outfit from Boston with
5 LPs under their belt. Check them out on Spotify
right here
Press info: “The notion of “Tomorrow Morning” can mean different things to different people, but for Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures, it represents the idea of a guiding
light. It’s also the title of their new electric single.
TUTV: Stirringly soulful. Sparklingly pop melodic. Americana-like emotive.
If you mix those three elements, and you add heart-whole vocals, you get
this titillating tune that’ll play around in your head all day long.
“The meaning behind the song is best to be interpreted however you choose, if it makes you feel a certain way be that happy, sad or just forget about your own problems for a few minutes and try to put yourself in the shoes of the writer, that’s all we want and that’s why music to us is at times the only solution and the only thing that make sense because often life doesn’t and I suppose briefly to me this song is me trying to make peace with that.”
TUTV: These young gunslingers sound like a seasoned band, operating somewhere
in-between Welsh heroes Stereophonics and blue-chip Americana acts. Thick As You is a blues-infused, charged riff-ripper delivered with vital pizzazz and impassioned ebullience.
“HMRC was written off the back of a few first hand experiences, including working under
a supervisor who was high on crack and getting a phone call on payday asking if I would be
OK with just half the wage until next month.”
TUTV: Imagine walking on the street, after you hit your greedy boss with
a left/right uppercut, with hip-hop swagger, whistling to this sickly stick tune
playing on your earphones. Get the picture? In case you have a great boss you
can swagger around to this vibe too, of course.
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode.
Artist: KIM DEAL is best Who: Best know as the former drop-dead gorgeous bassist of indie icons Pixies and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
COAST is a sweet little tune with a breezy, smooth vibe.
It was recorded by the late Steve Albini who passed away
in May, only 61.
Kim wrote ‘Coast’ in 2020 after being at a friend’s wedding.
But the song’s roots date back to 2000, when she was staying
in Nantucket, even though she doesn’t like the sun, beach and
watersports.
She’s still the real deal.
Whistle/hum/sing along.
Artist: KIM DEAL is best
Who: Best know as the former drop-dead gorgeous bassist of alt rock
icons Pixies and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
COAST is a sweet little tune with a breezy, smooth vibe.
It was recorded by the late Steve Albini who passed away
in May, only 61.
Kim wrote ‘Coast’ in 2020 after being at a friend’s wedding.
But the song’s roots date back to 2000, when she was staying
in Nantucket, even though she doesn’t like the sun, beach and
watersports.
She’s still the real deal.
Whistle/hum/sing along.
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.
These rockin’ amazons – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz – have known each other since
the mid-90s, they played in different bands together and decided to give it a go again with some friends.
Imagine 60s British glam rock legends T. REX and American sassy duo Royal Trux
jamming together. Aeroplane grooves and moves with pithy panache and steaming swagger. Add the saucy and sensual duet vocals, and we have ourselves a winner.
The Baby Seals are three DIY indie grrrls from Cambridgeshire (UK)
who released their debut EP back in 2017.
Mild Misogynist is a ripper from their upcoming debut album Chaos.
The trio have that roaring rawness, unbridled roughness, genuine gusto and spontaneous bravado, Sleater-Kinney had back in the 90s. These three punk Amazons resonate more like Courtney Love when she went mental with Hole ages ago. Garage frenzy rock at its sharp-teethed indie best.
On March 15 the Dandys launch their 12th longplayer, named Rockmaker. Last summer the Dandys dropped stand-alone single The Summer Of Hate. An infectious steamroller that will be on the album.
Courtney Taylor-Taylor (frontman): “It started with a riff that either sounded like
Misfits or Danzig and then got slowed down. Overall, Rockmaker is the manifestation
of our desire to hear a record of heavy raw punk and metal guitar riffs, but it has its
own alley.”
It features Pixies‘ general Frank Black and is a rather gloomy and doomy (yes, Danzig-like) sounding stomper, but vintage Warhols. Its poignant pace creeps faster under your skin than you can say ‘fuck Trump’.
Purrs are 4 French gunslingers who bring together a singular artistic emergency drawn from Great Britain in the 80s and the current observation of a dark future, and orchestrate a bitter present but which does not refuse hope.
‘To Be Enjoyed’ explores the delicate theme of mental health, highlighting the simple desire to feel better and make progress with one’s condition. Through this composition, we aim to convey the idea that there are different ways of taking care of one’s mental health, and that it’s crucial to find the solution that’s right for everyone. Having all lived experiences more or less close to depression, this song is our way of communicating not only with those facing this illness, but also with their loved ones who accompany them on the road to recovery.
Energetic punk ebullience à la British mavericks Idles. Aggressive, furious and from a
fast beating heart. Trust me, Purrs are going places. 2024 will be their breakthrough year.
Bristol punks IDLES became a top act after 4 splendid albums since 2018. And they’re
not done yet. Longplayer #5 Tangk is waiting in the pipeline for release on 16 February.
Ahead of it, you can go apeshit to new, third single and fierce haymaker Gift Horse.
Who? Two-piece 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.
Soo All The Way is a mean motherrocker that easily could have been on an early Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr album. Distorted guitars, raw and rough. Sturdy drum hits. Expressive and punchy vocals. DIY rock ‘n’ roll at its razor blade sharpest.
This eccentric ensemble is more eccentric than American eccentric legends Sparks and British eccentrics Sigue Sigue Sputnik were in their early eccentric days. Wacky voices, goofy harmonies, and a ridiculously infectious chorus all work together to cause big fun entertainment.
Get up, stand up, and fight
for your right to go bananas.
The LP lands on April 1 and follows their tremendous 2021 one As Days Get Darker.
Aidan Moffat (vocalist) about lead single ‘Bliss’: “It’s about women being terrorized online;
it’s about cowardice and bigotry. It’s about how we expose ourselves on social platforms while hiding alone at home. But you can dance to it too!”
Moffat sings/tells his troll story over a trippy dance beat.
Berlin-based artist KAT KOAN shines again. After releasing her magnific
debut album Lustprinzip in 2022 and three ear-catching singles last year
she has a new track out, titled Dreamirl.
Kat Koan always knows how to entrance the listener with stylishly, graciously
and also sensually designed music that stirs heart and soul. The sentiments
expressed here may be familiar to many of us and can be a comforting companion
on your headphones with the lights dimmed, while relaxing on your couch, dreaming
of your own dream-self.
Last September, British shoegaze heroes Slowdive returned to the scene with praised LP Everything Is Alive, their first full length in five years. Their Boston peers Drop Nineteens followed two months later with Hard Light, their first album LP in thirty years.
And now the equally veteran shoegazers Ride join the revival.
Their 7th LP, named Interplay, their first since
2019, is planned to be released on March 29.
Potent drums/bass determine the upbeat pace and whirling vibe of the track all the way. Peace Sign is a pure pop earworm with an orgasmic chorus. Picobello. Welcome back.
Who? Musical act born from the lifelong musical collaboration of Candy Bassas (vocals and guitar) and Sergi Cabanes (lead guitar). After relocating to Berlin from Barcelona, the duo formed a four-piece band in late 2021, which takes inspiration for its noisy-yet-ethereal sound from artists such as Galaxie 500, Spiritualized, New Order, the Cure, and Lou Reed.
New single Entwined is a cut from their upcoming
debut EP, titled All I Wanted, out on 2 February.
A tenacious tandem of bass and drum take care of this striking song’s backbone beat
all the way through. From the kick-off, Entwined has the impact of a sonic magnet.
Its ongoing flow creeps under your skin without asking. Scorching, shoegazy guitars
add some more electricity and quirky vocals (made me immediately think of the singer
of former Irish indie band JJ72) create a spooky atmosphere. Give it a couple of spins
and you’re hooked.
Who? Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm. Their musical 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 five
albums and a handful of singles and EPs.
Think Siouxsie and the Banshees going fast-forward. Glistening guitar electricity and a pumping bass dictate the ongoing revolving rhythm, while Sturm‘s ghostly vocals roll all over it. No brakes, no breaks. Probably the most upbeat tune Vazum has ever delivered. Blush is a sonic whirlwind, a flamboyant flurry, a turbulent twister.
Who? German pop-rock team So far they have
3 albums on their résumé and #4 is canned.
Nowhere To Run is the 4th shared piece from their upcoming
4th album, named ‘If This Wall Could Sing’, out on 1st March.
Expect an irresistible drive. Fast-forward. Heartening vocals. Atomic is an unadulterated pop gem. A sprightly summer song for freezing winters like this. It could have easily been
a bonus track on Miles Kane‘s newest, perky album One Man Band.
Atomic has an atomic single out with a sky-high starry-eyed bliss.
Who? Italian act started by Paolo Mioni, former member of Jennifer Gentle,
spearhead of the Italian psych scene. They released their debut album Painkillers And Wine last year.
With new single Hey AtlasMonoscopes draw you into their psychedelic world where surrender and hope are the only options to handle life. Hey Atlas sends shivers down your spine. It’s both a melancholic and harrowing jam bringing the mellow moments of Interpol to mind. It touches and moves heart and soul. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. That comforting given should inspire all of us who are confused and fidgety these days.
Today, Gordon announced the upcoming birth of her
2nd solo LP. It’s titled The Collective and it’ll land on
March 8.
First shared track Bye Bye, is a dazzling piece of music. Its hypnotic trap beat sonority and fuzzy chainsaw rotating synths are the motor of this dazzling jam. It creeps forward like an industrial rock serpent in slow motion. All over it come Gordon‘s chilling spoken-word vocals citing a series of consumer products. Eerie and enigmatic.
The accompanying video features her daughter Coco Gordon Moore and is directed by photographer Clara Balzary, who is the daughter of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.
These Irish punk hound dogs release their new EP Glorach on March 15.
First shared track Empty is a brutalist slab of heavily effected droning guitar and bass, corrosive blasts of feedback and gut-wrenching vocals centered around the persistence
of grief over time.
Deafening sledgehammer.
Screamo disorder.
NIN on acid.
Who? The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that
traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.
WithOpinion he delivers a Curesque meditation. Pulsating bass, darkwavish melodiousness and wondering vocals and enquiring thoughts. No matter
what you think, say it, sing it, express it, write it down.
Who? American songwriters Brad Armstrong and Megan Barbera.
Their music blurs between Sunday afternoon country-folk and
the golden age of the 1970s.
Same Old You is a crystalline lullaby with a melancholic country aroma. Tender,
moony, and enticing. The endearing duet vocals and melancholic guitar sparks
augment the soul-stirring effect of this bittersweet humdinger.
It’s a candlelight pearl, a heart-warming companion on these freezing winter nights. Romanticism in motion. Think of the quietest moments of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Willie Nelson.
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that
traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.
pMad: “No matter what side or who’s side your on, we all have one, an opinion!
We have one on people, politics, religions, Gods, wars, music, it all! We are very
reluctant to listen to other ones though, unfortunately! How are we to learn, if we
do not listen to the other side, even if we disagree, we should be open to hear why
they believe that way. It may open or eyes! Open up yourself to other opinions?”
TUTV: pMad is a regular guest on Turn Up The Volume. Why? If an artist/band
entertains my ears time after time they become a guest, it’s that simple.
With Opinion he delivers a Curesque meditation. Pulsating bass, darkwavish
melodiousness and wondering vocals and enquiring thoughts. No matter
what you think, say it, sing it, express it, write it
down.
“All I needed was an opinion
No excuses were needed
My Life My Life
To celebrate the late genial, eccentric-looking, allround musician Leon Russell,
a 10-track tribute album came out last week, titled A Song For Leon.
Boston’s noise icons Pixies also feature on the LP with their blustering version
of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen, which Black Francis and Co turned into a classic boogie woogie punk cracker.
Dick in Tanks will feature on the band’s forthcoming
album Praise The Iconoclast, out 6 October via Metropolis Records
It all starts with warning war sirens, marching soldiers chants.
90 seconds later, it’s all hens on deck when this industrial rock
missile erupts with a blitzkrieg fierceness.
Think Rammstein and NIN having a fight with riot guns. Menacing growls and howls suggest imminent danger and when the clamorous chorus crashes in, it’s time to
go to the battlefield. Midway, all need a breather in order to put fuel in the tank and continue the supersonic attacks will all burners on. War can be fun, in case Morlocks
lead the troops.
This queer art-pop duo launch their debut longplayer named Never Should Have Come Here, next week, on September 29.
Eureka! is the third shared piece from the album.
It combines the madcap vibrancy of Sparks‘ early days and some flipped-out Queen bombast. The Vanity Project produce eccentric pop pleasure, sonically
and lyrically, without mainstream restrictions.
They sound kooky and look kooky, but make no mistake, this tantalizing tandem
know perfectly well how to fabricate and construct high-freak-quality entertainment.
XTR HUMAN is the solo project of German artist Johannes Stabel.
So far he recorded/released 3 albums. Check them out here.
Now he has a new single out, titled I Want More. An EBM brainbreaker that makes
your head spin uncontrollably. An electronic gloom and doom hammer blow to smash
capitalist pigs with.
The accompanying video, directed by German filmmaker Matthias Landenberger, is an eye-catching spectacle.
Last week this young, most exciting Indonesian trio unleashed their ablaze debut album, baptized Spunky! More about it in an upcoming interview with Turn Up The Volume.
Angeeta Sentana (vocalist/songwriter): “Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is
not a nice thing to have. I’m still in the process of accepting it as a ‘normal’ part of my life,
but there are times when I would feel super down about it.”
Better Than Life races and rushes for 90 seconds with all engines on. Its razzle-dazzle tempo makes you dizzy, while angry guitars and scary screams in the back have the
force to kick evil demons into oblivion.
Canadian rockin’ songstress Jeen‘s sassy single will feature on her new,
5th full length, titled Gold Control, coming our way in February 2024.
Making Me Mad is a mid-tempo burst going up and down, swinging your mood from left to right and back, while you ask yourself if the mind-crushing demons will still haunt you in the end. Human nature stuff, as we know it. I swear I can hear the young out-of-her-head Courtney Love in the back.
Glam and glitter legends DURAN DURAN have no intention whatsoever to retire.
They canned album number 16, baptized DANCE MACABRE and they will share it
with the world on 27 October.
Danse Macabre is a funky/groovy earworm that combines Goth, psych-o-tic darkwave,
and some hip-rap-hop fragments. Ace. This year’s Halloween will be different, Duran Duran are different, it will be a horror-tastic party.
It’s been 7 years since iconic blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart
and Jamie Hince – had their last longplayer out with the first-rate Ash & Ice.
Until a couple of weeks ago when the charismatic tandem announced
the launch of their 6th LP. It’s titled GOD GAMES and comes our
way on 27 October.
The tantalizing tandem already shared three cuts from the longplayer.
These manic motherrockers are all about raw and rough, rip-roaring racket as they let your stereo experience once again with this mend-bending riff monster. Think Metallica covering Guns N’ Roses. Thundering drums, crazed wah-wah guitars, hell-raising vocals, and a slam-bang, scream-along chorus. All ingredients you need to get up, stand up and fight for your right to be a hedonist.
The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon
featured here on TUTV several times before.
He just revealed his new turbulent 4-track EP Sword.
Stream/buy it here.
My favorite piece is Down.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that arises when personal safety and self-worth are threatened, reminding us that until we confront these issues, the cycle of suffering will persist. However, with the power of self-reflection and a realisation of life’s value, one can choose to break free from the cycle and reclaim their self-esteem and identity.
Down is an ardent bona fide punk-rock ripper going
full steam forward with all sonic cylinders on.
As I read firstly that the song’s theme was about fighting mental illness
I could relate before I heard it, as I struggled with bipolar problems myself for
years. It’s a drag that messes up your life in a hard-to-explain way. Always good
to hear emboldening music that arouses hope for everybody out there who experienced/experience those burdensome feelings.
Ewan Macfarlane‘s mighty voice is the star on this wholehearted Springsteen-esque
rocker. Americana ardency the Scottish way delivered with dedication, fervor and arousing electricity and when the loud and clear chorus hits your speakers it feels as if he wants to eliminate the fear with sonic assertiveness and confidence. Superb stuff.
This Britsh alt.country/Paisley Underground-inspired collective
released their self-titled debut album last month. Stream it here.
The band’s roots are in the same North London rockabilly/country-noir
scene that gave us the likes of Gretschen Hofner, Gallon Drunk and The Flaming Stars.
The standout album opener Don’t Do That is a riff-rotating roller
dominated by high-voltage guitar electricity with feverish vocals.
Lossline is a Manchester-based singer/songwriter tandem who, as they state themselves, love to write sad songs. So far they filled two affecting albums with sad beauties. Check them out here.
To be honest I’m a sucker for heartfelt lullabies/ballads. And that’s a musical mood territory Lossline excell in, which they prove once more with Date Night. Although, sonically here they combine tranquil lullaby intimacy – mesmerising piano play and near-whispering vocals – with fully orchestrated passion, winning your heart over second by second.
Probably the best-ever Lossline piece. It should have been – no, I’m not joking – a bonus track on The National‘s new bewitching album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. I’m sure you get the vibe at work here by now.
Morphine Ridges is a new liaison, based in Berlin, led by Andreas Miranda (Lucy Kruger
and the Lost Boys, Third Sound, Ex Camera) blends dark country riffs with lap steel
guitar sliding through the cracks of shadowy vocals.
Route 36 is a gloomy ballad for the twilight hours, when reality and fantasy
get together and your dusky thoughts float somewhere in the middle. It’s a murky
mind-wanderer, with vulnerable vocals and melancholic guitar lines, triggering
darksome images on your head’s inner screen.
But unexpectedly, near the end, you’re awakened from your hallucinatory
state of mind with a wall-of-flabbergasting-electrical disturbance leaving you
behind, totally puzzled. What a bone-chilling debut this is.
For all lovers out there who realize that their relationship is over the LP’s opener Saccharine could serve as a comforting, mid-tempo synth-pop vibration that breathes hope for another future. After a smooth, Eastern-like-guitar-resonating intro a trippy bass riff and rhythmic drum touches take care of the song’s steady (heart)beat while Abdelbarry‘s crystal voice sounds sorrowful and reflective.
Somewhere in the middle, a heart-warming saxophone comes on (think of soul
diva Sade’s hits) and gives the song a matching melancholic feel that endears.
Opening musing Excommunicated an introspective ‘I don’t belong here‘ reverie.
Think Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Intimate and heavy-hearted accentuated
by his moody acoustic guitar play.
It’s a shadowy contemplation for quiet
moments when melancholia hits you.
Canadian singer-songwriter Jeen launches her 5th album
later this year and Just Shadows is the first taster.
“I wrote “Just Shadows” just thinking how the darker parts of everything can snuff
out some of the best people’s light. It’s about trying to get out from under it so we
don’t just become casualties of our shittiest days.”
Just Shadows is a cast iron, drumming energy-stroke detonating with firm
puissance when the chorus hits your ears and Jeen‘s towering voice spices
all things up with flamboyant flair. The vitalizing impact of this effervescent
summer anthem is heartening.
It features The Cure drummer LOL TOLHURST (64), BUDGIE (65),
former Siouxsie and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband,
and Irish music producerJacknife Lee.
Los Angeles is the title track of their first, forthcoming LP.
It features LCD Soundsytem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy
and soundwise it’s what you may expect from these musicians.
Los Angeles is a stompin’ and pumpin’ percussion burst
to stomp your feet and pump your fists like mad.
Happy mondays Shaun Ryder, and rapper Kermit (Paul Leveridge) are back.
They fabricated a new, their 4th, LP named Orange Head hitting the streets
in November.
Milk is the lead single. A pounding disco-rock blast
with the 24-party madchester vibe of the 90s.
The British post-punk mavericks announced a few weeks ago that they finished their
2nd longplayer, but first we can go gaga to this new smashing stand-alone single.
The Trench Coat Museum is an 8+ minute dancefloor filler infused with a flabbergasting bass riff, spiced with Smith‘s parlando vocals, schizo guitars and yes, cowbells. I guess that for the second half of this super-duper knockout, Smith left the studio for a cup of tea. Anyway, from there on jumbo techno-like beats take over.
I swear, when this knife-edged tune hit my ears for the first time, I thought
I pushed the wrong button and instead of these young Irish gunslingers I got
post-punk legends The Fall on my headphones.
These young Irish gunslingers’ combination of hyperkinetic drum/bass beats,
fanatic guitar riffage, Mark E Smith sneering and an overall staccato sonority
is irresistibly engrossing.
If you haven’t found your sonic twilight summer companion yet, then this new Coral tune will be the one. The Liverpool gang are experts in writing/creating hum-along, whistle-song, sing-along and dream-along pearls while you can tap your feet to the beat. Imagine sitting in a rockin’ chair on the porch of your farmhouse in a Serge Leone-directed spaghetti western. That’s the vibe.
8. ‘Do You Mind I’m A Little Late For Life?’ by BY FAR (Belgium)
Their debut single Bricks already entertained my music-addicted ears,
and this new one is a stone gold gem too. The fervent passion and the
overwhelming psychedelic resonance are nothing less than astounding.
The song’s bone-chilling progression blows you away, slowly but surely.
This is a diamond of a song. Vampire Empire is another staggering
new gem by a staggering band. Intense, dynamic, jaunty and avid
vocals by Adrianne Lenker. I love Big Thief.
Through To You is a track from the group’s sophomore album,
titled Days Are Mountains. It lands on August 11th.
It all starts with a steady, feet-activating drum beat, soon followed by an explosion
of hectic guitars. And in an eye/ear blink the whole resistlessly sonic process steamrolls over you, again and again, and riffs and grooves and moves it’s way like an electric-charged whirlwind to a sped-up climax. Frontman MacDonald wants to bang his head against a wall. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea in case you need to get rid of some demons, that is.
The energy developed here is off the charts. Meres rock their tails
off on this sinewy punk missile. Chainsaw guitars, forthright drums/bass
spanks and the both sensual and spiced vocals of Mary Shannon.
This hit-and-run uppercut will start lots of moshpits.
Clone is a lush rock ’n’ roll collage collective that fuses the sequined swagger of 70’s glam with the DIY gut punch of early punk and polishes it all off with the audacious vocals of contemporary pop.
Their new single Queen is a big wham T.Rex bang.
The British trashy 70s riffs, groovy hooks and flashy licks are all over the place. It also echoes Bowie‘s smashing 1974 hit Rebel Rebel. And I can’t but think of glam rock icon Suzy Quatro when front Amazon Juniper Watters comes on with her sensual and sultry vocals.
She’s not a clone, she’s for real, she’s the perfect queen for this firecracker. She’s extremely inspired by drag culture and is a huge supporter of the drag community.
Expect a titanic wall-of-shoegaze-layered sound that takes your breath away for almost
4 razzle-dazzle minutes. It feels as if this spectacular piece of a hallucinatory symphony comes out of space with its reverberated and tremoloed guitars, its scintillating synths,
its mystifying melodiousness and its cosmic vocals.
These British gunslingers kick-start your adrenalin production from the first chord on with this peppery pop-punk cryout fed by schizo guitars and distressed vocals. A thrill, although the song is about the wake of a breakup, an anthem of self-loathing, regret, and ultimately, forgiveness. I said it a million times before, heartache can lead to explosive catharsis in music.
Fury is an explosive cocktail of speed metal(lica), synth sketches, post-punk tumult
and dark-Goth-wave vocals. It’s a fuzz and buzz rocket that whirls forth and back. These messed-up times cause mind-madness and paranoia that leads to furious eruptions as pMAD experiences too.
Floatin’ Stone is a robust tune powered-up by a mean hard rockin’ machine.
References? Muscular Australian noisemakers Wolfmother and stoner rock
mavericks Queens Of The Stone Age. Say no more.
This must be the closest The Underground Youth come to sound like The Velvet
Underground. The repetitive jingle jangle pattern, the midnight hour vocals of Dryer, the dreary harmonies and the ongoing melodic catchiness. All ingredients
for a psych gem are in place here.
This slow-progressing musing appeals instantly with its rudimentary PJ Harvey-esque
guitar play and Abdelbarry‘s affectional voice, think Sharon Van Etten.
Birthday Cake‘s has both a romantic and wistful sonority that captivates
and moves. And halfway melancholic synths accentuate the overall ruminate
timbre in a warm way.
Love Town is a heart-warming and reflective musing about falling in love.
A romantic candlelight ballad for mind-relaxing moments. Sweet and sensitive.
Tuplin‘s vocality made me immediately think of The National‘s melancholic crooner Matt Berninger with its affectional resonance. Beautiful. Let’s follow him to Love Town,
wherever that might be.
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration from bands
like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen, Rammstein, and Depeche Mode, and developed a unique sound that traverses genres from Darkwave Post-Punk to Trash Metal Indie Rock.
“Ever get so furious you don’t know what to do and think your fury will never leave you? Life can be so frustrating somedays and it drives us furious. If we keep carrying that Fury we will destroy ourselves!!”
TUTV: Fury is an explosive cocktail of speed metal(lica), synth sketches, post-punk tumult and dark-Goth-wave vocals. It’s a fuzz and buzz rocket that whirls forth and back. These messed-up times cause mind-madness and schizophrenia that leads to furious eruptions as pMAD experiences too.
Instead of going mental in the streets and be a nuisance for the people that surround
you, lock yourself up in your bedroom, and turn Fury up to the max on your stereo. That’s a saver and a more tolerant way to go mental and to face your demons. Destroy them.
