Artists: SOFT SKIES INC Who: The Philly twin-writing team of Ryan and Martin Rex.
With each single, the twins seek to feed your head or elevate your day.
The Soft Skies Inc‘s sound is noisy, poppy, psychedelic, melodic, driving,
exploring texture and mood and space and time.
Ryan Rex: “It’s a twist on the old saying, but darker, more self-aware. The character in the song isn’t winning much of anything – they’re stuck in this loop of bad decisions and trying to keep control while everything’s slipping away. The title kind of sums up that whole headspace in four words.
More than anything, I want people to find their own meaning in the song. But for me, it’s about the chaos of living a life that’s been off the rails for too long – trying to wrestle control over things that were never really in your hands to begin with. There’s a kind of madness in that. ”
TUTV: It doesn’t take long to get your ears involved in this slacker-rock like tune. Yes, Dinosaur Jr‘s and Sebadoh‘s twilight glow and tranquilizing vibrations come instantly
to mind.
Even when the guitars come up front and draw all attention, there’s always a hazy state of dreaminess floating in the air, extra emphasized by luminous synths. The song’s spirit has an eye/ear on the bad, outside world, but entertains aurally. I dig the combination.
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‘.
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 (so far)
.
The 10 new ones added this week
TRACK-BY-TRACK
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
A barbed slice of mayhew from their upcoming
debut album ‘THE SOUNDTRACK’ in 2024.
TUTV: This Welsh foursome is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of
the most excited bands my ears have experienced lately. Fact! Think Sonic Youth going forth and back, and finishing with a flabbergasting finale.
Fucktastic.
Band: LAFRANTZ Who: The culmination of a journey that began in Salt Lake City,
where two kindred spirits, Jack and Meg, united by their love for
music, decided to chase their dreams together in Los Angeles. FFO: Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and The Allman Brothers Band.
Press info: It’s a modernized, Southern rock n’ roll inspired pop track. The move-inducing wild and raucous song is brought to life through a determined, foot-stomping beat, catchy lyrics and twangy instrumentation.
Advice from the duo: “Blast this song when you’re in the car with your windows down and wanting to feel like a badass, when you’re at a party with your friends wanting to DANCE, or when you’re on a dusty desert road-trip wanting to feel like an outlaw.”
TUTV: No, it’s not the White Stripes but Lafrantz cause the same adrenalized delirium with this fantastic debut banger. The sultry harmonica, the glam vocals, the wham bam bloody wham bam drones combine for a solid gold knockout. Don’t miss the fireworks.
TUTV: No retirement yet for the Boston legends. After almost 40 years, the band hasn’t
the same stupefying force anymore (well, they’re 40 years older), but still come up with infectious tunes that resonate from the get-go. I wonder if Francis has already found his mind.
Track: DISINFECTANT
From his forthcoming, second solo full-length,
called ‘The Cleansing‘ out on November 1st.
TUTV: The 72-year-old only one rocks out as if he’s 22 again. Disinfectant is an utterly cool, straightforward rocker. Listen up, all you ambitious upstarts out there, and take notes.
Press info: “Cowards” is a high-octane anthem that rips through the false bravado
and empty promises of a generation hiding behind masks. With fiery guitars and raw, unapologetic lyrics, this track calls out the pretenders and fair-weather friends, daring them to show their true colours in a world full of fakes.
TUTV: Hello Hüsker Dü fans, attention. Escape Goats‘s vigorous verve and reckless
drive remind me of the electrical panache of the former Minnosota noise rock heroes.
No-nonsense commotion. Fast-forward swiftness without looking back. Spot-on!
Press info: There’s a subtle softness to “Kisses Goodbye,” yet the energy is fully commanding with a catchy riff chugging us through. Bonnie Trash shows off their skill
with tight percussion and a heavy bass line. Squealing electric guitar, distortion, and harsh noise give a rough edge to this shoegaze-y track, while Sarafina’s airy and intimate vocals show off the band’s impressive ability to genre-hop from heavy metal to soft rock and everything in between.
TUTV: Layers of distorted guitars. Shoegaze echoes. Kisses Goodbye gets under your skin within 10 seconds and takes you on an entrancing trip juiced with dreamy vocals. Right on.
Barry Burns (multi-instrumentalist): “I couldn’t come up with the lyrics
so I asked my 7 year old daughter to make some up, and she did and I
sang them”
Are you kidding us, Barry?
TUTV:Scottish post-punk heroes are around for ages, actually since 1995, and still
appeal with every new release. This stand-alone single goes on like forever – 6,40 minutes – and rotates incessantly with Krautrock-like dynamics. For all fans: the band embarks on a world tour next year. Dates here.
Expect fringing post-punk, flirting with dance and suffusing no little funk into precious
few minutes of an incessant, rug-cutting “Afrobeat Curious Post-Hardgaze”, the four-piece transmit the crucial sounds of a raging, wide-awake, no more bullsh*t society.
Joe (vocals/guitar) says: “I was in a police cell in Scotland after getting arrested for disrupting the Scottish Grand National in April 2023. I could request a piece of paper and a pen to write or draw to keep me sane, whilst waiting to be released. I used the piece of paper that I got given about halfway through to write drafts of about two lines, one being eventually “I may not see what I want before I leave here, but I can’t regret in the cell I sit” – just trying to console myself that even though I’m in this unpleasant situation now, it won’t be for nothing. There’s also a jab at the royal family in there.”
TUTV: I hope that Joe gets arrested again soon and goes to jail, long enough to write an album. Meanwhile this head-twisting, bass-infused, vocally stand-out will mess-up your troubled mind the way you like it. Hells bells.
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.
Ryan: “‘Sooner or Later’ is filled with bittersweet nostalgia for a time in one’s life that was innocent and free. I think no matter your circumstances, most can point to a period, usually younger years, where the world feels open, limitless, profound – before ‘real life gets in’. The song both lyrically and sonically reminisces about this time and laments the fact that we all get mangled – even under the best of conditions – and that sooner or later this is inevitable. And that somewhere deep down, we all know it’s inevitable.”
TUTV: Melodic guitar pop at its Sebadoh best. Uptempo shoe-slacker-gaze
spiced with scintalling synths and ethereal vocals. Start dreaming in overdrive.
Right now, right here.
