20 BEST TRACKS OF THE MONTH – JULY 2024
The best of the best of the past month
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK BY TRACK
Band: HINDS
Who: Spanish garage pop
fury, now reduced to a duo.
Track: SUPERSTAR
Cut from their 4th longplayer, titled
Viva Hinds, will land on September 6.
It starts as a mellow pop tune but grows
slowly but surely into a euphoric firecracker.
Ecstasty in swirling motion.
Viva! Viva! Viva!
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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.
Striking stroke.
Band: MAYFLOWER MADAME
Who: Norwegian outfit that specializes in a dark
and distinctive blend of post-punk, shoegaze and
psych-noir.
Track: PAINT IT ALL IN BLUE
The second taster from their
upcoming third album.
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.
Stellar stunner.
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Album artwork
Artist: JAKE BUGG
Who: British-Nottingham-born, songsmith who
turned 30 last February, but still looks like he’s 20.
His 6th LP is baptized A Modern Day Distraction
and it will land on 20th September.
No, Bugg is not a full-time crooner. He can rock too
as he did before, now and then, and here again on
this firm corker.
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Band: BODY COUNT,
Who: Los Angeles‘ metallic-crossover squad
fronted by rap-punk loudmouth Ice-T.
Track: FUCK WHAT YOU HEARD
Fierce hammer from their 8th longplayer,
named Merciless. Release date TBA.
It’s a roasting rant against
all American politicians and the
diving two-party system in the US.
Crushing sucker-punch.
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Promo pic
Band: FEVER 333
Who: Californian rage against
the machine gang.
Track: HIGHER POWER.
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.
In your face.
Fever 333: Linktree
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Artist: GEMMA ROGERS
Who: Alt pop poetess from London who had her
top-drawer debut LP No Place Like Home out
in 2022.
New single: DEATH KNOCKED UP
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.
Choose life.
Choose Rogers.
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Band: DAFFODILDOS
Who: Queer indies from Brighton who are here to shout
about challenging socio-political issues and have a lot of
fun while doing it.
Single: NO PRIDE
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.”
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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.
Get on board.
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Band: KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD
Who: Incredibly productive Australian‘s psych-prog-rock squad.
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.
Listen at your own risk.
Instagram
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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.
Track: SPACE DOGS
Only their 2nd one, following last year’s
sensuous debut Bollywood Gangsta.
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.
Linktree
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Band: OSCAR MIC
Who: A hip-rap-hop trio
from East London.
New single: SUN STAR
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.
Press. Play. Plunge.
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Band: THE SAVAGE HEARTS
Who: Garage/Psych/Pub Rock band featuring
The Strypes‘ drummer Evan Walsh.
Track: SPEEDING BULLETS
Only their 2nd single.
TUTV: Expect a hit-and-run projectile, a
maddening blues-infused riot-gun explosion.
Wham bloody wham bam!
Artist: DARREN DOHERTY
Who: Irish singer-songwriter
Track: EXTRATERRESTRIALS
Piece from his brand new
4-track EP Darksides.
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.
Far-out!
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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.
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Promo photo
Band: THE N.S.O.
Who: 4 indies from
Yorkshire, UK
New single: THICK AS YOU
“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.
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Artist: POOR EFFORT
Who: Musical project the product of Manchester-based
hip-hop, post-punk poet Matty Dagger0.
Track: HMRC
“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.
Great effort.
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.
Track: ELECTRIC
“Electric” serves as a reminder to value ourselves and our
achievements more than the opinions of others.”
TUTV: A meditative, yearning, mid-tempo reflection on trusting yourself and not swallow anything others feed you. Moody and moony. Another pMad score!
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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.
Instagram
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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.
Instagram
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Photo by Travis Shinn
Last month PIXIES dropped new track You’re So Impatient.
A familiar pixie rocker. It introduced new bassist (yep, another
one) Emma Richardson.
New album artwork
The almost 40-year old band now communicated details of a new LP.
It’s titled The Night The Zombies Came. It’ll land on planet Earth on
October 25.
Along with the news comes a 2nd new track.
CHICKEN is a rare slow one. Compelling,
captivating and compassionate.
TUTV: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter
