Best of the best of the month

ALL TOGETHER

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TRACK-BY-TRACK

– 1 –

Band: LIP CRITIC
Who:  Adrenalized indie
crew from New York.

Track: LEGS IN A SNARE
Lead single from their 3rd LP,
titled Theft World. Out May 1st.

TUTV: Wham Boom Wham Boom Bam! From the first chord on, you can stamp your feet, spin your head around, and punch your hands in the air. Lip Critic bop to the beastly beat, so does your itching body.

But as the track progresses, the funky ambiance gets ominous, aggressive, and brutal. Vocalist Bret Kaser goes nuts, the band goes bonkers, your stereo goes berserk, and
your ears go bananas. Hallelujah.

Fucktastic, right? You betcha.

Linktree
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– 2 –

Band: TEMPLES
Who: The glitzy British glam
rockers from London.

Track: JET STREAM HEART
Lead single from their forthcoming 5th full-length, the first
in 3 years, named Bliss. They will share it with the world
on June 26th.

TUTV: Frontman says James Bagshaw, the track sounds like Kylie Minogue
meets Daft Punk, meets Temples! My ears hear something a bit different,
more like good old T.Rex hanging out with Hot Chip at the disco. Most
important thing: T is back.

Glimmering stroke.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 3 –

📸 Tina Gross

Band: THE DARTS
Who: Garage rock Amazons based in Seattle, Washington,
fronted by charismatic singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne.

Track: APOCALYPSE
Cut from their upcoming 6th longplayer, named
Halloween Love Songs, out on March 3rd.

TUTV: Jumpy. Bouncy. Zippy. Cacophonic overtones, frolic organ blitz, sinewy vocals,
and psychobilly guitars drenched in an Eastern frenzy, blast out of your stereo. If this is what the Apocalypse will sound like, I wanna be there. Trust me, so will you.

Woohoo!

Instagram – Website – All Albums
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– 4 –

Band: NIMBUS CART
Who: Steamed-up dropouts
from Belgium.

Track: PRIVILEGE

“An energetic, confrontational track about power and the everyday things we tend
to take for granted. No preaching, but something we could all be a bit more aware of. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

TUTV: These Belgian motherrockers trigger your maddest pogo-stick moves and
your insatiable appetite for sweaty moshpits with this fervent flamethrower, fueled
by a bulldozing drum/bass artillery, schizophrenic guitars, and crackbrained vocals.
Consider it a privilege to be able to go out-of-your-mind to this punk dunk.

All together now, loud and proud,
La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 5 –

Band: REMEMBER SPORTS
Who: Ohio-rooted and Philadelphia-based indie
quartet, formed in 2014, named Sports for a while.

Track: THUMB
Standout cut from their brand
new album The Refrigerator

TUTV: Fast forward from the kick-off with squeaky guitars, a cranky rhythm section,
and hurry-scurry vocals. Speedy punk Gonzales for all you sonic sprinters out there.

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Instagram – Linktree
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– 6 –

Press photo

Band: VILLANELLE
Who: Fresh Brit-rock trio led
by Liam Gallagher‘s son Gene.

New track: PLACEBO
Their 3rd one. It’ll feature on their
debut EP, which will land on May 6th.

TUTV: Placebo is a haywire riff wallop. Gene Gallagher doesn’t follow in
his father’s band footsteps. His motto is more like ‘tonight I’m a grunge star‘.

Yep, his band don’t look back in anger at the Nirvana days. They’re
definitely, maybe fans of Kurt Cobain‘s unpolished and unbridled
exuberance.

Smells like new teen spirit.

Instagram – Facebook
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– 7 –

Photo by John Parrillo

Band: JENNIFER TEFFT & THE STRANGE
Who: A fired-up, energizing outfit who create earthy music
from its roots and breathes fresh, rock and roll life into them.

Track: A LITTLE MORE

Tefft: “This song was written during a point in my relationship where I felt like it was
too one-way. Where I really wanted ‘A Little More’ from my significant other, communication, time, emotion, etc. – but I was afraid to say it out loud. I think it is a pretty common theme in relationships.”

Art by Stephen ‘Sharky’ Beccia; design by Jennifer Tefft

TUTV: If I tell you that riff-riveting blues rock duo The Kills are one of my all-time fav
bands, you’ll absolutely understand why I love this amazeballs crackerjack. Jennifer
Tefft voice matches Alison Mosshart‘s warm-blooded one. Both passional and sensual.

A Little More is a magnetic mid-tempo turn-on, energized by
a striking drum/bass artillery and sparked by anxious guitars.

Get more here.

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Instagram – Linktree
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– 8 –

Artist: PEACHES
Who: The fabulous/controversial/notorious performer/producer and
feminist/gay activist born Merrill Nisker, 58 years ago in Toronto, Canada.

Track: GRIP
Piece from her brand new, 7th album No Lube So Rude.

TUTV: Peaches is alive and kicking, once again, on the
glittery dancefloor. Get a grip on her euphoric beats.

Shake your booty.

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Instagram – Linktree
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– 9 –

Artist: LEG PUPPY 2.0
Who: Seasoned techno freak from London who has released a ton
of longplayers (so far). Take a day off and move over to Spotify to
check out as many as possible.

Track: LANYARD MAN

TUTV: As my therapist once said: rich company owners are psychos. No morals,
no respect, no tolerance. Workers are tools abused to help them make even richer.
Leg Puppy 2.0 translates this ongoing criminality into a brain-breaking midtempo techno club-hammer. It easily could be the theme song for George Orwell‘s yet-to-be-made
‘1984‘ movie.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 10 –

Press photo

Band: THE BLACK KEYS
Who: Ohio‘s famously rowdy blues tandem,
singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer
Patrick Carney

Track: YOU GOT TO LOSE
First single from their 3rd LP in 3 years.
It’s baptized Peaches!. It’ll hit the streets
on May 1st.

TUTV: BK go back to their inflammable blues roots with this unbridled
boogie-woogie stomper. They rattle and ramble like in their early days.

Boss.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 11 –

Band: FOO FIGHTERS
Who: Former Nirvana drummer Dave
Grohl fav grunge rock toy, since 1994.

Track: YOUR FAVOURITE TOY
Title piece from their upcoming 12th LP,
which will show up on April 24th.

TUTV: The Foos punk their butts off as never
before on this raging riff-ripper. Never too old
to rock hard, Dave.

Linktree
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– 12 –

Band: HUNGRY
Who: Unabated guitar energized
team from Manchester, UK.

Track: CAMBRIDGE IS ON FIRE

Jacob Peck (frontman/lyricist): “ The song expresses our frustrations with
middle-class comforts, over-analysis without action, nimbyism, intellectual
cowardice as a stand-in for material change and all too easy deference to
business and power.

TUTV: These Manchester punk dropouts hit hard. All greedy sharks in
our collapsing society better run and hide. Hungry go on a roasting rampage,
powered by a propulsive bass/drum tandem, neurotic guitars, and cranked-up
vocals.

Ferocious.

Instagram – Facebook
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– 13 –

Band: MONT LOSER
Who: A deformed creature born from the depths of a late-night Parisian haze, half kamikaze, half blood-drunk bat. ML invite you to dive headfirst into the void of a rock scene that always seems to rise from its ashes, when we sometimes wish it would stay dead.

Track: CONFESSIONAL
The title track from their upcoming
album, out on April 17th.

“It’s only reality tv confessionals — people alone in a booth, crying to
the camera, saying things they probably never meant to say out loud.”

TUTV: Ballistic guitars, chaotic screams, mindbending verve and head-twisting changes of speed combine for a roasting 5-minute rollercoaster. Be ready for a dizzying experience.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 14 –

Credit Teodora Nenadov

Band: GERECKI
Who: Art rock ensemble from Serbia, known for blending 60s- and 70s-inspired
rock’n’roll with chamber-pop intimacy, subtle psychedelic hues, and jazz-inflected
textures.

Track: IT GETS DARK
New piece from their upcoming debut album, named
Athanasios (Greek word for immortal), out May 7th.

The song draws from a quiet, deeply personal memory: a family visit to the zoo.
Seen through the eyes of a three-year-old daughter — curious, overwhelmed, moved to tears by the crocodile house, then distracted by ducks flying over seemingly empty cages.

TUTV: Gerecki produce a hook-hungry groove, reminiscent of The Beatles‘s classic Get Back jam. No kidding. That’s what my experienced ears (big Beatles fans) told me immediately. A-OK, right? Far and away. It Gets Dark thrives on it and repeats its infectious throb after slowing down here and there.

Rad!

Instagram
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– 15 –

Artist: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Track: STREETS OF MINNEAPOLIS

After the brutal killings, in cold blood, of two American citizens – Rennée Good
and Alex Pretti last month in Minnesota, several musicians called out Trump and
his ruthless Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

So did The Boss.

“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it
to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of
Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent
immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”

Instagram – Tour Dates
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– 16 –

Band: KULA SHAKER
Who: British psych rock vets, fronted by charismatic
vocalist/songwriter Crispian Mills. Their 1996 debut LP,
titled K made them instant indie stars.

Track: DUST BENEATH OUR FEET
From their new LP Wormslayer.
Their 8th one.

TUTV: Part acoustic/electric psych groove with
a 60s organ-juiced resonance. Back to the future.

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Instagram – All Albums
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– 17 –

Artist: KYE ALFRED HILLIG
Who: Singer-songwriter from
Tacoma, Washington.

Track: OUR REMAINING PIG
New taster from his upcoming 9th full-length,
called The All-Night Costume Company.
More info here.

KAH: “I drew a man on his family farm wading across a river toward the final living pig, knowing he had to slaughter it. You can tell he doesn’t want to do this, but sometimes the
hard thing is exactly what must be done.”

TUTV: Arresting from the start. KAH’s puissant Americana voice and the song’s rock-solid Mellencamp flow merge seamlessly together, resulting in a stem-winding gem. Both electric and absorbing.

youtube.com/watch?si=uRqpInLUxku1q-xwnne&v=YtsTszEYkw0&feature=youtu.be

Instagram
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– 18 –

Artist: MATTHIJS VERSTEGEN
Who: Belgian singer-songwriter.

Track: CLEAN PAGE

Verstegen: “As a songwriter, I have a love-hate relationship with the “blank page.”
As long as I don’t put anything on it, anything is still possible. It’s a promise of everything
song could ever be. But I also find that emptiness intimidating. What if I mess it up?
What if I have nothing meaningful to say?

That uncertainty and doubt reminded me of how I feel after a broken relationship.
You suddenly have to turn the page and write a new chapter. A head full of doubts
and a heart full of hope. And before I knew it, I had a page full of sentences about…
a blank page.”

TUTV: Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free. Verstegen will soundtrack it all with this new restful reverie. His near-whispering vocals and acoustic, sepia-colored sonority echo Matt Berninger‘s soft, romantic touch. Candelight music for relaxing moments.

Enchanting.

Instagram – Facebook
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– 19 –

Artist: RYAN THOMAS SMELLE
Who: Canadian singer/songwriter with an acoustic approach to storytelling, using
hook-laden songs in the areas of folk, alternative, North Americana and pop.

Track: NOTHING LEFT OF MY HEART

RTS: “Some songs are stories of moments from our life. As a songwriter, this short
and sweet lyrical tale is a snapshot of a love’s farewell and how we can stew in the
feelings.”

TUTV: Vocally Ryan Thomas Smelle reminds me of The National’s Matt Berninger‘s tranquillising hush-hush timbre, which benefits the heartrending emotions and
the saddening nature of Nothing Left Of My Heart downright.

Acoustic and electric guitar sparks, think Mark Knopfler, paint cloudy images.
This is a melancholic reverie for silent pondering and soul-searching reflection.
A touching and moving ballad.

Facebook Instagram
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– 20 –

Artists:
Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz),
Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.)
and Kae Tempest.

Track: FLAGS

One of the 23 tracks performed by big-name bands/artists on a new album,
named Help, with all benefits going to War Child. An organisation that shapes
systems that protect and support the well-being of children affected by conflict.

The record is out on March 6th. More info here.

Slo-mo vibes.

War Child UK: Website
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TURN UP THE VOLUME

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