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
Band: THE LIVING PINS Who: Flaring indie duo – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz who found each other on
the edge of the delicately ramshackle playground of the 1990s Austin (Texas)
music scene. They released their 4-track debut EP Let It Be So in 2023,
followed by some ace singles.
Pam: “108” is like 1980s Austin, downtown around 6th St. and Lamar, when there were abandoned car dealerships and weeds growing everywhere and driveways to nowhere.
I would be walking around in the extreme heat, almost so hot I couldn’t see. But loving it,
cuz I kind of love the Texas heat, which I know is wrong.”
Carrie: ” One of the things that I love about the Texas heat is that it feels purifying.
It burns your soul clean. It’s almost like you’re going through this baptism of heat to
really feel like you’re at home in Austin. You get the baptism of cold in Barton Springs,
but the rest of the time, walking down the street, it’s a baptism of heat.”
TUTV: Expect another foot-tapping living pins cherry bomb, powered by gloriously
creaking guitars and a sing-along/hum-along chorus. Funky and groovy kick, all
day long.
Band: LOS PALMS Who: rock trio Adelaide, Australia who deliver a soundtrack soaked in vintage fuzz.
Their signature “desert jangle” sound, has 60s garage, spaghetti western and modern
psych influences.
Track: WAY TOO COLD
Newest single from their upcoming debut LP,
entitled Sorrows. It’s out on August 29th.
“Way Too Cold is four minutes of sunburnt ‘60s jangle, stomping choruses, and a dark psych detour before slamming back for the kill. The video rips through Los Palms’ South Australian stomping grounds, A tribute to the country towns and rugged coastlines carved into the band’s DNA.”
TUTV: Jingly jangly guitars, a galvanizing groove, vivid vocals, back-up harmonies
and a peppy chorus combine for an electrifying psychedelic thrill. The 60s were
and still are an uplifting and exciting force.
Track: 21st CENTURY MEDS
Newest single from their upcoming new,
3rd album, titled ‘One Million Suburban Sunsets‘.
Jim Styring (frontman/songwriter): “The song is about living in this modern world, doing what it takes to get by and basically survive. We all need something to get us through these troubled times, so we all self medicate. Be that with drugs (legal or otherwise), alcohol, or any addictive behavior, whatever it may be, we’re all looking for that magic ‘something’.
But the song’s not judgemental, I’m just saying ‘look, this is how society has got us all, we’re all hooked on one thing or another, numbing ourselves behind a wall of 21st century medication. Perhaps it’s time to take a step back and look at ourselves”
TUTV: 21st Medicine Meds races and rushes like today’s merciless rat race, propelled
by layers of aggressive guitars, full-energetic percussion and feverish vocals. Listen to
it 3 times in a row per day, and 6 times on Sunday. It can help you to tranquillise your insecurity about these confusing times’ insanity.
I had no clue what that title means. So I googled it. It’s Spanish for
thinking very hard about a problem to try to find the solution to that
thing, not always successfully, but the expression is about trying. Well,
I guess this is what the band had in mind.
“A three-minute blast, capturing the feeling of being pulled in conflicting directions,
playing on double meanings and pseudowords, paired with angular guitars and
powerful drums.”
TUTV: No songs about the birds and the bees for these fortissimo Scots.
They have an unyielding appetite for boisterous guitar rampage and capricious,
yet sticky melodiousness, sturdy drum/bass firepower and full-throated vocals.
Crackajack stroke.
Track: BACK TO LIFE
2nd shared single from their forthcoming album,
named Fragments. It’s out in November.
“‘Back To Life’ explores the tension between our deep, universal connection and the fragmentation we face in the modern world, It’s about sensing that chaos, feeling the
void, the noise, and still holding on to the hope that we can come back from the edge.
It’s a call to reconnect, to bring something broken back into wholeness.”
TUTV: Shiny synth-pop delight from start to finish. Again, the trio wrap an elevating
tune in a sphere of electronic bliss juiced with alternating, heartening harmonies.
Exhilarating piece.
“We are made of stars / we are meteor showers /
losing all control / empty out the soul.”
“‘Although it’s a big, joyous dance track, it’s about hiding deep emotional pain and trauma and how hedonistic coping mechanisms, like drugs, alcohol, and womanizing, are just temporary distractions. They ultimately fuel a self-destructive cycle. There’s a deliberate contrast between the euphoria of the music and the melancholy of the lyrics, capturing the subject’s duality of light and darkness.”
TUTV: This is what great pop-ular music is all about. Big tune, big emotions, big orchestration. Euphorically cacthy despite its dramatic ‘real life‘ story. Aftermath
soul-searching can work cathartically, and here it sounds pretty boosting.
TUTV: These utterly cool Welsh punkettes drive you bonkers with
this bass-insane punk ‘n’ roll uppercut. Kick-ass band, kick-ass attitude,
kick-ass blast.
Band: PUNCHBAG Who: A new brother-sister party duo, from South London colliding the raw unfiltered energy of punk, with the overflowing ecstasy of pop. With fierce tempos and ferocious energy, their music is an explosively cathartic release of raw intensity and unapologetic fun.
TUTV: Ecstasy. Elation. Exhilaration. This flamboyant electro-slam makes
you bounce and jump like mad. Punchbag kick you in the teeth without
asking while having uppercut fun. And they’ve only just started.
“I wrote this one when I was feeling stuck and stagnant, but when I finally
brought it to the band they really breathed new life into it and made it feel
magic again!!”
TUTV: This sickly sticky steam-riff-roller drives me crazy. Head-twisting stonker.
Band: BOB VYLAN Who: Controversial hip-punk-hop
duo from London.
Track: DREAM BIGGER.
A re-worked, re-named jackhammer single from
their 3rd album, Humble As The Sun released
last April.
TUTV: It features roasting vocals by the fantastic Australian punk
daredevil Amyl Taylor from Amyl And The Sniffers. She’s the perfect
sharp-mouthed match for this fierce flametrohwer.
Band: KNEECAP Who: Belfast‘s sharp-mouthed, notorious rap team KNEECAP – Mo Chara,
Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí – hip & hop around with a knife between their
teeth since 2017.
So far they released 2 albums.
Lately, they make headlines with their loud and clear, ongoing support for Palestine.
They got heavily critiqued for it when they played Coachella Festival in Indo, California
last April.
Then the UK’s right wing politicians jumped into it, and prosecuted Mo Chara after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah last November (no verdict yet), and tried to get them banned from playing Glastonbury Festival next week. It gained them, rightly so, countless support from musical colleagues and fans.
To emphasize the whole political charade, the band just released a new single, named THE RECAP, going after Tory politician, business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch who started to hunt them back in 2023 when he withdrew an arts grant awarded to the band.
The trio brought a discrimination case against the U.K. government
and won, donating the proceeds to Belfast community groups. Yes!
Beth: “We’re living in a dark time, full of drama and barbarous tragedy.
It became clear to me that, in these times, we either learn how to scream
really well, or we learn how to whisper.”
TUTV: With this savage industrial shocker it’s crystal clear what Beth meant
when she talked about her amadant intention to make an agressive sound
on her new record. Obsession is a nine inch nails bombshell. Volcanic
2025 gloom and doom eruption.
TUTV: Post-punk aggression at its Mclusky‘s sharp-biting best,
gas-powered by a cast iron bass/drum tandem, schizo guitars
and Falkous‘s intimidating sneering.
Band: WHOLES Who: A fresh, rowdy hit team led by Belgian musical chameleon Wolf Vanwymeersch.
Track: MODERN DAY DRAMA
Single from their upcoming debut LP ‘A Mass In The Water, which lands
on 14 November.
Single artwork by Maxime Rouquart
TUTV: This hellraiser’s ominous mid-tempo dynamics, distorted vocals, and
riff-roasting razzmatazz resonate like if you are listening to the goosebumps
theme song of a horror movie.
Creepy tension in the air, melodrama about to happen. Yes, at the 2.30 minute
mark all hell breaks loose. Decibels up, amps up, temperature up. From a whisper
to a scream. From planet Earth to Dante‘s inferno.
Band: ARCADE FIRE Who: The famous pop-rock
collective from Canada.
Track:YEAR OF THE SNAKE
First single from their forthcoming 7th album, named Pink Elephant ready for release on May 9th. 2025 is
the ‘year of the snake‘ in the Chinese Zodiac.
TUTV: It’s a sublime, crystalline pop nugget, with its hypnotizing guitar riff,
the non-stop banging drum beat and the intertwined, spellbinding vocals of Win Butler and his spouse Régine Chassagne.
Band: THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY Who:The Irrational Library is a Dutch-American rock band with its roots
firmly planted in both the regional and international counterculture. The Dutch-American band produces a raw, dirty groove influenced by punk,
provo and punk icons. Their poetry is packed with social criticism.
Track: TRUTH SERUM
First single from the quartet’s new, upcoming
5th LP ‘The Saying Of It All’. More details TBA.
Artwork by political cartoonistTRIK
TUTV: TIL is back in town. And they move and groove again with brio and gusto
motorized by a striking drum/bass tandem, while a 60s psychedelic flute flutters
like a butterfly throughout the song. Frontman Joshua Baumgarten draws your
aural attention (as usual) with his near-rapping phrasing of the clear-cut lyrics.
TUTV: An Artist Is An Artist is a sizzling sledgehammer
pushed by a mind-boggling speedy velocity, Skin‘s
hyperactive vocals, a paranoid sax and a flabbergasting chorus.
Artist:LAURA JANE GRACE Who: Chicago‘s notorious singer-songwriter who’s around since the 90s.
She makes a lot of noise with her punk group Against Me! (7 albums so far)
and solo (2 albums so far).
Grace: “Does God have a dick? Is that what those of the faith believe when they refer to their Lord as “he” & “him” & “father”? Well, imagine that! Oops, I think I may have imagined a little too hard and gone and written a song about it. He lord’s heavenly hammer must swing mighty! And away we go!”
TUTV: This is both a hilarious and punktastic choir chant reminiscent
of scream and shout Celtics Dropkick Murphys with a blustering storm
of surf riffs chainsawing your stereo into pieces.
Band: THE NEW EVES Who: Must hear/see indies from Brighton (where everybody is in a band).
They cruise from folk to punk, using, besides traditional instruments (guitar,
bass and drums) also cello, flute, violin, and other classical gear.
It’s a darkly-energised, female-first retelling of
writer/poet Alfred Noyes classic 1906 romantic
poem.
TUTV: These four musical mavericks don’t care about rock ‘n’ roll rules. They do what they want, the way they want to do it, annex unseen visual presence on stage and in video clips. On Highwayman they rattle and brattle full speed ahead motorized by restless drum/bass teamwork.
Here and there the tune, goes, eh, out of tune, and it sounds totally perfect for this emotional belter. No arty farty production for TNE. Winder-Lind‘s awesomely agitated vocals put a spell on you. My, oh my.
TUTV: A razzle-dazzle steamroller that gets under your skin faster
than you can say “this is bloody superb”. Its insane, mind-bending
course doubles your serotonin production on the spot.
Artist: MARK STEWART Who: One of the most adventurous/inventive/original post-punk & dub artists/performers
ever. He was a founding member of genre-bending new wave group The Pop Group and released lots of solo and collaborative records. Unfortunately, he passed away 2 years ago,
only 62.
Track: MEMORY OF YOU
Single from Stewart‘s solo album The Fateful Symmetry,
that was completed early 2023, not long before his passing.
TUTV: Haunting, synth-symphonic and boom-tastic,
with Mark‘s characteristically energetic voice on top.
Band: THE LIVING PINS Who: Indie outfit featuring, Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz, who found each other on
the edge of the delicately ramshackle playground of the 1990s Austin (Texas)
music scene. They released their 4-track debut EP Let It Be So in 2023.
TUTV: Gold is a bluesy, foot-tapping garage ripper that has an instant impact on your greedy ears with its solid swagger, its gloriously cracking guitars, with a feverish solo somewhere in the middle, and its cool duet vocals.
Artist: LIFE COACH Who: The musical project of singer-songwriter-poet Jamie Cameron. Hailing from
the Scottish Borders, the music blends lo-fi beats, synths and guitars with spoken word lyrics in which he discusses subjects ranging from politics and premonitions to self help culture, and a modern society obsessed with economic thinking.
TUTV: Life Coach are on fire, again. This new rattling rap ‘n’ punk roll crackerjack
swings forth and back, left and right and Jamie Cameron’s full of vim and vigour
word-flow activates all of your insatiable limbs before he relaxes towards the
synthy end. Kinetic kick. Hands up for the coach.
Tim Baker (founder and creative director): “The best of what we do in one song,
it’s a tune that really carries the soul of everything good we have stood for over the
last ten years”.
TUTV: Expect electrifying energy from the kick-off. Delirious guitars set
the haywire tone and hyperventilating vocals augment the buzzing fuzz.
A modern-day post-punk roller coaster.
Berlin-based artist KAT KOAN offers her first music of
the year with a new, jaunty little gem, called COCOON.
Koan: “It’s a little circus themed escape world. I wanted to create a bit of a dreamy
break from daily worries. It’s pretty crafty and full of cool instruments. It also features
my daughter for a brief moment. It’s my favourite song I’ve made so far.”
TUTV: Leave your own cocoon and move to Koan‘s one where she will treat
you with this lighthearted tune that swings in mid-tempo from left to right
and back.
It relaxes your mind, triggers you to set your busy plans on a hold, and invites
your body to have a waltz-y dance that transfers you to a utopian circus
place for a while, far away from our daily, suffocating rat race.
Who: A new brother-sister party duo, from South London colliding the raw unfiltered energy of punk, with the overflowing ecstasy of pop. With fierce tempos and ferocious energy, their music is an explosively cathartic release of raw intensity and unapologetic fun.
Track: I’M NOT YOUR PUNCHBAG
From their upcoming debut EP. Details TBA.
It was written before they came up with their
moniker Punchbag.
TUTV: Ecstasy. Elation. Euphoria. Exhilaration. Yes, this electro-smack makes
you bounce and jump like a pogo-stick. Two singles in and Punchbag are already
a punky EBM sensation. They kick you in the teeth without asking while having
fervent fun.
Who: 2-piece from Birmingham (UK) – Euan Woodman (drums/vocals) and Tom Rhodes (bass/vocals) – born in late 2023 over a shared love of noise, literature and late night shebeens. They write music about love and hate. They’re good for your soul.
TUTV: Warning. This insanely groovy punk blast will bulldoze all over your shocked speakers. Expect a superheated funky firestorm that attacks the Richter scale with a shattering impact. A manically jagged jackhammer it is. Trust me, you’ll think you like them, very much, while you bang your head into your fridge’s door.
Who: British red-hot-steaming misfits, Isaac Holman (lead vocals, drums) and Laurie Vincent (backing vocals, guitar, bass) started their rowdy ride back in 2012,
named Slaves. They have fabricated 3 earthshaking LPs so far.
Who: A collective with members scattered across the UK and the Netherlands. This group, now comprising seven members, has its roots in a trio that expanded over the past four years. The current lineup includes both current and former members of notable bands such as IDLES, Sex Swing, Tall Ships, Manatees, Do Me Bad Things, Pulled Apart By Horses, Petbrick and Mugstar.
New track: WET LEATHER
Piece from their upcoming, sophomore LP Total Technik,
out on April 18th. Pre-order info here.
TUTV: Kraut-rock and roll with an intoxicating impact. A wall-of-guitar-pyrotechnics rollercoaster. An overpowering tempest of rambunctious riffs. Voltaic psychedelia at
its spine-chilling best, bombarding your ears the way you like it. Fascinating, right?
You betcha.
TUTV: Raucous Royal Blood riffs, hard-hammering drum beats, a mean
bass machine, gutsy vocals and a knockdown chorus combine for a jagged
jackhammer that you’ll play louder with every spin.
Who: Flaring indie duo – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz – who found each other on
the edge of the delicately ramshackle playground of the 1990s Austin (Texas)
music scene. They released their 4-track debut EP Let It Be So in 2023.
TUTV: Hallelujah! The pins do it again. Gold is a hip-shaking bluesy garage rock thrill
that has an instant impact on your greedy ears with its solid swagger, its gloriously cracking guitars with a feverish solo somewhere in the middle, and its cool duet vocals. Play it to your unicorn, and have a dance together.
Who: Legendary indie group from Rhode Island founded in 1981, in by two musically marvelous stepsisters, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly who later co-formedThe Breeders with Kim Deal but soon afterward she started her own group Belly.
Who: Canadian post-punk outfit from Calgary, Alberta.
They formed in 2012 under the name Viet Cong, a name
they dropped in 2016 following lots of criticism related
to the Vietnam War.
Track: BASTARDS
New single from their upcoming 5th LP,
titledIII At Ease. Out on May 9th.
TUTV: Never heard Preoccupations going
this synth-poppy and it works 100%.
Who: A group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals). They produce material from their home studio on
the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves
and hypnotic psych tinged vocal harmonies. Last year their released new album Back To The Begining.
TUTV: From the first chord on, Exploding! swirls irresistibly fueled by heated guitars,
a magnetizing, bouncy bass riff, a non-stop, repetitive and footstomping drum beat and moody vocals, that bring former Super Furry Animals‘ frontman Gruff Rhys‘ smooth voice tone to mind. Bullseye.
Who: A duo with contrasting yet complementary artistic journeys. Giulia born in Sesto San Giovanni, infuses the project with her vibrant soul, creating intense melodies, profound lyrics, and a captivating voice. Marco born in Monza, brings an instinctive and meticulous approach to crafting their signature electronic sound.
Track: LAUGH
Second single following last year’s
excellent debutFaded Flowers.
The song is inspired by a true story. It tells the story of a woman who, after 30 years of domestic abuse, laughs at her husband’s funeral—not out of joy, but as an uncontrollable, cathartic release.
TUTV: Think Sharon Van Etten at her most heartfelt. Laugh is a purifying and soul-freeing rumination, invigorated with passional vocals, synth-shining orchestration and a steadfast drum beat.
TUTV: Heaven is a powerhouse ripper, that gets under your skin without asking
permission, fed by inflammable guitars, intense vocals and a titanic chorus. Americana rock pschydelia at its hypnotzing best.
Who: Synth-driven power-poppers from Seattle, Chicago and Vancouver. Since their inception, The band have performed throughout Canada, Mexico,, the US, the UK, and Europe. References: The Fixx, The Cure, 20/20, The Dickies, Duran Duran, The Cars, Devo,
The Go-Go’s.
TUTV: Diana comes out for the gates like a speed train and never looks back.
Dynamizing synths start the whirlwind trip, the powerhouse drum/bass engine
pushes the rotating rhythm with vivid vigour, and zippy vocals complete the
accelerating sonic picture.
Track: CRINGE
The first single taken from the upcoming second album,
named ‘A Love Letter To Your Yearning Heart’ which comes
out on May 30th.
TUTV: The alternating dreamy female and sinewy male vocals create
an intriguing contrast and give this speedy, puissant stroke a kinetic
twist. Dashing energy that makes your finger reach for the repeat button.
David Wildman (guitarist/lead vocals) “I think there is a rock renaissance in progress.
This is a Margaret Thatcher-ruining-England level of trauma we’re experiencing. Trump and Musk have taken over in what was basically a (barely) legal coup, and it has ignited a wave of rage not seen in years, translating into important and meaningful music being made all over, and mostly under the radar so far. We’re proud to be part of that.”
Credit Dan Saltzman
TUTV: This guitar-frenzied riff buzzer resonates like an alarming wake-up call to counter Trump‘s Divided States Of America. The Times They Are A-Changin’ warned/sang Bob Dylan way back. And they drastically do, lately, but obviously, in the wrong direction. Tell are aware of the new blank generation, and let us know it, loud and clear, with puissant panache.
Who: Group formed in Leeds (UK) by three schoolmates and a ‘drummer wanted’ poster on a lamppost. They turn rough-and-tumble, high-energy sound–injecting indie rhythms into punk sensibilities and subjects.
TUTV: Imagine The Fall fronted by Iggy Stooge. These cocky hound-dogs know all you need to know about indie (post)punk history to get up, stand up and form a band with an eager mission to kick ass. Great news, music junkies.
TUTV: Gloriously affecting and steadily boogielicious with musing duet vocals
all over it until sinewy guitars, slowly but surely, augment the intensity of this witty
mixed emotions tune.
Musically, this track encapsulates the typical joy and experimentation within its composition – something for which, Pete is very much becoming renowned for.
All My Friends Are Wasters is an ode to the bohemian friends that would never
be understood by this stranger at the party. Someone who could never understand
the square pegs in round holes all trying to catch a wave – and that just makes Briley
love the people in his life all the more.
TUTV: Compelling, profound and transfixing reflection.
Subtly and emotively arranged with fetching piano play
and expressive vocals.
Band: THE LIVING PINS Who: Flaring indie duo – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz who found each other on
the edge of the delicately ramshackle playground of the 1990s Austin (Texas)
music scene. They released their 4-track debut EP Let It Be So in 2023.
“If this song were a house, it’d have a classic rock foundation, psychedelic ceilings,
shag carpet you could get lost in, a killer stereo (obviously), a dance floor begging
for action, and velvet couches tucked in the corners for smoking, making out, or
just sinking into the vibe.”
TUTV: Hallelujah! The pins do it again. Gold is a hip-shaking bluesy garage rock thrill
that has an instant impact on your greedy ears with its solid swagger, its gloriously cracking guitars with a feverish solo somewhere in the middle, and its cool duet vocals. This kind of uplifting tunes is what we need in these turbulent times. Play it to your unicorn, and have a dance together.
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.
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.
Band: THE LIVING PINS Who: Two rockin’ amazons – Carrie Clark and Pam Peltz – from Austin, Texas.
They know each other since the mid-90s, playing in bands together and decided
to give a go again with some friends.
“We’ve never been to the Rites of Pan Festival at Jajouka, but something
like that goes on in the back of our heads all the time.”
TUTV: If you’re still celebrating New Year, you really should add this titillating track to your party playlist. 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 sonic winner. Party on, folks.
