20 Best Tracks Of The Month – AUGUST 2024
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK BY TRACK
Artist: KIM DEAL
Who: Best known as the former Pixies bassist
and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
Track: CRYSTAL BREATH
Brand-new cut from her upcoming solo debut
album ‘Nobody Loves You More‘ out November 22.
Crystal Breath is quite special and pretty different from anything
Deal has been done before. EBM bass dynamics, trip-hop quivering
and a spiky guitar riff.
Linktree
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Artist: CAROLINE ROMANO
Who: 22-year old Nashville-based
alt-pop singer/songwriter.
Track: BODY BAG
“‘Body Bag’ is a peak behind the curtain at the reality of modern romance and feeling young and old at the same time. I think sonically the song has so many ups and downs, and that’s exactly how this stage of my life has felt. It’s running barefoot on the concrete, chasing something you can’t quite put your finger on, but running towards it nonetheless. That’s
how I would best describe ‘Body Bag.’”
TUTV: This is an astounding piece of multi-layered music. An effervescent mix of pop,
rock and EBM going everywhere fast and Romano‘s sensual voice adds an arousing dynamic. A stream of adrenalin rushes through your body, all the way.
Top-tier tune.
Hands down.
Linktree
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Press photo by Nik Freitas
Band: BRIGHT EYES
Who: Nebraska‘s indie trio formed
by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst.
Track: RAINBOW OVERPASS
From their 11th LP, baptized ‘Five Dice, All Threes‘.
It comes our way on September 20th.
Album artwork
TUTV: Bright Eyes are on a revved roll here.
So will you too when this whirlwind blasts
out of your speakers.
“No I’m not slowing down
Yea I’m not slowing down
I’m speeding up”
Linktree
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Band: THE RATS
Who: 5 ambitious rascals
from Ghent, Belgium.
Track: OLD FLAMES
It will be on their debut EP Disco To Disco, out on September 13.
The song is about rediscovering old lovers after a night out from disco(theque) to disco(theque), with references to The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan and his excessive drinking, and a legendary Belgian crooner. Bringing these two completely different iconic figures together makes you wonder if they don’t have more in common than you might think.
TUTV: Full steam ahead from the get-go. All engines on. Decibels up, amps up.
The breakneck speed and the relentless synth/percussion riff make your head
spin 360°. I dare you to catch up with this steamroller.
If you don’t know they’re from Belgium you would think they are one of those
post-Brexshit-punk misfits such as Deathletter, Ditz, shame, English Teacher, and
more of those exciting indie wolves. Cool, right? You betcha.
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Instagram
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Band: THE SMILE
Who: Star trio featuring radioheads Thom Yorke
and Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner .
Track: ZERO SCUM
One of the two new shared pieces from their upcoming 3rd LP, named Catouts, out October 14. It’s a hypnotizing Krautrock-like jam rushing through your bloodstream.
Great saxophones too.
The Smile: Instagram
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Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz
Band: A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
Who: The rapid-fire Brooklyn turbine,
led by Oliver Ackermann, pump up the
decibels since 2003.
Track: YOU GOT ME
A foretaste of their upcoming LP,
titled ‘Synthesizer‘, out on October 4.
TUTV: Expect a spine-chilling guitar/bass riff rocket with Ackermann‘s
vocals echoing all over it. Another hellraiser for your graveyard parties.
Instagram
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Band: THE VERAS
Who: 4 British mavericks inspired by glam rock,
punk, new wave, 90s indie, and Britpop.
Track: DAVEY WALKING ROUND WITH THE SOLE OFF HIS SHOE
“It’s a shout out to all the unusual characters that you may find in any High Street who, for whatever reason, are considered outsiders. They need championing as they are just like everyone else and want the best for themselves, but have been dealt a difficult hand.”
TUTV: The Veras storm out of the gates with tons of high-voltage force, powered by
an army of ablaze guitars and mighty drum/bass beats. The spanking chorus fueled by peppy vocals completes this rattling burst. Now go out in the streets and start a riot.
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Instagram
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Band: THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA
Who: London-based DIY duo – Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy)
that fills a gap in music by bringing literature, art, and history together into a
space where rock and metal meet electronica.
Track: BITE THE BULLET
From their 3rd album, named
Origins, out November 1st.
TUTV: This surprising, blistering collaboration sees TCOMAS exploring another
musical place where they’ve never been before. Teaming up with sharp-cutting
Italian rapper Mr Meuri and make it work, combined with their by-now trademark
metallic wall of sound and monstrous growls is flabbergasting.
TCOMAS: Instagram
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Band: LONELY LITTLE KITSCH
Who: Two-piece alt-rock band from Niagara, Canada featuring
vocalist Kristen Goetz and drummer Nolan Jodes. What started as
a way to pass the time during the pandemic, soon became a more
serious project as fully formed songs took shape.
Track: VICES
TUTV: A grungy headbanger propelled by hammering vigorousness, some
edged Grohl riffs and exploding when the crashing chorus crushes in. Right
in the middle of the song and the video, vocalist Kristen Goetz, draws your
attention with her Shirley Manson-like vocal tone and her subtle moves.
Get together now.
Instagram
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Band: THE MERINGUES
Who: A Kingston, Ontario-based
post-punk powerhouse.
Track: ROYALTY
This track is a cut from their 2nd album, Pavlova’s Dog,
which will be available on September 16th.
“It’s that feeling of having idealized someone, only to discover they didn’t deserve it.
Or when you thought you knew someone, but they revealed a different side. This song
explores the disorienting feeling of realizing you were wrong about someone or something.”
TUTV: This punk ‘n’ roar torpedo guarantees you a vitalizing kick. Royalty explodes
from the get-go. The smashing chorus, with its screamy duet vocals, causes ecstatic
elation.
Instagram
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Band: RAZORLIGHT
Who: British power guitar-pop indies RAZORLIGHT (2002–2014, 2017–present),
led by guitarist/singer Johnny Borrell, who have their first LP in 16 years finished.
They baptized it Planet Nowhere.
It’ll land on October 24.
Track: SCARED OF NOTHING
It’s the first taster off of the forthcoming full-length. A simple, but oh so
effective tune. Jaunty and terrifically infectious. Welcome back to the party,
guys.
Instagram
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Band: STRAWBERRY SLEEPOVER
Who: A psych, garage rock act from Baltimore, MD which makes waves in
the local music scene with their unique sound and captivating performance.
Track: FILTH
From their upcoming new
album, out September 6.
TUTV: If you’re depressed because summer is almost over, comfort yourself with this bonkers cowboy-punk jackhammer. Big, really big fun. ‘Filth‘ gets filthier and filthier along
its rowdy course. Think Dropkick Murphys riding wild horses while consuming a stream
of cold beers. Get the picture? As I said, big fun.
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Instagram
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Press photo by Dario Vazquez
Band: HINDS
Who: Spanish powerpop Amazons. Two members, bassist Ade
Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen left. Only 2 hinds now.
Track: THE BED, THE ROOM, THE RAIN AND YOU
TUTV: A moony daydream floating smoothly around and in your ears and
has an on-repeat effect. It’ll appear on their 4th LP, baptized ‘Viva Hinds‘
and lands on September 6.
Linktree
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Artist: LEAH MARTEL
Who: Singer-songwriter
from Ontario, Canada.
Track: NOT COOL
Only her 2nd single.
Martel: “After surviving elementary and high school, working in customer service and an office job, going to college and university I realized I still have not overcome social anxiety. I wrote this song about it so I could finally try to stop caring so much.”
TUTV: Martel strikes again with unbridled punch on this invigorating pop pearl juiced with jumpy bass lines, a vigorous drum beat, an edgy guitar solo and a chirpy chorus. Vocally Martel could be family of Alanis Morissette‘ voice. That same stirring timbre and expressive tone.
Instagram
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Band: THE WAEVE
Who: Blur‘s guitarist Graham Coxon
and songstress Rose Elinor Dougall.
Track: YOU SAW
Piece from their upcoming 2nd LP.
TUTV: City Lights is an ardent upper for the midnight hours when you hit town.
Coxon lets his greedy guitar and his sultry saxophone have some funky fun, the
relentless bass/drums tandem take care of the groove’s banging beat. Uplifting
duet vocals and a chipper chorus complete the sonic picture.
Band: THE TRUSTED (Southend-on-Sea, UK)
Who: Formed in 2016, making music with strong
melodies and catchy hooks.
New single: MIRACLE FACE
“This is very different to anything we have released before it’s
very pop and a song of unrequited love and idolising others.”
TUTV: The Trusted deliver again. Miracle Face is a bittersweet power-pop symphony. Vehement orchestrations, layers of guitars, drum/bass puissance, and perfervid vocals combine for an affecting anthem. Think of New York City‘s heroes The Strokes’ mellower moments.
Instagram
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Press photo by Joe Magistro
Band: MERCURY REV
Who Day-and-night dreamers with key members Jonathan
Donahue and Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak
Track: A BIRD OF NO ADDRESS
From their 10th LP, their first in 9 years, named
Born Horses, and out on September 6.
TUTV: A Bird Of No Address is a starry-eyed musing, a magnific symphony
with classical piano play, sensitive orchestrations and Donahue‘s romantic
vocals.
Bewitching, just bewitching.
Instagram – Tour
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Artist: BLACK VIIOLET
Who: The moniker of the new solo project of Nicole Laurenne, the
flamboyant daredevil/voice/face of American garage rockers The Darts.
Track: KILL ME NOW
The title song of Laurenne‘s debut EP. A totally different
affair from what she has done for a long time with The Darts.
TUTV: Music for jazzy, smoky nightclubs where crooners play love songs,
happy and sad ones on piano, backed by a smooth little orchestra.
Viiolet‘s sexy, near-whispering voice and her sensual
film noir appearance fit the mood just perfectly well.
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Linktree
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Artist: JAMIE SUTHERLAND
Who: Scottish singer-songwriter
Track: SOME THINGS HURT A LITTLE MORE
Piece from his upcoming 2nd solo album.
“I was playing around with this song and the chorus came to me almost immediately. It reminded me of something from Joni Mitchell’s Clouds album and the line “Some things hurt a little more, this one’s you” had such a resigned sentiment the rest of the song was easy to write. It’s a love song, but from an older point of view. Less drama and more realisation that another one had slipped away. The loneliness of an empty house and the need to escape the quiet.”
TUTV: Singer-songwriter splendour. A dynamic reverie, driven by titillating acoustic
six-strings, playful piano fragments, and a heartwarming voice. I’m pretty sure that
Jamie Sutherland is a fervent Nick Drake and Tim Buckley fan.
Instagram
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Artist: ADRIANNE LENKER
Who: Big Thief‘s frontwoman/songstress
Track: ONCE A BUNCH
A song that only appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese
CD edition of her new 5th solo LP Bright Future.
TUTV: It’s a sprightly cowboy song to sing along
to with your friends in your local pub/bar/café.
TUTV: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter
