HMS Morris - Babanod

Cardiff’s HMS Morris return on February 7th with their new single ‘Babanod’ (Welsh for babies). It will be released via Bubblewrap Collective for Dydd Miwisg Cymru (Welsh Music Day).

Thematically, it centres around the awkward moment when, your married friends deem themselves superior, purely because you're single. The use of electronic production is exquisite. Alongside Heledd Watkins poignant welsh language vocals, they create the unease and tension felt by the protagonist.

Artwork by Mari Elin

Although sonically worlds apart to The Kinks, such is the detail on every note, it's hard not to recall the brilliance of the minutiae on their ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’ album. The detail on every guitar lick allows that gnawing sense of social unease to grow exponentially.

Then, comes the mesmerising solo. Is our protagonist coming defiant or, is the crushing drunken spiral out of control in full flow?

‘Babanod’ is available to buy here on the 7th Feb.

Perfect Body - Perfect Body

Hailing from Cardiff, Perfect Body are a five piece embedding themselves into the shoegaze and psyche music of late 80s and early 90s. Their new EP is released on the exciting Bubblewrap Collective and is split with fellow Cardiff musician Zac White.

Each track showcases a different vocalist. Whilst it may not hone an identity, it signifies a flexibility and a freshness to a genre often guilty of rehashing the past. ‘Getting Cold’ is so ethereal it will slip through your fingers as you inevitably try to clutch at its swirling beauty.

On ‘Getting Cold’ and ‘Fields’, there are clear nods to Slowdive and The Brian Jones Town Massacre but there is always a sense that pop music and melody can burst through at any moment. It does, but only in little bursts, teasing you into their world and then playing with you like a cat with a dead mouse.

Whereas, ‘Tribe of Mine’, has th clearest melody shining through but, they have expertly countered it with a Lou Reed-esque vocal to counter the bubble-gum pop.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this EP is a re-issue from an established act of its field. Thankfully, its not, this is the beginning of a beautiful trippy journey.

Perfect Body formed in Cardiff, early 2017, inspired by the sonic experimentation of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Their earliest performances took place in Cardiff’s underground, often in practice spaces and house parties: So, by the time Perfect Body emerged on the music scene, they had already sculpted a distinctive sonic identity. The attention gained from their first single, ‘Getting Cold’, saw them supporting the likes of Jen Cloher, Slowcoaches, and The Wytches. Perfect Body’s sound is characterized by it’s noisy, psychedelic guitar playing; icy, ethereal synthesizers; and a muscular, yet dynamic rhythm section. Their three vocalists, each with their own style and identities, ensure that Perfect Body’s performances are varied and engaging. Perfect Body is a wall of noise, hazing over and obscuring what is, at it’s core, pop-oriented songwriting.

Order the split EP here:

https://bubblewrapcollective.co.uk/product/perfect-body-zac-white-split-ep/