Hazy Sundays – Off The Cuff

Glasgow four-piece Hazy Sundays follow the dynamite double a-side release of ‘Like To Be’ and ‘Had Enough Of It’ with their new single ‘Off The Cuff’.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band

Picking up where they left off, ‘Off The Cuff’ is another blistering rock ‘n roll number. Frontman Shaun Kenny continues his rise to stardom by spitting venom like a young Tom Meighan with the melodic instincts of Miles Kane.

His snarling attitude allows lead guitarist Mark Devlin to hiss through the verses before blowing a hole into the sun with his intoxicating solo. Devlin serves up the sound of a band of brothers fighting the world. They might not always win, but they’ll retire with better stories than you.

With every release Hazy Sundays are becoming a serious force to reckon with. Their swirling rock ‘n’ roll is besieged with debauchery and hysteria to revitalise the soul.

The Shed Project – Ghost Town

Bolton outfit The Shed Project are back with their new single ‘Ghost Town’. The song is taken from their upcoming sophomore album ‘Our Fear Is Their Power’ due for release in October. It was recorded at Ivy Studio and produced by Danny Heyes.

On the previous single, ‘Our Fear Is There Power’ The Shed Project showed their political teeth by snarling at the oppressive Johnson government. Two Prime Ministers later, they release a deeply personal and saddened exploration of their hometown Bolton.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

A baggy update on The Specials ska classic, they countenance the notion of “levelling up” by highlighting increased homelessness, poverty, and race to the bottom across all industries. Their despair is lit up by sunlit guitar licks and frontman Roy Feltcher’s angelic vocals. It's as fine a juxtaposition as you’ll hear this year.

The pain and anguish in the synths mid-point brings a poignancy that will make even the most hardened of Tory haters shudder. Their harrowing nature is the sound of a town’s soul ebbing away seemingly unretrievable.

‘Ghost Town’ is their most immediate and urgent work to date. It’s blessed with a directness that is certain to grip the millions yearning for change. Furthermore, it makes their second album one of the most eagerly anticipated of 2023.

Marseille - Devil’s Gonna Get You

Marseille release their new single ‘This Dream Of Mine’ today via Bubblebrain Records. Accompanying it is the b-side ‘Devil’s Gonna Get You’. It marks a departure from the other jingle-jangle tracks on the EP, but can the new sound stack up in quality?

Image & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

In most bands, the singer and lead guitarist capture the limelight. That has often been the case in Will Brown and Joe Labrum, but bassist Felix Moxey and drummer Tom Spray emerge from the shadows to share the limelight.

Moxey’s basslines bring the hedonistic jams of The Verve’s ‘Gravity Grave’ and ‘Life’s An Ocean’ to life once more. Beset with the devil, they ooze danger and throb with potential destruction. Meanwhile, Spray’s drumming and percussion create a dystopian nightmare for Brown and Labrum to sprinkle their magic over.

The grooving power of this record is astonishing. Labrum drifts in and out with McCabe-esque noodling or fleeting blasts of Squire whilst Brown delivers an Ashcroft-like fire vocally.

‘The Dream Of Mine’ EP is a collection of three superb jingle-jangle singles and this dysfunctional psychedelic juggernaut. It puts them in the league of Pastel and The Institutes. Something powerful is afoot on the UK underground scene and it’s a joy to witness it.

Marseille - ‘I Love You (So Much More)’

Derby’s Marseille are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records this Friday. Accompanying it are three b-sides, which we will be diving into this week. Next up is ‘I Love You (So Much More)’.

Image & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

Rippling guitars light up this record like the Delays classic ‘No Ending’. As with ‘This Dream Is Mine’ and ‘Brightest Star’, Marseille injects their sense of hope into proceedings. The undulating guitars are accompanied by joyous backing vocals and ‘Urban Hymns’-esque arrangements, which point to a big future.

Beneath the assured sonic lies a bitterness as one-half of a relationship cling to the hope that their love will be enough. The protagonist's fervent belief it’s not them causing the issues carries the romantic naivety of youth. It lands the listener into the defining moments of relationships to ponder what might have been.

‘I Love You (So Much More)’ doesn’t have the knockout feeling it’s a-side ‘This Dream of Mine’ possesses but has a beguiling charm to leave you wanting more.

Marseille - Brightest Star

Derby’s Marseille are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records this Friday. Accompanying it are three b-sides, which we will be diving into this week. First up is ‘Brightest Star’

Images & artwork courtesy of Songbird PR.

The jingle-jingle intro lands you back in 1986 when the Roses Jackson Pollack explosion of colour was yet to happen en masse and a cassette tape was about to change everything. The romantic misadventures of the c86 generations Blue Aeroplane, Railway Children, and The Jazz Butcher merry their spritely way to the surface through the sun-kissed guitars.

As the guitars grow, their power begins to nestle alongside the innocence of Primal Scream’s ‘Sonic Flower Groove’ debut, the early Roses singles, and the indomitable sound of The La’s. All three jangled for the briefest of moments in the sun but changed the course of culture. Such is the prolific and consistent nature of Marseille’s work to date; you couldn’t rule them out repeating history.

As the band pushes the sound of ‘Sonic Sister Love’ into a world of the DMA’s, frontman Will Brown continues his journey to iconic status. Vocally sitting between the lo-fi innocence of Liam Gallagher on ‘I Will Believe’ and the melodic fire of Lee Mavers he charts a passionate course that only Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor could match.

THIS IS WAR – Pray

Liverpool’s THIS IS WAR return with their new single ‘Pray’ via Bubblebrain Records. The Verve’s Si Jones was produced again with Andy Fernihough mixing and mastering. ‘Pray’ is released on Friday 18th August.

There’s a great sense of journey to ‘Pray’. The youthful adventure of The Jam and Razorlight’s debut are given a more mature makeover. Despite the more measured contentment of Jonny Roberts and Mike Mullard’s guitars, they’re still besieged with ambition to rival any teenage exuberance.

Although sonically always moving forwards, lyrically, ‘Pray’ is beset with great trepidation. Singer-songwriter Paul Carden’s delivery has gone to a place now that marks him out as one of the UK’s finest. The sense of fear juxtaposed with a sense of loyalty and duty he purveys are mesmeric.

THIS IS WAR are on the road to their debut album now, and ‘Pray’ has us drooling with anticipation.

LOCK-IN - Easy

The Essex via London indie-pop outfit have returned with their new single ‘Easy’. It follows their raucous headline slot at Truck Festival and a sold-out show at Signature Brew Haggerston last week. ‘Easy’ was produced by Curtis Elvidge at Premises Studios in Hackney.

At times, it threatens to ignite into a Two Door Cinema Club party but such is the emotional heft, it remains in its world-weary lane. It breeds a lonely but never detached sonic, which is where Lock-In have thrived best to date.

Image courtesy of Fear PR.

Joe Leak’s choppy licks pull from Bloc Party’s ‘So Here We Are’ and The Wombats circa ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ and produce images of a forlorn soul dusting themselves down for another shot at glory. It’s Indie noodling that will soundtrack a thousand summer romances soon to end this month but leave scars for a lifetime.

Everything culminates with frontman Benjy Leak’s rapid-fire roar of “Don’t go, don’t leave, please stay with me”. He may not have Bono or Ashcroft’s ability to summon the guttural anguish vocally, but his frantic state pulls from the everyman state of despair with more integrity.

Photograph’s courtesy of Oscar Blair.

In three years, Lock-In have gone from the lo-fi 00s revivalism of their debut single ‘Teenager’ to ‘Easy’, a much broader and textured emotive piece. The journey isn’t the stark 0 to 60 that rock ‘n’ roll documentaries have you worship at the temple of. Rather, this is the sound of relentlessly honing the craft alongside youthful adventure. From hard work to romantic risk-taking, Lock-In are here to teach you life lessons to young and old!

Marseille - This Dream Of Mine

The Derby five-piece are back with their new single, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ via Bubblebrain Records. Released on 25th August. After the breakthrough success of their ‘Freedom’ EP earlier this year, can ‘This Dream Of Mine’, and its 3 b-sides (‘Brightest Star’ / ‘I Love You’, Devil’s Gonna Get You’) keep up their momentum?

Images & artwork courtesy of The Songbird

Previous singles ‘Freedom’, ‘Only Just Begun’, and ‘Forget It All’ have all had elements of the Roses but, ‘This Dream Of Mine’ is different. It’s desperate, and all the better for it. Tom Spray’s drumming is ferocious despite the angelic licks around him, lending punks urgency, almost punk power to their brand of sun-kissed Byrds-esque anthems.

The intro sets the late 80s and early 90s Madchester senses racing as they fold in elements of the Roses’ ‘One Love’, ‘Standing Here’, and ‘Elephant Stone’. Make no mistake; Marseille are here to make that sound, their sound! Every nod to the greats is given fresh impetus. The trippy opening to ‘One Love’ is given steroids by Spray’ frenetic drumming. Meanwhile, guitarist Joe Labrum condenses Squire’s opening howl on ‘Standing Here’ into a moment of raw emotion.  

Marseille’s talent has never been in dispute from day one. What they’ve now added is the unseeable and the unquantifiable. A Death-defying, life-affirming, urgent, vital spirit has emerged on ‘This Dream Of Mine’ not seen before. Leading this charge is frontman and lyricist Will Brown. His lyrics on paper are innocent tales of romantic adventure. However, when Brown sings, they become a hand up off the floor. His soaring intonation is a double dose of hope, a vision of something better.

Check back on the 21st of August when we begin reviewing their fine b-sides.

Viva la Marseille.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming shows in Jersey:

The Rosadocs – At Your Door

As Sheffield five-piece The Rosadocs gear up for their biggest-ever gig at Sheffield City Hall, we look at their recent single ‘At Your Door’.

Image and artwork courtesy of Moon Man PR.

Some may query the big capacity of the City Hall, but ‘At Your Door’ is an insurance policy in itself. It’s raw but mainstream, a classic Death Disco floor-filler! The kind that would (and will) see indie clubs relay their sticky carpets after the mayhem subsides.

The acoustic and electric guitars combine to forge images of a joyous alternate reality where Gerry Cinnamon joined The Enemy to play ‘Where We’re Going’ to thousands. The jagged edges of The Jam and The Enemy are given a little polish here and there to lift this from alt-anthem territory into a record for the masses league.

With every release, frontman Keelan Graney progresses as a generational talent. He has always been blessed with Tom Clarke’s indie-soul fire but on ‘At Your Door’, he is playing Sam Fender’s warmth and Gerry Cinnamon’s cadence as the guitars roar around him. His power is destined to be echoed back at him in venues way beyond the home city of Sheffield; it's inevitable.

‘At Your Door’, in many ways, has done nothing they haven’t achieved already. The thing is, that is a death-defying spirit. The kind that people follow into battle. Rejoice in them now!

Click the artwork below for tickets to their huge Sheffield show:

Winachi ft Natalie Wilde – Understanding

Warrington’s Winachi returned in July with their new single ‘Understanding.’ Written by the band, it was Produced by John X (David Bowie, The Rolling Stones) at LA’s Earthstar Creation Centre and mixed (and produced) by Joe Hirst (Ian Brown & Bloc Party).  It marks the run-up to their debut album ‘Sympathy For The Future,’ released on August 25th.

Artwork courtesy of the band.

Despite losing their moniker Tribe, Winachi have never sounded more of one. The electro-funk featuring vocalist Natalie Wilde has a joyous sense of collectivism. Her crisp soul vocals cut through this vibrant party starter's luscious lo-fi funk licks.

Where the previous single ‘For You I’d Kill’ grew to a dynamic funked release, ‘Understanding’ stays in its lane, acting as the perfect accompaniment. It allows the lyrics “if we could move together / we could be move as one” to build the togetherness they seek.

Their sonic and lyrics serve as a conscientious pause for thought our political thinking is well overdue. Their unifying tonic has whet the whistle for what is surely one of 2023’s most anticipated debut albums.

Joel Stoker – Walls Fall

The Rifles frontman follows up his sublime debut single ‘My Own War’ with the new ‘Walls Fall’ (Cooking Vinyl). Stoker wrote and recorded all the parts at his studio except for piano (played by fellow Rifle Deano Mumford and drums (Brendan O’Neill).

Images courtesy of Patrick Ford and Fear PR.

Recorded in his garden studio, Stoker uses a confessional writing style to highlight his struggles with OCD and anxiety. As he decrees, “Down here you don’t turn and run / no doubt the show goes on” he purveys the inner turmoil of struggling in a working-class community. Whilst the world is changing, decades of “stiff upper lip” and “man up” have left their mark.

‘Walls Fall,’ sombrely defiant like a ‘Bob Marley polemic, never stops moving forwards. The heartfelt acoustic guitars and the soulful reflections of Michael Kiwanuka set sail on this pensive but positive tale of keeping your head above water. Like a great scriptwriter, he offers a moment of genuine hope to all emphasise via his CSNY-esque guitar solo and rousing outro.

The guitars, intense a la Young initially but begin to sprawl with Stills’ majesty to serve up the chink of light needed. Like on the ‘My Own War’, they’re accompanied by Americana brass via the Scouse maestro Mick Head. It allows the closing stages to drive toward a subtle sense of euphoria.

Two singles in, deeply personal ones at that, Stoker has already proven his solo adventure is one of serious merit.

Click the image below for tickets to his upcoming live dates:

Monza Express – Back of the Queue

Aberdeen’s Monza Express released their single ‘Back of the Queue’ in June via Floortorn Records. It was produced and mastered by Steve Curtis at Floorton Studios in Aberdeen. Banner image courtesy of Daz Mcallister.

Artwork courtesy of Alan Hay.

Tales of moving on and getting older often are wrapped up in a forlorn sonic. Monza Express have flipped this with hints of early Roses and REM guitars. There’s an effortlessness to the guitars, which brings the joy of Felt and Lemonheads racing to the surface on this lo-fi boozy anthem.

There’s a great pub atmosphere to the record, where youth would reach for the ecstatic release, a search for something else; Monza Express, comfortable in their elder skin, nestle into the corner of the pub with a sublime harmonica solo.

The Shop Window – It’s A High

In November of last year, The Shop Window released their sophomore album album ‘A 4 Letter Word’ to critical acclaim. Distinct discerning updates on the C86, baggy, and Sarah Records scenes made it one of the albums of the year.

Images courtesy of the band.

Not resting on their laurels, they are set to release the new single ‘It’s A High’ on August 18th via their label Jangle Shop Records. With singer/guitarist Carl Mann behind the producing and mixing, can they recapture the form of 2022?

The dual vocals, acoustic and jangling guitars bring their Medway peers Theatre Royal to the fore. The ecstatic rumble of ‘Caught Me At The Wrong Line’ and ‘The Story Of My Life’ combined with the playfulness of the early days of REM. On a tale of being hopelessly in love, this combo, plus flourishes of Byrds era John Squire and Pale Fountains’s brass meander to great effect.

Form recaptured? A resounding yes!

Their third album ‘Daysdream’ can be pre-ordered from August 18th.

Megan Wyn – You Don’t Get It

Anglesey sensation Megan Wyn follows up her weekend stealing set at Truck Festival with the new single ‘You Don’t Get It’. Released today, it was written with and produced by Alex Quinn.

Images courtesy of Sam Crowston

‘You Don’t Get It’ charts Wyn’s journey from her hometown to the big lights of Manchester. Her opening gambit “City is lonely, it’s not what it seems” is tinged with the trepidation and isolation a big move comes with. Despite being just 18, she has the vocal skill to plunge the listener into a state of anxiety immediately.

Sam Fender and Andrew Cushin have been writing melancholic but euphoric singles in recent years. Wyn is threatening to eclipse them on this ode to herself that it’s ok to fall on a journey of self-discovery. The country-tinged guitars, PJ Harvey meets First Aid Kit vocal, and Quinn’s subtle production are set to become millions of teenagers' soundtracks through life’s biggest obstacles.

The self-doubt and subsequent reassurance of the chorus are beset with a tumbling melody that demands instant classic status. Each verse acts as a coming-of-age drama worthy of This Life, Skins, and Sex Education.

To possess such reflective wisdom at a young age is rare. To echo all the anguish, fear, and self-belief to overcome into a record is nothing short of astonishing, and so is Wyn!

Click the image below for tickets to Wyn’s Manchester show:

Siracuse – All To You

Cheltenham’s Siracuse follows their fine comeback single ‘Saviour’ with ‘All To You’. Released on Friday, can it stack up to ‘Saviours’ power?

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Downtempo from ‘Saviour’ for the most part, Siracuse tap into the earnest power of The Enemy’s acoustic guitars on ‘We’ll Live And Die In These Towns’ and a vocal to rival Liam Gallagher’s search for the celestial.

Lyrically, it’s Siracuse’s finest work to date. Songwriter Ben Zakotti offers guidance to the young and downtrodden to keep on pushing. There’s a power to the lyrics which can only come from a place of love. Perhaps a partner or a child, something that binds you forever through thick and thin!

The gentle amble erupts into life akin to DMA’s ‘Lay Down’ and ‘Feels Like 37’ in the closing stages. A moment of chaos and melody come together to light up the love in Zakotti’s heart.

Where ‘Saviour’ spiralled with personal intent to escape for today, ‘All To You’ inspires tomorrow. Two singles into 2023, Siracuse are becoming utterly unmissable!

Click the image below for tickets to see Siracuse at this years Lakfest:

JW Paris – Leave It Alone

London’s JW Paris returned at the start of June with their new single ‘Leave Me Alone’. Released via the impeccable Blagger Records it was produced by JB Pilon and mastered by Cicely Balston at Air Studios. Banner image courtesy of C24Photography

In 2022, the band delivered one of the year’s finest EPs in ‘Stuck In A Video’. ‘New Era’ and ‘Electric Candlelight (ECL)’ found ways to blur the lines between early 80s post-punk grit and the poetic swagger of early Suede and The Auteurs.

On ‘Leave It Alone’, they slot into the same lane and stick the pedal to the floor! Conjuring images of wayward souls staggering into dank 3am night skies with self-destruction still in their minds, JW Paris have found the personal touch. It enhances their lyrical pain on display to manoeuvre the subtle guitar howls to exquisite effect.

This tale of addiction and narcissism is ironically, intoxicating. Every stansa is a fume of debauchery capturing you in its haze and spewing out a different personality. It will not be long before JW Paris’ talent causes a manic stir on the UK scene.

Mull Historical Society – Room of Masks

Scotland’s Mull Historical Society aka Colin McIntyre returned with his new single ‘Room Of Masks’. Featuring lyrics from crime writer Val McDermid, ‘Room Of Masks’ was released last Friday via Xtra Mile Recordings. Banner image courtesy of Sonic PR.

Artwork by John MacLean (Beta Band)

McIntyre, forever seeking new creative avenues for his blessed songwriting tasked McDermid to pen lyrics about a room with significant meaning. In return, McDermid reflected upon the bedroom which gave those formative years of musical discovery.

McIntyre’s sonic accompaniment is an effortless piece of magic. Dawn-lit guitars akin to Noah and Whale’s masterpiece ‘First Days of Spring’ glisten and build to hymnal euphoria. The gentle build documents McDermid’s teenage escapism from her working-class Fife backdrop.

A fine return to form a criminally underrated songwriter! McIntyre’s new album ‘In My Mind There’s A Room’ will be released 21st of July and will feature other authors such as Ian Rankin, Nick Hornby, Jacqueline Wilson, Jennifer Clement, Sebastian Barry, Alan Warner, Jason Mott, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, and Stephen Kelman.

Gazelle – Lady Blue Sky

Leicester’s Gazelle are back with their new single ‘Lady Blue Sky’. Produced by Matt Cotterill, it marks the run towards their hometown gig at the OMC.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band

Post-lockdown, Gazelle have been in a transformative mood sonically. The early bombast of ‘Finger On The Trigger’ and ‘Have You Found Forever Now?’ has matured, still loitering with intent but now shrouded in nodes of Motown, northern soul, Johnny Marr licks, and flashes of Noel Gallagher’s HFB melancholic songwriting.  On ‘Lady Blue Sky’ they’ve added psyche to their ever-growing repertoire.

The playful trips of Weller’s ‘Sonic Kicks’ hook up with the atmospheric grooves of Kasabian’s first three albums and the muscular immediacy of The Rifles. Stealing the show of this instant classic though is the array of backing vocals.

Drummer Danny Wright’s “ba ba ba’s” set the groove running before frontman Ryan Dunn calls upon Serge Pizzorno’s understated soaring melodies to take the band to another level. It is though, Dunn’s higher pitch backing vocal in the closing stages which take this single from good to great. Blessed with the mesmeric soul power of Noel’s ‘Black Star Dancing’. The only thing that could take it higher would be the dearly departed Denise Johnson.

If 2022’s run of singles wasn’t firm enough proof, ‘Lady Blue Sky’ is the confirmation that Gazelle are the real Deal!

Click the image below for tickets to their headline outdoor gig in Leicester:

Colour TV – Vanilla

Cornwall’s Colour TV are back once more with their new single ‘Vanilla’. It follows the roaring success of ‘Christopher Halo’ back in February.

Last time out on ‘Christopher’s Halo’, Colour TV shifted away from the Britpop revivalist tag with their gothic Cure meets 00s indie-punk anthem. On ‘Vanilla’, they return to the early to mid-90s for inspiration but crucially, with the objective of smashing that era with a Peter Gibbons fury and reimagining it for today’s fragmented world.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band and This Feeling

The harder edges of ‘Vanilla’ shroud ‘Metal Mickey’ with snarling blasts of Nirvana and Sonic Youth alongside the deranged punk-psyche of Cabbage did so well in their early days. Consequentially, it conjures a drama drenched in flamboyance, narcissism, and angst that is intoxicating.

Frontman Sam Durbeen bursts with post-punk yelps and vicious snarls which blend ‘Change Giver’ era Rick Witter with Brett Anderson’s more chaotic moments (the verses of ‘Moving’ / ‘Animal Nitrate’) to counter the visceral sonic. His charm peaks with the acerbic Morrissey-esque lyric of the year:

“Still I like it when you hit me on holiday in Whitby”

As the protagonist attempts to free themselves from repression, a world of self-doubt opens up. It’s met head-on with a visceral intent to beat it into submission. Self-doubt, angst, and isolation has never sounded so great!

Durneen’s playfulness brings an Englishness to the band’s newfound grunge slant. It hasn’t reinvented the wheel but it’s undoubtedly flipped it. Whereas the likes of Sleeper, The Auteurs, and  Echobelly deftly manouvered the US scene into their UK satellite town vision in 1993/94, Colour TV is forging both scenes’ peaks in blood and guts.

Narcissistic. Ecstatic. Great!

Click the image below for tickets. On sale at 10am 2nd June

Shackites - Jekyll and Hyde

Shackites follow up the acclaimed ‘Said And Done’ with the new single ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. It was recorded at The Lounge Recording Studio and produced by Gareth Nuttall.

Having only begun life as a band in 2021, Shackites could be forgiven for still finding their sound only 4 singles in. ‘Losing My Mind’ and ‘Vintage Crewneck’ fell into this category, a litany of influences forging promise but never a truer identity. On the previous single ‘Said and Done’ however, they found a path of increased intensity which suited their ambition. The same is also true of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’!

Key to the success of both singles is Daniel Murphy’s bass playing. On ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ he has found a volatile way of playing which develops the mood swings of the protagonist expertly. Murphy’s urgency provides a fine platform for frontman Matthew Jervis to deliver his best vocal to date.

Lyrically there are no surprises as the capricious protagonist threatens to unravel at the seams throughout. Jervis lights this element up exquisitely with his fragile beginning unfurling head-on toward the unhinged “run away, run away” at the climax.

Shackites growth into a more visceral outfit continues to provide a crunching but delicate form of escapism. The kind that entices fists aloft and tears at mainstages. Long may it continue!