Georgie - At Home

Nottingham’s Georgie, last year released the impromptu album ‘At Home’. Due to incredible demand, Soul Kitchen Records are now giving it a physical release today (8th January).

You can purchase the album here.

Turn a pop-based radio station on the past 5 years and inevitably, you’ll find someone who sounds like Georgie. That is surface only. Scratch deeper at Georgie and, elements of roots, folk, and blues infiltrate her pop styles. It is though, her ability to lyrically connect that truly marks her out as a great talent.

Like any good songwriter, she has tapped into the mood of the times. Unlike many socially observant writers, she has an innate ability to frame it accessibly.

As lockdown begins again, the current single ‘Simple Things’ will leave most reflecting and teary-eyed. However, such are the pop hooks and elegant key changes that, you’ll go back for the emotional punishment time and time again.

For a vocal so suited to reeling in the masses, the supreme pop hooks stop there. Nevertheless, this album delivers upon the mood of a nation with aplomb, especially when the songs are stripped back.

‘Me and You Only’ comes with wisdom beyond her years as she breaks down a relationship dynamic. The slow build emerges from lockdown with a renewed sense of what is important and thus, a glowing warmth. ‘Company’ nestles her vocals on the pop spectrum between the witching hour ache of Billie Eilish and the pop bombast of Rihanna. The soulful slice of blues highlights her slight gravel beautifully and again, allows the notion of, the best things in life are free to come front and centre.

There are moments though where the album becomes derivative of the mainstream. ‘Chasing Kites’ moves away from The XX and Eilish’s innovation and towards repetitive generic music that has besieged too many of our lives.

To write an album during the first lockdown, about said time and ailing relationships is a remarkable feat of the human spirit. When so many just struggled to exist, Georgie flourished. Her confessional style has a hint of Phil Collins’ pop classic ‘But Seriously…’ to it. At that point, Collins was a 15-year veteran, Georgia is barely a fledgling. A bright future lies ahead.

Cinema Lumiere - Will You Catch Me?

Cinema Lumiere are a Manila-based four-piece made up of Jon Tamayo (vocals/guitar), Manny Gallo (drums), Sue Torrejon (vocals/bass), and Tan Evangelista (guitar).

Their hearts belong to C86 and Sarah’s Records which is always a fine starting point. With that in mind, here is our track by track review:

Love

A glorious riff echoing the love and summer dreams of Brighter and The Wake. Gentle and sweet, it meanders its way through a tale of romantic hopes and dreams that, even the most cynical can’t fail to be moved by.

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The EP is available from their Bandcamp page.

London Tears

A more lo-fi approach but less beautiful. The hazy swirl of guitars emanates an aimless, almost isolated sense of identity. While we mortals have our heads down, stressed, Cinema Lumiere lifts their heads high above the clouds.

The spirit of The Orchids’ ‘It’s Only Obvious’ burns bright here!

Will You Catch Me?

The Style Council’s sun-kissed adventure chimes with the joy of The Pastels on this romantic adventure. The nuggets of brass and the dual vocals bring the EP’s most triumphant moment.

Yet again, they found an outlet for an indie-pop solo to ripple across still water in the evening sun. If another band can bring a sense of peace and sunshine in 2021, then we’re in for a great year (we are owed one!).

Dreamcatcher

Beauty and melancholy collide in this cinematic tale of friends reassuring one another. Skins, This Life, Superbad, The Inbetweeners, and Sex Education, picture any of these coming age tales to these songs and your senses will come alive with glorious montages.

As lockdown rears its ugly head once more, their windswept solo fills the heart with all those you miss and the memories missed. However, their message is one of love so hang in there!

The Red Stains – Freezer Jesus

The Manchester post-punk four-piece have kick-started 2021 with their new single ‘Freezer Jesus’. After being championed by Tom Robinson and Tim Burgess in 2020, can they follow up on their early success?

The single is available on their Bandcamp page.

Their debut single ‘Mannequin’ was littered with post-punk bleeps and, ‘Freezer Jesus’ has upped the ante. The production and keys tentatively emerge before culminating in something far grander, akin to Bugeye’s thrill-seeking debut ‘Ready Steady Bang’. Escorting it there is a sexed-up bassline creating a groove worthy of Ian Brown’s lo-fi debut ‘Unfinished Monkey Business’.

Their attack on shopping as a release from boredom is one well-worn but, they keep fresh by adopting the position of a preacher in the closing stages.

In an era of such uncertainty, their unique and amusing take on the world is sure-fire to inspire new generations to pick up guitars and fight for their futures.

Tindersticks - You'll Have to Scream Louder

The Legendary Tindersticks have returned with a cover version of ‘You’ll Have To Scream Louder’ by their heroes Television Personalities. It’s taken from their forthcoming album ‘Distractions’, due out in 2021 on City Slang Records.

Back in June, with Cummings still at the helm and the cabinet increasingly showing themselves to be out of the depth, frontman Stuart Staples found TVP’s ‘You’ll have to Scream Louder’ stuck in his head. Buoyed on by the frustration of the UK’s failure to deal with Covid, he took to the studio to put his own take on the cult classic.

Staples has taken the anti-Thatcher rhetoric of TVP and retold it from a position of the elder statesmen passing on information to the next generation. Calmer, crisper, and funkier than the original, they’ve perhaps struck upon a clarion call to over 40s to reawaken their protest spirit at this abysmal government.

The focus and imagination on show here mark out ‘Distractions’ as a must-listen for 2021.

The Lutras - Give It Up For Christmas

When was the last genuine dent into the Christmas classic realm? The Darkness? Now, The Lutra’s have thrown their hat into the ring courtesy of ‘Give It Up For Christmas. All proceeds are split between Music Venue Trust (#saveourvenues) and Shelter.

It lacks that truly killer hook to take them into the leagues of Slade and Mud but, the gospel choirs and John Lennon meets Kyle Falconer vocals have it peeping through the window at the greats.

Humble, heartfelt, and crucially, fun, they take you on a frosty walk and arrive at a bouncing brass led party of joy!

It’s been a big and much deserving week of The Lutras. Not only this single, but they also featured on the Brits & Pieces compilation. Both signifying a bright future with much adulation coming their way.

In Earnest - In Earnest

Southend’s In Earnest has been making a name for themselves in 2020 with enlightening tales of mental illness. They recently self-released their eponymous debut EP, can they continue to push the boundaries?

The three-piece centre around the songwriting partnership (and couple) of Sarah Holburn and Thomas Eatherton. They’re a band with a purpose, that purpose being to open a dialogue around mental health and, in former singles ‘Put Me Under’ and ‘Come Upstairs’, they do just that.

‘Put Me Under’ focuses on Holburn’s chronic anxiety and depression, conditions that prevent her from holding down regular jobs. She goes a long way to paint the perspective of anxiety sufferers. The awareness of what should but can’t be done builds a tension full of integrity. The isolation she suffers Is captured hauntingly with the line ‘You are everywhere and nowhere / just don’t put me under your spell’.

Meanwhile, ‘Come Upstairs’ follows Eatherton’s struggles to cope in the relationship. Eatherton depicts himself as ‘woefully unprepared” which leads him to the despair of “there is a war in every silence’.  Despite inner torment, he manages to conjure a Smiths-esque moment of beauty amid the darkness to enrich the soul:

“We could both lock lips / On this sinking ship, watch it all go down / We could seal our fate / On a frozen lake, and just drown”

Their lyrics are so powerful that, It’s easy to overlook the music on offer. There is though, a rich tapestry to draw from. ‘29’ taps into Ryan Adams’ celestial guitar playing and the warmth of I Am Kloot. The nodes of Celtic folk bring King Creosote and Tom Williams to the fore. Dear Father Christmas, please put In Earnest In a studio with Guy Garvey and let them carve out aching lullabies.

‘Come Upstairs’ showcases guitar player Toby Shaer’s love of Bon Iver and John Martyn. Holburn switches up her vocals from the angelic Julien Baker (‘Put Me Under’) and the rousing Laura Marling-esque ‘Fables’. On ‘Fables’, they drift effortlessly into the ethereal territory of Cocteau Twins. They are a band with an arsenal of ethereal weapons.  

In Earnest have the songs, they have the talent but, crucially, they have the one thing stadium selling artists can spend a lifetime grappling with. Truth. Their tracks read like diary entries and serve as thought-provoking pieces of art.  There’s no pretense and no overreaching for something miraculous. They don’t seek to light up the muddy river beds of Southend, rather, they have become part of the fabric of Southend with these robust but fragile tales.

Redwood – Honey Sauce

Redwood is the machinations of West Midlands multi-instrumentalist Ellie Williams. At the end of November, she released her latest single ‘Honey Sauce’, recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios.

The opening moments do no justice to the power and pop prowess of this record. What tentatively begins as 6music fodder, soon sparks into something incredibly vital. Although musically worlds apart, it has the feel of an early track by The Coral. The kitchen sink is the first thing to be thrown as she twists and turns melodies inside out.

Lyrically, Williams is venting about a failed relationship that she lacked closure on. The mental torment of the line ‘I wish you’d get up and move out of mind’ rages with volatility that belies the sheer beauty of her vocals.

Williams may just be starting out but, this is the work of a third album national treasure.  

The Winachi Tribe - Time For Love (Dave Tolan remix)

Warrington’s Winachi Tribe arrived at the peak of Tory austerity. Their brand of disco grooves and love fuelled house couldn’t have been more aptly timed. Five years on, they have returned with a Dave Tolan (Primal Scream, Tears For Fears) remix of their debut single ‘It’s Time For Love’. Can they provide the tonic we’re all craving again?

Smiling through the tears, they keep on moving on. The guitars shimmering like Rodgers and Marr alongside the pop ecstasy of Donna Summer. Human League’s infectious production sparkles alongside a Sumner-esque solo. This is everything the second summer of love was about and more.

Frontman Liam Croker’s gravelly vocals give it a brashness that can only come from England’s North West. Tough but loving, he injects a working-class funk that was born to be adored.

Five years on, they have yet again provided the tonic. A hopeful bridge to lead us to the vaccine.

Four Crooks - Black Magic

Hailing from Telford, Four Crooks is a four-piece indie rock band. During lockdown, they regrouped to a remote farmhouse to record their new EP ‘Black Magic’.

Title track ‘Black Magic’ is a foray into the Black Keys big riff catalogue. While it may start with a big base, and. Whilst Dave Morris is a clear vocal talent, the track fails to ignite any real excitement.

‘Feel Alright’ and ‘Paranoia’ though, are bristling with the potential that gets you up in the morning. ‘Feel Alright’ takes adventurous production and big riffs on a drug-fuelled night out that no one will remember.  It’s a solo away from going somewhere truly special.

‘Paranoia’ doesn’t miss this opportunity. Eamon Russell’s guitars deliver total psychedelic carnage! The harder edges of the verses allow for Morris to be the emotive link between the band and soon to be massive venues.

*Image courtesy of Dan Bradley

Twist Helix - Machinery

Newcastle’s Twist Helix have returned with their second album ‘Machinery’. Released via Paul Back Music, it follows up on their 2018 concept album ‘Ouseburn’. Last time out, the focus was upon the artistic community in their hometown. This time, they have honed in on their experiences in the music industry.

Euphoria courses through the veins of this album. None more so than on the opening tracks ‘Louder’ and ‘Host’. The former injects the aching beauty of Chvrches with an unparalleled level of dynamism. Shedding light on being ignored as a woman in the industry, especially the live circuit (“overlooked and underbooked”), they combine the fire of punk with undeniable pop and sheer ecstasy that only electronica can provide.

‘Ghost’, plays with a tempo more but, musically, leads you to nirvana in scintillating style. Nights out, gigs, and looking back nostalgically are going to be soundtracked to the closing moments. Bea Garcia’s vocals are a behemoth in stature and the crescendo of drums thunder are brimming with a power that all should bow to.

The euphoria dissipates on ‘Vultures’ but, the powerful rhetoric skyrockets. It’s a vicious Primal Scream ‘Evil Heat’ era swipe at the Weinstein’s of the world for abusing their power. Anger and righteous indignation threaten to overflow as Garcia’s venom launches ‘chews you up, spits you out, he's a vulture’. The #metoo didn’t need a soundtrack but, it has one now!

It’s not all about the euphoria and lyrical polemic though. Twist Helix amply breaks the album up with the spoken word facets of ‘Festival Season’ and the instrumental ‘Transmission’. The latter taking Pendulum for walkthrough 80s clad ‘Stranger Things’ providing a moment to behold.

‘Machinery’ for all its power, perhaps lacks the true killer hooks to take them to the top of festival bills. However, it has a vitality and integrity that demands serious attention on the main stages when festivals are allowed to return. ‘Machinery’ and ‘Exposure’ begin to flirt with the universal appeal of The Killers in their early days. Might this album be their ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ or ‘100 Broken Windows moment? The riot before the masterpiece, only time will tell, but, our money is on yes!

*Image courtesy of Paul Murray Media

Ocean Flaws – Spirit Level

Essex outfit Ocean Flaws returned last month with their latest single ‘Spirit Level’. The DIY outfit had great success with their previous offering ‘Deep Sea Dreaming’, can they kick on?

This is pop music at its finest. Instantaneous? Check. Melodic? Check. Furthermore, like all the great top ten hits from the UK, it slips darker themes under the radar. Your parents will unknowingly singalong, while younger generations think about the descending love affair at play.

Bristling with the alt-pop of Blossoms, they intertwine sublimely eerie synths and heaven-sent vocals to provide a serious contender for single of the year. Callum Quirk’s vocals pay homage to Tom Ogden but never rehash. Quirk possesses a huskier devilment which, allows him to insinuate something more sinister.

‘Spirit Level’ was almost scuppered by lockdown one back in March. Thankfully, Ocean Flaws had the desire to power on and deliver a serious contender for single of the year.

Red Rum Club - The Hollow Of Humdrum

Liverpool’s Red Rum Club follows 2019’s critically acclaimed ‘Matador’ with ‘The Hollow Of Humdrum’. The album is out now via Modern Sky UK.

‘Matador’ hit great highs (‘Angeline’ and ‘Would You Rather Be Lonely?’) but, it also fell flat (‘Calexico’ and ‘Casanova’). ‘The Hollow if Humdrum’ is a different animal altogether. Like a Charlatans album, it’s remarkably consistent throughout.

There is a striking vitality pulsating throughout. ‘Kids Addicted’ is bursting at the seams with Dexy’s pop radiance and the guile of The Coral. Meanwhile, ‘Vivo’ rattles along like a melodic bull in a China shop. In the year Ennio Morricone sadly passed away, it seems fitting Red Rum Club has fused his epic western soundscapes with their brand of punk.

In the past five years, Blossoms have been torchbearers for bands writing bona fide pop classics again. Red Rum Club is now hotly in pursuit with ‘Ballerino’, Eleanor’, and ‘Dorado’. ‘Ballerino’ cuts loose like Miles Kane but, with the more welcoming nodes of Orange Juice. ‘Eleanor’, is beset with the electro-pop romance of Robyn and is the greatest reinvention of a name you’ll ever hear. Whereas, ‘Dorado’ is a turbulent and unrelenting adventure set to ride off into the sunset.

In an era where albums seem to matter less, Red Rum Club has delivered one of the true classic opening tracks. ‘The Elevation’, combines their knack of writing party songs with a rock ‘n’ roll’s desperation to be heard. From the vocal cadence to the synth solo, it solicits your adoration.

‘The Hollow Of Humdrum’ is not a classic but, like a ‘Tellin’ Stories’, Tellin Stories’, ‘A Maximum High’ or ‘Life’, it’s will remain close to the hearts of many for decades to come.

Model Society - Are You For Real?

London’s Model Society have returned with their new single ‘Are You For Real?’. It’s the first from their upcoming EP ‘Entertainment’ via Kitchen Disco Records. Last time out, they delivered bona fide classic in ‘Public Service’, can they pick up where they left off?

Musically, they hit upon the oppressed realising they can struggle and break free of the chains. The guitars are bullish and unifying, but, are clearly in a fight, something we can all relate to.

Lyrically, it seeks to reject those of cultural totalitarian thought. A brave concept in an age where opposing sides seek to destroy rather than engage and enlighten. An aptly timed release with Biden’s election victory in tandem. Neither signifies a bright utopian future but, they are stepping back to consensus building and normality.

This is not the dizzying heights of ‘Public Service’ but, it gleefully sits in its slipstream!

Come At The King - Take To The Streets

London trio Come At The King returned on the 13th November with their latest EP ‘Take To The Streets’.

Here is our track by track review:

Back Around

This aggression shouldn’t have this fluidity, should it? It’s rapidly becoming their archetypal sound. When venues re-open, small gig venues are going to have their faces blown apart from the ferociousness of the sound.

Uniform

This scathing attack is, lyrically, a huge step forwards for the band. Recognisable reference points are flooding the senses like never before. It feels though, like a work in progress still. The lyrics don’t quite match the power of the sonic but, boy, when they do, its going to be a joyous riot!

In My Place

The howl and stomp of Oasis in the pomp collides with yet more progress for the band. This time, their love affair with the Britpop era has started to permeate their work.

As the dank looping ‘Columbia; guitars loop, the guitar parts offer a melodic chink of light like the majesty of Liam “Skin” Tyson’s work with Cast. They hit the release valve at the perfect moment and make you desperate for it to repeat!

Overgrown

This is Come At The King coming of age. The suffering of no-one at gigs is nothing compared to no gigs at all. For the first time, they have used their menacing sound to unite and the results are breath taking.

Wonderful dialectics are at play. Light and dark, slow and fast, hard and soft, they’ve found their golden formula

This is their moment. This emotive wave will scoop you up off the canvas and place you back where it all begun. No matter the failures and hurt getting older brings, Come At The King have shrugged them off to deliver their ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Hey Hey, My My’ moment.

As front man they decree “these streets are ours and they will be forever and always”, lives will flash before eyes. They’ve used this feeling as a dirty rock n roll outpouring of love and everyone should thank them for it.  

The Institutes – All That You’ll Ever Know

The Coventry four-piece have been building a head of steam in 2020. Their escapist dreams ‘Alleyways’ and ‘Heal In Time’ have been championed by Lammo and, led them to sign with 42’s Records. Can their latest single push the envelope further?

With the pop hooks of Gigolo Aunts, they set out on a quest for meaning. Although isolated, they are never beaten into submission. The struggle leads them to the glory of 3 Colours Red’s ‘Beautiful Day’ and Feeder’s ‘Pushing The Senses’.

Andy Hall’s more aggressive guitars have drawn out something more vital from frontman Reid Currie. A desperation to be heard in a world falling apart couldn’t be more apt right now.

The Institutes are a band for right here, right now, and god willing, huge stages in 2021.

Columbia – Fat Catz

Liverpool’s Columbia have followed the up death defying ‘This Life’ and The Verve-esque ‘Nothing Left For Me’ with their new single ‘Fat Catz’.

Emerging from the sewer, ‘Fat Catz’ is dank and dirty, it’s the party you’re afraid of but know you must be at. Venomous guitars from the Manics combine with the viscous but melodic aspects of The Cult. All the while, Jonny Eccleshall’s bass and Jay Culkin’s drums combine on to create the hallmarks of a ferocious dance track. Jagz Kooner and Eddy TM must remix this!

Their third release has once again, sonically, shown off another side to the band. Lyrically though, they remain constant. Their tales of working class life anchor their outlandish tunes and are all the better for it.

Tourists – Another State

Torquay outfit Tourists have released ‘Another State’, the title track from their upcoming debut album (out Nov 20th). Released via Modern Sky UK, it was mixed by The War On Drugs and Diiv cohort Daniel Schlett at his Strange Weather studios in Brooklyn.

The blissful swirling guitars chime perfectly with the Grandaddy circa ‘Crystal Lake’ production. It takes the sun drenched joy of Real Estate to somewhere fuzzier and unbelievably, more carefree.

Sonically, with so much at play, you’d forgive them for sounding muddled but, like a sun setting on still water, they have conjured a simple beauty to marvel at.

For anyone desperate to escape Trump, covid or personal woes, ‘Another State’ is the artistic ticket to elsewhere you have been waiting for.  

The Kecks – All For Me

The Kecks are back with their new single ‘All For Me’. Released on the 23rd October, it once again saw the North West via Hamburg outfit link up with producer JB Pilon.

Sheffield has always produced great romantic song writers. Cocker, Walker and Hawley possess a romanticism tha now, the Kecks are tapping into. ‘All For Me’ unlocks the heart of Pulp’s ‘Dishes’ and Hawley’s ‘Coles Corner’ whilst flirting heavily with Bowie’s Berlin phase.

On the surface, there is enough warmth in the guitars to enrich the most broken of hearts. By the time of the solo, they will be dreaming of their wedding bells. Lurking though, is something more twisted and interesting. As front man Lennart Uschmaan sings of “take off your gloves and lay into my guts” and “you have got to have some stuff”, something darker bonding this love affair is clearly at play.

Uschmaan delivers such affection through his vocals that, you can’t help be sucked into this alternative love story. This is one hell of a return from The Kecks. May it long continue.  

The Lathums - Ghosts

Following last week’s debut on Later…with Jool Holland, The Lathums have released their new EP ‘Ghosts’. Produced by The Coral’s James Skelly (and Chris Taylor), its out now on Island Records.

Here is our track by track review:

I See Your Ghost

This is what the backing of a label can bring to band. They have the freedom to play around in the studio knowing that jobs in Spoons are needed for the rent.

This playful piece has the hallmarks of The Coral’s debut album colliding with the Dead 60s cult classic ‘Riot Radio’. It culminates in a thunderous crescendo, a subtle reminder that they always mean business.

Corporation Street

With jangle of The La’s, vocal nods to The Smiths and the playful side of the Kinks, The Lathums have delivered a sumptuous piece of pop music.

 All My Life

The escapist romanticism of Sheffield’s much missed The Crookes comes out for ponderous walk. Emotive hooks lurk at every corner of this instant soul classic.

Frontman Moore has found a euphoric way to tell the world what its like to be a teenager. The searing intensity and idealism will warm the blackest of hearts this lockdown. The self-belief and self-doubt collide like two heavyweights in the 12th round desperate for the win.

Crowds are becoming a thig of the past but, anthems like this, packed with soul music, are surely the seeds of hope to pull us all through.

Foolish Parley

Moore’s produces his best vocal to date. Sliding from the soul of Kevin Rowlands and to the underdog power of Rick Witter, he is set to become an indie icon!

Musically, again, the essence of their song writing is simplicity but, lurking in the shadows, are nuggets pf psyche and hostility to colour the palette.

Howie Payne - It Feels Like Summer

Back in late August, Liverpool’s Howie Payne returned with his new single ‘It Feels Like Summer’. The former Stands member is on the trail of his new solo album, due early 2021.

With Payne playing all the instruments, it should come as no surprise that this is a deeply personal record. The eerily tranquil opening serves up the expressive failure of the male identity.  

Set after the tough times, Payne utilises jangling guitars and heavenly Scouse vocals will be sonic perfection to fans of Payne. Underlying though is the torture he endured to display his gratitude and affection for those who stood by him in the tough times.

As the big key change lands, Payne delivers the lyric “how can I explain, all the things I want to say”. It will leave many a British man dead in their tracks. Hamstrung by their inability to talk, sometimes even be affectionate to their partners, Payne displays masculinity with supreme probity.

Once through this looking grass, Payne serves sheer ecstasy. Love and warmth ooze from every pore so much that, you’ll look back at those dark times in humble amazement they occurred.