Leo Vann is an Austin, Texas-based musician and multimedia artist and he has just released the first single from his album ‘In Color’ which launches next year. The single is called “Do Wrong”. The song is chilled to perfection and sounds like the Cocteau Twins had they been produced by the Avalanches and were broadcasting the song from Mars. The vocal is haunting, ethereal, otherworldly, and truly bewitching. This is a luxurious and sumptuous song that made me feel good seconds after it began. I want more of this, please!
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Dead Chic is a collaboration between Damien Felix (Catfish) and Andy Balcon (Heymoonshaker). They used to run into each other while touring with their respective bands, spoke about collaborating, and finally came together in 2020. Why did they get together? Based on their new single “Fortune” clearly to make awesome rock music. The meaty, explosive percussion sound opens and drives the song, making it hard to ignore. That mountainous drum sound is created by Rémi Ferbus. Balcon’s vocal talents are immense and as a listener, you are drawn into this track as though he is a dark, but ultimately good, preacher sermonising on what life as a human in huge cities is like and how we can, and sometimes fail to cope with it. The guitar soundscapes from Felix are immense and soulful. “Fortune” is a taster for their new album, ‘Serenades & Damnation’, which is out next month. This song, which has a hopeful mood, deserves to be huge. Make it so good people of the world!
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Do you like metal? Do you like metal with orchestration? Do you like harmonious growly metal vocals? If you answered yes to all of these questions you will fucking love “Behelit”, the new single from Slaughter To Prevail. The colossal meaty riffs punch you into a screaming bloody mess and the pummeling bass and drums mesmerise you into further submission. “Behelit” will occupy your soul and never let you go! This is a truly epic tune. The Russian band of mighty metallers control an extensive arsenal of metal sounds. All are showcased in this song. A Behelit is a significant and mysterious artifact with powerful and dark properties in the manga series “Berserk” by Kentaro Miura.
Frontman Alex Terrible said this of the track “I don’t usually watch anime, it’s not for me, but ‘Berserk’ is different. Guts, the main character, he is not like any other warrior. His determination to become the strongest fighter—this is something to respect. But what really gets to me is how he is shown—ruthless, unstoppable, yet with some hidden vulnerability, like you never know what he will do next. Guts is not just fighting enemies; he is battling demons from another world, trying to save humanity from things beyond understanding. What’s interesting is, he doesn’t think of himself as a hero—many times, it seems like he even hates the responsibility of protecting others. But still, his honor makes him continue, driven by something much deeper than just glory. His huge sword is like a symbol of his strength—it’s almost like a metaphor for life. We all have our burdens to carry, and it’s on us to deal with them the best way we can.Actually, my Kid of Darkness character, I take a lot from Guts. There is something very strong, very real in how Guts fights, and I want to show this. Kid of Darkness, it is not only about being brutal—it is about fight inside, like you carry heavy things you never ask for, but still you face them. Guts, he never gives up, even when everything around him is bad, this is what I feel close to. This way of thinking, it is what I try to do in my life, on stage and not on stage too.” Get this magnificent slice of metal into your life right now!
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HerOrangeCoat’s new single, “Ballad 3 (Jamaica ’59)”, is out and it is the third instalment toward her EP ‘Ballads for this Age’. This one is my favourite so far, it flows like a river enriched with Joni Mitchell’s essence. The music is understated, but excellent, and Georgia’s voice is spectacular and perfect. It has folk, jazz, and soft rock entwined throughout. Like the previous two songs in the collection, it feels very personal. The EP is due out next month and I believe it will be something special indeed!
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The new Avalanche Party song has arrived and as with all recent singles, it makes me think that their long-awaited sophomore album could easily become the album of the year. It is called “John Coltrane’s Moscow Skyscraper”. It starts in an almost chilled, subdued way and then transforms into an absolute monster as it moves to a mountainous, manic, maniacal conclusion. This is 100% psych-metal with a slight hint of LCD Sound System, but much, much darker. Jordan’s voice sounds like it might be careering up from the depths of hell and the sound might be the band smashing Satan into tiny pieces. Probably the best Avalanche Party single this year, and probably one of their best ever too. The video is spectacular too.
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When I get an email from a band that has the subject “SpankyWanky New Music” I am always going to open it. So when I got such an email from Southampton band Hercules Morse, of course, I opened it. I was directed to the first song, “Time Will Tell”, to be released from their forthcoming EP ‘Enemy Ally’. The song is out now on Bandcamp and the EP is due out on 27th December. “Time Will Tell” is a jagged post-punk funky tune that made me think of XTC on a more metal trip, with perhaps an overlay of Foo Fighters and some input from Deaf School. It is overflowing with angular rhythms that make you want to move your feet. Steve, Harry, Paul, and Gizmo should be proud of this marvellous new tune and I am sure that they are. Click hereto check out the new tune on Bandcamp.
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Edinburgh artist Steve Hewitt released a new single, “Cold World” today. It is a delicately softly spun tune with a hard message about life. All wrapped up in a fine alt. country style. Steve’s warm and honest vocal delivery makes the lyrics sink in deeply, and those words hit home really well. The lyric spotlights the darker side of our reality and human nature as Hewitt observes the pervasive existence of conflict, distorted moral values, betrayal, and personal suffering in the world today. The track is taken from his forthcoming crowdfunded sophomore album ‘Never Two Days The Same’.
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“Lunacy” is the second single from Manchester artist Tamsin Middleton, a.k.a. VICE VERA. For starters, I bloody love the name! As for the song, it is a wondrous and magical serving of sublime post-punk with elements of Siouxsie Sioux, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and Toyah. It kicks off with a dark, brooding feel before the drums kick in big time, and the music becomes more frenetic, frenzied, and fabulous. Tamsin’s voice oozes passion, compassion, and honesty. The vocal hook, particularly towards the end is impossible to resist and I found it spinning around inside my brain long after I had listened to the song. The cover is a stunning piece of art from Kim R Foster.
Photo by Kenny Brown
“Lunacy” was co-produced by VICE VERA and long-term collaborator Macclesfield-based music producer Neil Mykowski. It follows the first VICE VERA single, “Tourist,” from earlier this year. Tamsin had this to say about the single “This song is intensely personal, having been inspired by a conversation I once had with my father, while he was in the grip of addiction. It speaks to interconnectedness and the limitless universe both outside and inside each one of us“. While VICE VERA is relatively new to the music scene Tamsin has had a lot of great experience. She has played in many bands in the past 15 years (including LIINES, ILL, JD Meatyard, Mr Heart & AAAK) and supported Sleaford Mods, Pixies, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Fall among others. It would be hard to disagree with what Louder Than War said about VICE VERSA, they said “visceral lyrics that open your eyes and give that feeling you had when you first heard PJ Harvey.” There are a few VICE VERA dates coming up soon (see below), sadly I can’t make any of them, but if you can just do it!
DE RIDDERT, ROTTERDAM – 31/10/24 CAFE AVERECHT, UTRECHT – 2/11/24 THE EAGLE, SALFORD – 07/11/24 – [SINGLE LAUNCH] THE TRADES CLUB, HEBDEN BRIDGE – 28/11/24 – [OPENING FOR BILLY NOMATES]
Follow VICE VERA on Bandcamp and Spotify to get a first listen to “Lunacy” when it hits the streets on 25th October! Give “Tourist” a listen while you are waiting, you will not be disappointed!
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When Oli Barton released his debut single “It’s Over Now” earlier this year I described it as “a raucous, rockin’ romper stomper of a tune” and went on to say “This will be the song to take the Indie Disco night to another level. Everything is absolutely bang on; music, Oli’s vocals, the song, the overall performance. It is an earworm that is more addictive than hard drugs. It is everything a great pop single should be, 3 minutes of absolute music heaven“! I stand by everything I said back then. Now it is available in 7-inch vinyl format and I am lucky enough to own a copy! What this means is that I also get to play a rather wonderful B-side track.
The B Side, “You Just Played My Mind,” is a frantic 21st-century electric blues workout. Its dark lyrics relate to what appears to be a toxic relationship, but one that is impossible to let go of. The funky guitar licks on the bridge are sublime. Actually, this is such a great song, and I reckon it could stand as a double A-side. I hear that Oli is a stunning live performer and I am looking forward to seeing him sometime soon. Click here to bag yourself a copy of this excellent slab of vinyl!
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Cumgirl8 is an American post-punk band and multi-media collective based in Manhattan, New York. They came together (no pun intended) in 2019 by Lida Fox, Veronika Vilim, Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, and Chase Lombardo (a.k.a. Chase Noelle). According to themselves, they are a “sex-positive alien amoeba entity,” they are artists in music, film, publishing, and fashion. Their music apparently functions as an “outlet [for] repressed and pent-up emotions” which they use to challenge the patriarchy and capitalism. They have just released their second album, ‘The 8th Cumming’ which is monumentally weird, but in a good way. It feels like 70s punk, 70s disco, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Lady Gaga, and Madonna in her full-on dance phase climbed into the conjugal bed together and produced countless offspring which matured into Cumgirl8 songs. As for the band, well I think it is obvious that they really are a sex-positive alien amoeba entity.
The album opens with “Karma Police”, not the Radiohead track, but a banging Cumgirl8 original which kicks off with a nursery rhyme style refrain and then goes all Pete Burns with a mountainous Hi-Energy beat. This is how disco might sound on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Next is the previous single “ahhhh!hhhh! (i don’t wanna go)” which storms along like someone has spliced Andrea True Connection and early Human League into a Frankenstein of sublime dance pop. “Mercy” will be a huge hit on goth nights with its deeply dark pop vibe. If ever a song was crying out for a mega club mix it is “Hysteria!” it would be a world-straddling remix. It might have time travelled from the Blitz Club in 1979. The Blitz Kids would have loved it. Some freaky, weird, backward masking and spoken word shenanigans open “uti, ” an infectious electro, heavy metal workout. Has anyone ever written a song about a urinary tract infection before? Well, I assume that is the subject matter.
There is a subtle slowed-down New Order ghost hovering all over “Simulation” which is perhaps the least frenetic track on the album. Guitarwise there are still some New Order sprinkles in “Girls Don’t Try” which also shows some homage to the Cure. I would love to hear Robert Smith duet with Cumgirl8 on this tune. Giorgio Moroder would have been proud of “iBerry” which has a relentless synth riff and some awesome percussion. A drum sound like industrial metronomic pistons introduces “ny winter” which is overlaid with dark angelic ethereal vocals. The album closes with the current single “Something New” which gallops along like a newly tamed wild horse, but one that you feel might run wild again at any moment. Who are Cumgirl8 really? I have no idea, but they are far more alien than David Bowie ever was and according to their record label 4AD “cumgirl8 met in a sex chat 8000 years ago in another metaverse“. That sounds entirely feasible to me. Maybe they are the angry daughters of Thomas Jerome Newton and they have travelled here from their home planet Anthea to find him. This is a great band, a great album and the future of interplanetary pop and rock. Embrace the weird, embrace the alien!
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