Welcome to our latest pick of the latest new music that has been exciting us over the last seven days, read and listen below. Follow our playlist for more each week.
The Golden Age of TV – What I’ve Been Through
Why we love it: Not merely content to have been the opening act on the main stage at the recent Long Division festival – where they certainly lit the touchpaper to the entire event with an explosive set – the Leeds’ five-piece band The Golden Age of TV have now returned with a brand new single, ‘What I’ve Been Through’.
Talking about the song, the band’s vocalist Bea Fletcher says: “‘What I’ve Been Through’ is a statement, of sorts, from the perspective of someone who’s experienced sexual violence. Certain situations can trigger angry, defensive reactions, which for others may seem over-the-top. It’s my honest outburst, explaining and releasing those feelings of rage. A song asking for nothing more than to be heard and believed.”
Taking up from where they left off in Wakefield a few weeks ago, The Golden Age of TV burst back out of the traps with another visceral blast of melodic noise through which they share their strong message. (Simon Godley)
overpass – Changes
Why we love it: Midlands band overpass have released their new single ‘Changes’ which follows 2020 debut single ‘One Night Lover’ and subsequent releases ‘Otherside of Midnight’ and ‘Stop The Clock’. ‘Changes’ opens with a guitar hook that immediately gets your attention. This is a breezy indie track with crystal clear vocals and an anthemic energy. The jangly guitar and funky pass align with the theme of the lyrics, that life is never constant but full of ebbs and flows.
The 4-piece expand on the inspiration behind ‘Changes’: “It’s a song about how nothing in life is permanent, no matter how hard you try to make it last. It focuses on the fact that you’ll have to question yourself on whether the ideals you live with are actually right with you.”
Previous singles have already been played on BBC Introducing and overpass have played support gig slots building a loyal fanbase with their formidable live energy as restrictions have begun to ease. However they are now on their debut headline tour which continues until the 20th December with the final date at the Hope and Ruin in Brighton. (Julia Mason)
DEADLETTER – Pop Culture Connoisseur
Why do we love it: New signings to Nice Swan Records are always worth some investigation, and DEADLETTER are no exception. The 6-piece have released their new track ‘Pop Culture Connoisseur’ and it’s a blast of post-punk and reverb-fuelled spikey guitars with a stomping chorus. The lyrics centre around the case of PC Read, a police officer fired for stealing doughnuts through a self-service checkout. Tongue in cheek, of course, but there is a message here that those in positions of authority often consider themselves above the law and hence above reproach.
‘Pop Culture Connoisseur’ is an assured track for DEADLETTER to open their account on Nice Swan Records with. The delivery has a fury with lead singer Zac Lawrence almost spitting out his disgust for those in power and their behaviour. DEADLETTER are not afraid to switch the pace unexpectedly as the track progresses, and yet the intensity is retained throughout. With is dancefloor friendly rhythm and the need for this to be played loud, it looks like Nice Swan Records have signed another winner. (Julia Mason)
Fine Place – This New Heaven
Why we love it: It suddenly seems like a very long time since I saw Frankie Rose and the Outs in Leeds. Eleven years in fact. The one-time member of the Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts and Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose has since then eschewed guitar pop for electronic pop, building the current sound around synthesisers and her atmospheric voice.
Rose has achieved this transition through her current collaboration with fellow Brooklyn, NYC-based musician Matthew Hord, a man who has served musical time with Running, Pop. 1280, and Brandy. Together the two musicians have written and recorded their debut album, This New Heaven (out on the 19th of November through Night School Records.
Talking about This New Heaven, the pair say: “The sound we were going for was an attempt to capture the dystopian feel of New York during a period of desertion by the wealthy. It was produced in a time-frame saturated in both uncertainty and serenity, and the soundscapes we created felt fitting and almost organic as a response to our surroundings. The title also reflects this in an arguably literal, maybe even satirical way.”
Listening here to the title track from the new album I think it is safe to say that Fine Place have realised their ambitions. (Simon Godley)
Lanterns On The Lake – Don’t Have Nightmares
Why we love it: The recent BBC podcast Uncanny had self-proclaimed ghost-obsessive Danny Robins and the man behind The Battersea Poltergeist return with another investigative paranormal production complete with a theme tune by Lanterns On The Lake.
‘Don’t Have Nightmares’ is that tune and the band’s vocalist Hazel Wilde says: “Danny (robins) and his producer Simon were keen for us to create something simple that would fit the themes of the series and send a shiver down your spine. Lyrically, I was trying to come up with something that could cover the range of unique stories and link them all. Each episode and story is different. Some include ghosts, UFOs, poltergeists, and some even touch on mental health. So I wrote it from the point of view of someone being haunted by their experience. The thought/memory of what they’ve experienced behaves like a ghost in a way. We wanted the music to get under your skin if you were listening on headphones to the podcast. We included subtle footsteps as the percussion for the song and piano sound is warped to give it that otherworldly, unnerving feel.”
‘Don’t Have Nightmares’ is a ghostly musical apparition, oozing atmosphere, drama and suspense as it creeps along inviting the listener to believe. (Simon Godley)
EERA – The Ladder
Why we love it? EERA‘s recent single ‘The Ladder’ leads you down a well through the dark into the light, simmering with clipped guitars and urgent drum strikes. Invested with wonderfully enomgatic vocals that clasp onto your hand and try to make someone else see that they have a lot to be grateful for, which they may not realise themselves; pushing down the ladder, signifying sabotaging oneself.
Its lifted from Speak, the new album from the Berlin-based Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist Anna Lena Bruland, A.K.A. EERA, which will be released on 3 December 2021.
Also known for her recent work with Public Service Broadcasting he explains “Speak is a search for a balance in life, acknowledging myself, and being proud of who I am. To become braver and more confident, and stop questioning so much. Accept and move on instead. My debut was a little bit timid, like, am I doing this right? This album is more who I am.” (Bill Cummings)
The KVB – Unite
Why we love it? Weaving enveloping vocals into a framework of electronic sounds, synths and beats that resemble the workings of the city. ‘Unite’ is a track that echoes the likes of Human League and OMD but retools it for 2021. They say its – “a homage to our time living in Berlin, with the pounding kick drum and grinding electronics” but it also a ode to the unity of work and perhaps the union of Europe. The KVB are Nicholas Wood and Kat Day. The seeds of their album Unity were sown in demo form in Spain, shortly followed by a move from Berlin back to the UK before enforced restrictions soon stalled their huge touring plans as lockdown
“There’s a strong sense of moving forward on this album,” says KVB’s Nicholas Wood. “We wanted it to be expansive – and bolder than anything we’d done before.”
“It was written while we were moving countries into a kind of unknown future. So I was looking at themes like aspiration, modern alienation and utopian and dystopian futures.” (Bill Cummings)