Ooops, apparently it’s not a bank holiday today. Overslept. 😬. I’m sure no-one noticed. Had a week off too so you didn’t get this inconsequential, irrelevant, irreverent ramble last week. I’m sorry, but it’s back. I do this instead of ranting on Twitter. Tracks of the Week time. Seven more sexy fucking bangers. Get involved. Have a great week. See you on the flip side. Peace.
Grian Chatten – Last Time, Every Time, Forever
Why we love it: ‘Last Time Every Time Forever’ is the third track to be released by Grian Chatten from his forthcoming solo debut album. The Fontaines D.C. vocalist worked with the bands long-standing producer Dan Carey to produce Chaos For The Fly set for release on 30th June via Partisan Records.
Grian expands on the new single: “’Last Time Every Time Forever’ is a weak knee’d 99th lap around a hellscape town of your own making. It’s haunted by seagulls and hoarse-throated slot machines from the 1980s and it breaks its own promise on every listen.”
‘Last Time Every Time Forever’ follows the recent release of both ‘The Score’ and ‘Fairlies’. Again it is the vocal here which is striking in addition to the lyricism. Fontaines D.C. began with their raw ode to Dublin on debut album Dogrel but over time Grian has proven again and the again the quality of his vocal. For example the sliding note on the word “forever”.
“All my words
They fail me now
And I have seen it all and I have no doubt
That an alonely thing
You surely are
Could be a fixture made In a face down bar
Where they go out their way
To be hurtful now
And you can see the world
Written in their brow”
The musical landscape is driven by strings with its evocative atmosphere enveloping the listener. This is music to lose yourself in and Grian has shared the following with regards to the creation of the songs on his debut solo album.
“A lot of the album was written with just me and a guitar and I really like the idea of it being boiled down to those elements. That feeling of having the song in the palm of your hand, that control of having it with just you and a guitar. There’s an intensity as a result of that.” (Julia Mason)
Belako – White Lies
Why we love it: because Belako are a sunny shot in the arm from Bilbao, Espana with a wry smile and wink with vocal interplay and bucolic atmosphere that harks back to prime The Wannadies. Previous LP, Plastic Drama from 2020, had a darker edge to it, with topics including the movie The Craft. This first take from their second long player, Sigo Regando (meaning Still Waters in Spanish), has a brighter disposition without losing their playful approach.
They describe the track as “a melancholic chant about trying to beat the fear of letting go” but there is a more of an optimistic feel to the music. The classic happy tune disguising morose lyrics. (Jim Auton)
Weird Nightmare – She’s The One
Why we love it: Weird Nightmare, the new project from Alex Edkins of METZ, have released a cover of the Ramones’ song ‘She’s the One‘. Edkins delivers a refreshingly low-key rendition of this punk rock classic showcasing Beatles-esque harmonies, Duane Eddy inspired fuzz guitar, and pedal steel played by Aaron Goldstein. It’s quite a departure from the punk rock infused METZ. Summer breeze flows through this track. Weird Nightmare’s rendition slows the original right down and produces it through a lens which spins the vibe on its head.
“Yeah yeah, she’s the one
Yeah yeah, she’s the one
When I see her on the street
You know she makes my life complete
And you know I told you so
She’s the one, she’s the one”
It’s fascinating to see Edkins take a tangent from the music he is perhaps most closely associated with. I suspect he is revelling in the joy of producing music which sits in a different realm, and surely this is what creativity is all about, forever exploring and having the best time along the way. We’re so happy to enjoy the fruits of this exploration. (Julia Mason)
Treeboy and Arc – Behind The Curtain
Why we love it: Leeds band Treeboy & Arc share new single ‘Behind The Curtain’, taken from debut album Natural Habitat set for release on 7 July via Clue Records. The track opens with drums and guitars rattling along at pace before the vocal kicks in. Clear and crisp every lyric can be heard.
“Make a poor choice and then plead ignorance”.
“I’m fragile and unstable, I live my life based on Aesop’s fables.”
The chorus is simply the word “WAIT” but this gets more and more emotional and impassioned as the track progresses. The soundscape gradually increases the tension and the vocal becomes more and more anxiety filled. The final few seconds are white noise, a static fuelled fizz leaving the listener immediately wanting to play ‘Behind The Curtain’ again.
Speaking on the new single, guitarist and vocalist Ben Morgan says: “This is probably the moodiest, darkest sounding song on the album, which is befitting seeing as the lyrics are about illness and the looming threat of death we all face. This used to be something that kept me up at night but doesn’t so much anymore, I think eventually we all accept the fragility of life. It’s another song that builds throughout, like one big long crescendo constantly building in intensity. Particularly mid way through when the tempo speeds up and the vocals become frantic and anxious. I wanted the people listening to feel stressed and on edge.”
The band felt it important to keep things homegrown and chose to work alongside seminal Leeds producer Matt Peel at his studio The Nave, who has worked on the likes of TRAAMS, W.H. LUNG, Eagulls, Pulled Apart By Horses, Heck, and more, helping them create a brand new sound. With the debut album set for release next month and an extensive UK tour planned, 2023 is going well for Treeboy & Arc. (Julia Mason)
Silvana Estrada – Milagro y Desastre
Why we love it: “This song was born out of my belief that big life-changing events are equal parts miracle and disaster. This idea has helped me a lot to understand and heal my experiences over the years. In this song I wanted to vindicate all the faces of love, even the love that hurts when it ends”.
This is Silvana Estrada, the Mexican rising star and winner of last year’s Latin Grammy award for ‘Best New Artist’, speaking about her latest single, ‘Milagro y Desastre.’ The song was produced by her longtime collaborator Gustavo Guerrero and is accompanied by an official video directed by Camila Grandi.
‘Milagro y Desastre’ is yet another beautifully atmospheric song from Estrada, delivered with her customary heartfelt honesty, fragility, and warmth. (Simon Godley)
HotWax – Treasure
Why we love it: HotWax are causing a commotion with their insidious sound that see’s punky spasms collide with Riot Grrrl riffs laced with attitude riven, insatiable vocal earworms. So much so that people were turned away from their Great Escape set, such was the demand! They are Hastings trio of singer/guitarist Tallulah Sim-Savage, bassist Lola Sam and drummer Alfie SayersRaw. The lead track from their new EP A Thousand Times, ‘Treasure‘ is a cracker, a whirling dervish of chunky riffs, vocals that buzz with bittersweet glory, the feeling that you have to treasure every moment because things could very well fall apart at any moment. The dynamic is fantastic with a cavalcade of bounding drums, screeching guitars and hollered crescendos the line between pain and pleasure is a fine one. Frankl fantastic.
“HotWax are ripping up the template and ripping up stages across the UK. Barely out of school, HotWax have created a sound that is both unique and familiar, from the expressive, explosive snarl of vocalists like Karen O and Courtney Love, to the youthful, irreverent zest of Wet Leg, and the unruly, down-low guitar sound peddled by grunge greats Nirvana and Mudhoney.” (Bill Cummings)
Aisha Badru – Inside
Why we love it: Nigerian American singer Aisha Badru has unveiled a comforting ode to self-love on the tender ‘Inside‘. With gentle pianos that lap at the feet and forgiving vocal this rumination devoted to self-admiration and honouring oneself with kindness, is gorgeous, soothing and chilled offering an escape from the hectic rush of modern life. ‘Inside’ comes in collaboration with Badru’s longtime producer Chris Hutchinson. The release is joined by the soulful visual directed by Laura-Lynn Petrick, where you’ll witness mesmerising choreography demonstrated by the familiar presence Nyda Kwasowsky (as seen in ‘Lazy River’).
“I remember feeling like the ultimate goal is to find someone who loves you, and then realizing that the ultimate goal is to love yourself,” Badru shares. “Until you love yourself, you won’t really know what true love is.”
‘Inside’ is another instalment lifted from Badru’s forthcoming EP – Learning to Love Again out June 2nd via Nettwerk. (Bill Cummings)