So, if, like me, you’ve just spent the weekend slathered in sun cream, wearing a poncho made from clingfilm, drinking warm lager and not showering whilst watching Elton John in a gold suit and Axl Rose in silver trousers, and never leaving your sofa, you might actually be craving something a bit more now. As great as they were (although what was Elton doing singing with a bit of an American accent and not in the same way as on the recordings we all know and love (eye rolling emoji)) here’s some slices of the new that you might not have heard of. Maybe you’ll see them on BBC iPlayer in a few years whilst wearing a pair of wellies caked in mud and a case of trench foot from filling them from the hose and not changing your socks for four days. Fingers crossed.
Picture Parlour – Norwegian Wood
Why we love it: because, straight from the off, it’s a sly wink and nudge of a song title, mainly because it’ll probably enrage the “industry plant” tin hatters who’ll think it’s a Beatles cover. WRONG. More importantly though is that it’s brilliant. Picture Parlour are the latest brilliant all female band, alongside friends The Last Dinner Party, they are rocking the indie pop rock boat and causing waves by doing the simple thing of writing great pop songs.
This is the ideal time for bands like them to appear and unblock the pipeline as both those bands, and add Panic Shack, Lime Garden, The Big Moon and Hot Wax to those acts who would smash the proverbial roof off a headline set at any festival in a year or two.
‘Norwegian Wood ‘ has the kind of tempo that is crying out for a field full of drunk people to scream the lyrics back at them. It’s got enough Power Ballad to be Bonnie Tyler and enough wry lyric to be Debbie Harry, with L7 lip curling attitude.
Katherine Parlour says ““Norwegian Wood is an unvarnished confession to a loved one, inspired by Haruki Murakami’s novel ‘Norwegian Wood’ and its relationship with the infamous Beatles track. Written not long after I moved from Liverpool to London, the track coincided with a loneliness felt upon moving to the capital. The despondency that came with my life shift elicited the song: a burning inner dialogue of total transparency with oneself as well as loved ones. In a nutshell, ‘Norwegian Wood’ represents how being human can feel on those dimmer days.” (Jim Auton)
The Love Buzz – Sing! Sing!
Why we love it: What an astonishing debut Glastonbury for Cork’s The Love Buzz as they play five sets over the festival weekend. To celebrate they have released new single ‘Sing! Sing!’. The band have moved between Berlin and their home city in the south of Ireland in recent years, soaking up the very best of the continent’s fashion, art and music during that time. Kieran Hurley (guitars/vocals), Aidan Lynch (bass), Henry Love (drums) and Oisin Walsh Agnew (guitars) are rejecting life’s downers on ‘Sing! Sing!’. Recognising that sometimes there’s nothing more to do but sing, they have produced an upbeat, fun track to dance as well as sing too. The humour in the lyrics is so uplifting and the sliding guitar riffs add to the whole joy of this track. With arms aloft I have no doubt by the time of their fifth set at Glastonbury the crowd were joining the band in celebrating singing.
The Love Buzz expand on the track: “’Sing! Sing!’ marks a significant milestone in our musical journey. After finding so many people willing to listen to the songs we’ve put out so far, this latest single shows our growth and commitment to pushing ourselves creatively in return. What it ignites a new era in The Love Buzz’s musical history.” (Julia Mason)
Palehound – Independence Day
Why we love it: Palehound has released new single ‘Independence Day’ which comes ahead of their new album Eye On The Bat, set for release on 14 July via Polyvinyl Record Co. Fronted by El Kempner, Palehound have produced a breakup song in Independence Day, but one with a narrative that wrestles with emotional clarity. There is strength and personal growth shared in the track and all in relation to a universal theme. Kempner’s emotive vocal is crystal clear and the guitars and drums provide the perfect soundscape to encapsulate the track. Kempner shares the following on ‘Independence Day’:
“The ending of a relationship that spanned the majority of my twenties illuminated a forked road that daunted me. In the aftermath of our breakup, I found myself dwelling on what that other life would have been like and who I would have become had we chosen differently, or even if circumstance or tragedy had chosen for us.”
New album Eye On The Bat was co-produced by Palehound alongside Sam Evian (Big Thief, Cass McCombs). Kempner also credits multi-instrumentalist Larz Brogan, who they refer to as “my platonic life partner” and longtime member of Palehound since the Boston DIY days, as a vital part of making the album. (Julia Mason)
Search Results – Flower Rock Rain
Why we love it: You have to love the irony of band who select band names that put two figures up to our reliance on Google search. Irish trio Search Results are one such band and they have released their new single ‘Flower Rock Rain’. It’s from the forthcoming album Information Blip which is set for release in September via Galway-based Blowtorch Records. ‘Flower Rock Rain’ features a collaboration from Rhys Mayes and Callum Browne of the Belfast-based psych-pop band The Daisy Chain. What a mixture of styles and sounds in one track. ‘Flower Rock Rain’ canters along at pace but with a few surprises along the way. The track opens with a touch of birdsong before quickly moving into main section which has a lightness of touch and a vocal with is rapid switching between sung and spoken. The tapping of the drum edge maintains the crisp percussion and that combined vocal on the chorus adds a real communal vibe as if we are all in this together. The space given to the bass and guitar for the riffs towards the end just wind up the track beautifully.
The single is accompanied by B-Side ‘The Munster Express’ and the release will be followed by an Irish co-headline tour this July with Thee U.F.O, including gigs in Limerick, Cork, Galway, Sligo, Belfast and Dublin. (Julia Mason)
Gemma Hayes – High & Low
Why we love it: In the first decade of this millennium I caught Gemma Hayes in concert many times. From The Cockpit in Leeds to the ATP Festival in Minehead – curated by My Bloody Valentine no less – the Irish singer, songwriter, and musician was certainly happening. It then all went very quiet. So it was with a mixture of huge relief and immense joy to find that Hayes is now back with her first release in nine years. ‘High & Low’ is the record in question and as I had always come to expect from her, it is something a bit special.
“‘High & Low’ is about feeling disconnected – but desperately wanting to connect,” explains Gemma. “In the song, this idea is placed in the context of grief and longing for a person who is gone, leaving a ghostly feeling of not fully being alive because of their departure. A nice, happy dance floor anthem this is not!”
It is a beautifully atmospheric example of dark, yearning folk music, as moonlit as it is dramatic. (Simon Godley)
twst – Off World
Why we love it: Genre and gender blurring Welsh pop ariist twst is back with a new single called ‘Off-World’. It follows April’s ‘Most Viewed’, Off-World shimmers through cascading acoustics and breakbeats into a super futuristic pop cut, that burrows deeper than twst has ever gone before, the desire to break free of technology and social norms, there’s a longing in her vocal that is punctured by a tapestry of inventive framework. Skittering to a hyper real realm of liberation, it’s the sound of early Grimes colliding with 90s trance and productional elements of Madonna‘s Ray of Light album. Stunning.
Speaking about the track and its accompanying visual, twst said:
Off-World resonates with a universal desire to give oneself completely, forging connections that transcend societal norms. The music video serves as a visual representation of the song’s themes, depicting a cyborg girl who descends upon Earth, yearning to break free from the confines of this world and find solace in another realm.
In this transcendent journey, “Off World” encapsulates the concept of liberation. The cyborg girl symbolises the struggle for personal freedom and self-expression, embodying twst’s own quest for authenticity. The lyrics vividly portray longing and transformation, urging listeners to break free from predetermined moulds and embrace the unknown. The chorus becomes an empowering anthem for those seeking to transcend their current state and embrace a new existence beyond societal boundaries.“(Bill Cummings)
Georgia Gets By – ‘Easier To Run’
Why we love it: Georgia Nott is known for her work in BROODS, the electronic pop project she started with her brother over a decade ago that has since grown into a global phenomenon. She’s been quietly working on a solo project under the moniker Georgia Gets By for years, and is now ready to share it with the world. The first taster ‘Easier to Run’ is a glorious, epic shimmering dream pop anthem, with a touch of the 80s being retooled for 2023. Gorgeous production woven with nagging and shimmering guitars, give way to Nott’s swelling vocal, that is invested with the knowledge of trauma of the past and of breakups and how sometimes it’s easier to run away than to commit, to face your pain, forgive and heal. Nott promises this is her most personal material to dat.
She introduces Georgia Gets By with a Silken Weinberg-directed video for her explosive debut single ‘Easier To Run‘ via Luminelle Recordings. “‘Easier to Run’ is a song for all the avoidant lovers who would sooner evaporate than commit,” Georgia explains. “It’s about the emotional whiplash of a breakup. The push and pull of love and fear. It dreams of closure and the courage to be honest.” (Bill Cummings)
ADJUA – FYS
Why we love it: In truth there’s scant information about ADJUA online but she’s a r&b, latin and funk influenced artist from Cardiff. ‘FYS’, which is lifted from a new EP called Self, seamlessly melds laid back funky rhythms, jazzy percussion scattered with her excellently soulful delivery that switches from meditative soulful bars to self empowering chanted refrains. It’s a really impressive and chilled effort that taps into the sweltering summer evenings we’ve all been experiencing of late. Very promising and wonderfully immersive, I am looking forward to hearing more from this impressive Welsh artist. (Bill Cummings)