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Caralis release single Logic!
"Effortlessly pieced together" - Clash
"...lush and scintillating dream-pop..." - The Revue
Caralis have released their brand new single Logic, out now via Fairfield Records and available to purchase via iTunes as well as stream on Spotify.
Emerging from the shadow of London's urban landscape, electronic pop band Caralis have skilfully produced a discordantly melodic sound which is captured superbly on the title track taken from the forthcoming release of debut EP Logic.
The official video recently premiered on The Revue and is available to watch now on the bands YouTube channel.
Logic is also available to stream now via the Caralis Soundcloud page.
Beginning as an experiment between two friends, Dan Frau (vocals, drums, keys, guitar) and producer John Merriman (production, drums, percussion, backing vox), Caralis has morphed into the bones of what loosely could be considered a ‘band’, with the additions of Phil Merrimen (keys) and Ex Libras front man Amit Sharma (guitar, noises) adding a little something extra. The result is the noticeable growth of an embryonic, raw sound laid down in 2015 through the release of single Clicks In and free download track Be Automatic, into something more delicate, subtle and, ultimately, more complete.
There is no mistaking the organic qualities that distinctively permeate Caralis’ sound. These qualities offer an almost bedroom producer-like charm that emanates through the music however, this acts as a mere distraction to what is, in fact, an impressively sophisticated level of production, musicianship and collaborative songwriting. Title track Logic exhibits all of the best facets of what Caralis has to offer. Ethereal beauty pours from Dan’s falsetto vocals, enhanced further by the bands unerring ability to create melody and hooks, neatly finished off with an ominous outro, turning the song completely on its head.
Despite having released only two tracks thus far, Caralis have already gained support from the likes of Clash, Artrocker and Candid Magazine as well as receiving radio airplay on BBC Radio 6 and Absolute Radio. The band will be looking to gig more throughout 2016 on the back of their recent live debut and will be playing a launch show at The Half Moon on 19th May.
Caralis' Logic EP is released on 20th May 2016 via Fairfield Records with the title track and single now available to purchase on iTunes as well as stream on Spotify.
The Calm Fiasco single Lose Control out now!
“…a no-holds-barred introduction…" - Clash
“...Lose Control is an all out rocker." - The Sun
Glasgow indie rock band The Calm Fiasco are delighted to announce the release of their single Lose Control, out now via Chewy Records and available to buy on iTunes.
Knitting together a killer combination of dangerously catchy indie guitar pieces, energetic drum beats, mesmerising pop-hooks and Glaswegian accented vocals, Lose Control perfectly captures the bands enthusiastic live performances on record. Influences from the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix shine through and have been complimented with a harder edge more akin to band's such as Ash and Dinosaur Pile-Up.
The official video for Lose Control was premiered on Clash and is now available to watch on the band's YouTube channel.
You can also stream the single via the ABoF Soundcloud page or from the embed below.
The band's rocking sound is showcased superbly on both Lose Control and the recently released download track She Said, as The Calm Fiasco embrace the use of grimey guitar licks, hypnotic hooks and infectious choruses to great effect.
Comprising Del Morin (lead vocals/guitar), Greg Totten (lead guitar/backing vocals), Harry Fleming (bass/backing vocals) and Andy McInnes (drums), the band came together in 2012 after bonding over a shared love of music both past and present. Finding time out from blagging their way into festivals, interviewing A-list celebrities under the guise of Harry being James Cordon’s younger brother (he bears an uncanny resemblance), The Calm Fiasco began to build their presence on the Scottish music scene.
With their first release receiving support from Amazing Radio, The Daily Record and The Sunday Mail as well as playing 2 sold out headline shows at King Tuts, The Calm Fiasco are now eager to share their music with a wider audience, aiming to turn even more heads with their addictive mix of indie, pop and rock with a Glaswegian twist.
Having just played Proud Camden, The Calm Fiasco will be quickly following that up with a launch show on April 22nd at Glasgow's Nice N Sleazy with support coming from ones to watch Apache Darling and Echo Moon as well as a DJ set from Tijuana Bibles.
Lose Control is out now via Chewy Records and is available to buy on iTunes
‘You’ve Been Trumped’ Screening Confirmed For Restless Natives Festival!
You’ve Been Trumped is a modern day David and Goliath story, documenting a group of Scottish homeowners taking on controversial tycoon Donald Trump. The film is due to be screened at Restless Natives Festival at 7.30pm on Sunday May 15th 2016 at Drygate.
In addition to the screening, celebrated songwriter Jo Mango will perform a short live set. Jo contributed music to a TV follow-up of You've Been Trumped called The Dark Side of the Green, which documented local opposition to Donald Trump's plans to build a colossal golf course on the Aberdeenshire coastline. Scottish rapper and social commentator Loki will also take part in a post-screening discussion on the pros and perils of regeneration.
Donald Trump has bought hundreds of acres in Scotland to build golf courses, a hotel and luxury homes. But residents don’t want to see this environmentally sensitive stretch of coast destroyed.
The film captures the cultural chasm between Trump and a deeply rooted Scottish community. Funny, inspiring and heartbreaking in turns, the film offers a revealing look at the aspiring Republican nominee for US President.
Watch the trailer for You've Been Trumped on YouTube.
Restless Natives Festival will run from 9th-15th May 2016 and tickets can be purchased from the Restless Natives website.
Restless Natives’ heart and soul lies within the DIY scene as the festival not only aims to bring people together in and around the East End of Glasgow, generating income for the local community, bands and charities, but it also aims to promote ethnic diversity and gender equality throughout the program.
Restless Natives is reflective of a truly modern DIY ethic that showcases talent from a broad spectrum, mirroring the diverse talent the creative scene has to offer.
All events will be individually priced as affordably as possible to ensure accessibility for people from all economic backgrounds and the organisers will also be donating a portion of gate receipts towards specially nominated East End charities to help their community.
A number of film events have already been confirmed including a screening of In The Loop and an exclusive pre-recorded Q&A with writer, director, producer and satirist Armando Iannucci, a screening of Instrument plus a Q&A via Skype with Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, The Skinny presents Couple In A Hole with live Q&A by Geoff Barrow (BEAK>, Portishead) and Billy Fuller (BEAK>, Robert Plant Band), The Room featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary and live Q&A via Skype with Greg Sestero, Song, By Toad presents The Ambiguity Of David Thomas Broughton with exclusive unseen footage and Restless Natives’ own national exclusive of Blood, Sweat & Vinyl : DIY in the 21st Century starring Neurosis, Godspeed You Black Emperor and ISIS (the band!) with live Q&A via Skype with director Kenneth Thomas and A Page of Madness with an exclusive live original score by Adam Stafford. Plus special guest-curated screens by Africa in Motion, the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and Radical Film Network Scotland amongst others.
The festival also boasts a strong music line-up including Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, LAW, Cardiff's alt rockers Future of the Left, Sheffield mathcore champions Rolo Tomasi, Canadian composer Tim Hecker, electronic maverick Blanck Mass, Chicago favourites Into It. Over It, US cult heroes The Hotelier and Glasgow’s own Tuff Love, United Fruit, Happy Meals, Spinning Coin and Lightwave. Full details of further showcases, film nights and talks programmed by Hotgem Music, Nightschool Records, No One Knows Records, Winning Sperm Party, Stretched, Fuzzkill Records, Nice n' Sleazy, Bloc+Music, Song, By Toad and Struggletown are also set to be announced very soon.
Restless Natives Festival will take place May 9th - 15th 2016 and tickets are available via the Restless Natives website.
Introducing… Newtimers!
Swedish duo Newtimers release their forthcoming EP One on June 10th 2016 via Cosmos Music.
The EP is a blend of synth pop, RnB and 80s soul with the duo Andreas Britton Cavaco (vocals) and Tim Lundblad (drums, production), finally coming together as Newtimers after writing and recording music for many years under various guises for miscellaneous projects and collaborative ventures.
Newtimers latest single Best of Me is available to stream now via Soundcloud.
The tracks on the EP were written at a time when the pair were both suffering from broken hearts. “It's full of who, what, wheres and whys - seeing past, present and future,” say the band and although the songs were written under somewhat sad circumstances, there’s more hope here than melancholy.
The duo have had dalliances with various labels from indies to majors but finally as Newtimers, they’re ready to present their own brand of alt pop to the masses. Previous single Perfect Ten racked up nearly 90k plays on Spotify and the way the pair combine their influences, carving out their own unique space within the pop genre, is their biggest draw - it’s hard to pin Newtimers down and that’s a good thing.
The EP also features two remixes of forthcoming single Best Of Me by Monsieur Adi and Sailor & I. Critically acclaimed Monsieur Adi is known for creating the official remixes for Ellie Goulding as well as Beyonce, Bastille, Lana Del Rey and The Kooks.
Newtimers’ EP One is the perfect introduction to a band that are more than the sum of their various influences, they create modern pop that’s full of heart, soul and depth.
EP One is out on June 10th 2016 via Cosmos Music.
A Badge of Friendship: Radio Plugging Services Announced!
We’ve been busy bees here at A Badge of Friendship HQ and 2016 has certainly kept us on our toes. So far, our bands have been getting good vibes from Stereogum, Spin, Noisey, DIY, NME, The Skinny, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and many more. We’re also co-curating a stage at this year’s Brew at the Bog Festival and working with Glasgow’s Restless Natives Festival, featuring Ian Mackaye (Fugazi), Armando Iannucci (Veep, Alan Partridge), Ghostface Killah, Tim Hecker, Rolo Tomassi plus lots more.We’re really proud of our roster and are happy to announce now that we’re now officially providing radio plugging services in-house as well and we’ve already had support from BBC 6Music (Lauren Laverne, Tom Robinson, Steve Lamacq), Radio X, Amazing Radio and BBC Radio Scotland plus a variety of regional stations.
If you’d like to see examples of our work, you can always check our website. Each individual artist page on our site features links to press if you scroll to the bottom of each page. Recently we’ve worked with Idlewild, ESTRONS, Hawk and Me And My Drummer. We also work with an array of heavier, alternative artists like Fat Goth, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, We Came From Wolves, Black International and Outblinker.We're offering very competitive rates for radio campaigns as we don't believe in charging through the roof when independent bands and labels are on a budget, so if you’re interesting in chatting to us about radio (or our online services), please get in touch via info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
You can also check out ABoF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!