Latest News
Jack Ellis announces new single ‘Disdained’!
“…a dark, brooding song that’s boosted by Ellis’ vocal range...”
- Cultured Vultures
Multi-instrumentalist Jack Ellis returns with his latest single, Disdained, out on 23rd September 2016 via District South Records.
The track premiered on Cultured Vultures and you can also stream it now via Jack Ellis' Soundcloud page.
Disdained continues the story from Jack’s previous release, The Storm, exploring themes of love, loss and failure to address the imbalances of a broken relationship. Jack describes Disdained as the “ultimate destruction of love; where the loss of once being loved leaves a dark, empty, troubled soul”. Disdained builds slowly with Jack’s warm, rugged vocal carrying the song effortlessly. As the momentum builds, so does Jack’s sense of desperation, creating a sound the likes of Jeff Buckley and Ben Howard would be proud of. Despite an undeniable connection between the singles, The Storm and Disdained, both tracks offer something different, thus allowing them to firmly stand alone in their own right, and further increasing Jack’s already impressive musical résumé.
After playing in bands for several years, Jack took the decision to go solo in 2014 in order to focus on his songwriting and develop his own distinctive sound. The opportunity to play bass, guitar, piano and sing has allowed Jack to really stretch his creative muscles and, with the success of previous singles Pocket of Lint and Stepping Stones, it is clear that Jack’s music is making an impact on the wider music world.
Jack was voted Best Breakthrough Act 2015 and was nominated for Best Live Act at The Cardiff Music Awards. He has also received radio plays from BBC Wales as well as receiving significant support from the likes of Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2, including being invited to perform live in the studio. Jack has also gained praise from well-regarded publications including Cultured Vultures, With Guitars and Gigslutz to name a few. This has culminated in Jack becoming one of the rising stars of Welsh music, an artist who looks set to continue his growth through the release of his latest single.
Disdained is out on 23rd September 2016 via District South Records.
Introducing… Beauty!
"An infectious slice of electro-pop..." - Gigslutz
Electro-pop artist Beauty is set to release his brand new single Grown Up on 16th September 2016 via BeautysMusic.
Grown Up premiered on Gigslutz and is available to stream via Beauty's Soundcloud page now.
Singer-songwriter and dancer, the multi-talented Beauty (aka Mark Thompson) describes Grown Up as being inspired by a much needed conversation with his best friend - a bitter-sweet song about nostalgia and all the unwanted responsibilities of adult life.
Flowing with Beauty’s impassioned vocals, glitchy beats and catchy melodies, Grown Up is a gritty slice of electro-pop influenced by the likes of Sia, Robyn and Sam Smith. Oozing twinkling, uptempo vibes alongside heartfelt emotive reflections, Grown Up is sure to propel the poptastic sounds of Beauty into the mainstream in no time.
Grown Up will be released on 16th September 2016 via BeautySMusic.
John Alcabean share new video for ‘Fire’!
"...a taut, energised piece of noise rock bluster..."
- Clash
Riotous Danish three-piece John Alcabean have shared their brand new video for explosive single Fire, out now via Tapetown Records and available to buy on iTunes.
The video premiered on Upset Magazine and is also available to watch via John Alcabean's YouTube channel.
Lead singer Victor Ryle Shack explains “my roomie and creative soul Nanna Brunn is the creator of the video. She uses clips and films from her several trips to Iceland – it is basically Nanna and her friends hanging out and being adventurous in a lava field".
The single originally premiered on Clash and is also available to stream via the band's Soundcloud page now.
Fire is explosive, no nonsense post-punk excellence, surrounded by electrifying guitar riffs and undeniably catchy melodies akin to the likes of Drenge and Royal Blood. Upcoming EP Real Time Fiction is the result of the duo trying to find their sound for the debut as Victor Ryle Shack (vocals & guitar) stated that from the beginning of the writing process that the band knew what sound they wanted to sound like and the aim was trying to accomplish this in the studio.
The title Real Time Fiction is about the reality of succeeding in something you once thought was fictional and how mind over matter can prevail. This came to be when Victor had a sudden realisation on the impact your thoughts have on your decisions and how they are almost working against your self development at times. Musically, their sound draws upon multiple influences from indie, pop, alt-rock to post-punk, creating a mix so contagious you will have them playing on repeat for days. Imagine a one-night stand between the music of the 90s and the 00s and John Alcabean is conceived.
Despite being relatively new to the live circuit, John Alcabean have already played Offspring Festival and Uhørt Festival as well as playing at a local carnival in front of three people - including two drunks and a handicapped man - who asked them to “sing him a lullaby”. John Alcabean are now ready to introduce the world to their incredible sound and take the rest of 2016 by storm.
John Alcabean’s new single Fire is out now, and available to buy on iTunes. The band's EP Real Time Fiction is out on 2nd September 2016 via Tapetown Records.
Law Holt releases new video for ‘Love Drive Through’!
"Playful pop with sinister undertones..."
- DIY
"...explosive..." - The Line of Best Fit
“Magnificent.” - The Skinny
Law Holt has released her latest video for 'Love Drive Through', a track taken from debut album City, out via Soulpunk on 26th August.
The video for 'Love Drive Through' premiered on Gold Flake Paint and is available to watch now via Law Holt's YouTube channel along with the previously released video for 'Spit'.
City is Law's own unique, twisted take on pop and, so far, three tracks have been released - 'Spit', 'Summer's Coming' and 'Love Drive Through'. All tracks are available to stream now via Law's Soundcloud page.
Law recorded her latest album City with producer Timothy London; of their working relationship she says "When I started working with Tim we hit it off... the way he worked fitted with what I wanted to do."
After the sessions for the album had finished, in the basement studio where City was recorded, producer Tim London found a folded A4 sheet of paper amongst some lyric notes. Written in three types of coloured biro were these
exact words:
“You don’t know a damn thing. It’s a witchy awareness, and if you could take a little swig from the bottle you might get the telepathy. But right now, you don’t deserve it, cos you think pop is fucking in a photo-booth in a shopping mall, you think it’s the reflection of the tip of your penis vibrating in the dark screen of your laptop. American. Packaging. Wanker.”
“It’s a mock wedding. I’m fucking fed up with it. Don’t judge me. Just because you lost your soul. My tears are real, wet salt. My feelings are raw.”
“OK, in the end I’ll probably forgive you, even if you refuse to dance. I’ll forgive you long enough to make another album from the whole story, which is all it is, from the fantasy, which is all you are.”
“In the end, I’ll use you like you used me, ‘boy’. Then you’ll be discarded like a limp condom on a Spanish beach. Then I will have won and you’ll just be an itch, a gnat bite on my memory. Then people will listen to these songs and they will know how a little, insignificant prick can inspire joy in a woman as he fades away. You. Are. Not. Even. A. Dot.”
When Tim asked her who it was addressed to, Lauren refused to answer and just said, “it’s private”.
Having been described as “the Death Grips of pop”, her sound is hard to define but has received critical acclaim from The Skinny, Guardian, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, DIY and many more. Law transcends genres, time and sound. Loneliness, darkness and romance are themes she regularly explores. She describes her music as “Law themed” and she’s spot on - you can look, but there’s no one quite like Law.
Law Holt’s album City is out on 26th August 2016 via Soulpunk.
Introducing… Federal Unicorn!
Federal Unicorn’s Substances EP is four high octane tracks that sway between heavy grunge riffs and hectic, heart-pounding punk. The EP was released earlier this year via Tapetown Recoreds and is available to stream now on Spotify and buy via iTunes.
The band are preparing for the release of their brand new video for EP track 'State Of Decay' but in the meantime you can stream Substances in its entirety via the band's Soundcloud Page.
The EP is about “facing your demons, telling good from bad, finding beauty in ugly and trusting your own mind and flesh,” say the band. “A lot of it is a product of taking really long walks in search of unidentified treasures. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you end up with poison on your tongue and your mind in abyss and all the while you observe and contemplate.”
The EP’s opening track ‘State of Decay’ crescendoes into a crashing, grunge-infused chorus - you can literally feel the sweat resonate from each hard-hitting strum. ‘Animal’ is an immediate change of pace, slightly more contemplative, but still in keeping with Federal Unicorn’s rousing sound backed by guitarist and vocalist Robert Jancewicz’s impassioned howls. ‘My Line’ is dark but full of energy and the EP’s closer ’Filter Legs’ ends on an unexpectedly softer note featuring Robert’s vocals over a simple, graceful piano melody.
The three piece - Jancewicz along with Kuba Sypniewski (bass) and Kristian Nielsen (drums, backing vocals) - have been making music together since 2010. Their 2014 album Come Again, featured a broader sound, which they’ve now honed into the edgier modern grunge sound heard on EP Substances.
The band are renowned for their live shows and have played all over Europe, the UK and Canada. With an independent, DIY spirit and an EP that focuses less on the shoegaze but more on the pure alt-rock of the 90s, Federal Unicorn’s Substances will literally rock your world.
Federal Unicorn’s Substances is out now via Tapetown Records.