Latest News
Cara Mitchell releases stream of ‘Little Birdies’!
Sixteen-year-old Cara Mitchell introduced her enchanting voice to the UK music scene with the release of her debut EP, Have You Ever Wondered, on 23rd September 2012 via AGP.
Having gained favourable support from the likes of Radar Scotsman, For Folk Sake, Popdose and The Vinyl District the singer songwriter now releases a final track from her EP with a stream of 'Little Birdies'.
'Little Birdies' is available to stream now on the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
Hailing from Aberdeen in Scotland, the teenager exhibits maturity beyond her years with a flawless debut that showcases her ability to write charming lyrics, further emphasised by her unique, delicate vocals, which she delivers beautifully.
This four track EP takes the listener on a journey inspired by Cara’s everyday life – a journey of self- discovery. Tracks such as 'Next October' and 'Passing Sun', affirms the gorgeous tone in Cara’s vocals, this allied with strummed acoustic guitar and alluring harmonies, immediately marks Cara out as an unparalleled talent for one so young.
'Passing Sun' is also available to stream and download on the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
Although she only debuted live in October 2011, Cara has already earned a number of impressive support slots. These range from Gemma Hayes, Juan Zelada and Pearl & The Puppets to underground indie legend Jonah Matranga (Far, New End Original, Onelinedrawing) - the rise has been sharp, but no less than her talents deserve.
Have You Ever Wondered, is available to buy now via AGP.
Me And My Drummer’s debut album ‘The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey’ out now!
"...an immaculate construction that feels altogether heartfelt..."
- The Line of Best Fit
Leftfield alt pop duo Me And My Drummer release their debut album The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey today via Sinnbus.
The band have been making waves throughout muso circles this year with the build-up to the album having already released three singles - You're A Runner, Heavy Weight and Don't Be So Hot - all of which have received support from XFM's John Kennedy and Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6Music's
Tom Ravenscroft and Chris Hawkins and BBC Radio 1's Huw Stephens. The videos for the single have received support from Artrocker, NME, Spinner, The 405 and various music websites and blogs online.
If you can't view our Me And My Drummer video playlist below, you can watch My And My Drummer's videos on the Sinnbus Records YouTube channel.
On the album The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey, there's a real feeling that you're taking an intimate journey with the band from start to finish. Starting introspectively with "Phobia" the track builds and crescendos into a gloriously epic finish. Single "You're A Runner" follows suit starting quietly, climbing to a glorious cacophonous end and before you know it, it's over - a beautiful little slice of intelligent pop. With "The Wings" however, there's a change of pace. There's something slightly triphop about the simple, off-kilter beats and Charlotte's delicate, harrowing vocals sliding seductively over the music, akin to bands like Portishead and Lamb. It's after this track that the album starts to change direction with "Down My Couch" and "Heavy Weight". The latter's summery dance pop beats and interesting breakdowns could easily contend with the best of what the alternative side of the pop has to offer - imagine if Florence Welch fronted Friendly Fires. Me And My Drummer' journey reaches its completion on a quiet note - "Runner (Reprise)". But as the last track comes to a close, you'll find yourself hitting the play button all over again as each track reveals something new upon each listen.
Two remixes of the album track "Phobia" - the bretonLABS remix and La Boum Fatale Euphobia remix - are available to download via the Sinnbus Records Soundcloud page.
Charlotte Brandi and Matze Pröllochs met in Tübingen (Matze's hometown), Germany, whilst working in a theatre; they were both stage musicians signed on for three productions in a row but it was their mutual musical inspirations that brought them together. The pair site Micachu And The Shapes, Beach House, The Roots, Ella Fitzgerald and M.I.A. as some of their melodic influences. Hip hop, electro and pop have all had a baring on how they write music, which is clear to hear on The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey.
With brilliant press already received in their native Germany from Rolling Stone, MTV, Musikexpress and Radio 1, Me And My Drummer prove they are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Germany in a long while as they blend their collective influences to create music that is beguiling and sublime.
If you'd like to speak to the band, would like a copy of the album for review or if you'd like any more information about Me And My Drummer or our PR services please contact info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Jo Mango releases video for ‘The Black Sun’
"Immensely charming..." - The Times
"Her gentle voice holds a pure innocence akin to Björk..." - The Sunday Mail
Jo Mango's second album Murmuration is set for release on 5th November 2012 via Olive Grove Records. The reviews are already coming in with a solid 5/5 from The List, 4/5 from The Skinny and elsewhere online Shout4Music has awarded it a brilliant 8/10, with more to follow.
This wonderfully wistful album draws upon Jo's adventures whilst travelling the world as a member of Vashti Bunyan's band and her experiences over the last few years completing a Doctorate in Musicology plus her collaborations with David Byrne (Carnegie Hall, NY 2007), Devendra Banhart, Coco Rosie, Teenage Fanclub (Baby Lee, 2011), and Admiral Fallow (Beetle in the Box, 2012) amongst others.
Ahead of the album's release, Jo has unveiled her latest video for "The Black Sun". The stunning video premiered first on NME.com yesterday but it's available to watch now on Jo's YouTube channel.
"The Black Sun" is also available to buy now via Jo's Bandcamp page.
As a lyricist Jo displays the kind of range more often attributed to an accomplished short story writer, equally assured when following the flight patterns of starlings on "The Black Sun" as she is asking difficult questions in the aftermath of a stabbing in Kingdom. Yet, despite the depth of her subject matter, Jo’s music is filled with light; light that comes from her extraordinary ability to paint vivid and enquiring images of the natural world with a voice as delicate and complex as the myriad environments it describes. This beguiling mix is what sets Jo apart in a crowded field of folk-influenced singer-songwriters.
To get more of an insight into the album, the track "Cordelia" is available to download now via Jo's Soundcloud page.
The album was recorded and produced by Adem Ilhan (Adem, Sliver Columns) who became a good friend of Mango's during their time on the road together, performing in collaboration with Vetiver, Juana Molina and Vashti Bunyan in the Zero Degrees of Separation tour and with David Byrne, who curated Welcome to Dreamland, the sell-out show at Carnegie Hall in 2007. What began as a demo EP recording, soon became the beginnings of an album, as the talents of both multi-instrumentalists combined to produce something too special for only four songs. Three years later the album was finally completed, featuring Jo’s trademark combination of guitar, kalimba, omnichord and squeezebox as well as musical saw, harmonium, bowed glockenspiel, and piano.
Jo's debut album Paperclips and Sand received high praise from the press and her peers. Vashti Bunyan hailed her as "uniquely gifted" whilst The List described the album as "beguiling", she even won over Rock Sound, with the magazine saying that Jo's debut "will leave audiences entranced".
These days it can often feel that albums are born in an instant and consumed twice as quickly. Murmuration is one of those rare records that places a gentle but insistent demand on the listener to stop and consider.
If you would like more information about Jo Mango or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Introducing… Daniel Inouwa
Daniel Inouwa releases his debut EP Firelight on 14th November 2012.
The EP is based around the concept of a relationship being torn apart by secrets. Each song delicately tracks this intimate journey of secrets (“Locked Down In You”), distance (“The Fall”), time (“Lay Now”), a tragic event which Daniel doesn’t discuss (“Firelight) and the couples attempt to hold it together. Daniel eloquently channels delicate songwriting skills akin to Damien Rice and Ryan Adams but injects them with beautiful, raw emotion not dissimilar to Bon Iver (especially felt on “Lay Now”).
The free download track "Lay Now" from Inouwa's Firelight EP is available to download via the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
The son of an Indonesian princess and a working class northerner, Daniel grew up between Jakarta and London but now resides in the latter. He was inspired to make music after a chance session with Newton Faulkner and Sea Sick Steve. He listened to them trade stories about where they’ve come from as artists and how they’ve developed since releasing albums and touring. However, the most inspiring moment was finding himself sitting in front of the legendary pair as they began to jam. That’s when the inspiration became a reality. “This is the dream, making great music,” Daniel remembers. And he’s not looked back since.
It’s hard to tell that Daniel only started playing guitar in 2008 - he’s already carved a sound for himself that’s honest and pure. Despite his acoustic driven sound, he’s a big fan of the electro indie scene that’s popular at the moment but with his own music he likes to focus on vocal harmonies and simple melodies. Daniel notes that “a simple guitar and vocal can elicit the biggest emotions.” Very true and evident from the musical greats that inspired him, like Elliott Smith.
After building a very respectable fan base online, his fans are excited to hear what he has to offer and Daniel is finally ready to present his music to the scene. Shortly after Firelight, his second EP - A Little Piece of Home - will be released, also on RABB with more singles and an album to follow in 2013. For Daniel Inouwa, this promises to be the beginning of a wonderful musical journey.
Introducing… Verse Metrics
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Glaswegian four-piece Verse Metrics are set to release their superb EP Radians on 1st December 2012 via Return Of Order Records.
Radians is a rare modern record, in that it transcends various genres over the course of just five songs. Pulling on influences from American underground bands such as Polvo, American Football and Don Caballero, in addition to more contemporary music, Verse Metrics have produced a technically accomplished record that could be the love child offspring of Mogwai and Interpol.
You can download the excellent EP track Aches from our Soundcloud page now.
The band, who consist of Robert Dick (Vocals/Guitar), Martin Dalziel (Drums), Dave Dailly (Bass) and Al Conway (Guitar), recorded Radians at Chem 19 studios with engineer Jamie Savage. Opening track ‘Burn Twice As Bright’ solidifies what the listener can expect to hear – elaborate guitar picking, lo-fi haunted vocals and technically proficient drum playing, which drives the many time changes that develop throughout each track. These are complemented by soulful, intricate bass lines that knit the complex arrangements together, and augmented by other instrumentation (James Swinburne of Remember, Remember/Happy Particles on Rhodes piano, and Corran McArthur of New Town Triptych on cello) to great effect.
Formed in late 2009, the band spent the following summer recording with Robin Sutherland (Stapleton, Avast!, Laeto, Pensioner), producing the five track EP ‘VM1’, which they released in November 2010. Opening track ‘Tired Lights’ won an honourable mention in The Scotsman’s ‘Radar Prize’ as well as gaining support from the likes of BBC Introducing on Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Jim Gellatly’s New Music Podcast. Their rise continued into 2011 as the band played a sold out show at King Tut’s ‘New Year Revolution’ festival and made Vic Galloway’s ‘Tips for 2011’.
Verse Metrics don’t strike you as your usual alternative indie rock band, and this is not just due to their obvious love for mathematics. With the release of Radians on the horizon and a tour currently in the works, the band are ready to build on their foundations from the past few years and push their undoubted talents onto a larger audience.
Radians is released via Return Of Order Records on 1st December 2012.