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Storm the Palace release ‘The Moon Above Villiers Street’!
"Expansive, baroque-flavoured pop with a highly melodic bent..."
- Clash
Baroque-pop five-piece Storm the Palace have released single Moon Above Villiers Street and available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify. The single is taken from their forthcoming debut album Snow, Stars and Public Transport, out on 12th May 2017 viaAbandoned Love Records.
Splitting their time between Edinburgh and London, Storm the Palace create beautiful soundscapes incorporating elements of European folk, sixties orchestral pop and nineties guitar bands, to transcend a number of genres over the course of ten captivating tracks. The gorgeous animated video for The Moon Above Villiers Street was premiered on Clash Magazine's website and is now available to watch via the Storm the Palace YouTube page.
This audio was unveiled on Vic Galloway's BBC Radio Scotland show. The stream is now available to listen to via the Storm the Palace Soundcloud page.
The band announce their album release with the release of album track 'DLR Dreaming', which premiered on Folk Radio and is available to stream and download for free via the band's Soundcloud page.
A labour of love, the record was written over a nine year period while singer, Sophie Dodds, lived in London. Originally from Edinburgh, Sophie used her time in the city to write and create vignettes of her life; snapshots of the people who passed through it and how the city’s unfolding narratives impacted upon her.
The resultant record is an unintentional concept album full of compellingly memorable songs, both challenging and inviting, conjuring memories of chansonnier-style singers old and new; from Keren Ann and Chrysta Bell to Édith Piaf and Françoise Hardy. On songs such as ‘Nadir’ the band set the mood for what is to come; off kilter piano is accented by a simple, yet effective, rhythm section, all brought neatly together by Sophie’s pure, passionate vocals. The aforementioned single The Moon Above Villiers St creates a tension-filled atmosphere, built through a 7/8 time signature, with mesmerising repetitive mandolin fluttering and harmonies soaring, as the band come together as one to produce a rich tone and texture that is as welcoming as it is isolating. On Snow, Stars and Public Transport Storm the Palace have constructed an album full of contrasting styles and emotions, an ability that marks them out from current, contemporary indie-folk bands.
Comprised of Sophie (vocals, guitars), Reuben Taylor (piano, accordion), noted for his work with Meursault and James Yorkston, Pippa Murdie (backing vocals, mandolin), Gordon Webster (drums) and Sam Wilkinson (bass), Storm the Palace are based in Edinburgh and London and are signed to an American label; a transcendence that can be heard through the music they create. After Sophie began performing her own songs in 2013, she gradually accumulated band members along the way until Storm the Palace were officially born.
The album features a number of guest appearances such as Dan Simons (CYMBALS) and Jamie Kenny (The Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic) and was mastered by stalwart of the Scottish IDM scene C. Mantle. 2017 is setting up to be an important year for the band with their debut album on the horizon and a UK and Ireland tour scheduled for May to support the release. You can catch the band on the following dates:
Sun 7th May 2017, Tin at The Coal Vaults, Coventry, UK
Mon 8th May 2017, The Yorkshire House, Lancaster, UK
Tue 9th May 2017, Castle Hotel, Manchester, UK
Thu 11th May 2017, The Harbour Bar, Bray, Ireland
Fri 12th May 2017, Cobblestone, Dublin, Ireland
Sat 13th May 2017, Glad Café, Glasgow, UK
Sun 14th May 2017, Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, UK
The Moon Above Villiers Street is out now and available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify. The single is taken from debut album Snow, Stars and Public Transport which is out on 12th May 2017 via Abandoned Love Records.
Fuzzystar’s album ‘Telegraphing’ out now!
"...off kilter indie pop laden with
dream-like fuzz."
- Clash
"...infectious, reverb-strewn hooks..."
- Gigslutz
Edinburgh based artist Andy Thomson - aka Fuzzystar's latest album Telegraphing is out now via Satellite Sounds. You can buy physical copies through MusicGlue and Bandcamp, as well as download and stream on Spotify.
To celebrate the release, the album is also available to stream exclusively on Northern Transmissions now.
The video for Fuzzystar's latest single and title track Telegraphing premiered on The National and is also available to watch via Fuzzystar's YouTube channel.
Fuzzystar's video for previous single Angel Transported premiered on Gigslutz and is also available to watch on the band's YouTube channel.
Telegraphing flows with a rich narrative alongside scuzzy melodies and uptempo indie-rock beats. The album is full of catchy riffs akin to The Cribs but with the endearing emotion strewn delicacy of Sun Kil Moon. From the catchy hooks of Angel Transported to the twinkling melodies of emotive ballad Telegraphing, and the reflective and honest sense of fragility oozing from 'High Friends', the new album from Fuzzystar is sure to capture the hearts of many in no time.
Referring to the album’s title, Thomson explains that the songs are about a “mix of love, loss miscommunication, feelings of alienation or being disconnected. Telegraphing to communicate and also indicating something you may not already be aware of yourself, like the physical metaphor for it, often referred to in boxing.”
Andy Thomson has been playing solo and in various line-ups as Fuzzystar for years; starting in Edinburgh, with a stint in London, before returning to Scotland. The band name comes from an appreciation of the bands Big Star and Mazzy Star. Now, Fuzzystar is made up revolving cast of whoever is available at the time, hence the name - a star which looks like one star but is made of lots of other stars.
Catch Fuzzystar live at the following dates:
6th May - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh - Tickets
Fuzzystar's album Telegraphing is out now via Satellite Sounds. You can buy physical copies through MusicGlue and Bandcamp, as well as download and stream on Spotify.
ULTRAS self-titled debut album out now!
"...a fusion of colours, tones, and textures that builds up towards something gently emphatic."
- Clash
"...full of impassioned, strained vocals..."
- The Skinny
"...a richly textured collision of styles which fuses into a generally gorgeous listen."
- The List
Glasgow's ULTRAS have today released their self-tiled debut album via Hello Thor Records and Instinctive Racoon. The album is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
The brain child of multi-instrumentalist Gav Prentice ULTRAS exhibit wide ranging influences taking in elements of hip-hop and electronica to rock, pop and traditional Scottish folk music, styles that could be heard ahead of the release through Tenement TV's exclusive stream. This built upon an already impressive list of coverage ranging from Gideon Coe's BBC Radio 6 show to Clash Magazine and The List. The video for recent single release You’ve a Foul Mouth John Barleycorn, a track produced by Miaoux Miaoux’s Julian Corrie, was unveiled on The Skinny and is available to watch via the Hello Thor YouTube channel.
This followed the stream premiere on Gigslutz, who described it as "a racing, energy-fuelled electro-indie anthem.". Stream the track now via the ABoF Soundcloud page.
Previous single Napoleon, a track illustrating ULTRAS versatility as composers, was also recently picked up for airplay by BBC Radio 6's Steve Lamacq and the track is free to stream via the ULTRAS Soundcloud page.
ULTRAS’ eclectic take on modern pop music is as challenging as it is rewarding; a twelve track record that confronts the listener sonically and lyrically, resulting in the creation of a sound that has the ability to reach euphoric highs as well as melancholic lows.
Started on the back of the break of up of his former band, cult pop act Over the Wall, ULTRAS set about making a record with the help of six separate producers, an approach heavily inspired by Gav’s love of hip-hop mixtapes. This bold approach has helped to build a sound full of diversity, from the aforementioned You've a Foul Mouth John Barleycorn to the warm, emotional, mournful lament on Team Handed, which premiered on Clash and sees Gav reunited with former Over the Wall partner Ben Hillman. Odd-pop maestro Jonnie Common oversaw the chopped up samples and bass of Stepping Out, while on This Is Where I Fall and The Path To Getting Paid, we are hit with the big, alternative rock sounds and tight rhythms produced by Joe Cormack, renowned for his work with Pictish Trail. Here, ULTRAS have created a cacophony of rich soundscapes, emotionally demanding your attention throughout due to its rousing, passionate and, at times, witty take on modern life and culture.
Describing the project as “violent pop for the patronised” the ULTRAS live act sees Prentice (beats, guitar, keyboard, vocals), joined by Matt Clark (guitar, bass) and Roy Mohan Shearer (drums, keyboard). The project has already gained support from a number of notable music industry figures with coverage coming from Simon Raymonde and Jim Gellatly on Amazing Radio, Tom Robinson’s BBC Radio 6 show, Vic Galloway on BBC Radio Scotland as well as Goldflakepaint, Song by Toad and Podcart. ULTRAS are currently arranging a tour for May 2017, following on from their successful appearances at The Great Escape, and Wickerman festival as well as supporting the likes of We Were Promised Jetpacks and Admiral Fallow.
ULTRAS self-titled album is out now via Hello Thor Records and Instinctive Racoon. and is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Introducing… Bad Mannequins!
"... fiery garage-rock filled with blistering guitar riffs and ground-shaking percussion..." - The Revue
Channelling the late 70s CBGB’s era of New York city’s punk rock scene, Glasgow two-piece Bad Mannequins are preparing to unveil their raucous sound to a new generation. Their debut EP Deny Til U Die Part I is set for release via Triple Denim on 2nd June 2017.
Ahead of the EP's release, Bad Mannequins have shared new track Buzz Killer Skinny Gene, which premiered on The Revue and is now available to stream via the band's Soundcloud page.
The first of a three part EP trilogy, Deny Til U Die Part I contains radio friendly tunes combined with a garage rock attitude, as Bad Mannequins press their steel toe capped boots firmly on the throats of modern music; melding an in your face punk rock sound with tongue in cheek lyrics, creating a fun, hook-laden four track record. Semi-autobiographical and aiming barbs at the music scene in general, Deny Til U Die Part I gives the sense of a band who don’t take themselves too seriously, without losing their ability to create highly technical garage rock tunes. Opening track and forthcoming single I Hate You, encapsulates everything that Bad Mannequins have to offer: killer riffs are accented by metronomic, pounding drum beats, fuzz-filled vocals are delivered at break neck speed and all rounded off neatly with the obligatory hand clap.
Comprised of Ross Hamilton (lead vocals, guitar) and Jamie McGrory (drums, vocals), the duo formed after having been in a previous band together. Combining their efforts to write songs collaboratively, they realised they were creating something that was a huge departure from what they had been used to, and they loved it. Taking inspiration from the likes of Electric Six, The Hives, Television, Ramones and B-52s, the second song they ever wrote was immediately picked up by US TV show Limitless with their track ‘No Easy Way Out’ being used in the opening moments of the first episode. Since then, the band have written a trilogy of EP’s, which they will release over the course of this year, with a number of gigs planned to coincide with each release.
Deny Til U Die Part I by Bad Mannequins is set for release on 2nd June 2017 via Triple Denim.
Maria Kelly announces new single ‘Torn Into Two’!
"...Kelly’s art is an immersive experience, imbued with honesty and enthused with youthful exuberance. We love it."
- Wonderland
"...stunning..." - The 405
"...silky smooth vocals that spin widely relatable tales."
- Consequence of Sound
"...a glorious concoction full of ear-pleasing tones and immense emotion...."
- The Line Of Best Fit
Irish singer-songwriter Maria Kelly has revealed the second single to be taken from her debut EP The Things I Should, will be the beautifully poignant Torn Into Two.
The single premiered on Wonderland Magazine and is also available to stream via Maria's Soundcloud page now.
The Things I should is a stunning collection of emotionally gripping tracks performed with purity and grace. The EP is based around Maria’s struggle with self-expression and how, by always trying to please others, you can lose a part of yourself in the process. Maria explains, “these four songs are written about four different personal experiences, where a lack of honest expression at the outset had created a much bigger problem in the long run”. Opening track Torn Into Two immediately displays Maria’s signature fragile vocal tone as well as her incredibly earnest songwriting abilities akin to the likes of Lucy Rose and Billie Marten. Each track on the EP builds intricately alongside Kelly’s soaring vocal, with a captivating string arrangement throughout adding the final touch.
Growing up in Mayo, Ireland, Maria spent many years crafting and developing her sound into a stunning combination of delicate indie-folk. She has been writing music since the age of 10 and is currently studying at BIMM Dublin where she met her backing band. Maria also regularly works with Matt Harris (HAWK) who produced this EP as well as her critically acclaimed singles Before It Has Begun, Black & Blue and Stitches. Maria has already played numerous shows in both the UK and Ireland supporting the likes of James Vincent McMorrow and Orla Gartland. 2017 sees Maria back on the road again co-headlining alongside Ailbhe Reddy as well playing The Great Escape Festival on 18th May 2017.
Maria has previously received praise from various online publications including Consequence of Sound, The 405 and The Line of Best Fit to name a few, as well as Radio X. She was also featured in The Irish Times’ ‘Top 50 Songs of 2016’ and ‘Top 50 People To Watch in 2017’. With The Things I Should, Maria hopes to continue to rise as she introduces listeners to her most sincere release yet.
You can catch Maria perform on her Far At Sea tour with Ailbhe Reddy at the following dates:
3rd May - Róisín Dubh, Galway
5th May - Connollys, Leap, Cork
6th May - Levis Corner House, Ballydehob, Cork
10th May - Spirit Store, Dundalk
12th May - The Mac, Belfast
13th May - The Clock Tavern, Westport
18th May - The Great Escape Festival, Brighton (Maria only)
24th May - The Bowery, Dublin - EP Launch (Maria only)
26th May - Coughlans, Cork
The Things I Should by Maria Kelly is due for release on 19th May 2017 via Veta Records.