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Introducing… The Chairman!
“...a lucid, engrossing, and highly
personal piece of work." - Clash
Originally starting out as a bedroom project by singer songwriter Lucas Berner, The Chairman has grown into something exponentially bigger than even Lucas could have imagined. Now, The Chairman prepares to share his sumptuous sound with a worldwide audience through the release of Animate, out on 10th March 2017, via Danish Music Entertainment (DK).
The video for Animate premiered on Clash and now the track is available to stream via the DME Soundcloud page.
The Chairman has built up an impressive amount of recognition in his native Denmark having released the critically acclaimed debut album 2064. A huge amount of national airplay followed and, as a result, The Chairman’s music has seeped into the creative consciousness of the country. Lucas found writing music as a cathartic release from the chains of anxiety and depression, using the outlet to develop both on a personal and creative level. The result of this process is an emotive, deeply personal sound that anyone dealing with modern life, and the many obstacles we have to overcome, can relate to.
What marks The Chairman out from many of his contemporaries, such as Honne and Shy Girls, is his rich, soulful vocal range; a mature singing voice combining seamlessly with the slow, incessant beat and atmospheric, yet intimate, synth soundscapes, the depth and warmth enveloping you as you listen. Animate is a perfect example of what The Chairman has to offer and has the ability to resonate with a youthful, contemporary audience as well as seasoned music lovers.
Written exclusively by Lucas with the aid of producers Mathias Bang Madsen and Jakob Løkkegaard, Animate is the first track to be released from forthcoming album The Strange Life. Aiming for a busy 2017, The Chairman will follow Animate with the release of a second single in April before unveiling his second album after the summer’s festival season.
Animate by The Chairman is out on 10th March 2017 via Danish Music Entertainment (DK).
HAWK unveil video for ‘Take It Away’ + UK tour dates!
“…a sharply defined melodic
affair…"- Clash
"...emotional..." - Stereogum
“…stunning…” - Noisey
“…simply sublime…” - The Line of Best Fit
Hawk have revealed the mesmerising new video for their latest track Take It Away, ahead of their 2017 EP release She Knows out on 17th March 2017 via Veta Records.
The video premiered on Nialler9 and is also available to watch now on Hawk's YouTube channel.
Hawk also recently released the sinister new video for their EP track 'Static', which premiered on Bedroom Disco and is also available to watch via the band's YouTube channel.
Take It Away was written as a reaction to singer Julie Hawk’s friend being followed home after a night out. Her friend was told that she “shouldn’t have been out on her own at that time” but Julie says that comments like that “miss the point and are the main cause of the problem” in that it’s not the fault of the person being followed but the man who takes away her freedom to walk back home on her own.
Previous single Mirror Maze is about what society expects from us from a female perspective, which is touched upon again on a global sense in ‘Ghosts’ - we should break free from society’s standards and be comfortable in our own skin. Meanwhile, ‘Static’ shines a light on those in power who pay lip service but fail to insight real change.
She Knows covers a range of themes including inequality, exclusion and preconceptions and generalisations faced by different social groups every day. Hawk’s acute social awareness is a trait that the band hold dear but instead of unravelling these ideas into brash political punk songs, they convey their message with beauty and grace. Hawk are not a ‘political band’ but instead a group of friends using their creative talents to mirror the inequalities they witness in everyday life.
Amongst the band’s supporters are Noisey, Stereogum, Clash, The Line of Best Fit and Amazing Radio, who have all commented on Hawk’s edgy emotionality. Now, with She Knows, the band are ready to defy expectations once again, soaring to new heights on this latest release.
Catch Hawk live at the following dates:
23rd March - The Waiting Room - London - Tickets
30th March - Cyprus Avenue - Cork, Ireland - Tickets
31st March - Connolly's of Leap - Leap, Ireland - Tickets
1st April - Pumphouse - Kilkenny, Ireland - Tickets
2nd April - Central Arts - Waterford, Ireland - Tickets
5th April - Roisin Dubh - Galway, Ireland - Free entry
6th April - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland - Tickets
Hawk's EP She Knows is out on 17th March 2016 via Veta Records.
Bad Wave release single ‘Time To Get Lost’!
"...full of dynamic tides and stylistic
right angles and bolshy chaos."
- The Line Of Best Fit
"…effortlessly freeform pop that doesn’t lose any of its ear worm immediacy in the process…" - DIY
"…a duo who surf the interface between bubbly indie-pop and sumptuously sad synth-pop." - The Guardian
Los Angeles based duo Bad Wave are here with their latest release Time To Get Lost, a track about the feeling of dismay over the recent US election. The single is out now via LA and Miami based label 10K Islands and available to buy and stream on iTunes and Spotify.
The video for Time To Get Lost premiered on Clash and is now available to stream on Bad Wave's YouTube channel.
The audio for the single premiered on The Line Of Best Fit and is available to stream from the band's Soundcloud Page now.
For many, November 2016 was a dark time; a billionaire with no political experience had managed to dupe America into voting him as the next president of the United States of America. The news came as a shock and another notch on 2016’s rotten belt. However, in times of anguish, it’s artists who are able to create something positive from the darkness, which is exactly what Bad Wave have done with Time To Get Lost.
“Whenever I catch myself feeling feelings I try to stop and think about how to express them through music or writing, and there were A LOT of feelings about this election,” says Tota. “This song is definitely an expression of anger at the outcome. Anger towards a broken system. Towards a person who is somehow expected to represent me. Obama said in his farewell address that “citizen” is the highest office in a democracy. This is a song about remembering who’s in charge.”
Last year, Bad Wave’s Patrick Hart and Tucker Tota released a slew of singles, each receiving tremendous support, much to the pair’s surprise. 3AM topped the Hype Machine chart, hitting the number one spot, with Runaway peaking at no. 2, and they achieved over a million streams in 2016 as well as featuring on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist. The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, Wonderland and The Sunday Times were amongst their top supporters with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and LA based station KCRW flying the Bad Wave flag on the airwaves.
Time To Get Lost is out now via 10K Islands and available to buy and stream on iTunes and Spotify.
Introducing… Mt Doubt!
Edinburgh-based artist Mt. Doubt aka Leo Bargery has teamed up with Dunfermline rockers Foreignfox for the release of AA-side single Tourists / Lights Off, Carry Me Home, out on 31st March 2017 via Scottish Fiction.
The single premiered on The Skinny and is also available to stream via Mt. Doubt's Soundcloud page.
Mt. Doubt’s Tourists is a song about Bargery’s fear of flying and centres around a general dislike for air-travel, airports, planes and holidays. The track begins with Leo’s warm, baritone vocal sounding akin to the likes of The National’s Matt Berninger’s distinctive vocal tone. With the support of his full band, the track blends Leo’s intricate songwriting abilities with his rich vocals effortlessly to create a a dynamic and brooding indie rock sound - fans of The Twilight Sad and Arcade Fire will feel at home here.
Beginning as a solo project in 2015, Mt. Doubt quickly expanded into a core group of musicians to become the collective they are today. After playing a show with Foreignfox in Inverness last year, the two bands decided to collaborate, allowing fans to discover new Scottish talent along the way.
Since the release of their critically acclaimed albums In Awe Of Nothing and My Past Is A Quiet Beast, Mt. Doubt have received praise from the likes of The Scotsman, The National, The Skinny as well as BBC 6Music and BBC Radio Scotland to name but a few. They are also no strangers to the Scottish live circuit, having performed at T In the Park, Brew At The Bog and supported We Were Promised Jetpacks and Admiral Fallow amongst others.
Tourists is the first single to be taken from Mt. Doubt’s upcoming EP The Loneliness of the TV Watchers, out later this year.
You can catch Mt. Doubt live at the following dates:
Saturday 8th April - Nice ‘N’ Sleazy’s - Glasgow - Tickets
Tourists is out on 31st March 2017 via Scottish Fiction.
Introducing… Army Of Bones!
Having already built a reputation for their visceral and engaging live shows, Brighton-based band Army Of Bones got together last year to record their self-titled debut album, due out on 6th March 2017 via their own label Bones Music Group.
Ahead of the self-titled release, the band have shared their new track 'End Of Time', which premiered on Gigslutz and is now available to stream via the Army Of Bones Soundcloud page.
Formed of Martin Smith, Jonny Bird, Reuben Harsant and Steve Evans, Army Of Bones create songs of hope infused with doubt. Produced by Gethin Pearson (The Enemy, JAWS), the album strives to bring things that are in the dark to light - whether that’s the pain of a struggling relationship, the feeling of lack of identity or desperation for a city, the band want us to rise up and realise how vital we all really are.
Following the release of their anthemic double A-side ‘Batteries’/ ‘River’ last year, on their debut album Army Of Bones deliver a collection of emotionally engaging and hauntingly captivating tracks, each oozing a unique, profound power. As frontman Martin Smith sings “Oh my love, in you I’m found, take my hand and I will follow... there’s no fear in our tomorrow...” in ‘Ecclesiastes’, a strong sense of hope is exuded with heart-wrenching force as Smith’s impassioned vocals soar. Musically exquisite and lyrically rich, Army Of Bones is an album that truly believes in the power of music to heal divisions.
Having already received acclaim from The Revue and BBC Introducing, and headlined explosive sold-out shows across the country, with their debut album Army Of Bones look set to become of the stand-out bands of 2017. You can catch the band live at the following dates:
30th March - Studio at Komedia - Brighton
Army Of Bones, the self-titled debut album, is due for release on 6th March 2017 via Bones Music Group.