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Stars and Rabbit reveal new single ‘Man Upon The Hill’!
“...a truly spectacular piece of forward-thinking folk." - The Line Of Best Fit
Indonesian folk-pop duo Stars and Rabbit have revelead their brand new single Man Upon The Hill, out on November 11th 2016 via Green Island Music.
The single premiered on The Line Of Best Fit and is available to download for free via the Stars and Rabbit Soundcloud page.
The release of Man Upon The Hill quickly follows on from download track 'The House’ which is available to stream and download on their Soundcloud page. You can also watch the mesmerizing video for track via the band's YouTube channel.
Man Upon The Hill is a whimsical folk tale about a man on top of a hill who is accepting reality, letting go of his past and moving on. Lead singer Elda Suryani’s incredibly unique vocal carries the song effortlessly and conjures memories of gifted female vocalists such as Björk, Lamb and CoCoRosie. Combining her enchanting vocals
with guitarist Adi Widodo’s stunning musical arrangement, Man Upon The Hill is a wonderfully quirky track, filled with dream-like qualities that fans of Emiliana Torrini and First Aid Kit will identify with.
The duo formed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2011 when Elda enlisted the skills of Adi to help her with her songwriting. As their songwriting thrived and compositions began to take shape, the pair decided to come up with a band name, settling on Stars and Rabbit, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since the release of previous singles Worth It and The House, the band have continued to create a name for themselves in their home country, where they have a huge reputation, gaining support from the likes of Indonesia’s Rolling Stone Magazine and The Beat Magazine amongst many others.
Man Upon The Hill by Stars and Rabbit is due for release on November 11th 2016 via Green Island Music.
Lowla share new track ‘Electrified’!
"Pop that is unashamed to be pop, that is plastic, fantastic, and completely in your face.” - Clash
90s loving denim-clad pop duo Lowla share the new track 'Electrified' from their debut EP Walls out now via DIY and is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Featured track 'Electrified' is now available to stream on the Lowla Soundcloud Page or via the embed below.
You can also watch the videos for EP track Those Days Are Gone that premiered on Impose Magazine and
Lowla's video for title-track 'Walls' via the duo's YouTube channel now.
Lowla have set out to create a diverse and inspired collection of songs on their Walls EP. Their own unique brand of fun alt pop is ever present but the meaning behind the songs is a little more serious this time around with the girls focussing on relationships and the world around them but there are still some light-hearted moments in-between.
'Walls' flows with delicate harmonies, alongside grittier vocals, tribal beats and screeching riffs. Carrying topical themes of revolution and social awareness, the track is a step away from the romantic reflections of previous single 'Reckless' and sets out to look at the bigger picture. Of the track Lowla say: “‘Walls is all about the here and the now and the world that we live in. It's a very personal number for us. We truly believe in the power of people getting together and making a change.”
‘Those Days Are Gone’ is about a broken relationship and inner conflict whilst ‘Money Doesn’t Matter’ looks at the disparity between the classes - the rich becoming rich, whilst the poor struggle. However, the EP ends on a more positive note with ‘Electrified’ - the track asks us to focus on the positives in life, our relationships and the ones we love.
Meeting by chance when creative stylist Lara featured as a guest vocalist on a track that Lo was producing, Lowla was born and the pair continue to pride themselves on their musical and visually pioneering creations.
After the success of 'Reckless', Lowla aim to move forward into different territory with their latest EP and as pop artists, exploring more serious ground but with an undying love of denim. Some things never change!
Lowla’s debut EP Walls is out now via DIY is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Vigo Thieves’ debut album ‘Heartbeats’ out now!
"...anthemic stadium-sized rock..." - The 405
Scottish five-piece Vigo Thieves make a welcome return with the release of their debut album Heartbeats, out now via Hijacked Records. It is available to buy on iTunes or you can purchase a physical copy via Big Cartel.
As an introduction to the album, you can watch the video for title track Heartbeats on the band's YouTube channel now.
The album delivers an explosion of sound from the offset. Filled with thumping piano chords, soaring synths and lead singer Stevie Juke’s high flying vocals, this is an album that is unashamedly huge and ready to rock. Vigo Thieves have managed to create a stadium sound that fans of pop rock outfits such as Bastille and Imagine Dragons will feel at home with. Each track is undeniably catchy and will have you singing along to its feel-good pop beats and infectious melodies.
You can also watch the video for previous single Forever on the band's YouTube channel and This Love via the embed below.
Having formed in Wishaw in 2008, Vigo Thieves are no strangers to the live circuit. They have played T in the Park multiple times as well as supporting the likes of The Courteeners and The Fratellis amongst others. Vigo Thieves have also received praise from various well-regarded publications including The 405, The Skinny, The Scotsman, NME and Drowned in Sound to name but a few.
Their highly anticipated debut album couldn’t come soon enough, having already received critical acclaim for previous EPs Heart & Soul Pt I and Heart & Soul Pt II in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Fast forward a few years and Vigo Thieves are ready to re-introduce the UK and beyond to their anthemic sound with their debut album Heartbeats.
Heartbeats by Vigo Thieves is out now via Hijacked Recordings. It is available to buy on iTunes or you can purchase a physical copy via Big Cartel.
Introducing… Crash Club!
"... amazing crossover of electro rock... " - XFM
”... pummeling, rocked-up electro…” - Sunday Mail
Innovative, notoriously rule-breaking Scottish band Crash Club are set to release their high octane debut EP C.C.101 on 2nd December 2016 via Samba Hut Records.
Taken from the EP is the pounding, anthemic track Pennydrop, which you can watch the video for via Crash Club’s YouTube channel.
Consisting of brothers Aran and Neal McHarg, with cousins Sammy and Colin, Crash Club are proving to be one of the most exciting bands around. In the last year alone, they were voted ‘Best Electronic Artist’ at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, played a blinding set at Isle of Wight Festival, performed at a buzzing sold-out show in Glasgow’s Stereo and returned to T In The Park for a second year running.
With no one permanent vocalist, Crash Club expertly introduce a collection of session pals onto tracks inspired by the New York dance scene to really light up their Scottish electro-rock sound. And they’ve crafted that sound through influences ranging from the wide realms of the XTRMNTR work of Primal Scream to the Chemical Brothers with a heavy 90s Leftfield influence amongst it all.
With the melting pot of session guests including Ian Mackinnon of Medicine Men and Tony Costello of Tijuana Bibles, the band skilfully fuse together influences from rock and dance, creating a sound that’s truly unique. Imagine the groove of DFA or Soulwax with a rock ’n’ roll twist.
Having received acclaim from the likes of Louder Than War, Sunday Mail, Tenement TV and XFM Scotland, it’s not just the press that are singing their praises but their peers as well; Kasabian, The Klaxons, The Whip, Jagwar Ma and many more have been raving about Crash Club.
The first in a series of releases, C.C.101, the forthcoming debut EP from Crash Club is out on 2nd December 2016 via Samba Hut Records.
When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday share free track ‘If I Could Choose’!
Singer-songwriter Jo Mango has teamed up with an array of songwriters, academic researchers and sustainability organisations to create the When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday project.
The project’s aim is to bring together academic, musical, artistic and practical knowledge to imagine a future in a more sustainable world. They will be releasing three download tracks along with a video documentary to help promote the cause.
The second track If I Could Choose, featuring Jo Mango and Adem, recently premiered on The National and you can also download it for free via Jo's Soundcloud page now.
You can also download the first track Better Lands, which premiered on Folk Radio, on Jo's Soundcloud page now.
You can also watch a short video documentary on the new project via Vimeo.
When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday (Short) from UWS Creative Media Academy on Vimeo.
Mango collaborated with a number of artists (Adem, Louis Abbott of Admiral Fallow and Craig Beaton of The Unwinding Hours), researchers (University of the West of Scotland’s Jo Collison Scott, the University of Manchester’s Angela Connelly, the University of Edinburgh’s Matt Brennan and Creative Carbon Scotland’s Gemma Lawrence) as well as organisations Manchester: A Certain Future and Julie’s Bicycle to create a project that would allow art to explore the emotional connections to nature and create a platform for change.
After working together on a research project called Fields of Green, looking at how the live music industry could reduce its carbon footprint, Jo Mango and a set of Scottish songwriters went on to write a stunning collection of songs (Wrack Lines). This was funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) who then sent out a proposal to put on a festival of events around the country on the theme of Community Futures and Utopias (a Connected Communities Research Festival) that would see different communities using the arts to to explores issues related to their futures.
As a result, Jo Mango then took part in three songwriting sessions - in London, Manchester and Edinburgh - thinking about the future and the challenges that climate change brings. This resulted in three songs: The Ceasing (Jo Mango and Louis Abbott), If I Could Choose (Adem Ilhan and Jo Mango) and Better Lands (Craig Beaton, Louis Abbott and Jo Mango), which were first played at AHRC’s Futures and Utopia Fair in Somerset House, London. Coincidently, this event took place the day after the Brexit result so the atmosphere felt charged and extremely thought provoking.
Climate change is a difficult subject to tackle, which a lot of people find unapproachable or simply choose to ignore it. However, with When Tomorrow Becomes Yesterday, Jo and her collaborators hope to break down that barrier and bring the arts together to explore how we can change the future.