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AmatrArt’s double a-side single Mirror/Soft Skin out now!
"...2016 looks like it's going to be their year." - Vic Galloway
"...a pure blend between indie-pop and electro..." - It's All Indie
"...ambitious and thoroughly addictive." - Crack In The Road
AmatrArt are delighted to announce the release of their gorgeous double a-side single Mirror/Soft Skin.
Subversively playing with the indie/electro dynamic, AmatrArt have carefully constructed a sound that embraces the immediacy of indie-pop, allied to a distinctively high brow ambient sound, all unified by the dreamy Mark Hollis (Talk Talk) style vocals produced by Jonathan Mullen.
Mirror was premiered by the wonderful Vic Galloway on his BBC Radio Scotland show with Soft Skin making it's debut on the happening Crack In The Road. Both are now available to stream from the embed below or on the ABoF Soundcloud page.
The band's video for Mirror was exclusively hosted by It's All Indie with the video for Soft Skin due to be released later this month. Watch Mirror via the embed below or from AmatrArt's YouTube page.
Mirror, which opens with a sweeping synth and heavily reverbed guitar, is a song of self-reflection with the protagonist questioning his decisions, before summing up with the line “where did I go wrong?” A rasping guitar riff emanates throughout the chorus followed by a searing solo, as the song builds and builds before coming to a crashing end.
The other half of the double a-side, Soft Skin offers another example of the talent AmatrArt possess despite their young age. Encapsulating the electronica intricacies of Kid A era Radiohead, Soft Skin kicks off with the alluring sounds of synth straddling chiming guitar, while singer Mullen shows off his vocal range, the verses delivered flawlessly, as the mix between his and the rest of the bands punctuated choral vocals help to create an almost overwhelming effect.
Having known each other and played music together from a young age Jonathan Mullen (Vocals & Guitar), Josh McGeechan (Guitar) and Niall Jootun (Bass) formed AmatrArt after a series of jams and bedroom recordings. Completing the line up with Niall Morris (Samples/Synths) and Lewis Orr (Drums) the band have gone onto produce as sound that sits somewhere between contemporary acts such as alt-J, Dutch Uncles and Nothing But Thieves. Having already played the T Break Stage at T in the Park last year as well as picking up support from the likes of BBC Radio Scotland, the Scotland on Sunday and The Herald, AmatrArt are eager to share their sound with a wider audience throughout 2016. You can catch the band's single launch show on Friday 29th April at the Hug & Pint in Glasgow.
Mirror/Soft Skin is out now via Bloc+ Music and is available to buy digitally on iTunes or stream on Spotify. The record can also be purchased on vinyl with a special launch show ticket/vinyl bundle also available.
The Calm Fiasco release video for single Lose Control!
“…a no-holds-barred introduction…" - Clash
Glasgow rockers The Calm Fiasco have released their video for official single Lose Control, due for release on 22nd April 2016 via Chewy Records.
The video premiered on Clash and is now available to watch on the band's YouTube channel or by clicking the embed below.
You can also stream the single via the ABoF Soundcloud page.
Knitting together a killer combination of dangerously catchy indie guitar pieces, energetic drum beats, mesmerising pop-hooks and Glaswegian accented vocals, Lose Control perfectly captures the bands enthusiastic live performances on record. Influences from the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix shine through on both the forthcoming single and the recently released download track She Said, as the band embrace the use of California-pop style guitar licks and infectious choruses.
Comprising Del Morin (lead vocals/guitar), Greg Totten (lead guitar/backing vocals), Harry Fleming (bass/backing vocals) and Andy McInnes (drums), the band came together in 2012 after bonding over a shared love of music both past and present. Finding time out from blagging their way into festivals, interviewing A-list celebrities under the guise of Harry being James Cordon’s younger brother (he bears an uncanny resemblance), The Calm Fiasco began to build their presence on the Scottish music scene.
With their first release receiving support from Amazing Radio, The Daily Record and The Sunday Mail as well as playing 2 sold out headline shows at King Tuts, The Calm Fiasco are now eager to share their music with a wider audience, aiming to turn even more heads with their addictive mix of indie, pop and rock with a Glaswegian twist.
In the run up to their single release you can catch the The Calm Fiasco will be playing some live dates including the single launch in Glasgow. Cath the band in the following cities during April:
April 22nd - Nice 'n' Sleazy, Glasgow
April 23rd - Eagle Bar, Inverness
Lose Control is out 22nd April 2016 via Chewy Records.
Fable releases video for Human Pretending!
"Brooding cinematic Electronica…" - Guardian
"...astute production, a sense of mystery and that powerful vocal all align to create something special." - Clash
Fable has released her fantastic new video for single Human Pretending. The track was written in collaboration with the ‘Godfather of Dance’ Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and is available to buy now on iTunes via 74 Music.
The video has premiered on Clash but you can also watch it now on Fable's YouTube channel.
You can also stream the track via Fable's Soundcloud page.
The twisted piece of electronica wired together by snarling vocals and pulsing beats, was originally conceived by the pair as a subversive, leftfield entry for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest but rejected for being “a little too much for the Eurovision audience”, which comes as no surprise as Fable is anything but safe. She is otherworldly, an alien, an outsider. Fable is an incendiary creative force that does not bend to the rules - she creates them.
Human Pretending is about “the human condition,” explains Fable. “We are all flesh and bone, but we’ve convinced ourselves that intellectually we are part of something far greater, both individually and as a society. There’s a constant battle between our actual being and the personas we’ve created, to the extent we’re losing touch with who and what we really are.”
Previously, Fable has proved herself to be a worthy songstress with single Silence Myself and a creative chameleon with I Am You. However, Human Pretending channels early Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails and Björk on steroids. Fable is far removed from the soft dream pop songstresses and corporate backed ‘artistes’ being churned through the system, ready for ‘safe’ public consumption. Fable wants you to think, to feel, to wake up from your modern malaise.
Fable recently joined British rock legends The Cult on tour and has previously supported Archive and worked with Bloc Party’s Russell Lissack. The Line of Best Fit, Gigwise, Pop Justice and Clash are amongst Fable’s supporters and with her latest single Human Pretending, she’s sure to gain many more.
Human Pretending is out now via 74 Music and is available to buy on iTunes.
Lowla’s single Reckless out now!
"Pop that is unashamed to be pop, that is plastic, fantastic, and completely in your face.” - Clash
90's obsessed pop duo, Lowla have released their debut single Reckless, out now on DIY and available to buy via iTunes.
The video to accompany the song premiered on Clash, but you can also watch it now via the band’s YouTube channel.
The single is also available to stream now via Lowla’s Soundcloud page.
Reckless channels the likes of Sky Ferreira, Lapsley and Grimes but with a DIY sound that gives the single a little edge. The single celebrates the moment you leave the darkness of a break-up: “Sometimes, we get so absorbed in a love that's lost, Reckless calls for an almost violent break-up with your break-up,” the girls explain.
Heavily influenced by all things 90s, including a love for Levis denim, Lowla is the brainchild of producer Lo and creative stylist Lara. After meeting through chance when Lara appeared as a guest vocalist on a session that Lo was producing, Lo was immediately impressed and shortly after asked Lara to work on a project of their own. In addition to sharing the song writing and performance of their music they are both able to use their talents to bring together their vision for a project which is both musically and visually pioneering.
Reckless is out now on DIY and available to buy via iTunes.
Eric Taylor Escudero releases video for We Were Young And It Was Morning - Part 1!
"...harmonica-flecked Americana..." - God Is In The TV
Singer-songwriter Eric Taylor Escudero has released his new video for his single We Were Young And It Was Morning - Part 1, out now via City Lights Produções.
The video premiered on God Is In The TV, but you can also watch it now via Eric's YouTube channel.
Eric’s eleven track debut album of the same name, reflects his emotionality, incorporating themes of love, loss, nostalgia and the difficulties of living modern city life. The album has a predominantly traditional folk feel and uses a diverse range of instruments such as the harmonica, mandolin, guitar, concertina, glockenspiel and violin, allowing Eric to experiment with arrangements, creating wistful, immersive folk music.
Having been influenced by 60s and 70s folk-rock from an early age, it’s no surprise that Eric’s music has blossomed in the way that it has, his impressive vocal delivery is comparable to some of the leading folk artists this country has to offer, conjuring memories of the likes of Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble and Johnny Flynn. The album sees Eric collaborate with the magnificent Ana Luísa Ramos who performs on backing vocals, her voice complimenting Escudero’s perfectly, as their soft, harmonious vocals merge beautifully, particularly on this single and album track The Uncountable Colours of The Sky.
After playing in several rock bands in his hometown of São Paulo, Eric decided to go it alone and has since released three EPs - Lines We Wrote in Spring, Northern Lights or Summer Skies, and Big City Lights. We Were Young and It Was Morning combines Eric’s previous EPs into a creatively arranged package. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas and features Eric Taylor Escudero (vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin), Ana Luísa Ramos (vocals and keys), Marco Minoru (bass and acoustic guitar) and Tomás Telles (drums).
Having already made a name for himself in Brazil with features in publications such as Brazil’s Metro News and 505 Indie, Eric is excited to share his emotive, affecting music with the rest of the world.
We Were Young And It Was Morning is out now via City Lights Produções.