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HAWK release new single The Hunt!
“…stunning…” - Noisey
“…simply sublime…” - The Line of Best Fit
HAWK return with The Hunt, taken from their forthcoming self-titled EP is out April 15th via Veta Records.
The track premiered on Q Magazine and you can also listen to it via the band's Soundcloud channel.
Julie Hawk's beautiful vocals flow from haunting verses to powerful choruses with crashing drums building a crescendo of noise. Continuing with their darker, grungier and ultimately bigger sound, The Hunt is the second track to be taken from the band’s upcoming self-titled EP. The band collaborated with producer Dimitri Tikovoi (Horrors, Placebo, Marianne Faithful) on The Hunt with the track mixed by Catherine Marks best known for her previous work with Wolf Alice and Howling Bells.
Since the release of their last EP Clock Hands in 2015, the band can already count the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Noisey, Clash, Music Week, The Irish Times, Radio X’s John Kennedy, Amazing Radio and BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and Chris Hawkins as keen supporters.
The Hunt and their self-titled EP HAWK is out on April 15th 2016 via Veta Records.
AmatrArt release video for Mirror!
"...a pure blend between indie-pop and an electro..." - It's All Indie
"...2016 looks like it's going to be their year." - Vic Galloway
In anticipation of the release of their double a-side single Mirror/Soft Skin, out on 8th April 2016 via Bloc+ Music, AmatrArt have released a video for the first track Mirror.
The video premiered on It's All Indie but you can also see it now on the AmatrArt YouTube page or by clicking on the embed below.
Subversively playing with the indie/electro dynamic, the band 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, 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.
Mirror/Soft Skin is out 8th April 2016 via Bloc+ Music.
She Makes War releases Drown Me Out video!
“…a pioneering revelation that will blow you away.” - DIY
"Why just sing songs, when you can build worlds?" - The Quietus
She Makes War aka Laura Kidd is pleased to share her brand new video for upcoming single Drown Me Out, which will be released on March 25th 2016 via The state51 Conspiracy.
The video premiered on Louder Than War and is also available to watch via She Makes War’s YouTube channel now.
You can also stream the track via She Makes War’s Soundcloud page.
Drown Me Out is taken from She Makes War’s much anticipated new album Direction Of Travel, which is out on April 8th 2016 via The state51 Conspiracy. The single combines an unabashed love of 90s alt-rock with the gothic undertones of Sisters of Mercy and early Echo & The Bunnymen. Shimmering, grungey guitars bolster Laura's urgent vocals as she tells a tale of suffocation and revenge - it’s a bold statement of intent and a great introduction to She Makes War’s ambitious new album.
The album was recorded in the winter months of 2014/15 in Bristol, Brighton and London. Produced by She Makes War, mixed by Dan Austin (Doves, Pixies) and featuring guest appearances from Tanya Donelly and Mark Chadwick, most of the instruments on the album were played by Laura herself, added to by a cast of supporting musician friends including Clive Deamer and Andy Sutor on drums, The McCarricks and Nicole Robson on strings and Cajita on piano.
The songs on Direction Of Travel reveal widescreen ambition, deepening the glittery, grunge-inflected guitar driven sound of She Makes War’s back catalogue while exploring new worlds of cinematic orchestration and heartfelt, confessional songwriting. The songs vibrate with sadness but the album’s message is hopeful - we can all become strong enough to reclaim ourselves, to escape from suffocating situations, process sadness and sorrow and emerge all the stronger for the experience.
At the end of 2015, She Makes War teased listeners with the release of five track EP Disarm:15, which received praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Gigwise and Songwriting Magazine. Laura has also received support from BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne and Tom Robinson and has toured with artists such as tUnE-yArDs, Gruff Rhys, Nadine Shah and Suede.
Drown Me Out is out on March 25th 2016 via The state51 Conspiracy.
We Came From Wolves release video for new single Ruiner!
“Feels, hooks and more feels...”- Rock Sound
In advance of the release of their new single Ruiner, out March 18th 2016 via Saraseto Records, We Came From Wolves have released a new video to accompany the track.
The video premiered on Team Rock but you can also watch it now on the band's YouTube page or by clicking the embed below.
The single is taken from their self-titled debut album, which was released last year. “Ruiner is a frank and bleak self-assessment of a dark period in my early 20’s,” says frontman Burgess. “The song battles the realisation of pain you are causing others through selfish choices and lifestyles, and opens up to the failures in my life at that point.” It’s apt that the single features as the penultimate track on the album, with final track ‘I Need Something’ offering a glimmer of hope, showing progression, a different mindset and what is yet to come. We Came From Wolves’ album is one of self-discovery and single Ruiner shows us the end of that journey.
The album gained praise from Rock Sound, The Sunday Herald, The Daily Record, Team Rock, Amazing Radio and XFM amongst others and although Ruiner is taken from their last album, it feels like a fresh start for the band. After the success of the album and winning the Best Alternative Rock category at 2015’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards, We Came From Wolves have since had a line-up change with new members Andy Donaldson and Michael MacKay joining founding members Kyle Burgess and Robert Whytock.
Musically, the band are influenced by Arctic Monkeys and fellow Scots Biffy Clyro. Ruiner reflects Biffy’s earlier sound - there’s a raw energy and urgency about the single. However, despite these influences, We Came From Wolves have very much made this sound their own and with a Highlands tour confirmed for March 2016, a new EP planned later in the year and festival announcements to come, the band continue to make their mark as one of Scotland’s most exciting new alt rock bands.
Ruiner is out March 18th 2016 via Saraseto Records.
Warriors of the Dystotheque release EP Return to Coney!
“...a sublime statement of intent…” - The Thin Air
Warriors of the Dystotheque have released their new EP Return To Coney via Tigre Fair, a dystopian journey deep into the heart of modern trip hop and gloomtronica. You can buy the EP now on iTunes.
An exclusive EP stream premiered on The Thin Air, and you can also stream it now on the Warriors of the Dystotheque Soundcloud page.
The band came together via Facebook and are very much a sign of the times - four minds meeting online with the aim to create and collaborate. Despite being located in different parts of the world, this hasn’t stopped Warriors of the Dystotheque from releasing music, The Future Is Ours EP and now their latest offering Return To Coney
The concept behind the band originated with founding member Jonny Mac from his studio in Derry, Ireland. Through a friend’s Facebook post, he met Mike and Nick Rufolo, both based in New York and the final piece was added in the form of member Sean Graham, who spends his time between the UK and France.
On Return To Coney, Ella Joy’s vocals provide a haunting backdrop. The EP itself is inspired by cult 70s film The Warriors and particularly one of the final moments of the film, where The Warriors return to their home turf - Coney Island. In fact, at the end of 2015, the cast of The Warriors got together for a fan event, 36 years after the movie’s release - to return once more to Coney Island. Warriors of the Dystotheque’s EP arrives in perfect time to pay homage to the classic.
The music is very different from the cult hit from which it was inspired though. Return To Coney is a cool blend of lo-fi soundscapes - think Massive Attack meets UNKLE. The collaborators on the EP add their own spin to the title track as well, stretching the band’s sound to the fringes of ambient techno (Attrition) to straight-up modern acid (Miaoux Miaoux) but track Escape From Coney is more of a nod to The Warriors’ Original Soundtrack.
Jonny has spent over 15 years on the DJ scene all across the globe touring alongside Shaun Ryder and Bez (Happy Mondays), Phil Hartnoll (Orbital) and many more. Now, as a collective, Warriors of the Dystotheque are beginning to find their own sound, reaching out from the distance, connected, plugged in and turned on by modern technology, communicating together online - a living breathing organism that’s taken on a life of its own.
Return to Coney is out now via Tigre Fair and is available to buy now on iTunes.