Belgian songwriter Karolien Van Ransbeeck a/k/a Few Bits streams the, yes, warmer months-appropriate jangle of “Summer Sun” from PIAS LP Big Sparks.
Few Bits
Belgian songwriter Karolien Van Ransbeeck a/k/a Few Bits streams the, yes, warmer months-appropriate jangle of “Summer Sun” from PIAS LP Big Sparks.
The mellifluous Floridians return for pensive new sparkler, “Ivy”. Excerpted from the Orlando duo’s forthcoming debut LP (following “Big Sis” and “Jamz”), “Ivy” wins on its melodically cool sonically warm guitar work and its inventive (and pleasantly unexpected) turns of tune. We dig. Look for the new SALES LP on April 20th.
UK newcomers EAT FAST f/k/a EAT blend candy-sweet melodic sense with rapid fire guitars and laser beam-propelled tempos in crafting very listenable punishing pop tunes that sound not quite like anything else out right now. If you’re headed Great Escape-ward in May, EAT FAST play the Fishbowl on the 20th.
Black Honey announce new “Headspin” EP (out April 29th) with stream of “All My Pride”. The UK act continue their traverse of the UK press and promo ladder garnerning mentions in The Guardian and NME as well as frequent Radio 1 rotation. “All My Pride” as a song is an excellent execution in the trendy styling of the current and ongoing 90’s revival. The track and band do have more sides to them than just that (50’s styled-harmonies, awareness of chart pop songwriting tricks, etc) but BH’s penchant for Major-era big anthemic melodic choruses and hooks ticks just enough relevance boxes to put them square at the front of many indie journo’s consciousnesses. “Headspin” EP is due on April 29.
The SXSW standouts announce debut LP for Secretly Canadian, Light Upon The Lake. “Golden Days”, newly revealed from the LP, finds the Chicago band of Smith Westerns provenance neatly straddling 70’s pop/soul/country-influenced song structures with modern indie writing. We are digging it. Light Upon The Lake is out June 3.
Bristol band New Carnival impress on sophomore track “Sweet Caroline”. The follow-up “Where Do You Wanna Go?” from the fall, “Sweet Caroline” follows an unexpected course of construction. Out the gate with a Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer”-styled bit of big beat syncopation, “Sweet Caroline” erupts in its chorus into a “Love Rollercoaster”-esque groove galvanized by modern melodic ideas. One to watch.
Wyldest, the duo of Zoe Mead and Holly Mullineaux formerly called Wildest Dreams, debut dreamy new “Wanders” single. On the track, the twosome do well at merging an ethereal palette with a strong pop sense to resulting to a very listenable track. Wyldest are preparing a debut EP due later this year.
“Say Yes” is the title track from London band Big Deal’s forthcoming sophomore LP for Fat Cat Records. “Say Yes” plays a decidedly 90’s-styled sound of big melodic turns enveloped within a the context of noisy guitars and “big sounding” percussion, etc. “Say Yes” would not be out of place in the rotation of 1995-96 US alt radio rotation (wedged between tracks probably from Elastica and Better Than Ezra). Right enough nostalgia from us, listen to the very good “Say Yes” from Big Deal below.
