Category: Track reviews
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New track: MG Boulter – Midnight Movies
I’m sitting at the dining table in my father-in-law’s flat in the picturesque Scottish coastal town of Troon, my embarrassingly old Macbook groaning loudly as I look out over the vast cobalt blue expanse of water that separates us from the snow-covered peaks of the Isle of Arran. Over the past forty-eight hours or so…
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New track: Almost Sex – Rest Up
Almost Sex snuck into my inbox a few months ago with their last single, Charmer. I wanted to write slid into my DMs, because it feels kinda sleek and sexy – much like their music – but it’s a little too ‘down with the kids’ for my liking. And I’m writing this from deep within…
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New track: Sugarmoon – Autumn Leaves
I featured Sugarmoon on the blog last year when they released the lead track from their previous EP, The Only One. Like the other two tracks on the EP, it was a lovely thing; full of charm, joy, and it displayed a real gift for bittersweet melody. To give you an idea of the kind…
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December round-up
With Christmas fast approaching, I’m struggling to keep up with everything that needs to be done – both in terms of this blog, and more importantly, real life. We have a very unusual routine at the best of times in our house, but at a time like Christmas (especially during the pandemic) it’s just crazy.…
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Track review: Faithful Johannes – It’s OK to Be Alone (This Christmas) [feat. Benjamin Amos]
Everybody knows there are only three ways to make a Christmas song: A: Play it dead straight, somehow navigating the cliché and schmaltz-ridden wasteland on your way to creating something as timeless as It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. B: Have shitloads of fun, not take anything too seriously, and somehow end up…
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Track review: Diving Station – June Damp
June Damp is the third and final track to be released by Manchester four-piece Diving Station in the last couple of months, and – alongside the equally magnificent Joanna and Fruit Flies – it completes one of the most exciting releases I’ve heard this year. As with the two previous singles, it’s another rich offering…
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Track review: Diving Station – Fruit Flies
I knew nothing of Manchester four-piece, Diving Station, until I heard their previous single – the mysterious, imaginative, and plainly magnificent Joanna. In my guise as a contributor to (the great) Sounds Good, I’d originally picked it for review based on the strength of the artwork – which is one of the best sleeves I’ve…
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Track review: Peter Cat – ASMR
Taken from his forthcoming debut album, The Saccharine Underground, Peter Cat’s ASMR is a ludicrous blast of glam pop that sounds like a six-way pile-up between Franz Ferdinand, Neil Hannon, Primal Scream, Sparks, Pulp, and Lodger-era Bowie. Bursting out of the starting blocks at full throttle, with pounding drums, bouncing bass, strings, and brass, it’s…
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Track review: Native Son – Domme Kinderen
Taken from his forthcoming EP, Metro Dread, New York’s Native Son delivers a masterful mix of hip-hop, jazz, pop, punk, and soul on Domme Kinderen. Arriving hot on the heels of his debut, Brown Water – released last month, Domme Kinderen is a sleek, shape-shifting track that refuses to be pigeonholed. Whereas its predecessor was…
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Track review: Mehalah Ray – Nevermind
Mehalah Ray is the pseudonym of twenty-two-year-old songwriter and musician Rachel Clark, based in Cambridge. A performer in and around her hometown from the age of fourteen, with several releases under her belt, Ray’s new single Nevermind is a beautifully-realised song that captures the universal feeling of having to let go of something/someone in order…