Our weekly deep search for new music continues with a superb period for new releases.
NEW MUSIC | PHOTO OF PSYCLO | WORDS BY KARL JOHNSON
The plight of grassroots music venues in the UK continues to be a miserable one, though buoyed by a recent Cultural Revival Fund. Where would we be without Music Venue Trust, the charity only formed in 2015 and has had such a huge impact in it’s short five year existence.
I stick by what I said before, that new music and new releases have never been stronger, 2020 will still go down as an exciting development for new and established artists alike. That being said, we’ve chosen five tracks below that stood out for us for a variety of reasons. The song’s from our features end up in our Hard Of Hearing playlist which you can find/ follow below.
Iress
Hand Tremor
Cut from the band’s new album Flaw – released in September of this year – Hand Tremor captures the powerlessness of an individual compared to a force of nature, in this case the ocean tides come to mind. Vocally immersive and touching in it’s lyricism, the track plays like an internal monologue: haunting and cutting. Find the band on Spotify here.
Chloe Rodgers
A Delphian Lullaby
Hailing from Nottingham, Chloe Rodgers’ debut single is a dreamlike journey. Combining the intimacy and instrumentation of the more sprawling side of folk music, with a darker underlying electronic atmosphere, A Delphian Lullaby is a detailed affair. At just over five minutes in length, the track pulls you close emotionally, with a vocal performance inspired by the eccentricities of Björk. Find Chloe on Spotify here.
jman & the pigs
Hindsight
Combining vintage organ with psychedelic synth sounds, the Byron Bay outfit jman & the pigs have shared Hindsight. The track covers the emotional turmoil caused by lies and broken promises through a driving psychedelic pop soundscape. The vocals echo through the track like unspoken regret as Hindsight climbs to euphoric highs and emotional lows, best played during night-time drives. Find the band on Spotify here.
Wax Chattels
Cede
Kiwi outfit Wax Chattels’ sound is abrasive, uncompromising and damn right terrifying. Cede is taken from their new album Clot, released this September on Captured Tracks, and fuses furious post-punk, noise and industrial rock sounds. The choruses on the track are sung in bassist/ vocalist Amanda Cheng’s native language of Taiwanese Hokkien and confront the topic of Cross-Strait relations. Find the band on Spotify here.
Psyclo
Los Angeles
Born in Shenyang, China and now located in Los Angeles, USA, Psyclo blends piano-led pop within an experimental and beat-driven soundscape. New track Los Angeles offers a deep and dynamic dive into the theatrical, as themes such as feeding the monster inside you and nurturing a dream flow through the off-beat lyricism. Having learned to play the piano at the age of five, Psyclo’s sound has developed into an experimental pop beast of it’s own, providing escapism for not just the artist, but anyone who listens. Find Psyclo on Spotify here.
hardofhearingmagazine.com 