Our weekly deep search for new music continues with a bunch of stellar new releases.
NEW MUSIC | PHOTO OF MARINE STORE DEALER | WORDS BY KARL JOHNSON
As winter weather sets in with November just around the corner, it’s almost time to talk about those end of year lists. Until then, we’ve gathered together a list of tracks that have warmed our hearts this week. The current pandemic has seemingly created more space for grassroots music and artists to sit at the forefront of people’s attention spans, with some incredible new releases taking the well deserved limelight. The tracks featured in our Hard Of Hearing Firsts section find their way into our playlist which you can find below.
Elephant Castle
Euphoria
This Los Angeles outfit could be dreamiest band ever. There’s a sense of solitude to the track, and certainly a feeling of racking your brain for solutions to problems concerning romance. Elephant Castle’s lo-fi and psychedelic soundscape is sonically endless, and space age in it’s drifting electronic textures. Euphoria reminds me of Brooklyn’s The Antlers on their 2009 victory Hospice: intimate and cutting. Find the band on Spotify here.
The Junkie Twins
In Human ISM
Complete with snarling synth bass and an underlying electronic pulse that expands and contracts within the realms of industrial electronica, In Human ISM bares both it’s teeth and soul before reaching the three minute mark. Overlapping vocal melodies wash over the track as the Brooklyn outfit explore a society devoid of empathy and compassion. Find the band on Spotify here.
Deh-Yey
I Am Result
Chester two-piece Deh-Yey find a sweet spot between “the tongue and cheek social commentary of Do Nothing” and the “fast-paced tempo of JOHN” – I couldn’t agree more. The duo make quite the racket, but use dynamics wisely as each instrument knows when to push forward and when to quieten down, I Am Result lyrically explores a theme of generational marginalisation through the raw grit of post-punk noise. Their music video instantly hit my top ten for 2020. Find the band on Spotify here.
Inky Nite
Bad Machines
Brighton duo Inky Nite have arrived with a thump, their neon-flooded afterhours synth pop is as addictive as it comes. Bad Machines feels fit to soundtrack any sci-fi flick you’ve watched in lockdown, their debut single combines gorgeously weighted shared vocal duties and is flickered with the thrill of 80s alternative pop. Find the band on Spotify here.
Modern Guilt
Hoping For The Hoping
London newcomers Modern Guilt are flying the flag for lo-fi rock music, behind their scuzzy guitar sound and laidback vibe is an accomplished and detailed debut single. Hoping For the Hoping has a spacious arrangement that gets it’s kicks through instrumental builds and sonic minimalism, think the carefree pop energy of The Rolling Stones caught in an early 70s NYC strut. Find the band on Spotify here.
Marine Store Dealer
Watching You
London three-piece Marine Store Dealer released their debut album this month, Watching You is cut from that very album. The track in question is a detailed and intricate affair, it balances dark and cinematic instrumental textures with a touching vocal delivery. At it’s dizzying heights it reflects the busy yet joyous soundscape of Arcade Fire, in it’s more minimal state the vocal performance ties knots in the stomach with hypnotic lyrical passages. Find the band on Spotify here.
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