Words: Karl Johnson

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headboy
‘Alligator’ (Blitzcat)

The rolling drums and spacious guitar textures on headboy’s new single ushers in the spring sunshine, instrumentally tight-knit with driving bass grooves ‘Alligator’ is a fun loving and 90’s-leaning indie delicacy. Lyrically the London trio’s second single is caged in a thoughtful anxiety, bringing lost thoughts and everyday interactions to the forefront of our mind’s eye and swimming in every loose and lost detail.

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Naomi Pacifique
‘the sea is coming’

Sometimes lyricism and storytelling wraps itself around you so tight you’re transported immediately to a specific memory, feeling or location. Amsterdam-based artist Naomi Pacifique manages an incredible feat on new single ‘the sea is coming in’, a track washed with romantic imagery of being close to the ocean and feeling it’s calming presence affect your entire existence. Whether it’s the love of a person or just that feeling, ‘the sea is coming in’ allows you to dig sandcastles in your daydreams for 4 minutes 44 seconds.

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Prince of Sweden
‘Garrison Lane’

‘Garrison Lane’ feels both effortless and timeless, it’s influences are cut from purist cloth and it’s lyricism slices through the fat and heads straight to the heart. London’s Prince of Sweden echoes the touching songwriting of The National or Nick Cave, storytelling is the weapon of choice, brought to the surface against a spine of relentless drums and groove with and guitars that float heavenly from left to right. The intimacy of the lyricism and delivery sucks you into the story and offers glistening split second daydreams.

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The Pleasure Dome
‘Chaos Chaos Revolution’

There are few harder-hitting bands than The Pleasure Dome at the moment, they cloak themselves in a raucous post-punk fuzz akin to such acts as the excellent LICE, the Bristol quartet balance picture-perfect and mind-altering chaos with the message of a government that fails it’s people at every turn. ‘Chaos Chaos Revolution’ is taken from their self-released debut EP of the same name, offering a refreshing antidote to the distorted model of democracy we all exist in.

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Night Rites
‘Dark Patterns’

Born out of a cavernous hole of sweltering guitars and trembling drums, ‘Dark Patterns’ seems to soundtrack a nightmare state. Hailing from Australia, Night Rites manipulate a tidal wave of hypnotic and apocalyptic psychedelia, think The Black Angels or The Brian Jonestown Massacre and turn it up a few levels. Representing the harder, darker and industrial side of their sound, ‘Dark Patterns’ will leave you in a cold sweat wishing for escape. The Adelaide band’s new cut flows beautifully alongside that of new Crows material, welcome to a brave new world of ‘goth-edelia’.

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