Salvation Bill is truly a mesmerising prospect and now Ollie Thomas’ all-encompassing musical project is back with a new single – the self-depreciatingly titled ‘FML (Feel My Lump)’. With guitar work that has the essence of math-rock complexity looped around an altogether more tropical ambience, Oxford resident Ollie’s distinctive and slightly mumbled vocals are delivered…
A one-man band formed in James Brown’s bedroom in Birmingham just last year, Mutes has wowed people across the country with a solo show made up of loops, pedals, samples and reverb and now he releases his debut self-titled EP via One Note Forever Records. Echoed vocals open the EP on the strongly titled ‘Hope,…
Two years in the making, Cheerleader’s ‘Perfect Vision’ mixes Tegan and Sara-style synth pop with the bouncy hooks of The Hold Steady or even the Beach Boys. The five-piece, originally from Connecticut but since regrouped in Philadelphia, also have the essence of a slightly calmer Phoenix based on this four minutes. A genteel track that…
From South London, The Savage Nomads are a new band and ‘Porno’ finds them mixing the best of the early 80s post-punk bands like Gang of Four with a contemporary sound that gives a nod to Everything Everything or Dutch Uncles. The video finds the band in the seedier side of our capital city, while…
Teaming up with the brilliant Alcopop! Records once again, Fight Like Apes make a welcome return with the fantastically named ‘Whigfield Sex Tape’ EP. Bringing back memories of awful school discos and that dance, alas the EP doesn’t find Fight Like Apes heading into mid-90s pop territory, but instead retains their trademark synth-drenched bold and…
Named after a satirical Ukrainian novel by Andrey Kurkov, Londoners Death and the Penguin have been quietly creating a buzz since emerging in 2013. Having played a few shows with Spectral Nights favourites Spring Offensive, we were excited to hear the results of their debut EP ‘Accidents Happen’, released via Best Before Records in May.…
Long-time favourites of Spectral Nights, Guildford three-piece Dragons that Make Love to Pandas finally release their new EP ‘Roundabouts’ via Bandcamp. With a CD available for just £2.50, the five tracks find the trio making huge strides forward and fulfilling the potential their early releases showed. Recorded at Opus Studios by Thom Ashworth from Our…
Three brothers from Farnham, Surrey, The Venus Lyx have already played The Summer Westival and various shows around the local area and on the South Coast, as well as with Spectral Nights favourites Sister Leona. Now they’ve released the first track from what could be a new EP, called ‘Saint Mary Waking Home’. Recorded live…
Dinosaurs are awesome. We all grew up on Jurassic Park and we could spend hours looking at dinosaur fossils in museums. Norwich’s Darwin & the Dinosaur not only expertly combine these magnificent creatures with one of the most famous evolutionists (who studied every form of life except dinosaurs) in their name, but also create a…
For as long as we can remember, Oxford has been home to some of the most dynamic, exciting and interesting bands around. After the huge success of Ride in the early 90s, shoegaze still holds a delightful hold over many of the bands formed in OX. And it’s in this genre where we find ArtClassSink,…
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