Storytelling troubadour Salvation Bill (aka Ollie Thomas) returns with ‘Has Had It’ – a collection of seven songs that touch upon everything from financial struggles to the imminent and constant threat of death, although there’s some lightness along the way. The album opens with ‘Well Wishers’ and its slightly menacing and repeated mantra of ‘All…
Placebo’s ‘Never Let Me Go’ – the duo’s eight album and first in almost a decade’ finds them trying to make sense of a world that is full of intolerance, division, over-reliance on technology and imminent environmental disaster… The album opens with ‘Forever Chemicals’ and it’s a distorted yet wonky industrial riff-driven piece with Brian…
Specialise Subject signings Don’t Worry – a duo made up of Ronan Van Kehoe and Samuel Watson – offer their take on the foibles of modern life on their new album ‘Remorseless Swing’. Opening with the jangly Wave Pictures-esque indie pop of ‘Head’s Chocka’, the album finds the duo in a hopelessly romantic and nostalgic…
Kevin Devine returns with his tenth (!) solo album, ‘Nothing’s Real, So Nothing’s Wrong’. It’s a record that finds Kevin in reflective mood as he tries to stay empathetic in a world that embraces both chaos and order. ‘Laurel Leaf (Anhedonia)’ opens the album in ambient yet disconcerting style with spoken-word samples being taken over…
Feeder follow up 2019’s ‘Tallulah’ album with ‘Torpedo’ – a collection of songs written and adapted during their extended break during the pandemic. This downtime gave the band more time to enhance demos, experiment with different aural textures and strike that delicate balance between darkness and light… The slow-burning and anthemic ‘The Healing’ opens the…
Prolific art rockers Mush have shared ‘Get On Yer Soapbox’ ahead of the release of new album ‘Down Tools’ via Memphis Industries on 8 July. Dan Hyndman says the song ‘is a righteous wig-out number, like (previous single) ‘Alternative Facts’ but with more cowbell. All the solos are improvised and I very much doubt I…
Sharon Van Etten has made a welcome return with ‘Used to It’. Following ‘Porta’, this is Sharon’s second single of 2022 and finds her delivering observations about family, love and the complex relationship between science and technology. Originally written when Sharon was asked to write the score for HBO documentary ‘Baby God – about a…
Austin band Good Looks have shared ‘Bummer Year’, the title track from their forthcoming debut albim of the same name. Inspired by how people can be so easily swayed by movements that they become unrecognisable, the song opens with twinkly emo-tinged guitars and wistful lyrics about how old high school friends might make mistakes but…
Everything Everything have shared ‘Teletype’ – the latest single to be taken from forthcoming album ‘Raw Data Feel’ (out on 20 May). While the album uses responses from an AI programme that incorporates Beowulf, 4Chan posts, the teachings of Confucius and the terms and conditions of LinkedIn to develop lyrics, song titles and artwork, the…
Hull quintet Low Hummer have shared new single ‘Talk Shows’ ahead of a performance at this year’s SXSW. The eminently danceable and wonderfully wonky new single finds the band taking aim at the absurd societal pressure to drink (‘Drink makes you fun. You’re not drinking, you’re boring. I’m not drinking, I’m hardly sleeping’) and certain…
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