Spectral Nights favourites Tugboat Captain celebrate the (not so?) most wonderful time of the year with ‘Commercial Christmas Song’, a strings-laden song about seasonal despair and heartbreak: ‘I wish I felt better, in my winter sweater. I’ve worn it so long, why do I feel so wrong hearing Christmas commercial songs?’. The genteel piano notes…
Glasgow-based twin sibling duo Cloth return with ‘Polaroid’. The band’s first new music since 2023’s ‘Secret Measure’ album, it’s produced by Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey) and features a string arrangement by Owen Pallett. The song itself has touching lyrics that deal with the ‘gradual loss of a friendship which used to burn very…
Hitchin’s queercore punks Brutalligators return with ‘Get Better’, an ode to coming out and finding your chosen family – the ones who love you for who you are – that will feature on the four-piece’s upcoming second album. Self-recorded and produced by drummer Rhys Kirkman, ‘Get Better’ is already a live favourite and you can…
Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter Haley Heynderickx follows up 2018’s sublime ‘I Need to Start a Garden’ with ‘Seed of a Seed’, an album that – you can see this from the title – again takes inspiration from nature and our surroundings. It’s a record that Haley says honours everything from flowers and friends to forests and…
With influences ranging from the Breeders and Broadcast to Dolly Parton and ‘Kristen Stewart’ already on its way to becoming a queer anthem, Sassyhiya’s debut record ‘Take You Somewhere’ promises to be a glorious celebration of modern life. The wonky, woozy pop melodies of opener ‘Boat Called Predator’ bring back memories of indie legends Bearsuit,…
Thank release their second – and first via Big Scary Monsters – album ‘I Have a Physical Body That Can Be Harmed’ on 8 November. The album promises to offer a satirical overview of the modern world and all its foibles, delivered against a noisy backdrop of techno squelch, smashed drums and intense riffs. Stabbed…
Sophie Allison, aka Soccer Mommy, returns with ‘Evergreen’, an album she informed and inspired by loss with the goal of making ‘a snapshot of a moment’s feelings, to portray the sadness or beauty, survival or hope that bobs there’. Breezy and gentle acoustic sadpop strums signal the start of album opener ‘Lost’, a song that…
‘Even Us Ghosts’, the debut album from indie-rockers Bottlemoth explores a host of themes as Ethan Proctor navigates life in your 20s – from embracing independence to experiencing heartbreak and facing up to mental health issues. ‘You’ll Always Have Us’ opens the record with jangly pop hooks and lyrics from the heart: ‘I’ve been thinking…
Albany, NY-based Drug Church return with ‘Prude’ (released via Pure Noise Records on 4 October) and it’s 28 minutes of heart-on-sleeve attitude and punk-meets-hardcore riffs… ‘Mad Care’ opens the album with a blast of aggressive, noisy guitar and drums with Patrick Kindlon joining the proceedings, declaring: ‘This is your situation, this is your circumstance, this…
Public Service Broadcasting make a welcome return with ‘The Last Flight’, an album based around the achievements and final journey of Amelia Earhart – the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In 1937, Amelia intended to circumnavigate the globe but after leaving Papua New Guinea, she never made it to…
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