June 10 2016 - Hot Top Ten

TRACK OF THE WEEK
BEAR'S DEN - AULD WIVES
Exquisite first single from the duo's upcoming second album, 'Red Earth & Pouring Rain', released on July 22 via Communion. The poignant lyrics are described by lead vocalist Andrew Davie: “Where my grandparents live in Scotland, and where my mum grew up, there’s this cottage I used to go to write. Nearby there’s three rocks called the Auld Wives Lifts. No one knows how they got there, and there are faces carved into the rocks. There’s all sorts of folk tales around them, that have stayed with me growing up. The song is about my granddad who lived near there. He developed Alzheimer’s in his old age. Knowing someone, and them not knowing you any more, is a difficult thing to go through. Auld Wives became this way of talking about it, of venting about that feeling, and make more sense to me.”




HATER - RADIUS
Debut single from Swedish indie pop quartet from Malmö, and title track of their first EP out on July 8 through PNKSLM Recordings. Caroline Landahl leads impressive vocals over 2:26 minutes of blissful reverbed jangly guitars.




TOURISTS - QUIET ROOM
James Bragg-produced slow-building new single - out  June 17 - from the Torquay five-piece comes ahead of the band’s debut London headline show at the Sebright Arms on July 1. Shimmering guitars and synth, coupled with standout vocals and harmonies.




CARNIVAL YOUTH - SURF
Latvian indie pop four-piece shared this single at the end of May, preceding their second album 'Propeller' which came out just last week. Laid-back vibes, discordant synths and guitar and wonderful lines like, “dandelion fluff flies through the air/and it’s caught up in your hair."




WEATHERS - HAPPY PILLS
Following last month's debut, 'I Don't Wanna Know', the LA quartet rapidly released this vibrant, guitar-driven alt-rock second last week. "I take my pills and I'm happy all the time," run the lyrics that touch on society's answer to problems with an easy fix. The band are on tour with Coin and Nothing But Thieves in August.




AUGUST - CRUEL
Gloriously spine-tingling second synthpop single - mixed by Charlie Hugall (Florence & The Machine, Halsey) - from the London duo, Steve Hughes (vocals, guitars, production) and Ed Carlisle (drums, production). Released on June 15, it follows their debut, ‘Sword’. Catch live at London's Old Queens Head, Islington on June 15.





MVRKS - IGNORANCE
Like Tame Impala mixed with Mac DeMarco and wobbly keys, the Sydney psych rock quintet (MVRKS/Mavericks) mark their debut in some style with just under five minutes of hazy bass and smooth synth.




IZZY SCARED - REAP AND SOW
Available as a free download now, this latest track is from the new EP 'Hex' that was released last month by Californian producer duo, Josh Collins and Paul Ian Bailey, who combine fervent rock/pop guitars and vocals with a hip hop beat.




BEC SANDRIDGE - YOU'RE A FUCKING JOKE
Eighties styled Sydney pop diva Bec Sandridge delivers a tongue-in-cheek slice of quirky indie pop with her scintillating vocals flying over stabbing piano hooks and disco beats. Released on 7” vinyl via Farmer & The Owl next month.




FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES - SNAKE EYES
Just what DID FC do last night? Annie Mac’s (Radio 1) recent Hottest Record In The World - out now on all streaming and digital retail platforms -  was produced by Thomas Mitchener and mixed by Catherine Marks, and is a monster of a track, which Carter relates to "my fervent struggle with depression. It’s like a fly on the wall in my hotel room. At midnight, in the middle of a tour while I am sick and drunk and the fly is a giant, bellowing beast of a burden that no matter how I try I just can't escape. We have all been there and everyone's problems take different shapes. Mine are the snake eyes looking back at me every time I roll the dice. Challenge yourself. You will prevail.” Catch live at Download Festival on June 12.