In our new feature, Little Indie sits one person in the guest reviewer's chair with a pair of headphones and five new tracks to swirl through their ears to give their opinion on each.
In the chair this week, Jack Shepherd.
Job: Guitarist and vocalist for Al Moses.
Musical hates: Really shit shoegaze bands.
Musical loves: Not too many pedals, just the sound of honest distorted guitar tones straight through the amp.
On my personal player:
The Caterpillar - The Cure (I watched them at Glastonbury and forgot how much I loved this song; it’s fascinating and so unique)
Twentytwo - Sunflower Bean (Been listening to this on repeat for a while, it’s such a beautiful melodic song, but not too excessive)
SUNS UP - DO WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE
Indie pop four-piece from Chichester bring some summer synth sounds to this new single, out on July 5, the follow up to 'Just Because' from earlier this year. Compared to The 1975 and Blossoms, they come with big pop hooks and soaring choruses.
Proper nice track, easy on the ear. They’ve got the Blossoms thing of the chorus melody in unison with the synth, and it really gets stuck in your head. Reminds me a bit of Swim Deep too. The bit where the guitar solo kicks in after the quieter section is class. Pretty cool track.
Star rating: ★★★★☆
SOMETHING LEATHER - VELVET
New single, out via We Can Do It on August 16. Hailed as one of the most exciting new bands on the Brighton music scene, ‘Velvet’ is a swirl of electric organs and gloomy guitar licks, accompanied by crashing cymbals and even church bells. With moody yet mystical vocals, it's a sneering, cynical track about love and fantasy - chasing it one moment before discarding it the next.
I’m not surprised they have supported Black Midi, they’ve got that similar eeriness which makes it kind of pleasantly uncomfortable listening. Love the vocal effect on it too, reminds me of some stuff by Savages. The organ really gives it that gothic kind of feel, proper dark stuff.
Star rating: ★★★★☆
HEY BULLDOG - CALIFORNIA
Manchester garage rockers Hey Bulldog's new single 'California' with "the dirtiest, greasiest, hedonistic, tumbling back-alley bassline for decades", released via Doing it to Death Records / Sister 9 Recordings, last week.
I love this track, it’s kind of summery - but with balls. The production on it sounds kind of live too which works well. Feel like I’m at a festival listening to it. I’m quite intrigued by the guy's vocals: there’s a lot of angst and youthfulness in there.
Star rating: ★★★★☆
THE LAFONTAINES - SWITCH OUT THE LIGHT
Taken from their new album 'Junior', infectious melodies weave between hard-hitting verses from frontman Kerr Okan, while the accompanying video delivers the track’s message of destroying the traits that prevent becoming a better person through an allegory in equal parts devastating and uplifting.
The chorus sounds a bit like that Coldplay song. I really like the rapping on the verses, it works so well alongside the video which is pretty hard hitting stuff. I’m not fully convinced on the chorus in all honesty, think it takes the threat out of the song and turns it a bit soft.
Star rating: ★★★☆☆
SICK JOY - SHOOT YOUR LOVER
First release via signing to SO Recordings, and follows single ‘Heaven’ and debut EP 'Amateurs', released last year. A groove laden dose of QOTSA-esque alt-rock, blending powerful, distorted guitars lines with a relentlessly thundering bassline and emotive vocals.
I love this. I really like how the vocal melody kind of sits out of key with the bass riff at first, which makes it a really interesting listen, almost Cobain-esque. Can hear the Queens' ‘Go With The Flow’ influence on there. Really cool track.
Star rating: ★★★★☆
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