So hopefully we’ve all defrosted from the big freeze, we’ve not all been sucked off the face of the earth by Storm Philis or whatever this one was called, and we’re now ready to face the new year head on.
Here’s some belters to get you going. It’s lovely out there now. Stick them on and go and have a walk, run, bike ride or train/bus journey. Have it!!
Les Big Byrd – Diamonds, Rhinestones & Hard Rain
Why we love it: Because, make no mistake, the title track and what is now the second single to be taken from the new Les Big Byrd album Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain, – due out on March 1st via Chimp Limbs – is a wee bit special.
Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain will be the fourth album from Les Big Byrd – the band comprises Jocke Åhlund, Frans Johansson, Christian Olsson and Nino Keller – and the eponymous new single brings us an exciting shape of things to come. Inspired by the legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker and written following frontman Åhlund’s monthly meeting with his clairvoyant, the title track is a towering slice of retro-futurist space boogie. With a hypnotic elemental riff that echoes through the years, ‘Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain’ promises to take the band from Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm up to the next career level. (Simon Godley)
Cowboy Hunters – Body Parts
Why we love it: Cowboy Hunters are off to a storming start in 2024 with a gig at Glasgow’s King Tuts as part of the Revolution series and the release of new single ‘Body Parts’. It’s the second track to be taken from their second EP due out later in the year. The punk duo had some impressive support slots in 2023 including Ditz, Enola Gay and The Oozes plus festival sets. The duo switch drums and guitar mid-set and share vocals. There is a ferocious energy in their music. Firmly planted in contemporary life and some of its ridiculousness, there is dry humour and lyrics which land their point. ‘Body Parts’ is a perfect example of this. Th8e vocals are laced with distain and fury at the powers that be, and the delivery is suitably agitated:
“It cost too much to be alive,
We’re even fucked if we survive
I have a plan though.
You’ll find me
I’ll be there selling off my Body Parts.”
Cowboy Hunters are making some noise in the local scene and I suspect it won’t be too long before others further afield will want to hunt with them. (Julia Mason)
Lip Critic – The Heart
Why we love it: New York City based Lip Critic hit hard with their music. The mix of hardcore electronica they create is exhilarating and thrilling, shaking the listener to the very core. New single ‘The Heart’ is no exception. There is drum and bass here too but unhinged with increasingly distorted vocals and manic energy. It travels fast, and I mean FAST. Lip Critic have two drummers and the percussion is ferocious. The theme bemoans the state of the spiritual marketplace and the isolating results of consumption.
The accompanying video was filmed in an anonymous barn in Roxbury, New York. Its high speed blinking strobe lights mirrors the pace of ‘The Heart’. It’s the second single since the 4-piece signed to Partisan Records, following 2023’s ‘It’s The Magic’.
With their first headline tour scheduled in the US including dates at SXSW, for fans across the pond let’s hope it’s not long before they back on these shores. (Julia Mason)
Sasha Assad – Bad Nature
Why we love it: because Sasha Assad is the best thing to happen to Egypt since the pyramids (her Instagram bio) but it’s hard to disagree.
Following on from her brilliant single ‘Still‘ from last year, ‘Bad Nature’ continues the excellent pop songs with an edge that means when you see Sasha live, on her own or with a band, there is an aura about her. This single has the production values and atmosphere of the 60’s. There’s a Dave Davies of The Kinks feel to the guitar sound with a Keith Moon drum pattern with the stop start nature of the chorus.
This is the second single to be taken from her new EP, Tearstick, due on 1st March.
She says “Have you ever had the feeling that you’ve got a really rotten piece of yourself stuck to you? Well that’s this song. This is turning out to be quite the self loathing EP. Live, laugh, loath I always say. I wrote this on the same day as ‘Still’ and they sort of mirror each other I guess. ‘Still’ is quite a toxic song when you think about it. I mean, it’s literally about refusing to get over someone. ‘Bad Nature’ is just as shallow and selfish in that respect. So that’s what I’ve written – a shallow, selfish song!” (Jim Auton)
Play Dead – Thameslink
Why we love it: As someone who has recently paid £7 for a pint in London, I can completely relate to Play Dead’s new single ‘Thameslink’. The garage punk trio provide a middle finger to gentrification. This is a three minute blast of a track. The vocal of Joe Blair is crystal clear, which is good as the lyrics are sharp and smart. The punchy energy and tight instrumentation are an absolute blast. The wit within the attitude is reminiscent of the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers or The Chats, but make no mistake, Play Dead are their own thing taking inspiration from their own world.
Explaining the frustration with everyday life that is theme of ‘Thameslink‘, singer Joe Blair shares: “Essentially nailed on after I paid about £7 for a pint at my local pub. So I guess it’s a bit of a diss-track on London – being fed up with the trains, the price of beer and the day-to-day habits of the miserable commuter…”
With gigs scheduled and promised throughout 2024, including Manchester Punk Fest, I hope to see you down the front. (Julia Mason)
Sunburn – Bring Me The Sky
Why we love it: Dublin based Sunburn have released their new single ‘Bring Me The Sky’. The alternative rock 4-piece have produced a track with a more sombre vibe. It’s an indie ballad about grief and loss and showcases the versatility of this band. There is a confidence here as the band continues to develop and find their sonic home. The vocal of Zak Coghlan provides an emotive lead to ‘Bring Me The Sky’ and the lyrics are equally powerful: “exit wounds are the ruin of my cocoon”. The instrumentation is soaring and emotive with the guitars in particular providing an atmosphere perfectly complementing the vocal delivery.
It’s no wonder Sunburn got a call-up to take in Whelan’s Ones To Watch showcase in Dublin at the beginning of January. The intention is to tour throughout 2024 reaching all four corners of the UK and Ireland. The Irish leg is planned for April/May 2024, followed by dates in Northern England in September and then Southern England in November 2024, culminating with a big end of tour gig in London. (Julia Mason)
Tiger Island – Bad Women
Why we love it: Because Tiger Island are certainly making up for lost time. All had gone quiet on the West Yorkshire quintet’s front, but after an 18 month recording hiatus they roared back into action last November with the release of ‘Look Around You’, a blistering sonic adventure.
‘Look Around You’ was the first track to feature from Tiger Island’s second EP, Looka Looka Looka. Now we get ‘Bad Women’, the second single from the upcoming EP and do you know what, if anything, this is even better. A ruthless blast of uninhibited garage rock “that challenges dominant social and media narratives around acceptable female behaviour”, it is a courageously written, physically committed song that further accelerates Tiger Island’s quest to conquer the world. (Simon Godley)
CHUCK – Nothing Matters to Me Now
Why we love it: In short – it’s great to hear new music from CHUCK, the DIY musical project of Charles Griffin Gibson, an award-winning American filmmaker now based in Oslo, Norway. Often compared to Daniel Johnston, CHUCK is a reluctant, self-effacing kind of guy whose goofy, gumball pop music was never really intended to be released. Fortunately for us, his Frog-produced debut EP Let’s Make Out (2016) turned lots of heads and was quickly followed by the ‘career retrospective’ cassette release My Band Is A Computer (2016, Audio Antihero). But right when he’d either annoyed, or got under the skin of those who heard his weird voice, CHUCK went and announced his retirement, with the release of his first proper LP, Frankenstein Songs for the Grocery Store (2017). Despite pressing pause on his music career all those years ago, Gibson has heard the Siren call of his unreleased demos and sketches crying out for attention. New song ‘Nothing Matters to Me Now’ is a welcome return to form. CHUCK is bitter, counting off in his head all of the things he’d like to do to the object of his hate-filled murmurings: “It’s exploding and overwhelming you musically while the singer mutters something hopeless to himself. I love the contrast there.”, Gibson says, “I think the lyrics were a reaction to the 2016 US presidential election, but I read them now as more of a self-hate letter to the worst sides of myself”. ‘Nothing Matters to Me Now’ is one of several unreleased tracks that Gibson is compiling for release, we hope, later in the year. (Trev Elkin)
