We’ve reached the end. Of 2024. Not, of time. Yet.
No, it’s the last regular TOTW you see, the last before Chrimbo and we all hibernate for a few weeks before we start all over again in January.
There will be a festive edition next week and then we’ll all be too busy doing last minute shopping and buying sodas, car wiper blades and toilet seat covers from gas station stores. Oh no sorry, that’s the episode of Friends I watched last night. Anyway, busy busy busy. Here’s some tracks by people who decided to leave it last minute as they didn’t want to be included in any end of year lists.
I jest, these bang just as hard as any garden gate in Storm Darrrrraaaggghhh. Enjoy.
Casino Hearts – Ice in Mouth
Why we love it: because the new single from Casino Hearts – following on from the band’s debut EP Lose Your Halo, released this summer, and October’s Lose Your Halo (The Remixes) – cements the LA-based trio’s place in the post-genre firmament. And that place lies somewhere between dream-pop and existential bliss.
Speaking about the song, lead singer Forest Holter says: “I wrote ‘Ice in Mouth’ after I fell in love during a snowstorm last winter; lots of mouths, lots of snow eating and screaming.”
Through an atmospheric wash of synthetic sound, Holter’s voice gently breathes. Arriving deep into the calendar year, ‘Ice in Mouth’ brings with it a reassuringly warm seasonal glow. (Simon Godley)
Venamoris – Winter’s Whispers
Why we love it: because you can take shelter from Storm Darragh with ‘Winter’s Whispers.’ The latest offering from Venamoris invites the listener to step inside, well away from the chaos and disruption caused by the heavy rain and strong winds, and begin to embrace the season of good cheer.
Venamoris is the husband-and-wife duo of Paula and Dave Lombardo (yes, that Dave Lombardo of Slayer fame) and ‘Winter’s Whispers’ is their new standalone single, released ahead of their second album which is due out next year.
Despite an icy undercurrent lying waiting in its shallows, with its softer, more organic textures, ‘Winter’s Whispers’ provides a perfect antidote to the scarier elements of Slayer’s thrash metal.
As Venamoris say: “‘Winter’s Whispers’ is a nod to our wavering, romantic love of the many vibes of the season.” (Simon Godley)
Bakermat Feat. Lady Blackbird – High Above
Why we love it: because this collaboration between Bakermat and Lady Blackbird is irresistible. The Dutch producer and the American jazz-soul singer conjoin here on ‘High Above’ to inspiring effect. The new single from Bakermat’s forthcoming album, Grace Note – out February 7th next year – is described as “a love letter to house music and gospel.” To that, though, you can just as easily add a deep devotion to jazz and soul.
As Bakermat explains: “Making and recording a jazz record was at the top of my producer bucket list. I tried using as little samples and synths as possible for this one, recording most instruments live to give it a real analog and imperfect feel. I had little experience writing chords that ignore the regular minor/major scale, so it was quite a challenge getting something down that made sense. Once it did, I had a, in my opinion, very interesting instrumental that deserved a top class vocal. And I couldn’t have been happier when I heard that one of my favourite singers, Lady Blackbird, loved the tune and was willing to topline it. She took it to a completely new level with her writing, singing and beautiful harmonies making it a song I’m super proud of. I actually can’t believe my name is on this tune.”
From the brilliant launch pad of Bakermat’s production, Lady Blackbird’s voice – a powerhouse instrument bringing joyful reminders of both Nina Simone and Minnie Riperton – positively soars. A real winter warmer. (Simon Godley)
Bridget Hayden and The Apparitions – She Moved Through The Fayre
Why we love it: because this is how you turn back time. You take a traditional song – in this case an old Irish waltz – infuse it with a deep sense of yearning before adopting it as your own. ‘She Moved Through The Fayre’ is the song in question and Bridget Hayden is the artist. The song has been covered countless times over the years, by a whole range of singers from Mary O’Hara to Maureen O’Hara and from Hazel O’Connor to Sinéad O’Connor, but here the Todmorden-based musician accompanied by the harmonium and violin of The Apparitions (Sam Mcloughlin and Dan Bridgewood-Hill) stamps her own identity on this wonderful tune.
Bridget Hayden inherits all the melancholy and longing from the original and relocates it into the present day and the evocative atmosphere of her home area in the Calder Valley. The song’s accompanying video featuring vintage footage from the Abingdon and Goose Fairs adds even greater nostalgia to the occasion.
‘She Moved Through The Fayre’ is taken from Bridget Hayden and The Apparitions’ forthcoming album Cold Blows the Rain which will be released 10th January 2025 on Basin Rock. (Simon Godley)
DOPE LEMON – Golden Wolf
Why we love it: DOPE LEMON, the award-winning project of celebrated Australian musician Angus Stone, returns with a stunning new single, ‘Golden Wolf’. Blending indie-rock with swirls of psychedelic soul, the track takes listeners on a deeply introspective journey through themes of life, death, and the mysteries beyond. The release follows DOPE LEMON’s ARIA Award nomination for his album Kimosabè in the Best Blues and Roots category.
The single delivers a hypnotic blend of soulful melodies paired with Stone’s signature storytelling, underscored by themes of transcendence and renewal. The poignant lyrics of ‘Golden Wolf’ highlight the song’s meditative essence: “Golden Wolf, take us higher; We want to be the best that we can be in this life… or the next one.” Rich mellifluous vocals dance over spellbinding, cascading riffs, swelling into a celestial chorus in this blossoming explosion of sonic swirls. This immersive track is a lush ode to the mysteries of mortality and a true slice of indie gold. Speaking of the single, DOPE LEMON said: “This song was written about and inspired by the next life. What we’ll take with us, and what and who will lead us there? Perhaps, in this case—the golden wolf.” (Carmel Walsh)
White Denim – We Can Move Along
Why we love it White Denim have just released their highly anticipated new album 12 via Bella Union. Latest single, ‘We Can Move Along‘ is a slick, dynamic funky track , zinging with art-rock flair, expansive soundscapes and signature soulful vocals. It homes in on frontman James Petralli’s belief in the possibility of love enduring in a nourishing long-term relationship. Speaking of the track he says: “The music for ‘We Can Move Along’ was written by Matt Young. I suspect he was referencing Bowie‘s last record and maybe In Rainbows when he was composing but I haven’t really asked. I tried to serve the parts and add complimentary textures in my production and arrangement. I like the ambiguity in my lyric – it doesn’t hide anything but also doesn’t offer a clean resolution. To me this reflects life more accurately than is typical in a song.” White Denim are on a tour of the UK now so catch them while you can. (Carmel Walsh)
Adjustments – Bendy A
Why we love it: Adjustments play noisy pop with vulnerable lyrics, syrupy hooks and gravelly guitars that will make your heart sing and ears ring in equal measure. This is the Manchester-based trio (with roots in Cardiff and Bradford) debut release Bendy A /Who You Want came out in September. They say “both songs are honest and confrontational – they reflect the heat and hurt of the arguments we have with ourselves and the people we care about.”
‘Bendy A’ is particularly brilliant opening up like a flower, it simmers on nagging riffs artful rhythmic percussion that slithers decoratively across the track, while the hypnotic and multi-faceted vocals of Tara Gabriella Engelhardt, shift as swiftly as the winds we have been buffetted with this week, one minute calm the next minute brooding and whipping in.
“Sorry I was so angry/ One minute I hate you and then I love you madly” she sings plaintively in the aftermath of an argument, as the rolling moods swing in and out, it reminds me of early Cate Le Bon or even elements of Slint or Horse Party. Very promising and magnetic, it’s a track that shows a prodigious depth of songwriting. (Bill Cummings)
UCHE YARA – honey come find me
Why we love it: 22-year-old UCHE YARA recentlly released an excellent new five-track EP ‘honey,’ introducing a completely new feeling to her universe: that of positive melancholy. The Austrian multi-instrumentalist combines gentle drama and introspective longing with her much-loved joy for experimentation.
The intimate nostalgic lead track ‘honey come find me’, is rich with unctuous melodrama, rustling with jazz undercurrents, a singular reverb-coated guitar shuffling beneath, whilst YARA’s fascinating lower register is intense and pungent, and reminds one of Sarah Vaughan or Nina Simone. It was born out of a feeling of summer melancholy and is strongly inspired by the kitschy, romantic atmosphere that UCHE found in the music of the Carpenters. It’s a slowly drawn bath of a song that submerges you in its daydreaming summer of sadness. She explains: “It’s an ode to desire — a dance between reaching outward and, at the same time, embracing oneself and staying grounded.” (Bill Cummings)
