May
31

New Roster Addition | Torches

Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of working on a split single from two of our favourite London acts - Crushed Beaks and Torches. The pair scaled new heights with covers of each others tracks and Torches’ rework of Crushed Beaks’ ‘Close-Ups’ not only got our apostrophes in place but dropped our glass jaws to the ground with its apocalyptic twist on the original’s blistering punk pace.

This morning, we were thrilled to premiere the brand new single from this London 5 piece on The Guardian in the form of ‘Sky Blue & Ivory’ - an empassioned call to arms that sets the band on their own darkened trail towards stardom.

The single will be available on 23rd July via new label Fractions of One (available to pre-order now), with the band performing a number of live shows in the run-up to release, culminating in a special single launch show at The Sebright Arms on 26th July.

Stream the single below and keep your ear to the ground. This is just the beginning of an incredibly exciting journey for Torches….

May
09

Sansa | Savior | New album streaming now, available 15th May



Sansa
Savior
The new album streaming now
As premiered on DIY
Available 14th May on all digital stores on KoolMusik


The new album from acclaimed Finnish songstress Sansa, ‘Savior’, has been made available to stream in full online a week ahead of its official release on 14th May. ‘Savior’ is also available to pre-order now from iTunes.

To coincide with the forthcoming release of the album, Sansa has also been confirmed to appear at London’s premiere Scandinavian showcase JaJaJa at The Lexington on 31st May alongside Maribel and Reptile Youth.

Having casther spell on many with the release of the first two tracks of the album, ‘Waiting For The Sky’ and ‘Black Brick Wall’, Sansa’s promise is realised in the confines of this full length. Already compared with the pomp of Lykke Li and sonic subtlety of Austra, ‘Savior’ manages to encapsulate Sansa’s gorgeous artistry within a diverse mixture of pop-laden melancholic wooziness.
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More on Sansa and ‘Savior’

Sansa’s musical journey began after moving from her hometown of Seinäjoki – a province known affectionately natively as ‘The America of Finland’ – to Helsinki, where she honed her songwriting skills at the Pop & Jazz Conservatory. Courted by major labels in mainland Europe, she steadfastly stuck to her creative calling by leaving the Conservatory to explore her love of film and sound further at Helsinki University. With a slew of film soundscapes only adding to her songwriting experience, Sansa’s sound became moulded into something multi-textured and hypnotising.
 
Produced by longtime collaborator Janne Oinas, ‘Savior’ distils Sansa’s plethora of musical talents and influences into an amazingly concise and affecting whole. With all of the instruments played by Sansa and Oinas, a striking sense of intricacy flows through the entire album. Whether subtly scraping the sky with powerful opener ‘Waiting For The Sky’, or proving to be a sultry pop auteur with the likes of ‘Black Brick Wall’ or ‘Rainbow Child’, her ghostly voice weaves through everything from folk, pop, electronica and the occasional ode to disco in the form of a delicate cover of Italo-disco classic ‘Boys (Summertime Love)’.
 
Awarded “Live Debutant of The Year” by the Helsinki Festival in 2010, and supporting everyone from Martha Wainwright to Robert Plant in her homeland, Sansa’s live craft will be further displayed with intimate live videos appearing in the lead up to the album’s release as well as further live dates soon to be announced. It won’t be too long that her magic will woo even more into her spellbinding beauty.

Sansa Online

Mar
29

Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore present KU KLUX GLAM | New on Stroll On Records

 
 
KU KLUX GLAM
A collaboration between Ariel Pink and R. Stevie Moore
Ultra limited 100 tape only release 30th April on Stroll On Records


Ariel Pink & R. Stevie Moore combine forces in ‘Ku Klux Glam’, delivering psychedelic sounds that melt minds. Only 100 copies will be pressed of this numbered tape with a special fold out poster, courtesy of Stroll On Records.

The tape acts as a 20 track sampler of the Ku Klux Glam catalogue, with ‘No Zipper’ available to stream and embed now. 

Already famed artists in their own right, the two lo-fi masters creative paths hadn’t crossed before touring together in 2011. Ariel Pink claims Moore as his ‘mentor’, and Moore’s influence is one that Ariel Pink has always claimed to be prevalent in his own sound. Finding themselves together at last with the chance to record, the duo set to forging Ku Klux Glam. 

Befitting of its risque name, the project owes as much to the glam era as it does to Pink and Moore’s appropriately esoteric takes on musical structure. Split between flowery pop, obtuse electronics and warped lyrical leanings, Ku Klux Glam is a disorientating and incredibly fun new tack adding to both artists’ revered modern statuses.

Mar
02

ZULU | Bloody & Rare + Incarcerated For Thrills | New tracks streaming and cassette launch announced

 
 
ZULU
Bloody & Rare / Incarcerated For Thrills
New tracks available to stream now
Cassette launch announced - The Victoria, Dalston, London, 30th March
Way Of The Zulu - debut cassette release - available 26th March through Stroll On Records

 
“Right now, with The Men, Iceage, Cerebral Ballzy and Milk Music ruling the rock roost, Zulu have got exactly the right chops to demand their own space on that particular pedestal.” NME - Radar Band of The Day

“It’s totally rough around the edges, a little dingy, sinister punk piece with gravely vocals that no doubt signals great things for the rest of this tape.” Nu Rave Brain Wave
Prior to the release of their debut album ‘Way Of The Zulu’ on Stroll On Records, London 5-piece punks Zulu have made two tracks from the album available to stream in the form of ‘Bloody & Rare’ and ‘Incarcerated For Thrills’.
 
 The band have also announced the launch night for their cassette on Friday 30th March at The Victoria, Dalston, London. The band will be bringing Stroll On and Sexbeat DJ’s with them for the evening, plus more.
 
Zulu’s name continues to prosper after the recent streams of ‘Sistine Chapel’ and ‘Zombie’, garnering the band acclaim for the modern take on the classic punk formula. These two brand new tracks maintain the band’s blistering pace, with Luke Brennan’s whiskey-soaked vocals howling bloody sacrilege over the lightning fast ride of distorted noise.
Clocking in at under two minutes each, an ever-clearer picture of Zulu’s smash of intent develops…
 
Zulu are Louis Simonen, Luke Brennan, Sam Gilbert, Jak Payne and Dan Lyon.

Feb
14

These Furrows | ‘No Invitation No Welcome’ | New Single Out 26th March, Debut Album Coming Soon

 
These Furrows
No Invitation No Welcome / 3:16
New single available 26th March
No Invitation No Welcome available for free download now from thesefurrows.co.uk


These Furrows have announced the release of their new single, ‘No Invitation No Welcome’. The single will be officially released on 26th March, with ‘No Invitation No Welcome’ available for free download now from thesefurrows.co.uk.
 
The release, which features the B-side ‘3:16’, will be the second single to be taken from their eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘Treasures’. The album was recorded with Tony Platt (AC/DC, Bob Marley), and mixed by Chris Sheldon (Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters) and is set for release in June.
 
The Leicester four-piece made up of Darryl Reid (guitar & vocals), Danny Cooper (bass), Jack Brewin (drums) and Calum Price (lead guitar & backing vocals) take on everything from post-hardcore, post-rock and post-punk, forming a sweet/saccharine collision of sound.  
 
Demonstrating once again the ability to weld infectious song writing into a myriad of multi-layered musical stylings ‘No Invitation No Welcome’ has all the engaging hallmarks of ‘These Furrows’.  A driving energetic melody, an outro that burns deep into the listener’s subconscious, and impassioned vocals from singer and guitarist Darryl Reid that soar to raise the bar for the song’s finale. B-side, ‘3:16’ is an altogether different beast, bringing out the heavier side to the band yet keeping their signature song craft intact.  Urgent drums and heavily distorted guitars paint a picture of aggression.
 
The new release follows on from the band’s previous single ‘Duke’, released in mid 2011 to a flurry of great reviews including being selected as the Q Track Of The Day. 
 
‘Duke’ also received great support at radio.  Radio 1’s Huw Stephens played the track on his show and included it as the lead track in his BBC Introducing podcast.  This secured the band an invite to play on the BBC Introducing stage at both Leeds and Reading Festival.  In stark contrast the B Side ‘Clarity’ picked up a fan in Huey Morgan who regularly played the track on his Radio 2 show.
 
Due to this success, and with interest growing rapidly in the band, a prestigious slot on Channel 4’s 4 Play has been secured.  The show will provide viewers with a more in-depth profile of the band along with exclusive performances.  The 4 Play feature will air on 7th March on Channel 4 to precede the single release.