The clocks have changed, the sun
is out, it seems that spring is well and truly upon us. And better yet, as we mosey
through 2016 into sunny April, it’s not just the daffodils that are coming into
bloom. Some of the most exciting new acts on the circuit are bursting into life,
budding with fresh new musical blossoms in preparation for festival season,
which rumbles away promisingly on the horizon. Here are some of my picks of the
best new tracks you should check out this month.
YAK – HARBOUR THE FEELING
YAK are more of an enigma than a
band. Every song they release is unique, the only consistent factor being the vigorous
urgency running through the distorted guitars and gritty vocals. Harbour the Feeling may be one of YAK’s more
structured masterpieces, but genius-in-the-making Oli Burslem and company still
bend the norm through snarling riffs and hypnotically repetitive lyrics. There’s
even an accompanying video with a real yak in it. Sort of. Check it out now for
scenes of prog-rock lunacy and the odd celebrity cameo.
FFO: The White Stripes, TOY, Fat White Family
Live: Birmingham (11/05), Sheffield (12/05), Glasgow (13/05), Manchester (14/05), Leeds (15/05), Reading (17/05), Bristol (18/05), Leicester (19/05), Southampton (20/05), Oxford (21/05), London (24/05)
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THE BIG MOON – CUPID
It’s apt that this London quartet
previously changed their name from ‘The Moon’ to ‘The Big Moon’, as all of
their happy go lucky singles are delightfully enormous. Cupid is about “a boy dressed as an angel downing cartons of
pineapple juice to make his spunk taste good”, guitarist Juliette Jackson tells
DIY. A bemusing yet innocent anecdote, and one that makes for a fantastic
single, which opens serenely before erupting into a crashing brawl of hormones
and tropical fruit. These gutsy rockers are on the road as well – definitely
worth catching in a town near you.
FFO: Peace, Mystery Jets, SOAK.
Live: Newcastle (01/04), Glasgow (02/04), Belfast (04/04), Dublin (05/04), Leeds (07/04), Leicester (08/04), Cardiff (09/04), Bristol (11/04), Southampton (12/04), London (13/04), Norwich w/ Mystery Jets (29/04)
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LET’S EAT GRANDMA – DEEP SIX
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Norwich isn’t known for a lot of
things, but hopefully soon the ethereal music of Let’s Eat Grandma will change
that. The duo, comprising of best friends Rosa and Jenny, are only in their
teens but already they’ve signed a record deal with Transgressive and appear on
the cover of this month’s Loud and Quiet. In the latter, Stuart Stubbs describes
lead single Deep Six Textbook as, “a down-tempo, slightly psychedelic alt. pop
number full of wide-open space and pinned-on a drum track played somewhere in
the middle distance”. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
BLACK HONEY – ALL MY PRIDE
If you haven’t heard of Black
Honey, you are missing out big time. Hailing from Brighton, the four-piece are as
cool as they come. Izzy B Phillips fronts the outfit, a fireball of sass and
sex appeal in flares and a beret, with boys in leather manning guitar, bass and
drums. The highly anticipated All My
Pride ups the ante in this group’s narrative, detailing a failed
relationship lyrically but telling a much bigger story in the delicious Britpop-y
instrumentals, which will worm into your brain and have you begging for more. Fortunately,
that’s just what we’re in for, as the four-track Headspin EP follows at the end
of the month.
ISAAC GRACIE – TERRIFIED
After wowing the crowds at SXSW
with his stunning acoustic tunes last month, London singer/songwriter Isaac
Gracie has released Songs From My Bedroom,
featuring five such recordings. Leading the release, Terrified is an intimate and raw number, which showcases Gracie’s coarse
vocals and terrific songwriting skill. The rest of the EP follows suit, with an
echoic fascination wrapping around haunting lyrics. He has a short tour plotted
for next month, an absolute must-see if you feel like catching a sure-fire star
in the making.
FFO: James Bay, Lana Del Rey, Jeff Buckley
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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