This is fine.
I’ve only just got into this band, Snails, but I think they sound lovely. I am probably sentimental about them too because they come from Bristol, my home town. They are a band Id really like to see live in 2021. – Rob
This song appears on Hard-Wired; released by Glass Modern Records. Buy it HERE.
Swansea Sound might never have happened if it weren’t for lockdown. It is our new band with Huw from the Pooh Sticks. Amelia used to sing with them, and they were one of Robs favourite bands. We had a feeling that Huw, like us, would be sitting around at home wondering what to do with himself. So we sent him some songs that we felt might suit his voice and suddenly we had a new band on our hands.
Huw recorded the vocals into a phone in a cupboard in his house in Wales, we did the guitars here, and Ian Button (of the Catenary Wires) developed an amazing way of playing drums using his fingers on his laptop at his home. It felt like pure indie we recorded it all ourselves, we didn’t use proper studios, we didn’t need anyone’s money and it was fun. Huws mate Ant runs a cassette label (Lavender Sweep, in Swansea) and agreed to put out the first single. It sold out in a few hours. It got on the radio. It was real! It felt like we were re-connecting with the spirit of punk and proper indie music: DIY and anti-corporate. We made a video too, using Robs phone as a camera and Amelia’s laptop for editing.
Thanks for having us ATH. Its a real honour to be allowed to take over the hall for a day! Our home – in rural Kent, England – is a long way from Texas, and we haven’t left it very often for the past few months, so its exciting to go on a long journey and hang out with you in Austin.
2020 has been a strange old year, and a terrible one for many people. Like everyone else, weve spent much of it in lockdowns of one sort or another. We’ve been pretty lucky compared to many. The worst of it for us is that we’ve not been able to play live shows. On the upside, being stuck at home has meant we’ve had the time to create lots of new things. So we thought wed take a look back on our 2020 the stuff we made, and a few things weve enjoyed listening to.
Follow them over on twitter via @heavenlyindie or @catenarywires
I know we’re supposed to be looking towards next year already, but with great tunes still out there, we’ve got to cover tunes like this one from Belaver, the solo project of BE Godfrey (of listenlisten). Listening through this, it has this sort of trashcan troubadour feel, like Jeffrey Lewis or John W. Coleman; its definitely oriented around big old ballad sounds with hints of that DIY aesthetic and artistry. There’s something nostalgic in his songwriting too, something that brings me back to my college dorm room…and oddly, I find that very comforting as of late. The good tracks are not gone…so be sure to delve into this one.
After several moves across the country and back, Aaron Troyer has found a new home here in Austin, and he’s already set to release his first bit of music; Trappings of a Golden Myth is set to be released on the first day of the new year, courtesy of No Coast Recordings. It’s interesting that Troyer should now call Texas home, as his voice sounds built for the landscape, carrying this huge heavy-toned troubadour feel. The music is right at home too, feeling a bit of a Western influence while sprawling across the great expanse of the song (or the Lone Star state). If you dig it, be sure to pre-order the cassette before No Coast runs out!
My love affair with Neil Brogan has stretched back over 10 years, first with Girls Names, then Sea Pinks…but this is the first time Neil’s really stepped out with an album under his own name. These 11 songs are still filled with his pop sensibility, as you’ll get almost immediately with the steady bop of “20/20.” You’ll notice the whole album seems to be written from the perspective of someone holed up indoors during this shit year; you get the isolation, but you also get reflections and songs about busying yourself to keep your mind occupied; we’re all going to find this listen highly relatable. There’s not a bad song in this bunch, but at the moment, I’m really stuck on “Belisha Beacons,” the most charming tune this morning.
I woke up this morning wanting something that was heavy, but still clung tightly to the simple pop structures that make me tick, so I was lucky to have this Kelly Duplex tune waiting for me. Honestly, the New Orleans trio reminds me a lot of our friends Growl (RIP), intertwining emo tendencies and power pop riffs to sublime effect. You can see yourself in this song, bouncing on your bed and playing those heavy air guitar riffs, only to collapse as the song fades out and a huge grin creeps across your face. Sometimes a simple rock song is all you need to turn the day around. Look for the band to release their self-titled LP via Strange Daisy on February 12th.
I know we’re all supposed to be on top of our list coverage, but music must go on, and apparently its in Baltimore today. We’ve got this great track from Midden Heap, who just dropped an EP on Friday titled Do You Think It’s Not the Other Way Around. I love this track below; it has an understated jangle to it, kind of like something you might have found on Sarah Records, or maybe in a Galaxie 500 set list. There’s this bedroom quality too, which gives you that natural intimacy that we all adore, no matter the genre. An uplifting guitar pop moment? Why, yes please!
It looks like the BVs latest single might have been wishful thinking, as I’ve seen several friends who have had to combat the snow this past weekend. Nonetheless, the song is a nice little driving pop ditty, steadied by a propulsive rhythm section. The guitars ring out, though they clearly seem to be dancing around the song’s core, sort of fluttering through the speakers like snowflakes falling to the ground. For me, the song gets the seal of approval with these deep vocal tones, occasionally accented by an unknown supporting vocal. It’s a seasonal ditty, sure, but hopefully it hints at the sounds to come as we await the follow-up to Cartography.
It might have eluded many of us the other day, but Wildhoney dropped a brand new track this past week via the No Stagediving: Volume 2 Compilation. For me, it has the best of the band’s style, and might even entice me a little bit more with the heavier moments. Lauren’s voice holds the ship tightly together, sauntering in with that strong melodic performance that hints at pop sensibility. But, where they excel in comparison to their peers is that they just decide to let loose and let rip on this one. The shackles are off and you’re met with this hammering discord, but the vocals make sure you don’t mind…you don’t, do you? Proceeds from the compilation go to Baltimore’s the Ottobar.
