I keep trying to rebel against chillwave. Or at least turn my nose up at it. I’m not sure why, but I think that I just keep expecting the whole ‘lofi DIY’ scene to fall apart under the weight of too many hipster-lite bedroom chancers with wacky names, too much time on their hands, and too many other hipster-lite bedroom chancers to look to for support and indulgence. Then someone like RIVKA comes along and drops their new EP and I just throw my arms in the air and jump right back in.

Faded is wonderful. Late-night hypnotic patterns of insular electronic glitches and inventive vocal loops, with subtle shifts in tone and pace that constantly enthrall. Opening track Drift casts withdrawn Summer vibes over finger-click percussion and layers of vocal intricacies, while Reggie Daze is crying out for a remix to turn it into the huge house track it’s aching to be. Elsewhere, Better Days is the audacious B-side that Holy Other is yet to unleash on the world, while Better Days is the only dream-pop anthem you’ll need this year; devilishly handsome and knee-tremblingly gorgeous.

Sorry chillwave. Thank you chillwave. Stream the EP in full below and grab a download of it here.

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Introducing | Cloud

by Lee Adcock

Hopefully, if you’ve been following GFP lately, you caught that excellent Audio Antihero compilation last week (here it is, if you missed it.) If you haven’t – well, shame on you, but at least sample track #3, ‘A Song of What Stays. It’s a beautiful, beautiful little tune, and quite possibly one of the loveliest tracks on the comp: a majestic yet humble piano plays with restrained verve, while some wonderful young fellow sings an earnest plea for companionship. But who IS this enigmatic ensemble, listed only as “Cloud” on the comp’s set list?

To be frank, I’m still not entirely sure, but here are the concrete facts: 1) Cloud are a trio based in New York, 2) they’ve signed on to Audio Antihero, and 3) their first single is out right now as a pay-what-you want download.

Fair warning, though – this new track, ‘Mother Sea’, is a whole different beast than ‘A Song of What Stays’. Heralded by a lick of screeching feedback, the pianist hammers the keys gently as that lovely young gentleman cries out his soul to whoever may listen. His voice, though sweetly wistful at first, reaches urgent yelps and rushes into nervy pandemonium by 1’50”. He is caught in the throes of his own yearning lyrics, cracking under the strain of such emotional intensity – and I love him for that. This is not a guy who expects to attain success or happiness easily: he is still trying to cope with his own self, just as many of us awkward outsider folk are. At about 2’46” – as the vocalist ends on a harsh yell, as if to rid himself of the melody – the tune keeps rolling. The guitar hums and whines over a gently tumbling beat, and the piano swells gradually into a stately flow of notes.

If Mother Sea is an accurate taste of things to come, then we should welcome Cloud’s debut LP with open arms. That poor fellow, whoever he is, deserves to win your heart and soul. This LP, Comfort Songs, should be out by 8 July on Audio Antihero – but you can always pre-order your copy via the link below. Until then, of course, you can snag the single for as much (or as little) as you’re willing to pay.

audioantihero.bandcamp.com/album/mother-sea-single

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Benin City | Fires In The Park

by Lee Adcock

Genre-bending has become so commonplace in our great big alternative universe of music, that it’s become difficult to get psyched about yet another this/that fusion. But fused genre trio Benin City have welded together a striking (and remarkably definitive) new style on their debut LP, Fires In The Park. With utter disregard to boundaries or hipster pretensions, they’ve meshed hip-hop flows, drum n’ bass beats, electro details, and jazzy instrumentation, along with other disparate elements, into one unpredictable, yet surprisingly consistent sound.

Tom Leaper, who mans the horns, synths, and other samples, conjures this supremely urban vibe with sassy saxes and horns, and colors it in vivid shades with synths. ‘Wha Ghan’ is perhaps the brightest showcase of Leaper’s finesse, where a rumbling sustain and a golden riff from the saxes combine in an absolutely stirring chorus. Granted, his wizardry permeates the entire album in sundry forms, from the pulsing ‘Faithless’ to the chilly, vibraphone-laced ‘Only The Beginning’. Theo Buckingham, co-producer, mans the drums, favoring a crisp timbre and dubstep rhythms; you can hear his crisp and versatile rhythms working overtime on the ever-shifting, hip-hop breakdown ‘Winning Streak’.

However, the “it” factor to Benin City is totally Joshua Idehen, a veteran of the London spoken word scene. His enticing delivery, rife with expression and tempered by nuance, can command any song he wants to. The brooding “D.A.M” is graced with Idehen’s natural suavity; on ‘Baby’, his utterly compelling vocals caress an achingly soulful, hauntingly sparse ballad; with ‘Pencils’, he maintains a sweet flow and squeals some delightful exclamations.

As an album, Fires In The Park is exceptionally cohesive. Two short, snazzy instrumental sections – the funky ‘So You Say Reprise’ and the snaky, flowing ‘Winning Streak Reprise’ – highlight the greatest sax lines on the album. Curiously, though, that incredibly suave melody from the former interlude doesn’t recur until the very end of the album, on the hypnotically catchy ‘So You Say’ (which, by the by, features one helluva jazzy sax solo). Sequencing touches like this further reinforce the sprawling metropolis vibe that Benin City have already portrayed so well, providing familiar landmarks in the dazzling urban maze.

Bottom line: Benin City have something astonishing here on Fires In The Park, something which ought to turn heads and cause quite a stir. As the rebellious name implies, this LP could be at the forefront of an underground uprising, raising the floodgates for other dubstep engineers or hip-hop MCs to bring their craft to wider, obliging audiences. Fires In The Park will be out via Audio Doughnuts on July 1st – and you must not miss it.

Pre-order Fire In The Park via Boomkat here.

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This weeks see’s the release of ‘Playground 71/Best Glow’ the new AA-side single from Deptford’s Frank’s Daughter. Beginning to cause something of a stir ahead of the release of their debut record, the duo craft songs that straddle that tricky gap between gloomy and heartfelt, resulting in a sound that is manages to be both achingly insular and gloriously expansive.

Said LP,  The Sound Of A Heart Unraveling, is released on July 1st but before we reach that stage, the band have made this suitably affecting video for Best Glow, one-half of the records preceding single. If you’re a fan of the track then be sure to pick up a copy of the limited edition version of the single, where each CD is covered with hand picked vintage photographs, wrapped in old book paper twine and sealed with a wax stamp of the band’s logo.

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franks-daughter.com

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A curiously deviant strain of techno known as “Negative Rave” has reared its sickly head in South Florida – and Miami-based artist Brad Lovett is dominating the scene with his one-man soundscape breakdown, Dim Past. He’s been enchanting club-goers for some time with his array of defunct electronic gizmos (that’s right – no computers), but on July 2nd Florida-based label Other Electricities will release his very first EP, Black Dolphin. This mix of dense, organic tunes merge house beats and techno style with raw currants of reverberating sounds, in effect forming a surreal ambience that’s as danceable as it is engrossing.

The EP opens with the raw, buzzing synths of ‘Ghostlord Masterclock’, which persist relentlessly as the splashy house rhythm kicks in and phantom sounds whisk by. Meanwhile, ‘Spectre in Wire’ soars with a spacey, echoing oscillator and some old-school analog chords while the wobbly bass teeters back and forth in time with the clashing beat.

With the third track, however, we return to darker territories with the decayed ‘Night Shade’ – it pulses forth at first with a slick snare break and a catchy looped sample. However, at 3’14, that loop begins to break down over a dejected harp line, shifting in spastic lurches between speeds, until finally righting itself and returning to its former glory at 5’13. The EP closes with the intriguing “Winter For The Machine”, where blipping sounds bubble around icy synths that would please any Kraftwerk or early OMD fan. They give way after a while to a thick, driving pulse, but return with vigor toward the end, whirring and whizzing around the melody like a swarm of pseudo-futuristic gadgets.

On this EP, Dim Past has already established himself as an inventive, dynamic engineer of sounds both archaic and contemporary. Fans of old electronic masters and dance-inducing DJs alike can find something to savor in Black Dolphin. Dig the track below for a sample of Dim Past’s work.

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“Death? Afterworld? Android lovers dying in the streets bleeding green blood? Homeless girls? Dogs stranded here from other planets?” 

The above is the opening line from the press release for  ’Antenna to the Afterworld‘; the dazzling and exuberant new record from Sonny & The Sunsets. And it’s a record that genuinely, and rather touchingly, takes in all of those things, but also one that remains brilliantly human.

The record was released last week via the wonderful Polyvinyl - and we grabbed a quick chat with Sonny in an attempt to find out a little more about the whole project. I’m not sure we succeeded…

Sad circumstances surround the record. Was it a difficult decision to put them in to song?

Nah, stuff just comes out without decisions being made.

Despite those circumstance, it’s a somewhat upbeat sounding record. Was that the plan from the start or did it just come out that way?

Nah there was no plan. No plans, no decisions.

Many of the lyrics were inspired by a visit to a Medium. What can you tell us about that day?

Yes, it was intense. The psychic told me there was someone there to see me, that wanted to speak to me, that had a message for me. The psychic described the person and I realized it was a woman by the name of Nancy who had died a year earlier. Nancy had a teenage son who had committed suicide. She was very sad of course, and a year or two later she died peacefully in her sleep. Through the psychic, Nancy told me not to get too comfortable with loneliness, as she had done, to go out and live. This could be what many psychics say, I have no idea, and I don’t care really, I enjoyed that day a lot, and it made me think about the afterworld quite a bit.

What were your views on psychics/mediums before that meeting?

I believe in everything. I always have. ghosts, afterlife, reincarnation, ESP, telekinesis, clairvoyance, mystics, shamans, psychics, miracles, the force, aliens. I believe it all.

What did you learn from that experience?

Nothing.

Green Blood tells the tale of an affair with a spaceling. Where did the idea from that track come from? Would you like to date a spaceling?

I was in love with someone from another planet, a strange alien being, and that’s the song I wrote for us. Yes I would certainly date a spaceling. I would be excited to date a spaceling.

Antenna To The Afterworld is a markedly different record than Longtime Companion. How did the writing and recording processes compare?

It was the exact same. Me writing in my notebook and then a few friends making songs come to life in a room.

How are your Summer plans shaping up?

I have another appointment to see the psychic in two weeks. I’m very excited!

‘Antenna To The Afterworld’ is out now, via Polyvinyl.

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If cogent female vocals, pulsing, looping dance beats and catchy, resonant pop melodies are your thing, then I’d highly recommend you listen to echoing, synth-loaded new track from ‘Limitless’, brought to us by multitalented producer and DJ, Burns. No doubt a genuine anthem lifted straight from the UK dance scene of exhilarant beats and beatific reverb, this song is nonetheless an acquired taste, and probably not one for the hardened, guitar-based indie-rock lovers among us.

Snatched straight from upcoming stunner of a debut album, and to be released on 8th July, this single is set to be the defining soundtrack of a fun-fuelled summer, whether that be on or off the dance floor. The repeated vibrations and reverberations of focal point of the song, ‘limitless’, is sang with stunning vocal skill, and is truly haunting in its memorability.

At its crux, this tune is simply a grandiose fusion of hardcore synth beats, trance melodies, and a dance hall edge. What’s amazing though, is that in an ever-growing sea of second-rate dance tracks, produced to appeal to the masses and featuring little creative flair or poignancy, Burns here has successfully managed to craft a dazzlingly sublime single that is both touching and substantial.

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Words by Rosie Ramsden

DIG! | UUVVWWZ

by Lee Adcock

Why is song structure important? For a band, the structure maps out the sections in a tune so that each member stays on track. Verse, refrain, verse, refrain, bridge, solo, refrain. Boring, right? Not when UUVVWWZ (that’s “double U, double V, double W, Z”) chart out the tracks. This “avant-blues” band (as they’ve dubbed themselves) from Lincoln, Nebraska often careen to the brink of stability, and yet still cling to the rails of rather complex, inventive song structures. Jim Schroeder wrangles a riff-ripping guitar, Dustin Wilborn wields a dangerous bass, and David Ozinga pounds out the brazen beats – but Teal Gardner is the band’s crazed soul, a true gymnast of a vocalist that matches Jack White’s sensual charm and Captain Beefheart’s manic persona. Their self-titled debut was indeed a scattered beast, flipping from slow, lengthy grooves to spastic jams to bona fide blues. However, in this second LP from February, the trusted language, UUVVWWZ reign in their spontaneity for a more focused, cohesive work, that nevertheless remains exhilarating and fresh.

With UUVVWWZ’s plucky song structures, a track can turn on a dime into “No Apart” crashes through the gate with fat riffs, crashing drums, and Teal’s sultry, acrobatic vocals; suddenly, with a soft trickling guitar, the tune surges forward into a drum-driven marathon, before slamming back down to its bluesy opening. “GRIPS” is a dexterous and dirty number reminiscent of the White Stripes’ Elephant, but the jungle groove in the middle and the trick ending stir up the old formula. “Perfect House” rumbles at first with a simple surf-y verse, but with some shuffling drums and a dramatic key change, the track winds into a beefier, more sinister tune that bursts out in pounding spasms. Even the slower “Broad Sky Blues” slips through a subtle twist, for the track sways from breezy to blustery with its ENORMOUS chorus. Elsewhere, “Possible Project” bounces on a stuttering beat and a choppy strum, while Teal leaps between her usual croon and sweet falsettos.

Ohh, but the driving single “Open Sign” needs no twisted structure to rock out the stratosphere. Beastly riffs tear through the track, and the drums and the vocals charge forward together, until everything spirals into madness in the final 30 seconds. GOLDEN.

It’s followed, however, by “Charlotte’s List”, the sweetest track on the album – though the bass still throbs and the drums still slam, Schroeder strums lightly, and Teal checks her demented delivery for a very tender, pretty performance. The album closes gently on the slow stomp and enigmatic air of the title track with its shimmering guitar lines. These two tracks make a slightly disappointing finish, as both lack the maddening energy from the opening, but UUVVWWZ have certainly earned a breather.

Overall, the trusted language is a blast, most likely because these four fun-loving musicians had the time of their lives composing these songs together. Their collective glee and tight teamwork are apparent everywhere on the record, reminding us that the four-man rock band is still as vital as ever. Buy UUVVWWZ’s thrilling record as either a digital download or a vinyl at Saddle Creek’s store, below.

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saddle-creek.com/uuvvwwz/

‘Her Flaming Lips’, the second track from four-song EP Fünke Pop,  by energetic and psychotropic London-based band, Turnpike Glow,  fuses salient creativity, systematic drum beats and jangling guitar lines in a single that works to chant the fairytale story of a girl living in her own fantasy world. Both thematically and musically, the vivid imagination of the four-piece, made up of Giuseppe La Mela, Sandro Schiena, Anthony Hutchinson and Tom Griffiths, is hammered home in this single, which takes sing-song narrative and vocal harmonies to a bold new level of innovative brilliance.

This track, an amalgamation of undeniably fun-loving pop beats and kaleidoscopic and imaginative experimentation, does as exactly as was intended. When the band’s vocalist and guitarist, Schiena, claimed that the song is about that rare feeling of being happy with what you’ve got, and ‘not needing anything else,’ he nailed the stunning effect of the track. For three long and enjoyable minutes, with their Flaming Lips inspired brand of idiosyncratic rock pop, Turnpike Glow create that feeling of whole-hearted contentedness for every listener in psychedelic single, ‘Her Flaming Lips.’

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Words by Rosie Ramsden

It’s not hard to see why Hibou’s first couple of tracks caused such a stir. Debut AA-single Glow/Hollow was just about as promising as first releases get, drawing comparisons with the likes of Wild Nothing and even The Cure. Then came Sunder, a free-wheelin’ ride through energetic guitar lines, soaked in sun and surf, with that care-free charm running throughout.

Now comes the full EP, Dunes - and it’s a revelation. Valium is Sunder’s counterpoint; a dreamy slow-jam through warped textural instrumentation and lyrics full of wistful romanticism’s. Elsewhere the stuttering percussion and vibrant guitars of Above Us mirrors Sunder’s glorious Summer glow, while the instrumental closing couple of minutes that bids the EP farewell is so gloriously rich and alive you’ll be wishing it to carry on for far longer than it does. A stellar debut release that marks Hibou as one of the most promising new acts around. Keep a very close eye indeed.

Stream the EP in full below and grab a ‘pay-what-you-want’ download via Bandcamp.

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