The jaunty, scrappy pop-punk duo Diet Cig are back with their first new music since 2017’s fuzzily delightful Swear I’m Good At This.
Night Terrors centres around singer and guitarist Alex Luciano’s very real and frequent experiences with said terrors and other bizarre sleep activity. She says, “If we’re close enough to have ever shared a room, you know what I’m talking about. This song goes out to you.”
Despite the subject matter, it is as typically upbeat and playful as you might expect and is well worth two and a half minutes of eartime!
See them live May 02 – Bristol @ Rough Trade
May 04 – Brighton @ The Hope and Ruin
May 05 – Manchester @ YES
May 06 – London @ Camden Assembly
Psych Ward is an irresistible slice of slacker-indie that is notable for it’s resigned, literal lyrics, and was inspired by Kaya Wilkins’ own experience in a mental health institution.
Listen below. It comes from new album Watch This Liquid Pour Itself, which was released last week on Jagjaguwar. Purchase here.
Following the success of last year’s excellent Twelve Nudes long player,, Ezra Furman is back with Sex Education OST, songs from season 1 and 2 of the hit Netflix TV show.
The 19-track LP will be released via Bella Union and is available to stream or download from today, with a physical release on CD and vinyl to follow on 10th April (order here).
The first track from from it is the resigned, bitterly brilliant Every Feeling.
Sea Wolf has announced his first new album in six years, Through A Dark Wood will see the light of day on the 20th March via Dangerbird Records.
The album is a raw, contemplative album that explores the complex feelings surrounding relationships, loss, the magnitude of current events, and ultimately the process of finding hope through it all. Frontman Alex Brown Church’s carefully crafted lyrics are wrapped around expansive indie-folk melodies, lush drum machines and a stunning string quartet.
Along with the announcement, Sea Wolf has also released a new video for Fear of Failure, the captivating debut song that exemplifies the strength in confronting internal demons.
On the 27th March Nap Eyes will release their new album, Snapshot of a Beginner.
Still shot through with their trademark jittery energy, the first single is the immediately infectious Mark Zuckerberg, a hi-fi jangle-pop earworm that we’ve had on repeated plays here at MM Towers.
Wed. April 15 – London @ The Moth Club
Thu. April 16 – Liverpool @ Leaf
Fri. April 17 – Glasgow @ The Hug and Pint
Sat. April 18 – Leeds @ Hyde Park Book Club
Sun. April 19 – Birmingham @ Hare and Hounds
Mon. April 20 – Brighton @ The Hope & Ruin
M. Ward has shared Unreal City, the second single from his latest album, Migration Stories, to be released on 3rd April via Anti Records.
Inspired by stories of human migration, these songs have their origins in pictures from newspaper and television reports, stories told by friends and tales from Ward’s own family history. With languid vocals over an uptempo rhythm, the new single searches for peace in a post-apocalyptic swirl of synthesizers.
Dressing America comes from Torres’ upcoming new album Silver Tongue.
It is a knotty, sinewy song that over its four minutes gradually reveals hidden charms, not least MacKenzie Scott’s fabulous vocals and an instantly hummable chorus.
Porridge Radio are pretty new to us, but we’re loving the sounds of latest single Sweet.
Sweet is a schizophrenic sounding track – on the one hand the verses are initially, like the song’s title, sweet, almost delicate, but as the song progresses, increasingly angry and cachophonous guitars squall and battle over vocals that are only a couple of decibels shy of unhinged.
The whole package somehow works brilliantly and we’ve had this one on repeat.
The single is taken from their forthcoming album Every Bad due 13th March. Pre-order here.
Catch them live: 26th March – Soup Kitchen, Manchester
27th March – Studio 2, Liverpool
28th March – Ritual Union Festival, Bristol
29th March – Glad Cafe, Glasgow
31st March – Record Junkee, Sheffield
1st April – Colours, London
3rd April – The Bullingdon, Oxford
4th April – The Westhill Hall, Brighton
Just picked this up off our Soundcloud feed (which is pretty crappy nowadays so God knows what they’ve done to it).
Anyway, stalwart Atlanta based underground garage rockers Black Lips will release new album Sing… in a World that’s Falling Apart via Fire Records at the end of this week.
We’re told the twelve-song collection marks the quintet’s most pronounced dalliance with country music yet, with a clang and harmony that is unmistakably the inimitable sound and feel of the Black Lips, and that is certainly true of the latest track to be shared from it – Rumbler.
Jared Swiller says “this is a song I wrote about a G.I. Joe doll, code-named Rumbler, that I am almost certain is based on my great uncle and war hero Bobby Earl Swilley. The cadence of the song is kind of based on a bear hunting poem that my granddaddy, Bobby Earl’s brother, used to recite to me. This is an ode to my elders.”
Chris T Popper has been with MM from the very first post. Every year he produces his own list of favourite tunes and here are his selections for 2019. This year he was helped by Stan the greyhound. Next year I’m hoping we get Stan’s choices…
10. She Keeps Bees – Kinship
Never got bored of that opening drum groove. Backed up by Jessica Larabee’s smooth intonations it’s aural ketamine for the ears. Her voice really is something special, giving the song an affecting, unique quality.
9. Water Music- It Ain’t Over…
As time went by I got proper gripped up by this tune. It’s dreamlike; alternating between the plaintive wonderfully sparse vocal to a splendid guitar pay-off three quarters through. ‘Everyone’s a leader but no one’s got a plan’ warbles Matty Barker, the creative force behind Water Music. Which seems to nail it, the year 2019 summed up in 9 words.
8. DJ Shadow (feat Rockwell Knuckles, Tef Poe, Daemon) – Urgent, Important, Please Read
Over Shadow’s gnarled chords and clashing drum breaks, Rockwell Knuckles, Tef Poe and Daemon take turns to administer the warnings. Angry and bleak it also feels kind of uplifting which is what makes it so interesting for me. Buried inside is a glimmer of hope, somewhere. A properly brutal record when played loud, which is always an added bonus.
7. Baxter Dury – Slumlord
Every time I sit down at the laptop to write about this song I play it, quite loud to be fair, to help my creative juices flow. Transfixed I listen to the whole song and by the end I haven’t written a single word. Just listened to it. Again. Baxter Dury has a way with words, a sort of analgesic to the unremittingly dull male solo artists currently filling the airwaves. Baxter’s world is shadowy betting shops, dodgy landlords, grimy comedowns and all the other type of things I readily relate to.
6. Lightning Dust – Led Astray
From the album Spectre, their first in four years comes this absolute gem. I’ve kept an eye on Lightning Dust since I heard I Knew, which I think was 2009ish when LD were more of a side project for Amber Webber and Josh Wells. Since the beginning Webber’s vocals have had me under a bit of a spell and the arrangement on Led Astray feels utterly flawless, including some groovy tremolo guitar. This year’s earworm for me, just couldn’t get it out of my noggin.
5. Siskiyou – Unreal Erections///Severed Heads
Another four year hiatus for Siskiyou’s Colin Huebert before releasing this mini epic. Whatever is happening in those four years seems to work. There is a sense of wretchedness to the whole song which appeals to my darker inclinations. Although half way through it almost gets upbeat with a wonderfully maniacal ‘ha ha’ thrown in for good measure. It ends up feeling quite playful, horns blaring out but… but… it still feels like it’s simply masking the futility of it all. Echoes of one of my favourite artists Howling Owls, which is as big a compliment as I can pay.
4. Hideous Sun Demon – Cheap Association
A deep bassline coupled with a sneering Australian accent is right up there on my list of ‘musical triggers I like’. It’s one of those tunes that hits you square between the eyes at first listen. It’s so damn accessible I was singing along with the ‘Mac DeMarco’ bits from the get-go. With each passing year I find myself getting a little more cynical and disappointed. When I do, I just put this on and I instantly know someone else understands.
3. Sleaford Mods – OBCT
I’m in a love/hate relationship with Sleaford Mods (mainly love) and this song encapsulates the problem. The authenticity of what you carp on about. Well everything changes and you can’t be a gobshite forever. Cognitive dissonance with a kazoo. And Fearn’s banging bass line which is guaranteed to get my jaw grinding along. Favourite line of the year is Williamson’s guilty admission ‘You know, now I just fantasiiiissse in a house 3 times the sizzzzzze… of my old one’ A belter of a tune and probably the song I have played the most this year.
2. Dry Cleaning – Magic of Meghan
Tackling the complexities of the UK’s relationship with Meghan Markle using a belter of a guitar lick (just like Meghan ‘it’s a smasher!’) and Florence Shaw’s superbly droll narration this is perhaps the only lens to view the chaos through. Considering recent events I like Meghan more and more. Maybe she’ll bring down the monarchy. Fingers crossed.
1. hd hausman – a modern weight
So my favourite song of the year… Many a time my greyhound Stanley has pricked up his ears as I whistle the whistling bit from a modern weight for the 9,000th time. He fucking hates this song now. It never grows tired to my ears though. The catchy melody shimmers about your lugholes with multiple layers of instruments and Liam Palmer’s brilliant vocal combining to make a song so packed with emotional punch I can get a bit teary. And I have no idea why. The power of music eh. Stan still hates it though.
