Essential new music from The New Eves, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Sorry, Trip Westerns, UNIVERSITY, Gwenno and DBA!
The New Eves by Katie Sylvester | Words: Otis Hayes, Hazel Blacher, Brad Sked, Lloyd Bolton
The New Eves - 'Highway Man'
Newly signed to Transgressive Records, The New Eves turn over their latest cut, 'Highway Man', a retelling of Alfred Noyes 1906 narrative driven poem from a female-first perspective. Nina Winder-Lind (cello, guitar, vocals) explains: "In the original version it's this dude, who's being the dude, and the girl doesn't do anything and then dies, so I was like, we can't have that." Like the urgent, frantic gallop of a horse receiving no slack from its reins and leaving its hoof-prints behind in the gnarled, tree laden hollows of an overcast dirt road, the new single from the Brighton four-piece is driven by an unsettled and unceasing frenzied rhythmic motion. A certain darkness seeps through the cracks of 'Highway Man' too; towards the end of the track, its pulsating drums, palpating cello and electric guitar cut through to your core like an industrial machine spiked with barbs, and its droning bass riff acts as the connective tissue binding it all together. Vocals are conveyed with a harsh and distraught cadence, and, as often seen with The New Eves, their ability to react to one another and create a complete sound as a quartet is the true key to their unique and highly expressive style. (Otis Hayes)
Man/Woman/Chainsaw – 'Adam & Steve'
'Adam & Steve' sees fast-rising group Man/Woman/Chainsaw tap into a more sentimental faction of their typically frenetic and tightly wound art-punk sound. The London six-piece have gained significant traction over the last year by virtue of their electric live performances and packed gigging schedule, and their new single, arriving via So Young Records, further cements the group as a fresh-faced force to be reckoned with. Said to be the six-piece's "own bittersweet take on the heart-on-sleeve love song", the track's straightforward rock structure sways through tender fronds of flowery piano and understatedly dazzling violin accompaniments, as vocalists Billy Ward and Emmie-Mae Avery take turns to serenade and converge in a mellifluous, impassioned duet. (Hazel Blacher)
Sorry – 'Jetplane'
Sorry are masters of making something meticulous sound raw and spontaneous. New single 'Jetplane' demonstrates this fantastically, a two-minute slice of anxious energy free from affectation but packed with ideas and powerful images. Asha Lorenz' vocals can flip between sarcastic command and broken vulnerability in the space of a syllable, and every lyric sends the song's meaning spiralling in a new direction. Snapshots of youthful, self-defensive bravado are swapped in and out with flashes of music biz luxury, a flight on the titular "jetplane" being one example. The song drives on like the industry that keeps those planes in the air and with its unfeeling celebration of that fresh-faced bravado. A sample repeats the words "hot freaks" at either end of the song. By the time it returns, it no longer sounds like a gratuitous touchpaper but instead the opening and closing sentence of a vast essay in musical montage form. (Lloyd Bolton)
Trip Westerns - 'Showdown Shadow'
With Stetsons securely placed upon their heads and cowboy boots thoroughly polished, Brighton's Trip Westerns secure their gun-belts and head towards the town centre to look destiny square in the eyes, all to the sound of their latest single 'Showdown Shadow'. On their first release of the year, recorded at Farm Road Studios, the psych rock five-piece meld together boot-scootin' American nostalgia with their signature psych and blues sound. 'Showdown Shadow' evokes the jangly guitar tones of Spaghetti Western soundtracks, and its lead parts meander with a melodic strut through choppy rhythm guitar, rounded bass and punchy drums. Lead singer Harrison Baird-Whitman's expressive vocals complete the picture throughout the verses, punching in and out of the track and becoming more animated throughout the choruses in a way that matches the music's uplift in energy. Towards the last minute of 'Showdown Shadow' there is an explosion of sounds, and all the instruments come together for one final playout, as if reaching a critical point in a duel where there is a possibility that there might be no winners or losers. (Otis Hayes)
UNIVERSITY - 'Curwen'
'Curwen' has that visceral paint-stripping quality that most heavy artists only glimpse. The intense rhythm of the opening resists landing on any moment of relief, at times seeming to wring maximum impact from every beat. When the song does settle into a relatively catchy section, sounding almost more reminiscent of The Strokes, background guitars gnaw at the equilibrium to ensure the song is never entirely settled. From here, they then drop the energy entirely, though it is not so much relief we feel in this section as the gutted inverse of that same anxious energy that thrashed about at the start of the song, and which returns with a punch as that riff returns. The Crewe four-piece release their debut album 'McCartney, It'll Be OK' via Transgressive this June, and this latest single shows a developing mastery of the band's unique form of intense, expressionistic guitar music. (Lloyd Bolton)
Mamalarky – 'Won't Give Up'
Fizzing resplendently like a firework display up against the disparate backdrop of a brilliant blue summer's afternoon, Mamalarky's 'Won't Give Up' is the latest gorgeous psych-pop treasure from the Atlanta-based quartet's bounteous trove. The track serves as the final single ahead of the group's new album 'Hex Key' via Epitaph Records, and, as the song title suggests, lyrically sets forth a declaration of unrelenting dedication to their art in a bold final statement before the album's release. 'Won't Give Up' coalesces the dreamy psychedelia of bands like Crumb with a quirky indie-pop songwriter charm akin to Kate Bollinger, however in place of the former's brooding, woozy aura is an awestruck, ruddy-cheeked wonderment plush with ambrosial colours and dextrous magic. (Hazel Blacher)
Gwenno – 'Dancing On Volcanoes'
Cardiff-based celestial soloist Gwenno has returned, sharing 'Dancing On Volcanoes', a joyous and jangly sunshine-soaked pop wonder perfect for soundtracking the balmy, blue skied spring days we've been basking in. Here, Gwenno's usual space-synth soundscapes take a backseat, and instead she reverts to a more retro, American inspired 60s-pop sound that feels suited to coastal boardwalks and breezy beach days sipping on ice cold tinnies. Ever ethereal, Gwenno's enhancing sound on this cut is an empyrean delight, and alongside its release, the Welsh artist has also shared details of her much-welcome fourth album 'Utopia', set for release on the 11th July via Heavenly Recordings. Given that her previous three records were arguably some of the most exciting independent releases of the last few years, if this first single is anything to go by, Gwenno could be on course for another absolute summer stunner of an LP. (Brad Sked)
DBA! – 'D.P.D.'
Swaggering with a boisterous, leather-clad exuberance, 'D.P.D.' sees Liverpool newcomers DBA! thrash with an energy so rugged you can almost feel the thick, string-worn callouses forming on your fingertips. Recalling the raspy garage-rock fuzz of noughties revival bands such as Jet, the track growls with an infectious, amped up musk, and digging deeper into its lyrical sentiments, frontman Sam Warren states "'D.P.D.' is a track I wrote whilst losing touch with reality…it's a deep cut from the world slipping through my fingers." The trio release the 'D.P.D.' ahead of their debut EP 'skip! worried' due later this month, and the track's gregarious, distorted vocals and coarse slide guitars plough over a lively charge of drums that rhythmically bear some timeless, spirited likeness to skiffle. (Hazel Blacher)
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