EP: BAUHAUS – THE BELA SESSIONS EP

There’s a lot going on in the world of Bauhaus these days, celebrating forty years since they first formed, and by way of celebration, they’re releasing this special E.P. of their first ever recording session. If the word Bauhaus conjures up images of goths, incense sticks, and dark moodiness, think again – they may be […]

Four piece London massive Prep are hot on the heels of their last EP, ‘Cold Fire’, with their latest release and it’s just as impressive as their previous offerings. Backed by some heavy hitters on previous EPs – Korean R&B megastar DEAN, Anderson Paak collaborator Pomo & Kitsuné signing Reva DeVito to name but a […]

EP: PREP – LINE BY LINE

EP REVIEW: MAGIC SHOPPE ‘HIGH GOODBYE’

Boston’s Magic Shoppe are back with the High Goodbye EP, their third release in 18 months. They sprung to public prominence in February 2016 with Interstellar Car Crash EP and then debut LP Wonderland. Having garnered a reputation for their mesmerising live performances, the announcement that they will feature at this year’s Liverpool International Festival […]

Halifax surf-pop trio The Orielles have been making a name for themselves over the past few months thanks to sets at festivals like Dot To Dot and Carefully Planned, not to mention their sugary harmonies and fuzzy guitars. Their debut EP Jobin is being released on excellent DIY record label Art is Hard. Even better, […]

EP REVIEW: THE ORIELLES – JOBIN

EP Review: Vertical Slump – Ruined Value

The latest offering from Manchester label Icecapades, who also have 7″s from the likes of Slowcoaches and Sex Hands, is by none other than London art punk quartet Vertical Slump (members of DIY cornerstones Shopping, Gloss Rejection, Omi Palone, and Circuit Breaker). Recorded back in Feb by Mark Jasper at Sound Savers, Ruined Value is a […]

In my review of its parent album, No Sad Songs, I referred to ‘Prussian Blue’ as a “blissful summer lullaby”. A single release in July is therefore not wholly wrong. However, whether it is the kind of song to grab the attention of distracted radio listeners is another matter. The bouncier ‘Babylon Revisited’ would arguably have […]

EP Review: The Lilac Time – Prussian Blue

EP REVIEW: SHIELD PATTERNS ‘VIOLET’

Following last summer’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Contour Lines’, Manchester’s electro dark-pop duo Claire Brentnall and Richard Knox look to maintain the momentum with 4 new tracks. They’re like a collaboration between Kate Bush at her most melancholy, singing over a minimal version of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, or Forest Swords. Much like Lamb’s work, Richard provides an unpredictable […]

The Costellos are a young band based in the north-east and get regular airtime on BBC Radio Newcastle. All aged 20, the 4 members combine to create a smooth, easy rock sound, reminiscent of Stereophonics’ ‘Maybe Tomorrow’. The band’s output is purely internet-based for now (links below), thus their music is easy to access. Three […]

EP Review: The Costellos – Mini EP

EP Review: Mark Lanegan Band – No Bells on Sunday

For anyone who doesn’t know who Mark Lanegan is, you’re an idiot he co-wrote Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘No One Knows’, one of the best rock songs of the noughties. And that’s just one of a myriad of activities he has undertaken since his Seattle rock band Screaming Trees petered out. Indeed, it’s hard […]

King Horse presents a very different Baby Brave to their clumsily titled 2012 debut EP (deep breath) The Hornet’s Nest of Unrequited Ambition That Was 1960s Vogue. They’ve since lost a singer and the suffix “…and the Love Bites” but gained an affection for some noisier influences. That’s not to say there’s none of the […]