Photo: Caitlin Barrel

Northampton-based newcomers thistle have unveiled their blistering new single it's nice to see you, stranger. Packed with grungy guitars and lo-fi haze the track serves as a brilliant introduction to their thrashing sound as they sign to Venn Records (Bob Vylan, High Vis, Meryl Streek). Speaking ahead of their single release, frontman Cameron Godfrey explained: “‘it’s nice to see you, stranger’ is about friendships that, in hindsight, felt forced or fleetingdue to the circumstances—whether it was the environment or altered states I was in. At the time, they seemed to mean more to me than they did to them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just a realisation that time moves on, and so should I.” Take a listen for yourselves below.

Live Dates
April 11th -Bedford Esquires (w/ Man/Woman/Chainsaw)
May 16th -The Rossi Bar, The Great Escape, Brighton
May 17th -Shoegaze Alldayer, Corporation, Sheffield
May 21st -The Social, London
May 21st -Footsteps Festival, The Social, London
May 24th -Dot To Dot Festival, Bristol
May 24th-26th –Dot 2 Dot Festival
July 11th –The Black Prince, Northampton (w / Bdrmm)

i: https://www.instagram.com/thistle.thistle.thistle

London-based, Melbourne-raised HighSchool have this week returned with their scintillating new effort Doesn't Matter. Coinciding with the announcement of their UK/EU tour, the new single is packed with catchy guitar riffs and jangly, hazy melodies as the band edge towards their forthcoming second studio EP, Accelerator, due out April 19th. Of the track, the band share that “‘Doesn’t Matter’ is a song about unrequited love. It’s about your beloved being unaware or uncaring of your affection and deep desire for them. It’s about longing and the places your imagination takes you when you yearn for someone”. The track comes accompanied by its official video directed by Henry Gosper and self-produced by the band, providing another insight to their unique aesthetic universe. "The video was shot over two days at three separate locations in and around the outskirts of Melbourne" the band say. "We were trying to capture a modern Southern Gothic atmosphere with an Australian flair, taking inspiration from classic Australian Gothic literature and film as well as crime stoppers adverts and the T.V. programs like Highway Patrol". Take a watch below.

UK/ EUROPE
April 28 | Covo Club - Bologna, ITA
April 29 | Bellaezza - Milan, ITA
April 30 | X-Tra Musikcafe - Zurich, CH
May 2 | Continental - Brussels, BEL
May 3| Pop Up! - Paris, FRA
May 5 | Paradiso - Amsterdam, NL
May 6 | Helios37 - Cologne, GER
May 7 | Maschinehaus - Berlin, GER
May 10 | Deadwax - Birmingham, UK
May 11 | Workman’s - Dublin, IRE
May 12 | Stereo - Glasgow, UK
May 15 | The White Hotel - Manchester, UK
May 16 | Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
May 18 | Arts Club Loft - Liverpool, UK
May 19 | Bodega - Nottingham, UK
May 22 | Thekla - Bristol, UK
May 23 | The Dome - London, UK

f: https://www.facebook.com/highschoolbandmelbourne/

Announcing their signing to PIAS, London-based, Melbourne-raised HighSchool have this week unveiled their glistening new single August 19. Dealing in themes of nostalgia and young love the tracks hazy looped guitar melodies and lo-fi vocals deliver an infectious hit that begs to be played again and again. On the new track, lead singer Rory Trobbiani says, “August 19 was the last track we wrote for the EP and will be the first to be released. It came together so quickly and naturally, we felt it was best not to mess with it and over work it. The title was the date we wrote it. It was saved as a voice memo on my phone and the title never changed.” Take a listen below.

f: https://www.facebook.com/highschoolbandmelbourne/

Photo: Jack Moser

Returning with his first new single of the year, Henry Nowhere has unveiled his latest effort Problems Of The Heart, another fine lo-fi masterpiece added to his collection. A touring member of Day Wave in the a.m, pop troubadour by night, Henry Nowhere's sound draws comparison to Sweden's The Radio Dept. and it's clear to see why with his whimsical vocals and dreamy production cast in a hazy fog of nostalgia and emotion. "Problems of the Heart is my modern take on the classic songwriting theme​​​​​​​ of seeing the doctor over a broken heart." he explains. "The theme of looking for a quick fix for a deep pain is even more relevant today than it was 80 years ago." Take a listen for yourselves below. The new single is taken from his forthcoming debut EP.



f: www.facebook.com/HenryNowhere

What's not to love about drowning in an overabundance of scuzzy guitars and lo-fi hazy reverb. Today, London's flirting have shared their colourful kaleidoscopic video made for an old single, Wouldn't You, a track the band have decided to retire due to its sadness awakening memoires. I guess this is its final send-off, and what a way to go. Like a Nordic Viking led funeral, set ablaze in glory, the track's swaying melodies and luscious echoing layers demonstrate the quintet's angsty relatability in fine detail. Take a watch for yourselves below. More music is promised and we can't wait!



f: www.facebook.com/pg/flirtingband

Does anyone else cringe at PDA's. I remember watching Chvrches whole performance once through the smug couple in front's locked lips. I mean, they were so involved I don't think they came up for air once, my view obscured throughout by slobber and flailing arms. I guess at least they had a good soundtrack to their fleeting moments of romance. Newcastle's very own masters in lo-fi scuzzy guitar pop EAT FAST try their best efforts to analyse this fascinating subject. Take a listen to their latest single 'Public Display Of Affection' streaming now below.



f: www.facebook.com/eatfastmusic

Winter may very well be rearing its ugly head but that doesn't mean we can't close our eyes and be transported back to sunnier times. Thankfully Day Wave has us soundtracked as the 25 year old Oakland based artist lets loose with his upbeat rolling melodies and fiery synths. Sounding like a hybrid of The Drums and Wild Nothing, Jackson Phillips explodes on to the scene with his lo-fi rumbling sounds to instantly warm our hearts through a scintillating arrangement of undiluted pop-perfection. Nothing At All is the first track to be lifted from his debut EP, set for release early next year. Take a listen above for yourselves.

f: www.facebook.com/daywavemusic

In the clean-cut age of modern day pop, sometimes all you need is some hazy guitars to get things moving. And no one seems to be doing this better than Istanbul's The Away Days as they return with an official video for their latest single 'Sleep Well'. Have a watch above.



f: www.facebook.com/theawaydays

With its run-time at just 2:47, BLOSSOM's latest single Stupid Things gives you another reason to keep them fingers hovered on the replay button. Not to mention their warm fuzzy guitar lines and jangly percussion, the band's glorious use of noise makes for a joyous change to the clean cut songs of today. Take a watch of their latest video above featuring beautifully pieced together vintage clips to create something wonderfully new and unique.

Time sure does fly. It's quite hard to believe it's been almost 2 years since we've had any Gorgeous Bully music on here. 2 years too long if you ask me."But don't you write this blog yourself?" I hear you cry. True. I guess sometimes there really is just too much music flying around for me to fit it all in. But lo-and-behold here's the latest from Manchester via Plymouth artist Thomas Crang aka Gorgeous Bully. With a new EP on the horizon packaged up via them lovely chaps at Art Is Hard Records Couldn't Keep It To Myself serves to be the second cut from its release. Sounding more weighty now as a full band the sound is truly beefed up and packs one hell of an exuberant punch. Still present is the lo-fi fuzzy vocals, yet with more urgency and deliverance the track excels to sky high levels of beauty. You can stream it above along with the first cut Sinking Feeling below. You can Pre-Order the Cassette (yep cassette) package right here, or alternatively the MP3 version here which is available to download immediately. Well, whatchya waiting for.



The new EP 'Nobody Hates You As Much As You Hate Yourself' will be released 17th February 2014.

f: www.facebook.com/gorgeousbullyband

I should probably be going through my email inbox ready to start a new week afresh yet I can't stop playing Radstewart. It's been like this all day. Sorry if I owe you a reply, it's coming soon I promise.

f: www.facebook.com/RADSTEWARTMUSIC

Easing my pain slightly having missed his Swn Festival performance over the weekend Oliver Wilde returns with his brand new single Stomach Full Of Cats. As odd as song titles go this one is definitely up there but with his psychedelic twinge of awesomeness who really cares. You can check out a glitchy self made video below documenting how Wilde envisaged the track to look when recording.




Stomach Full Of Cats will be released on 11th November via Howling Owl Records. You can Pre-order at the following links: mp3 - http://smarturl.it/OliverWilde Ltd. edition Tape/Zine - http://bit.ly/1aw7FcE

Live Dates
27th – London – St Pancras Old Church 
28th – Brighton – Prince Albert 
29th – Southampton – The Art House 
30th – Bristol – Thekla 31st – Bath – The Nest

f: www.facebook.com/pages/Oliver-Wilde