AFTER a brief hiatus, TTV’s weekly round-up of the most stellar new releases from around the globe is back with a bumper edition. Encompassing tracks from throughout the past three weeks that we’ve been in absentia, it is hoped that this retread over the fleeting time period that was missed will ensure that no morsel of new music which may enchant or inspire you passes you by. Featuring a contingent of homegrown talent alongside artists from all over the world, here’s the tracks that have left us entranced, compelled and gripped over the latter stages of October and early November.
Pleasure Heads- Concrete Lips
There’s something inherently exciting about finally receiving recorded material from a band that’s been discussed in such lofty terms by those that’ve had the opportunity to catch them live. As the hyperbolic statements continue to grow in stature and more and more plaudits are allotted to the elusive band in question with each rare, all too fleeting sighting, it can become hard to fathom that every glowing review from their contemporaries isn’t some sort of ploy or an act of kinship rather than based on musical merit.
Although this could well be the case for many bands who’ve accrued such a reputation, all of those who’ve been forced to remain impartial when they hear the name Pleasure Heads can now rest easy in the knowledge that they’ve proven themselves worthy of the wild conjecture on ‘Concrete Lips.’
Hailing from nearby Falkirk, the first excerpt to arrive from the band finds them as a group in possesion of a strident, dynamic sound that off-handedly dispenses with the arbitrary indie rock bluster in favour of a streamlined assault that recalls artists such as The Walkmen and Interpol. Brimming with an infectious energy that provides a sense of urgency to a track that speaks of disillusionment with all that’s before them, Pleasure Heads have came raring out of the gate with a daring mission statement and Scotland’s music scene are eager to hear more
Goat Girl- Cracker Drool
After leaving us enthralled with one impressive release another, Goat Girl’s latest single ‘Cracker Drool’ is an immediate and arresting return from the South London four-piece.
Exuding a kind of gothic rockabilly feel, the deadpan lead vocal is delivered over twanging guitar lines and bouncy bass before heading off into dark, psych-rock territory. A band who are known to create a firestorm of visceral riffs and lyrical punches, it’s an alluring track with a mysterious, sinister air about it.
Hotel Lux- The Last Hangman
Having garnered a strong reaction from audiences during their recent visit to Glasgow, the depraved and antagonistic musical manifesto of Hotel Lux is typified with an ode to Albert Pierrepont known as ‘The Last Hangman.’
Centering on the infamous man that was accredited with the deaths of over 400 people before relinquishing the noose in 1956, this melancholic and eloquent post-punk affair intertwines musings on distinctly human traits such as abject misanthropy and apathy to reflect how the unflinching brutality of such an arhaic act perists and arguably exacerbated in the modern world.
Tom Misch- Movie
After accruing a steady buzz over the course of the past few years, it seems that the moment where Tom Misch transcends the boundaries of an underground phenomenon and into the beckoning arms of the wider world is upon us. Exuding star power in everything from his uniquely considered approach to guitar playing and affecting vocals that brim with undiluted purity and candidness, the first single from his forthcoming Geography LP will serve as an emphatic introduction to the uninitiated. Bearing hallmarks to the sound of Frank Ocean’s sparse yet unfalteringly riveting Blonde, his hybrid of seductive modern R&B, soulful yarns and classic songwriting sensibilities glows with endless potential on this immersive cut.
Sunflower Bean- I was A Fool
After rightfully gaining notoriety all over the world with their fantastic debut album Human Ceremony, Sunflower Bean marked the inking of a new record deal with indie staple Mom + Pop by releasing ‘I Was A Fool.’
Plunging into the terrain of woozy, tranformative dream pop, their staggering versatility is once again placed on display in the form of a track that alludes to the sound of the psychedelic aloofness of artists such as Spaceman 3 and Fleetwood Mac’s creative and commercial zenith of Rumours within the same bar.
Declan Welsh & The Decadent West- Nazi Boys
In a regularly beguiling political and social climate where too many remain tolerant or apathetic towards the onset of fascism in a new, more outwardly palatable guise, Scotland’s Declan Welsh & The Decadent West have unleashed a powerful auditory retort in the form of ‘Nazi Boys.’
Built around a succession of hostile, beligerent guitars which befit the outrage at the song’s core, this latest number from Welsh and co encapsulates the shambolic state that we’re in when those with inherently backwards views are allowed to espouse their vile beliefs online without reprisal.
An unrepentant warning to those who covertly lurk in our midst and within everyday life, ‘Nazi Boys’ is accompanied by a new video from Neelam Khan Vela which sees one such covert miscreant get a much needed beating.
Anteros- Bonnie
Anteros have rewarded their longest serving fans with the release of ‘Bonnie’, a song which has been a live favourite since their very earliest shows.
The single arrives after what has been a huge breakthrough year for the band, smashing slots at Reading & Leeds, TRNSMT, Glastonbury and our very own Tenement Trail along with tours supporting Two Door Cinema Club and Sundara Karma.
Revisiting their irresistible combo of sharply defined power pop with a nostalgic new wave gloss, ‘Bonnie’ confirms everything we know and love about the band. Bursting with energy from start to finish, it’s another instantly addictive pop gem with a life-affirming message that leaves you yearning for the weekend.
Speaking about the track, vocalist Laura Hayden says: “We wrote ‘Bonnie’ about the pressures of being a girl in a world of people who never seem to be happy with what they have.
“It’s time to break away from that; to love and accept ourselves. To stop comparing ourselves to each other and work together. ‘Bonnie’ is our tribute to girls.”
Flying Lotus- Post Requisite
Primarily known as the theme tune to his wildly creative body-horror flick ‘Kuso’, Flying Lotus has now released the bewitching ‘Post Requisite’ to the masses alongside a brand new video. Still very much in the kaeledscopic and jazz-fuelled sonic wheelhouse of his magnus opus You’re Dead, the impeccable electronic wizardy that he holds sway over continues to expand and contort in new shapes and spaces and only heightens the desire to hear more from him soon.
