AS we hurtle ever closer to the arrival of this year’s Tenement Trail, it’s certainly encouraging to know the scores of artists that are preparing to descend upon Glasgow’s venues for the event are eager to demonstrate their continued ingenuity.
Rather than rest on their laurels as we enter the autumnal stage of the year, bands from across the nation and beyond are carrying on undeterred and with the drive that could catapult them into further acclaim as the year progresses. Comprised of bands that will be playing our very own festival at the climax of the month, here’s a litany of tracks that you need to hear with immediate effect.
JW Ridley- Somewhere Else
Creating elestial soundscapes that are deeply immersive yet almost unplaceable, JW Ridley is an artist who refuses to adhere to any sonic boundaries or expectation.
After falling in love with his debut single ‘Everything (Deathless)’, the uniquely talented artist has brought out another meticulously crafted offering by the name of ‘Somewhere Else’. Living up to its title, the track moves you into a dream-like state across its four minutes; reverberating guitars and synths merge with pulse-quickening beats and a ghostly vocal to create another triumph for the young singer-songwriter. Drenched in melancholic soundscapes and wonderful melody lines that remain ingrained in your memory, it’s another intriguing insight into Ridley’s promising future.
Catholic Action- Black And White and Here, There & Nowhere
Renowned or the multi faceted elasticity of their material, it should come as no suprise that Catholic Action have once again deviated from any preconceived notion of what they do with new single ‘Black And White.’
The second offering to be taken from their forthcoming debut album In Memory Of, their latest output is one that is born of an acute melancholy but still contains all of the entrancing elements that we’ve came to adore from their uniquely lavish sound. Speaking of the origins of the track via their Facebook account, frontman Chris McCrory has stated: “I wrote this immediately after waking up on the floor of a cold London studio. I’d recently found out Bowie had died and for what it’s worth – I think this song was my gut reaction.”
In addition to the fantastic new single, it is also accompanied by the emergence of ‘Here, There & Nowhere’, a pulse-racing B-side that takes the bedrock of the tenets of brash garage rock and reappropriates it in their own venerable mould of frenetic and highly engrossing pop.
Spinning Coin- Sleepless
Set to grace Tenement Trail at the end of the month, Spinning Coin have enjoyed a prosperous year so far after delving into the hearts of music fans all over the country and further afield with beautifully crafted tracks such as ‘Raining On Hope Street’ and ‘Tin’, before taking on a number of high profile support slots.
The news of their debut album arrives with a brand new offering titled ‘Sleepless’, accompanied by an appropriately vintage-style clip. Giving us further insight into the forthcoming record, it’s another sun-drenched rendering of their incredibly poised lo-fi sound; bright choruses, jangly guitars and dream-pop melodies are offset by a fleeting sense of wistful melancholy. It’s a deftly balanced sound that they have made so distinctively their own.
Crow’s Feet- ‘We’re All Here’
Known for their atmospheric and deeply enveloping material that is born of a love of the sumptuous soundscapes of post-rock and ambient, Crow’s Feet have continually attested to their position as one of most admirably original and preciously forward-thinking bands that Glasgow has to offer.
Armed with a prolific work ethic that has facilitated the release of a wealth of glorious output, the band are also more than capable of transferring their luscious and intricate sound to the stage and will do just that on Saturday 30th September as part of this year’s Tenement Trail.
Recorded at a house in Pitlochry in the space of an immensely productive week, the band have once again captured our imagination with ‘We’re All Here’, the latest track to be taken from their soon-to-be released new EP.
Built upon spacey, abstract guitar textures and lapping waves of gorgeous melody, their latest work is demonstrative of their unwavering commitment to evading the clutches of complanecy in favour of using their amenable musical DNA to break new ground. Possessing one of their most affecting and deeply alluring choruses to date, ‘We’re All Here’ is a shining example of why Crow’s Feet have deftly made their way into the minds and affections of so many.
