Jacob Alon ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’
Jacob Alon has shared details of their debut album ‘In Limerence’, out 30th May vis Island / EMI. Recorded in London and produced by Dan Carey, it’s set to feature previously released singles like ‘Fairy In A Bottle’., ‘Confession’ and ‘Liquid Gold 25′ – as well as new track ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’. The new song encapsulates all we love about the singer-songwriter – ethereal vocals, gently finger-picked melodies and beautiful storytelling that’s so poignant yet powerful.
Jacob said: “This song, to me, floats across the stormy surface of the sea of dreams, gasping against its choppy tide, resisting the soft pull below into an endless deep. It’s centred around the story of a cousin of mine who tragically drowned in a freak accident before I was born.
I never knew him personally, but I’ve always had an idea painted in my mind of what he’d be like through the memories & stories of my family members. Because of this, I’ve always had a kind of fictional relationship to him. So, this song takes place in the liminal space between worlds, from his fictional perspective.
He would leave behind a son he didn’t know about – tracing circles of life and death. A gift of life born on the other side of that delicate & fragile balance between two worlds. Of loss & gain. And the love & pain which bridges both.
It’s also about the moments in my life where living & loving has felt more like an active choice & promise to go on, than a faithful given. Like treading water. Like thinking about breathing. It’s about choosing to keep believing in the real world and not giving in to the seductive world of dreams – to that shy death.
In a strange bout of synchronicity, just as I was writing this song, I received a message from my cousin’s brother – who told me the story of how he and my cousin used to pick a record each night to fall asleep to – I found this to be a wildly meaningful coincidence. This brother is also one of the only other musicians in my family and he shared an ambient album he had made dedicated to his late brother that was intended to be listened to whilst falling asleep.”
Cliffords ‘Bittersweet’
Meet Cliffords, a four-piece from Cork who deal in big melodies, heavy guitars and ambitious tunes. The band released a self-produced EP last year, full of energy and promise, but have now teamed up with Richie Kennedy at Battery Studios in London for the release of new single ‘Bittersweet’. It’s an incendiary introduction for those not yet acquainted and an ambitious statement of intent – full of towering choruses, magnetic lead vocals, heavy guitars and 90s shoegaze and grunge influences. It’s a tale of defiance that packs an almighty punch.
Vocalist Iona Lynch: “Bittersweet is a more abstract look at nostalgia and our last few years of living in Cork. The first few lines of the song “the city begged look up” comes from something my grandad always said to me, “look up or you’ll miss half the beauty of the city.”
“Bittersweet reflects the mixed emotions of us as a band finding our way in music and in ourselves as young adults. The lyrics poke fun at heartbreaks and how dramatic and potent those feelings felt at the time.”
They play at the Road To The Great Escape show at King Tut’s on 10th May, alongside Annie DiRusso, Bottle Rockets, Indoor Foxes, Westside Cowboy and YES AND MAYB
Lauren Mayberry (feat. Joe Talbot) ‘Sorry, Etc, Etc’
Lauren Mayberry recently released her debut solo album ‘Vicious Creature’ and she’s just shared a reworked version of ‘Sorry, Etc, Etc’ featuring IDLES frontman Joe Talbot. Bringing a raw intensity to the track, Talbot’s signature growl adds a visceral new layer to the cathartic energy of the song.
Of the new version, Mayberry says, “If you know me, you know how much I love Idles, so it really is an honor to have reinterpreted this song with Joe. We first connected during Covid when I did his Balley TV YouTube series, and have been quietly supportive of each other from the wings since. I messaged Joe last summer about working together and this is the song we decided on. We recorded his vocals in December at Brighton Electric when Idles had a night off on tour. I re-recorded my (screamier) vocals at home before Christmas with Sam Stewart, and was produced by my friend Paul Gallagher.”
Talbot chimes in, saying, “An honour and a joy to work with Lauren finally. I love the album and I’m happy to be a part of it. Fuck the king, she’s the king x”.
Dallas Love Field ‘Bliss’
Glasgow-based outfit Dallas Love Field have opened their account for 2025 with the aptly-named ‘Bliss’. Fusing 90s shoegaze and post-punk with pop sensibilities, the band’s sound is as loud and punchy as it is dreamy and ethereal – and new single ‘Bliss’ encapsulates this perfectly. Driven by surging guitars and punchy drums, the airy, wispy vocals – distorted and echoing over the lush guitar tones and immersive instrumental – lends a light, dremay quality to the track. It’s a welcome return from the four-piece.
Courting ‘Namcy’
Courting have shared their debut album ‘Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ via Lower Third. Ahead of its release, the band shared the third and final single of the album, “Namcy”. It sees the band at their most playful and piercing, drawing listeners into the headrush and infatuation of love at first sight, while underscoring the looming shadows of Lust for Life…’s dark overarching narrative. The track pulses with an optimistic, kinetic energy, its bouncy guitars and four on the floor disco rhythm section amplifying the song’s push-and-pull between wide-eyed devotion and inevitable disillusionment.
They said: “Namcy is designed to be very hopeful, a stark contrast to the edges of the album. It is straight set – a linear storyline with made up words. Sometimes, I think it’s important to put aside the need to be clever, and get lost in something a bit more nostalgic, slightly unrealistic,
very pretty.”
Tune into the playlist below:
