Lewis Capaldi ‘Survive’
After two years away from the spotlight, global superstar Lewis Capaldi today makes his extremely welcome return with new single ‘Survive’ – a bold, brave new anthem that underscores a challenging period in his career, that ended at Glastonbury 2023 in an extremely tough, but special unifying moment as the Pyramid Stage crowd helped carry an emotional Capaldi over the finish line. “Most nights I fear that I’m not enough, I’ve had my share of Monday mornings when I can’t get up” sings Capaldi in a huge, hair-raising and brutally honest track that addresses mental health challenges of self-doubt and despair, but comes out swinging in a chorus full of defiance – “I swear to God I’ll survive, if it kills me to, I’m gonna’ get up and try, if it’s the last thing I’ll do”
KuLeeAngee ‘Is It Awryt’
Born from a shared love of Confidence Man and the blues, KuLeeAngee have a straightforward ethos: to make tunes that make people want to move. Comprised of Duncan Grant and Keshav Kanabar, the pair blend guitar-driven melodies with acid house influences to create a sound that is instantly addictive and entirely driven by instinct. And their debut EP ‘Is It Awryt?’ indicates their massive potential – it’s bright, playful and full of bubbling, infectious choruses. Get your weekend started in the right way with KuLeeAngee.
Her Picture ‘Feed Me Hope’
Scottish alt-rock trio her picture released their second EP last week ‘Feed Me Hope’ – a concept-driven project inspired by the Greek Myth of the 5 Rivers of the Underworld. The band channel this classical allegory through a sonic journey that traverses loss, myth and emotional rebirth – exploring themes of healing, breaking generational cycles and self-forgiveness Sonically and thematically, it’s their most ambitious and dynamic release to date – opening with the intimate and sombre ‘Styx’s Curse’ and oscillating jnto the previously heard ‘Can’t Think’, foreboding and formidable with its thumping drums, haunting vocals and distorted guitars. ‘Muscle Memory’ is the towering centrepiece while ‘Reasons I Tried’ is a deeply moving piano ballad that is sonically and lyrically devastating, quiet and controlled yet emotionally complex, before ‘Big Girl’ offers some light out of the chaos, climbing to a life-affirming climax. Her picture have crafted a rich and varied EP that showcases their massive potential – one defined by its haunting, ethereal vocals, swelling soundscapes, close intimacy and dynamic arrangement. It’s a stunning exercise in catharsis that leaves you gripped throughout.
Shay O’Dowd ‘Growing Pains’
After selling out his debut King Tuts headline without releasing any music, Shay O’Dowd has now released his debut EP ‘Growing Pains’. Building a reputation for his deeply emotional songwriting, exploring themes like nostalgia, family, love, truth and pain, his new EP is rooted in his family life – inspired by his older sister moving out of the family home. Inspired by the likes of Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, and Noah Kahan, Shay finds writing about other people most interesting. “I am passionate about people and communication; both of which have served me well in the world of songwriting. I value authenticity and honesty as an artist, writing songs that capture the beautiful complexities of life.”
Water Machine ‘Dog Park’
Glasgow’s Water Machine released their debut album last week ‘God Park’ – a propulsive, scrappy, addictive set of tunes which showcases a wide variety of influences. Rooted in Glasgow, there’s shades of Vaselines, Orange Juice, Pastels and all sorts thrown into the spiky, jangly, angular mix. It’s direct, infectious and witty and full of potential.
For Nina ‘Swallow’
Fast-rising Dublin trio For Nina have shared a brooding new single called ‘Swallow’. While previous single ‘Hounds’ was direct and immediate, this new offering is slower, darker and more expansive – full of moody guitars, delicate touches and ethereal vocals. Unfolding gently over the course of three minutes, it then explodes into a heavy, distortion-led finale.
The band said: “Holly wrote the guts of the song years ago, back when she was in secondary school, and it got completely lost in the drafts. We stumbled across it sitting at home one night and heard this crazy potential in the chorus. We gave it a new format and first verse, and we were flying from there. We only started playing it a couple of months ago, but from the first time we performed it live, we knew it was sparkling in a different way compared to some of our other songs.”
“‘Swallow’ generally spins around ideas of self-sabotage and biting your tongue. In some ways, it’s about lots of different things all at once, and different people have attached their own meaning to it — which we find really lovely to hear.
Sprints ‘Descartes’
Irish post-punks Sprints have signed to Sub Pop and will release new album ‘All That Is Over’ on 26th September. The record was produced by Daniel Fox and born out of some chaos. “There was just so much happening and so much to process,” singer Karla Chubb says. “I was going through a big break up with my partner who I’d been with for eight years; Colm had left the band; we’d really progressed into being professional musicians, and I was at the start of a new relationship. But then you’d look outside and it’s like the world has never been uglier. I was writing every day because there was so much going on.”
The first single is the ripping “Descartes” which was inspired by a line in Rachel Cusk’s novel Outline: “Vanity is the curse of our culture.” Says Karla, “A lot of the negativity you see in the world is rooted in vanity and the ego that your beliefs or identity are more important than somebody else’s. ‘Descartes’ explores the idea that writing for me is not just a tool to make music but a tool to process the world.”
Listen to the full playlist:
