Search:al x

2026 Repress

Alarico returns to Mutual Rytm with his 'Drops Of You' EP, packed with his mind-bending signature rhythms while focussing on a more minimal and atemporal approach than before.

Milan-based artist Alarico has firmly arrived on the world stage in recent years. Taking cues from the harder realms of techno of the 90s, he adds his own quirky rhythms and quickened sense of groove to showcase his modern take on the genre. Building on material dropping via his own Katana Records, with high-profile support from bigname DJs across the scene, he breaks new ground again here on this compelling new EP as he returns to SHDW's label Mutual Rytm with 'Drops Of You'.

Excellent opener '0 Kelvin' races out of the blocks with wiry synths and percussion that sounds like knives being sharpened, all over tight, punchy techno drums. 'One More' then gets more twisted with freaky synth line scurrying about the mix while hammering hits and bouncy drum programming races onwards into an unknown future.

'Asma' slips into a deeper but no less impactful groove - the tightly coiled drum funk is overlaid with soulful vocal whispers and militant snares that cannot fail to sweep dancers away. Next, the slick 'Sunburn' keeps the pace high and is another warp-speed techno excursion with bold drum patterns and dry hi-hats cutting up the beats. It's a fulsome sound fleshed out with great synth detail and euphoric vocal cries, before closer 'Drops Of You' layers broken beats, vocal snippets and psychedelic synth colours into an intense and emotional workout.

Alongside the vinyl cuts, three digital-only offerings are also loaded into this one as a trio of treats in the form of 'Sino', 'What For' and 'Erased', with each track harnessing pacy, energetic rhythms, a mix of bright and murky sonics, and tunnelling grooves crafted for maximum impact.

Alarico 'Drops Of You' drops via Mutual Rytm on 8th September 2023

Justin Berkovi presents You're so Alien - The Remixes. His classic track from 1999
comes around new remixes from Johannes Volk, Lee Holman and from Justin himself.
Higly recommended!

7 Inch Purple Vinyl in Picture Sleeve

‘Red Moon’ is Alannah’s second solo single and marks her first ever physical vinyl release. The song reflects on growth, misdirection and self-reconnection, told through a woman looking back at her younger self. Written on a quiet beach in the Algarve, under a striking red moon, the moment became the catalyst for the lyrics, carrying a deep, spiritual stillness into the music. Alannah is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter whose sound blends RnB, jazz and hip-hop with soulful, storytelling vocals. Influenced by artists such as Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday, she views songwriting as a form of emotional release and shared healing. With performances at iconic venues including Ronnie Scott’s and Pizza Express Jazz Club, her voice carries a timeless energy, full of heart, vulnerability, and quiet power. Stanley Hood’s remix reimagines ‘Red Moon’ into a moody Deep House cut. Alannah’s layered vocals float over warm keys, late-night percussion, and thick, club-ready production, shifting the emotional core towards the dancefloor while preserving the intimacy of the lyrics. Supported across specialist radio and tastemaker sets. Released as a Record Store Day exclusive on coloured 7" vinyl with full picture artwork. Strictly limited run. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

Let's see now – you just love that hugely fertile foundation period of Jamaican pop music from the birth of ska, through the spectacularly brief two year heyday of rocksteady up to and including the arrival of the first incarnation of reggae a.k.a. early or 'boss' reggae. But you're also aware that the pioneers of these sounds (including The Pioneers!) won't be creating music in these styles or touring forever – so what do you do?

Well, if you're Neil Anderson, owner of Original Gravity Records, the creation bit isn't a problem. You put forth period-authentic style material from a 'roster' of acts – such as Junior Dell & The D-Lites - that in reality consist mostly of yourself (you are a multi-instrumentalist and lyricist after all!) and whichever extra musicians and session singer you rope in for a given track. In the case of Junior Dell & The D-Lites that singer was Adrian Dell – soon to be dubbed (no pun intended) 'Junior' - first appearing on 2021's uptempo ska tribute to Salvadoran retro-dancing internet sensation Aranivah, entitled Miss Aranivah. And you keep putting out stuff so profusely and effectively that there are clamours for you to tour 'the band' which - er - doesn't really exist. What a botheration! Still, maybe your session singer could become – well - a permanent singer? Maybe you can rustle up assorted bredren to become the rest of the band and...you know what? That might just work!

And so, in the blink of an eye, Junior Dell & The D-Lites becomes a bona fide actual live band fronted by a young Jamaican singer playing fresh 60s/70s-style Jamaican music with an energy last seen and heard in, well, the 1960s and 70s. And it tours so effectively that there are clamours for 'the band' – or more accurately, now – the band - to release an album. Wait...what now? And, by the way, you've got a European tour coming up in April wouldn't it be great if the album was ready to tour by then? Pressure drop? Pressure rise more like!

Then again, Junior Dell & The D-Lites have done so many sure-shot singles to date that assembling them along with a new cut, an extended version of one of the singles and re-recordings of two of the label's previous singles that were originally by 'label mates' The Regulators should be a cinch. So expect all the hits: bluebeat banger 20 Flight Ska, the euphoric ska bounce of the aforementioned Miss Aranivah and the title track, a de rigueur smattering of covers (opener Jump Around, midway markers Praise You and Just Can't Get Enough, and one of the re-recordings, closer Don't Look Back In Anger), early reggae groovers Cool Right Down, Last Night Reggay, Can't Stop The Reggae (in a new extended form) and crowd-pleasing new one Mi Try along with the other Junior Dell re-recording - the gorgeous Why Why Why which nods to the period of reggae between the sound of '69 and the arrival of roots.

Don't you brag and don't you boast but that's a Whole Lotta Skankin' going on! Do the ska, do the rocksteady, do the reggay, why– it's another scorcher!

The Goblin Walk is an invitation to trace the footsteps of the eponymous creature through five swampy, dubby, liquid techno interpretations from four different artists. Label head Caldera opens with the gently underlapping space chug of 'Today', followed by Traevor's 'Reef' which turns marimba into a dubbed-out bass meditation. Caldera then features again under his Loop LF alias with 'Tiz', which pairs spectral sonic sketches with whimsical melodies that drift and float as if in a gravity-free zone. Streetfaxx then unearths a long-lost 2013 Cologne track, its patient rhythmic progression untouched by the passing years, before ambient textures take centre stage in Nightwaif's 'Xmas1 (vocal dub)' as tape experiments float over deep sub-bass, caught somewhere between 1980s new age and modern ambient minimalism. A compelling, exploratory world of sound.

Dave Wallace is one third of Aquasky, as well as a founding member of Mad Dog and Fugitive. He also released his own EP’s on Moving Shadow and R&S in the 90’s and more recently an EP on TeeBee’s Subtitles label as well as a return to the rave with various Fugitive tracks and remixes on Vinyl Fanatiks over the past few years.

But one track has always alluded a release, there was always something that prevented it from being released. Originally written in 1995, it wasn’t until 1996 that he sent it to LTJ Bukem who went nuts for it, advising Dave to speed it up from its original 156bpm so he could play it. Upon doing so, it was also sent to Fabio and the pair of them played it on Kiss, Radio 1 and various gigs and festivals across the world. Dave was just in discussions to release it when Dillinja made a Bladerunner track using the same samples. In light of that and how the hierarchy worked in the 90’s drum and bass scene, Dave decided to pull the release and the track went back into the DAT draw… for 26 years!

This track has been requested by many to be pressed since Vinyl Fanatiks started as it had such a huge fanbase, so many people loved the track after hearing it either back in the day or on copies of mixes uploaded in recent years to the internet. An extremely desired track! But there was never a B-side to it… until Dave stepped into his Fugitive guise and brought the track up to date with one of the baddest basslines we have released on the label.

Join us as we take you on a ride from the smooth to the ruff!


Its all an expression!

Soul Quest Records reaches a milestone moment with its 20th release, welcoming a debut that feels anything but new. Enter Sean Green… a mysterious new name whose sound suggests deep roots, sharp instincts, and the quiet confidence of a seasoned producer operating under a fresh alias. While details remain deliberately sparse, the music speaks volumes.

LP Purple Splash Vinyl in Picture Sleeve + Sticker
Rediscover the vibrant energy of Crooked Colours' debut album, ‘Vera’, as they release a limited edition ‘Purple Splash’ vinyl pressing. This seminal 2017 record introduced the world to the trio's signature sound, blending deep, atmospheric house with sun-drenched, indie-electronic pop. Featuring breakout tracks such as platinum-certified ‘Flow’ and fan favourites ‘Come Back To You’ and ‘I Hope You Get It.

Since emerging in 2020, the band has carved out a reputation as one of the most exciting rising acts in heavy music, with support from BBC Radio 1, Kerrang! Radio and acclaimed rock and metal press such as Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and Alt Press. 2024 saw the band make their Download Festival debut, undertake their first UK headline tour, and secure huge support slots with powerhouse bands such as Skindred. Following the release of their EP "Echoes", the band has enjoyed a busy schedule in 2025 - with appearances at 2000trees (main stage) and Alyx Holcombe's MANTRA showcase.

In recent months, Mallavora have been popping up everywhere, from the stages of Boomtown and Burn It Down Festivals, to the catwalk at London Fashion Week where they provided the soundtrack to Unhidden's latest clothing range. Most recently, you may have heard vocalist Jessica's incredible vocal abilities in an episode of BBC 1's The Celebrity Traitors, a star- studded game show that features household names such as Stephen Fry, Alan Carr and Claudia Winkleman. Jess was called upon by the producers of the show to produce 'banshee-like' wails, demonstrating her vocal range which stretches from beautiful high octave singing to the extremes of fry screaming. All of Mallavora's achievements have been leading to this moment: the announcement of their debut album ' What If Better Never Comes ?'. Set for release on March 27th 2026 via Church Road Records , this record showcases the band's growth as songwriters and highlights their constant hunger to push the envelope.

For the first time on LP vinyl, Come Ahead: The Remixes Vol.2 (Dubs) brings Primal Scream’s club-ready reinventions into full analog glory. Originally released in FLAC format in 2025, this second volume dives deep into dub territory, reimagining tracks from Come Ahead with hypnotic grooves and spacious textures. Featuring reinterpretations by Lovefi ngers, Black Science Orchestra, Radio Slave, and Pet Shop Boys (in dub mode), each track pulses with low-end warmth and rhythmic experimentation. From the acid-drenched swirl of “The Centre Cannot Hold” to the narcotic haze of “Innocent Money,” this is Primal Scream at their most psychedelic and dancefl oor-minded. Specially mastered for vinyl, the sound is immersive and tactile — perfect for DJs, collectors, and audiophiles alike.

Eight tracks, nearly an hour of music, and a sleeve that nods to rave-era design make this a must-have for fans of dubwise house and experimental club culture. Limited pressing. Maximum impact. Come Ahead: The Remixes Vol.2 (Dubs) is available as 2LP Black Vinyl.

This is the third of the Mad Dog releases – and is often cited as the best release they did back in the day. Pure hardcore jungle flavours written in 1994 in sunny Bournemouth by Dave ‘Aquasky’ Wallace and Shaun ‘Aurora’ O’Hara.

Originally released by Olly on Underdog Recordings, who shared a house with Dave and also Brent from Aquasky. A hub of hardcore – the studio was on the ground floor, the bedrooms on the second floor and the top floor was the record label and pirate radio that ran for a while!

Around the same time this record was made, Dave was also producing as Fugitive and engineering for Kieron Aquasky’s various drum and bass tracks. On top of that he was making happy hardcore as Rebel Alliance and engineering hip hop for Brent Aquasky. A very busy guy who is still producing in 2024!

Pressed by the mighty Phil ‘The Vinylman’ East on 180g heavyweight vinyl. This release is a bespoke product as no one record is the same. Designed to look like the planet Neptune and part of a 4 vinyl Cosmik series.

OMG!

UU014 IS HERE.

NO SALES NOTES NEEDED.

THESE SIX TRACKS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

HEAVYWEIGHT UKG. BY. DESIGN.

SETTING THE TONE RIGHT FOR 2026.

WITH LOVE AS ALWAYS.

Saithara were a leading traditional Lanna music group in the Chiang Mai area, led by Chansom Saithara who was named a National Artist in 1996.

Chansom's son, Thepthara Panyamana, fronted the related Saithara "Combo", who explored a range of international pop styles to craft their light-hearted parody tracks in the local "kam mueang" dialect. The lead single here, from 1985, makes use of a well-known German synth-pop song which had become a surprise smash a few years earlier, while the b-side snags a similarly notable power-pop tune from the USA.

Thepthara was also a songwriter and instructor for the child musical group Nok Lae, a Chiang Mai area youth band who became mainstream crossover stars nation-wide. Thepthara passed away in 2017, and Baa Records has teamed with his brother Komsan to license this re-issue in his memory.

Back once again like the renegade masters - Regulate jump into the fray for 2026 with two more bombs to light up the dance floor.
A side “Kick That” sees T2Funk & DJ Deviant team up to fuse classic Ninja Tune cinematic funk with added dynamic cut and paste punch. Featuring brass stabs, scratches and nods to DJ Shadow & Norman Cook this is sure to shake rumps everywher
Flip side “Breaka One” sees DJ Deviant leaning right into golden era hip hop swing; with horns and a rolling groove that just doesn’t quit. Essential listening for all the boom bap heads who like a bit of Bomb Squad grit in the mix.

LP in Picture Sleeve

Following his acclaimed gospel compilations, Greg Belson digs deeper into the private soul and R&B world with The House of Beauty — a stunning new compilation focused on independent releases tied to chicago’s HOB label. Beautifully remastered, this Celestial Echo release tells a story of DIY soul at its purest and Carmen Murphy’s legendary work. An RSD 2026 special that embodies the day’s spirit — discovering overlooked voices and celebrating the communities that brought us some of the best gospel soul. 1xLP, Picture Sleeve, Remastered.

Newly remastered version of Oren Ambarchi’s long out-of-print classic Hubris originally released on Editions Mego in 2016. Expertly remastered by audio wizard Joe Talia who worked with the original mixes, highlighting the myriad details of the audio with forensic precision, previously unheard up until now.

From the 2016 press release:
Hubris continues the exploration of relentless, driving rhythms heard on Ambarchi’s Sagittarian Domain (2012) and Quixotism (2014). Where those records looked to Krautrock and techno for their starting points, the sidelong opening track here begins from the perhaps unlikely inspirations of disco and new wave, drawing particularly from Ambarchi’s love of Wang Chung’s soundtrack to William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A. Leaving behind the song-forms of these reference points, Ambarchi weaves a sustained and pulsating web of layered palm-muted guitars from which individual voices rise up and recede, eventually setting the stage for some lush guitar synth from Jim O’Rourke. Arnold Dreyblatt collaborator Konrad Sprenger contributes overtone-rich motorized guitar, pushing the piece into a satisfying intersection of shimmering minimalism and rhythmic drive that smoothly builds up until the entrance of Mark Fell’s electronic percussion in its final section.
After a short second part, in which Ambarchi, O’Rourke and crys cole pay tribute to the skewed harmonic sense of Albert Marcoeur with a track built from layered guitar figures and abstracted speech, the long final piece pushes the concept of the first side into darker and denser areas. Joined by electronics from Ricardo Villalobos and the twin drums of Will Guthrie and Joe Talia, the layered guitars of the first piece are transformed into a raw and tumbling fusion-funk groove that calls to mind early Weather Report or even the first Golden Palominos LP. As this stellar rhythm section rides a single repeated chord change into oblivion, a series of spectacular events emerge in the foreground: first, aleatoric synthesizer burbles from Keith Fullerton Whitman, then slashing skronk guitar from Arto Lindsay, until finally Ambarchi’s own fuzzed-out harmonics take center stage as the piece builds to an ecstatic frenzy. Few artists could hope to include such an incredible variety of collaborators on one record and still hope for it to have a unique identity, but Ambarchi manages to do just that, crafting three pieces that emerge directly out of his previous work while also pushing ahead into new dimensions.
Players: Oren Ambarchi, crys cole, Mark Fell, Will Guthrie,
Arto Lindsay, Jim O’Rourke, Konrad Sprenger, Joe Talia, Ricardo Villalobos, Keith Fullerton Whitman.

DJ Support: Ashley Beedle, Phil Mison (Ibiza legend), Nick The Record, Kenneth Bager (Music For Dreams), Ross Allen (NTS, Worldwide FM), Simon Dunmore, Cedric Woo (Beauty & the Beat), Ban Ban Ton Ton, The Mighty Zaf (Love Vinyl), Femi Fem (Young Disciples), Jay Negron (NYC legend), Bruce Forest (Better Days, NYC), Bruce Tantum (NYC), Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Mr Shiver, Hugh Mane, Eccentrics Disco, Eclectics Disco, Fannoire Ge, Percebes Records (Lisbon), For Mankind (Pikes, Ibiza), S/A/M (Cafe Del Mar, Ibiza).

Winner of the 2020 Bob James “Black Lives Matter” remix competition on François Kevorkian’s World Of Echoes Facebook page, Love For Black Lives is available on vinyl for the first time, alongside 2 brand new mixes, on this 4-track EP. It is the debut release on Hobbes Music’s new sub-label Noetic Rhythm, dedicated to releasing music that brings people together on the dancefloor.

Leonidas debuted in 2012 with Sequential EP on Kay Suzuki's Round In Motion label, gaining praise from industry legends. He has collaborated with Hobbes on several releases, including the Balearic hit Web of Intrigue, which topped Bill Brewster’s 2017 DJ poll. His music has appeared on compilations like DJ Harvey’s The Sound of Mercury Rising Vol II, as well as BBC Radio 1 & 6 music.

Following Parnell March’s Back Bar Grooves EP in February and November’s release of the Dust Tears (lead song from Sarah/Shaun’s debut) remixes, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label returns with a second EP of dream pop from husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), alias Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced McLochlun), who wooed hearts and wowed critics with debut EP ‘It’s True What They Say?’ last year.

‘It’s True What They Say?’ attracted fans across the board: Artist Of The Week in The Scotsman, rapturous reviews from The Skinny and Tokyo's Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, BBC 6Music airplay courtesy of Nemone (Mary Anne Hobbs' Morning Show), more radio play from Radio Scotland's Roddy Hart & Vic Galloway, plus Simone Butler (Primal Scream) and Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds) via their respective Soho Radio shows, not forgetting ringing endorsements from the likes of David Holmes, Youth, Kevin Bales (Spiritualized), Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks) and Julian Corrie (Franz Ferdinand).

They played gigs supporting Glasgow's huge Glasvegas, at festivals (Kendall Calling, Dunbar Music, Hidden Door), plus a slew of venues across the Scottish capital, ending the year with a trio of shows supporting Glaswegian 80s pop legends The Bluebells at Aberdeen’s Tunnels, Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys and Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, while The List magazine tipped them among their Ones To Watch For 2025, with journalist Fiona Shepherd suggesting they were “blending the starry-eyed pop of Sonny & Cher with the electronic experimentation of Chris & Cosey.”

Very much the companion piece to the debut EP but arriving a full twelve months later, Someone’s Ghost is emblematic of the duo’s desire not to rush things or release anything half-baked.

“I’ve always wanted to create the perfect pop record and I do really feel that we’ve achieved that with this one,” says Shaun. And he’s clearly not the only person who thinks so.

REVIEWS, FEEDBACK ETC:

"I LOVE that! Dreamy dreamy pop." ROY MOLLOY (Marvellous Crane/Alex Cameron) on BLAST RADIO, Sydney
“the Scottish music scene’s cream of the cool... buzzy drum beats, high, distant chimes, and heavenly electronics…. very ethereal.” THE SKINNY

"Listening to Sarah/Shaun is like eavesdropping on a noir dreampop, long-distance phone call between them both, across two separate sonic locations. On this stunning 4-song EP, Sarah’s voice, effortlessly mesmerising, draws you into these big beautiful and haunting passages of perfect dream-pop. All beautifully produced in a multi-layered-scape of low-fi analogue textures, epic cinematic crescendos, intense electro-pulse grooves and warped psycho-pop guitar riffs. Within the songs lurk a sense of unresolved emotions, longing and pathos. There are shades of classic Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra but also Post-Punk Electronica and Beach House. But what a unique sound they’ve created of their own. I love it" DAVID MCCLUSKEY (The Bluebells)
"Absolutely beautiful" SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"Lovely stuff here! Total quality." MARTYN 'MASH' HENDERSON
"Ooooh. Everything the last record promised is here. Well done" GEORGE T aka George Demure (Accident Machine)
"Vince clark Era Depeche Mode in places" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized)
"Sounds cool. Well done" PETE KEMBER (Sonic Boom, Spacemen 3)
"Glorious, it (Debbie Harry) grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." IAIN DAWSON aka RAVECHILD (Everyone Wants To Play The Hits Podcast)

SOMEONE’S GHOST

Born out of an incredibly anxious, stressful time, the songwriting process for these recordings has been something of a personal tonic for Shaun…

“There was a period when I was having nightmares,” he reveals. “Apparently I was saying there was someone in the room, I was talking to that person and Sarah was seeing all this while I was still asleep.

So, I was thinking that this was my ghost. I started writing songs because I was going through something and I was dealing with something and writing songs was a comfort. My ghost was a comfort, whether it was real or not. The idea of it was a comfort.”

“I firmly believe that everyone has someone who watches over them but all of the songs are essentially about being there for someone,” he says. “Everybody needs someone but also everyone needs to stay real and keep what you have, keep it close, never let it go. If you don’t have it, continue to tell people you’re there for them. It’s about loving and hoping people will be good to you in return.”

While Shaun took the songwriting lead on Filter Of Love and EP closer The Sound Which Stresses The Sound Of My Ears, Debbie Harry was originally instrumentally conceived by producer Jaguar Eyes, alias Ali Chisholm, later lyrically completed by Shaun, and the EP’s lead track, Anhedonia, and one of its stand-outs (much like Starbed on the debut) was conceived by Sarah, as a result of experiencing a bit of a spiritual epiphany of her own.

“When I first heard the word Anhedonia, I didn't know what it meant but when I found out I thought about it quite a bit. How sad it would be to have no enjoyment in anything,” she explains. “This song is really about my own personal beliefs. When I have been down, that's one of the things that helps me the most. It talks about trying to make amends but realising, for some things, you can't. But I think with any kind of faith comes hope… which is always a good thing.”

A record about hope, truth, honesty, a belief in something bigger than oneself… and all set to a soundtrack that wouldn’t feel out of place in a David Lynch or Eighties feature film. What more could anyone ask for, really?

There’s equally a desire to offer something universal and positive to anyone who tunes in. The labels for the 12” edition reveal the dual mantras “Who just wants to survive?” and “It’s about time to live a little”, with both messages also engraved in each record’s run-out grooves. T-shirts accompanying debut EP It’s True What They Say? bore the slogan “Kill Them With Kindness” - leading caps intentional. Shaun carries the acronym KTWK everywhere he plays, as a reminder: it’s stitched into his guitar strap. And this particular wee pebble has already caused a few ripples: people have been approaching him at gigs to acknowledge their appreciation and respect for it.

"We feel we have made an honest, open, colourful, body of work,” say the duo. “We hope to go out and play the songs with the guys (our band) and then potentially make more records. We are taking things as they come. Everything has been organic so far, after all. We are looking forward to whatever this brings."

It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).

“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”

The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.

“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”

“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”

The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).

Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”

The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…

REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:

“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)

CREDITS:

Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)

MORE INFO:

Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…

Raw. Deep. Unstoppable.
Born from a transatlantic collaboration, this vinyl delivers soulful house music in all its
shades. Jazzy chords collide with African roots, creating a warm, driving and
uncompromising sound. Four carefully crafted club bangers for every hour of the night
— hypnotic, uplifting, and impossible to let go.