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The past year's lockdown has proved undeniably challenging to improvising musicians who typically thrive on face-to-face interaction. But bassist Mike Watt, drummer/percussionist Mike Pride, and guitarist/banjoist Brandon Seabrook have all built their careers on kicking down the barriers between genres, so why would they let a little pandemic-induced isolation and geographic distance stand in their way? Convening for the first time as Three-Layer Cake, these three dizzyingly inventive artists bake up a long-distance set of singular, boundary-defying collaborations on their combustible debut, Stove Top. Stove Top is uncategorizable in the best sense of the word, patching together elements of punk, free jazz, new music, no wave, doom metal, dub, avant-funk, and various subsectors of the experimental in such freewheeling and raucous fashion that the very idea of divvying them up into disparate inspirations seems laughable.

Known for the soulful jazz-grooves of their self-titled 2020 debut album, Matti Klein’s Soul Trio actually began as an idea rather than a group.
However, in early 2018 three master musicians met in Berlin’s Lovelite Studio with producer/engineer Jochen Str h (Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Jimi Tenor) and recorded a set of well-planned and even better executed live sessions, each finding their desired space live and direct, locking into the immediacy of the groove. ‘Soul Trio Live On Tape’ contains these very first sessions of the Matti Klein Soul Trio and comprises new arrangements of songs that had primarily been composed for Klein’s band Mo’ Blow; favourites already back then, timeless classics now thanks to these exciting ‘deep-fried contemporary soul jazz’ versions.
Their leader, known for his work as musical director for the Brazilian superstar Ed Motta as well as Mo ‘Blow, can be heard on Wurlitzer and Rhodes Bass; Lars Zander (The Ruffcats, El Cartel, Lucasonic, STEREOFYSH) not only proves he is the most soulful tenor saxophonist in Berlin, but also why he has earned kudos for a bass clarinet sound that is enhanced with analog tape delays, Wah-Wah and Harmonizer-sweetenings; and drummer Andr Seidel also shows his chops, incorporating elements of rock, hip-hop, odd meter fusion and the sound of New Orleans into his own unique groove jazz style.
As for the music, ‘Rocket Swing’ is a tenor sax feature in which a hip-hop vibe meets a jazzy fifth fall, while ‘Ray’ (dedicated to Mr. Charles) is a Meters-inspired shuffle in 7/8 time. ‘No Particular Way’ showcases the funky side of the band, with singer Pat Appleton in top form over a wonderfully creaky Rhodes bass. ‘Sunsqueezed’ is created in a wide compositional arc, evoking a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds during a long and grey 10-month Berlin winter, giving hope for the next two months.
‘Eleven Feels Like Heaven’ is a joyful, uproarious gospel blues with a brilliant odd meter drum solo. ‘Grandpa’s Fairytale’ is a hitherto unreleased piece that is dedicated to the bandleader’s grandfather, a former school headmaster who loved to read him stories and is a Wurlitzer-warmth meets bass clarinet groove in an atypical dynamic arc. Summarising their efforts, Klein states somewhat cryptically that “the band rolls in a warm, soft couch whenever there is a risk of having to sit between the chairs.”
Initially available as a limited fan item only at live shows, this document is now being released officially with the addition of ‘Grandpa’s Fairytale’. It is a journey through time, absolutely contemporary and yet wonderfully back to the future.

Als Matthew E. White an dem Nachfolger seines zweiten Studioalbums arbeitete, wollte er seine Herangehensweise an das Songwriting neu erfinden, zumindest für eine Session. White versammelte eine vertrauenswürdige Truppe von sieben Musikern in Richmond, Virginia. Er dirigierte das Septett durch eine Reihe von lockeren, größtenteils gestischen Kompositionen. Die Klänge waren gewaltig, eine Reihe von Keyboards und Gitarren untermalten den Schwung einer ineinandergreifenden vierköpfigen Rhythmusgruppe. Aber die Ergebnisse passten nicht ganz zu der in Arbeit befindlichen Platte, so dass White die Jams auf Eis legte, bis die richtige Muse kam. Das war, wie sich herausstellte, Lonnie Holley, dessen wunderschön verwelkte Stimme bald eine Art kosmische Weisheit über Whites wartende Arbeit ergoss. Das Ergebnis - Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection - ist explosiver und eindringlicher als alles, was die beiden Künstler je gemacht haben. Aggressiv, aber ekstatisch, spielerisch, aber pointiert, ist Broken Mirror eine pointierte, aber einfühlsame Sozialkritik, unterlegt mit einem mächtigen Groove. Holley nahm seine Vocals über Whites Aufnahmen in nur vier Stunden auf. Als Visionär und intuitiver Texter hörte sich Holley 20 Sekunden an und proklamierte die Bilder, die die Klänge hervorriefen. Wenn ihm etwas gefiel, zog er ein Notizbuch zu Rate, das voller lyrischer Einfälle war, und sang dann komplette erste Takes zu Musik, die er noch nie gehört hatte. Abzüglich bescheidener Bearbeitungen und leichter Overdubs wurde Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection an Ort und Stelle fertiggestellt, ein Blitz, der einen Platz zum Einschlagen suchte. Holley und White mögen als unwahrscheinliche Kollaborateure erscheinen, da sie durch Jahrzehnte und Disziplinen getrennt sind, aber die beiden teilen tiefe Alabama-Wurzeln. Und was noch wichtiger ist: Holley und White betrachten Musik als ein unheimliches Gefäß für sonst undurchdringliche Vorstellungen von Trauer, Leid und Solidarität. Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection ist ein zeitgemäßer Appell an die Kraft der Zusammenarbeit, an verwandte Geister, die sich auch in überfüllten Räumen zusammenfinden.

Dry Cleanings fiebriger Post-Punk klingt wie kein anderer Sound zurzeit. Bassist Lewis Maynard, Drummer Nick Buxton und Gitarrist Tom Dowse kennen sich schon eine kleine Ewigkeit und hatten schon diverse gemeinsame Bandprojekte zusammen. Die neue Band der Londoner entstand 2017 nach einem Karoke-Abend, bei dem sie Florence Shaw kennenlernten. Shaw, die vorher nie gesungen hatte, wurde zur Stimme der Band. Binnen weniger Monate entstanden die ersten Songs; die Texte handeln von Neurosen, seltsamen YouTube-Kommentaren und den normalen Dingen des Lebens. Shaw ist eine gute Beobachterin und eine Archäologin des Alltags. Der ungeschminkte Sound von Dry Cleaning bietet Shaws Geschichten dabei eine berauschende Klangkulisse. 2020 waren nach zwei EP-Veröffentlichungen und Touren durch englische Clubs Konzerte in den USA und Europa geplant, aber wegen der Pandemie saß die Band stattdessen im britischen Lockdown. Die Zeit nutzte man, um weitere Songs zu schreiben und das Debütalbum mit John Parish als Produzent in dessen Rockfield Studios aufzunehmen. "New Long Leg" wird die Musikwelt im Sturm erobern.

Just when you thought that lockdown fatigue was getting the best of you, SIRS comes correct with another four tracker of edit wonders to rework your mind from dreary to cheery in the drop of a needle.

With Lovebirds taking listeners on a blissed-out, sun-kissed Balearic trip for the last record, SIRS leads you into the night with four Italo pumpers that put the ‘u’ in euphoric.

Over three decades as the unassuming but pivotal figure behind some of Scotland’s most iconic pop, Jim McCulloch steps out of the shadows and onto centre stage with his debut solo album. The former Soup Dragon perfects his mastery of songcraft on When I Mean What I Say, released on Violette Records on 21 May 2021.
Lush and textured, delicate and intriguing, When I Mean What I Say is immersed in the melodic tapestries of Laurel Canyon but rooted in Jim’s life in his hometown of Glasgow. Written in Donegal’s wild Atlantic coast and recorded pre-Lockdown in Glasgow’s downtown Gorbals district, the warmth of the album’s classic pop and its lyrical openness transports the listener to an emotional and harmonic timelessness far from 2020’s claustrophobia.
Jim: “Violette Records are kindred spirits in the music world. Their ethos, aesthetic and generosity of spirit chime with me. Once I had finished the album, they were the only record company I sent it off to-the only record company I thought could do it justice.”

Freedom is the debut EP from South East London vocalist + DJ Ell Murphy for Shall Not Fade sub-label Time Is Now. The EP sees Ell collaborating with 5 acclaimed producers in the UKG scene; DJ Crisps, Stones Taro, Highrise, Picasso & Tuff Trax; each one hand-picked by Ell to bring their unique production style to the release; and made entirely during lockdown over the past year, working remotely with the producers based in Rotterdam, Australia, Japan & London.

After getting a handful a couple of weeks back, we now have a good supply of this wonderful album coming in: in for 14th May release date.
With her ambidextrous and pedidextrous, multi-instrumental
techniques of her own making and influences ranging from video
games to West African griots subverting the predominantly
white male canon of fingerstyle guitar, Yasmin Williams is truly
a guitarist for the new century. So too is her stunning sophomore
release, Urban Driftwood, an album for and of these times.
Though the record is instrumental, its songs follow a narrative
arc of 2020, illustrating both a personal journey and a national
reckoning, through Williams’ evocative, lyrical compositions.
Williams, 24, began playing electric guitar in eighth grade,
after she beat the video game Guitar Hero 2 on expert level.
Initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix and other shredders she
was familiar with through the game, she quickly moved on to
acoustic guitar, finding that it allowed her to combine fingerstyle
techniques with the lap-tapping she had developed, as well as
perform as a solo artist. Deriving no lineage from “American
primitive” and rejecting the problematic connotations of the
term, Williams’ influences include the smooth jazz and R&B
she listened to growing up, Hendrix and Nirvana, go-go and
hip-hop. On Urban Driftwood, Williams references the music
of West African griots through the inclusion of kora and hand
drumming of 150th generation djeli Amadou Kouyate, on the
title track.
Yasmin Williams is virtuosic in her mastery of the guitar and
in the techniques of her own invention, but her playing never
sacrifices lyricism, melody, and rhythm for pure demonstration
of skill. Storytelling through sound is important to her too. As
detailed in the liner notes, the songs on Urban Driftwood were
completed during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent
lockdown, in the midst of a national uprising of Black Lives
Matter protests in response to the killings of George Floyd and
Breonna Taylor. But while Urban Driftwood illustrates current
struggle, can’t help but open-heartedly offer a timeless solace.

„Music To Be Murdered By: Side B (Deluxe)“ ist ab sofort als 4-Piece Vinyl Album erhältlich! Die Deluxe
Version seines 11. Studioalbums umfasst neben den ursprünglichen 20 Songs 16 komplett neue Tracks.
Die Liste der weiteren Features beinhaltet u.a. Dr. Dre, Ty Dolla $ign, Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Don
Toliver, DJ Premier und viele mehr. Als Executive Produzent fungierte Dr. Dre, doch auch Eminem selbst
war maßgeblich an der Produktion des Albums beteiligt.

Locked in a 486 glow, lightblink machines nightlight, being enters lighttime limelight. The long nineties already distending, the Major midbloats, crowds throng superclubs- strobelit honeys on a podium in Ibiza already blasted a stratosphere away from mildewed badflats, emphysemic parlours, the fug of week old washing drying slowly on the rad. Ach we’ll hang it out in the morning fire another joint of badhash and turn that tape over. We are being Here. beings disconnected, shut ins, psychick worriers, long walks to and from clubs, mostly dark, always raining, or mizzling anyway, lug bigbrick machines into cabs and Venue, setup and playing live and right now from the lounge lobby at Sativa, down the stairs from the caustic, twitching thrashpit being sits, being works. Dole sludge, shirking class zeroes, scoff pizza rolls w salad cream, that headchef gaffer never reckoned you’d graft at the potwash, a slick fur of rotfood dish slop residue right to the elbow, absolutely bowfin. Rumours of other places, people, scenes, tapes sent and emissaries return, invites to get trains, overnightbus south to London. being brought water to the ‘wells in South London and monthly emissions snaked out into the world, into badflats elsewhere where gowched couch tatties sprawl and the being burrowed deep into memories.. Tea is toast and sandwich spread and endless crisps as the binbags pile high in the backyard, the being blinks, it’s a twilit morning and it’s time to go to bed.

A symbol for quality techno music going back 15 years, Jay Lumen makes his solo EP debut on Drumcode.

A dance music journeyman with over 70 releases and a quality imprint Footwork Audio to his name, Jay Lumen’s solo debut EP on Adam Beyer’s label is richly deserved. The artist has been in standout form recently, most notably contributing ‘Galactic Rainbow’ to A-Sides Vol.10, one of the highlights of the compilation. We got our first taste of Lumen on Drumcode way back in 2012 when he teamed with Gary Beck for the rhythmic gem ‘Lotus’. Nine years on, his next EP offering doesn’t disappoint.

‘Returning’ is marked by crushing drumlines and shuffling beats, before gradually building into an emotional chord driven cut that looks hopefully towards the future. ‘Mind’ contrasts this perfectly, a loopy monster that rolls for days, evoking a distinct old skool spirit.

Speaking about the title track, Lumen explains: “I wrote ‘Returning’ when I was in a period of really missing techno and the party community. The physical contact with people at events, as well as on the streets and at venues before the shows. Hugs and interactions. I can already imagine playing this at the first open air after lockdown as the sun sets. This track is about the reunion and happiness we’re all going to share.”

Juan Wauters’ fifth solo album, Real Life Situations, is a multifaceted ode to sur- rendering control and taking life as it comes. References to radio abound on its 21 tracks, and with good reason - the album spans genres, narrators, languages, and perspectives with the ease of spinning a rotary knob. Mining older songs, phone notes, new material, and snippets from TV and YouTube, Wauters has crafted an aural document of the year through his eyes.

Despite the circumstances of its creation, Real Life Situations is not a quarantine record. In many ways it’s the opposite of one, taking togetherness as both its subject and its primary medium. Pre-lockdown collaborations with Mac DeMar- co, Peter Sagar (AKA Homeshake), Nick Hakim, Cola Boyy, El David Aguilar, and more playfully offset Wauters’ more pensive solo tracks, and even in its sparest moments the album pulses with life. This is due in part to an impressive array of interludes and samples, most of which are field recordings that Wauters collects on his phone, ranging from the innocuous (“A Peter Pan Donuts Conversation”) to the intense (“Crack Dabbling”).

Under his care, these small moments become coordinates for the peaks and valleys of human experience, coloring the album with Wauters’ unique shade of realism. “Some people think I’m an optimist”, he explains, “but I’m not. I’m always seeing all sides of things.”
Of course, Wauters himself never disappears in the boisterous crowd - he lends his chameleonic songwriting to experiments in hip-hop (“Unity”), lo-fi R&B (“Mon- soon”), and deft indie folk (“Lion Dome”). Themes of loneliness, personal growth, patience, and companionship arise again and again; we can feel Wauters navi- gating a rapidly-changing world in real time. Jubilant choruses and spoken word poetry bleed into city noises and overheard conversations. Real freedom, the album suggests, comes not from gaining control, but from accepting its artifice. Like the programming on a radio station, there’s something here for everyone. All you have to do is listen.

2012 von den Balfour Brüdern in Belfast Nord Irland gegründet, konnte sich MAVERICK schnell in der Szene etablieren. Mit ihrem ersten Album„Quid Pro Quo“ waren sie bereits mit den schwedischen Hardrock Stars THE POODLES auf Tour. Das von Presse und Fans überschwänglich gefeierte zweite Album „Big Red“ brachte sie wieder zurück auf die Bühnen, diese Mal mit den schwedischen Superstars TREAT. Außerdem waren sie Gast auf vielen Festivals wie z.B. das H.E.A.T FESTIVAL (D), ICEROCK und ROCKNACHT TENNWIL (CH), WILDFEST (BE) und dem ROCKINGHAM in England, was ihnen half ihre schon große Fanbase noch weiter zu vergrößern. Ihr nächstes Album »Cold Star Dancer« aus dem Jahr 2018 bekam beste Kritiken in der internationalen Presse und die Band spielte ihre erste Headliner Tour in Europa gefolgt von einer Tour mit den schwedischen Glam Rockern CRASHDIET. Außerdem spielten sie das das schweizer ROCK
THE RING Festival zusammen mit WHITESNAKE, TESLA und DEF LEPPARD. Die Tour wurde wieder mit Gitarrist Ric gespielt, der die Band wegen persönlicher Gründe verlassen hatte. Sein Ersatz Steve Moore kehrte zu seiner Band STORMZONE zurück. Ihr H.E.A.T FESTIVAL Auftritt im Dezember 2019 war die letzte Show für ihren Drummer Jonny Millar. Für ihn konnte mit Jason-Steve Mageney,
einem guten Freund der Band aus Wuppertal, ein mehr als adäquater Ersatz am Schlagzeug gefunden werden. Die Aufnahmen für das Album begannen Ende 2019 aber Covid-19 geschuldet, dauerte alles länger als erwartet. Durch den Lockdown in der UK war es lange Zeit unmöglich Jason für die Schlagzeugaufnahmen einzufliegen. Dies gelang dann endlich im Sommer 2020. Mit »Ethereality« ist der Band ein Album gelungen, welches alle MAVERICK Trademarks enthält. So findet man catchy, Hookline-orientiertes Songwriting von »Big Red« kombiniert mit etwas härteren Einflüssen von »Cold Star Dancer«. Man muss nur die Songs «Switchblade Sister”, «Bells Of Stygian”, «Falling” oder die Fast-Ballade »The Last One« anhören, um zu wissen, dass »Ethereality« ihr bisher bestes Album ist. Denn
so muss Heavy Rock klingen!

Roman Flügel is a magician. This statement is far from being a hyperbole. Just put the needle down on any record – I mean any! – of his ( collaborations included) since the early nineties and see for yourself: none of them are without that special effect. The magic works instantly. And as the thing with magic goes: it’s challenging to explain it. But I guess that is what makes it magic.

Eating Darkness is the title of his newest spell. Affected by the fundamental shock that any system got in 2020 – but not the result thereof – it is an album that could absorb it – as its name might suggest. Music and nightlife work hand in hand as escapism and as anchors or as the undercoat of social interactions. They enable people to deal with hardships as well as the burden and the joy of life. That is the starting point and hope of Eating Darkness: the outlook and invitation to enrich each and everyone’s existence.

Bound to the single LP format and reminiscent of a time with format limitations, the nine tracks are testament to Flügel’s weakness for the art of pop music with the use of little and especially short motifs. Furthermore equipped with a clear instrumentation and without any camouflage, Eating Darkness corresponds to his idea of a virtual band.

As it happens, the opener is called The Magic Briefcase. That sits not only well with my first sentence, but pretty much embodies the album and Roman Flügel’s apparatus in an alternative title: Crystal clear sounds and melodies bounce on and off the dance floor, living room and club are pulled together and transcendental moments take turns with the tangibility of reality. After all, that is how a real magician allures you.

LIMITED 180GM OPAQUE ORANGE VINYL.

BUFFET LUNCH are a Scottish group who make it their mission to craft satisfyingly imperfect pop songs filled with imagery and humour.The group’s elementary parts are Perry O’Bray (Vocals/Keys/Guitar), Neil Robinson (Bass), John Muir (Lead Guitar) & Luke Moran (Drums), united by a shared love of music on the ABBA-to-Beefheart axis.

These four ricochet between Glasgow and Edinburgh, creating music that bristles with DIY spirit and upbeat wonkiness. Their tracks are vigorous excursions, meandering into clattersome terrain as often as hiking up into the breezy, melodious foothills.The desire to lead the listener along a curious tale helps tie things together, showcasing a lyrical playfulness that pins down their puzzle of sound.

Having been an active band for a few years, playing regularly north of the border with like-minds such as Irma Vep, Robert Sotelo and Kaputt, Buffet Lunch spent early 2020 working on the follow-up to their two EPs on Permanent Slump.The fruits from such labour bore out as the band’s debut album ‘ThePower of Rocks’, out may 7th on UpsetTheRhythm.

‘ThePower of Rocks’ was recorded in a Crofters cottage/studio on the banks of Upper Loch Fyne in Argyll, over four nights and five days at the beginning of March 2020, before Covid-19 made itself such an ongoing concern. Back then four people could occupy the same space and make music, lunch and dinner together. Days fell into a pattern of long sessions and long meals.The album came together as a luminous mix of Buffet Lunch’s live chestnuts, some sparky recent songs and some new material entirely written and recorded in situ. All tracks were recorded by Neil Robinson acting as the in-house engineer.

As the seriousness of the virus and talk of national lockdowns developed - there was a feeling of anticipation more than fear in the air, but being holed up in cottage in a wild corner of Scotland surrounded by snowy mountains still took on an apocalyptic feel, albeit an apocalypse where the band were safe and overdubbing vocals. After leaving the cottage, reality (as it must) set in and finishing the album became a more remote task.

Over the following months, an extended period of listening awarded the recordings a deeper realisation, as they bounced between band members computers. Perry also started writing on his Casio keyboard and collaborated on a couple of songs (‘Ten Times’ & ‘Ashley’s New Haircut’) with Jayne Dent (of electronic music project Me Lost Me), drawing on her ethereal singing voice as a counterpoint to his own more ‘spoken’ vocals on the album. These gauzy, dreamlike tracks were then sent to other members of Buffet Lunch to add their respective parts, creating evocative new dimensions to close each half ofthealbum with.

The Power of Rocks’ rattles along like a short-story collection, exploring a variety of narratives. When it comes to the music itself, Perry describes their approach as “see what happens” but admits to a preference for simple synth melodies, plenty of percussion, and prickly guitar-parts. ‘Red Apple’ opens the album with a dizzy swagger, guitars and keyboard notes swirling in forays whilst its lyric tackles notions of social bravado. ‘Orange Peel’ follows equally serpentine with its blattering tune and jagged, yet jolly melodic twists.The themes across the album are wide-ranging and personal, from irritation with out of touch politicians (‘Pebbledash’), to love letters to seaside living (‘Bladderwrack’), to even the frailty and confusion of old age (‘Said Bernie’, ‘It Helps to Know’). Title track ‘ThePower of Rocks’ is an ode to the power of nature sunk within a rolling wave of cheery jangle. “Do you believe in the power of rocks when the sun is too hot on your face?” sings Perry as the song zigzags with consequence. ‘He Wore Two Hats’ sports similarly bop-worthy riffs and addictive nods as it deals with its story of savvy man who’d bitten off more than he could chew.

Buffet Lunch’s debut album accomplishes a lot in its brief 38 minutes. It stuns and startles, intrigues and entwines, drawing the listener further into its characterful world. When asked about any intent posed with this debut record Perry confides that “we hope people can hear the joy the band had making the album and the curiosity and frustration that went into the writing. There was no process or design, but there is detail, and deliberateness in our wish to explore and create.” It’s this attentive focus alongside a keen sense of humour that really sets Buffet Lunch apart, with ideas darting wilfully to and from the poignant truths at hand.

Dalhous end the 5-year silence with the long awaited follow up to 2016's House Number 44, presenting the second volume of The Composite Moods Collection. "Point Blank Range" reinterprets the established narrative with an inverse look at the proceedings. Taking the “point of view of the disease", the perspective is now turned inside out, revealing an alternate account from the eyes of the photographed subject of House Number 44. If Vol.1 was a documented presentation of another person's condition, Vol.2 takes the listener behind the facade.

From the outset, the album offers a narratively uncooperative stance, weaving together layers of anxiety and painful specificity that often overtly manifests the psychotic protagonist's stormy interior state. A clearly subjective assault, which is made evident right from opening track 'Transceivers' through to the imploding nature of 'Intramuscular Administration’, to the vulnerable, psychedelic mania of 'Open As A Glade Unfolding'. Continuing to work within the framework of a soundtrack-like structure, Dalhous ramps things up to provide the aural equivalent of sound and picture, manifesting an almost quasi-visual experience.

The entire record can be listened to as a continuous piece, each track seamlessly linked together as though part of an interconnecting nervous system. Where House Number 44 offered airy, widescreen soundscapes of detached detail, Point Blank Range presents an altogether different form. Creating airtight vacuums of agitated twitching feeling, tracks are pulled to the forefront of the stereo field, continually mutating their densely painted neurochemical hallucinations with a breadth of sound previously unheard on previous releases.

Listeners will be able to decipher nods to long standing soundtrack influences from composers such as Fabio Frizzi, with his use of strikingly bold and haunting melodies, to Tangerine Dream’s distinctively foggy atmospheres of The Keep. There are moments that evoke the nihilistic drones of Brian Gascoigne’s soundtrack to Phase IV, and the more horrific passages of metal clanging ambience from the likes of Chu Ishikawa with his scores for Shinya Tsukamoto.

After their former record label Blackest Ever Black disbanded, Dalhous found themselves out on a limb. It took 5 years to find a new home with Denovali. Given the unusually extended period between records, Dalhous had the time to dive deeper into the material, rendering a level of experimentation previously unavailable to them. Over 4 hours of material was created, a total of 1TB of data. Countless revisions to the track listing ensued with some of the unused material being reutilised in the making of the final chapter in the trilogy to form a direct companion piece.

As if the ever evolving style and sprawling narratives of Creeper didn’t already keep him busy enough, Will Gould reacted to last year’s initial lockdown by delving into the archives to complete the debut EP from his side project SALEM. Working alongside his friend and collaborator Matt Reynolds, SALEM quickly sold-out the first vinyl pressing of their self-titled debut EP while also earning fresh acclaim and streaming an In The K! Pit show for Kerrang!.

Now the second chapter in the SALEM story emerges from the underworld with the news that they’ll release their new EP ‘SALEM II’ on May 7TH and now share the first taste of the EP in the shape of the new single ‘DRACULADS’.

‘DRACULADS’ opens with the kind of larger-than-life b-movie horror love letter that can only come from Gould’s poison pen: “Maybe the blood of Jesus Christ is laced upon your lips / I get a little closer to God and too drunk each time we kiss.” It sets the tone for a blitzkrieg rush of melodic punk and raucous rock ‘n’ roll that only stops for breath for the song’s cabaret croon breakdown.

Elsewhere, the EP builds upon the style that SALEM established with their debut. From the tongue-in-cheek reference to The Smiths on the opening track ‘William, It Was Really Something’ to the closing ‘Heaven Help Me’, SALEM play it fast, frenetic and fun. As with the best old school punk EPs, ‘SALEM II’ is an escapist rush of attention that commands your attention for 15 minutes before it’s time to drop the needle back to the start.

Night Beats, will be announcing their fifth full-length ‘Outlaw R&B’ and sharing the first single, ‘New Day’ on Feb 5th. Following the recent ‘That’s All You Got’ 7”, Night Beats’ latest long-player lands May 4th via Fuzz Club Records. Made during the height of the California wildfires (where Danny now resides), rioting in the streets and a nation in lockdown, ‘Outlaw R&B’ deals in a psychedelic and R&B-infused garage-rock sound that’s “bathed in post-apocalyptic bliss”.

Two bodies dancing hot in the New York City winter before being pushed inside for the rest of 2020. Two hearts that, in the span of 6 months, faced the loss of both of their mothers, the matriarchs that bore them to this planet full of wonder. They held on tight to the beauty of living, together. With this shared language and the confines of quarantine they lost and loved even harder. Battling packed boxes and lost jobs, the two celebrated their tragic journey with broad shoulders forcing power chords and the harmonized chants of utter release. They huddled together for the future while leaking their hearts into pop melodies that collide effortlessly with both a shared melancholy and simultaneous hope. MAN ON MAN (also M.O.M.) is a new gay lover band made up of Joey Holman (HOLMAN) and Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen, CRICKETS, Nastie Band). Their upcoming self-titled record, MAN ON MAN, is infused with indie-rock distortion and soaked in gay pop confidence while still maintaining the dry acerbic sense of humor they both share. M.O.M.'s music videos take their magical collaboration to another level with otherworldly cinematographic dimension, and of course, the subversive playfulness of two gay lovers unmistakably flirting with their audience and each other. Upon the release of their debut single, “Daddy”, their video (chock full of the pair dancing seductively in their white briefs) was removed from YouTube for violating their “sex and nudity policy.” At this moment, the band solidified their political visibility as queer artists who are not ok with being silenced or removed from history because of their age or size. Bottum told Rolling Stone, “There’s enough representation in the gay community of young, hairless pretty men." Roddy and Joey’s love for each other and their own bodies, histories, and truths are what make this project so tender and lovable. MAN ON MAN’s music transcends both genre or decade, creating a timeless appeal for so many kinds of listening. The varied influences and textures of the record are a meditation on the myriad of emotions of lockdown, as well as this particular moment in their own lives, collectively and independently. The shoegaze whirlpools of “Stohner” transition into the square wave synths of “1983” with ease, while tracks like “It’s So Fun (To Be Gay)” open us up to a new type of queer anthem for the 2020s.

Previously unissued 1999 live set from Alex Chilton (The Box Tops/Big Star) and Hi Rhythm Section Hi Rhythm Section has performed on seminal recordings from Ann Peebles, Ike & Tina Turner, O. V. Wright, Otis Clay, and Al Green Packaging contains liner notes from Memphis Mayhem author and Producer David Less “I never saw him have so much fun on stage. Without rehearsal, Alex called songs and the band locked in. The horn section consists of top Memphis session guys who huddled together when each song was called creating parts on the fly. The pure joy of playing this music so freely with such legendary musicians comes across in every groove of the record.” —David Less, from his liner notes Memphis is a city with music in its blood. When Fred Ford, co-founder of the Beale Street Music Festival, was diagnosed with cancer, David Less organized Fredstock, a fund raiser to help with his medical bills. Less contacted Memphis legend Alex Chilton (The Box Tops, Big Star), who was living in New Orleans, to ask him to participate. Alex said he didn’t have any musicians to play with in Memphis, so Less suggested the Hi Rhythm Section (the band behind classics from artists including Ann Peebles, Ike & Tina Turner, O. V. Wright, Otis Clay, and Al Green). Alex replied, “That will work.” This previously unissued live set contains versions of soul classics from The Supremes and Otis Clay, rock numbers from Chuck Berry and Little Richard, and even a cover of the KC & The Sunshine Band title track. Available on CD, Digital, and LP