WATCH: James Humphrys - 'Three Weeks'

I'm a little late to the party with this one, which has been in the inbox for about a month... but that's OK! I feel like we have it ingrained in us (I do, anyway) that we can't talk/write about tracks and records once they've been out for a couple of weeks but that certainly shouldn't be the case. I was digging through my list of things to write about, and this stuck out to me, partly as it's been rattling around in my head a lot of late, and I wanted to share something upbeat today to lift my spirits (and hopefully yours, if they need it!) The track is Three Weeks from James Humphrys - an artist from Bristol who takes influence from the likes of Foals, Bombay Bicycle Club and Parcels (what a trio!) 

The video (below) features and is directed by Jessie Mei Li, who stars as the lead in the forthcoming adaptation of Shadow and Bone on Netflix. On getting Jessie involved in the project, James shares: "I've known Jessie since my time as a student in Bristol. She has always said she likes my music and so one night out at the pub I asked her if she would like to feature in the video for my latest single. She said yes and as things turned out she did a lot more than just feature in it. She basically thought up the concept and directed the whole thing. Performing alongside such a talented actor certainly took me out of my comfort zone but I learnt a lot and I'm really proud of what we managed to achieve together."  

On the track, James shares "Let's be real, lockdown has been bloody tough for us all - particularly those living far away from loved ones. For me, much of the time I tried not to think about how rubbish it felt to feel so distant and disconnected, and for the most part I managed fine and tried to focus on the fact that this would not be forever - but ultimately, sometimes those thoughts felt pretty overwhelming. This song is me being honest about the situation." 

Follow James Humphrys - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Low Island - 'In Your Arms'

My superbly talented pals Low Island have done it again. In glorious style. New tune In Your Arms sees their trademark synth and guitar sounds wrap around Carlos' nostalgic and emotive vocals. The animated video from Bristol-based animator Patrick Atkins brings everything together - as always for the band, the track doesn't begin and end with the music itself, they're always in touch with the visual side, whether it be the artwork, video or at the live show, and it's particularly stunning here. The track was created in rural France (produced by the band themselves and mixed by Matt Wiggins (Porridge Radio, Glass Animals)) where the band rented a barn and spent time this year writing, recording, filming new content and learning everything they could about the industry they're in. They even set up their own label. Their press call them a 'DIY machine' and I can't help but agree. 

On the new track, Carlos comments "In Your Arms is a love letter to my childhood bedroom. It's about how objects or spaces that are important to us can get tangled up in our past and present, and how the memories and emotions they evoke can both comfort us and weigh us down. I find this to be particularly true of spaces we associate with childhood - they are heavy, often with so many contradictory feelings which complicates our relationship with them. This combination of comfort and oppression through nostalgia was at the heart of the conversations we had with Patrick about the video. We talked about artists like Rachel Whiteread and Robert Kipniss, playing with everyday objects and abstracting them to take on new meanings." 

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LISTEN: Sad Funeral - 'Kazbeg'

"I could really do with your love, baby, I could really do with your love."

Loving this! Anybody with a Fleet Foxes (etc) shaped hole in their live should wrap their ears around this. Kazbeg is the new single from Sad Funeral, the solo moniker of Adam Kane, frontman of Cave Painting and Company (who I think I've actually seen live, opening for The Wombats a few years back.) Having made tentative steps out into the world with Gone and Escape last year, the new track is the first "proper" single of the project. He explains that it was written upon his "return from Georgia with my partner, where I'd been visiting the village of Kazbegi. It's somewhere we'd often talked about going due to the remote and mountainous location."

Feeling the pressures of the music industry through his work in those bands, Adam took some time away from music, looking for inspiration in new places. Kazbeg is a result of that period of reflection and recuperation. Returning to his home of Brighton with a new sense of purpose and enthused after time away, the words and music began to flow. Finding that producer Rob Flynn of Oslo Parks was based just along the coast, the pair rekindled their relationship and worked on new material - Rob features on the new track alongside percussion from Chris Boot (Lucy Rose).

SadFuneral · Kazbeg

Talking about the track, Adam writes that it "feels like a very positive and natural progression from what was a tentative start at writing by myself following my earlier years with Cave Painting. The song isn't necessarily about a break up but more about a relationship that is lacking in areas being put under the microscope. I've also been writing a lot from different perspectives, one of those being my partners' and I've used the writing process to examine some of my own shortcomings." 

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LISTEN: The Ghost of Helags: ‘Chemistry’

Some new music for your eardrums - here's Chemistry from The Ghost of Helags. They're a dream-pop/electronic duo comprised of singer-songwriter Teresa Woischiski and producer John Alexander Ericson, hailing from Sweden and now living in Berlin. I'm getting some slight MGMT vibes from this tune... there's some darkness and mystery in the sound but it's simultaneously enchanting. Made in the night-time and for the night-time, Teresa explains that "the song was written in January this year on a foggy late night drive from Vienna to Prague. We didn't meet many cars and it was a very dense fog so it felt a bit like driving through outer space." The track was recorded in the hotel room in which they were staying in Prague, within days of arriving in the city. Enjoy!

The Ghost of Helags · CHEMISTRY

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LISTEN: Among The Citizens - 'In Your Car'

As a music blogger based in Peterborough and writing for the past few years, I think this may be my first post about a band based near the city. A historic moment. I was introduced to Among The Citizens last year by a close friend who went to college with the guys - cue a post-work gig in my hometown, another momentous occasion. (Gigs usually require a day out, or at least a frantic last minute train journey to London or elsewhere.) In new track In Your Car the band offer up a slice of indie/alternative in the vein of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Two Door Cinema Club and the like.

Like this? They're currently on a headline tour for This Feeling with a London show this Thursday (24th)  at The Monarch in Camden and a Cambridge show at Portland Arms on 2nd November.

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LISTEN: Declan Welsh & The Decadent West - 'How Does Your Love'

With the release of a live EP a couple of weeks ago I've been on a Twin Atlantic nostalgia trip lately as it'd been a while since I'd properly listened to the band. (Yep - still ace.) As if by magic, this cracking tune from fellow Glasgow artist Declan Welsh, and his band The Decadent West, arrived in my inbox shortly after and I am loving it! The track is taken from their upcoming debut album Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold which is due for release on 18th October via Modern Sky.

New track How Does Your Love drew me in with the tastiest of basslines. Seriously - listen for yourself and tell me you don't love it. Lyrically, the track is a nostalgic ode to and celebration of regional nightclubs and the crazy and intense experiences that they provide the setting for.

As Declan himself describes: "I actually think this is a love letter to the power of provincial nightclubs. See, they get a lot of stick and yes I am not a huge fan of Downtown in East Kilbride. But see for 90% of folk, the f**king Berghain is a nightmare. Or like any f**king grocers come techno cocktail bar in Dalston. It's pretentious and cool and it's full of people who go to places to be seen going to places. See Downtown in East Kilbride for all its flaws, people go there to get blitzed and forget about their week. Their week has been sh*te, they know the place they’re in is sh**e but it’s not work so they embrace it. It's also about how kissing someone on a dancefloor is a transcendent experience. Its lame as f**k and everyone around you hates you, but see when you meet someone you fancy on a night out and you both winch to music, no-one else in the world exists, yer hearts going a million miles an hour, it's a rare moment of genuine tunnel visioned bliss. This song celebrates that."

The new track arrives alongside an announcement of an extensive UK tour, seeing the band play fifteen dates around the country later this year. Tickets here. Full list of dates below...

31st Oct: Think Tank, Newcastle
3rd Nov: Hope & Ruin, Brighton
4th: Louisiana, Bristol
5th: Notting Hill Arts Club, London
6th: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
8th: Bootleg Social, Blackpool
9th: Phase One, Liverpool
10th: Lending Room, Leeds
11th: Jimmys, Manchester
13th: Cookie, Leicester
14th: Lantern, Halifax
15th: St Lukes, Glasgow
17th: Mad Hatters, Inverness
18th: Tunnels, Aberdeen
19th: Beat Generator, Dundee

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WATCH: PD Liddle - 'Uncanny Valley'

It's somehow already over two and a half years since one of my favourite bands, Dry The River, decided to call it a day after two brilliant records. Their music continues to mean a lot and I've kept an eye on and an ear out for the various side projects they're involved in, and perhaps the most exciting is reaching its peak as lead singer Peter Liddle, under the name PD Liddle, has just unveiled another solo track Uncanny Valley and announced that his debut solo record Casual Labour is due out in two weeks time via Xtra Mile Recordings.

The record is a treat for loyal Dry The River fans, filled with those beautifully distinct vocals of Liddle, and featuring guest appearances and contributions from members of DtR including Scott Miller on bass, Patrick Pearson on keys, Will Harvey arranging and performing strings and Matthew Reynolds on guitar. The record itself, produced by Peter Miles (Eliza & The Bear, Lonely The Brave) was completed in just 5 days and written gradually over the years since DtR disbanded, coming together in Liddle's spare time while he turned his attention to a new career and began to study law.

Writing of the record, Peter said that “When I was younger, I thought you wrote about the big events and huge milestones in your life - that you need emotional peaks and troughs to inspire you, but just participating in daily life is much more inspiring for me… The ethos of this record was if it’s really difficult, you’re not doing it right. If you’re having to push hard against something it’s probably not working. It was finding the path of least resistance… It's been a nice journey, discovering that.”

Pre-order Casual Labour here - it's due for release on 13th July.

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