ALBUM NEWS: Haux - 'Violence In A Quiet Mind’

With a string of singles and a couple of EPs under his belt, the first of which was released back in 2016, it seems surprising that Haux (AKA photographer-turned-musician Woodson Black) is only just announcing news of his debut album. Delve deeper into his story, and you'll find the reasons for the wait; the album is an intensely personal collection of tracks which reflect on his experiences of cancer, substance abuse and an accidental overdose within those close to him. Black describes the record as being about "being honest after hiding for so many years [...] like a self-guided therapy session [...] an album for people who naturally hide their true feelings; people that look OK on the outside but are struggling on the inside, people who think they don't deserve to get the help they really need."

The first taste of the record arrives in new single Heavy, a track recalling the moment that he discovered that his Aunt Alice had died of an accidental overdose. He shares that "I remember I was walking back from a show in Boston and I got a phone call from my mum and I kind of just crumpled there on the sidewalk, tearing up. I wrote 'Heavy' about that time. I kind of stepped into her shoes for a little bit and wrote it from her perspective, or at least what I imagined it to be." It's a stunning track and, although it's bound to be a heartbreaking listen, I'm really excited to hear the record in full.

The debut album from Haux, Violence In A Quiet Mind was produced by Thomas Bartlett (Rhye, Sufjan Stevens) and is set for release via Color Study on June 26th. Pre-save it here.

Follow Haux - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

ALBUM NEWS: Sam Fender - 'Hypersonic Missiles'

Brilliant news - Sam Fender has announced details of his debut album Hypersonic Missiles, due for release 9th August. Written, recorded and produced at his self-built warehouse studio in North Shields alongside producer Bramwell Bronte, the record explores relatable themes of social frustrations and despair that Sam has become known and loved for. When I caught him playing at last year's The Great Escape festival at the Communion showcase it was already clear that he had a loyal and passionate following and there was a lot of buzz around his set. Fast forward a few months and a bunch of sold out shows, he won the BRITs Critics' Choice award at the end of 2018. If the success of previous winners such as Florence & The Machine, Jack Garratt and James Bay is anything to go by, this record is sure to arrive among a lot of anticipation. Check out the title track of the new record below!

Head to Sam's website to pre-order the album and check out his upcoming shows and festival appearances.

Follow Sam Fender - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram. 

ALBUM NEWS: Benedict Benjamin - 'Truant'

Exciting news! Benedict Benjamin has announced details of his second album Truant which is set for release on May 3rd, and has shared the first single from the record, Ain't Easy. After seeing him play at a couple of Sofar Sounds Oxford shows I was drawn in by his beautiful vocals, and absolutely adore his debut album Night Songs. It was a favourite to listen to while studying in the library at university - very peaceful!

Ben has turned to a more full band sound for the second album, with influences from the likes of Everly Brothers to The Velvet Underground and Tom Petty. The sound may have grown, but the poetic lyrics remain and I'm loving this first track! Speaking about it, Benedict explains "this song's about how much work you've got to put into anything in order to make it work. It's about how hard it sometimes is just to keep things afloat and not pack it all in. You go through good spells where everything is great and bad spells where everything feels crap and difficult. When you're in one of the latter you either persevere or you just give up, and this song's about the persevering."  

Perhaps more excitingly than the album news is the tour he has also announced, where he'll be co-headlining alongside Christof van der Ven and Emma Gatrill. A very very good line-up! Tickets for the shows in Leeds, Stroud, Brighton and London this March are available here.

Follow Benedict Benjamin - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Matthew And The Atlas - 'Pyres'

I often ramble about my love for the independent label Communion... they're brilliant and they always deserve the praise, constantly delivering music and shows from some of the most exciting new bands out there. Their first ever signing was the total legend Matthew And The Atlas, very quickly hailed by Q Magazine as a "British Bon Iver" and deservedly so. Last year, I caught Matt and the band performing in the beautiful surroundings of a Church in Shepherd's Bush for the label's Bushstock Festival, I was volunteering in the venue and it was a little overwhelming to be standing around in the 'backstage' area while members of the band came and went. The set was glorious.

I am delighted to hear that Matt is releasing his brand new album Morning Dancer on 10th May and absolutely can not get enough of the first single Pyres. Musically it's a far cry from his early acoustic offerings of 2010, and even the Cali and Palace EPs of 2017, but this is in no way a bad thing. Matt's unmistakable vocals shine through the track, with gorgeous harmonies and as Communion themselves describe it, "illustrious brass interjections" which need to be heard to believe. I've essentially had this track on repeat on my 2019: cool music and things playlist all weekend.

Matthew And The Atlas are heading out on a UK tour in May to celebrate the release of Morning Dancer, full dates are as follows: Patterns, Brighton (12th May); The Fleece, Bristol (13th); The Globe, Cardiff (14th); Omeara, London (16th); Bodega, Nottingham (17th); The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham (18th); Arts Centre, Norwich (20th); Deaf Institute, Manchester (21st); Leaf, Liverpool (22nd); The Wardrobe, Leeds (24th); Stereo, Glasgow (27th); Mash House, Edinburgh (28th); Voodoo, Belfast (29th); Grand Social, Dublin (30th). Grab tickets for all those shows here!

Follow Matthew And The Atlas - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify.

ALBUM NEWS: Lucy Rose - 'No Words Left'

It feels as if album announcements are coming in thick and thin at the moment - with new records from James Blake, SOAK and Luke Sital-Singh just announced you won't find me complaining! The latest news comes from Lucy Rose, who releases No Words Left, the follow up to the beautiful 2017 record Something's Changing, on 22nd March. The album's opening track Conversation is (as is to be expected) utterly sublime - get listening! 

You can pre-order the record through Lucy's site here, and while you're there check out the dates for her UK tour which sees her play London's Union Chapel, not a show to be missed!

Follow Lucy Rose - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Fil Bo Riva - 'Go Rilla'

A couple of weeks ago, I went along to Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen to catch the only UK show on Fil Bo Riva's current tour. The show was a complete triumph, the venue was packed out with adoring fans, and songs new and old went down a treat. It was a really wonderful evening and great to hear a few unreleased tracks... Fast forward a couple of weeks, and FBR has (finally!!) announced his debut album Beautiful Sadness which is set for release on 22nd March next year. Still a little while to go, but from what he's released so far, I am certain it will be worth the wait! That includes brand new single Go Rilla, a tune which I simply can't get enough of at the moment.

FBR details that the track is "about unbridled passion and the rapturous idea of escaping the real world" which came about "in Manchester in 2016 while supporting Joan as Police Woman through Europe that winter. It was raining outside and I was in the bathroom just before soundcheck... somehow I started staring at this poster of the club we were playing called Gorilla Club. I don't know why but I just got a flash inspiration, took my phone out and immediately started singing the chorus melody and words. Everything else developed some time after when I found other lyrics I had written down after a dream." 

The new track and album announcement come alongside a tour announcement too - he'll be taking Beautiful Sadness on tour across April and May next year, taking in a show at London's Oslo Hackney on the 1st of May. Full dates and tickets are available here.

Follow Fil Bo Riva - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

ALBUM NEWS: Johnny Flynn - 'Live at the Roundhouse'

For me, Johnny Flynn is a complete star. He is by far one of the best folk musicians of our generation, not to mention being a brilliant actor (Vanity Fair, Beast, Lovesick.) Seeing his show at London's Roundhouse last October was a complete joy and it was easily one of the best gigs I saw all year. It was a wonderful showcase of tracks from his latest record Sillion and his stunning back catalogue, including his debut record (and one of my favourite ever albums) A Larum, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Support act Cosmo Sheldrake lent his talents to some tracks as an honorary member of Johnny's band The Sussex Wit and it was a beautiful set from start to finish...

Brilliant news! The show was recorded in its entirety and is being released by the wonderful folk at Transgressive on 30th November. As well as a digital version, the live album will be released on double CD and triple (!!) LP and you can pre-order all versions here - there are even signed copies! As far as I know, it's the first show that I've been to that is being released in this way, so I'm pretty excited to relive the show and have something concrete to treasure it by. For now, here's a video of the first track to be released from the show, The Night My Piano Upped and Died, with visuals from Sussex Wit bassist Joe Zeitlin. Similar visuals served as the backdrop for the show, reacting in real time to the sound levels in the room - it was truly magical to watch, adding another dimension to the performance.

A few words from Johnny himself about the show... "On 17 October 2017 we played a gig at The Roundhouse in Camden. It marked the end of a period of touring [and] happened around the ten-year-anniversary of recording our first album 'A Larum'.  It felt like a special night in lots of ways, but mostly because all our best beloveds were there and we were able to celebrate our friendship as a band and the music we have been making since those early days in the backrooms of pubs and flats, mostly a stone's throw from the Roundhouse."

Follow Johnny Flynn - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

ALBUM NEWS: Baio 'Man of the World'

Chris Baio (bassist of Vampire Weekend) has just announced details of Man of the World, the follow up to his debut solo record The Names which was released back in 2015 (listen on Spotify). It was one of my favourite records of the year, full of tunes which seem embedded with a relentless urge to dance which they pass on to you sonically... helped along when you see Chris perform, with his performances resembling the Sister of Pearl video. Alongside the album news Chris, who performs under his surname Baio, has released the album's leading track PHILOSOPHY! which you can listen to below.

The record was co-produced by Chris and recorded in Brixton, and as an American living in London, much of the record was written in the aftermath of the events of 2016, with Chris experiencing the fall out of both Brexit and Trump's election closely. Talking about the album, Chris says that writing the record was his way of processing 2016, "a year that began with the death of my favorite artist, David Bowie, and ended with the greatest political disruption of my adult life – all while I was a nomad, an American living in London, touring two continents, never fully of either place. It’s partially about being trapped in my own head, obsessing about things it was too late to change, feeling afraid and guilty and alone. It’s also my attempt to document a certain sense of loss that felt both intensely personal and like part of a larger collective experience many were going through at once.​"

Man of the World is due for release through Glassnote on 30th June, and you can pre-order here.

LISTEN: John Smith - 'Headlong'

Good news all around - now that I'm free of uni work and have a little bit more time to blog I've decided to set up an Instagram account for the blog to help spread the good word, and I've resolved to actually keep on top of my emails and check out some of the tunes I'm sent (often several a day). A little catch up on the past week or so of emails and I've dug up this new track from Devon's John Smith.

In a video that sees John performing the title track of upcoming record Headlong on a boat in Switzerland, it is perhaps the first live session I've watched where the musician is wearing a life jacket. It isn't however the first boat session I've seen and I'm now fondly remembering this Dry The River boat concert and We Were Evergreen Busk Barge session! This is my first introduction to John's music and I'm really pleasantly surprised by his voice and not surprised to see that he headlined a show for Communion at Union Chapel last month. 

The single is out a week today (19th) and is taken from the record of the same name, Headlong, produced by Sam Lakeman and mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan (Mumford, King Charles). The record is dedicated to the memory of John's close friend John Renbourn and reflects on his experience of becoming a father for the first time. You can pre-order the record here before it's release on 30th June.

ALBUM NEWS: Sivu - 'Sweet Sweet Silent'

I desperately need to work on my final assignment (ah, scary!) but can't resist sharing the new track from the ever wonderful Sivu. Premiered on Clash a few days ago, Lonesome is the follow up to the recent track Childhood House and its combination of stirring strings and delicate vocals are pretty beautiful. The tracks are taken from his upcoming record Sweet Sweet Silent which is set to be released through Square Leg Records on 7th July (pre-order on iTunes here) - the wait is almost over! 

If you want to get a sneak peak of the new tracks (who doesn't?!) then you're in luck as Sivu is off on a UK tour starting with a set at Live at Leeds tomorrow and kicking off properly in Brighton on 3rd May. I'm looking forward to the intimate London gig on 8th May, come and join! All the dates and tickets are on his Songkick page here.

ALBUM NEWS: Little Mammoths - 'Cargo For The Road'

At the start of the month the lovely Little Mammoths chaps played a vinyl release show at Rough Trade West for their record Phantom Dreams. I was gutted to miss out on the show as I was busy at another great gig in Oxford!  The album has been around online for quite a few months now and it feels like since the release the guys have been posting photos of recording for it's follow up, and I've just received some info about that in my inbox! First, get a taster of the band with this video of one of my favourite tracks of theirs, Get Me Back To Austin, performed at Rough Trade!

Their second record Cargo For The Road is set to be released on 23rd June, backed by an extensive tour around Europe and a bunch of UK festivals, including Glastonbury. Living up to the mammoth name, the band are playing a warm-up for Glastonbury at Michael Eavis' favourite pub the Pilton Working Men's Club on April 29th, playing for (get ready for it....) 8 hours!! The set will involve their entire repertoire of LM tracks as well as covers by all sorts of artists, and having seen them play a 3 hour set I can say that the people of Somerset are in for a treat, AND the proceeds for the gig are going towards WaterAid.

As always, keep up to date with new music and shows through the band's website!

LISTEN: Charlie Fink releases debut solo single 'Firecracker'

It's been a long wait but Charlie Fink today announced details of his debut solo album, Cover My Tracks, which is being released on 2nd June. Charlie has recently written music for the film A Streetcat Named Bob and kid's musical The Lorax since his band Noah & The Whale announced their split just over two years ago. He has today debuted Firecracker from the record, which you can listen to below...

The album has an accompanying theatre production at The Old Vic which will take place for a couple of weeks at the start of June, tickets and album pre-order info all here!

WATCH: Public Service Broadcasting release video for 'Progress'

What a time to be alive! While 7th July might still be months away, we're on the cusp of a new Public Service Broadcasting record and to whet your appetites, here's the newly released video for the first track from the record, Progress. Directed by previous collaborators Lucy Dawkins and Tom Readdy and produced by Yes Please Productions, the video was filmed in a jet engine testing facility in Suffolk, a nod to the band's beloved track Spitfire from the first record Inform - Educate - Entertain. Much like an essay I'm currently procrastinating by writing this (about Sherry Turkle and the influence of technology on human relationships) the video looks at 'mechanisation and its true place in the 'progress' of humanity', watch below...

The track is taken from upcoming record Every Valley, the theme of which, as the name suggests, is the mining community of South West Wales, though the record more generally is 'set against a backdrop of industrial decline and neglected and abandoned communities across the western world'. I adore this track and can't wait to hear the rest of the record and to see where the theme has taken the band musically. (By the way - if you haven't listened to the first two records, please correct that oversight!)

You can pre-order the new record Every Valley in a range of formats (including a funky indie record store only clear vinyl) and bundles through the band's website here!

ALBUM & TOUR NEWS: Luke Sital-Singh - 'Time Is A Riddle'

After catching Luke Sital-Singh play a secret set at Bushstock last year and being pretty impressed, I went out and bought his 2014 record The Fire Inside, which features the total tunes Bottled Up Tight and Nothing Stays The Same - it was one of those special moments where the first time hearing an artist is in a live performance and I was pretty taken aback by his performance and that I hadn't took a listen sooner...

Luke has announced the details of his new record, Time Is A Riddle, which is set to be released on 12th May, and the first track to be taken from it is Killing Me, a raw and emotional track written in tribute to his grandmother. The music video features clips that his wife's grandfather shot in the 70s, so there is a real nostalgic feel running through the track and the video, and they combine to make something really beautiful!

Luke is going on tour with Ciaran Lavery in support of the record in May, including a show at London's Union Chapel, all the dates below -

Tue 9 Tobermory, Isle Of Mull, An Tobar
Wed 10 Inverness, Eden Court
Thur 11 Ullapool, The Ceilidh Place
Fri 12 Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree
Mon 15 Edinburgh, Teviot Debating Hall
Tue 16 Glasgow, Oran Mor
Thu 18 Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall and Canteen
Fri 19 Bristol, The Lantern
Sun 21 Nottingham, The Bodega
Mon 22 Manchester, The Deaf Institute 
Tue 23 London, Union Chapel
Wed 24 Brighton, The Hope and Ruin
Fri 26 Exeter, Exeter Phoenix

Tickets are available from 10am today here, and you can pre-order the record here!

LISTEN: Jack Savoretti - 'When We Were Lovers'

When We Were Lovers, the first single from Jack Savoretti's upcoming new record was debuted on BBC Radio 2 this morning, and it was totally worth waking up early for. While a few have commented that they can't wait to hear an acoustic version (and I totally agree, as Jack's acoustic performances are always superb) I'm already incredibly fond of this version of the track. Hearing Jack talk on the radio before the track was played, it was lovely to hear that the track, and the album, are an absolute match of how he wanted them to sound - you can't hope for better than that! 

The track is the first from Jack's upcoming fifth studio album Sleep No More, which is going to be released on 28th October (very exciting news!!!) You can pre-order all sorts of signed versions of the record (or through iTunes if digital is more your thing) here, and check out Jack's updated show listings, with some European dates just announced here.

WATCH: Blossoms 'Charlemagne' at The Great Escape

A couple of snazzy videos of Blossoms at The Great Escape festival a couple of weekends ago have surfaced today, including the one below of them playing Charlemagne. When I saw the guys playing their sold out Oxford show a couple of months ago I could tell by the buzz in the room that things would only get better for them, and I'm not far wrong if the last week or so is anything to go by, with them playing support sets for Kasabian at their huge stadium show, 3 nights with The Last Shadow Puppets in Dublin, and a spot on the BBC Introducing stage at Big Weekend. And as if all that wasn't enough, they've just been announced as support for one of the The Stone Roses Manchester stadium shows in a couple of weeks. Check out the video below to see what all the fuss is about...

Blossoms recently announced that they're releasing their self-titled debut record on 5th August and you can pre-order signed CDs and LPs on their site here. Live dates, including an array of festivals (Parklife, Field Day, Glastonbury, Truck, Reading & Leeds and a load more) are also on their site here.

ALBUM NEWS: Biffy Clyro - 'Ellipsis'

After a week or so of cryptic social media posts, last night saw the premiere of Wolves of Winter (the name interestingly inspired by a David Attenborough documentary), the first track from the new Biffy Clyro record Ellipsis, which is due out on the 8th of July. In short: get excited. You can hear the full track (for the next 30 days) on Annie Mac's show, upon which it was the 'Hottest Record In The World', along with an interview with frontman Simon Neil, here. Listening to the track, it starts almost tamely, giving us a quiet, reserved side of Biffy, but we're soon dragged back to the distinctive Scottish lead vocals of Neil, alongside powerful drums, guitar and almost chant-like backing vocals, a "snarling song" as Simon referred to it during the interview. As Annie Mac so accurately put it, it's a "ferocious return from the band that we all love", and it's so great to have them back, I can't wait to hear more of the record. 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/biffyclyro

There's a preview of the track here too if you can't access iPlayer, or if you just want to listen for a bit longer (which I wouldn't blame you for as I've just listened 5 or 6 times in a row...)

For more information on the record Ellipsis, which is out 8th July, head to the Biffy Clyro store here. They're also playing their biggest Scotland headline show to date in Bellahouston Park in the last weekend of August, during which they'll also be headlining Reading and Leeds, a fairly busy weekend - information about all the upcoming dates on the site here.

ALBUM NEWS: Little Brother Eli to release debut album 'Cold Tales'

Following from my post about the new Laish album, comes another album announcement from Sofar Sounds Oxford alumni Little Brother Eli. The more I listen, the more I'm enjoying their music,   which has been compared by some to the likes of The Black Keys, all surrounding the powerful vocal range of frontman Alex. They're a superb, energetic live band, both in a full band set-up and acoustic shows, and I'm intrigued to hear how much of this comes across on the record. They'll be playing a show at The Bullingdon in Oxford (their hometown) to promote the release, more details at the bottom of the post. The album, Cold Tales, is due for release on 24th June (pre-order on iTunes here) and you can get a taster of the music through a variety of videos of the band on Youtube, including this of them performing the brilliant track 'Shake Me' at Sofar Sounds Nottingham. 

My photo of Little Brother Eli playing Sofar Sounds Oxford back in November

The track listing for Cold Tales is as follows:

Oceans
Who Do You
This Girl
Dreams
Roll Away
Gold
Hanging
Shake Me
Beautiful People
Cold Tales

Album artwork, sketches by Merlin Porter

Little Brother Eli play an album launch show on 25th June at Oxford's The Bullingdon with support from Nine Miles South and Neverlnd (I'm gutted I won't be in Oxford for the show - sounds like it'll be a great evening!) You can grab tickets here.