WATCH: Half Moon Run - 'Flesh and Blood'

Kick off your Thursday with something really joyful - the new music video from Montreal folk-rockers Half Moon Run. The video is for recent single Flesh and Blood, and sees them in home-video style footage recording their new album. What a treat to be a fly on the wall in their studio! The track is taken from the band's upcoming third album A Blemish In The Great Light, due for release on November 1st (pre-order here.) If they're a new band for you, get on first album Dark Eyes and its follow up Sun Leads Me On pronto - both are gorgeous.

With shows already announced through September, October and November around the US, UK and Europe, they've just announced a further string of shows for the start of 2020, including a show at London's Roundhouse. Full dates and tickets here.

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LISTEN: Overcoats: 'Leave If You Wanna' & 'Keep The Faith'

Some of you may have caught my post about Brooklyn duo Overcoats recently, with their track and video, The Fool. They're keeping up the momentum with two brand new tracks, Leave If You Wanna and Keep The Faith - releasing all three tracks as a limited edition gatefold 7" vinyl in December. Together, the tracks explore a theme of empowerment, of "fighting for self, spirit and soul at all costs". Of the new project, the duo explain that "we often use songwriting as a way to wrestle with our doubts about love, but this is the opposite. It's a way to be proud and take a stand in the face of doubt. It's about not giving up." Watch Leave If You Wanna below...

And here's Keep The Faith...

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LISTEN: Jordan Mackampa - 'What Am I'

Following from my Roman Lewis post last week, here's another new track from an artist I had the pleasure of seeing at this year's Bushstock Festival. Jordan Mackampa played at the venue I was volunteering at and he and his band/crew were some of the friendliest people I met all day! He also happens to have a beautifully soulful vocal and some lovely songs - new tune What Am I following in the footsteps of Under, released back in May.

Talking about the track, Jordan explains that "'What Am I' is a modern take on Marvin Gaye's classic 'What's Going On', highlighting the state of the world right now, from multiple wars in different territories; how the earth is dying, to the border control problem and how it's been deal with. It's a lot of hopes and prays, changing of display pictures to blue, but all trickling down to a stop soon after, as it is no longer in the forefront of the media. I wrote this song in the mindset of how I need to do more but don't know how because I am only one man, trying his best to make change within the means available."

Jordan is about to head out on a US tour with Amber Run across October and November, before a UK/Europe headline tour in November and December, with a show at London's Village Underground on 25th November. Full dates and tickets here.

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TOUR NEWS: Willie J Healey and BE GOOD (Nov 2019)

This post is being shared while I'm on my way to Oxford for the first time in just over two years (for those who haven't read me rambling about this in the past, I studied there from 2014-2017 and miss it terribly) and what a perfect topic to discuss... Oxford indie hero Willie J Healey has shared news of his Hello Good Morning tour this November. Exciting enough news but made a billion times better with the fact that fellow Oxford chaps BE GOOD are joining him on tour. I've loved them for a long time but still haven't managed to catch them live so I am thrilled by this news!! Especially the fact that the London show is in the gorgeous setting of Omeara. Listen to WJ's new track Songs For Joanna below...

Grab tour tickets here, dates below!

6th Nov: King Tut's, Glasgow
7th: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
8th: Leadmill, Sheffield
9th: Yes, Manchester
13th: Bodega, Nottingham
14th: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
15th: Patterns, Brighton
16th: Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
20th: Joiners, Southampton
21st: Omeara, London

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LISTEN: Annabel Allum - 'Gravel Not The Grave'

It's somehow already a week since Annabel Allum released what is surely one of the best EPs of the year. Gravel Not The Grave is made up of a collage of sounds and influences, touching on elements of punk-folk and slacker-pop. It's a little dreamy in parts but with an overarching sense of feistiness throughout, as Annabel makes a call for change on various levels. She explains that in the EP "you are immersed in the process of revolutionising one's life. Conceptually it's about getting up and changing the thing you're most miserable about, whether that be an unhealthy relationship, political injustice, or addiction." An admirable and strong message!

In support of the EP, Annabel heads out on a headline tour this Autumn - taking in Guildford, Bath and Norwich soon - tickets/dates here.

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LISTEN: Roman Lewis - 'When I Was Yours'

Roman Lewis has shared the first track from his upcoming second EP! The 18 year old singer-songwriter released his debut EP earlier in the year and played a gorgeous set early in the day at Bushstock Festival back in June. There's a lot of promise in his beautiful vocals (which are somewhat Fil Bo Riva esque, I find) and songwriting, so I'm looking forward to hearing more of the new EP.

For now, Roman explains of the new track that "I was getting over someone and got to a place where I was just a little sad all the time, so I sat down and thought a little and realised how funny it all was. I was getting caught up on all these things that didn't matter and realised how ridiculous I was being so just kind of laughed then wrote this song. Writing it put me into a really good mood and listening to it does too now."

Roman Lewis is touring in support of Bloxx in October, before playing a headline show at London's Courtyard Theatre on 23rd October. Tickets via Communion Presents here.

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LISTEN: Cosmo Sheldrake - 'Orby' and 'Prefusify'

Worth checking out for the absolutely brilliant artwork alone, I'm delighted to say that there are two new tracks from one of my favourite artists, the ineffable Cosmo Sheldrake. First up, Orby features Andrea Vargas on vocals - she sang on Cosmo's track Rich on an EP he put out back in 2015. As Cosmo explains, it is "a track I made as a birthday present for my friend Orban Wallace in 2013. I tried to design him a bespoke dance tune! It features Andrea Vargas singing a version of an old sacred harp song. It also features the sound of me dropping a log off a bridge into a frozen pond, slowed down and played backwards, among many other things." 

The second track, Prefusify, is different in sound, but still identifiably a Cosmo tune. It was made way back in 2008 when he was 18, one of the first tracks he shared online (back in the Myspace days I imagine?!) He adds that it "features many things including some Mongolian throat singing!" One of the best things about listening to Cosmo's music is wondering about the source of the different sounds within the tracks - when you hear something that sounds like a simple bass note, it is more likely to be a recording he's made of an animal up a mountain while abroad, or of some slate being smashed together. The seemingly endless realm of noises that the natural world offers creates a really exciting soundscape and a really unique collection of tracks.

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LISTEN: Rose Cousins - 'I Would Die 4 U'

It was a joy to find this track in my new release playlist on Friday... there's no hiding how much I love Bear's Den and Christof van der Ven, and I'm loving this gorgeous cover of a Prince track that they recorded with US artists Rose Cousins. In a moment of "serendipity" as Rose describes it, the band and Rose landed in Toronto at the same time in May and got together to record on a day off from touring. The result is a beautiful cover with sublime harmonies.

In her post online sharing the track, Rose wrote of Prince that "the legend died on my birthday. He was beyond bold and daring in all moves both in presenting himself physically and in his music. A ground breaker. But there's so much we never see and his death was so vulnerable and tragic. Hard to know anyone's whole story, isn't it? I love this song and these gentleman for using part of their day off to come sing with me. Enjoy." 

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ALBUM NEWS: The Big Moon - 'Walking Like We Do'

With two big support tours coming up The Big Moon have just announced news of their debut album's follow-up Walking Like We Do, which is due for release 10th January via Fiction Records. Following recent single It's Easy Then, new single Your Light is, in short, a bit of a bop. It was premiered as Annie Mac's Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1, and is becoming a bit of an earworm for me, cementing its spot at the top of the blog's playlist for the week alongside the likes of Cosmo Sheldrake, Ghost and Annabel Allum. The track also has a cracking video with the band cycling through the Essex countryside, with some unexpected furry friends (honestly: have a look for yourself!)

The band's vocalist and songwriter Juliette Jackson explains the track - "I was thinking about how hard it is to tell if things are worse now or if they have always been this way and I just grew up and started paying attention. To me, it feels like we are at this tipping point that is unprecedented, but then it occurred to me that every generation before us probably had a moment when they thought they were going to be the last generation on earth. This song is about freeing yourself from all of it, just for a moment. It's a thanks to the one person or thing in your life that knows how to come in and open your curtains and light up the darkness and restore your strength so that when you clatter back down into the real world you have the strength to fight your battles, whatever they are." 

The Big Moon just kicked off a UK tour with Pixies, and support Bombay Bicycle Club on their tour at the start of next year. Take a look at dates and pre-order the album from their site here.

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LISTEN: Patawawa - 'That Guy'

Need some funk in your life? Of course you do. Get on this sublime new single from Derbyshire trio Patawawa. They came onto my radar when they toured with Franc Moody (equally funky) earlier in the year but this is my first time sharing them on the blog and what a first track to be getting behind. The guitar lines and undeniably funky vibes have seen them gain comparisons to Chic as well as the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Foals and they've recently had their track Patagonia soundtracking Millie Bobby Brown's new brand, exposing them to millions of potential new fans. 

While their last EP saw the trio recording in a studio, they've headed back to their 'bedroom' roots with new single That Guy and the results are pretty epic. Beth explains "we decided to go 'back to bedroom' with this track [...] we drafted in a good Matlock mate of ours, Karma Kid, to give the song a bit of xtra pizzazz and I have to say we are more than made up with the result. We just can't wait to share this absolute bop with you all!" 

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