WATCH: The Vaccines - 'I Can't Quit'

Since smashing their way onto the indie music scene with the impeccable debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? back in 2011, The Vaccines have secured themselves a spot as one of my favourite bands with 2012 follow-up Come Of Age and 2015 record English Graffiti. The hit makers are back this year cracking new single I Can't Quit, taken from the new record Combat Sports, due for release on 30th March.

The tune packs a punch and, true to form, is incredibly catchy - it's fairly reminiscent of their earlier material. The band headed to Italy to shoot a video for the track, which premiered recently and shows them on a pretty messy night out (there's also a couple of cute dogs so it's certainly worth a watch!) Speaking to NME, the band said that "the song is really simple, confident and fun and we wanted our role in the video to reflect that. but we also wanted the video to represent these vicious cycles that we often get ourselves into but have no control over - they can feel confusing, isolating and violent." The video is the first to feature touring band members Timothy Lanham (keys) and Yoann Intonti (drums) as official members of the band, following founding member Pete Robertson's departure in 2016, and they seem to be settling in perfectly!

The Vaccines head out on a UK tour in April to promote the release of the new record, culminating in a huge show at London's Alexandra Palace. Full tour dates and ticket info from their website here!

Follow The Vaccines online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Cosmo Sheldrake - 'Egg and Soldiers'

Cosmo Sheldrake remains one of the most intriguing, unusual and exciting artists I had the pleasure of discovering and seeing live in 2017. Challenged only by Banfi and Seramic opening up for Bear's Den earlier in the year, Cosmo performed one of my favourite support slots of the year at The Roundhouse on the Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit tour. His ability to stand alone on the stage and fill such a large space with his quirky tunes and completely endearing personality really impressed me, particularly the way that he preluded each track by introducing the audience to the samples that he was about to use - his passion for the music and for seeking out interesting sounds was incredibly apparent (which you can see for yourself in this live reworking of a track from 2013.) From that show and a lot of listening to his back catalogue since, favourite tunes for me include Solar, a track combining a sample of the sun's rays (!) with lyrics taken from a William Blake poem, and the entirety of the Pelicans We EP which I hastily bought from the merch stand after the show.

I was pretty delighted to hear recently that Cosmo had confirmed details of his debut album The Much Much How How and I, which is set for release through the wonderful Transgressive Records on 6th April! The album has been shaped by artists ranging from The Beatles and The Kinks to Moondog and Stravinsky, Sheldrake's anthropological study at University and his longstanding interest in ethnomusicology. The record was produced by Cosmo and Matthew Herbert, and was recorded at Soup Studios as well as in Cosmo's basement - check out the various pre-order options (including limited edition vinyl) here.

Following recent singles Come Along and Mind of Rocks, Cosmo has recently released the latest single from the upcoming record, Egg and Soldiers. It is a song "about hubris and the potential pitfalls of short-sightedness" which you can check out below - be sure to listen out for sounds including "an escalator in St Pancras station, Cosmo's late cat Cocoa purring, a stream in Snowdonia, a brass band, lots of woodwind and a string quartet." 

If you like what you're hearing and would like to see Cosmo's impressive live performance for yourself then be sure to check out his upcoming UK and Europe tour, including a date at London's Village Underground on 5th April - all the dates and ticket information are here and come with a very big recommendation from myself!

Follow Cosmo Sheldrake online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: PBSR - 'Volcano'

Allow me to introduce you to PBSR, a new project from 24 year-old Murcia-born and London-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Pablo Serrano. As the latest signee to Yucatan Records, his debut EP as PBSR, entitled ...and dusky doors, is due for release on the label later in the year, with the work presenting "caverns, canyons, mountains and galactic skies of sound; signatured by his deft use of electronic beats, piano melodies and that subtly soulful voice." The first track to be taken from the six track EP, Volcano is a meandering, atmospheric tune, through which Pablo gives listeners an almost cinematic display of emotion.

His parents had an early influence on Serrano, with his mother a guitarist and his father introducing him to the likes of Pink Floyd and Brian Eno. His upbringing forged a natural musical curiosity in him as a youngster, leading him to start his first band when he was 15 or 16 years old, allowing him an excuse to experiment with recording and production. He explains that it was a "super exciting period where I tested out a thousand ways of discovering and shaping new ways of writing music, challenging the possibilities of my voice, creating textures [....] I uploaded some songs to Myspace and called it "Pabser". That was the beginning of PBSR." Citing his discovery of Sigur Ros as a major influence in his teen years, he explains that the Icelandic band illuminated a world of ambience and dramatic musical textures to him, playing a role in his own work. Following a university education in both Madrid and London, PBSR can now be found writing and mixing at his home studio in London. Check out the debut tune below!

Follow PBSR online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Low Island - 'Too Young'

Releasing their first single (the rather sublime Anywhere) back in November 2016, Oxford four-piece Low Island have very quickly become one of the most exciting bands on the scene. With two brilliant EPs, a string of sold out live shows and various festival slots under their belts the band are looking set to take 2018 by storm.

Brand new cut Too Young follows up the recent trio of singles The Lines, Tomorrow and I Know You, which will join to make up their third (heavily anticipated) EP. Take a watch of a new live video for the track below, directed by Ben Ogunbiyi and shot across their recent run of Low Island and Friends tour dates. The track is intricate and at times understated, focusing around the beautifully unique vocals of Carlos and building to a louder, punchier end point.

The band are set to release their new EP at their biggest London headline show to date on April 26th, when they'll be taking to Scala for Parallel Lines (tickets here.) Before that, they're playing what is sure to be a superb hometown gig at The Cellar in Oxford on 27th Jan with support from another favourite new act of mine, locals BE GOOD, as well as Magique and Juniper Nights - tickets are running low, grab the last few for that one here and enjoy the tune below!

Follow Low Island online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: CHILDCARE - 'Getting Over You (By Dressing Up Like You)'

I'm a couple of months late with this one but it's too good not to share - feast your eyes and ears on the debut video offering from CHILDCARE. Getting Over You (By Dressing Up Like You) is the band's "most likely-to-be-featured-on-a-Spotify-playlist song to date [...] depicting an unorthodox approach to moving on from a relationship break up" - all making for a pretty fun tune and video. With a string of festivals, an arena support tour with Bastille, and their first headline tour under their belts already the band are surely more than qualified for a support tour with To Kill A King which kicked off a couple of nights ago in Sheffield, with dates until the end of the month (info here.)

Follow CHILDCARE online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Roo Panes - 'A Message To Myself'

As I attempt to tackle my inbox full of submissions from the past couple of months I've been reminded of this beautiful new tune from Roo Panes. True to the form of his records Paperweights (2016) and Little Giant (2014) it's incredibly peaceful and soothing and a bit of an instant favourite. Talking about the tune, Roo explains that "being called 'A Message To Myself' I wanted it to have a minimalist, intimate, meditative kind of feeling, but I also wanted to express the sheer power and drama of one's thoughts and have an expansive feeling." He has recently announced that he's working on a new album, and shared news of a huge London headline show at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on 23rd May (tickets are on sale here) so be sure to grab yourself a ticket if you like what you're hearing!

Follow Roo Panes online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify.

WATCH: Matthew & The Atlas - 'Palace' for 7 Layers

Happy new year folks! I've been a little quiet on here for the last few weeks as I've been working full time over Christmas and finding time to write posts has been tricky, but I'm hoping to get back to posting more regularly now! What better way to kick the year off than with a beautiful session from absolute folk legend Matthew And The Atlas, with the title track of the recent EP, Palace for 7 Layers. What a voice! I got a little distracted from writing the post and took a tour through most of his singles catalogue on Spotify... it's pretty faultless and I'd recommend that you do the same, but the recent EP is a great place to start if you're new to his music!

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

LISTEN: Tracks of the year playlist!

What a year for new music! With new albums from big favourites of mine Everything Everything and Public Service Broadcasting, debuts from Flyte and Willie J Healey and a bunch of other brilliant EPs and singles in between, there's been a lot to enjoy across the year. I've whittled down my favourite releases to my top thirty tracks of the year, which you can listen to here or on the embedded player, and check out a few words on each track below!

BE GOOD - It's Cool but It Ain't You

My favourite tune from the Oxford band that have quickly become one of my favourite discoveries of the year!

Everything Everything - Run The Numbers

It was difficult to pick just one track from the record A Fever Dream which the band released over Summer and which I'm almost certain is my favourite record of the year...

Banfi - Rosedale House

Again, whittling down the Banfi repertoire to just one tune when I've fallen in love with every track they've released so far was tricky but this is a favourite of mine.

Flyte - Faithless

In the run up to the release of the band's debut album The Loved Ones back in August I stumbled across this stunning Sofar Sounds session of the opening track Faithless and was taken aback by the songwriting and beautiful harmonies.

Ady Suleiman - I Remember

I love Ady's unique vocals and the beautifully nostalgic lyrics of this track - he's recently announced that his debut album is due in March and I can't wait to hear it!

Evergreen - Aux Echos

With a subtle name change under their belt, Evergreen followed up their superb 2014 record Towards with a new EP of tunes a month or so ago - Aux Echos is the lead single and I'm totally loving it! 

Johnny Flynn - Barleycorn

The follow-up to 2013's Country Mile, new record Sillion is pretty brilliant and this tune quickly became one of my favourites of Johnny and his band The Sussex Wit!

Low Island - (Pause)

Unless you've avoided all of my blog posts and playlist updates for the year, it'll be pretty obvious to you that I'm quite fond of Low Island and believe that you all should be too. This is my favourite tune from their In This Room EP, released earlier this year.

Lewis Capaldi - Bruises

A beautifully raw track with an intensely powerful and emotive vocal, since the release of this stunning debut single back in March it seems that Lewis has been on an incredibly steep trajectory, selling out runs of UK shows in hours!

Brasstronaut - Raveshadow

I think that a lot of us owe Stornoway a great debt for getting these guys across from Vancouver to support them on their farewell tour earlier in the year - I instantly fell in love with their self-titled album which was released earlier in the year, particularly this tune!

Public Service Broadcasting - Progress
I distinctly remember my first listen of this tune while writing a section of my dissertation in my university kitchen, followed by replaying it several times for the rest of the day. It's taken from their recent record Every Valley which is one of my favourites of the year.

Sivu - Lonesome
Another exciting return this year from Sivu, following up his beautiful debut Something On High with Sweet Sweet Silent - well worth a listen!

Parcels - Overnight
I couldn't shake this song from my head once I'd make it our 'track of the week' over on the Tigmus blog back in June - it's produced by Daft Punk and is a total tune!

Seramic - Trying
Marcus Foster and co released the follow up to last year's Found EP in the shape of the I Got You EP this year - it's full of cracking tunes and I adore the closing track, which they performed in one of my favourite live sets of the year at Bushstock Festival (watch that here.)

Fleet Foxes - I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar
The band's show at O2 Brixton in November was nothing short of magical - this is the opening tune to their massively acclaimed new record Crack-Up.

Dan Croll - Tokyo
Following up the brilliant record Sweet Disarray, Dan Croll returned this Summer with Emerging Adulthood. I was torn between adding this track or Bad Boy to the playlist as I'm almost equally fond of them both, but remember completely loving this tune when I caught him at a Communion showcase earlier in the year.

Charlie Cunningham - Minimum

Another discovery I've made as a Stornoway support act (back in 2015) I was blown away by Charlie's skills with the guitar. Minimum is taken from his debut album which was released earlier in the year!

Get Inuit - Barbiturates
The first track to be added to my yearly playlist - love this fun Vevo Dscvr session from the Kent based band.

Willie J Healey - People and Their Dogs
Willie's show at Oxford's Modern Art gallery comes in as one of my favourites of the year as it marked the end of my three years at university, having handed in my final assignment earlier that day. Celebrations after the gig included hanging around with the band and Robin and Cat of Catgod at a pizza truck. Rock and roll.

Nick Mulvey - Mountain To Move
What a joy to have Nick Mulvey back in our lives and our headphones - his headline set at Bushstock Festival was a total joy to behold and one of my favourite crowds to be a part of this year!

Tempesst - Feel Better
Taken from their recent Adult Wonderland EP I love this smooth and summery tune from Tempesst - still gutted that I missed their recent headline shows!

Pale Seas - My Own Mind
Favourite tune from Stargazing for Beginners, the debut album from this Southampton four-piece!

FIL BO RIVA - Head Sonata (Love Control)

I was chuffed to catch Fil at The Great Escape back in May and can't wait for his debut album, set for a release early next year to coincide with a UK and Europe tour in April and May.

Catgod - I'm Innocent
From their Someone Love EP - I can't wait to be reunited with my Oxford pals Catgod at their London gig this week!

Park Hotel - Going West
I don't always find the time to check out tracks that are submitted to the blog for sharing/reviewing but was really glad I listened to this one which quickly became one of my favourite tunes of the year!

Lucy Rose - No Good At All
Taken from her record Something's Changing, for which Lucy Rose released an eye opening mini-documentary of the same name about her music, her fans and playing around the world to fans she's met online.

Dazy Crown - Peanut Butter Dreaming
A band I had the pleasure of working with on some shows back in 2016 for Tigmus, I love this tune from their I Don't Need a Jacket EP.

Cosmo Sheldrake - Come Along
Cosmo played what was probably my favourite support set of the year opening up for Johnny Flynn at the Roundhouse. His effortless control of the room and his introduction to various unique samples completely drew me in.

Charlie Fink - I Was Born to Be a Cowboy
After meeting the rest of the Noah & The Whale members several times over the last couple of years, I finally met Charlie this year as he released his solo record and performed it as a unique live music stage production at the Old Vic in London. 

Arcade Fire - Creature Comfort
I almost want to admit featuring this tune simply because the title makes me think of the hilarious Creature Comforts animated TV show - but it's also a cracking tune from the band's new record Everything Now.

LISTEN: Geowulf - 'Hideaway'

Following a couple of live dates last Summer, beach pop duo Geowulf released their debut single Saltwater into the world. It was received incredibly well, and they've since played various shows and released a few more tracks, including the recent single Drink Too Much. With a few brilliant tracks under their belts, the band have recently announced that their debut album Great Big Blue is set for release on February 16th. The first tune from the record is the dreamy Hideaway which you can listen to below - if you like what you're hearing, be sure to catch them live at The Lexington in London on 28th Feb for their album launch show!

Follow Geowulf online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

WATCH: Banfi - 'Caroline'

I didn't quite need the Spotify end of year playlist to tell me that I've listened to an awful lot of Banfi over the year - so much so that six of their songs made it into my top hundred for the year. They released the 'Christmas tinged' tune Caroline a couple of weeks back and have shared a beautiful video featuring found footage from a documentary filmed in Blackpool. Speaking about the video the band's artistic director (and all round legend) Jake Dypka writes that "we had the idea of finding forgotten footage and bringing it back to life. We found this old documentary of a summers day down at Blackpool. It seemed to fit perfectly with underlying themes of family, love and time." Have a watch of the video below, check out all the other brilliant Banfi tunes on Spotify here and if you like what you're hearing, catch them live on their Europe tour in March, including a London show at Oslo Hackney on 22nd March (tickets.)

Follow Banfi online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.