25782697 – Page 2

By 25782697 on Submissions tagged #Music, #Mxlode, #Newsingle, #submission, #UKMusic, #UKrap- Leave a comment

Melodic rap single ‘War and Dior’ shows real promise

The new track is short but very sweet with rich vocals being paired with smooth sound production to create a high-quality rap tune.

For this record, the South-west London based rapper and songwriter Mxlode (pronounced ‘Melody’) collaborated with Teeqro, his life-long friend, fellow artist and producer. The duo’s vocals compliment each other well to create a more complex sound.

The lyrics of ‘War and Dior’ reflect Mxlode‘s dreams as an artist as he manifests a successful future “see I never did a show but when I blow I’ll tour arenas with millions”. The chorus also highlights the hate Mxlode received about his music in the early stages. He goes on to suggests that some of those around him switched up after his music career began taking off.

Due to the eclectic mix of sub-genres on this track, there are a number of artists that come to mind who I think will have influenced Mxlode‘s music style. Personally, I hear similarities with UK rap trio D-Block Europe as well as America’s 6LACK. This was echoed by Mxlode himself as he said he looked up to a wide range of artists including Akon, XXXTentacion as well as the king of pop – Michael Jackson.

Mxlode kindly allowed me to listen to the unreleased EP that will be out later this year and it’s definitely a project to get excited about! It’s multi-layered, honest, strongly-produced and flows cohesively, so be ready for the release!

“This EP is 100% my best work yet. It’s the most honest I’ve been about my experiences. I really leaned into a strength of mine which is my vulnerability on this project and I hope it’s able to resonate with people the same way it does when I listen to it”
– Mxlode

Let me know what you think of the tune and please suggest other similar underrated artists in the comments below!

Listen on Spotify here:

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #indiemusic, #Indiepop, #Indierock, #Music, #Top5, #UKMusic, #Underrated- Leave a comment

Five Indie Artists You Need to Listen to This Summer!

The last decade has shown a decline in the popularity of the British indie scene in comparison to the love that Britpop music received in the 90s and early naughtiest. But that does not mean their is a lack of talent in modern day indie-rock music – it’s just harder to spot. I handpicked these five artists as I believe they are all underrated and deserve more appreciation and exposure. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Cucamaras

The fourtet that formed in 2019 has since tried their best to grow Nottingham’s indie scene one gig at a time. This year they released their first EP, ‘Buck Rogers Time’, consisting of five singles, with the strongest in my opinion being ‘Cotton Wool’ and opener, ‘Porcelain’. Lead vocalist, Bowley, told NME that the band’s sound developed as a result of the pandemic, “We couldn’t actually do ‘band stuff’, so we just talked about and shared music instead”.

The band are now making waves further than hometown, Nottingham, and in fact across the continent, as they’re being invited to play at smaller festivals across Europe. Additionally, the band has been named in NME’s Top 100 Essential Artists for 2023, highlighting the respect and belief the band already has from mainstream music media.

Cucamaras on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Zy8a1P2tEwHdQK56s0v8T?si=3vabIZD7SgC_nVoVpssVSg

Danny Mellin

The Oxfordshire-based singer songwriter has released a total of ten singles so far, with themes including the importance of good mates, girl trouble and everyday life struggles. Danny told ‘The Bucket Playlist’ blog that he plans to keep releasing singles because he believes it’s a better way to distribute music. In lockdown, Danny developed his sound from mostly acoustic guitar songs to indie rock, with the help of newly formed band. Danny became influenced by heavyweights of the modern indie rock scene, Sam Fender and Arctic Monkeys – inspiring him to make a “bigger sound”.

Using TikTok to promote his singles and reply to fans, with his great vocals and hard hitting lyrics, Danny is slowly but surely building his own fanbase. The recent single, ‘Ordinary Day’ is already a personal favourite, with its high tempo, classic indie rock guitar rifts as well as perfectly unrefined vocals. This year Danny and his band completed a headline UK tour – I think this is just the start!

Danny Mellin on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kmWqI1anuHvgq589NVsAr?si=C1dGRlaXTT-OspcYYSzl_w

Ora Violet

Ora Violet are a band trying to break barriers within the indie rock scene. The band that formed in 2019, consists of five members, each with a different nationality, allowing them to create a culturally diverse sound drawn from their different backgrounds. Everything from their music to their song cover art is ambiguous, unique and artistic.

This year, the band released their first full project with EP, ‘Have You Met Me’ consisting of five guitar heavy tracks. Ora Violet said on Instagram: “We are so proud of this, so much work went into it, this is us now”. The standout tracks for me are ‘Feel the Same’ and ‘Last dance’ with the second being about frontman, Tommy’s struggle with addiction and coming to terms with his sexuality.

Despite being so new, the group have already had some success, as they were chosen to support Duran Duran at Hyde Park in London last year as well as having upcoming headline shows in the UK.

Ora Violet on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/649PbKfSwqkPEsos9mHuUJ?si=69SJB_20R_axTKMM6fp-Ww

BERRIES

This London-based garage rock trio are an exciting group and you should give them a listen! The all female line-up and intricate yet rocky beats gives them a new and individual sound. In terms of their songs influences, they told ‘Gigrader’ that: “it can totally vary sometimes we write songs about different moods or a feeling rather than an actual topic”.

BERRIES return with their first release since their debut album last year, with new track. “Control”. The new track is certainly one of my favourite of their songs, with it’s grungy guitar and layered melodic vocals it stands out as a great single all round. The band is currently going from strength to strength as they have just successfully completed a headline UK tour and announced a string of smaller UK festivals that they will be playing at this summer.

BERRIES on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3S3lyrc9kKx4EPWCduLKi5?si=eAQBLXf0Ssqhrg6kNnZRxg

CVC

CVC also known as Church Village Collective are a Welsh psych-rock band that are working hard to showcase their music not just across South Wales but worldwide. The band have gained popularity with their debut album ‘Get Real’ as they received a very decent review from NME (one of the Uk’s leading music magazines) as well as having over 63,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The album sounds well put together and all the songs fit together excellently whilst having a variety of subgenres. For me, the standout tracks were the beautifully melodic and effortless ‘Sophie’ along with the catchy and authentic ‘Docking The Pay’.

The band have just finished a North American tour, including massive festivals and the fun doesn’t stop there as they will be completing a UK headline tour with many venues already sold out in the next few weeks.

CVC on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UVp2DRjYXq2ZWQwA5QLuD?si=ZouTa1KxRo6JIF8QeAXaUw

4 Jun

By 25782697 on Festivals tagged #Environment, #festival, #Greenfestivals, #Sustainable, #Top5, #TopTips, #UKfestival, #UKMusic- Leave a comment

Top 5 Tips to Help You be Sustainable this Festival Season!

With festival season now in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to offer some of my best Top Tips to help reduce waste and your festival carbon footprint! Music festivals not only harm the local environment, they also produce huge amounts of Carbon dioxide emissions. Whilst the problem heavily lies with the festival organisers themselves, these five straightforward suggestions will help you do your bit to minimize the amount of festival waste.

1. Do NOT Throw Away Your Tent

Every year we see the disappointing images of thousands of abandon tents after music festivals. The Association of Independent Festivals estimate that 250,000 so called ‘single use’ tents are left at UK music festivals every year. Some of the reasons people leave tents include: the annoyance of taking them back if they are travelling home on public transport, the fact that they get trashed/ dirty over the festival period or just pure laziness. But this should not be a reoccurring problem. Many people believe that undamaged tents that are left behind are collected and given to charities however this is wishful thinking! The majority of these tents will end up in landfill. many of these tents are non-biodegradable and the concentration of plastic in these landfills release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere risking contamination to soil and groundwater.
However, we are heading in the right direction, Glastonbury Festival organisers claim that 99% of
festival goers’ tents were picked up and taken home after last year’s festival. To put this into perspective Glastonbury is a festival of 200, 000 people so this is extremely promising. By spreading awareness, this can continue.

2. Reusable NOT Disposable

Reusable items are essential for keeping sustainable. The word ‘disposable’ means they are designed for one use and then they can be discarded; this often involves single use plastic – which do not biodegrade naturally. So, swap that disposable camera for a digital one, swap the disposable containers for reusable Tupperware and carry your things in a rucksack instead of a disposable plastic bag.

Simply by refilling your water bottle at water fountain points that will be located at all festivals, you will not only save money but also reduce the amount of single-used plastic that is getting thrown away, damaging our environment. Additionally, you could use reusable cutlery and plates – just make sure the group shares the washing up!

3. Pick up Litter

It really is that simple. Every little helps a lot, so do your best to recycle as much as possible and pick up any rubbish. This saves the selfless volunteers a massive clean-up job at the end of the festival. Also, Bin your butts! Cigarette butts are one of the biggest contributors to the litter problem at festivals. It is essential that you dispose of them properly and responsibly using the allocated bins.

4. Travel Eco-Consciously

Public transport is always a quick and easy method of getting there especially with the stress of parking permits and spaces often being limited. This is definitely the ideal method for a day festival with no belongings. However, the option of going by car sometimes is necessary when camping for just under a week. To be sustainable you should try to carpool, despite it maybe being a squeeze. Another option is a festival bus or shuttle bus that often go from major cities straight to the destination.

5. Support Charity Shops

Is it really worth it to buy an outfit for one day and then chucking
it out? When finding festival fashion, it is always a good idea
to look in charity shops. Not only are you supporting a good
cause, but it moves away from fast fashion, an industry that is
extremely harmful to our planet. Second hand clothes are often
cheaper and more durable than typical fast fashion. In the past
charities including Oxfam have partnered with big festivals,
such as Glastonbury, helping to keep them more sustainable.

14 Mar

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #AltRap, #concertreview, #slowthai, #slowthaiugly, #UGLYtour, #UKMusic, #Underrated- Leave a comment

Slowthai’s Banquet Records concert Review: manic but unforgettable!

The Northampton-born alternative artist played two back-to-back Banquet Records gigs in Kingston (Greater London) last weekend. The concerts showcased the love him and his fans share for new album ‘UGLY’!

The shows followed his six-date run of £1 ticket small pub shows at the beginning of March and a week following the release of his newest project ‘UGLY’. The album that includes a fusion of both punk and grime perfectly illuminates Tyron’s talent with creative lyrics, raw vocals and stripped back production.

Ty’s transparency and vulnerability in his storytelling is what enables him to connect to Britain’s younger generation.

This set of dedicated fans mostly made up of patchwork tattoo and mullet owners did not disappoint and really brought the frantic high energy you would associate with the punk genre to the venue of just under 2000.

Slowthai welcomed fans with a smile asking “how are we feeling? do you feel good? Do you feel great? Do you feel alive?” before joking “I heard a lot of you have been in spoons, so hopefully you’re a lively bunch tonight!”

Setlist:

Selfish
Sooner
Feel Good
HAPPY
Sorrymum
Wotz funny
25% Club
adhd
feel away
falling
Tourniquet
Deal Wiv it
Doorman
Yum (encore)

Slowthai began the setlist with 7 songs from the new album including upbeat singles ‘Feel Good’ and ‘HAPPY’. As soon as the music started the crowd instantly began pushing, jumping, drink throwing and opening up the mosh pit in true punk fashion.

The live band played flawlessly adding so much more to the performance and overall atmosphere. The small venue allowed everyone to have a great view of the stage and the option of being a part of the intense pushing or watching safely from the side-lines.

Tyron himself seemed overwhelmed with joy and contentment as he performed, taking complete ownership of the stage. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from a loving fan he went on to express his gratitude for the people in the room as well as his friends and family.

Slowthai then calmed it down, playing a collection of slower ballads. This includes two slower more emotional songs off his last album ‘TYRON’ (that reached number 1 in the Official Charts) called ‘adhd’ and ‘feel away’. Whilst watching his faultless performance I noticed a handful of listeners in the crowd being reduced to tears highlighting just how meaningful his tracks can be. Although, to ruin the wholesome moment between Slowthai and his admirers the mosh-pits (rather embarrassingly) continued.

To end the incredible show, Slowthai performed two older songs from 2019, fan-favourites ‘Deal Wiv it’ and ‘Doorman’. The crowd’s jumping had the whole room shaking at one point. And to be honest being at the edge of the mosh pit for a whole 10 seconds was enough for me, although it felt like a near death experience – it was completely worth it.

The encore was the opening track to the new album ‘Yum’ and was the ideal ending to what was a lively and euphoric show, Ty left the stage thanking fans and telling them he will be back again soon.

Slowthai took to twitter after the show, saying “tonight was banging” and retweeted a video from the show captioning it “beautiful”.

Overall, I was seriously impressed by Slowthai’s vocals and overall performance. As a frequent Banquet Record’s show attender, I would say this has been my favourite of all, topping huge mainstream artists such as Stormzy. This is simply due to the enormous amount of energy and emotion that Tyron radiates that he feeds straight back into the crowd.

19 Feb

By 25782697 on Album Reviews, EDM, Other tagged #albumreview, #EDM, #Fredagain, #international, #Newalbum, #Newmusic, #Skrillex, #SkrillexQuestForFire- Leave a comment

‘Quest for Fire’ by Skrillex – Flawless mixing, versatility and UK scene influences

The dubstep king, Skrillex, has returned with his first solo album since 2014 with ‘Quest For Fire’, an album that really embodies the versatility of the EDM genre!

Perhaps Sonny’s newly formed friendship with the two Brits, Fred Gibson (Fred Again..) and Kieran (Four Tet) has not only effected his popularity but his music too. The first of 2 albums to be released in 2023 feels heavily influenced by UK garage culture as well as drum and bass. This is emphasised by the choice of features for example grime rapper Flowdan on both ‘Rumble‘ and ‘Hydrate‘. Similarly, third track ‘Tears‘ features the underground British grime and dubstep producer Joker, an odd but fitting choice that highlights the array of different sub-genre influences Skrillex wanted on the album.

The 15 song album is very well-curated and the mix of genres keeps the listener guessing. The majority of songs are either 2 or 3 minutes and in such a short time they all manage to pack a punch.

Despite ‘Quest For Fire‘ being extremely energetic and almost hectic, the tracks themselves are not overproduced. In an interview with Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Skrillex said that when first producing fan favourite ‘Rumble‘ with Fred Again.. he nearly did too much and overproduced it. The pair joked about kicking fellow producer and friend Kieran (Four Tet) off the track and him being an honorary producer, “his biggest role in ‘Rumble‘ was the most important role, which was to make sure we didn’t overproduce it and fuck it up”. I think it is clear that Skrillex has carried this advice when finishing the production of the album.

Personally, I very much enjoyed the lack of major pop star features on this project in comparison to some of his previous work that featured the likes of Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran. This adds to the authenticity as each feature seems specially chosen, which brings something unique to the song.

Standout Tracks

‘RATATA‘ is one of the more commercial and mainstream tracks that definitely belongs to the dance pop category. It features the iconic Hip Hop artist Missy Elliott‘s great vocals that mix perfectly alongside the sample of ‘Positif‘ by Mr Oizo to create a high-energy feel-good tune.

‘Hydrate‘, the brother of viral track, ‘Rumble‘ is in my opinion just as good if not better. UK grime MC Flowdan appears for the second time on the album with an excellent verse that really catches the listeners attention. Flowdan himself sums up the clean production of this track: “it’s simple, not complicated”.

‘Supersonic (my existence)‘ was already a fan favourite when Skrillex released it in 2021. This is probably due to its nostalgic feel as it’s very old school Skrillex with a dubstep-led sound. The slow atmospheric intro paired with eery vocals really helps to build the song up to the hard and bassy beat drop.
Skrillex and Porter Robinson at Sky Fest (2019)
The final track ‘Still Here (with the ones that I came with)‘ is the perfect close to an emotional journey of an album. The title is pretty self explanatory with Sonny reaching out to those in the music industry he started out with, perhaps trying to reassure fans he has not changed despite over a decade of fame. This is illuminated by the collaboration with Porter Robinson a producer he has had many years of friendship with.

The album as a whole shows off Skrillex‘s flawless mixing and creativity with an unbelievable blend of tracks with a fitting list of guest features. Although I can see why people may find it too chaotic and lacking a clear narrative, personally I enjoyed the experimental element of the project. I think the multiple sub-genres included especially from the UK scene were used successfully and highlighted his innovativeness and versatility as an artist.

30 Jan

By 25782697 on Music awards tagged #BritAwards, #Britnominations, #Brits, #CentralCee, #CharliXCX, #Florenceandthemachine, #FlorenceWelch, #Fredagain, #GeorgeEzra, #Harrystyles, #LittleSimz, #Stormzy- Leave a comment

EVERYTHING wrong with the Brit award nominations!

With the Brit Awards soon approaching, let’s shine a light on this year’s controversial nominations…

Last year, the Brits swapped the gendered categories for more progressive (at least we thought) non-gendered categories to be more inclusive. Despite the attempted step forward, they ended up taking three steps as the coveted ‘Artist of the Year’ submissions are all in fact MALE.

The artists that are nominated include: Central Cee, Fred Again.., George Ezra, Harry Styles and Stormzy. Although each artist is great in their own right, I believe some are stronger than others. Harry Styles who has become a worldwide pop superstar is a justified pick and I predict he will win every award he is up for. And despite both being relatively new artists, both king of electronic music Fred again and rapper Central Cee have gone global finding huge success in the US.

Regardless of Stormzy’s incredible past projects, I don’t think he had an extremely standout year in 2022. His newest album, ‘This is what I mean’ although beautiful, for me fell a little flat especially in comparison to the work of Little Simz or Loyle Carner bringing a more refreshing sound. Lastly, George Ezra seems like an odd pick for a Top 5 artist of 2022 as his third album ‘Gold Rush Kid’ sounds extremely similar to the other two with no real excitement or change.

Due to the all-male list not representing the talent and diversity of the UK music industry, here are some of the women I believe deserve to be in this category and why:

Florence + The Machine: Her 2022 album ‘Dance Fever’ earnt her a fourth UK Number 1. Emotive lyrics collided with blissful choruses to create a powerful record. Singles such as ‘Free’ and ‘My Love’ standout with a new refreshingly euphoric sound. The combination of exciting new music, excellent singles, and Number 1 charting in 2022 surely should have earnt Florence and the machine a BRIT nomination.

Little Simz: At the very end of the year, she released a surprise album ‘NO THANK YOU’. A complex project where she airs her frustration with the music industry and choosing to become an independent artist. Her unique voice, flow and lyricism highlight that she is a force to be reckoned with and if not nominated for artist of the year she should have been considered for the Hip Hop/ Grime category

Charli XCX: It has been an exciting year for Charli, as she reached number 1 on the UK charts for the first time with her 5^th studio album ‘CRASH’. It is an incredibly fun, experimental, and well produced album that really embodies the genre of pop. Charli also released successful singles including ‘Hot In It’ and ‘Beg For You’ and collaborated with a variety of noteworthy artists such as Rina Sawayama, Tiesto and Caroline Polachek.

Brit award academy judges when deciding the best artist of 2022: (52) Name A Woman (Billy on the Street) – YouTube

Another extremely disappointing thing to see was the category of ‘Best pop/R&B Act’ being full of ONLY pop acts. Personally, I think it’s insulting to the genre itself as well as any British R&B act as they don’t even get a look in being paired with UK’s most POPular genre. The nominees were Cat Burns, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and Sam Smith, all exceptional pop artists, although I find it surprising that they couldn’t add a single R&B artist despite three out of five not releasing an album in 2022. British singer songwriter and producer MNEK took to Twitter to share his frustration on the matter. He said: “OK this is silly now. we get it. UK industry doesn’t know what to do with R&B but there’s enough R&B artists to have their own category at LEAST”.

My last bone to pick (I know there’s been a few) is with the ‘Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act’ as in my opinion they have added Stormzy and Dave perhaps due to popularity reasons rather than purely being based off music completed in 2022. For example, Dave had a huge year in 2021 with an extraordinary album, winning him Best Hip Hop act as well as the most prestigious award – ‘Album of the year’ – which was completely well-earned. However, in 2022 Dave only released 2 singles with only ‘starlight’ gaining success, is this enough to take a spot in this category?

Personally, I would love to see Knucks being recognised for his incredible talent in this category and possibly even ‘Album of the Year’ as ‘ALPHA PLACE’ is such a strong album with great storytelling, and unique style.

9 Jan

By 25782697 on Concert review tagged #Fourtet, #Fredagain, #FredAgainRumble, #LondonMusic, #Skrillex- Leave a comment

Skrillex, Fred again.. and Four Tet – A look inside their last minute ‘Rumble’ release show in London

The trio of electronic magicians played a spectacular third secret set with tickets selling out in seconds, just hours before the show!

The spontaneous run of shows from the 5th to the 7th of January were each finalised on the day of the show. This comes after Skrillex and Fred Again.. were celebrating the drop of their much anticipated single ‘Rumble’ together on the 4^th. They reached out via Instagram story asking for a last-minute venue in Fred’s hometown of London. Then the chaos erupted as each artist randomly released a ticket link on their stories, only a few hours before the show, and within seconds, tickets were sold out.

Fellow DJ, Nia Archives, as well as worldwide popstar Dua Lipa were some of the huge stars spotted dancing in the crowd on Saturday night. The final show of 3 was at Troxy in East London with a capacity of just over 3,000 and it did not disappoint!

If getting tickets wasn’t lucky enough, after arriving just 45 minutes early, I managed to make my way to secure a spot about half a meter from the front barrier. As soon as the doors were open at 8pm the three DJ’s were ready at the decks, warming up the crowd, chatting to fans and setting up for what was going to be an incredible 4 hours.

The show got off to a flying start with every track hyping up the crowd more and more. I looked behind me and the venue was full of people flooding the sides and back of the decks. Fred looked up at the cheering crowd before taking the microphone, “We’re on a hattrick London and we are so gassed that you’re here with us tonight – thank you!”

They teased the crowd with a remix of ‘Rhythm N Gash‘ followed by Fred’s huge single ‘Turn On The Lights again..‘ which got the fans bouncing and that’s when the real lightshow started. Dubstep heavyweight Skrillex then took to the decks, playing his own remix of Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘HUMBLE’.

However, the show wasn’t without its flaws as 2 hours in the sound system started glitching and Four Tet was cut off more than once which left everybody confused. After an awkward few minutes of no music, three stressed DJ’s and Skrillex passing the blame to anyone but himself – of course it was fan favourite Fred Again.. who saved the day.

With a smile on his face, he took out his keyboard and plays the melody of his own song ‘Danielle‘ telling the crowd “we don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know what’s going to happen but we might as well give it our best.” At this point everyone (including myself) was just ecstatic that the show was carrying on despite sweat dripping from the ceiling.

The energy in the room then became electric as the trio welcomed special guest Flowdan and it was time to RUMBLE. The new single was remixed more than 5 times with Flowdan flawlessly rapping live to the crowds delight.

As the show was coming to a close, a roller-coaster of emotions were experienced. My night peaked when I heard a drum and bass remix of Harry Styles’ ‘As it Was’. Although this was short lived when the song was stopped after a careless crowd surfer dived off the decks and into the crowd, knocking out a girl on his way down.

After a short break and the girl getting to safety with help from none other than Sonny (Skrillex) himself – the show continued.

To end the remarkable evening, Fred Again.. played an emotional last tune from his first solo album called ‘Angie (i’ve been lost)’ telling the crowd to repeat the moving lyrics “Lost, I’ve been lost, but I’m really trying”.

The love and respect between the three talented producers was completely infectious. Throughout the night I could see strangers coming together to share moments that will last a lifetime.

Check out @chunesmp on TikTok for exclusive video content from the night.

To read more on Fred Again.. and his incredible rise to solo fame in the electronic scene, click this link: https://chunes-blogs-lincoln-ac-uk.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2022/10/04/fred-again-from-lowkey-background-producer-to-king-of-electronic-music/

30 Oct

By 25782697 on Album Reviews tagged #AltRock, #Beingfunnyinaforeignlanguage, #MattyHealy, #PopRock, #The1975, #UKMusic- Leave a comment

The 1975’s ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ album REVIEW

NOT A SINGLE SKIP – UNAPOLOGETICALLY THEMSELVES!

The British quartet’s new album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ reached number 1 last week on the Official UK Charts, outselling the rest of the top 5 albums combined. The short but amazingly sweet album of just 44 minutes is an incredible fusion of pop and rock.

The Jack Antonoff produced record flows seamlessly as all songs follow the cool dream pop sound that The 1975 are notorious for. This completely contrasts from their previous album ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’, as its erratic genre-mixing made it confusing and a less enjoyable listen.

The album feels like it was released at the perfect time (not only because Taylor swift dropped the week after) because it has a certain warmth that encapsulates the autumnal spirit – jacket weather, coffee shops and orange leaves.

Frontman, Matty Healy, sings smoothly complimenting the synths, saxophone solos and 80’s funk rock sound on songs such as ‘Happiness‘. Personally, I think the honest, yet random lyrics mirror how chaotic it is to be a young person in 2022. Furthermore, the song writing is so captivating because the lyrics go from completely light-hearted, satirical and cliche in ‘Wintering’ straight into the lyrically rich, emotive ballads in the final 3 tracks. The juxtaposition brings variety and makes the record an interesting and unpredictable listen.

In an interview with Vulture, Healy said: “I think there’s an element of just growing up that you can hear in the record and across it – the way we did it, why we did it and how it sounds”. Perhaps this is the reason the opening song ‘The 1975’ breaks tradition as it’s without the iconic opening of “go down, so soft, midnight, car lights, playing with the air …”. Instead, the band centres the song around the devastatingly beautiful lyric ‘sorry If you’re living and you’re 17’ which seems empathetic and reflects the uncertainty of being a teenager, possibly directed at fans struggling with the transition into being a young adult.

‘About you,’ is the standout track for me, the heartfelt ballad has a bridge that could certainly rival the likes of Taylor Swift but who is the mystery singer? It’s Carly Holt, married to 1975’s own guitarist Adam Hann, the soft female voice compliments Matty’s remarkably.

My final thoughts are that the new album is simply addictive and despite ‘BFIAFL’ being the bands 5th studio album, it is definitely some of their best work to date. The 1975 have perfected their own sound and write with new maturity, empathy and of course underlying humour.

4 Oct

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #Actuallife, #BoilerRoom, #brianEno, #DJ, #ElectronicMusic, #Fredagain, #FredGibson- Leave a comment

Fred Again.. From lowkey background producer to king of electronic music!

“I’m happy as long as I’m making something honest”.

After years of taking a backseat with behind-the-scenes producing, the London-born producer is now driving rapidly to solo success! Fred Gibson helped to create some of the most iconic chart-topping hits from the last decade, including: ‘Shotgun’ by George Ezra, ‘Take me back to London’ by Stormzy as well as cowriting and producing Ed Sheeran’s last 2 albums that went to number 1!

At only 16 years old, the young Fred Gibson met heavyweight of the producing game Brian Eno at an a cappella singing class in London. Fred told NME magazine that the super producer Eno became his mentor, “he took me under his wing after seeing my production work, he’s always in touch and giving me advice”. Fred also revealed that Eno was the person who sparked the idea to experiment with solo producing. One day, he received a text from the established musician saying “Enough Fred! Time to get back to your own stuff!” and from that point on he has never looked back!

Fred Again.. has developed a distinctive and futuristic style with his own music. His trilogy of albums named ‘Actual life’, with the third release coming out on the 28^th of October, each use storytelling to create depth. The albums operate almost as a diary of his life, Fred said “it’s like the makeup of my camera roll made into songs” highlighting how personal, emotive, and intimate these projects are.

Fred Again’s sound mirrors the fast-paced life he lives in Central London; he uses his local area to generate more ideas, sitting with his laptop in modern art galleries, the busy South Bank and even the tube as they are all filled with an abundance of people and sounds.

The sampling genius innovatively creates his high-speed electronic remixes by seeking inspiration from anyone and anything around him. One of the original samples on the first ‘Actual life’ came from a video of a conversation Fred had with American construction worker Carlos, who shared the encouraging words “We gone make it through” which features as the centre piece of the album. Fred magically created ‘Faisal (envelops me)’ after stumbling across a video of talented vocalist Faisal Salah walking down the streets of London singing before chopping up the sound and adding his own vocals over the top.

The hype surrounding Fred Again is ridiculous especially after he dropped an electrifying Boiler Room set that’s already being called the best yet by listeners across the world. The London performance has received over 6.5 million views on YouTube in just 2 months. The standout moment of the thrilling 70-minute set was when he dropped the collaboration with Swedish House Mafia and Future, ‘Turn On The Lights Again’ as the energy of the crowd increased to a new level. It’s no surprise that he has an enormous dedicated fanbase with some even claiming “he could mix oil and water”!

Fred Again.. is starting a new wave of dance music that is more creative and spontaneous than ever! He has quickly become a fan favourite due to his passion for creating, emphasized by his infectious energy when live performing and of course his quirky random samples.

19 Nov

By 25782697 on Recommendations tagged #Gaps&Normads, #HipHop, #JoeJas, #selfproducer, #USrap- Leave a comment

Eccentric rapper and self-producer JoeJas is a force to be reckoned with!

With the recent release of his 4^th self-produced album ‘Gaps&Normads‘ I spoke to American rapper ‘JoeJas’ about the new album, his musical influences and more…

The 21-minute album really packs a punch, it’s a unique blend of genres, although predominantly hip-hop, it’s also heavily inspired by punk, R&B and jazz. It is multi-instrumental and every song is musically distinctive; The London-based rapper himself said “this album will keep you on your toes” and he was not wrong.

The lyrical themes of ‘Gaps&Normads’ explore self-acceptance and the struggle of navigating the world as someone who defies stereotypes and doesn’t exactly ‘fit in’ in today’s society. This is highlighted by the lyrics “you’re told to straighten up when your path seems different” and “I’ve seen the cliché, tryna break that mould”.

The standout track was the single, ‘Sally’s Last Dance,’ it has an infectious chorus paired with a strong hip-hop beat and the lyrics although not extremely meaningful flow incredibly well. ‘Suedeflips!’ feels like the perfect song to play on aux to a party, it is a high energy hype song, that I bet is incredible live. In the last chorus Joe sings in a higher pitch, over the top of the original chorus creating a great atmosphere to end the song. The song also helps to close the album as it’s the last with lyrics, it talks about overcoming feeling different and being yourself. This perfectly complements the final song ‘Planet The Band’ as the jazzy uplifting instrumental piece implies Joe’s final self-acceptance.

The element of the album that was most impressive was the producing, as the quality is professional sounding despite being self-made and even the simplest of the tracks are creative and multi-instrumental.

The album is a completely self-made project – with no collaborations! Joe told me he didn’t feel like the album needed any collaborations, and that it he would of added some if he thought it was needed. Originally , as a listener, I thought a soft R&B female voice would compliment Joe’s rapping exceptionally well, however, I agree with Joe’s creative decision and see that the project is complete on its own.

Despite JoeJas having a unique sound and persona, the one artist that comes to mind is Tyler the Creator. Due to the ‘outside of the box’ outlook on music and similar mix of genres with his punk-rap style as well as his quirky personality and fashion style. This makes sense as when I asked Joe’s music inspirations, he mentioned Tyler amongst others including Pharrell, Timbaland, Earl sweatshirt, Chad Hugo, and Missy Elliot.

I am confident that the future for JoeJas is bright, in 5 years he sees himself with a “fire discography”, at festivals, shooting short films, as well as helping kids be themselves.

Links to ‘Gaps&Normads’

Physical CD’s: https://www.fatllama.co.uk/gapsandnomads

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0seHRmg77LmTv6w6EHMlg3

Apple music: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/gaps-nomads/1637752975