‘We All Fall Down’ is the latest offering from Ventrelles produced by Dean Glover at Vibe, Crumpsall, Manchester.
The track blends their classic influences and dives a little further back into the past echoing Love, The Byrds and Motown.
This time round the band are showing their more psychedelic pop side and there’s an energetic optimism to the driving drums and snaking bass line which will leave you wanting more from this 2 minute 20 explosion of modern northern English soul.
Ventrelles are a four piece ‘fleece-pop’ outfit from Manchester – After a busy year of gigs and releases they have ended 2024 with a session at the legendary Magic Garden Studios working with the equally legendary producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors, The Twang, The Sherlocks) on their follow up single due April ‘25.
Modern rock band with a retro infused vibe AK & The Red Kites are pleased to release the stomping, head nodding new single and video ‘Baby Don’t Love Me’ taken from the debut EP ‘Proverbial Storm’, available now on CD and all digital platforms.
Frontman and guitarist Andrew Knightley says “It’s a take on the age old story of losing your lady, noticing the signs along the way but sticking your head in the sand until it’s too late. I’m sure a lot of people have been there and can relate.”
Having eloped from the city life to the Chiltern Hills UK during the global pandemic, Andrew began writing songs that would shape the EP rising from the ashes of his previous blues rock band Trident Waters. “I wrote most of my new music looking out the window onto the woods and the Red Kites are always circling overhead. I wanted to honour that sense of freedom and protection that they have provided me with and the connection I felt. The band name is a direct reference to my creative process and where I am now as a person.”
The 6 track collection showcases Knightleys eclectic range as a songwriter and musician; ranging from full on high tempo hard rockers, big riffs, to panoramic swamp vibes with incursions into territories likened to the vein of Rival Sons, Ritchie Kotzen and ZZ Top; “A unique fusion of delta blues, country, and high-energy hard-edged rock.” My Global Mind Magazine, “The whole thing is glorious.” Maximum Volume Music.Andrew muses, “It’s 100% song driven as I’ve grown and wanted to come away from focusing on the guitar to allow myself to be more vulnerable in my writing. I’ve put a lot of who I am and where I’ve been into the songs and have laid it all on the table.”
Working with multi-platinum award-winning producer Mike Krompass (Everybody Loves An Outlaw, Steven Tyler)and recording at the previously UK based state of the art Base Culture has brought out what Andrew believes to be his best work to date “There’s a far more contemporary sound and we really focused on my vocal delivery taking precedence which I hadn’t done as much of in the past. We worked quickly and directly, aiming to make the biggest sound we could without losing sight of any song as that’s most important.” Adding to the expansiveness, mastering duties were expertly handled by Glenn Thomas of ItuneAudio (Kenny Aronoff, Billy Sheehan) and Justin Shturtz of Sterling Sound (Shinedown, 10 Years).
With the debut EP and singles offerings, AK & The Red Kites is now perched ready to soar with more music to take wings in 2025. “I want the listener to interpret for themselves. take away what they choose and enjoy, this is just the beginning.”
Fast rising alternative rock outfit Ramellos have steadily been building their live fanbase through support slots with Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and north east locals Camel Island and Pretty Velvet. They’re ready to kickstart 2025 with their debut single release, ‘Heedless Hearts’ which is out now for all to hear!
They’ve worked with notable recording studio Blank Studios in Newcastle on their soaring debut, about which they said: “this is the most satisfied we’ve ever been with a piece of work, and next year we’ll be sharing it with everyone that’d like to hear it. We are planning our own headline show, plenty more support slots, and we hope to jump on a few festivals over summer, as well as shows around the country!
Italian shoegaze band Mondaze has today released their second album ‘Linger‘ via Bronson Recordings.
A message on the wall reads, “We don’t want to return to normal because normal was the problem.” filled with disruptive alarms, isolating commutes, an increasingly demanding work schedule, and manufactured desires urging us to buy things we don’t need. Dull, unhealthy meals and a self-imposed detachment as we watch endless streaming content, sacrificing sleep until the brink of dawn. Then, the alarm rings again, perpetuating the cycle with heightened exhaustion and diminished concentration.
This is exactly what Mondaze touch on in their latest album ‘Linger’, a follow-up to their 2021 debut ‘Late Bloom’. “The album arose from a sense of alienation from a world devoid of contemplation,” the band explains. “A world where finding moments of stillness in everyday life has become rare’. Life has become an experience of watching from the sidelines, distracted and unaware of what’s right in front of us.
The album delves deep into themes of memory and loss, resistance and rebirth. It presents a dualism, balancing the delicate beauty of ethereal melodies with the intense power of a wall of sound. This back-and-forth builds and tears down emotional landscapes and mindscapes alike. If shoegaze stands for anything in the annals of indie music, it’s the sonic expression of a state of “uncomfortable numbness”—a form of escape from reality, hidden beneath layers of distorted guitars and distant vocals. It’s a sound that more effectively encapsulates the discomforts of ultramodern life than any statement could. While mainstream music moves towards hyper-produced pop and ever-grander spectacles, shoegaze has become the preferred voice for younger generations who feel adrift, with few points of reference.
In this context, Mondaze’s sound stands out with its originality. Their music is the result of a synthesis of various influences—from punk and hardcore to metal—forming a voice that uniquely captures the anxieties of today’s world.
Since forming in 2018, Mondaze have defined themselves as “heavy shoegaze,” taking inspiration from bands like genre-giants Swervedriver and Ride, but also contemporary bands that are pushing shoegaze through the limits like Nothing and Ringo Deathstarr. With ‘Linger’, they aim to amplify the melancholic tones of their frustration and rage. These sonic characteristics drove them to work with Chris Fullard (who’s collaborated with Idles and Boris) on mixing, and Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher) for mastering. The result is an album with roots, yet distinctly modern in its direction and sound with arrangements able to perfectly synthesize a modern approach to dreamy-eerie landscapes. Guitars in Linger are back as a centre for world-making as they foster sensations through music with refined overlaps where influences merge expressing modern sensibility.
“We often strive to act as rationally as possible, but inevitably end up feeling empty and numb,” the band reflects on the broader implications of their work, “This album is about contemplation,” they continue, “but there’s also an element of action, a kind of non-action that comes from the awareness gained through reflection.”
With ‘Linger’, Mondaze return with a sound that is as powerful as it is necessary in the times we live in. There’s a strength that stems from reflection and observation. Their music taps into the deep emotions of generations unwilling to return to the “normal” of the past.
‘Loving Creature’ the debut single from Fraser.’s upcoming EP ‘Comfort Blanket’ exemplifies his unique style. The track builds around a simple yet powerful drumbeat, driving rhythm guitars, and a haunting piano melody, creating space for Fraser.’s soaring vocals to shine. The lyrics explore the complexities of a dysfunctional relationship, with the line “I am a Loving Creature, on paper” capturing the moment of self-awareness and desire for change. With its heartfelt lyrics and stripped-back arrangement, “Loving Creature” sets the stage for an impactful debut.
‘Loving Creature’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
London Resident Cornish alt-rockers, THE VELVET HANDS announce a second release from their forthcoming EP.
Following on acclaim for the recently released “I’ll Be Free” and the success of “Chick Habit”, the band’s Anglo French collaboration with French feminist grunge trio Pythies, The Velvet Hands let another track out of their musical bag; “Caller” taken from their eagerly awaited EP due in the Spring of 2025.
The band play 4 dates in January 2025 as part of Independent Venue Week as well as their largest headline show to date at Dingwalls. The band are keen flag flyers for the small independent venues that keep the pulse of the live music scene beating.
January 28th – The Saltbox, Nottingham
January 29th – Northern Quarter, Huddersfield
January 30th – Cavern, Exeter
February 1st – Old Bakery Studios, Truro
March 8th – Sound Factory Festival, Plymouth
March 22nd – Dingwalls, London
Of the track frontman Toby Mitchell says ‘Caller, to me, is about acceptance. Accepting that sometimes you need help, that sometimes relationships end, that sometimes friends die.. but also that sometimes life will be kind to you. It was written in mine and Dan’s flat one spring afternoon and fills me with sadness and hope in equal measure everytime we play it’
The track was recorded at Cube Studios in Cornwall and mixed & mastered in London by The Velvet Hands and Jamx Jules.
The Velvet Hands are Toby Mitchell, Dan Able, Louis Mitchell and John Logan. After forming amidst Cornwall’s blistering garage-rock scene, the four-piece relocated to London and have been making a name for themselves on the capital’s underground guitar circuit ever since.
Praised as being “full of bolshy spirit” by NME, the band’s self-recorded debut album was Huw Stephens’ Album Of The Week on Radio 1. Garnering comparisons to the likes of The Clash, The Cribs and The Libertines, The Velvet Hands have also caused a stir with a range of tastemakers including Fred Perry Subculture, DORK, Gigslutz and God Is In The TV.
Gaining airplay on Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Radio X amongst others, the band have also supported the likes of Fontaines D.C., VANT, Wallows, Frank Turner, Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher. Hand-picked by Michael Eavis to support Elbow at the 2022 instalment of the infamous Pilton Party, the band have played Boardmasters, Y Not, Truck, The Great Estate, Isle of Wight festival and more. They have also twice sold out Paris’ Supersonic club.
In 2023 The Velvet Hands released their second album ‘Sucker Punch’ to widespread praise. Delivering coming-of-age tales with slacker-rock sensibilities, the album combined the punchy guitar licks of The Strokes or Parquet Courts with rousing punk choruses reminiscent of The Clash or The Vaccines. The ten-track LP was recorded by John Logan at The Cube Studios in Cornwall, produced and mixed by The Velvet Hands and JamX Jules at Par Studios and mastered by the legendary John Cornfield (The Stone Roses, Supergrass).The album was made available on vinyl in November 2023 through the Falmouth based KrautPop label.
The Don’t ARgue project is complete, seven songs in seven styles which have been years in the making.
Don’t ARgue were a student band in a leafy Cheshire town in the mid 90s who had put some songs together, played a few gigs, won a battle of the bands and went their separate ways, fast forward to today and The Fods have spent the last 15 months revisiting what went down in the 90s and rebuilt these songs using some incredible indie talent. Several protagonists from our native North West England have been involved, along with talent from Scotland, the North East and the South West of the UK, together with contributions from New York, New Jersey and Toronto in the Americas.
With a collaborative approach, each song has its own individual vibe, but being underpinned by The Fods distinctive guitar-forward sound. An eclectic mix of songs keep the listener intrigued from beginning to end. A must listen album.
Alt-rock band POPPY WIZARD released their debut EP “Holy Spirit Gang” in August, sparking an initial echo in the shoegaze and emo scene. Now the quartet is unleashing a new single, “Maze”, which combines powerful riffs with hypnotic vocals. The result is a dense wall of sound that is broken up in places with haunting shouts.
“The song is about overthinking. Partly metaphorical, partly pragmatic, it describes the feeling of being trapped in your own head and not being able to think calmly,” comments singer and guitarist Hendrik Dyga.
Originally started as a two-piece creative experiment during the Corona pandemic in Düsseldorf and Cologne, Poppy Wizard has evolved into a band project driven by the shared passion of four longtime friends. Their music is a captivating mix of powerful, melodic and danceable songs that captivates the audience. Inspired by the various addictions of life, their sound oscillates between heavy, dreamy and undulating structures that will delight fans of modern fuzz rock and grungegaze.
Poppy Wizard is Hendrik Dyga – Guitars & Vocals, Lukas Andrzejewski – Guitars, Robin Kwasniewski – Bass and Philipp Baum – Drums
As the countdown to their sophomore album Delay The New Day enters its final stretch, Cardiff multi-intrumentalists Red Telephone offer fans one last sonic appetiser with ‘Sentimental Dreaming’.
Driven by a hypnotic bassline and layered with ethereal synths, ‘Sentimental Dreaming’ comes with an interesting backstory. Born from a 15 minute acoustic guitar session intended to fix the chorus of a different song, the track became one of the first the band worked on for their new album. However, its journey to completion was far from straightforward, going through multiple iterations, including a bold foray into Robyn-inspired pop, before finding its final form in a spontaneous late-night studio session.
“We started listening back to practice recordings of all the different versions we’d attempted and there was this one phone recording with this really rhythmic, catchy bassline by Dom.” lead singer Declan says of the song’s construction “We were basically recording it ten minutes later on the fly and didn’t leave the studio until about 2am. There was definitely some late-in-the-day chaos as we scrambled to get it over the line, but it added a different energy & even brought about one of Kieran’s favourite guitar parts on the album, which he put down off the cuff going into the outro almost in some jaded desperation to get it done.” With nods to Suede and Talking Heads, and a bridge that channels Roy Orbison, ‘Sentimental Dreaming’ emerges as a serendipitous anthem for the band, capturing their eclectic influences and innovative approach to songcraft.
Delving into the album’s central theme of the trials and tribulations of modern day artists, ‘Sentimental Dreaming’ lyrically explores the chasm between the romanticised visions of creative pursuits and the often harsh realities of chasing those dreams. Of the song’s lyrics Declan says “There’s obviously this idealistic sentimentality in dreaming – it almost sounds like a sweet, harmless thing to do – but it’s deceptively powerful, because it can send us down paths that end up dictating not only behaviour but entire periods of our lives and ways of living.”
Following the success of their deliciously dark and mesmerising debut album Hollowing Out, Red Telephone’s upcoming album Delay The New Day see’s their ever evolving sound push boundaries even further. Building on their signature blend of melodic psych and darkwave, Red Telephone promise to further explore this fusion with the addition of cinematic influences to their sophomore effort. Led by the quintet’s knack for multi-instrumental intricacies, Red Telephone’s latest work evokes comparisons to MGMT, St. Vincent, or fellow Welsh icons Super Furry Animals, while staying true to the unique style they established in their critically acclaimed debut.
Thematically, the album delves into the struggles faced by countless aspiring artists: the relentless juggling act of day jobs and creative pursuits, the bombardment of conflicting advice on achieving success, and the ever-present fear of losing sight of the initial spark that ignited the passion. Delay The New Day is a tapestry of paranoia, self-doubt, and the sheer determination it takes to carve a path in the music industry. But even deeper than that, it’s about refusing to compromise on artistic vision, and embodying the underdog’s mentality to keep creating for the right reasons.
Hailing from Cardiff, Red Telephone are a quintet featuring two sets of brothers alongside their first full-time drummer. They began their journey by releasing their first two singles as a double A-side vinyl on the Welsh cult label Popty-Ping, earning praise from Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq. Their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Hollowing Out’, garnered media attention from Clash, BBC 6 Music, and Under The Radar, amongst many. Now, in 2024, with their second album completed, Red Telephone continue to make waves in the UK alternative scene with their potent blend of psychedelic rock and darkwave. ‘Sentimental Dreaming’ is out now, whilst their upcoming album Delay The New Day is hailed for release January 31st 2025. Pre order Delay The New Day on vinyl for guaranteed entry to their exclusive album listening party on January 29th at Tiny Rebel, Cardiff.
Juanita Stein has released her fourth solo album ‘The Weightless Hour’ via Agricultural Audio. The Howling Bells front-woman has just finished a UK tour supporting Evan Dando and is doing a series of in-store shows including one at London’s Rough Trade West this evening, before joining Travis on their UK dates in December (full dates below).
Having recently released singles ‘Mother Natures Scorn‘ and ‘Carry Me‘, today is the turn of focus track ‘Motionless‘. Juanita explains the song “is about my inability to remain still, I have an inexplicable desire to keep moving no matter what, how or when. I’d rather have the car drive in reverse than have it sit still. I’d rather the train head in any direction, than stall on the tracks. I’m acknowledging that I hold my breath through the pain of things and rather than sit and deal with the discomfort, I’ll move in any other direction. I’m constantly learning, as I think a lot of us are, how to be motionless”.
The video, directed by Orlando Cubitt and filmed by Elliot Dupuy, was recorded along the South Coast, from Brighton to Newhaven and in between. She recalls “It was an outrageously blustery day, with gusts of winds of up to 50 mph, which made things quite challenging for us! At one point Orlando was holding Elliot up with the camera, myself, sat in a car that I could feel swaying form left to right. However, I believe this contributed to a genuine moodiness throughout the video. We did a lot of filming inside the car and at my home studio, which worked well, as that’s where I’m mostly rehearsing and creating, so a genuine insight, along with the scenery around where I live”.
’The Weightless Hour’ sees Stein join forces once more with long-time collaborator, the producer Ben Hillier (see also: Depeche Mode, Doves, Blur, Elbow). After originally teaming up for 2020’s Snapshot, Stein’s third record, which was built from collected fragments of grief following the loss of her father, it was Hillier’s penchant for minimalism – his instinct for risk-taking while stripping sounds back to their gleaming bones – that aligned with her vision for her fourth project.
In removing most instrumental additions beyond the guitar (and you will notice there are no drums on the LP), with ‘The Weightless Hour’, Stein made a subconscious choice to make the project entirely her own. In the space freed by the stripped-back instrumentation, her storytelling bleeds freely like watercolours across a blank page. The album is an intensely human document with a profound sense of dignity. A record on which Stein has found that exploring a more restrained side can yield work that is armed with experience and yet is all the lighter for it, where your attention isn’t demanded and yet is effortlessly claimed. Every sound, every choice, has earned its place.
“I think making records is a really powerful way of letting go of experiences,” Stein notes. “I’m allowing myself to kiss things goodbye.” Through these converging chapters of her life, ‘The Weightless Hour’ feels like an arrival for Juanita Stein: “I’ve finally learned to be okay in space and be loud in my experiences.”
Juanita Stein Live Dates 2024:
DECEMBER
Wed 11th – MARGATE, Dreamland (with Travis)
Fri 13th – LONDON, o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (with Travis)
Sat 14th – LONDON, o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (with Travis)
Indie Revolution 