Tag: Indie Rock

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 32 – Bottlecap Mountain, Josephine Pascoe, Lissy Taylor, Loud Hound

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews12 Comments

Artists and bands I follow on social media continue to release new music at a dizzying pace, so in order to try and showcase even some of it, it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring four recently-released songs by, in alphabetical order – Texas rock’n’roll band Bottlecap Mountain, English musician and composer Josephine Pascoe, English singer-songwriter Lissy Taylor, and New Jersey singer-songwriter Loud Hound, all of them quite prolific in their musical output. I’ve previously written about Josephine Pascoe and Loud Hound, while this is the first time I’m featuring Bottlecap Mountain and Lissy Taylor. So let’s get to it!

BOTTLECAP MOUNTAIN – “I’ve Got Loving For You”

Bottlecap Mountain is a self-described “24 Carat Rock & Roll” band from Austin, Texas, comprised of Stewart Gersmann (lead vocals, lead guitar), Chris Stangland (bass), Yvonne Love (organ, backing vocals), Doug Pena (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ray Flynt (drums). Their sound is a happy mix of alternative, garage and indie rock, infused with generous doses of power pop and classic rock & roll, accompanied by honest, thought-provoking and relatable lyrics delivered with pleasing vocals and wonderful harmonies.

Over the past 10 years, the prolific band has released six full-length albums, their most recent being their brilliant 0! Fantastik Melancholy last year. Today they return with “I’ve Got Loving For You”, the first single from their upcoming seventh album Electric Love Spree, due out this summer. The song opens with sounds of a revving motorcycle engine, then we’re off to the races with a cool, retro-sounding rock & roll gem that harkens back to some of the great songs of the 60s and 70s, but with a fresh approach. I love the stabbing guitar notes, spirited drumbeats and abundant crashing cymbals, all layered over a charming organ riff and punctuated here and there with some tasty acoustic and electric guitar work. The straightforward lyrics are a simple yet profound declaration of love, beautifully sung by Stewart and backed by his fellow bandmembers’ warm harmonies.

Follow Bottlecap Mountain:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / Threads

JOSEPHINE PASCOE – “Odyssey”

Josephine Pascoe is a classically trained pianist, violinist and flautist based in the London suburbs. With a life-long love of music, she studied at Trinity College of Music in London, where she began composing her own music. She also trained to be a secondary school music teacher, but prefers giving one-on-one instrumental instruction on piano and violin. Since 2017, she’s collaborated with guitarist and producer Neil Thom, who she met the year before when she began taking guitar lessons from him, in the creation of exceptional instrumental music with ever-changing elements of jazz, acid jazz, classical, blues and funk.

Together, they’ve released an impressive amount of singles – 17 to be exact. One of them, “Starfish”, I reviewed last May. Their latest single, released March 23, is “Odyssey“, a beautiful acid jazz instrumental. For the track’s recording, Josephine played piano, strings and flute, while Neil played guitar, bass and drums. Like all their songs, Neil handled production and engineering. Whereas “Starfish” has a spirited dance-oriented feel with a strong lively beat, “Odyssey” is more contemplative and bluesy. I love Josephine’s warm piano keys, soothing strings and lilting flute, and as always, Neil’s bluesy guitars and funky bass provide a marvelous and edgy counterpoint to her more classical-sounding instrumentals.

Follow Josephine: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / Threads

LISSY TAYLOR – “Life Changing”

Lissy Taylor is a lovely, hard-working young singer-songwriter from Stoke-On-Trent, England. From what I can tell, she’s been releasing music since January 2020, including numerous singles and two EPs. According to her bio, she toured fairly extensively in 2023 in support of such acts as The View, Sea Girls and The Lottery Winners, and performed at the Isle of Wight Festival. Her songs have garnered airplay on Radio 1 Future Alternative, BBC Radio 2, John Kennedy Radio X and Amazing Radio. This year, she’s already played shows in support of Circa Waves and Haiku Hands, and is set to open the mainstage at YNOT Festival ahead of Headliner Noel Gallagher. She was also chosen by an expert panel of artists to perform at Manchester City FC opening for Barclays Women’s Super League on April 21.

Her latest single is “Life Changing“, released on March 15th. The song is an indie rock banger, fueled by an infectious driving beat overlain with a glorious mix of reverb-soaked guitars, humming bass, roiling synths and thunderous drums. Lissy’s vocals, which remind me a bit of fellow English songstress Ellie Goulding, are soft yet commanding here. About the song’s meaning, she elaborates “There’s so many people that go through struggles, myself included, and this song champions pulling yourself through to the otherside. This is a song to cheer you on when there’s doubts and to throw you up in the air when you’re winning. This is the sound of the underdog.”

Follow Lissy:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / Threads

LOUD HOUND – “Clumsy”

LOUD HOUND is the music project of Tommy Florio, a talented singer/songwriter from Ventnor City, New Jersey. The silky-voiced artist fuses elements of garage, surf and psych rock with dream pop to create wonderful songs filled with infectious melodies, honest lyrics and irresistible guitar grooves. He’s recorded and released a tremendous amount of music since 2018, including two albums – It’s Okay to Be Lonely Part I in 2022 and It’s Okay to Be Lonely Part II in 2023, as well as more than 20 singles, two of which, “Runnin'” and “Youthful Stranger”, I reviewed. Hard to believe it’s been over five years since I’ve featured him on this blog, so it’s high time I revisit his music.

Since the beginning of this year, he’s been dropping new songs in “waterfall releases”, in which singles are released in a progressive series, with each new release adding to the previous one to eventually create a kind of EP. It seems to be an increasingly popular way artists are releasing their music, as I’ve seen numerous examples of this. LOUD HOUND’s latest release is “Clumsy”, a delightfully catchy song he says he wrote “back in 2020 as a romantic ode to my clumsiness while in pursuit of an uninterested lover.“ It’s a perfect pop-rock tune, with wonderful twangy guitars and swirling keyboards layered over a breezy melody. The lyrics are a heartfelt plea to a woman he desires to love him back: “With your golden smile that made me spill my coffee, I want you forever I’m just a little clumsy. Won’t you come and stay with me? I heard you needed some company. The love that you want and the love that you need, it’s right here baby don’t you see.”

Follow LOUD HOUND: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

JOE PEACOCK – EP Review: “Beast Mode”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

Joe Peacock is a British singer-songwriter and musician who was born and raised in rural Herefordshire and now based in Birmingham, England. Describing himself as “a genre-hopping storyteller, whose music has been compared to Bowie, Blur and Costello”, he cheekily adds “all money from the digital sales of my music go into paying producers/mixing & mastering engineers.” Not only is he a hard-working and talented songwriter and musician who’s not afraid to continually experiment and push himself beyond his comfort zone, but also a thoughtful family man who cares deeply about the environment, social justice and inequality.

Mr. Peacock rediscovered his creative spark during the Covid lockdowns, and began writing and recording songs at home, handling all aspects of performance and recording. The prolific artist has released a tremendous amount of music in over the past three years, including three albums – I’m Only Here, in April 2021, Before the robots told us where to go, in December 2021, and Mirror Neuron Generator, in July 2022 – as well as numerous singles and four EPs, one of which, The curse of the mind, I reviewed last August. In addition, he’s also one half of art-folk duo The Missed Trees, his side project with singer/fiddle player Louisa Davies-Foley, who released their three-track EP Animals last April. Now he returns with his fifth EP Beast Mode, featuring six fascinating animal-themed tracks based on real events. He hosted a listening party for the EP yesterday, in which he provided lots of insight behind each track.

The EP kicks off with “Pass the puffer“, a song inspired by an episode of the BBC program Spy in the Wild, which detailed how dolphins swimming round a puffer fish can become blissed out from small doses of the lethal toxins emitted by the fish. He was prompted to do a bit of research on dolphins and created a song not intended to be political or animal rights based, but simply a cheeky observation of the dolphins’ strange behaviour. “One bite can paralyze and kill a human, but dolphins get a buzz off the neurotoxin. Are they purposely experimenting, then going off to look at their reflection? Pass the puffer before the seas get rougher.” I love the edgy cinematic synths, grungy psychedelic guitars and pulsating synth-bass, and the chirpy dolphin sounds early in the song are wonderful. Peacock’s vocals remind me of Damon Albarn, frontman of British bands Blur and Gorillaz.

“Fed to the tigers” tells the story of Marius, a two-year-old giraffe born and raised at Copenhagen Zoo. Though healthy, he was genetically unsuitable for future captive breeding because his genes were over-represented in the captive population, so the zoo authorities decided to euthanize him on February 9, 2014, after which his body was dissected and necropsied in a public educational class, then fed to the zoo’s lions and tigers. Peacock notes “They didn’t want to sell him to some private collector or a circus so decided the most humane thing was to kill him and feed him to the tigers. I don’t make a judgement, just think it’s a dilemma that’s worth thinking about.”

His lyrics are both bitterly direct and heartbreaking: “Perfectly healthy (and utterly adorable). The zoo said it had no choice, but to kill poor Marius. Shot through the head, he died instantly. He will take up space for more genetically valuable giraffes. He is of no use to us and he costs us money. We can’t exceed our carrying capacity. Overpopulation is a problem you know.” The dark, spacey synths and heavy guitar tremolo lends a strong, disconcerting undercurrent to the track.

On “Cyborg (Broken Animal)“, Peacock explores the idea of using technology to control or even alter humans and animals. He elaborates further: “There’s a philosophical element to it in terms of how we should feel about experimenting with impulses going straight to the brain to control movements and things, plus a bit of a fear of what if it goes wrong and robot-insect armies start attacking us!” He sings “I’m picking up a signal, picking up a signal. My brain is now wired differently. I didn’t pop a pill or flick a switch, but I am tuning in now. See the cyborgs all around, the offspring of necessity. Our motherboards are so corrupted, we are all breaking down.” Musically, the song has a quirky but pleasant sci-fi vibe, with lots of glitchy synths and a gnarly guitar solo layered over a bouncy, repetitive dance beat.

One of the six tracks is a remix of “Cyborg” by the EP’s producer Chris Marney, titled the “Cyborg (Cyber Madness Remix)”. Marney removes Peacock’s guitar solo and fortifies those glitchy sci-fi synths with added sheen, also expanding the track by one minute and ten seconds. Peacock’s vocals have also been put through a vocoder, enhancing the overall spacey vibe. I can’t pick one over the other, as I really like both versions.

“Sweet Kiss of Death” was inspired by a true story about a young Irish horse trainer and jockey named Frank Hayes who died of a heart attack while riding a horse named Sweet Kiss in a race at Belmont Park in New York in 1923. Hayes died in the latter part of the race, but his body remained in the saddle when Sweet Kiss crossed the finish line. Peacock wrote the poignant lyrics from the point of view of the horse, who was nicknamed Sweet Kiss of Death for the rest of her life. (Wikipedia) “I don’t know why your heart failed, but you’d been under pressure to lose weight. You strove and sweated, denied yourself water. Was it all too much? You never complained. Laid to rest in your racing silks, you were ready to ride again. When the reaper paid a visit, I felt your dead weight before we crossed the line. They called me the sweet kiss of death, but I carried you home.” The song opens with a what sounds like a melancholy electronic oboe, which is soon joined by what Peacock calls a weird talking bass sound he used to keep the song from sounding too overly reggae. Despite the rather dour subject matter, the song still has a lighthearted feel.

The final track “Radioactive Hybrid Terror Pigs (24 remix)” is a reimagining of a song he originally released as a stand-alone single in October 2022. Peacock says “It was the first song Chris mixed for me, so I thought I’d bring it back. It was fast and punky all the way through before, so I slowed down the verses and chopped up the guitar line, adding a few synth elements, too.” The song was inspired by a story he read about how wild boars moved into contaminated land in Hiroshima, Japan after World War II. They didn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from the radiation, and eventually inter-bred with domesticated pigs that had been left behind in the desperate aftermath of the disaster.

Peacock added “The title’s a little bit sensationalist, but when I read it, I just thought that has to be a song! Thematically it fits perfectly with this EP.” The remix verses are sung in a skittering, almost dubstep groove with gnarly guitars, accompanied by sounds of blaring sirens as he sings “A nuclear disaster took all the humans away. Down from the mountains the boars made a foray into the dangers of the big exclusion zone. Almost indestructible, this place became their home.” The music then ramps up to a furious galloping pace in the choruses as he plaintively asks “What can we do now they’ve moved in? Radioactive hybrid terror pigs. Fierce and wild, but domesticated, too.” It’s an entertaining take on a somewhat creepy subject.

Though Beast Mode might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it’s pretty brilliant, and another fine example of Joe Peacock’s impressive imagination, songwriting and musicianship. He also created the lovely cover art for the EP using AI.

Follow Joe:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find his music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Soundcloud

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 31 – Chief Springs, The Metal Byrds, Won’t Say Rabbit

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews12 Comments

A staggering amount of new music continues to issue forth into the airwaves, so it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring three recently released songs by, in alphabetical order, British indie rock band Chief Springs, Texas rock band The Metal Byrds, and New Jersey garage punk-pop band Won’t Say Rabbit. I’ve previously written about Chief Springs and The Metal Byrds, whereas this is the first appearance for Won’t Say Rabbit on my blog, and hopefully not the last!

CHIEF SPRINGS – “One Room Past Waiting”

Chief Springs is a fine indie rock band based in and around London and Leicester who started out in 2018 as a two-piece, but eventually grew to become a five-piece consisting of Josh Coyne, Scott Dillon, Sam Crosby-Browne, Dale Bradfield and Tommy Jordan. Together, they make a pleasing style of melodic rock fashioned with elements of alternative, post-rock, and dream pop, and featuring lush guitars, beautiful arrangements, intelligent lyrics and Coyne’s vibrant baritone vocals. They’ve released a fair amount of music since 2020, including several singles and two EPs, the latter of which, the wonderful Time to Take Time, I reviewed last June. Now they’re back with a compelling new single “One Room Past Waiting“, a song about the conversations you wish you could avoid. The song was produced and engineered by Ben Andrews and features additional vocals by English musician and vocalist Kelli Blanchett.

It’s a powerful song, both musically and lyrically. I really like the lush cinematic soundscape and reverb-drenched guitars. The percussion, highlighted by heavy crashing cymbals, is quite dramatic, though I think it overpowers the other instruments and Coyne’s warm vocals somewhat. Nevertheless, it’s a very good song overall. The lyrics tell a story about a talk between a woman and an overworked doctor, exploring difficult conversations and empathy: “Mae said, ‘these meds won’t do anything and I feel worse’. So they said, in my head, you are well beyond the point of reverse. Well, I wish that I had stayed in the waiting room./ Overworked, undermanned, running on empty, drawn like a line in the sand. Just holding out, still holding out.”

Follow Chief Springs:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

THE METAL BYRDS – “Working Class”

Hailing from Austin, Texas are The Metal Byrds, a female-fronted band who play hard-hitting rock, infused with healthy doses of rock’n’roll and power pop, along with enough metal in the mix to give their songs a dark, edgy quality. Formed in 2018, the band has undergone a few personnel changes, and now consists of founding members London-born singer-songwriter Suzanne Birdie and guitarist Sly Rye, along with bassist Mac Jacob and drummer Charlie “Breeze” Janto. Over the past five years, they’ve released two albums, four EPs and numerous singles, some of which I’ve written about on this blog. On February 24th, they released “Working Class“, the third single from their 2023 EP Moments Before Sunrise, accompanied by a terrific video. 

The song opens with Suzanne gently crooning “In this box I live in, watch me go round and round and round“, a line she repeats with greater intensity until she’s literally screaming the words, her emotional state at the breaking point. The music, having also reached a crescendo along with her impassioned wails, then settles into a chugging rock groove fueled by Mac’s pulsating bassline, Charlie’s assertive drumbeats and Sly Rye’s blistering riffs. At around 3:30 minutes, the tempo ramps back up to a frantic pace as Suzanne’s wailing vocals return, ending the song on a powerful note. The highly relatable lyrics speak to the drudgery of having a nine to five job you despise, which can really cast a pall over every other aspect of your life: “I come home from work. Yeah my job is boring. I got no sleep, and I’m out of coffee. Ooh ooh ooh ooh, all I do is work./ My life is boring, can you relate?” I love the video, shot in black and white and featuring close ups of Suzanne, interspersed with scenes of her playing guitar and scribbling the lyrics onto a notebook.

Follow The Metal Byrds: Facebook / X (Twitter)

WON’T SAY RABBIT – “Live And Love”

Won’t Say Rabbit is a garage pop-punk band with a marvelous name from northern New Jersey, and also fronted by a female vocalist. Formed in 1989, they’re comprised of Brian (guitar & Won’t Say Rabbit drawings) Tom (bass guitar & keyboards) and Beth (vocals.) Drummers through the years have included Frank, John, Billy, and Juan. Inspired by acts ranging from X, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick, The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles to the Ronettes, Crystals, and Shangri-Las, their music is high-energy, melodic and fun. They released several singles in 1990, followed by their eponymous album on CD in 1991, but 30 years would go by before they would release more music. Though they never disbanded, they haven’t played any live gigs since 1997, and during that time period, each of them were involved in other music projects, including writing new songs, playing and singing for fun. In 2022, they decided to become musically active again, and began dropping new singles, the latest of which is “Live And Love“.

The song is a rousing pop-punk banger that could have easily been a hit in the late 70s or early 80s, yet still sounds exciting and fresh. I love the strong, driving rhythms and roiling, shredded guitars, and Beth’s commanding vocals have a youthful vibrancy that’s quite appealing. The lyrics are a defiant refusal to go along with things you feel are wrong, choosing a life of positivity and love instead: “I won’t kill my brothers and sisters while Geppetto pulls the strings. Because I know in every war that no one really wins. I won’t do what I won’t do when I know it’s wrong. All I want is to live and love.” The delightful video features puppets representing the members of Won’t Say Rabbit performing the song on a stage. As a final note, I must give Beth a special mention for being one of the most supportive musicians I know; she not only frequently engages with my posts, but also of many other artists and bands.

Follow Won’t Say Rabbit:  X (Twitter) / Instagram

SNAP INFRACTION – Single Review: “Keeping Score”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews8 Comments

Hailing from Philadelphia is Snap Infraction, a three-piece musical powerhouse comprised of Steve Karsch on vocals, guitar & percussion, Dave Kerr on bass and Tony Iannuzzi on drums. According to their bio, they “distill decades of rock n roll history into a modern sonic journey, crafting songs overflowing with hooks and dynamic instrumentation, echoing The Cars, Joe Jackson, early Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles, crafting a familiar, yet uniquely distinctive sound.” After listening to their considerable music catalog, I say that sounds about right!

From what I can tell, they’ve been around as a band for more than 15 years, and in 2009 released their first single “Try To See It My Way”, a pretty good rocker strongly influenced by the early Beatles sound. After a long hiatus, they released a five-track EP Chin Music in May 2017, then another three years would pass until their follow-up EP Stiff Arm, in May 2020. They were quite active in 2021, releasing several double singles throughout that year, followed by a very nice cover of the Beach Boys Christmas classic “Little Saint Nick” in December 2022, and their own original Christmas song “Christmas In The Islands” in December 2023. Now they return with “Keeping Score“, the lead single from their forthcoming full-length album Eephus, scheduled for release on May 3rd.

Written by Karsch, “Keeping Score” was recorded and engineered by Matt Weber at Gradwell House Studios, mixed by Mike Ian at Eyeball Studios (gotta love the names people come up with for their studios), and mastered by Tom Volpicelli at The Mastering House. The song was inspired by a conversation between Karsch and band drummer Ianuzzi, who yearned for a song channeling The Cars’ iconic sound. Karsch quickly got to work writing the song, placing special emphasis on drums to showcase Ianuzzi’s considerable prowess on his drumkit.

The result is a lively garage rock banger, opening with Ianuzzi’s impressive drumming front and center as he bangs out an aggressive thumping beat that gets our toes tapping and head bopping. He’s soon joined by Kerr’s wonderful buzzing bassline and Karsch’s earnest vocals that sound slightly reminiscent of Ric Ocasek here. As the song progresses, Ianuzzi injects flourishes of crashing cymbals with every chorus and sub-chorus, accompanied by Karsch’s spirited guitars that surprise at every turn while Kerr’s muscular bassline keeps the rhythm on solid footing.

The lyrics describe a man who recognizes his self-destructive ways and knows he needs to change, but just can’t seem to muster the fortitude to do what he must in order to become a better person: “I need to stop myself from becoming who I am./ I can’t help myself, you know I can’t believe my eyes./ What do they say about me? He lies, he cheats to get everything he needs, and maybe more. What will they say about me? I don’t need to know ’cause I’m not keeping score anymore.“

“Keeping Score” is terrific, and I think it’s one of Snap Infraction’s best songs yet. It’s a testament to their strong songwriting and musicianship, and a promising sign of what we can expect with their upcoming album.

Follow Snap Infraction:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find their music on Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube

Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 30 – Ben Gorb, Healer, Morning Fuzz, The Nanners

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews12 Comments

It’s been a long while since I last published one of my Fresh New Tracks posts (partly due to the fact I quit writing reviews the last three months of 2023), but with so much new music out, I feel it’s time for a new installment. Today, I’m thrilled to present four excellent recently released songs by, in alphabetic order, British singer-songwriter Ben Gorb, British indie rock band Healer, Long Island, New York alt-rock band Morning Fuzz, and Los Angeles psychedelic indie rock duo The Nanners. I’ve previously written about Healer and Morning Fuzz, whereas Ben Gorb and The Nanners are new to me.

BEN GORB – “Brand New Day”

Photo by Alistair Mac

Ben Gorb is an affable, talented, and very tall singer-songwriter from Manchester, England who, in his early teens, developed a passion for the classic rock of such artists as Jimi Hendrix, The Who and AC/DC that prompted him to take up the guitar. He’s been recording and releasing music since 2014 when he was in his early 20s, and his output since then includes numerous singles, EPs and two albums, Reflections in 2020 and Burning Light in 2021. I like his pleasing, high-energy rock sound, plus he’s also a cat lover, which warms my cat-loving heart! He’s earned quite a following by performing throughout the Northwest and Midlands regions of the UK, both as a solo artist and with his band consisting of Jake Preistley on rhythm guitar, Joseph Shaw on bass and Josh Savage on drums.

He recently reached out to me with his latest single “Brand New Day“, which was released February 20th. He wrote the song, sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar, backed by his aforementioned band members. It’s a rousing kiss-off song addressed to a romantic partner who he tells in no uncertain terms that he’s done with the fights and her putting him down, and that he’s freeing himself of their five-year-long relationship once and for all: “Here I go, I’m on the run. Like a fox from a gun I’ll be gone. I don’t care what you think, I don’t care you say. The future’s mine, it’s the start of a brand new day.” I love the superb guitar work that really channels AC/DC, the tight rhythms, and Ben’s colorful vocals, backed by the guys’ wonderful harmonies.

Follow Ben: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

HEALER – “Wake Me Up”

Photo by Misha Warren

HEALER is a five-piece alternative indie rock band based in Grimsby, England, comprised of Steve (lead vocals), Kirk (guitar), Dave (guitar), Tony (bass), and Jazz (drums). Formed in 2022, they’ve already built a strong following in the local music scene on the strength of their outstanding songs and riveting live performances, as well as garnering recognition and airplay on BBC Music Introducing and Amazing Radio UK/USA. Since the release of their debut single “Hurricane” in December 2022, the busy guys have followed with six more singles, one of which, “Bones“, I featured in a Fresh New Tracks post last May. The gorgeous song spent three months on my weekly top 30 and ranks #67 on my 100 Best Songs of 2023 list.

Their latest single “Wake Me Up”, released on February 2nd, is an anthemic rock banger, fueled by roiling guitars and driving rhythms. I must say that I love Steve’s distinctive singing voice that make’s HEALER’s songs immediately identifiable as theirs and no one else’s. About the song, the band explains “’Wake Me Up’ is a song about growing up, it’s about realising how much time you have wasted and hoping it’s not too late to stop the free spirit lifestyle and finally wake up. It also references the noise of the internet, visual media and how life can become one big blur and we sometimes need to wake up and smell the roses.” The imaginative video, which was filmed and edited by Misha Warren, shows a young boy played by Cole Ellis, sitting transfixed as he watches a wall of TV and video screens while wearing a spacesuit, juxtaposed with scenes of HEALER performing the song in a garage amid a bunch of vintage portable TVs.

Follow HEALER: Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

MORNING FUZZ – “New Moon”

Morning Fuzz is an exceptional band from Long Island, New York formed in 2009, and now comprised of singer/songwriter & guitarist Frank Fussa, bassist Chris Johanidesz, guitarist Michael Cullari and drummer Dan Leonardi. All are outstanding musicians, and together they make highly accessible rock they describe as “fun, bouncy guitar pop, happily shading in the intersections of the Venn diagram where mainstream pop and alternative music meet“, characterized by memorable melodies, ace instrumentation and intelligent lyrics delivered with Fussa’s commanding vocals. Though their musical output has sometimes been sporadic, over the past 15 years they’ve released two EPs, two albums, Chasing Ghosts in 2009 and Wherever We Go (which I reviewed) in 2023, and numerous singles, two of which, “Silent Sun” and “I’ll Be Around” I also reviewed. “Silent Sun” went on to rank #69 on my 100 Best Songs of 2017 list, while “I’ll Be Around” ranks #71 on my 100 Best Songs of 2019 list.

On February 23rd, Morning Fuzz dropped their latest single “New Moon“, the second of two B-Side tracks that didn’t make the final cut of Wherever We Go, but they still wanted to put out into the world. I’m glad they did, as it’s a great song, featuring the band’s signature electrifying guitar work, throbbing bass lines and thumping drumbeats we’ve come to love and expect. I also like that all four band members sing, with Chris, Michael and Dan’s backing harmonies beautifully complementing Frank’s raw, impassioned vocals. The lyrics, which feature quite a bit of earth and celestial metaphors, seem to address a troubled relationship where the singer has checked out emotionally, but chooses to hang on with a remaining thread of hope: “This is the part where I fall, but I just keep hanging on until I can’t feel anymore. I’ll hang around for a while. There’s not a bone to pick; I’ve already gone through the whole pile./ Everyone’s here for the good times, but I stick around for the bad times. Wherever there’s dusk, there’s a sunrise.”

Follow Morning Fuzz:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

THE NANNERS – “New Pony”

Last, but certainly not least, I bring you The Nanners, the wonderfully zany L.A.-based music project of Nicholas Ewing and Thomas Ferraiuolo. From what I can tell, they officially formed last fall (of 2023), and have this to say about themselves: “Welcome to Banana World, where love, curiosity, angst, and nebulous speculations are explored through the lens of two meek and socially awkward grown men in banana costumes.” And while at first glance they might appear to be some kind of weird novelty act, they are in fact fine musicians and songwriters who also happen to be both hilarious and charming. Their pleasing sound is a happy mix of indie rock, psychedelia and dream pop, and I love it.

The duo released their delightful debut single “Sweet Tooth” in December, for which they had their own signature soft drink created, describing it as “the result of 6 years of food science and rigorous flavor profile testing. The ingredients are rare, illegal, and hardly FDA approved. Because they’re so good!” On February 7th, they dropped their second single “New Pony“, an equally delightful song about relaxing at a magical airbnb in the Mojave Desert with unlimited towels. To a mellow groove overlain with gently strummed jangly guitars and delicate sparkling synths, the guys croon in their soothing harmonies: “We’ll bring you more towels and immortality. Check out when you want, it’s a loose policy. We can help you find anything you need in the folds of time, just like magic. I wanna get pampered with you. Bananas get pampered too.” The farcical but sweet video for the song, showing the guys enjoying life and letting loose, was filmed at an actual airbnb in Joshua Tree, about an hour from where I live in the Coachella Valley. You’re in for a treat!

Follow The Nanners: X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

FRUITZ – Single Review: “Man On Fire”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews14 Comments

Today I’m pleased to present an act that’s new to me – Dublin, Ireland-based indie rock band Fruitz. Originally formed as a four-piece in late 2017, they quickly established themselves as one of Ireland’s most exciting live bands, and in 2018, released their marvelous grungy debut single “Knotz”. They followed a year later with “U&I” and “Girl Around the Corner”, then “Daydream” in January 2020. We all know what happened next, but the band used their down time to record new music, dropping more singles and their excellent EP The Pits and the Glamour, in 2021. During that time, they also reduced down to a trio consisting of James Keegan on guitar and lead vocals, Adam Whelehan on bass and backing vocals, and Jacqueline Campion on drums. From what I’ve been able to determine from their various social media accounts, Campion eventually left the band, and by early 2023, they became a duo consisting of Keegan and Whelehan.

James Keegan and Adam Whelehan

In May 2023, they came roaring back with their beguiling single “Visions of You”, and now return with a terrific new single “Man On Fire“, which dropped yesterday, February 16th. For the recording of the single, the guys rejoined forces with engineer Cian Synnott, who they’d previously worked with on their debut EP The Pits and the Glamour and the single “Visions of You”.

About “Man On Fire”, Keegan explains “This is a statement release from us; it is the start of a new chapter for Fruitz. ‘Man On Fire’ is a perfect example of our sound and our vision. It’s a fairly old tune now; I wrote this in 2020 the day after we supported Louis Berry. ‘The tune actually came from the name of the tour he announced that day, ‘The Man On Fire Tour’, and it kind of just stuck. Musically as well you may hear his influence. The timing to release this song just felt right, it’s a proper indie banger.” Whelehan adds: “This new song encapsulates lively rock guitar sounds, Punchy bass lines and a driving drum progression.“

The guys get right down to business, as the song charges through the gate with a barrage of roiling guitars, humming bass and smashing drumbeats. Keegan’s layered guitar work is outstanding as he delivers an exhilarating mix of beautiful twangy notes and soaring reverb-soaked riffs that give the song a strong Kings of Leon vibe. Throughout, Whelehan keeps the driving rhythm moving forward with an intricate but powerful bass line, accompanied by thunderous percussion that never lets up. Keegan has an arresting singing voice that’s perfectly suited to the dynamic instrumentation, as he fervently sings of struggling to figure out where he stands with a woman he’s strongly attracted to. It’s a proper banger indeed!

Connect with Fruitz:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube

THE HEADS UP – EP Review: “So Obvious”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments

Though Chicago-based power pop trio The Heads Up officially formed in the summer of 2022, its roots go back nearly two decades earlier, when Jack Ruggiero and James O’Connor began playing music together at the age of 13 while still in middle school. Now in their early 30s and wanting to become a serious band, they enlisted the help of their friend Colin Dill and The Heads Up was born, with Ruggiero on guitars, lead vocals and backing instruments, O’Connor on bass and Dill on drums. Dill also plays drums for rock band The Million Reasons (who I’ve previously written about on this blog), as well as cover band Dad’s Night Out.

Jack, Colin & James

Influenced by acts ranging from Vampire Weekend to the Police to R.E.M., Ruggiero says their aim is to play energetic live songs that are both catchy enough so people at a bar could sing along and enjoy, even if they were hearing them for the first time, yet still interesting enough that they wouldn’t be bored by the simplicity. “The idea is to let loose, have fun and make it memorable” – all worthy goals in my book!

They released their debut EP Eponymous! on December 29th, featuring three delightfully catchy tracks that most assuredly achieved their mission. Now, only seven weeks later, they return with a second EP So Obvious, once again featuring three great tracks dealing with relationships that have run their course.

Things kick off with the title track “So Obvious”, and the Vampire Weekend influences are quickly apparent as our ears are treated to a colorful flourish of Ruggiero’s plucked, twangy and shredded guitars, accompanied by O’Connor’s funky bassline and Dill’s rapid, thumping drumbeats. The song has an enthusiastic, high-energy vibe, in sharp contrast with the more serious lyrics about an unpleasant person who’s highly judgmental of others yet cannot handle criticism of her many shortcomings, and always playing the victim to get her way: “Never understated. Constantly degrading. You’re always gonna get your way / Well you weaponized your pride it’s so insidious. The Hermès on your wrists a bit oblivious. And you know you’re gonna play that part again, yes you know you’re gonna play that part again. Oh you’re gonna play that part again, it’s so obvious.“

“Sour Grapes” opens with Dill’s emphatic drumbeats, which are soon joined by Ruggiero’s stabbing guitar before things settle into an upbeat and pleasing cadence in the verses, punctuated with sweet twangy guitar notes. Though it runs only 3:12 minutes, the song is a musical tour de force, with multiple tempo changeups, highlighted by some brilliant little guitar solos and drum flourishes. Ruggiero’s animated vocals are terrific, rising and falling with the music as he tells a romantic partner he’s done with her: “Shove me out the way. I will not complain. Lying lonely sad and sober. Me at the buffet, eating sour grapes. Really I’m so glad it’s over.”

And on “Alright”, Ruggiero confronts someone in denial about a negative situation: “Never understood when you said it’ll be alright. So I never trust a word when you say it’ll be alright. Just a bit disturbed that you said it’ll be alright. When you knew it never would but you said it’ll be alright.” I love the song’s lively, almost frantic groove, punctuated by swirling guitars, thumping bass and smashing drums.

So Obvious is a terrific little EP, and despite its rather bleak subject matter, it’s a fun, light-hearted romp from start to finish. I’m really enjoying the two EPs released thus far by The Heads Up, and can’t wait to hear what they have up their collective sleeves.

And here’s the EP on YouTube:

The Heads Up will be performing their new songs at Snüzfest this Saturday night, February 17th at the Beat Kitchen Bar in Chicago. Get your tickets here.

Follow The Heads Up on Instagram

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / YouTube

HOMELESS RADIO – Single Review: “Submarine”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews12 Comments

The power of music as a means of persevering through the hardships and challenges that life can throw in our paths is undeniable, and to prove my point I present Ukrainian indie rock band Homeless Radio, and their new single “Submarine“. Despite the fact their country has been waging a valiant defense again their Russian invaders for nearly two years, the band have still managed to keep making music, including recording and releasing a few new songs.

Formed in the city of Kharkiv in 2016, Homeless Radio is comprised of Andrii Yampolskyi (vocals/guitar), Fedir Orlov (guitar), Stepan Tkachuk (bass), Ihor Pankieiev (guitar) and Ivan Orlov (drums), though Ihor is currently away, fighting in the war. (Their original bassist Ivan Trikoza left the band due to the war, and was replaced by Stepan Tkachuk.) Drawing from a mix of garage rock, alternative rock, and pop influences, their music ranges from pleasantly melodic to hard-driving and edgy.

Andrii, Stepan, Ivan & Fedir

From 2017-2019, the band played lots of shows in and around Kharkiv, and in 2018 released two demos “I Don’t Care” and “Cackler” on Soundcloud. Here’s a video of them performing the songs on the streets of Kharkiv in happier times:

In early 2021, Homeless Radio joined the Arizona-based indie label Sunset Alliance, through which they released their debut EP The Truth that May, featuring “I Don’t Care” and three new tracks. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, whereupon the band members became separated across the country for many months. Lead vocalist Andrii found himself living in the occupied town of Izyum for three months without any electricity, gas, water or standard comfort. In a show of support, the band released their beautiful single “About You” on May 3, 2022.

Now, after a long hiatus, the band is back with an exhilarating new single “Submarine”, which they wrote in 2015 but decided to record now. The song was inspired by British comedian, actor, writer and director Richard Ayoade’s 2010 coming-of-age comedy-drama film Submarine, which was itself adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by Welsh novelist, poet and journalist Joe Dunthorne. (The film’s soundtrack features six original songs written and performed by Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner.) The band calls their single “a lively blend of humor, sarcasm, and unbridled optimism — a musical homage that captures the essence of teenage rebellion, the zest of youth, and the look at those “glory days” through the lens of adulthood.”

Released on January 9th, the single is dedicated to band member Ihor Pankieiev, who joined the Ukrainian army to fight for the resistance. Andrii told me “Ihor remains in the band, but due to participating in the battlefield, he didn’t take a part in the recording of [‘Submarine’]. However, he’s in constant contact with us, and some of his ideas were put on the record. He said he would record his guitar even from the army if he had a chance.”

The song opens with an aggressive jagged guitar lick, then explodes with a barrage of grinding bass, thunderous drums and furious guitars that don’t let up for a second throughout its 2:30-minute run time. Here and there, Andrii and Fedir inject blistering guitar solos that send the proceedings catapulting into the sonic stratosphere, Andrii’s spirited vocals rising and falling with the intensity of the music. The song is a certifiable rock banger, and I love it.

He was born in Swansea, south of Wales
Tried to be gentle and kind of these things
Oh, Ollie, you are so right
Please put yourself in the first side

She’s just an average woman
All things you gonna do, well
Will be kicked through the prism of her lips
And dropped by her hips

Yeah you not Cease, but you’re not worth
You’ve got to do a lot of things with high course
At the same time with strong confidence
In your 38’s it will have no sense

She’s just an average woman
All things you gonna do, well
Will be kicked through the prism of her lips
And dropped by her hips

So, all things you have you will lose
Faith in yourself and the tone of boose
Will lead you to the Victory
And you will meet her near, by the sea

She’s just an average woman
All things you gonna do, well
Will be kicked through the prism of her lips
And dropped by her hips

Follow Homeless Radio:  Facebook / X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube

COPPA LONDRA – Single Review: “Loosie Luna”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

Coppa Londra is five-piece indie rock band based in Leeds, England. Formed in 2014 while in secondary school, they originally called themselves THE Q’s, but after the departure of two of their members, as well as wanting to change their musical direction and sound, they redubbed themselves Coppa Londra. I first learned about them last March, when they reached out to me about their song “MOVIES”, which I wrote about in a Fresh New Tracks post. With a new sound and lineup that now consists of Leo Grace on lead vocals, Freddie Franchi on rhythm guitar, Dexter Burningham on lead guitar, Gyula Magyari on bass and Joe Stott on drums, they’re back with a brash new single “Loosie Luna“.

Original founding members Dexter Burningham, Leo Grace and Freddie Franchi

Released January 10th, the song was recorded last summer under the direction of The Strokes producer Gordon Raphael, and channels the spirit of some of their favorites bands like The Las, The Libertines, Black Country New Road and Bar Italia. The song has a more forceful, high-energy vibe than Coppa Londra’s previous recordings, and I’m here for it. Starting off with a strong, thumping drumbeat, which is soon joined by a sludgy bassline, the song is a delightful punk rock gem. I love the powerful driving rhythm, broken here and there with calm little interludes before those aggressive drums and chugging bass come roaring back. Throughout it all, our ears are treated to all sorts of glorious guitar noodling, accompanied by Leo Grace’s wonderful, heavily-accented vocal croons. It’s clear these guys had a lot of fun recording “Loosie Luna”. It’s a terrific song, and a great indicator of more to come from this band.

The cheeky, light-hearted lyrics describe a singer besotted with a colorful woman named Loosie Luna, who keeps him off kilter while bringing the sunshine and giving him what he needs:

Start of the evening to top of the morning
Moonrise to sunshine the hours she’s born in

Filter man I got no filter
Unbalanced feel a tad off kilter
Dizzy like helter-skelter
When I need a home she sings
“Gimme Shelter.”

Reason man I got no reason
Freezing feeling out of season
Out of it but I ain’t done
When I’m cold she sings
“Here comes the sun.”
Yeah

Songbird wrong word crooner
She’s always got perfect tune
This wolf how’s to the moon-ah
With his companion Loosie, Loosie Luna
Loosie Luna
Loosie Lu-
And I don’t wanna go inside

Yah

Patience man I got no patience
Minor inconvenience my brain starts racing
Know a better place I can take her
While we go she hums me Chet Baker

Money ain’t got no money
Ugly thank fuck I’m funny
They say good things come in threes
But it’s just Luna and me belting Marvin G
Yeah

Songbird wrong word crooner
She’s always got perfect tune
This wolf how’s to the moon-ah
With his companion Loosie, Loosie Luna
Loosie Luna
Loosie Lu-
And I don’t wanna go inside

You may not see her
But I believe
Something happens when
She’s next to me
She gives me what I need (what I need)
She gives me what I need (what I need)
She gives me what I need
That’s music and some TLC
That’s Loosie
Oh that my Loosie
My Loosie Luna
My Loosie Luna
My Loosie Lu
My Loosie Lu

Follow Coppa Londra on X (Twitter) / Instagram / TikTok

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music

UNQUIET NIGHTS – Single Review: “Diamond and the Missing Son”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews15 Comments

Unquiet Nights is an outstanding rock band I’ve been following for nearly six years, ever since frontman Luke Mathers reached out to me about their superb single “Promise of You”, which I loved at first listen.  Originally started in 2006 as a solo project by Mathers, a talented singer-songwriter and guitarist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, with help by Rodger Firmin on drums, he began recording songs for what would become the first Unquiet Nights album 21st Century Redemption Songs. In 2010, Luke relocated to Italy, where he eventually finished and released the album.

He was later joined by Italian musicians Francesco Piciucchi on bass and keyboards, and drummer Matteo Bussotti for live shows, though Rodger still played drums on their recordings. In 2015 they released their beautiful and compelling second album Postcards in Real Time. One of the tracks from that album, “George Best City”, which was never released as a single but was used in the Federico Buffa Racconta documentary series, landed them several live national appearances on Italian TV stations. Their best known and most successful song, it’s now garnered more than 486,000 streams on Spotify alone. Mathers eventually moved back to Belfast in 2016, where he continues to record and release music with Firmin and Piciucchi as Unquiet Nights.

I’ve written about them three times over the past six years, most recently two years ago this month when I reviewed their excellent single “In Spite of It All”. The song was released in conjunction with, and included on, their compilation album First Ten (2012-2022), a sort of ‘greatest hits so far’ work commemorating the 10-year anniversary of their debut album 21st Century Redemption Songs. Now they’re back with a great new single “Diamond and the Missing Son“, their first new music in two years. The lead single of their forthcoming album Seasons in Exile, to be released on January 19th, the song (and album) was produced by Mathers, and mixed and mastered by Neal Calderwood, who’s also mixed and mastered all previous Unquiet Nights releases.

The song’s a bona fide rock gem, with a strong Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers vibe, courtesy of Mathers’ vibrant soaring guitars. His masterful guitar work never ceases to amaze me, and he doesn’t disappoint here as he delivers spine-tingling riffs that smolder and wail throughout. Meanwhile, Firmin deftly sets the driving rhythm with his muscular drumbeats that propel, but never overpower, the song. And as always, Mather’s vocals are equal parts commanding and pleasing, with just a hint of a rasp to convey the right amount of passion. It’s a marvelous introduction to what promises to be another stellar album by Unquiet Nights.

The song lyrics tell a tale of two characters who find themselves entwined with each other, serving as a kind of first chapter to a much bigger story involving a character named ‘Diamond’, who I’m guessing is a woman, and a man referred to as ‘The Missing Son’. Mathers provides some background to the premise: “Sometimes I force myself to try and write songs that aren’t directly about myself, and to just approach the song like it would be a movie. The back story of these two characters isn’t fully expanded on in ‘Diamond And The Missing Son’ itself, because of the limitations of a three minute single, so I thought if we were going to release it that I would challenge myself to write the whole third album from the point of view of these two characters. This is what our new album ‘Seasons In Exile’ turned into, which was a useful experiment because I’ve ended up getting a lot of songs that definitely wouldn’t have existed without the continuity. The funny thing is that when someone thinks they’re writing fiction, they usually discover it’s the most honest they’ve ever written about themselves. This seems to have happened here.”

Tonight we roll the dice
If just to stop and pray for paradise to come through
Straight in to the dark
Straight into something looking for the spark that we knew

No thinking of tomorrow
We only got today

You are the only thing that keeps me hanging on
And on and on
There’s nothing else could ever come between us ’cause we are
The diamond and the missing son

Diamond, you should know
Nothing and no one makes me feel anything like you do
For all the things you show
There’s always something that leaves we wondering and blind and confused

No thinking of tomorrow
We only got today

You are the only thing that keeps me hanging on
And on and on
There’s nothing else could ever come between us ’cause we are
The diamond and the missing son

I generally prefer music videos that show the musicians or bands performing their song, so the video for ‘Diamond and the Missing Son” is right up my alley. Filmed in black and white, it shows Mathers and Firmin working their musical magic, while the in-house cat makes its rounds, seeming to express approval of the proceedings.


Connect with Unquiet Nights:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music on Spotify / Apple Music/ Soundcloud 
Purchase on Bandcamp / Unquiet Nights Online Store