Curated by Monk
Another month dawns and, as we hurtle headlong toward the midpoint of the year we once again throw open the doors of the Singles Club, charge the optics and get the death decks spinning as we celebrate the hottest hits, the poppiest pops and the bangingist ‘bangers currently tickling our aural cortices and getting our heads nodding in appreciation of the wonderful rawk ‘n’f’n’ roll Überverse in all its multi-various forms…
Chiral ‘In The Company Of Wolves’ (Self-Released)
We kick off today’s musical journey of exploration with an Irish project who have previously graced the club’s playlist at the end of April. The collaboration of producer Gary Duncan and vocalist Adam Brewer move slightly away from their previous sci-fi inspired thematics into the darker world of fairy tales with this musical interpretation of the classic tale previously brought to life by fellow Irishman Neil Jordan 40 years ago:
The Fods ‘My Fine Derangement’ (Self-Released)
We’re turning the clock back to the mid-Nineties, which is when this indie-pop anthem was first penned, only to lie forgotten, alongside a bunch of other tracks, for nigh on three decades before the original four-track recordings were unearthed, prompting the band to rework them for the modern era, with the result being a forthcoming four-track EP, ‘Don’t Argue’… well, we certainly don’t intend to do so…
Ora Cogan ‘Katie Cruel’ (Prism Tongue Records)
Another of our many changes of mood with this fortnight’s playlist, as we welcome a Canadian experimentalist who finds beauty, absurdity, humour and unlikely joy in the bleakest of times via a smoky, psychedelic approach to gothic country and hazy folk merges with post-punk, groove, psych rock, and traditional balladry, as evoked on this latest cut from her latest album, just released in Europe to coincide with a run of dates which finish with ÜK shows at the end of the month.
Julia-Sophia ‘numb’ (Ba Da Bing Records)
The French avant-garde electronic artist, formerly the frontwoman with Little Fish and more recently Candy Says, continues to strike her own path with this elegant example of dark yet enervating dreamy synth pop, the lead single from her forthcoming debut solo album, ‘forgive too slow‘, which is due for release in July:
Jaws The Shark ‘Lately’ (SO Recordings/Silva Screen Records)
With collaborations with Dinosaur Jr and Deaf Havana already under his belt, Devon-born multi-instrumentalist Olly Bailey is in reflective mood as he looks back on the benefits and pitfalls of giving up your dream job to pursue desires of a different ilk on this latest taster of his debut album, due out on 19 July:
Aerial Salad ‘Mdrn Lvn’ (Venn Records)
The Manchester power trio have just kicked off an eight-date tour in support of their recently released ‘R.O.I‘ album, and they’re certainly getting plenty of bang for their buck as this latest sample once again proves:
Socks And Ballerinas ‘Newton’ (Self-Released)
The Geordie duo will undoubtedly be getting #ABitJumpy about the release of their new album at the end of September, but in the meantime they’re presenting us with their take on one of history’s most important scientific figures with their latest slice of their own self-described “instant WTF” amalgam of math-rock, electronic music, progressive rock and more into one massive chaotic yet controlled slice of noise:
True North ‘Those Were The Days’ (Out Of Line Music)
This bright and summery slice of emo-pop sees the LA-based alt quintet teaming up with Emarosa frontman Bradley Walden to plunges us into a poignant exploration of nostalgia and the bittersweet nature of memory, encapsulating the essence of reflection and the pain of the past that we sometimes glamorize:
Zero One ‘Hollowed’ (Self-Released)
This young Scottish five-piece have been making considerable waves on the ÜK independent metalcore scene over the past few years, and quite rightly so. This latest cut, from their just released sophomore EP, once again demonstrates their innate ability to smartly blend colossal ear-ringing riffery with sophisticated clean passages and is a very appetizing taster of what is to come:
Defects ‘Echo Chamber’ (Mascot Records)
Another ÜK metalcore band creating waves of tsunami-like proportions, this cut coincides with the release of their cathartic and raw debut album, ‘Modern Error‘, released just over a week ago and already serving up plate loads of anticipation for their forthcoming run with Of MIce & Men:
Bywater Call ‘As If’ (Self-Released)
A welcome in change in mood after all that frenetic ‘banging about the room, as this Canadian combo effortlessly blend soul and funk into their traditional blues/roots ‘n’ roll style, with the fifth single to be released from their upcoming new album, ‘Shepherd‘, due for release on 9 August, ahead of an 11-date run around (most of) the Über KIngdom later in the year…
Feldspar ‘Cobblestones’ (Time To Kill Records)
Time for something completely new now, as these Roman hardcore exponents evoke the spirit of the streets of their historic birthplace with the lead single from their upcoming debut album, the very cleverly titles ‘Old City New Ruins’, set to explode with more ferocity than Mount Vesuvius when it is released in September:
The Lets ‘Out Of My Way’ (Sunbase Records)
Certainly these four long haired rockin’ ‘n’ rollin’ dudes from Hamburg aren’t going to let anyone, or anything, stand in their way as they deliver a steamroller ride of an anthem which celebrates the spirit of the Reeperbahn down through the ages, evoking the spirit of The Beatles, classic Seventies and Eighties rock and grunge along the way:
Parker ‘Generic Indie Bands’ (Self-Released)
We’re back (almost) on ÜR’s home turf, as this Derry trio evoke the spirit of Stroke City predecessors such as The Undertones by combining catchy melodic punk sensibilities with typically sharply sarcastic and witheringly witting lyricism as they take a sideswipe at “big-fringe tight-jeans disco music” while calling out the likes of The Courteeners and Oasis (ooh, dangerous stuff right there!):
Jason DeVore ‘I’m On A Beach’ (Double Helix/SBÄM/Caffeine Bomb Records)
Best known as the frontman of Arizona punk powerhouses Authority Zero, DeVore evokes the spirit of our promised summer weather to come by looking back on a family holiday in Mexico, the first he had undertaken since quitting drinking, and the new perspective it gave him on life. Written literally while sitting on a beach, it is the second single from his incoming fourth solo album, which will be released this coming week:
Reverend Genes ‘It’s Not Enough’ (Self-Released)
This second single (not officially released for another three weeks) from the upcoming ‘Time’ EP is an alt-country influenced post-punk track about one planet, millions of species and billions of us, contemplating how we are the only species capable of re-shaping Earth, how we can choose how this change occurs and asking how much human change is too much change and how much is enough?
Alien Chicks ‘Qwerty’ (Hideous Mink Records/SO Recordings)
This second single from the London power-punk trio’s debut EP, released on 8 July, is an acidic yet playfully entertaining indictment of people hide behind keyboards to make themselves even more insufferable than they really are, delivered with both frenetic pace and smiles on their collective faces:
Gaffa Tape Sandy ‘Energy’ (Alcopop! Records)
Another punk trio, this time from Brighton, and another band among the plethora with wonderful names who adorn this week’s playlist, into the final section of which they take us with this appropriately energetic latest cut from their just-released new album… and, hey, they didn’t need to plead with us to hold their hands, ‘cos God damn it we’ve been doing so since they first graced our death decks back in April…
Wytch Pycknyk ‘Rawkuss’ (Property Of The Lost Records)
We move slightly inland from our last selection, to the historic town of Hastings, from where things take a dark, fuzzy feel for our final pair of selections. Another band blessed with a wonderfully iconoclastic moniker, these psychedelic psychos take us on a juggernaut journey of Motorhead meets Butthole Surfers meets Sonic Youth pop-noise, all delivered with an AC/DC stomp, which results in a cacophonous and bewildering sonic attack that simultaneously warps your mind and kicks your arse:
Barbarian Hermit ‘Stitched Up’ (APF Records)
They say that good things come to those who wait, and our final track has definitely been worth the wait, as these Mancunian groove-laden stoners return to the arena with their first new music in six years, which also sees them re-united with original frontman Simon Scarlett for this no-holds-barred depiction of coping with life both in their home city and the current climate. It also is the opening salvo from their upcoming second album, ‘Mean Sugar‘, remorsely coming our way on 2 August…
So, that’s it for another edition. We’ll be back in two weeks time with another action-packed and eclectic playlist, and don’t forget that you can check out all the videos to both these and our #DailyPicks over on the Über Rock TV YouTube channel. So, until we meet again, keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on Über Rockin’…
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