Pale Waves are back with new single Change, taken from their upcoming second album, Who Am I? - and the single marks a change in sound for the band. Written by the iconic front woman Heather Baron-Gracie, this reeks of Avril Lavigne in a way the band have been threatening to unleash for a while. Change is pop; Heather has never sounded so great and this is the band's best produced single to date. Change is our Single Of The Week in perhaps our closest competition for the spot ever.
We start our reviews proper with an absolute blinder of a tune from The Shed Project, who have put out Bedtime, a poignant and relaxed near masterpiece. As with previous releases, including Lucky Number which was one of our Singles Of The Week back in July, Bedtime frustratingly lacks the production values of their rivals. It is a testament to the quality of the tune that the melody and writing here supersedes that obstacle. The whole package is something very special; a moving testimony of mental health issues and addiction. Should be required listening for anyone with even a passing interest in new bands...Gerry Cinnamon has released a ‘definitive’ version of his last album The Bonny which now includes new single Ghost as well as a new version of Fickle McSelfish. Ghost is Cinnamon by numbers, a formula that has served him well up to this point but I think has reached its limit..North-West band Pondarosa have a slight change in direction on As You Think, introducing a groovier and synth heavy sound. It sounds polished enough but altogether lacking...The Institutes get us back on track with All That You’ll Never Know, a sweeping and ambitious track that soars and soars. Vocalist Reid Zappa Curie: “It’s the sound of 4 lads in a freezing cold garage in Coventry, feeling like we’re looking through a keyhole at a better life, and dreaming, with knife edge hopes, of escaping to get a taste of ‘living in paradise.” Better times are certainly on the horizon for the Cov lads...Heavenly Home (I’m In Your Mind) is brought to us via Sleemo, a slow burn monster of an alternative tune...Daydream Runaways have released the Dreamlands EP, an urgent collection of three songs. Take some in your face guitars, melodic songwriting and a pinch of nostalgia and you have a group of impressive songs here. Crazy Stupid Love is the stand out complete with stop start guitar and a a throwback riff..Dublin indie-punks TV People impress again on new release String. Definitely brooding with its slow guitar lines, String excels as it progresses...Family Man from Birmingham’s Lovebreakers wears its Green Day influence not just on its sleeve but from a ten foot high mast. It’s bloody brilliant by the way...Jody And The Jerms who sound exactly like you would expect bring us a double A-side of Belong and Since Yesterday. Belong conjures up an image of Western times with its intro and that Quarantino influence crossed with Echobelly really works while Since Yesterday has one of those emotive chord sequences and sounds like a song you’ve heard a million times before but haven’t which is a compliment of the highest order...As We Leave have a five song EP out called Everything To A Point which kicks off with previous single release Hope That Kills. This is easy to listen to music with a definite early 1970’s feel. The production is spot on throughout...Sticking with EP’s and Glasgow's Victoria Sponge deliver intelligent songwriting on Filthy Pure. Opener Devil’s Tool is sublime, just listen to that guitar during the chorus. Commonplace comes crashing in with its far more direct rock n rollness and Talk About Tonight builds to a crescendo of crescendos. We like...Spang Sisters give us a breather on Eddie Murphy, a soulful and smooth affair..Back up to Glasgow and Late Fees set off that Silent Siren, a solid acoustic release from a band that met working in a Cafe. If Silent Sirens was on a menu it would be egg & chips; something everyone likes and enjoys without being too adventurous when sometimes egg & chips is all you want..Surf-rockers The Lonely Surf have unleashed Losing It a decent stabby rock tune..in contention for our Single Of The Week is Sink Or Swim the new one by singer songwriter Chris Conroy. The Ed Sheeran sound is here and so it seems is the knack of writing a phenomenal pop song. Vocally this is the strongest release of the week. Chris is a hidden talent that if I wasn’t running a music website i’d likely never have got to hear. Don’t make that mistake and get on Sink Or Swim..We have a Christmas song again this week and thankfully it is head and shoulders above Blossoms effort. Christmas Candlelight by Gina Naomi Baez, who has had coverage from all over the US by all accounts, is choc full of clever rhymes and phrases on this contemporary Christmas caper..Cross Wires sound a bit Hard-Fi on new one Hall Of Mirrors not that there's anything wrong with that. Written and recorded within a day, Hall Of Mirrors has a tight guitar riff that underpins a song that takes an altogether new course during the chorus..US popper Kat Saul is doing the Amy Shark thing on new EP Made In The 90’s - Alright has that 2020 beat and a great pop vocal while Monsters is the best pop song you’ll hear all month. Overall a quality EP..When I Break by Black Bear Kiss ticks all our boxes, with an aura that encompasses our head, oozing a quality tone and vocally phrased perfection..Popular band The Rosadocs are blinding on Run Away Instead. The press release for this must have got lost in our inbox or something but nonetheless this is The Rosadocs sounding the most accomplished to date. The way the song builds at the two minute mark is the best thing i’ve heard all day and i’ve just spent two hours listening to new music..Dizzy have been stuck in their basement it seems and have come up with the Basement Covers EP that includes a version of a Britney Spears classic. Kicking off with an incredible version of Sylvan Esso’s Slack Jaw, they then take a stab at The National on Light Years to impressive effect. The triumph on this EP however is the Dizzy reworking of Britney Spears Lucky - they take the song to an entirely different place in the away great cover versions do. An amazing EP that warrants an immediate listen...Phil Cooper is a hardworking singer songwriter with a slew of releases under his belt and a fabulous Youtube channel. On Keep Your Hands Upon The Wheel the 90’s influence shines through on a fair outing. Cooper has a knack for writing a well structured song as seen in his back catalogue that is worth seeking out.
Most of the songs mentioned here can be found on our Spotify Playlist here.
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