#509: TRASH - Urban Glow

For anyone who caught TRASH’s excellently anarchic set at this year’s Y-Not Festival, the melodic subtleties and quiet anxiety of their debut EP Urban Glow will come as a surprise.While their live show is built on infectious youthful energy, on record a less calamitous side to the band is brought to the fore; tongue-in-cheek pop sensibilities are merged effortlessly with introspective lyrics, their delivery almost always understated, and occasionally downtrodden.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.

#508: Catching Up With...Frog

Though Frog’s debut album was a subtle master-stroke , its title did little to hint at the quality contained therein. Built around narratives inspired by sleepy suburban America, the Star Spangled blood that runs through the album isn’t patriotic, as one might assume, but is instead nostalgic, wistful and even cynical. Conjuring images of diners, drive-in movies and Golden Age starlets, this appreciation, or romanticisation, of their country is something present even on their lesser-known debut EP; tracks such as ‘Nancy Kerrigan’ and ‘Arkansas’ providing the Americana flavours in that instance. Interestingly enough, however, despite the band’s obsession with their native country, it was a writer at the Bristol-based GoldFlakePaint that initially drew attention to the band followed swiftly by a piece from London’s Line of Best Fit.

This feature was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.

#507: Chain of Flowers - Self-Titled

Contrary to their name, Chain Of Flowers don't harbour the sunniest of dispositions, but that doesn't mean to say they're all about the doom and gloom either. Instead, the band tread the murky waters somewhere between post-punk and shoegaze; a cloying urban cynicism juxtaposed against shimmering otherworldly elation.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#506: Shopping - Why Choose

Much like their debut LP, the second effort from East London’s SHOPPING is a frenetic and angular foray in to the realms of pop-flecked post-punk, and unsurprisingly sees the band channeling the likes of Gang Of Four, ESG and The Slits.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.

#505: Chvrches - Every Open Eye

Chvrches

Every Open Eye

September 25 2015 (Virgin/Glassnote)

9/10

When Lauren Mayberry was half-quoted as saying Chvrches were an emo band in disguise, it's likely she wasn't referring to the kind the diluted boy-girl miserablia that popularised the genre in the '00s. Instead, much like those bands that pioneered the genre, Chvrches lyrics draw from a wealth of personal experiences, some positive, others not. Surprisingly, given the torrents of abuse the band, and Mayberry in particular, are subjected to, 'Every Open Eye' isn't a downbeat record. It isn't even a particularly angry. What it is is a record that deviates little from the band's original blueprint and instead serves to solidify the sound that benefited them so well over the last two years.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#504: Frog - Self-Titled (EP Review)

Upon first hearing Kind of Blah, Frog’s debut LP earlier in the year, I was taken aback by its apparent simplicity; a simplicity that at first masked a wealth of subtle nuances, wry homages, and nostalgic narratives that were enough to make listeners lament growing up anywhere other than suburban America.

This review was originally written for Line of Best Fit. Click here to read in full.

#503: Introducing...Big White

Whilst Australian music is unlikely to ever rival the States, at least in terms of that which makes it across to the UK, it has seen a proliferation of sorts in the last couple of years that has afforded the country’s bands more visibility on the global scene. One of the most recent bands currently enjoying the benefits such visibility has brought them, is Sydney’s Big White.

This feature was originally written for Louder Than War. Click here to read in full.

#502: Catching Up With...Frank Turner

With a title like Positive Songs for Negative People, Frank Turner‘s sixth studio album was never going to be a particularly depressing or downbeat record. And though there’s a couple of tracks brought about through unfortunate circumstances, the overarching message is one of optimism and positivity; the differences between this and 2013’s Tape Deck Heart are something Turner is quick to point out.

This interview was originally written for Artrocker. Click here to read in full.