Premiere: Party Fears – ‘Dog Star’ (Rookes Remix)

What better news of a Thursday than to find out that two of your favourite artists have teamed up for an epic new release… ? And that’s the case today, as we have the honour of sharing the brand new remix of Party Fears‘ track ‘Dog Star’, by electro pioneer Rookes.

With eight years’ live experience under her belt (including two gigs for yours truly!), Rookes is set to release her second EP Liminal later this year, and is known for creating immersive electro-pop soundscapes. Party Fears have also wowed us live, and initially formed in South Korea by Irish native Maggie Devlin. Now Berlin based with co-founder Eilis Frawley, they continue to create their unique, jangling art-pop sounds.

This latest edition of ‘Dog Star’ oozes whirring, glitchy hooks and luscious layers of sound, creating a sweeping, glistening soundscape complete with throbbing bass-lines and showcasing the allure of Devlin’s captivating vocals. Interweaving a range of sonic elements to create an anthemic, majestic wall of sound, the remix adds an eerie, propulsive energy to the already soaring power of the original, leaving you utterly spellbound.

Listen to Rookes’ remix of ‘Dog Star’, for the first time, here:

 

‘Dog Star’ is out tomorrow 16th August. Make sure you also keep an ear out for Rookes’ upcoming EP, Liminal, and Party Fears’ next single ‘Ok. No Problem’, set for release in early Autumn.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

 

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Track Of The Day: Frankie Cosmos – ‘Wannago’

Ahead of the release of their fourth album next month, New York band Frankie Cosmos have now shared a food-filled new video for single ‘Wannago’.

Inspired by feelings of love and distance, ‘Wannago’ flows with lilting melodies and luscious harmonies, lead by vocalist Greta Kline, creating a twinkling indie-pop gem. Filled with moreish, deliciously sweet, sounds, and a sparkling allure, it will leave the ears utterly charmed and ready for seconds immediately.

of the track, Kline explains:

“‘Wannago’ is an older song that I thought would never come out. Every time we ever tried to arrange it we gave up or lied that we would come back to it later. It felt too hard, and I found some of the lyrics embarrassing. Then Alex encouraged us to give it another shot because he really loved the demo. We ended up all working together to turn this into a song that feels sparkly and distinct; and it’s really fun to play. I’ve accepted the cheesier lyrics as part of the youthful glow of the song, it feels very wide-eyed and is purely about love, distance, and life.”

Featuring comedian Catherine Cohen and directed by House Of Nod, the new video for ‘Wannago’ is out now. Watch here:

Close It Quietly, the upcoming album from Frankie Cosmos, is out 6th September via Sub Pop. Catch the band live in the UK in October:

16th October – The Haunt, Brighton
17th October – Exchange, Bristol
19th October – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
20th October – Delicious Clam, Sheffield
21st October – Night & Day, Manchester
22nd October – Islington Assembly Hall, London

Mari Lane
@marimindles

 

 

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Track Of The Day: Hurtling – ‘Summer’

Set to release their debut album in October, London band Hurtling have now shared a brand new single.

Starting off with gentle, finger-picked lilting melodies and the luscious, delicate vocals of Jen Macro, ‘Summer’ soon builds with sun-drenched whirring hooks and immense beats to a fuzz-filled noisepop anthem, as Macro’s vocals reveal their true raw grit. A scuzzy dream of a track, it’s impossible not to get caught up in its sparkling, psychedelic haze, which will leave you longing for more of Hurtling’s epic sonic delights.

‘Summer’ was self-produced and recorded at One Cat Studio in Brixton. Watch the kaleidoscopic new video (directed by Jen Macro) here:

‘Summer’ is out 16th August, whilst Hurtling’s debut album – Future From Here – is out 18th October, both via Onomatopoeia Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Ashley Jones

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ALBUM: Salad – ‘The Salad Way’

After an absence of almost two decades, UK alt-rockers Salad have returned to take on the world “The Salad Way” with their long-awaited new LP. From their formation in 1992, until the day they decided to disband in 1998, Salad had released two records: their 1995 debut, Drink Me, and its successor, 1997’s Ice Cream. Now, with an amended new line-up, Salad is back on the menu.

Performing acoustically as a duo from 2016 onwards under the name Salad Undressed, vocalist (and former MTV Europe veejay) Marijne van der Vlugt and guitarist/backing vocalist Paul Kennedy had an itch they needed to scratch. Enlisting the help of long-time collaborator Donald Ross Skinner to provide new beats, original bassist Pete Brown for his infectious groove, and 96-98 touring guitarist Charley Stone for her searing guitar riffs, Salad’s comeback album is a combination of quality ingredients that has resulted in a fresh, varied sound that extends beyond the usual lexicon of established Brit-pop genre conventions.

This isn’t a record to appease existing herbivores; nor is it an attempt in Brit-pop revival. I doubt Marijne or the rest of the band really give a shit. Instead, The Salad Way is thirteen tracks of relentless post-punk infused with renewed collaborative creativity. Opening with their latest single, ‘You Got The Job’, Salad re-establish themselves as purveyors of buoyant pop melodies, underpinned here by a sense of romantic insecurity. “The golden kisses of summer keep me going through winter / I store them up in my treehouse… You got the job!”

‘In The Dark’ sees Salad meets Sabbath with scuzzy guitar hooks, doom-like drum strikes, and a more relaxed tempo, before Marijne lays into Paul for rambling on during a radio interview preceding the abrasive third art-punk track, ‘Details’. “I’m sick of all your details!” Don’t worry though, guitar ballad ‘Your Face’ offers us much needed breathing space… That is until Salad begin pummelling us in said face with ‘Vadim’s Slipper’, a track that sees both Marijne and Paul writing outside of their comfort zone.

Next, Marijne goes full throttle on keyboards for ‘Merryland’, tackling the fantastical with inescapable energy. “There was a place called Merryland / I used to live there / Picked up the keys from a Killer Whale / Two eyes, no legs, big grin…” Scratchy guitar solos punctuate this disastrous tale of marine life before the band transition to the more personal ‘Welcome To My World’ – a song which touches upon Marijne’s arrival to the United Kingdom as an adolescent: “In 1978 / New language on my plate / Difficult to relate / Welcome to my world.”

Flipping over to Side B, Salad continue to surprise with ‘Don’t Expect Things Not To Be Scary’, fusing syncopated funk basslines with rhythmic guitars to create mad musical science: one-third disco anthem, and two-thirds freak dance party. A pulsating bassline dominates first single, ‘Under The Wrapping Paper’ – a post-punk opus inspired tongue-firmly-in-cheek by the music fanatics’ clothing of choice. “I worry about child labour / But I needed a t-shirt / Put it in a paper bag / You can recycle that later.”

‘The Inside Of My Head’ is an honest acceptance of weakness; a melancholic insight to the headspace of the band, whilst the remaining three tracks – ‘Wayward Thinking’, ‘Lovesick Energy’, and album closer ‘Time To Escape’  – perfectly exemplify what ‘The Salad Way’ is: a continuous stream of weird and wonderful consciousness, propelled by a rocket-powered expulsion of creative energy. But most importantly? The Salad Way is that thing called rock and roll, and the band came to fumigate your soul.

The Salad Way is out 30th August via Three Bean Records.

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

Photo Credit: Tim Topple

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