LISTEN: Tally Spear – ‘alone again’

Hailing from London, queer alt-rock artist Tally Spear creates music that bridges the gap between pop and rock, and combines strong vocals, emotive lyrics and slick production. Having received received praise from Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Radio X and Kerrang!, she’s now shared her poignant latest single.

‘alone again‘ opens with a clear in-your-face vocal, followed by a thick heavy synth bass line and punchy electronic drums. It has an immediate energy which keeps it pacing forwards. The three part harmonies are a nice and satisfying touch, adding texture to a melodically sparse verse and bringing to mind artists like Billie Eilish and Aurora. 

The chorus is where the song really erupts and comes to life with metal-style heavy distorted guitars and a very catchy melody – “I fell in love but I don’t think I did it right”, Spear sings about the confusion that comes with love and dating. The move from electronic to thrashing guitars adds a unique edge, creating an interesting and engaging listen. ‘Alone Again’ is well-produced, taking elements from pop and EDM style – introducing an immersive fusion of sounds to excite your ear. 

Spear has said this is one of her favourite songs she’s written. On the lyrics she said: “‘alone again’ explores the confusion and conflict that comes alongside falling in love and dating, but at the same time it’s celebrating the love you have with yourself and your own company. I wanted the song to be vulnerable but also strong and independent”.

If you like this track, Spear released a 6-track EP in 2020 that is available on Spotify and she is currently gigging so keep your eyes open for new dates to be announced!

Ella Patenall
@ellapatenall

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EP: Dream Phone – ‘Dream Phone EP’

Fuelled by snacks, Pepsi Max, and 100 gecs on repeat, Oxford glitch-pop duo Dream Phone – aka Hannah Watts and Jenny Bell (last seen ‘caught in the act of looking weird’ as half of Junk Whale) – get ridiculous for their DIY debut extended play with ten minutes of synth-driven hyper-pop melodies and pitch-shifted lyrical pandemonium!

Opening with the infectious one, two, three, four, ‘strut’, Dream Phone sparkle with an off-kilter electronic groove (“If you can’t find me in the dark / I’ll be here by the searchlight”) before exposing us to the extreme temperature of their own personal ‘hell’; a hot mess of obnoxiously upbeat noise and auto-tuned self-destructive attitude: “I can do what I want now / It’s none of your concern / Gonna cut my hair short / Because I’m not really listening to / What you say what you say what you say!”

Piercing your heart with a wooden stake, the ‘bad girls’ sink their fangs into riot grrrl for this next track, taking inspiration from Kathleen Hanna’s Le Tigre and Julie Ruin, and transforming their already unique pop sound into something otherworldly. Dream Phone’s ode to Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a celebration of friendship and “finding your partner in crime”; a euphoric glitch-pop beatdown for the BBC 6Music generation. “Going to the club / Dance up on some hunks and / Maybe kill some monsters / Or crash a cop car!”

Deliberately artificial in its production and sound, ‘no’ is an “anti-people-pleasing” pop anthem for those of us who struggle to say fuck “no” (“You ask, I sigh but I agree / You can always count on me / I will lie on the ground for you / You can wipe your feet on me”); opening with an electronic blast beat before glitching out into synth cyberspace! Closing their self-titled EP with ‘i don’t want to talk to you (at the show)’, the dreamy duo set boundaries and get anti-social: “Clinging to my beer / Everything’s too loud in here / I can’t concentrate / On what you’re shouting in my ear.”

Dream Phone ooze hyperactive energy, enthuse an ethos of DIY disorder, and, throughout their wonderfully eclectic debut EP, occupy the brain with vivid musical imagery.


The debut EP from Dream Phone is out now via independent record label Divine Schism. Buy on bandcamp now.

Ken Wynne
@ken_wynne

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NEW TRACK: Touch Excellent – ‘Record’

A tenacious anthem that takes aim at the failures of the healthcare system when it comes to treating women, non-binary and transgender folks, Touch Excellent have shared their debut single ‘Record’. Fuelled by the Dublin-based band’s collective anger, the track is a brief but powerful blast of attention-grabbing pop punk noise.

Playfully self-describing themselves as “Ireland’s most transgender band (surely)”, Touch Excellent create raw, frenzied, politically-driven cacophonies that are designed to dismantle the systems that oppress us. Together, Lenny (vocals/bass), Ló (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Amber (drums) transform their feelings of hopelessness and injustice into loud, cathartic, catchy anthems that address the issues facing young people today.

Their debut single ‘Record’ is inspired by the band members own experiences with the medical system, the recent Cervical Check scandal in Ireland, and the ongoing fight for reproductive rights around the world. The song is laced with medical imagery and descriptions of procedures that will be familiar to many women, and the band hope the track will offer a moment for rage, respite and relief in spite of these stressful moments.

Describing themselves as “a band for people who care about the issues and love a good live gig,” 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for Touch Excellent. The four piece played a show at Anseo on Camden Street in Ireland last night (May 25th) to celebrate the release of their debut single ‘Record’, and they will be releasing more material later in the year.

Listen to ‘Record’ below.

Follow Touch Excellent on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Walk In Coma – ‘Suffer’

A riff-heavy, full on assault on the ear drums, Essex-based metal band Walk In Coma have shared their latest single ‘Suffer’. Full of corrosive vocals, thundering guitar sounds and blistering beats, the track is a cathartic rumination on emotional endurance, and the second single to be lifted from the band’s upcoming EP, HUMAN CONDITION.

Formed of Alex Adlington, Mark Elliott, Tom Case and Nicole Lastauskas, Walk In Coma are influenced by the heavy sounds of SkipKnot, Lamb Of God and Architects. To date, the band have supported bands like Funeral For A Friend and Breed 77 on their UK tour dates, and they released their debut EP, NARRENTURM, back in 2015. Now, the Essex metallers are gearing up to share their forthcoming new EP, which was recorded during the uncertainty of the latter part of the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2021.

Mined from the depths of Walk In Coma’s “hallucinatory nightmares”, new cut ‘Suffer’ is accompanied by a chaotic video, shot by Gallow Wood Media. The frenzied and bizarre visuals are inspired by David Lynch’s dark cinematic imagery and feature the band, who are adorned in pig masks and splattered with blood as they rip through their relentless new single.

Alongside their EP release, Walk In Coma have a string of gigs and festival appearances lined up over the summer, including a slot at grassroots festival Breaking Bands alongside Healthy Junkies and DROWND. You can find full details of their live shows by visiting their website here.

Watch the video for ‘Suffer’ below.

Follow Walk In Coma on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Richard Gatecliffe (@1dxrich)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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