NEW TRACK: Lunch Machine – ‘Pipedream Graveyard’

Making the most of a cynical and uneasy feeling, Belfast-based alt rockers Lunch Machine provide a cathartic exhale on their latest single ‘Pipedream Graveyard’. Marking their first piece of new music in five years, the track is a grunge-infused take on the futility of planning for the future whilst the planet is slowly collapsing around us.

Formed in Donegal back in 2017, Lunch Machine’s current lineup consists of Jude Barriscale (vocals and guitar), Pearse Owens (guitar), Robert Mulhern (bass and recording engineer) and Kieran Devlin (drums). Together, they create music that’s inspired by the lyrical wit of Courtney Barnett, the post-psych experimentation of King Gizz and the “good craic” goofiness of Ween. During the pandemic, the band lived together and jammed regularly, writing a new batch of music, performing occasional gigs and recording their upcoming material.

On ‘Pipedream Graveyard’, the four-piece blend the melodic angst of 90s grunge-pop with Barriscale’s bittersweet vocals to push past feelings of apathy. “Our generation and the ones that come after us seem doomed to sequester any dreams of a bright future,” she comments on the track. “It is exhausting knowing your road in life will end up surrounded in climate collapse, crumbling infrastructure, and regressive political ideals. Or, are we already there?” Despite this despair, Lunch Machine have created a hazy guitar tune that provides momentary relief from this reality.

The single is also accompanied by a video, shot by by Leeann Toland, which you can watch below.

Follow Lunch Machine on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: New Pagans – ‘Better People’

A racing, euphoric guitar anthem that encourages listeners to smile in the face of adversity, Belfast-based band New Pagans have shared their latest single ‘Better People’. Underscored by the group’s desire to write an uplifting, hopeful offering in the midst of a difficult and chaotic time, the track is an empowering blend of cathartic vocals, soaring riffs and commanding beats.

Far removed from the righteous fury of the songs that formed their debut album, The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All (2021), but still brimming with a strong social conscience, ‘Better People’ is New Pagans’ ode to pushing through collective doubt. The band urge listeners not to lose faith in the idea that there is better quality of life on the horizon. “Fix it when we do it wrong / working together makes us strong,” sings lyricist Lyndsey Mcdougall, her startling, clear vocals soaring above the band’s urgent, melodic efforts to drive home the message that we’re stronger when we work together.

Written during a period of lockdown at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘Better People’ was inspired by the time Lyndsey spent listening to, and celebrating the joy of music with her children. This propelled the songwriter and her band mates to write a track that leaned more towards resilience and hope, and the result was ‘Better People’. Recorded and self-produced by the band in the Glens of Antrim in Ireland, and mixed by Sam Petts Davis (Radiohead, Warpaint, Frank Ocean), ‘Better People’ is an exhilarating aural antidote to persistent uncertainty in an increasingly stressful world.

Listen to ‘Better People’ below.

 

Follow New Pagans on bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Spotify

Photo Credit: Billy Woods

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Big Daisy – ‘Without Dreams’

Described by the band as a “sleepy lullaby-turned-powerhouse journey of a song,” Belfast four-piece Big Daisy have shared their latest single ‘Without Dreams’. Full of soft, yearning vocals and atmospheric guitar sounds, the track is a melodic slice of fuzz-pop that rings with genuine warmth and charm.

Formed of childhood best friends Aidan Reynolds, Ciara King, Dan O’Rawe and James Orr, Big Daisy released their debut single ‘Go Outside’ in November 2019, unaware that their agoraphobic anthem would become an appropriate soundtrack for a global pandemic. The band’s love for “whiny lyrics and big dreamy riffs” is something they take pride in, and latest offering ‘Without Dreams’ is another lush example of their penchant for blending the sad with the sweet.

“I dream of everything being better / I can’t wait for sweater weather” muses Ciara, as the track fluctuates between being content with being doe-eyed and daydreaming, before unwillingly following a tendency to self-sabotage feelings of joy. Penned as “a journey through the mind of someone who struggles with organisation & completing tasks,” ‘Without Dreams’ is a bittersweet, relatable tune that softens and soothes any inner chaos.

Listen to ‘Without Dreams’ below.

 

Follow Big Daisy on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: 26 North Productions

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Gender Chores – ‘Night In The Woods’

Having shared stages with the likes of Problem Patterns, Strange New Places and Sister Ghost, Belfast’s Gender Chores first blasted into our ears with the seething energy of 2019’s Womansplain. With songs defending reproductive rights, resisting the patriarchy and documenting the human cost of late-stage capitalism, they’re a true, riot grrrl-inspired DIY force to be reckoned with, and so we were super excited to hear that they’ve shared a brand new track.

A slice of fast-paced punk-pop, and inspired by a video game of the same name, ‘Night In The Woods’ reflects on slum landlords and the high costs of living in the city, despite continually decreasing low living conditions. Propelled by racing beats and fuzzy uptempo riffs, the gritty, refreshingly honest lyricism subtly rages with raw, conversational vocals: “I can’t afford the rent, and I really miss my pets” – a sentiment that is all-too relatable as someone who spent eight years renting in London.

As the track builds with a swirling, playful energy, it ends on an immense whirring cacophony – a scuzzy sonic storm, reminiscent of both a distorted video game and the frenzied state of reality right now. ‘Night In The Woods’ is a raging punk anthem, truly of our times; despite being coated in a buoyant, quirky charm, it’s no less powerful in its explicit enraged message.

Of the track, singer and bassist Sam explains:

“I think there’s a collective fury at the looming gentrification of Belfast. There’s outrage at the fact that it costs so much to live where we want to live.” 

‘Night In The Woods‘ is out now and was written and recorded with artist development program Scratch My Progress.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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