Five Favourites: The Vanity Project

London-based self described “queer-freak-pop” Flora Jackson and Rob Paterson, aka The Vanity Project, pride themselves on creating swirling chaotic soundscapes, interweaving multiple genres and techniques. Having received acclaim from the likes of Marc Riley on BBC 6Music and Everything Everything’s Jonathan Higgins, they have now announced the release of their debut album, We Should Never Have Come Here, set for release on 29th September. Latest single ‘Eureka!‘ offers a perfect taste of what’s to come; reflecting on the daily grind of the 9 to 5, and the dangers of capitalism, it’s wonderfully wacky cacophony of empowering riotous energy and sparkling musicality.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of We Should Never Have Come Here, we caught up with The Vanity Project to ask about the music that has inspired them the most recently. So, read about their five favourite albums and watch the eccentric new video for ‘Eureka!‘ below!

Guerilla Toss – Famously Alive
If you want to know what the record sounds like, but can’t be bothered to listen to any of the songs, you could just look at the album cover: we’re talking gloopy synths, colourful hooks, squelchy bass. Everyone seems to prefer their earlier janglier stuff, but this record appeals to our desire to make music that’s wonky, bizarrely pretty and always incredibly catchy.


Left at London – t.i.a.p.f.y.h 
Let’s shoot the elephant in the room: yes, it’s the girl who said “haha, I do that” on Vine. But we’re delighted she forwent a career in professional memery because it turns out she had one of the best records in the decade in her. It covers all bases really – full of emotional gut punches juxtaposed with joyous moments, often within seconds of each other.


Black Dresses – Peaceful as Hell 
Rob has much more affinity to noise and chaos and this record scratches that itch better than any other. In places it’s borderline pop-punk but you’re never more than thirty seconds away from grinding industrial breakdowns. Unfortunately, Black Dresses broke up after this album, now only reuniting to drop yearly releases under the same name in the same genre.

Birds of Hell – Birds of Hell
This a record of weird stories, character pieces, rambles – the stuff we love. There’s a clear straight line between ‘Los Yarmouth’, a song about exploring the underwater ruins of a fading resort, to our song ‘Craters’, about aliens holidaying in a post apocalyptic Manchester. We periodically say the phrase “fizzy hummus, woof woof” in day to day life; fair warning, if you listen to the album, you will too.

Daphne and Celeste – Daphne and Celeste Save the World 
Famously, these two got pelted with piss at Reading Festival. Years later it was reported that upon hearing this perfect slice of spiky, glistening Max Tundra-helmed art-pop, every single one of those piss pelters went back to Reading, took all the piss bottles back, and donated them to a piss bank. And you can see why.

Massive thanks to Flora and Rob for talking to us about their Five Favourites! Watch the new video for ‘Eureka!’ here:

We Should Never Have Come Here, the debut album from The Vanity Project, is set for release on 29th September. And you can catch them live that night at The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell to celebrate – tickets here.

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Five Favourites: Ratboys

After more than ten years together, Chicago’s Ratboys have now announced their fourth album, The Window, set for release on 25th August. I’m not quite sure how or why I’ve only just come across Ratboys, but they’re new favourites for sure! Taken from the upcoming album, recent single ‘It’s Alive!’ is filled with all the dreamy, lilting hooks and fuzzy allure I could ever need, and Julia Steiner’s vocals are sugar sweet perfection.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of The Window, we caught up with Julia from Ratboys to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. So, read about her five favourite albums, and make sure you check out the album next month, and watch the video for ‘It’s Alive!’ below!

Sufjan Stevens – Age Of Adz
Without thinking too hard, I can honestly say that this is my favourite album of all time. For a long time I kept a CD copy with me anywhere I went, in my purse. It almost felt like a totem, like something to ground myself against and remind myself in weird times – “Okay, this amazing, insane thing still exists and will always continue to exist.” The mix of soulfulness and coldness and playfulness on this record continues to baffle me every time I listen. Like, the stakes seem sky high, but Sufjan is clearly having a blast. Talk about a fully-realized, simply maxed-out piece of work. What the hell?? The final song on the record – ‘Impossible Soul’ – clocks in at slightly more than 25 minutes long and honestly sounds like an entire album unto itself. Sufjan’s at the height of his powers on this one y’all, highly recommended.

The Dodos – Visiter
When I first met our guitarist Dave in college, we did the classic millennial early friendship move of burning CDs for each other. We made mixes, and we also burned full albums for each other – ones that we thought the other hadn’t heard before and might like. I remember that Dave burned me a CD with this entire album on it, and I’ve loved it ever since. This record, maybe more than any other, reminds me viscerally of a time of year (Autumn) and of a time in my life (specifically late 2010, when I was 18). I love how sparse and yet totally complete it sounds. I love how deceptively fast the songs are. I love how the acoustic guitar takes centre stage on every song and also how so many of the songs go places you wouldn’t expect them too. What a perfect tracklist and album sequence. What a lovely trip.  

Deerhoof – Apple O’
This is an album where I remember the exact moment I discovered it. I was in San Francisco in 2013 doing sports coverage for our college magazine, and I managed to get over to Amoeba Records during some downtime. I found this CD in the “local favourites” section and bought it impulsively based on the album art alone. I’ll never forget sliding it into my car when I got back home and getting completely sucked in by the whirl of drums and guitars that came tumbling out of the speakers, like a cyclone. There is so much joy and so much fun apparent in every song on this record… It just sounds like the love of music-making distilled, like four friends having the best time ever in a room together with their instruments. I’ve seen Deerhoof live many times since then, and they always make me smile like an idiot, without fail. Continually the best reminder that making music should be fun!


Juliana Hatfield – Blood
This was probably my most-listened-to album during the era of the pandemic. I simply couldn’t get enough of it (probably much to the annoyance of my bandmates… sorry! Haha). I first heard ‘Had a Dream’ on a college radio station here in Chicago, and I remember I pulled off into a parking lot to Shazam the song and look up the artist. I hadn’t heard of Juliana Hatfield before this album, but I found out that this is her nineteenth album. I was so late to the party, but better late than never, right? This album is truly wild. A lot of it was recorded using drum presets in Garageband. I just love the way it sounds; I love Juliana’s voice and the biting lyrics and the off-the-wall instrumentation. For an artist this far into her career, this record is almost unbelievably adventurous. Who else is making music that sounds like this?? I’m seriously asking, I want more. Also, this record was a great gateway for getting into the rest of Juliana Hatfield’s discography – it’s well worth a deep dive. 


NNAMDÏ – Please Have A Seat
For lists like this, I’ll always include whatever the latest record is from Chicago legend Nnamdi Ogbonnaya aka NNAMDÏ. We’ve been friends with Nnamdi for a long time, ever since Dave and Sean started playing and going to shows at his former DIY house venue, Nnamdi’s Pancake Haus. Nnamdi is one of the most talented drummers ever, and he was always in a million bands, but he started releasing his own music on Bandcamp sometime in 2013 I think. Each album captures his big heart, brilliant instincts, and wide-ranging musical interests, in such a way that I genuinely can’t wait to hear whatever he makes next. You never know what the next record will sound like, and within those records what the next song will sound like, and within that what the next section of each song will sound like. I love artists that do whatever the fuck they want, who aren’t bound by genre concerns or hangups about aesthetic consistency… Nnamdi is the G.O.A.T. in that respect, both in Chicago and everywhere he goes. This latest record is no exception- check out ‘Dibs’ – you’ll see what I mean.


Massive thanks to Julia from Ratboys for sharing her Five Favourites!

The Window, the upcoming fourth album from Ratboys, is set for release on 25th August via Topshelf Records. Pre-order here. And watch the recent video for ‘It’s Alive!’ below:

Photo Credit: Alexa Viscius 

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FIVE FAVOURITES: My Ugly Clementine

Inspired by a strong commitment to each other as both friends and bandmates, Vienna-based trio My Ugly Clementine are preparing to release their new album, The Good Life, on 11th of August via BMG. Formed of Sophie Lindinger (Leyya), Mira Lu Kovacs and Nastasja Ronck (Sharktank), the band combine playful melodies and feel-good lyrics to create their brand of buoyant, uplifting grunge pop. Following the 2020 release of their debut album, Vitamin C, My Ugly Clementine spent time recording their new album in a remote house somewhere in the Beskid Mountains, far away from civilization. The result is a joyful celebration of friendship and community, with latest single ‘Would Do It Again’ encapsulating these sentiments perfectly.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Mira from My Ugly Clementine to ask about their “Five Favourites” – five songs that have inspired their song-writing techniques. Check out their choices below and scroll down to watch the band’s video for their latest single ‘Would Do It Again’.

 

1. Radiohead – Hail To The Thief
I’d listened to Radiohead already for years until that album came out and I loved them already, but Hail To The Thief just changed my perspective on so many levels concerning what an album can be, how you’re allowed to change as a band, what you can develop and grow into. I know most people got hooked to Radiohead with OK Computer or Kid A, but Hail To The Thief just showed me that I care about sound just as much as I care about songwriting.

2. Ani Difranco – Educated Guess
Ani Difranco is an artist i’ve been listening to since I was 11 years old, so I just grew up with her. All her 17k albums have influenced me deeply, maybe Evolve was even more influential at the time, but I have grown out of that playful guitar picking style a bit. That’s why I chose Educated Guess. It’s more simple and more serious and dark. The acoustic guitar is everything you don’t know about acoustic guitars, everything you wouldn’t expect from them, which I love. Lyrics wise, Ani Difranco will forever hold the reign as queen of complex poetry. I will forever be grateful for what she has opened my eyes to!

3. Arctic Monkeys – AM
I know it’s the hit album, but it must be on this list – also because I am currently revisiting it a lot these days. One of the things that have impressed and shaped me the most is AM’s ability to put more lyrics into one line than the bars have space for. They just completely ignore the laws of time. The rhythmic aspects of their writing seem otherworldly and so confident, they just change the rules to their preference. I am working on that kind of mindset every day.

4. The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
One of my forever musical crushes is Jack White. I don’t think that I have to explain that. Everything he does makes sense. This album though is a masterpiece, ear worms only. The roughness in the title track ‘Broken Boy Soldiers’ completely breaks me apart. Much like AM, this album showed me to make my own rules about pop music and songwriting. There is never just one way. Jack White is just all about sound, vibes and guitars.

5. Björk – Medúlla
In my opinion, this is the most interesting album Björk made. The collab with rahzel especially (I think he appears on most of the songs) is something I think the world hadn’t heard until then. While beatboxing is something that has definitely no place in my current creating process, I think the way she included it into her musical world was spectacular. There are some forever kinda melodies on this record!

Pre-order My Ugly Clementine’s debut album The Good Life here

Watch the video for My Ugly Clementine’s latest single below.

Follow My Ugly Clementine of Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

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Five Favourites: Sweeping Promises

Following their 2020 debut, Hunger For A Way Out, Kansas duo Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug – aka Sweeping Promises – have now returned with a new album, Good Living Is Coming For You, is set for release tomorrow.

Taken from the album, latest single ‘Eraser’ showcases the band’s unique colossal energy and quirky, colourful soundscapes. Of the track, they explain that ‘Eraser’ is “a malevolent creep – an overly ambitious, shadowy force who bears an uncanny resemblance to you. She watches your every move, mirrors your motions, and ultimately uses your voice against you without you ever noticing what she’s done. She’s unchecked ambition, a paranoid girl Friday, an overriding impulse to reflect rather than project. She must be stopped at all costs.”

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Good Living Is Coming For You, we caught up with Lira and Caufield to ask about the music that has inspired them the most. So, read about their five favourite albums, and make sure you check out the album, and watch the video for ‘Eraser‘ below! 

Caufield’s Picks:

Robert Ashley – Private Parts
One of the albums that has deeply marked my adult life! “A picnic of sorts.” Play this one if you think ambient suffers from a lack-of-personality problem. I will say I am intensely drawn to the second part, ‘The Backyard’, as the raga and Blue Gene Tyranny’s swirly soundscape lock into a groove, and Ashley’s midwestern observations bend abstractly into a kind of suburban noir. John Cheever, meet John Cage! The album’s sly and off-centre thought complex is punk to me. The low voice mix is an editorial red herring, directing the ear towards a narrative that is only ever elliptical and half-understood. The idea of cinema is as suggestive here as the idea of opera. Sumptuous intermedia!

Poison Girlfriend – Melting Moment (1992, re-press Sad Disco)
A new-to-me classic; a triphop phantasmagoria, envisioned by DJ digi-auteur nOrikO. I would recommend visiting the website, as this album’s milieu will be made clear. A first vinyl press arrives imminently via Japanese label Sad Disco (message to universe: the whole PGF catalogue should be pressed!). Anyway, this album is an icy piece of ambient house as well as a particularly form-pushing exemplar of early ’90s Japanese CD-R subculture. Brittle, dithered digital production, awesome spatialisation, surprising arrangements. I like nOrikO’s exploratory vocal delivery (English-speaking on this record), which is dispassionate yet intimate, with an air of danger. I read the characterology of her vocal as being like a femme fatale delivering a doomed-romantic message. In this album, feelings of love and breakdown pixelate into a shape auguring the early internet, a toxic desiring machine: enthralling, lonely, sophisticated.

Optic Sink – Glass Blocks (Feel It, 2023 – forthcoming)
Having left our jobs in 2021, Lira and I run a recording studio out of our vaulted-roof house in Kansas, which at times comes to resemble, for better or worse, an indie music b’n’b. In this capacity, we made the Optic Sink record so I’ve heard it, even though it’s not officially out yet. Perks of the trade, people! Can’t wait for this album to land on Feel It; Lira and I feel a twinge of pride, as we recall the darkened days of the snowstorm (coldwave manifest), hours of party-working in Lawrence, KS, menu-diving around the surrealistic Eventide H3000, on all sides a janky wall of analog synths! Our friends from Memphis, Ben, Keith, and Natalie comprise this band, electrified brainiacs all, and rocknroll expats, which is sympathetic. Travelling to a city near you, god willing!


Lira’s Picks:

Pozi – Smiling Pools (2023)
I was introduced to Pozi via their 176 EP in 2020, and I’ve been captivated ever since. Smiling Pools takes all the excellence of their previous releases and launches it into spectacular new heights with arrangements that are at once skeletal and dense, inviting and dangerous, haunted and hypnotic and hooky. I love how unfettered they sound, yet still so controlled: tightly coiled springs, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. One of the things I love about this band is the vocal interplay between Rosa Brook, Tom Jones, and Toby Burroughs (beautifully demonstrated in the unsettling call-and-response on ‘Through The Door’). ‘Failing’ and ’24 Deliveru’ get the repeat-button treatment a lot. One of the best albums of 2023, and also a really great album to bake a cake to late at night (speaking from experience).

Yukihiro Takahashi – What, Me Worry?
There are some albums I gravitate towards during certain seasons (Mask by Bauhaus in the bare-branched winter, Força Bruta by Jorge Ben for balmy summer evenings), but What, Me Worry? is perfect year-round, no matter the time or season. There’s a song for every moment; ‘It’s Gonna Work Out’ was made to soundtrack zipping around neon-lit highways on a warm July night; ‘All You’ve Got to Do’ is as bright and sparkly as a dewy spring morning. And then there’s ‘Disposable Love’ – “The first time I saw you, I knew it was going to happen” – the first time I heard that chorus, it made me shiver. A whole world of regret and desire contained in those thirteen portentous words! Up to that point, the song is already on the verge of buckling under the weight of its yearning, but still manages to play it cool with bouncy rhythms and fluttering, flute-like synth flourishes. And then that chorus lands, clawing through the mists of all that cool remove…I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it now. Yukihiro Takahashi’s music is so ambitious and sophisticated; his is an ecstatic strain of pop that twists and turns in ways that are thrilling and kinetic and intuitive.


Massive thanks to Lira and Caufield for sharing their Five Favourites with us!

Good Living Is Coming For You, the new album from Sweeping Promises, is out tomorrow 30th June via Sub Pop. Listen to quirky new single ‘Eraser’ here:

Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill

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