It's heads up time again, as we've got a bunch of fresh new artists right here that you really need to get your ears acquainted with.
The wealth of homegrown, emerging talent just waiting to be discovered out there is phenomenal- and this is just a few of the cracking tunes we've unearthed this week.
So, let's stop waffling and get down to business. Here are the tunes that you really NEED to hear...
It was Thumpers' first birthday last week! A whole year since their first live show as a band and we find the duo on the precipice of something mind-blowingly massive. Latest single 'Sound of Screams' has been getting plenty of loving from the guys at BBC Radio1, they're about to tour Europe with Chvrches and they've just been named as one of ten British acts to receive a very nice grant from the Momentum Music Fund. Childhood friends Marcus Pepperell and John Hamson Jr have come a long way to get to where they are today; but considering their talent, togetherness and charismatic sound, it's been an inevitability from the very start. Their teen years saw them playing in a number of bands including Pull Tiger Tail, before a break-up and period of creative silence took hold. Thankfully, the old pals stayed in touch and finally decided to do something with the song ideas that had been bouncing back and forth to each other in email format. The result? A joy-smothered celebration of synths, syncopated drum beats and a sense of elation you get on the days you feel happiest to be alive. Their 'kaleidoscopic sound' creates vastly sweeping and impossibly sparkling alt-pop gems to be indulged daily if you want to feel good- so do yourself a favour and start RIGHT NOW.
Back in August, our favourite scuzzy blues rockers The Gang made an announcement that rocked their Facebook populace and sent shockwaves throughout the world of music. "NEWS. All 3 of us have been kicked out of The Gang so we've decided to form a new band called Gang." Yes, the trio were doing a Sugababes on us. Or... they just kinda sacked off their 'The'. Either way, it was the biggest bombshell to have dropped since we recently discovered that Scatman John had died. (Like, over ten years ago as well. Still can't believe it.) This was serious. Were the band that brought us the insanely good 'Blvdevard' EP ever going to be the same again? Well, early reports suggest that the loss of their 'The' has done nothing to hold back their deliciously dark tirade of filthy riffing. They've emerged, grungier than ever, with a brand new EP called 'WYRDITY' and it's the nuts. The heavy fuzz is most befitting of the retro rock n' roll revival led by the likes of Temples and The Wytches while you've also got the heavy bass of the Death From Above days. What's not to like? Yeah, Gang works for us just fine.
Contemporary folk sensation Natasha North is a lady who has it all right now. With immense talent, a stunningly sweet voice and one of the snappiest names in the whole goddamn industry; the anticipation for her second EP reached new heights with the reveal of her new video this week. Title track 'Gather and Run' is an incredibly tasty morsel of what's to come with October's release, sending YouTube a bit crazy in the process. In just a couple of days, the view count soared straight past the 2,000 mark- and there's no wonder really. It's a masterclass in feel-good songwriting, blending the warmth of euphoric melodies with that gorgeous vocal and a good mix of mega drums, hand-claps and uplifting string sections. Cap it all off with a (probably highly illegal) folky rave by firelight in the middle of a forest and you're well on course to happiness central. With a sound as lovely as hers we're surprised she didn't summon a legion of woodland creatures like a guitar-wielding Snow White. Fans of Laura Marling in particular should have a listen and enjoy the feeling of the week's worries disappearing in the wind.
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