Chain Wallet – ‘Faded Fight’
We’ve already had our eyes on Norway’s CHAIN WALLET prior to our summer break and we are still pretty much convinced that their forthcomng debut album deserves your attention, especially if you are a fan of melancholic but powerful 80s-infected dream rock in the style o WILD NOTHING. Their latest single Faded Fight heads for the same territory and also comes with a colourful new clip. ‘It is a video about liminality and the paradox of hedonism,’ says the band and we couldn’t agree more. CHAIN WALLET‘s self-titled debut LP arrives on October the 7th.
Sløtface – ‘Bright Lights’
If you don’t like SLØTFACE then there’s something deeply wrong with you, something sick in your music soul, because if a band with their level of manic energy and hypersmart lyricism don’t appeal to you then something’s gone wrong somewhere. Their new single Bright Lights is a more subdued than their usual thousand-miles-a-minute punk rock work, its focus moving away from the party highs to the sorry aftermath (‘sticky eyes and a terrible breakfast’) as vocalist Haley Shea ponders a relationship in stasis, backed up by a rolling bassline and tight, flinty guitar riff. If melancholic alt-rock is your thing then this is for you. It’s from their new EP Empire Records, out on November 18th on Propeller Recordings
Alex Izenberg – ‘To Move On’
Only one track so far and already signed to Domino Records? Well, you gotta be quite good and talented. ALEX IZENBERG from Los Angeles might be both and his debut single To Move On is a grooving piece of retro-infected soul with an undeniable dose of weirdness. SCOTT WALKER meets GRIZZLY BEAR, featuring a delicate portion of Californian sunshine. His debut album goes by the name Harlequin and is out on November 18.
Bryde – ‘Honey’
Back in December we first discovered talented BRYDE, the solo project of Sarah Howells from PAPER AEROPLANES. Now she’s back with a sweet new single. Honey was produced by the one and only BILL RYDER-JONES which might explain the surprising garage-rocking twist that this otherwise pretty catchy pop song got. A full EP of riot grrrl pop by BRYDE is coming to you this fall.
Swampmeat – ‘Brand New Cadillac’
SWAMPMEAT is project of Dan Finnemore of THE CASTILLIANS, BLACK MEKON and LOW CUT CONNIE, and his debut single is Brand New Cadillac, and it’s about as old school as rock and roll can get, with a sound hauled straight out of the vintage era of country-inflected rock. It’s a swirl of guitar and harmonica, paired with Finnemore’s howlalong vocal grip-this-chance lyrics (“my cards are on the table, and there ain’t no turning back”) and it gets its business done in under three minutes, the perfect song to be swept along by. A debut full-length, Gin & Tonic, complied from the band’s work between 2005 and 2009, is out on PNKSLM on November 25th.
Bruno Major – ‘There’s Little Left’
One might think we’re tired yet of reduced electronic ‘white boy soul’ in the style of JAMES BLAKE. Well, we actually are but not if it is done pretty good and with an individual note. London-based BRUNO MAJOR and his latest single There’s Little Left provide just that. This song is a wonderfully jazz-inflected piece of soul pop where the human element clearly wins over the synthesizers. Have an eye on this gentleman, kids.
Thias – ‘esc’
THIAS is a Norwegian producer whose new single esc begins as a monstrously powerful, room consuming piece of electronica, built from synth waves that jerk and twitch in rhythmic motion. Then things relax into ambient sound sculptures for a while, before the beat leaps back in at the four minute mark to bounce the track to its conclusion. It’s a captivating blend of experimental electronica and techno-leaning dance music, and it’s out now along with another track, stream, on Tellé Records.
Mieux – ‘Music Is Pain’
You might expect something different from an EP called Music Is Pain but this freshly released one by Austrian band MIEUX is, in fact, not a miserable dark piece of emo rock but a joyful piece of casio pop. Quite addictive and catchy material those two gentlemen present right here. If that’s what you call pain you can label us masochists.
If you want the latest sounds don’t forget to follow NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION‘s ‘Weekly Discoveries’ playlist on Spotify, featuring the 50 freshest new songs we recently featured on our page. For other more frequent news don’t forget to follow NBHAP on Twitter and Facebook as well.
—