NEW #81 - Disgusting Sisters

 

When this blog was in its prime it was a reasonably common occurrence to feature artists that had yet to release any ‘official’ recorded music, instead relying on shaky live You Tube clips or dodgy Soundcloud demos.

The last band that featured here in that way was The Dinner Party, who a few months on had changed their name (for the better) to The Last Dinner Party and became a so-called overnight success with Nothing Matters. When a band seemingly appears from nowhere and already has full label and management support behind them, the cynics will always criticize. “Industry plant!” you’ll no doubt remember was pointlessly shouted on line at The Last Dinner Party by those who seem to get a weird kick out of doing down others in public.

Which brings us to Disgusting Sisters. Now, there aren’t any detractors (yet) with Disgusting Sisters, although it would be easy to write the headlines now: "Disgusting Sisters are Revolting!" "Foul tunes from Disgusting Sisters!" etc. All there is is a very small thread on Reddit where someone questions how Disgusting Sisters managed to get a slot on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading / Leeds Festivals this year with no recorded music out and only a handful of live shows which included supporting Two Door Cinema Club.

The answer probably has something to do with the fact that they have already been signed to Prolifica Management (who manage the above mentioned Two Door Cinema Club), have a live booking agent and they are not entirely new to the world of music; Julianna Hopkins of the band is also the drummer in Pynch. Her sister meanwhile has been off working as a director and screenwriter. It also probably has quite a lot to do with the fact that someone thinks they could be onto something and that’s worth supporting.

But let’s not get too into the how come they get the opportunities when others don’t debate - your weary distrust and jaded cynicism can be left at the door when you enter Breaking More Waves. It’s time to start dancing with Disgusting Sisters. Just make sure the dancing is a bit silly and quirky. And yes, just like Haim, The Staves and The Nolans they are actually siblings.

Disgusting Sisters are the sort of band that you can imagine have practiced with a hairbrush microphone dancing in their bedrooms infront of the mirror. From the bits of live footage you can find on line you’ll see a certain sort of engaging d-i-y amateurishness to what they do. They come across as a hybrid of Shampoo, Panic Shack and Las Bistecs rather than anything too slick - they have described themselves as a ‘cunty pop rock band’. 

They also look like they’re going to be a lot of fun. 

They have moves, but not like Britney or Beyonce; more the sort of dancing you can copy after one watch. I’m predicting mass audience participation of the cat choreography during TGIF (see below). Other tracks that there are live or rehearsal clips of on line include Sorry Mister which the duo say is ‘a song about the arseholes you meet on a night out’ and Not Cool is one they have dedicated to their cringey ex-boyfriends

Now we wait for some recorded music, passing time practicing those dance moves.

Disgusting Sisters - TGIF Live at Reading Festival (BBC Introducing)

NEW #77 - twst

 

I have no idea how you pronounce twst. Is it as it appears or is there a silent vowel making it ‘twist’? Please send help / advise as appropriate. Thanks.

Either way, today I’m featuring this Welsh born artist who has been whacking out some excellent edgy, horizon searching pop music over the last few years with her debut EP TWST0001 dropping in the early months of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, because twst (real name Chloe Davis) has been around for a while I had to check that I hadn’t already featured Chloe on the blog in the past.

It seems I had, but only in a roundabout way; a number of twst tracks had featured on my monthly playlist in 2020 (which eventually transformed into the New Music Weekly playlist) and I used to post about those playlists here. However, I’ve never fully introduced Chloe and with new material now being released plus some forthcoming live shows, this moment seems a good time to shine the light further.

So where to start with twst? I’d recommend somewhere near the beginning, with Are You Listening? a futuristic, electrifying horror-pop tune full of bassy minimalism, Hitchcock-like Psycho samples and lyrics that centre on problems of the world such as misogyny, climate change and fake news.

From there I’d jump to most recent release Catch Me (Beautiful Fall); twst's most commercial romp through the world of pop so far, if there was an exam in bangers, Catch Me would get a high grade A. Written with long-term writing partner Eden Tredwell, the credits for Catch Me (Beautiful Fall) reveal that one of the producers besides twst was one Clarence Clarity. Remember him? He first featured on this blog about 10 years ago and has subsequently gone on to work with the likes of Rina Sawayama and Sundara Karma. If you’ve never heard his track 4GODSLUV then your homework for tonight is to listen to that.

But before you do so, try twst and keep an eye out for 2^nd EP TWST0002 later this year as well as forthcoming live shows which include Swn Festival in Cardiff later this month and a headline show at The Grace in London on 12^th December.

twst - Are You Listening?

 

 twst - Catch Me (Beautiful Fall)

 

twst · Catch Me (Beautiful Fall)

NEW #76 - Fat Dog

Testing 1, 2, 3. Is anybody there?

It’s been a fair while hasn’t it?

Does anyone even read music blogs anymore? Particularly inactive ones that haven’t posted for a few months. 

There’s only one real way to find out. So here we go. 

Strap yourselves in, I’m grabbing your ears and taking them for a ride. I’ve got some new music to rave about.

Starting with Fat Dog.

Not the most glamourous of names, but with a debut single released in August (which featured on my Spotify New Music Weekly playlist) and critics describing their live shows as ‘unforgettable’ and ‘exceedingly fun…exceedingly strange’ Fat Dog are a name you need to put on your ‘to listen to’ and ‘to see’ lists.

Let’s go to that debut single. King of the Slugs clocks in with a shape shifting, ecstatic, shot of musical hedonism that pumps away for a hefty 7 minutes. How to describe it? Ok I’ll try. There’s some post-punk, some psychedelia, some swirling balladeering theatrics, some rave, some rock ‘n’ roll and some twangy John Wayne cowboy movie soundtrack in the mix. It’s the kind of tune that leave you feeling exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. It’s sort of dirty sounding. It's sort of intense. It’s a musical odyssey. It’s bloody brilliant.

King of the Slugs is also the only song I can think of that mentions washing your clothes and makes it seem cool. Sorry Kate Bush, I love you, but Mrs Bartolozzi is truly terrible.

And that’s it. Fat Dog. Not a band for the faint hearted.

If you want to ride with them, they are on tour in the UK in October.

For the current New Music Weekly Playlist (updated every Friday) click here.

Fat Dog - King of the Slugs

Fat Dog · King of the Slugs

NEW #75 Picture Parlour

 

If you pay even just a passing interest in new music then the chances are you’ll have already come across Picture Parlour. If you haven't, then this post is for you.

They’re a band that have been gaining traction through a number of well received live shows played over the past year or so. This week, after releasing their debut single and getting plenty of press coverage, they have found themselves at a bit of a storm centred around arguments of being ‘industry plants’, the increased visibility big management and a label backing can bring you over others that don’t, tastemaker hype, the systemic problems of the music industry favouring white artists, stereotypes, judging artists purely by their online statistics / data and misogynistic attacks on female artists. The Last Dinner Party and Wet Leg have also been used as examples in many of these debates. 

Some of these arguments are easy to debunk. For example, there’s been criticism of all of these bands seemingly ‘coming from nowhere’, which is frankly a load of uninformed tosh. Take Wet Leg for example. Lead vocalist Rhian had been treading the boards for some time (I posted one of her tracks on the blog here back in 2016) and co-founder Hester had also played in other bands such as Maybe Tuesday before Wet Leg was formed. Wet Leg  had released a DIY song Girlfriend on Soundcloud in 2019 which was removed, probably when they got signed. 

Likewise, arguments that Picture Parlour have hardly any listeners on Spotify being held up as the fact they are ‘Industry Plants’. Well, you can’t expect a band to have listeners before they have released anything. That’s just ridiculous. And the term ‘Industry Plants’ is utterly meaningless anyway. I'm not even sure if most music listeners care about where artists came from - they just want tunes they like. 'Authenticity' is something that seems to exist in certain rock / indie circles in the same way as the term 'real music' does. 

However, some of the arguments that have been put forward online are certainly worthy of further discussion. For example, conversations around the systemic issues in the music industry and the lack of inclusion of persons of colour are very valid. However, unfortunately some of the people I’ve seen online who are trying to address these issues are probably not taken as seriously as they should be because of the way they put forward their arguments, which to an observer such as myself can be interpreted as aggressive, unkind and with a lack of nuance. 

The argument that is the silliest of all though is the ‘they won’t last’ argument, because for anyone who knows anything about pop music will tell you, nobody has a crystal ball that works 100% correctly 100% of the time. That’s the nature of the beast. Remember Suede? Back in the day they were on the cover of Melody Maker under the slogan “The Best New Band In Britain” before they had even released a single. 30 years on they’re still going strong, selling out big venues and releasing excellent records. But then does anyone remember Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong? They were another press acclaimed band that released 3 singles that didn’t connect with the public before disbanding. Pop is a funny old game.

So back to Picture Parlour. Yes, they are getting ‘tastemaker’ attention. Yes, they are all white. But let’s give them a chance. Just as we should give any artist that makes you sit up and go ‘that sounds good’ a chance. And if you don’t think they do sound good, why not spend your time finding something else to celebrate rather than trying to kick a band down before they have even had the chance to prove themselves?

For the record, Picture Parlour sound like they would be great live. Their debut single is raw, rasping and reaches for the sky. No wonder Courtney Love has already given them the rock royalty thumbs-up. And no it’s not a cover of The Beatles song of the same name.

You can find the song below and on the Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly playlist (here)

Picture Parlour - Norwegian Wood

Picture Parlour · Norwegian Wood

NEW #74 Fizz

Time for another new band on Breaking More Waves. If you follow the Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly Playlist (here) on Spotify you will of course have already heard them, but in case you haven’t, here’s the shortest of posts to bring you up to speed.

Introducing: Fizz. An ‘indie’ super group of sorts consisting of Orla Gartland, Greta Isaac, Dodie and Martin Luke Brown, (alas the dogs pictured do not feature)  and they make their debut with High In Brighton, which I can only assume is about chartering an air balloon over the south coast city or just having a grand old time, rather than smoking any illicit substances.

Whatever it’s about, it’s a joyous opening shot with a big shout / sing a long chorus ready for punch the air festival fun, which is just as well as they’ve already played Great Escape (in Brighton obviously) and have dates at the likes of Barn on the Farm and Latitude coming up in the near future. Throw the windows open wide, turn up the stereo to maximum and blast this giddy piece of music out to make your neighbours smile,

There’s an album to follow and if it’s anything as good as the single they might just have to ditch their solo careers.

Fizz - High In Brighton

FIZZ · High In Brighton

NEW #73 Blusher

 

Last week I was at Great Escape Festival in Brighton, the multi-venue festival where careful planning, running between stages and dodging the queues becomes a fine art.

I managed to see 36 full performances whilst I was there and so I thought it was time to pick a couple of acts that I saw that I haven’t written about on the blog that hit my ‘shows potential’ button.

First up today is Blusher. An Australian pop three piece who remind me very much of 2012-2016 blog-wave era pop; their music is shiny, upbeat and you can dance round your handbag to it. Someone described it to me as ‘music for the gays’ and whilst I don’t fully agree with that level of exclusivity (after all music is for everyone, right?) there’s undeniably a hint of a door left open by Robyn on tracks like Dead End and Backbone. These are pulsing electronic bops with hooky choruses and plenty of gloss in the production.

In the live context the band switch between serious muso types, rocking the bass and keyboards, covering MGMT in their set, to full on hands-in-the-air cool-pop goddesses, throwing in some bedroom mirror dance routines and lyrics that celebrate the joys of dancing to forget: "One more reason to take the floor, call the girls up and dance until he’s gone," they sing on Backbone. "I still want the long nights, dancing with my drunk friends," on Dead End.

Their first ever UK gig in Brighton was in the neon blue lit Zahara nightclub and it was packed with music industry delegates. It was very well received - they certainly got hips wiggling and toes tapping. A good start here for Jade, Lauren and Miranda who are the three people who make up Blusher. A debut EP is to follow on July 14^th.

Blusher - Dead End

Blusher · Dead End

Blusher - Backbone

NEW #71 Nightbus

 

If you’re anything like me, the word Nightbus will fill you with some degree of anxiety. I’m talking drunken men shouting at each other, fighting, the waft of takeaway food, vomit and discarded beer bottles rolling round the floor whilst a girl near the front of the vehicle is crying, consoled by her friends: “He really isn’t worth it. You’re better than that darling.”

Thankfully this Nightbus, a three piece from Manchester (not to be confused with the ‘filter disco’ four piece of the same name from the previous decade) is a far more appealing proposition. From what’s been released so far I’d describe them as a darkly languid indie band with a heart of goth. With the likes of new artists such as Heartworms (who they recently supported in Brighton) currently getting a lot of attention, the kings of dark-pop The Cure being back on the road and night-queen Siouxsie Sioux set to return this summer, right now it’s a good time for new goth influenced bands to step out of the shadows - even if it means that a nasty bright spotlight might shine on them.

To pigeon-hole Nightbus as just goth is wide of the mark though. Their debut track Way Past Three is dreamy and gently ethereal and starts with a guitar sound similar to The Edge from U2, whilst new song Mirrors throws ghostly shapes not dissimilar to a less taunt Joy Division with its chugging bassline and haunting synths. What is certain though is that whilst their music would sound great on your headphones late at night on the sodium lit bus ride home, their world is not one of kebabs and drunk fighting, but one of moody indie-art-pop, ready to hypnotise you.

Nightbus consists of Olive Rees, Zac Melrose and Jake Cottier. You can catch them live supporting Iceage in Manchester tomorrow night.

Nightbus - Mirrors

Nightbus · Mirrors

Nightbus - Way Past Three

NEW #70 Kingfishr

 

Remember ‘Nu-folk’? As the likes of Mumford & Sons found themselves headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, it seemed that every indie leaning musician out there was ditching the guitars, growing a beard, buying a waist coat, stomping round the haystacks and getting to grips with the banjo.

As with any musical fashion, that wave eventually broke. Even Mumford & Sons reinvented themselves as a rather boring stadium rock band and charity shops noticed an increase in waistcoat donations.

So, when a group comes along that could have quite easily fitted into that indie-folk gang back in 2009 you might give a little shudder. But don’t. Because Limerick three-piece Kingfishr make powerfully brilliant songs, and that’s what’s important, irrespective of genre, fashion or prejudice.

Kingfishr consist of Edmond Keogh, Eoghan McGrath and Eoin Fitzgibbon and they embrace Ireland’s love of traditional music that is passed down from generation to generation (banjo player McGrath is part of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland). However, the band add the sort of muscle that rock fans will enjoy – their songs well up with the sort of punch the air euphoria that someone like Bruce Springsteen achieves.

This is best heard on the third and most recent song they’ve released – Heart In The Water, which is full of moving and sky scraping weight . Of the song the band say: “Resentment is a powerful emotion. Looking back at all the things you could have had had or done, and realising you won’t get those moments back is hard to take. Heart In The Water is about learning from paths not taken.”

Listen to Kingfishr below and once again celebrate the banjo.

Kingfishr - Heart In The Water

Kingfishr · Heart In The Water

NEW #69 Bellah Mae

 

It’s been a while since Breaking More Waves has featured a potentially chart-bound pop musician on these pages. Recently the focus has been on louder, edgier alternative acts or left of centre singer songwriter types. So, let’s address that right now by waving hello to Bellah Mae who says of herself: “I overshare my life in all my songs and then let the world listen, so welcome to the Hot Ex Girlfriends Club”.

With a couple of singles under her belt, Bellah (short for Isabella) is already showing lots of promise as a potential hit maker. First there was break up jam Boyfriend Of The Year (a pop tune with a slightly U.S rock attitude and the only one where you’ll probably hear the mention of carbonara of in the lyrics) and then the follow up, the  Drama King, which finds Bellah singing to her slightly pathetic and obsessive boyfriend: “You follow Instagram models, one after the other, but god forbid I follow back my best friends brother.”

Whilst they’re both bops a deeper perspective on what Bellah is probably about can be heard on a different version of Boyfriend of the Year titled the (Sadder) version. Here there’s a nod to Taylor Swift in its style. Just like Taylor Bellah has a bit of a country background, having done some ground-work in Nashville when she was just 17 before signing a record deal.

If you’re a fan of Taylor, Olivia Rodrigo or Miley Cyrus you’ll find a lot to like here. As with virtually everything featured on these pages it’s early days, but I’m certainly not betting against Bellah Mae right now.

Bellah Mae - Boyfriend Of The Year

Bellah Mae · Boyfriend Of The Year

New #68 SAL

 

If you’ve had a chance to listen to the updated Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly playlist (here) you’ll have no doubt heard the mesmerizing song Red Wine by Irish singer Sal that opens proceedings.

The independent Cork based songwriter has released just a handful of songs under this name, Red Wine being her fourth following last year’s Bullet In The Head, Everything and Merry Go Round. It’s a stop-you-in-your-tracks country lullaby and deserves to be heard by a far bigger audience than the 773 monthly listeners she currently has on Spotify. 

A little bit of digging reveals that this isn’t Sal’s first musical project; she’s recorded and released as Sara Ryan since 2016, was named New Artist of the Year at the Irish Folk Awards back in 2017 and released an album in 2019. That was in the past though and what excites most is her new material and in particular Red Wine - a song that casts the most magnetising of spells. The irony is that the song is about the difficulty of letting go - something you'll probably find is hard to do with a tune as alluring as this.

Her other material still maintains a hint of country, but there’s elements of pop and softer rock as well; if you like music by the likes of Natalie Imbruglia or the song Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer then Sal’s melodic ways are guaranteed to charm you.

Having worked through a number of support slots with various Irish musicians, Sal has a few small headline shows of her own coming up through March in Ireland (including one in a bookshop!).

If she continues to deliver music as gently heart-melting and gorgeous as Red Wine, she could well be one to watch into the future.

Sal - Red Wine

Sal · Red Wine

NEW #67 Miss Tiny

 

I’ve debated in the past about what is ‘new’ in the context of music, something that probably isn’t that important to anyone else, but as the writer of an occasionally posting new music blog these are the sort of things I think about. Imagine being my partner and the exciting discussions I bring to the table: "So, if you've never heard The Beatles before, are they a new band? Are their songs new music?"

Today’s new band are pretty damn new by most definitions. After all they released their debut single today. Or are they?

A quick consultation with the internet tells us that they’re not quite the fresh-faced teenage discovery I thought they might be. For Miss Tiny is actually producer / guitarist record label owner Dan Carey (Wet Leg, Fontaines DC, Honeyglaze, Kae Tempest etc) and vocalist / drummer Benjamin Romans-Hopcraft from Childhood and Warmduscher. They’ve been friends for many years and originally formed the band together under the terrible name What It’s Like To Be A Rat, debuting at Brixton Windmill last year. Having deemed that name “too evil sounding” they’ve become Miss Tiny, after a nickname to Benjamin’s grandmother who passed away during recording.

The aforementioned debut single from Miss Tiny is called The Sound (no it's not a cover of The 1975 song) and is streaming below in video form. It is best described as a slow-motion lo-fi scuffed up around the edges take on Peter Gunn. It’s not a one off, but the first take from a bigger project of which no doubt we’ll hear more soon. But for now get your groove on to this dirty and enjoyably unpleasant beast.

Miss Tiny - The Sound

NEW #66 Gurriers

 

There’s been quite a storm of shouty (and spoken) post-punk raging out Ireland over the last few years and for the moment at least it seems that the lightning does indeed strike more than once, because Gurriers are the next band from those shores to hit with a vicious and venomous thwhack

Official debut single Approachable was released this week. It has the same sort of ferocious firepower that those early Fontaines DC singles possessed – think Hurricane Laughter with even ballsier vocals. They sound like the sort of band that would send bodies flying everywhere in a sweaty pub, volume cranked up, beers flying. Tender and beautiful? Most definitely not. Intensely raw and thrilling? That’s more like it.

Gurriers consist of Emmet White, Ben O’Neill, Mark MacCormack, Pierce Callaghan and vocalist Dan Hoff who has described Approachable as being: “A tongue in cheek anthem about the rising far right rhetoric all over the world.”

You can find the track below and it will be streaming from tomorrow on the weekly update of the Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly playlist which you can listen to and follow here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0DIhVpCH0TnzOGJSyPJC9v?si=jCKLOalqQb6egZ9Twk3xUA

Gurriers - Approachable

Gurriers · Approachable

NEW #65 Heartworms

 

Her style is inspired by World War II uniforms and her music is an intoxicating mix of slightly funky, goth-tinged post-punk electronica. Does that do it for you? If it does and you aren’t familiar yet, it’s time to get acquainted with Heartworms.

I’ve been waiting for the right time to feature Heartworms on the blog since first hearing very positive things about her set at last year’s Great Escape festival in May and the subsequent release of debut single Consistent Dedication in September. Now with a truly excellent spikey second song Retributions Of An Awful Life out in the world, today seems a good time.

Heartworms is one Jojo Orme. Jojo spent her youth in Gloustershire but has now relocated to London. Having signed up to Dan Carey’s Speedy Wunderground label (Carey is also on production duties) her debut EP A Comforting Notion follows in late March.

Before the EP we get Retributions Of An Awful Life. It’s intensely immense - the sort of song that threatens to grab you by both shoulders and shake you until your bones break. Yet despite the pain, it's a pleasurable experience. There’s a suitably full-on cold looking video as well (shot in black and white of course). Watch it below and add Heartworms to your list of new favourite artists.

Heartworms - Retributions Of An Awful Life

NEW #64 Connie Campsie

 

After rattling off the annual Breaking More Waves Ones to Watch (here) and a few end of year lists it’s about time this blog got its act together for the new year and put a few posts online, right?

For the time being the format remains the same; introducing new or relatively new artists, not too many posts to clog up your feed and only one about each. Effectively each post is the musical equivalent of a tinder one night stand; but if you want you can have a long lasting relationship with the artist; the choice is yours. 

Let’s start with Connie Campsie. You can see her in the picture above, staring up at the sky on what looks like the top of a concrete multi-storey car park. What is she thinking I wonder? Has she lost her car? Can she not remember what level it’s parked on? Or is there a really good view from up there? Or is she just thinking the most British of thoughts: "Looks like rain and I haven't got my bloody coat."

Now just in case you’re confused, yes this is the second British relatively young and new Connie in music with a surname that begins with C in the last few years. The other is Connie Constance, who to be fair isn’t that new now having been doing the rounds since 2015. Also, although the surname isn't a C, a quick shout out to Connie Talbot who was the runner up on the very first series of Britain's got talent in 2007 - remember the sweet little girl singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Except she's now 22 and a fully grown adult. Which if you're like me just seems wrong. In my head she will forever be that small child.

But before I go to far off at a tangent, back to Connie. It’s a cool name in my books. So cool one of my daughters is named as such.

Returning to the real subject of this blog post: Connie Campsie. Connie released a couple of songs in 2021, a couple in 2022 and has just last week dropped Uneasy, a tune which will feature on her debut EP I’m Still Talking To Myself out in February. It’s my favourite so far, a really intimate piece that floats to your ears with a gentle caress that whispers ‘I’m a beauty.’ Hints of Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift sweep through Connie Campsie’s music, so if that's your thought of thing, add Connie Campsie to your list.

The very sharp amongst you will of course be shouting at your screens that Connie has put out music even before that though. Prior to recording under her full name she released some songs under the name Campsie (now deleted from streaming services) and before that if you cast your mind back to 2017 and you may recall a band that featured on these pages called Sugarhouse. They had a delightful indie pop tune called Love Anyone Else that brimmed with the joys of young romance. “It will probably make you want to start a fanzine. Or a record label. Or a music blog. Or just give someone a big hug – maybe even a kiss,” I said at the time. One of the vocalists in that band was one Connie Craven Campsie. Yes the same Connie Campsie who features here now.

Connie’s dropped the Craven bit (her mother is Beverley Craven – the Brit award winning Beverley Craven who had two top 5 albums in the 90’s) and just taken her father’s surname to release under. But don’t hold the famous parent against her, except to say that the talent is clearly in the genes as her latest songs demonstrate – they’re the most mature and compelling she’s released so far and so for that reason Connie is our first ‘new’ artist of 2023.

Connie Campsie also features on this week's Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly playlist, which you can find by clicking here or searching New Music Weekly on Spotify.

Connie Campsie - Uneasy

Connie Campsie · Uneasy

NEW #63 Siobhán Winifred

 

Today’s new artist is inevitably going to get a few comparisons to Holly Humberstone - who in turn I once compared to Phoebe Bridgers. One day I’m going to trace all these comparisons back and see if they all end up with just one artist. That person can then be truly named the mother or father of all music. 

The Holly Humberstone comparison is no bad thing though; melancholic singer songwriter types with soft vocals that have knack of writing sad introspective pop songs get the thumbs up in these parts. That means that Siobhán Winifred does as well.

Take her second single This House, released yesterday. It starts with the classic scenario of someone becoming besotted with a new love and forgetting their friends, but ends in sad separation. Debut single Black Hole, which picked up plays on Radio 1 and 6 Music and hit a variety of new music playlists, has the same sort of sad beauty: “I don’t wanna sing another sad song, I’m so sick of listening to me,” she sings displaying hints of Holly Humberstone (again), Phoebe Bridgers (again) and early Gabrielle Aplin.

Two pretty but lyrically downbeat pop songs under her belt, let’s see what comes next from this Dorset raised London living musician.

Siobhán Winifred - This House

NEW #62 Al Costelloe

 

What is ‘new’ in the context of new music and specifically new artists?

It’s a question that any writer or writers of new music blogs or websites will probably ask themselves at some point. 

“Produced, introduced, or discovered recently or now for the first time; not existing before. For example, the new Madonna album” is one definition that a quick Google search throws up.

The big query that then follows is produced, introduced, or discovered by whom? For example, if a writer had only just discovered Madonna, then she might be new to them, but it would be somewhat stretching it to label her a new artist to most people when she has already had a 40-year career in pop.

And as, for the time being at least, the raison d'être of Breaking More Waves is to introduce new artists it’s important that what is featured is, for most people, viewed as new.

If I posted about Wet Leg today it would be way behind the curve of newness, but when the band uploaded Chaise Longue to You Tube on the 15th of June last year and I posted about them 2 days later on the 17th, ‘new’ seemed the right tag. But even then, there was a nagging doubt – after all Breaking More Waves had previously featured vocalist and guitarist Rhian Teasdale back in 2018 as a solo recording artist.

And so it is with today’s new artist. Al Costelloe might have only released 2 tracks so far and currently have 1,281 monthly listeners on Spotify, but she was formerly half of two-piece Big Deal, who released 3 albums, and toured with the likes of Depeche Mode and The Vaccines. She’s also played as part of Superfood and VANT live, so is hardly a newcomer. But I’m featuring here as new, because I get the sense that her name will still be new to many people, this is a new artistic project very different to her previous output and this is my bloody blog so I can do what I want with it; which includes writing rambles about the internal debates in my head on how to define new and then one short paragraph to actually introduce the artist. If you want professional journalism you’re in the wrong bloody place.

So, let’s welcome Al Costelloe. Her two songs out in the world have a smoky, dreamy Americana ambience to them with a gauzy touch of indie over the top. As here in the UK we rapidly head towards winter, they offer the last rays of warming yellowed sunlight through the blinds of the window and as such are rather lovely. Most recent single The Other Side is a blissful peach, with its pretty melodies and glowing chorus of hope: “I was down for a while, thought I’d never smile again, but now I’m out on the other side.” In a world that seems increasingly hostile, uncaring, and divided in many ways, the words “good times are coming,” that Al sings offer some much-needed positivity.

Al Costelloe - The Other Side

Al Costelloe - California

Al Costelloe · California

NEW #61 KIDS

 

Today’s new kids on the block (no not those new kids on the block) are called KIDS.

They released their debut single Alcohol & Cigarettes last Friday and no, it’s not some back to front version of the Oasis song with a similar name. Instead, KIDS swagger into view with a pop-roots-folk-rap-indie-blues tune that owes some debt to Beck, Gomez and Jamie T. Essentially it’s full of the good stuff and if you don’t like it, then it’s time to nip down to Specsavers or your doctor and get your ears syringed.  

KIDS, as far as I can tell, is a fully formed band who has played just a handful of shows so far.  The man who seems to be at their core, Beau Blaise, has been working in the music industry for a while, and also has a another more electronic project called NOLOGO, but it’s this KIDS song that has really grabbed me. His partner in crime for KIDS is one Alex Harvey (and again no, not that Sensational Alex Harvey - he died in the 80s).  “It’s about trying to have a good time during the bad times,” say the group.

The band are gearing up for some multi-venue new music festivals in the UK this autumn (including Live at Leeds and a new event called Made Me Like It in East London at the start of October) so if you get the opportunity go and check them out and claim your bragging rights for seeing them early before (almost) anyone else.

KIDS - Alcohol & Cigarettes

NEW #59 Joe Unknown

 

“I like my life in halves, half full’s going to look half empty at times, but thanks to the later licensing laws it’s somewhat easy to get a top up.” 

That’s a selection of just one of the many blistering and heavily quotable lines spat out by Joe Unknown, an artist who blends spoken word with a very British no-holds-barred punk attitude on his debut single Ride from last year.

Think Slow Thai, think The Streets, think Sleaford Mods, think Lady Bird, think Bob Vylan. Then add the driving bass riff from Neat Neat Neat by The Damned and you’ve got yourself a relentless underground classic. It’s easy to imagine this one going off live in a particularly pumped up and rowdy way .

Since that debut in 2021 Joe Unknown has been pretty quiet, but last April he dropped Silent, his  second track. Once more it featured a nonstop barrage of sentences.  If you want hooky choruses Joe probably isn’t your man. But if you want something with mosh pit energy, based on these two tracks, sign him up.

Joe’s been spending the summer touring the small stages at this year’s big festivals such as Latitude, Secret Garden Party and Reading, slowly spreading the word (he has lots of them). As we go into autumn and winter expect a whole bloody dictionary.

Joe Unknown - Ride

 

Joe Unknown - Silent

 

Joe Unknown · Silent

NEW #58 House On Fire

 

It’s time for another addition to the slowly growing roster of artists that feature on Breaking More Waves under the title of ‘NEW’ because, quite obviously, they’re new.

This year has been the slowest year on the blog ever, but there’s still been some gems. From the punk-funk-disco-punch of The Queen’s Head (recently played and interviewed on Radio 1’s Jack Saunders show) to the sassy-r’n’b-pop of Flo who have now dropped their debut EP, to Southampton’s Caity Baser who recently sneaked into the UK top 100 singles, played Reading Festival on the BBC Introducing Stage and could (I think) easily become a regular on your internet streaming service of choice and radio.

According to Spotify our latest new diamond selection has just 239 monthly listeners. This is criminal. They deserve more. 

Why? Because House on Fire are purveyors of the sort of modern hooky pop the likes of Glass Animals make so successfully. Based in Liverpool, House On Fire consist of Tom Murray (vocals and programming), Josh Gorman (drums) and Jan Frost (guitar).

Their most recent single, Neighbourhood, one of only two they have on streaming services, is a slinky, buzzing, uplifting earworm that takes about one minute of playing to confirm its ear kissing friendliness. I had to check the writing credits to make sure it wasn’t a cover it sounded so familiar.

Geronimo, their debut, is more dancefloor friendly, with elements of electropop, funk and a hint of Years and Years in the sound as Tom sings of being ‘a keyboard warrior – modern day Geronimo’. 

Both songs are both rather good, but the question is, why is there so little online about them? There’s a tiny scattering of low-key blog posts |(including this one here) but otherwise nothing. They don’t even appear to have any social media (although there’s evidence of  now deleted Soundcloud and Instagram accounts). The only picture I can find of them is the one above – a poor quality shot taken in a pub somewhere. In fact, the only concrete thing I can find about House on Fire still existing as a going concern right now is that they are playing at Live at Leeds In The City festival in October. 

So maybe there’s more to follow? Keep your ears peeled.

House On Fire - Neighbourhood

NEW #57 Cruel Sister

 

It’s time to introduce a new artist who you’ll probably find adjectives such as swirling, shimmering, ethereal and blissful thrown at more times than 10 Downing Street (now known as the Tory Hacienda) had parties during lockdown (eg: quite a bloody lot). Why? Because Cruel Sister (real name Faith Nico) from Dublin does a nice line in the sort of shoegazey noise-pop that was once the domain of the likes of Curve and Ride and more recently has at least in part been rejuvenated by Wolf Alice.

Having put out a couple of tracks last year, Cruel Sister’s third release shows there’s still life in guitars, reverb, distortion and delay combined with some pretty vocals. The song in question is called chihiro, named after the lead character in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (Faith’s favourite film) and is taken from her debut 5 track EP released this September. 

Lose yourself in this artist's dark but beautiful wash of sound. There's a claustrophobic video as well which has shades of The Cure being stuck inside a wardrobe on Close To Me (view here) and Chihiro can also be found on this week’s Breaking More Waves New Music Weekly playlist (here).

Cruel Sister - chihiro

Cruel Sister · chihiro