The first batch of singles from June, with two-thirds of them coming from Scottish based bands, including the debut single from Glasgow’s Limerence and the welcome return of Deer Leader.
Lightnin’ Truck – Shnitzelman
Schnitzelman is the latest offering from Lightnin’ Truck, the Dundee based duo fronted by Hettie from Scorpio Leisure, whose derisive and biting lyrics are delivered with a provocative sardonic snarl atop a suitably hypnotic rhythm of distorted guitar and tambourine.
Meryl Streek – Rotten Fruit
A seething anthem featuring two generations of politico-punks with the angry one-man Dublin protest punk Meryl Streek joined by late 70s/early 80s anarcho-punk, Crass front man Steve Ignorant. If you’ve ever seen Meryl Streek live you’ll know just how angry he is, as he prowls the stage and stalks the floor like a man possessed spitting out his observations on the state of society in 21st century Ireland and beyond. Unfortunately there is a lot to be angry about right now and Streek manages to capture that fervent live spirit in his recorded output, and with the addition of Ignorant in the mix, you’ve got a recipe for success, even if it does highlight that a lot of what Crass were angry about back in the day are still issues with society today.
Oh Romance – Alive
Oh Romance have released a few singles in the last couple months that I’m still catching up on, following up Heaven in last month’s round up with this track, Alive. Immediately bursting into life with strident guitar lines, the band blend the sounds of earnest Scottish alt rock bands like Twin Atlantic with an emo/nu-metal aesthetic to create this ardent and effective sound.
The Darling Buds – Intruder
The Darling Buds are a band who first came to my attention in 1987 with their sophomore single It’s All Up to You before going on to release one of my most listened to singles of the era in Burst, which maybe had a floral cloth cover, or that may have been Hit the Ground. Anyway, enough of past glories, signalling a welcome return , Intruder was one of the tasters for their new and topically titled album Same Sun/Same Sky. Their first since 1992’s Erotica. The lyrics have a darkly ominous thread running through them, with the “intruder of my mind” refrain giving an indication of where this comes from. Andrea’s familiar welcoming vocal is paired with a melody which at its core still demonstrates their guitar pop sensibilities but with a harder edge.
Oedipus & the Mamas Boys – A Daisy for You, John
Alongside the West of Scotland band, Ayrshire to be more precise, San Jose, Oedipus and the Mama’s Boys, who hail from Edinburgh in the East are two of the Scottish DIY scene’s leading exponents of expansive, experimental post-punk. Both are renowned for creating sprawling multi-faceted epic songs packed with raw energy and a spirited emotional edge. Oedipus and the Mama’s Boys really blew me away with their single Stretched/Kitchens earlier in the year, and they have excelled themselves once again with another many layered sonic tapestry, in the deeply personal A Daisy for You, John. The single, written by Gemma and Charlie, is an emotionally affecting tribute to Charlie’s grandfather, who instilled a love of music within him. The rollercoaster of a song is the aural equivalent of the seven stages of grief with graphic musical and vocal demonstrations of everything from denial to a raging anger and calamitous pain to quiet reflection based on the grief experienced by Charlie. The use of a phone dial tone that suddenly cuts off at the end is a particularly effective and thought provoking addition.
pMad – Ninefortyfive
I’ve not had pMad on these pages for a while so it was good to hear a new single winging its way across the Irish Sea from the band aka Paul Dillon. Ninefortyfive is another slice of goth-tinged industrial post punk, a heavy Killing Joke like throb at its heart, and a driving chugging rhythm underlining Paul’s resonant vocal singing of immortality with lyrics exploring the concept of us living on for as long as people remember us.
Garlands – Brothers
With their latest release, Brother, Garlands lead singer Gordon Harrow’s plaintive vocal delivery sits somewhere between The Beatles and Ezra Furman, as the band make a welcome return with this melancholic, jangly folk infused power pop single that sounds like Scotland’s answer to Gin Blossoms.
Limerence – She Bites
She Bites is the debut single from Glasgow based riot girl/gothic grunge band Limerence. The song has an an anthemic L7-esque quality to it with a menacing undertone of grungy guitar riffs, a powerfully forceful bass line and an unapologetic thundering backbeat. All topped off with Jade’s fierce vocal which, true to the single’s title, has a bite as big as its bark.
The Bobby Lees – Red Hot
The Bobby Lees continue to delight with another single from their New Self album. Red Hot lives up to its title with an incendiary frenzied chaos at its core, it speeds out of the gate with a lightning pace, only getting more breathless and intense as it reaches its terminal velocity. Meanwhile Sam’s vocal has an unharnessed volatility to it and is packed with howls and Mariachi like trills, a song with a tremendously joyous energy.
BELTUR – Hear Them Sing It
Hear Them Sing It comes from BELTUR’s album Nature, Nurture, and like its predecessor Another Sunny Day, it has a bluesy- rock, gritty soulful feel to it, with another soaring and stirring vocal atop a richly evocative melody and an impassioned lyric that is shouting out to be sung back at the band by a packed crowd in a hot and sweaty venue.
Youth for Sale – Young Hearts
Youth for Sale pull it out of the bag once more, and for this aging listener the song perfectly hits the brief of the songs title. With its luminescent synth lines, radiant crystalline vocals and vibrant jangly guitar melodies it takes me right back to the 80’s, bringing back a re-energising feeling of youthful exuberance to my scarred hard heart, reminding me I’ll always be 19 inside despite what my body tells me.
Deer Leader – Walpurgisnacht
A welcome return from the inimitable Deer Leader whose stunning debut album We’ve Met Before, Haven’t We was a mind-blowing triumph and is still as affecting now as it was when I first listened. Walpurgisnacht (The Night of Witches), which comes from their forthcoming sophomore release The Bluebirds of Happiness due in November, takes its title from a German festival celebrated from 30th April into 1st May, based on pagan folklore as the time when “evil forces were at their peak.” A perfect analogy for the current dystopian times we live in, with the single matching that description perfectly, it’s discomforting lyrics and the dense suffocating mood of the music giving a feeling of dangerous uncertainty and anxious unease, as the underlying menace of the music builds to a chaotic jagged apex.
Scout Coast – Shanghai
Scout Coast follow up Nothing Quite like you with another catchy guitar pop tune, Shanghai has a slightly more laidback grove, but with another melody that you’ll have swirling around in your head for days as you find yourself humming it absent mindedly when you’re at the kettle or water cooler in the office…
Pinc Wafer – Mine
There is a velvety textured ethereal glow to Mine, June’s single from Pinc Wafer, a feeling which comes from the airy arrangement of smooth as gossamer shimmering guitars, a gently breezy vocal and some dreamy backing vocals, all of which build and meld to create atmospheric outro which leaves you with a lingering feeling of ease.
The Linda Linda’s – Burning Out
Ending this part of the round up it’s The Linda Linda’s, who despite their still tender years are about to release their third album, Gotta Get Out, from whence this single comes. Burning Out, despite the lyrical influences, has a somewhat catchy optimistic melody, a laidback mid-tempo groove, and a riff that channels the (teen) spirit of Nirvana.