Tuesday, 1 December 2015

This Month's Playlist - December 2015

Article by KevW

We've been absolutely swamped with great new music of late, so here's our monthly round-up of some of the best new tunes to have come our way recently! Check them out individually with a bit more info below, or stream the lot in our handy playlist on the right of the page.


The Seed Coat - Reflections Of Your Mind


Alexander Eldefors began The Seed Coat as essentially a one-man band a few years ago, and we were quite taken with his music back then, but now they're expanded to a six-piece band and will soon release third album 'Gentle Mindspeed'. Current single 'Reflections Of Your Mind' is a trippy modern take on the sound of classic psychedelic pop.



The Seed Coat's website

'Gentle Mindspeed' will be available through Fonomonik





Bruising - Emo Friends


Don't be fooled by the song name, Leeds duo Bruising aren't very emo at all. In fact, new single 'Emo Friends' is a fuzzed-out mix of indiepop, shoegaze and grunge that brings to mind The Breeders and other '90s alt-rock stars. They've only been together a year or so and are already producing great tracks like this, we'd suggest keeping your eye on these guys.



Bruising's website

Buy the single





Beecher's Fault - Live Alone


Making indie/rock/pop with a commercial edge and a wide-ranging appeal can be difficult without ending up with sub-Coldplay drivel, but Beecher's Fault have excelled at it with new single 'Live Alone' from their third EP 'Do As People Do'. This track is packed with emotion but is never overwrought, add a touching video and you have a total winner.



Beecher's Fault's website

Buy the EP





The Bohicas - The Making Of


The Bohicas have taken off in a big way since releasing their debut album 'The Making Of', touring all around the world and acquiring a big following. With a classic indie-rock sound that has a modern feel it's not really a surprise though. The title-track from the album sums this up perfectly, and the mini-drama action video beats dull lyric vids any day.



The Bohicas' website

Buy the single





ALLAN SMITHY - THE STREETS


Not to be confused with Scottish band alansmithee, ALLAN SMITHY is an Australian artist whose current single 'THE STREETS' is a sunkissed piece of jangly and melodic guitar-pop that was written whilst chasing a dog through the suburbs of Sydney. It's not the average way that music comes to fruition, but it's catchy enough not to need all those shouty capital letters to make itself heard.



ALLAN SMITHY's website

Buy the single





R Y D E R - Anyone Upstairs


Ryder Havdale was formerly a member of guitar band Mohawk Lodge he's recently spent a year in "exile" in Berlin where he's reemerged as R Y D E R with a new synth-based electro-rock sound for album 'BERLIN VOLUME 1'. Single 'Anyone Upstairs' is a driving and energetic number with plenty of guts to it and is a bold statement.



R Y D E R's website

Buy the single





Dolores Haze - Touch Me


Swedish group Dolores Haze could indeed have turned single 'Touch Me' into a hazy dreampop tune, it has that vibe to the vocals and slow-burning pace. Instead, they've cocooned the whole thing in rather fetching guitars - lots of guitars and with plenty of scuzz. It's a great piece of noise-pop and is taken from their new album 'The Haze Is Forever' which is out now.



Dolores Haze's website

Buy the single





Sophie Hunger - Mad Miles


Earlier this year, Swiss-born, Berlin-based artist Sophie Hunger released her acclaimed album 'Supermoon' and this month she releases LP cut 'Mad Miles' as a single to coincide with a gig at London's Richmax on December 8th. 'Mad Miles' is an atmospheric, experimental yet easily accessible and accomplished song that justifies the hype.



Sophie Hunger's website

Buy the album





Winter - All The Things You Do


Los Angeles shoegaze types Winter actually appeared on our last playlist with a track from recent album 'Supreme Blue Dream', but new single 'All The Things You Do' is just as gorgeously dreamy, if not more so, combining haunting vocals with sonic bursts of guitar and sweet melodies. I think this band went under our radar for too long...



Winter's website

Buy the single





Moonbabies - 24


Moonbabies' '24' originally surfaced as a single this time last year, but has recently been released again as part of the Swedish duo's deluxe edition of their 'Wizards On The Beach' album. It's well worth putting out there again for those who missed it the first time around, as this track is an excellent mixture of electronica, dreampop and indie that sounds thoroughly modern.



Moonbabies' website

Buy the album





ESTRONS - Make A Man


Meaning "aliens" or "strangers" in Welsh, ESTRONS formed after a chance meeting on a beach in Aberystwyth in 2012 and new single 'Make A Man' is a furiously energetic piece punky powerpop that shows much vigour and determination. It's everything you need if you want, as ESTRONS do, to carve out your own niche and not resort to grabbing any passing bandwagons.



ESTRONS' website

Buy the single





Beliefs - Leaper


Toronto shoegazers Beliefs have just released their second album 'Leaper', and the distortion-fuelled title-track makes for a splendid epic last song to any playlist. Big, confident and bristling with power, it's a scorching tune that goes a long way to justifying just why this genre has seen such a revival in recent years. Songs like this are too good to be ignored.



Beliefs' website

Buy the album





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