Loud And Quiet

This track went up three months ago, but as Virginia Wing‘s second album (it’s called ‘Constant Forward Motion’) gets closer to its release date (November 11th via Fire Records) we’ve been listening to the record a hell of a lot.

‘Grapefruit’ is the only song from it out there at the moment, but it’s representative of the group’s change of sonic direction, from Broadcast-ish guitars to the semi-detached electronic pop that Telepathe used to make. They’ve also gone from a trio to a duo and relocated from London to Manchester. ‘Constant Forward Motion’ pretty much sums up one of the most progressive DIY acts we have in the UK.

So, it just so happens that we’ve just put out a new feature interview with Patience, AKA Roxanne Clifford, formerly of Veronica Falls. While she’s left London, moved to L.A. and experimented with electro-pop she’s also found time to direct this lo-fi new video from Sacred Paws.

The band features Rachel Aggs, who is also in Shopping and Trash Kit, together with Eilidh Rogers.

The London/Glasgow based pairing released their debut EP ‘Six Songs’ last year, and despite the 400 or so miles between them, have continued to get together to make new music.

‘Everyday’, the first new track since that 2015 EP, is released along with another song, ‘Rest’, on vinyl via Rock Action on 21 October.

The lo-fi video for ‘Everyday’ – where you can often see the duo <em>almost</em> burst out laughing – is an infectious addendum to an already catchy song.

Watch the video below:

They’ve also got a smattering of shows coming up:

Glasgow, Platform – 15 October
Glasgow, Centre for Contemporary Arts (with The Raincoats) – 13 November
Glasgow, Rum Shack – 10 December

North London three-piece Girl Ray released their first single while they were studying for their A-Levels.

Since then, Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell and Sophie Moss have made rapid work of things. They’ve just recently signed with Moshi Moshi. ‘Trouble’ is their sweet, lo-fi next track, their first physical release. You can listen to it below. The track comes out with new b-side ‘Where Am I Now’ out on 25 November.

According to the band, ‘Trouble’ is about “apathy and hating yourself for trying to win pointless arguments in snakey ways. It’s about turning into someone you don’t like.”

We think it’s reminiscent of The Pipettes, Veronica Falls and Cate Le Bon, maybe even a bit of Whitney. All promising signs for their debut album, which will be released next year.

Girl Ray have got a bunch of shows coming up. Some with Haley Bonar (*), some with Slow Club(#).

Brighton, Green Door Store – 21 October*
Leicester, 02 Academy – 22 October#
Cardiff, Swn Festival – 23 October
Leeds, Brudenell Social Club – 24 October*
Newcastle, The Cluny – 26 October#
Glasgow, Oran Mor – 27 October#
Bristol, Louisiana – 28 October*
London, Village Underground – 31 October#

A new band, and a new label.

Girlhood are a recently formed London-based duo. Christian Pinchbeck and Tessa Cavanna met at the tail end of 2015.

After Christian’s former band Elephant folded, he was after a new project. Kenya-raised Tessa had been performing more neo-soul material. They met, they bonded over late 80s hip-hop, Barry White and The Fugees. They record on Christian’s narrowboat studio based on Regent’s Canal.

As the project unfolds it’s going to feature other producers and contributors.

‘My Boy’ is their first track and it comes out via the newly formed Team Talk Records, run by Christian.

Here he is talking about it:

“I grew tired of playing instruments, of familiar sounds and techniques; I wanted music to seem alien again, to reignite that spark. I sold my laptop and bought an iPad and some homemade sampling apps and starting messing about with different cuts, using touch technology and manipulating sound waves in real time. This birthed a new exciting way to write and when I met Tessa things just fell into place.”

Girlhood’s ‘My Boy’ is released on 1 November.

Earlier this month Teenage Fanclub released their 10th album, ‘Here’. For Patrick Doyle, former member of Veronica Falls and now recording as Boys Forever, they were a formative band for him growing up in Scotland. And while he’s not always at home, the sounds of TF are still both familiar and exciting to him.

Boys Forever has made a playlist of ten of his all-time favourite Teenage Fanclub tracks. You can listen to that below, but first, here are the words Patrick’s written about the band.

“It’s great to have an excuse to relisten to Teenage Fanclub’s back catalogue while I’m visiting friends in California, especially given how difficult it can be to find a piece of writing that doesn’t reference their West Coast sound. When I was growing up in northern Scotland, Teenage Fanclub were big on the soundtrack to my high school years, as well as being one of the first bands I saw live. A lack of pretension or ego meant they were a lot cooler than the other bands that I was used to seeing. I remember travelling to Aberdeen to see them touring their album ‘Words Of Wisdom’ and ‘Hope’ with Jad Fair on lead vocals.

Teenage Fanclub exude the spirit of Glasgow; a city with impeccable taste and born ability to not take itself too seriously. So as I look out of the window, over the hills of Los Angeles, blasting ‘Norman 3’ at full volume, I still can’t help but be taken right back to the Glasgow school, and I’m left wondering which West Coast it is they’re talking about, exactly.”

Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub, has these kind things to say about Boy Forever’s mixtape.

“It’s really great to hear these kind words from Patrick. He’s such a lovely, sweet guy. I remember first meeting him when he was working in Monorail Music in Glasgow. Young, charming and super enthusiastic! I loved his old band Veronica Falls. They played with Teenage Fanclub a few times and I have all of the records that they made. Really excited for this new project, Boys Forever, and I wish him every success with it. Good luck Patrick!”

Here it is, listen to the playlist below – and see Patrick’s handwritten tracklist.

Boys Forever’s self-titled debut album is out now, and he’s currently on tour in the UK with The Goon Sax. The dates are:

London, Shacklewell Arms – 27 September
Leeds, Headrow House – 28
Manchester, Eagle Inn – 29
Glasgow, Mono – 30
London, Rough Trade East (with Happy Meals + Goat Girl) – 2 November

Teenage Fanclub are touring too, check out the dates here.

At this time of year new albums from the big names start to come thick and fast – this week Bon Iver’s ’22, A Million’ and Danny Brown’s ‘Atrocity Exhibition’. Equally worthy of your time are new releases from Jenny Hval (‘Blood Bitch’) and The Wytches (‘All Your Happy Life’).

Blue House may not have the clout of those names, but their debut album is a beauty.

The duo are Ursula Russell (formerly of junk jazz punks Drop Out Venus) and James Howard (who used to be in London band Fiction).

“The beauty of these songs lies in their simplicity,” said Chris Watkeys in his review for us.

Listen to it below, it’s out on Friday 30 September.

Sheffield’s Blood Sport have a reputation as an incendiary live band. The kings and creators of ‘agro-beat’, their sound is a confrontational mix of post-punk, noise and techno.

But they’ve also made a lot of friends in the local DIY community who’ve gathered together to make this frenetic, energetic new video for their track ‘Reflective Orange’.

It’s Blood Sport performing live in a warehouse but joined by some of the other notable acts from the Sheffield scene and beyond. You’ll catch clips of Cellar Dweller/Sheffield Techno Institute, The Half Earth, Thee Mightees, Avida Dollars, Community/Pjaro, Koshka (DJ), Rosolotl (DJ), Body Antoinette and Nohrr all appearing and playing. Ed Crisp from Best Friends has filmed the video with Thumbuster and Delicious Clam Records.

So, yeah, not just a great band, but a great advert for the city’s creative community.

Blood Sport’s second album ‘Axe Laid To Root’ came out earlier this year, it comes highly recommended.

These are the shows they’re going to be playing soon, too:

Rotondes, Luxembourg – 7 October
Keroxen Festival, Santa Cruz, Tenerife – 14
Stroud Valley Artspace – Stroud, UK – 22
Swn Festival – Cardiff, UK – 23
The Bar’Hic, Rennes, France – 27
Festival Soy, Nantes, France – 28
Corsica Studios, London, UK – 1 December

Resonance FM have given us a radio show.

It’s a monthly thing, which started last night (Wednesday 28 September, at 8pm) and was repeated this morning at 9am.

Of course, you can also listen to it at your convenience until we follow it up with more episodes, which will now come on the final Wednesday of each month, for a solid hour of new music we’ve been enjoying and cooking into our magazine, site and lives.

Loads of good stuff to get us started, including a Oliver Coates, Thee Oh Sees, CC Dust and bullcrap about camouflage trousers and petty crime.

Later this year (November 18, via Full Time Hobby, to be totally specific) Michael Nau will release his debut album ‘Mowing’ in the UK.

‘Maralou’ is the second track to be taken from that album, and you can listen to it below. It’s a soft, sweet, subtle folk song that’s barely two and a half minutes long.

The songwriter, now settled with his wife near the Appalachian mountains, used to front bands like Page France and Cotton Jones, but wrote his solo debut while on the road. The whole thing has a nostalgic, road-weary, transportive quality.

Anyway, check out his new track ‘Maralou’ here (uplifting first single ‘Love Survive’ is great too). He comes to the UK in November to support Okkervil River.

These are the places you can catch him:

London, Islington Assembly Hall – 10 November
Bristol, Thekla – 11
Manchester, Gorilla – 12
Glasgow, Stereo – 13

Here’s the album tracklist for ‘Mowing’:

While You Stand
The Glass
Love Survive
Smooth Aisles
Your Jewel
Maralou
Mow
So, So Long
Winter Beat
Good Moon
Unwound
In There