TRACKS

Image: YVA by Andy Martin

YVA - MISSING ME

Words: Ali Welford

First steps tend to be the most difficult, and have certainly proven so for Newcastle songwriter Eva Stone, whose debut EP was first touted some five years back and will finally land next month. Moreover, this stunning second single not only suggests it’ll have been worth the wait, but also provides an insight into just what took her so long. Inspired by years of fragmented, anxiety inducing sessions in London, Missing Me is a deep, introspective ballad from an artist – and more importantly, human – seeking to rediscover their sense of self. Riddled with fear, envy and existential dread (“It’s hiding there inside of me / I’m scared that one day it’ll come to be uncontained”), it’s a potent, intensely relatable account of mental health’s omnipresent burdens. Marvellous. Released: 12.03.21 www.yvaofficial.bandcamp.com

EYECONIC - PRAYING MANTIS

Words: Ali Welford

It’s one of hip-hop’s oldest tropes; rapper hares out of the traps with an orgy of braggadocio, only for personal reality checks to send them and their music crashing back to the realms of mere mortals. For Polish-born, Teesside-based Eyeconic, however, this familiar process has unfolded in reverse. Whereas last year’s full-length Do Not Resuscitate proved an unusually pensive debut, Praying Mantis asserts its territory with blaring bass and baying punchlines; the result of a lockdown spent escaping the “dark pit” which hung over past works. Likening his prowess to “Lewandowski when he’s shooting with his right foot / Tyron with his right hook / Edgar Allan Flow but I don’t write books,” it makes for a refreshing narrative flip. Released: 12.03.21 www.facebook.com/iameyeconic

MXYM - PAGEANT

Words: Michael O’Neill

A phenomenal rush of euphoria bursting at the seams with character and energy, Pageant is an utter triumph of sputtering synths and hooks so clean you could eat your dinner off them. It’s an incredibly eclectic and engaging piece of pop wonder, with the North East-based artist fusing a disparate range of influences (from Marilyn Manson through to Madonna) together to create something which is entertaining and immediately catchy as hell. There’s a wonderful undercurrent of emo running through the vibrant soundscape of pounding drums, slashing power chords and arpeggiating synths. It taps into a sound that is always deserving of better representation within the local scene, and MXYM is a refreshingly radical addition to our rapidly diversifying musical community. Released: 26.02.21 www.facebook.com/themxym

IGG - SEEKING TO LOCATE THE GREENERY

Words: Kate Murphy

Igg’s Natural Symbiosis was one of the standout demos of 2019: snake-charming rap that spilled bright colours all over the brain. With a knack for producing music that seems to physically move, his latest offering also boasts clever rhymes – “It’s all just so obscene to me / Maybe I just need a complete change of scenery / Like living in a city seeking to locate the greenery” – and brings added humour in the deep ghost-wobble of its lowest male vocal, and the sharp, shiny-pure bell that rings in a note of winking satire throughout. The song itself rocks like a bed, or a DIY wagon with loose wheels. It’s lo-fi and slick at the same time, and smart and weird is never a bad combination either. Released: 19.03.21 www.soundcloud.com/iamigg

WNTER - FAMILIAR EP

Words: Ali Welford

Guilt is the overriding thread running through this latest extended play from Wnter, the new solo project from Newcastle musician Mike Ely. Determinedly self-produced, the three tracks on Familiar are presented as polished electro raptures, yet bear melodic and emotional hallmarks hewn unashamedly from the emo and pop-punk currents of the mid-‘00s. On paper it sounds ghastly, though while his insights into infidelity and domestic violence aren’t especially profound they are at least delivered with sufficient panache to match their benevolent convictions. It’s more latter-day Blind-182 than Cap’n Jazz, but it’s hard to knock the pride with which Ely sports its influences, not to mention his sublimely gratuitous Geordie vernacular. Released: 05.03.21 www.soundcloud.com/wnter_x

KRAiG DiEL - ALL I EVER DID

Words: Michael O’Neill

A brisk and pristine slab of trap-pop bearing all the classic hallmarks of the genre: crystalline beats, immaculate hooks and a bitter narrative ripped straight from the Weeknd/Drake playbook. On a surface level, All I Ever Did sounds precision-engineered for the Top 40 with some genuinely phenomenal production that is mixed to perfection. However, the overall impact is let down somewhat by the often bitter and harsh lyricism; it’s clear that the target of All I Ever Did smashed his heart to smithereens, but the excruciating misogyny that is constantly on display just makes it impossible to really sympathise with DiEL’s laments, holding back the potential of what is otherwise a brilliant piece of pop songcraft. Released: 05.03.21 www.soundcloud.com/kraigdiel

MOUNT JOHNSON - THE CALM WILL COME

Words: James Hattersley

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Mount Johnson has busted out of lockdown to deliver his debut single, The Calm Will Come; a flurry of the guitar-driven ambient indie variety. Under this most recent banner, singer songwriter Matthew Johnson has taken influence from across the spectrum of the genre, mixing experimental soundscapes with a vibrant rock and roll energy. There is an effort to create a unique environment for the ears, with different textures to explore and get lost in – whether that be the sparsely decorated verses, the melodically loaded chorus sections or the echo-drenched vocals that offer a plea of better times ahead. Even in these bleak times, things will get better. Released: 05.03.21 www.facebook.com/mountjohnsonmusic

GAZ PRICE - THE MUSKERZ ARE COMING

Words: Michael O’Neill

A brilliantly earnest piece of classicist Britpop-inflected songwriting, The Muskerz Are Coming doesn’t try too hard and doesn’t fall short either. The Hartlepool-based artist aspires to be “somewhere between a Gallagher and a Billie Joe Armstrong”, and he certainly succeeds at striking a balance between the former’s command of melody and the latter’s prowess for socially conscious but pop-inflected lyricism. Price’s biggest influence, however, is his hometown, and The Muskerz Are Coming paints a vivid picture of this without slipping into overused clichés or over-earnest sloganeering; instead, Price opts for refreshingly brutal honesty, with a strong respect for the craft allowing The Muskerz Are Coming to stand toe-to-toe with your Cinnamons and your Braggs. Brilliant stuff. Released: 26.02.21 www.gazprice.com

MT. MISERY - IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Words: James Hattersley

Taken from their upcoming album, In The Blink Of An Eye, Mt. Misery masterfully portray the frame of mind that someone who has been stuck in a never ending groundhog day-style of lockdown for the past year is likely to have. In truth, the song proceeds to tote the idea of directionlessness; something many can firmly relate to. Thankfully, this track is not lacking in focus and its sultry sounds create an almost hazy dreamscape; reminiscent of nostalgic summer. Shimmering guitar accentuates the laid back rhythm and creates a lush lo-fi indie feel, while vocals croon over the top. A stunning and relaxing whirlwind of unmotivated bliss. Released: 12.03.21 www.mtmisery.bandcamp.com

HUMAN HISTORY. - MOONCHILD

Words: Kate Murphy

This is quite charming in places, sounding a little like a lone robot discovering the human in itself by learning the piano. With those could-break-up-at-anyminute vocals, the hook is a fond reminder of Aqualung’s Strange And Beautiful, the emotion almost too much to be contained by the device beaming it back down to Earth: “How d’you fly like that / And stay up?” comes the pensive line, as if putting words to a baby’s thoughts as they look up at a spinning mobile, vocals suspended as if in space. The song gathers momentum until an explosion is thrown out into the stars and the blackness, where synthesisers meet strings, chaos meets calm, and human life enters a vast, silver-tinged new world. Released: 05.03.21 www.humanhistory.bandcamp.com

THE STRANDS - WAVEY

Words: James Hattersley

North East newcomers The Strands are back with new single, Wavey; a more mature take on the hard-hitting indie rock of past releases. The track highlights the harsh effects of modern working class life after feeling the pain and uncertainty of 2020. Something we can all relate to. Not necessarily a sad affair; the emotive and raw vocals are juxtaposed with triumphant instrumentation, layered harmonies and an overwhelming sense of warmth. The rhythm plods along a breezy pace, with a fluttering of guitar and synth. Madly pleasant and irresistibly hummable, Wavey is an extremely passionate effort – expertly capturing that unknown future dread that is currently buried in our subconscious, echoing in the tentatively raw chorus line, “Will this end?” Released: 05.03.21 www.soundcloud.com/thestrandsmusic

MICHAEL GALLAGHER - LULA

Words: Kate Murphy

Smoothly produced and accompanied by a feel-good guitar, this is made for hot summer nights, burbling beer gardens and new faces. Sometimes you want something that goes down easy, and this is to the ears what a Wotsit is to the palette. Michael Gallagher’s tale of a happy one night stand melts over you in pastel shades, and holds all the promise of that time at the end of a balmy day, where darkness has set in but the world is open for business, and feels like it’s yours. It hits the three-minute mark almost bang-on, but doesn’t need to say any more or any less. Stays in the lines, sticks in the head and does the job. Released: 05.03.21 www.soundcloud.com/michaelstephengallagher