TRACKS

Image: Paige Temperley by RSG Photography

PAIGE TEMPERLEY - CARRY ON

Words: Jay Moussa-Mann

Multi-instrumentalist and Newcastle-based singer songwriter Paige Temperley brings us this gorgeous cheerful track, aptly named Carry On. Instantly captivating, Paige’s iconic vocals are so unique in their delivery, sweet and raw. A sensitive melding of ukulele against synth and guitars, the track feels really modern, with a hint of jazz and blues. Conjuring up scenes of heady days, the song is beautifully uplifting, making it a perfect Spring tune. The lyrics echo the upbeat, joyful music, reminding the listener of who they are: “If you feel like your purpose has gone, just hang on, it will come back, you will belong.” Paige successfully captures a feeling of hope and really delivers with this track.

Released: 07.05.21

www.paigetemperley.com

JISTER - NORMAL ISLAND

Words: Michael O’Neill

A glorious comeback from Teesside-hailing hip-hop veteran Jister, Normal Island is a scathing and cathartic take-down of the current state of the nation, which finds the rapper/producer weaving some glorious wordplay which floats effortlessly over the brutal and pounding beat. It’s a breakneck three minutes, in which Jister intricately paints a detailed portrait of his feelings about modern Britain with a dark sense of humour and a strong dose of wit, brilliantly conveying the exhaustion and frustration that so many of us will have felt in the face of the current political and social climate, in a way which succeeds at being brutal and direct but never ham-fisted or vitriolic. A bold and cathartic track indeed.

Released: 07.05.21

www.jistermusic.bandcamp.com

JACK FOX - LADY LUCK

Words: Damian Robinson

Rapper, multi-instrumentalist and comedian Jack Fox has been blazing Bill Hicks-style aggressive comedic messages with a purpose for a number of years now. Regularly updating his style of delivery, recent outings by Fox have seen him focus on more laid-back styles of rhymes in a template almost comparable with the jazz rap form of De La Soul. Though not reaching the 3 Feet High and Rising template, Lady Luck bursts with electronic sampling, abstract lyrics and playful wordplay (featuring Soccer Saturday, Alan Hansen and Bart Simpson) all of which disguise the central message of personal growth and two sticking fingers up at the haters. He may occasionally sound like the True Geordie if he moved into the rap game, but it all works perfectly.

Released: 07.05.21

www.facebook.com/jackfox22

PHILIP JONATHAN - SEAFRONT

Words: Jay Moussa-Mann

From the very first note, Seafront pulls you in. An incredible feat of music production, this track will surprise you from start to finish. From Philip’s delicate, perfect falsetto and impeccable guitar fingerpicking to grand crescendos. Influenced by the shift and swell of the North Sea, the track has the same changeable beauty of the sea and searches for something more to life. “For me, the man across the sea represents this question that there must be something more to life – to us,” says Philip. “I’ve been asking this question, and in trying to find the right language – in music, words, rhythm – I am only left with silence. And this song is asking whether I’m still heard in that silence.”

Released: 07.05.21

www.facebook.com/philipjohnathan

PSYCHIC DEATH - DOWN ON ME

Words: Paul Jeffrey

A four-bar drum stick intro can only mean one thing, we’re about to rock… and Psychic Death don’t want to hang around, vigorously launching headlong into Down On Me with a panzer division attack riff that could sit quite happily on a Queens of the Stone Age B-side. The cantankerous monotone vocal is something of a curiosity after the monumental build of the track – imagine an inebriated Buzzcocks-era Howard Devoto fronting These Crooked Vultures and you won’t be far off – it jars a tad, nullifying the threat and dread of the approaching multi-layered thick as soup guitars. Happily, there’s still enough voltage to propel Down On Me to its conclusion.

Released: 02.05.21

www.facebook.com/psychicdeathmusic

TRUNKY JUNO - SERIAL KILLER VIBES

Words: Michael O’Neill

A delightfully wonky slice of art pop straight from the school of MGMT and The Flaming Lips, Trunky Juno intends Serial Killer Vibes to be the “musical equivalent of verbally digging a hole that just seems to get deeper and deeper with each word”. To my ears, it’s a warped and pristine send-up of the anxieties that come with living inside of your own head that is catchy as all hell and delightfully entertaining, calling to mind the bloodshot-eyed delight of Pavement and the vibrato pedal sonics of Mac Demarco and Homeshake. Although the song comfortably suits a ‘vibe’ that refuses to lose its currency in the current indie climate, Trunky Juno’s personality and confidence elevates it to a higher plateau. Exquisite.

Released: 28.05.21

www.trunkyjuno.bandcamp.com

HE KNOWS SHE KNOWS - WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

Words: Paul Jeffrey

When We Were Young commences with a tasteful jazz infused guitar and spoken vocal declaring the intention for “A little bit of a reminisce...”; perhaps this would have been a more accurate title for a track that does its best to perfectly replicate the cream of 1990s R&B. Everything is in its right place; beautiful, honey sweet Destiny’s Child vocals, gently lilting horns swaying against the drum machine groove, the mid-section break down into the rap. It’s all perfectly agreeable, if a little too formulaic and by numbers. When We Were Young is a satisfactory effort, it is however desperately crying out for a big chorus hook to pull the track into unforgettable classic territory.

Released: 28.05.21

www.hksk.co.uk

HALF - EXIT DROP CITY

Words: Kate Murphy

We’re welcomed in by glittery multi-coloured fuzz, like a TV going on the blink just as Dorothy realises she’s not in Kansas any more. As the picture regains clarity, with plenty of fuzz still to spare, the feeling of storybook whimsy continues: it’s simple and pleasant, and tells you how you’d feel if you fell into a painting called Japanese Garden at Early Morning. As the song goes on, the fuzz turns into the spray of water and immerses you further in its pleasantness, filling up like you’re standing in a six-foot-deep, smooth-stoned water feature and happy for it to submerge you; less David Blaine and more Alan Titchmarsh. It’s ambient and electronica giving each other a light peck on the lips, and it’s rather harmonious.

Released: 07.05.21

www.herelieshalf.bandcamp.com

LAZY BAKER - NOT SAFE

Words: Damian Robinson

Given the sheer energy of their new release, it’s surprising to hear that Northumberland’s lo-fi garage rockers Lazy Baker have actually been away on a ten-year break. We can only that assume they must have had one hell of a rest… Landing somewhere between the sheer in-your-face punk upstart-ness of The Subways’ Rock & Roll Queen, and the high energy multi-vocal choruses of pop punkers The Undertones, Not Safe is a two-minute punk rock rollercoaster ride into the search for the perfect pop punk melody. Full of twists and turns, this high energy, accessible guitar rock track is anything but lazy. Terrific.

Released: 28.05.21

www.facebook.com/lazybaker308

TOM HANCOCK - GO TO SLEEP

Words: Kate Murphy

The tone is set straight away with a twang of the accent and the heartstrings. With an acoustic guitar played as beautifully as this – both delicate and rich, practically satin – I found myself a little disappointed when the layered voices came in, only because of their slight auto-tune sheen, but the layering itself stands out boldly, and emphasises the song’s otherwise stripped-back feel. The strings that rise with the chorus are felt in your chest, and they go to some gorgeous places. The final time the chorus is sung, for a few moments it is only Tom’s individual voice singing it, and this is where his God-honest writing and powerful vulnerability come into their own.

Released: 03.05.21

www.tomhancock.bandcamp.com

SCOTT FREE - I DON’T PRAISE THE LORD

Words: Michael O’Neill

Immediately calling to mind the lo-fi acoustic glory of Elliot Smith and The Mountain Goats, I Don’t Praise The Lord is a fantastic piece of songwriting that is brilliantly served by Scott Free’s approach to arrangement; for all the song sounds so full of life, Free’s lush multi-layered vocals and intricate fingerpicking are joined by little more than a chugging, melodic bass, a delightfully jarring recorder doubling up the chorus’s top line, and some sparse percussion. Despite this, the song is far from a minimalistic affair, bursting at the seams with passion, heart and humour. There’s a clear classicist approach to the craft, shot through with a tongue in cheek charm that makes it indelibly loveable. Marvellous stuff.

Released: 07.05.21

www.scottfreemusic.bandcamp.com

MCCORMICK - TILL THE SUN COMES UP

Words: Kate Murphy

McCormick’s voice is almost a person in itself – it could probably go out and get a mortgage if it wanted to – it’s distinctive, deep like a round finish on a fine whiskey, and unexpected for this kind of song. The summery anthems narrated by your typical whipper-snappers can lack a certain depth, but there’s a maturity to his voice that suggests each line carries a story with it. There’s a real drive behind the exuberant “Hey” in the chorus, showing how ready he is to shed lockdown off into the breeze like an old snakeskin, and tells us he knows exactly what he’s going to do with the song’s recipient, when they can finally hold each other close till sunrise again.

Released: 07.05.21

www.itsmccormick.com