TRACKS

REVIEWS OF SINGLES AND EPS BY NORTH EAST ARTISTS. WANT YOUR MUSIC FEATURED? EMAIL NARCMEDIA@GMAIL.COM

(PLEASE TRY TO GET IN TOUCH 8-6 WEEKS AHEAD OF THE MONTH OF RELEASE)

Alex James Band Waiting For Something

Words: Niamh Poppleton

Following their recent rebranding as the world’s first DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy) fronted alt. rock band, Alex James Band have released a purposeful new single: Waiting For Something.

The song opens with a rhythmic guitar and drumbeat, quickly joined by Alex’s vocals as he describes hopelessly anticipating the arrival of an opportunity (represented by an ‘open door’). Though the lyrics are relatively simplistic, this doesn’t make the listener even marginally lose interest; rather, it’s this very simplicity which makes the song thoroughly melodic and memorable. The undoubted highlight is the forceful and fierce electric guitar solo that forms a nexus between the song’s steady beginning and up-tempo end. Guaranteed to get the listener dancing, this track really is something worth waiting for.

Released: 04.08.23 www.linktr.ee/itsmealexjames

The Folding Desert Afterlife

Words: James Hattersley

Turn off your mind, relax and sink into the shag carpet of Afterlife; the latest single from Newcastle’s surreal alt. rock outfit The Folding Desert. A paranormal ode to the limbo state of in-between love; the single feels like you are being hugged by a sentient furry sweater - whispering sugary-sweet psychedelic nothings into your ears.

Creeping in with a finger plucked acoustic riff, a false sense of being sweeps over before enveloping every sense in wave after wave of sultry synth. What follows is a collage of textures - each bringing its unearthly vibe to the show. Ethereal keyed melodies dance around transcendental vocals and crunchy celestial guitar takes you to the edge of dreamland and back - ready to go again.

Released: 28.07.23 www.thefoldingdesert.bandcamp.com

Jenali Eye Contact

Words: Tom Astley

Sunderland-based musician and lyricist JENALI does the work of describing new track Eye Contact perfectly as “the first semi ‘upbeat’ song I have ever written”. And with its lush orchestration that included a 60s soul (rather than an 80s pop) saxophone part, shimmering organ sound, and a swell of strings as a backdrop to unembellished and upfront vocals, the description of ‘semi-upbeat’ does the song justice. Eye Contact skips along in under three minutes, but the depth is contained in the lyrics, finding a perfect place within the distinctly British kitchen sink observations of the everyday that mean more than they first appear. Each line offers another subtly observed vignette, witty and introspective in equal measure. A great pop track with hidden depth.

Released: 04.08.23 www.linktr.ee/jjenalii

Thrones Memories

Words: Lily Pratt

The rebellion, protest and theatre of rock is certainly not lost in the newest single from THRONES, where their haunting balladic lyrics lament a past which refuses to fade: “It happens every time I close my eyes I think of you / And where we used to be.” A certain sense of nihilistic grit sticks to the track as sand may cling in-between your toes, with regret rising and falling within the lyrics like the tide (“Strayed too far from the path / I was there, I was there running”). The lyrical desolation of Memories is coupled with pulsing piano keys and a tsunami of drums which accentuate the band’s metalcore influences and consecrate Memories as an electrically gut-wrenching track.

Released: 28.07.23 www.linktr.ee/thronesuk

MAX GAVINS £WORLD

Words: Claire Dupree

Opening with a scratchy, whirling organ, which sounds increasingly ominous as the track progresses, Gateshead-based rapper, songwriter and producer Max Gavins’ new single may be named after the bargain shop that gave 16-year old Max his first job, but there’s nothing cheap about it.

Max’s even, rhythmic flow is crystal clear as he veers between subtle nods to his increasing acclaim as an artist (even dropping hints about a future album in the works), the cost of living crisis, and the economic depravity suffered by so many in the country right now. At under three minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome; a short, sharp shock to the system, leaving the listener with the menacing blast it started with.

Released: 10.08.23 www.facebook.com/maxgavinsmusic

Rapassa Nyatrapasa Otieno Unite

Words: Ben Lowes-Smith

Rapassa Nyatrapasa Otieno’s new single is a rallying call to arms for unity, solidarity and collectivism. Developed through songwriting workshops in his native Kenya, Otieno takes an expansive approach incorporating elements of highlife and blues with joyous results. As with all of Otieno’s music, the virtuoso musician (he plays the nyatiti, a traditional eight-stringed lyre which originates from the shores of Nam Lolwe, Lake Victoria) finds inspiration in the traditional storytelling of the Lüo community.

At six minutes, Unite has a meditative groove that’s enough to get lost in, and Otieno’s message of collectivism and joy transcends language barriers. It’s a trip, and a very enjoyable one at that.

Released: 02.08.23 www.nyatitinyadala.com

DAWKS RIGHT PLACE/WRONG TIME

Words: Ben Lowes-Smith

Hartlepool’s DAWKS, which is ostensibly the project for singer-songwriter Luke Dawkins (who readers may be familiar with from previous band Leopard Rays), are in the happy habit of consistently making strident, infectious indie rock tunes, and Right Place/Wrong Time is the group’s third single, off the back of radio play and positive responses to their live presence.

While not reinventing the wheel, DAWKS embody a calm confidence belying their infancy as a group, and feed seamlessly into a canon of radio-friendly indie rock. One can expect that such songwriting chops will see them making rapid ascent, and their music would be perfect in the context of a festival set on a glorious summer day, for all of the neurosis of the lyrics. Certainly ones to watch for the future.

Released: 28.07.23 www.linktr.ee/dawks0_0

Decrepit Youths Kill The Lights

Words: Matt Young

This newly formed five-piece, dual fronted by David Stoker and Connor Pattison, may be a fresh name but all the musicians involved have huge experience elsewhere on the scene. Their second single Kill The Lights is self-described as “Architects meets MGK with a hint of Royal Blood”. Add Muse to that list, particularly the fuzzed dark rock riffs and layered melodies, and you can envisage the musical architecture we’re inhabiting. The song itself rings out with a controlled rage. Given just enough air to breathe for the song’s three minutes or so, then it’s neatly shut down. The hard-chugging guitars and relentless drum pounding in the final minute stop the song feeling merely performative though, and ultimately it survives with its passion intact.

Released: 04.08.23 www.facebook.com/decrepityouths

Stock Image Locked Away

Words: Matt Young

As inspirational decades go, the 1980’s has always been ripe for picking and it’s seen its fair share of that in the past, with ‘retro’ shows and films soundtracked by early electro or post-punk music aplenty. It’s in this vein that Stock Image approach their own interpretation, and they nail it musically.

Vocally there’s also a double-tracked laconic tone that compares favourably with OG-era vocalists like Gary Numan or OMD’s Andy McCluskey. Even less notable successive nods from bands like The Bravery or Bastille share that delivery. It does however lack the exact cold snark for absolute authenticity, and lyrically perhaps a punchier subject matter would help, but you can definitely hear a 12” extended remix fighting for freedom within the tune.

Released: 01.08.23 www.facebook.com/stockimagemusic

Wingz Of The Monkey Ape Allegations Ep

Words: Lily Pratt

Punk rock, bred in the leather-clad, darkened basements of New York and academised by the existential poetry of Patti Smith can be found in the guttural and frustrated EP by Teesside newcomers Wingz Of The Monkey. Ape Allegations omits a stirring and galvanic sound where their vocals are both the heartbeat and heart attack of their tracks, chorused by an explosion of angry drumming and frustrated yet cathartic guitar riffs. Formed in a mining village in East Cleveland, the band are set to premier their new EP at Stockton’s Georgian Theatre on 11th August. Bound to cause lyrical riot, it is expressed that the rock ‘n’ rollers will exude “punk antics and lyrics to shout back at!”

Released: 11.08.23 www.instagram.com/wingz_of_the_monkey

Slowlight Quartet Superbia

Words: Tom Astley

It takes skill; hours of practice; who knows how many band practices; fluffed notes; work; time. I want you to bear that in mind when you listen to Slowlight Quartet (augmented into a quintet on these two new tracks by vocalist YVA) on their first cinematic jazz outing in seven years – and you have to listen to them. Because it’s easy to get lost in the almost inhumanly tight, sublimely melded sound, and so to describe it as ‘effortless’. It isn’t. There’s effort. But then… the applause at the end? No. It can’t have been live. That sound can’t have been done live, all at once. OK. It is impossible. Impossibly good. Listen to it. Now. Stop everything else and listen to it.

Released: 04.08.23 www.theslowlightquartet1.bandcamp.com

Carl Green In Particular Off Duty Ep

Words: Niamh Poppleton

A year after Head of Light Entertainment (HOLE) split, Carl Green returns to the limelight with the first of three EPs. Drawing inspiration from 70s art school pop (i.e. Sparks and Cockney Rebel), Off Duty opens with Art School Fringe - a masterclass in creativity that combines Carl’s vocals with unusual sound effects, making for a great start to a wonderfully peculiar EP.

The standout track is She Sings In Her Sleep; cathartic guitar strings and soft, echoey vocals form the essence of a lullaby, whilst maintaining the energised beat of typical pop. The self-reflective Who’s Carl Green? sees Carl questioning his individual identity, whilst retaining HOLE’s eclectic energy. One thing’s for certain: the world cannot wait to see Carl’s next endeavour.

Released: 04.08.23 www.carlgreeninparticular.bandcamp.com