Review: Hotly-tipped South London newcomers Ain't release a limited edition 7" featuring two singles produced by Theo Verney, who is one of Brighton's most celebrated guitar music producers, having worked on records by the likes of Traams, Blood Wizard and Lime Garden. As a group, Ain't cleverly weave shoegaze guitars with emo vocal cadences to create a sound that's likely to do just as well within the burgeoning new wave of American shoegaze scene as it is on the London indie scene, where they are currently among the most talked about new bands.
Review: BDQ - or the BunnDebrettQuintet, who emerged from the ashes of 90s acid jazz titans Mother Earth.- wrap up their covers project in emphatic style with a double punch of 'The Night' and 'Tainted Love', ahead of the upcoming full-length The Ultimate BDQ. Sarah Orpen leads the charge on vocals, delivering a fiery take on Frankie Valli's Northern soul stomper 'The Night', reimagined here with a female vocal and a storming arrangement. On the flip, Soft Cell's synth-pop classic 'Tainted Love' gets a fierce, bass-driven overhaul, clocking in at a lean 2 minutes 18 and hitting with full-force momentum. Rather than the usual album-first approach, BDQ have been rolling out each track on 7" before compiling them into a full LP due soon, with subtle tweaks to the single versions.
Review: Brenda is the soul-infused solo project of prolific Melbourne drummer and multi-instrumentalist Hudson Whitlock who now makes a stunning debut on College Of Knowledge Records with two tender ballads. He is already known for his work with Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo and here steps into the spotlight as a vocalist delivering introspective lyrics in a fragile falsetto. Drawing from sweet soul traditions of the 60s and Melbourne's cinematic soul movement, both 'Where Did I Go Wrong?' and 'Family' show off Brenda's emotive, indie-soul sound with lush arrangements and heartfelt deliveries marking a poignant and promising new chapter for Whitlock.
Review: Landing with a curbstomp the year before their debut full-length Matando Gueros, 1992's iMachetazos! served as only the second 7" EP (of what would become a lengthy discography) from drug cartel death metal outfit Brujeria. While performing with their faces covered and under gangster pseudonyms, anyone within the scene knows the collective alumni boasts (or has at one point) Fear Factory's Dino Cazares and drummer Raymond Herrera, as well as Billy Gould (Faith No More), Nicholas Barker (Cradle Of Filth Dimmu Borgir) and Jeff Walker (Carcass). Lyrically touching on tops of Satanism, torture, gang violence and drug dealing, all united through Mexican imagery and gangster aesthetic; when coupled with the band's extreme form of death metal imbued grindcore, the resulting menace is akin to waking up in a mosh pit during Sicario.
Review: Bowie is a new label that says it intends to "dig deep into the unreleased sides of pop superstars material from the past." The opening gambit is a strong one that should hook you in for more as it comes in the form of a 7" with two fine funk instrumentals, neither of which have been put out before. 'Golden Years' has lovely live drums and meandering guitar licks for some carefree listening, while 'Fame' has a deep cut groove that rises and falls in dramatic fashion with more neat and tidy riffs adding the detail next to the big licks.
Review: P-Vine Japan does great work once more here by bringing back into print some hugely sought-after sounds from the blues and r&b world. The first release in their new series revives Larry Davis' 1969 Kent Records single, which was originally written by Sherwood Fleming. The A-side, 'For 5 Long Years' delivers a gritty mid-tempo funk-blues groove while the B-side, 'I've Been Hurt So Many Times' (a classic subject for a blues tune) channels Willie Cobbs' signature sound. These will be familiar to anyone who has danced at a Northern Soul event and cannot be slept on.
Review: The Dells were a legendary soul and doo-wop group defined by Johnny Carter's soaring falsetto and Marvin Junior's rich baritone. After first forming in 1952, their most iconic era came during their time with Chicago's Cadet label from the mid-60s to mid-70s. Their 1966 track 'Run For Cover' became a staple of the Northern Soul scene and remains highly sought-after today, with mint copies fetching over L100. Equally beloved is their 1968 dancer 'Wear It On Our Face' featuring a powerful Charles Stepney arrangement and the group's signature harmonies-both songs showcasing The Dells at the height of their soulful brilliance.
Review: Talk about things that make you go "oooh." The moment we heard that Daniel Avery, Working Men's Club and Ghost Culture were working together on a "new musical project" we had a lot riding on the results being particularly potent. Quite what they might sound like was anyone's guess mind, and there was an underlying worry that we might be left with another supergroup disappointment - where the parts are strong but don't necessarily understand how to gel. Demise of Love prove that doesn't have to be the case every time. It sounds like all of the above and yet none of them, it's ripe with emotion, fraught with punk ferocity and outwardly romantic in an electronic sense. Rave-y, weird, melancholic, angry, sleazy and infinitely re-playable, believe the hype.
Review: Originally released as part of Dub Narcotic Sound System's Dub Narcotic Disco Plate series, 'Fuck Shit Up' has stood the test of time as a raucous blend of garage soul punk. The track made waves upon its 1994 release, with its genre-defying energy gaining instant admiration from artists like Beck, Chemical Brothers, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (who later covered it), and Make-Up. "We loved this piece of ramshackle punk funk when we first heard it on 7" in 1994 and we still love it now!" said The Chemical Brothers in 2025. Still a staple at underground dance parties, the track has amassed over 100,000 YouTube streams, so for the first time, it's now available digitally, paired with a fresh remix by Hifi Sean, best as former singer with C86/baggy heroes Soup Dragons.
Review: British indie darlings Elbow return with their fifth EP this June, and their latest offering features last year's standalone single 'Adriana Again' alongside three brand-new, previously unheard tracks. Frontman Guy Garvey calls it a full-circle moment for the band in which they reflect on a creative peak where studio sessions are brimming with fun and fire. The EP blends soulful, textured instrumentation with lyrics rooted in Garvey's personal past so they are equal parts dark, joyful and reflective. Here are plenty of unpredictable guitar flourishes, a rock-solid rhythm section and bold production from Craig Potter all helping to make this feel both exhilarating and intimate.
Review: Recorded during the final year of her life, this posthumous release finds Marianne Faithfull looking both backwards and forwards - reconciling the weight of legacy with the intimacy of reflection. Across these four new tracks, she honours the dual foundations of her 60-year career: chamber pop and traditional British folk. 'Burning Moonlight', co-produced with long-time collaborator Head, echoes the melancholic grandeur of 'As Tears Go By', while 'Love Is (Head version)', written with her grandson Oscar Dunbar, floats with tender defiance. The flip side turns to lineage and tradition: 'Three Kinsmen Bold' is stark and ancestral, passed down from her father and 'She Moved Thru' The Fair' is sparse, aching, and spectral. Faithfull was born in Hampstead and came of age in 60s London, and here, on what is now her final release, she returns to the very start - not out of nostalgia, but with grace and resolve. It's the completion of a circle, yes, but it still leaves a faint line trailing off into the air.
Review: Originally written shortly after Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in Britain and when Ronald Regan was in the White House, Patrik Fitzgerald 's 'Punch' - released in 1983 - offered a sharp riposte through folk punk poetry genius. What's remarkable, however, is how the lyrics have not only remained relevant, but have arguably evolved to become an even more accurate critique of power. Square the Trump caricature on the cover with the following stanza and it's clear to who he feels these words now speak to: "He's a joke figure, taking himself serious/a gravedigger, pretending he's mysterious/a harmless little creep/who keeps on telling you he's great/some madman masquerading as a head of state." The A-side is Fitzgerald's own 2021 re-recording of his original, whilst B-side sees Dead Kennedys' former lead singer Jello Biafra team up with Norwegian rock group Motorpsycho to offer their take.
Review: Seemingly unable to rest on any of their laurels for long, and already returning just a year on from 2024's noise-rock indebted sixth full-length Coagulated Bliss, ever-prolific grindcore stalwarts Full Of Hell are back with the ferocious Broken Sword, Rotten Shield EP. Featuring notably cleaner production than ever heard prior, the material pays homage to classic death metal motifs whilst eschewing the Melvins worship of their previous outing, with cataclysmic blasbeats and face-metling guitar solos underpinning vocalist Dylan Waker's inhuman shrieks and bellows. Commenting on the retro-style artwork featuring what can best be described as a "dog knight", Walker elaborates - "The dog knights represent these pure defenders against a world of darkness and the feeling of utter grief and defeat when we lose these companions. Along side that metaphor, the song also explains that in this world, all living things are rendered equal in the end, and for some that's a mighty fall."
Review: Irish lo-fi punk oddities Gilla Band are hard to describe, other than to simply say they make a lot of noise. Born from equal parts industrial noise, experimental guitar rave, post-punk and the kind of angular, physical rock that hits you in the stomach then struts off unapologetically, they came, saw, released a slew of different bits and pieces, and yet never seem to get the acclaim they deserved. On this package we get a breakneck tour of their formative era output, which, to emphasise just how daring their oeuvre is, includes a take on 'Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?' by UK techno and leftfield dance baron Blawan. Here realised as a gritty, distorted fit of rage. Amazing stuff the likes of which you don't get to hear every day.
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