June 21 - Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite tunes of the week.
St Jacques – ‘Fresh Fire’
Indie sextet St Jacques is back with their joyous second single of 2024, ‘Fresh Fire’. Following on from their nostalgia-inducing March release, ‘Singing’s Free’, the soft indie rockers’ latest is another throwback tune sure to warm the cockles of your heart.
Listening to ‘Fresh Fire’ conjures up similar-sounding bands like Cloud Control and The Middle East, with the song’s soothing melody an absolute winner. Recorded at Forest Range Studios, mixed by Lucinda Machin and mastered by Alex Mader, ‘Fresh Fire’ has an early 00s alt-indie vibe and combines smooth male-female harmonies with gentle guitars across three and a half minutes of bliss.
The Fuss – ‘Glass House’
Although THE FUSS has been jamming together for the past 12 months, ‘Glass House’ is the band’s official debut single. And it’s awesome.
The five-piece has been closing out their recent live sets with the song and it’s easy to see why. ‘Glass House’ is a fun and dirty rock ditty that ticks all the boxes with roaring riffs, mesmerising female harmonies and a catchy hook that sticks. In a good way.
Experience ‘Glass House’ live next week when THE FUSS play at Crown and Anchor on Wednesday, June 26. Get around them!
EAST AV3 – ‘jaws of the beast’
Experimental rap trio EAST AV3 lie somewhere between Yung Lean and BROCKHAMPTON with a dash of Kanye West (when he was good). The collective comprises rappers Kane Trop3z and SENSEI alongside producer Nic Flare, with the three crafting alt-rap tunes with quirky electronic beats and scatter-gun lyrics broaching a wide range of topics.
It’s been a productive couple of weeks for EAST AV3, with the group dropping their latest single ‘be the fire’ and loosey ‘jaws of the beast (freestyle)’. Both are top-notch, with ‘be the fire’ a groovy burst of modern rap, but it’s the funky, head-bopping three-and-a-half minute ‘jaws of the beast (freestyle)’ that we’ve got on repeat. There’s an effortlessly cool vibe to the tune, with both rappers gliding over Flare’s West Coast beat with their hypnotic rhymes.
Mum Friends – ‘Clean’
It’s been a few years since we’ve heard from Mum Friends, but the talented duo of Katie and Mia have reappeared from the ether with cathartic new tune ‘Clean’. This indie guitar twirler finds the protagonist of the song wallowing in self-pity and struggling to motivate themselves, asking the question, “If I can’t feel good / maybe I can feel clean?”
Speaking on the track, Mia says: “Clean is my favourite Mum Friends song so far; I got goosebumps the first time Katie played it to me. It moves from apathy to exasperation both lyrically and sonically, mimicking the relentless feeling of not knowing when the cycle’s going to end.”
The subject matter is a little sombre but ‘Clean’ is a wonderful return from Mum Friends.
Short Snarl – ‘Heat, Heavy’
Gossamer Songs is the debut EP from short snarl, the new project from well-known violinist Thea Martin.
Taking on the world of indie-folk, Martin not only plays the violin on Gossamer Songs but also strums the guitar and sings. The four-track release is a beautiful listen and it’s hard to choose a standout, but if we must highlight one track it has to be ‘Heat, Heavy’.
Slow and tender, ‘Heat, Heavy’ is a whimsical folk number in the vein of Angel Olsen. It features lap steel guitar and electric bass, adding a smokey blues element to what is a compelling and gorgeous tune.
