Introducing…Lazyeyes

Lazyeyes have just released their breezy and atmospheric new single, Islip. It’s the first track from their upcoming EP, coming later this year.

Lazyeyes is a three-piece shoegaze/dream-pop band from Brooklyn, New York formed in the summer of 2012. The band released their debut self-titled EP the following January 2013 which was immediately heralded by The Deli Magazine as Best Psych/Shoegaze band in New York.

After a sold-out record release show at legendary Williamsburg venue Glasslands, the Lazyeyes EP garnered widespread acclaim from numerous underground music bloggers. Best New Bands described the their single Wait as, “…an excellent example of the group’s ability to erupt at an expansive, pyrotechnic level all the while sharply delivering pop-laden hooks.” Purple Sneakers called the EP “…a moody and anthemic record, equal parts shoegaze and dream pop.” Soon after, tracks from the EP were featured on BBC Radio, XM Radio and various other FM stations worldwide. The band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Jason Abrishami (The Twees) who was joined by Paul Volpe (Triple Cobra) on bass and Jeremy Sampson (Eastern Hollows) on drums. The band plans to tour in support of their upcoming EP.

Introducing…Tallows

Bringing a new spirit to indie music with their refreshing combination of unique vocals, rolling melodies and crisp horns and percussion, experimental indie band Tallows brings a distinctive mood to the genre.

Tallows

Known for their “…kaleidoscopic songs that quickly turn anthemic” (Paste Magazine) and already hailed by tastemaking music blogs (including DIY Magazine and The Wild Honey Pie) as the new indie band to watch, Tallows began when friends Josh Hogsett (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist) and Richard Lindsey (guitarist/programmer) met and formed the band in Oklahoma City in 2012. With the addition of Jay Sullivan (drummer) and Adam Thornbrugh (bassist), the band recorded their first album Memory Marrow, released in 2013. Quickly winning listeners over with their eclectic songwriting, infectious singles Soft Water and Small Talk and dynamic performances, Memory Marrow was nominated for best indie/alt album by Independent Music Awards.

With the  release of new single Sea Bitch, the band continues reshaping organic and electronic sounds into a dynamic structure, giving them a unique and original sound that is comparable to Foals and Local Natives but unlike any other. The band is currently working on their next full-length, set to be released in mid-2015.

Introducing…Mall Walk

Though just starting less than a year ago, the upcoming Mall Walk EP reveals the band to already be compulsively listenable and exceptionally sophisticated. Just a few months after the band’s inception, the trio started working with producer-engineer Monte Vallier (Weekend, The Soft Moon, Terry Malts) at San Francisco’s Ruminator Audio Studio to create an EP that is alternately infectious and gritty, spare and expansive, world-weary and inspired. The collaborative self-titled Mall Walk EP will be released tomorrow (October 14) via singer-guitarist Rob I. Miller’s small label Vacant Stare Records. My Old Kentucky Blog premiered the first track, Teen Missing.

Drummer Nicholas Clark and bassist Daniel Brown represent the muscle behind the EP, whereas Miller takes a deliberately restrained, tactical approach to guitar playing. On Teen Missing, the cyclical exchange between bass and drums promises something surfy and rollicking, only for the song to conclude with two minutes of anarchic guitar that subverts expectations considerably. With Treadmill, the band constructs a huge, immersive space with as little as possible while Miller describes life as a boring slog through semi-comical disappointments. Yet the repeated refrain, Life is just grand, I know, conceivably becomes less sarcastic as the band finds release within the song’s repetitive phrasing. The track that best represents Mall Walk’s maturity, the concluding Pales in Comparison possesses a simplicity and apparent effortlessness you typically expect from a band that is many, many years old.

Cold War Kids Release New Album,

Cold War Kids are set to release their fifth studio album Hold My Home on the 27 October through Sony RED/Downtown Records.

The album, which was produced by guitarist Dan Gallucci and recorded at the band’s studio in San Pedro, CA, is an 11-song dispatch that further cements Cold War Kids’ status as a truly excellent American rock band.

Fans who pre-order Hold My Home through iTunes from 8 September will receive an automatic download of the album’s lead single, All This Could Be Yours as well as second album track, First.

First made it’s online debut with Shortlist Magazine naming it “…a bold, strident anthem which bodes incredibly well for the rest of the record.”

When asked for a quote to summarise Hold My Home, Nathan Willett quickly shot back his lyrics to the album’s title track. “You’ve moved every year or two since you were 18. Home is no longer an actual place you return to. It’s ephemeral; it’s where you go in your memory to recall friends, your identity, your version of family. You can’t touch or hold on to it but you can feel home anywhere. But where are your roots now? Sometimes I wish that I could stop time and hold my home where the seasons never change.”

Cold War Kids recently shared the album’s explosive lead single, All This Could Be Yours, with NME commending it for it’s “…all bluesy piano, ringing guitar and bovver-boy beats.”

European dates are set to be announced soon. Check out www.coldwarkids.com for more information.

Cold War Kids is Nathan Willett, Matt Maust, Dann Gallucci, Joe Plummer and Matthew Schwartz. Formed in 2004, the band’s breakthrough debut Robbers & Cowards was released to considerable acclaim in 2006. The darker Loyalty To Loyalty followed two years later while 2011’s Mine Is Yours introduced deeper anthemic qualities to the eclectic group’s catalogue. 2013’s Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, featuring the hit single Miracle Mile, was a return to their raw live sound. Cold War Kids have sold over 500,000 albums, over one million singles and have more than 50 million streams to date.

Introducing…Ten Percenter

With a potent focus and a hearty affection for catchy thoughtful alt-rock, high flying Ten Percenter hit the UK scene with the national release of their spanking new EP, I Could Never Say….which was released Monday 6 October. Drawing from the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Weezer and Counting Crows, Ten Percenter cleverly intertwine contagious melodies and inventive structures to stunning effect.

Hailing from Devon and formed in 2006, Ten Percenter are comprised of blood brothers Jay and Thom Brown, who are the original members of the band, and are both multi-instrumentalists and vocalists. Jay handles all vocal and guitar duties and also inputs less traditional instrumentation into the mix, stemming from banjo, mandolin, quirky samples created from flushing toilets, electric toothbrush noises and “frog fish”, which is a sound derived from an old SR-16 drum machine. Besides vocals, Thom also handles the bass and undertakes percussion. The talented duo are backed by Mykel Heath on Drums and occasionally Matt “The Boy” Dimes, who plays additional guitar to fill out the live sound. To date, Ten Percenter have racked up four official releases through publisher, Constant In Opal Music and Curveball Digital Records. The band’s records have notched up widespread acclaim from the underground. The tunesmiths have also extensively toured throughout Southern England and have played London on numerous occasions.

After a recent brief hiatus, Jay and Thom Brown began writing new material and commenced with stemmed producer, Neil Haynes. The band instantly struck up an excellent working relationship with Haynes who has been co-producer and engineer on all the band’s recent work. In May 2014 the band parted ways with Constant In Opal Music and Curveball Digital Records and set up their own label, Rainwood Records, as a vehicle for all future releases. Their new EP I Could Never Say… is the band’s first release on Rainwood and is quite fantastic.

Unleashed this month, it’s jam packed with catchy guitar work, thoughtful phrasing and infectious hooks, from the opener and EP’s namesake, I Could Never Say….which perfectly kicks off the record in fitting style with it’s lush harmonies and layered melodies, to the dynamic and gloriously contagious, Against The Grain. The band have also backed the EP with two killer live tracks Let The Juice Flow and Riot, both slabs showcasing the tunesters’ deft ability to more than deliver the goods in a live setting. Now armed with a killer record, Ten Percenter plan to take it to the road with dates to be announced shortly. Look out for them, as they are certain to be propelled to the giddy heights of the UK Brit-Rock scene.