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2012-2016. Terrible at updating, but I hope you find your new favourite band. All content appearing here is for promotional purpose only. Please support the artists by purchasing their work, going to their shows, and telling all your friends so they do too.

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2016: The Recap! (aka The Finale!)

I actually debated making this post at all as I have only actually posted 4 times this year. There were lots of reasons for the lacking content in the past but recently I’ve realised there is just not really a use for this place anymore. I still very much believe that there is a lack of diverse representation within larger music publications, but there are lots of resources out there (She Shreds, Ladyfuzz, etc) who are working harder on this sort of thing than I am.

However, there has been a heck of a lot of great music out of the ridiculousness that was 2016, so I thought it would be a good note to close on.

A lot of the best releases this year can be entirely credited to Dovetown, an independent DIY collective from Uxbridge, featuring The Tuts, ¡Ay Carmela! , and Colour Me Wednesday. They have been a running theme throughout writing on here and have always managed to make it onto every other ‘best of’ list with good reason. I’ll forever remember first getting a private message on here from the Tuts asking to listen to their song, ‘I Call You Up’, and they’ve grown so much from 2012 to this year’s long-awaited, flawless full LP, Update Your Brain. Colour Me Wednesday’s EP, Anyone and Everyone felt like their most personal release to date, with closer track ‘In Your Shoes’ being a heartbreaking personal favourite. ¡Ay Carmela! gave us their full-length, Working Weeks, which saw Colour Me Wednesday’s bassist take front and centre with her more angular take on pop punk.

Pals-of-Dovetown (probably a compilation name in the future), Personal Best released ‘I Go Quiet’ which, contrary to its title, was probably the song most repeatedly belted out in the car over the summer, and proves that guitar solos can still add so much. Friendliest Band in the World™ Wolf Girl brought out their ambitious first LP, We Tried, full of the adorable twee/pop punk they’ve come to be loved for. Wolf Girl’s drummer Christabel also played in Suggested Friends, fronted by Faith Taylor, who released the new theme for the anxious, ‘Chicken’, complete with another great guitar solo.

Nachthexen’s self-titled EP made everyone want more synth in punks, while Doe’s Some Things Last Longer Than You was unapologetically heart-on-its-sleeve power pop, in the vein of many of my favourite 90′s alternative bands.

As for solid bangers (yes, I do feel old typing that out), Allie X, formerly of Canadian talent show ‘How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?’ (yes, really), gave absolute pop perfection in ‘All The Rage’.

I finally started paying a little bit more attention more locally to Belfast after having a very slow start since moving. Dreamy pop trio Beauty Sleep released a couple of singles, including the melancholic ‘Living Right’. Bad Fit had their debut with a video straight out of a Wes Anderson dream, the sweet yet somber ‘Strong Forever’.

As a last minute contender, Dublin’s Pillow Queens appeared having not even played their first gig yet with their brilliant Calm Girls EP, proving them to be something to look forward to in 2017.

Also, there was Beyonce’s Lemonade, so it wasn’t totally a shit year.

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Bad Fit- Strong Forever

Pop rock from Belfast, NI.

Having moved to Belfast last year I’ve been incredibly lackluster in finding out anything about local music. It’s a much smaller scene than the overwhelming-at-times London but what is smaller in quantity is made up for in quality and some incredibly motivated people. The biggest difference with new bands I’ve seen here is they don’t seem to go the typical route of immediately releasing rough demos recorded in the garage, while finding their musical feet in front of audiences at open nights. Here, it seems to be that it’s much more worth hiding away for a year and honing your craft, making sure it’s exactly how you want it to be before you present it to the world.

Enter Bad Fit, who only just played their first gig* this past Thursday, and were headlining. The next day they dropped this video, a beautiful picture of summer in Northern Ireland shot through a Wes Anderson filter. The record itself is perfectly polished yet very fresh and almost whimsical. The vocals are especially dreamy in their harmonies. 

If you were listening to this song with no context, you would probably picture a band who had already been at it for years, where this would be the culmination of their sound after a few other efforts, yet this is just the beginning for Bad Fit.

*First gig if you don’t count the fact that they played two gigs as Chemical Toilet at an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia themed night, which they don’t, but will probably be the go-to fact for years to come. Do look up their last performance, because there were some amazing costumes.

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Personal Best- I Go Quiet

Power pop from Bristol, UK.

This is the latest single after last year’s debut album Arnos Vale. This song alone is practically a summation of everything great about Personal Best: Catchy melodies, bold harmonies, singalong-with-yer-pals choruses. Not to mention, an actual guitar solo that perfectly ties the whole thing together rather than showing off. (Insert pun about “Personal Best indeed”.)

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A bit of a different post, but I thought it would be worth sharing here! 

Last year I moved to Belfast and I eventually became familiar with Go Girl, a collective of creatives. They work as both a support network, as well as somewhere to inspire collaborations between each other. There are all kinds of people within the group, from musicians, to promoters, to just people who want to make new friends. I was one of the latter when I first met up with the group, and even as a total strange from out of town, I felt welcomed instantly.

This event is in association with Womens Work NI, a series of events celebrating women in music, based around International Womens Day.

I have been graciously asked to help out with a workshop called “You! Play Like A Girl!” which aims to reach out to younger girls looking to get a start on beginners guitar, bass, and drums. 

This is really important to me, as are all of the Girls Rock Camp/School programmes happening at the moment, as it’s something that I feel could have really helped me out at that age. I do not count myself as a strong musician, but a lot of my knowledge is self taught. I was always made to feel like it was a hobby for the boys, or something I would lose interest in eventually. It put me off trying for a really long time. I know many fellow female musicians who grew up feeling the same way, and only got into it later in life.

I’m not really sure what my plan is outside of depending on the classic mantra of only needing a few chords to start a band, but I’m hoping whoever attends leaves knowing that they can do it themselves if they should want to. 

Anyway, if you’re in Belfast/able to travel here, regardless of age, please come down and check this out! There will also be lots of other events through the week, including a Go Girl hosted gig the night after this one. 

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A slightly different post than the usual, but an important one. Back in 2012 when I first started this blog, a little band from the opposite side of London messaged me to tell me about their new song. I was immediately in love with their sound, and knew from then that they were going to do great things. Not long after, I saw them play in a little theatre and I was even more captivated by their incredible live show. 

It’s crazy to think that those are now considered their early days, as they already seemed like such seasoned performers. I’ve posted enough about them that I don’t have to write a biography, but in short, they’ve just been getting better with every new release. Their ability to write catchy, fun pop music, all the while sticking to their guns in terms of ethics and politics, is why it’s criminal that they are still so underrated. 

Not to mention, they are genuinely some of the nicest people I have the privilege of getting to know as friends. It’s kind of crazy that it all started with a Tumblr message.

Everything that they have done these past few years has been 100% down to their own hard work. They still have yet to sign with anyone, but have found themselves on huge tours, being invited to BBC interviews, and having features in major magazines. Now, they’re looking to push even further with self-releasing their debut album. 

This is why it’s so important that this gets shared out as much as possible. They have done so much by themselves, and they still want to continue keeping everything DIY. Help them out (by clicking on the photo), so we can all have a new favourite album. x

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2015: The Recap!

Even though this past year has been quite bare in terms of posts (something I keep saying yet do nothing about- perhaps 2016 will be the one), I can always commit to this part at least. 2015 has been absolutely packed with brilliant releases, so it’s quite easy to pick out a few highlights.

I said back in January that even with its early release, So Young’s “Try Me” would probably be my favourite album of the year, and I haven’t changed my mind. Every song is catchy but also holds a strong message, from personal heartaches to politics. Single “Whatever I Want To” was also a highlight this year, even though it wasn’t even on the album released only months prior. They skipped right past the sophomore slump and haven’t looked back.

Rocky Rivera delivered her heaviest hitting release to date with Nom De Guerre, a collection of bold lyricism that holds no punches, and will duly find itself becoming a cult classic in the years to come. “Godsteppin’” in particular was a crucial song to make, which will no doubt serve as something of a snapshot for a critical time in the US.

London has had an especially strong output these past twelve months. The Ethical Debating Society finally gave us their long awaited full length debut. Hayes trio The Tuts continued to prove that they are well past due superstardom in the form of a perfectly crafted pop single. Shopping were critical darlings with their angular post punk. Efialtis made the punk scene a little more grim (in the best possible way) with their demo. Gloss Rejection gave us a new favourite vocalist. Cianuro sound like they’re glaring at you. Frau sound like they’d spit on you.

Heading a little more North in the UK, we had Emma Kupa’s (Mammoth Penguins, Hayman Kupa, Standard Fare) solo mini-album, full of catchy songs that read like diary entries. Sheffield’s The Repossessed managed to capture the intensity of their live shows into four tracks mirroring the best in early hardcore punk. No Ditching gave us some more great upbeat pop punk with a bit of cheeky humour.

Dublin’s Kate’s Party offered up their most inspiring work to date.

Across the sea G.L.O.S.S. absolutely destroyed what had become almost a monotonous scene with just a demo. Nikki’s Wives released a beautifully crafted and delicate pop song as a taste of what’s to come. Moon Hag gave us one more taste of their psych-witch punk before disappearing into the night forever.

That isn’t even everybody, I’m sure. There were some notable reunions from legends like Sleater-Kinney. There are joyously, more and more bands popping up now more than ever. I’m looking forward to what they do next year. Maybe I’ll even remember to put them here. x

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Kate’s Party- Chrysalis

My introduction to Kate’s Party came years ago on recommendation of a friend from Dublin, who has since often photographed the band at their gigs (a wink and nod to Yan Bourke). 

I definitely enjoyed them at the time, but my focus on pop punk in general was a bit loose. I never felt any particular connection to the genre when I was younger, as a lot of it was dominated by bands whining about girls and how terrible they are. To their friends. And they need to leave this town. And so on.

It’s only been the last few years and hearing the genre through the perspective of other women (not to sound too biased...) for me to begin to appreciate it. I don’t mean to sound snobby. I didn’t necessarily like everything those boys sang about, but it was catchy and fun. Still, as an adult, I’ll never relate to any of it. 

Hearing more and more female fronted pop punk bands however, gave me a new lease on the matter. There has been a spectacular surge over the past few years that has seen the genre become a haven for all varieties of people.

It especially helped living in London and seeing an influx of new acts over the years, as it’s a sound best heard live. Pop punk would be nothing without its audience singalongs.

With being re-introduced to all of it, I spent more time listening to bands like Kate’s Party and finally, truly, getting it.

Their newest EP, My Other Girlfriend, is my favourite work of theirs to date. It’s a mere three songs long but works as a great refresher as the band move forward. 

“Crumbs”, the opening track, eases in with echoes of their debut album, last year’s Hollow. However, as the song carries on, it appears to be more about growing than holding on to what’s in the past. Which is a pretty fitting bridge between the two releases.

The second offering, “Strong Words”, is quite true to the classic pop punk structure, without being formulaic. The EP as a whole shows a great growth in the band. It’s still the Kate’s Party sound they’ve become known for, but more mature, and in that sense, more powerful.

Hollow, beneath its upbeat tempos held quite sad undertones throughout. My Other Girlfriend is much more optimistic. It is especially heard through the positive outlook lyrics in “Chrysalis”, which is the best Sarah’s vocals have sounded yet.

My Other Girlfriend is available on download and cassette.

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Never Betters- Dirty

The majority of posts recently (all five of them from this whole year?! I’m going to post more often now, thanks new laptop... finally) have seemingly been based around London, Ontario. As someone who spent their formative years around that area, this is a very strange realisation. During my time there, the percentage of female musicians was barely anything. The only notable act was Kittie, and they had already been around for a long time (they’re putting out a 20th anniversary documentary soon. Twentieth.) Outside of the folk singers and the very rare hardcore front woman, most local shows I went to were 99% all male bands.

It’s still not perfect these days, but it appears that there’s at least a bit more focus on the women making noise. This past summer even had the inaugural London Girls Rock Camp, which had a lot of attention in the local press. 

A few years back, I posted about a short lived pop punk band from London called All The Trendy Kids, which featured April Romano on vocals, although she shared duties with guitarist Danny Kidd. While their one and only album, These Kids, was full of great tracks, my favourite was “La La La”, which was the sole April-only song. I always wanted more of that.

So, I’m quite happy to find out that April and Danny have started a new project, the Never Betters, also featuring Davita from Moon Hag/Joint Custody. Their first offering is just a rough mix, but the song is really promising. It’s anxious and self loathing but poppy and determined. It’s very reminiscent of the kind of late 80′s UK indie bands that would make their way onto John Peel’s playlists. A slightly shoutier version of someone on Sarah Records. I hope there’s more on the way.

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Nikki’s Wives- Ghost

I first posted about Nikki last year, and it seems she is ever transforming. Originally starting out in her early teens as rock act Orianna, then releasing last year’s Sad Generation under her own name, she moves forward with another persona as the front of a pop trio, Nikki’s Wives. All before she’s even left her teens.

There’s a much more 80′s/early 90's pop feel to this than her previous works, and her voice is as ever, totally awe inspiring.

This is from their EP, ForE•V•E•R.

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So Young- "Whatever I Want To" Having only released their second album of ultra personal power pop, Try Me, earlier this year, So Young look forward with another new release. After a slight lineup change, the band is shaping a sound that is undeniably their own. Where many songs from Try Me and their 2013 debut, Secrets, were full of lost loves and crushes, "Whatever I Want To" is straight forward in its intent. It's an upbeat poppy romp about wanting no more than one for the night. No longing for romance. Its accompanying video sees the classic Mallrats story of pals having fun doing nothing. Seeing as I've written personal notes on every So Young post so far: Having grown up hanging out at these places in the video, I might be a bit biased and sentimental. Still, it's a tune.

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Rocky Rivera- God Steppin I have been following Rocky Rivera for a couple of years now. When I first listened to her back in 2012, I already thought she was a talent to be reckoned with. In the time since, she has consistently bettered herself with every new song released. Her newest EP, Nom de Guerre is not only a crowning achievement musically, but it could just be the most important record of this year. In the very least, it will serve as a snapshot of this time. Eric Garner and Mike Brown's deaths in particular are not to be forgotten, and something as simple as singing their names will help keep them in memory. Although a lot of the tracks are musically upbeat, the lyrical content is an extremely personal account of Rocky's frustrations with misogynists, racism and especially the cultural climate in the U.S. right now. Her delivery is so honest and raw, which makes listening both a refreshing experience and a somber one. Nom de Guerre is out now.

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Welp. It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've posted anything here (mostly still due to laptop issues). To make up for it, here's (almost) every artist ever posted on here neatly packaged into a single playlist! Obviously not every particular song was available as Spotify can be limited. However, I am surprised just how many showed up when searching. I'll be continuing to add to it, so please follow! Hopefully I can finally sort myself out and make this place a bit more lively soon. X

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Kill All Men & Their Fucking Egos- It Comes Back Out Riot grrrl synth pop from Melbourne, Australia. Kill All Men is British-born, Australian-based Jas, collaborating with musician Infraghosts. It's a song dedicated to a particular discomfort that no one tells you about in Sex Ed. This is the first recording, hopefully of many more to come.

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fb: https://www.facebook.com/events/694314304011377/

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This is in April and it’s going to be brilliant. Come party in London and help make this massive.

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Joint Custody- Useless

Joint Custody are a punk/drone band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

I honestly don't have very much information on them outside of the fact that their drummer Davita also plays in Moon Hag.

They've only released this two track online self-recorded demo. More please.

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Lesley Gore- You Don't Own Me Lesley Gore was a singer/songwriter from New York. She passed away yesterday, February 16th. She is most prominently remembered as a teen icon of the 60s for her hits such as "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" and "Judy's Turn To Cry". She was best known for the kind of melodramatic pop music that groups like The Shangri-Las excelled in. A lot of her songs were centered on heartbreak, even the incredibly upbeat hits such as "It's My Party". One of my favourite songs of hers is "Sometimes I Wish I Were A Boy" which some people mistake as chauvinistic (it was also written by a male). However, it can be better interpreted as a song against society's gender standards- which is a pretty rebellious thing to sing about, especially at that time. Lesley isn't allowed to cut in because she's expected to act a certain way, not because she wants to. She was also a notable songwriter in her own right, penning her own material as well as being nominated for an Academy Award for her work on the soundtrack to Fame. She will be fondly remembered for her activism and work in the LGBTQ community and feminism. Due to the subject matter of a few of her songs and the era of their release, much of her work is regarded as protofeminist. This may not have been one of her songwriting credits, but her performance on it is very inspiring. It has become such an anthem in its own right. On a personal note, I just have a lot of great memories singing and dancing to her records with my friend when we were much younger. I didn't fully understand a lot of the depth behind her songs until I was older, but that's what makes them so brilliant. She may not have always been singing her own words, but you believed they were hers. I don't think she was the kind to sing whatever was given to her. She knew how important her voice could be. The world has lost a really great talent, an incredible woman who deserves much more credit than she has been given. Thank you, and goodbye, Lesley. x

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The Tuts- Do I Have To Look For Love? New Tuts video featuring one of the catchiest choruses I've had stuck in my head in a long time. Also includes cute dance moves! More bands should have that.