[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Drahla / Faux Text /

Is it art-rock? post-rock? post-punk? I just know this is a great racket from Drahla. Noisy yet considered, poised at the edge of chaos.

They’re a new 3 piece from Yorkshire who just released this via the marvellous Too Pure Singles Club not so long ago.

Londoners can see them supporting the incredible Meatbodies at Moth Club on 18th July.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Westing / I Haven't Been Feeling Myself /

So here is a new band called Westing. This is the project of Matt Mascarenas from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has departed from his previous acoustic approach and turned into a fully rocking post-hardcore band. This EP ‘I Haven’t Been Feeling Myself’ is out now, and 16 year old me would have already bought a t-shirt and be telling all my classmates how good they are by now.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Hotel Del Salto / Stand For Your Right /

Here’s a charming new track from Hotel Del Salto, aka J Francis from Caerfyrddin in Wales. It’s another Beck-like groove following from his debut release ‘Bigger Than Elvis’, but this time he’s paired up with the Libertino label and picked up the support of BBC Radio 1′s Huw Stephens too.

For more info check out this interview on the Tipping Point HERE.

Fingers crossed this solo writer and producer will be gracing stages around the country soon, and no doubt we’ll have more tracks enjoy soon too.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Okay Champ / Ticket /

I was a big fan of the Northern doom-mongers Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister, so when I recently spotted news of new activities from the band’s members my expectations were high, and thankfully Okay Champ do not disappoint.

Check out their filthy first track ‘Ticket’ here, and keep an eye out for gig news coming soon. So far only Newcastle has the pleasure of their performances on 17th March and 10th May (with Post War Glamour Girls).

[thejunkcity]

Low Island / Disconnect / Junk City /

Wow, what a tune here from the Oxford group Low Island. ‘Disconnect’ is taken from their debut EP ‘Just About Somewhere’, out now.

Having only played their first gigs in November last year, Londoners can see them at The Islington on 24th Feb, before they hit the regions with Dot to Dot Festival in May through Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham.

They’ve also said there may be a small headline tour coming in the summer with another so keep an eye out. Can’t wait to hear more!

[thejunkcity]

Uni Ika Ai / Keeping A Golden Bullseye In The Corner of My Mind / Junk City /

Uni Ika Ai are a four piece “dream pop” band from Brooklyn, NYC, and their debut album ‘Keeping A Golden Bullseye In The Corner of My Mind’ is some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. They even manage to use a saxophone inoffensively, which I’d by impressed by even if this wasn’t my most listened to album of 2017.

Others say: "rhythmic, wonderfully askew brand of ethereal pop" (Stereogum)

"A new kind of off-kilter dream pop that the genre has been waiting for." (Wild Honey Pie)

They’ve all done time in various other projects, most notably Pete with the band Lucius, before coming together for this most perfect union, but for god’s sake I hope they focus all future energy on this band from now on. I am addicted.

If I must pick out individual tracks I’ll go with ‘Soft In Ice’ (above), and ‘Mexico’ (below), but really I must demand that you put on the entire album (linked below) and sink into a deep, warm bath of comfort and satisfaction.

Right now click on this bit.

Keeping a Golden Bullseye in the Corner of My Mind by Uni Ika Ai

See? I told you.

[thejunkcity]

Space Above / Let It Still / Junk City /

Having surprised me a while back with the track ‘Fall Through’ (below), Aaron Short has just released a full album under the moniker of Space Above. ‘Let It Still’ is another beautiful cut from this record full of throbbing synths and lush electronics, which twists and turns in unexpected ways.

Better known for his work as producer and keyboarder with The Naked and Famous, Aaron here teams up with fellow New Zealanders Sam McCarthy and Maddie North to complete the trio of Space Above. It sounds like a winning formula to me, as you can hear yourself on the album ‘Still’ which is streaming in full on Spotify HERE.

Consequence of Sound called it “winning examples of when indie music taps into the perfect balance of accessibility and adventurism.”

It has the ease and peacefulness of dream-pop, the joy of exploring a broad sonic spectrum, and certainly feels like an album that will reward repeat listeners discovering its details and depths.

[thejunkcity]

Laucan / Up Tomorrow / Junk City /

What a stunning video from Laucan!

This is the project of Laurence Galpin, and his debut EP ‘Up Tomorrow’ is coming via Sunday Best Records on March 10th. This is the brilliant title track.

Londoners can catch him performing at the Communion club night on Sunday 5th March at the Notting Hill Arts Club, shortly before Mr Laurence heads to Texas for SXSW festival.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / JW Ridley / Everything (Deathless) /

My tip, published on The Tipping Point.

Words by Eugenie Johnson.

Personal problems are always hard to go through, but when you’re an artist you at least have the ability to be able to channel your feelings at the hardest of times into your craft. Making sure whatever you’ve created isn’t overly self-indulgent is the hard part. Luckily, this is a trap Londoner Jack Ridley – better known as JW Ridley – doesn’t fall into.

After a year of difficulties, he used his music as a form of catharsis, and ended up blowing the folks at label Speedy Wunderground away in the process. A few demos he mixed found their way to label boss Pierre Hall, who was “blown away” by what he heard. “I hadn’t been so excited about a new artist since I first heard Loyle [Carner] and our release with him,” he said. High praise indeed.

JW doesn’t rap or use jazzy hip hop production, but like Loyle he does tell a captivating story with a special kind of earnestness. That’s demonstrated on his debut single ‘Everything (Deathless),’ where his washed-out but emotive vocals are set against an atmospheric backdrop of New Wave synths and guitar licks that bring to mind The Cure. It’s a track that’s somewhat nostalgic, but JW gives it a contemporary twist. In doing so, he’s created a sound that’s ultimately deathless.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Ghost Funk Orchestra / Brownout /

“Ghost Funk Orchestra” doesn’t sound like something I’d normally like. There’s so much music out there, I often generalise my taste as indie, rock, alternative & psychedelic, perhaps with a smattering of electronic sub-genres, and I usually generalise my dislikes as jazz & funk. But of course there are always exceptions.

While there is almost certainly nothing that can dress up a vulgar, funky slap bass line, I’m finding more and more variations of jazzy rhythms and soulful songwriting that appeal to me.

In this case, Brooklynite Seth Applebaum has made time in between running his own recording studio to make some really exciting, lo-fi fusion of salsa and latin jazz straight onto tape in his apartment. I think it’s the latin rhythms, the reverby guitars and “exotic” (Spanish) vocals that give Ghost Funk Orchestra the edge over other acts I might normally ignore.

The track ‘Brownout’ (above) is particularly arresting to me, and if that works for you then you must check out the whole ‘Night Walker’ album which came out in August of last year. Just one of many releases you can enjoy over on his Bandcamp page here.

Let’s get into it man

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Hotel Del Salto / Bigger Than Elvis /

Hotel del Salto is the musical moniker of one Jonathan Francis, who resides in the Welsh town of Carmarthen, but borrowed the name from an abandoned haunted hotel overlooking a Columbian waterfall.

Releasing through the local label Decidedly Records, Francis writes and records everything solo. This brilliant first track ‘Bigger Than Elvis’, which is free to download, has picked up support from BBC Radio Wales and a host of blogs including The Tipping Point, where I gladly discovered it.

His occasionally fuzzy mash of sounds have brought favourable comparisons to Beck and the twisty guitars of Mac DeMarco. This, combined with his great accent and unusual lyrical references to a Peruvian retreat and canoodling in the guest room, shows an artist with shed loads of character.

There are no gigs planned just yet sadly, but hopefully 2017 will bring more music from Hotel Del Salto!

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Dama Scout / All In Too /

I like silly, kitsch things, (I’m currently sat in a room with two lava lamps and an unknown amount of sci-fi memorabilia), so this is right up my street. This music video from London dwelling Glaswegian’s Dama Scout opens a window into their personality & sense of humour which you might not have gotten from the track alone.

Apparently the band were listening to Stereolab and Deerhoof while writing this; and those arty, experimental indie markers do ring through in the song, but their music isn’t is mopey or serious as those reference points might suggest. It’s playful, catchy and exciting.

I’m gonna go see them play tomorrow night supporting Leif Erikson, and Londoners can also catch them on Dec 7th at the Dalston Victoria.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Luxury Death / Painkiller /

Another great track here from the new Manchester band Luxury Death. They are boyfriend/girlfriend duo - Ben Thompson (guitar/vocals) and Meg Williams (keys/vocals), accompanied by Tommy Stewart on bass and Luke Rowland on drums.

This comes through Bristol based DIY label Art Is Hard, who are releasing the single as part of their ‘Pin Pal Club’. Just £4 for a fancy enamel badge and download. Pretty neat!

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Malihini / Waiting /

Malihini are Giampaolo Speziale and Federica Caiozzo from South London via Rome. They’re a new signing to Memphis Industries, and ‘Waiting’ is their wonderful debut track which “takes us through the minds of a wrongly accused death row inmate and his lover who's become delusional, lost in a dreamworld.”

They play their debut shows this winter: Nov 25 London, Popular Culture at the Finsbury Dec 05 London, Sebright Arms w/ Michael Nau

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Oh Malo / Miss You /

Oh Malo formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 2014, quickly writing and recording to form their debut album ‘As We Were’ which came out in May of this year. They’ve just revealed this new video for ‘Miss You’ around their current tour around the North East of the States.

It’s a great track, reminding me of Local Natives in the whimsical vocals and early Wild Beasts in the twangy rhythmic guitars.

Check out the full album on Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/AWW_Bandcamp and Spotify: smarturl.it/AWW_Spotify

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Bad Nerves / Can't Be Mine /

[Taken from my tip, published at The Tippint Point, words by Steven Farkas.]

‘Can’t Be Mine’, the latest single from East London based outfit Bad Nerves is a frantic, two minute furious joy ride through fuzzed out riffs, distorted vocals with more melody packed in than you ever thought possible.

Sitting somewhere between The Ramones and The Underground Railroad to Candyland, Bad Nerves expertly walk the line between lo-fi and garage rock and if you’re anything like me, by the time it hits the first chorus, you’ll be chanting along and given up worrying about what it is and just enjoying a quite perfect slice of indie punk rock.

[thejunkcity]

Junk City / Obongjayar / Creeping /

Here’s a briliant video for the fantastic debut release from Obongjayar. ‘Creeping’ has only been on the net for a few days but it’s already gained the love of BBC Radio 1, the FADER, Pigeons and Planes and many more.

Very cool stuff, can’t wait to hear more.