Tracks of the Week: 26th August 2022
Our writers have been on a mission to find the best new tracks from across the region, covering the most exciting artists from a wide variety of sounds - from indie to punk and R&B.
Sleeping Together - ‘Summer Girl’
Sleeping Together emerged out of the other side of lockdown to bring big beats, catchy riffs and good vibes back to the indie scene. Their music reflects on topics such as girls, heartbreak, toxic masculinity and nights out. ‘Summer Girl’ is inspired by a short but sweet summer romance. At the end of summer, the couple agreed to go their separate ways. Like the romance, ‘Summer Girl’ is short, bright and sweet, capturing the highs of a British summer in its emphatic chorus. However, much like the British summer, this romance was rained off too soon. These fleeting glimpses of a love, destined for rapidly approaching heartbreak, are conveyed perfectly through the track’s climbing vocals.
Express Office Portico - ‘Forget The Name’
Formed in the pandemic, Express Office Portico came together online, making the most of home working. Their name comes from the entrance to an old newspaper distribution office in the city centre of Nottingham. They offer a blend of synth-pop, indie and alt-pop. With backing from BBC Introducing in the Midlands, Express Office Portico have been able to garner support from fans and the music industry across the UK. 'Forget The Name' is about a battle of two contrasting ideologies within a person: one that fears the change life has to offer and therefore sacrifices the present moment, and one whose attitude towards life is ‘Carpe Diem’.
Fuzzy Sun - ‘Money’
Lifted from the EP today is lead new single, 'Money'. The glam-tinged alt-rock number - replete with ultra-modern electronic undertones - showcases the band's colossal strength as merchants of raw emotion. Avoiding keeping things overly sweet and psychedelic, the song encases some dark lyrics in its effervescent sonics. The upcoming EP follows on from their acclaimed self-released EP, Since The Dog Died, which was released in 2021. Even without label backing, but through determined work ethic and the strength of their live shows, the rising rockers have opened for some major UK artists, toured Europe and had sell-out shows across the U.K.
Odonian Drifts - ‘Room 235’
‘Room 235’ is the latest single from Odonian Drifts, and is dedicated to the memory of writer, para-academic and sound artist Mark Fisher (k-punk), whose inquiries into the symptoms of cultural exhaustion, the privatisation of depression and the dystopian dimensions of a late, late capitalism. Odanian Drifts, real name Iain Rowley, began writing ‘Room 235’ on the way back from the inaugural memorial lecture at Goldsmiths, given by Kodwo Eshun. The speak quoted the following passage from Fisher’s unfinished introduction to the book Acid Communism which inspired Rowley: ‘Instead of seeking to overcome capital, we should focus on what capital must always obstruct: the collective capacity to produce, care and enjoy.’
Mood Organ - ‘No Transaction’
Mood Organ are an indie/psychedelic rock band from Leeds, UK. ‘No Transaction’, taken from their latest EP Iconic Bench Scenes, retains the light-hearted lyrical tone of the EP and demonstrates their experimentation with even more genres and styles, including a more mature, vulnerable writing style.
Keeping true to their history of genre blending, ‘No Transaction’ from the Iconic Bench Scenes explores disco, indie pop and grungy psych rock with the group’s signature blend of catchy melodies, experimental arrangements and light-hearted lyrics. The rest of the EP is also worth checking out, with deep cuts ‘Suffocation’ and “A Matter of Perspective’ unveiling an as-yet-unseen side to the band – a more mature, vulnerable writing style, packaged in heart-wrenching psychedelic ballad form.