So many submissions and so little time. Like all blogs, review sites and radio stations we receive a constant influx of submissions, and this means there are some singles, EP and albums we don’t have the time to cover in depth. Our irregular feature Little Bundles of Joy is designed to shine a light on some of these releases that are too good to let slip by.
E – LIVING WATERS
E’s fifth full length record ‘Living Waters’ was recorded in late December 2023 at Rare Signals in Cambridge, MA by long-time engineer Andy Hong, and mixed and mastered in Prague by Ondřej Ježek at jáMOR Studio. ‘Living Waters’ is the culmination of a year’s worth of remote and in-person collaboration between Thalia Zedek and Ernie Kim in Boston, MA, and Jason Sanford in Boulder, CO.
Opener ‘(Fully) Remote’ is full to the brim with pounding drums, chugging riffs, squealing guitar and almost spoken word vocals. Great start. ‘Null’ excels with its spasmodic fits and starts. ‘Deep Swerve’ is purely experimental and quite lovely. Gentle electronica, guitar hums and drums. Nice!
The LP’s title track is a noisy and intense affair. It’s quite an all-consuming journey. ‘Postperfect Conditional’ is a more upbeat track that highlights the bands’ more melodic, and dare I say it, funky edge? A standout track for me. Final track ‘Gain of Function’ is another stop start, rhythmical lesson in E’s own unique brand of noise rock.
E aren’t like most bands. They are often difficult to listen to, like all interesting music though am I right? They often border on Shellac’s intensity, whilst retaining the melody of Sebadoh? Zedek (Come, Live Skull) continues to plough a furrow of wildly mesmerizing and completely original music that manage to surprise on each release. And the fact that a lot of it was recorded and put together remotely, is quite astonishing. This is superb stuff.
Website (including June/July tour dates) | Facebook | Instagram | X
Review by Ioan Humphreys
VIDEO: PUSHBIKE – ‘BET YOU KNOW’
Never let it be said that Exeter’s pushbike are a band to indulge in the pointless distractions of life. They have little time for things like capital letters or having more than five words make up the entire lyrical content of a song. And they are RIGHT.
What you get in debut ‘bet you know’ is nothing less than the undiluted sound of youth, energy and the excitement of being in a band. For 2 minutes 22 seconds you’re catapulted straight into your favourite small venue, as many feet on the ceiling as on the floor and sweat pouring from everyone and everything in sight, including the walls.
If you’re looking for joy (and the fact that you’re on this website rather indicates that you are) then exult traveller for your quest is done. Noisy, good natured, guitar pop with more hooks than Brixham Pirate Festival, it’s a safe bet that pushbike aren’t wasting their time and won’t waste yours either.
Pushbike socials: Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube
Review by Peter Richard Adams
MIDDLEMAN – JOHN DILLINGER DIED FOR YOU
‘John Dillinger Died For You’ is the follow up to Middleman’s Cut Out The Middleman EP which I review last year here. The EP takes its name from The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. The first singe ‘Falls Apart’ got lots of coverage and radio play and they’re playing a session for Marc Riley’s 6Music show on 29th May.
Title track is a blissed-out alt country instrumental. Albeit it’s fuzzy as fuck which I love, what is this beauty I’m being presented with so shortly after their last angry release?? ‘Falls Apart’ is more like it. The Fugazi and Husker Du influence is coming through, but that’s not to take anything from this band. This is good original shit.
‘Imitation Blues’ has almost a Sonic Youth (‘Goo’ era) influence with its subtle atonal chord changes and big soundscapes. Oh and a big guitar solo thrown in for good measure. Fucking great stuff. Final track ‘Morning All The Time’ sees them coming back to the Sebadoh references I get. Just bloody lovely stuff from this young band. How the hell do they do it? I don’t really care; I just want more. The EP is being released 19th April on Evil Speaker Records.
Middleman are: Noah Alves – Vocals, Guitar | Rory White – Guitar | Harper Maury – Bass | Lily Pym – Drums
Follow Middleman: Bandcamp | Instagram
Review by Ioan Humphreys
BIBI CLUB – FEU DE GARDE
Montréal’s Bibi Club is Adèle Trottier-Rivard (vocals keyboards) and Nicolas Basque (guitar) who describe what they do as “living room party music.” Their new album Feu De Garde is timeless and effortlessly assured and the title loosely translates as a fire you tend to, so it stays alive during the night. That sense of warmth from the fire is imbued in the music with plenty of crackling electronic beats flickering against the soothing breathiness of the vocals, keyboard washes and a full range of perfect guitar parts from muted riffs, lush acoustic strums and woozy chorus.
Feu De Garde has an abundance of catchy hooks swirling in super-cool songs that would work in a coffee shop or a club. It feels instantly familiar, is utterly captivating, and while it has its style in the 60s its execution is very much ici et maintenant.
Bibi Club socials: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Bandcamp
Review by Paul F Cook
SINGLE: KURTZ – ‘WALTZ’
At exactly 12 seconds into debut single ‘Waltz’, Devonshire four-piece Kurtz flick a switch marked “Volume! MORE VOLUME!” and you’re introduced to a guitar hook specifically designed by noise scientists to latch on to your auditory cortex so tightly that you’ll need a drill to your head to let it escape.
So, apart from being champions of backstreet head surgery (and who isn’t?), what else are Kurtz offering? Driving energy but with enough space for some truly spectacular sonic soundscapes, a truly distinctive punk drawl and the sort of lyrical content that feels like every line is a challenge (“I don’t spit and I don’t swallow, I don’t engage in pleasing”), ‘Waltz’ is less a ballroom dance and more a ballroom blitz.
Sounds good huh? Well, then check out this news: ‘Waltz’ is just the lead song from the six-track ‘Kurtz – EP’, available now.
Kurtz socials: Instagram | Spotify
Review by Peter Richard Adams
BRUISE CONTROL – NO MORE
You may have missed that Manchester Hardcore Punk legends released their single ‘No More’ back in March 2024. A corrosive 100mph riff and machine drums open this incredibly lean and tight 1.59 which is economic with it’s lyrics, but there’s no doubt what the message is.
Bruise Control, and millions of other people like them, have had enough. And this is the band screaming at their wall and absolutely knocking it the fuck down.
Bruise Control are on top of their game and we need more of this please!
Follow Bruise Control: Bandcamp | Instagram | Website
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