Cosmic Strip | Heavenly | Single Review

Elevation of emotion is perhaps the prime purpose of music; the ability to make one feel at home with the sensations they feel at any one specific time is a calming and freeing reassurance that we all seek. For music fills the abyss between the tangible world and that of our mind – it’s the perfect remedy for all emotions, whether they be happy, sorrowful or passionate.

London based band Cosmic Strip’s new single, ‘Heavenly’, is a perfect example of a song that truly captures the essence of that enveloping first love through layers of glittering synth tones, dreamy guitar lines and whispering vocals. With a noticeable build-up of each of these shimmering elements, Cosmic Strip are able to compose a deep musical mirage that invites the listener on a journey through the spirited emotions of a blossoming first romance. As the song grows in intensity, the listener is so to made to feel the growth in intensity for that first love, successfully conveying the intoxicating rush of a new relationship.

With musical ingenuity that echoes the likes of Wolf Alice and Alvvays, ‘Heavenly’ embodies an out-of-world experience similar to the swirling euphoria of love. Streaked with galactic, psychedelic vibes and hauntingly effortless vocals from frontwoman Camella Agabaylan, Cosmic Strip truly demonstrates how love is a thrilling, yet overwhelming affair. Without a shadow of a doubt, ‘Heavenly’ is not only an easy listen, but a song drunk in the knowledge of love, written by a band that knows how to drink with an audience thirsty for that wisdom.

Review by Kate Sinclair 

Photography by Martin Ruffin 

False Heads | Yellow | Single Review

A gritty kick in the teeth is what’s needed from music sometimes and ‘Yellow’ from London’s False Heads gives you just that and definitely lives up to their energetic reputation which will you leave breathless and pumped full of adrenaline. Straight from the off, the track fires into life with a throbbing and contagious power that remains true throughout. Even the verses that have somewhat of a slower tempo will leave a listener gasping through the intensity of it all.

Without prior knowledge of this band being a three piece, anyone will be surprised from the sheer noise that is fantastically belted out, which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Slaves album. The London accents are utilised brilliantly to give the track it’s almost dirty and underground feel. And it’s fair to say that this is a fantastic example of modern day punk which hits like a punch in the face.

Ending just as abruptly as it starts, False Heads have created a track which through the use of the chanting lyrics of “The less I know” quickly becomes lodged inside a listener’s head, another sign of a successful punk anthem and another nod of the head to the genre’s history. This is definitely a band that slots in perfectly to the indie bands around them to give just that bit of kick to the modern scenes. Who says punk is dead?

Yellow is off of their up coming EP 'Less Is Better' which is released digitally on 21st September, followed by physical release 5th October, which the three piece will be celebrating with a launch party gig at Dingwalls in London. 

Review by Charlie Bristow

Photography by Holly Beson-Tams (@partyonhol)

Askies | Mirror | Single Review

For anyone involved in music, a new band is always met with great anticipation and Excitement. It is definitely fair to say that Leeds-based band Askies have fallen into this category with their new track 'Mirror'.

Prominent, husky vocals that tell a gentle story but still have a passion behind them and a catchy, lead guitar riff during the verses give this song a real, vibrant character despite it having an overall soothing gentleness. This, in turn is key to creating a unique swaying feeling upon listening. The flowing-sounding bass is a feature that is often overlooked but here, it has been mixed in perfectly creating a fabulous underlying backbone really driving
the track.

The choruses give off a slighter heavier sound but yet still are brilliantly worked so that they maintain the contrasting mellowness which makes this track such an easy listen. The main highlight of the track is the guitar solo which really provides a last kick before subsequently and cleverly crossing back into the lead riff and coming to a close.

The sound of this band is definitely a breath of fresh air which is always exhilarating to hear in a scene that has seen a huge burst in recent years. The North of England’s music scene currently has a large hub in Manchester so it is pleasing to hear something coming out of the other side of the Pennines which will help in boosting Leeds’ presence on the musical map once again. Plus, having already, earlier this year, been a part of events celebrating emerging bands, Askies are definitely on the cusp of a musical breakthrough.

Just from this one track, it can be safely said, there are big things on the horizon for this group and the new band anticipation has been fulfilled and well at that. For a debut track, Askies are definitely onto something special which is going to mean that the future is bright in expanding a fan base and entering the complicated world of the modern, indie music scene.

Review by Charlie Bristow

The Strawberries | In Your Dreams | Single Review

‘In Your Dreams’, the latest product from Leeds-based The Strawberries successfully adds to their summation of talent and charisma that is ensuring they stand out in the melee of North’s current independent music scene.  

Beginning with striking guitar chords before jumping into a rhythmic swing creating an enticing and pleasing listen subsequently being teamed with lead vocalist Sam’s rich voice thus blending the mix perfectly. With the verses employing a clever back and forth between backing and lead vocals, this song really does highlight what a talent is emerging out of the suburbs of Leeds.

Lyrically, the title of the track is weaved into the verses, as well as the chorus which is a testament to the inventive writing style of this band. Which is also much more interesting to hear than a conventional and somewhat standard verse-chorus-verse arrangement.  

The short and snappy nature of the track is definitely a quality this band have mastered and is reminiscent of singles from greats of past eras. ‘In Your Dreams’ also gives a groove-laden overall feel to it which is becoming synonymous with this band’s releases and has to be listened to more than once.

Ending with an emphatic drum roll that really ties the song together, the listener will not be disappointed by the band’s latest instalment that is ever-increasing their popularity and rightly so at that. The Strawberries are a definite recommendation and this new addition along with other material released last year sparks a lot of promise and potential for future occasions.

The Strawberries will headline our next gig in Manchester at Jimmy's bar on Friday 7th September. With support from Children of The State and The Astrids, it's going to be a beautifully psychedelic night to celebrate the release of issue 2.

TICKETS: The Strawberries / Children of The State / The Astrids

Review by Charlie Bristow

Photography by Holly Beson-Tams

Nematode | Interview

We spoke to Aaron of Nematode, an American four piece from West Philadelphia. Nematode are a psych rock band made up of Aaron Mughannam, Larry Flatley, Kazim Zaidi and Mike Downey.

The band released their last single Friends back in April and are working on more tunes at the moment! 

How did Nematode come into existence, how did you all meet and form a band?

Me and Larry met through our mutual friend and publicist Madi Baver, and after I showed Larry 7 or 8 songs I had written on piano and a few rough demos I had put together with electronic drums and bass, we decided to start a band together, and he brought on his friend Mike, who he played with in a band in highschool, and his other friend Kazim who he met in a different band in college. They heard the demos that I had showed Larry before, and the rest is pretty much history. 

Did you know what kind of sound you wanted when you first started out or did it come about after while of playing together?

A little of column A and a little of column B, to be honest. When we started I was writing all the songs, and they were really influenced by psychedelic music, and like, heavily influenced by Pink Floyd. My vision has always been for psych pop I think. But later on when we started to get together as a full group, we started listening to music together and writing music together and now we draw from a much wider range of influences, because everyone has a say. We're all in love with Vulfpeck. Larry's been writing a lot of more experimental songs recently and it's taking us in a whole different direction, which is really awesome and exciting.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

For me personally, my main influences are Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Tame Impala. 

Larry really likes Vulfpeck, Pink Floyd, and John Mayer. 

Mike is way into Green Day, Dave Grohl, and Steely Dan, and Kazim likes Vulfpeck, Mild High Club, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. 

When your writing songs what’s your writing process as a band? Is it a collaborative effort or is there more of a spear head song writer in the group?

It used to be the latter, I would write all the songs, and nitpick over every tiny detail, and just give commands at all times, but now we basically write the songs together. The two main writers are me and Larry, and we basically sit in our living room and noodle on our instruments and come up with stuff by improvising. I still write all the lyrics, but Larry comes up with tons of instrumental motifs and vocal melodies. Mike has actually written a few songs recently too! So basically the process is super holistic and inclusive. It's a lot of fun.

Where did you draw your inspiration from lyrically when you were writing ‘Friends’ and ‘Be Free’?

When I was writing the lyrics for Be Free I was coming down off of an acid trip, and when I do acid I get this profound sense of like, lacking an identity. And so I felt like my mind was almost erased, and I was worried I would be replaced, because if I couldn't be me, someone else was going to. So yeah I guess that song is kind of about existential dread, and like, easing the pain of that dread with psychedelics. And then when I was writing Friends, I was kind of lamenting over the fact that because I had moved from my hometown of San Francisco to Philly, and had basically lost a bunch of longtime friends in the process, I felt like a bit of an outcast. Being a musician and choosing to move away from home for the sake of music can definitely make you feel like you're on the fringe of society, and that's kind of what I was trying to express in that track.

Your artwork for both of these singles is awesome! Who designed it?

Thanks so much! It's designed by my friend Winston Schultz who I met in art class in high school. She's super talented and is gonna be working with us for all of our upcoming releases. You can follow her on instagram at @empty_canvas

What’s the music scene like in West Philadelphia? 

We've only been around for about half a year, and during that time we've mostly played in New Jersey, but we've played a few shows in Philly and everyone here is super nice and welcoming, which is awesome. Overall the scene feels very warm and receptive, and there's a great sense of community.

You’ve got two shows coming up in New Jersey, have you played with any of the bands on those bill’s before?

Nope! That's actually one of the awesome things about being such a new band, we pretty much meet all new people every time we play!

Are you guys working on anything at the moment, writing or recording?

Sometimes I like, can't believe how much were writing. We have somewhere in the ballpark of 70 songs planned for release. We're almost through recording our first full-length LP and then it'll be onto the mixing/mastering phase! We're trying to release that by the end of this year, and then we've got a few EP releases planned after that. Definitely stay tuned.

Finally, what else have you got planned for 2018 as a band?

Other than finishing and releasing our album, we're trying to play as many shows as possible, and maybe book a small tour, probably 1-2 weeks long, if we can. 

Check them out on Facebook to stay up to date here

And give 'Friends' and 'Be Free' a listen on Spotify here

Interview by Holly Beson-Tams