This Week’s Best New Music: February 2023 Week 4

Earlier this week, Chris Moyles sparked controversy after a rant on his Radio X show where he suggested that “most unsigned bands are crap”. This came in response to a listener suggesting he could play more new music. To be fair, if you’re listening to him, you’re in the wrong place for new music, his brand is really more about shitty banter.

Regardless, Moyles was acting like a petulant dick. He also used a bizarre, nonsensical metaphor about how asking him, a radio DJ, for new music was equivalent to asking a butcher for the latest action movie releases. Nah, surely it’s like asking a butcher for a different type of meat.

The upshot was that it caused an uproar on UK indie Twitter. Leading to a show of support for under the radar artists out there. So, I thought I’d jump on that bandwagon for this week’s new music roundup and focus on my favourite recent releases/discoveries from unsigned artists.

Reignmaker Find My Own Way

These Liverpool lads look ridiculously young, so it’s promising if they’re already knocking out a tune as good as this. I don’t like to throw out too big a comparison, but there’s a Stone Roses vibe to this; it’s drenched in a dreamy haze, yet has a huge, anthemic chorus shining through.

There’s also something brilliantly and uniquely northern about this; you can’t achieve these melodies without those scouse accents being on full display as they are here.

For fans of: Stone Roses, northern accents

Floodhounds Psychosemantics

This Sheffield trio aren’t messing around here. It’s a 3 minute blast of heavy drums, fuzzed-out guitars, with a big shout-along chorus to boot. A full-blown foot-stomper.

For fans of: Royal Blood, big scuzzy riffs

Slaney Bay I Could Love You Better

Another trio with enough hooks and riffs to spare. But this group from South-West London, with ethereal vocals from singer, Caitlin Whitley, contrast the big riffs with dreamy harmonies reminiscent of Wolf Alice. A band surely destined for big festival stages.

For fans of: Wolf Alice, The Cranberries

Kim Ven Cool Car

Ven is an Australian singer-songwriter based in London. Vocally, she pretty unmistakably sounds like Lana Del Rey. And with lyrics like “At least I got a cool car”, there’s very much a Del Rey vibe to this. But, whereas Del Rey tends to shoot for moody epic, this hints more towards dreamy early 90’s pop; think Wicked Game or Sleeping Satellite. A song that feels weirdly subversive, with its dark undercurrent wrapped up in a seductive pop package.

For fans of: Lana Del Rey, moody early-90’s pop

Brook Terrace Same Difference

Brook Terrace is the work of Californian songwriter, Zachary Vito. This comes from his self-titled debut album, released in December 2022. To record that, he quit his job and flew to England to work alongside former Coral guitarist, Bill Ryder-Jones. That serves as an easy comparison as there’s hints of Ryder-Jones’ solo work here; stripped back to just piano and an acoustic guitar strum.

With a hint of hopefulness coming through amongst the melancholia, it feels like the soundtrack to a rainy montage in the third act of a rom-com, before the couple’s triumphant reunion. I mean that as a compliment BTW.

For fans of: Bill Ryder-Jones, Velvet Underground in their softer moments

Spielmann Coming Back

Another solo project that sounds like a band name – Spielmann is otherwise known as Ben Lewis from Leeds. I highlighted his most recent single, The Right Track, a few weeks ago. And this one from December 22 is just as good.

I like his own description of his music as “pop music for people who don’t want to admit they like pop music”. It’s a big stadium-sized pop song, with a lo-fi filter on top. Like listening to Springsteen through your neighbour’s wall.

For fans of: Pop music with some indie cred

Picnic Over It Now

From pop as guilty pleasure, to Sunderland’s Picnic who are unashamedly pop-tastic. This is a sunny slice of funk-pop, and I think they might have been testing how many hooks they could fit into just four minutes.

For fans of: You Can Call Me Al

The Mease High Definition (You Ain’t Seen Nothin’) feat. Council Cut & The Dread Kaili

If you’re a regular reader of the blog, then this might sound familiar as I included a version of it a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about Council Cut. He brings the rap verses here, but this version is more of a showcase for Derby’s The Mease. Here it’s transformed into a psych-pop number, which is like a lost gem from the baggy/Madchester era.

For fans of: Early Kasabian, Happy Mondays

Ceitidh Mac Bulldog/Goldfinches

Ceitidh Mac (it’s pronounced like Katie FYI) is a Welsh cello-player and songwriter based in Newcastle. Check out the track, Bulldog, embedded below, a great politically-charged, weirdo-folk tune.

And on a slightly different vibe, is her song, Goldfinches. Can I describe a song as rustic? It might sound stupid, but it makes sense when you listen to it. An elegant folk gem.

For fans of: The Be Good Tanyas, Laura Marling

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