This week has again been a strong one for good new music. I’ve been struggling to keep up with it all so I’ve cheated and gone with an EP rather than album of the week as there wasn’t one particular album that I gave enough attention to. My top picks for this week are all new upcoming artists yet to release their debut albums (except one, which is actually mega old).
EP of the week
The Dream Machine – Children, My England
The Dream Machine are my favourite new band. Their debut album is due out in a few months, and this EP offers a little preview. They’ve previously spent time in the recording studio with The Coral frontman, James Skelly. And their fellow Merseysiders provide a good point of reference. Not necessarily in sound, but in their ability to be both accessible and little weirdos. They can knock out catchy indie/rock/pop tunes, but the next minute they could be taking you on a surreal psychedelic freakout.
They’ve released three EPs since 2021. The first one in particular (Vol 1: Sacraments) was one of my favourite releases from the last couple of years. They take in all sorts of influences – indie rock, psychedelia, folk, 60s orchestral pop – to name a few. And the range of stylistic influences is displayed on the four tracks here.
The title track is the big one. It’s the most straightforward tune here, a psych-tinged indie rocker, with a great singalong chorus. It’s the kind of indie hit that makes me think they’ve got the potential to be as big as they feel like.
‘Trip Away’ shifts gears and is unlike anything else they’ve done previously. It’s a bright, summery pop tune with Paul Simon Graceland vibes (or Vampire Weekend for a slightly more contemporary reference).
‘Baby Run’ breaks straight out into what sounds like the middle of a weird jam session and is reminiscent of The Coral’s ‘Skeleton Key’. It then seems to settle into a slightly more conventional rhythm with some Doors-y organ and Hendrix-esque riffs (it always feels a bit daft comparing anyone to Hendrix, but he innovated this guitar sound where it’s like it’s being played underwater, and they manage to nail it here). The song seems to get more manic as it goes and then devolves into a psych freakout, before fittingly ending on an explosion. This is the kind of tune that wears its influences on its sleeve, but it never sounds like a pastiche. They take those influences, turn them into something new and make it their own.
The mood changes again with ‘U-Train’, which is a twinkling slow-burner. The psychedelic wild-men of the previous tune suddenly becoming lovesick balladeers.
This makes a great little introduction to The Dream Machine. Four tunes, all with their own unique sound, capturing them in all their glory and weirdness.
Tunes of the week
Red Telephone – Waiting For Your Good Days
Red Telephone are a new discovery for me this week. They’re from Cardiff and have their debut album coming out in March, and this is a very promising introduction to them. I’d call it something like atmospheric indie, with a bit of an 80’s vibe. That probably doesn’t really tell you anything, so I’ll keep this simple and say that this is a fucking great tune, which I’ve been playing to death this week. It’s got a great chorus (but also, I’m not even sure it counts as a chorus), and it feels like an epic, wrapped up into a nice little radio-friendly package. I feel like I’m not doing it justice, so just give it a listen.
Bailey’s Nervous Kats – Traveling Sam
I’m stretching the definition of new music for this one as it’s from over 60 years ago. However, it’s just getting a re-issue from the Numero Group, which is a record label specialising in old stuff which didn’t have much commercial success in it’s time (follow them if you want to be a hipster and show off all the cool, obscure tunes you know about; like me).
This is a 2-minute surf-rock tale of the title character – a musical drifter being chased from town to town because of his wild rock & roll ways. It pretty blatantly lifts the Peter Gunn riff (look it up; if you don’t recognise the name, you’ll definitely recognise the tune). But so what, it’s a great riff. And it has a rockabilly-style vocals/lyrics combo, which would probably be embarrassing if this was from anytime within the past 55 years ago, but this is old enough that I think it qualifies as cool.
Like an old rock & roll standard you didn’t know existed.
Fake Empire – Hamburg In The Morning
Fake Empire are a trio from Portsmouth, who I just came across this week. I assume their name is inspired by American indie veterans, The National, who have a song of the same name (which is a classic BTW; you should listen to it).
When the vocals kick in on this song, it pretty much confirms that influence, as it sounds almost exactly like them. It’s a little bit on the nose, I feel like being named after and sounding like the same band risks going into tribute territory. But then again, The National are great, so sounding like them isn’t a bad thing. Even doing a good impression is an achievement. And to be fair, it’s not complete rip-off territory either as the synths give it a bit of an 80’s electro vibe which sets it apart. It hits that sweet spot where it’s anthemic yet understated.
This review has been more about The National than the song itself so I think an appropriate compliment to end it on is that I actually think this is better than The National’s latest single.
Bek Jones – Woman
This came out last year and is the debut single from Wigan singer-songwriter, Bek Jones. It’s a three minute bluesy pop stomper.
It slowly builds from just its main riff, with some drums introduced in the bridge and then a big rock-out chorus. It’s simple but effective, with Jones’ voice being strong enough to keep things interesting. It’ll get your toes tapping and the whole thing has a big singalong quality. Although, lyrically it’s on a women’s empowerment vibe so maybe a bit embarrassing for me to sing along too enthusiastically personally.
It’s the kind of tune that sounds like a classic hit, without sounding dated.
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