Introducing - High Tyde

Introducing - High Tyde

As a city, Brighton has pretty much everything. Sun (at times) sea, a cracking pier, tonnes of clubs and venues, and most importantly a bustling, vibrant music scene. The scene has seen everything from indie to pop and dance to rock. Hugely successful bands have also emerged such as: The Kooks, The Levellers and The Go! Team. Now there is a band who are kick-starting the indie spinning wheel of the city. The band are called High Tyde and their EP entitled 'Safe' is out on April the 8th. 

"My god this sounds so much like The Kooks" I hear myself shouting whilst listening to 'Do What You Want To' from the bands first EP 'Glow'. Sounding like The Kooks isn't terribly fashionable these days as that particular sound is slowly being lost to the record books. Having said that, High Tyde aren't just a Kooks tribute band, sure the sound is pure indie-pop but it sounds really fresh. 'Feeling The Vibes' is a stand-out song because of the insanely tight rhythm section. The drums sound incredibly relaxed and vibrant. And accompanied with the bass creates a platform for that jagged strumming style of guitar that we are hearing more and more of. 

Current single 'Dark Love' (which isn't part of 'Glow') is a great snippet of what the groups new EP will sound like. One thing's for sure it's definitely heavier and packs a punch. That rhythm section is still present but the overriding sound is created by the distorted guitars. The heaviness isn't off-putting in any way, it adds great depth to the groups sound which will make them a force when playing live. 

'Safe' EP out on April the 8th 
Facebook - www.facebook.com/wearehightyde
Twitter - @wearehightyde
Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/wearehightyde

Catch High Tyde live in April (see dates below)

Blossoms At Most A Kiss: EP Review

Blossoms - At Most A Kiss

Heading up the BBC's sound of 2016 and with an ever-growing fan-base, Blossoms a five-piece based in Stockport this week released their 'At Most A Kiss' EP.

We've heard quite a bit from the band, who in 2014 released "You Pulled A Gun On Me" which gave us a taste of things to come. In the same year, they released their single "Blow" which really put them on the map. The latter combined elements of various genres creating a sound unfamiliar to the ears of many music fans. In 2015 they went from strength to strength with the release of the "Charlemagne" EP which saw them not only improve as a band, but gain serious recognition and radio play. Fast forward to February 2016, on the verge of their debut album the band teased fans once again with another EP "At Most A Kiss". 

The title track is one that's drenched in vintage style synths. These synths along with the other instrumentation create a pop-rock sound with a certain style harking back the 60s. Yet, it sounds very fresh and clean. "Fourteen" follows suit but has a distinct funky feel to it, with heavy emphasis on the bass-line which takes the focus away somewhat from the vocals and at times can be distracting if you want to hear what Tom Ogden has to say. "Wretched Fate" the third track from the EP drops the heavy, centre staged synths allowing Ogden's vocals to shine through the glistening guitars and synths in the background. The sound is very jangly and has a sheen to it like polished wood. Final track "Misery" is very minimalist and basic. Simply, it's a rudimentary piano scale with Ogden's vocal over the top which if we're splitting hairs is a tad wimpy and lacking any serious bite. The track is without doubt the weakest of the four, but it does show the band in a new light and prove that they might not be a one trick pony. 

A mixed bag then. Without doubt "A Most A Kiss" is the pick of the bunch. It will be interesting to see where Blossoms go after this EP. 

7/10

Blossoms are on tour. Catch them at these shows:

The Welly Club - Hull 24/02/2016
O2 Academy - Leicester 26/02/2016
Albert Hall - Manchester 27/02/2016
The Tunnels - Aberdeen 02/03/2016
Kasbah - Coventry 04/03/2016
The Sugarmill - Stoke 05/03/2016

The Wytches - Wasteybois

The Wytches unveil new song entitled 'Wasteybois' from their new EP 'Thunder Lizard's Reprieve' which arrives in late August.

The Brighton-based surf doom rock trio are preparing to release their new EP which is entitled 'Thunder Lizard's Reprieve' and they have released their new single 'Wasteybois' which can be downloaded for free.

The track is a three minute tirade of heavily distorted guitars, rapid drum beats and deafening howls from front-man Kristian Bell. The opening to the track is wild and chaotic and then suddenly slows down only for a split-second as straight away the drums kick in and the guitars explode into a heavy, whirlwind sound. This pattern repeats likes a never ending helter skelter and the music becomes even more frantic just before the climax with the guitar sound we can easily distinguish as The Wytches.

The track is a fantastic show of strength and power that the band have, its as if a switch has been flicked, and suddenly they take off like a rocket.

Thunder Lizard's Reprieve Tracklist:
1. Wasteybois
2. Gettin' Lucky
3. DADFAC#
4. If Not For Money

Download the track for free HERE.

Darlia Knock Knock EP Review

Knock Knock EP (Darlia) 

The NME says that Darlia are British grunge's new hope and along with the likes of Drenge have started to gain more recognition for their dirty, distorted sound. I recently purchased their EP Knock Knock and here is a mini review about it.

Manchester via Blackpool three piece Darlia have a distinct love of dirty, filthy sounds from the early 90's grunge period in America, coupled with powerful dark lyrics it makes for a great sounding EP. 

First track on the EP is the brilliant Queen of Hearts which has an incredibly powerful chorus and the hooks are as massive as the lyrics are dark, the lead singer (Nathan Day) asks "Anyone up for a kill, I don't like the way they looked at me" which launches into the loud chorus. There are some Nirvana influences in this EP not only because Nathan looks like Kurt but the riffs and lyrics bind together to create a grunge feel which I think sounds fantastic. 

The next track is entitled Napalm, and again its high tempo and grunge inspired sound blend together to create a great song at hyper speed, with sounds of the Pixies and the slightly softer sound of early Wombats despite the loud shudder of the chorus, Choke on Bones rounds off this EP channeling Queens Of The Stone Age its very exciting with a thumping bass line and dark sounding guitar riffs which gives the song a distinct and spine chilling sound almost reminiscent of Humbug Arctic Monkeys with the unknown riffs creating an eerie sound.

Overall I think this EP is a fantastic mix of grunge and dirty sounding guitars coupled with loud vocals, I hope in 2014 Darlia go on to release an album they could become the most exciting band of 2014.

 You can purchase the EP now.