Our Friends Part II- Lila Tristram
The second instalment of the singer-songwriters 'Our Friends' project arrived just months after part 1. With the second instalment, this EP sounds as that Lila has grown so much since the last outing and a sense of emergence from the topics within part , has occurred. 'Leaving Song' opens so beautifully just like the start of a Pixar film, it graciously welcomes us to the new journey the singer is on. Lila's vocals sound wonderful and the lyrics of giving thanks to the music and poetry she loves, is incredibly wholesome.
'Anymore' is a song I love off the EP, the chord progression is really interesting and the whole song sounds so fresh, as if Lila has just written it. The imagery she portrays within the lyrics are utterly beautiful, having the sense of the outdoors (mountains and ivory) within them. ‘Thames II' features some perfect sounding strings, you really feel like the fog is clearing from the lake and emerges with such beauty, the elegance of it all is to die for on this short instrumental.
Darker tones arises in the guitar playing in 'Our Friends', with the mixing of the acoustic sounding so hauntingly by Mic Burrows. The amazing EP then finishes with 'Heyday’, which features stories by her Grandmother and Father, a wholesome and lovely touch for sure. It is done so well, the shift with the electric guitar picking away in the background does reinforce the sense of reflection we find on the song.
Overall this EP shows off how the talent of Lila is forever growing, the songs on offer here are so welcoming and truly interesting in so many aspects.
Chewing Cotton wool- Japanese House
Overall, this EP is a progression of Amber's sound which indicates that The Japanese House is one the most sophisticated pop leaning acts around. ‘Sharing Beds’ begins the EP that clocks in under two minutes, sounding very much of a Radiohead nod with its vocals.
From the get go this EP sounds reflective and that continues with ‘Something Has To Change’ as Amber sings; ‘you're repeating yourself, and it's the same girl who's giving you hell, and it's the same face, your heart keeps breaking in the same place’. There is a running soft rock guitar that goes alongside the beat on this track, with the melody also sounding like their label mates, The 1975.
This EP ends so hauntingly beautiful with the song of the same name… and wow this one hits hard. Softly, we hear a keyboard running along with the singer sounding so elegantly tense while singing about the loose of someone who was very dear to them. Lyrics of ‘she's the dust upon the sill, she's everywhere’ just leaves you thinking about how easy it is to take someone for granted, as they are just always imbedded to what seems normal for you. It’s a great way to close the EP and leaves us thinking how strong the artist is and how she can truly become such a star with the direction she is going in.
Miami Memories- Alex Cameron
The EP by the Aussie songwriter is indeed a collection of demos of some of this best work, all on his last studio album. It is such a great insight to hear how Alex brought these songs to life, also leaving you wondering why and how they slightly changed!
My pick of last years best song, ‘Far From Born Again, is the first number and hearing it all stripped back (just with a synth beat) is fascinating. The song is an ode to sex workers, a celebration of their success and showing how dickish and wrong people can be when being hypocritical towards them. ’Same men that tell her stop, are the same suckers that pay, far from born again, she’s doing porn again’, is the lyric that does show what the song wants to deliver, truly fantastic.
Alex Cameron wrote the album ‘Miami Memory’ in his apartment in NYC, something that you can really imagine on ‘Gaslight’. The sparse keys are lovely, the whole aesthetic of this demo feels so fresh and like we are experiencing Cameron nailing down the first ever take of the song. The calming nature of the earlier cuts feel so lonely but romantic, especially with ‘Miami Memory’ as it somehow becomes more cosy despite lyrics about eating your girls arse like an oyster, yep.
‘PC With Me’ has some of my favourite lyrics from the songwriter, the song being about how Alex is telling her partner please do not worry about what you want to say, I love you and be who you truly are. The hook of ‘you don’t have to be, my darling so PC with me’ is romantic as heck somehow and then the chorus is honestly kick arse.
Medicine- Baby Queen
‘Internet Religion’ begins the EP and is where Baby Queen tackles the obsessive and ego driven ethos that can be found way too much online; straight away showing her amazing skill at delivering her opinions in a well crafted way. “this is my internet obsession, this is why the kids got depression’ is a lyric that stands out to show off her concerns for the unhealthy existence we can have online.
‘Pretty Girl Lie’ truly shines so brightly with its humorous/honest lyrics and infectious melody! With regards to the words, I could share every lyric on this song as Baby Queen delivers such a punch and laugh on every line; from the beginning line of ‘edit my legs till the doorway bends’ to ‘the pretty girl style is super contrived, all the little kids cry, authenticity dies’ and ‘you are what you eat, so I’ll become nothing’. The list could go on here, it is truly brilliant how the singer-songwriter has crafted a gem of a song that delivers such an important tone.
‘Want Me’ offers a cool beat, yet it still has that poppy rock element in the chorus. Baby Queen delivering the verses very quickly gives that thought process of wanting someone to want them that intense feeling, with the chorus having more of a lighter tone. Next is ‘Buzzkill’ and it keeps the beat ordinated nature going and really has a Taylor Swift nod to it that is very enjoyable.
‘Online Dating’ is a good take on how dating can be on the internet, in particular the dreaminess and lack of consequences potentially ‘being with someone’ through the internet. The slow nature of it makes it a gentle closer for the EP.
ALLIAS- Shygirl:
The way the London artist has created such a cyber, grityy and full on electronic dance EP is incredible. From the word go with the opener, ’TWELVE’, we go to the max with powerful electronic sounds and incredible confidence in Shygirl’s delivery. The catchy and strobe fitting single ‘SLIME’ oozes with pure delight. It's incredibly seductive and has some great South London touches to it, giving it that grit but still ensuring it would still fit for anyone to get down to anywhere.
‘FREAK’ really does go to that extra level, it does not a leave a crack with its instrumentation and gives you everything that the artist possess. The industrial sound will capture the imagination of a lot of ravers and also send them down a very erotic path too.
’TASTY’ then offers a really fun and gym like synth key hook, it already feels like a remix and that beat will get you want to do your crunches and lunges! Songs like ‘Leng’ shows off the rappers grime capabilities that gives this body of work even more great aspects to it and ‘BAWDY’ feels like it would be such a great number to play in the amazing but odd small clubs you would find in a dark alley in a major city.
POST HUMAN.....- Bring Me The Horizon
The EP opens it curtains ferociously with the drumming really taking control of the song, the frontman Oli Sykes singing an entry to his dairy about 2020 so passionately. With lyrics talking about isolation and God being a fuckhead, the opener shows the EP’s intentions clearly. Then, ‘Teardrops’ is more than a nod to Linkin Park, it its a progression of the nu-metal genre that really surprised me when listening for the first time. The synth beat sounds in the first moments is classic, the chorus dropping is epic and there is a great sense of grit but still accessible nature to the melody.
When the song and feature was announced, lots of people were screaming about YUNGBLUD singing alongside the band. Oli begins the track with a lot of dedication and is on form, it gives the song a great start and the chorus is incredibly catchy. What is important to note is the subtle nuances of the feature within the melody, it is impressive how they pulled the collaboration off with YUNGBLUD who seemed to enjoy being taken along for the ride.
There is a lot of fun in the deathcore and kawaii metal elements of ‘Kingslayer’ that features BABYPINK. Vocally, Ole sounds tremendous and the Korean Girlband fit in so well amongst it, the piercing synths alongside the girls just gives even more of a bad arse nature to their feature.
To conclude, we have ‘One Day The Only Butterflies Will Be On Our Chest’. The marching style feels like we are looking to what is next for the world and coping with COVID-19, it is a fantastic tone to finish off. Amy Lee begins with the song so dramatically and sings about ‘why’d you keep fucking it up?’ and questioning how we have allowed ourselves to get into such a mess, when we know it was always possible.
Trm- The Roly Mo
‘She’s so Hot’ begins with such a force! Its a very quick rock’n’roll number with some heavy but smooth guitars. ‘Diamond Doll’ has such swagger and blues to it that you would say could be a Black Keys influence, however the boys make it their own. The vocals sound so cool, singing about a girl who you dig but sadly wants a man with money.
‘Count To Ten’ has a great 60’s songwriting with a early rhythm’n’blues melody, potentially a nod to The Beatles (I could hear a young Lennon singing the chorus?). The song’s purity and slight shift shows off their ability and overall a great indication of how talented the songwriting is within the band. We are then smashed with ‘Stuck in a Rut’ that has some brilliant, heavy Scottish vocal delivery! The garage, surfer rock guitar riff is filled with fury and passion, it really does take you for a ride that must be a lot of fun live.
‘I’ll Be Happy When You Die’ and ‘Control Yourself’ are two awesome songs. The later is a stand out on the EP, it is a great single that offers a great indie guitar line that really fits nicely with the melody. The lyric ‘it’s been a rough night’ just makes me smile so much as it feels so Strokes like but fresh! Honestly this song could become very popular in the indie quarters, it sounds instantly classic and just a great performance overall.
Petals For Armour III- Hayley Williams:
On the final third of Hayley’s debut solo project, we probably find ‘Petals For Armour’ at its most interesting. The beginning of the final leg and third EP, ‘Pure Love’, has a great new wave sound that is lightly playful. Vocally, Hayley sounds great and is able to move around in such a cool way, the bass line and light keys are also a really great touch to the track.
There is an awesome blend of Latin and Jazz influences within the rhythm and melody on 'Taken', it generates the most fascinating groove across the whole project and the intricate guitars are a real delight. The attempt of mixing some variety of ideas on part three does make it stand out as it just offers some different moments that you would not expect on the other two EP’s.
‘Sugar on the Rim’ has some husky vocals in the pre-chours alongside some slight minimalistic synths that build us up to a big 80s club song. ‘Watch Me When I Bloom’ arrives with a big cry and does represent and new sense of life, found by Hayley through her exploration of herself during Petals For Armour. To conclude, ‘Crystal Clear’ follows a straight forward beat but has some glimmering synths that feel wonderful alongside Hayley’s singing, it feels like such a beautiful send off.
unwelcome- Keaton Dekker
The bass line in ‘Gt’ grabbed my attention straight away, it really jumps into something immersive. Next is ‘Ityk’ and it is utterly beautiful, the singers vocals sound so pure on this. The light keys are delicate as we hear lyrics about the realisation of how a relationship has fallen apart while thinking you knew all about the person, when in fact you did not.
From the interview back in the early summer, Dekker explained that when writing ‘makeup’, he realised that making up every time with friends is not always the healthiest option. The track does feel very light with it’s 80’s synth sounds but does really hit you when it being about such a topic, overall it is a really effective and honest song.
‘Mint’ has a really cool beat and the melody is very delightful, again the vocals sounding so soulful and beautiful. We see again the subtle touches of an electric guitar, it is played so cooly under the night time like synths. ‘the unwelcome series’ closes with a short but effective track in ‘Try Again’, it truly sounds like we are leaving the world we have experienced on this EP and I can not wait to return.
Written by Tom Bedding
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