Tracks Of The Week, 09.05.14 - GigslutzGigslutz

Having first fallen in love with Martin Longstaff, aka The Lake Poets, upon seeing him supporting John Smith at The Union Chapel, I am pretty elated that he will be releasing his debut EP next month. Following recent single, ‘April’, ‘Honest Hearts’ has now become available for listening and it may be even more wonderful.

Raised in Sunderland, and with influences ranging from Tom Waits to Feist, Longstaff has been writing lyrics since childhood, and now – still at a pretty tender age – succeeds in creating some of the most captivatingly beautiful, moving songs I’ve heard in a long time. ‘Honest Hearts’ fits this description perfectly, with Longstaff’s genuinely heartfelt lyrics, pristine folky melodies and his alluringly smooth, dulcet tones.

With subject matter ranging from annoying friends to heart-breakingly emotive tales of loss, The Lake Poets will tug at the heart strings in all the right ways and compellingly draw you into a world of beauty and sadness that you won’t want to leave. Although Longstaff sings that ‘You can take my body, but you will never get my soul’, I think my soul may have just been completely won over by ‘Honest Hearts’.

The EP of the same name is due for release 16th June via Generator: prepare to be utterly spellbound.

You can also catch The Lake Poets on tour:

Friday 23rd May – Fibbers, York

Saturday 24th May – Evolution Emerging (Headliner), Cluny, Newcastle

Wednesday 18th June – Sebright Arms, London

Friday 20th June – Brudenell Games Room, Leeds w/Sam Airey

Having recently received acclaim frrom Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, and having been played on Steve Lamacq’s 6Music show, Scottish duo – Honeyblood – are to release their eponymous debut EP in July.

New single ‘ Killer Bangs’ contains all the bitter-sweetness that you’d expect from a band with such an oxymoronic name. With twinkly, sugary-pop melodies fused together with Best Coast-esque garage-rock, catchy hooks and pummelling beats, ‘Killer Bangs’ is an energy fuelled summer anthem: the perfect accompaniment to sunny days on the common… (if only it would stop raining)

Honeyblood’s debut LP will be released 14th July via FatCat records.

Despite being based in my beloved Bridport, that is not the reason why The Gravity Drive have caught my attention; their twinkly, ethereal pop alone is sufficiently alluring. And, it seems, I’m not the only one to be charmed by this West Country husband/wife duo: having been receiving praise a plenty from Radio 2’s Janice Long, 6Music’s Chris Hawkins and Tom Robinson, the future for The Gravity Drive is looking as bright as their charming creations sound.

New single ‘Fun’ is just that: an upbeat slice of fun, filled with beguiling harmonies, sparkling melodies and the amalgamation of Elijah and Ava’s vocals fusing together perfectly. Wonderfully sunny, effervescent pop that will have you yearning for the idyllic, seaside location from whence it came.

‘Fun’ will be released on Monday, 12th May, on the band’s own label. Check it out, everyone needs a bit of Fun in their lives after all…

Whilst Withered Hand’s Dan Willson may be no lovelorn adolescent, latest single ‘Fall Apart’ seems to allude to emo teen days; with introspective lyrics strewn with fragility and feelings of lost love, it’s easy to be transported back to a time when one indeed did “hold lighters in the air”, swaying along to favourite songs in dingy basements.

Five years since his debut, Withered Hand’s new album came out earlier this year, with ‘Fall Apart’ being my personal favourite track so far…Perfectly showcasing Willson’s characteristic raw yet smooth vocals, subtly angsty content and delicate melodies, it is an addictively nostalgic listen that has me hankering for that sense of emotional teenage togetherness that seemed more apparent in those pre-smoking ban, lighter waving days…

Withered Hand’s latest album, ‘New Gods’, is out now.

Having already received ‘Tracks Of The Week’ acclaim, as well as praise from the likes of Q Magazine and Huw Stephens, Vienna Ditto are back with new single ‘Feeling Good’. The London based electro-blues duo have won me over once again. Having being compared to the likes of Portishead and PJ Harvey, Vienna Ditto are one of those rare entities that it is impossible to pigeon hole into one specific genre and are capable of creating a unique sound that will reignite one’s excitement for new music.

‘Feeling Good’ is filled with upbeat, bluesy, rockabilly riffs juxtaposed alongside the smoky, hypnotic vocals of Hatty Taylor and shades of eerie electronica. A refreshing blast of sound that will stick in your mind: it will indeed leave you feeling “finger-licking, pistol-whipping good”.

‘Feeling Good’ will be available for sale and download everywhere from Monday 9th June.

Recorded at Konk Studios with Tristan Ivemy – producer of Frank Turner’s ‘England Keep My Bones’ – Kassassin’s latest creation, ‘The Royal Handkerchief Ballet’, is as wonderfully weird as the title would suggest.

Inspired by the likes of ‘90s alt-indie stars Kula Shaker and Primal Scream, ‘The Royal Handkerchief Ballet’ is filled with dark, psychedelic melodies, trippy beats and striking, Eastern-inspired drones. Along with Rowan Bastable’s distinctive, Kasabian-esque vocals and an artistic video that’s as vibrant and hypnotic as the track itself, this is a brilliantly bizarre and intensely mesmerising offering that will draw you in and leave you wanting more.