Tracks Of The Week, 02.12.16

Having spent the past couple of years crowding the stages of small venues, all-female ensemble Deep Throat Choir are giving us a taste of their upcoming debut album – and it’s very exciting.

The title track from the album, ‘Be Ok’ showcases beautifully what Deep Throat Choir are about: intricate melodies and haunting harmonies all held together by Luisa Gerstein of Landshapes, but this time with the addition of drums and synths.

‘Be Ok’ is also evidence that Deep Throat Choir are destined for something bigger; as well as struggling to fit physically onto small stages, their sound is made for huge venues, for church halls and big rooms with tall ceilings. It’s just massive.

Be OK will be released as a Valentine’s Day special in February 2017. Pre-order it here.

Reminiscent of George Ezra – but far more concerned with sea creatures, apparently – Sam Brockington’s latest single ‘Manta Ray’ is enough to have you completely hooked.

A combination of intricate guitar playing and clever, quick vocals and lyrics, ‘Manta Ray’ exemplifies Sam’s unique indie-folk, brushed with a stroke of soul. Punchy, intelligent and uplifting, ‘Manta Ray’ is, though thoughtful, endlessly easy to listen to.

Though I’m still not 100% sure exactly what Sam means with his mantra “I ain’t no Manta ray”, it’s addictive; whatever it means, I’ll be repeating it non-stop.

Sam Brockington’s debut EP Peace of Mind is out now via Prospect 21, available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.

A good debut single is without a doubt one of the most exciting things ever. Though, yes, it gives the band a lot to live up to, it also places them quickly, and securely, in the music world. Enter The Garage Flowers, with their debut release ‘Miss Maggie May’.

‘Miss Maggie May’ is the sound of a proper rock ‘n’ roll London band; raucous, raw, but with a sense of charm to rival The Libertines. Telling tales of moving on after a difficult break up, but with their laddish, boozy edge, the track is a full-on, perfectly landed pole-vault into the music world. Messy where it should be, but refined in that it knows exactly what it wants to be ‘Miss Maggie May’ sets The Garage Flowers up for very big things.

While we’re all still suffering Brexit blues, it undoubtedly hit some under than others. And while Desert Mountain Tribe may have been hit a bit harder, they also know how better than anyone else to tackle the blues.

The London/German trio are fighting back with ‘Take A Ride’, the incredible new track from their debut album. Paired with a video showing footage from 1962 cult shockumentary ‘Mondo Cane’ – something which the band felt bore resemblance to recent Brexit/Trump times – ‘Take A Ride’, much like the portrayed Reeperbahn area of Hamburg, provides an escape and distraction from life. While characteristically dark and chaotic, ‘Take A Ride’ also presents an unexpected light in the dark: as the band say themselves “an image of purity and innocence in a chaotic and brutally appearing surroundings”.

The debut album, Either That Or The Moon, is out now.

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

Melissa, 22. Editor. Student, music journalist, probably talking about Blur or Bowie