Tracks Of The Week, 11.08.17

With the warm, sweetness of Lucy Rose, but a sharpness reminiscent of Kate Nash, Lauran Hibberd’s new track ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’ is enough to have anyone hooked.

At just 19, Lauran has refined her sound: one which is both incredibly nostalgic and a breath of fresh air. It’s delicate, but never twee. It builds to a climax which Lauran’s voice floats effortlessly above. And, despite Hibberd saying the track is about losing touch with her youth, it shines through the track. Combined with a charm and intelligence, it’s impossible to listen to ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’ without a grin on your face.

‘Old Head Young Shoulders’ will be out on 1 September.

If you’re going to get emotionally invested in Culture Abuse (which I can safely say you are) the time is now, as they head out on a UK tour.

With their new track, ‘So Busted’ Culture Abuse are talking about “all the stuff you are told you need in life but when it all boils down all you really want is to feel loved and cared for.” While ‘So Busted’ is probably best enjoyed in the sunshine of their home turf, if you close your eyes (and sit directly in the one patch of sunlight you can find), the track almost does the job of taking you there itself.

See Culture Abuse live this August:

20 – Garage, London
22 – Stereo, Glasgow
23 – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
24 – The Globe, Cardiff
25 – Leeds Festival
26 – 234 Festival, Brighton
27 – Reading Festival

The title track from his upcoming EP, ‘Goodbye Berlin’ sees Pat Dam Smyth as hauntingly beautiful as ever.

In Pat’s own words, a track about “being a kid and disappearing down the rock and roll rabbit hole,” ‘Goodbye Berlin’ sees his already haunting sound take on a new lease of life, dragging you down said rabbit hole with him. What Pat does most impressively with ‘Goodbye Berlin’ is achieve such sensations – that the music is completely encompassing – with very little fussiness. With just his voice, Pat Dam Smyth can have you completely transfixed.

Goodbye Berlin is out now

I struggled to choose which track from White Room’s double single release to include. It took some tossing up, but I’ve gone with ‘The Blue,’ a high-powered, incredibly strong nod to psych/beat music of the 60s.

Taken from their forthcoming record, Eight, which the band hope will help you “lose yourself; find an escape, and to embrace the intrinsic ability music has to take you away from the harsh realities of life.” Indeed, ‘The Blue’ is a taste of that: of far-off, positive vibes and happier thinking.

‘The Blue’/’Tomorrow Always Knew’ is the second of
four double A-Side releases which will form Eight.

Melissa Svensen
@MelYeaahh

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

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