Tracks Of The Week, 28.07.14

Okay, I’m not gonna lie –  the name ‘Vomitface’ was what initially drew me to this band. But, turns out, their music is just as repulsively (in a good way) intriguing and thoroughly awesome as their name would suggest. Coming together to voice their dissatisfaction with current pop culture, Jared Micah, Preetma Singh and Keller McDivitt now reside in NYC where they create their gritty, punk-infused outbursts.

The first single to come from Vomitface’s (I just love saying that) latest EP is ‘Huffer’. A track which strikes me as a reaction to everything that is wrong/mediocre with the music industry today, it is filled with heavy,angst-laden grimy grunge and a gutsy punk attitude that will grab you by the throat and pull you in. With piercing howls and crunching riffs a plenty,’Huffer’ is just what you need to blast away those Monday blues…

The eponymous debut EP from Vomitface is out today via Bad Companion Records.

 

Since 2012, Dorset singer-songwriter Roo Panes has been creating charming folk ditties and wooing crowds of adoring fans; however, I only heard him for the first time today and it was love at first listen. His latest single, ‘Tiger Striped Sky’ is just as mythically wondrous as the title would suggest.

As Panes’ gentle husky drawl and lilting folk melodies lure you in, the echoes of haunting choral backing vocals and cascades of sweeping strings keep you hooked. Whilst ‘Tiger Striped Sky’ may not stand alone in this era of post-Mumford indie-folk, Panes stands out from the crowd; from listening to this enchanting track, you can tell he means every word of his heartfelt, picturesque lyrics and is in no need of any frills at all – his voice is quite sufficient. It’s genuine and it’s lovely. It’s genuinely lovely. What’s not to like?

‘Tiger Striped Sky’ is out now via CRC Music.

 

Australian band Apes would appear to be having a pretty good year so far: fresh off the back of a tour with Band Of Skulls, they have been receiving airplay from the likes of Triple J and BBC Radio 1, as well as having had their new video premiered on Rolling Stone Australia. It seems they’re causing quite a stir.

New track, ‘Pull The Trigger’, is one which harks back to the nostalgia of early noughties indie-pop in all the right ways. With a distinctly Kings Of Leon-esque vibe, this song will pulsate through your veins with its throbbing beat and punchy melodic romanticisms. As each irresistibly catchy chorus oozes, one can’t help but sing along to Ben Dowd’s nasal vocals that seem perfectly suited to this branch of pop.

Offering a perfect balance of raucous teenage rebellion and energy-filled youthful optimism, I’d say Apes are definitely ones to watch (listen). And here you can watch and listen to their new video for ‘Pull The Trigger’:

 

Although we don’t often tend to go for covers in TOTW, I couldn’t let this week pass without mentioning Julia Holter’s magnificent transformation of Dionne Warwick’s 1962 hit, ‘Don’t Make Me Over’. Whilst Holter maintains the smooth ‘60s R&B pizazz of the original, what she adds is a melancholy, sensuous grandeur with an art-pop coolness that will leave you hynotised. Succeeding in doing the original justice whilst completely making it her own, Holter’s ‘Don’t Make Me Over’ is truly majestic; an opulent gem of a track.

Released as part of  a double A-side, along with another cover – ‘Hello Stranger’ – ‘Don’t Make Me Over’ is due for release 19th August, on Domino.

 

Mari Lane

@marimindles

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.