Golden Vessel & Filous – Great Big Warm House

We begin by heading down to beautiful Bondi Beach where the dedicated crew at Mammal Sounds work 24/7 to release exceptional work, here we have top-rated Australian artist Golden Vessel who has teamed up with Austrian artist Filous for their new single Great Big Warm House, the first cut from their collaborative EP scheduled for release in August.This one delivers a little twist toward the end. Most enjoyable.

Maria Uzor – Ventolin

Apologies to Ms. Uzor if I completely messed up the pronunciation of her name. It would seem that after all these years of living in the USofA I manage to scramble my Englishness into American speak, which results in a hybrid that’s almost a language of its own. Norwich-based Maria Uzor says this about Ventolin, “This was actually the first song I wrote for the album back in November 2022, it came together really quickly, like 10 minutes or something, and the final version isn’t much different from the demo, just with added guitars. It’s a playful tongue-in-cheek nod to my fellow asthmatics.” Fair enough. Maria’s debut album, Soft Cuts should be investigated. 

Pittsburgh Slim and The Bawl Slant – Lonely Boy Sunday

Down on England’s Southern Coast, Brighton to be exact, there you could bump into Nico, the energetic chap behind Shoredive Records. His latest venture is the intriguing collaboration between Pittsburgh Slim a rapper from NYC, formerly signed to Jay-Z’s Def Jam recordings and self-proclaimed Swedish Grunge band, The Bawl Slant. The result is a healthy take on some recognizable riffs completing the much-too-be admired, Lonely Boy Sunday, from the lad’s Falling album. Smartly conceived.

Soft Punch – Here / Now

This is the work of Rye Thomas out of Washington DC, working under the very apt moniker of, Soft Punch. Rye knows his way around at producing carefully crafted music. There’s a lot going on here on Here / Now, not least of all Rye’s intelligent overdubbing his voice to full effect. Recommended.

Vhinz – Le Passage (ft. Margot Ferro) 

Ever since Serge Gainsborough and Jane Birkin pretended to copulate in front of a microphone for Je T’aime,…Moi Non Plus, whispering in French over a rhythm track has definitely been a way to capture my attention. Here, producer Vhinz and Margot Ferro on vocals go further, after all the lyrics on Le Passage are more interesting. Vhinz shows off his production skills with some quirky electronics on the LP, Belvedere, where you’ll find additional vocalists. This one is available on Citizen Records by way of Dijon, France. Spicy!

Nevaris – Disruption

Occasionally I discover an instrumental that fits into the mix, here is Nevaris, a percussionist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and visual artist  who teamed up with legendary bassist-producer Bill Laswell for the album, Reverberation. Combining dub, funk, Afro-Latin rhythms, turntablism and extended improvisation, Nevaris and Laswell have created an album that would work well in any manner of situations. Surprise your dinner guests with this one. Disruption is an excellent place to start.

Nick Haeffner – What Time Can Do

Nick Haeffner says he has been making glorious offbeat pop music since his tenure with 80s cult indie band Clive Pig and the Hopeful Chinamen. (Yes, I have ‘em in my archives). Nick is also, alongside being a musician, a teacher and avid photographer, and about his new single he writes, “What Time Can Do is a wistful song about work/life balance in a society where many people, especially immigrants, are both exploited and dishonestly blamed. Musically, it draws on dub, 70s soul and baroque pop”. You should note that Marcus Holdaway of the High Llamas and on vocals is Yani Martinelli of Colourway. Haeffner’s new mini album, The Electromagnetic Imaginary is available from the ace Dimple Discs stable.

Freda D’Souza – He’s In My Peace

I honestly do try to not be influenced by the artwork of photography of new releases, but I will admit, I have to give kudos to Daniel Glenn Padgett for his striking shots for Freda D’Souza’s Windowledge EP. The five songs here are beautiful, performed, recorded and mixed at home by Freda who writes, “Windowledge explores the trials of intimate relationships (both friendship and romantic love) and the value of introspection and forging space for reflection. These five songs reveal a moment of clarity in the aftermath of a co-dependent relationship, opening a point of access into memory and the subconscious of their writer.” I strongly urge you to investigate, London-based, Freda D’Souza’s work. Exquisite.

Peppercat – Gay Angels

I know little about anime, my closest association was when my son had an expensive fervor for all-things Pokemon. So, I had to rely on Stephanie, my brilliant producer to collate a few facts about Peppercat and their LP, The Flame Card. She explained, Peppercat is a Medarot female character, modeled after a cat. She is the upgraded version of Magentacat. Meanwhile, Peppercat from Denton, TX along with chum, Lulubell have made a a delightful collection of songs, Gay Angels being a stellar example. Peppercat says, “This is my first album, please be kind”. Of course.

Hanging Freud – Falling Tooth

From being involved with mystical cat-like creatures we creep cautiously down a long, dark, shadowy corridor to encounter, the Glasgow-based duo of Paula Borges and Jonathan Skinner who present as Hanging Freud. The Gothic Gothness that Paula and Jonathan conjure up is diligently realized, without heading into parody. Falling Tooth is on  their own imprint Tiny Box, via the Belgian label, Spleen+. 

Theo Bleak – Reality Shows

We staying Scotland and head on over to Dundee to hear from Theo Bleak who tells us about, Reality Shows. You’ll enjoy terrific songwriting and charming voice on her new EP Iliad. “I write about my life and cover songs I love”, says Katie Lynch who uses the somewhat disturbing stage persona of Theo Bleak. Katie/Theo opened for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds recently, so someone is taking notice of her talent. This is one to watch out for.

The 3 Clubmen – Racecar

This is our second outing with The 3 Clubmen, who are Andy Partridge (XTC), Stu Rowe (Future Sound Of London) and American songstress Jen Olive. Racecar is from their exceptionally good, The 3 Clubmen EP released on Swindon’s own Lighterthief label with distribution via Britain’s Burning Shed. Yes, there are hints of XTC in there, yet to my ears, this is a refreshing new venture for Mr. Partridge and friends. Well done.

Niicap & Benji Lewis – Sunny Day

We began this volume with a gem from the illustrious folks down under at Mammal Sounds, here then is another from their roster of talent.   This is Niicap & Benji Lewis who say Sunny Day. And, why not indeed. Here we have Australian artist Benji Lewis teaming up with French producer Niicap for an electro-house treat. A sparkling production. And, as I often say, a massive extended version would be welcome, especially on a Sunny Day.

The art work is by Norman B “Seagull against high rises, Tampa, June 2009” 35” x 35” giclée print on archival paper. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection