DMA’s – So We Know/Laced
DMA’s are the Australian Oasis/The La’s. They’re from Newtown, on the fringes of south Sydney, but they could be from Burnage, on the fringes of south Manchester. Their debut UK release is a double-A-side affair comprising So We Know, a Half the World Away-like acoustic ballad whose lyrics – “standing on the street/neon lights on my mind” – are very much of the Noel Gallagher school of cliched poetic yearning. But just as there was more to early Oasis than first met the ear, so it is with DMA’s; their songs are deceptive – Britpop revisited with a twist.
There’s a psychedelic tilt to their track Feels Like 37, not to mention a shoegaze fizz to the guitars. Laced, the “B-side” of their single, is pretty decent. It starts off like a standard strum-a-thon, the singer’s voice straight out of a northern council estate, but it lifts off at the chorus with a cloudburst of chords and harmonies. The single is released in the US on Mermaid Avenue/Mom & Pop Records (Wavves, Smith Westerns, Sleigh Bells), and the band have been touring here with the Courteeners. That neatly sums up the potential reaction dichotomy: they could be a quiet indie/alt sensation, or they could go mega.
Luke Saxton – Song for Harry Nilsson
Luke Saxton, a young multi-instrumentalist from York, favours the wry heartache and ornate craft of Harry Nilsson, as you can probably tell from the title. What you can’t tell is that he’s still in his teens, such is the sophistication of his compositions. This one has the breezy melancholy of Everybody’s Talkin’. And if your interest is piqued, try Sunny Sadness, his debut album of, it says here, “sumptuous pop tunes shot through with the hurt of desolation and sorrow … housed in melodies and arrangements that speak of hope and optimism for the future”. Released today on Bad Paintings and the Inkwell, Saxton’s local vinyl record and bookshop. Taxi! York!
K Stewart – Close Enough
Ekkah, Juce, Rosie Lowe, Liv, Sinead Harnett – there are a few UK R&B females lined up for attention and buzz in 2015. Add another one to the list: K Stewart, sometime collaborator with rising garage star TCTS, featured artist on Oliver Helden’s Koala (Last All Night) and touring buddy of Bondax. The Londoner’s voice was striking enough to warrant invitations from The Voice and The X Factor (both declined) and her debut track Tell Me ’Bout That (produced by Karma Kid) drew acclaim from, among others, Diplo, Jakwob and MNEK. It was good enough to have been an American production – it had that sort of quality. The follow-up, Speechless, clocked up nearly half a million plays on Soundcloud and was not a million miles from Cassie/Ciara heaven. On Close Enough, the new one, there are few signs of third-single ennui. Leaning more towards disco, it showcases that ethereal voice and Stewart’s songwriting smarts.
Bearcubs – Touch
Jack Ritchie is a digital music and sound arts graduate, a pianist and guitarist, as well as songwriter, producer and DJ, whose remixes for Gorgon City and Sinead Harnett have won him some acclaim. But this is the songwriter’s debut release proper, the first to feature his own voice. The voice betrays his London roots – it’s a way of singing that, over recent years, everyone from Jack Peñate to James Blake has employed: file under “sensitive cockney”. You could see this becoming a hit, actually, despite or perhaps because of it being a sorrowful take on garage, like a depressed Disclosure, with a memorable tribal loop and lyrics about falling out and losing touch. Perfect for the holiday season.
-We-Are-Z- – Airbrush
-We-Are-Z- are an Anglo-French operation with a quirky line in staccato dance-pop: step (jerkily) this way if you like XTC and Devo, although fans of Vampire Weekend, even (dare one suggest it in 2014) Kaiser Chiefs, might also find much to admire. This, their debut single ahead of a debut album in mid-2015 - addresses the subject of plastic surgery and fashion magazine image manipulation. “White out your teeth. Cut the bingo wings,” sings frontman Gabby. Meanwhile, Marc Arciero attacks his bass with tumultuous gusto, Guillaume Charreau pummels his drums, guitarist Drew Wynen slashes and scythes and Gabriel Cazes plays the sardonic crooner, with his arch asides about size-zero fashion fascism and camel toes.
