Hello world,
Here’s your latest FP Picks update. We’ve got tracks from The Slates, Megan Wyn, BARSTAFF & lots more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!
Until next week
Helen (Futureproof) x
Noah and the Loners – Crash Landing
Brighton punk outfit Noah and the Loners recently dropped raging new single Crash Landing from their upcoming EP A Desolate Warning. Vocalist Noah Lonergen states: “We had not intended to write or rehearse anything, as we were taking some time off from the outside world. However, a moment of inspiration from Joseph, with the opening riff – our growing frustration with the UK government’s incompetence and hypocrisy inspired this social commentary on the state of politics in the UK today – led to the creation of Crash Landing, complete with lyrics in no time at all.”
Corella – Drifting
Indie-rock outfit Corella’s intense new single Drifting serves as an electrifying glimpse into their upcoming debut album Once Upon A Weekend. The track embodies the essence of carefree youth while delving into the complexities of adulthood and captures the nostalgic sentiment of roaming the neighbourhood with friends, embracing a life of spontaneity and adventure. Yet, beneath the surface lies a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the longing for simpler days. The juxtaposition of carefree childhood scenes with the stark reality of a care home prompts viewers to contemplate the nature of nostalgia and the fleeting nature of life’s moments and with each chord progression and soaring chorus, they invite listeners to embark on a sonic journey filled with raw emotion and unbridled energy.
Meltheads – Decent Sex
Belgium’s premiere purveyors of post-punk nihilism Meltheads have dropped their raucous debut album Decent Sex and to celebrate, the band have also released a surreal and darkly debauched video for the title track. The album consists of eleven new original songs that are as exciting as they are surprising. Expect a mix of raucous garage punk and dynamic post-punk laced with influences of psych and rock ‘n’ roll – one moment dangerous and furious with impressive screams, a little later inviting and melodic with catchy sing-along choruses, switching between these extremes in between, depending on what the heavy but witty lyrics ask for.
BARSTAFF – Tracy Island
BARSTAFF have just shared anthemic indie-pop track Tracy Island, which explores a failing relationship. Referencing childhood films and TV, Tracy Island paints a particular picture that only half the relationship is acting their age. The track is the first single from the band’s upcoming sophomore EP and, maturing since their explosion onto the Northern indie scene in 2022, it boasts euphoric synth melodies paired with trademark tongue-in-cheek lyrics. For fans of Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club, Blossoms, The Twang, Spangled – what an infectious banger!
The Slates – Come Out & Play
Leeds based indie-rock outfit The Slates have dropped new single Come Out & Play for fans of Stone Roses, Oasis, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Inhaler, and The Kairos. Described by the band as being about “having a good time with the people around you and living in the moment” it’s an upbeat and optimistic slice of summery Brit-Pop, taking its cues from the genre’s heavyweights whilst injecting a light psych sensibility. With The Slates having quickly earned themselves a reputation as an impressive live band, bigger stages soon beckoned, with the four-piece playing the O2 Academy in Leeds, and Manchester Academy 1, countless festival stages, including Isle of Wight and Y-Not as well as a UK tour with ‘90s indie legends Embrace who have spotlighted their potential.
Megan Wyn – Are You Bored Yet?
Welsh born, Manchester based singer-songwriter Megan Wyn has shared the infectious new single Are You Bored Yet? which features an upbeat guitar melody throughout, intertwined with the songwriter’s powerful, assured vocals. Reminiscent of a young Stevie Nicks, Wyn’s lyrics are relatable, yet personal. Megan says of the song: “Are You Bored Yet? is a song about holding on to someone who isn’t good for you. It’s a song about that period of time when a relationship is coming to an end and you keep asking yourself if you’re bored of trying to make a toxic situation work.” Fantastic toe-tapping tune.
Chloe Slater – 24 hours
And so we have another indie-pop gem discovered on Steve Lamacq’s 6Music show this week too. With astute lyrics that play around with ideas of FOMO, influencer culture and the often overwhelming anxiety that can arise from such living, this is as addictive a track as the lifestyle it’s singing about. Love it when you can listen to the lyrics over and over again learning something new each time – and with spoken word sections that doff their cap to Northern wordsmith Jodie Langford‘s style, this is a track that’s been on repeat at FP Towers since we first discovered it. Perfectly capturing the thoughts many of us may entertain when immersed in a heavy doom scroll, this is surely a great example of pop-music making you think. Nice one Chloe… more please.
Helado Negro – I Just Want To Wake Up With You
At the end of last year, Helado Negro, aka Roberto Carlos Lange, shared I Just Want To Wake Up With You from his recently released album Phasor. Built around a chopped and sequenced guitar line, the track is a languid and fuzzy love song, an ode to domestic life, and to comfort and health. As the title suggests, it’s about waking up with the one you love, resting your voice in their arms. His 2021 album, Far In, focused on being in quarantine—talking to your mother through Zoom instead of across a room. The atmospheric Phasor, in turn, is a homage to going outside again. It’s a returning-to-life record, remembering what the sun feels like and letting it warm your skin.
flora cash – Baby I Love You
Scandi duo flora cash sonically explore the diversity of human relationships. They go straight to places where tears are shed, chairs are thrown, discussions of parting are present, but the music is created… Of their new indie banger, they state: “Lately, we find ourselves unexpectedly drawn towards a metamodern approach in our songwriting. It seems to be a natural progression of our thinking. Through that lens, Baby I Love You explores a concept of love that doesn’t need reasons or explanations. From the lowest lows to the highest highs, it just is. It’s messy and confusing. And sometimes not making sense makes the most sense.”
Karin Ann – she
Slovakian alt-pop artist Karin Ann sings about the struggles with conformity and emphasizes on electric guitar led belter she that pursuing authenticity is better than acceptance. “I don’t dive deep into the details of my songs; I enjoy letting people discover their own meanings and relate them to their own lives,” explains Karin Ann who frequently weaves themes of gender inequality, mental health struggle, and human rights advocacy into these soundscapes. They also become a vehicle for her exploration of her own, at times clashing, queer and Slovakian identities.
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