Hello world,
Here’s your latest FP Picks update with stacks of great new music as always inc trx fm Sports Team, Turin Brakes, Jodie Langford & 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
Sports Team – Maybe When We’re 30
Cambridge indie outfit Sports Team have dropped their thought-provoking new single Maybe When We’re 30, taken from upcoming third album Boys These Days – a somewhat sardonic ode to the concept of settling down as you get older and seeing your social circles transform. The band’s Rob Knaggs states: “One morning you look around, and all your friends are getting married, and you think, maybe all I really want is to grow old, and get a dog, and write horrible things about Brooklyn Beckham on Facebook, and go on cruises, and have petty disputes with my neighbours about whether the council recycles cardboard.” Uplifting with quick-witted lyrics – love this one. The album examines modern life and social media’s endless cycle, which the band refer to as “the churn.”
Pleaser – Begging Guitars
Danish punk-rock outfit Pleaser have shared the powerful title track from their upcoming album Begging Guitars. The band states: “the song presents the subjects of letting go and not expecting or indulging in perfection from oneself or others.” Pleaser is steam rolling noise and singalongable tunes, sometimes bellowing headless aggression in shrill voices, sometimes hooky duet singing. Pleaser chews it all up and infuses it with their own noisy but charming melodic rattle. Lyrically, the songs contemplate themes of life/death, subconscious patterns, internal search for hope and love, demons, fear and desperation but also growth and the shaping of new pathways. What an absolute belter!
GANS – I THINK I LIKE YOU
Two-piece alternative rock band GANS have dropped their infectious new single I THINK I LIKE YOU, a song about body dysmorphia and its effect on relationships. The song opens with a laid-back, yet undeniably groovy instrumental. A simple yet infectious guitar riff alongside light percussion instantly draws listeners in and sets the tone for a raw, peeled-back vibe. It feels intense and organic with a steady sense of chaos humming in the background. The pace picks up toward the chorus drawing the listener into the energy of the track. A powerful, raucous anthem – we’re loving the high-energy instrumentation combined with intimate storytelling.
Jodie Langford – Put It Down
Hull’s best loved spoken word fiend Jodie Langford has shared energetic new single Put It Down – a highly relatable party track that asks us all to put away our phones at gigs & fully savour the moment. With production duties supplied by steadfast ‘king of electro’ Endoflevelbaddie, the sound of Put It Down leans more towards punk in terms of attitude (still with a hint of rave mind you) & has been feverishly concocted in the studio to keep it fresh & not bloated with layers of over-produced sounds. With great support from Radio X‘s John Kennedy, inc an interview on International Women’s Day, plus fantastic reviews from press, this artist has a firm fan-base and is really going places. Check out Jodie’s electrifying live performance at The Great Escape this summer.
Billy Nomates – The Test
Billy Nomates has shared rousing new single The Test, taken from upcoming third album Metalhorse. The track features a low humming bass and bright piano interjections which are paired with Nomates’ (aka Tor Maries) powerful vocal lines. It’s been described as an encapsulation of “the turmoil of the last 18 months and the bewilderment that Billy Nomates is still going in spite of it all.” Maries states: “It’s working at something against the odds and feeling like someone’s helping you from the other side, and if they see you that’s the test. I really feel that when we’re playing it live. Like, with everything that’s going on, I can’t believe this is surviving.” The album explores new genres such as blues, folk and piano-driven arrangements, transforming the usual stark punk sound into something more pastoral.
Turin Brakes – Spacehopper
Turin Brakes have shared their uplifting new single Spacehopper. Frontman Olly Knights, said: “I wrote the initial idea when my younger daughters were quite literally bouncing around on the grass in the summer sun on a bright yellow space hopper. No smart phones, just a simple planet-shaped rubber ball with a smiley face, like the last 40 years had all been a weird daydream and it was in fact still 1975. Instead of taking a photo on my phone, I grabbed a guitar and out came the song; hopefully, it captured some of the joy of that moment.” Spacehopper is their first new music in over three years marking the 10th studio album from Turin Brakes, a big milestone for a band who released their debut album over 24 years ago – The Mercury Prize nominated The Optimist LP. Making me reminisce about my orange spacehopper! What a fantastic upbeat, gorgeous summery track with engaging lyrics – just love it!
HAAi – Can’t Stand To Lose
London-based, Australian-born producer, songwriter and DJ HAAi (aka Teneil Throssell) recently shared the new single Can’t Stand To Lose which uncovers a more intimate part of Teneil’s work, backdropped by an enveloping and widescreen tapestry of electronica and techno. HAAi explains, “Can’t Stand To Lose is a reflection on longing, loss, and the deeply human emotions that accompany them – the nostalgia, the yearning, and the vulnerability. It’s inspired by our rapidly changing world and how it reshapes our lives: opening possibilities that are initially exciting, but are soon met with the realisation of what’s lost. It’s a meditation on what we gain and what we leave behind.” HAAi is known for her dynamic, tempo-shifting DJ sets. In 2024 HAAi played over 100 shows across 5 continents, 30 countries, and 91 cities.
Kassi Valazza – Your Heart’s A Tin Box
Kassi Valazza has shared the beautiful new single Your Heart’s A Tin Box, taken from her forthcoming album From Newman Street, a personal narrative about beginning a new life and leaving the old behind alongside the struggle and sacrifice that comes with pursuing her art. Valazza states: “This song was written when I took a three month break from touring and found myself living in New Orleans. In those three months I was broke, falling in love again, and discovering the less likeable parts of myself as I began a new life in a strange place. This song is kind of an ode to every fear and worry I’ve had in the past year.” What a melodic track with mesmerizing vocals and poignant lyrics – love it!
Lucy Gooch – Like Clay
Lucy Gooch has shared hypnotic and individual new single Like Clay, taken from the upcoming debut album Desert Window. She comments: “It came together simply and is the song that flows the most naturally…” This track elegantly bridges the gap between her electronic foundations and folk sensibilities. The album started out as vocal improvisations from which she pulled a narrative and Lucy states: “To a larger extent, this became an experiment in placing my voice in a more narrative way, while remaining oblique.” It is a complex and elegant album, an all-consuming series of songs that reach into jazz, electronica and classical song construction. Calming and beautiful.
George Boomsma – Fallen
Ok it’s not a new track but we’re really enjoying the heartfelt, emotive track Fallen from George Boomsma, with its gentle guitar melodies, sublime guitar and a memorable chorus with pop sensibilities. Fallen is a mellow song which is said to be “a reflection on grief” and it’s taken from George Boomsma’s 2024 album The Promise Of Spring – beautifully written songs about grief for a particular family member – his brother Tom. George is a progressive folk musician from Northallerton, North Yorkshire and his effortless vocals and sensitive guitar playing evoke an intimate atmosphere that silences even the rowdiest of crowds. A beautiful, heart-warming track.
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