Our New Music Playlist features new releases from local bands, plus selected tracks from some of the touring bands coming to the Calder Valley this year.
Demise Of Love – Demise Of Love EP
An exciting new project combining the gigantic creative forces of three unique, dance music talents – Daniel Avery, Ghost Culture and Working Men’s Club’s Syd Minsky. The latter, as you may well know, is a very familiar face at The Golden Lion where he co-hosts a star-studded monthly night with resident Matthew Hum called Everything Is True.
The trio’s first offering to the world is a self-titled 4-track 10” EP via Domino Records, with the first two singles – Be A Man and Strange Little Consequence – available on digital download and streaming.
As you might expect, given the powerhouse energies at work here, they have forged a sound that is meaty, apocalyptic and unrelenting. A ferocious all-out attack, with studio bravery to the hilt. (As if these guys knew any other way!) But that said, it’s not without its emotive subtleties.
Of the two tracks, Be A Man is the more explosive. A thunderous electronic assault, ripped and raw, gilded with both menace and promise. Industrial, stonking dark club beats serve up squelchy, cataclysmic dabs of inter-galactic acid synth. It’s a sonic time bomb – spiky, domineering and dripping with latex-clad hedonism.
Strange Little Consequence is, to a degree, an antidote, a yin to the yang, but unmistakably woven from the same cloth. Carrying the same weapons of wild abandon, they are released in less gnarly more astute fashion, the whole track softened by a warmly-searching, ambitious New Order / Underworld-ish vocal skyline. It has a nonchalant, edgy demeanour, furnished with flourishes of sweeping ascension. Steeped in intensity, it ultimately reveals a deeply brooding beauty.
You get the feeling Demise Of Love, as a new creative vehicle, offers Daniel, Syd and James a special kind of cathartic release. They have crafted something daring, exciting and revitalisingly futuristic.
As Avery says: “Three distinct sonic personalities coming together to create something new entirely, a search for a burning light that could only exist between the trio.”
Job done.
Alastair Bentley – Virtue
The debut single by Alastair, former frontman of The Caymans, sees the young singer-songwriter adding touches of laidback, insouciant soul to his predominantly pop palette.
His vocals with the Halifax four-piece frequently offered us nostalgic glimpses of mid-80s poster boys Aztec Camera, Nick Hayward and the like – and those references remain here – but a noticeable evolution is the relaxed tempo and spaciousness in Virtue, allowing the melodies to rise up, uncrowded, and take centre stage.
In doing so, Alastair has created a surf-ish, slightly slacker vibe, akin to Strawberry Guy or Current Joys. Or perhaps the 70s-braided hippy stroll of Brighton band Fur.
Produced by Ukrainian, Yaroslav Ponomaryov, who worked extensively with The Caymans last year, the track glides effortlessly along with a breezy summer-shine serenity. And by way of heralding the start of his solo career, this is a heart-warming opening gambit.
Follow Alastair Bentley for news of future releases and gig dates – @alastairbentley
Tiv Whitaker – Doves
Primarily known as the lead singer in synth-rock quartet Casino Rockets, Tiv Whitaker has recently been furthering his ardent passion for experimental electronica.
A regular at local EMOM nights, he has built up a rich catalogue of original solo synth compositions. Tiv is looking to put out a couple of albums later this year but, ahead of any formal release, we’ve been lapping up this initial offering, a live version of his song Doves on Youtube.
Here, Tiv is generating real-time sequences in Ableton, using an MPC40 mk2 and Novation Launchkey 61 mk4. The output is an impressive texture-bank of dreamy, warm soundscapes, not dissimilar to Future Sound Of London or the most cinematic aspects of The Orb.
It straddles the feel of pre-club livener and post-club chill-out, never slowing into pure ambient territory for long. Much like μ-Ziq or large sections of The Orbital’s ‘green album’, there’s sufficient pulse, rhythm and peaks throughout to keep you actively hooked in. It’s like a mini-trip for the psyche, noodling the brain just enough to stretch you out into the edges of blissful, shifting realms, giving rise to visions of a late-afternoon Ibiza sun.
Weighing in at 16 minutes, this version might at first glance seem a little excessive, but once you settle into its hypnotic, fluid meanderings you soon realise the duration is absolutely vital. Anything less would cut short the ride and rob you of its splendour.
Follow Tiv Whitaker for news of those official releases – @tivfoto
Dan’s Girlfriend – Shadow
Sassy, sax-tooting rockers Dan’s Girlfriend gear up for the release of their debut album with this, their third teaser single, Shadow – and it depicts a markedly different aspect of the band’s character.
Of their previous efforts, ‘Skipping Beats’ was an all-out rambunctious, carnival-esque storm of brass, while last year’s debut ‘Heartbreaker’ revealed their fondness for fine-edged, anthemic rock. ‘Shadow’, however, is a tad more introspective – fluttersome and soft-centred, gliding in with the kind of electro-bass and light-touch rock guitar you might find in an 80s Brat Pack film.
The trademark sax doesn’t enter the fray until well into the second half. Holding court instead is a purposeful, polished pop vocal and a heightened sense of drama. There’s also, whether by accident or by design, a surprising likeness to the new Bon Iver album. (Really!)
Dan’s Girlfriend have another single out mid-May, followed by the big launch show for the album ‘Killing Time’ on May 25th at The Puzzle. Also on the bill that night will be Burgz, Chris Manley, The Weedwackers and Neontown.
Follow Dan’s Girlfriend on Insta – @dansgirlfriendband
Grow – Take It And Run
Behold! Here comes, with swagger and swoon, Take It And Run, the eagerly-anticipated second release from Halifax quartet Grow.
The B-side to Your Own Time, the track sees the band in customary slow-jam, 70s-groove mode – stretched-out playful melodies dancing above a silky bass line.
With fluid brush strokes of piano-led indie, it floats with an airy confidence, cohesive yet loose, resembling Keane at their peak. There are elements of Athlete and Turin Brakes in there too, while there is a beguiling, retro-grade comfort in the lounge-ish harmonies, somewhat akin to those conjured by Arctic Monkeys on 2022 album ‘The Car’.
Both tracks, Your Own Time and Take It And Run, are available now on vinyl and as digital download through Grayston Unity Records.
Take a peek at our interview feature with the band where they discuss their songwriting process and those first recording sessions at Buffalo Studio in Castleford with producer JB Pilon.
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