by Dave Bertram, Philip Moss, Joseph Purcell and Phil Scarisbrick
The Charlatans – Totally Eclipsing
To coincide with their hometown festival – North By Northwich – The Charlatans have announced that they will release a new four-track EP on 8th June. As well as announcing its release, the EP’s title went online, plus details of its pressing as a limited edition, green 12” vinyl. Its tracks will also be sold as a special edition double CD with their last album, Different Days.
The band’s own festival sees them takeover the Cheshire town of Northwich for a series of gigs, a record fair, a memorabilia exhibition and many other events. Tonight (18th May), their show at the Memorial Court will be live-streamed on their website.
Also, check out our interview with the band here.
Nine Inch Nails – God Break Down The Door
After announcing forthcoming new record Bad Witch last week, Nine Inch Nails this week release the first track, God Break Down The Door, from the album.
After releasing EP’s, Not The Actual Events (2016) and ADD VIOLENCE (2017), it is great to see one of music’s most influential forces return again – this time with a lengthier release. And with innovator extraordinaire, Trent Reznor, at its heartbeat, any new Nine Inch Nails’ record promises to be something to look out for.
Neko Case ft. Mark Lanegan – Curse of the I-5 Corridor
Canadian alternative veteran, Neko Case, has spent years working with others. After 2016’s album partnership with Laura Veirs and K.D Lang, she this week continues this trend releasing Curse of I-5 Corridor- a collaboration with blues grunge icon, Mark Lanegan, from upcoming album, Hell On.
Following on from previous tracks off the album, Hell On and Bad Luck, Curse of I-5 Corridor is a fantastic seven minute sprawling showcase for two of the finest voices of the past few decades. Case and Lanegan intertwine beautifully on a track of great promise for what may come on the rest of Hell-On, and this is certainly one to look out for in the coming months.
Snail Mail – Let’s Find An Out
Since her 2016 EP, Habit, Lindsey Jordan aka Snail Mail has become one of the most talked about songwriters on the planet- after features in the New York Times, the Washington Post, W Magazine, Billboard, and on Pitchfork. This week, the 18 year old released Let’s Find An Out – the fourth single to be taken from her upcoming debut album, Lush.
Snail Mail is on tour in the UK this week, and Lush is out through Matador Records on 8th June. She will also return to the UK for a headline show in London on 25th October.
Death Grips – Black Paint
It’s hard to know how to describe Death Grips. No arbitrary title seems to fit them. Their relentless intensity and use of other art forms makes them an intriguing proposition.
Although no official date for their new LP, Year Of The Snitch, is forthcoming, they have unveiled a new track from the album. Following on from last month’s electronic ear assault, Streaky, Black Paint is if anything, an even more challenging listen. Rumoured to feature Tool bassist Justin Chancellor, it seems there is no taming Death Grips.
Ty Segall & Tim Presley aka White Fence – Good Boy
Seven full years since their last collaboration, Ty Segall and White Fence – alternatively known as Tim Presley or one half of DRINKS with Cate Le Bon – have come back together to announce the release of Good Boy, the first track from upcoming album, Joy.
After previous collaborative release, Hair, both Segall and Presley have consistently released great new music after emerging from the same Californian psych-rock scene many years ago. After describing their new collaboration as “the sound of today, a shared individuality, prisiming all possible stances into an unseemly metastasis that flows for 15 ebbcentric tracks,” it promises to be quite the release.
If this seems like your kinda thing, check out our review of last month’s DRINKS album here.
Lykke Li – Utopia
2014’s I Never Learn was quite the record. And judging by the singles so far released from Lykke Li’s new record, So Sad, So Sexy, it too is looking like it could be quite the follow up.
The third single, Utopia, is a simple ode to motherhood that cries out for a simpler and safer world, devoid of society’s multitudinal problems and complexes. While it’s a far cry from the immediacy and striking melodic sound of I Never Learn, it’s string-drenched, melancholic narrative lingers.
Utopia features a guest verse from Portland rapper Aminé, the album includes collaborations from Vampire Weekend’s Rostam, her husband- Jeff Bhasker, and producer, T-Minus,
So Sad, So Sexy is out through RCA on 8th June.
Mitski – Geyser
After the critically acclaimed 2016 album, Puberty 2, Japanese-American singer songwriter Mitski is back with the first track Geyser from new album, Be The Cowboy.
Working in collaboration once more with Patrick Hyland, Mitski has described the album as a process in which she has reconnected with her feelings after a considerable amount of time on tour.
Geyser features as the opening track on Be The Cowboy and certainly builds anticipation for the rest of the album. Mitski is due to tour the UK in September and Be The Cowboy is released August 17th through Dead Oceans.