by Philip Moss, Joseph Purcell and Phil Scarisbrick
boygenius – Stay Down, Me & My Dog and Bite The Hand
After booking a tour together, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus thought that putting a collective 7” record together to sell at the upcoming shows. But as the conversation developed, so did the idea, and boygenius – a ‘supergroup’ comprising of songs written and performed by the trio was born.
“When we met, Lucy and Phoebe and I were in similar places in our lives and our musical endeavours, but also had similar attitudes toward music that engendered an immediate affinity,” Baker stated. “Lucy and Phoebe are incredibly gifted performers, and I am a fan of their art outside of being their friends, but they are also both very wise, discerning and kind people whom I look up to in character as much as in talent.”
And once they got into the studio, the idea to do a single became an EP as new material flowed. This week, Matador Records shared the first tastes from the upcoming collection.
The self-titled EP will be released through Matador on 9th November.
Bill Ryder Jones – Mither
Multi-instrumentalist, Bill Ryder-Jones, returns following 2015’s acclaimed West Kirby County Primary with Yawn- a record produced entirely by himself, with a little help from friends including guest vocals from The Orielles and Our Girl, cello by Rod Skip and mixing by Craig Silvey (Portishead, The Horrors, Arcade Fire).
The lead single, Mither, is an ode to his mother, and one of a number of songs on the record that clocks in past the five minute mark.
Next month, the former Coral guitarist is heading out on a UK tour, plus – such is his belief in the new record – he is set to perform his biggest headline show to date at Liverpool’s Central Hall in December.
Yawn will be released through Domino Records on 2nd November.
Kristin Anna – Forever Love
Former Múm front woman, Kristín Anna, is back with the first single from her upcoming album, I Must Be The Devil.
The Icelandic vocalist and multi-instrumentalist previewed tracks at the People Festival in Berlin this week, one of which – lead single, Forever Love – was co-written with her twin sister Gyða Valtýsdóttir and the Dessner twin brothers of The National. The song has also seen performance artist, Ragnar Kjartansson, direct a video for its release.
I Must Be The Devil is set to be released through Bel-Air Glamour Records in October.
Soccer Mommy – I’m On Fire
Twenty-one year old Nashville native, Sophie Allison – A.K.A. Soccer Mommy, has announced the follow-up to her superb debut album: Clean. She will release a new 7″ single in October. The single’s A-Side is a newly reworked version of Henry, a song that originally appeared on Soccer Mommy’s 2016 collection, For Young Hearts, on Orchid Tapes. The B-Side is a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire.
Of the cover Allison said, “I wanted to make a version of I’m On Fire that connected with the sadness of the song, I think that doing a more stripped down version allowed me to make something that feels emotionally raw.” The Born In The USA single is one of the most covered in Springsteen’s back catalogue – with notable versions by Johnny Cash, Low, Bat For Lashes and Barry Gibb – but this version’s sparse arrangement brings a whole new angle to it.
The single will be released on 5th October through Fat Possum. Soccer Mommy also tours the UK next month.
J Mascis – See You at the Movies
Dinosaur Jr’s grunge rock icon, J Mascis, this week announced details of his upcoming third solo album, Elastic Days, preceded by the release of first single, See You at the Movies.
Like Mascis previous albums, Elastic Days was recorded at J’s own studio, and promises more of Mascis’ signature guitar sound, his deeply buried vocals plus a new found love for drums- “I took some singing lessons and do vocal warm-ups now, but that was mostly just to keep from blowing out my vocal cords when Dino started touring again.The biggest difference with this record might have to do with the drums. I’d just got a new drum set I was really excited about. I don’t have too many drum outlets at the moment, so I played a lot more drums than I’d originally planned.”
Elastic Days will be released on 9th November through the iconic Sub Pop record label.
Echo and the Bunnymen – The Somnambulist
Scouse icons, Echo and the Bunnymen, have released another new single from their forthcoming new album, The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon, which will feature reinterpretations of thirteen songs from their catalogue spanning the last four decades. As well as as this baker’s dozen, the record will include two new tracks: How Far? and The Somnambulist. The latter – named after the medical term for sleepwalking – is now online.
You will be able to hear the rest of the album when it is released on 5th October through BMG.
Hippo Campus – Bambi
Ahead of the release of their second album, Bambi, Hippo Campus have released the title track to whet our appetites.
Partly recorded at Steve Albini’s studio in Chicago, the London four piece worked BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Low, Francis and the Lights) on the record – the same producer who also handled their 2017 debut album, Landmarks.
Bambi will be released through Transgressive Records on 28th September.
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