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catfish and the bottlemen

The Ivins – Bloom: Affably Sonic Indie Alt Rock from Nashville with Love

The Ivins stirred up the Nashville sound with their Funk-riding take on Indie Alt Rock through their latest single ‘Bloom’. Expect sonic nuance and melodic angular hooks which will leave you lacerated as you fall into the sticky-sweet nectar which drips from their affably accessible sound.

With soaring choruses, tenderly imploring vocals which share the same soul-stroking propensity as the likes of Silversun Pickups, you can’t help getting engrossed by the familiar yet discernibly fresh mix of modern Indie and the timeless tones of the Alt 90s.

It’s hard to feel pessimisic about the future of the music industry when artists such as The Ivins offer such adrenalizing vitality in their sound. Get them on your radar.

Bloom is available to stream via Spotify.

Find out more about how The Ivins are disrupting the Nashville Rock scene with their sonic sound by heading over to their website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Tinkermen releases single Dragging Me Down

The Tinkermen has dropped their latest single ‘Dragging Me Down’ a pure Alternative Rock piece with electrifying instrumentals and raucous vocals.

Starting off with the heavy electric shred on the guitar as the hard-hitting drum beats collide, amping up the volume and letting that pure Rock instrumental illuminate in the background. Making sure to keep that heaviness seeping through.

Killing it with the rough texture to the vocals and keeping them at a steady pace, adding in the occasional high-pitched shout that cuts through every element. The vocals tend to lower towards the middle as this overwhelming suspense fills the air. Then it all kicks back off with a bang going straight into that hardcore instrumental and the insane vocals.

Throughout it tends to sway back and forth between the heavy version and the more mellow version of the song as they combine together to create these crazy breakdowns.

This is one you must check out for sure, it really shows what The Tinkerman has to offer in a loud and manic way!

Check out The Tinkermen’s release Dragging Me Down by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Karley Myall

The White Lakes – Business As Usual But Just Exceeding Expectations

Indie as a genre has been pretty well defined for a while now. Having evolved from its original musically political meaning within the music industry to become a genre label in its own right, it generally indicates pop aware melody and musical adroitness, that fine line between commerciality and underground cool, between accessibility and integrity. But what does the indie band of 2017 do to stand out from the pack?

One answer is to do what The White Lakes have done. Forget warping the genre or kicking down generic barricades, and cross-pollinating your sound with the tricks and trappings from elsewhere to gene-splice indie into some sort of modern musical Frankenstein’s monster isn’t the answer either. It isn’t about subverting expectations, it is about feeding them. It is about doing what the rest of the pack do but just doing it so much better. Underline – so much better. The result of such an attitude can be found on Live Wyre. It isn’t so much contemporary indie looking for a new direction or a change of musical trappings, it is instead the sound of indie just done a lot better than 99% of the competition. Why doesn’t every band realise that it is that simple?

Warbly Jets release snarling anthem The Lowdown

LA’s Warbly Jets have been building buzz locally and nationally since the release of their debut single last November. In addition to being named an Artist to Watch by KCRW and earning praise from both LA Weekly and LA Record, they’ve also racked up spins on Beats1 and KROQ, caught the attention of Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green (who used “Alive” as the official song of its SS17 line), and landed slots opening for acts like The Dandy Warhols, The Mystery Lights, and Night Beats.

Today, Warbly Jets share their second single, ” The Lowdown .” A snarling anthem meant to call out the music industry and its endless games, it’s the band’s way of saying that they’re here, and they’re here to stay. You can stream the new single where it premiered with Self-Titled Magazine or via Soundcloud .

“The Lowdown” was written last year, beginning with a backbeat and bass lick constructed by keyboardist Julien O’neill. From there, the band added guitars, vocals, and additional melodies, along with a heavy dose of confidence and a playfully brash attitude. Inspired by their own experiences with the music industry at large — specifically the empty promises of stardom and money, all while major labels go bankrupt pumping out heartless music — “The Lowdown” is Warbly Jets’ way of asserting that they got where they are on their own, and they’re not going to wait for anyone to give them the green light.

The band’s tour kicks off next week, as they head to China for their first shows outside of the US. See below for a full list of upcoming dates.

Warbly Jets on Tour :
7/14: Beijing, China @ Mao Live House
7/16: Shijiazhuang, China @ Hongtang Live House
7/19: ZhengZhou, China @ 7 Live House
7/21: Shanghai, China @ YuYinTang
7/23: HangZhou, China @ Mao Live House
7/26: Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
7/29: Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
7/30: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
8/2: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
8/3: Rock Island, IL @ RIBCO
8/4 – 8/5: Appleton, WI @ Mile of Music
8/6: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
8/8: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (Pond Magazine Presents)
8/9: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (Pond Magazine Presents)
8/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
8/11: Washington, D.C. @ DC9
8/15: Nashville, TN @ The Basement
8/19: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
8/20: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
9/5: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/12: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/19: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/25: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms

A&R Factory Present: The Drives

This LA based band creates a cocktail of indie rock and electro-pop that blends into a unique and different sound. Andrew Levin (songwriter, vocals) and KC (producer/songwriter) met in high school in Orange County, CA and have been playing in bands and writing music together ever since.

After searching for their sound and developing their respective music tastes in various cities including Boston and New York City, KC and Andrew returned to Los Angeles in early 2015 to put together their ideas into an EP. Their music is heavily influenced by indie rock legends such as The Strokes, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and Kings of Leon with additional influences from Phoenix and RAC.

With catchy guitar hooks and vocal stutter effects The Drives create a unique vibe similar to modern indie acts such as The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen. Listen to “Whatever” now on soundcloud.

A&r Factory Present: Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles

Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles is the superb new musical endeavor of Billy Bibby, former and founding lead guitarist of Catfish and the Bottlemen. No newcomer to the British music scene, it was in 2007, at age 17, that Bibby became the elder statesman of this working class quartet formed in Llandudno, North Wales. Catfish and the Bottlemen relentlessly gigged their way across the UK, and occasionally abroad, building a fiercely loyal fan base, selling out increasingly larger venues, and ultimately securing a recording deal in 2013 that would lead to the release of a Top 10 debut album Certified Gold in the UK. And Billy Bibby and his band are ready to do it all again.

Billy Bibby’s current musical journey began in the summer of 2014 in the same, grass roots, DIY style that served him well in the past. Penning new tunes and trialling them in front of live audiences, as well as via demos posted to SoundCloud, garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback. The time was right to transition to a full band experience and, with the help of Simon Jones, bassist for The Verve, auditions were held and a new four-piece ensemble of talented musicians rapidly took shape. Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles are: Billy Bibby – lead vocals / guitar, Rob Jones – lead guitar / vocals, Matt Thomas – bass / vocals, Mike Pearce – drums.

Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles released their first single, ‘Waitin’ for You’, and played their first live show in November of 2015 and it’s been nonstop ever since: a debut EP Bide Your Time, a follow-up single ‘Are You Ready?’, over 60 gigs across the UK including numerous festival appearances, radio play on Radio X, BBC Introducing, Virgin Radio, Amazing Radio, and over 100 stations in the UK and abroad. Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles are out to win over new fans one by one with their energetic, tuneful, and optimistic rock.