Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Just over a month since their last single, The Amazons have already released another. ‘PitchBlack’ feels like a continuation of ‘Living A Lie’, the band’s previous release and is alreadybuilding great expectations for their recently announced album, ‘21st Century Fiction’ which will be released in May next year.

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

After a long two years The Amazons are finally back with a vengeance. ‘Living A Lie’ marks the fresh start of a new era for the three piece from Reading. This incarnation of The Amazons is a noticeable pivot from their last album ‘How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me?’ with a much darker feel both sonically and lyrically.

‘Living A Lie’ is everything The Amazons do well with a cherry on top. From the outset there’s an incredibly cinematic quality to the song, opening with strings and the beautiful voice of the band’s good friend Ella McRobb before a signature punchy and super fuzzy guitar riff takes the lead and transports the listener into the world of The Amazons. Lyrically, this is frontman Matt Thomson at his best thus far, with more confrontational lyrics that address the frustrations and anxieties of life, portrayed by the perfect match of his voice which seems stronger than ever. There seems to be a new confidence going into this new chapter, from the unreleased songs performed at festivals earlier this year to this release, The Amazons seem to have an electrifying energy that already has fans waiting for more. It will be a real treat to get to experience this song when it’s played live, as there are so many interesting aspects throughout the track, from the addition of background vocals as the song builds to what will likely be one of Chris Alderton’s killer live solos towards the end, The Amazons are somehow continuing to raise the bar and prove their talent once again.

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Cassyette has been a staple of the emerging rock scene over the past few years, setting
high expectations with her 2022 EP ‘Sad Girl Mixtape’. The anticipation for her debut album has only grown as she opened for huge acts including Bring Me The Horizons and Bryan Adams and co-wrote Ireland’s Eurovision entry this year.

Following the passing of her father, ‘This World Fucking Sucks’ chronicles Cassyette dealing with grief and the emotions surrounding it. The opening track and namesake of the album instantly transports the listener into the world of Cassyette and leads perfectly into ‘Say My Name’ which is the first taste of the angsty sound that Cassyette does so well. ‘Porcelain’ breaks up the heavier, riff heavy songs, with the chorus really highlighting Cassyette’s incredible vocal ability and giving the listener a chance to experience her more vulnerable side. ‘Go!’ is one of my personal standouts on the album, it is such a perfect example of Cassyette’s songwriting at its best. Much like ‘Ipecac’, this track could be a staple of a live show for many years to come, with a catchy chorus that would lend itself greatly to the sound of a crowd singing it back. The second half of the album feels very accessible to listeners who aren’t necessarily fans of rock, with songs like ‘Sex Metal’ and ‘Degenerette Nation’ touching on Cassyette’s experience as a DJ and almost all the songs bar ‘Sugar Rush’ and the closer ‘Untouched’ having a less grunge guitar driven sound. This part of the album feels like Cassyette lets her guard down and truly wears her heart on her sleeve, with the lyrics in many of the songs addressing the emotions she feels head on. ‘Untouched’ is a bold album closer, where most artists would choose a softer sound to convey accepting and
surviving the change in life, Cassyette closes with the return of a heavier guitar driven
sound, which feels like a new chapter opening, along with the lyrics addressing the closure.

As a whole, ‘This World Fucking Sucks’ covers a diverse range of sounds but at its centre it
coveys some of the most complex emotions of the human condition, which is extremely
ambitious but executed so perfectly in only 15 songs.

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Whilst the name Yannis & The Yaw is new, ‘Lagos Paris London’ stems from Foals
frontman Yannis Philippakis’ sessions in 2016 with the great Tony Allen. Although the recordings were not completed during this time, Yannis revisited the project after Tony’s death in 2020, determined to complete the music and remember Tony’s life and love for music.

Though only five tracks, this EP packs a huge punch and instantly transports you into the jam sessions in the Paris studio where the songs were created. The songs as a whole really show the raw talent of everyone in the studio as they are essentially music in its purest form and rely on innate musicality. The impact of Tony’s work is instantly noticeable particularly in the opening track ‘Walk Through Fire’ which has a distinctive Afrobeat sound. Yannis’ contribution is in no way lost and although he provided the vocals for the songs, the songs do not feel like he is just a feature as there is an obvious stamp of the Foals guitar sound throughout the record. Despite these songs now being completed, there are still reminders throughout that they began as improvisations, especially in ‘Night Green, Heavy Love ’, where the vocals start a little way into the song and at the approximate halfway point there is a more stripped back guitar led section which makes a comeback towards the end of the track. Potentially the most indie sounding part of the record is the final track, ‘Clementine’ which features a more structured verse and chorus and could easily have fit into Foals’ most recent album ‘Life Is Yours’, though this could just be due to Yannis’ vocals being so recognisable with this type of sound. ‘Clementine’ feels much lighter than the previous songs on the EP but is in no way less complex rhythmically, making it the perfect way to close this body of work.

‘Lagos Paris London’ beautifully displays the friendship and working relationship between Yannis and Tony in just five tracks and proves that despite their differences in genres, location and age are a match made in heaven when collaborating. After experiencing this project and Yannis’ 2018 ‘MILK’ events, it’s safe to say improvisation and technique remain the best way to see musicians at their most unfiltered and although this particular project has come to an end, it will be interesting to see what Yannis creates with other artists in the future and how ‘The Yaw’ translates to an audience at their upcoming shows in September.

One of the biggest decisions every artist makes in their career is the cover of their debut album, after all it is your introduction to the world and often the first visual a lot of people see when introduced to your music.

The Amazons’ self-titled album depicts their beloved tour van ‘Big Suze’ set alight on the streets of the band’s hometown of Reading. The band described the artwork as a metaphor for the lives they lived in their hometown, expressing that they wanted to ‘celebrate it, but go on an adventure and leave it’ and is also a culmination of the band’s history, as they had shared many memories and experiences whilst travelling in the van together, including the highs of discovering new and interesting places and the lows of breaking down on the side of the road and leaking battery acid on the way to shows.

I think the most effective part of this visual is that the nondescript residential surroundings which mean it could be anywhere and that feeling of wanting to leave a monotonous and mundane life resonates with many people.The album artwork was so striking that it caught the attention of news outlets and cemented The Amazons in the history books as ‘the band that torched their own tour bus’. The only words shown are the band’s logo which was displayed on drummer Joe Emmett’s kit at the time and featured in their visuals in the lead up to the album’s release. This adds to the element of reminding fans of the band’s history, as this logo was becoming increasingly recognised as the band became more popular and with the logo being changed with every album release thus far, it’s a reminder of the evolution of The Amazons.

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

It’s an understatement to say the past year has been huge for Hozier, having released his third album ‘Unreal Unearth’ this time last year. He has toured the world extensively including multiple nights at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium and a huge show at London’s Finsbury Park and has now released his second EP of material that was left off the album.

There were big expectations with the release of ‘Unaired’, with ‘Too Sweet’ from Hozier’s previous EP having huge succe...

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

In a world where almost any social media star can release music, Towa Bird showcases the value of true talent with her debut album ‘American Hero’. Towa began her rise to stardom by posting guitar covers on tiktok during the pandemic which led her to being featured in Olivia Rodrigo’s documentary ‘Driving home 2 U (A Sour Film)’. In 2023, Towa released her first single ‘Wild Heart’ which features on ‘American Hero’ and marked the beginning of a huge year, where she opened...

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Palaye Royale have never been a band to shy away from confronting the music industry’s wrongs and speak the truth about their experiences and their new single ‘Showbiz’ proves just that.

Lyrically, the song addresses topics including exploitation and lack of creative control, something the art-rock band formed by brothers Emerson Barrett, Remington Leith and Sebastian Danzig have had a lot of experience with over the past decade of their career. ‘Showbiz’ doesn’t leave m...

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

On the penultimate night of their “Mountainhead” UK tour, Everything Everything’s live performance has only ever gotten better. The four piece have been releasing music for over a decade now so if there’s one thing this band knows how to do, it’s a concept album.

“Mountainhead” sees a society in which the people’s purpose is to dig a pit in order to grow the mountain above them. Starting the show with the second single from the album, “The Mad Stone”, felt like a bold...

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

“15 Years” is noticeably different from Slower’s previous singles, showing a more mellow side of the band. As with all the music we’ve heard from the band so far, “15 Years” doesn’t fit into one particular genre but there’s definitely some obvious indie and pop influence. This song really highlights the talent within the 4 piece in both their songwriting and performance and I can find similarities in the sound to bands such as ‘Drool’ and ‘DMAs’ with the nostalgic feel of...

Words: Kimmi Naidoo

Two decades on from their reunion following their split in 1993, PIXIES remain as loved as ever by their fans, and rightly so as this show, the final of three nights at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum, was one that will remain with me (and I imagine with all who attended) for a long time.

Opening on this tour are the Geordie trio, THE PALE WHITE, a band I’ve had the joy of following for a number of years now. To say this is a big tour for them would be an understatemen...