Rising Manchester four-piece Larkins recently dropped their highly-anticipated EP, ‘Hit and Run’ on Good Soldier Records.
It’s a finely-crafted mix of melodic futurism and vulnerability. We decided to have a chat with the guys ahead of their US tour to find out what’s going to be on their travelling playlist.
This is the outcome…
Khalid – Intro
Production-wise this is a pretty perfect track. Always feeling like it could kick in at any moment and it never does but still manages to bang. Incredible opening track to have on an album.
Gengahr – Icarus
Gengahr have completely taken up a level on this album. Produced by Jack Steadman from Bombay Bicycle Club, this track just makes your head move.
King Princess – Talia
Proper digging King Princess at the minute, love how this track goes from the laid back folky verse then hits you with the massive chorus. She’s proper pushing boundaries with her visuals as well, need to catch her live.
Whitney – Valleys (My Love)
Literally first heard Whitney for the first time a couple of weeks ago and fucking love them. Love how this track is kinda like a mellow Beach Boys without the harmonies on top of 70s acoustic folk with Bon Iver horns.
Friendly Fires – Pull Me Back To Earth
Whenever we’re trying to get a clean electric guitar sound in the studio we seem to reference this track. I remember when PALA came out and it blew my mind.
Jai Paul – Do You Love Her Now
Just absolute vibes. Again, that clean guitar sound is mad.
Foals – Spanish Sahara
Such an anthem. Seeing this track live and how the crowd reacts to it made me want to be in a band. The drop never fails to hype me up.
Bon Iver – Naeem
The vocal on this song is madness. The piano and the whole feel is just badass. Bon Iver can do no wrong. This album has been a massive reference point when we’re in the studio, especially when it comes to synth and drum sounds.
Bon Iver – 33 “GOD”
Another Bon Iver, 22 a million is top 5 best albums ever. The production on this track just blows the roof off. Cant even quite comprehend how good this track is. No idea what the lyrics mean but this track is just insanity.
Biffy Clyro – Different People
This song really marks two defining moments in Larkins career.
1. They opened with it when they headlined T in the park in Scotland and it seemed to be such an emotional moment for everyone there, it really made us realise that we wanted to do this.
2. Dom decided he wanted to be Simon and grew his hair really long.
Radiohead – Weird Fishes
In rainbows is such a monumental album and it was hard to choose one track but Weird Fishes really sums up Radiohead’s visionary blend of pop, rock and dance music.
Haim – Summer Girl
Such a great nod to the 60s with the Lou Reed sample but with such a modern LA vibe. We’d just got back from our first trip to LA when this came out and it proper seemed to sum up the city for us. The scene out there is so vibrant at the minute.
Khalid, Disclosure – Talk
Love this track. Another one we try to reference a little bit with the style of the synths and the drum sounds. The riff is so good.
US/UK Tour Dates
12 Mar – Toronto, The Monarch
13 Mar – New York, Pianos
14 Mar – Brooklyn, Elsewhere (Zone One)
18 Mar – Austin, Maggie Mae’s
19 Mar – Austin, Rainey Street
21 Mar – Austin, Broad Studios
21 Mar – Austin, Cedar Street Courtyard
24 Mar – Los Angeles, Moroccan Lounge
It’s that time of year. SXSW. One of the biggest music festivals in the world and we have to confess…we are SXSW virgins. Not to worry as we’ve scoured the line up to ensure we don’t miss any music whilst stuffing our faces with tacos.
Here’s a list of ones to check out (in no particular order).
London duo APRE (aka Charlie Brown and Jules Konieczny) creates low-slung indie with heart-bonding melodies.
A witty take on alternative pop, these two have spent their days creating music in the backroom of a West London chess club and we can’t wait to see what their live performance has in store.
Sounds like: Kasabian, 10 o’clock Chemical, Everything Everything, April Towers, Fickle Friends, Sea Girls, Nick Mulvey
Indulgent rock-pop band Anteros is a London-based four-piece, headed up by frontwoman Laura Hayden who set up the band with Josh in London after her move from Barcelona.
We expect their show to be glorious, glamarous and pushing boundaries.
Sounds like: Blondie, Wolf Alice, Black Honey, Ladyhawke, Blondie, Garbage, The Cardigans
We’d not heard of Los Angeles-based trio Run River North until browsing the SXSW schedule but they’ve made the cut due to their hopeful and upbeat approach to indie-pop.
Expect their EP ‘Monsters Calling Home: Part 1’ out in the spring.
Sounds like: Like Swimming, Beauty Sleep, Of Monsters and Men, Grouplove, Fleet Foxes
We’ve covered Golden Vessel are fair bit on the site. He is currently on tour across North America supporting BAYNK, before making his debut appearance at SXSW.
Check out his newest single ‘DIZZY’ which features the voice of Australian artist Oscar Key Sung, a taste of his forthcoming debut album.
Sounds like: MØ, Brolin, The National, Gang of Youths, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, REFS
Correct us if we are wrong, but we are pretty sure Sir Sly was on an indefinite hiatus the last time we checked a few years back, so to our surprise they are on this year’s SXSW bill.
We are not complaining one single bit – we this authentic and brazen Los Angeles trio explode with frenetic energy on stage.
Sounds like: Growlers, Wolf Gang, All We Are, Gypsy & The Cat, Jagwar Ma, Anteros
US/Scandi husband and wife duo Flora Cash write heartfelt ballads with cinematic keys amidst a brooding Scandi backdrop.
They are set to play SXSW and we are really looking forward to seeing the chemistry on stage, whilst they sing of heartache, politics and general struggles.
Sounds like: Laurel, Lana Del Rey, Lucius, Bon Iver, Johnny Cash
