Tag Archives: The Magic Gang

Weekly Gems 120

Jude the Obscure – Strong Enough

Jude The Obscure

Manchester-based musician Jude The Obscure shows resilience in the face of adversity in jazz, hip-hop and soul-inspired track, ‘Strong Enough’.

Sounds like: Loyle Carner

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James Blake – Are You Even Real?

James Blake

James Blake releases the atmospheric ‘Are You Even Real?’, in partnership with Apple’s Behind The Mac campaign. Another contender to the evergrowing back catalogue of comforting masterpieces from the British producer and multi-instrumentalist.

Sounds like: Jamie Woon, Jamie XX, The Weeknd, SOHN

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Declan McKenna – Daniel, You’re Still A Child

Declan McKenna

We all know a Daniel, or perhaps we even are one – the one that gets “lost in the sauce, stoned, lost in some existential fear or lost his way in some VR game”, yet has so much to prove. Declan McKenna gives us a delicious taste of his forthcoming album, ‘Zeros’.

Sounds like: HUNNY, Sea Girls, Peach Pit, The Night Café, Chaz Cardigan, The Beatles, Circa Waves, The Magic Gang, Vistas, Love Fame Tragedy

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Connie Constance – James

Connie Constance

Refreshing alt-pop artist Connie Constance bares all and dives into “an ocean of narcotics” in new single ‘James’, summing up how we all want to feel and act right now – to get a bit squiffy and then crawl back to bed.

Sounds like: Kate Nash, Laura Misch, Joy Crookes, Rosie Lowe, Poppy Adjudha, Arlo Parks, Cleo Sol, Moses Sumney

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NZCA Lines – Prisoner Of Love

NZCA Lines by Aleksandra Kingo

NZCA Lines by Aleksandra Kingo

Time to get sweet and funky with NZCA Line‘s ‘Prisoner of Love’. We surrender to its smooth and delectable slice of opulent disco.

Sounds like: Metronomy, Gold Panda, New Order, Ronika, Thor Rixon, Hot Chip, Prince, Roosevelt

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Aquilo – Moving On

Aquilo by Morgan Hill-Murphy

Aquilo by Morgan Hill-Murphy

Sounding particularly Glass Animals, and more instrumentally upbeat than previous releases, duo Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher – aka Aquilo – return after a two-year hiatus with the ‘Sober’ EP, featuring ‘Moving On’.

Sounds like: SOHN, Great Good Fine Ok, Hurts, X&Y, Young Empires, Fenech Soler, Glass Animals

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MAX RAD – It’ll All Be Fine

MAX RAD

Singer and producer MAX RAD takes a positive stance with new single ‘It’ll All Be Fine’. Comparing the track to an out-of-body experience, he advises to look at the bigger picture, and stop internalising. Wise words.

Sounds like: Tash Sultana, Foals, Chet Faker, Honne, Ben Khan

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Marsicans – Sunday

Marsicans

Marsicans (“MAR-sick-anz”) has just released a breezy new track, ‘Sunday’ via Killing Moon Records.

Written as a double love song – to Toronto and NY State following the time the band spent there, and also to the girlfriend of Marsicans’ frontman James Newbigging – the quartet is standing firm in amongst the current, and buzzing, British indie scene.

UK Album Tour

Oct 14 – Aberdeen Tunnels
Oct 15 – Glasgow King Tut’s
Oct 17 – Manchester Gorilla
Oct 21 – Bristol Thekla
Oct 22 – London Scala
Oct 24 – Leeds Beckett University

Sounds like: Sea Girls, High Tyde, Viola Beach, The Magic Gang, The Night Café, The Hunna, The Pale White

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Weekly Gems 102

Dancing on Tables – Not to Need You

Dancing on Tables

Scottish band, Dancing on Tables, explores a more melancholic side in ‘Not To Need You’.

Written in Nashville alongside legendary songwriter Liz Rose (Taylor Swift, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood), the hopeful song encapsulates the uphill battles everyone goes through in life but reminds us that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sounds like: Sea Girls, Biffy Clyro, Circa Waves, The 1975, Rat Boy, Circa Waves, The Amazons, Blossoms, Wild Nothing, Cassia, Catfish and the Bottlemen

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Stellie – How Do We Look So Good?

Stellie by Jackson Thornbury

Stellie by Jackson Thornbury

Like an early Billie Eilish, Australian artist Stellie is transforming our take on pop.

Inspired by strong female voices, her tender and personal tales are indie-pop slow-burners that cut straight to the heart. Listen to her hazy new single, ‘How Do We Look So Good?’ below.

Sounds like: Billie Eilish

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Lila Drew – Locket

Lila Drew

We continue to eagerly turn the pages in Lila Drew‘s magical scrapbook full of uncertainty and confessions, both positive and negative.

The next chapter from the rising 19-year-old London born and LA based independent singer/songwriter is the souful and dreamy, ‘Locket’.

Sounds like: Ariana Grande, Caswell, Billie Eilish

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Cat Ryan – Mannerism

Cat Ryan

Newcastle-based trio Cat Ryan is no ordinary modern shoegaze band. Oh no. These guys are paving way for a new era of British dreamy indie-pop.

Their new single ‘Mannerism’ is a self-conscious spin on mesmerising music and is out now via Pillar Artists.

Sounds like: Wolf Alice, Sundara Karma, Alvvays, Bombay Bicycle Club, Youth Sector, Tranqua Lite

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GusGus – Out Of Place

GusGus - Out of Place

It’s great to see GusGus back with another stellar release.

The electronic innovators have released ‘Out Of Place’, highlighting the duo’s affinity for rolling synth-lines and sharp, pop-driven vocals. Listen below.

Sounds like: Simian Mobile Disco, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, Röyksopp, Goldfrapp, Orbital, Roisin Murphy

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Llovers – Feeling Sound

Llovers

Another Newcastle band for us this week – Llovers.

Releasing the infectious new cut, ‘Feeling Sound’, it’s clear that anyone listening to the track will be enamoured by their immense potential, thanks to their irresistible anthemic tendencies with sparkling riffs, sing-along choruses and playful songwriting.

Sounds like: Alt-J, Foals, Blossoms, Larkins

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Weird Milk – Is That Love?

Weird Milk

London baroque pop band Weird Milk shares ‘Is That Love?’.

Having already supported indie risers Alfie Templeman and Pip Blom, and about to support APRE on their UK tour, their latest offering doesn’t disappoint.

Songwriter and drummer Charlie Glover-Wright explains, “The song itself is about a relationship turning sour as a lemon and the main character realising that they don’t need it anymore and they’ll be better off on their own.”

Sounds like: FEET, Sports Team, The Magic Gang, Genghar, The Last Shadow Puppets

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Kelli-Leigh – Cotton Clouds

Kelli-Leigh - Cotton Clouds

You may recognise Kelli-Leigh’s vocals from such hits as ‘More Than Friends’ by Jame Hype, ‘I Got U’ by Duke Dumont and Second City‘s ‘I Wanna Feel’, but it’s time for the British singer/songwriter to step out into the light and reveal her first solo music of the decade.

The uptempo pop song, ‘Cotton Clouds’ describes a blissed out relationship. Lovely.

Sounds like: Jessie Ware, Karen Harding, Harlee

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The Day – Tenderfoot

The Day

Dutch DIY duo The Day are Laura Loeters from from Antwerp/Belgium and Hamburg based Gregor Sonnenberg.

Sharing the fancy-free video for their cover of ‘Tenderfoot’ by The Lemonheads / Smudge, the latest release is inspired by their youth, as the dream-pop band continue their tasteful take on original classics.

Sounds like: Eliza Shaddard, Ilgen-Nur

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Talii – Good To Be Bad

Talii - Good To Be Bad

Orlando-based 25 year old Talii has a wicked streak, as can be witnessed in her sultry and dark pop song, ‘Good To Be Bad’.

Born into a musically gifted and diversely talented family of musicians and performers, she began singing at age 3 and was playing the piano and writing songs by age 7. There is no denying her talent.

Sounds like: Banks

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