Wow – February is going quickly! And as the time flies we arrive at the weekend and Gigantic is ready with your #NewMusicFriday blog and playlist! Stick with us to hear all the hottest new tracks plus grab tickets to see your new favourites perform live!
Singles
CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN – ‘Fluctuate’
‘Fluctuate’ is the second track to come from third Catfish & The Bottlemen album ‘The Balance’ which is scheduled for release on Friday 26th of April. Described by the band’s singer Van McCann as the “heaviest” song they have ever written, their latest offering explodes with energy and has anthem written all over it. It follows their moody number ‘Longshot’ which is their highest charting single to date and is also included on their highly anticipated LP.
‘The Balance’ was recorded with premier producer Jacknife Lee (U2, R.E.M., The Killers) and saw the lads from Llandudno setup camp at the legendary Grouse Lodge recording studio at County Westmeath in Ireland where they threw themselves into the process.
“He was the first up and the last awake. It’s good when you’re completely engulfed in recording in a place like that, living together, because every day and all day it was about the songs. We had fun too; they were the funniest album sessions we’ve done.”
Catfish & The Bottlemen tickets are currently available.
JAMIE LAWSON – ‘The Answer’
After becoming the first act to sign to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man Records, the rise of Jamie Lawson has been nothing short of meteoric. The songwriter from St Budeaux is best known for his hit single ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ and his best-selling eponymous album which short straight to No. 1 to reach gold certification.
‘The Answer’ is his brand-new single which is our first taste of his upcoming album ‘The Years In Between’. The rousing song finds strength in the love of another and is a catchy upbeat folk rock banger that we can’t wait to hear performed live on his Spring tour which kicks off in May.
Jamie Lawson tickets are currently available.
JULIA JACKLIN – ‘Comfort’
Australian songwriter Julia Jacklin has certainly been impressing with her prolific output of art pop tinged indie folk as heard on debut album ‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’ and it’s follow up ‘Eastwick / Cold Caller’. Now, she’s back with her beguiling new song ‘Comfort’ ahead of her UK tour in March.
Jacklin directed the video for ‘Comfort’ with her long-term collaborator, photographer Nick Mckk. The slightly surreal setting of a water park on a cold and windy day perfectly matches the melancholy song which appears on her latest album ‘Crushing’.
“On tour with First Aid Kit last year I crossed the highway from our Super 8 motel just outside of Santa Rosa, New Mexico and stumbled upon this strange water park. I ran back and dragged Nick out of his bed yelling, 'we must make a video!'; we only had an hour before we needed to start driving to the next show but we managed to get enough footage of me looking sad to make the clip.''
Julia Jacklin tickets are currently available.
Albums
SLEAFORD MODS – ‘Eton Alive’
Uh oh – they’re back! Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn, better known as scuzzy hip hop obsessed punk poets Sleaford Mods return with their new album ‘Eton Alive’ released on their very own label Extreme Eating Records after a short spell with Rough Trade.
Continuing their tirade against the Tory government tearing down the UK, the everyday drudgery of badly paid zero contract jobs and the grim prospects of an aimless Britain that has nowhere to go but down, on this outing the gruesome twosome try to expand their sound somewhat with Williamson trying his hand at singing on tracks like ‘When You Come Up To Me’ and ‘Firewall’.
“Eton Alive speaks for itself really. Here we are once again in the middle of another elitist plan being digested slowly as we wait to be turned into faeces once more. Some already are, some are dead and the rest of us erode in the belly of prehistoric ideology which depending on our abilities and willingness, assigns to each of us varying levels of comfort that range from horrible to reasonably acceptable, based on contribution.
So after the digestive system of the Nobles rejects our inedible bones we exit the Arse of Rule, we fall into the toilet again and at the mercy of whatever policies are holding order in the shit pipe of this tatty civilisation. It is here our flesh regenerates as we rattle into another form, ready, and ripe for order”. – Jason Williamson
Make sure you head on over to The Moonshine Sessions where you can see Sleaford Mods make a very special performance just for us!
Sleaford Mods tickets are currently available.
HOMESHAKE – ‘Helium’
If you like it chill then you need to know playful producer Peter Sagar, now known as Homeshake. The Montreal musician was previously working as the legendary Mac DeMarco’s touring guitarist before stepping out in 2014 to start his own project. While the both share a slacker-esque outlook, the similarities differ with their sound as Sagar leans more towards synth side of his indie pop, taking in more R&B influences.
This year sees the release of his forth album ‘Helium’ which may continue his woozy style but he attests was written and recorded with “a much clearer mental state” than his previous records. Commenting on the process of writing and recording ‘Helium’, Sagar said; “I had a better idea of the sound that was working for this record and what it was turning into as I was writing the songs”. The sharper focus has resulted in a more accomplished album which shows considerable development into becoming a formidable force and we are looking forward to his gigs in Manchester and London next month.