New Music Alert 02.04.21 w/ Becci Wallace, Stanley Odd, Minerva Wakes & More
Some of this weeks new releases , reviewed by You Call That Radio on YouCallThat.com
This is meant to be my week off and it’s sunny outside so this week’s round up will be briefer than the last couple of weeks . I couldn’t not write a hing though because there is too many dope releases dropping today and it’s Bandcamp Friday which means this is the best day of the month to support your favourite artists as Bandcamp takes no fee for any purchases for the next 24 hours, meaning more £ for the artists who created the music. So please download an album buy a t shirt if you can. If you can’t then you can hear all of the best new releases over on the YCTR Spotify playlist here which is updated weekly so remember to give that a like or a follow but as the next song clearly states ‘time waits for no man ‘ so let us begin
First up we have this exceptional piece of work by Becci Wallace , produced by NovaSound Studios, that is the new single taken off the stunning ‘Present-Tense’ album which earned her the people’s vote for You Call That Radio’s solo-artist of the year. This is my favourite off the album and we have been lucky to hear it performed live a few times on YCTR as Becci made the odd appearance on our live video stream show throughout the last year of lockdown. The song itself is a fantastic introduction to all the many things Becci does so well. It is sheer poetry from a lyrical point of view with a catchy emotive hook that will earworm you into multiple listens,. Rhythmically, the verse bounces between spoken word and Hip Hop as the soundscapes into an epic piece of music. Visually Stephen Dewar captures the mood perfectly as Becci brings the song to life in Glasgow’s famous Barras Market and surrounding areas. First and foremost , Becci is a live performer and you can see that for yourself in the recent live session she recorded for us at Captureworks.
It’s also worth mentioning that as well as creating one of the best albums of 2020 , Becci has managed to juggle parenthood , full time work while also finding time to host a weekly Sunday Songwriters group while also doing a few takeovers for You Call That Radio called That’s What She Said where she gives a platform for those who identify as females to showcase their music and opinions. You Can watch those back here, here and here .
The album is out now on Bandcamp here or Spotify here
Dr Dave Hook aka Solareye returns with his Stanley Odd crew. What a year they have had . Constantly dropping new visuals ahead of their new album which is dropping soon as a digital download and lyric/ picture book called ‘Stay Odd: The Magic of Everyday Things’ . It`s another surprising twist from the odd squad. Your never really sure what you will get when you click that play button and this one starts off sombre before turning into a party banger with a nod to something along the lines of Calvin Harris era Dizzee Rascal. Absolute banger that would get constant commercial radio play rotation in any rational planet that wasn’t feart of a Scottish accent over electronic and/or hip hop beats. The song is a reflection of the highs of party time with the dark realties of what goes up must come down. Hook is as sharp lyrically as you would expect with Veronica Electronica being the perfect counter-vocal to his raps as the soundtrack takes you on many twists and turns. Great song, great video. Go and support the album and book for Bandcamp Friday over here
‘W.L’ by The Snuts
The Snuts have today dropped their much anticipated album and they really do seem to be like Scotland’s great hope for indie rock world domination. Listening to this as the sun shines through the window, it makes me want to go to a beach or a park and listen to it full blast on my headphones. I was lucky enough to see their historic gig at TRSMT in 2019 and it was clear to see then they were on the cusp of something special. And all the acclaim has been hard earned and well deserved. Perfect slices of pop and indie rock bangers combine to make something that is guaranteed to make a big splash in festivals and arenas across the planet. The song above I selected is ‘Somebody to Love’ where they used their music video budget to make a donation to the Scottish Refugee Council and instead just filmed it on mobile phones.
The album is out now on Spotify here and available on physical copies on their website here
Nothing gets me much more hyped than an email from Glasgow record label Southside Deluxe . They choose their releases wisely so you know it’s bound to be something good before you even know which genre they are pulling you into . whether it’s the underground Hip Hop of Mistah Bohze n NC Epik, the future funk of Grace Clones or their newest offering Dunt , you know to expect the unexpected.
In the lead up to Dunt’s ‘Starter Pact’ L.P they have just released a Check Masses remix of ‘Dark Between Stars’ feat. Sam West. This is the first time that the supergroup have done a remix but am sure they won’t be short of further offers and requests after people hear this. Blissed out pop music that weaves a slightly unsettling backdrop as Sam West ‘s powerful vocals shine throughout.
I am excited to see what Dunt is cooking up for the next release as he has such a varied back catalogue one of my favourite’s being his production all over Solareye’s ‘All these People Are Me’ L.P and the dark electro pop of SHEARS . Go and check out more of Dunt on Southside Deluxe right now.
Another brand new vide that just dropped as I was writing this is this trippy introduction to Minerva Wakes who just dropped her debut L.P ‘Mirrored Moon’ on our sister record label Traffic Cone Records. I was actually assistant camera man for this one but can take no credit for how this turned out as it is an absolute masterclass in editing wizadry by the genius that is Martin Windebank.
The song itself is one of the highlights of a weird withcy glitchy trip step journey that is available on CD / digital and also comes with optional art print and short novel. It’s like nothing else you will hear this year, or ever. Give it a spin on Spotify here or celebrate Bandcamp Friday by treating yourself to something physical over here .
‘Borealis’ by Britizen Kane & Shogun
There was so much more music that I would like to have reviewed today but the sunshine is calling me so I am away However, I just seen this pop up on my Spotify release radar and had to have a listen and couldn’t not give this a shout out. Most of you on here will already by familiar with Shogun who appeared on the YCTR Audio podcast last year which you can listen to here . The short back story is he went viral as a teenager with the impeccably written and delivered Vulcan, was arrested just before he went onstage to support Nas and after a wee bit of prison time bounced back and appeared on BBC’ s Rap Game TV show where he was clearly the best rapper on the show. Sticking to rules and his obvious disdain for authority were the only things that came between him and the win but I think it helped raise his profile , and that of Hip Hop from Scotland in general. A proper writer and exceptional live emcee. It’s only a matter of time and his recent collabs with Britizen Kane are certainly cementing that position. Tis track goes hard and the Mancunian tones of rapper Kane compliments him perfectly with Turkish Dcypha ‘s darkly outrageous backbeat giving them both the perfect canvas to unleash those sick rhymes. Britizen Kane is a rapper who has really impressed me over the last few years. His work rate has seen him improve with every release and there seems to be no stopping him now since the drop of his recent self titled album . We are promised a full concept EP dropping from these guys soon which I am really looking forward to checking out.
Check the song out on Spotify here and you can check all the songs above and more on the You Call That radio 2021 playlist here which is updated weekly. Please give it a LOVE/ Follow to stay up to date more new releases.
And finally as always this blog, this website and You Call That Radio TV has no sponsors, funding or adverts . we are powered purely by our patreons. If you would like to support what we do then consider joining the Mince n Tatties crew for only £3 per month and get yourself some access to bonus content and giveaways as well supporting the hing that we are building . And since it’s Bandcamp Friday here is a plug for my own project Jackal Trades. Currently finishing the new album ‘At This Point’ so now would be a great time to support the previous catalogue. 3 albums and an EP for £9.45 over here
Cheers
Mark
