Any artist is welcome to send us a track via freshonthenet.co.uk anytime between Monday lunchtime and Thursday morning - and all our moderators, including Tom Robinson, will listen to every track. This is our full inbox from the week beginning Mon 16 April: from midday on Friday you'll be able to hear our shortlist and pick your favourites on this week's Listening Post which will appear at freshonthenet.co.uk/batch279

If a track you submitted does not appear in this list, it is likely because another of your tracks appeared in our Fresh Faves or on the BBC Music Introducing Mixtape during the last three months — we ask that artists featured on either wait three months before resubmitting to give others a chance. You will be able to resubmit the track in future.

ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 279

Artistic Echoes Mixtape - 01/05/18 - Tape

Just an anti war hippie dippy tree hugging type thing

BOMBMASTER MASTER

Clinton

Its High Time

Final track from the 'OUTLIERS' EP

"The more alarming of the two words in Some Villains’ name isn’t its noun. It’s that determiner “Some.” It implies that there’s a formidable current of evil out there, but these four Englanders are no cause for concern. Comparatively, they’re benign, operating somewhere between the borders of villainous and just. The band’s villainy is small cog in some nefarious machine hell-bent on churning out dismay and dread; they’re only a blip on the radar, the lesser of many, many evils. They’re just some villains, nothing more.

Outliers

Ghosts In The Field

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1avPDM2gdVGKrJdzSwQnAK

Mistake

Written with Macduff in our hearts and minds

Celtic Romance

QUIET AS A MOUSE - Northern Rain

Quiet as a Mouse are an indie/alternative band formed by singer/songwriter Alex Moran in 2012.

The group’s live reputation has quickly grown as QAAM have supported Hinds (Deers), The Orwells, Palma Violets, The Big Moon, The Orielles, Coasts and The Crookes. Their first batch of London shows were with Club Fandango at Bull & Gate & Buffalo Bar as well as headlining Birthdays and The Old Blue Last.

These outstanding performances have earned them “Gig of the Day” from Ruth Kilpatrick at Amazing Radio, airplay support from Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music), Vic Galloway (BBC Radio Scotland), Chris Martin, Charlie Ashcroft and Jim Gellaty at Amazing Radio.

On the back of the free download track ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo)’ the band released their debut single ‘Home Is The Hardest Place To Find’ in August 2013.

Quiet as a Mouse released their next single ‘Casketcase’ in February 2014. ‘Casketcase’ like ‘Home Is The Hardest Place To Find’ was produced by Marcus Mackay (Frightened Rabbit & Snow Patrol) and mastered by Chris Potter (Arctic Monkeys).

In August 2014 QAAM released their debut EP ‘British Flag’ which was engineered and mixed by Liam Watson (The White Stripes ‘Elephant’) at Toerag Studios (Metronomy, Tame Impala & The Wytches) in London and mastered by Noel Summerville (The Clash & Aphex Twin).

The band released their 2nd EP ‘Memorybox’ in April 2015, which coincided with launch shows in Edinburgh, Glasgow & London. 

Quiet as a Mouse released their debut album 'Is It Funny When It Hurts?' (Part funded by Creative Scotland and produced by Kris Pohl (Idlewild) at Post Electric Studio) in 2018.

Alex returned to Brisbane, Australia in 2019 and released his latest QAAM release 'Passport' a 6 track mini album in 2022. A 2nd full length Quiet as a Mouse album is completed and to be release in late 2025/early 2026.

"Melodic indie pop-rock with a decidedly ’90s flavour, aided by the fact singer-songwriter Alex Moran’s vocals are somewhere between Dave Grohl’s and Neil Young’s" - The Courier Mail (QLD, Australia)

“Is It Funny When It Hurts? Is a debut full of relaxed confidence and is a leap forward for the band.” The Skinny

“Is It Funny When It Hurts? Gets a big thumbs up, we applaud the edgy guitar sound and thought provoking lyrics reminiscent of Pixies and Idlewild.” The Metro

The Daily Record called Alex “a genius and a prophet” and said of the ‘British Flag’ EP “like The Smiths, Orange Juice and Brian Jonestown Massacre; its knowing, fragile and indie-tastic.” They also mention QAAM's first single ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo)’ calling it “one of the best songs they have heard in over ten years.”

"QAAM are no strangers to the BBC Introducing Mixtape. We featured An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo) in February and Casketcase in June. Despite alarm bells ringing from the word “Christmas” in the title, this track comes from their splendid debut EP British Flag which was actually released in August. In any case, the groove and performance on this track are simply irresistible – the band’s strongest work to date. Roll on 2015." Tom Robinson BBC 6 Music

"Quiet as a Mouse are fast becoming one of Scotland's hottest prospects...'Home Is The Hardest Place To Find' is a soaring anthem packed full of melody...it reminds me of Snow Patrol's edgier moments." The Sun

“They’re picking up a wee buzz about themselves.” Vic Galloway BBC Radio Scotland

"This (QAAM upcoming 2nd EP) is the indie genre churning out one of its finer offerings of the past few years." The Metro

"Some bands don't even achieve such a great track as ‘An Accident Waiting To Happen (Awoo Woo Woo)' let alone give it away for free. It's a contender for Scottish single of the year." The Daily Record

"There is enough in Alex Moran’s band’s armoury to sink a battleship…New single Casketcase is a heady mix of Weezer and Nirvana, its Goth for the new millennium…I love this band." The Daily Record

'Home Is The Hardest Place To Find' was selected by The Herald's Martin Williams as the 51st best song of 2013 and 27th best Scottish song of 2013 calling it "Majestic offkilter alterno-indie."

"Inspired in part by the shimmer of Teenage Fanclub and the heaviness of Nirvana. This blend seems to have won them a few admirers, mohawk-haired Scottish music impresario Jim Gellatly among them." Edinburgh Evening News