The Songs of May 2022

Peach

My Other People

Limehouse Cut

Mewn - Two Days

First single from upcoming EP2. Released 28/04/2022.

Mewn - Two Days

North Wales Psychedelic rock band 'Holy Coves' return with a brand new single 'Desert Storm' which is set for release on 29th of April via prolific North Wales Label 'Yr Wyddfa Records'.

Dropping swiftly into the slip-stream and following on from the successful 'The Hurt Within' which was released last month, 'Desert Storm' really sets the psych mood with droney riffs, hazy vocals on an epic musical landscape.

Lead by Welsh Singer-Songwriter Scott Marsden, 'Holy Coves' find themselves crossing an unseen threshold on a fantastical new journey where new psych-hazed material spells an exciting new era for the collective.

Through long time friend and Producer David Wrench, 'Holy Coves' were put in touch with Texan Producer Erik Wofford (The Black Angels / Explosions In The Sky) and have built quite a magical working relationship, one where Wofford found himself on Mixing and Mastering duties for the material and certainly contributes to their new sound.

Desert Storm

Game Of Cards

Led by enigmatic songwriter Rowan Sandle, Crake is driven by her endless curiosity. Armed with her gently cracking vocal, and inspiration from writers like Shirley Jackson and Nan Shepherd, she sings of crinoids, slime mould and pussy willow. When they supported Buck Meek at Brudenell Social Club, Buck found himself so beguiled by Sandle and her band that he invited them to support Big Thief on their UK and EU tour in 2019. Crake duly obliged and have been building towards their debut full-length ever since. 

Much of the forthcoming album revolves around the death of Sandle’s friend Anna, who died in Syria after being hit by a Turkish air strike. Anna was working for a woman’s liberation group in the 
war-stricken country when the tragedy took place. ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ explores the grief that followed and the lessons learnt from dealing with such a significant loss. 

Sandle does, however, find space to explore more themes alongside this grief, such as cruelty and queer nature. On lead single ‘Winter’s Song’ she acknowledges the cruelty and coldness that exists within us all, and questions how we can continue to grow and love whilst remaining true to that. 

Speaking about the track, she said: “Winter’s Song is about the absolute mundane beauty of being fallible. It's a true story, I saw the moon rise but swore it was the sun setting. I think about this line a lot: “keep a little coldness in you, just wear it soft and gentle” Be soft, be kind, be honest. Being unremarkable has its own beauty.” 

Sandle’s love for queer nature is so fervent that it makes the experience of listening to Crake akin to that of stumbling on an entirely new world. Sandle believes that life isn’t as black and white as we’ve been taught, and thinks nature holds the key to revealing the true nature of human experience. The appearances of things like slime mould - single-celled organisms that form a single body when in search of food  - brittle starfish - a type of starfish whose awareness isn’t concentrated in one place - and other such oddities furnish ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ with a folklore all of its own. 

‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ will send you down multiple rabbit holes and you’ll emerge from each with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of the world. Perhaps even more important than this though is the humanity that lies at the very heart of this debut full-length. Whether it’s in the sensitivity in how she portrays the loss of her friend, the depiction of our most base instincts - namely cruelty, passion and love - or the 
sincere, pure quality of the songwriting itself, it’s this that makes ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ essential, and 
invaluable listening. 

“A pensive, dejected moment of magic, but magic nonetheless” Gold Flake Paint
“Charming and intimate alt-folk” Dork
“The guitars sizzle like lightning bolts striking against an otherwise clear sky, while Sandle’s distinct, hoarse vocal plays like another instrument” Secret Meeting
“In a world of cynics, [Crake] make you believe anything might still be possible” For The Rabbits 

https://fikarecordings.com/artists/crake

Crake are:
Rowan Sandle - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Russell Searle - Electric Guitar, Piano
Rob Slater - Drums / Backing Vocals
Sarah Statham - Bass / Backing Vocals

Humans' Worst Habits

Rabbit

Crake - Rabbit

We are not music snobs. We prefer music connoisseurs.

Is phoenixing a word? It should be, but even if it isn't, Katrina Ford has been an expert at rising from the ashes with songs that reflect her struggles as well as her strength since her time with JAKS, the '90s Chicago band whose grand guignolgoth was engineered by the late, great Steve Albini. JAKS was also Ford's first project with her partner and long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Sean Antanaitis. Together, they founded Celebration, a group whose fittingly festive blend of Psychedelic soul and Baroque-pop -- as well as the airy highs and fierce lows of Ford's vocals -- made their five albums (2005's Celebration, 2007's The Modern Tribe, 2011's Hello Paradise - Electric Tarot, 2014's Albumin, and 2017's Wounded Healer) cult classics. During and later, TV on the Radio, Future Islands, Foals, Unkle and Mt. Royal sought out her spellbinding singing.