Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 84
May 28, 2025
Kate Nash Takes On UK Supreme Court, Transphobia, Misogyny w. New Single "GERM"
Kate Nash
Releases Powerful New Single “ GERM ” and Lyric Video
Available across platforms here
To Premiere LIVE at Mighty Hoopla This Weekend
with The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra
Photo credit: Emily Marcovecchio
May was meant to be a moment of rest for Kate Nash, fresh off a sold-out UK and EU tour (broken foot and all), launching the first-ever fan-led music survey, and relentlessly spotlighting the music industry’s systemic failures. But when the Supreme Court reignited the battle over gender identity, silence wasn’t an option. For an artist who stands fiercely with her trans audience, the only fitting response is one that cuts deep! Listen to Kate’s new song “GERM” out now via Kill Rock Stars.
This weekend, Kate will take the stage at Mighty Hoopla, joined by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, for a performance that promises to be unforgettable. There, she will debut the new song live for the first time. Speaking about the track, Kate says: “Using feminism to erase the rights of others is inherently un-feminist. ‘GERM’ is my response to the recent news that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that the concept of sex is binary. Trans people were excluded from the conversation.
I am left uneasy as I see behaviours we would otherwise or previously label as intolerance or bullying become normalised & even celebrated by the media & in society. I believe this will lead to more transphobia and more misogyny in the UK. I also believe it to be misdirected and not at all where feminist efforts should be focused. In fact, I don’t consider it to be feminist at all. The demonisation of entire groups of people, led by bad faith actors, is not a step forward but a huge echo of a past we should have moved on from.
I owe so much of myself to feminism. Tarnishing the most important ideology in my life by denying the existence of trans women is something I take very personally.
Denying that trans people exist and having a personal desire to remove them from public spaces because it makes you uncomfortable to share spaces with trans people is transphobic. Dismantling systems of oppression lies at the very core of feminism. If you are transphobic therefore you are not a feminist. Welcome to your rebrand GERM.”
Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | X | YouTube | Website
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Unknown Mortal Orchestra announces 'CURSE' EP due 6/18 + shares with new single
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES NEW EP
SHARES NEW SINGLE/VIDEO "BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES"
CURSE EP DUE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18TH VIA JAGJAGUWAR
Unknown Mortal Orchestra by Michael Romero
CURSE EP
PRE-SAVE/ORDER: https://unknownmortalorchestra.lnk.to/curse
“BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES”
LISTEN: https://unknownmortalorchestra.lnk.to/BWTCOW
WATCH: LINK
(May 28, 2025) - Unknown Mortal Orchestra announces a new EP CURSE, which is set for release on Wednesday, June 18th via Jagjaguwar. The announcement comes alongside the release of a new single and music video "BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES." The single encompasses so much of what has made Unknown Mortal Orchestra a source of intrigue since the project’s enigmatic debut in 2011 -- from spectral, experimental jamming to its metal-indebted earworm of a chorus. The song arrives with a Ruban Nielson-directed music video.
CURSE reflects these cursed times we find ourselves in. Taking inspiration from Italian horror films of the 1970s and 1980s, the six songs on the release are as cathartic a listen as the band has ever recorded. Featuring both abrasive riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath on “BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES” as well as the laid back, intricate guitar playing UMO is maybe most famous for on “DEATH COMES FROM THE SKY”, the CURSE EP is the perfect soundtrack to your next confrontation with the void.
In defining what CURSE contends with thematically, Nielson shares:
In the hearts of men there are sometimes goodnesses hidden but substantial, which would be the difference in times of woe between finding oneself at the mercy of a monster or a more heroic creature.
For the sake of sanity we can fool ourselves into believing these silver slivers of morality are visible from the outside, even when we know they aren’t. And anyway, so much of what we believe we can see from the outside is a mirage, especially these days.
In the clownish, happy-go-lucky soil of lies and chaos, a silly kind of music can grow; a senseless laughter, and we can amuse ourselves with it, however darkly. We can dance with lost minds and howl in valiant hysteria as the stormtroopers of death, confused and incredulous, pile us or those we love into their meat wagons.
The EP closely follows Unknown Mortal Orchestra's IC-02 Bogotá, which was just released this past March.
Pre-save/order CURSE and listen/watch “BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES” above and stay tuned for more from Unknown Mortal Orchestra coming soon.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra Tour Dates
7/5 Victoria, BC – Backyard Music Festival
10/2 Nashville, TN - Fogg Street Lawn Club
“BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES” video still by Ruban Nielson
CURSE EP artwork
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
CURSE
June 18, 2025
1. AURA
2. BOYS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOLVES
3. DEATH COMES FROM THE SKY
4. ONE HUNDRED BATS
5. SORCERERS OF SILENCE
6. CURSE
Connect with Unknown Mortal Orchestra
THE SICK MAN OF EUROPE shares new single/video "Transactional". Debut self-titled debut album out June 20th.
THE SICK MAN OF EUROPE- Share new/video "Transactional"
- Debut self-titled album out June 20th via The Leaf Label
- UK/EU tour dates
Photo credit: Bella Keery
With echoes of the post-punk and European art-rock pioneers of the 80s re-imagined for the present day, London-based The Sick Man of Europe shares new single/ video " Transactional ", which follows on from recent track "Obsolete". TSMOE will release debut self-titled album on June 20th via The Leaf Label.
On the new single, TSMOE said "The modern world is a multi-faceted, anxiety-inducing mess. The untethered advancement of technology replaces every interaction and we’ve become increasingly partisan as a result. Divided. Can a true human connection be made in the face of these incoming waves?”
"Transactional" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kn24NgJDi0
Emerging from London’s underground music scene, The Sick Man Of Europe is distinctly monochrome in its outlook. Each note counts in this climate – economical but played with absolute precision and conviction. Propelled forward by machines and seeking solace in repetition. The same fears. Looking for answers or something to believe in, but finding more questions in an age of absolutes.
The Sick Man Of Europe demo tape arrived in a brown manila envelope accompanied by a short typewritten letter. Information was limited but what was clear, from the name, the imagery and typography, right through to the music - the project arrived almost fully formed. Minimal, but with a strong eye for the right detail.
On the eponymous debut album, that eye is focussed firmly on the battle between the internal and the external; the tensions between human identity, technological advancement and the pursuit of meaning in the modern world. “Where does the machine end and humanity begin?” TSMOE asks. “Can we transform ourselves in an increasingly impersonal world? Every day we feel the pressure to adapt and fit in, but that’s often at odds with our need for solitude and self-reflection. That’s where this record comes from.”
The Sick Man Of Europe name connects the current post-Brexit landscape to the austerity of Thatcherite Britain and the social conditions that shaped the likes of Bauhaus and Joy Division. These are touchstones for TSMOE, but the influence and discipline of Neu!, Suicide and Swans are just as intrinsic to the sound. Produced as a reaction to previous musical projects, TSMOE was looking for clarity and complete control in its creative endeavours. It’s consciously anti-rock in its recorded approach - no low-end bass guitar, minimal effects and no live drums. Dedication to the craft of focussed song writing rather than attempting to follow current production trends.
Lead single "Obsolete" was the first track produced under these self-imposed restrictions. “There’s nothing more human than the fear of the inevitable and we’re reminded of it everywhere we look,” TSMOE explains. “As the relentless pace of progress takes over, everything we’ve ever made is retired so quickly in the name of endless growth. At what point do we become obsolete?”
The term ‘the sick man Of Europe’ has been associated with many nations over the years, having first been coined by Tsar Nicholas I to describe the Ottoman Empire in 1833, and has been used more recently as a label for the UK, Greece and Germany. It means something different depending on when and where you grew up, and the music of TSMOE holds that same ambiguous power. The debut album is a timely release as cold war maps are re-drawn and geopolitical tensions ramp up. TSMOE is a global citizen of an increasingly fractured world.
The Sick Man Of Europe will be released on black vinyl and as a limited edition of 300 on ‘Sanguine Red’ vinyl for sale through indie shops and on Bandcamp. The album follows the release of the Moderate Air Quality EP on cassette in February, and the EP tracks are included on the CD version of the album.
The Sick Man Of Europe accompanied Snapped Ankles on their recent UK tour, and will be performing widely over the course of this year with more dates to be announced soon.
Tour dates:
Tues 8 July - The George Tavern, London UK
Sat 2 Aug - Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK
Sat 26 Jul - Deershed Festival, North Yorkshire, UK
Sat 2 Aug - Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK
Sat 30 Aug - Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester, UK
23-25 Oct - Left Of The Dial Festival, Rotterdam, NL
The Sick Man of Europe artwork:
The Sick Man of Europe tracklist:
1. Obsolete (YouTube)
2. Transactional (YouTube)
3. Sanguine
4. Profane Not Profound
5. Slow Down, Friend
6. Movement
7. Acidity Regulator
8. I'm Alive
9. Moderate Air Quality (CD bonus track)
10. The Son Of A Diplomat (CD bonus track)
11. Consumption (CD bonus track)
Quotes:
“Blends pulsating motorik beats, nagging basslines and droning electronics into all-consuming atmospheres. Fronted by foreboding vocals that sit somewhere between Ian Curtis’ melancholic baritone and something more experimental, phrases are repeated over and over like mantras, slowly building in intensity until the words take on entirely new meanings” - Electronic Sound
Links:
Website
Bluesky
TikTok
YouTube
Emma Swift Announces New Album; Shares First Song & Video
EMMA SWIFT UNVEILS THE RESURRECTION GAME
ACCLAIMED SINGER-SONGWRITER FOLLOWS 2020’S BLONDE ON THE TRACKS
WITH EAGERLY AWAITED FIRST COLLECTION OF ALL ORIGINAL SONGS
EXQUISITELY MELANCHOLIC SONG CYCLE HERALDED BY TODAY’S PREMIERE OF RHAPSODICALLY ROMANTIC FIRST SINGLE, “NO HAPPY ENDINGS” – LISTEN
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO STREAMING NOW AT YOUTUBE – WATCH
MAJOR MARKET CLUB DATES AND INTIMATE FAN-HOSTED UNDERTOW EVENTS
BEGIN JULY 17 IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN
THE RESURRECTION GAME ARRIVES VIA TINY GHOST RECORDS ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
PRE-ORDERS/PRE-SAVES AVAILABLE NOW
Photo Credit: Laura Partain
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Emma Swift announced her long-awaited new album, The Resurrection Game, arriving on Friday, September 12, via her own Tiny Ghost Records. A wide variety of formats are available, including digital, CD, premium D2 black vinyl, cassette, limited edition lavender vinyl, and limited edition blue swirl vinyl. All vinyl editions were pressed at Denver, CO’s Paramount Pressing and feature deluxe packaging with a gatefold sleeve and rice paper inner bag. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now. Swift’s first full-length collection of all original material and eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Blonde On The Tracks – which earned worldwide praise for the Sydney, Australia-born, Nashville-based artist’s inspired reimagining of eight classic Bob Dylan songs through her own unique musical perspective – The Resurrection Game is heralded by today’s premiere of the rhapsodic “No Happy Endings,” available everywhere now alongside an official music video streaming now at YouTube.
LISTEN TO “NO HAPPY ENDINGS”
WATCH “NO HAPPY ENDINGS” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE THE RESURRECTION GAME
Shifting gracefully between intimate confession, philosophical musing, and elegiac storytelling, The Resurrection Game sees Emma Swift fusing timeless singer-songwriter touchstones to her own extraordinary experiences with an exquisitely melancholic song cycle born of a personal crisis that left her shattered and forced to pick up the pieces of her inner life. Songs like “Beautiful Ruins” and the album-opening “Nothing and Forever” resonate with insistent, inestimable sadness, the exactitude of Swift’s devastatingly candid admissions lifted aloft by the subtle strength of her deep-blue vocals and an evocative breadth of gorgeously baroque musical flourishes.
“I am a big believer in the redemptive power of art,” Emma Swift says. “Though many of these songs come from an immensely difficult time in my life, what I’m trying to do here is to alchemize the experience. To make the brutal become beautiful.”
The seeds of The Resurrection Game were sown on the heels of a seven-week “nervous breakdown” that saw Swift sectioned in her native Australia. Over a year of recovery followed, a “very fragile” period in which she grappled with what had happened through therapy, medication, and eventually, her art. Working with producer Jordan Lehning (Kacey Musgraves, Rodney Crowell, Caitlin Rose) at Chale Abbey, a residential studio built within a stone barn dating back to the 16th century located on the downs at the southern tip of England’s Isle of Wight, as well as Lehning’s The Duck in East Nashville, Swift assembled a cadre of Nashville’s finest, most in-demand players, including pedal steel master Spencer Cullum (Steelism, Miranda Lambert, Angel Olsen), guitarist Juan Solorzano (Devon Gilfillian, Sheryl Crow), bassist Eli Beaird (Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson, James Bay, Luke Bryan), and drummer Dom Billet (Yola, Phosphorescent), with Lehning handling keyboards and other instruments.
Together, Swift and her collaborators conjured an unabashedly melodramatic, “deliberately lush” musical milieu brimming with imagination and communal energy, Lehning’s ornate arrangements creating an atmosphere so intense and cinematic that Swift’s tragic tales of catastrophic psychological collapse ultimately prove buoyant and exhilarating. Strewn with keenly incisive wit and heartbreaking accuracy, songs like “How To Be Small” bridge the gap between traditional folk songcraft and self-revelatory confessional poetry. Despite the myriad unpleasantness of her experience, Swift somehow finds wry humor and sweeping beauty as she reckons with the all-encompassing crisis. Swift tells her story with raw clarity and the power of contemplative hindsight, her remarkably self-assured vocals capturing her undeniable anguish but also, within such songs as “No Happy Endings” and “Going Where The Lonely Go,” romantic joy thanks to the understanding and sustenance provided by her husband, legendary British singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock.
Grounded firmly in enduring musical traditions yet utterly contemporary in viewpoint and execution, The Resurrection Game immediately confirms Emma Swift as a singularly gifted singer and songwriter of immense skill and spirit. Swift trusts to her core that the act of creating something so passionately personal, of giving in completely to her life-altering heartache and despair, is the truest path towards greater connection with her art and the world outside.
“I believe that there is a space for songs about real pain,” Swift says. “In this moment in time, we live in a world where we’re encouraged to anesthetize what ails us by any means possible. But this record is more about spending time with your sadness, of leaning into that sorrow and facing it head-on.
“Hard times are a part of the seasons of any person’s life. You don’t have to have an acute mental health crisis to understand this. Everyone experiences grief, pain, tremendous suffering at one time or another. I wouldn’t want to live through that particular season again, but I feel duty-bound to honor it. And so I have.”
Swift will celebrate the arrival of The Resurrection Game with a very special Undertow tour, a series of major market club dates and intimate fan-hosted events beginning July 17 in Indianapolis, IN and then continuing into September. For complete details, please visit www.emmaswift.com/shows.
# # #
EMMA SWIFT
THE RESURRECTION GAME
(Tiny Ghost Records)
Release Date: Friday, September 12
Photo Credit: Autumn Dozier
Tracklist:
Nothing and Forever
The Resurrection Game
No Happy Endings
Going Where The Lonely Go
Beautiful Ruins
Catholic Girls Are Easy
Impossible Air
How To Be Small
For You And Oblivion
Signing Off With Love
HAAi Announces New Album 'HUMANiSE' || Shares New Track "Satellite" Feat. Jon Hopkins, Obi Franky, ILĀ & TRANS VOICES
HAAi
ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
HUMANiSE
OUT 10/10 ON MUTE
SHARES FIRST TRACK “SATELLITE”
FEAT. JON HOPKINS, OBI FRANKY, ILĀ AND TRANS VOICES
US LIVE DATES CONTINUE
Photo credit: Sophie Webster
“… her solo work — which includes psychedelic electronica, massive breakbeat sounds, anthemic synth-kissed songs and remarkably fun D.J. sets — continues to cement her reputation as a stand-alone talent.” - The New York Times, May 2025
London-based, Australian-born producer, songwriter and DJ, HAAi (aka Teneil Throssell) has announced details of her highly-anticipated new studio album, HUMANiSE, out on October 10, 2025 via Mute on limited edition clear double gatefold vinyl and limited edition CD in eco card packaging.
Listen to “Satellite” featuring Jon Hopkins, lead vocals by Obi Franky, plus ILĀ and the TRANS VOICES, a crescendo of celestial glitch-pop that references early Kompakt records, ‘90s rave and 2-step HERE. The accompanying visualizer is by Dobermann Ltd, who Teneil has been working closely with on the artwork.
Teneil goes on to say, “‘Satellite’ encapsulates everything HUMANiSE stands for: the importance of your people and the unique humaneness we offer one another in a rapidly changing world. I feel so lucky to have shared this track with Jon and Obi, ILĀ and the Trans Voices choir.
This album is for my trans and queer family and our allies, to say thank you for lighting up every space you’re in. I will always be in your army.”
Talking about the track, Franky explains: “Inspired by my father’s passing, I decided to write a message that I believe we share for each other. And this can apply to various situations for so many people including those that live far away from each other. Sometimes being reminded someone’s energy is there is enough to keep you going. We are all satellites and have the power to create a sense of unity, the power to receive and give what ultimately a human wants - love."
HUMANiSE stands as an immense evolution from the debut, Baby, We’re Ascending, and arrives at a prolific time for the artist. Her BBC Radio 6 Music A-listed track, “Can’t Stand To Lose” was reworked by HAAi and Tom VR and soundtracked a groundbreaking visual which premiered on the Outernet’s digital exhibition space for Women’s History Month. That was followed soon after by a collaboration with KAM-BU, “Shapeshift”, and recent (and forthcoming) DJ appearances that include Coachella, Movement, Glastonbury and helming her community-focused night in London, UNiSON. HAAi’s live dates continue throughout the summer, including upcoming North American appearances in Los Angeles, New York, Denver, Toronto and more. Full dates are below.
In all of her work, Teneil has always sought to conquer new frontiers in electronic music and on the new album she’s drilling deeper into the grid. HUMANiSE reckons with what it is to be human in an increasingly digital world, as AI threatens to eclipse everything and our screens separate us from each other. The result is an ambitious and thrilling epic: embodying a sonic step up, exploring the sweet spot between machine-led dystopia and emotion-filled utopia.
“Throughout the album, I kept thinking about a machine with a human heart,” she says. Where previously she’s been hidden by a laptop, or obscured behind the decks, more recently she was, “inspired to return to my songwriting roots and use my voice more in my own music.” “Throughout the album, I kept thinking about a machine with a human heart,” she says. Vocals are front and center, stunningly delicate and giving a newfound dimension to her kinetic productions. “It took a long time to get there, it’s such a vulnerable thing to do,” she continues, “but for this album, it was important for me to allow this ‘human heart’ to be front and center.”
The human heart has another focus on the album: unity and community. HAAi explains, “Even though HUMANiSE is about how the world is starting to change beyond our control, it’s important to keep a sense of togetherness and hope.” These ideas of community and a sense of belonging is of utmost importance, and she has returned to work with friends including Jon Hopkins, Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, singer Obi Franky, rapper KAM-BU, artist Kaiden Ford, poet James Massiah, who guests on “All That Falls Apart”, and two choirs: TRANS VOICES with choir leader ILĀ and a gospel choir led by Wendi Rose. But this is no clique, the community she surrounds herself with is inclusive, with ample space for the listener on a journey where you are suspended in dreamlike euphoria, drawing the most human part of you to the surface, the part where nothing matters more than family, friends and togetherness.
HUMANiSE is out on October 10, 2025 via Mute on limited edition clear double gatefold vinyl and limited edition CD in eco card packaging. Pre-order it HERE.
HUMANiSE is HAAi’s first album release since her acclaimed DJ-Kicks compilation in 2023, which RA described as “a thrillingly eclectic journey through sound, where industrial beats meet warm melodies with finesse.” The compilation, which includes a new version of her collaboration with Jon Hopkins titled “Always Ascending”, came soon after her debut album, Baby, We’re Ascending, which opened up her boundary-pushing blend of psychedelia, techno and powerful beats to new avenues, prompting the likes of Dazed to say, “[HAAi] transcends to new planes of existence on her full-length debut” and NME to praise her “high-flying, vibrant electronic wonderland”. 2023 also saw the release of “Lights Out”, her collaboration with Fred again.. and Romy, a single that solidified HAAi’s place at the forefront of electronic music.
Outside of her own productions, HAAi is known for her dynamic, tempo-shifting DJ sets. In 2024 HAAi played over 100 shows across 5 continents, 30 countries, and 91 cities. She took to the biggest stages at festivals like Glastonbury, Sonar, and EDC Las Vegas, while also delivering sets at local parties including Japan’s Rainbow Disco Club, Berlin’s RSO and Paris’ Iconic Rex Club, where she performed a year-long residency. In-between, HAAi was playing b2b’s with friends like KI/KI, Jennifer Cardini, The Blessed Madonna and Solomun.
2024 also saw the launch of UNiSON, her community focused party that is a platform for HAAi to uplift rising talent while creating an inclusive and boundary-pushing space for club culture.
TOUR DATES:
5/31/2025 - Denver, CO - Club Vinyl Basement
6/1/2025 - Los Angeles, CA - Into The Woods
6/6/2025 - Toronto, ON - Pep Rally
6/7/2025 - Queens, NY - Knockdown Center
6/8/2025 - Montreal, QB - Off Piknic
6/13/2025 - Oslo, NO - Jaeger
6/14/2025 - Lyon, FR - Le Sucre
6/15/2025 – Porto, PT - Primavera Sound at Parque da Cidade
6/27/2025 - Glastonbury, UK - San Remo
6/28/2025 - Glastonbury, UK - Levels (b2b Romy) on the Silver Hayes stage
6/29/2025 - Perk,,BE - Paradise City (b2b The Blessed Madonna), Domein van Perk
7/5/2025 - Kraggenburg,NL - Wilde Weide Festival at Netl Park
7/9/2025 - Ibiza, ES - Hï
7/11/2025 - Athens, GR - BICEP presents CHROMA, 260 Playground
7/12/2025 - Aulnoye Aymeries, FR - Les Nuits Secrètes
7/17/2025 - Castellon, ES - FIB Benicassim
7/18/2025 - Brighton, Bonobo presents OUTLIER (b2b Special Request), Brighton Beach
7/19/2025 - Lancashire, UK - Beat Herder Festival
7/20/2025 - Boom, Tomorrowland, Provinciaal Recreatiedomein De Schorre
7/26/2025 - Malta, MT - Mochakk Calling, UNO
7/27/2025 - Bloemendaal aan Zee, NL - Woodstock ‘69
8/3/2025 - Waterford, IE - All Together Now
8/6/2025 - Ibiza. ES - Hï
8/14/2025 - Ibiza, ES - Amnesia
8/16/2025 - Zeebrugge, BE - Wecandance
8/22/2025 - Lincolnshire, UK - Lost Village
8/24/2025 - London, UK - Body Movements, London, United Kingdom
8/27/2025 - Ibiza, ES - Pacha
8/29/2025 - Chicago, IL - Arc Festival
Gelli Haha releases "Spit" single/video ~ Debut album out June 27 on Innovative Leisure
Gelli Haha Releases New Single / Video “Spit”
Debut Album Switcheroo Out June 27 via Innovative Leisure
Photo By Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp
In Gelli Haha’s latest single “Spit” - only S-words are allowed. The track has underground-club grit, with a strong, consistent bass line and strange electronic effects. On “Spit”, participation is encouraged and surrender is required. The accompanying music video, directed by David Gutel, features Gelli strapped to a spiraling operation board as Gelli Kompany scientists conduct a surreal experiment on her.
Listen / Playlist / Share “Spit” | Official Music Video Here
A shapeshifter, a sonic acrobat, a performer with one foot in the cosmos and the other in arthouse theatrics, Gelli Haha (pronounced Jelly-Haha) is a space for pure creative chaos that exists somewhere between Studio 54 and Area 51. Gelli’s music thrives on duality: playful but profound, tongue-in-cheek but sincere. Her debut album Switcheroo, out next month via Innovative Leisure, is the soundtrack to the Gelliverse, a sensory adventure sphere created by Gelli.
With a shared taste for off-kilter pop and vintage gear, producer Sean Guerin (of De Lux) joined Gelli in turning freshly-formed demos into a high-voltage experiment, abandoning meticulous structure for something freer and more electrifying. Every song on Switcheroo makes use of a myriad of recording toys; wacky analog effects, such as the Eventide Harmonizer, MXR Pitch Transposer, and various Electrix units, fashion an intentionally flawed and strictly silly texture throughout the album. Switcheroo is an exercise in letting go, an inside joke turned theatrical spectacle.
Pre-Order / Pre-Save Switcheroo
Switcheroo Tracklist:
1 - Funny Music (Official Music Video)
2 - Spit (Official Music Video)
3 - Normalize
4 - Bounce House (Official Music Video)
5 - Piss Artist
6 - Tiramisu
7 - Gelliverse
8 - Dynamite
9 - Johnny
10 - Pluto is not a planet it’s a restaurant
Gelli Haha Live Dates:
TBA.
London post-punkers World News return with jangly new single
LONDON POST-PUNKERS WORLD NEWS RETURN
WITH JANGLY NEW SINGLE “DON’T WANT TO KNOW” – LISTEN
OUT VIA THEIR OWN LABEL, PIE & MASH
OFFICIAL VIDEO OUT SATURDAY
Photo by Teddy Hansen
“...throwback indie rock of the highest order”
“If you think that jangly, bittersweet indie-pop is a lost art, then you owe it to yourself to check out this London band, who would’ve been stars on ’80s college radio.”
“The bottom line is that World News is a real band with real talent, not some poseurs who hide behind synths and digital gimmicks.”
Today, London post-punkers World News share their first single of the year, “Don’t Want To Know” – out via their own label, Pie & Mash. Recorded at RAK Studios in central London and produced by Tommy Bosustow (Muse, Taylor Swift), “Don’t Want To Know” shows off their signature jangly, hook-driven sound contrasted against lyrics delving into themes of struggle, disillusionment, and escapism. Frontman Alex Evans’ striking deep voice pleads to be left alone, wishing to avoid difficult conversations with an inescapable intensity: “I think when I wrote it, I was definitely in a depressive episode.”
LISTEN TO “DON’T WANT TO KNOW”
With an eclectic set of influences from the ‘70s and ‘80s dipping into post-punk, indie-rock and shoegaze alike, World News combines addictive atmospheric guitar riffs with seductive, nonchalant melodies. Moody, punchy, and nostalgic, they’ve called comparisons to iconic British bands that have come before them–from The Smiths to The Clash to Dire Straits.
Last year saw a continued upward trajectory for the band with the release of two standout EPs, Escape and Mindsnap, their debut appearance in the US at The New Colossus Festival in New York City, and features in Stereogum’s 40 Best New Artists of 2024 and The Fader’s 13 Artists to Watch for 2025.
They also just announced a string of shows across Europe for the summer, with stops in Paris, Brixton, Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid. More info and tickets here.
# # #
ABOUT WORLD NEWS:
Heartbreak, night shifts, and the claustrophobia of London life in a windowless room–World News’ debut came out of their lowest point: lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020. Restless, disillusioned, and yearning for more, the quartet set into overdrive in the years that followed, releasing three EPs and a dozen singles and committing to a fiercely independent DIY ethos.
Originally performing under the name Tinman, brothers Alex and Rory Evans cut their teeth in Brighton’s grassroots scene back in 2018, relentlessly chasing opening slots in the city’s thriving music community. Following a case of mistaken identity–when gig-goers arrived expecting an Austrian DJ of the same name–and a chance meeting with drummer Malte Henning at a Pizza Express, they found their final form as World News. They were gaining momentum fast, having sold out their first headlining show in London at The Shacklewell Arms, when the pandemic hit and brought it all to a halt.
2020 saw the release of their debut EP Job and Money, a raw and pensive collection written by Alex during a time of personal turmoil, followed by highlight singles “Wrapped in Gold” and “The Tinman” in 2023. Riding that momentum, 2024 brought the rapid-fire release of two EPs, Escape and Mindsnap, and the addition of rhythm guitarist Jack Tollman. Escape expanded on their signature jangly sound, while Mindsnap dove into darker, gothic territory and marked the first body of work co-written by Alex and Rory.
World News closed out 2024 with recognition from Stereogum, SPIN, The Fader, and KEXP on top of sold out shows at The Lexington in London and Piano’s in New York City. This year, they’ve set their sights on releasing their debut album.
# # #
CONNECT WITH WORLD NEWS:
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP
TOPS announces 'Bury the Key' due 8/22 + shares new single
TOPS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM AND WORLD TOUR DATES
BURY THE KEY DUE AUGUST 22ND VIA GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL
SHARES NEW SINGLE "CHLORINE" OUT NOW
TOPS by Nori Rasmussen-Martinez
Bury the Key
PRE-SAVE/ORDER: https://ghostly.lnk.to/TOPS-Bury-the-Key
"Chlorine"
LISTEN: https://ghostly.lnk.to/TOPS-Chlorine
WATCH: https://youtu.be/O6fD5zdct94
“Near-perfect songwriting”
Pitchfork
“Sophisticated production, nostalgic synths and gorgeous tunes”
The Guardian
(May 28, 2025) - Following the recent news that they have joined the Ghostly International family, TOPS announces their forthcoming new album, Bury the Key, due August 22nd. The announcement is accompanied by their focus track "Chlorine" alongside news of new tour dates across the UK, Europe and North America.
The album’s centrepiece, "Chlorine," is an "empty love" ballad that crosses toxins, the nostalgia of chemical-filled waterparks, and the comfort of an unhealthy bar night. Speaking on the single, band member Jane Penny shares, "At one point I was caught in a cycle of going out to the bar hoping that I would cross paths with a certain person who was not good for me but who I felt irresistibly drawn to. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where it’s very cold and I used to go to the pool a lot in the winter. It’s also where I first started going to bars to drink with my friends. I was thinking about alcohol and chlorine both being poison, thinking about all the people that I’ve tried to be close to that have ended up being bad for me, how I still love them all, and I wrote the song 'Chlorine.'"
TOPS — musicians Jane Penny, David Carriere, Marta Cikojevic and Riley Fleck — write timeless music that reliably threads immediacy and depth. Bury the Key, their first full-length since 2020 and with new label home Ghostly International, is a captivating reintroduction for the Montréal band: ever refined, undoubtedly masters of their melodic craft yet unafraid of evolving and testing themselves against different, at times darker tones.
The album faces feelings once locked away, engaging the give-and-take between happiness, hedonism, and self-destruction. While often inhabited by fictional figures, their glowing, grooving, self-produced songs draw from personal observations: intimacy (both inside and outside the band), toxic behavior, drug use, and apocalyptic dread. When recording started, they noticed a shift and leaned in, jokingly dubbed "evil TOPS," says Penny. "We're always kind of seen as a soft band or like naive or friendly in a Canadian way, but we made it a challenge to really channel the world around us." Through the lens of a looming epoch and the clarity that comes with age, TOPS dip into a more sinister disco realm with Bury the Key, giving their soft-focus sophisti-pop a sharpened edge.
Emerging from Montréal's DIY scene in the early 2010s as progenitors of an indie pop sound still radiating its influence across the contemporary landscape, TOPS’ secret to longevity is simple: keep the songwriting honest and open-hearted and the recording unforced yet pristine, allowing for a band dynamic deeply attuned at every level. Their songs outline the silhouettes of life, and as time goes on — now five LPs, countless tours, and various side projects in — TOPS have only gotten better at what they do.
The voice of TOPS is Jane Penny, a songwriter, producer, flutist, and singer whose hushed delivery hosts a deceivingly vast range of expression and has surely informed a wave of today's greats from Men I Trust to Clairo. Her lyrical subjects never go out of style: the dynamics of power, desire, struggles to be seen, and the complexities of love, whether requited or otherwise. Following her move back to Montréal and first solo release in 2024, Penny returns to the neighbourhoods of her former self a step wiser; the sleek cars and forever highways of her songs, penned with her rhythmic counterpart David Carriere, find assured depth in Bury the Key. Carriere, a songwriter, producer, and guitarist with a flair for high-sheen hooks and the relentless drive to match (other projects include DVC Refreshments and Born At Midnite), adds to his bag of tonal and textural tricks. Drummer Riley Fleck, the band's heartbeat since day one and occasional gun for others (Jessica Pratt's live band as of late), broadens his utility, venturing into higher and harder tempos. Keyboardist Marta Cikojevic, who joined TOPS in 2017 just before the landmark I Feel Alive and in 2022 released her breakout debut as Marci (produced by Carriere), expands her role here as well, joining the writing process and backing Penny for some of the record's fullest, most satisfying vocal lines.
It is rare to see a band so aligned and complete, self-sufficient, specialised but agile and ambitious, reaching an elite level of pop precision as their legacy remains largely unwritten. They've toured the world over, from major festivals to the dingiest of dives, sleeping on floors and tour-managing themselves for years, manifesting their success the hard way. Beyond work ethic, it also comes down to chemistry and taste; when pressed for which artists get airplay in their van, some expected names appear, Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan, but dig deeper and the veneer of artists like China Crisis, Prefab Sprout, and Francois Hardy, Missing Persons, and Everything But the Girl start to fill out the playlist. An instinct for luster and thrills, songs both sweet and bleak, brings the band to Bury the Key, a prismatic album polished out of the rough. Grounded by pain and pleasure, the complicated joys of being alive, of being a band from one of our era's finest.
Pre-save/order Bury the Key, listen to "Chlorine" above and find full tour and album details below.
Upcoming Live Shows
9/4 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
9/5 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
9/6 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile (EARLY SHOW)
9/8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9/9 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
9/11 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada - Outdoor Stage
9/12 – Houston, TX @ Heights Theater
9/14 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
9/15 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
9/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
9/18 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
9/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
9/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/1 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/2 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
10/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/4 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/6 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/7 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
10/8 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/9 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
10/11 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/18 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield
11/10 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/11 – London, UK @ Heaven
11/13 – Dublin, IE @ Workmans Club
11/14 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
11/15 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
11/17 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
11/18 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
11/20 – Kortrijk, BE @ Wilde Westen
11/21 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
11/22 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/23 – Vlaardingen, NL @ De Kroepoekfabriek
11/24 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
11/26 – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft
Bury the Key album artwork
TOPS
Bury the Key
Ghostly International
August 22nd, 2025
1. Stars Come After You
2. Wheels at Night
3. ICU2
4. Outstanding in the Rain
5. Annihilation
6. Falling on my Sword
7. Call You Back
8. Chlorine
9. Mean Streak
10. Your Ride
11. Standing at the Edge of Fire
12. Paper House
Connect with TOPS:
May 27, 2025
THE DAMNED @ The Wiltern TUESDAY May 27th 2025 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos by Alexander Laurence
TV SMITH (THE ADVERTS) @ The Wiltern TUESDAY May 27th 2025 // THE PORTABLE INFINITE
All photos by Alexander Laurence
