Alternative Rock

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If you need some references: Pears, (with some limitations) Dillinger 4 and/ or Cancer Bats are groups to orientate yourself by when describing the sound of WESTERN ADDICTION. Nevertheless always a bit dirtier, snottier, angrier and braver. Finest San Francisco Punk and Hardcore with dirty flavours of Rock & Roll, Folk and Post-Punk.

Washed Out is Atlanta-based producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene. Over three enchanting, critically-lauded albums and an EP, his music has proved both transportive and visual, each release inviting listeners into immersive, self-contained universes. With Purple Noon, his fourth album, and his return to Sub Pop, he delivers the most accessible Washed Out creation to date. Life of Leisure, Washed Out's 2009 debut EP, set the bar for the Chillwave era, shimmering in a warm haze of off-the-cuff Polaroids and pre-IG filters. Within and Without, his 2011 full-length debut on Sub Pop, morphed into nocturnal, icy synth-pop and embraced provocative imagery. 2013's Paracosm was Greene's take on psychedelia, with a full live band and kaleidoscopic light show, and saw him playing to the largest audiences of his career. The sample-heavy Mister Mellow (2017, Stone's Throw) delivered a 360 audio/visual experience, with cut-n-paste and hand-drawn animation to match the hip-hop influences throughout the album. With each release, Greene has approached his evolving project with meticulous detail and a steadfast vision. For Purple Noon, Greene again wrote, recorded, and produced the entirety of the album, with mixing handled by frequent collaborator Ben H. Allen (Paracosm, Within and Without). Production of the album followed a brief stint of writing for other artists (most notably Sudan Archives) which enabled Greene to explore genres like R&B and modern pop. These brighter, more robust sounds made their way into the songs of Purple Noon and mark a new chapter for Greene as a producer and songwriter. The vocals are front and center, tempos are slower, beats bolder, and there's a more comprehensive depth of dynamics. One can hear the luxuriousness of Sade, the sonic bombast of Phil Collins, and the lush atmosphere of the great Balearic beat classics. Mediterranean coastlines inspired Purple Noon, and Greene pays tribute to the region's distinct island culture - all rugged elegance and old-world charm - and uses it as a backdrop to tell stories of passion, love, and loss (Purple Noon's title comes from the 1960 film directed by Rene Clement and based on the novel The Talented Mister Ripley by Patricia Highsmith). Much like romantic Hollywood epics, the melodrama throughout is strong: a serendipitous first meeting in "Too Late"; a passionate love affair in "Paralyzed"; disintegration of a relationship in "Time to Walk Away"; a reunion with a lost love in "Game of Chance." Purple Noon adds a layer of emotional intensity to the escapism of Washed Out's oeuvre, taking the music to dazzling new heights.

Tropicalia infused fifth album by Vinyl Williams After collaging hundreds of paintings together in a string of new artwork, Williams combined over 25 paintings to create the album art for Azure; attempting to equally represent the complexly organic & decadent music apparent on the record. The first single "LA Egypt" is a wild harmonious odyssey, that will impact international radio & streaming services in April & May. Azure marks a point of higher equilibrium for songwriter Lionel Williams, employing far more restraint & rapidity than his earlier releases, as well as a concentration of unifying paradoxical qualities. The last record, Opal (2018) received critical acclaim by Pitchfork (7.6) and was listed on NME's best of 2018 list (93/200) - Larry Fitzmaurice hailed that "...there's never been any doubt that Williams is an adept musician, but his newfound skills as a songwriter and arranger push this album into the realm of pure pleasure." Vinyl Williams' earlier releases are cult favorites for their incessant bliss & driving rhythms, such as Brunei (2016) & Trance Zen Dental Spa (2015 - collaboration with Chaz Bear of Toro Y Moi). Williams is equally known for his interactive video worlds, 360ú videos, web art, and downloadable environments, inhabited by hyper dimensional palaces you might find in an ultimate future. He's created virtual music videos for Tears For Fears, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Spaceface, Morgan Delt & several other artists. Vinyl Williams' live show is a spectacle of pearlescent sights & sounds, with all of Williams' work combined & sync'd together in rapturous hyper-dimensional moments

Dead Elysium” is a return to form for Australia’s most iconic melodic metal band! More than six years since the release of “Distant Is The Sun”, Vanishing Point are once again ready to take on the world with their world-class melodic metal assault on the senses. Their sixth full-length album “Dead Elysium” is a revisit to the epic and bombastic sounds of soaring vocals, heavy guitars and mesmerizing orchestral elements. Set for release in August 2020 via Octane Records (Australia) and AFM Records (Rest of World), “Dead Elysium” is a return to form for Australia’s most iconic melodic metal band.

Thee MVPs are an incredibly focused, close knit group of friends who have found a sound that is completely their own whilst operating on their own terms. After years of nearly relentless touring that took them to the other side of the world and back, the band has fully articulated that sound with 'Science Fiction'. Recorded themselves and mastered in Chicago with Shellac's Bob Weston, 'Science Fiction' features 10-tracks of deceptively infectious riff-driven motoric grooves and beat heavy, high energy blowouts that demand movement. Each delivered with a sardonic smirk, these new tracks demonstrate the veteran quartet willingness and ability to renew themselves and the kraut/punk/garage/whatever-rock genre within which they operate, to expand on a sound that is hook heavy whilst also remaining challenging and innovative. The band describe the new album as part-concept. Speaking about the themes behind the record, they say "the album ties in references and homages to Sci Fi with the modern millennial difficulties all of us face as we move away from our youth. Some themes include always having camaraderie in the face of any dire straight, how being contactable 24/7 probably isn't best for any of us and how really we're not any more different/cooler/better/worse/charming/narcissistic than anyone else because we do a band." Fiercely independent and known for their remarkably hardworking ethics, the band have already played over 350 shows internationally touring across the US, playing three UK tours (one supporting Flat Worms), performing at a ridiculous 17 SXSW shows in 6 days including Desert Daze and Levitation, and supporting the likes of Surfbort, METZ, Twin Peaks, Ty Segall, Meatbodies, Dead Meadow, CFM, Night Beats, ORB and more. Alongside the announcement of their new album the band have also revealed a new string of UK tour dates for May 2020 (full list below), and plan to tour relentlessly going forward, much as they did through previous years, but this time off the back of their best material yet. Thee Debut Longplayer from Thee MVPS, on their own label, taking cues from all of their favourite labels_Influenced by sst, in the red, au go go, goner, stiff, castle face, dischord etc. (you know, the good ones!!). The band lives in the same house in Leeds, they have a whole slew of 7" records out all over the world, some sold out, some, not, they are steeped in music, playing live and this album shows that: Thee MVPs (Most Valuable Players) love music a whole bunch and hope they made a record that shows that Thee MVPs believe you can do a band just as well as anyone else Thee MVPs ran in to quite the hurdles trying to do make this album, a good few Gs sank in the wrong places and to say bad luck follows them would be an understatement. Thee MVPs have already done 350+ shows all over the world. Thee MVPs have played with all your favourite bands. Thee MVPs mastered the record in Chicago with Bob Weston of Shellac. Thee MVPs wanted the first record to be 10 songs, Blue Album style. Thee MVPs think some of the guitar solos are like J Mascis. Thee MVPs think the bass is the best sounding instrument on this album. Thee MVPs like Hot Snakes, The Stranglers, Sleep, Meatbodies, Marked Men, Quelle Chris, CAN, Black Sabbath, Black Flag and Super Furry Animals. Please add on whatever else that makes them sound like they have cool influences. Thee MVPs ditched the reverb and space echo on the vocals and traded it for better lyrics. Thee MVPs consider this album part concept - tying in references and homages to Sci Fi with themes of difficulties all of us face as we get a little less away from youth. Some themes include always having camaraderie in the face of any dire straight, how being contactable 24/7 probably isn't best for any of us and how really we're not any more different/cooler/better/worse/charming/narcissistic than anyone else because we do a band Thee MVPs were lucky enough to have Edd's mum Sahrah, an architect student to design the cover based off Joel's readings of polymath Walter Russell. This is the best MVPs record until the next one is out