Fortuna POP! - 7" Vinyl
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Purple Rain Coloured Vinyl 7' (Limited to 300).Visit product page →
For fifteen years, and over fourteen albums, Darren Hayman has taken a singular and erratic route through England's tired and broken underbelly. Influenced by punk through his art college years and then American lo-fi indie in the '90s he fronted John Peel favourites Hefner.
His solo career has earned widespread critical acclaim with his many and varied projects including his Essex trilogy, his Lido album, and recently a project to set the poems of William Morris to music entitled 'Chants For Socialists'. In addition to his solo career, Darren has been moonlighting as the drummer in Papernut Cambridge, the sprawling pop collective led by former Death In Vegas guitarist Ian Button and pals, described by Mojo as 'An escapist mix of 70's glam, Nuggets-psych and 80's indie, all balancing pop bliss and more sinister psychological depths'.
And now Darren has stepped out from beyond the drumkit to record two cover versions, with Papernut Cambridge as his backing band - 'I've Been A Bad Bad Boy' by Paul Jones, and 'Big, Big Deal' by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
Darren explains: 'To me it seems like Papernut Cambridge is the band Ian wanted when he was a teenager but only got around to doing now. Everything Papernut Cambridge does is like a hazy, mash up version of a 1970s rock band. A group that might have guested on 'Marc' one week and never be seen again. I also wanted Papernut Cambridge to belong to that era where bands covered each other songs and backed each other on different releases.
To that end, even though Ian has recorded his own version of Bad, Bad Boy on Papernut Cambridge's Nutlets record, I asked Ian if I could record my own version with the 'Nut' backing me. I feel like Ringo stepping forward. I am the singer in my favourite band. Oh and by the way, I am a bad, bad, boy, I'm also kind of a big deal.'
Tracklisting:
Side A:
I've Been A Bad Bad Boy
Side B:
Big Big Deal -
Visit product page →Limited Edition 7" (Reverend Black Grape coloured vinyl)
Enabler is the first single to be taken from Evans the Death's new album Expect Delays, out 2nd March.
Recorded again with producer Rory Atwell (Test Icicles, Warm Brains), the new long-player bristles with underlying tension and veers from rip-roaring noise to quiet contemplation, underpinned by Katherine Whitaker's extraordinary voice. Enabler opens with a sonic onslaught of fuzz and feedback before the rhythm section explodes into life and the song kicks in, Whitaker's distinctive vocals doubled up like sinister twins prowling around a gorgeously discordant melody.
Still barely out of their teens, there's a tremendous sense across Expect Delays of a band coming into their own, honing a plethora of influences to make a sound that is uniquely them. Each song on the album has a different feel to it: some of them are melodic and pretty; some of them heavy and dissonant; and some of them are, to quote guitarist Dan Moss, 'a bit strange'. While retaining the post-punk and 90s alt-rock inspired elements that peppered their debut, the music is more expressive, heavier and more experimental, and the lyrics more nuanced, the sense of despair leavened by sharp wordplay and humour.
The unsettling undercurrent of melancholy and hopelessness that pervades the record has its roots in the last three years, spent eking out an existence on the poverty line in Cameron's Britain, leaving them with a succession of minimum-wage jobs and unemployment benefits interviews. As guitarist Dan Moss relates, the album is about 'being in London and feeling hopeless and a bit lost. Not having any money, relationships falling apart, things just not connecting or going anywhere and getting absolutely wasted all the time.'
Named after the undertaker in Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, the band's 2012 self-titled inaugural album saw critical acclaim from the likes of Q, Uncut and Artrocker, as well as radio play on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music and XFM. Following the departure of bassist Alanna McArdle to Joanna Gruesome, the band regrouped around the core of brothers Dan and Olly Moss and singer Katherine Whitaker for the recording of Expect Delays. Drummer James Burkitt was recruited from Leeds'band The ABC Club to complete a lean and taut new four-piece.
'Evans the Death manage to make humdrum everyday existence seem quite magical' Q ****
Tracklisting:
A. Enabler
B. (You Sound Like) An American -
Visit product page →Coloured Vinyl 7 Ltd to 500 copies.
The first single to be taken from the Flowers' album Do What You Want To, It's What You Should Do is Joanna, a song about someone suffering from a depression so deep that has become part of their identity. Joanna was the second song recorded in their sessions with producer Bernard Butler but the first where everything just clicked and the band knew they had a working creative relationship. He made it sound full of vitality and excitement, says Rachel, Flowers' lead singer. We were thrilled with the results and couldn't wait to get back and record the rest of the album with him. Flowers are Sam Ayres (Guitar/Synths), Rachel Kenedy (Vocals/Bass/Synths) and Jordan Hockley (Drums), brought together by Sam's advert for a singer to make music like "Madonna through a broken tape machine".
Drawing a line between the joyous fuzzpop of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and the minimalist brilliance of Young Marble Giants, the reception at their live shows has been nothing less than rapturous, with audiences blown away by their intensity and compelled by their sparse beauty: Jordan a physical yet inventive presence behind the drum kit, Sam a constant blur of kinetic energy on guitar and Rachel utterly still. It is this dynamic that has been captured over the fourteen deceptively simple pop songs that comprise Flowers debut, Do What You Want To, It's What You Should Do out September 8th via Fortuna Pop! (UK).
Most of the songs weigh in at less than three minutes, a deliberate strategy for a band that seeks strength in simplicity. Our songs tend to be quite short - if there's something that doesn't need to be there, we take it out. Hoping for just the best bits, explains Rachel. We love all kinds of things, Ramones, Madonna, The Misfits, Iggy & The Stooges, Joy Division, all sorts! The album doesn't sound too much like any of those, but the songs are short and simple pop songs, and all those artists we love write songs like that. Indeed, Flowers' genius is in their ability to convey a remarkable amount of emotion with minimal instrumentation.
Rachel possesses one of those beautiful pop voices to die for, with echoes of Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays), whilst Sam's guitars chime and churn with an incredible intensity and Jordan's drums rip right through with urgency and precision, resulting in a beautiful album that conjures up a strange and entrancing sort of magic. Haunting, mesmerizing and intense, Do What You Want To, It's What You Should Do is an impressive calling card from a sensational new band.
Tracklisting:
A: Joanna
B: Rachel's Song -
Blue Coloured Vinyl 7' (Limited to 300).Visit product page →
Joanna Gruesome release their first material since the departure of vocalist Alanna McArdle on this limited edition coloured vinyl 7' on the Fortuna POP! Jukebox 45s singles club. Following a chance meeting in an occult bookshop, the band's new line up features two amazing and inspiring women, Kate Stonestreet (formerly of queer punks Pennycress) on melodic vocals/shouting/screaming and Roxy Brennan (of Two White Cranes and Grubs) on melodic vocals/keyboard, joining Owen Williams (guitar/vocals), George Nicholls (guitar), Max Warren (bass) and Dave Sandford (drums).
The record features original artwork from Bart De Baets.
Recorded by producer Rory Atwell on a boat in London, a statement from the band on Pretty Fucking Sick (Of It All) reads, 'This song is about being pursued by intelligence operatives and is partly set in the Welsh village of Llangrannog. It is influenced by our recent U.S tour, during which the CIA took a special interest in the group's movements.' On Occult Bookshop the band says, 'This is an origin story, detailing the first meeting of the group. It is also about using astrological means to strengthen, receive and administer crushes.
Another reading suggests that the song is about attempting to destroy binary conceptions of gender through ritual hexing.' Joanna Gruesome's terrific debut album Weird Sister took the world by storm when it was released in September 2013, going on to win the Welsh Music Prize, with the 2015 follow up Peanut Butter receiving similar acclaim.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Pretty Fucking Sick (Of It All)
Side B:
Occult Bookstore -
Limited Edition 7" on blue vinyl.Visit product page →
"Propped Up" is the first single to be taken from the debut album Hide and Seek from Mammoth Penguins, the new band fronted by Emma Kupa, formerly of BBC 6 Music favourites Standard Fare.
With a stirring chorus that makes you want to pump your fist and a call-and-response section that begs you to join in ('regrets, mistakes, - ¦'), Taken from the band's new album. -
Pete Astor writes, sings songs and teaches music. He was singer songwriter in early Creation Records trailblazers The Loft, releasing two singles, Why Does the Rain and Up the Hill and Down the Slope that helped define the sound of the label and the emerging Indie genre. He subsequently formed The Weather Prophets, and launching a solo career with the albums Submarine and Zoo in the early 1990s.Visit product page →
Continuing to perform extensively in France and mainland Europe, his next two solo albums, Paradise and God and Other Stories were on the Danceteria label. Following a two year stint as A&R manager at the publishing arm of the Beggars Group, working with acts such as Hefner, Cornershop and Republica, Astor returned to music in the late 1990s with his Ellis Island Sound and Wisdom of Harry projects, both releasing music on 7', 12' and 10' for a variety of emerging independent labels such as Static Caravan, Wurlitzer Jukebox and Astor's own label, Faux Lux.
The Wisdom of Harry eventually signed to Matador, releasing three albums. Astor's collaboration with David Sheppard, Ellis Island Sound, signed with Heavenly Records, also releasing a compilation of their early releases. The solo album, Songbox came out on Second Language in 2011, featuring an extra disc of cover versions of the albums'songs by Let's Wrestle, The Raincoats, Darren Hayman, Comet Gain, The Proper Ornaments and Mathew Sawyer, among others. 2013 saw the publication of Astor's study of Richard Hell and the Voidoids'Blank Generation as part of Bloomsbury's 33 and a Third Series, along with scholarly articles with Keith Negus on songwriting practice for the Cambridge Journal of Popular Music and Ashgate books.
Astor is Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster, and currently working on new material for the Fortuna POP! Label with Veronica Falls/ Proper Ornaments/ Ultimate Painting's James Hoare, the first fruits of which is the single Mr. Music.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Mr. Music
Side B:
Armitage Shanks -
Limited Edition 7" on red vinyl.Visit product page →
Taken from his debut solo album 'It Seemed Like A Good Idea at The Time', jubilant lead single "The New Adam and Eve" is a chamber pop extravaganza featuring lush strings, swirling organs and an atmospheric 60s sound. The only proper love song on the record it still has loads of swearing on it, with Simon threatening to 'punch a man in the face, with fists made out of jellyfish' before going on to 'deny him any of my piss'. The B-side is a cover of the Oasis classic 'Married With Children'.
Described recently by the Guardian as being 'more early Kinks than the early Kinks', Simon formed The Loves in Cardiff in 2000.
After releasing their debut single on Radio One DJ Huw Stephens'Boobytrap Singles Club and playing live dates supporting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs their second album Technicolor was made Album Of The Week in The Sunday Times. The band went on to play four Peel Sessions and as many for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music before calling it a day in 2011.
It Seemed like A Good Idea At The Time is a sweary and irreverent tour de force, full of catchy hooks and offbeat lunacy. Taking its inspiration from maverick Seventies singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, Robyn Hitchcock and The Lovin'Spoonful, the album features guest appearances by comedian Stewart Lee and 60s pirate radio DJ Emperor Rosko, while indiepop ensemble for hire A Little Orchestra contribute lush strings and Rob Jones of The Voluntary Butler Scheme provides brass.
Praise for 'It Seemed Like A Good Idea at The Time':
'A potty-mouthed UK version of Father John Misty - ¦ A fantastic solo debut' - Shindig! (4/5)
"Simon Love launches his solo career with an album combining his fondness for top tunes and garage guitar with a new-found bittersweetness. Very Good Indeed" - Q (4/5)
'This cocksure debut solo album from Simon Love is packed with ideas and flirts with quirk, but has just about enough wit - and good songs - to get away with it. Everything is bathed in a '70s post-glam grubby glitter glow, as pioneered by Luke Haines." - UNCUT (7/10)
Tracklisting:
A. The New Adam & Eve
B. Married With Children -
Clear Vinyl 7" Ltd to 150 copies.Visit product page →
Is Anybody Out There? is taken from New York trio The Ballet's critically acclaimed third album I Blame Society, their first for new label Fortuna POP! and is backed by a new track "Time Machine" exclusive to this format.
The single is part of Fortuna POP!'s Jukebox 45s Singles Club and is press on clear vinyl with a jukebox hole, with only 150 copies available to non-subscribers. Unashamedly sissy and explicitly queer, The Ballet marry the DIY queer ethos of the Hidden Cameras with the wry poeticism of The Magnetic Fields to create literate, infectious pop gems. The band recently played the Indietracks Festival, followed by a UK tour culminating with two London shows.
I Blame Society is a continuation of the lyrical themes and songwriting style found in the band's two previous self-released albums (Mattachine! [2006] and Bear Life! [2009]), though with slightly pared down arrangements and a nuanced production, which highlights songwriter Greg Goldberg's strengths. Inspired by Stephin Merritt's body of work, Goldberg draws from an array of pop artists and periods, from 60's bubblegum to 80's synthpop and 90's indiepop, fusing these in sophisticated and novel ways which rewards repeat listening.
Avoiding autobiographical or confessional modes, Goldberg nonetheless mines his own psychological constitution and intellectual interests to craft songs whose overt musical prettiness is often contrasted by a dark and complex subtext.
I Blame Society addresses a number of queer themes, offering a nuanced and refreshing perspective on contemporary queer issues, subtly balancing queer melancholy with self-deprecating humour and stubborn utopianism. While some queer musicians shy away from articulating a connection between their sexuality and musicianship, The Ballet have often contended the opposite: that they are a bunch of queers who just happen to be in a band.
Formed in 2005 by Greg Goldberg and Craig Willse (who are both professors and met whilst at graduate school), acquired bandmates Ginger Brooks Takahashi and Michael O'Neill left in 2007 to join JD Sampson in MEN. Indiepop luminaries such as Linton from The Aislers Set and Ramesh from Voxtrot have also made guest appearances on previous albums, as have Kaki King and Scott Matthew.
"Recalling Holiday-era Magnetic Fields, these songs bop with heady buoyancy, yet are underpinned by complicated but universal themes: self-deception, infidelity without shame, war fatigue and finding love in a world of online hookups." Time Out New York
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Is There Anybody Out There?
Side B:
Time Machine -
Visit product page →'Binary' is the new single from DIY-punk-pop quartet The Spook School, takenTry To Be Hopeful, out on now via Fortuna POP! A triumphant queer pop song, exploring gender and identity, "Binary" bursts with noisy energy and a maddeningly catchy tune that you just want to sing over and over, blending together influences ranging from Buzzcocks, to T-Rex and the noisier end of C86.
The Spook School are Anna Cory (bass and vocals), Adam Todd (guitar and vocals), Nye Todd (guitar and vocals) and Niall McCamley (drums). A band in the most communal sense of the word, the songwriting is split between all four members, giving a different perspective and energy to each song. Since forming in 2012 they've become increasingly involved with the DIY queer punk scene, taking inspiration from the passionate, like-minded people they've met along the way, and from bands such as Martha, Joanna Gruesome, Trust Fund and Tuff Love.The original recording of the track didn't quite match the excitement of their live show, so the band headed back into the studio to record a new version, the one you hear now, which also served to demonstrate the change in Nye's voice during the making of the record. As Nye undertook his own personal journey by embracing his trans identity and starting testosterone therapy his voice had become considerably lower! As he explains: 'It was a bit nerve-wracking and frustrating to not be able to sing things that I'd been able to sing easily before, but it sounds pretty great!'
The song itself about about questioning gender norms, something that singer and guitarist Nye Todd's experience of coming out as being trans has forced him to think about. As he explains, 'I could never understand gender when trying to think about it as a choice between men'and women'. What was it that separates those two types of people? When I discovered the idea of gender as something a lot messier and more nuanced than two categories, something that could be defined according to how people actually wanted to identify and place themselves, things made a lot more sense. I'm so proud and fortunate to know quite a few amazing people who openly identify as non-binary, genderqueer or other non-binary identities.' Celebrating life beyond the false choice between 'bowties or high heels', this song has quickly become a live favourite, prompting massed choruses of the 'I am bigger than a hexadecimal' line.
Try To Be Hopeful follows The Spook School's critically acclaimed debut album Dress Up (2013), which received plaudits from the Guardian, Uncut and Loud and Quiet. The Spook School have since seen their music used on TV, having recorded the theme tune for BBC Three series 'Badults' (Adam, Anna & Niall all have sidelines in the world of comedy), and have also toured the US, where they became the subject of a Rolling Stone documentary and met Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!
Try To Be Hopeful is the sound of a band growing up, embracing their identities, and taking charge at the world. But amidst the fight for a place in society for everyone, there's still time for love, friendship, and fun. With their bold, fizzy and electrifying anthems, The Spook School are the shot of optimism we've been hoping for.
"Edinburgh's Spook School are a band who have to exist... the quartet's bright indie-pop - sometimes breezily cheerful,
"Emotionally literate and politically conscious... The Spook School deliver the goods with a good-humoured, no frills approach." The New Internationalist 4*s -
Limited edition of 500 on White Rabbit coloured vinyl.Visit product page →
The fabulous 'Sleeping in the Backseat' is the first single to be taken from Tigercats'second album Mysteries, released in February on Fortuna POP! Taking lead vocals is keyboardist Laura Kovic, but it was written by frontman Duncan Barrett who said, 'I've always wanted to write a good driving song, but I don't have a licence so this is probably the closest I'll get.'
The track encapsulates the album's sonically expansive sound, blending the very best of indiepop with complex song structures, lush production and beautiful arrangements. It was premiered by Gold Flake Paint who wrote that "Sleeping In The Backseat' 'is as invigorating and poignant as we might have hoped for."
Tigercats combine the talents of songwriter, singer and guitarist Duncan Barrett with his brother Giles on bass, Laura Kovic on keyboards and vocals, and Jonny Evans on drums, as well as recent recruit Paul Rains from Allo Darlin'on guitar. And on Mysteries they're joined by living legend Terry Edwards (Gallon Drunk / Tindersticks), who contributes saxophone and trumpet on several tracks.
A sophisticated pop record, effervescent and spirited, with care and love poured into every song, Mysteries is the sound of a band of outstanding musicians fulfilling their potential and using their talents in the studio to realise their musical vision, retaining their infectious hooks, their heart and their sheer danceability, and coupling it with a bright new contemporary sound. Superbly crafted and full of personality, Tigercats'second album suggests that they won't remain a mystery much longer.
"Purveyors of a kind of melancholic yet celebratory pop music that deserves to reach a wider audience" (Independent On Sunday, 4 stars)
Tracklisting:
1. Sleeping In The Back Seat
2. Hilton Ferry
