Album Review, Disiniblud, ‘Disiniblud’
When an album named Disiniblud (pronounced Disney blood) lands in your inbox, you simply have to give it a spin. The title alone raises questions—will it be ethereal and transportive, or laced with chaotic maximalism? In this case, it’s both, and all the more captivating because of it. This self-titled debut marks the first collaboration […]
EP Review: Atlantic Break, ‘Collision of Fears’
Looking for something to cut through the sweaty lethargy of summer? Boy, do we have an EP for you. Meet Atlantic Break, a cross-continental project linking Melbourne and Montreal. Collision of Fears is packed with drum fills you’ll want to smash out on your dashboard and more than a few hooky guitar lines. It’s a […]
Live Recap: Japanese Breakfast @ O2 Academy, Bristol
Whether it was the lingering heatwaves or the fact that everyone and their dog had just returned from Glastonbury Festival, last Tuesday’s Japanese Breakfast show was a surprisingly laid-back affair. Just a few days earlier, the band finally played their debut set at the iconic festival, following a last-minute cancellation in 2023. After Glasto, JB […]
Album Review: BC Camplight, ‘A Sober Conversation’
For those unfamiliar with the brilliant craft of Brian Christinzio, aka BC Camplight, imagine a very f’ed up Beach Boys for the modern day. Originally based in Philly and playing with musicians who would later join War on Drugs, Camplight moved to Manchester, UK, in 2010, and has spent the past 15 years building a […]
Live Recap: WITCH @ The Jam Jar, Bristol
WITCH’s resurrection story is one of the most unlikely in music. As pioneers of Zambia’s zamrock genre in the 1970s, their incredible blend of African rhythms and psychedelic fuzz guitar was nearly lost to time and remained practically unknown outside the continent. Thanks to the efforts of a few tireless boutique labels in the early […]
Album Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, ‘Phantom Island’
It comes as zero surprise when a new King Gizzard album lands in my inbox. Nonetheless, it’s always a treat to see what these tenacious Aussies are up to next. After last summer’s Flight b741, where the outfit played it somewhat straight with a boogie and blues rock sound, Phantom Island marks their first foray […]
Album Review: Florry, ‘Sounds Like…’
If you’re looking for an album with the laid-back ease of a cozy sweater combined with the wonky Americana spirit of a speed-balling Dylan, then Florry’s latest record, Sounds Like… is for you. Hailing from Philadelphia’s DIY circuit, Florry makes the kind of tunes that could just as easily belong in 1975 as they could […]
2025 Dot to Dot Festival: Everything That Happened This Year
The Spring Bank Holiday is always a busy time for Bristol’s music scene. In the picturesque grounds of Ashton Court, 30,000 dance fans gathered for the city’s biggest festival, Love Saves The Day. To the south, beer festivals were in full swing. And for those who preferred their music eclectic— and ideally heard in a […]
Album Review: Pan Amsterdam, ‘Confines’
Album Review: Pan Amsterdam ‘Confines’ Words: Sam Walker-Smart It’s not every day that a near-middle-aged jazz trumpeter reinvents himself as a sardonic, genre-hopping rapper — but Leron Thomas, aka Pan Amsterdam, is no ordinary musician. With a résumé that includes collaborations with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, and Robert Glasper, Amsterdam now splits his time between […]
Live Recap: Orchards + congratulations @ Exchange, Bristol
With summer seemingly arriving early in the UK and temperatures unusually soaring, stepping into the claustrophobic void of the Exchange felt jarring. I was here to feel a different kind of heat this Thursday night, the kind only a loud, sweaty double bill of Brighton-based acts could deliver. Known as a hub for great art, […]