Step Rockets - Money

Goodness gracious, has it really been three years since we last wrote about Minneapolis trio Step Rockets on the blog? Apparently so, although thee of "Kisser", "Phantom Flower", and many other groovy songs have been keeping busy these last few years, including compiling their best singles into a consolidated release, "Future Nature", last year.

They've a new single out, which given that it's been released right in the middle of the tax season, is rather aptly called "Money". It is a song that is very much in the style of Step Rockets, in taking the rock format and tweaking it slightly to make it more palatable for the current audience - once again, we think that Imagine Dragons would be the closest musical comparison. Unfortunately its rather liberal use of profanity does preclude it from being the alt-rock radio hit that it has the capability of being, but I'm sure there's a less cuss-y edit of it out there if needs must.

"Money" is out now.

Step Rockets - Phantom Flower

It's an absolute delight to hear some new music from Minneapolis based band Step Rockets. For the uninitiated, the band first came to our attention last August with their faultless "Kisser", a song that fused rock with modern production sensibilities, which blew up online to such an unprecedented scale, and warranted the band a place on our Tips for 2014 list. They then followed it up in April of this year with "Heart Attack Again". The song saw the band taking on a more R&B inflected sound, and whilst the song is a great track, and picked up a decent audience, it had nowhere near the runaway success that "Kisser" enjoyed.

Now six months later, the band have released their latest single, and we have every faith that this song is going to be massive. The song in question is "Phantom Flower", and it is absolutely fantastic. The song sees the band exquisitely blend electronic production and indie-rock in such a way that both sounds take equal precedence without overpowering the other. Just watch how the heavily synthesized verses merge into the unapologetically rocky choruses without feeling clunky whatsoever. Also, it might sound weird, but such is the fast-moving nature of music that it's somewhat nostalgic to hear a band in 2014 incorporating a dubstep-esque breakdown in their song, so kudos to that.

"Phantom Flower" sees the band returning to the sound of their runaway blog hit "Kisser", and it is our hope that it is just as successful for Step Rockets. It deserves to be.

The Persian Leaps - Pretty Boy

Even though we may soon be reaching the singularity as far as 80s/90s inspired indie-pop goes, it doesn't necessarily mean that there's nothing of merit left in the genre. After all, one of our favourite albums of the year so far has been the self-titled debut album from Alvvays, and there's still some great wee gems just waiting to be discovered.

Like the following one from Minneapolis band The Persian Leaps. Having won over the NME with their "Praise Elephants" E.P last year, the trio will be releasing their follow-up next month. The first track to be taken from it is "Pretty Boy", a nice little fuzz-guitar driven pop tune that ticks all the boxes for sumptuous indie-pop yummyness. And at a concise 2 minutes 17 seconds long, it doesn't outstay its welcome.

"Pretty Boy" is available to download from the band's Bandcamp page.The song is taken from the E.P "Drive Drive Delay", which will be released on September 12th.

Bora York - Let Loose

Simple, funky, danceable. Those are the three words that best describe "Let Loose", the new single from the Minneapolis based, husband & wife fronted five-piece Bora York. Breaking away from the more dreamy sounds of their first album, "Let Loose" sees the band seeking to take control of the dance floor, with its funky basslines and dual vocal harmonies making this one pretty wonderful track. It's quite reminiscent of the sound of local band Go Wolf as well, which is most definitely not a bad thing. Bora York seem to be pitching their claim for song of the summer a little early, so we'll see if it's the case when August rolls into September.

"Let Loose" is available to download now from all good retailers.

Step Rockets - Heart Attack Again

Ooh, this is one single we've been awaiting with much anticipation.

Back in August, we were introduced to Minneapolis band Step Rockets through their bloody amazing single "Kisser", commenting at the time that they "will be your favourite new band of 2014". Much to our amazement, but not to our surprise, the song powered its way to the top of the Hype Machine chart with little-to-no promotion, and currently sits at around 500k plays on Soundcloud, which is pretty fantastic for an unsigned band. Having named them one of our international Tips for 2014, we were sure they were going to deliver something special.

And 5 months on, special is exactly what Step Rockets have delivered in the form of "Heart Attack Again", which premiered earlier on today on the blog of top tastemakers Neon Gold. The song sees the band adding a slight R&B vibe to their sound and toning down the guitars a little, whilst still retaining their own unique melding of indie-rock and electronica. Once again, the band shows off their knack for great big hooks (you'll have the "give me heart attack" part stuck firmly in your head for ages once the song is over), and wonderful anthemic choruses.

On initial "Heart Attack Again" might not be as strong as its predecessor, "Kisser", but let's face it - you'd be hard-pressed to find many songs released last year (or even since then) that were. "Heart Attack" is still a worthy follow-up for Step Rockets, who have done a fantastic job of re-tailoring rock music for modern audiences.

So were we right last year when we said they will be your favourite new band of 2014? You bet your life we were. Now all that needs to happen is for the wider world to take notice, because now they have no excuse.

The Metaphorical Boat's Tips For 2014 - The Rest of the World

After looking at our tips for 2014 from our own stomping group, The Metaphorical Boat will now be looking a little bit further afield to look at our five tips from elsewhere in the world.

Given that there is basically an infinite amount of bands to choose from, rounding it down to five was always going to be a challenge, but five is the number of counting, and the number of counting shall be five, so commiserations to some of the artists who are sure to make great music in 2014, like The Dancers, Dumb, Hentai Babies & Prides, who just fall short of making our list. Our five consist of three English artists, one American band and a French trio, and are artists who either will be big in 2014, will be big in 2014 if the stars align, or are unlikely to be big, but will sure as heck make some enjoyable music regardless.

And we commence with:

6. Amber Run

Nottingham-born group Amber Run (previously just Amber) burst into our consciousness back in June with the release of "Noah", a track that mixed nu-folk with stadium rock and quasi-Biblical references. The followed it up this month with "Heaven", a song which saw them delve even deeper into stadium rock territory, albeit in a much more free form manner.

Now signed to the same label David Bowie, the band have been touring up and down the country to great enthusiasm, and have picked up quite a bit of support on late night Radio 1, so expect Amber Run to run into many people's good books in 2014.

7. Fryars

Call it dream pop, call it nu-gaze, call it psychedelic, call it what you like, as long as you call the musical output of Benjamin Garrett, aka Fryars, wonderful. When he's not busy composing soundtracks for Danny Dyer movies, he's creating sumptuous, cinematic soundscapes with a real heart of pop. He has gained support from artists like Kanye West and Depeche Mode, and has made the Radio 1 Playlist with his most recent single, "The Power".

With hundreds of thousands of people already following him on Soundcloud, world domination in 2014 seems like a foregone conclusion for Fryars. And if it leads to thousands of teenagers discovering Mercury Rev as a result of their shared musical DNA, then all the better. 

8. Step Rockets

For rock music to survive, it must evolve beyond its roots. That appears to be the mantra that Minneapolis band Step Rockets have adhered to. Like their contemporaries Imagine Dragons and AWOLNATION, they have a sound that is recognizably rock, yet this sound is then augmented with layers of keyboards and synthetic drums to create a sound that is more accessible to the masses. This formula payed off earlier this year when their fantastic single "Kisser" topped the Hype Machine with little-to-no PR and just a tiny amount of blog love (including from yours truly).

When this blog wrote about Step Rockets back in August, we said they had every chance of being everyone's new favourite band in 2014. Step forward a few months and we truly stand by that prediction. Look out for their next single "Sleep Position", which is due to drop early next year.

9. Superfood

In the past few years, this blog has seen many bands come and go who have promised to bring back the glory of the Britpop era, yet have failed to step up to the mark and break through to the mainstream. Viva Brother were treated as a running joke in the music press before splitting in 2011, whilst Tribes split earlier this year without making the breakthrough they deserved, despite releasing one great album, a decent album and a host of fantastic singles.

So with that in mind, can Birmingham band Superfood break through with a sound that hasn't had mass success since the late 90s? The early signs are good for the band - they've toured with Peace, have been seen as the leading lights of the B-Town scene (a name which this blog acknowledges through gritted teeth), and have recently inked a record deal with Infectious, the former home of Ash and current home of Alt-J. And of course, they've got some great songs under their belt. Upcoming singles "Melting" and "Bubbles", plus their debut self-titled single show a band with a knack for revisiting some of the better moments of Britpop, despite being barely out of nappies when the movement was in full swing in the mid 90s. 

10. We Were Evergreen

Concluding our tips for 2014 is We Were Evergreen, a French trio who are now based in London. They approach music with a childlike innocence, deftly combining folk melodies, unconventional rhythms and instruments, electronic beats and samples and wonderful harmonies to create something that is utterly unique, utterly accessible, and utterly brilliant. They've showed off their knack for creating earworms galore on tracks such as "Baby Blue" and "Leeway", a song which is made of nothing but hooks, hooks, and even more hooks.

They've notched up support slots with everyone from Ed Sheeran to Little Dragon, and with a fan-funded debut album due to be released next year, 2014 is going to be a lot more fun thanks to We Were Evergreen.

Step Rockets - Kisser

Minneapolis based quartet Step Rockets appear to have lofty ambitions, expressing their desire to become the first band to perform on the moon. Given the strength of their new single, "Kisser", I imagine that they might have every hope in the world of achieving that.

For a song by a self-released band, the sound of "Kisser" is surprisingly accomplished. Step Rockets appear to have followed the example of other indie-rock artists of late like Imagine Dragons, taking ideas production-wise from electronic and pop and synthesizing them into their own sound. They've got deep drums, up-to-date synths, a massive stadium-sized chorus, and rather refreshingly, a big hulking guitar solo.

Keep an eye out for Step Rockets in the near future. With a sound that is current, accessible and ridiculously radio-friendly, they will be your favourite new band of 2014.

"Kisser" is available to download on a pay what you like basis.