Hurdles - France

It might have taken until near the end of the year, but we've finally managed to get some new music from one of our Northern Irish Tips for 2014, Hurdles. The band of course haven't been sitting on the posteriors all year - they've been involved in the Scratch My Progress scheme run by the Oh Yeah Centre, which gives support to several local artists every year, and having now rejigged their line-up slightly, the band have dropped a massive new song on us all.

Given that the band's indie-pop sound has been compared to Phoenix on numerous occasions, it's probably with a sense of self-awareness that the band have decided to name their new single "France". Those influences still remain firmly in the blueprint of this new song, but it does see the band move away from the more overt references of their earlier material. It's a more subdued effort from the group, but it's still a great, funky, groovy little earworm nonetheless.

"France" is taken from the compilation CD "Scratch My Progress Vol.3", which also features songs by Hot Cops, Matthew Duly, Serotonin & R51.

The Jepettos - Closer E.P

It's been a few months since we heard from The Jepettos, the Belfast 'lullaby-folk' group fronted by husband and wife duo Mike and Ruth Aicken, but it's fair to say that quite a lot of people have. After all, the band have somewhat unexpectedly, yet welcomely, become of the most popular local artists on Spotify. Two of their songs, including most recent single "Orchard", have racked up over a million streams on the service, whilst at least six others are current north of 100,000. Given the royalty rates Spotify offers, that's probably only earned them enough to buy a packet of Fruit Pastilles, but it's great to see them picking up such a massive audience.

And that audience is only going to grow further, with the release of their new E.P, "Closer". The E.P contains four tracks that the band wrote for a play developed by the Re:Play Theatre Company for children with PMLD. The first track, "Shimmer", harks back to the sound of the song that first brought The Jepettos to our attention all those years ago, "Goldrush". Next up is "Meet The Aliens", a hand clap dominated song that sees Ruth joined on vocals by a children's choir, which reminds us a little bit of "Raconte-Moi Une Histoire" by M83 in some places.

Up next is the endearingly sweet sounds of  "The Mission", a song that contains one of my favourite chord sequences ever. The band finish with a bang in the form of "Shooting Stars & Fireworks", a song that is about as raucous as a band like The Jepettos are ever going to get.  The song is like a more playful, ukelele led younger cousin of the sort of track that might have appeared on the last Elbow record.

"Closer" is an absolutely lovely E.P from start to finish - it's like an aural comfort blanket. Although the songs have been written for a younger audience, there is enough sweetness and gorgeousness on the E.P to charm anybody of any age.

The "Closer" E.P is available to buy 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.

PØRTS - Race With The Tide E.P

After keeping us waiting for over a year and changing their name, Derry 4-piece PØRTS are gearing up to release their long awaiting debut album. To whet our appetites before then, the band have released "Race With The Tide", a three track E.P of songs that were recorded for the album, but ultimately didn't make the final cut.

And it's safe to say, that if these are the songs that DIDN'T make the album, the ones that did are going to be pure dynamite. The title track is a mid-tempo brass led track that has the feel of Neutral Milk Hotel to it. "Distances" is another slower song that pulls off that great trick of being both sensitive and heavy at the same time.

The highlight of the E.P however is "Second In Line". It's surprising that this song in particular didn't make the cut, as it's been the highlight of their live set over the past few years. With it's jaunty rhythm and ridiculously crowd-pleasing chorus, one might have thought it would be the song that the band would try to push as their 'breakthrough' single - one could imagine it slotting in very nicely into Radio 2's daytime playlist.

Oh well, now's probably not the time to worry about if's and but's, and just enjoy the "Race With The Tide" for what it is - a delicious prawn cocktail starter to get our pallets excited about the juicy sirloin steak that will be the debut album from PØRTS.

The "Race With The Tide" E.P can be downloaded now for a reasonable price.

Superfood - Right On Satellite

Having been out on tour this year with Wolf Alice and We Are Scientists, and having released new music in the form of the "MAM" E.P, Britpop revivalists Superfood have announced the release of a new single to coincide with a string of live summer dates. "Right On Satellite" has been mixed by Steve Osborne (who is much appreciated around these circles for producing Suede's rather unappreciated "Head Music" album), and continues the band's love of 90s guitar pop whilst updating it for the modern audience. It's already been streaming oodles of times since it went live 2 weeks ago, and if it continues at its current pace, it could help the band win over a new legion of admirers.

"Right on Satellite" will be released on July 28th.

In An Instant - Light You Know And Love E.P

It's been a long time coming, but on Thursday 29th May, almost a year after their initial demos got so many people excited, and after 7 months in the making, Bangor four-piece In An Instant finally released their debut E.P, "Light You Know And Love", to an appreciative crowd at Voodoo in Belfast. (Incidentally, top marks to the band for selling their band t-shirts at the gig for a bargain price of £5. You wouldn't even get a plain t-shirt in Primark for that amount of money.)  So, has it been worth the wait?

The answer is a resounding yes. The E.P kicks off with "Lovers Apart", a song which showcase the band's ability to mix both rock and electronic elements in such a seamless fashion. The song, with its anthemic chorus and ascending guitar lines, calls to mind the sound of bands like The Killers, and dare I say it, Snow Patrol. Next up is "The Mighty Hands", a re-recorded version of one of their earlier demos, which is a dance-friendly indie rock track which lends itself well to being played live, with its well executed use of the humble 'woah'.

The strongest track on the E.P is "Something Right And Something Real". As we've mentioned before, the song contains great big guitar hook, an exquisite use of electronic instruments to bolster, but not overwhelm, their sound, a massive chorus and an irresistible, danceable rhythm. It's early days yet, but at the moments it's a frontrunner for this blog's favourite song of 2014. The tempo goes down considerably for "Boundaries", a song which pulls of the oxymoronic trick of on the one hand being subdued, whilst simultaneously sounding loud, impassioned and anthemic. It's the one song on the E.P that's the least typical of the sound of In An Instant, yet is still a rather great song.

 E.P finishes with a re-recorded version of "All Binds Fall Undone", the song that made this blog fall for In An Instant in the first place. It took a few listens to warm to this version, as they've made a few changes from the initial demo, with a heavier emphasis on guitar and a different treatment of the vocals. However, it's safe to say that on reflection, the new version is still a quality track, one which is more in line with the sound of the E.P, and a fitting conclusion to the E.P.

At the E.P launch of "Something Right And Something Real", I heard a few members of the crowd making some grand statements both about the band's performance at the gig (for the record, they were pretty awesome), and about what they were likely to achieve - one person called it the most important event in Northern Irish music since the A Little Solidarity gigs back in 2008, whilst another person commented that watching In An Instant perform in this place, at this time, was like witnessing a little bit of history. Whether these statements just amount to hyperbole, or whether this really is the start of a new movement in music here, remains to be seem. What we can say with certainty however is that the"Something Right and Something Real" is a brilliant starting point for what has to be the meteoric journey of In An Instant.

The E.P is available to buy now.

The Jepettos ft Tabitha Agnew - Orchard

The Jepettos sure love a good old collaboration, don't they? Less than a year after collaborating with Alana Henderson and Scott Jamison on "Water", the Derry duo have teamed up with 15-year old Tabitha Agnew on their new single, "Orchard". Tabitha is a member of bluegrass trio Cup O' Joe (who despite their name, hail from Armagh), and plays the banjo and takes lead vocals on the track, adding a country flavour to The Jepettos' traditional 'lullaby folk' archetype. Country-ish music is currently enjoying its best press in years, thanks in no small part to Avicii, and recently evidenced when The Common Linnets got a surprise top 10 hit this week, so hopefully "Orchard" will be warmly welcomed in many quarters.

"Orchard" is available to download now for a reasonable price.

In An Instant - Something Right & Something Real

It's been far, far too long, but a year after their initial demos got so many people excited (your humble captain included), Bangor based group In An Instant have finally released their first official, début single. The problem that many bands can have when they go from initial demos to something more polished is whether they can capture what it was that made them so special in the first place. So the fateful question is thus - do In An Instant fall into that trap on "Something Right and Something Real"?

The answer, thankfully, is a resounding no, as "Something Right And Something Real" sounds fantastic. It does sound a lot more professional and polished in comparison to their demos (the vocals sound more beefed up for example), but they've still kept everything that made them so brilliant in the first place - a great big guitar hook, exquisite use of electronic instruments to bolster, but not overwhelm, their sound, a knack for a great chorus, and an irresistible, danceable rhythm.

In An Instant have done themselves proud with their new single, which one imagines will help to cement them as Northern Ireland's most exciting new act. Here's hoping that they can follow in the footsteps of other great bands to have emerged from Bangor in recent years.

"Something Right And Something Real" is taken from their E.P "Light You Know And Love". The E.P will be launched on May 29th in Voodoo, Belfast. Support comes from Affleck and C-Beams.

PØRTS - Ancient Wave

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great sadness that I must inform you that Little Bear are no more. Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Hmm, that was perhaps a little bit over-dramatic. Let me start again.

Much loved and fast-rising Derry band Little Bear have announced that as of today, they will no longer be recording under that name. There were a few reasons given for the change - firstly that there are a few bands currently recording under the name Little Bear (although none that have came up on our radar, present company excepted), but also because Little Bear is a registered trademark in the United States (presumably through the childrens books of the same name).

I guess it's understandable to change the name before the band gets any bigger - after all, they don't want to get into the same bother that other acts before them have had in the States (it really did pain me to see CDs for The London Suede when I was in Nashville). And on the promising side, if they're taking into account how they're going to present themselves in America now, then it's must be because they're expecting to do well over there.

So it's farewell to Little Bear, and hello to PØRTS - all capitals, diacritic through the "O", a nautical name that we at TMB very much approve of. And to mark the change, the band have just release their first single under their new name, "Ancient Wave". It's very much what we've come to expect from the band, heartfelt folk-rock with harmony vocals and flourishes of the anthemic. It's enough to reassure us that even though the name has changed, they're still the same wonderful band they've always been.

"Ancient Wave" by PØRTS is available to purchase now.

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.

Superfood - TV

Has this blog mentioned our love of Birmingham's Superfood, that we love their Britpop sound, and that we really hope that they are the band that finally pushes Nu-Britpop well into the mainstream? Actually, yes we have. On many occasions. So why stop now?

The band have recently released the music video for their new single "TV", which will feature on their upcoming E.P "MAM". As you might expect from their sound, the video has a real 90s feel to it, from the Teletext references, through to the videotape quality of the filming, through to the Supergrass-esque amount of fun that seems to have gone into making the video.

The "MAM" E.P will be released on March 3rd on 10" vinyl.

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.

The Metaphorical Boat's Tips For 2014 - Northern Ireland

As is tradition for The Metaphorical Boat as we reach the end of the year, it is time to dust of our metaphorical crystal ball and get our prognostication on, as we look at ten artists that we are going to keep our eyes on in 2014. As is the case with every year on the blog, our tips will be split into two groups of five. The first five artists will be from our own stomping ground of Northern Ireland, whilst the second group will be from elsewhere in the world.

So first off we'll look at five artists from 'our wee province' who The Metaphorical Boat hope will go on to great, or further, success in 2014. There's been so many great artists to from here that have been making good music that it's been hard to narrow them down to five. But five is the number of counting, and the number of counting shall be five, to commiserations to some of the artists who didn't quite make our list, including Go Wolf, TeamRKT, Ed Zealous & Hologram, all of whom will still probably have a wonderful 2014 regardless.

And we start with:

1. A Plastic Rose

It does feel a bit of a cheat to include A Plastic Rose in a section about tips for 2014 from Northern Ireland, mainly because a) they've already released a critically acclaimed album which was nominated for the Northern Ireland Music Prize, and b) they're now based in Nottingham. But in the end, given that they're still regarded as a Northern Irish band, ad because they're on the cusp of a national breakout, it felt only right to give them a place on the list.

Back in October, A Plastic Rose released "This Side of Winter", quite possibly their poppiest and best single to date, and to say that it was well received would be an understatement. In the space of a month, the song was played on BBC Radio 1 a whopping twelve times, solely through spot plays by supportive DJs. That's more than some songs that make the playlist get over the same period. If A Plastic Rose can recapture that magic several more times in 2014, which they are very likely to do, then next year could be the year that the band transition from Irish heroes to international superstars.

2. Hurdles

Back in May, Hurdles released their luscious Phoenix-esque indie-pop single "Kaleidoscope", a song so cosmopolitan, so well polished, and so finely produced, that it seemed impossible to have come from a band who'd only been playing together for a few months and who hail from Dungannon. Yet the band then went on to prove that song was not a one-off fluke by releasing the "Where To Start" E.P last month, a release which showed the band know exactly how to craft an enjoyable, danceable guitar-pop song. With a UK tour on the horizon, and lots of airplay for the band both locally and further afield, 2014 shouldn't be a great year for Hurdles.

3. In An Instant

The inclusion of Bangor trio In An Instant may seem like a particularly odd one, as to date they are yet to officially release any music. However, if the two demos that the band have released are anything to go by, then they are going to be an insatiable prospect when we do get their debut E.P in January. After all, "All Binds Fall Undone", a song with an irresistible mix of guitars, synths, and danceable rhythms, is a better song in demo form than songs that many bands make through thousands of pounds worth of studio time. Having been relatively quiet on the gig scene in 2013, next year should see the band start to become local favourites within Northern Ireland, especially when their E.P drops at the beginning of the years. If it's better then the demos, then it might literally blow a few minds.

4. The Jepettos

Derry's The Jepettos have been on our radar for quite a long time now, with this blog first getting excited about their lullaby-folk sound at the very beginning of 2012. But this year has seen them cement their place in many people's hearts, with songs such as "Water" and "Chemicals" (a song that still leaves a tear in our eye when we hear it), as well as their stunning performance at the Belfast Music Week Showcase, leaving us in no doubt that the husband/wife duo (plus a few friends) are by far the cutest band to come out on Northern Ireland in quite some time, if not ever. With a new E.P primed for December, 2014 should be a great year for one of our more unconventional bands.

5. Little Bear

Of the five acts that TMB's tipping for 2014, the one band that probably has the greatest prospect of becoming international sensations next year is Derry 4-piece Little Bear. They've already been playlisted by Radio 1 this year, released a fantastic double-A side single (Night Dries Like Ink/Killer), and have been involved with some of the most memorable gigs of the year, including their performance at Other Voices and their fantastic performance at Glasgowbury in an overflowing tent. Kodaline became massive in 2013 on the back of a sound that wasn't too dissimilar to Little Bear's, although it's fair to say that LB trump them in terms of stagemanship, harmony vocals, and the sheer variety of songs on offer. So why can't 2014 be their year?