Tuskany - Shapes

Back in February, Belfast trio/duo* Tuskany got a lot of people excited with their debut single, the synth-poptastic "Better Time", picking up a lot of blog love and local love along the way.

Their follow-up single is "Shapes", a song that follows on nicely from the synthy stylings of their debut, and sees the group starting to forge out their own particular musical identity. Dollops of electronic sounds, catchy choruses, and a towering (and gloriously unfashionable!) guitar solo make this a fine addition to the band's ever growing wall of sounds. Like Roqueford or Camembert, "Shapes" is cheesy, but wrapped up in fashionable attire.



*The press image for the band's debut single presented Tuskany as a trio, however the promo pics for this release seem to depict them as a duo. Although they still play live as a trio, one of them has taken a step back from 'official member' status, so technically there's both two and three members of the band. Hopefully that's all well and clear.

Chris Tall - Time of Your Life

Here at The Metaphorical Boat we have always had a wee soft spot for a slice of well constructed "sax-house", i.e dance songs which feature the prominent use of a saxophone in their production. We've very much enjoyed songs like "Changes", "Vandaag", "Jubel", and yes, even that Moldovan Eurovision Song Contest entry from 2010 which seems to have unconsciously spurred off the whole sub-genre in the first place.

Which brings us nicely to the latest single by Swedish producer Chris Tall. He had a minor UK dance hit this year with the catchy, albeit mildly irritating "Duckface". The follow-up is "Time Of Your Life", a well constructed piece of pure dance pop, topped lovingly with a highly infectious saxophone riff. It's been stuck in our heads for the last few days since we first heard it, so if you're looking for the closest thing to a real, live earworm in 2015, you'd be hard pressed to find something better than this.

"Time Of Your Life" is out now.

Ivy Nations - The Mile Road

Some fine indie-rock appears to be the order of the day from Dublin 4-piece Ivy Nations. There's very little information about the band available on the internet outside of those minor tidbits - it appears the band seem to prefer to let the music do the talking at the moment. But if their debut single "The Mile Road" is anything to go by, then there's going to be lots of people who are happy enough to listen. It's a danceable rock tunes very much in the mold of Two Door Cinema Club or a little less jittery Everything Everything. It's a fine debut single, and a welcome introduction to a band who may be worth keeping your eyes on.

"The Mile Road" will be released on September 21st.

Not Squares - Oops Said Hi

It seems like it's been an age, but after five long years, Belfast trio Not Squares are finally going to release their follow-up to 2010's "Yeah OK" this year. They've given us a few nuggets since then, including "Fall Far" in 2012 and "Simpler Vibe" the next year (both of which one assumes will feature on the upcoming album), as well as the occasional remix every now and then. But with the new album only a few months away, the band have started to tease the release with a new song to be taken from the album, "Oops Said Hi".

The song follows in the footsteps of their more recent singles by bypassing the more rocky elements of their debut album in exchange for a purer electronic-dance vibe, complete with vocoded vocals and synth yumminess, although that doesn't stop them throwing in a bass solo just for fun. If "Oops Said Hi" isn't enough to whet your appetite for their new album, then unfortunately your palette is beyond redemption.

"Oops Said Hi" is taken from Not Squares' 2nd album "Bolts", which will be released in April.

Pariis Opera House - Hearts

It's very rare for us at TMB to feature straight-up dance music, but in the case of this song and artist, we are more than happy to make an exception. London based duo Pariis Opera House first came to our attention at the end of last year with the wonderful "DRAGNDROP", their incredibly harsh, robotic yet immediately infectious take on electro-house. Following on from this, the duo are releasing the 2nd single from their debut album "Uniiverse II", and it's a cracking single indeed.

"Hearts" may retain the harsh, buzzing synths of their previous single, but they have created something much warmer and accessible through the addition of a children's choir on backing vocals. Given that it shares a few musical similarities with one of the biggest dance hits of the year so far, "Changes", by Faul & Wad Ad vs PNAU, things bode very well for the band.

Also be sure to check out the music video for "Hearts", which features a sock puppet getting up to all sorts of shenanigans.

"Hearts" will be released on May 5th.

Fjords - Polymath

Have you ever found yourself pining for the fjords? Well fear not, parrot fans, because today we bring them to you. Cardiff 5-piece Fjords already have a few plaudits to their name, being named Best Unsigned Band at the Best of British Unsigned Music Awards last year, and their alleged fans include the Manic Street Preachers and the most expensive footballer of all time, Gareth Bale (whom I am reliably informed is almost as good a player as Dion Dublin).

Having now signed to a label, the band are due to release their upcoming single "Polymath". If you're a fan of the indie-dance sound of contemporaries like Two Door Cinema Club, but find them a little bit too chirpy, then this might be your cup of tea, as a dark, icy undercurrent runs right through this rather infectious tune.

"Polymath" will be released on 1st March.


Photo is Ⓒ Owen Mathias

In An Instant - All Binds Fall Undone

Anyone know of any indie/dance trios hailing from Bangor who've gone on to major worldwide success in the past few years?

No?

Oh well, maybe at some point we'll see that happen. Until then we will just have to sit back and enjoy "All Binds Fall Undone", from Bangor trio In An Instant. In what seems to be something of a trend for tracks this week on the blog, the song is listed as being in demo form, yet already sounds as if it's ready for radio domination. The track mixes mainstream dance production with a guitar aesthetic to make something that is both familiar yet wonderfully fresh at the same time, and would sound just as at home playing out at Creamfields as it would be on the Radio 1 playlist. Keep an eye on this track, for when it exits the demo stage and becomes fully realised, this song is going to slay everybody left, right and centre.

I Heart Sharks - Neuzeit

Hailing from Berlin with German and English members, I Heart Sharks make music that blurs the lines between electronica, indie and Britrock. "Neuzeit", which has verses in English with a German chorus, combines the energy of Two Door Cinema Club, the synth onslaught of Depeche Mode and the lyrical idiosyncrasy of Franz Ferdinand.

"Neuzeit" by I Heart Sharks is taken from their album "Summer", which is out now on AdP Records.