Fickle Friends - Play

Do you remember Brighton group Fickle Friends? Of course you do - they were more or less the first band to release a song in 2014 with "Swim", a song that literally every single blog in the world fell in love with. Despite their success, one question plays on my mind - would the song have racked up 370,000 plays had they released it a week later, when they faced a lot more competition? It probably would have been popular, albeit probably not to the same extent. Sometimes a kick-ass song isn't enough - sometimes being in the right time at the right place helps as well.

But now is not the time for "what if's", for Fickle Friends have just released the song that they hold will capitalize on the success of "Swim", the similarly mononymously named "Play". In comparison to its predecessor, "Play" is a little bit more upbeat and forceful whilst curiously sounding a little bit like School of Seven Bells at the same time.

At the very least, "Play" proves that Fickle Friends are not a one hit pony. At best, indie-pop may just have a new leading light. Let's just see how things stand a few months down the line.

"Play" is available to download as of today.

Joshua Burnside - Platonia

This blog first came across Lisbane artist Joshua Burnside back in July, with the self-release of his highly inventive E.P "If You're Goin' That Way". He has since signed to newly formed Belfast label Broken Melody Records, who to-date have released two compilation albums of some of the most interesting music from Northern Ireland.

His first stand-alone release on the label is a double-A side single. One of the tracks, "Desert Wine", appeared in a different form on his last E.P, but "Platonia" is a brand new recording. Similar to his previous releases, the song is very much indebted to the folk tradition, yet he adds he own spin to the genre, with electronic noodling, shifting time signatures, and even some subtle tropical influences underpinning the song, creating a song that fits somewhere between Tunng and Neutral Milk Hotel.

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

The Night VI - Sienna

At the end of last year, Anglo-French band The Night VI released a series of covers of classic songs in their own style, including a fantastic version of "Music Sounds Better With You" (which sadly, now appears to have been removed from the interwebs).

The band are now back in familiar territory with the release of their latest single, "Sienna", which has already racked up an enormous amount of plays in the past 2 weeks. Based on a stormy meeting with the ex-partner of one of the band member's girlfriend, the song is a great melding of both tenderness and danceable, and shows just how great a pop prospect the band really are.

"Sienna" will be released on April 28th.

Those Ghosts - Not Waiting For The End

Is Northern Ireland's next rock revolution going to burst forth from the town of Strabane? Probably not, but that's not to say it's lacking in good bands. They've got at least two of them - Freak's, who we mentioned on the blog a few weeks ago, and Those Ghosts, who picked up steam last year off the back of two well-received EPs. Both bands are receiving attention for their very different sounds, and both are looking to put the town on the musical landscape, or at the very least wrestle it away from Hugo Duncan. However, if you were to choose your favourite, which one would you choose?

Well, perhaps the new single from Those Ghosts might help you make up your mind. At first, "Not Waiting For The End" might confuse those familiar with their previous material, insofar that they have moved away from the heavy, riff-based, Foo Fighters-esque rock of yore into more U2-sounding territory. It's sounds more polished compared to what the band have given us before, and although it's not their strongest single to date (even now, their debut single "Evelyn" takes some beating), it does show a different, more confident, more focused side to the band.

And crucially, in the Battle of Strabane, it pushes them ahead of their rivals. Now it's your move, Freak's.

"Not Waiting For The End" is available as a free download.

Calan Mai - We've Got Love

Your humble Captain might be known for many thing, but one thing he's not known for being is a prognosticator. However, in spite of this, he can confidently state that the following sentence is going to feature of a good lot of new music blogs over the next few months -

"Calan Mai  is Australia's answer to Frank Turner."

Or at least that's what they'll be saying off the back of his debut single, "We've Got Love". The song has all the trademarks of that noted troubadour - acoustic-rock production with a slight punky edge, lyrics that offer a commentary of the human condition, and a knack for a great sing-along chorus.

This time last year, fellow Aussie Vance Joy burst out of the blogosphere straight into the chart with his own brand of acoustic rock. Could Calan Mai repeat that story this year? It's might be a bit early yet to tell, but We've Got Love" is a decent starting point.

"We've Got Love" is taken from the E.P "Days on The Rock Face", which will be released in July.