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Dream Wife – Leech

Today, the London-based trio Dream Wife – vocalist Rakel Mjöll (she/her), guitarist Alice Go (she/her) and bassist Bella Podpadec (they/them) – return with their first new material since 2020. A band with a reputation for a ferocious live show and championing bodily autonomy, their new song “Leech” addresses the double standards of power. “Do you hide behind the position you hold/ Do you hide behind the illusions of power/ The perception of power” Rakel sings before changing gears and screaming “The leech is out for blood.

The band says of the new single, “It’s an anthem for empathy. For solidarity. Musically tense and withheld, erupting to angry cathartic crescendos. The push and pull of the song lyrically and musically expands and contracts, stating and calling out the double standards of power. Nobody really wins in a patriarchal society. We all lose. We could all use more empathy. As our first song to be released in a while, we wanted to write something that feels like letting an animal out of a cage. It’s out. And it’s out for blood…

“Leech” is out now and is the first taste of what’s to come from Dream Wife in 2023. Watch the video below.

Dream Wife - Leech

In addition, they have also announced a London show at Peckham Audio on Friday 25th November. You can get tickets HERE.

Walt Disco – Never Knew Love Like This Before

Glasgow’s Walt Disco today release the second in a series of covers of their favourite artists, due to form the Always Sickening EP out November 25th, a brooding reimagining of the 1980 Stephanie Mills R&B classic “Never Knew Love Like This Before“. The EP also includes covers of Aldous Harding, The Japanese House, The Associates and Dusty Springfield. This month, the band embarked on their first run of US headline shows before returning to the UK for further dates, including a show tonight at London’s Heaven with label-mates HMLTD.

Walt Disco - Never Knew Love Like This Before

Singer Jocelyn Potter on ‘Never Knew Love This Before’; “I think this might be my favourite cover from our wee EP, singing it was a delight and I think you can hear how much fun I was having. We had so much fun studying and taking apart the music, it was absolutely fascinating and we were really in awe of its mastery. Turning the improvised vocal runs into a choral part at the end felt amazing and I love listening to what we ended up with. It’s a honour to sing one of the greatest love songs ever written, that perfectly sums up the all consuming nature of loving someone with every inch of your being”

Priestgate – Some Things Never Change

Ascendant Yorkshire five-piece Priestgate have today shared their brand new single “Some Things Never Change“, an anthemic ode to small towns and growing up, with Priestgate vocalist Rob Schofield explaining: “Change has been a theme through our tracks and the more I thought about that the more I understood that not everything does. This song is the opposite of our previous work in that sense, it’s quite literal, some things never change.

Priestgate - Some Things Never Change

Accompanied by a music video shot by their collaborator Luke Hallet, the single is the first new music from Priestgate since the enthralling Eyes Closed For The Winter EP arrived in March this year. The EP was heralded with glowing praise from the likes of Gigwise, DIY and Dork (“Nothing is more exciting than starry-eyed potential, and Priestgate have that in spades”) who all awarded it 4* reviews. Priestgate have also been garnering praise for their formidable live performances at festivals including Reading and Leeds (where they were recorded for BBC Introducing), Latitude and Community this summer.

Their debut single “Bedtime Story” and EP title track “Eyes Closed For The Winter” were met with widespread acclaim from the likes of NME (where Priestgate were immediately crowned a First On artist and included in the NME 100 tips list in January), Dork and CLASH. The singles were further lauded at radio by Jack Saunders (who crowned “ECFTW” a Next Wave), Sian Eleri and Gemma Bradley at BBC Radio 1, and Steve Lamacq and Emily Pilbeam on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Walt Disco – Always Sickening + You Don’t Have To Say…

Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Unlearning, Walt Disco today announce a series of covers of their favourite artists, due to form the Always Sickening EP out November 25th. The first cover, released today, is a thundering, gothic take on the Dusty Springfield classic “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me“. The EP also includes covers of Aldous Harding, The Japanese House, The Associates and Stephanie Mills.

Walt Disco - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

Walt Disco on the EP; “We chose each song for their intrinsic charm and motherly guiding quality. We see this in the confident proclamation in ‘Never Knew Love Like This Before’, the thankless devotion of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’, the shady commentary on the bourgeois in ‘Club Country’ by our heroes The Associates, the tenderness of ‘Saw You in a Dream’, and the bizarre world of Aldous Harding’s ‘The Barrel’. Each song has a strong sense of emotion and self, which we strive for in our own music. We had a lot of fun working on these covers, both in forming our own interpretations and in recording it ourselves in our wee studio.”

Walt Disco on covering “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”: “Whilst deciding on which songs to cover for this EP, as soon as this tune entered the conversation, we knew we had to do it. Recording our take on that massive and marvellously dramatic intro was one of the most exciting moments we’ve had recording together. The emotion of this song really connects with us too. This message of love and understanding that, although it may ultimately be unreciprocated, you’re still willing to take any small piece of this person they can spare for you. It’s incredibly poignant, and we feel we’ve preserved that feeling while putting our own edge on this classic.”

Unlearning is out now, and is currently nominated for the AIM Independent Album of the Year award and the SAY Award (Scottish Album of the Year).

Jessica Winter – Choreograph

We’re thrilled to announce the signing of the wonderful Jessica Winter. As well as previously releasing two fantastic EPs, Winter has also lent her talents as a producer and writer to a host of other high-calibre artists including The Big Moon, Jazmin Bean, Phoebe Green and our very own Walt Disco.

With an artistic imagination heavily influenced by a wealth of styles including synth-pop, punk, and 80’s glam – the latter inspired by her 80’s glamour model mother – Winter is unwavering in her artistic approach to song-writing and visual aesthetics.

Plus, we have also released “Choreograph“, her first single of 2022. Speaking about the new single, Jessica says, “Choreograph was born out of frustration, and from the desire to fully experience life and love in the present moment.” The track’s music video, directed by James Ogram, draws inspiration from the iconic 1952 film Singin’ In The Rain.

Jessica Winter - Choreograph

Watch this space for more Jessica Winter news soon.