Dork, August 2018 by Dork

8 201 UST AU G COM RK. DDO REA

Pale Waves. The debut album. Exclusive.

August 2018 Issue 24

Ed’s letter.

Index.

When Pale Waves got in touch and asked if we’d be interested in having the first proper, no holds barred chat about their debut album, we didn’t really have to think too hard about it. One of - if not the - most exciting new bands on the planet, you can blame them for your monthly Dork being a few days late. We’re pretty confident it’s worth the wait, though. See, Heather Baron-Gracie isn’t holding back. She knows her band are better than simply good. She’s heard ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ - a record that doesn’t so much deliver on a promise as order in ten times what we asked for and still wonders if we’d like more. A genuine icon before her first record is even on the shelves, she’s aiming for Planet Pop’s shiniest throne and is apologising to nobody. Quite right too.

UPDATE 4. MAGGIE ROGERS 6. MATT MALTESE 8. TEN TONNES 10. DEAF HAVANA 12. KATE NASH 14. BANGERS

S tephen

BACK PAGE 62. PEACE

“It’s the right time for us”

HYPE 16. NO ROME 18. AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS 19. ZUZU 20. JOAN 21. ALASKALASKA

PALE WAVES P.22

FEATURES 22. PALE WAVES 30. BANGERS OF THE YEAR (SO FAR) 41. BODEGA 44. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE 48. BEN KHAN REVIEWS 50. SOPHIE 52. MIKAELA DAVIS GET OUT 54. CHARLI XCX 55. HAIM 56. ALL POINTS EAST 58. FESTIVALS

Editor / @stephenackroyd

DORK

Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Events Liam James Ward Scribblers Abigail Firth, Alice Mortimer, Ashley Morris, Dan Harrison, Dillon Eastoe, Dominic Allum, Jake Hawkes, Janessa Williams, Josh Williams, Liam Konemann, Sam Daly, Sam Taylor, Steven Loftin Snappers Jennifer McCord, Niall Lea, Patrick Gunning, Sarah Louise Bennett Doodlers Russell Taysom Cover photo: Niall Lea P U B L I S H E D F RO M

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All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.

On The Stereo lifting spirits and challenging expectations. Now, they’re ready to drop their debut album, and it’s as great as we’d ever dared hope. Nice one, boys.

Bad Sounds Get Better

We’ve got a special place in our rainbow glitter hearts for Bad Sounds. For what feels like ages, they’ve been dropping oddball bangers, each one

Black Honey Black Honey

If we’re talking about much anticipated debuts, it’s hard 3

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to ignore the incoming first full-length from Black Honey. Not afraid to play with our expectations, the band’s singular vision becomes less a world of their own, and more a universe.

Pale Waves My Mind Makes Noises Oh. Mate. We’re not sure

you’re ready for this. The hottest new band on Planet Pop haven’t just gone for it - they’ve hired a big red race car and driven it full pelt through the front door. Less a debut album, more a declaration of intent - if you thought they were going places already, prepare for Waveymania.

Update. IF IT’S NOT IN HERE, IT’S NOT HAPPENING.

Incoming!

Planet Pop,

Maggie

will see you now Already one of our brightest talents, Maggie Rogers is preparing for an album that could take her right to the very top. Words: Abigail Firth.

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“N

o please, we’re on a date, ask me anything.” We’re chatting about astrology in Shoreditch’s Ace Hotel, where Maggie has accidentally become a regular.

“Zodiac just says I’m stubborn, which is true, but I think that’s a good quality. And creative and loyal. That’s good, right? Everyone wants loyalty. And it was interesting when I found out I had some Gemini in me, but that makes a lot of sense for what my life looks like, considering I’m like on stage and then like, my life has a lot of dualities – private vs public life.” She’s just been on tour with Haim, her first ever opening slot on a tour. “I got really lucky and got to skip a couple of steps,” she says. “But I am so, so glad I’m doing it because I just feel like I’m in performance boot camp, in the best way, because I feel like I’ve got so much to learn, especially watching those guys every night. “They’re such powerful musicians and have such powerful presence on stage, and they’ve been playing together for so long that their set is so so tight, and it feels effortless. When I’m on stage, I feel like I’ve spent the last year trying to figure out just like what to do with all of that adrenaline.” She’s still figuring a lot out, by the sounds of it. Unsurprising, considering she’s only properly been in this game for about two years. “I have this vision of getting on stage one day and being totally commanding and not moving and letting the music do the work. Just like, doing a slight sway. I’m like, this time okay I’m gonna just do it. Then I get on stage, and I have so much adrenaline that I’m just like bouncing off the walls. “I see videos of myself back and I like don’t sit still ever but it’s because I love the music so much and I feel it so powerfully that I’m going that way but I think it’s just like, finding a sense of normalcy in it is like a whole different ballgame, and I’m starting to figure out what that looks like.” In fact, Maggie can – and does – count all of her UK headline shows to date on one hand. Last year, she played Omera in February, Brixton Electric in June, Glastonbury and Citadel. Those, plus her support slot with Haim and two upcoming headline shows at KOKO in August, complete the list. For someone who has only been touring properly for the past year and a half, she definitely performs with the demeanour of someone far more established. “Everything happened so quickly that just having my first shows sell out was so amazing. It’s really special to now be in rooms where I’m getting the chance to introduce myself, and that might like sound crazy but I didn’t have the opportunity to introduce myself in the beginning, it sort of happened for me.” Of course, she’s referring to that

video with Pharrell, but now it’s time for the world to see Maggie as an artist in her own right. “I’m so grateful for that because it’s allowed me to do all these other things in my work, but there is something really nice, really calming, really energising about getting on stage every night and getting to introduce myself fresh.” “It’s cool to see comments or people writing me after the show being like, ‘Totally didn’t realise it was the same person and at the end, I Googled you and realised that that video I saw a long time ago is now that same person’. Obviously, that video was essential to how my private life became public, and it’s sort of a cornerstone of my story, but I’m so excited for there to be more than that.” For her first headline shows, she didn’t even have enough songs to fill the set. Now there’s an album on the way, she’s having less trouble. “I mean I’m playing like most of the record live. I don’t have enough songs! It’s all from the record.” It’s impossible not to name-drop when it comes to Maggie Rogers. On her debut album, she’s working with Greg Kurstin, Rostam, and Ricky Reed. She says, “I learned so much working with these people, that I just feel so lucky to have had collaborators like that for this record.” No biggie. She’s also doing whatever the bloody hell she wants when it comes to releasing singles and the record. “I’m just like, making decisions when I have decisions to make. Right now I don’t need to know what the third single is. I know what the second is. I feel in the flow; I feel good. “There are two songs – ‘Fallingwater’ being one – that I’ve slowly been toiling with over the last two-ish years, but the majority of the record I made over the course of about four months, between my home studio in Maryland and studios of friends in Los Angeles. There’s probably four or five versions of every song, so we’re just getting to refining the last couple of sounds and frequencies, should wrap it up soon.” The record is nearly done, but we’ve got no idea when we’ll be able to hear it. Maggie has no idea, either. “The record label set arbitrary dates, but we’ve actually taken them all away recently. I think we have a lot to unlearn about how we release records. There’s a lot that’s evolving. You know it used to be three songs over the course of three to four months, then you get a record. “People are much more single based these days, which I actually think it’s totally in my favour because if you make a record you’re proud of, you love every song. Every song gets to be a moment; it’s like taking a bath, slow, song by song, getting to really sink in.” And it’s (kind of) up to you what comes next. She’s keeping a close eye on social media for what and when people want to hear new stuff. “People seem to be really digging ‘Fallingwater’, which is awesome. I

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“We have a lot to unlearn about how we release records” feel like that’s fine for now. Then when I put another song out people will still be discovering ‘Fallingwater’. It’s a process. “The record will come sometime between September and January. It’s a big window, but I would rather trust my instincts than like try and fit into a system that says I need to tell everyone a date. It’s pretty awesome that I like saddled up to my record label and was like, ‘I just wanna trust my instincts’, and they were like, ‘Yeah, sure’.” Maggie’s totally rewriting the rules for this album release. Going with the flow and trusting her instincts seem to be her mantras for the process. “When you really settle, you already know the answers to all the questions. Just takes a little time. And trusting it, I think that’s the thing I’ve learned over the last two years. When everything’s so new, it’s hard to figure out what your instinct’s saying. Especially when it’s not always the convenient answer. “Having my first single for this record be a down-tempo four-anda-half-minute long song is not the convenient answer, but it was sort of the only answer. Every time I thought about the record, ‘Fallingwater’ had to be the first song. It’s where I wanted to start telling the story.” The story she’s referring to picks up exactly where we left off. “I feel like records are a record of a period of time. The EP tells the story of my last months of college, the record is everything since, but if I had the choice, I never would’ve made the EP. I like to speak in complete sentences. “This record is a lot about change and transition and how powerful that can be and how exciting that can be but also like how terrifying it can be and anxiety-inducing. It feels like everywhere I look things are changing these days. Whether it’s social, political, personal. Its just kind of something that, as personal as it feels and as much change as there’s been in my life, it also feels like a greater narrative.” You can totally add Maggie Rogers to the list of terribly nice pop stars too. Before we leave, she gives us some Sudafed; then she taps ‘save’ on our voice memos app. “Sorry, I do everything on voice memos, I just wanna make sure it’s saved.” P

Hype. No Rome ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC.

There’s a new act on the buzz train - Manila-born singer and producer No Rome is already making friends in all the right places. The latest signee to Dirty Hit’s roster, he’s also a much-loved collaborator of The 1975’s Matty Healy - and this is just the beginning. Words: Abigail Firth.

o Rome is a busy lad.

When he’s finished chatting with Dork, he’s off to Japan to shoot ‘a video’ – no word on what it’s for yet, it’s all top secret. As are most things surrounding Rome Gomez. For an artist that has two tracks out in the world in total, there’s definitely an air of mystery around the guy, and a colossal amount of hype. Rome has been making music since MySpace was around (crikey), and started taking it seriously about five years ago. He was an OG SoundCloud artist too, putting out demos on the platform and working with other artists he’d met on the internet. “I’d just upload them for the sake of it really, nothing more nothing less – and apparently you got people who like the way it sounded.” Rome is an interesting character. Hearing his music, you’d hardly expect the influences he lists as his own. “I guess the irony of getting influences from bands and a lot of music from the past especially, and me having the capability to time travel with the internet to hear songs from when I wasn’t even born yet, is I can get inspired from them.

“Growing up listening to like My things together, then a whole Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and album. But hopefully, by next year, then having electronic artists like I’d be able to be done with that one.” Bjork and Aphex Twin coming up He hasn’t even toured yet – yep as well so, they kind of like made this is a properly millennial rise that sound. Those are the kind of to fame. “Live shows? Not at the bands I genuinely listen to, and you moment, not that I know of. I guess could say I get my inspiration from. trying to build a sort of stage set “But lyrically I guess it’s Frank up that I could bring along with O’Hara. He’s very interesting in me, then I’d be able to start doing the way that he’s shows. I just wanna very honest with his be a bit intricate poems but at the same with it before I start time it’s fake, so the + From London-via-Manila playing small venues honesty is there, but and have my visuals + For fans of The 1975, obvs at the same time you set up, just because it + Check out ‘Do It Again’ works both ways with question; ‘Yeah I get + Social @no_rome what he’s trying to say’. the music and stuff.” + See them live: You can’t, It’s there, but what So how does a soz does it really mean? 21-year-old from That’s kind of how I wanted to tell a Manila, end up getting signed to story with that EP.” the most exciting record label in The ‘wow they came out of the world, Dirty Hit and living with nowhere, and now they’re gonna The 1975’s Matty Healy? be a massive pop star’ is an age-old “I met Matty about last year – way of selling a new artist, but he found me through Samuel sometimes with good reason. “I [Burgess-Johnson], his roommate, guess it kind of made me work hard who I’m a huge fan of as well – he’s by force, you know?” Rome says. a graphic designer that just does “The DIY culture there [in Manila, amazing stuff, and I’d seen his where he was born and raised], a profile over the internet for a while.” lot of things aren’t as culturally Oh yeah, the internet. Rome and updated as it would be, but with Samuel spent a while emailing that kind of strive of getting what each other (<3 cute) about music you want made it a bit more extra. and art; then Matty heard his It was a drive. It was definitely a songs. “He wanted to fly me in, got drive.” me in touch with Dirty Hit, and we Aside from an EP - ‘RIP Indo kicked it off really. Hisashi’, coming ‘soon’ - there’s not “I ended up living with Matty much else on the way from Rome. for quite some time and helped It’s really a drop in the ocean that’s him out with the album, and he made a bloody massive wave. “The was helping me out with my music, album has always been on the way, and it became like a very brotherly it keeps changing and changing thing. I think it’s pretty cool for a through time, and I just wanna young kid like me coming up from get to the point where I think this somewhere random and meeting is something worth listening to across the platform of the internet, as a fifteen track that’s gonna I guess makes a lot of sense.” come from me – or at least that I’m ‘Pretty cool’ is probably the saying right now. most understated way to describe “It’s just changing the place of the whole situation. Remember songs and having a theme to it as when Sean Parker put ‘Royals’ on well. So I just wanna hit that and his Spotify playlist and within a while doing that I guess making few months, Lorde was top of the EPs would be right to kind of place charts worldwide? That’s the level

The Facts

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“I ended up living with Matty for quite some time, it became a very brotherly thing” of hype anything associated with The 1975 can generate. Christ just look at our magazine if you need any evidence. P No Rome’s

debut EP ‘RIP Indo Hisashi’ is out ‘soon’.

My Mind

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In the past year and a half, Pale Waves have quickly established themselves as the de-facto buzziest band on the planet. Now, they’re announcing their debut album, ‘My Mind Makes Noises’. Due this September, we grabbed an exclusive word with the group’s biggest fan, frontwoman Heather BaronGracie. Words: Ali Shutler. Photos: Niall Lea.

Makes Noises 23

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ale Waves want to be the biggest band in the world, but you probably already knew that. Their

“We wanted to dive into different aspects of our sound,” Heather continues. “We wanted to show different personalities to our writing,” but none of that came from simply wanting to prove people wrong. Their world expanding at each twist and turn, every song still sounds like Pale Waves. “You shouldn’t listen to those people. We write pop music, and we want to sound like the same band. I’m sorry if that offends anyone. We have the same writers. We’re going to have a consistent sound. And I think that’s a good thing to do. We want to be recognisable. I wouldn’t want to throw some jazz number on the album... not yet anyway,” she smiles. “We’ve got a lot of groundwork to settle in before we start throwing those crazy shapes.” “‘My Mind Makes Noises’ tells their story so far. You’ll recognise ‘Kiss’ as well as slightly reworked versions of ‘There’s A Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’, but apart from that, it’s all shiny and new. It’s looking towards a future where the name Pale Waves is up in lights. There are hints of what’s to come; whispers of a world bigger than even they could imagine. “With this record, it’s going to display what we’re going to do on the next album and in the future,” says Heather. “We’re always growing as artists, growing as people, and that’s going to influence our writing.” The band are also ever-growing. “It’s going to be even more different on the second album, but it’s still going to sound like Pale Waves,” she promises. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…

Pale Waves. London, July 2018. S

ambition has been clear since the opening shimmer of their signature banger ‘There’s A Honey’ dazzled into view back in February 2017. Their drive has been constant, from fearlessly supporting stablemates The 1975 on their trek across American academies and arenas with only one song to their name, through to releasing a steady stream of stone-cold pop classics, doused in red, black and blue. At every turn, they’ve commanded the spotlight and asked for more. They’ve been relentless, uncompromising and constant in their need to be heard. It’s why they’ve spent the past six months almost always on the road. It’s why their name is on the bill for pretty much every festival happening this summer. All that, though, was leading to this - their debut album. Titled ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ and released on 14th September, the fourteen tracks come just a year and a half after that debut single, but the difference is huge. Pale Waves don’t just dream of being the biggest band in the world; they’re doing everything in their power to make it their reality. “It feels crazy,” starts vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie. “Even when I’m listening to it on my phone, it’s still so odd to picture us with a full-length album of Pale Waves music. We’ve worked so hard for this to happen and now it’s actually, finally here,” she grins. Excited and nervous, but not in equal measures, you can tell the next few months are going to be tough for them, but the record is done, and now, they just have to wait. Pale Waves have constantly been writing, eager to make sure they got their biggest, best and brightest ideas onto ‘My Mind Makes Noises’. A lot of songs were started “but we haven’t finished most of them,” Heather admits. “We’ve got loads of ideas, but we were strict. We knew what vibe we wanted to go with, so it was easy to figure out which songs were going to work and which ones weren’t.” “People have got this idea of us writing the same song but with a different title, which I think is funny,” she muses. “It’s just that we love major chords. We love pop music.” No song on ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ sounds like another. Not really. Sure, they’re all massive, immediate gems in pop’s crown jewels, shaped with that same magical Pale Waves toolkit, but each one has its own glimmering charm. “At the end of the day, we could do whatever,” she continues. “As long as it’s got my voice on it, then I guess it is Pale Waves, isn’t it?”

“We’ve worked so hard for this to happen and now it’s actually, finally here”

ale Waves had a pencilsketch plan for what their debut album should be before they started. The

reality “is better”, says Heather, and not just because it actually exists. “We got to the studio, and I had a mini breakdown because I didn’t think we had enough songs that were good enough. Pressure really helped me. I needed the pressure. We got to that mental state where we all started to go a bit insane. We’d been in the same building for over a month, every day from 10 am to 11 pm, and as you can imagine, we were

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all going a bit mental. “At times it was really hard. Not just hard on me, but I could see it taking its effect on Ciara [Doran, drums]. We all heavily depend on her. She essentially writes the music, and she helped produce the album [alongside Jon Gilmore]. I was feeling stressed, and I could see it in her eyes as well, but you know what? It’s just so worth it now. That’s all part of making an album. We knew it was going to be stressful, but I never expected it to be as stressful as it was.” No matter how hard it got, the band never thought about tapping the brakes. They’ve been hurtling forward since day one, always been in control of their ridiculous pace. “We knew our album had to come out around September or we’d be leaving it too late. I see a lot of bands doing that nowadays, and I think it’s a big mistake. You need to push yourself. At times, when we were recording the album and things got tough, I had to take myself aside, walk around outside and ask myself, am I really going to push myself this far? And I did. Every time. Because it’s the right time for us.” Every song on ‘My Mind Makes Noises’ is vital. Lyrically, musically, cinematically, they all have something to add to this evergrowing always-exciting world. If one was to be the record’s beating heart, though, sort-of-title-track

Bangers Pop Emergency!!

of the year

(so far)

We’re more than half way through the 2018 auditing period, Dear Reader. That means it’s time to pull down the shutters, call in the staff, and do a stock check on the only thing that counts. Cold, hard Bangers. We’ve run the sums, calculated the co-efficients, and come up with our definitive top 50 tracks of the year so far. If you’re our chum online, you’ve also sent us your take via readdork.com. Over the next few pages, you’ll find out the results. Ready? Bring on the bangers!

“Guitar-wise, it’s inspired by Pantera. Not that it sounds anything like it. I was really getting back into heavy music,” explains Pete Darlington, who set out to write 100 riffs for this record.

#46 The Wombats Black Flamingo

They’ve beaten the landfill to become indie’s veteran kings.

#50 Black Honey Bad Friends

Think you know Black Honey? Think again.

In the world of bangers, it’s important to never sit still. There’s no danger of Bad Honey doing that, finding an evolution on their trademark sound which challenges expectation and throws the fourpiece head first into a world of possibilities. As a taster of a debut full-length to come, it’s the palette cleanser every band strives to deliver.

P Stephen Ackroyd What they say...

“Bad Friends is a still in time - when you feel just as lost in a moment as you are lost in an internal conflict between your ever-changing feelings for the wrong people. It’s about ultimately craving something that makes you alive. Sonically we wanted to create our own Frankenstein’s monster of pop music that felt equally wrong as it is right” - Izzy B Phillips

#49 MGMT

Me And Michael

The weirdo wonders are back on top pop form. It takes a lot of guts to discover the perfect formula for making a chart-topping track, then proceed to ignore it completely from then on. It wouldn’t have worked for everyone, but it did for MGMT. ‘Me and Michael’ sees a band that are comfortable in their psychedelic niche, but still know how to write a chorus or two. P Jake Hawkes

output. More assertive, direct and packing an indiefied edge, ‘Lay It On Me’ is more in the lineage of Sundara Karma and the Maccabees before them. Shorthand for ‘it’s brilliant’, then. P Stephen Ackroyd

What they say... “Lay It On Me’ is telling someone if they need you, you’ll be there,” says Ethan. “You’ve been away and distant, but now you’re back.”

#47 Spring King Animal

The kings of the indie banger are back.

Kings of the indie rock banger, Spring King are established hands at this game. Their debut album was filled from front to back with the kind of incendiary energy that raises pulses and sends pint glasses flying. The first offering from their second full-length showed they’d not lost their vicious touch, either. This animal has teeth. P Stephen

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What they say... “’Animal’ takes you two hundred miles an hour, and by the end of it, you’ve got rid of all the demons. You’ve shaken them all out,” starts Tarek Musa before adding a smile. “It’s a workout.”

Born of an era committed to the ‘indie landfill’, to many the fact the Wombats have delivered one of the best alt-pop records of 2018 so far may make for a difficult narrative, but it shouldn’t. In truth, any number of shiny, polished gems from the trio’s fourth album could have made its way into this list, but with its desert rock swagger, takes the prize. P Stephen Ackroyd

#45 Chvrches Miracle

Beware the drop.

‘Love Is Dead’ saw Chvrches inhabit a more overtly pop persona, working with outside influence to find their best selves, but it’s on ‘Miracle’ that the trio really step into new territory. Shimmering, crystal clear vocals clash headfirst into bassy, brash drops to create the sort of stadiumfilling moment that opens up whole new worlds. A chart-levelling WMD, deploy it with care. P Stephen

Ackroyd

What they say... The song was produced by Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran / ‘Shape Of You’). On working with the mega-producer, the band says: “‘Miracle’ is the only song from ‘Love Is Dead’ that we didn’t write and record in the States, instead producing it in London with Steve Mac. Steve is such an intuitive writer with such a killer ear for melody and working with him felt very easy and natural. He makes space for everyone in the room and really pushes people to try things and go outside of their comfort zone, in a good way.”

#48 Ten Tonnes Lay It On Me

Laying down the bangers, right?

THE RULES Like all important scientific surveys, there need to be rules to our Bangers of the Year (So Far) list. Here’s the criteria we’re working off.

All tracks must be from the first half of 2018 That means anything released up to and including 1st June 2018 is allowed. Everything else will have to wait for our end of year round up.

All types of banger are permitted When we say banger, we don’t just mean your traditional track that ‘goes off’. We’re happy to accept all forms of standout tracks, from sad-bangers to turbo-bangers, emoti-bangers and nuclear-popbangers. Yes, we do think if you add any word to the front of banger it makes ‘a thing’. Want to make something of it?

There are no limits Artists can have more than one track in our run down - because the banger is a singular entity, independent of those who create it.

This is all from a ‘Dork perspective’ We really shouldn’t have to say this - but no, this isn’t a bland, opinionfree, oh-let’s-all-be-objective run down of the de-facto tracks of the year across all styles, genres, sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. It’s one filtered through the Dork prism. There are some amazing bangers that aren’t on this list, but we don’t have to all be everything to everybody, now do we?

We reserve the right to change our minds later Authority is great. Let’s be clear, this list is absolutely authoritative. For now. We might change our mind next week. Or next month. Or come December when we’re putting together our end of year lists. We might decide something that missed our 50 all together is our Banger of the Year. Music evolves even after it comes kicking and screaming into the world. Opinions form, re-form and 180 on themselves all over again. Our word is law, until we change those laws. Deal with it.

We’re making it all up as we go along

While big brother George Ezra is ripping up the charts, younger sibling Ethan is not so quietly crafting his own line in turbobangers. Really, apart from the pop heritage, those family comparisons mean little to Ten Tonnes’ musical

All that stuff up there? It’s a list of 50 great tracks from the first half of 2018. Stop overthinking things, Barry. 31

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Death Cab For Cutie return with a new line-up, and a renewed sense of fun. Words: Jamie Muir. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.

Reviews. All the new stuff, rated.

The Big One

SOPHIE OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

If pop’s job is to make big statements, SOPHIE’s debut album is the loudest of them all.

eeeee LABEL: TRANSGRESSIVE RECORDS RELEASED: 15TH JUNE 2018 LISTEN TO: IMMATERIAL, IT’S OKAY TO CRY

he best pop is all about emotions. Emotions that

attack your heart and soul and disturb your very equilibrium. Emotions that bend your mind and move your body. Emotions that you can’t describe but know that they make you feel something quite special. Right now, nobody quite messes with those emotions like SOPHIE. ‘OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UNINSIDES’ is the Scottish producer and pioneer of new pop sounds’ debut album and it contains all the genrehopping madness you’d expect. The

whole thing is a kaleidoscopic tour de force that fully showcases why SOPHIE is one of the music exciting musicians on the planet. It’s a debut that careers across styles and sounds, beginning with the tender whispered hug of ‘It’s Okay To Cry’ before ending with the all-out sonic electro punk assault of ‘Whole New World/Pretend World’ which sounds a bit like 2 Unlimited warped into something altogether darker and more fucked up. ‘Ponyboy’ and ‘Faceshopping’ are equally as abrasive. After you’ve adjusted to the dissonant rampage though, you begin to notice the little details; ones that mark SOPHIE out as a real master of her craft rather than a flash in the pan shock artist. Distant echoes of raves gone by filter through, coalescing into some of the most bewitching electronic pop you’ll ever hear, equally comfortable in the mainstream or kicking up a fuss on the margins. There are frequent jaw-dropping moments here, like the spellbinding trance symphony of ‘Is It Cold In the Water’ which brings to mind an ecstatic Cocteau Twins, a fitting comparison when you also take into account the otherworldly album title. There’s heart and soul at work here. SOPHIE herself has described the album as a cathartic culmination of her journey from subversive outsider to newly minted pop icon. Sometimes she wants to shock and shake things up. Sometimes though, she just wants to party as on the exuberant, bouncy banger of ‘Immaterial’. It’s clear that SOPHIE can do it all. The record does have its challenging moments, but that’s the whole point; the light becomes that more illuminating when it follows the darkness. A towering statement from an artist who is forging her own path any way she likes it. P Martyn Young

Bodega

Endless Scroll

eeeee

Making a name for themselves already as one of the most exciting New York bands around, Bodega have laid down a strong marker with their own form of infectious art-punk. Storming through 14 songs in half an hour, the five-piece from Brooklyn shift from track to track via punchy basslines and the occasional interlude from a Siri-like robot. As expected, debut single ‘How Did This Happen?!’ leads the way while the pulsating sound of ‘Gyrate’ gives off a nervous energy hard to contain. However, it is on touching ballad ‘Charlie’ where we see a different side; it’s a heartfelt reflection of the feelings encountered when you lose someone close to you. Despite missing the mark on occasion, ‘Endless Scroll’ is a record filled with potential. P

Dominic Allum

Nine Inch Nails Bad Witch

eeeee

The third part of this Nine Inch Nails album chapter is quite possibly their most jarring. The industrial noise double threat of Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor is unrelenting in every way, almost as if they’re testing your will to survive. When put into context with the other two pieces of the three EP puzzle, the grander picture is utterly terrifying. While ‘Not The Actual Events’ remained somewhat vulnerable, and ‘Add Violence’, well, did just that, ‘Bad Witch’ brings things to a nasty head, brimming with consciousness and unnerving mechanical matter. Be warned; there are no bangers here. It’s intense brutality that’ll test you, and leave you feeling a bit empty - in all the right ways. Obviously.

P Steven Loftin

Oi, mate. Have you seen our new website? R E A D D O R K . C O M A L L T H E B A N D S , A L L T H E B A N G E R S , 2 4 / 7/ 3 6 5 . D O W N W I T H B O R I N G .

Real Friends

Composure

eeeee Pop punk sometimes gets a tough run. A genre seemingly locked in its own time loop, it’s sometimes hard to remember that progression and boundary pushing isn’t really the point of youthful discovery and exuberant self-expression. It’s a pool Real Friends are throwing themselves into head first with their third full-length ‘Composure’ - ironically a record where they cast aside some of the ponderous emo and overdose on musical vitamin C. Vocalist Dan Lambton dives in with complete abandon to opener ‘Me First’, and rarely feels the need to surface for breath. It suits them well. P Dan Harrison

The Internet Hive Mind

eeeee The Internet’s rise has arguably one of the past few years’ most deserving moments; what started out as another off-shoot of Odd Future has become a unified and unstoppable force of their own. A hypnotising beauty shines bright on latest album ‘Hive Mind’, a coming together of the past few years filled with solo projects - but the sound of a band connecting in place like the perfect jigsaw as confirmation of their new found role as a cut above the rest. Make no mistake, this is the sort of record that places The Internet into a comfortable realm as a band who’ll be adored and poured over for countless years to come. P Jamie Muir

Recommended

Hey, Real Friends, recommend us some stuff... Last good record you heard: As Cities Burn, ‘Come Now Sleep’. Favourite ever book: Hairstyles of The Damned by Joe Meno. TV show you couldn’t live without: The Office. Best purchase of this year: Bag of Red Vines liquorice from Walmart.

Surprise!

Deaf Havana

Anything else you’d recommend? A nice Camelbak water bottle so you’re always hydrated.

Rituals eeeee

Florence + The Machine

Yungblud

What do you expect from a new Deaf Havana album? Because whatever that might be, ‘Rituals’ most certainly isn’t it.

eeeee

It’s weird to think of Florence Welch as an old dependable. Not in a tired, waning force sort of way - but four albums in, she’s now a stateswoman of indie. Ascended to the status of Genuine Glasto Headliner, her records no longer feel like rolling the dice, but rather a certified delivery of more bombastic bangers. While that may be doing disservice to an artist who does genuinely put herself on the line, the end result is the same. ‘High As Hope’ is huge. From the vulnerable honesty turned megahit of ‘Hunger’ to ‘South London Forever’ - a love letter that raises hairs on end - Flo is leading a charge now, and she’s breaking pace for nobody. P Dan Harrison

Very few musicians and bands are currently embodying the idea of free-flowing music that does what it wants, when it wants, quite like Yungblud. While the genre he inhabits is an important part - darting between beats, to pianoled tunes - it’s all just a single part of the cause. What Yungblud has done with debut album ‘21st Century Liability’ is captured modern living for a generation; that is having to deal with a whole new set of problems to anyone else around them. It’s a snapshot into every different aspect of life, from mental health, nightlife and just trying to enjoy their time here without everything it getting to them. With Yungblud about, nothing is off limits.P

High As Hope

Ben Khan

eeeee How long is too long to wait for a debut album? For Ben Khan, one of the buzziest new names of 2014, it’s been a while. At times it’s been easy to wonder if he’d fallen off the face of the planet. But no! Rejoice! Finally happy with his work, the much anticipated self-titled debut shows all that potential still counts for something. ‘2000 angels’ may now sound more like the present than the near future, but its assertive drive lands perfectly, while ‘Monsoon Daydreams’’ opening moves sound like Daft Punk’s robot brain struggling to boot up, in the best way. Good things come to those who wait. P Dan Harrison

21st Century Liability

Steven Loftin

DORK

f there are marks to be had for evading expectation, then Deaf Havana are aiming for the jackpot.

Previously, the five-piece have concerned themselves with enjoyably honest rock - the kind of stuff you could build firm foundations upon. It was a recipe that had borne fruit, too, with albums in the higher reaches of charts at points where such things felt far more relevant than they might today. And yet, with their latest full-length, they’ve ripped up their rule book for what came before, and started afresh. It’s a move that could play out two ways, but rather than a desperate grasp for success, ‘Rituals’ sounds more like a band striving to rediscover their own voice. Reinvigorated, on first listen it’s jarring almost to the point of distraction, but on repeated airings, it makes perfect sense. Why travel down roads so familiar they no longer inspire if something altogether more colourful and exciting is calling? With that in mind, Deaf Havana are simply being true to themselves, and in the most

RE AD D O RK. CO M

glorious way possible. Five years ago, a rock band wouldn’t be able to hang a left into mainstream friendly alt-pop without nervous glances and whispers of selling out. Now, in a post-Paramore world, it’s actively encouraged. As ‘Sinner’ pulses with raw adrenaline, it’s lyrics juxtapose perfectly. It’s that ‘dancing on the outside, crying on the inside’ aesthetic again, and it works. But, crucially, it’s not the only trick up Deaf Havana’s tropical sleeves. They haven’t completely given up the ghost on the harder side of their personality. ‘Hell’ bridges the gap perfectly, thumping at the doors and demanding an audience, while ‘Fear’ audibly throbs, its dark heart running at bursting point. We see pushing the boundaries as being obtuse, difficult even trying things nobody has done before - but that’s not the only way to stretch the limits. In heading in the least expected direction, Deaf Havana are challenging everything we thought we knew. They’ve never sounded more alive. P Stephen

Ackroyd

Festivals.

“I love to travel the world playing shows” everything for me; I’m also taking notes every day.

How did you get to this point, from kicking about in your hometown to signing your record deal and playing all over the world?

I moved to London from my hometown of Bedford and started playing music. I learned how to play guitar and started playing in pubs and clubs around London. It took lots of hard work and dedication to achieve my goals.

Has anything about musician life taken you by surprise?

Yeah, a few things. Definitely the number of hours that I put in, but the hours are really fun!

Tell us about your debut album what’s it about? What’s the vibe like?

My debut album is called ‘Lighting Matches’, it came from the idea of igniting my career. When writing I definitely matured but it’s a classic album. I wanted my album to sound timeless, and that could last 50 years.

2 - 5 August nd

Neverworld Tom Grennan has a natter ahead of this year’s Neverworld. Words: Sam Taylor.

f you’ve never been to Neverworld, formerly LeeFest, you’re missing out on one of the gems of festival season. A delightfully intimate experience of themed areas and hidden spaces, it’s definitely nothing like your usual big stage corporate affair.

That doesn’t mean they can’t pack in the names, though – none bigger than Bastille, who have already hinted they’re ‘up to stuff’

in the nearish future. There’s little doubt they’ll blow the roof off Neverworld’s main stage this August – and with a supporting cast including Declan McKenna, Rae Morris, Girli and whenyoung, they’ll not be the only ones. Tom Grennan will also be taking along his just-released debut album, ‘Lighting Matches’.

Hi Tom, how’s it going? Everything good?

Everything’s good, thanks! Loving the start of festival season, it’s been really exciting so far.

It’s been a huge couple of years for you - loads of festivals, a 58

DORK

massive headline tour, your debut album. How do you cope with being so all-go all the time? It must be exhausting.

How have you found the process of putting together a full-length? Did your initial vision for it change much along the way?

I really enjoyed it! There wasn’t much pressure, just excitement. I was in the studio writing loads of songs and then picked through the songs that I wrote; I didn’t go in thinking I need to write. It just happened naturally. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

How would you like your music to make listeners feel?

I don’t know if it’s exhausting, I feel really lucky to be in the position that I’m in. Having the support of my fans keeps me going. Really excited for the release of my debut album, and for my UK and European tour later this year.

I would like my music to make people feel free and inspired! I want people to feel like they can escape everything they are going through and just enjoy the music.

Are you documenting your adventures for future writing inspiration?

Overall I’d like longevity. The dream is to play Glastonbury and Wembley Stadium. I love to travel the world playing shows and make good music that puts smiles on people’s faces.

I’m definitely trying to record everything for future writing inspiration. My best friend is a videographer who documents

D OWN WI T H BO RI N G

Where do you want to go from here, what’s the dream?

P Neverworld takes place from

2nd - 5th August at John Darlings Farm, Kent.

16th-19th August

Green Man

Another band achieves headliner status.

Coming up...

More festivals to check out in the very near future. Bestival Location: Dorset, UK Date: 2nd-5th August 2018 Line-up: London Grammar, Silk City, M.I.A., Grace Jones, Plan B, First Aid Kit, Mura Masa, Stefflon Don, The Big Boom, IDLES, Jorja Smith, Sundara Karma, Django Django Wilderness

Green Man is another festival that doesn’t ‘just’ concern itself with booking musical talent - though they’ve done a smashing job this year, with The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s first ever bill-topping set, and further-downthe-poster spots for Grizzly Bear, The Lemon Twigs and more. In addition to the opportunity to camp onsite all week if you like (with the fancy “Settler’s Pass”), there’s also comedy, literature, film, performing arts, visual arts, workshops and loads more. Visit greenman.net for the full run-down.

Location: Oxfordshire, UK Date: 2nd-5th August 2018 Line-up: Nile Rodgers and Chic, Bastille, Justice, Jon Hopkins, IAMDDB, !!!, Palace, Groove Armada, Peggy Gou, Joy Crookes, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Baxter Dury 110 Above Location: Leicestershire, UK Date: 3rd-5th August 2018 Line-up: Fickle Friends, Circa Waves, Peace, Blaenavon, The Magic Gang, Marika Hackman, Anteros, Ten Tonnes, Saint Raymond, High Tyde, Eliza and the Bear

Festival shorts

Visions Location: London, UK Date: 4th August 2018 Line-up: Black Midi, Blue Hawaii, Carla Dal Forno, Chastity Belt, Duds, Girlhood, HMLTD, Honey Harper, Idles, Laura Misch, Nilüfer Yanya, Sampa The Great, Sports Team ArcTanGent Location: Somerset, UK Date: 16th-18th August 2018 Line-up: And So I Watch You From Afar, Glassjaw, Shellac, GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES!, LA Dispute, Arcane Roots, Rolo Tomassi, Jamie Lenman, Zeal & Ardor, Black Peaks RiZE Location: Chelmsford, UK Date: 17th-18th August 2018 Line-up: Liam Gallagher, Stereophonics, James Bay, Bastille, Craig David presents TS5, Years & Years, Jake Shears, Plan B, Rag’n’bone Man, Manic Street Preachers

It’s time for a Big Day Out in LDN

Indie label Big Scary Monsters are hosting an all-dayer later this year called Big Day Out. Taking place across various venues in East London on 1st September, the lineup features Tangled Hair, TALONS, Happy Accidents, Nervus (Em solo), Gender Roles, Matt Emery, Doe, Kagoule, Kamikaze Girls, Orchards, Bellevue Days, Fresh, Stephen H Davidson (Tellison) and loads more.

Twisterella returns Boy Azooga, Estrons, SPINN and more are set to play this year’s Twisterella. The one day, multivenue event takes place across Middlesbrough on 13th October featuring some of the “brightest and best emerging artists”. The bill also features the likes of The Blinders, Bryde, Night Flowers, Vistas, Llovers, and Avalanche Party.

HHHHH Q HHHHH The Guardian HHHH The Times HHHH MOJO

LET’S EAT GRANDMA

I’M ALL EARS THE NEW ALBUM OUT NOW

HHHH NME

HHHH The Observer

HHHH The I

HHHH DIY