What began as drummer Matt Shaw’s acoustic demos back in 2017 quickly developed into a six-piece band, bonding over a love of artists like American Football, Minus The Bear, and The Appleseed Cast. The group has taken influence from mid-western emo, math-rock, and alternative indie and combined those with Fleetwood Mac style dual-vocal pop melodies and twinkling glockenspiel to create their trademark “Glock-Rock” sound.
Earning their stripes in pubs and clubs of the Watford music scene, Lakes have been emboldened with a DIY attitude that was born from the frustration of life on the peripheries of a capital city. The group’s fiercely independent attitude has led them to record all their own music, produce their own music videos, and with families of their own – organize child-friendly matinee gigs in their hometown.
After self-releasing their first two EPs, Lakes joined The LP Cafe in the UK and Friend of Mine Records in Japan to release their debut full-length album in August 2019 entitled “The Constance LP”.
This led Washed Up Emo to label them “your new favorite band” and Punktastic to include them on their list of the most important bands of the next decade stating “it’s hard to look past their potential as future frontrunners of the UK emo scene.
With nods to midwestern emo giants in American Football and Braid, Lakes create a truly unique take on the genre interlacing shimmering glockenspiels, beautiful harmonies, and pop sensibilities in everything they do.”
The album was recorded entirely by drummer Matt Shaw in a spare room using a couple of mics and a PC over the space of a year. With no timing or financial restraints that would come from a proper studio, the band took their time crafting the songs and discovering their sound. This has resulted in a truly unique album, one that is completely holistic in its presentation with band members also taking control of photography, graphic design, web design and accompanying music videos.
Lakes’ ‘This World Of Ours, It Came Apart,’ was released in July 2020 via Know Hope Records in North America and The LP Cafe in the UK.
LINKS:
https://www.ourbandlakes.com
https://www.facebook.com/ourbandlakes
https://www.instagram.com/ourbandlakes
https://twitter.com/ourbandlakes
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The Gloomies – Nightlight
Belying the grim name, Andy Craig formed The Gloomies in a sun-bleached surf town in Southern California. Taking cues from Southern California’s surf scene, The Gloomies are influenced by the sounds of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ariel Pink, and Lana Del Rey.
The Gloomies broke onto the music scene in 2015 with their single “LSD”. This strange paradox, mixing gritty realism and yearning optimism, is what caught listeners’ ears with the single “LSD”. The surfy track was only posted on Soundcloud for friends to hear, but ended up on countless music blogs and eventually landed them “Buzz Band of the Week” in NME.
After receiving praise from Noisey, DIY, KCRW, and many others over the last few years, combined with months of touring, The Gloomies released their “Blackout” EP in 2016. This was followed by the 2017 single “Space” in collaboration with Cults singer Madeline Follin. In 2018, they returned to New York to complete work on the debut LP “Romance”. They have spent the last year in New York recording new music, creating a hypnotic collection of songs that showcase their original vision.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/thegloomies
https://twitter.com/thegloomies
https://www.instagram.com/thegloomies -
EnnieLoud – The Best I Can
Sweet without being saccharine, sentimental without being mawkish, ‘The Best I Can’ is a poignant reflection on the twin poles of femininity and the quiddities of being human and vulnerable. Framed as a series of statements to one’s weaker self, ‘The Best I Can’ is a slow bounce hinged around a minimal and addicting bassline. Written by Cassandra, whose R&B tinged vocal recalls the halcyon days of Lauryn Hill, the song was produced by band member Fabio Rizzoli, aka BeeOff, and recorded and performed by the band at the SAE Institute of London. Beau Vallis (Kelly Rowland, Pharrell, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg) assists Fabio with the mixing and masters it himself.
On ‘The Best I Can’ EnnieLoud has found a style that mixes neo-soul melodics with the ambient soundscaping of artists like Portishead and Goldfrapp, adding technical flourishes used by live DJs – drum and bass filters, synth arpeggiators and samples. The video was directed by Juanmi Cuesta and choreographed and performed by Italian danseuse Colette Gasparini. It follows a young girl as she dances with tireless passion in the immensity of a disused warehouse. ‘The Best I Can’ is a sincere expression of inner-strength, a genre-defying testament to self-definition in the face of very human doubts.
ABOUT ENNIELOUD
EnnieLoud is a trio of musical innovators from diverse points on the map who coalesced to craft their unique sound in the cultural melting pot of north London’s Wood Green. The plurality of their adoptive neighborhood is channeled into their music, which crosses cultural and generic boundaries to arrive at a sound that can loosely be defined as ‘alt-soul’. Street-dancing singer/songwriter Cassandra fronts the dexterous trio, which also includes Berlin producer/DJ BeeOff and multi-instrumentalist Ross. Together they have received international acclaim, co-writing ‘My Faults’ with top Italian DJ Vincenzo Callea, before getting the remix treatment from Grammy-winning producer Yoad Nevo (Goldfrapp, Sia, Moby).
The single was released in Germany and Italy, where it hit national radio playlists and made waves across Europe in France, the UK, Greece, and Russia. The accompanying video won ‘Best Video Clip’ at the New York City International Films Infest Festival and became a finalist at the 2018 Los Angeles Cinefest. Their first official single ‘In My Room’ was released in July last year and hit the blogosphere to much acclaim, receiving coverage in the UK, Mexico, USA, Canada, France, Belgium, and Kenya. Receiving its premiere on Clash, ‘In My Room’ went on to be playlisted across Spotify, hitting ten thousand streams in three weeks. It’s early days, but EnnieLoud is quickly proving themselves a vital and beguiling new act on the international circuit.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/EnnieLoud
https://www.instagram.com/ennieloud
https://twitter.com/ennie_loud
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3doeOLCLD9sPsmeQolWCZt
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8wNkY8qlySOaU2Xg0u0Mvw -
Beauty in Chaos – Temple of Desire (Box Cutter Mix)
Beauty in Chaos has just released their new video for the remix track titled ‘Temple of Desire (Box Cutter Mix)’, from the new album ‘Out Of Chaos Comes…’.
Marked as much of a departure in the video style as much as a stylistic shift in music for Beauty in Chaos, as a project, ‘Temple of Desire (Box Cutter Mix)’ not so much amps up the beauty in said chaos but takes it completely out of the box and the norm. Almost to the point that it is unrecognizable. This is what I love about groups such as Beauty in Chaos; the first rule is there are no rules.
While the video may have more of a stripped and down to earth feel, the music goes in somewhat of a different direction by combining beat driven effects and an enhanced groove with Rafe Pearlman’s lush and gorgeous vocal track combined with Tyler Bate’s groove/melodic guitar.
Divergence never felt so unifying.
‘Out Of Chaos Comes… is now available on vinyl (8 tracks), CD (14 tracks), and digitally (27 tracks). The full digital version is included with an LP / CD purchase. Limited-edition colored vinyl also includes an exclusive cover-art poster, signed by many of the artists involved. It can be ordered in its various formats on their official store HERE.
Check out our other features with Beauty in Chaos HERE.
ABOUT ‘OUT OF CHAOS COMES…’
As ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ was the counterpart to Beauty In Chaos’ debut release, ‘Out Of Chaos Comes…’ is the counterpart to ‘’The Storm Before The Calm’. 27 diverse remixes and reinterpretations by an equally diverse and talented mix of producers, artists, and deejays. The second video/single from the album is Tyler Bates’s Box Cutter Mix of “Temple Of Desire”.
BIC’s curator, Michael Ciravolo adds “I really enjoyed the process the first time of handing over the keys and seeing where others took those songs that I was so close to, so I figured why not give it another go!”. In addition to Tyler Bates; BIC enlisted The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell, Marilyn Manson’s Paul Wiley, former Mission, and Peter Murphy guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite, and John Fryer of 4AD fame among others for ‘Out Of Chaos Comes…’.
“Tyler has been a dear friend for over two decades and is one of the most talented hardest working people I know. I guess if there is a silver lining in the Covid-world we are currently in, it would be that Tyler had the time to do this remix. We had talked about it for ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ but the guy has major movies stacked up to complete.”. I really love what Tyler did with the remix as he both condensed and expanded it!
When I came into the studio and played the original idea of the song to Michael Rozon, he immediately said we need to get Rafe to sing this one. Both he and Tyler had worked with Rafe in the past … and I trust both of these guys beyond. I could not be happier with what Rafe brought with this song. Musically it is a bit different from what I usually write, an odd alternating of major and minor chords; which takes the write vocalist to not only hear that but to enhance with their melody. Rafe hit it out the part’
Videos are really important to Beauty In Chaos, as we are not a typical ‘live’ band, so the videos are indeed the ‘face’ of BIC. I really strive to have each one unique and different from its predecessor. It’s certainly undeniable this new video is almost a polar opposite to ‘A Kind Cruelty’. Honestly, it’s sort of understated, lighthearted visual is way different from any of our other videos and I love that! It certainly sets up the pendulum to swing back hard on the next one which we plan for a December release. Hats off again to Vicente Cordero for making this one happen.”.
Michael Ciravolo“Music is very personal to me, so it’s rare that I remix or re-imagine another artist’s music. But after decades of sharing our musical experiences through friendship, I was thrilled when Michael Ciravolo urged me to create a new expression of “Temple of Desire,” that is truly my own. The original song is already amazing, so the bar was a high mark to reach, but. Rafe Pearlman’s evocative lyrics and soulful vocal performance inspired me to explore a new dimension for this track. I love both versions!”
Tyler Bates (musician/Film-TV composer).“I love the blend of passion and coolness with a good dose of humor and lightheartedness. makes it a bit more real and honest. and the covid masks are hilarious. sets it in this whacked moment in time. Stoked to be a part of it”.
Rafe PearlmanABOUT BEAUTY IN CHAOS & ‘TEMPLE OF DESIRE (BOX CUTTER MIX)’
The ‘Box Cutter’ remix takes the song in a more condensed and esoteric direction, while the video offers an introspective, behind-the-scenes look. Tyler Bates, who also scored the music for Guardians Of The Galaxy, John Wick, and The Watchmen (among other films), notes,” Music is very personal to me, so it’s rare that I remix or re-imagine another artist’s music. But after decades of sharing our musical experiences through friendship, I was thrilled when Michael urged me to create a new expression of ‘Temple of Desire’ that is truly my own. The original song is already amazing, so the bar was a high mark to reach, but Rafe Pearlman’s evocative lyrics and soulful vocal performance inspired me to explore a new dimension for this track. I love both versions!”
Beauty in Chaos is curated by guitarist Michael Ciravolo, who also happens to be President of Schecter Guitars. With the original version found on ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ LP, this version also features producer Michael Rozon (Ministry) on keys and Gil Sharone (Marilyn Manson) on drums. Directed by Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films, this video was filmed on location at Tyler Bates’ Abattoir Studio in Studio City, CA.
“I always strive so that each of our videos has a different look and feel. I love the simplicity of this video, which is further accented by Vicente’s use of black & white. It is certainly the polar opposite of our last video ‘A Kind Cruelty’ (The Sinistrality Mix)’, says Michael Ciravolo.
“I’ve known Tyler since his days in Pet and he quickly became one of my best friends. Along with BIC producer Michael Rozon, Tyler is one of the best all-around musicians I know. It has been a joy to watch him become one of the biggest composers in film and television. I give them both all the credit of introducing Rafe Pearlman to our BIC Family. I didn’t know what to expect from Rafe in this video as a performer, but he proved to be quite expressive and engaging. I think this video captures an element of fun in making music. Hell, even the name of the remix is a bit of an inside joke! About the next video, it will be out before the holidays and the pendulum will swing 180!”
On the ‘Out of Chaos Comes…’ LP, BIC turns the creative reins over to an extremely talented cast of producers, artists and DJs, including Tim Palmer (The Mission, U2, David Bowie), John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, HIM, Depeche Mode), The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell, EDM star Bentley Jones, and Marilyn Manson guitarist Paul Wiley.
Earlier, Beauty in Chaos previewed Tim Palmer‘s ‘A Kind Cruelty’ (The Sinistrality Mix)’, featuring Curse Mackey (Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Evil Mothers) on vocals and an appearance by guitarist Simon Hinkler (The Mission).
The full 27-track collection (available on CD) is deep and diverse and includes a few surprises. Ashton Nyte’s gorgeous acoustic version of ‘The Outside’, Cinthya Hussey (whose beautiful painting also graces the cover) does a beautiful rendition of ‘The Delicate Balance Of All Things’, and an acoustic/mellotron drenched ‘Memory Of Love’ from Human Drama’s Johnny Indovina. You will even find some new and fantastic guitar moments from The Mission’s Simon Hinkler, Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses), Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy. The WonderStuff), and Nick Johnston.
“TEMPLE OF DESIRE” (Box Cutter Mix) was created by TYLER BATES
written by R. Pearlman / M. Rozon / M. CiravoloIntro interlude written by Tyler Bates
Rafe Pearlman: vocals
Michael Ciravolo: guitar
Tyler Bates: guitar, synth, guitar viol
Tish Ciravolo: bass
Gil Sharone: drumsDirected by Vicente Cordero / Industrialism Films
Filmed on location at Abattoir Studio in Studio City, CAThe original version of “Temple Of Desire” appears on ‘The Storm Before The Calm”; available from 33.3 Music Collective – 33rpm.org
recorded, mixed, and produced by Michael Rozon.LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://www.instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/music-store
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/bic-blog
https://soundcloud.com/33-3-music-collective
https://beautyinchaos.bandcamp.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/finding-beauty-in-chaos/1436694940
https://open.spotify.com/album/7cmbwIpDm9aAXS4vVjcq4U?si=LZ_9_Bi1SzaZyN7wOIRCvw