In support of their debut album ‘Image’, Belgian post-punk outfit Whispering Sons present their new live video for ‘Alone’, filmed for Belgian national TV following a roundtable on post-punk past and present. Comprised of ten tracks, their album is out now via Cleopatra Records in North America and Smile Records in Europe. Ahead of this release, the band offered a preview of their tracks ‘Stalemate’, ‘Waste’ and the album version of ‘Alone’.
Whispering Sons are Sander Hermans (synth), Fenne Kuppens (vocals), Kobe Lijnen (guitar), Sander Pelsmaekers (drums) and Tuur Vandeborne (bass). The band just wrapped up a tour with The Soft Moon, followed by a series of shows with Gang of Four and headlining a series of European live dates in support of this album.
This is the first major release for this Brussels-based outfit since their ‘Endless Party’ EP in 2015. This new release represents what the band describes as a “giant leap forward”. Together with producer Micha Volders and engineer/co-producer Bert Vliegen, the band used their time in the studio as a means to broaden their sound, enriching it with acoustic drums and a whole range of synthesizers.
This album, recorded over a period of ten days at GAM Studios in Belgium, evokes an atmosphere that is ominous and urging, while capturing the and’s live intensity. Mixed by Bert Libeert (Goose, B, Raving George – Charlotte de Witte) at Jetson Studio and mastered by Frederik Dejongh (Hooverphonic) at Jerboa Mastering, this work is tinged with angst and isolation. Lyrically these songs stem from alienation, distance and inertia.
The songs on ‘Image’ were written after the band collectively moved to Brussels in 2016. Between intense touring, they channeled their new ideas into the music found on this album. Feeding on the dynamics of the city, the tracks unveil feelings of alienation and distance. ‘Image’ is a motionless state, in which observations overshadow actions. It reflects the artificiality of things, yet still desperately clings on to ideals and obsessions, something which is also strengthened by the cover artwork, created of Flor Maesen.
Whispering Sons won Belgium’s prestigious Rock Rally in 2016, the same national contest that launched the career of dEUS. Since then they released several 7 inches – ‘Performance/Strange Identities’ (2016) and ‘White Noise’ (2017), and the ‘Endless Party’ EP. Touring extensively in Europe, they’ve developed a reputation for their animated performances.
The ‘Image’ LP is now available everywhere, and can be ordered via Cleopatra Records on CD and also digitally via Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://www.whisperingsons.com
https://www.facebook.com/WhisperingSons
https://whisperingsons.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/WhisperingSons
https://www.instagram.com/whisperingsons
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7AFnJzNQsK_bRA5Dwi3z9w/videos
https://soundcloud.com/whisperingsons
-
Swansea Sound – Live at Rough Trade East
Swansea Sound has given us the absolute privilege of premiering what this world so desperately needs at this very moment: a live show! What makes this show so very, very special is the fact that this is purely from the perspective of the audience. Capturing every moment from the perspective of those in the crowd. Each song captured in it’s own unique live environment, as they were meant to be heard. And what makes this such a breath of fresh air is that this not only gives me that tingly feeling when I see a great band live, but it fills my heart with hope. We are leaving the pandemic behind. No matter what you hear or see on the news. Life is going on. And, people are enjoying it. They are into that sound. That live sound. That Swansea Sound!
About The Show…
Swansea Sound play six songs from their debut album ‘Live At The Rum Puncheon’, live at Rough Trade East, London, 10 December 2021.
Filming was by audience members. On their phones, for their own personal use. They didn’t know we would ask them to send in their snippets, or that they would be used in this way.
The film is scruffy, witty, anti-corporate fun. Just like the band itself.
Swansea Sound live are: Hue Williams, Ian Button, Rob Pursey, Robert Rotifer and Amelia Fletcher. They are playing more shows in 2022:
- Friday 4th February – Bristol, Zed Alley
- Saturday 5th February – Newport, Le Pub
- Friday 18th February – St Leonards, The Piper
- Saturday 19th February – London, Hope and Anchor
- Friday 4th March – Manchester, The Talleyrand
- Saturday 5th March – Leicester, Firebug
The album was released on 19th November 2021 by:
SKEP WAX (Vinyl, CD, Bandcamp)
LAVENDER SWEEP (Cassette)In North America, it is released by:
HHBTM (Vinyl, CD)
AUSTIN TOWN HALL (Cassette)In Indonesia, it is released by:
SHINY HAPPY RECORDS (Cassette)In Japan, it is released by:
HAYABUSA LANDINGS (CD)The album will not be released on streaming sites.
You can buy the album here: https://linktr.ee/skepwax or www.swanseasound.bandcamp.com.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/swanseasound
https://swanseasound.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/soundswansea
https://twitter.com/SoundSwansea -
Earthset – Around The Head (Studio Session)
After a demo EP in 2013 and two years spent playing ’round northern Italy, Earthset has released their debut album “In a State of Altered Unconsciousness”. The album was recorded live in three days at Fonoprint Studios by Enrico Capalbo and produced by Carlo Marrone and Earthset. The first single “So What?” is an energetic, melodic number backed by an infectious beat and a crunchy guitar attack making it one of the most promising tracks to come out of the Italian indie rock scene.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/Earthset
https://twitter.com/EarthsetBand
https://earthset.bandcamp.com -
Rachel Mintz – Silly Weight
Jammerzine has a special treat in the form of an exclusive interview with mega-talent Rachel Mintz as well as her brand new video and single titled ‘Silly Weight’.
In the interview, we get a glimpse of what it’s like to be that artist at the edge of going to the next level. Professionally and personally. We get that virtual screen capture of a moment where an artist shows how she’s gotten to where she is now and what that next level holds in store for her and those she is taken with her.
Plus, we get what draws most people closer to an artist as well as brings new fans. We get that personal glimpse at the mind behind the music!
Click HERE to listen to the interview.
The video for ‘Silly Weight’ matches the music in originality and scope. Rachel has that uniqueness to her vocals and it is perfectly complemented by the music of Mintz and DSBlade in that dynamic-duo combination of musicians who understand one another. The dystopian feel and sparse setting give Rachel more room to play with the settings and interact with the camera as if the viewer was there. And they are.
ABOUT RACHEL MINTZ
Rachel Mintz is the kind of genre-fluid mind that could easily become an algorithm’s dream, even if the LA-based artist has some doubts on her latest single about social media as a whole.
Growing up in Miami with a musical family, she performed with one of the world’s most celebrated children’s choirs before pivoting to gritty rock and punk bands in her teens and eventually relocating to California. “Being raised in Miami, I never quite felt I fit in,” Mintz adds in retrospect. “My upbringing influenced my rebellion, which may have led to the artistic freedom expressed in my music. My teenage girlfriends and I listened to a lot of hip hop growing up, which cemented my love of rhythm.”
Working with Grammy Award-winning engineer and co-producer Ian Cross (Usher, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Gwen Stefani), Mintz finally found her own voice on her 2019 debut Shed A Tear, which found her gleefully weaving between dream pop, darkwave, and baroque pop to praise from The Big Takeover and Pure Grain Audio. Building on top of Tear’s success, Mintz is readying a new EP for 2021 heralded by “Silly Weight,” a Bangles-reminiscent synth-pop blast of a lead single questioning social media and technology’s grip on daily life.
“I would regularly lament social media culture with [producer DS Blade]… which oddly enough, is how we were introduced,” recalls Mintz. “There are things, especially now, that we focus way too much of our energy on. Things like social media and consumerism are ultimately meaningless and don’t serve us at all. I am just as guilty of this as the next person. In a way, I wanted the lyrics to be a reflection of our conversations.”
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelmintzmusic
https://twitter.com/Rachelmintz
https://www.instagram.com/rachelmintz
https://linktr.ee/Rachelmintzmusic
https://rachelmintz.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/54RQwyzpAT4tNL71xGLdhg?si=yh6gc11LSc2F5iPv4OBOJQ
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/rachel-mintz/1486127780
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgSkTzQNTrCXEXI5oNTgcrg