Sound check: Oct 7-13

Sound Check is an internet radio show I created to shine a little more light on just released bangers from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm British time on Daz in the Hat radio. Since recordings aren’t available after the fact, I follow episodes up with these recap posts.

ALL SONGS FEATURED HERE WERE RELEASED BETWEEN October 7 and 13, 2023.

YOU CAN HEAR ALL OF THEM – AND MANY OTHERS THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO THE EPISODE IN THE SOUND CHECK: Oct 7-13 PLAYLIST.

Oh Marilyn – Yee Loi

Kicking things off on a fun and energetic note, a pair of teenaged sisters from Wirral. Heavy on the punk rock vibes, combining catchy poppy melodies with the energetic and rebellious spirit of rock, these girls were inspired by movie star Marilyn Monroe, and they say it’s a celebration of her life as an individual and an icon still relevant in the modern day. These girls released their debut full length in 2021 at just 12 and 13 years old!

Home – Ruby J

Brimming with big horn sections, bouncy rhythms, and uplifting riffs that just make you want to dance, 18-year-old Ruby J backs up her latest single with soulful vocals. This one has been described as a “big band Motown-inspired frivolity”. The Midlands indie soul singer is no stranger to bold comparisons. Her special tone has long drawn comparisons to Amy Winehouse, Macy Gray and Tina Turner.

The Hills – Rachel Chinouriri

What a great vocalist and storyteller! This is singalong pop-rock with a heavy 90’s lean and meaningful lyrics that tap into feelings of isolation and longing for home. Rachel said she wrote the track about the feeling of not belonging and being out of place that she experienced while in LA. She said “No matter how beautiful of a home I was in, in the LA hills, I stuck out like a sore thumb.” Rachel will be away from home a bit in November, though not terribly far, as she joins Louis Tomlinson for the bulk of his UK tour dates.

Insistent Bliss – Cavalcade

This is a belter from the East London four-piece! The group is known for their scorching rock and roll, but acknowledge this is different to anything else they’ve released before. It’s the band’s second single of the year following July banger “Used to Know Me”. The guys have recently joined the lineup for Outland’s big return show in London on November 16.

Minnie’s Haberdashery – Box of Trash

Mmmmmmmmm. The solo! The bass riff! The classic rock undertones. This song is loud, it’s dynamic. It hits right from the outset and Lyle’s vocal delivery! Great single! I consider the track rather refreshing, but the band have described it as “a cesspit of absolute rock and roll filth”. Either way, I’ll take all of it and more… there is more on the way. The guys released their debut album earlier this year but they’re already gearing up to release a new EP before month’s end. I am now that much more disappointed that I can’t make it up to Glasgow on November 4, for what is sure to be a phenomenal night of music as Box of Trash plays alongside fellow Scots Monza Express and the Castros.

Fading Away – Tom A. Smith

Passionate. Expansive. Artistic and emotional. This has been described as an anthem for all who feel lost and are searching for answers. Tom said he wrote this song in a completely different way than he usually does. “Everything just flowed so beautiful that the demo and everything was completed in under 5 hours.” He calls out the double meaning of the lyrics, and the space theme comes up in the accompanying music video, which has heartwarming footage of Tom shot over a decade ago when he hadn’t even reached the double digits yet, all dressed up as an astronaut. Tom kicks off an extensive UK tour in November and now’s undoubtedly a great time to see him, because I don’t think he’s long for the small venues and small price tags.

Wires – Hazy Sundays

Prolific. That’s an apt descriptor for this Glasgow-based band, who have released more than a half dozen singles since getting together part way through 2022. This is a lighter take for the band, beginning with stripped down with stripped down, acoustic vibes and fantastic strings throughout. Love the guitar solo and the emotion-laden, reverb doused vocals. The pain is tangible here and it makes sense: the band shared that this ballad is a tribute to frontman Shaun’s late mum, Pamela, who passed away from cancer.

I Can’t See Past Monday – Lossline

This is a relatively fast-based song from a band of Mancunians who owns the fact that they “write sad songs”. And they do it well, with gorgeous, poetic lyrics. I giggled at how one social media user who stumbled across the song put it: “It’s like if the National came from Manchester, listened to nothing but Joy Division and worked in a factory.”

The Angel – Northern System

This is the second single from the Leeds-based teenagers who have been at this for mere months. There’s a certain maturity in the lyricism here, in the follow-up to July’s ‘Slow Down’. It also comes with a B-Side called ‘From Another Perspective (Tears Over My Black Coffee’, an acoustic-driven ballad written from the perspective of a partner in response to the band’s deeply personal unreleased song, ‘My Tortured Brain’. The band also debuted a short documentary recently, called Floorweed. If you happen to check that out, you just may catch a glimpse of yours truly in the footage from their debut hometown headline show at Hyde Park Book Club last August. They’ve got another headliner coming up at the Lending Rooms on December 1.

The Matinee – honey motel

Making a return after a nearly two-year hiatus, Honey Motel overlays an upbeat psych-rock melody with funky vibes on some really challenging feelings like anxiety, frustration and fear. They’ve said the song is about “the anxiety of getting stuck in the show before the show. Never taking the final step into the closing stage of something you’ve been working towards” because of things like fear and apprehension of what the outcome may be. “The thought of spending eternity in the matinee is unendurable”. The song ‘The Matinee’ however, is far from unendurable.

Life is not linear – Arcade State

Picking up on some common themes with ‘The Matinee’, this is the first and titular single from the Scottish band’s debut album, due out next March. It’s gotten many online very excited for what this album stands to deliver, with emotive lyrics and scores of raw power. It’s a song that manages to be simultaneously a punch to the gut and a big ole hug. Ciaran shared that he wrote this one after an incredibly difficult personal year, as a letter to himself with reassurance that everything would be ok, and he would be fine. He said that remembering life is not linear has been very helpful to him and he hopes that others can take comfort in this song.

Familiar Faces – Megan Wyn

Another deeply personal tune from this Welsh songstress! It’s anchored by her powerful, versatile voice and the beautiful melody, complemented by guitar riffs and bass and drums that all just do the dang thing. Megan said that this song was written at the start of summer after breaking off a situationship with someone who let jealousy and other people get between them, and it’s a bittersweet song about the love you have for a person, but the angst and anger that comes with jealousy ruining something that could’ve been great. Megan plays a headline show in Liverpool on November 11 and has a few other support gigs coming up as well.

Colour Me Gold – Skinny Living and sonni mills

A beautiful track, and it was a beautiful tune to make, said Sonni. She shared that she and Skinny Living started writing it when she was 19, just finding her feet and learning from all three of them how to become a musician in her own right. She said they finished it over a Zoom call when she was 22, just before she released her first EP, which they also co-wrote together.

The Memory Chaser – The Covasettes

2023 held back-to-back powerful earworms for this indie-rock quartet from Manchester, with the release of ‘Duvet Thief’ in April and ‘Say What You See’ in August, and this one is made of the same ilk. The band have really hit their stride with tracks that build and explode in euphoric waves. And the live performance is top drawer, if you will. Despite the euphoric quality of the song, the band have shared that it’s a painfully honest song about becoming lost in a relationship and chasing feelings that have been lost over time, becoming dependent on nostalgia to justify why you’re still together. The guys say they’ve sat on this tune for quite some time. In fact, they’ve waited years to release it. I’m glad we have it now!