Sound Check is a weekly internet radio show featuring a selection of the freshest new tunes from unsigned, indie, and indie-adjacent bands and artists. It airs Tuesdays at both 4 am and 4 pm UK 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 january 20 and 26, 2024.
listen to all of them AND MAaaaaaaaNY OTHERS THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO THE EPISODE in the weekly contenders playlist:
how’s things with you – the avenues
Forget the quarterlife crisis (let alone midlife), lyrically, this song reflects the pathos of everyone who lives in an infinite state of crisis, perpetually falling short of the grand expectations of their younger selves. But don’t worry – The Avenues do songs with substance well. With warm melodies and nostalgic riffs, this hard dose of reality goes down a treat.
cynical – camens
Camens promise “honest indie” and they certainly deliver with the lead single from their forthcoming debut album, Work/Life/Balance. “Derived from a love fizzled out”, there’s some real af venom to vocalist Scott’s delivery at moments. Tangible bitterness only makes this banger more potent and relatable.
Camens will kick off a 7-stop UK tour at home at the Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent on May 3, the same day the album is released.
got it – ear candy
Continuing on the theme of a frustrating ex… this bop is as happy, energetic, and dancy of a cold shoulder as I’ve ever encountered. It puts the “party” in pity party and gives it a whole new meaning.
Keep an eye out for Ear Candy’s debut EP, landing in March. If you’re around London, you can catch Ear Candy live, supporting The MEZZ at Camden Assembly on February 15.
concourse cowboys – handsomerat
I can’t describe the Manchester duo better than their musical mate, Ventrelles’ frontman Phil: “bonafide pop edge with a twist of street knowledge”. This is earnest indie rock with love handles for a bass line (by which I mean – chooonky, something to grab on to, figuratively speaking) generously layered with yummy guitar riffs, a smattering of synthy goodness and a tasty tease of percussion that just may have you yelling “more cowbell”!
Handsomerat support the Shackites at the Snug Coffee House in Atherton on March 23.
antics down the local – dylan ward
Oh to be young and spending another night swilling drinks with your mates while the Courteneers boom through the speakers in “the greatest shithole the world has ever seen”!
Dylan will play his first hometown headline show (doubling as his debut EP launch) at Polar Bear in Hull on March 23. He’s also part of a sturdy lineup for Hull’s Larkin Out festival on April 19 alongside fellow Yorkshire lads The Denabys, The Outcharms, Sam Scherdel and others.
i run – the shop window
A tune as joyful and charming as its origin story, per frontman Carl: “The lyrics are about the happiness and confidence that my family has given me. Most of my life I’ve never wanted to be at home, but now there’s no other place that I would rather be.”
‘I Run’ is the third single from the band’s upcoming double LP Daysdream (out May 3), which is said to be one part upbeat janglepop and one part melacholic dreampop/shoegaze vibes.
divine – venus grrrls
Indeed, there’s something “divine” about the fuzzy, punchy rock undergirding GK’s vocal performance, which slips seamlessly from soft and sweet to spirited and searing, in turns.
Busy gals – they’ll headline the Brudenell Social Club at home in Leeds on February 10, and the BBC Introducing stage at Stockton Calling on March 30 before joining SPRINTS to support their sold out 8-stop UK tour.
lady luck – the howlers
The London-based trio proves that it sometimes pays off to not give up on the “problem child”. That’s what bassist Guus called the “lingering riff” that, after years of failed attempts to build a song around it, finally came together with the chopped up bits of “other songs in similar states of limbo” to form this cinematic track that charms with alluring bravado.
The band kicks off an 11-stop in-store tour in support of their debut album (What You’ve Got to Lose to Win It All, May 17) at Assai Records in Glasgow on May 10.
shut the door – lehi
Per Aura: “The vocals are soft and intimate, working with the lyrics to create this dream-like effect aided by the airy guitars that stand as an opposing element to the beat. It feels almost like you’re hearing a rumination going on inside the singer’s head as the sound envelops you. Very much reminiscent of LEHI’s influences such as The 1975, Valley, MUNA and The Blue Nile.”
terrible comfort – vanderlye
From the pace to the instrumentation choices to the vocal performance, there’s a calm confidence in this track – just the band’s third single – that belies just how new they really are. Little surprise, I suppose, for a band whose second release was nominated for single of the year at the unsigned music awards.
The Scottish quartet will make their Edinburgh debut at Sneaky Pete’s on April 19.
pools of colour – junodream
I appreciate when deep-thinking musicians don’t fall into the pitfalls of alienating listeners by being too smart for their own good. There’s no lack of cleverness in the title track from junodream’s just-released debut album (I mean, just look at how they explain the allegory behind the album’s name). But at least part of this beauty’s brilliance can be found in the almost rippling, expansive quality of the atmospheric build to the chorus, which harnesses that cleverness to create connection, with a genuinely affecting result.
Keeping it real – I’m holding off on listening to the rest of the album until my “joint-free January” is over. Based on the strength of this tune, I suspect a rip and (first) dip into the entirety of pools of colour will make for an exquisite evening at home.
The London quintet’s 11-stop UK and Ireland tour begins at Deers Head Belfast on February 16.
gone – pillow queens
Speaking of clever… the vocal choices in this one by Ireland’s Pillow Queens are *chef’s kiss*. The steady mid-range of the lead vocal flirts with the idea of monotony (without ever actually being dull or flat, mind you). This reinforces the repeated assertion in the chorus “I’m bored of it” and also seems to parallel the emotional emptiness of one who has reached the point of saying “I’m gone” and actually meaning it; when they have no fight left. The real genius is laid bare with the satisfying and emotionally resonant contrast of the passionate and dynamic background vocals.
Together with the fuzzy, grungy guitar and heavy drums, the total effect is thrilling. It’s skyrocketed my anticipation for the band’s third album. Name Your Sorrow comes out April 19 and the Pillow Queens will head off on a 6-stop UK tour in June.
don’t get sad – the kowloons
I’m really feeling the punchy drive of the drums on this one from the Merseyside four-piece. The guys acknowledge that there’s a “bit of Prefab Sprout and Pixies in this one”, but there’s just something about it that called to mind Foo Fighter’s ‘Learn to Fly’ for me. For god’s sake, don’t ask me to justify that because it’s a *vibes* thing more than anything else, and vibes are incredibly subjective. In this case, they’re also right tidy, if not immaculate.
The Kowloons are slated to perform Lossiemouth’s Live by the Sea weekender in August.
beyond a glance – the rare
Speaking of the Foos, I definitely hear their post-grunge alt rock and a hint of late 90s contemporaries Red Hot Chili Peppers’ funk rock amongst a melting pot of influences here.
This is the second single by the Reading four-piece, who put out their first single, ‘Angel One’ about six months ago.
it’s not the end of the world – brother vice
Listen, I was a teenager in the noughties. This kind of shit is my meat and potatoes. I mean that in the best possible way. It’s familiar. It’s comforting. It’s nourishing. As long as it’s cooked well (and it is), I’m always going to appreciate those who are serving up such staples of my musical diet in new and satisfying ways.
After months of tearing up stages in Belfast, the Northern Irish lads will “finally bring the noise a bit closer to home” when they play Dundalk on February 2.
i like it here – the great leslie
Aura said: “The scrumptious bass line paired with what can only be called sexy riffs is bound to catch the ear of many unsuspecting listeners out there. The guys deliver on their characteristic glam-infused rock sound, while playing around with extra juiciness with funky bass layered on jazzy snares. The overall effect elevates their sound to new heights.”
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