The first time I heard this, I fell for it immediately. It takes layers of exquisitely crafted sounds and harmonies and turns them into a beautiful lush soundscape. And over this is this gorgeous voice. It sounds truly beautiful.

And then I went back and listened to the words; it is a beautifully written love song; full of heartfelt emotion. But it’s also a celebration. Rosalyn explains “Growing up i rarely saw queer love represented in mainstream media, ‘Her Side Of The Bed’ was the first time I allowed myself to fully embrace that part of my life in my writing, and it feels like a real privilege to be able to share that with my community in a way that feels genuine”.

The reason I love this track is that there’s something simple about it. I don’t mean lyrically, because the words are poetic, or sonically, because the music is beautifully complex; I mean simple in the way the emotions are so honestly expressed in a way we can understand and relate to.

I could go on but really I’ve said all that needs to be said. This is so beautiful/ And yes it made me cry.

I have been following FloodHounds for ‘some considerable time’ and they are one of those bands who’ve released consistently great music, and I never get tired of hearing their stuff.

‘One Horse Race’ is a raw, edgy slab of rock. Well, that’s the headline but as with them the joy is in the musical details. Somehow they’ve managed to make something that’s both an urgent guitar rock track that’s melodic and catchy. Much repeated listening and I’ve managed to pin this down to the emphasis and dynamics. The way the sharp as a knife guitar riff shifts in and out. The way it shifts from full on soaring sound to the melodic sparse bits. There’s a structure there but, and it’s a big but, this structure is drenched in chaos. It’s the rushing of a mind in thought, a state of indecision, in sound.

And here is the key, for this track is all about the music reflecting the topic. The song ‘reflects the sometimes isolating experience of modern life, where constant exposure to others’ curated journeys can paralyze your decision-making’ says songwriter and guitarist Jack Flynn ‘One Horse Race encourages listeners to embrace the uncertainty and risk inherent in charting their own path, even if it feels like you’re an outlier’.

‘One Horse Race’ is a fiery slice of guitar rock that leaves you breathless. Short, sharp and raw. But that’s not all, it’s inventive musically, full of twists and turns. So bloody good.

I have to be honest with you about this, I adore the music that Ómoia make. With each and every release they seem to develop and build. And so it is with this double A side single ‘The Love We Keep’.

First we get to be stunned by ‘In This Moment’. This starts full of atmosphere, intense emotion and beauty and then, at about the halfway point, it explodes into something like a scream (and an actual scream at one point). This is about the build, it’s at that point that the emotion comes through. The band say that the song ‘offers an introspective look at the struggle of maintaining an outward appearance of happiness while feeling hollow and disconnected inside. It captures the yearning for emotional validation and the tension between vulnerability and the fear of being exposed. The facade of being “alive and functional” masks a deeper, more complex emotional battle’.

The rawness in the sound speaks to the song’s subject, with even the slower more melodic parts of the track not so smooth that they lose this raw emotional feel. In fact. In a way the structure of the song with a start that is beautiful and melodic with the intense louder sounds gradually coming through and then it returning, until the battle is won with the loud raw feel bursting through, speaks to the band’s description of the song.

This is beautiful, it’s that simple. It shows the band’s ability to tell a story in words and music.

The single’s second track ‘Section 28’ is about a law passed in 1988 that banned local councils and council funded schools – and I quote – from ‘promoting homosexuality’. There’s more about this below, but I remember the law being passed, and the effect it had on people well. I can also remember the joy that came with the law being repealed in the early 2000s after campaigns by the community, and the support of New Labour.

The song ‘explores the emotional and psychological harm caused by laws designed to erase identities, forcing silence and invisibility upon marginalised individuals’. And it does this both from the point of the LGBTQ+ community as a whole and individuals.

The band don’t spell out their reasons for writing the song, beyond recording a heinous period in UK history; but I see a parallel now in the way Trans’ Rights are being attacked now, and how similar attacks led to the introduction of Section 28. However, it is the case that unless we take note of what happened in the past we are destined to repeat our past mistakes.

This is an intensely powerful song. And is required listening.

Ómoia’s songs are not ‘easy listening’; they are full of overwhelming emotion and tell very personal stories. However, it is in this rawness that their realness and beauty lies. Take this and combine it with their music, and they can rip your heart out. If you are not a fan of Ómoia’s music then you should be, and if you are you know what to do.

The info

Section 28

Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality’ or ‘promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. It is sometimes referred to as Clause 28 or as Section 2A in reference to the relevant Scottish legislation.

The legislation came into effect during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership on 24 May 1988. It caused many organisations, such as LGBT student support groups to either close, limit their activities or to self-censor. In addition, Section 28 had a widespread impact on schools across the UK. This was due to uncertainty around what constituted the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality, leading many teachers to avoid discussing the topic in any educational context.

The path towards Section 28 started with rising discrimination against the LGBT community. This stigmatisation against gay and bisexual men increased during HIV/AIDS. The legislative path started with small steps that eventually resulted in Section 28.

Section 28 was first repealed in Scotland. It was subsequently repealed in England and Wales in November 2003, following New Labour’s initial unsuccessful attempt to repeal the legislation under the Local Government Act 2000.

Learn more on Wikipedia here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28

Leeds’ band Coal Mob in their email to us described themselves as a post-punk band, I’d agree with that. The thing here is that of the three tracks they’ve released only one falls into the ‘generally accepted sound’ that is now described as the ‘post-punk.sound’. As somebody who spent their youth listening to post punk music I. like everyone else I knew then, knew that post-punk merely referred to music that came after punk not a particular sound. So the avant-garde jazz sounds of Rip, Rig & Panic, The Associates’ alternative pop sound, the jangly guitar sounds of Orange Juice and the synth based sound of The Human League could all be equally well described as post-punk.

Sorry I got a little carried away there, back to ‘Cowgirl’. It sounds like a glorious mix of punky indie, the big classic alternative pop sound of the late 70s/early 80s and, yes, there is something of that sound that marks something as being from the post-punk period. This is hard to put a finger on exactly but it’s in the big sweeping synth sounds, the chanted vocals, the sudden changes of tempo and, importantly, the slow spoken word section. This, I must admit, had me weeping in musical joy. I mentioned The Associates before for a reason, and that is that parts of this remind me of them And I always had a particular liking for The Associates.

Now whether Coal Mob’s sound comes from listening to music from the post-punk period or from bands that built on that sound and then bands who built on that sound or from the current crop of post-punk bands and artists isn’t really an issue. The important thing about the post-punk period was that bands were making their own music cooked up from the mix of their influences. And Coal Mob are doing that, and doing it wonderfully. There’s a beautiful feeling of substance over style in what they do, and I can only applaud that.

The other thing I have to applaud them for is their refusal to make music that has one sound. The three tracks they’ve released sound different but all sound like them; and I love that.

‘Cowgirl’ is a big, wide and beautiful thing that’s inventive and bloody glorious. Go listen.

Upcoming gigs in Leeds

If you’ve been keeping up you’ll have noticed that I’ve developed quite a thing about Since Torino, so the release of this EP is a whole bunch of joy. So let’s get straight into the music.

The EP opens with ‘portee, 1992’; a track that can’t be put into any straightforward musical genre; and this in itself is something to be loved, I guess you might say that it has elements of Emo, but then again it equally has elements of Jazz. Somehow it feels close to Radiohead, except it’s not as dense sounding as that comparison might give the impression.

It’s slow, achingly beautifully slow. There’s a growling guitar but it’s way back in the mix. There’s a bittersweet sounding guitar that plays over this. And then there’s inventive sparse as you want drums that weave through this. But there is also a vocal that I can only describe as a drawling whisper that sings words you have to listen to very very closely to hear’ words that even you don’t hear them well to get what the song is about have an intense emotional impact on you. One is aware that something of great significance must have happened in the town of Portree in 1992, and whatever that was is deeply deeply personal. To me it’s a song about loss. And I feel this through the music as much as the vocal.

And yes, if you have to know the song does build to something but it isn’t the guitar fest you might assume. It’s actually a horn, And this, unexpectedly as it may be, is just so right it reaches in and twists your heartstrings. No-one would be upset it you shed a tear ar this point in the song. I’m not afraid to admit I did.

Somehow ‘checking up’ builds on or even takes a variant of ‘portee, 1992’ in its sound but it has its own sonic thing. It takes that aching beautiful slow feel but it layers on both a chiming guitar and an intensively thoughtful guitar. It’s all done so slowly and carefully that the addition of snatches of voices and sounds is an unsurprising surprise. What I mean by this is that they should be a surprise but somehow they aren’t; it all just feels absolutely right.

The song, unless I’ve got it entirely wrong, appears to be about meeting up with a friend after not seeing them for a while. What I’ve not been able to work out is whether this is an old love or old friend; not that this matters if I’m honest. And it’s important to mention that it tells this story in music as well as words.

Next up is ‘sojourn’. Now the short song is sometimes a risk, a minefield if you will. But here in 60 seconds Since Torino manage wonderfully to tell us both a story and take us on a haunting musical journey. It’s both intensely beautiful and intense emotionally. Layers of frankly beautiful sounds intertwine and overlay

‘emily plays suzanne (at the half moon inn)’ takes a surprising turn into something that certainly has something of the post-punk about it. To my admittedly older ears I hear echoes of Bauhaus. Skittering sounds skitter, a weirdly bent guitar adds to the dark feel. And then there is the end; a whirring sound followed by a drop into chaos.

It is, unsurprisingly, about going to see somebody play and they play the song ‘Suzanne’. And again the band manage to tell us a story in words and music in just a few seconds more than a minute.

To go back to what I said at the start of my thoughts on ‘sojourn’. The inclusion of two short pieces could be seen as risky. That is unless they do enough to tell what they needed to tell. And these two musical tone poems do that. I call them tone poems because they are not songs in the conventional sense. And the thing is that in their shortness they paint a picture, they tell a story. And they are so intense musically that you don’t need more.

So, sometimes you think you get a band, you think you have a handle on their sound, And then they go and do something that makes you rethink what you thought. ‘transatlantic flight song’ is that song.

It still has that Since Torino feel; thoughtful and intensely personal, and carefully crafted and put together.It’s just that this song is built around retro sounding synths It’s, to coin a phrase, a retro synth ballad. And when I say ballad I mean that in the sense of it being a story narrated.It sounds like vintage electronica. It’s moody, somewhat dark and intensely atmospheric. It has words that make you want to listen again and again until you get them and the\ story they tell,

So while this song has me rethinking what I’d previously assumed about the band, somehow I always knew they would do that at some stage. And I love it when a band does that; I am not the type of person who demands a band always ‘sound’ the same, I just want their music to be recognisably them, and this is recognisably them.

The EP, sadly, closes with ‘alive’; a song that somehow has something of the Americana, an element of Emo. And in contrast to its title, this is a slow song. And yet, strangely, a slow song that you could imagine being more uptempo, or at some point becoming more uptempo.

You get layers of guitars, different sounding guitars, all subtlety put together. Touches of sounds that have you rewinding to catch again. Sparse drumming that sets the backbone. And it’s wonderful. Within the musical framework there are sounds that bring a lump to your throat and make your heart lurch.

And as it gradually comes to its end you are left feeling bereft, wanting that achingly beautiful song to last longer, or perhaps forever.

Summing up this EP is going to be difficult for me to do without gushing. So let’s start with some statements (of the obvious, perhaps). This is a collection of songs that tell stories in both their words and music. The words are thoughtful, compelling and full of meaning. The music is played with obvious skill. And yet for all of their obvious skill the music is about feel, atmosphere and emotion; not about showing off.

Look, I can’t stop myself. The individual songs, and the EP as a whole, have a kind of understated beauty; it’s the subtleties that make the feelings that reach in and twist your soul. What I love about Since Torino is that their music seems to come from everywhere and equally is seemingly uninfluenced by anything. And I love how they put their songs together; gorgeously. This is, if you hadn’t already realised, achingly beautiful music for the heart and soul.

Not only is this the debut release from Halifax band Grow but it’s the first release from Grayston Unity Records. And if ‘Grayston Unity’ rings some bells, it should because The Grayston Unity in Halifax founded the label.

So I need to define – or try to define – the sound of this track. To be honest doing this has me scratching my head. The problem is that every time I listen to it I hear something different. It very definitely has something of the lushness and vibe of the psychedelic but it isn’t either psychedelic rock or pop. There’s something of the laid back drawl of Manchester in there. And then there’s the hint of Primal Scream. On the other hand it could have you reaching for psychedelic pop-rock. You see my problem.

At its base it’s a superbly written melodic kind of soft rock song but it’s what Grow do with this that makes it so bloody wonderful, There’s backing vocals so lush they hurt, There’s the touches of slide guitar, the piano that features so heavily and all that would enough but they go and add organ,

But there’s more, yes there’s more. This track is littered with subtle and clever touches of sounds that will have your brain spinning. And yes, some of those sounds, feels and vibes are definitely of the past but, and it’s a big but, this doesn’t sound shoehorned in. All you can do is sit back and admire what the band have done.

Look, this is a band doing their own thing, and that is a beautiful thing. It’s immediate for the ‘casual listener’ and the ‘closer listener’ will find much to appreciate over repeated spins. The brilliantly put together layers of sound just compel you to dive deeper and deeper. And I must say that despite what is undoubtedly complex production it still sounds like a band playing together.

The above is my attempt to explain why I love this track so much; I’m not sure it does. But I suspect this is one of those that’s going to hit different people differently. All I can really say is this song ticks all the boxes – suburb songwriting, great playing, wonderful arrangement and, most importantly, the sound of a band making their own music This is fabulous, go listen.

The single is available on all streaming services and available on vinyl via Bandcamp https://growtheband.bandcamp.com/album/your-own-time

While I’m tempted to gush about Since Torino’ I’ll leave it with saying I’m a fan. Simple as that.

So, sometimes you think you get a band, you think you have a handle on their sound, And then they go and do something that makes you rethink what you thought. ‘transatlantic flight song’ is that release.

It still has that Since Torino feel; thoughtful and intensely personal, and carefully crafted and put together.It’s just that this song is built around retro sounding synths It’s, to coin a phrase, a retro synth ballad. And when I say ballad I mean that in the sense of it being a story narrated.It sounds like vintage electronica. It’s moody, somewhat dark and intensely atmospheric. It has words that make you want to listen again and again until you get them and the\ story they tell,

So while this song has me rethinking what I’d previously assumed about the band, somehow I always knew they would do that at some stage. And I love it when a band does that; I am not the type of person who demands a band always ‘sound’ the same, I just want their music to be recognisably them, and this is recognisably Since Torino.

‘transatlantic flight song’ is compelling and mesmirising. It sounds absolutely gorgeous. This is absolutely wonderful. You just have to hear this.