Frankie & The Heartstrings - The Days Run Away

Everybody's favourite Sunderland indie-poppers Frankie & The Heartstrings return with their sophomore LP, The Days Run Away. Produced by ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, the new record is a superlative combination of bright, jangly guitars and like 2011's Hunger, emotional, melancholic ballads. The new album is released 3rd June on Pop Sex Ltd/Wichita.

Listen to The Days Run Away below for free!

NME: 7/10
Drowned In Sound: 8/10
KYEP: 8/10

Pre-order a digital copy here
Pre-order a vinyl here
Pre-order a CD here

Frankie & The Heartstrings website

Also, find Frankie & The Heartstrings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Splashh - Comfort

Lo-fi, fuzzy shoegazers Splashh release their debut album Comfort via Kanine Records on Tuesday 4th June. Stream the entire record below for free!

 STANDOUT TRACKS: Vacation, All I Wanna Do, Need It



Drowned In Sound: 8/10
KYEP: 7.5/10

Pre-order Comfort Luv Luv Luv here
Pre-order Comfort from Banquet Records here

Splashh's website 

Also, find Splashh on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Smith Westerns - Soft Will

Chicago garage-rock trio Smith Westerns make their highly anticipated return this summer, with their new album Soft Will. The band's third full-length is due for release June 25th via Mom + Pop records.

Soft Will is set to see Smith Westerns progress from guitar riff-orientated 2011 breakthrough Dye It Blonde, with a spacier, more ambient vibe. The latest track to be debuted from the album is the psychedelic Beatles/Pink Floyd sounding 3am Spiritual. Opening up the record, 3am Spiritual sets the tone for what we might expect, having also heard lead single Varsity's effortless cool. It is clear that the Omori brothers haven't left their epic hooks behind, with newer songs maintaining the glam, swooping hooks of their sophomore album.

Check out 3am Spiritual below.





Soft Will Tracklist:
01. 3am Spiritual
02. Idol
03. Glossed
04. XXIII
05. Fool Proof
06. White Oath
07. Only Natural
08. Best Friend
09. Cheer Up
10. Varsity


Smith Westerns website

Also, find Smith Westerns on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Tribes - Wish To Scream

So, Tribes are back!

After the success of 2012's Baby, incessant writing and recording has dominated life for Johnny Lloyd and co. During summer 2012 the Camden boys shipped out to LA and recorded new album Wish To Scream, a 1970s American glam-rock and blues inspired record.

The production of Wish to Scream alone is a complete contrast to Tribes' debut, with the band ditching their Pixies/Pavement tones for something distinctly more retrospective. Similarly to Mystery Jets' Radlands, the influence of recording in the USA is vividly audible, with Lloyd's epic slide guitar riffs and ballads oozing San Francisco sunshine.

The new LP is a must-buy, soundtracking the summer with soon-to-be festival favourites such as Shangri-La and Dancehall. Tribes certainly haven't lost their feel-good touch, despite what the critics may say.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Dancehall, Wrapped Up In A Carpet

Hear Wish To Scream for free below.



Drowned In Sound: 5/10
NME: 4/10
KYEP: 6/10

Wish To Scream is out 20th May on Island Records.

Pre-order on iTunes here
Pre-order on Amazon here
Pre-order from Banquet Records here
Pre-order exclusive UK formats at Tribes' website here

Also, be sure to find Tribes on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Kurt Vile - Wakin' On A Pretty Daze

Copy and paste the link below into your web browser for a free stream of Kurt Vile's 5th solo album, Wakin' On A Pretty Daze. Following up 2011's Smoke Ring For My Halo, it's possibly his best LP yet.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=175497508&m=175528187


Be sure to check out Kurt's new single from the full-length too, Never Run Away:

The album is released April 8th in the UK and April 9th in the US.

Preorder the new record now from Matador / iTunes / Amazon (CD) / Amazon (LP)

FREE DOWNLOAD of Never Run Away is available here

Wavves - Afraid Of Heights

San Diego surf-rockers return with their fourth LP, Afraid of Heights. Listen to the entire album right here, for free.

NME: 7/10
Pitchfork: 7.8/10

Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold

Listen to NYC slackers Parquet Courts' debut album Light Up Gold right here, for free!

NME: 9/10
Pitchfork: 8/10
Guardian: ★★★★★
The Fly: ★★★★★