Top Tracks: Matthew And The Atlas – This Place We Live

I think it’s the responsibility of every generation to leave the world better than they found it, ready for the next generation that follows. It’s a simple prospect when talking in broad strokes, but on a more personal level, a parent trying their best to do right by their child, things get a lot more complicated. Making mistakes is part of life, it’s how we learn and grow, but every decision carries more weight when it affects a child as well as ourselves. Each path you’ve taken to get here is second-guessed, thinking whether you could have provided a better life had things worked out differently. Wondering if the things you strive to provide are what’s most needed, trying to find the balance of letting them make their own mistakes and protecting them from the same pitfalls that made you stumble. ‘This Place We Live’ sees Matthew And The Atlas reflect on the nature of parenthood. The title track from their forthcoming album, out 13th October, its stripped back arrangement gives Matt Hegarty’s distinctive voice room to shine. His weathered baritone lends a wisdom and gravitas to the track as he resolves to give himself room to make mistakes and grow as a parent, as well as fretting less about where the road is leading and instead savouring sharing the journey together.

Live Review: Barn on the Farm Festival 2023

Between the general post-pandemic challenges that faced live music as a whole, an uncharacteristically wet and windy weekend, and a line-up and sweeping festival layout changes that both felt like a mixed bag, Barn on the Farm had a shaky return in 2022. It forced me to keep my expectations in check for whatever came next, but with every addition to this year’s line-up adding more buzzworthy names, farm favourites and artists from my ultimate Barn wishlist, I felt anticipation rising that 2023 would be something special. Little did I know just how special… Continue reading

Live Review: Hozier, O2 Academy Sheffield, 21st June 2023

The summer solstice – midsummer, the longest day. It’s always fun when a gig falls on a significant date, and this one couldn’t have felt more fitting. In folklore it’s believed to be a day when magic is at its strongest, and who better to capitalise on that energy than Hozier. His lyricism steeped in myth and legend, his deep soulful vocals adding gravity to his words; his music feels like it expounds ancient wisdom already even without the added magic of the solstice. Fitting too as it’s a time associated with growth and vitality, a blessing for the harvest yet to come. As a special warm-up gig for his upcoming tour, exclusively for fans who preordered his upcoming album Unreal Unearth, it was a celebration of the bounty that summer’s end is set to bring. Continue reading

Top Tracks: Rachel Newnham – Nobody Loves You Like I Do

There are two sides to love – the love we give and the love we receive. The latter needs little explanation; we all want someone to care for us and support us unconditionally, someone who understands us and finds joy and comfort in being around us. It’s a need built into every soul, and in a way being that person for someone brings its own reward. It feels good to be there for someone, to be their rock, their shelter from the storm. When you feel like just one tiny person in a big wide world, it can bring solace to know that to one person you are the world. However, as up-and-coming singer/songwriter Rachel Newnham attests on her debut single, sometimes there’s little comfort to be found when the love you give far outweighs that which you receive in return. The poignant indie pop balladry of ‘Nobody Loves You Like I Do’ is a tender reflection on how it feels to be under-appreciated in a relationship, setting yourself on fire to keep someone else warm, and yet holding on regardless as you still have so much love to give.

Top Tracks: FIZZ – High in Brighton

2023 is proving to be the year of the supergroup. First a full album from Boygenius, and now new project FIZZ pops up from out of nowhere! This fabulous four-piece, comprised of longtime friends and collaborators Dodie, Orla Gartland, Martin Luke Brown and Greta Isaac, is the band I never knew I needed. If their arrival out of the blue had afforded me any time to form expectations, their debut single would have blown them away. ‘High in Brighton’ is every bit as effervescent as the band’s name promises. This vibrant slice of playful psychedelic pop boasts boundless energy, thunderous drums, towering harmonies, and 70s Queen levels of whimsy, bombast and theatricality. With a debut album on the way in no time flat – The Secret to Life due 15th September – there’s not long left to wait for another electrifying hit of whatever else the band have up their sleeve.

Top Tracks: Briston Maroney – Body

When you’re a kid you get told constantly that “these are the best years of your life”, and not once do we ever believe it at the time. It’s only with hindsight that we appreciate those carefree days for what they were. From this, we often end up taking away the unhelpful conclusion that we should have done no end of things differently. We can’t change the past however, but what we can do is use those lessons to shape the now. You never know when the part of your life that you’re currently living will be something you look back on as “the good ol’ days”, so may as well live it to its fullest to ensure that your future self has no more regrets. With ‘Body’, Nashville’s Briston Maroney pledges not to take the small things for granted, to feel every emotion at its deepest, and seize the day at every opportunity. Taken from his forthcoming album Ultrapure, out 22nd September, this new single is an earnest exploration of how life’s fleeting nature can make every moment burn brighter if you let it. With a superb video, blending playful live action and imaginative animation, and home one of the most anthemic choruses of the year, ‘Body’ is ablaze with heartfelt ardour and joie de vivre.