it may be a touch late as we’ve been proper busy for the start of the year, but today we’re stoked to bring you our The Wrap feature for January 2022 💥 so many great tunes out lately, a fantastic way to see in 2023! check out all our reviews below ⬇️
Manchester’s very own Cold Water Swimmers started off the year with a bang with the release of their new single “Were You Even There“! ☀️ a lovely tune, with such a groove behind it, it flows superbly throughout the track and almost feels like you’re in a conversation with them – beautiful songwriting on it coupled with jangley guitars, gorgeous rhythms and a laid-back atmosphere that give it a real old-school indie rock feel. Since then, they’ve even put out their brand new single “In the Time it Takes for You to Say Goodbye” – well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)
We had Gallaher’s Green perform for us at our On The Rise gig back in January and they absolutely smashed it – this track “Where Do I Begin?” is a real encapsulation of the energy they display on stage, and also a real singalong tune! With gorgeous guitar riffs, upbeat rhythm from the basslines and drumwork – the lead guitar on this is sublime and shows off the fantastic chemistry between the members of the band. All this, plus a real powerful vocal that is full of passion; it’s a great start to the year for these guys! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
Manchester-based punks Taurine have returned with another single here, “Breathe“! A real contrast to their earlier releases, the song is a gorgeously put together track, the feedback in the soundscape is something we absolutely love, really giving the track a gritty feel yet being gorgeous – and with Mars’ vocal delicately balanced above this, the raw and honest lyricism shining through, it’s only so much more hard-hitting once the distortion and drums kick in and give the track such a chaotic energy. These are ones to watch here, we can’t wait to hear more from them! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)
We only covered Hayden J Barlow‘s newest single the other week, but we had to definitely do a shoutout for his first release of the year, “CHOKEHOLD“! We’re HUGE fans of Hayden’s music, having covered his tunes loads over the past few months but we have to say this has to be one of our favourites. The production throughout is absolutely spot on, everything in it feels so delicately put together right from the get-go, his lyricism depicts such gorgeous imagery, the synths are so lush and the chorus is absolutely dirty as anything with that bass underlying throughout the whole thing. Always putting out massive tunes! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
We’ve had Boxes perform for us a bunch here at the label at our gigs and we’re amazed by their latest release this year, “Devil In The Distance“! It sounds so lush right from the start, with David’s vocal balanced so well over the sporadic chord progression. As it flows through, it builds so well with such a beautiful instrumentation choice – his songwriting ability is fully on display here too, with such a descriptive and intricate style. That guitar solo too, so perfectly done for the track! We can’t wait to hear even more from these guys, big fans of their music! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
Another regular face for us, Ayanam has put out his brand new single “Here We Are (The Unbroken)“! It’s a much different feel to his other releases, much more driven and intense but it provides such a fantastic setting for his vocal to excel in – a real anthem and singalong tune. The production on this is lovely, with everything sitting in perfect tandem with one another to create a luscious atmosphere that not only flows super well, but carries a slight tension throughout that really adds to the feel of the track. Ayanam’s vocal is fantastic on this, and he should be real proud as it’s beautifully written track with a fantastic hook. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
York-based Pennine Suite put out this absolutely beautiful tune “Scottish Snow” and we’re massive fans of it! There’s a real energy to the track right from the start, a gorgeous soundscape for the vocals to glide over, and the vocals are so well balanced and work incredibly together. As it opens up, it almost feels like a dream-pop tune with that synth line and has such a lovely energetic rhythm to it all. We’re massive fans of the second chorus too, turning the level up to 11 to create a real powerful atmosphere to the track to accentuate the hook, a beautifully written chorus that we can’t get enough of. Well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We’ve heard Isaac Neilson perform this one a bunch at the gigs he’s played but he’s really put so much into “Dead Set Dance” for the studio version, it sounds absolutely gorgeous. From playing it acoustic, there was so much energy in it but every single instrument is working so well to create a real drive in this – it’s a fantastic sounding track, showing off Isaac’s quality songwriting ability and really showing him off as one to watch for 2023. His ability to write a catchy hook but maintain a real sensibility to his lyrics is fantastic, and the breakdown to the last chorus is sensational. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
what a way to start off the year! there’s been a whole bunch of amazing releases and not just what we’ve covered here, but it’s a beautiful depiction of the Northern music scene and the quality that is found within it. well worth keeping an eye on all these guys, big thanks to everyone who checked this out! 😎
Make sure you head on down to open mics, gigs, support local music and arts and keep your scenes going! 😊 all music, videos and images remain copyright of their respective owners. 🍞
Bread Records 
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