we’re back with our The Wrap feature for February 2022! we’ve got a bunch of incredible releases covered here over the past month, a sensational one for music. you can check out all our reviews below ⬇️
South Wales-based Ratoon have returned with their brand new single “Not So Pretty Anymore“! We’ve covered their tunes in the past and they’ve gone above and beyond with this track, taking a more relaxed approach to the music. With a calm and relaxed flow to the track, it retains the charismatic energy that we’ve seen in the past from them, but shows a different side to their music. The guitar riff leading the track is lovely, a gorgeous tone to it, and it really compliments the vocals that direct the song’s flow almost effortlessly. The breakdown of the song gives a real chance for the track to breathe and to give it some space, a really well executed track from these guys. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We’ve covered Lynskey in the past with their single “kinda tastes like iron” back in November of last year and they’ve returned with the release of their full EP “eat that up, it’s good for you“! The new tracks from the EP really open up the sound that they defined with the single, maintaining that metal expression with riffs and power chords throughout, and the synths give the tracks a lovely parallel to the grittiness of the rest of the instrumentation. The dynamics throughout the tracks are superb too, opening up in choruses to create a huge soundscape behind the lyrics, and breaking down to give a fantastic use of space for contrast in bridges – fantastic stuff from these guys, well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)
After a strong run of singles over the past few years, Stoke’s Souza have put out their brand new track “Backroads“! Taking a more relaxed approach compared to their previous tracks, the track opens up with a real gorgeous guitar run, and the calm nature of the first verse really invites the listener in – and as it gets to the chorus, the addition of the full rhythm section only adds to this calmness throughout the track. There’s an almost melancholic feel to the song, keeping a lovely fluidity to it and showing a softer side to Souza’s music. The lyricism is gorgeous, painting the scene expertly throughout – and the guitar solo at the end is executed with style. Lovely to listen to! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
Hollows have been making waves on the Manchester scene lately, and their new single “Chequered” only solidifies their excellence. With a gorgeous indie feel to the track, and a lead guitar riff that takes command right from the get-go, it sounds fantastic. The vocals take charge immediately after the riff, and there’s a real essence of cool throughout the track that’s very difficult to properly implement. They’ve taken an indie sound and really put their own stamp on it, with a huge sound behind them, a classic singalong hook and a real energy throughout the song that would be able to get anyone on their feet. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
Manchester’s own James Reid just dropped his brand new track “HAPPY“! We’ve been big fans of his past releases and this new track is a real indication of his talent. The production on the track is gorgeous, a real lovely space for his vocal talent to shine – a noughties rnb feel to it, but with a modern production stance. His vocals glide effortlessly over the song, really showing off his abilities, with harmonies and ad libs that are perfectly placed throughout to really put across the message of the track. A real feel good tune, great stuff! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)
A familiar face for us here at the label, having performed for us in the past a bunch – Six Second Talk Show has put out his first single here, “X Marks the Spot“! We’ve heard this a bunch live and the track has not only captured the live feeling of it, but expanded on it superbly, with a lovely space throughout to let that gorgeous guitar tone through – and for the vocal to flow throughout the song. There’s a proper laidback feel to the tune, and the instrumentation works perfectly in tandem to give the track a real psychedelic edge to it, but still maintaining the indie feel. A fantastic debut release, we can’t wait to hear more! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We’re massive fans of Abi Rose Kelly with an incredible repertoire of music already behind her, proving to be one to definitely keep an eye on in Liverpool. We were massive fans of a live version of this new tune “MOTION SICKNESS!!” and this studio recording is absolutely spectacular. The guitar riff, all of the energy throughout is extraordinary and really shows the potential that Abi’s got. Her lyricism is spot on, grounded and down to earth but poetic and feels like it’s a conversation with the listener. The breakdown in the tune is a lovely contrast to the chaos of the rest of the song, but the build into that final section is absolutely gorgeous and sets the scene for the ferocity of the outro – make sure you keep an eye on Abi’s music as we reckon she’ll be doing massive bits in the future. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)
We had ByWednesday perform for us at the start of the year for our On The Rise gig at Lions Den and they smashed their set, with a strong set of originals – and this new single “Gold” sounds absolutely fantastic. With a real 90’s alternative feel to it, the lead guitar matched to the chorusy rhythm guitar really gives it an almost psychedelic quality, almost a dissonance that really compliment’s Conor’s vocal and lyricism – the chorus has a real energy that makes the track pop as well. You can really hear the tightness of the band in this too, every element contributing to the track to create something super lovely. We can’t wait to hear their EP coming out later this year! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
another incredible month of releases from across the North West – a real diverse set of tunes and showing off how incredible the music here up North is. these are only a few of a plethora of incredible music out, we’ve heard so much that has blown us away. a real special time for music! thanks to everyone for reading! 💥
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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