our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new tune from our very own michael webster “waterlines“, taken from his EP “a northern perspective“!
the first single from the new EP, “waterlines” is a hard-hitting alternative rock tune about the difficulty of indecision set to a background of 90s’ grunge-inspired alternative rock. it’s a tune that you will have heard if you’ve been to any of his shows, having had it in the set for the past few years and finally putting it out in a studio version
with a chorus of “i wanna stay in, but i wanna go out.. just another dilemma of the nineties’ crowd”, it’s an introspective and bleak outlook at the state of 20-odd year olds today, those who yearn for a life of adventure yet also want to take time to bask in the solitude of their comfort. it’s one of our favourites from the new EP!
you can find the full music video over on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2DWjDPo3jIg – plus, the EP in it’s entirety of seven tracks is available on all the streaming sites too!
find all of our features, music, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Stan Buckroyd “BABY STEPS“!
the follow-up to his previous single “GREY”, this is the title track of his upcoming EP – and it sounds proper huge. you can really hear the indie influence with elements of punk and even surf-rock with the lead guitar tone. it’s a lovely tune!
starting out in full force with a driving drumbeat, powerful guitar chords and a gorgeous guitar line, it’s a real great introduction to Stan’s music. his vocal takes command over the track as soon as it comes in, prompting the attention directly to his lyricism – and the chorus is great, a lovely hook that we’re sure will be sang right back at him at gigs and that. the breakdown is class too, really pushing the track to a more energetic feel that delves real well back into the latter part of the track.
from what this song has to offer, we can’t wait to hear more – in the meantime you can find it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/0j2kniqVxaBqiN5vodPclq and all the streaming platforms! well worth a listen!
Here’s our latest edition of The Wrap for November 😎 there’s been so many fantastic releases and here are just a few of our favourites – yet another amazing month for music lately! Find all of our in-depth reviews below! ⬇️
Manchester-based alternative rock outfit Bards have returned with their brand new single “Omega“! We had these guys perform for us back in July at The Grafton Arms and they sounded massive, such a fantastic live presence and some incredible songs under their belt. This new tune only accentuates their talent, with huge walls of sound behind them, hard-hitting rhythm and gorgeous parallels of vocals lacing the soundscape to create a truly formidable tune. As the song progresses through, the bridge is the highlight of the track for us, calming down and easing off with dreamy atmosphere and building so well to a huge open space where everyone is so in sync. Amazing stuff! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We’ve covered these guys before and we were stoked to be able to hear that they’ve got a new single out! Low Orbit return with their brand new single “Your Paradise“, starting off with a melodic and laid-back groove to the track, slowly building throughout until it opens up to the absolutely huge chorus, adorned with walls of distortion, massive vocals and a huge rhythm behind it all, which all work perfectly in tandem with one another. We’re huge fans of the bridge in this too, with a lovely guitar solo that glides so well across the soundscape and ends with a real chaotic disorder that drops straight back in to the track. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)
A familiar face on the Manchester scene, singer-songwriter Louis Cross has brought out his debut EP “A Page To Tell“! We’ve heard a bunch of these songs at gigs across Manchester and it’s lovely to hear the studio versions of them. The entire EP is full of gorgeous harmonies, lovely violin and string parts that only complement Louis’ songwriting style and performance. We’re big fans of the country-esque “We’re All The Same“, bringing a brand new feel to the track which simultaneously feels familiar and like it’s been there throughout. The full EP is well worth a listen for Louis’ songwriting ability and apt for being able to put across emotion and feeling so easily into music! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP)
Francis Alban Blake‘s new tune “Strawberry Jam” is laden with gorgeous imagery, delicate instrumentation and an inviting vocal that really creates something that is special to listen to. As the track delves through, the careful atmosphere is only extended and really shows the effort and talent that has been poured into this track. It’s an honest and gorgeous depiction of an artists’ mindset, the problems that a creative may face yet at the same time excelling and proving that Francis is one to watch and surely not a fading hue. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
One of our favourites on the North West scene, Hayden J Barlow has brought out his debut album “CAUSTIC“! Full of absolute tunes, we’ve covered a bunch of these singles in the past and we can’t give him enough praise already. His unique style and ability to not be put in a box of genre blows us away. He’s able to take influence from all over the shop, the vocal melodies throughout and the synths, guitarwork and production are incredible. Hayden’s lyrical ability is absolutely on display here, he’s able to come up with some amazing hooks that are made even better with his vocal melodies – you can really get an insight into the emotion poured into each one of his tracks. Well worth a listen, there’s something for everyone in this album. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
Manchester’s indie-folk artist Scatterchild has brought out his brand new EP “The Whispers We Leave“! Adorned with gorgeous soundscapes, passionate vocals and intrinsic lyrics, it’s a fantastic listen. We’ve covered their previous singles “Tough Love” and “Staring Me Down“, which both in their own right sound incredible, yet the newer tracks are a beautiful addition to this EP. “Soft Spots” is full of beautiful melody lines, intimate lyricism and a gorgeous guitar riff to lead the track. The huge shape of the bridge gives so much to it, falling back into the chorus so well and marking it as a highlight of the release. The opener “Alchemist” is a lovely introduction to Scatterchild’s style, whilst “Mayfly” is a lovely and honest depiction of emotion and feeling, a theme that we’ve come to expect from the lyricism of Scatterchild. It’s a gorgeous release from start to finish – well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP)
Manchester-based art-pop Flowers of Evil have teamed up with Nikki & the Waves for their latest release “Cherry-AID“! With a really gorgeous groove behind the track, it starts off superbly and from the get-go, you’re absorbed into the track with the blatant, laid-bare lyrics laden over the top of gorgeous synth chords, and the driving bassline guiding the track along so well. Oscar and Nikki’s vocals compliment one another perfectly, at times the track feels almost like a conversation that ebbs and flows so effortlessly. Halfway through the track, it completely shifts into a breakdown, where the talents of the bands are fully brought into the forefront of the track. The vocal harmonisation here is beautiful, a fantastic work of music here! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP)
One of our favourites on the Manchester scene, Katie O’Malley has returned with her brand new single “Wasted“! Keeping with her signature american-rock sound, she’s gone for a more bluesy atmosphere on this track – opening with a gorgeous guitar riff to match her lovely vocal, it’s got your attention right from the start. As the bass drops in, it adds such a groove to track, perfectly matched by the drumbeat to really show off Katie and her band’s abilities. Her vocal capabilities are on point here as well, really able to capture the focus of the listener! The breakdown of the track is gorgeous as well, showing off such proficiency with a huge guitar solo that cements the track together so well and really sets this as one of our favourites of Katie’s tracks. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP)
we’ve heard so much incredible music this month, with so much coming out all the time – it’s lovely to see such a constant stream of quality tunes coming out and we always love writing these up and listening to all these releases in full. well worth checking out – we hope you enjoyed this one! 🤘
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. 🍞
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Manchester indie-rock outfit VALA “Don’t Think Twice (It’s Not Alright)!
we’ve been huge fans of these guys, with a fantastic back catalogue already behind them, they’ve made waves over the past few years in the North West, and they just played a headline gig over at The Deaf Institute
this new tune here only continues with their quality signature sound, woven sonic atmospheres drowned in ambience and laced with image-inducing songwriting and down to earth lyricism. it’s a gorgeous track, and as it opens up in the chorus it’s not only a great parallel to the calmness of the first verse, but brings you into a lovely catchy hook – one that we can imagine would be amazing live. we’re huge fans of the bridge too, what a buildup to the pre-chorus at the end.. some fantastic production on this tune as well.
you can find it on all streaming sites, or you can check out the full video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/tdtIc1wR9pQ – well worth a watch!
find all of our features, reviews, music and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk
in case you missed it, our Knead To Know interview with Chris Tavener the other week was class
big love to Chris for doing this with us, plus his new single “This Is The One” sounds fantastic – it was super lovely to find out more about his inspirations and creative processes when working on his music!
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Shadows Of A Silhouette “Modern Age Blues“!
we had these guys perform for us back in October at the Grafton Arms and they absolutely smashed it, a massive set with the crowd in the palm of their hands and proper showed us that they’re easily ones to watch.
this new tune only adds to their fantastic repertoire of tunes, starting out with a gorgeous guitar melody and a huge singalong hook that would go down massively well at live gigs – the lyricism is on point, inducing imagery so well throughout their songwriting ability. as the track flows through the song, it’s such an inviting listen, mellow but so much going on throughout it and with such a lovely groove behind it as well.
it’s well worth a listen, such a fantastic tune – you can find it over on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvdnHeveB7w for the full video, and it’s on all streaming sites as well!
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Lynskey – “kinda tastes like iron”
following the release of their debut EP last year, “Sales and Lettings“, they’ve returned with this new single, expanding out on their sound with bigger riffs, a huge energy behind their music and synthesisers to really create a push and groove behind them to create their unique “dance-punk” energy!
opening up the track with a near-metal expression, with riffs and power chords enveloping the atmosphere of the track, it flows through the first verse superbly, and with the pre-chorus giving a touch of fresh air – it then opens up into an energetic, chaotic chorus which gives a beautiful parallel direction to the rest of the track. this theme is echoed throughout the entire song, flowing in so many different directions yet still being expertly steered by the band, who are in control all the way through. the use of synths really compliment their sound, and the dynamic of the vocal sounds fantastic in addition to it all!
you can find the single over on all streaming sites, or find the full video over on YouTube at https://youtu.be/V381IpT_qT0 – well worth checking out!
find all of our features, reviews and more over on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk
we’ve got our next Knead To Know interview for you, this time with a good friend of ours who we’ve known for a long time now – Chris Tavener!
Chris has been on the scene for a good while now, and we’ve been massive fans of his from the start, with his witty and tongue-in-cheek songwriting, ability to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand, and excellent repertoire of songs behind him – a real talent whose been making waves across the North West now for a good number of years. it was lovely to chat with him here – find the full interview below! ⬇️
Hey Chris, thanks for doing this interview for us! Tell us a bit more about yourself and your music!
Thanks for having me! I’m a singer-songwriter, originally from Northwich in Cheshire, but I now live in Manchester. I write music that’s inspired by quirky rock ‘n’ roll with some acoustic folk inspirations as well. I’ve often described my songs as satirical because they are humorous, character-based narratives that I create based on social commentary observations.
We’ve been huge fans of your music for the past few years, having listened to you perform a bunch. What got you into music?
I originally became interested in music by listening to my Dad’s CD collection in his car, with albums by: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Talking Heads and Elvis Costello. I think I’ve carried a lot of that 60s/70s inspiration into my songwriting. The likes of Randy Newman, Loudon Wainwright III and even Monty Python got me into writing songs with a cynical edge that would make people laugh.
Tell us a bit more about your new single “This Is The One”!
’This Is The One’ is a football song for the FIFA World Cup 2022. I’m really interested by the hysteria that seems to emerge every time England performs even remotely well in an international tournament. I find it hilarious that the most unlikely football fans are suddenly cheering with incredible passion for the sport as soon as England reach any kind of final.
What got you into writing more satirical music? Is it something you always wanted to do?
I’ve always loved comedy, looking at the funny side of life and I find it quite difficult to take being an artist very seriously. As a result, I think I’ve naturally gravitated towards expressing myself through humour.
Being cynical and joking around is what I’m most comfortable doing.
With the song being focused around the World Cup, are you a big sports fan?
I’m not, unfortunately…I’m a fraud! In fact, the sentiment of the song is relatable to me because for years I would only be interested in football when the world cup was on. Nowadays I’m a casual, premier league team supporter but I wouldn’t say I was a big sports fan.
What are the processes involved in creating your music? Do you home record, or use a studio?
I usually arrange all the instrument parts for a new song at home via Pro Tools recording software. I find it’s the easiest way to save money and time in the studio since I can be quite particular about what I’d like the track to sound like.
After that, I prefer to take these demos into the studio where session musicians and myself can give it a more polished sound.
Which studio do you go to?
Green Velvet Studios in Manchester. I highly recommend them!
What inspires you to create music?
I’m constantly inspired by the works of other songwriters; particularly lyricists. I find a lyric that can make you understand a complex feeling or sentiment in a short amount of words is so creatively invigorating. I’m always striving for that.
When I pair that with the fun performance style of rock ‘n’ roll, it’s a combination that’s never failed to keep me motivated to release music.
What have you been doing over the past few years, musically?
In the past few years, I’ve kept myself very busy performing hundreds of gigs a year. I enjoy keeping up a steady stream of music releases which is why I’ve never gone a year without releasing at least one single with a music video since I started in 2015.
I’m always trying to challenge myself as well, which is why I’ve performed abroad in Europe/Ireland and I’ve written a number of song commissions for individuals, filmmakers and organisations.
With each release, what do you find motivates you to keep going and putting out more?
I’m not the sort of person that experiences constant creative inspiration, I usually have to deliberately sit down to write new songs. What motivates me most of all is the thrill of performing live to a captive audience, I think there’s nothing like it.
Where have you been performing lately? What gigs have been special for you?
Recently I’ve been performing a weekends tour with Thomas Benjamin Wild Esquire. He’s another funny songwriter and it’s been fantastic playing to a room full of people that are up for a laugh. We’ve stopped in Nottingham, Liverpool, Brighton, Ipswich, Manchester and Chester. I will also be announcing a new tour for Spring 2023.
Have you got any more stuff in the works?
At the moment, I’ve been having ideas for songs that aren’t quite as satirical as what I’ve done in the past. There are still some songs with a humorous edge but they’re less character-based. I’m not sure yet what to do with these songs but I think it might be a positive progression to try them live and perhaps in the future make my first studio album.
as always, we love making these up – learning more about artists’ inspirations and musical journeys is always super interesting for us to see. Chris’s new single sounds great as well, another fantastic piece of music to add to his already incredible discography! big love to him for doing this for us, and thank you all for checking it out! 🍞
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