Just The Crust 29/08/22: Hayden J Barlow – Night Combat 🗡

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Hayden J BarlowNight Combat” out this coming Thursday 1st Sept! ⚡️

we’ve covered plenty of Hayden’s music in the past and had him perform for us a bunch, an incredibly talented chap with so many tunes under his belt. it’s well worth catching him perform at a gig, his guitar work is incredible and with such a fantastic voice on him too. 👊

this new single has him delving into more punchy, rock-driven music yet with the lovely electronic production that we saw on his earlier releases – following the feel and atmosphere of his previous two singles “Breakaway” and “persona non grata” of which we loved both of them! ☀️ throughout the track the atmosphere is perfectly portrayed within his vocal delivery, really putting the listener in his shoes and relating so well.

the chorus is absolutely huge, with massive harmonies, distorted and autotuned backing vocals which only add to the massiveness of the track. a real testament to his production talent and musical ability – definitely one to check out, another in a long line of fantastic releases from him. 🤘

you can find the track on all streaming sites once it’s out on Thursday – in the meantime, head on over to https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/haydenjbarlow/night-combat to pre-save the tune!

find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

Just The Crust 22/08/22: Mort Jardin – Dead Season ⚡️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new release from the Manchester grunge outfit Mort JardinDead Season“! 🤘

we’ve covered these guy’s previous releases a bunch now and we love their melodic, grungey tones that are present all the way through their tunes. their previous releases really set the tone for their music with introspective lyricism, monotonous vocals that really set the mood for their music. 🌛

this latest release sees them open up their sound somewhat, with some less distortion-y backdrops, yet still maintaining their original sound with huge guitar solos throughout and a real tight rhythmic background to tie the songs together! 👊 this is some of their best work yet, you can see the evolution of the band through their releases and this is well worth a listen for any fans of alternative and heavier tunes.

you can find the full release over on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/2MIHIa5ESCsvlMWZGM6CfK – there’s also some lyric videos over on YouTube to have a gander at as well. great stuff!

find all of our features, reviews, music and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

Just The Crust 15/08/22: Jacob Reddy – Brand New ☀️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the latest single from Jacob Reddy Music “Brand New”! ☀️ you could say it’s… brand new 😆

we’re huge fans of Jacob’s music, blending pop, indie and rock in such a unique way to create a top sound for himself – plus, having collaborated with Novustory on the last tune he’s going places and making waves! class stuff from the young Lancastrian lad. 🤘

this new tune expands on his sound, with a real fantastic knack to songwriting, being able to create a great hook whilst maintaining introspective and intricate lyricism that can really resonate with the listener. the upbeat nature of the track lends itself so well to the feel of the song, we can proper imagine this one being a great singalong one. 😊 the gang vocal in the final chorus also gives it such a pop-punk feel, showing so much inspiration to his music and how he’s able to take from different sources to create!

this one’s well worth a listen, it came out last Friday on the 12th of August, you can find it on all streaming sites including Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zQSLe1qdEkcdqf2mIlcud or if you subscribe to his YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/JacobReddyMusic we’re sure you may see a music video very soon 😎

check out our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk for more reviews, features, music and more! 🍞

Just The Crust 08/08/22: Blacksheeplad – Love Songs and Laments ☀️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new album “Love Songs and Laments” from Blacksheeplad! 👊

we’ve covered Phil’s music a load now and his relaxed, introspective songs are lovely to listen to – many of his songs are about his personal experiences and it’s lovely to hear them! we’ve had him perform for us a few times and it’s always great to have him on. 😊

this new album, released through Wobbly Music, only expands on his great collection of songs – you can really hear the progression and evolution of his songwriting, with songs like the opener “Homeland” which is a calm and mellow tune about his childhood town, and then the eerie and haunting sound of “Pantomime” with violins and more of a full band sound behind Phil and his ukulele. 👊 it’s a real great listen and well worth checking out!

you can find his music on all streaming sites – Spotify is at https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Pqy48o3FVvpwo4j3N0QvX… – and he’s also uploaded a load of acoustic videos to his YouTube in preparation for the release as well! 🎸

find all of our features, reviews, music and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

The Wrap: July 2022 ✨

we’re back with our July edition of The Wrap! 👊 there’s been so many incredible releases over the past month, with bands and artists making waves with new music. it’s so brilliant to see! we’ve wrote up a few lil reviews of some of our faves, you can find them all below! ⬇️


Another huge release from Scotland’s Pizza Crunch, “Wilting Youth” expands on their already huge sound encapsulated within their previous releases – maintaining that cool, collected vibe, huge riffs and steady rhythm to provide lovely sonic scenery for the buttery main vocal to slide through. 🍃 a real summery indie/alt anthem here, the guitar riffs are gorgeous and sound so lush, and as it opens up into that dreamy bridge, we love the atmosphere around it, really sets the scene for the remainder of the tune and the explosivity of the outro/final chorus makes this a tune to be put on repeat all through the summer. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)


One of our favourites on the North West scene, The Empire Police returned with an absolutely huge track “Tell England We Don’t Know“! Opening with a huge gang vocal, a real cinematic intro it really shows the ferocity of this tune. The verses are a gorgeous contrast, mellow and calmed; yet lyrically poetic and beautiful – suddenly becoming direct and aggressive and oh so political, distortion crackling at the sidelines and the rhythm becoming more and more chaotic and brutal… exploding into that huge chorus! 👊 the bridge is a relentless rant at the state of the country, the socio-political climate and oh so spot on. Lyrically, it’s a beautiful middle finger towards the political part of the country – so eloquently put, but with no holds barred. Probably our favourite release from them yet! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


Lancashire-based indie outfit The Forensics have just put out their newest single “Change My Mind“! Opening up with some synthy/dream-pop-esque ambience, it sounds fantastic from the get go. As it flows into that first verse, the rhythm kicks in and really gives it a deserved groove, and as it opens up into the chorus we can imagine this is gonna be a huge sing-a-long hit for them at gigs and that. 👊 the guitar solo sits perfectly after the first chorus, staying reserved but pushing melodies all over the track and sounding fantastic. We can’t wait to hear more from these! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)


South Wales based RATOON released their second single “What Do They Know“! A brill tune with an honest and relatable story behind it (the video portrays this so well and it’s perfect for the track!) it sounds great, fast-paced punky indie feel here which you can never go wrong with. ☀️ it’d go off live, we can imagine it sounding huge! With a catchy chorus, anthemic fast paced vibes, we’re sure RATOON are gonna be making waves! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


Pop/soul extraordinaire James Reid has returned with his brand new single “LYING“! Opening up with a massive EDM influence, the track soars into the first verse with a real smooth groove to it, the drums give it such a good feeling and James’ vocal sits so well within it. As it comes into the chorus the bassline drives it so well, a fantastically written hook and such a smooth and gorgeous vocal on this too. Unreal stuff here, such a good energy to the track and definitely one to put on repeat. We love the production, it’s honest and heartfelt storytelling and just a proper banger! Well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)


The fantastic We Three Kings have their new tune “The Criminal” out! First off, that riff is absolutely gorgeous. From the start it’s huge, you can hear how tight the band is here and they’re able to craft such a huge sounding track. Vocals here are on point too, absolutely belting it out – a real catchy tune that is just gonna go mental at any live setting. 🤘 we love the energy of the bridge, changing up a bit, opening up and culminating in a massive sound! Well worth a listen, plus their back catalogue is well tasty. Plenty to sink your teeth into! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)


Manchester-based Roukaya B put out this absolute banger of a tune this month, “The Sauce“! With unreal production, a proper feel-good vibe with such a groove behind it – one to reyt blast out during these sunny days. She’s able to effortlessly flow between her rapping and singing, utilising both to glide over the track so seamlessly, and her lyricism is class, telling her story with such imagery and confidence! Perfectly balancing her energy with the atmosphere of the track, well worth having a gander at! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


Manchester-based singer-songwriter jamie henry has just dropped his second release, “don’t leave“! A familiar face on the Manchester circuit – this tune sounds fantastic, so effortlessly delicate and raw, yet you can hear the pure passion and effort that’s gone into the writing of this. 🌛 the soft ambience in the background is gorgeous, the guitar licks accompanied by the backing vocals sound so massive and really bring the song to life. the build up throughout is great, climaxing in that final section with such a dreamy atmosphere – we feel like there may be some Phoebe Bridgers influence in there… plus, a b-side that is hauntingly beautiful. Can’t wait to hear more! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)


bloomin’ heck, yet another great month of music for us all up North. we’ve covered such a fantastic range here, so many different genres and varieties but so so much incredible talent on offer. this is why we love it! we hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as we have – big love to everyone who’s 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. 🍞

Just The Crust 01/08/22: RIVIA – Snake Hips ☀️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from RIVIASnake Hips“! 🤘

we’ve covered them plenty of times now, the Liverpool-based outfit are fantastic with a whole bunch of amazing tunes under their belt now – brilliant stuff from them each and every time! 👊

this new tune came out on Friday, another from their upcoming EP “Scratching The Surface” and it’s true to their signature sound, huge riffs, such a drive throughout the track and great energy to it! 🙌 opening up with a great groove to it, and erupting into a huge chorus that we can imagine would be absolutely massive live.

we love the breakdown in it, coming to such a soft and calm atmosphere before it explodes into that final chorus and outro that are so chaotic, really showing their talent and prowess throughout this song. sounds absolutely fantastic! ⚡️

you can find it over on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EEfUhV4RfvCOjBJOcMnv7 along with all of their previous releases, well worth checking out their discography, some brilliant tunes there!

find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

Just The Crust 25/07/22: Granfalloon – Please Write Responsibly ✍️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from GranfalloonPlease Write Responsibly“! ☀️

we’re huge fans of Granfalloon, having covered plenty of his music in the past (his previous singles “Who You Are” and “Working On Your Own” are brilliant!) and we’ve caught him live loads now, a real talent with such fantastic performances – well worth seeing. 👊

this new single we heard a little taster of at Sunday Best over at the Eagle Inn the other month, and the studio version captures the intimacy of it perfectly 🤘 with a beautiful, ambient backdrop the tune to compliment the intricate guitar melody, it starts off blissfully, as his vocal comes in it sits so well above the soundscape – a deadpan delivery from Granfalloon entices the listener in and the lyrical quality here is unreal, you can really fall into his story here. 😊 written as an apology song, to someone who was hurt by the writing of one of his songs, it’s a beautiful piece which takes such talent to write.

you can find the full video over on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0k39FFV9xw – or alternatively you can listen to it over on all streaming sites, just search for “Granfalloon”! we highly recommend listening to it in full. 😎 fantastic stuff as always from this chap!

find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

Just The Crust 18/07/22: Walter Kocays – Observe, Don’t Try. ☀️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Walter Kocays “Observe, Don’t Try.” 🤘

we’ve caught this fella perform a whole bunch of times on the Manchester scene now, frequenting bars and playing a few of our gigs too – he’s been making waves with his unique style of alternative-folk, blending in his Stoke accent and background to create truly lovely and unique songs that not only sound great, but lyrically are brilliant in that they really make you think about the topic he’s singing about. ☀️

the song starts off beautifully with his guitar accompanied by a eerie, soft violin lead – before his unique vocal pierces through and garners the listener’s attention. his voice is on point here, you can tell he’s put on his best form for this and sounds brilliant. the build of the track is fantastic too, literally all within his guitar and his vocal – so similar to his live performances! 🙌 there’s even a little touch of what sounds like distortion when he’s belting it out, a real nice touch to enforce the ferocity of his vocal at that point.

the violins are a perfect addition to the track here, the descending melodies really throw so much weight behind it and flesh out the song so well, and as they build at the end, you’re entranced in them, perfectly balancing to Walter’s main vocal harmonising with them – a brilliant debut single from the chap here. 😎

we really can’t wait to hear more after this, if you can, make sure you catch him live – a real force to be reckoned with. you can find the single over on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Z6Xg4jjX5h0JjVpLqFSDm – give it a listen and see what you think! 👊

find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk 🍞

Just The Crust 11/07/22: Superfriends – Blimpy Boy ☀️

our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Superfriends “Blimpy Boy” out this coming Friday 15th July! ☀️

we’ve covered the first single from Superfriends “How To Live Life” which was a fantastic debut single from the indie-punk outfit, really setting the scene for their upbeat yet introspective tunes – with lovely and inspiring lyricism upon the backbone of feel-good rhythms and jangly guitar riffs. 🤘

this new single “Blimpy Boy” only continues on their sound, a tune about the emotions entailed within a break-up, but flipped around to be a much more feel-good and energetic tune! the lyricism is fantastic here, it’s done so well to turn a serious and emotion situation into a positive and reflective atmosphere. 😊 you can really hear how much the band gels with each other as well, sounding so tight throughout the whole song, giving each instrument room to breathe yet working perfectly in tandem with one another. a fantastic second release from these guys!

you can find the track on Spotify once it’s released on the 15th July, or if you’re a Bandcamp user you can listen to it in full now over at https://superfriendstheband.bandcamp.com/ – even purchase it for your listening pleasure for only £2, including a remix as well. 😎 well worth checking out and buying!

find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk ! 🍞

The Wrap: June 2022 ✨

we’ve got our June edition of The Wrap for you all! ✨ it’s been yet another incredible month of releases in the North, there have been so many artists putting out absolute tunes, performing across the region, and it’s just been absolutely boss to see. we’ve put together a lil taster of it all here (hardly even breaking the surface!) – you can check out all of our lil reviews below, have a gander ☀️


Right from the get-go, Rivver‘s new track “Fever” sounds massive. The drums explode into the track with a serious commanding spirit, and as the verse comes in, the lads really control the attention of the listener. With a huge chorus, catchy as anything (as we’re used to with them by now!) – it sounds incredible. A real testament to their sound, showing that they’re here to stay.. a real force to be reckoned with on the North West scene. We love the guitar solo too, so simple but yet so effective and then the vocal comes in and is just belting it out, insane stuff. 🤘 the pre-final chorus section is a work of great production too, breaking it down so well only to erupt right into that final chorus. Fantastic stuff from the boys! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


London’s own Devansh has just put out his brand new single “In Your Nature“! Combining elements of soul, indie and psychedelia – it’s a beautiful concoction of different influences and elements coming together to create something truly wonderful. ☀️ the sounds used here are just simply gorgeous, so many fantastic synth lines throughout that only compliment Devansh’s vocal melody which is so soothing throughout the entire track. It’s a real summery and mellow tune that we’re sure to have on repeat during these heatwaves! We can’t wait to hear more. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE / BANDCAMP)


Liverpool-based indie-pop outfit TRAITS have just released their debut single “Holding On“! Really amazing sound here on this track, almost surf-pop in areas, the guitar tones are just sublime – and the use of synthesised melodies behind it all creates a real beautiful soundscape to the track. ⚡️ the vocal floats perfectly above the dreamy ambience of the tune, and really flows so well with all the instrumentation throughout… it’s a real banger and really shows everyone what they’re capable of here! We absolutely can’t wait to hear more from these guys. A real tune to blast out on the waterfront during the summer months! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


A proper contrast to the former tracks so far on the feature, The Perps return with their brand new single “Megalomaniac” 🤘 that drum fill at the start really sets the scene for the rest of the tune – punchy, shouty punk music – all the goodness we need as of late in this political climate. The guitar riff is bloody lovely too, really commands the attention of the listener, along with the direct lyricism throughout it’s a proper lovely connection between the two to form this top tune. Personally, we love the lyrics, especially on the rhyming schemes – getting words to rhyme that shouldn’t really fit (it’s definitely a Northern thing.) It’s a proper huge track, listening to this live in a basement gig would simply go OFF. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


Hailing from the Peak District, PEAK LOW has returned here with his brand new EP “The Golden Hour I“! Right from the start, we’re entranced by his gorgeous vocal – not only does he sound lovely, but he knows exactly what to do to make it unique and personal to himself. 🙌 the instrumentation behind only solidifies his musical talent, a perfect backdrop to his songs – sad, honest and so personal… it’s a beautiful insight into his life. You can really tell these songs have been crafted with care, putting thought into every melody line, and every rhythmic element. It’s a gorgeous EP and well worth checking out – we can’t wait to see if there’s gonna be a part II! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)


Glasgow’s own Velvet have just put out their latest release, “Spine“! We’ve covered these chaps in the past and we’re well-acquainted with their talent. Mixing post-punk with grunge, heavy rock riffs and huge changeups, this is proper our cuppa tea. 💥 the verse of the track is so lush, flowing so well, calm, mellow and restrained; and abruptly explodes into a huge riff that paves the way for the huge chorus. You can really tell these lads perform so well together, they sound so tight as a band – mixing synthesised sounds in there too.. it’s a real tune. Well worth checking out, gotta catch these live soon! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)


Manchester’s very own The Deep Blue have just released their brand new single “Yellow and Gold“! Entrenched in vocal harmonies, gorgeous melodies throughout and fantastic songwriting, it’s a real belter. We absolutely love the chorus, it’s a great contrast to the verses and really keeps you listening intently for what’s happening next. 😊 the harmonies and arrangement in the second chorus are beautifully crafted, you can really see the time taken to create this but also feel the fun they’ve had in the process! It’s well worth a listen, and they’ve just played a show over at The Deaf Insititute so we’re sure they’re not going anywhere! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)


One of our favourites on the Manchester scene, Hayden J Barlow has returned with another single (that’s like 5 this year!? what a machine!) “persona non grata“! ☀️ taking a different direction to his previous EP “rudimentary”, he’s gone for the full on acoustic atmosphere, however with some expertly done production to maintain his usual sound. It’s a proper belter, a real direct song written straight from the heart. You can really hear the passion he’s put in this song, lyricism is on point as always with this fella. The production is so poignant, really keeps you interested as always with Hayden’s music – well worth listening to! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)


it’s been another absolutely fantastic month for music up North! there’s always so many different and diverse artists all equally fantastic in their own right – it’s class to see so many brilliant musicians doing their thing, this is what makes the scene so incredible. big shout to everyone here! we hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as we have – big love to everyone who’s 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. 🍞