we’ve got our twenty-second episode of Grain Radio for you all! ☀️
it’s been a long time in the making, but we’re back on it now 🤘 been so busy with live stuff and the such but we’ll be doing our best to catch up with these, so much amazing music to show you all. this is a top one, so many fantastic tunes on it and such a great indication of how boss the music scene is!
we’re back with our next Knead To Know interview, with the amazing Manchester-based indie rockers Cottons! 🤘
we had Cottons perform for us down at The Old Abbey Taphouse here in Manchester back in 2019, and they absolutely smashed their set, it was a brilliant gig. since then, they’ve been releasing some proper bangers, we’re massive fans of their sound and they’re lovely chaps as well. 😊 one of our favourite tunes of theirs has to be “Disregard The Times”, it’s got a lovely groove to it, proper boss songwriting and the album art is simply gorgeous.
since then, they’ve put out a load of fantastic music, most recently their new single “Time To Leave” – continuing with their calming and mellow indie signature sound, but really moulding their style to create something really unique to them. it’s a lovely tune with their usual classic songwriting, definitely one to catch if you’re a fan of indie or alternative rock. ☀️ we’re proper delighted to be able to have been able to ask them a few questions about their music, find it below!
Tell us a bit about yourselves and what you guys do!
We’re a four piece band living in Manchester, playing a familiar indie sound with melodic verses & driven chorus’. Consisting of Ricky, Jasper, Jack and Charlie, Cottons began by meeting at Uni. We’re currently working on new music that we’re pushing to release throughout the year!
We had you guys perform for us back in like 2018 over at The Old Abbey Taphouse – feels like a lifetime ago now! How has it been over the years in the band?
That was a fun gig. It was Ricky’s first gig as part of the band so that definitely made it a memorable one! We’ve had a quiet few years due to the pandemic but we feel like we’ve developed our sound a lot, the next few songs will sound quite different to our previous releases so we’re excited to see how they’re received! I think Time To Leave has been the first song to move in that direction.
What are your main inspirations for music and creativity?
Lockdown gave us space and time to listen to new music and find new artists, when we all got back to Manchester we would listen together and share demos and ideas we had created. Change of environment is a big thing for us too, a lot of these songs reflect where we were and what we were doing at the time.
How do you write? Do you take a group approach to it, or do you have someone focus on lyrics, jam the tracks out to build them from ideas or otherwise?
Usually one of us will have a shell of a song that we take into a practice room to jam through, this gives us a basic idea then we can work on individual sections and parts. Lockdown forced us to become comfortable with logic, so we wrote a lot on there too and sent bits across to each other.
Did you find it difficult to work together as a band creatively during the lockdowns? Obviously it wouldn’t have been easy to practice together, or did you use other means such as video calls / streams?
We just focused on content really, we did a couple of lockdown covers remotely which did help us grow.
How have you been readjusting to gigging and post-pandemic music over the past few months?
We did a headliner in Manchester, Charlie was sick down an alleyway before we played so as a first gig back not the worst. In all seriousness It was quite nerve racking running up to our first gig back but as soon as we got on stage we remembered why we’re doing this.
When you’re performing live, what do you each find best about it?
How have your releases been going lately? You’ve been doing videos, putting out some top singles – what response have you guys got from audiences?
We filmed our first music video, we shot it in Derby whilst Boris was probably having a party. The response has been good to the video and helps put some faces to the name. We’ve had some recognition from Dean Jackson on BBC Intro East Mids which has been really encouraging.
Is there anything coming up we should know about?
Yes.
Have you got anything else planned for 2022?
We’ll be playing Bearded Theory in May, it’s our first festival so we’re very excited!
as always, it’s super lovely to be able to conduct these interviews with some of the best talent here in Manchester! we love hearing each artist and band’s unique perspectives and experiences, and Cottons’ here is really interesting in that they used lockdowns and pandemics to focus on themselves as a band, expand out their sound, try new things and it’s really worked out for them! 🙌 it’s a similar aspect to ourselves here at the label, in that we expanded out our online features, which in turn has worked out amazingly and we’ve seen some brilliant feedback from people and really managed to help push the musical community in a positive manner. great stuff! ☀️
brilliant to chat to the lads here, a massive shout to them for helping us with this. ❤️ we hope that you guys enjoyed this as much as we did! make sure you check out their tunes, we’ll pop some links below for you all to have a look at and let us know what you think! 🍞
only TWO weeks to go until our next gig over at the Grafton Arms with Nat Dempsey headlining with his band! 
we absolutely can’t wait for this one, Nat sounds incredible with his band and has a boss set of original tunes, amazing songwriter! 
we’re super stoked to be able to bring him over to the Grafton and it’s looking like a busy one 
there’s also some amazing support artists, with new Manchester indie rockers Casinos, Pat Gallagher and Laura Farrow! going to be a proper boss one this. a fantastic lineup of local artists 
it’ll be happening on the Saturday 26th Feb, starts up at 7:30pm – find out more at our event Bread Records Present: Nat Dempsey + Supports 
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from the fantastic Novustory “Love Me Too”! 🤘
Novustory have been tearing it up over the past few years in the North West, putting out a continuous stream of incredible singles, performing at huge events and even keeping at it throughout the lockdowns with livestreams, videos and even more! 😎
their connection to their fanbase is one we absolutely adore, they’re always keeping their audience involved with their music and merch, showing a real love of the support that people give them. 🥰 well deserved too as they are all super talented and some of the hardest working people we know!!
this new single “Love Me Too” is yet another banger to their name, a hard-hitting tune discussing the toxicity of the music industry and the “need” to make it in today’s music business. 🎸 a real top alternative rock tune, with elements of metal, pop and everything in between, they’ve outdone themselves with this release!
Imogen’s vocals transcend above the track, bringing the listener into Novustory’s world, really making a connection and then exploding into a huge wall of sound in the chorus – brilliant stuff! lovely guitar arpeggios carry the track, along with a rhythm section that expertly drives the track forward and forward, and the breakdown before the final chorus really sets a scene of calm before the storm of that huge, massive last chorus. amazing stuff from these guys. 🤘
the track will be released this Friday 11th of February and we’re super stoked to be able to have had a sneak listen to it. 🥰 you can pre-save it over at https://smarturl.it/novustory_lovemetoo – well worth checking out all of their tunes on their YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/NovustoryOfficial or on streaming sites! 😊
find all of our reviews, features, music and more here on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk ! 🍞
we can’t wait for this, our first single with Narwhals will be out a week tomorrow!
it sounds absolutely lovely and we’re super stoked to be bringing a new artist to our roster – their relaxed, melodic atmospheres and heartfelt lyricism really stand them out and prove their talent. 
we are massive fans of their debut album and it’s great to be able to help them out with this single!
you’re able to pre-order the single “3310 & A Pterosaur” now over on Bandcamp at https://narwhalsuk.bandcamp.com/ – it’ll be in your library as soon as it’s released! plus, proceeds from the single will be donated to PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single from Cliché Cult “Say It Like You Mean It”, out this coming Friday 28th January 
the Leeds-based alternative rockers have released a flurry of fantastic singles over the past year or two, and this is their first release of 2022 – they’ve had some fantastic tunes out in the past which have really set them as ones to watch in Yorkshire! 
this new tune “Say It Like You Mean It” is a proper belter, with lovely guitar riffs driving the track forward, chorusey and ambient melodies throughout and boss vocal ability throughout, paired with lovely lyricism – it’s a real class tune to not miss out on if you’re a fan of indie, alternative or post-punk bands
we’re huge fans of the ending to the track, building and building keeping you in a state of suspense as the tune unravels and opens up – and the way that the bass and drums maintain the groove of the track whilst holding their own is class! a real well-crafted song, great to see this calibre of stuff coming out.
this tune will be released on this Friday 28th January – make sure you head over to their Spotify and drop em a follow at https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wIIaLPfQvlqIFgGjD0lXA to be notified as soon as it drops! alternatively you can pre-save it at https://distrokid.com/…/clich…/say-it-like-you-mean-it-2
released on Shoplifters Union!
you can find all of our features, reviews and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the debut single from Manchester-based alternative rockers HWY “Come Up”!
exploding onto the scene with this debut release, they’ve really started out on a high! blending elements of punk, grunge, and alternative rock, they’ve really created a gorgeous and unique sound for themselves. it’s a must-listen for any heavier fans out there, but we reckon it’ll suit fans of any genre!
with gorgeous guitar picking throughout the track, hard-hitting and driving drumbeats, and then a lovely lead vocal that moulds the track together so well and really paints a picture with the lyricism, it’s a fantastic tune. when the chorus comes in, it really ignites the power of the track, opening up to a huge sound. the breakdown of the track is super lush too, mellowing out the track into a final eruption of their metal and alternative rock influence, dropping seamlessly into double time and really throwing the tune into overdrive. absolutely fantastic stuff from these chaps! 
you can find the track over on their Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/2vwjiY3CQUtVvwLaXewiB0 alongside other streaming platforms, or the full music video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQU_S6efB4c – well worth a watch, really well done. definitely one that they should be proud of and we can’t wait to hear more from them! 
find all of our features, reviews, music and more on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk!
we’re super glad to announce a brand new release on the label, “3310 & A Pterosaur” from our newest addition to our roster Narwhals!
Narwhals have been on our radar for a while now, their debut album “Two Dark Windows” from 2018 is a brilliant piece of writing, with a gorgeous soundscape behind it from the band and fantastic vocals from frontman Jacob. taking influence from bands such as The National, Frightened Rabbit and the lo-fi indie and alternative scene, they’re a great fit to the label and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. 
the new single will be released on the Friday 11th of February – we’re so stoked for you guys to hear this, it’s sounding absolutely brilliant – we’ll get pre-save links and the such for you soon! in the meantime, head on over to their Bandcamp at https://narwhalsuk.bandcamp.com/releases to find their debut album in full!
our feature for today’s Just The Crust is the brand new single “Insomnia” by thesafe.band
we’ve known about these guys for a while now, having heard a few demos and we love their indie-rock alternative vibe, with influences from alt rock and punk bands across the board! 
they’ve spent the last six months recording this and we can’t wait to hear the full thing.
since the end of the last lockdowns, they’ve been gigging across North Manchester and have been honing their craft – they’ve just recently done a gig over at Retro – 78 Sackville Street as well here in Manchester. well worth checking out next time they’re about!
the new single “Insomnia” drops on New Year’s Eve (this Friday!) so make sure you head on over to their Facebook page and give em a like to be the first to hear it! sounds great so far and we’re looking to catching it in full!
find all of our features, 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 Suave Martyrs “Leonine Lover”!
the Manchester-based outfit have put out a strong repertoire of singles over the past few years and this new tune shows just exactly what they can do with crunchy guitar riffs, huge drums and psychedelic vocals, “Leonine Lover” hits hard and is destined to leave you grooving. 
absolutely lovely stuff from the band, sounding brilliant and really showing what the Manchester scene can do with influences pulled from a mass range of artists, but really making the sound their own plus we love that bridge breakdown and the lil guitar riffs leading into a huge explosion of sound with a fantastic guitar solo to round it off
head on over to their Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5PUu7WQkgeH9MQ5ZIQoxbY to find their discography in full – real great stuff over there, well worth a listen 
they’ve also got a few dates coming up which you can see in this video!
head on over to our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk to find all of our features, interviews, music, merch and more!
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