one of our very good friends here at the label and also one of the hardest-working people we know, the fantastic Tay Temple ☀️ throughout this entire year and the last she’s been releasing amazing single after single, cumulating in a full EP release this October, “Painfully Aware“! the EP really shows the connection that she’s got with her band, sounding so tight, the instrumentation all blends together so well and really brings a new dimension to Tay’s music. Her formidable songwriting ability is visible throughout each track, giving you a real insight into her thoughts, feelings and emotions over the past year or two – each song has a life and identity of it’s own and shines bright in itself, but as the full collection, it really gives a full picture when you listen. well well well worth a listen, can’t wait to hear more! 🙌 (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

Another top artist on the Manchester scene, Rob Crampton! This release, “Trade My Troubles For Wine” really hit us with how personal and intimate the track is. The simple, yet effective guitar work, with classic country influence really shine a light on Rob’s lyrics here which are just gorgeous, and really tell a story here. His vocals sound fantastic, and the instrumentation in the background really paint a lovely backdrop for the song – folky, country, Americana yet with a lovely smither of Manchester influence in there. This track is just one of Rob’s best – his previous releases “Until The Wheels Stop Turning“, “Somewhere South of In-Between” and “Deeper Than A Thousand Miles” are yet more indicators of his talent. Definitely one to watch for the future – lovely fella, beautiful songs, great guitarwork and we’re sure lots more to come from him. Also, a massive shout to Sloe Flower Studio for the amazing production on this. One of the best studios in the North West! (SPOTIFY / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

Just before the release of this track, we caught the fantastic alternative/americana-based Katie O’Malley performing a headline slot with her band and we were absolutely blown away by her sound. We’d caught her a good few times before as a solo act, but we were amazed by how she’d evolved her performance and how much the band brought her songs to another level. We loved her previous release to this, “Taste The Dirt” with its bluesy tone; but this single “Devil’s Got A Hold” really took us by surprise with it’s groovy bassline, soothing guitar tones, drums giving it so much energy.. and then Katie’s gorgeous, commanding vocal exploding across the track, weaving a story through lyric after lyric. One of our favourite songs of 2021, for sure! One for any fans of witchy, powerful, ethereal tracks… just completely boss. Hoping to see another EP out soon!! (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

Oh heck, when we first heard this from Disobedient Records.. we were absolutely floored. We LOVE this single “Enemies to Lovers” from Katie Wood, what a brilliant brilliant release. Bringing 80s production, synths, drums that explode into the first verse, such fantastic vocals from Katie, then such a well-written track. Such a great chorus and pre-chorus, so many personal lyrics, really setting the scene for the story and just giving us classic gothic vibes and making us wanna jump around and party lol. The highlight of the track for us is definitely that outro – breaking down from the huge chorus to THAT SCREAM, distorted sounds pushing through the soundscape, the lyric “I just know that’s what I’ve got to say.. I’m love’s bitch, babe“.. iconic. Then drifting into the final section of the song, simply fantastic. We can not wait to hear more! ☀️ well well well worth checking out the previous releases too. (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

The debut single from the fantastic Liverpool-based Gen and the Degenerates “Underwear” was easily one of the highlights of the year for us 🤘 with driving riffs, the drums effortlessly pushing the track forward, Gen’s sublime and powerful vocal it’s easily one of our anthems of 2021. The lyricism throughout the entire track is so strong, really setting the scene and lifting up and giving strength to those who fit outside the box – something we really needed in the last few years! We love love love the energy of this entire track, what a debut single – really hammering home the fact that the music scene is theirs for the taking. We really love that outro, building, building and exploding into a schism of sound and chaos that only proves that punk’s not going anywhere. They followed this up with singles “Runaway Blues” and “Wild Thing” which are so fantastic in their own right, it’s well worth checking out these guys, the only way is up for them! (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

Manchester-based alternative outfit Faux Pas brought walls of distortion, beautiful jarring riffs, fantastic vocal dynamics and unreal songwriting content this year in the form of their EP “I Feel Pretty, So Should You“! 🌹 Breathing a breath of fresh air to the Manchester scene, rejecting that classic Oasis sound and really creating something that was unique and personal to them – you can see that they’ve really poured their hearts and souls into this release. Going from walls of guitar riffs and distorted tones to calm and mellow breakdowns within in an instant, and then building up and up to keep you on the edge of your seat, we’re so amazed at the dynamic range throughout this EP and the progression throughout. Our highlight has to be that first track “This Will Kill You” – sounding absolutely huge and then the little sections of production throughout, just making it an absolute tune. Can not wait to hear even more stuff from them! (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

We’ve had Scatterchild perform for us a good few times this year and holy, they only get better and better. “Tough Love” is one of our favourites in a long line of singles from them, with beautiful piano melodies, such strong and lovely vocals from Jay – it’s such a fantastic ballad with really relatable lyricism, and the explosion into the track after that first chorus is just brilliant. Going through to the bridge, bringing ian those backing vocals, piano lead melodies, really opens up the emotion of the track, giving you a real pure insight into the feelings poured into this tune. Their other release of 2021 “No Sense To End” is well worth checking out too, with such unreal imagery conveyed through the lyrics and music. Can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for these guys, and we’re sure we’ll have them on plenty more gigs ❤️ (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

West Midlands-based britpop artist YNES‘s 2021 single “Used To Be” is easily one of our favourites of the year. With such personal lyrics, almost effortless delivery of them over the track, and influences from punk, indie and more – it’s just bloody great isn’t it. 🤘 an anthem of what we used to be, giving nostalgia and wanting what we had – really hammers home the rejection of societal norms and fitting into a world that doesn’t really give one most of the time. The eruption of YNES’s vocal to an almost shout throughout the second half of the track only shows the feelings involved with this track, and the lyric “I don’t know who I am, I don’t know if I ever have” is one that we’re sure so many people here can relate to. We also love the contrasted ending, the almost calmness in comparison to the last minute or so of energy and power – it really wraps up the track and the ideas put forward so well. Incredible stuff! Well worth listening to their other releases of the year, “God’s Little Punching Bag” is yet another class tune from the singer-songwriter. We’re sure lots of great stuff is on the way in 2022 for YNES! (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)

Our final tune is here is the sublime and spectacular release from one of our favourite songwriters, Toria Wooff with “James Edward“! 🏵 another fine example of her crazy songwriting talent, this song weaves the tapestry of the track so so well. The country/americana inspired production is so well done (another big shout to Sloe Flower Studio!), with gorgeous organs, laid-back and effortless drums, really bringing the track together so well. Toria’s vocal here sounds incredible, seamless vocals hitting some lovely notes that show her fabulous range. Yet another unreal release from her, and her other releases of 2021 (“June“, “Drako“, and “Rocket Man“) really let you delve into her world and just bask in her fantastic ability to create, perform and deliver a song with ease. Huge things on the horizon for this one! (SPOTIFY / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE / APPLE MUSIC)