we’ve got our brand new edition of The Wrap for you all here – covering music from last month, in August 2023! there’s so many incredible tunes and you can find our reviews below! ⬇️
We’ve covered York-based Pennine Suite in the past and we’re huge fans of their dreamy, atmosphere sound – their new single “Make Up” only furthers upon their ambient tones! With a gorgeous backdrop behind them, the track sounds absolutely lovely, the vocal harmonies in the intro give a luscious sense of serenity – and set the stage for the main vocal so well, being accompanied by the infectious piano/synth melody in the back, and the dreamy guitar sounds that soar in and out of the track throughout. The chorus has a real energy behind it, creating a brilliant contrast and ensuring that this song is one that will be stuck in your head for days. Well worth checking out their full discography! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We had Sam Steele perform for us last month, and we were blown away by his infectious, upbeat pop style, yet keeping a real personal element with his intrepid and descriptive songwriting – and his first single “Thought Swimming” is a perfect example of that. The track is led by a lovely guitar melody, held together with a calm rhythm behind it, giving him space to sing and command the listener’s attention, highlighting his lyrical ability. It’s a real summery tune, upbeat and groovy – a fantastic debut single! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP)
Manchester-based Max Anglesea just released his new album “You’re Welcome“! Originally from Wales, he moved to Manchester, and over the past few years he’s been putting out a consistent stream of music, and this album is a culmination of his musical ability and prowess. His songwriting talent is on show throughout the entirety, his ability to create something that is personal and captures attention throughout is fantastic – the production on the album is top quality too, with every song maintaining a unique sound yet holding a continuity and balance between them, and a gorgeous use of dynamic throughout – plus, delving into so many different genres; it’s well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
We’re huge fans of Gen and the Degenerates, with an incredible run of releases behind them already, garnering attention nationally for their no-holds-barred, unapologetic attitude and expertly crafted music, and their new single “BIG HIT SINGLE” only accentuates this, sounding incredible! A proper tongue-in-cheek track, taking a stab at the viral and trending sensation, the shelf-lives of tracks and the commerciality of the modern music industry. It’s a testament to their ability to be able to write a track that sounds so quality, yet is about the ethic ambiguity of it all – fantastic to see. As always, we can’t wait to hear more from them! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)
The third single from Poppy Holmes “Friend For Life” just came out and it sounds gorgeous! Following her previous releases, you can hear the progress and maturity of her sound so well in this track – opening with a gorgeous, soft soundscape around the song, delicately flowing throughout, until it reaches the chorus, a huge and eccentric show of her musical ability, sounding lovely and proving her songwriting talent with intricate and personal lyricism – conveying her tale of the balance between a friendship and a romance in a real expert fashion. The production and instrumentation behind the song only add to the tension and quality, fantastic stuff. Well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
Sheffield’s own Harri Larkin just released the brand new single “Get The Girl Away” – and it’s an incredible follow-up to her previous singles! Opening up with a real funky guitar progression, there’s a real energy throughout the entire track, and the rhythm only brings this even further to the forefront of the track, holding a lovely groove throughout for Harri to sing over – and her lyrics are lush, flowing so well across the melody of the track and proving to be one to watch this year with tunes like this. A real feel good track, well worth a listen! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / YOUTUBE)
South Manchester-based alternative rock outfit Grey Mare just released their debut single “Still Here Dreaming“! With post-punk, shoegaze vibes around the track it sounds lovely, there’s a real lush sonic soundscape surrounding the song and it’s a brilliant debut from the band. There’s a proper energy behind. the track, most prominently in the chorus, with a tight rhythm section gluing the track together, giving the main guitar riff so much space to glide and for the main vocal to sit on top of. The breakdown marks a real special point in the song, slowing down and opening up to make space and create tension, only for the final section to explode into ferocity – an incredible tune. (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC)
Manchester-based psych-rockers Valetta just dropped their new EP “God Lives Underground“! We were huge fans of their previous EP last year and this doesn’t disappoint – with a huge range of influences throughout, each song takes on a wide journey of genres, incorporating so much into each section, from indie-rock to grunge to more psychedelic and electronic elements! They’ve done so well to create a proper unique sound to definite themselves as a band, and it’s brilliant to see. Not only this, but the production is on point for each track, every part in its rightful place to perfectly compliment one another – it’s a joy to listen to. Well worth checking out! (SPOTIFY / APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / YOUTUBE)
another incredible month of music, with so many fantastic releases, and this is just a taste of what’s been out – there’s a whole plethora of talent! thanks to everyone who has 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. 🍞
get down to catch some of Manchester’s best up-and-coming talent performing!
with a proper singalong chorus, a gorgeous guitar solo and a quality energy behind the track, we can’t wait to hear the full EP!
get yourselves down early for the all-day festival, it’s gonna be mega. we can’t wait! 
Bread Records 