Round-up Tracks: Royal Blood, Ariana Grande & More

The surge of confidence that’s swept Royal Blood up on a wave of their own is tangible. It surfs through the bloodstream of a song like ‘Figure It Out’, the band’s showiest, most flamboyant to date. Bass riffs to conquer them all, it’s a clean-cut, razor-sharp reminder of just how loud two fairly friendly-looking guys can go. Beasts are packed within their repertoire, and there’s a nagging sense that everything unveiled so far is only half of the story. That’s the beauty of Royal Blood. (Jamie Milton)

There really is no other band quite like riotous Swedish collective Goat. Their music is a pan global mash of exotic sounds, psychedelic prog workouts and metal riffs. It’s a unique melange, one that gives ‘Hide From The Sun,’ the lead track from forthcoming second album ‘Commune’, a truly beguiling quality. The centrepiece is a slightly sinister and mysterious lead riff played on sitar and tabla. Accompanying the nagging riff is rushing, whooshing percussion and all manner of heavy fuzz as wailing vocals whip up a primal storm. It’s a strand of world music slash hard rock that only Goat can make. They’re a band playing by their own rules on this remarkable comeback. (Martyn Young)

Creating an average ‘club banger’ that drunk people are happy to flail their uncoordinated limbs around to under UV lights, continually lifting their feet from the sticky residue of the floor like small otters treading water, is a rough art. A true anthem - that is, one of those ones that makes everybody scream with confused euphoria when it gets played - is harder to come by. With the perfect brew of motivational spiralling choruses - “this is the part where I break free” - and pulsing, stomping synthesier moving things along like an over-zealous travelator, Ariana Grande has hit on the latter. Just to highlight the sheer sense of joy ‘Break Free’ provides; I listened to this song on a 4am start with a massive mosquito bite right in the middle of my face, and it was still one of the happier occasions of this week. (El Hunt)

80s-esque post-hardcore has always been Plaids’ bread and butter, but with ‘Twenty Two’ – the first cut from their upcoming self-titled debut full-length – they’ve found the filling. Far from streamlining their sound, the Nottingham mob have instead embraced the discordance of their influences, as twisting, high-gain riffs weave their way around a frantic rhythm section, fit to collapse at any moment from the speed such fury requires. As the track checks out at barely over the two-minute mark, ‘Twenty Two’ feels like an earnest love-letter to days gone past, and a promising hint at the future of the lo-fi revival. Sure, they may wear the patches of their influences on the sleeves of their denim jackets, but when they’re nestled alongside this much heart, that is no bad thing. (Tom Connick)

It’s impossible to not get hooked on Fake Laugh’s sound. Following up last October’s ‘Short of Breath’ – a timeless, melodic slice of lo-fi guitar pop released as part of Art Is Hard’s postcard club - Kamran Kahn & Co have started trickling tracks from a new EP. The whole thing - ‘Nothing But Good’ - was recorded in one day with The Verney in Brighton last summer, the title track of which was put out only a few days ago. Starting off with a slippery, ear-worming guitar melody before frontman Kamran’s achingly smooth vocals cut in, coming across somewhat Morissey- esque, its title-track is the perfect amalgamation of jangly bedroom pop and lo-fi melancholia. [Laura Eley]

“This ain’t a club track” runs The Streets sample that pieces together Chicago producer Mister Lies’ latest. Probably by intention, in its own inverted way ‘Flood You’ seems to speak more about the dimly lit, sweat-filled late hours than it does years spent outside, patiently waiting for the next life-changing night to arrive. It’s a late bloomer, one for the night movers. It’s the senses getting into gear all at once in a sudden jolt of energy. Club track it might not be, but those who spend their wasted hours in rooms they’ll never live to forget will emote with this, big time. (Jamie Milton)

Canada’s a proven fertile ground for producing musicians and bands that break your heart. Looking back in time, it’s given the world Leonard Cohen, and more recently, Arcade Fire; tear-jerkers of the modern age. Next in line? The Barr Brothers are a four piece folk act, designed to soundtrack hazy, summer mornings and everything that follows. ‘Even the Darkness Has Arms’ is a slow-burner, with delicate finger-picking and hushed vocal deliveries; a quiet euphony. It might not be showy, and it might take a few listens to become entranced, but it’s a track that doesn’t quit. (Joe Sweeting)

Within the first couple of seconds, it’s clear why Rude’s first number is labelled a ‘demo’; but where this normally renders a track as a nice idea that needs work, in this case it’s a huge strength. It’s a song that carries a brutally raw, honest and electronic edge. Yeah it’s rough, but it has an unerringly stubborn vibe – a clear and concise rise, all pointing to an effortlessly anthemic chorus. The vocals are simple, but effective and they are wonderfully textured with plenty of subtle layers of harmonies. Demo? Maybe. But if this is their “what do you think of this?” effort, it puts the band in good stead, whoever they are. (Joe Dickinson)

Sam Cook-Parrot, the man behind Radiator Hospital, is one of punk rock’s unsung heroes. Radiator Hospital encompass all that is life affirming, euphoric and heartbreaking about punk rock. They write about relationships and feelings in a way that is beautifully sharp, perceptive and piercing. Last year’s ‘Something Wild’ album was a gem, but the band’s forthcoming ‘Torch Songs’ is yet another step up. Featuring a wealth of US punk rock luminaries including members of Swearin’ and the Crutchfield sisters it’s everything that’s required from a lo-fi pop punk record. Opening track ‘Leather & Lace’s’ frenetic rush is a perfect introduction. True to their DIY ethos, the album is available to download now on Bandcamp for any price, ahead of a physical release on Salinas Records in September. (Martyn Young)

Tags: Features, Listen, Royal Blood