Sonic Cathedral Rock & Indie 21 Items

Repress * The eagerly awaited debut album from the London-based four-piece * At the forefront of the new generation of Black British guitar music with Big Joanie and Bob Vylan *

Pye Corner Audio releases an EP of remixes by Spacemen 3 legend Sonic Boom on October 28. Let's Remerge! takes three tracks from the recent album Let's Emerge! - which went to Number One in the Official Charts' dance chart following its release in July - and gives them all appropriately weird and wonderful twists. 'Haze Loops' gets turned inside out, the smoke clearing to reveal some new shoots; Andy Bell's guitar is brought to the fore on 'Saturation Point', keeping things together as the rest of the track spins out of control in the background, like a cross between Khruangbin and Ennio Morricone; previous single 'Warmth Of The Sun' is put through an acid blender, blurring all the edges and giving us one much-needed final hit of serotonin as the summer recedes into the distance. "When Nat from Sonic Cathedral said we should ask Sonic Boom for a remix, I thought he was kidding, but as a huge Spacemen 3 fan I felt we should give it a shot," says Pye Corner Audio, aka Martin Jenkins. "Happily, he ended up remixing three tracks and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results. He really took them somewhere special." "Friends kept mentioning Pye Corner Audio. Friends with good taste. And when I listened, I could hear why," says Sonic Boom, aka Pete Kember, who has just released Reset, his acclaimed collaboration with Panda Bear. "When Sonic Cathedral approached me about a remix, with Andy Bell in tow to boot, I asked for the stems of the three tracks that I liked the most_ and sometimes in life things just flow. "Three tracks and three remixes later, here we are, finally sending them off into the world to do their thing and for us to float and oscillate into their textures. These songs were medicine during troubled times for me. I can't think of a better endorsement."

Limited-edition double green/ red vinyl. 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. We are very pleased to announce a special 10th anniversary vinyl version of this classic Dean Wareham live album, recorded over two nights in London back in December 2013 and featuring a mix of songs by Galaxie 500 and Luna as well as solo material. It is pressed on double red and green vinyl, with the 12 tracks spread across three sides and a screen-printed fourth side. The recordings were mixed by Britta Phillips and have been remastered especially for this release by Mikey Young (of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Total Control and others). The new artwork by Marc Jones includes a printed insert featuring photos from the shows, which almost didn’t happen at all after Dean and his band got stuck on a train between Manchester and London. “We left Piccadilly Station at 12:15 but stopped rolling after just 20 minutes,” he recalls. “A voice informed us that a tree had fallen on the track somewhere up ahead, and this tree was on fire. We sat there for a couple of hours and started to think about alternate ways to get down to London, someone sent out a plea on Twitter and one kind fan did offer to drive us, if only there was a way to get off the train. But at around 3 o’clock the train lurched forward at last, we made it to Euston and cabbed it straight to St Pancras Old Church. “I’m not a believer but there’s something special about playing in churches, especially one that dates to the 12th century; the cavernous spaces and wooden pews make you speak softly and play quietly too – if you play too loud the sounds will just bounce all over the place. And the engineer doesn’t need to add reverb to your vocals – it is there already. “Nat from Sonic Cathedral promoted the shows and had the presence of mind to record them to multi-tracks, and I’m so glad he did. When we got back to Los Angeles, Britta mixed the live tracks, and the result is this record.”

Moon Diagrams – the solo project of Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses Archuleta – returns with a second album, Cemetery Classics, on June 21. The 12-track album is a co-release between Sonic Cathedral (in the UK and Europe) and Angus Andrew from Liars’ new label No Gold (in the US and the Row) and was mixed by James Ford. It features guests including Anastasia Coope, Patrick Flegel (Cindy Lee) and Josh Diamond (Gang Gang Dance). It’s Moses’ first new music since 2019’s Trappy Bats mini-album and the follow-up to 2017’s acclaimed debut Lifetime of Love and everything seems a bit more extreme – from the Basinski-esque degradation of ‘Neptune’ to the Faustian industrial noise of ‘Listen To Me’ via Art of Noise-style postmodern pop (the first single ‘Very Much My Promise to You’), Daft Punk bangers (‘Fifteen Shows at One Time’), trip-hop, shoegaze, Jan Hammer, Depeche Mode, late Leonard Cohen and more. “It’s about finding out your arms are too short to box with god,” says Moses of the emotional force that courses through Cemetery Classics. “It’s the inverse of a desert island disc – a graveyard disc. Songs to take into the afterlife.”

Hull/Leeds based five-piece bdrmm release their much anticipated debut Bedroom on July 3, via Sonic Cathedral. The 10-track album was recorded late last year at The Nave studio in Leeds by Alex Greaves (Working Mens Club, Bo Ningen) and mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry (Slowdive, Beach House). It's a hugely accomplished debut and a real step up both sonically and lyrically from their early singles, which were rounded up on last year's If Not, When? EP. Musically, there are nods to The Cure's Disintegration, Deerhunter and Diiv, while the band reference Ride and Radiohead. There are also echoes of krautrock and post-punk, from The Chameleons to Protomartyr, plus the proto shoegaze of the Pale Saints' The Comforts Of Madness, not least in the cross fading of some tracks, meaning the album is an almost seamless listen. As a result, Bedroom becomes an unexpected and unintentional concept album, running through the different stages of a break-up set against the backdrop of the ups and downs of your early twenties. "The subject matter spans mental health, alcohol abuse, unplanned pregnancy, drugs_ basically every cliché topic that you could think of," reveals frontman Ryan Smith. "But that doesn't mean they ever stop being relevant. It's a fucker growing up, but I'm lucky enough to have been able to project my feelings in the form of this band, surrounded by four of the best people I've ever met." And that band name, in case it needs explaining, is pronounced the same way as the album title. "I never thought I'd get to the stage where I would have to explain it so much," says Ryan. "We have been pronounced as Boredom, Bdum and my old boss thought we were a ska band called Bad Riddim. We're all sarcastic cunts, so Bedroom spelt correctly seemed like the perfect title." He's right. The perfect title for the perfect debut album.

Whitelands follow their acclaimed single ‘Setting Sun’ – which saw the London-based band added to the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist – with their first ever vinyl release, an EP of reworkings, which is released as a limited edition orange vinyl 10” on June 23.Simply titled Remixes, the EP features two reworkings of ‘Setting Sun’ by dreampop legends A.R. Kane – the short Initiation Dub and the epic Hero Remix, which comes in three parts, titled Departure, Initiation and Return and takes the song to some unexpected and exciting new places.“Whitelands came up in conversation three times in a week,” explains A.R. Kane’s Rudy Tambala of how he got to know the band and came to remix them. “Two times is coincidence, three times is a conspiracy, so I reached out to them on social media, and we started chatting. They’re cool, like baby Kanes. ‘Setting Sun’ was close to my heart, reminding me of ‘Fools Gold’ meets Slowdive versus Frank Ocean. Anyway, I heard several approaches in my head, so I thought, ‘Fuck it, let’s do ’em all’. “I knew I wanted to take a prog approach: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon, Sasha’s Involver2, Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Frank Ocean’s Blond, etc. Even my own sixty nine. It’s that seamless drift from one part into the next, stretching the idea until it ruptures, creating space for a new way of perceiving; this has the first inklings of hive mind, telepathy, in a musical form; you dissolve into it as it dissolves into you. A fundamental dreampop construction and aim, whereby subject and object become one. Ahem. “As the extended mix took shape it suggested to me the three components of The Hero’s Journey, hence the titles. The three-minute pop song was determined by the technical limitations of the 7” vinyl single. Digital has obliterated that. The perfect dreampop song has no time limit. ‘Setting Sun’ A.R. Kane Hero Remix is timely.” Alongside Rudy’s reworkings is an equally dazzling drum’n’bass take on last year’s single ‘How It Feels’ by the band’s guitarist Michael in his howdogirlssleep guise. “Combining shoegaze and jungle was something I never thought of, but when I thought about remixing ‘How It Feels’ the song pretty much made itself,” he explains. “It’s such a sonically rich and emotionally capturing song already; the only thing I had to do was add drums that would enhance the track. I tried to create a feeling of transient energy in the song which the mix engineer, and my good friend, Reinaldo helped me to create. I hope people can shake their ass to this one.” “These remixes are an absolute dream!” concludes singer and guitarist Etienne. “Having a legend like Rudy doing this for us is very special. And also having Michael also exploring the experimental possibilities of ‘How It Feels’ is honestly such a great thing.”

This brand new EP from the Cornish improv noise / post-rock / shoegaze trio is their first release since their acclaimed second album Sleepover, which came out at the end of 2021. It features two long tracks and vocals from their Sonic Cathedral bandmate Lorena Quintanilla from Lorelle Meets The Obsolete. “One of our recording sessions resulted in a couple of tracks that had a very different energy to what we’ve recorded to date because there was less of a motif-based approach to them, which made them kind of scenic,” explains Mildred Maude guitarist Matt Ashdown. “We felt like they were the best opportunity we’ve had for doing a collaboration. We’ve played a few shows with Lorelle Meets the Obsolete and really clicked – we love what she does in that band and also as J. Zunz – so we asked her to do both tracks. It feels completely right – a natural pairing.” “I love collaborations and this one was really special,” adds Lorena. “I feel honoured to be part of this EP. I always enjoy seeing Mildred Maude, I feel that one can grasp eternity during their sets. With ‘Half The Sky’, the vocal melody and lyrics came out immediately, I felt like I was in a room jamming with them and everything was slowly flowing and growing. As for ‘Shifting’, it was another story. It is such a beautiful song, and I didn't want to mess it up. They liked one of the takes I sent, so I kept on that track for the first part and for the end I looped vocals on my DL4.” “Vocals change everything and give it a different air of completeness, but Lorena understands our music, so she was able to maintain its looseness,” concludes Matt. “We’re stunned by what Lorena has done; she’s given both tracks a different life.” Mildred Maude play the following live dates: September 22 - Bristol, Rough Trade (with Lorelle Meets The Obsolete) September 23 - Falmouth, The Cornish Bank (with Lorelle Meets The Obsolete) October 27 - London, Moor Beer Vaults

Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell has announced a series of three EPs featuring remixes, acoustic versions and covers of songs that inspired his second solo album, Flicker, which was released on Sonic Cathedral to great acclaim back in February. All three EPs will be released on limited-edition 10" vinyl. Songs that inspired Flicker by Yoko Ono, Pentangle, The Kinks and Arthur Russell. "The idea was that I would be covering songs which helped in some way to colour in the edges of the picture of the influences that make up Flicker," explains Andy. "The song 'Jenny Holzer B. Goode' on the album refers to a few of the female artists from the music and art worlds who I find inspiring, including Yoko Ono, so it felt right to include a cover of 'Listen, The Snow Is Falling', my favourite Yoko Ono song. "Pentangle's 'Light Flight' came out in 1970, the year I was born. "Nat Cramp, the head honcho of Sonic Cathedral, requested that I cover 'The Way Love Used To Be'. I'd never heard this song despite being a big fan of The Kinks, but it's lovely and it felt very natural to do a version. "Arthur Russell has been a big reference point for all my music - there is something impressionistic and open-ended about his records. I guess you could describe the production style I'm trying for on 'Our Last Night Together' as 'World Of Echo meets This Mortal Coil doing Skip Spence'."

Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell has announced a series of three EPs featuring remixes, acoustic versions and covers of songs that inspired his second solo album, Flicker, which was released on Sonic Cathedral to great acclaim back in February. All three EPs will be released on limited-edition 10" vinyl. Stripped down versions of tracks from Flicker. "'Something Like Love' is the most popular song from Flicker and one of the oldest, starting life in the '90s. It's probably the only one that dates back to the Ride era. "The riffs for 'World Of Echo' were written while I was on tour with Oasis, at the height of my La's obsession. It went through a few iterations from then onwards, but never had a final melody until last year. 'She Calls The Tune' was the first song I wrote after I joined Oasis, 'Lifeline' was another riff I came up with while on tour with Oasis. I remember being on a UK tour with Shack, and sitting around backstage on acoustics with Mick and John Head jamming around the Simon & Garfunkel version of 'Scarborough Fair'. It was always called 'Lifeline' but I never found the right lyric for it until recently.

Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell has announced a series of three EPs featuring remixes, acoustic versions and covers of songs that inspired his second solo album, Flicker, which was released on Sonic Cathedral to great acclaim back in February. All three EPs will be released on limited-edition 10" vinyl. "It was so great to see what came back when I gave these tracks from Flicker to various comrades, friends and heroes to play with," says Andy. "They've given them a new technicolour life." "David Holmes requested the opening track as he had formed a bit of a connection with it, and what he came up with turns the song into an hallucinogenic beast, taking pride of place here as the opening track but in a whole different way to how Flicker opens. "James Chapman AKA Maps has taken 'It Gets Easier' to a bigger, brighter and shinier place, he's given quite a downbeat track a euphoric and epic sheen. "I couldn't put Richard Norris' lovely widescreen take on 'Something Like Love' better than the man himself - in his own words he found the 'hitherto undiscovered sweet spot between 'Roscoe' and 'Outdoor Miner'' and he tapped into the melancholy euphoria at the core of the song. "bdrmm's remix of 'Way Of The World' is one for headphones. There are so many great moments to love, all held together by a bassline worthy of Jah Wobble . Astonishing!"

Special 10th Anniversary Edition In Brown Card Artboard Sleeve With Additional Lyric Print Insert Slowdive singer and songwriter's third solo album, which was originally released in November 2012. It is a stunning record and one which, upon its release, underlined the claims that Neil was one of the finest and most underrated British songwriters of recent times. It's also a very special release in the Sonic Cathedral catalogue; the shoegaze label licensed the record from Jack Johnson's Brushfire imprint for the UK and Europe and it was the start of a relationship that also gave us the Black Hearted Brother album in 2013 and, ultimately, brought about the reformation of Slowdive in 2014. But Palindrome Hunches is a very different beast. Both stately and understated, this moody and mesmerising collection of peculiarly British folk songs was made with the Band of Hope, a Wallingford, Oxfordshire based collective consisting of Ben Smith (violin), Drew Milloy (double bass), Paul Whitty (piano) and Tom Crook (guitar). Together with producer Nick Holton, banjo player Kevin Wells and backing singer Aimee Craddock, they recorded the album to tape over a few weekends in the music room of their local junior school. "At first we were going to record in a studio, but everything seemed too clean," said Neil at the time. "We just went through the songs and recorded them live without very much rehearsal. We wanted to be spontaneous and simple and to keep the little mistakes that sneaked in." This goes a long way to explaining the album's humanity and intimacy, and also why it has had a quiet life of its own over the past decade, gradually growing in stature alongside Neil's more high-profile activities with Slowdive; copies of the 2012 original and even the 2017 repress currently fetch up to triple figures on Discogs. Praise for Palindrome Hunches on its original release: ""Nope, it ain't shoegaze as it's been codified and re-codified. But why be disappointed in someone following his muse to a logical conclusion when that path was always the one he walked on?" - Pitchfork An exquisite set of dark folk music" - The Times "Draws from the same understated, reflective well as John Martyn" - Mojo "'Tied To You' doesn't merely evoke Nick Drake but withstands the comparison - evidence of the songs' quality" - Financial Times "Halstead's songs breathe the sort of honesty and goodness that's harder and harder to find in the iTunes age" - The Independent "Given the chance, they could be songs that continue to enchant for many years to come" - The Line Of Best Fit

A-side features a reworking of the album's closing track, 'Cold Stones', by legendary electronic artist and DJ, James Holden, WHO has taken the original's calming, comedown energy and transformed it into an epic, 11-and-a-half-minute journey, which somewhere around the five-minute mark comes right back up. "It's like the most rave thing I've done for ages and also not rave at all, like a blurry dream about a rave?" . Whatever it is, it's incredible, as are the two further reworkings on the B-side. The Early Years reframe 'LGOC' as a divine astral jazz / krautrock crossover, while Richard Pike (of PVT and Deep Learning) turns 'Blue Comet' into a glitchy and discordant soundtrack to the best 1980s computer game you never played. "It's lovely to hear three different interpretations of songs that we already tend to keep quite loose and elastic," says Matthew Benn. "These remixes feel like a natural extension of the music on the album, like they're from the same world, but perhaps in a different language."

The EP is the Hull and Leeds-based band's first major release since their debut album, Bedroom, which was hailed as a latter-day shoegaze classic when it came out in July 2020. 'Port', which was originally released as a single last October, marked a major step forward for the band. Sounding not unlike the Low of Double Negative or Hey What deconstructing The Temptations' 'I Know I'm Losing You', it's a much darker sounding song; its distorted drones and beats burst into life with frenzied guitar and howls of anguish. "It helped us consider the band in a much more fluid perspective," says bassist and synth player Jordan Smith of the pivotal track. "Swapping instruments and redefining roles gave us time to spend working on new and more intriguing sonic ideas." This new experimental and more electronic approach was expanded as the standalone single release grew, almost accidentally, into a full EP, which features radical reworkings by Daniel Avery (a fearless, all guns blazing techno stomper); Working Men's Club (New Order's 'Sub-Culture' meets a long-lost early Warp Records classic); A Place To Bury Strangers (a feedback frenzy of total sonic annihilation); Tom Sharkett from Manchester krautpoppers W.H. Lung (dfa Records goes down to the death disco); Jonathan Snipes from LA-based experimental hip-hop trio Clipping (glitchy beats imploding into a wall of white noise); and Jordan himself, as Mouth Company, who brings proceedings to a close with a slow-mo trip-hop treatment. "To have so many influential artists to us putting their own piece of DNA on what has become such an important track to us is so humbling," gushes Ryan. "It's brand new territory for us, and we just feel so lucky to have everybody involved." The EP is being released ahead of bdrmm's dates supporting shoegaze legends Ride in April and will be followed by their eagerly-awaited second album, which they are currently working on."I am so excited to embrace the next chapter of bdrmm,"

'Flicker' is the second album from Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell. This 18-track double album finds Andy moving towards classic songwriting, notably on the reflective lead single 'Something Like Love', the strident harmonies of 'World of Echo', the joyous refracted loops of 'Jenny Holzer B. Goode' and the fuzz-laden late-'60s balladeering of 'Love Is The Frequency'. Stylistically, the four sides of 'Flicker' take in everything from modern psychedelia to fingerpicked folk, whimsical baroque pop, and Byrdsian 12-string beauty. It's a breathtaking array and makes it even more abundantly clear that Andy has entered a purple patch in his songwriting, hitting a new velocity in contrast to his initial inhibitions about becoming a solo artist. 'Flicker' is also an apt description for the genesis of the album. At the start of 2021, Andy returned to the stems of the recording sessions he made at Beady Eye and Oasis bandmate Gem Archer's North London studio and added fuel to the fire, writing melodies and lyrics and turning them into fully formed songs. The same sessions were also the starting point for 'The View From Halfway Down' and this album picks up where that one left off, quite literally, with the very first words being "I was halfway down_". This is the first of several playful, possibly intentional, references to albums and song titles that litter the record like a musical breadcrumb trail. As much as this is a modern sounding and forward-looking record, it's also very much about looking back, something that is clear from the first glimpse of the front cover - a previously unseen outtake from Joe Dilworth's photo sessions for the inner sleeve of Ride's debut album, 'Nowhere'. "When I think about 'Flicker', I see it as closure," explains Andy. "Most literally, on a half-finished project from over six years ago, but also on a much bigger timescale. Some of these songs date back to the '90s and the cognitive dissonance of writing brand new lyrics over songs that are 20-plus years old makes it fe...

Three Seemingly Disparate Characters From Cornwall - Matt Ashdown (Guitar), Lee Wade (Bass) And Louie Newlands (Drums) - Mildred Maude Are Named After One Of Their Grandmas And Play An Improvised Noise That Always Seems To Be Teetering On The Edge Of Chaos, But Something Incredibly Beautiful At The Same Time, Like A Cross Between Sonic Youth And Slowdive. It Is Utterly Thrilling. Sleepover Is Their Second Album And Bears The Influence Of Stereolab, Can, Butthole Surfers, Yo La Tengo And Sun Ra, Among Others, With Three Of Its Four Tracks Being Over 10 Minutes In Length. 'Trevena' Is The Loping Opener; 'Elliott's Floor' Initially Turned Into My Bloody Valentine's 'Only Shallow' By Mistake And On The Vinyl Version It Never Ends, Thanks To A Locked Groove; 'Glen Plays Moses' Crosses A Red Sea Of Sound And Is Just Epic In Every Way. The Odd One Out Is 'Chemo Brain' - Just Under Three Minutes Of Fugazi-Esque Frenzy, Named After A Side-Effect Of Bassist Lee's Cancer Treatment. The Album Artwork Is Also Inspired By This - It's A Molecular Model Of Cyclophosphamide, One Of The Drugs He Was Given. Mildred Maude's Diy Approach Has Been The Only Way For Them To Get Anywhere In Cornwall, Where They Say They Feel More In Tune With Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert And The Rephlex Records Crowd From The 1990s Than Any Current Scene. They Do, However, Unintentionally Have Something In Common With The Medieval Miracle Plays That Would Take Place In The Duchy. "They Were Notoriously Noisy To Attract People To Them," Explains Guitarist Matt, "But Were Also Events That Brought Communities Together, And We Like Our Live Shows To Have A Sense Of Togetherness. "Matt Says He Is Also Inspired By Historic Places Of Worship. "There Are Some Great Places In Cornwall Such As St Just Church And The Open Air Gwennap Pit In Redruth. It's These Beautiful Spaces That I Try To Imagine We're In When We're Playing Live - So It's Fitting That We're Releasing This New Album On Sonic Cathedral."

Engineers songwriter and guitarist Mark Peters' new EP features guests including former One Dove singer Dot Allison and pedal steel legend B.J. Cole.The EP includes two brand new tracks alongside two remixes of songs from last year's acclaimed album `Red Sunset Dreams'. The Dot Allison-featuring `Sundowning' gets an almost Balearic makeover by Richard Norris which flows perfectly from `Silver River', featuring B.J. Cole, which has been turned into awe-inspiring ambient Americana by the Indianapolis collective Dawn Chorus And The Infallible Sea.The two new tracks, despite sharing a common theme with the album in terms of their sunset-related titles, signal a change in musical mood. Both are much more propulsive and driving, inspired by Mark's recent live shows which he has played as a trio with bassist Dean Roby and drummer Chris Smith. In fact, adding the title track to his live set finally brought it to life after 20 long years.Yellow 10" vinyl!

The Cornish improv noise / post-rock / shoegaze band’s cult classic debut, remastered and re-edited by Slowdive’s Simon Scott and available on vinyl for the first time since its release back in 2017, with original copies (released via The Weird Beard) now changing hands for triple figures. The three tracks that make up the album were recorded live, in one take. They are presented as captured snippets of the one song the band used to play, the continually existing and evolving ‘cpa’ (Cosmic Pink Alignment). It formed the blueprint for their unique mix of Sonic Youth squall and Slowdive-style beauty, which was later heard on 2021’s acclaimed debut for Sonic Cathedral, Sleepover. “People have told us they aren’t able to get a copy of the album, so a reissue was a good opportunity for us to re-look at it having learnt a bit more about the mastering process when we did Sleepover,” says guitarist Matt Ashdown. “Simon also mastered that, so we really trusted him and didn’t give him a brief – he knows we like to squeeze out as much low end as possible, which is why there is also a new cut; more low end means less space on the vinyl.” Simon’s magic touch has really elevated this stunning record, making it sound bigger, bolder and better than ever. “His mastering has made it feel more live and even more raw,” agrees Matt. “That is really important to us – it’s our essence.”

Following the news that all three Lush albums are going to be reissued, Emma Anderson, the band’s cofounder, has announced her debut solo album, Pearlies, which will be released by Sonic Cathedral on October 20, 2023.One of the most underrated British songwriters to emerge from the era that encompassed shoegaze and Britpop, she has teamed up with producer James Chapman (aka Maps) for this collection that combines effervescent electronic pop with psych and folk textures with lyrics covering themes such as confronting your fears, embracing independence and moving on in life. It arrives fully formed with a burnished beauty (aided by the mastering skills of Heba Kadry) that belies its somewhat protracted creation, which began with Emma feeling disillusioned after Lush’s 2016 reunion came to an abrupt end. Left with songs and bits of music originally intended for the band, she began working with cellist and string arranger Audrey Riley and Robin Guthrie, formerly of the Cocteau Twins, both of whom encouraged her to sing her own songs. Covid put a temporary halt on proceedings, but the decision had been made. When Sonic Cathedral introduced her to James Chapman at the start of 2022, Pearlies quickly took shape and blossomed into a masterpiece, the perfect mix of Emma’s incredible, idiosyncratic songwriting and James’ electronic production nous. Plus, a little extra guitar magic on four tracks courtesy of Richard Oakes from Suede. The finished album has somehow written its own narrative. By her own admission, Emma tends to write words and “see what comes out”, but Pearlies seems to tell the story of her decision to go it alone, with opener ‘I Was Miles Away’ posing the question: “See if I make it on my own”. The rest of the album provides the answer as it takes in everything from the unexpectedly funky first single ‘Bend The Round’, to folky finger-picking and film theme references, via psych leaning electronic pop reminiscent of Goldfrapp or Melody’s Echo Chamber. It concludes with ‘Clusters’, a stunning, Stereolab-style groove which begins with the line “and now the party’s over, the music’s at the end”. Thankfully, that is not the case. This incredible album is just the start of Emma’s long-awaited solo journey

Dot Allison returns with a new solo album, Consciousology. After over a decade away, the former One Dove singer and songwriter broke cover in 2021 with Heart-Shaped Scars and this new album follows just two years later, as she hits a purple patch of songwriting. It's also her first full release for Sonic Cathedral after contributing to Mark Peters' acclaimed Red Sunset Dreams last year. Consciousology finds multi-instrumentalist Dot joined by the London Contemporary Orchestra, her new labelmate Andy Bell from Ride, who plays guitar on two tracks, and Hannah Peel, who is responsible for some of the string arrangements with both the LCO and a stellar group of Scottish string players. It expands on the styles and themes of the previous album, all while pushing everything just that little bit further - the songs sound bigger, more avant-garde and experimental and, occasionally, properly out-there and psychedelic. "I wanted to make some albums that felt like a set, exploring love, what lies beyond the visible and how all these aspects dovetail together," explains Dot. "I see Consciousology a more psych Heart-Shaped Scars with a far fuller, more immersive sound and so, in that sense, it's a more wayward, bolder, rule-breaking partner." Right from the eye-catching artwork by PJ Harvey collaborator Maria Mochnacz it definitely does not play it safe. It veers from the techno-played-as-folk of opener 'Shyness Of Crowns' and '220Hz' and the Linda Perhacs-meets-The Velvet Underground chug of the first single 'Unchanged' to the Mercury Rev-style fantasia of 'Bleached By The Sun', the Brian Wilson-esque harmonies of 'Moon Flowers' and the kaleidoscopic colour trip of 'Double Rainbow'. Elsewhere there are echoes of Desertshore-era Nico, Jack Nitzsche's work with Neil Young, Karen Dalton and Anne Briggs before the relative simplicity of the Tim Hardin-inspired closer 'Weeping Roses'. It's a brilliant, breathtaking record.

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete’s sixth album was recorded at their home studio in Ensenada, Baja California, it was mixed by Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes and mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control. It’s a short, sharp shock of a record with no unnecessary adornments and no fat on any of its eight songs. Gone are the psychedelic wig-outs found on previous releases, replaced with bass-heavy post-punk grooves inspired by the roots of The Congos, the no wave of Ike Yard, the industrial hiphop of Dälek and the dark modular moves of Hiro Kone, all while harnessing the elemental power of Jon Hassell’s Vernal Equinox. "The ‘in the room’ feel is one of the things I’ve always loved about The Besnard Lakes’ records,” says guitarist Alberto González. “And Jace brought that to Datura. The only note we gave him was ‘we want this album to sound big and aggressive’.” It worked – perhaps unsurprisingly for a record that covers cultural colonialism, imperialism, conflicting opinions, intense emotions, strange dreams and insomnia. The title refers to the genus of plants often associated with ancient rituals that are also sometimes used as poison or hallucinogens. "We liked the idea of a flower that opens at night,” says singer and guitarist Lorena Quintanilla. “A type of Datura grows all over the neighbourhood where we live. People try to get rid of them because they are afraid of their dogs eating them, but they always regrow again and again in the same places.” A bit like Lorelle themselves, then. We last heard from them at the start of 2020, when they had to crowdfund their way home after being stranded on the road in the US as Covid lockdowns came into force. As life returned to normal, they started playing shows again, firstly in Mexico and then, earlier this year, they finished what they started three years ago and toured the US with Suuns. Now, finally, they are set to flower once again with Datura, their most direct and dynamic album to date; proof that nature really is healing.