Introducing Molars: new emo/pop-punk from Nottingham. FFO: Tiny Moving Parts, Neck Deep and Modern Baseball.
Molars are a new alternative / pop-punk / emo band from Nottingham with a fresh and exciting sound. We spoke to them to learn more.
You’re releasing your very first EP Tight, But Not Groundbreaking soon. How long has it been in the works?
Dec: We recorded the entire EP in June at Phoenix Sound Studios. Since then we’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, such as filming our own music video.
Is the title what you’re aiming for, or are you predicting the reviews?
Matt: Funny story – after our first gig in Nottingham, a bloke from one of the other bands came over and said we sounded tight, but not groundbreaking. This seemed like a really weird thing to say to a band after they played their first ever set (however true it may be!), so it seemed only right to name our EP after this interaction!
How would you sum up Molars for someone who’s just discovering you?
Chris: I guess we come under the banner of pop punk for the most part but with some elements of emo with some of the guitar parts and lyrics.
Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Bring On The Storm are yet more fuel on the fire of Canada’s jealousy-inducing skatepunk/melodic hardcore scene. They’re planning to self-release their debut album Altruism later this year; it’s eight tracks of upbeat melodies and intricate guitars, taking cues from bands like Belvedere, Propagandhi and A Wilhelm Scream. Although there’s a clear mix of influences, Bring On The Storm put their own twist on the classic skate-punk sound: one with poppier melodies and a touch of classic rock.
We fell in love with Altruism, so we spoke to bassist Josh Wallace to learn more about the band.
Heya! How would you sum up Bring On The Storm for someone who’s just discovering you?
Hey Sarah, thanks for taking the time to chat with me! We play fast melodic skate punk with bleak song titles and uplifting messages.
You’re releasing your debut album Altruism on November 4th. Can you tell us a bit about the journey that has led you up to this release?
We’re currently an independent band so everything we do is very DIY. That makes self releasing an album a massive undertaking and we have been working day and night to try and make this release something special.
The album was recorded from March to April of this year and the last five months have been a whirlwind of planning. From getting the artwork and album layout finished, to putting together a pre-order package that we think people will be excited about, there is a huge amount of work that goes into it. But at the end of the day it’s super rewarding and we can’t wait to start showing off the new songs! Continue reading “Band Spotlight: Bring On The Storm [Interview]”
Nottingham’s Buenos Treehouse are a band new pop rock band, who’ll go down a treat with fans of Jeff Rosenstock, Weezer and PUP. As they launch their new single Low, Shout Louder spoke to guitarist/singer Will Bailey and bassist Duncan Muggleton to learn more.
Hey! You’ve recently put out your first single, Low. What makes that song the best introduction to Buenos Treehouse?
Will: I think Low has got a bit of everything that we try to do as a band – it’s pretty catchy, has a huge chorus and we’re super excited with how the video came out. We asked Dave Lankester to make us a video – who directed of all the Heck/Haggard Cat videos – and it looks great! The lyrics to Low are pretty depressing, so we wanted a contrast of loads of colour… it’s all very over the top.
Dunc: We produced it ourselves, too, so it captures the DIY element of our initial approach to the band. But we also put a lot of hours in to getting it just right, and couldn’t be happier with the results!
How would you sum up Buenos Treehouse for someone who’s just discovering you?
Will: I think if you’re a fan of early Weezer, the energy and live show of PUP/Jeff Rosenstock and three part Beach Boys/Bracket-esque harmonies then you’ll probably be into us! The line we’ve put on our socials is “Harmony laden pop-rock” – we’re kind of a punk band too, but we’re not that punk… If you’ve only just heard of us and like what you hear, definitely try and make it down to a show – we’re one of those bands that feel much more at home on a stage than in a recording studio. We’ve really got our live set down now, especially after playing 5 shows in one day for the single launch.
There’s nothing quite like a confusing band name to occasionally make you take notice. We were chuffed that we did with Hoi Poi Farplane Wind as their EP Dread and Vision turns out to be a great slice of gruff, melodic punk, ideal for fans of Iron Chic, Hot Water Music or Sunny Day Real Estate.
Hailing from Thessaloniki, Greece, Hoi-Poi have a fuzzy, nostalgic and geeky take on modern punk that’s instantly appealing. We quizzed the band to learn more, and were entertained to find them recommending Japanese melodic hardcore, offering cures for the Greek music scene and referencing Dragon Ball.
Where on earth did the name Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind originate from? It’s quite an odd choice.
Well, we want to destroy the world with our music, so we Frankensteined items from franchises we loved as kids and teens (hoi-poi capsules from Dragon Ball and Farplane Wind from Final Fantasy) and we ended up with a WMD of a band name that also serves as a handicap against bands with actually cool names – it gets our competitive drive going! We’ve been recently pulling an Uncle Acid and going by just Hoi-Poi for shortness, though.
How would you sum up Hoi-Poi for someone who’s just discovering you?
We’ve been using a new motto lately: “Bad for health – good for nothing”, which we believe sums up the Hoi-Poi experience. To elaborate though: emotive punk/hardcore delivered by the four unluckiest dudes you’ve met. Rarely party, often brooding, constantly memeing, never taking ourselves too seriously. And the shows are demented sweatfests. Continue reading “Band Spotlight: Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind”
Wild Tales are an exciting new indie-punk four-piece from the lush green hills of Surrey. They are the latest addition to the Lockjaw Records roster, fusing math-rock and indie influences with pop sensibilities and big choruses. They released their first single Hourglass on September 14th – it’s refreshingly accessible pop with a healthy dose of twiddly guitar work.
To find out more, we spoke to vocalist/guitarist Adam Rains about their future plans.
Hey! We’ve been enjoying your new single Hourglass, but it only scratches the surface of what you guys have to offer. How would you sum up Wild Tales for someone who’s just discovering you?
Why thank you. For those that haven’t heard us, Wild Tales are a mashup of technical tappy tip toeing with a solid foundation of pop sensibilities and catchy hooks that will make your grandmother simultaneously weep and hoot in joyous fashion.
You guys are brand new as a band, but you’re not brand new to the scene. Can you tell us a little bit about your previous musical projects?
All four of us have played in various bands over the past two decades but most recently, and most notably, in a couple of bands called Trails and Atiptoe. The common denominator, bassist James, joined Trails in 2010 whilst playing bass for Atiptoe and our friendship grew from there, with guitarist Iain eventually making a guest appearance on guitar for Trails at their final show back in 2015. It’s all a bit incestual and dutty if you ask me.
How do Wild Tales differ from Trails musically?
Similarities can definitely be drawn between the two but, generally speaking, Trails wrote heavier more punky tracks, whilst Wild Tales are more pop based in both melody and song structure. The ethos of being open to writing whatever feels right and having no limits on the direction or sound of a track is something that I feel both bands have embraced and is something that helped and helps both bands avoid becoming too generic or boring. Continue reading “Band Spotlight: Wild Tales [Interview]”
Interview: Leeds’ Dog Hand Srting Band combine dark country with DIY punk, featuring members of Jake and The Jellyfish, Bootscraper, China Shop Bull and more.
Leeds’ Dog Hand String Band are a dark and curious folk-punk collaboration from members of Jake & The Jellyfish, Bootscraper, China Shop Bull, Bad Knaves and, er, a hip hop DJ. In January 2018 they brough Tooth and Nail – a six-track EP recorded as live session, that succeeds in being as moody and mysterious as it is lively.
We spoke to shouty man and banjo twanger Cassius Langhorne to learn more about this DIY supergroup.
Hey! Dog Hand String Band is a relatively new collaboration. How would you sum up the band for someone who’s just discovering you?
That’s a hard one to be honest! We’re basically a rowdy punk folk band with a load of distorted guitars and big man choir backing vocals over the top. We do drinking songs and just about anything else that can be done with a banjo and shouting.
Tell me a bit about how Dog Hand String Band came to be – how did you meet?
Me and Jake used to work on the bar together and admired each other longingly for years before making it official and being in a band together. Electric Sam and I were in a stoner rock band that I had to leave because of my crumbling liver. They’re now called Bad Knaves though and they’re ace.
I was jamming out some stuff with the bassist Pete, Acoustic and Electric Sam for a bit and we decided we needed loads more instruments, to make it really impractical and impossible to organise.
I got our drummer Billy from when we were both working on stage, rigging for an epic Aled Jones performance and he was all like, “Yeah, I’ll drum for you man.” Then he did drum for us, which it turned out was amazing. Oh, and Derek is just in every band now, so he kinda just turned up one day and we didn’t have the heart to call the police. Continue reading “Band Spotlight: Dog Hand String Band [Interview]”
Reggae-flavoured Middle Eastern ska for fans of Cat Empire, Streetlight Manifesto and Gogol Bordello.
Skarate Kid caught my attention due to having one of the better ska-pun names I’ve seen in some time, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that their debut album Skatastrofa is chock-full of complex, sunny classic ska tunes that I had me uncontrollably busting out dance moves as soon as I hit play. Continue reading “Skarate KID: You’ve Got To Hear This [Band Profile]”
![Band Spotlight: Molars [Interview]](https://shoutlouderpunk.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/molars-promo-photo.jpg?w=1200)
![Band Spotlight: Bring On The Storm [Interview]](https://shoutlouderpunk.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/bring-on-the-storm-2017.jpg?w=1200)
![Band Spotlight: Buenos Treehouse [Interview]](https://shoutlouderpunk.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/buenos-treehouse-low.png?w=1200)
![Band Spotlight: Wild Tales [Interview]](https://shoutlouderpunk.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/wild-tales-promo-photo-1.jpg?w=1200)
![Band Spotlight: Dog Hand String Band [Interview]](https://shoutlouderpunk.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/dog-hand-string-band-shout-louder-band-spotlight-interview.png?w=1200)
