FIVE THINGS WE LIKED THIS WEEK

5. Dawn Of The Derby

Ahead of UK dates in September, Summer Camp shared the video for their new single, You’re Gone, which is lifted from their recent Bad Love album. The video casts band members Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey as opposing Roller Derby managers, the twist is that Elizabeth’s team are a horde of undead Zombies!

The track which see’s Jeremy take on the lead singer duties was one of the highlights of the duo’s third album Bad Love, We described the album as, “interpretations of the drama and pain of growing up, reflected upon many years later by a pair of fully functional adult eyes.”

Bad Love is out now via Moshi Moshi, Summer Camp play the Y Not Festival before heading out on a full UK tour at the end of September.

4. Spicy New Cut from Hinds

Madrid foursome Hinds might have been forced to change their name, (they were previously known as Deers before The Dears took exception), but they’re not going to let that spoil their year. They’ve just announced that their debut album will be released via Lucky Number Music in Europe with Mom and Pop taking care of the US release. The album is being produced by Diego García, frontman of compatriots The Parrots.

Whilst we’re waiting for the album to see the light of the day, the band have whet our appetite with a brand new track, Chili Town. Discussing the track the band said, “we realized that if our songs were battles, we’ll always end up being the injured soldier. Then we were like “fuck it dude, why are we always the weak one in our lyrics??? what’s wrong with us???” So yeaaaaahhh we made it! we wrote a winner song! …right?” The track is suitably triumphant, the chorus demanding, “all I’m asking, is for you to make a move” whilst it continues along their normal path of stripped back electric guitars, multi-voiced harmonies and consistent pounding drums. The album frankly can’t come soon enough!

Hinds album will be released later this year via Lucky Number Music (EU). The band play Secret Garden Party, Visions and End Of The Road, before heading on a US tour at the end of September.

3. The New Simon & Eve

Simon Love shared his latest single, The New Adam and Eve, which is lifted from his upcoming debut album It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time which is out via Fortuna Pop on August 7th. Simon Love first came to the world’s attention as the man behind The Loves. A favourite of John Peel and Marc Riley, The Loves split in 2011, and four years later Simon is back as a solo artist.

The New Adam and Eve is, in a way, the middle ground of a love song and a murder ballad. It see’s Simon joined by Indie-Pop ensemble A Little Orchestra, the lush arrangement a perfect contrast to lyrics about how he’s going to gradually bump off the entire population, “leaving just you and I and then everybody else can go fuck off and die.” The New Adam and Eve is the second track lifted from It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, an album which features: Stewart Lee reciting the meaning of love from Wikipedia; a Paul McCartney cover; a song which weighs up the pros and cons of removing your own penis, and a song written from the point of view of Elton John’s ex-wife, all of which paints a pretty good picture of what to expect from this most unique of songwriters.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time is out August 7th via Fortuna Pop. Simon Love’s album launch show will be at Tamesis Dock on August 13th with support from Bill Botting (Allo Darlin’)

2. Drinking Down Rock

Drinks is the rather unlikely, but also rather wonderful collaboration between Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley aka White Fence. She from West Wales apparently, “raised under the shadow of a woollen mill, dressed by the field and by the rain” he from San Francisco, who, “grew under and over the bridges and streets, combed by corners and by concrete.”. How did they come to be on the same album- your guess is as good as ours.

Their collaboration (or as they like to put, “solo project, not a collaboration. It has one mouth, one set of lungs, one mind and four legs”) will come to fruition when they release their debut album, Hermits On Holiday via Heavenly Records on August 21st. Until then there’s the excellently wonky single, Laying Down Rock. With Tim taking lead vocal duties the track is built around a repeated electric guitar line and brightly jangling acoustic guitar; and sounds not unlike the middle ground of The Velvet Underground and Beck, which is certainly no bad thing.

Hermits On Holiday is out August 21st on Heavenly Recordings. Drinks play sets at End Of The Road and Festival Number 6 before embarking on a headline UK tour in September.

1. B’lieve That’s Pretty Vile

Speculation and hype about the return of Kurt Vile has been building since he confirmed to Pitchfork in April that he was working on the follow up to 2013’s Waking On A Pretty Daze. Well speculate no longer because Kurt has now shed more light on the situation.

The record, Kurt‘s sixth by out count, is entitled, b’lieve i’m goin down and will be released via Matador Records on September 25th. Discussing the album with Rolling Stone, Kurt spoke of the recording process as an unlearning of old habits, and taking a break from touring, he “wanted to get back into the habit of writing a sad song on my couch, with nobody waiting on me.” The album was recorded in a number of sessions across the States including Brooklyn, Georgia and Southern California, and was produced by Rob Schnapf who has previously worked with Elliot Smith and Beck.

While he was at it, Kurt shared the video for the album’s first single, Pretty Pimpin’. It is in many ways typical Vile, hypnotic twanging guitar loops, a laid back slacker vocal and crisp tight percussion. Whilst it still inhabits a similar sonic space to his previous work, there’s a clarity and crispness that mark this single as one of his finest moments to date. All of which bodes well for one of our most hotly anticipated albums of the year.

b’lieve I’m goin down is out via Matador Records on September 25th. Kurt Vile start’s his UK tour in the middle of November.