Further Listening:

5. Never Stop Calling Your Superstar Crush

Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, Superstar Crush originally formed as a house band for a, “rotating roster of vocalists and friends from local high-schools”, who performed at conversation and music nights put on by their soon-to-be bandmate, Marzieh Darling. Quickly establishing themselves on the variety of live scenes across Ontario, the band released their debut triple single, Crushed To Meet You in May last year. With a debut album in the pipeline, this week the band shared the latest taster from it, They Keep Calling.

Despite their Canadian roots, here Superstar Crush showcase a sound that would sound very in keeping with the current UK scene, the contrasting twin vocals and melding of melody and crunch reminiscent of the likes of Divorce or Westside Cowboy. Lyrically the track seems to be felled by the weight of expectations, Marzieh finally snapping, “I’m done taking all this heat, it’s turned me into something weak, and I’m done listening to you talk, so you can go and take a walk”. Her lyrical raging seems to collide perfectly with the song’s musical crescendo as the violins slip into Arcade Fire-like overdrive and the drums clatter away. While their upcoming tour is very much Ontario-focused, Superstar Crush sounds like a band that with a fair breeze, might soon be headed for much bigger things.

They Keep Calling is out now. For more information on Superstar Crush visit https://www.superstarcrush.com/

4. Preen Just Want To Hear Your Answerphone

A self-styled, “indie folk-pop harmony trio”, London’s Preen have been making gentle waves with a string of singles, receiving radio play, rave reviews and sold-out shows in their home city along the way. Ahead of a show at Rough Trade East with MF Tomlinson, this week the band shared their latest single, Jane Barbe.

The track is named in honour of voice actor and singer Jane Barbe, who is best known as the voice of Bell Systems for their telephone answering machines, whose voice, “lives on beyond her…like the light from an exploding star intercepted by earth long after the event”. In Jane’s life beyond the grave, Preen found inspiration to ask questions, wondering, “when we leave, what remains of us?” While harmonies are never far away where Preen are concerned, here Evie Tarr enters alone, the vulnerability of a lone voice really suiting the minimal musical backing as she pines for Jane Barbe’s comforting tones, “all this talk I want to be alone, in the quiet I dial you up on the phone, I wait for no answer just to hear you’re sorry, to ask what the time is, and it’s you ringing out from 1982”. From there the track picks up, the entwining vocals joined by rumbling drums, flourishes of rich pianos and wavering electronics. Even the quieter moments here offer sonic treats, whether it’s a crackle of static, a twinkle of xylophone or the click of a rotary phone. Intriguingly different and yet oddly comforting, Preen might be looking back, yet their music is only ever pushing forward.

Jane Barbe is out now via Small Matter Records. For more information on Preen visit https://linktr.ee/preenpreenpreen

3. Studio Electrophonique Introduces A Couple Of Real Characters

Hailing from Handsworth, a hilltop suburb on Sheffield’s Western Edge, James Leesley grew up kicking a football and finding a, “touch of glamour”, in the comedians, glitter balls and, “sequin-suited cabaret singers” of weekends spent at the traditional social clubs of the industrial north. It was there James grew to dream of life on a stage, finding inspiration from the likes of Dusty Springfield, Elvis and Carole King, artists from before his time, that hinted at an old soul in a young man’s body. Lifting the name Studio Electrophonique, from an analogue recording studio in his home city, James is set to release his debut album at the end of the Summer, and this week shared the record’s opening track, David and Jayne.

The first song written for his debut album, James suggests David and Jayne is, “the opening scene”, as he cast himself as the director of, “an imaginary film at the British seaside“. The titular David and Jayne are recurring characters through Studio Electrophonique’s debut album, and here we find them on, “a difficult weekend away set in a coastal resort of the listener’s choosing“, with James offering the listener a choice, “of whether to sob or smile —ideally both“. Produced by Simon Tong, David and Jayne leans into the gentler edges of The Velvet Underground in a way fans of Belle & Sebastien will surely fall for, as wavering organs, ticking percussion and bright jangles of guitar accompany James’ beautifully unhurried vocal. The lyrics are wonderful throughout, as they tell a story of the quiet disappointment of two people who want it work but can’t ever say what they really mean, “oh and quick before I forget, I wish you really knew the way that I felt, when I turn around and see that you’ve knelt to tie your laces”. Like a Beryl Cook painting or a Philip Larkin poem, Studio Electrophonique capture a distinctly British nostalgia, its raindrops dripping in your chips, an ice cream melting on a cloudy day, and the girl of your dreams walking away as you maintain a stiff upper lip and say nothing at all.

Studio Electrophonique’s self-titled debut is out September 26th via Valley of Eyes Records. For more information on Studio Electrophonique visit https://linktr.ee/studioelectrophonique

2. Naima Back Keeps Rolling On

A blog regular, Naima Bock released one of my favourite records of 2024, in the shape of the brilliant Below a Massive Dark Land, which won admiring glances in all the right places. With a date supporting Neil Young at Hyde Park, and a string of festival shows at the likes of Deer Shed and Greenman on the horizon it looks like being a deservedly busy Summer for Naima. Celebrating the Summer festivities, Naima decided to mark the occasion with both the announcement of a UK tour this October and a brand new single, Rolling.

A song Naima suggests, “didn’t quite fit into Below a Massive Dark Land”, Rolling was written on a train from Glasgow to London and seems to deal with themes of limiting yourself in the face of a love that’s no good for you but you can’t quite seem to move on from, “trying to fit through a heart that is broken, only leads to myself being forgotten”. Naima suggests while the lyric may well resonate, but, “if not then that’s a good thing”. While Naima’s musical output has often showcased her way with musical layering, here she shows what she can do with just an acoustic guitar for company, the beautiful finger-picking reminiscent of Shannon Lay or Bert Jansch, unadorned until an outro of percussion and mouth harp that’s as delightful as it is short. Atop it all Naima lets her unmistakable voice do a lot of the heavy lifting, here she dials up the swoops and rhythms, using voice as both percussion and melody in a way only the most remarkable singers can. It might not have fit onto her last record, but Rolling is no stopgap, and if it’s a sign of where Naima Bock’s music is headed next, I’m definitely on board for the long ride.

Rolling is out now via Sub Pop. For more information on Naima Bock visit https://www.naimabock.com/

1. Mal Devisa Is Reaching For The Stars

Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, Mal Devisa is the, “songwriting, liberation and poetry project” of Deja Carr. The project began in 2014, “born out of the slanted basement walls and busted dusty kick drums”, and broke out with 2016’s Kiid, which introduced this most eclectic of songwriting talents as it spanned every genre going be it hip-hop, folk or art rock. At the end of this month, Deja will share a brand new anthology album, Palimpsesa, which features everything from new versions of her earliest material through to a batch of previously unheard offerings, like this week’s co-lead-singles, Old Intro and Skyline Arms-Reach Out.

Described by Deja as, “teenagery and weird”, and, “a reflection of who I was at the time”, Old Intro showcases an intriguingly unique take on hip-hop, the initial golden age-like brags giving way to fascinating layers of sound that have the complexity of Massive Attack or TV On The Radio. My favourite of the two though is Skyline Arms-Reach Out, Deja’s attempt to, “honor Blackness in all of its forms”, it is a song born out of an, “existential moment”, that became about, “Black joy and love and resilience”. The track is set to a delightfully simple backing of wavering organ chords and bouncy percussion, the music serving mainly as a vehicle for Deja’s remarkable, soaring vocal. Throughout she sounds energised, fizzing with the power of community spirit and the pride of belonging to something more than yourself, bringing to mind the likes of Black Belt Eagle Scout or Hurray For The Riff Raff. Lyrically it wavers beautifully, the repeated request for someone to reach out, becoming both a mantra and a plea, as Deja’s voice becomes increasingly processed “it’s not hard to reach out, and I know it, and I know it and I know it”. Whether you’re aware of Mal Devisa’s previous output, or like me coming to it entirely fresh this is a stunning re-introduction to an artist who seems to exist entirely in their own lane and sounds all the better for it.

Palimpsesa is out July 30th via Topshelf Records. For more information on Mal Devisa visit https://www.instagram.com/maldevisa

Header photo is Mal Devisa by POND Creative.