Our latest Tracks of the Week competition features eight artists who are yearning for superstar status. And guess what? That was the case last week too, when The Virginmarys defeated Bywater Call, who in turn defeated Beth Hart in a battle that was as long as it was exciting. So congratulations to everyone, and we look forward to their platinum sales accolades.
Here’s your winner again so you can familiarize yourself with his majesty once again. And then it’s on to the next lot.
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Don’t forget to vote. The ballot is below ⬇️.
Larkin Poe – Bluephoria
Lately, Larkin Poe seems to be getting better and better, and Bluephoria – perhaps their most classic rock number yet – confirms that. Both Lovell siblings are on top form on this rich, ultra-catchy new track, mixing the heavy blues of Led Zeppelin through the ’70s with sunny Americana, a winning chorus and a hell of a screeching slide solo from older sister Meghan. The sound of people who have played together all their lives and are still completely addicted to it.
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Blues Pills – Piggyback Ride
The hardest, riffiest and strangest track on the Swedes’ album, Birthday, piggyback ride is not the metaphorical title you’d call it – oh no, it was literally inspired by a group of notorious pig troublemakers in singer Elin Larsson’s village. Pig gangsters, if you will, are demonised by many in the area, although vegetarian Larsson has a more compassionate outlook. “I was just thinking about those pigs and wanted to write a song about them,” she argues, “what would it be like to hang out with them and ride around on their piggy backs and cause chaos!”
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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – The Risque
The Melbourne psych-rock sextet have released 26 albums over the last 14 years. We’ve had trippy art rock, synthpop, damn heavy metal and now – in this first taste of the upcoming LP flight b741 – we have a stomping, blurry, 70s glam-tastic hybrid of gang vocals, TopGun Visuals, Frank Zappa-esque messages about adrenaline rushes, recreational graves, Evil Knieval… “The lyrics are all pretty introspective,” the band emphasizes, “we have a lot of fun, but we often sing about pretty hard stuff. It’s not a science fiction record, it’s about life and stuff.” King Gizzard: Rock’n’Roll adventures since 2010.
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LA Edwards – El Camino
Relax and unwind with this warm, dreamy dose of introspective 80s music – perfect for summer car rides, moody staring through rain-soaked windows, or just chilling out after a stressful time. “I just wanted to capture that feeling you get when you’re fully present in the moment you’re in,” explains frontman Luke Edwards. “Maybe you’re driving with the windows down, it’s warm, your phone isn’t ringing, you’re just watching the world go by. Something like peace.”
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IDestroy – 100 Sounds
“I started writing 100 Sounds in a toilet at Glastonbury Festival a few years ago,” says IDestroy singer/guitarist Bec Jevons of this fizzy, punky pop-rock caffeine bomb. “There was just so much going on, I was between several stages blaring a mix of genres. It was pure chaos and I just thought ‘urghh, there are a hundred sounds in my head’. It quickly became a metaphor for my daily life, my chaotic mind and how I can never switch off.”
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A’priori – Voodoo Love
Blackpool hard rock trio A’priori (the name can be loosely translated from Latin as “knowledge independent of experience”) embrace the dark side here – with dirty, powerful riffs, synthesizers and lazy vocals, plus lots of candles, skulls, red roses and, yes, a voodoo doll that is waved to the chorus. “She treats me like a voodoo doll”. So not exactly masked messages, but it’s a fun rock song with a gothic twist. Look out for an album of the same name in the fall.
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World Of Chaos – Tax Evasion
We know nothing about World Of Chaos except that they are a crossover thrash band from Delaware and that they are probably the youngest musicians we have ever featured: frontman Gabe is 12, drummer Jayden is 14 and bassist Clara is just 13. We also know that Gabe, which is generally more popular with middle-aged men, has his own podcast, Children in the pitin which he interviews musicians from the world of punk and metal. Gabe, we salute you. The future is in good hands.
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Joanne Shaw Taylor – Wishing Well
She was released a month after her death. Heavy soul Album, Joanne Shaw Taylor’s standalone cover of Free’s Wishing well may not add much to the original, but there’s no doubt that Shaw’s smoky voice and the fluidity of her playing suit the song. “I’ve been a huge Free fan since I was a teenager,” she says. “It’s very difficult to cover this band because they don’t really need to be covered; they were perfect from the start.” Shaw’s summer tour of US festivals began this week, and she’ll return for another tour in October.
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