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	<title>St. Louis Archives - Various Small Flames</title>
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	<title>St. Louis Archives - Various Small Flames</title>
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		<title>Weekly Listening: February 2026 #2</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/02/10/weekly-listening-february-2026-2/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[New Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weekly Listening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby Blue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baltimore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berlin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capitane Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David James Allen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Life Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Erika Dohi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fugue State]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Georgia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gia Margaret]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jagjaguwar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Little Lungs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Littleknown Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maia Friedman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary Ocher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miserable chillers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Natalie Jane Hill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[old man of the woods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ontario]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Switch Hit Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Yum Yum Tree]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turner Cody]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=47628</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>David James Allen &#8211; By Your Side &#8220;A song which shows how the age-old themes of work, loss and responsibility are as much a facet of contemporary folk as any other era.&#8221; That&#8217;s how we described &#8216;Platform No. 12 (Old Friends)&#8216; last summer, the first taste of David James Allen&#8216;s forthcoming album Potpurri Jubilation. The Prince Edward County, Ontario-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist &#8220;writes classic country songs,&#8221; as we continued, &#8220;full of aching longing, wistful reflection and undying hope, as well as [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/02/10/weekly-listening-february-2026-2/">Weekly Listening: February 2026 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3 style="text-align: center;">David James Allen &#8211; By Your Side</h3>
<p>&#8220;A song which shows how the age-old themes of work, loss and responsibility are as much a facet of contemporary folk as any other era.&#8221; That&#8217;s how we described &#8216;<a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2025/08/18/weekly-listening-august-2025-3/">Platform No. 12 (Old Friends)</a>&#8216; last summer, the first taste of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/david-james-allen/">David James Allen</a>&#8216;s forthcoming album <em>Potpurri Jubilation</em>. The Prince Edward County, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/ontario">Ontario</a>-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist &#8220;writes classic country songs,&#8221; as we continued, &#8220;full of aching longing, wistful reflection and undying hope, as well as a small cosmic twist,&#8221; and latest single &#8216;By Your Side&#8217; further cements these sensibilities ahead of the album&#8217;s release later this year via Littleknown Records. &#8220;There&#8217;s something in the way that she loves me / that keeps me warm through the coolin&#8217; of the night,&#8221; Allen sings in the opening lines, immediately pulling the listener into the warmth and fondness of the track. An ode to the safe harbour of a significant other, where calm might be found no matter how stormy the outside world might prove. Tune in and allow the pressures of work, money and self-doubt to dissolve, if only for a while.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4269537379/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://davidjamesallen.bandcamp.com/track/by-your-side">By Your Side by David James Allen</a></iframe></center>‘By Your Side’ is out now and available from <a href="https://davidjamesallen.bandcamp.com/track/by-your-side">Bandcamp</a>. <em>Jubilation Potpourri</em> will be released later in 2026 via Littleknown Records.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Fugue State &#8211; We Are Lasting</h3>
<p>The new collaborative project fronted by Northampton, MA-based composer, producer and engineer Dan Langa, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/fugue-state">Fugue State</a> refuses the typical distinction between solo project and traditional ensemble. An outfit which treats collaboration as its own form of compositional methodology, Langa practising what the press release describes as &#8220;an obsessive cultivation of studio recordings with a rotating cast of musicians, transformed into spectral, unrecognizable forms.&#8221; Released to celebrate signing with <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/switch-hit-records">Switch Hit Records</a>, and featuring vocalist <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Maia-Friedman">Maia Friedman</a> (Dirty Projectors, Coco) and <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/01/09/year-in-review-2025/">VSF fav</a> <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/erika-dohi">Erika Dohi</a> on piano, single &#8216;We Are Lasting&#8217; provides our first glimpse into this new world. The style draws on Langa&#8217;s wealth of experience across music, film and multimedia, as well as the sensibilities of its collaborators, though also follows the direction the present moment suggested. “That improvisation became the foundation, and we slowly built everything on top of it,&#8221; as Langa describes. &#8220;This was the first track that really found its identity, and I often found comfort in it during the creative process—whether for inspiration or just a moment to breathe.”</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=608159853/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://fugue-state.bandcamp.com/track/we-are-lasting-2">We Are Lasting by Fugue State</a></iframe></center>&#8216;We Are Lasting&#8217; is out now via Switch Hit Records and available from <a href="https://fugue-state.bandcamp.com/track/we-are-lasting-2">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Gia Margaret &#8211; Everyone Around Me Dancing</h3>
<p>&#8220;A picture of solitude not as some lonely retreat but rather the path towards recognising the wider connection of things. That sweet dark warmth of the whole world.&#8221; That&#8217;s how we described <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/gia-margaret/">Gia Margaret</a>&#8216;s 2023 album <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/01/10/albums-we-missed-in-2023/"><em>Romantic Piano</em></a>, a collection of careful, considered compositions which held a kind of melancholic curiosity for its surroundings. Now Margaret is gearing up to release her much anticipated follow-up, an album titled <em>Singing</em> coming via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Jagjaguwar">Jagjaguwar</a> this spring, and opening track and lead single &#8216;Everyone Around Me Dancing&#8217; suggests a continuation of such themes. The record might be the first to properly feature vocals since 2018’s <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2018/07/30/gia-margaret-theres-always-glimmer/"><em>There’s Always Glimmer</em></a> (the consequence of illness, as we covered when reviewing <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2020/06/24/gia-margaret-mia-gargaret/"><em>Mia Gargaret</em></a>), but it is far from a simple reversion to a previous mode of working. Rather, Margaret considers every lesson learnt through the difficult process, the resonance of every person she has ever been. The vocals might have returned, but <em>Singing</em> understands something greater. The voice is only part of who we are. There are deeper ways of communicating.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2458591742/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1007272045/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://giamargaret.bandcamp.com/album/singing">Singing by Gia Margaret</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the video directed by Catherine LoMedico below:</p>
<p><iframe title="Gia Margaret - Everyone Around Me Dancing (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ulspjg45bm0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Singing</em> will be released on the 24th April via Jagjaguwar and you can <a href="https://giamargaret.bandcamp.com/album/singing">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Little Lungs &#8211; The Heat</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/little-lungs">Little Lungs</a> is a <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/baltimore">Baltimore</a> folk rock project led by songwriter Leena Rhodes. With Brendan Russell (bass), Eli Simms (drums), Ricky Schwarzenberg (guitar) and an assembly of other friends and collaborators in support, Rhodes creates soundscapes inherently intimate yet often sweeping too. Songs personal, compassionate and often affirming, driven by equal parts warmth and energy. Next month, Little Lungs will put out the full-length album <em>The Heat</em>, and Rhodes and co. have shared the title track to establish the mood and themes of the record. A typically emotive track build around Rhodes&#8217;s vocals and the braid of tenderness and strength they are able to evoke. &#8220;Face down against the bed frame / You woke to the fire alarm,&#8221; she sings, in an opening snapshot that captures the vulnerability on display throughout.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1039626546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://little-lungs.bandcamp.com/album/the-heat">The Heat by Little Lungs</a></iframe></center><em>The Heat</em> will be released on the 12th March and you can pre-order it now from <a href="https://little-lungs.bandcamp.com/album/the-heat">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Mary Ocher &#8211; The Narrative (First Movement)</h3>
<p>&#8220;Has roots in the early twentieth century, both in terms of the minimalist sensibilities and the overarching themes, but it is impossible to think of the intra-war period of the 1900s without hearing ominous echoes of the present day.&#8221; So we wrote of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/mary-ocher/">Mary Ocher</a>&#8216;s forthcoming album <em>Weimar</em> back in January. The challenging, politically-charged album was introduced by lead single &#8216;The Dance&#8217; (what we called &#8220;a mournful dirge for that which is slipping through our fingers&#8221;). And now Ocher has shared taut, plaintive new single &#8216;The Narrative (First Movement)&#8217;. Though it is perhaps the video which will earn the most attention. The expressionist piece is by Boris Eldagsen, one of the first &#8216;reputable&#8217; artists to explore the possibilities of AI who nevertheless carries a strictly critical approach to the nascent medium (back in 2023 Eldagsen refused the Sony World Photography Award after winning for an AI-generated image). Whether this self-awareness might justify the use of such artistically disheartening technology is still very much in question, and personally we&#8217;d query whether the video achieves anything which might be unobtainable via more organic means, but if nothing else it fits into Ocher&#8217;s overall project in its willingness to push into uncomfortable places and ask the audience to examine exactly how they feel.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2164950548/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=463970264/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://maryocher.bandcamp.com/album/weimar">Weimar by Mary Ocher</a></iframe></p>
<p><iframe title="Mary Ocher - The Narrative (First Movement)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/szrFSlaID9Q?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Weimar</em> will be released on 13th March and is available to preorder via <a href="https://maryocher.bandcamp.com/album/weimar">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Miserable chillers &#8211; Bikeman</h3>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll be the bike, man / the basket and the bell / the breath before I fell / Open skin up to the air / my mouth to taste the day.&#8221; So sings Miguel Gallego in the opening lines of &#8216;Bikeman&#8217;, the delightfully smooth and strange introduction to <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/miserable-chillers/">Miserable chillers</a>&#8216; latest album, <em>Innocent victims</em>, coming soon via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/baby-blue">Baby Blue</a>. The <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/new-york/">New York</a>-based composer and artist has covered plenty of ground with the Miserable chillers project over the years, moving from devotional to danceable and back again, or else occupying both moods simultaneously. But the uniting spirit across all releases has been one of curiosity, a mood delivered in sleek, eighties-adjacent pop that allows Gallego to push into surreal territory without losing an anchor to real life. With its anthropomorphic bicycle, &#8216;Bikeman&#8217; might be the perfect encapuslation of the Miserable chillers aesthetic, and one which whets appetites for the full release.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=10149292/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1471153234/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://miserablechillers.bandcamp.com/album/innocent-victims">Innocent victims by Miserable chillers</a></iframe></center><em>Innocent victims</em> will be released on the 3rd April via Baby Blue and you can <a href="https://miserablechillers.bandcamp.com/album/innocent-victims">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Natalie Jane Hill &#8211; Colors</h3>
<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/natalie-jane-hill">Natalie Jane Hill</a>&#8216;s forthcoming record <em>Hopeful Woman</em> is one of our most eagerly anticipated releases of the first half of this year. A collections of ten modest but supremely assured songs that explore love in its many facets. Hot on the heels of &#8216;Never Left Me&#8217; and <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/01/20/natalie-jane-hill-i-thought-love-meant/">&#8216;I Thought Love Meant&#8217;</a>, Hill has unveiled a third track, &#8216;Colors&#8217; another richly imagined but still down to earth rumination on romance. &#8220;Simply put, ‘Colors’ is a love song- specifically about the beginning period of falling in love with someone,&#8221; Hill describes. &#8220;But it’s also about having a better understanding on personal boundaries and not losing yourself entirely in the potential of something new. It’s being able to enjoy the colorfulness of it, while leaving space for the mystery, too.&#8221; The song has a fittingly Spring-like feel, tender like new green shoots and ripe with a glorious sense of possibility.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=835358623/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=338229594/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://nataliejanehill.bandcamp.com/album/hopeful-woman">Hopeful Woman by Natalie Jane Hill</a></iframe></center><em>Hopeful Woman</em> releases via Dear Life Records on 6th March. Order a copy now via the Natalie Jane Hill <a href="https://nataliejanehill.bandcamp.com/album/hopeful-woman">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Old Man of the Woods &#8211; Edges of Pleasure</h3>
<p>Taken from the album <em>Tendrils</em>, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/old-man-of-the-woods/">Old Man of the Woods</a>&#8216; most recent single ‘<a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2025/06/17/weekly-listening-june-2025-3/">Meditation</a>’ was &#8220;a self-described  &#8216;breathy, minimal ritual'&#8221; as we wrote in 2025, &#8220;[a song] which performs its own form of transubstantiation, taking a desire which might otherwise appear absurd and changing it into something charged and devotional.&#8221; Miranda Elliott appears to have taken such a style to heart, because new album <em>Cape Perpetua</em> sees the <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Seattle">Seattle</a>-based artist embrace aesthetics both religious and ecological to push their ambient avant-pop into an increasingly sacred terrain. Elliott intends to release a track every week, building up to the full release in March, and opener and single &#8216;Edges of Pleasure&#8217; highlights the meditative style. A song of swirling layers which draws on the choral accumulation of Gregorian chants to conjure something that&#8217;s at once otherworldly and fundamentally present.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3575015851/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1308771223/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://oldmanmiranda.bandcamp.com/album/cape-perpetua">Cape Perpetua by Old Man of the Woods</a></iframe></center><em>Cape Perpetua</em> will be released on 10th March and is available to pre-order from <a href="https://oldmanmiranda.bandcamp.com/album/cape-perpetua">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Turner Cody &#8211; Recognize a Friend</h3>
<p>In a present milieu where country songs are as likely to be about Disneyland and Pepsi as heartbreak and whiskey, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis">St. Louis</a>-based songwriter <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Turner-Cody">Turner Cody</a> shows that the traditional and alt forms of the style can coexist. Out via <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Capitane-Records">Capitane Records</a>, latest full-length <em>Out for Blood</em> has all the thematic concerns of the giants of the field, mining the American psyche to explore ideas of freedom and fate, individualism, sin and salvation in a way which would make Van Zandt proud. Yet, as songs like single &#8216;Recognize a Friend&#8217; show, there&#8217;s a playfulness within his style too. An idiosyncrasy which, by way of Prine, allows Cody to sit as comfortably next to his alt-country contemporaries as the old masters. The narrative of the track is a familiar one. Ordinary man Billy finds himself gradually growing despondent as he drifts from youthful optimism into the doldrums of normal living. The personification of an entire demographic which finds itself slipping out of its countercultural pep.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3597586892/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=2406626227/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://turnercody.bandcamp.com/album/out-for-blood">Out for Blood by Turner Cody</a></iframe></p>
<p>Watch the video below, directed and shot by Cam Kennedy, with editing by Ben Chace, co-direction by Ben Chace and color grading by Thomas de Hemptinne:</p>
<p><iframe title="Turner Cody - Recognize a Friend (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AoE6ABAfJUk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Out For Blood</em> is out now via Capitane Records and you can get it from <a href="https://turnercody.bandcamp.com/album/out-for-blood">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Yum Yum Tree &#8211; Shine</h3>
<p>It has been nineteen years since <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/georgia">Georgia</a>-based indie rock outfit <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/the-yum-yum-tree">The Yum Yum Tree</a> released their last album <em>Paint By Numbers</em>, a hiatus long enough to make even the most optimistic fans fear for the future of the project. After all, the band have other things to think about, not least lead Andy Gish who has spend over two decades as an ER nurse, as well as working in harm reduction. But good things come to those who wait, and this April will see The Yum Yum Tree return with brand new full-length <em>Turn Down the Noise</em>, an album which builds upon the foundations of its predecessor while proudly displaying the extra wisdom, self-awareness and emotional bravery which comes with near enough twenty years of living. Single &#8216;Shine&#8217; embodies the spirit of the release, packing that nineties-flavoured indie rock punch while showing a newly unguarded, introspective personality. &#8220;Shine is about wanting something that doesn’t belong to you,&#8221; as Gish explains, &#8220;being able to sit with that and still wanting the best for them.&#8221; Watch the video directed by Katherine Lucas below:</p>
<p><iframe title="SHINE || The Yum Yum Tree Official Music Video || Album: Turn Down The Noise (2026)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l_-MdkZ3jpY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Turn Down The Noise</em> will be released on the 10th April and you can pre-order it from <a href="https://theyumyumtree.bandcamp.com/album/turn-down-the-noise">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2026/02/10/weekly-listening-february-2026-2/">Weekly Listening: February 2026 #2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">47628</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Holy Matter &#8211; Beauty Looking Back</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/09/holy-matter-beauty-looking-back/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 18:52:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holy Matter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Oakie Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=43003</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>St. Louis-born, Los Angeles-based Leanna Kaiser started out as one half of ambient duo Frances With Wolves, before heading out west to pursue an education in filmmaking. There, she kept her finger on the pulse of the music scene by making music videos for a impressive cast of collaborators including Jessica Pratt, Allegra Krieger, Dean Wareham and Papercuts. Last year she unveiled a new creative project Holy Matter, an alias that allows her to gather threads of psych, folk, dream [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/09/holy-matter-beauty-looking-back/">Holy Matter &#8211; Beauty Looking Back</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis/">St. Louis</a>-born, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/">Los Angeles</a>-based Leanna Kaiser started out as one half of ambient duo Frances With Wolves, before heading out west to pursue an education in filmmaking. There, she kept her finger on the pulse of the music scene by making music videos for a impressive cast of collaborators including Jessica Pratt, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Allegra-Krieger">Allegra Krieger</a>, Dean Wareham and Papercuts. Last year she unveiled a new creative project <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/holy-matter/">Holy Matter</a>, an alias that allows her to gather threads of psych, folk, dream pop and experimental noise into a style that explores life&#8217;s ever-changing nature with an uncanny dream logic, where past and future marble into something strange and atmospheric.</p>
<p>Following a slew of singles, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/royal-oakie-records/">Royal Oakie Records</a> have now released the debut <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/holy-matter/">Holy Matter</a> album, <em>Beauty Looking Back</em>. Aptly named after <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/beauty-looking-back-hishikawa-moronobu/gQFgWTeF6qSwkg?hl=en">a painting</a> by 17th Century Japanese artist Hishikawa Moronobu, the album is unsurprisingly preoccupied with time and the impact of the past on the present moment, following the changing seasons of a life with equal doses of nostalgic longing and reassuring closure. “It seemed an appropriate title because this is a collection of backwards looks,&#8221; Kaiser explains. &#8220;A survey of emotions and moments, written between 2020 and 2023. I think a lot about the past, how a life is built up of all that came before it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Opener &#8216;Autumn&#8217;s Envy&#8217; &#8220;occupies the liminal space between the real, emotional and spiritual,&#8221; as we described in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/10/17/holy-matter-autumns-envy/">a preview</a>, &#8220;as though through loss and introspection, one can lead themselves towards uncanny places.&#8221; And the follow-up &#8216;Eve&#8217;s Hollywood&#8217; is no less dreamy, drawing on the cinematic aspect of Kaiser&#8217;s parallel career to craft what we previously called &#8220;an immersive country-tinged dream pop croon worthy of a David Lynch set-piece.&#8221; But if that track was succinct, &#8216;Fallen Leaves&#8217; pushes concision even further. A brief, ethereal snapshot of the most ephemeral of seasons, though one which lingers much like leaves persist upon the forest floor.</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3326942433/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3314717183/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://holymatter.bandcamp.com/album/beauty-looking-back">Beauty Looking Back by Holy Matter</a></iframe></p>
<p>This willingness to offer compact, swift songs not only helps Holy Matter circumvent the more self-indulgent aspects of the dream pop genre, but also feels intrinsically linked to the themes and mood of the album. The songs cycle through as one might a collection of memories, each appearing fully formed and dissolving before we move onto the next. Be it the retro pop croon of tracks like &#8216;Wishing Well&#8217; or &#8216;Prince Gloom&#8217;, or the hypnogogic and slightly surreal instrumental &#8216;Queen of Hearts&#8217;. &#8216;The Dove&#8217; encapsulates the style perfectly, a brief yet elegant track which plays like something between a nursery rhyme and fable in all of its heightened longing. In my tower sewing / I can hear the doves’ song,&#8221; as Kaiser sings. &#8220;In their circle crowing / My love comes to me, anon.&#8221; Watch the video directed by Yun Chen below:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe title="Holy Matter - The Dove (Official Video)" width="1170" height="878" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-MXJTnGUDc8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Final track, &#8216;Lore in Green and Blue&#8217; was the first song Kaiser wrote for the record, a decision which on another record might seem like an odd one, but here seems perfectly fitting. Something of a companion piece to &#8216;Fallen Leaves&#8217; it again looks back to a disconsolate period of anxiety and depression. She says it&#8217;s a song about &#8220;missing the green and blue hillsides of the Ozarks, thoughts on astrology, numbness and apathy, the whole kit and caboodle,&#8221; and this vulnerability is palpable. Both in the gentle, quiet folk of the majority and the swelling catharsis of the finale. &#8220;I wanted the last part to be a lot different and more bombastic,&#8221; Kaiser explains. &#8220;It’s like a final cry out. I wanted it to feel desperate and raw but also lead to something more resolved on the horizon.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3326942433/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=669432372/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://holymatter.bandcamp.com/album/beauty-looking-back">Beauty Looking Back by Holy Matter</a></iframe></p>
<p><em>Beauty Looking Back</em> is out now via Royal Oakie Records. Get it from the Holy Matter <a href="https://holymatter.bandcamp.com/album/beauty-looking-back">Bandcamp page</a>. A physical release for those of us in the EU and UK will follow in early December.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/holy-matter-lp.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/holy-matter-lp.jpg?resize=1170%2C1170&#038;ssl=1" alt="LP artwork for Beauty Looking Back by Holy Matter" width="1170" height="1170" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2024/10/09/holy-matter-beauty-looking-back/">Holy Matter &#8211; Beauty Looking Back</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<title>Holy Matter &#8211; Autumn&#8217;s Envy</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/10/17/holy-matter-autumns-envy/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:43:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Previews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[california]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Holy Matter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missouri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Oakie Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=38976</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Holy Matter is the recording project of St Louis, MO-born, Los Angeles-based musician and filmmaker Leanna Kaiser. Having cut her teeth as part of ambient duo Frances With Wolves alongside Andy Kahn (of Cyanides, Shitstorm, Future Junk), which opened for the likes of Wet Hair, Mount Eerie and Xiu Xiu, Kaiser also developed an experimental and often improvisational solo style, creating a rich, atmospheric sound informed by her adjacent career in filmmaking. Adopting the Holy Matter project as a vehicle [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/10/17/holy-matter-autumns-envy/">Holy Matter &#8211; Autumn&#8217;s Envy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Holy Matter is the recording project of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis/">St Louis</a>, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/missouri/">MO</a>-born, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/">Los Angeles</a>-based musician and filmmaker Leanna Kaiser. Having cut her teeth as part of ambient duo Frances With Wolves alongside Andy Kahn (of Cyanides, Shitstorm, Future Junk), which opened for the likes of Wet Hair, Mount Eerie and Xiu Xiu, Kaiser also developed an experimental and often improvisational solo style, creating a rich, atmospheric sound informed by her adjacent career in filmmaking. Adopting the Holy Matter project as a vehicle for this solo work, Kaiser released debut single &#8216;Eve&#8217;s Hollywood&#8217; earlier this year by <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/royal-oakie-records/">Royal Oakie Records</a>, offering a glimpse into an immersive country-tinged dream pop croon worthy of a David Lynch set-piece.</p>
<p>Now Holy Matter is back with brand new single, &#8216;Autumn&#8217;s Envy&#8217;. Again released via Royal Oakie, the song dials back some of the smoky atmosphere for a more spacious yet no less atmospheric sound. Brought to life with help from guests Kate Bollinger, Andy Kahn, Raphi Gottesman (Sonny and the Sunsets) and Josh Housh (Michael James Tapscott), the song plays less like a dancehall ballad than one delivered within the shadowed under canopy of the woods in fall. <span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I often get phrases stuck in my head and I kept thinking about the Pavement song title </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Summer Babe</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">,&#8221; as Kaiser explains. &#8220;What happens to a Summer Babe in the fall?&#8221;</span></p>
<p>The result occupies the liminal space between the real, emotional and spiritual, as though through loss and introspection, one can lead themselves towards uncanny places. &#8220;&#8216;<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Autumn’s Envy</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8216;</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is about experiencing someone drift away as the seasons of love are fickle and change, and the jealousy and insecurity that come along with knowing you are &#8216;out of season&#8217; while watching someone move on,&#8221; Kaiser explains. &#8220;It’s about doubting yourself. About longing and calling out for someone, wanting them to open themselves to you completely and the comfort and relief that brings.&#8221;</span></p>
<blockquote>
<h5><span style="font-weight: 400;">Darling, won&#8217;t you call my name</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">So I am happier, again?</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cut off from the agony and the envy</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">of a Summer Babe in the Fall</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">(in the Fall, oh)</span></h5>
</blockquote>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 442px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=541546394/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://holymatter.bandcamp.com/track/autumns-envy">Autumn&#8217;s Envy by Holy Matter</a></iframe></center><span style="font-weight: 400;">The track also comes complete with a video directed by Kaiser, with camera work by Matt Popeiluch. &#8220;I wanted to make a video inspired by one of my very favorite artists, Jean Cocteau, specifically the candelabras and forests in his film <em>Beauty and the Beast</em>,&#8221; Kaiser explains. &#8220;I also had this image of a wraith-like figure shrouded in white fabric, akin to the Italian statues of veiled women from the 1800s, for example the Veiled Virgin by Strazza. It’s often how I describe my own struggle with depression. The veil is also said to be the representation of the separation of the spirit world from the living, which is said to “thin” in the Autumn as everything decays.&#8221; </span></p>
<p><iframe title="Holy Matter - Autumn&#039;s Envy (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uzvu7bTlBx0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>&#8216;Autumn&#8217;s Envy&#8217; is out now via <a href="https://holymatter.bandcamp.com/track/autumns-envy">Royal Oakie Records</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/10/17/holy-matter-autumns-envy/">Holy Matter &#8211; Autumn&#8217;s Envy</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">38976</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Shady Bug &#8211; What&#8217;s the Use?</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/08/22/shady-bug-whats-the-use/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:24:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exploding in Sound Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shady Bug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=37283</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Shady Bug is a band familiar with the process of metamorphosis. The St. Louis indie rock outfit has undergone several big changes since their inception. They formed back in 2017, founding members Hannah Rainey and Ripple joined by drummer Aaron O’Neill and bassist Todd Anderson, and wasted no time in recording their debut release tbh idk. This caught the attention of Exploding in Sound Records, who went on to put out follow-up Lemon Lime in 2019. The record built on [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/08/22/shady-bug-whats-the-use/">Shady Bug &#8211; What&#8217;s the Use?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/Shady-Bug">Shady Bug</a> is a band familiar with the process of metamorphosis. The <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis/">St. Louis</a> indie rock outfit has undergone several big changes since their inception. They formed back in 2017, founding members Hannah Rainey and Ripple joined by drummer Aaron O’Neill and bassist Todd Anderson, and wasted no time in recording their debut release <em>tbh idk</em>. This caught the attention of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/exploding-in-sound-records/">Exploding in Sound Records</a>, who went on to put out follow-up <em>Lemon Lime</em> in 2019. The record built on the debut in every way, noisy and melodic and consistently surprising, every bit as sweet and sour as the title suggested. As we wrote in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/10/interview-shady-bug/">a piece</a> at the time, &#8220;[<em>Lemon Lime</em> is] a record of contradictions, [which] utilises catchy hooks and thundering crescendos to produce something that can both pummel you and pat you on the head.&#8221;</p>
<p>But then, as though in keeping with Shady Bug&#8217;s signature unpredictability, things began to change. Both Anderson and O&#8217;Neill left the band, and Rainey took a break to experiment with solo project <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/hennen/">hennen</a>. As we <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/05/20/algae-dust-hennen-s-t/">described previously</a>, the project &#8220;sees Rainey work through feelings of heartbreak, isolation and self-sabotage using an iPhone and her distinctive brand of twee-tinged garage rock.&#8221; Recording as hennen broke open a new seam of creativity and encouraged Rainey to write full band arrangements alone for the first time. She then took these to practice, where Ripple and new members Chris Chartrand (bass) and Jack Mideke (drums) transformed them into complex warrens of sound and texture, but always with Rainey&#8217;s vocals front and centre. In other words, made them into Shady Bug songs.</p>
<p>When they were ready, the band took the new songs to Alex Molini (of Pile) at his studio in Nashville. Molini not only acted as producer but also provided keyboard segments that add an extra layer of complexity to the compositions. Take opener ‘zero expectations’ with its wiry guitar and steady galloping percussion, whipping up into a squally noise before the introduction of Rainey’s vocals, which land somewhere between impish and indifferent. It soon becomes apparent that this delivery masks more complex feelings, feigned apathy as a shield against worries, a kind of Schrödinger’s cat approach to unavoidable anxieties, where if you don’t acknowledge them they don’t exist.</p>
<p>&#8220;‘Zero Expectations’ has been a motto I tell myself to help go into situations with an open mind even though I am actually very worried,” Rainey explains. “The song playfully explores some of my anxieties, including climate change, capitalism, and trying to be noticed in the music industry.”</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>&#8220;I had zero expectations, zero and some were bad<br />
Get over that notion, cuz every oceans filled with plastic<br />
trash out on the sidewalk, but nobody seems to mind<br />
Staring at the advertisements, but they<br />
just want your money buy buy buy&#8221;</h5>
</blockquote>
<p><iframe title="Shady Bug - &quot;zero expectations&quot; (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pk6Al1Ftq1A?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Such worries thread throughout the album, no matter how much the mood changes. ‘frog baby’ is altogether more sedate, at least outside of the stomping chorus. But again it&#8217;s wracked by uncertainty, and the continuation of the quiet-loud dynamic of ‘popsicle’ twists taut with an anxious tension which outlasts both the sunny rhythm and soaring chorus. &#8216;favor&#8217; turns this frustration into a kind post-punk snarl, Rainey&#8217;s vocals those of a person fast approaching the end of their rope. &#8220;Always doing somebody a favor favor after favor,&#8221; she sings, &#8220;Step out of my body step out I don’t even know her / People pleasing couldn’t please me / please me much not much forever.&#8221;</p>
<p>But there is catharsis in airing such feelings, and as such the songs of <em>What&#8217;s the Use?</em> come to answer the titular question. To externalise that which has grown stale within you, moult the accumulated weight to emerge anew. The image is captured directly on closing track ‘Lizard’. It&#8217;s a beast of a finale, the longest, loudest thing Shady Bug have made to date. Taking full use of the stacks and amps in Pile HQ, the track builds to a crushing crescendo full of crashing percussion and squealing guitar (what the band describe as a “a nuts fuzz loud wildin’ out section.”)—a moment of pure, visceral noise.</p>
<p>“&#8217;Lizard&#8217; was written while I was still in my relationship but I knew I needed to leave so I could grow, aka shed my old layer of lizard skin,” says Rainey. “It was really hard to leave the relationship because I knew I would regret either decision and be sad. Tossing and turning, not knowing how to go on. The Lizard Year is a reflection of wanting that growth so bad but having many doubts.” The song is a fitting conclusion both to the record and this period of the Shady Bug project, and one which leaves you wondering just what form they might take next.</p>
<p><iframe title="Shady Bug - &quot;lizard&quot; (Official Video)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ddmOkM79IXI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><em>What&#8217;s the Use?</em> is out now via Exploding in Sound Records. Grab a cassette tape or download via <a href="https://explodinginsoundrecords.bandcamp.com/album/whats-the-use">Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2023/08/22/shady-bug-whats-the-use/">Shady Bug &#8211; What&#8217;s the Use?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">37283</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Sinwat &#8211; Retainer</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/06/01/sinwat-retainer/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:44:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Previews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philadelphia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sinwat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Super Wimpy Punch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=25204</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Sinwat are a slowcore band based in St Louis, comprising of Jake Zelikovsky (guitar and vocals), Andy Lewis (bass) and Dylan Kiefer (percussion). They have just released their debut full-length, a self-titled album on Philadelphia-based label Super Wimpy Punch, which they describe as &#8220;a friendship project examining the nuances of growing up, adolescence, and life in St. Louis.&#8221; If you want an idea of what the album is like, then lead single &#8216;Retainer&#8217; is a good place to start, a [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/06/01/sinwat-retainer/">Sinwat &#8211; Retainer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sinwat are a slowcore band based in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis/">St Louis</a>, comprising of Jake Zelikovsky (guitar and vocals), Andy Lewis (bass) and Dylan Kiefer (percussion). They have just released their debut full-length, a self-titled album on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/philadelphia/">Philadelphia</a>-based label Super Wimpy Punch, which they describe as &#8220;a friendship project examining the nuances of growing up, adolescence, and life in St. Louis.&#8221;</p>
<p>If you want an idea of what the album is like, then lead single &#8216;Retainer&#8217; is a good place to start, a sub three minute snapshot of what Sinwat do so well. Zelikovsky&#8217;s vocals provide a softening, nostalgic edge to the otherwise downbeat atmosphere, which is built on sluggish strummed guitar and subtle percussion. The result is something like the ponderous heft of 90s/early 00s slowcore meets the bittersweet radiance of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/hovvdy/">Hovvdy</a>. Starting leaden and lethargic, the song builds patiently with admirable restraint, until finally descending into a blare of fuzzy guitar for a final moment of cathartic noise.</p>
<p><center><iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=624258661/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/track=1950116678/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="https://superwimpypunch.bandcamp.com/album/sinwat">Sinwat by Sinwat</a></iframe></center><em>Sinwat</em> is out now and you can get it now from the Super Wimpy Punch <a href="https://superwimpypunch.bandcamp.com/album/sinwat">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/06/01/sinwat-retainer/">Sinwat &#8211; Retainer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">25204</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>algae dust // hennen &#8211; s/t</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/05/20/algae-dust-hennen-s-t/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2021 17:48:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Algae Dust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frankie Valet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hennen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[it takes time records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shady Bug]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=25201</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The latest release on St Louis label It Takes Time Records, algae dust // hennen is a self-titled split from two solo projects born out of pandemic isolation. algae dust is the moniker of Alison Setili (who you may know as the bassist in Frankie Valet), while hennen is the project of Hannah Rainey of Shady Bug and Dubb Nubb, who we spoke to a little while back about Lemon Lime, the latest Shady Bug album on Exploding in Sound [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/05/20/algae-dust-hennen-s-t/">algae dust // hennen &#8211; s/t</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The latest release on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/st-louis/">St Louis</a> label <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/it-takes-time-records/">It Takes Time Records</a>, <em>algae dust // hennen</em> is a self-titled split from two solo projects born out of pandemic isolation. algae dust is the moniker of Alison Setili (who you may know as the bassist in <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/frankie-valet/">Frankie Valet</a>), while hennen is the project of Hannah Rainey of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/shady-bug/">Shady Bug</a> and Dubb Nubb, who <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/10/interview-shady-bug/">we spoke to</a> a little while back about <em>Lemon Lime</em>, the latest Shady Bug album on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/exploding-in-sound-records/">Exploding in Sound Records</a>. Setili and Rainey provide seven songs each, forming a two cassette double album that represents the debut solo release by each.</p>
<p>Setili started the algae dust project as an exercise in improving her guitar playing and teaching herself to mix, working instinctively to build on ambiguous ideas that explore themes of &#8220;nostalgia, cyclical thought, and the importance of perspective.&#8221; Starting slow and subdued, &#8216;circular&#8217; is a good introduction. &#8220;Well I&#8217;ve been walking circles in my mind,&#8221; Setili begins over gentle bedroom pop guitar. But it&#8217;s not long before the song sparks into something bigger, fellow Frankie Valet member Gram Tolish providing drums as the song crashes into life in its final third, transforming into something with considerable force.</p>
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<p>This duality becomes a theme across the algae dust half of the album. Tracks that start soft and intimate find stormy peaks or refuse to settle into recognizable patterns, peaceful blue skies of songs like the patient instrumental &#8216;by the window&#8217; sit next to grey rainclouds and agitated squalls of emotion, like &#8216;grasp&#8217; with its constant percussion and whirring organ-like keys.</p>
<p>The hennen side sees Rainey work through feelings of heartbreak, isolation and self-sabotage using an iPhone and her distinctive brand of twee-tinged garage rock. It takes the Shady Bug formula (catchy hooks and knotted, unpredictable melodies) and strips things back, losing some of the sheer power of the full-band crescendo but gaining an intangible sense of the personal. There is perhaps more of a pop influence, which comes to the fore on tracks like closer &#8216;bothered&#8217;, sounding remarkably slick and streamlined with its electronics and yearning vocals.</p>
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<p>There&#8217;s a definite sense these songs give Rainey space to experiment, allow her to venture into areas that perhaps wouldn&#8217;t fit Shady Bug. Tracks like &#8216;lizard&#8217; shift between woozy bedroom pop and contemporary r&amp;b, while &#8216;auto-pilot&#8217; smothers strong vocal melodies in wobbly, underwater distortion. But that&#8217;s not to say there&#8217;s not a healthy dose of indie rock grit on display. &#8216;the hardest&#8217; has a propulsive energy and satisfying rumble in its bones, while &#8216;zero expectations&#8217; juxtaposes gentle vocals with blown-out distorted guitar. All in all it&#8217;s a consistently surprising and cohesive split, and one which feels right at home on the It Takes Time discography.</p>
<p><em>algae dust // hennen </em>is out now and you can get it on cassette or download from the It Takes Time Records <a href="https://ittakestimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/algae-dust-hennen">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/algae-dust-hennen-cassette-tapes.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/algae-dust-hennen-cassette-tapes.jpg?resize=1170%2C1170&#038;ssl=1" alt="photo of algae dust hennen cassette tapes and the J cards" width="1170" height="1170" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/05/20/algae-dust-hennen-s-t/">algae dust // hennen &#8211; s/t</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">25201</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Reggie Pearl &#8211; Regicide</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/01/13/reggie-pearl-regicide/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2021 15:57:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie rock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missouri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reggie Pearl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=24052</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Reggie Pearl is an indie rock musician based in St Louis, joined by Mei Semones on guitar and bass and Micah Rubin on drums. As its title suggests, their latest EP, REGICIDE, is a subversive statement against the power structures of the patriarchy. Three songs that refuse to shy away from issues both personal and universal. &#8220;Did you ever wonder why I stay broken?&#8221; Pearl asks at the beginning of opener &#8216;Say it Back&#8217;, a track which segues between gloomy [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/01/13/reggie-pearl-regicide/">Reggie Pearl &#8211; Regicide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Reggie Pearl is an indie rock musician based in St Louis, joined by Mei Semones on guitar and bass and Micah Rubin on drums. As its title suggests, their latest EP, <em>REGICIDE</em>, is a subversive statement against the power structures of the patriarchy. Three songs that refuse to shy away from issues both personal and universal.</p>
<p>&#8220;Did you ever wonder why I stay broken?&#8221; Pearl asks at the beginning of opener &#8216;Say it Back&#8217;, a track which segues between gloomy introspection and blazingly fierce indie rock. There are hints of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/oh-rose/">Oh Rose</a> in Pearl&#8217;s raw-throated delivery, which confronts the record&#8217;s themes of addiction and toxic relationships with raging catharsis. &#8220;Rest in peace, you sleep easy now,&#8221; they howl from amidst the ruins left in the wake of a bad influence. &#8220;And I can&#8217;t clean the mess you leave for me.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Follow-up &#8216;One Hit&#8217; explores addiction more explicitly, beginning with denial (&#8220;keep that shit away from me&#8221;), but slowly slipping into acceptance. The atmosphere is slow and smoky, rising to an energetic spike in the middle before settling back down. Closer &#8216;Dairy Lottery Tobacco&#8217; picks things up from inside this lull.</p>
<p>This time focusing on a toxic relationship, Pearl again pulls no punches with the direct opening line. &#8220;I know you&#8217;re no good, but I can only see the good you could be,&#8221; a seemingly small self-deception that can excuse so much suffering. The stark drumbeat and snaking guitar give way to what again begins as something almost dreamy, but as the frustration builds so do the noise levels, yelping vocals held aloft on crunchy guitar and cymbal-heavy percussion. As the sound gathers so too does the conviction and anger, Reggie Pearl riding the crest of righteous violence toward the death of those who exert their control.</p>
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<p><em>REGICIDE</em> is out now and available from the Reggie Pearl <a href="https://reggiepearl.bandcamp.com/album/regicide">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2021/01/13/reggie-pearl-regicide/">Reggie Pearl &#8211; Regicide</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">24052</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Frankie Valet &#8211; Waterfowl</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2020/02/25/frankie-valet-waterfowl/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2020 21:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frankie Valet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[it takes time records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=21440</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>The last we heard from St Louis band Frankie Valet was on their debut LP, Stop apologizing, an underrated indie pop gem released by It Takes Time Records back in 2018. The band, now settled on the four-piece lineup of Jack Elliott-Higgins (guitar and vocals), Felix Nelson (guitar and vocals), Gram Tolish (percussion) and Alison Setili (bass and vocals), have since honed their skills on plenty of live shows, all the while working on their sophomore LP, Waterfowl. It&#8217;s the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2020/02/25/frankie-valet-waterfowl/">Frankie Valet &#8211; Waterfowl</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The last we heard from St Louis band <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/frankie-valet/">Frankie Valet</a> was on their debut LP, <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2018/09/26/frankie-valet-stop-apologizing/"><em>Stop apologizing</em></a>, an underrated indie pop gem released by <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/it-takes-time-records/">It Takes Time Records</a> back in 2018. The band, now settled on the four-piece lineup of Jack Elliott-Higgins (guitar and vocals), Felix Nelson (guitar and vocals), Gram Tolish (percussion) and Alison Setili (bass and vocals), have since honed their skills on plenty of live shows, all the while working on their sophomore LP, <em>Waterfowl</em>.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s the first actual record release on It Takes Time, and proves to be a watershed moment for both band and label. The blurb says the record &#8220;confronts both the clamour of youthful confusion and the stillness of nostalgia,&#8221; tracing the blueprint of their debut and taking it in completely new directions. &#8220;In other words,&#8221; the blurb goes on to describe, &#8220;it’s the sound of four friends growing together.&#8221;</p>
<p>While <em>Stop apologizing</em> was a record mostly written by Nelson and then brought to the group to flesh out, <em>Waterfowl</em> is a truly collaborative venture. It&#8217;s the sound of four people putting their heads and souls together to create something unique, a fact reflected in the eclecticism and unpredictability of the record. Take for instance the stripped-back opening of the pseudo-title track &#8216;Water foul&#8217;, just Setili&#8217;s vocals and subtle guitar and heaps of negative space, versus the song&#8217;s second half, which sees it transform into an emo-influenced rocker that wouldn&#8217;t look out of place on the last <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/american-poetry-club/">American Poetry Club</a> record. This erratic nature is exacerbated as the song ricochets into the frenetic &#8216;Engulfed&#8217;, which barrels along at breakneck speed around deadpan vocals. It&#8217;s maybe the first straight-out rock song Frankie Valet have recorded, adding an as before unseen directness to their sound.</p>
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<p>This proves to be another noticeable evolution for Frankie Valet. Compared to the nostalgic fuzz of <em>Stop apologizing</em>, <em>Waterfowl</em>&#8216;s production is succinct and stripped-back, capturing the essence of their live show. Take the taut opening of &#8216;Our apartment&#8217;, the sparkly pop of &#8216;You found me out&#8217; (which starts like a throwback pop tune, but slides into a rousing kick drum stomp), or the yell-along finale &#8216;Alright okay&#8217;, which feels like a definitive celebration of DIY community that&#8217;s over in barely over a minute.</p>
<p>But it&#8217;s the album&#8217;s mid-way point, &#8216;Soft Skin&#8217;, that feels like the most important moment. Setili once again takes vocal duties in a track that builds from a dreamy shuffle, stepping through a hidden doorway just before the minute mark in one of Frankie Valet&#8217;s signature tempo changes. It&#8217;s the song that that best illustrates both the past and present of Frankie Valet, and leaves us guessing as to their future direction.</p>
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<p><em>Waterfowl</em> is out now on It Takes Time Records. Get it via their <a href="https://ittakestimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/waterfowl">Bandcamp</a> or the Frankie Valet <a href="https://frankievalet.bandcamp.com/album/waterfowl">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2020/02/25/frankie-valet-waterfowl/">Frankie Valet &#8211; Waterfowl</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">21440</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>american poetry club &#8211; a little light of our own</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/19/american-poetry-club-a-little-light-of-our-own/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2019 17:59:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american poetry club]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feels so reel music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[it takes time records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missouri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=19594</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Is there another band from the last few years who have worn their feelings on proud display quite as well as american poetry club? The St Louis band, led by Jordan Weinstock (of It Takes Time Records) have carved a niche they describe as &#8220;the sound of self-esteem! the sound of community!&#8221;—a style that borrows from emo and twee pop and relies heavily on a sense of gladness and appreciation of friendship as a way of dealing with life&#8217;s little [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/19/american-poetry-club-a-little-light-of-our-own/">american poetry club &#8211; a little light of our own</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Is there another band from the last few years who have worn their feelings on proud display quite as well as <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/american-poetry-club/">american poetry club</a>? The St Louis band, led by Jordan Weinstock (of <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/it-takes-time-records/">It Takes Time Records</a>) have carved a niche they describe as &#8220;the sound of self-esteem! the sound of community!&#8221;—a style that borrows from emo and twee pop and relies heavily on a sense of gladness and appreciation of friendship as a way of dealing with life&#8217;s little emotional hiccups.</p>
<p>New album<em> a little light of our own</em> may well be the last by american poetry club, at least in its current form, as the band disperse after finishing college. But, despite the potential farewell album vibes, it seems like Weinstock and co. are intent on burning out as bright and pure as a sparkler, the songs infused with a collective energy that displays a real sense of community.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you think you are struggling alone just to be fine,&#8221; Weinstock sings in opener &#8216;in your own way, at your own pace, pulling through!&#8217;, &#8220;know that i am always right here next to you, I am always by your side.&#8221; It sets the tone for the album in more ways than one, direct and intense and at times painfully earnest, american poetry club go all out to say what they mean and mean what they say. Second track &#8216;as slow and vast as our love can take&#8217; is equally short and direct, a ramshackle indie pop song that&#8217;s almost reminiscent of Emperor X. &#8216;summer of the century&#8217; kicks up the tempo even further, a glorious pop punk singalong that ends with a plea to embrace and celebrate each other and ourselves as individuals.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>what you feel is alright, don&#8217;t worry you burn bright<br />
how you think is okay, please do this your own way</h5>
</blockquote>
<p>&#8216;pro pic&#8217; is the album&#8217;s standout moment, and in some ways feels like the song american poetry club have been buildings towards over these last few years. The balance between heart-on-sleeve emo and twee indie pop is just about perfect, as Weinstock and his friends sing (and sometimes yell) over shuffling drums and subtle horns. Thematically, it&#8217;s one of the more reflective songs on the album, our narrator reminded of a previously dear relationship/friendship by occasional glimpses of a social media profile picture.</p>
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<p>&#8216;hampton ave&#8217; is the album&#8217;s most reserved moment, a quiet acoustic track that still maintains the purity of feeling of the other songs. It&#8217;s proof that american poetry club can do things stripped-back, and bodes well if Weinstock intends to play these songs solo if the band goes on hiatus.</p>
<p>Finale &#8216;snbm&#8217; then takes everything that has come before, not just in this album but through the entire american poetry club catalogue, and distills it into just under three minutes. It begins hushed and spacious, just guitar and Weinstock&#8217;s voice, but grows into a swelling outro that based around a mantra for positivity and self-love. It&#8217;s a fitting end to both the album and american poetry club as a project.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>no more low self-esteem<br />
we&#8217;re gonna be all we dream<br />
we are bursting at the seam<br />
we are a brilliant sunbeam</h5>
</blockquote>
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<p><em>a little light of our own</em> is out now on <a href="https://ittakestimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-little-light-of-our-own">It Takes Time Records</a> and <a href="https://feelssoreelmusic.bandcamp.com/album/a-little-light-of-our-own">Feels So Reel Music</a>, and available from the american poetry club <a href="https://discounteddanceparties.bandcamp.com/album/a-little-light-of-our-own">Bandcamp page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/american-poetry-club-a-little-light-of-our-own-tape.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/american-poetry-club-a-little-light-of-our-own-tape.jpg?resize=1170%2C1132&#038;ssl=1" alt="photo of american poetry club a little light of our own tape" width="1170" height="1132" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/19/american-poetry-club-a-little-light-of-our-own/">american poetry club &#8211; a little light of our own</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">19594</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Marbling &#8211; Wisdom Teeth</title>
		<link>https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/11/marbling-wisdom-teeth/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Doyle]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2019 21:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Previews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[it takes time records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marbling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Louis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/?p=19793</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Marbling is the project of Brooklyn songwriter Basia Kurlender, who makes indie pop at the crossroads between infectiously melodic twee and Bandcamp-era bedroom pop. Next week sees the release of a new Marbling album, Wisdom Teeth, which is getting a cassette release via our pals at It Takes Time Records. The label say the album aims to explore &#8220;current issues like entitlement, the line between surreal and realism, and how to survive softly,&#8221; meaning that far from being throw-away observations, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/11/marbling-wisdom-teeth/">Marbling &#8211; Wisdom Teeth</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Marbling is the project of Brooklyn songwriter Basia Kurlender, who makes indie pop at the crossroads between infectiously melodic twee and Bandcamp-era bedroom pop. Next week sees the release of a new Marbling album, <em>Wisdom Teeth</em>, which is getting a cassette release via our pals at <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/it-takes-time-records/">It Takes Time Records</a>.</p>
<p>The label say the album aims to explore &#8220;current issues like entitlement, the line between surreal and realism, and how to survive softly,&#8221; meaning that far from being throw-away observations, Kurlender&#8217;s easy pop jams and simply poetic diary-like lyrics have surprising depth.</p>
<p>The first single is the title track, a barely 60 second song that introduces the Marbling aesthetic perfectly. Subtle guitar and shuffling drums combine with Kurlender&#8217;s gentle vocals to make a short but very sweet pop song.</p>
<blockquote>
<h5>i had a dream about my wisdom teeth<br />
and what you mean to me<br />
you never came to my front door<br />
i was just asleep…</h5>
</blockquote>
<p>Today we have the pleasure of unveiling a video for the song. Drawing inspiration from the breezy yet reflective tone of the track, the footage finds Kurlender out playing with friends yet pulled away by thoughts too, though the closing shots put peace to that. We think it was Chekhov who once said that if you introduce a cake onto a basketball court in the opening scene then the ball must bounce on said cake by the close of the video. Luckily, Marbling do not disappoint.</p>
<p><center><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCMQtl_UYcw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></center><em>Wisdom Teeth</em> is out via It Takes Time Records on the 19th July and you can <a href="https://ittakestimerecords.bandcamp.com/album/wisdom-teeth">pre-order it now</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/marbling-wisdom-teeth-tape-cover.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/marbling-wisdom-teeth-tape-cover.jpg?resize=1170%2C1151&#038;ssl=1" alt="marbling wisdom teeth tape cover art" width="1170" height="1151" /></a><a href="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/marbling-wisdom-teeth-tape-back.jpg?ssl=1"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" src="https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/marbling-wisdom-teeth-tape-back.jpg?resize=1170%2C1151&#038;ssl=1" alt="marbling wisdom teeth tape back art" width="1170" height="1151" /></a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2019/07/11/marbling-wisdom-teeth/">Marbling &#8211; Wisdom Teeth</a> appeared first on <a href="https://varioussmallflames.co.uk">Various Small Flames</a>.</p>
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