Once again it's time for us to spill the tea on some seriously good music from some seriously great new artists that have recently launched stores here at Townsend Music. We're serving you lashings of DIY alt bedroom pop mixed in with some shimmering-house-meets-vintage-acid, plus a dash of stylised indie-pop, all finished off with a sprinkle of synthy-electro-guitar music.
Tigercub - As Blue As Indigo
For Fans Of: Black Peaks, Pulled Apart By Horses
Brighton-based alternative band Tigercub have announced their highly-anticipated second album As Blue As Indigo, due for release 18th June. The album was written and produced by lead singer Jamie Stephen Hall over the course of two years, engineered and co-produced by Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse), and mixed by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Royal Blood).
Jamie claims the inspiration and creative drive behind the album were sparked by colour theory and the notion that each human eye perceives colour differently from another. This idea led him to explore personal issues cathartically, and topics including anxiety, depression, death, and grief. Putting himself under a microscope and opening up was to become key in the process of making the album.
"I wanted this to be about me and process my emotions for the first time. I think that’s made us more genuine and authentic as a band.” - Jamie Stephen Hall
As Blue As Indigo is available to pre-order on exclusive vinyl formats alongside merchandise bundles. Catch Tigercub on Tour across the UK this November and December.
Phoebe AXA - Wisdom Teeth Pt. 1
For Fans Of: BLOXX, Abbie Ozard
Phoebe AXA is a 19-year-old singer, songwriter and producer from East London with a DIY ethos and unique brand of self-taught, self-produced, alt bedroom pop. Performing at Latitude Festival at aged just 17, her spontaneous open mic set was caught by BBC Introducing who invited her to play on their stage the following day, which led her to meet her team at Massive Management and sign to AWAL Recordings.
Phoebe's debut EP Wisdom Teeth Pt.1 is a collection of songs written by her between the ages 15 to 18 and recorded and produced by herself. The EP is the product of a childhood of musical curiosity, void of social media replaced with guitar sheets and analysing the layers of Jack Antonoff, who she obsessed over.
Wisdom Teeth Pt. 1 arrives on 7th May. Head to the Official Store to pre-order the EP on 10-Inch Vinyl.
Lou Hayter - Private Sunshine
For Fans Of: New Young Pony Club, Róisín Murphy
London native Lou Hayter is set to release her first debut solo album, Private Sunshine. Hayter first made her mark professionally as a keyboardist in the Mercury Music Prize-nominated New Young Pony Club and formed Tomorrow's World with Air's JB Dunckel, along with DJ'ing for Chanel, Miu Miu, and Alexa Chung. Now Lou is embarking on her first solo venture with an album that effortlessly hopscotches between vintage acid, 80s R'n'B, Francophone pop, and twinkling electro house.
Speaking on the title track 'Private Sunshine', Lou explains why this is extra special: "'Private Sunshine' has a place in my heart because it's the only track on the album I wrote, produced and performed entirely on my own so it's like my baby. It's also the deep, emotional one so I hope it resonates with people."
Head to the Official Lou Hayter Store to pre-order Private Sunshine on Vinyl and Digital Album.
Sea Fever - Folding Lines
For Fans Of: Working Men's Club, The Slow Readers Club
Sea Fever are a five-piece Mancunian collective fronted by Iwan Gronow (Haven, Johnny Marr) alongside singer Beth Cassidy (Section 25), Elliot Barlow, and New Order's Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham, Formed in 2019, lead singer Iwan Gronow explained that their formation was inevitable: "We wanted to work with each other for ages, so when we finally sat down in the studio, the band just seemed to come together naturally."
Their combining forces are a debut ten-track album Folding Lines that represents the sound of a band instinctively working together; effortlessly exciting and equally timeless. The band has already got the support of BBC 6 Music along with a gig lined up at We Are Manchester Live in Manchester this June. This year is looking like a big and bright year for the Manchester supergroup.
"It felt like we were really free to explore the kinds of music that have always inspired us. We dug right through the record crates of our minds to shape the sound of Sea Fever." - Sea Fever
Pre-order Folding Lines on limited edition White Vinyl along with exclusive signed merchandise bundles.
Abbie Ozard - Let's Play Pretend
For Fans Of: The Big Moon, Anteros
Manchester-based artist Abbie Ozard has just released her second EP Let's Play Pretend. a collection of four characterful songs that encompass the anxieties and liberations of being in your early twenties. Speaking on the second EP, Abbie explains: “This whole EP is me romanticising my life. It took me a while to realise this as I considered each tune to be so separate. But after a late night of thinking, it dawned on me that each song on the EP is literally just me playing pretend."
Signing with Liverpool-based Modern Sky, before LAB Records, combined with the support of BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders and Huw Stephens and BBC 6 Music, Abbie has seen acclaim build across all fronts. With over 2 million streams on Spotify, along with a feature on their flagship Indie playlist, 2021 is looking busy for Abbie, including live performances at Kendal Calling, Liverpool Sound City, and Live At Leeds later this year.
Grab a personalised copy of Let's Play Pretend on Pink Vinyl now.
Check out our TM Breakthrough Vol. 9 Spotify Playlist featuring some tunes from these great artists featured. You can shop all of our Breakthrough Artists over on the Townsend Music Store.