Fresh from winning ‘Best Live Act’ at NI Music Prize 2023, Chalk relentless ascent continues to gather thrilling pace, with EP lead single ‘The Gate’ landing on the BBC 6 Music playlist (alongside PJ Harvey, IDLES, Sampha) to kick off 2024, whilst widespread praise throughout the press community (The Independent, NME, DIY, Dork, So Young, The New Cue, Rough Trade, Consequence of Sound) has certainly positioned the trio at the very forefront of the emerging indie elite.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Gate
2. Claw
3. Kevlar
4. Bliss

Nice Swan Records is ecstatic to unveil the highly anticipated 2nd volume of "Nice Swan Introduces." This compilation, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, showcases the best releases from the past two years on the Nice Swan Records Label. Just like Volume I, this release comes alongside an exclusive limited run of only 250 vinyl records, ensuring you'll own a piece of Nice Swan history.

Prepare to be captivated once again by a diverse array of musical talents, reminiscent of the Volume I lineup. Featuring exceptional artists like Prima Queen, Deadletter, Chalk, Cowboyy, Human Interest, and a host of others who have graced the Nice Swan roster over the last few years.

Your collection won't be complete without this addition. Nice Swan Introduces Volume II continues the tradition of introducing new and exciting talent to the world, reinforcing Nice Swan's status as one of the UK's most reputable indie labels. Stay tuned for further signings and releases in the coming weeks, as we continue to fulfill our mission of discovering and nurturing emerging artists.

Just as Volume I marked a significant milestone in our journey, Volume II is another step forward for the cult indie label. With acts from our roster gaining prominence on BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music airwaves, and receiving extensive tastemaker approval, this compilation couldn't be arriving at a better time.

In memory of the late Mark Edwards, a true nice swan.

TRACK LISTING

Side A:

1. Deadletter - Pop Culture Connoisseur
2. Prima Queen - Chew My Cheeks
3. Saloon Dion - HEY HEY
4. Splint - 145
5. Cowboyy - Gmaps

Side B:

1. Yabba - Get By
2. Human Interest - Mixing Paint
3. Shady Baby - Come To Life
4. Avice Caro - At The End Of The Day (Its The End Of The Day)
5. Chalk - The Gate

Metronomy are undoubtedly one of the defining alternative acts of the 21st Century, renowned for their perfectly crafted electronic pop songcraft and electric live shows, that has seen them dazzle audiences at festivals and headline stages across the world. After releasing album seven Small World in 2022, Metronomy are now beginning their next chapter as they sign to Ninja Tune in 2024.

To celebrate the new relationship, their first offering from the label, “Nice Town”, will be released on a special limited edition vinyl - featuring the eclectic rapper, jazz musician and MD for Iggy Pop Pan Amsterdam, and including special remixes by Metronomy and Alain Ogue.

It's not what I was expecting at all - an alluring, coastal shanti with breezy, optimistic vibes; that trumpet motif alone should be enough to keep you beaming for the entire day. And it's bossa nova drum palette (featured on the Metronomy remix) is a bright and funky direction towards movement. The electro beats and rap from Pan Amsterdam is laid back and charismatic - yes - everythings perfectly in place for an evergreen anthem that I reckon has enough legs to see it through to the end of the year lists. Perfect pop! 

Flip side sees a more housey remix by Alain Ogue who swamps the trumpet motif in echo, gets busy on the filters, affects the vocal with a kinda AM radio distortion and generally makes the track available for your clued up London indie-dance crowd. Top stuff! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Two truly infectious takes on one scrumptious trumpet theme. Guitar guitar licks, seaside organ, clever vocal. This has got has got HIT written all over it without being over in a flash.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nice Town (Original)
A2. Nice Town (Metronomy Remix)
B1. Nice Town (Alain Ogue Remix)

Human Interest present their ‘Empathy Lives In Outer Space’, via Nice Swan Records. The emerging outfit have attracted substantial support over the last year following the arrival of debut EP ‘Desire Paths’.

Alongside a slew of press support from key indie champions (DIY, Dork, Clash, Loud & Quiet, The Line of Best Fit, Rough Trade, Gigwise, The Forty Five), the group have already ticked off prestigious slots with Self Esteem, Dave Rowntree (Blur),Hinds, Vlure, High School and Tribes, as well as multiple spins on the BBC 6 Music, Radio X (playlisted) and Sirius FM airwaves.

TRACK LISTING

1. Step On
2. Slackers Paradise
3. All My Friends
4. Mixing Paint
5. So Smart
6. Grounded

Portsmouth quartet Hallan release brand new EP ‘The Noise Of A Firing Gun’, via Nice Swan Records.

Spearheaded by lead singles ‘Unwomanly Face Of War’ and BBC 6 Music - playlisted ‘The Colline Gate’ , the group’s record sees them leave the mundanity of the 21st century behind and turn to real - life events of the past.

Bringing attention to the stories of historical individuals, from the vestals of Ancient Rome to the art scenes of Berlin, ‘The Noise of a Firing Gun’ debuts a new direction in songwriting and composition for the band. Experimenting with new production elements, Hallan shift their gaze towards synthesised sounds of the ‘80s whilst retaining their post - punk edge.

TRACK LISTING

1. Unwomanly Face Of War
2. The Colline Gate
3. Cut With The Kitchen Knife
4. Sisyphus

Opus Kink were formed in Brighton, England in 2018. Their blend of punk, jazz, sickly folk and rough country music is a unique prospect in the current musical landscape; their brass-led, darkly charged repertoire has garnered a growing cult reputation in Britain and overseas, largely due to a penchant for hectic, unpredictable live shows full of experimentation and grim theatre.

A slew of lauded singles and an extended play in their formative period has laid the foundation for their latest EP, ‘My Eyes, Brother!’, which sees the group exploring yet harsher and more multi-faceted ground.

Available to independent retailers on 12” vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Chains
Dust
Children
Tin Of Piss
Malarky
Piping Angels
1 : 18

The raucous, fuzzy new cut “takes you on a journey through a hopeless chaos of love” explain the band. “It goes beyond a relationship’s horizon, the point of no return – where everyone involved is getting sucked in & spat out”. It’s the final taster from the band’s February EP, recorded with Dave McCracken (Sports Team, Pip Blom, The Snuts) and Caesar Edmund (St Vincent, Queens Of The Stone Age, Interpol) last year. Earlier singles such as ‘Spit Me Out’ and ‘Landslide’ solidified the trio as one of the UK’s most exciting new indie bands on the circuit.

TRACK LISTING

1. Landslide 02:43
2. Spit Me Out 02:46
3. Falling Apart 02:56

A chance first time meeting one morning in Block 9 at Glastonbury 2022 between Graham Massey and Nice Swan Records lead to this serendipitous release between London newcomers Malady and Hacienda legends 808 State. Fitting in line with Malady's remix packages over the last 18 months this seemed like the perfect alignment between old and new.

The original is a jaunty, electrified indie-dancer number powered by fast AFX-ish beats and high voltage synthesizers with a yearning male vocal that's a bit like Moving Units (remember them?).

Remixing their own track, Malady emphasis the top drawer synthesis- - deploying wubbing Reeses, precision breaks and ricocheting rave stabs - nice!

Onto the 808 State side and it's a highly engineered bleeps and breaks workout with advanced sound design and almost Autechre-like drum programming; weaving around the vocal track like a mechanized snake whilst bombarding the listener with a barrage of snares. Their instrumental, as you can imagine, does away with the vocal part and really let's that drum assault hammer home.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Proudly current indie-dance act Malady strike an amazing partnership with 808 State for this rather mesmerizing 12" which perfectly balances intricate sound design with anthemic song writing.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Round The Bend 
A2. Round The Bend (Malady Remix)

B1. Round The Bend (808 State Remix)
B2. Round The Bend (808 State Instrumental)

Michigan and Smiley’s all-time Studio One anthem,the latest in the series of all-time classic Studio One party bombs available on super loud 12”. Michigan and Smiley’s ‘Nice Up the Dance’ issimply one of the biggest, wickedest dancehalltunes ever made.

Originally released in 1979, Michigan and Smiley’sclassic rhyming over the seminal ‘Real Rock’ has proved one of the most enduring tunes in reggaeever. 100% essential monster tunes that rock anydancefloor.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Soul Jazz return to their loud-cut 12" classics series, giving another run to the dancehall staple, "Nice Up The Dance". You know the riddim - but doubt you'll have heard it this crisp n bassy! Update your scratchy 7" with this full fidelity 12" version! Niiiice up!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nice Up The Dance
B1. Michigan & Smiley & Sound Dimension - Nice Up The Dance (version)

The track is a study in perpetual motion – caught between an exhilarating swagger and a drunken lurch. Built around a spiralling, infectious synth lead-line, rolling bass and drums, and skittish guitars, this all provides the backbone for Conor Clements’ visceral vocal spitting.

It tells a tawdry tale, examining the propensity for unhinged views born of banal insularity. As the band explain:

“A father hiding behind a screen, a family watching the Queen’s jubilee and a wife leaving her unloving husband for a new life in Spain. We’ve seen all of these people and we know them too.

Last year, Nice Swan Records started the monthly ‘Nice Swan Introduces…’ series, shining a light on the most exciting emerging talent. Following releases with the likes of Sports Team, Pip Blom, FEET & FUR, the Series introduced a whole wave of new and exciting talent including Courting, Sprints, Malady, English Teacher & Opus Kink, which cemented the label as one of the country’s most exciting independent record labels for discovering the hottest new talent. Volume two of the series ha already unearthed Prima Queen, Deadletter and Saloon Dion and next up are Brighton’s Shady Baby.

It is with impeccable timing that the week after Brighton’s Great Escape Festival, the UK’s most famous multi venue event showcasing the best new music – Nice Swan Records, today, have announced their latest signing, Shady Baby – one of Brighton’s own! Shady Baby is the musical project of Brighton based Sam Leaver. Inspired by the sounds of Madchester & Britpop, and with a love for John Cooper Clarke, Leaver began making his own brand of angst ridden pop during the height of lockdown where songs were formed out of frustration whilst locked in his bedroom.

Having approached Brighton based producer Theo Verney (English Teacher, FEET, FUR, Egyptian Blue, TRAAMS etc) with his early demos, the two instantly formed a musical bond that has seen them work closely together in the studio ever since and Verney has helped hone the exciting sound of the debut tracks of Shady Baby.

Speaking on the track, Leaver said:

“‘Come To Life’ is an angry response to feeling like people treated you like shit but you let them get away with it. Feeling both angry at them but also at yourself for letting it happen.”

Leaver then enlisted the support of old childhood friend Laurie Debnam, on guitar after bumping into him at a house party in Brighton having not seen each other in a decade. Nick Varnava (Bass) and Tom Jackson (Drums) complete the line-up, having joined from other bands on the scene in the legendary musical city.

Bristol newcomers Saloon Dion release explosive latest effort ‘Pressure’ via cult indie label Nice Swan Records (Sports Team, Pip Blom, FUR, English Teacher).

Born after successful stints in some of the city’s most beloved post punk and surf rock outfits (including Football FC, Kimbo Nice, Ratbags), the raucous quintet have firmly established themselves as a thrilling new fixture within the punk landscape, bagging slots alongside the likes of Anorak Patch, KEG and Sprints in recent times.

Sparking early press plaudits from key indie champions (Brooklyn Vegan, Clash, Dork, So Young) and radio tastemakers alike (BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne), the frenetic outfit are certainly making all the right noises in their infancy, with further new music and frenetic live shows lined up in the months to come.

“‘Pressure’ is a direct response to Britain’s current economic climate”, the Bristol natives explained. “Lyrics which were at first deeply personal began to take on a wider meaning as the British public became subject to numerous political scandals, and an ever-worsening financial crisis. The idea of being forced to leave somewhere you love and depend on the help of others in the face of immeasurable odds also developed its own terrible resonance at the time of recording”.

Having moved into their North London flat together back in September 2019, FEET are now living “like a hive mind” and have level-upped their kinship - both as people and artists - several times over. Spending endless days making music, the band’s journey since their debut has been a rollercoaster - one with a definite U-turn. An initial batch of songs ended up being entirely scrapped after a sobering practice room realisation that, far from sounding like a cohesive second record, “one song sounded like a covers pub band, and another sounded like Eminem could throw some bars over it,” notes Callum.

And so, they sat down to write a manifesto: one that would tame their overflowing pot of ideas and put some necessary parameters around what they were doing. “No wanky guitar solos, no sailor outfits, no bringing a broom onstage,” jokes George. All fair points. But as well as that, the band started digging into what they actually wanted to sound like, setting up their home studio and taking a bigger interest in production and the atmosphere of the tracks, trying to hit the cross-section of pop music and something a little darker that they’ve always loitered around.

“We’re not a post punk band, we don’t sound like a ‘London band’ whatever that is, but the indie reference in our shared hive mind is related to a major label, squeaky clean sound which isn’t what we want from our band,” explains George. “You either go the mainstream route or the sleazy South London route and we’re slap bang in the middle, so we’re trying to state our spot. We’re pretty comfortable where we are and this is the direction we wanna take it in”.

‘Walking Machine EP’ takes these ideas and moulds them into four tracks that show a band still more than willing to throw in a liberal smattering of humour at the right moment, but who aren’t relying just on japes to get them through. They’ve still got a classically FEET name for their new direction, Crease Pop, but even that’s got some logic to it. “It’s taking the pop music formula - hooky choruses, nothing too self-indulgent - but it’s still got a bit of edge,” says George. “With Indie music, there’s an element where it can get quite soft and it’s quite easy to go through that phase where you think you sound like The Beach Boys, but we’ve come off the end of that where we want to be a bit grittier.”

Having beamed fans into their living room over lockdown with a series of livestreams imbued with more genuine live show energy than most, the tight-knit camaraderie the band have honed over the past year is there for all to see. Far from the group of novices they first emerged as, FEET are now a proper unit.

Nice Swan Records announce the release of compilation LP ‘Nice Swan Introduces Vol.1’. 

Introducing a wave of new and exciting talent including the likes of Jelly Cleaver, Courting, Sprints, Hallan, Malady, Mandrake Handshake and Anorak Patch. 

The upcoming compilation solidifies Nice Swan’s growing status as one of the UK’s most reputable indie labels, with further signings and releases set to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Launched in 2016 by North West duo Pete Heywoode and Alex Edwards, Nice Swan’s initial aim to become a platform for discovering and nurturing new talent soon attracted widespread recognition, with the subsequent success of signees such as Sports Team, Pip Blom, FUR and Hotel Lux building momentum at an impressive rate. 

Instilled with a passion to push emerging artists on a monthly basis, ‘Vol.1’ marks the next stage of the cult indie label’s development. With several acts already becoming mainstays on the BBC Radio 1 / 6 Music airwaves and gaining extensive tastemaker approval, the compilation could not be arriving at a better time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jelly Cleaver - Feeling Fine
2. Courting - David Byrnes Badside
3. Sprints - The Cheek
4. Hallan - Modern England
5. Malady - London, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down
6. Mandrake Handshake - Gonkulator
7. Anorak Patch - Irate
8. Jaws The Shark - Demon Dream
9. Opus Kink - Wild Bill
10. English Teacher - R&B

“[‘Delilah’ is] one of the best singles of the year: its combination of urgency, dissonance, vocal phrasing, lyrical empathy and a formidable rhythm section add up to something that’s incredibly powerful and instantly addictive.” - The Sunday Times (Breaking Act)

“Anorak Patch and fellow female-fronted acts such as Wet Leg are here to shake up the maledominated post-punk scene” - The Independent

Aged between just 15 and 18, Anorak Patch have been quick to grab the attention of tastemakers across the UK, and now they finally announce their debut EP, ‘By Cousin Sam’, released via Nice Swan Records.

‘Cousin Sam’ is about burying your cousin at a funeral - a bleak topic that isn’t a reference to anything, set to an almost psych slow tempo with haunting vocals that end up erupting together. Effie’s vocals have been compared to that of The Pretenders, Blondie and even early Bloc Party.

TRACK LISTING

Cousin Sam
Cousin Sam (Intro)
Paris Will Be Paid For
Irate
Delilah
Blue Jeans
Polly Filler

On the new single Prima Queen offer the following: “Chew My Cheeks is a song that centres on an unhealthy obsession with someone who is slightly out of reach. We wrote it in lockdown last year when we were remembering what it was like to idealise people you don’t know and to use them as a form of escapism. We ended up watching The Matrix in isolation together around the same time and were really inspired by the world in which the movie creates” Prima Queen are an all-female indie/alternative rock band fronted by songwriting duo and best friends Louise Macphail (Bristol, UK) and Kristin McFadden (Chicago, USA). Combining vulnerable and nostalgic story telling with light-hearted lyrical imagery, their ethereal yet gritty style draws influences from artists such as Julia Jacklin, Nilüfer Yanya and Lucy Dacus.Discussing their collaboration with The Big Moon, the band say “It was incredible being able to work with The Big Moon since they’ve been such a big inspiration to us and we look up to them so much. They really understood our vision for the song and we were so impressed with how they were able to bring it to life.” Prima Queen have recently played sold out headline shows at The Windmill and the Dalston Victoria and have just come off tour with Billy Nomates.

Following breakout tracks ‘6 Week Party’, ‘Irate’ and ‘Blue Jeans’, the 4-piece share new single ‘Delilah’, a tale of wanting more than the small town you call home, and further proof of why Anorak Patch are one of the UK’s most exciting young bands to emerge in recent times. Of the track, the band say, “‘Delilah is a story. It’s about a girl who’s struggling her way through life... the song is sort of a snapshot of how difficult life can be when you are in a bad headspace without good people around you. It’s a lonely place to be. The ‘town’ is just a reference to wanting something more than the place you grew up in... I guess in that sense it’s a little autobiographical. We are from a little place in Essex, it’s not a bad place, but we collectively dream that by playing our music we will have a chance to move out of its orbit.”
Anorak Patch are also set to perform their debut headline shows, including in their hometown of Colchester next month, and in London next year. Keyboardist Effie Lawrence formed the group in late 2019 with high school friends Luca Ryland (drums), brother Oscar (guitar) and bass player Eleanor Helliwell. The drummer being just 15, and the oldest member 18, the new single continues to show the band’s immense musical talent at such a young age.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Delilah
B1. Blue Jeans

Raucous and whip-smart in equal measure, ‘Skint Eastwood’ tells the story of local outcasts, distant in their family lives and chastised by their communities.

“Skint Eastwood is a Lincoln loner. He’s a BMX bandit who lurks the streets for affection, be it by begging, stealing or borrowing” explains frontman Mitch Spencer. “Suburban life gives way to people like Skint Eastwood, kids with nothing but the change in their pockets and the rucksack on their backs - cycling into oblivion as much as they are crying out for help. There’s something familiar about that old cowboy cliche; a hard exterior crossed with a soft and vulnerable interior is easily used to describe the lost boys and girls of our generation.”

Armed with a forthcoming debut EP full of biting, streamlined indie - all taught, propulsive rhythms and witty, acerbic vocals - the omnipresent backbone of small-town living lies front and center in everything that The Rills create, coupled with the driving ambition to make something bigger of themselves that rings in every cutthroat riff.

Me And Ennui Are Friends, Baby is the latest full-length from New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, Sarah Mary Chadwick, whose brutally honest songwriting has cast her contrary to the gentleness of most current music. Comprised entirely of minimal solo piano arrangements, the album is despondently clear-eyed and smirkingly self-deprecating, completing a trilogy of records that started with The Queen Who Stole The Sky recorded on Melbourne Town Hall’s grand organ, and her only outing to date featuring a full band, Please Daddy. Each record has followed Chadwick’s internal processing after a traumatic event, with Chadwick’s zeal for psychoanalysis front and center. On Ennui, Chadwick presents an exacting intensity with her choice to pare back to piano and vocals. It’s in this stark setting that she focuses on the attempt she made on her life in 2019. The methods Chadwick employed here contrast those of her previous full-band record, which thrust her into a very different world of rehearsal, planning, restraint and control as a functional tool. The result, 2020’s critically acclaimed Please Daddy, was her most aching and engaging achievement to date: “a raw, often unnerving experience,” which “delivers compelling and uplifting catharsis” (Mojo). Recording Ennui shortly after those sessions, Chadwick concludes her trilogy by returning to the most immediate compositional process she can muster, doing it alone, with less between her and the microphone than ever before. Joined by long time production collaborators, Me And Ennui was mastered by David Walker at Stepford Audio and mixed and recorded by Geoff O’Connor at Vanity Lair—both expertly bringing scale, subtlety and intangible ascendence to this recording. 

He teams up with the cult Brighton based experimental artist Alasdair Willis (The Vitamin B 12) who plays saxophone on 3 of the 11 tracks on the album.

The album has all the hallmarks of an Emote record and more. Likely to be listed as down tempo / abstract ambient and blending many different styles together.

If you are in tune with free jazz and abstract electronic tribal music you should find this good home spooky listening .

Supported by Chloe Alice Frieda of Alien Jams and Damo B of the Outer Limits Radio Show 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Home And Dry
A2. Poi Poi Poi
A3. Are Gate
B1. Homage To V Neck
B2. Old Duck.
B3. Loaded
C1. Segway
C2. Odd Stoop
C3. Naughty Letter
D1. ESP Gulls
D2. Mask-Debate 

Die Antwoord follows up 2014's 'Donker Mag' with a new album 'Mount Ninji and Da Nice Time Kid'. Released on September 16 the album boasts guest appearances by Dita Von Teese, Jack Black and Lil Tommy Terror, among others. The duo describe the album variously as "dark and ratty," "a giant supernatural mega aura," and "epic and sometimes vulnerable and sometimes sweet and romantic and so brave and full of mystery and win".

TRACK LISTING

1. We Have Candy
2. Daddy
3. Banana Brain
4. Shit Just Got Real (Feat. Sen Dog)
5. Gucci Coochie (Feat. Dita Von Teese)
6. Wings On My Penis (Feat. Lil Tommy Terror)
7. U Like Boobies? (Feat. Lil Tommy Terror)
8. Rats Rule (Feat. Jack Black)
9. Jonah Hill
10. Stoopid Rich
11. Fat Faded Fuck Face
12. Peanutbutter+Jelly
13. Alien
14. Street Lights
15. Darkling
16. I Dont Care

Described as 'terrifying psychedelic electrickery' by Time Out, Nice Nice release their new album "Extra Wow".
The album is typically monstrous, diverse and layered, a powerful first impression skipping amongst ‘noise’ / drone music (Zu, Earth, Lightning Bolt) to more rhythmic, structured artists (Fuck Buttons, Pivot), via psychedelia / showgaze and more Eno-esque sounds.

Lightspeed Champion has returned with his second album, "Life is Sweet! Nice To Meet You", the follow-up to 2008’s "Falling Off The Lavender Bridge". It's an epic collection of twelve pop songs, two instrumental intermissions and one piano etude.

Lightspeed’s early leaning towards American country dressings is traded here for a palette that draws on classical music and even musical theatre. Producer and mixer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley) assembles the eclectic grab-bag of influences, joltingly 70s guitar and synth sounds, classical piano, Greek choruses shouting reprisals, and at least one ukelele-driven moment.

Mark Stoney writes, records, produces and plays nearly all the instruments on his records himself (all but the drums). Since his debut release early this year he's been getting rave reviews for both his records and his live shows. This double A-side single looks set to continue this acclaim. Two finely crafted songs that meld 60s brit-pop influences with fuzzy, psychedelic keyboards and quirky, off kilter melodies that hint at Super Furry Animals and Beck amongst others.

To truly understand the color and shape of Nice Nice, you must really see them live. Only then will you realize that every sound heard on this record, every intricate polyrhythmic layer is live. There are no overdubs, and there are only two people in the band. Born in Olympia, Wa and now calling Portland their home, guitarist Jason Buehler and percussionist Mark Shirazi meticulously warp hard funk, psyche, soul, dub, angular rock and no-wave noise into a mechanical beast that can take you from dream to dance in 30 seconds flat. The instrumentation is relatively simple: guitar and drums. But it's the endless tap-dancing of effects pedals and rock solid dub beats that make every moment more magical than the last. Recommended to fans of the Load label, Leaf label, the new weird Americana scene and old school New York punk funk ala ESG and James Chance.