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NICE SWAN

Hallan

The Noise Of A Firing Gun

    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

    My Eyes, Brother!

      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 Rills

      After Taste

        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)

        English Teacher

        Polyawkward

          Leeds indie heavyweights English Teacher announce details of debut EP ‘Polyawkward’, via Nice Swan Records (Sports Team, Pip Blom, FUR).

          The follow-up to mammoth lead track ‘Good Grief’, ‘A55’ captures the group’s trademark enigmatic wordplay and vivid musicianship in full flow, adding further credence to their status as key players amongst the emerging indie elite, having already been spotlighted in the NME 100, DIY’s Class of 2022 and Dork’s 2022 Hype List.

          Detailing their second EP reveal, bandleader Lily Fontaine explained: “”Writing the lyrics for ‘A55’ was a cathartic exercise after waking up with ‘The Fear’ the morning after the night before – reflecting on the rise and fall of the ego as it became affected by what I put in my body, I hoped that putting it down in verse would make the embarrassment all worth it.”

          Shady Baby

          Come To Life / Lonely Town

            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.

            Saloon Dion

            Pressure / Hey Hey

              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”.

              Anorak Patch

              By Cousin Sam

                “[‘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

                Prima Queen

                Chew My Cheeks

                  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.

                  Jaws The Shark

                  Another Day In Paradise

                    Having already solidified his reputation within the past year, gaining praise from key publications including Dork and Gigwise, alongside spins on the BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders) and BBC 6 Music (Shaun Keaveny, Huw Stephens) airwaves, Jaws the Shark is certainly swimming in a sea of potential, and with support slots for Dinosaur Pile Up imminent, his presence across the indie landscape is primed to become even bigger in the months to come.

                    Produced by Theo Verney (FUR, FEET, Lazarus Kane, English Teacher).

                    TRACK LISTING

                    Side A
                    Another Day In Paradise
                    Cold Feet

                    Side B
                    Erase Myself
                    Still Young

                    The Rills

                    Skint Eastwood

                      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.


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