TV Priest will release Uppers, their full-length debut on CD/LP/CS/DSPs worldwide on February 5th, 2021 through Sub Pop. Today, we’re sharing the new single and official video for “Press Gang,” helmed by returning director Joe Wheatley.
“Press Gang” is inspired by Charlie’s grandfather’s life’s work as a photojournalist and war correspondent on the UK’s Fleet Street from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The song is about the shifting role in the dissemination of information and ideas, and how the prevailing narrative that the “Death of Print Media” has contributed to a “post-truth” world.
Late last year, TV Priest announced their signing to Sub Pop with the release of “Decoration,” the beating heart of Uppers.
The FADER says of the “Decoration” video, “Gnarly British post-punk band TV Priest blows a breeze through life’s trinkets and accoutrements on “Decoration,” the beating heart of their forthcoming Sub Pop debut Uppers. Among the items frontman Charlie Drinkwater rails against over a jagged groove are feature walls, smashed avocado, junk food, and “the TV adaptation of the latest book craze (see premiere October 28th).”
“Decoration” and Uppers’ pre-release singles “This Island” and “Slideshow” along with standalone tracks “House of York” and “Runner Up,” won the band raves from the likes of NME, The FADER, Brooklyn Vegan, PASTE, DORK, The Line of Best Fit, Beats Per Minute, So Young, and more.
What people have been saying about TV Priest: “Fuzzed-out post punk from London four-piece on debut LP… harsh, brittle eruptions offering up a variety of teeth-rattling noises.” [Uppers] Uncut
Ragged yet tight, sprawling yet focussed, it’s a singular vision of a disparate time. It rounds up most of the usual suspects of our Un-united Kingdom, the pop culture, the insularity, the lies on the side of a bus, but manages to breathe new life into those old tropes by sheer force of personality. [Uppers, ★★★★] - DORK
“The post-punk band have caught attention with a string of superb singles, exemplifying their scorching post-punk sound.” - CLASH
“Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater scrolls endlessly as his country fades into irrelevance on British band TV Priest’s latest fiery missive.” [“This Island”/ “20 Best Rock Songs Right Now, Aug.”] - The FADER
“They fit in with the post-punk revival - sultry, prophetic lyricism with brash instrumentation…” [“This Island”] - Brooklyn Vegan
“Scorching” [“This Island”] - DIY
“The track’s distorted organs serve as riled-up opening remarks before gruelling dark vocals spit out patriotic cliches and commemorative Latin phrases. “This is not my national anthem” sneers Charlie Drinkwater over a fuzzy echo of the Star-Spangled Banner. Thrashing industrial guitars smash any sense of security.” [“House of York”] - The Line Of Best Fit
“’This Island’ is a densely packed ball of energy, and their occasional spillovers of momentum are exhilarating.” - PASTE
“A frenzied anthem.”[“House of York”] - Earmilk
“A riotous debut single… finding a balance of subtlety and decisive awakening that’s fed through the laconic, abstract drawl of Charlie Drinkwater, seamlessly subverting into a deafening anthem in itself.” [“House of York”] - So Young
“Their sound is ultimately chaotic, with cuts of fuzzy distortion creating a disorienting and thrilling listening experience.” [“House of York”] - Gigwise
TV Priest Uppers
Tracklisting: 1. The Big Curve 2. Press Gang 3. Leg Room 4. Journal of a Plague Year 5. History Week 6. Decoration 7. Slideshow 8. Fathers and Sons 9. the ref 10. Powers of Ten 11. This Island 12. Saintless
Uppers is now available to preorder from Sub Pop. LPs purchased through megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on gold splattered vinyl (while supplies last). Meanwhile, LP preorders in the U.K. and Europe through select independent retailers will receive the Loser edition on gray marbled vinyl (while supplies last).
Marika Hackman has delivered a gorgeous live performance of the Elliott Smith classic “Between the Bars”. Her interpretation of the song is from Covers, a darkly beautiful, self-produced album out now via Sub Pop in the Americas and Transgressive for the rest of the world. The “Between the Bars” live performance, which was filmed in an abandoned swimming pool, was directed and shot by Natàlia Pagès Geli and Tom Palliser, produced by Grace Manning, and mixed by Matthew Daly for Stolen Sessions.
Discussing the cover, Hackman offers: “Out of everything on this record, I kept “Between the Bars” closest to the original. On the Any Human Friend tours in 2019, I started playing it in the set - I hope you like this version from the livestream. I just wanted to do a really good performance of it, more like an homage than a cover.”
During the extended stay-at-home orders of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of a blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between her home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it. In contrast to her last two albums (2019’s Any Human Friend & 2017’s I’m Not Your Man), this collection of songs is more akin in tone and feel to her debut We Slept At Last, with a darker and more introspective sound. On Covers, we hear Marika’s emotive voice set against sparse arrangements of guitars and strings with the occasional synth or scattered drum groove.
Breathing new life into the songs she’s chosen, Marika reimagines work by some of the world’s most beloved artists, such as Radiohead, Air, Sharon Van Etten and more. It’s a suitably varied collection, but Marika’s intimate delivery and soft, nuanced and atmospheric touch to production, thread them all together effortlessly.
Marika explains how she came to choose the material: “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while. It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.”
Adventurous and versatile, Covers continues Marika’s lineage in turning each body of work into a new take and perspective on her creative vision. She twists and turns, always surprises, and is never afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve. It remains anyone’s guess to imagine where she will head next.
What people are saying about Marika Hackman’s Covers: “Covers… It’s a nuanced handling of some of her recent recent song obsessions, which need no theme and are bound together by her voice - irresistibly silken and alluringly forlorn -and and overall, introspective hush (8/10).”- Uncut
“Marika’s ability to truly make each song her own is her biggest strength, giving her selection here a reassuringly even sonic energy.” ★★★★ -DIY
“Covers is a magnificent experiment, filled with a mellifluous melancholy, bittersweet on the ears. (8/10).” - Gigwise
“A brilliantly self-produced album conceived and recorded behind doors: a close-quartered and at times uneasy listen, that both speaks to and provides an odd comfort for the current times.” - NME
“The ten track album is a very intimate joy; it’s the sound of an artist retracing their own steps back to the beginning to relocate the catalyst that began the whole endeavour in the first place.” - The Forty Five “Her ‘All Night’ is distorted, expansive and no less sensual than the original, its lyrics – “Kiss up and rub up and feel up on you” – very much in Hackman’s wheelhouse” - The Independent
“…A back-to-basics approach, keeping arrangements simple and focusing on her unique reworkings of the essential melodies and moods at the heart of these tracks.” - The AV Club
“What I think is really special about it, is that she curates, chooses these covers in a way that is almost like a form of writing…” - NPR Music
“Hackman gives us a glimpse into her quarantine playlist. And even more impressive, she tangibly shows us why these songs are so special, breaking them down to their core, and letting them speak for themselves.” - Under the Radar
Hot Snakes have released a new single entitled “Checkmate,” which is available now through all digital service providers and will be available directly from the band, in very limited numbers, as a physical 7” at their upcoming shows. The 7” will also include the exclusive b-side “Not in Time.” In the words of Hot Snakes’ Rick Froberg, “Checkmate” is “big, fatty content freshly extruded from the Hot Snakes sausage machine. Same ingredients, new flav.”
Hot Snakes will kick off a 12-date tour in the UK & Ireland on December 3rd. And, while it might be presumptuous to suggest that Hot Snakes are the single best live band in the world right now, they’re definitely in the top 1. See below for a full list of dates.
Dec. 03 - Nottingham, UK - Bodega Dec. 04- Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute Dec. 05 - Newcastle, UK - Cluny Dec. 06 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast Dec. 07 - Belfast, UK - Black Box Dec. 08 - Dublin, IE - Grand Social Dec. 10 - Birmingham, UK - Hare & Hound Dec. 11 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Dec. 12 - London, UK - Garage Dec. 13 - Bristol, UK - Thekla Social Dec.14 - Brighton, UK - Patterns Dec. 15 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms
The most recent Hot Snakes album, 2018’s Jericho Sirens is available everywhere from Sub Pop and through all DSPs. And the band’s reissued catalog - Automatic Midnight, Suicide Invoice and Audit in Progress - is also available from Sub Pop.
What “The People” are saying about Hot Snakes and Jericho Sirens: “It’s got all the traits that make Hot Snakes the unique band they always were: the fury of hardcore, the dissonant riffs of noise rock, the fuzz-drenched party of garage rock. They’ve got no fat on this thing — it’s over and done with in 30 minutes and replay value is very high — and the songs aren’t just rippers but catchy too.” - Brooklyn Vegan
“Hot Snakes’ caustic, erudite commentary is more welcome than ever (★★★★).”- MOJO
“Teeming with revved-up riffs and apocalyptic imagery, the post-hardcore group’s first album since 2005 reasserts their status as the most merciless band in their scene” - Pitchfork
“Comebacks are complicated, for bands and fans too, but this is one for the ages. Hot Snakes have returned, reminding those of us who’ve paid attention that they are definitively one of the greatest rock bands we’ve ever known (9/10).” - Exclaim!
“It’s exactly what you want out of a Hot Snakes jam, with a riff that snarls and swaggers like a hot rod, its wild hair of a melody built into the stylish chrome. [“Six Wave Hold-Down”]”- NPR Music
“Jericho Sirens is an incredible turn, and proof to the other half-hearted post-hardcore comebacks of the last years (looking at you At the Drive-In, Refused and more) that it is possible to still be high-quality and relevant. In fact, in places Hot Snakes’ fourth album is so good, it even puts newer bands who have come up in the meantime to shame. ★★★★★” - The Skinny
“The very definition of kickass. ★★★★”- The Guardian
Now hear a live version of “Judgement, Rage, Retribution and Thyme”.
Recorded live during their 2016 European tour at shows in Germany, Croatia, Sweden, Austria, Norway, and Slovenia LiE is the first unlimited-edition, non-bootleg live Mudhoney album to date.
2018 marks Mudhoney’s 30th anniversary, and this release is a fitting start to a year that will also see the release of a new Mudhoney full-length. (!!!) This album’s 11 tracks span the band’s storied career, and include their live cover of Roxy Music’s “Editions of You.”
[Photo Credit: Vincent van Nes]
Mudhoney’s LiE will be available on vinyl LP and through digital service providers worldwide on January 19th, 2018 [preorder now here]. And, in lieu of a Sub Pop Loser Edition of LiE, a 500-piece, limited-edition of the LP, on heavy, milky clear vinyl with a bonus 7” single included (“Touch Me I’m Sick” b/w “Where the Flavor Is”), and different packaging will be available for pre-order right here, while supplies last. There will also be new Mudhoney t-shirts available at megamart.subpop.com and mudhoneyonline.com.
Side A 1. Fuzz Gun ‘91 (Primosten, Croatia - from Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge) 2. Get Into Yours (Berlin, Germany - from Mudhoney) 3. Poisoned Water (Primosten, Croatia - from Tomorrow Hit Today) 4. The Final Course (Malmo, Sweden - from Vanishing Point) 5. What to Do With the Neutral (Malmo, Sweden - from Vanishing Point) 6. I’m Now (Malmo, Sweden - from The Lucky Ones)
Side B 7. Judgement, Rage,Retribution and Thyme (Vienna, Austria - fromMy Brother the Cow) 8. I Like It Small (Oslo, Norway - from Vanishing Point) 9. Suck You Dry (Malmo, Sweden - from Piece of Cake) 10. Editions of You (Ljubljana, Slovenia - from the “Butterfly Stroke” 7” and the March to Fuzz comp) 11. Broken Hands (Ljubljana, Slovenia - from Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge)
Sub Pop has signed London-based songwriter Marika Hackman to the label, and will release I’m Not Your Man, her North American label debut, on June 2nd. The album - including recently released track “Boyfriend” - was produced and mixed by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J) at various locales throughout London. I’m Not Your Man will also be available in Europe from AMF Records.
Hackman also has (for your audio-visual enjoyment) an official video for “Boyfriend,” directed by Libby Burke Wilde [watch here], which co-stars the singer and her friends from UK band, The Big Moon.
There’s an open-ended nature toI’m Not Your Man: the discussions within, conversations on femininity, sex and sexual identity, millennial ennui, the pressures of living in a social media bubble and the perils of being young in a fast- paced industry. Says Hackman, “The record’s all about female relationships, romance and breakdowns, but there’s also a dim worldview going on. I’m Not Your Man can either mean, ‘I’m not your man, I’m your woman’, or it can mean, ‘I’m not a part of this…’,” explains Hackman. It’s a fiery statement from a songwriter who no longer wants to be shackled to limiting descriptions.
To help channel this fervid energy, Hackman recruited her best mates – London quartet The Big Moon to play as her backing band on I’m Not Your Man. “They really captured the soul of what it all meant to me and brought a lot of fun and creativity,” says Hackman. The unspoiled nature of the recording environment has thrown up a truly dynamic, multi-genre sound. It’s all tied together via razor sharp wit and authenticity.
[Cover Art: Painting by Tristan Piggot. Read more about it here.]
I’m Not Your Man will be released on CD / LP / DL / CS and is now available to preorder in North America from Sub Pop [link here]. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in the Americas will receive the Loser edition on orange colored-vinyl with a bonus 7” (while supplies last). There will also a be new t-shirt design available with this release.
Marika Hackman has scheduled a handful of SXSW appearances to preview I’m Not Your Man (March 15th-18th). Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Mar. 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Latitude 30 / BBC2 Official Showcase Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW / The Blackheart / Transgressive Records Showcase Mar. 18 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Urban Outfitters Back Lot
Set your alarms for later today when Beach House will share new single “Sparks” from Depression Cherry on Sirius XMU. The premiere happens live on-air today at 5:30 pm EST, so don’t sleep!
