Turn off the radio and tune in to our Top underground UK based tunes of the week.
This week we are showcasing five of the stand-out British artists we have discovered this week. There is a huge dearth of talent floating about in the UK at the moment and we have decided to group them together today and let you all hear what we are hearing on a daily basis. Forget the radio for a few minutes and take in our certified fresh finds from the UK this week.
This week we feature music from Leisure Tank / PODGE / Hanging Valleys / Richard Walters / Low Island /.
Richard Walters / This is Where It Ends
Richard Walters is no stranger to creating emotive and thought provoking music. His previous works have ended up being used on a number of TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and CSI Miami. He is a well respected songwriter and collaborator behind the scenes too, working with Olafur Arnolds and Solomun to name but a couple.
He has released four solo studio albums to date and we have picked out his latest offering ‘This is Where it Ends’ to spotlight this week. The track is hauntingly beautiful to be honest and I got caught totally engrossed in the music video that accompanied it aswell. Walters’s smooth vocals work brilliantly against the subtle backdrop of those pensive piano chords and rolling drum pattern. This is a song of the highest quality – it’s dark and eerie but utterly beautiful all things considered. A great British release that you may have missed this week. Check it our below.
FFO: Bon Iver / Paper Kites / Grey’s Anatomy
PODGE / What Happened
Utterly bizarre, yet an effectively addictive new release from experimental bedroom producer and songwriter PODGE. The single with have focused in on is the chirpy and uplifting ‘What Happened‘ that has just surfaced this month. It took me a couple of intent listens to really get my head around his pretty unique sounds. I am into this totally now.
He is a 20 year old from the Wirral, Liverpool. He has been making music in his bedroom since the age of fifteen and his talents are getting more and more defined of late. He garners a huge influence from Japanese Pop music culture and this is evident in his peculiar, yet infectious, releases. ‘What Happened‘ features catchy words, various glitch-y percussion elements and a bubbly atmosphere overall.
It gets our seal of approval. His truly creative style reminds me a bit of mercurial Cosmo Sheldrake. Interesting music here, listen below.
FFO: Cosmo Sheldrake / Wasuremono
Low Island / When You Wake At Night
Low Island are a four piece consisting of Jamie Jay, Carlos Posada, Jacob Lively and Felix Higginbottom. Their music has received high praise in recent times with their sonic sound being compared to LCD Soundsystem, Caribou and Radiohead. I would certainly agree that they are making waves in the same ilk as the aforementioned artists. They are no pisstakers, this band are the real deal.
They have just released their latest single ‘When You Wake At Night’ and I was totally impressed immediately. The droning synths and chilled bass-line gave the track a really melancholic feel. The lead singers falsetto singing works nicely in unison with the moody and slow moving background music. After taking in this single from our submissions inbox, I searched up the band on Spotify straight away, looking for more. I wasn’t disappointed, this band is the absolute nuts.
Check out the latest single below. Also, give ‘Long Answer‘ a spin, its a completely different mood. Think Vampire Weekend and The Cast Of Cheers. These guys have a hugely varied repetoire and are definitely my favourite find this month. How did they bypass me for so long? Woah!
I like Long Answer so much that I’m linking that below too. Legends.
FFO: Vampire Weekend / Future Islands
Leisure Tank / Moema
London Based Leisure Tank is a folk oriented singer/songwriter who has just released her first track in just over two years. Moema hits us with it’s rugged and raw style. Lead singer K.C certainly takes inspiration from American Indie and this comes across in her singing performance here. The tune as so well-written and inspiring. I love that she has performed this song in Margo’s Living Room too, our good friends at ‘Fake Turins‘ have also played in there. 🙂
This sounds like a song that wouldn’t feel out of place if it was heard in a western film soundtrack. It has Django Unchained written all over it. I love this stuff.
This new single suggests more is on the way to follow up on their 2016 album ‘Wet Suit‘ – Watch this space.
Recorded @ Hermitage Works Studio, London.
FFO: PJ Harvey and Anna Calvi
Hanging Valleys / The Shining Mountains
Two guys, Thom Byles who was brought up in Mexico City and Michael Phillips from London have come together and are making hellishly haunting music down in Soho these days. I introduce to you the magical and melodic dark vibes of Hanging Valleys.
A couple of years ago I became absolutely obsessed with the music of Aussie songwriter Dustin Tebbutt and Canadian songwriter Patrick Watson. I listened to all of their respective tunes religiously. I felt that these musicians had this really eerie tone and they just struck a chord for me. The reason I am rambling on about them is that I have been drawn into the dark and whimsical path of Hanging Valleys in the same way. This single is absolutely enchanting. A haunting falsetto just always does something to me. If I’m in a certain mood, this is the music that smooths me. The Shining Mountains is going in my rainy day playlist for sure. Wow.
They Supported Irish Act, Saint Sister at The Slaughtered Lamb, London a while back, class. They have been creating a stir and have had loads of outlets singing their praises. You can add us to that ever expanding list of suitors. Unsigned and Unreal.
About ‘The Sound Sniffer’
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog which is still only a baby – Founded and run by Kevin Coakley in early 2019. He is a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists we find in our submissions inbox.
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