Industry news & advice blog

Adult Leisure - ‘Boy Grows Old’

Sending their hotly-anticipated debut album ‘The Things You Don’t Know Yet’ into orbit just last week, Bristol band Adult Leisure are turning heads and pricking up ears with their infectious sound, which bassist Luke Denham sums up for us;

“I’d say it’s got the indie alternative foundation, peppered with big hooky pop choruses with some naughty distortion and groovy bits thrown in.”

The final single to be unveiled from the album, ‘Boy Grows Old’, is Adult Leisure's second collaboration with The 1975 / Sam Fender saxophonist John Waugh. Captivating, melodic and breezy, it’s without doubt an earworm, although the band elaborate on the track’s deeper impetus;

“It’s a reflection of all of our different experiences growing up. Typically, when you look back on the younger years, it's through rose-tinted glasses and nostalgia. We’ve all got amazing memories as kids; however, there were also times of real trauma and anger. The song itself deals with no real occasion in particular, but rather an amalgamation of experiences and events, and more importantly, emotions we felt.”

So far, the album’s singles have already accumulated over a quarter of a million streams, plus backing from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, BBC Introducing, Pop Journal, Fresh on the Net, Pop Journal, and placements on multiple Spotify editorial playlists, as well as E4's Made In Chelsea.

With plenty of UK gigs under their belt, Adult Leisure dipped their toe into the European festival circuit this year, playing at Vestrock in Holland and Supersonic Block Party in Paris.

The band will be back on the road in the UK from 9th October, as they kick off a 12 date headline album tour at London’s Sebright Arms. Their 10 track debut album is out now on limited edition vinyl, so hunt down a copy, and check out their tour dates to see if you can catch Adult Leisure in a town near you before they blow up.

“It’s the first time we have a substantial body of work coming out and cannot wait for everyone to hear it. Things have really started to ramp up for us recently and it isn’t going to be slowing down.”

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Kate Prendergast - ‘Retold Tale’

Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kate Prendergast displays an expansive blend of folk, rock and pop on her track ‘Retold Tale’, and, most importantly, demonstrates what she does best; harnessing her striking voice to weave honest lyrics and authentic storytelling into her songs.

Writing and recording since the age of 12, Kate has steadily built up to releasing a series of singles over the past 18 months. She tells us more about the narrative behind ‘Retold Tale’,

“Retold Tale is about the journey of being a young person starting out in the music industry and all the things and challenges that come with it. It is not a personal experience, as I have a great team around me, but it is something I see a lot with friends and other people my age, not only in music but also in everyday life.”

Since unveiling her debut single ‘Past Letters’, Kate has accumulated airplay across the UK and Ireland, positive reviews for her tracks from the likes of The Other Side, Listen With Monger, Music From the Heart and RTE, as well as playing live across a variety of support slots and showcases. A more recent and personal highlight for Kate was organising and running a one day mini-festival to raise money for Lauralynn Children's Hospice this summer.

Looking ahead, a new single 'Perfect Plans' is in production and Kate hopes to release this before the end of the year. She’ll also be playing at Your Roots Are Showing Folk Festival & Conference in Belfast in January, so keep an eye on her social media for updates on new music and gigs.

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Project Overload - ‘Late Night Dancing’

Unleashing their third single of the year, five-piece Project Overload’s track ‘Late Night Dancing’ is a feel-good, indie gem which perfectly lives up to the description from their first ever review; “bright janglepop with sharp elbows.”

Formed at Tin Music & Arts’ Live on Stage initiative in Coventry, the band have been making music and gigging for a number of years now, releasing their debut album ‘New Beginnings’ in 2024. During their time together, they’ve drawn comparisons to The Primitives, Young Marble Giants and The Sundays, and cite Blur, Declan McKenna, Jamie T, Peach Fuzz, Sabrina Carpenter, Slowdive and Two Door Cinema Club as inspiration.

Onto ‘Late Night Dancing’, the final element in a narrative played out over a trio of songs, kicked off by ‘Silhouettes’ which covered starry eyed romance, ‘Wildfire’ was about love breaking down, and their current single which, as the title suggests, is dedicated to dancing the blues away.

“It started as a rehearsal jam with some new effects pedals, then sprang to life taking inspiration from Nile Rodgers, cowbells, water-glass chimes, ‘50s B-movies and Blondie’s Heart of Glass. We played it live for Record Store Day the week it was written, with lyric sheets scattered on the stage. It came together pretty quickly, and though it doesn’t sound much like the rest of the new album, we knew it was a banger so it had to be a single.”

Picking up praise from the likes of BBC Music, Joyzine, Sweeping the Nation, Real Gone, and being named ‘Best New Local Band’ by Coventry Observer, it’s clear that Project Overload’s star is ascending and they plan to strike whilst the iron is hot!

Mixes for their second album are almost complete and it should be ready for the grand unveiling by the end of 2025. “We think it’s a giant step up from our debut and we’re really excited for people to hear it.”

Beyond that, look out for upcoming gigs to promote the new album…and we’re assured that plenty of songs are already in the bag for album 3, so watch this space.

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False Futures - ‘Under The Same Sun’

Picking up impressive reviews from the likes of Earmilk, DIY and So Young Magazine, plus airplay from John Kennedy on Radio X, not to mention rounding up their first headline tour last month, False Futures are definitely causing a stir. Songwriter and vocalist Matthew Conner sheds some light on the four-piece’s sound;

“We sound English (or so people have said - on account of my accent, I expect), the songs are as rudimentary as I could make and are about life really, in a broad stroke. That was the framework for our starting point really - to make the songs unpolished and simple, and to sing about our lives and experiences and not really dress anything up.”



The skeleton of False Future’s lo-fi single ‘Under the Same Sun’ has been existence for a while now before finally coming together, with the song recorded in a cramped 9ft x 9ft room in North London.

“The original demo came about 8 or more years ago. It didn’t have any words but I had the chords and the bass was there. It was saved as ‘Under the same Sun’ and it just sat about on a hard-drive for ages. I never felt inclined to try and suss the words for it, but could imagine ending the song with that refrain. One night I was going to the cinema and whilst queuing the lyrics just started presenting themselves. Was weird…almost against my will really, after it had just been sat collecting dust in my head for all that time. This track is a pat on the back to my younger self; a reminder to do as you please with your time on earth. The good, the bad, the alright, everything that has ever happened has done so, under the same sun, and that's all the guarantee you're getting."

More recently, the band have dropped B-side ‘'The Fluke and The Excuse', a tale of unrequited desire that showcases a more intimate side of False Futures. Recording for their new EP will soon be underway, with bigger plans for another tour early next year, plus an album on the horizon. So hang tight as there’s plenty more from False Futures predicted in our future.

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NATI - ‘Joan’

Momentarily stepping aside from her folk roots, singer songwriter NATI relishes experimenting with different styles, sounds and genres, and her latest song ‘Joan’ sees her indulge in some powerful and spirited alt pop. Crafted alongside producer PALMR (Frozemode, Bloom Twins), NATI tells us how the song sprung to life;
 
“‘Joan’ was a happy accident; birthed from trying something completely out of my comfort zone. I'd gone in to write with PALMR and, structurally, it was the opposite of how I write. I do lyrics first but in this session I wasn't writing the lyrics until a few hours before it ended. A lot of pressure but I was thriving because I was slowly starting to fall in love with this song. ‘Joan’ literally popped herself into my head at the exact right time. I didn't want to write something as autobiographical or as first person as my previous songs. As soon as I'd decided that, the first 2 lines of the song just found their way into my brain. I didn't know who Joan was but I immediately was obsessed with her and knew I had to write about her.”

Over the years NATI has picked up some incredible reviews from the likes of Clash, Bristol 24/7 and Earmilk, and has experienced some meaningful and envy-inducing moments;

“Touring with Newton Faulkner is always going to be a stand out because he's my idol. The first time I supported Tide Lines in King Tuts was the first time I'd ever stepped out into a live audience as NATI. I'll never ever forget that. The first time I ever played Belladrum is always going to be one of the most special days. The timing, the new music and how physically and mentally prepared I was. It was electric. St. Lukes in Glasgow is also one I hold so fondly because it was my first big headline, my first time playing electric guitar and the first time I was playing a lot of new, original songs. There was something quite magical about that night. Opening for Simply Red in front of thousands with just myself and an acoustic guitar will always be an honour and another huge stand out was playing the Hydro. Even listing all of these now is wild to me!”

Over the coming months NATI will be continuing to share her fresh sound on a wider scale as she hits the road throughout October supporting Newton Faulkner on his UK tour. She’ll also be performing a few songs at Murrayfield Stadium for the Scotland vs Tonga match, as well as supporting Tide Lines across some of their tour in December. Behind the scenes though, NATI will still be finding time to work on new material; “I'm gonna continue to sing songs on the internet whilst secretly cooking up more exciting things!”
 
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