Industry news & advice blog

Stepbrothers - ‘Bones + Gristle’

Not permitting themselves to be limited by the vast range of influences that they draw from, duo Stepbrothers describe their sound as “A wall of sound emitting from an old radio. Lo-Fi rock at its ripest”, and go on to explain, “We both have a very broad taste in music. Combined, we pull from all sorts of genres and artists, and we make these sonic concoctions from what we pull in our living room. This makes it so that one day we could be doing a grimey-punk-rock head-basher and the next day we could do a stripped-back-emotional-indie-folk-ballad.”

Over the past couple of years they’ve released a number of singles, allowing them to find their footing as a band, however ‘Bones + Gristle’ is their gateway to a more cohesive release, as they work towards their debut album.

“We are both very proud of everything we’ve released so far, but I think it’s all been a bit of a warm-up. With this single, it really feels like the starting pistol is going off this time.”

And on the subject of ‘Bones + Gristle’, Sam lets us in on the idea that kick-started the song;

“The initial idea came to me on my cycle home from work: I passed this huge field with trees and grass, surrounded by a bunch of tall buildings and cranes. It got me thinking about a dystopian landscape where there are just tall buildings everywhere, and swamps of pollution start to develop on the earth, so everyone starts to live as high up as they can - the rich are the highest out of everyone. We’re trying to capture this grim reality of a bleak, dystopian future where only the lower class are left to suffer, but put it in a musical setting that almost contradicts the lyrical themes. Although the verses read pretty bleak, and the dissonance matches that, the chorus almost feels like an ad jingle, as if it’s coming from the voices of the oppressors mocking the poor and selling them their own oppression.”

Making their mark on the live circuit with their notorious annual headline Halloween show, where the band take on a classic album (past years have seen ‘Rumours’, ‘Abbey Road’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’ receive the Stepbrothers treatment), the band are building a reputation for their chaotic, fun gigs.

“Three big hitters, it's getting harder each year to choose the next! These are our biggest events and have historically sold really well. We just love getting together with some friends and hibernating for a month to learn an album as well as we can and perform it to a big crowd on the most fun night of the year.”

Whilst work continues on Stepbrothers’ debut album, due to be released later this year, we can eagerly await more new singles in the meantime, and hopefully a sneaky teaser for their next Halloween project.

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Krooked Tongue - ‘Blood Shark’

Straddling alternative and indie rock, trio Krooked Tongue bring angsty melody and hooks with big, bold riffs, in the vein of Highly Suspect, Death From Above, Kings of Leon and Demob Happy.

Their fuzz-laden track ‘Blood Shark’ is the latest in a series of smash singles which have drawn support from Apple editorial's 'Breaking Hard Rock', 'New In Rock', New Noise Magazine, HEAVY Magazine, CLOUT, Fab UK, Bristol 24/7, Sirius XM, Total Rock, Primordial Radio and Boogaloo Radio, and more.

“‘Blood Shark’ is a jumper cable to the lazy and uninspired aspects of ourselves. A fat uppercut to our excuses for why we can’t, or don’t do the things we want to do. The metaphor of the ‘Blood Shark’ encapsulates the foibles of our decisions. When it’s all said and done, when we’re being lowered into the ground, the ‘Blood Shark waits at the bottom of your grave.’”

When it comes to career highlights, Krooked Tongues are spoilt for choice. From garnering praise from one of the lead singer of their fave band (Johnny Stevens of Highly Suspect) to having music featured on DAZN Sports for Boxing events, as well as on the official soundtrack for Progress Wrestling.

On the gig front, the trio have played some stand-out shows including Tallinn Music Week in Estonia, 2000 Trees, Dot to Dot, Burn It Down and more, as well as supporting Pulled Apart by Horses, Kid Brunswick, False Heads, The Luka State, Virgin Marys and The Valla to name a few.

This month Krooked Tongue will be playing New Colossus festival in New York where they’ll begin promo for their upcoming debut album ‘I Know a Place’, set to drop on 24th April. And another Krooked Tongues highlight is on the agenda as they release on vinyl for the first time;

“We’re really looking forward to being able to hold a physical in the form of vinyl and say ‘we made that’. We’re rolling with the punches in 2026 and we can’t wait to see how the year unfolds.”

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Bea Elmy Martin - ‘Anouk’

Since the release of her debut single ‘Blue Escape’, which was rapidly picked up by BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne and Jack Saunders, singer songwriter Bea Elmy Martin emotive music has soared, and now we reach her intimate take on friendship and growth on current single ‘Anouk’. Bea elaborates on the evolution of the track;

“‘Anouk’ is quite a personal song about friendship and platonic love. As I grew through the writing process I came to understand how rare and meaningful those kinds of connections are. It traces our parallel lives during that time - we lived so far apart yet never let distance weaken our desire to be there for each other. There was something incredibly soft and tender in that. I also wanted the track to feel really nostalgic so that we could listen back to it and laugh. Music is the best device to transport you back to a moment in time so why not create your own little sound memories.”

Describing her reflective music, Bea tells us; “I think my sound is quite dependent on what I am writing about. Some songs call for the softer, more delicate side of my songwriting, I love folk and soul music which definitely pours through on some of my tracks. For others, I lean into the more alternative and electronic sounds. The distortion and more layered vocals is a great tool for portraying how I’m feeling.”

Bea’s previous EP ‘Under the Yew (Vol. 1)’, crafted alongside long time producer Dominick J Goldsmith (HÆLOS), was showered with praise from the likes of Clash, Notion, Wonderland, EARMILK and Mystic Sons, as well as ongoing support from various BBC tastemakers Huw Stephens, Tom Ravenscroft, and the aforementioned Lauren and Jack.

Continuing the creative journey with Dominick on ‘Under the Yew (Vol. 2)’, which ‘Anouk’ is taken from, there is further material to come our way, with some shows also in the pipeline;

“Live performance has always felt like a huge milestone for me. Headlining my own shows at The Elephant's Head, Number 90 and Servant Jazz Quarters then also playing at Glastonbury twice feels like a real full-circle moment. Being able to bring these songs into a shared physical space and feel that connection in real time is my favourite thing in the world. I just want to play live as much as possible this year. Any excuse to sing along with other people who connect with the music and create spaces full of love!”

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Dayydream - ‘Proximity’

Dayydream is the songwriting project of Glasgow based visual artist and musician Chloe Trappes, who joins forces with Loup Havenith on drums, Samuel Rafanell-Williams on lead guitar and Dillon Salvi on bass guitar to bring her work to life.

Crafting dreamy indie rock with influences from 80s and 90s bands and musicians such as Elliott Smith, Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins, their current single ‘Proximity’ will feature on their second EP ‘Trace’ which comes out on Glasgow DIY label No Soap later this month. All songs on ‘Trace’ were recorded to tape in different studios across the span of a year, although ‘Proximity’ has been with the band a little longer as Chloe explains;

“'Proximity' was recorded in a little studio in Glasgow with the help of our friend and producer Kieran Thomas. It was one of the first songs we played together as a band and has been a staple of our live shows for a while now.”

With a whole host of glowing reviews from the likes of Northern Exposure, Various Small Flames, Mystic Sons and Get In Her Ears, the band also have another milestone moment coming up;

“One of our songs is going to feature on a TV show on the BBC, though it hasn't aired on television yet... Other than that, I think supporting two of our favourite bands from the States (Cryogeyser and Teethe) was definitely a highlight!”

With the release of ‘Trace’ mere days away on 13th March, you can catch Dayydream celebrating its launch at Glasgow’s Hug & Pint on 15th March, followed by a London show at The Strongroom on 25th April.

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Dead Rat Society - ‘Fuck Your North Face Jacket’

An eruption of punk, hip-hop, electro and grunge rock, Dead Rat Society’s latest single ‘Fuck Your North Face Jacket’ is the riotous lead single to be taken from the band’s forthcoming album, and it definitely demands attention.

Lead singer Ed tells us more about the track; “FYNFJ was born from its classical piano part that came first, and then the scorching riff was a no brainer. The lyrics come from a place of frustration with, well, pretty much everything and everybody. Everyone's doing the same thing day in day out, watching the same stuff and going to the same places. The world is quite literally falling apart, and everyone's carrying on as normal. It's WEIRD right??”

Already receiving stout support from Radio X’s John Kennedy, who’s anointed several of Dead Rat Society’s previous singles as ‘Hot Ones’, the band have also picked up praise from the likes of Fox Reviews Rock, CLUNK, Amazing Radio, Northern Exposure, and even a double-page spread in ASBO Magazine, for which they’re supremely grateful;

“Honestly, seeing anyone speak about us at all is always a wild rush. It's great validation for some ratty dudes who have no idea what they're doing, so when we see fantastically articulate and glowing reviews come in from such stellar outlets it warms our little hearts.”

And prepare to have a tirade of Dead Rats Society music propelled your way in 2026, as they work to unleash a whopping 3 EPs, with ‘Instant Heat Volume One’, ‘HiFi Love’, and ‘Instant Heat Volume Two’ all in the pipeline. With a reputation for explosive gigs, keep a close eye on their socials so you can catch them live too.

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