For a split second on Saturday night, it felt like everything was right with the world and that maybe everything was going to be ok. Then ‘Champagne Supernova‘ finished and the shit descended again.
It’s Tracks of the Week again. Hurray. Enjoy these. They’re all great. Good luck to them. Have a great week. Nearly Christmas. Hopefully.
Hemi Hemingway – Wings of Desire
Why we love it: because when you take the song ‘Wings of Desire’ and its accompanying video you are embracing a cinema of ideas. The song stars Hemi Hemingway – the part played by New Zealander Shaun Blackwell – and the video is directed by Adam Joseph Browne.
Talking about the song, Hemingway says, “When I wrote ‘Wings of Desire’, after an extended period of heightened anxiety and depression, I’d grown tired of feeling unwanted, unused, unrealised. However self-inflicted these feelings might have been, I felt about ready to burst. I wished to relive that constant ache of early-20s longing with self-conscious uncertainty, return to that delirium of potential love, when the risk was so high that tragedy lurked around every corner. I longed for that push and pull between excitement and heartache, to be inspired by the never knowing. I just wanted to feel alive again, on the Wings of Desire.”
And then turning his attention to the video, he explains: “I’m not sure why, but for some reason I always imagined the video for this song as a one-shot softball scene. I think the name ‘Wings of Desire’ made me think of baseball or softball. Maybe it reminded me of ‘Angels In the Outfield’? I couldn’t tell ya, but the video starts out as a seemingly serious homage to that style of movie and quickly disintegrates into chaos. Two teams batting it out for the right to the name ‘The Snowflakes’, and I, with my devil-may-care attitude (a somewhat thin attempt at masking some childhood softball trauma), end up completely biffing it for my team, ultimately losing us the game and the right to the name. So obvious, right? Oh, and there’s also an angelic saxophone-wielding cowboy stalking about.”
Place them together and you get an intensely wistful fantasy where the leading man submits himself to time itself. But he then subverts a traditional happy ending by somehow failing to make the anticipated home run. And to top it all off, this brilliant visualiser comes to us with a perfect soundtrack of 80’s induced cinematic pop.
And just for the record, ‘Wings of Desire’ is the second single from the recording sessions of Hemi Hemingway’s upcoming second full-length, due out next year on PNKSLM Recordings. (Simon Godley)
Miki Berenyi Trio – Doldrum Days
Why we love it: because ‘Doldrum Days’ serves as the perfect antidote to its title. The new single from the Miki Berenyi Trio is a gorgeous, glistening, gentle clarion call to get up in the morning and embrace the day.
“The lyric is about the spaces between places where interesting things can happen,” says bassist Oliver Cherer. “The scenario is borrowed from Erskine Childers’ novel The Riddle of the Sands, but really it’s about being lost, stranded, unmotivated and bored, and what a potentially fertile or dangerous place that can be”.
‘Doldrum Days’ arrives just ahead of a 15-date North American tour supported by Gina Birch and the Unreasonables that begins 10th October in Washington DC. The single brings with it added poignancy as this will be the last time that the Miki Berenyi Trio play on that side of the Atlantic Ocean. As Miki explains: “Moose (the band’s guitarist) is breaking his no-fly embargo so gig-goers will get to enjoy the full and proper Trio. I’m sad to say that the costs involved in touring Stateside have become crippling for smaller bands like us, so this will be our last ever outing in North America. I wish we could have covered more cities, but I’m incredibly grateful to the many fans who have messaged on my socials to say they will make the journey to see us play. We’ll be sure to include a bunch of Lush tracks in the set as a last hurrah and a thank you to long-time fans.”
Miki Berenyi Trio will also be playing a bunch of UK shows either side of the North American tour to see out the year in style. (Simon Godley)
Spielmann – Kids On The TV
Why we love it: because Spielmann is back by popular demand. A firm favourite on these here pages, the Leeds-based solo artist has just released a four-track EP and, you guessed it, gone and called the record, Back By Popular Demand.
Speaking about the release, Spielmann (real name Ben Lewis) tells us, “When making this I wanted to step everything up, I wanted the lyrics to hit harder, the choruses to get stuck in your head longer and the production to feel like a real, proper record, not just some bloke in his attic. In my songwriting I try to create something that might make you think, or at least crack a smile, whilst yelling along to it and I’ve leant fully into that with these songs with not much space to take a breath. Maybe next time round I’ll calm things down a little, but I challenge you to find 4 better written songs in a row on any record, ever.”
Not someone to hide his light under any old bushel, Spielmann has every right to be feeling pleased with himself if we just dip our toes, or better still, our ears, into the fourth and final track on the EP and its focus single, ‘Kids on The TV.’ It possesses all those familiar Spielmann characteristics – cracking melody, soaring choruses, and as catchy as hell. It is what once might well have been described as a toe-tapper. (Simon Godley)
Mayshe-Mayshe – Mycelium
Why we love it: because ‘Mycelium’ is the new single from Mayshe-Mayshe and it is a dream.
Mayshe-Mayshe is the solo project of Yorkshire songwriter and producer Alice Rowan and she is set to self-release her third studio album, Mosswood on 26th October this year. On this record Mayshe-Mayshe explores the dark side of the Moomin world, as created by the the Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson.
‘Mycelium’ follows the earlier singles ‘Moss Glow’ and ‘Delay Dirt Die’ from the upcoming album and like Tove Jansson herself brings with it a deep love of nature but also a human presence and the existence of loneliness, anxiety, and despair. These darker feelings are transported on a shimmering sea of vintage synths, drum machines, and choral vocals and together they convey a powerful sense of wonder and warning.
Mayshe-Mayshe plays a series of live dates later this year in support of Mosswood. (Simon Godley)
CHROMA – River House
Why we love it: Pontypridd, Wales bi-lingual alt-rock trio CHROMA are back with ‘River House’ a storming new single Alcopop! Records. An unstoppable exocet of alt rock ‘River House’ bares the melodic intent and is possessed of echoes of 90s alt rock and pop punk. Katie’s twisty turny and soaring vocals are littered with melodic hooks that barge to the front with sharp elbows, it’s daubed in the thrilling seize the moment energy inspired by grief and loss. It’s tightly packed with spiky guitar riffing, landing somewhere between Paramore and early Foo Fighters but with a Chroma twist, it’s a kick ass track that fires the gun on their new era.
“It’s been a whirlwind few years since we released our long awaited debut album and the response was far more than we could have ever imagined!” says drummer Zac Mather. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to take those songs to stages all over the world and get the chance to get back into the studio and record what we believe is the best possible follow up.”
Commenting on the new single, vocalist KT Hall says: “It’s been great getting back in the studio again. With the new stuff we’ve really tried to challenge ourselves as songwriters. A lot of the lyrics in the new songs are very personal to myself; exploring grief, heartbreak and navigating the scary world from deindustrialised South Wales.”
‘Riverhouse’ is a particularly meaningful song for me. It’s about grieving the loss of my close friend Sara. I remember at the time it happened, a friend introduced me to the 5/7 stages of grief (give it a Google, it really helped me when i was struggling). Riverhouse explores the anger stage, the stage accepting the information that your loved one has gone. I was truly raging at the world at the time. The song is also about how much I love my close group of friends. It’s about reaching out for help when you’re struggling with the tough stuff life throws at you. Making these songs has been a wonderful experience and we’re so excited to share them with the world.”
Two years on from the release of their 2024 Welsh Music Prize nominated debut album, Ask For Angela, South Wales’ CHROMA announce their return with brand new music and a fresh take on their fuzzy yet melancholic alternative rock.
The first new material from an as-yet-unannounced new collection of songs, the single was recently featured on 116: Ten Years Later, a colossal 76-track charity compilation from UK-based curator and artist WRONGPOP (Stephen Lee Clarke) raising over £2500.
CHROMA will support PINS on two shows this September, and bilk. on their grassroots venue tour dates this October 2025, with tickets on sale now. (Bill Cummings)
Pelts – Swimming
Why we love it: Pelts are Cat, Louise and Eilidh, a Copenhagen based three-piece ‘Swimming’ is the title track from their new EP of the same name, It’s brimming with minimal nagging riffing, nimble bass lines and quick fire drum rolls, it’s a experimental and refreshing sound that reminds one of Electralane, early Talking Heads or elements of the sound of C86. There is a playful angularity to the vocal interplay as they try to figure out the maze of their own psyches.
“Lyrically, Cat’s always working through her neurosis”, the band explains, “but instrumentally, it’s all about screwing around and letting the collaboration between the three of us create our sound. We all have slightly different approaches to writing for each of our instruments (and sometimes each others’), which can end up creating some contrasts that swing between feeling disjointed and feeling harmonic. We try to embrace the tension and sit through it.”
The video for Swimming was filmed over a few hours on a sunny day in Copenhagen in August 2025. It was shot on a LomoKino camera, a simple, manual, 35mm film camera from Lomography designed to shoot short movies on standard 35mm film. You crank a handle to expose multiple frames per frame of the film, which you then scan and line up to form a movie.
Recorded live with Christian Ankerstjerne in Vindmøllevej, Copenhagen in December 2024, the EP captures Pelts perfectly, pretty bare bones but playful, with the band fully embracing the available percussion and keeping the background screams from an early take on Stressed.
Pelts is an Aries trio with roots in London’s DIY scene. The band consists of three friends who came together in Copenhagen after many years in various projects such as Molar, Fever Dream and local twee punks Enids. The Pelts name refers back to the animal associated with their shared star sign. (Bill Cummings)
Yarni – Natural Light
Why we love it: Yarni’s single ‘Natural Light,’ features an innovative collaboration between Sheffield-based rapper Franz Von and returning collaborator Jeff Darko.
“Natural Light” ventures into hip-hop territory while maintaining Yarni’s signature eclectic production style with Franz Von’s explorative bars framed in cinematic and soulful textures and a toe-tapping sway influenced by Brazillian music enriched by funky basslines, Emily Marks’ cello and Jonoa’s saxophone blasts, that bleeds into a radiant chorus from Jeff Darko. It’s a wonderful track: a stew of cultures stirred with Yarni’s real affection for his craft.
It’s lifted from Yarni‘s Anemoia, “a ten-track album exploring the Greek concept of nostalgia for a time never known. “The album sees the self-taught multi-instrumentalist collaborating with ten musicians and vocalists across ten tracks, weaving together disco, soul, jazz-funk, hip-hop, and trip-hop into a thoroughly modern tapestry.” (Bill Cummings)
Lila Zing – Hop On
Why we love it: Amidst glistening organ drops and shuffling drums, Zing intoxicates, seductive and addictive “ahhs”. Zing concocts a soulful brew of laid-back jazz, and breathy melodies that sound like the whispers in your ear guiding you to take a dip in the ocean. Zing is a purveyor of wondrous, soulful tones. hop on, take a trip and chill out.
Welsh artist Lila Zing is making waves with her experimental and eclectic sound, which transcends genre boundaries to delve into the realm of emotion. All of Lila’s songs are tuned to a 432Hz frequency. Last year she participated in a studio session, recording two songs for Georgia Ruth’s Programme on BBC Radio Cymru. Additionally, she was been awarded the Horizons Launchpad fund by BBC Wales Cymru and Arts Council Wales. (Bill Cummings)
