Suzerain

London's Suzerain have just released their second album Identity after a two year gap, but it's been well worth the wait. As lead singer Tom Pether said - "it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.”

Guitarist Rich Sutter continued “We wanted to strip away as much as possible. It sounds like a cliché but the more we removed, the more it sounded like us. We have a tendency to try everything we can and see what sticks and once we found the heart of the music, we stripped everything down to that one little nugget that was the identity of the track, in a way.”

Enlisting the talents of respected producer Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Siouxsie Sioux), Suzerain strived to create something truly exciting, something brand new, something so very now that its process pushed their artistic vision to its very limits. As the pieces slowly fitted into place, so did the understanding that identity is the invisible carpet beneath our feet: a journey of self-discovery, and how the results of such naked introspection place us in equilibrium with the other forces of life.

 

“It’s not a concept album by any stretch,” says Thomas. “But it certainly does have elements of that. Our track I Know You So Well came from how we can be seen through our digital footprint in the world, and 'Hide Yourself' is about opening up to other people by not hiding yourself, by just being you. Which to be honest is something we all want to do! So there were many things that crossed over in actually defining Suzerain on this record.”

“We recorded so many songs that didn’t make the album,” continues Rich. “We decided that if anything sounded like another band could have done it, we didn’t want to include it. Suzerain music had to be something that could only be done by us. And embracing that side of us was both a blessing and a curse! But the result is that anyone listening to Identity would have to grab a whole group of genres to figure out where we belong.”

The Phantom Sound

With hints of Siouxsie Sioux and Joy Division running through it, Get To Me, the debut single from The Phantom Sound is ticking all of Ralph's Boxes and he's playing it on the Radio KC Indie Show next Sunday March 1st). 

Working on a debut album, The Phantom Sound aka Californian born (now living in London) Marisa Schlussel strives to create honest, powerful and emotional songs, drawing on diverse influences from the late 70's and 80's including Bowie, Blondie, The Ramones and Duran Duran and giving them a contemporary feel.











To produce the album she's been working with none other than the legendary Ken Stringfellow whose previous work ranges from The Posies and R.E.M. to the reformation of Big Star and a discography of over 200 albums.

Her aforementioned predilection for Blondie is also apparent as their drummer Clem Burke has also played on several of the tracks along with Rilo Kiley's Pierre de Reeder.

Not one to hang around, Marisa composed the album in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and finally London, where she's currently settled down. It's available now to download by clicking HERE and the video has just been premiered - you can watch it here and live dates will follow soon - watch this space!

SeaWitches

Based in Liverpool, Jo Herring and Laura Caldwell met in 2007 through friends; a meeting that resulted in an explosion of creativity where songwriting, musicianship and visual art collided to create SeaWitches.

The band gig regularly in Liverpool, where they've played Sound City, Music Week and interestingly, the Green Party Conference as well as hosting their own nights supporting other well known bands like Eagulls and Giant Drag.











 
2012 saw Tilo Pirnbaum joining the band on drums, and SeaWitches entered the studio to record their first EP Spacegun, which received positive reviews and helped secure a loyal and diverse fanbase. They also began to play outside  Liverpool, securing gigs in Manchester and London.

Jamie Jenkin was recruited on guitar in 2014 and, seven years in the making, the line up is complete and the band are ready to take their music to a wider audience.  

Prolific songwriters, they work collaboratively with each member bringing a diverse set of influences.  









Hailed as one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Liverpool's music scene is recent years, SeaWitches are the latest signing for Edge Hill University's The Label Recordings run by Carl Hunter of The Farm and assisted by media students.  An experiment that has led to huge success for previous signing Hooton Tennis Club, who are now with Indie label Heavenly Recordings and who they'll be supporting in The Shipping Forecast on the 20th of February.





They're releasing 'Stars' as a single on February 16th and it's 'poppier' than some of their previous, slightly moody work and it's been played recently on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show.


It's Siouxsie Sioux meets The Lotus Eaters with a smattering of The Cure. All that's good from 80's pop brought bang up to date, and they've made a shiny new psychadelic video to accompany it. It's this week's 'shuffle & repeat' track here in the kennel.