Hi Gigantic Gang,
It’s us again with your weekly dose of all the best new tunes with the #NewMusicFriday blog and playlist! You can rely on Gigantic to let you know about all of the most essential album releases – then gets you to the gigs to hear your fav artists perform live!
And when you’re done enjoying all the hottest new hits curtesy of Gigantic, why not watch a live online gig, watch a live theatre show being streamed or visit a virtual pub? Click HERE to see our comprehensive listings of some fantastic social spots in cyberspace. We are particularly excited for tomorrow’s online festival Light Hustle which is a collaboration between Hockley Hustle, Circle Of Light and I’m Not From London boasting some impressive names raising money to help Nottingham based freelance workers hit hard by the pandemic. You will be treated to very special streamed performances from local hero Jake Bugg, Natalie Duncan, BruC ,Sheku Kanneh-Mason , Adam Peter Smith, Nina Smith, Stacey McMullen and more! Please give generously to their GoFundMe page.
It won’t be long till we are all out and about enjoying gigs and festivals once again. Till then, make sure you CLICK HERE to subscribe to Gigantic’s emails to get all the latest live music news – plus you get extra when you LIKE & FOLLOW Gigantic on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Take it easy GG, and we will see you at the front so very soon xx
Albums
MYSTERY JETS – ‘A Billion Heartbeats’
It’s been four years since indie rockers Mystery Jets last released an LP, and so fans are clamouring to hear their brand-new offering ‘A Billion Heartbeats’ which just dropped today! The seventh album by the boys from Twickenham, this record is overtly political and addresses the challenges faced by the new generation and challenges nationalism, the rise of hate crimes and is a protest against intolerance and the popularist politicians attempting to divide and conquer by scapegoating.
The euphoria generated by their anthemic tunes packed full of hooks and charm is made even greater by championing a sense of rebellion. ‘A Billion Heartbeats’ was inspired both by the growing international resistance and also through gratitude after singer Blaine Harrison was hospitalised and required emergency surgery after his leg became seriously infected. ‘Hospital Radio’ is a direct thank you to the workers in the NHS whilst ‘Watch Yourself Disappear’ addresses the eroding of services, particularly to mental health, due to over a decade of Tory led austerity.
Mystery Jets tickets are currently available.
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS – ‘Viscerals’
“We’re a peculiar bunch of people - a precarious balance of passion, intensity and the absurd” – Matt Baty
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs are the heavy hitting bludgeon that satisfies all those primal urges, and now they released ‘Viscerals’ which is their nastiest, grittiest record to date!
Only eight tracks long, the Newcastle based band have trimmed away all the fat to create a no-bullshit aural assault which is lean, mean and made to be played loud. And that precision is thanks to gigging heavily, discovering what works and how to precisely trigger an audience they way they did at a recently sold-out show at Scala in London.
“That was the first gig where we were properly smacked with a feeling that something had shifted. Something big and bold and positive. I felt quite overwhelmed with emotion at one point during that show. I’m not sure anyone paid to see me cry onstage, but I was close.” – Matt Baty
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs kick off 2021 with an extensive tour to show off the new album. Dates are already starting to sell out so make sure you grab your ticket with Gigantic right now!
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs tickets are currently available.
TOPS – ‘I Feel Alive’
Canadian dream pop quintet TOPS have a sizable international following which looks set to grow even larger thanks to spectacular new LP ‘I Feel Alive’. Their fourth album continues to shine with radiating joy thanks to the shining melodies and vibrant summery nostalgic feel throughout.
In 2017, TOPS were joined by keyboardist Marta Cikojevic which has vastly increased the band’s scope which reflects in their new material that was recorded down in a basement studio in Montreal.
“From the first time we practiced with her it was clear that we were in sync musically, and we found ourselves improvising together at the first rehearsal. Having Marta manning the keys allowed me to reach for my flute, and gave me the chance to integrate my flute playing with the writing process, using it as an expressive instrument rather than more production element which it has been in the past.” – Jane Penney
‘I Feel Alive’ is out now on their own label Musique Tops and is available on LP/CD/Cassette/Digital – you can grab a copy HERE.
TOPS tickets are currently available.
PURITY RING – ‘WOMB’
There are certain labels that are an assurance of quality and whenever you see the name 4AD you know you are guaranteed both excellence and innovation. Experimental electronica paring Megan James and Corin Roddick AKA Purity Ring have been with the label ever since their debut album ‘Shrines’ launched in 2012 and now they release ‘WOMB’ which they describe as "chronicles a quest for comfort and the search for a resting place in a world where so much is beyond our control".
While you may be confused by the slightly quixotic explanation, what it actually translates into is ten tracks of blissful beats and spacious almost gaseous synths accompanied by soft yet pressing vocals creating an ethereal light pop feel to great effect.
The Canadian duo head to the UK in September to play headline dates which include Chalk at Brighton, O2 Manchester Ritz, SWX at Bristol and Roundhouse in London.