Week 43 – Oct 24th
Humdrum
Home Counties
A joyfully unhinged whimsy on the mess of small talk, ‘Humdrum’ is a Krautrock art-punk delight in wound-up synth warbles and dual vocals that sees them stretch their sarky tendencies and sedate us to the dancefloor. Instrumentals fitting for a two-bit scroller; vocals fitting for a counselling session – this is Home Counties at their most frenetic.
Read the full review here.
WE WERE JUST HERE
Just Mustard
A static, surreal soundscapes litters the sound of Just Mustard – a lo-fi group hailing from Ireland. Exhumed from that of alternative soil, its makeup is ethereal in moments but appears lacklustre in depth. The record features the saving grace of the self-titled track that bring a real noughties indie pop echo of The Naked and Famous.
The Boy Who Played the Harp
Dave
I think it’s abundantly clear how stunningly skilled Dave is as a rapper. Starting writing bars at aged ten, Dave is one of most pivotal storytellers on this here island. A deeper burrowing among inter-social issues – and evidently ignoring the immaterial – his artistry has grew with each passing. Whether it be his debut Psychodrama in 2019 or its follow-up in 2021, We’re All Alone in This Together, and now his third this week, he forever cements as a true wordsmith, and a true original when it comes to his craft.
Four years on from his last, The Boy Who Played the Harp is a deeply harrowing and powerful portrait into Dave as an artist – voice and flow. The album is a deeply sparse record upon listen. Choral organ arrangements filter throughout, gentle piano figures dance and dazzle along the same ebb and flows of Dave’s words. Skittering beats support Dave’s self-doubt while the unequivocal harmony lines empathises the beauty of life’s most unknown.
Describe
Hannah Jadagu
On Describe, – her second record – Hannah Jadagu learns the way hard that distance is relative. Honeyed vocals and layered synths are all on display here, as the singer-songwriter surfaces from California with an indie-pop slice of euphoric epiphanies. It is a total departure from the distorted guitars on her debut two years ago, but it ultimately sees a soloist flourish in running her own show. A sonic shift in sound, lead My Love is a quaint but defiant emblem of note, while Doing Now places her hypnotic vocals right at centre.
manvmusic.com 
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