Having graced the UK Top 40 back in 2007 with their single ‘In The City’ reaching #33, which proved an incredible feat considering the single received no industry support or radio airplay as well as the band remaining unsigned, Lahayna reintroduce themselves in 2017 with a brand new single titled ‘House Of Cards’. One reason for this indie five-piece putting the pieces back together is due to the unfinished business of their debut album remaining unreleased, despite being written and recorded. More significantly, however, the aforementioned single, ‘House Of Cards’ touches on the issue of suicide in young people after songwriter Matt Edun lost a close friend to suicide and therefore a collective decision was made by the band to donate all proceeds from the single to the UK charity PAPYRUS, which serves as a means of prevention and support for all those affected by this issue. By raising awareness to the problem of suicide in young people, ‘House Of Cards’ is also a magnificent piece of work musically, beginning with a gentle guitar intro and the delicate vocals of James ‘J’ Ullman before opening up into a stirring ballad full of melancholy yet beautiful nonetheless as rays of light desperately try their hardest to break through the cracks of sadness expressed throughout. ‘House Of Cards’ is a song to be extremely proud of creatively and, more importantly, for the great service it is providing in its support of such an important charitable organisation. Top marks.

We’re clearly in the wrong decade here. New album from 80s stalwart Nightstop with ‘Dancing Killer’, not only revisits the aforementioned decade, but ends up remaining there with an inch perfect recreation of that classic synth sound that provided the backdrop to many films and television series of that period. With Nightstop being classed as a synth/retro wave artist, and one who’s been growing in popularity since 2013, the credits behind this musician include several albums and EPs. Latest album, ‘Dancing Killer’ is the newest addition to that catalogue of music as it continues the retro feel where 80’s synthesizers dominate and create a series of instrumental moods whether blowing a cool icy chill throughout ‘Beast Within’, or more 80s romance than sleaze hinted at by the title ‘Backseat Lover’. The overall feel of the album is one that is obsessed with city nightlife, where you’re likely to find the characters Crockett and Tubbs (Miami Vice) sipping cocktails under the neon glow of a busy nightspot, for example, with the tracks ‘Flesh’ and ‘Ghoul’ the most likely candidates. Weirdly at odds with the current climate of any music scenes right now, but largely part of its appeal, ‘Dancing Killer’ is an album that transports the listener back to a period of music that is genuinely recreated via its 80s instrumental synth sounds.

“Houses have holes to let the air out,” starts lead singer Gøran Karlsvik of Norwegian post-punk band This Sect, deep in the knowledge of the outcome of where his lyrical pen is steering this latest release. A seven-inch pink only vinyl, with the other option a digital download, ‘Nil and Void’ is unlikely to claim any official chart placing such is its cheeriness, but then it wouldn’t be This Sect without a few honest truths sprinkled with cryptic details that will have the Einstein’s among us working overtime until its bitter end. As far as conclusions go, there really is no such thing when it comes to ‘Nil and Void’, more a repeat spin cycle of the vacuous nature of life where human nature passes for empty vessels, accepting their lot and merely passing through time. Thankfully, the driving electronic synth weaving a forceful path through this single, coupled with a watertight tight rhythm section try their hardest to raise the alarm and retaliate against such inertia. Unfortunately, old habits are hard to break. The flipside, ‘Pink in Red’, maintains the high quality levels, offering a calmer intro but one that is shrouded in cold instrumentation until it finds some warmth via a stirring chorus where guitars soar. With their anxieties continuing to take hold and therefore failing to shake that dreaded curse, This Sect continue their struggle against society’s ills by equipping themselves with the tools of their trade, including a raw post-punk sound and a profound use of words. It’s a powerfully effective combination, and one that is deserving of a wider audience.

The Crowleys open their account in fine style with the song ‘L.A. Sunset’ that radiates a glorious sound and more than matches the L.A. sunset held in its title. Beginning in a haze of shoegaze guitars that recalls The Cocteau Twins without a shadow of a doubt, the four-piece band from Hamilton, Ontario, proceed in similar fashion only the influences broaden with mainly dreampop and psychedelic references taking hold, yet there are leanings towards surf rock as well. ‘L.A. Sunset’ is the kind of single that is made for those seemingly endless halcyon days of summer, and one that evokes more recent artists MGMT and Empire of the Sun where both achieved similar feats with the kind of sun-kissed indie psychedelic pop that The Crowleys are touting in 2017. Long may these rays of sunshine continue via The Crowleys and their definition of ‘L.A. Sunset’.

Having praised the single ‘Paranoid’ from the rooftops earlier in 2017, Norwegian singer-songwriter CAL continues where the former single left off (included here as part of the EP). By adopting a new alias and setting real name Frida Amundsen on hold for the time being at least, the new direction CAL is pursuing is one largely steeped in pop music, but one that is less concerned with the frothy commercialism of the mainstream as ‘pt. 1’ represents something far more detached and isolated. Such instances can be heard during opening track ‘Charlie’ that is full of melancholy and icy beats and suffers from a heavy dose of rejection. The following ‘Fragile’ suggests comparisons with Kate Bush and Tori Amos in the vocals, and offers lines such as, “If I had a super power, I would get myself a break,” giving way to the idea that a severe breakdown in communication of the relationship kind has occurred, but at least the chorus offers some solace as it melts the senses, especially via its glorious backing vocals. ‘When I Grow Older’ is the lighter of the bunch with a far more instant and catchy appeal that provides balance to a very good EP.

Grab yourself a rather large pot and throw in the ingredients of pop, punk and alternative rock with a little emo, and then stir continuously until you solidify the mixture and come up with A Will Away. Such a concoction is music to our ears because the melodic tunes, combined with raw emotions that A Will Away seem to churn out effortlessly, run aplenty throughout the band’s album ‘Here Again’. With opening song and title track ‘Here Again’ full of nostalgia that tugs at the heartstrings via its tuneful melody and Matt Carlson’s sweet and raw vocals, the band’s latest LP gets off to a perfect start. It can be said that there is a definite scent of Jimmy Eat World to a number of the tracks available here, most notably ‘Pay Raise’ (which is deserved of a wage increase such is its brilliance!) and the summery guitar sounds of ‘Agoraphobia’ where the anxieties expressed are brought out in a splendour of melodic tunefulness that then runs into a similar feat supplied by way of the vocals, only the soreness expressed is sometimes a bit more evident (see previously). There are occasions where A Will Away tend to run down the same musical avenue (‘Better Reluctant’ and ‘Well-Adjusted’), which is something Jimmy Eat World had a tendency to fall victim to, leaving one to ponder that perhaps bands of this ilk would be better served with EP only releases. As it stands, ‘Here Again’ possesses enough saving graces via several of its concluding tracks; namely the glorious ‘The Shakes’, ‘Gravity’ and ‘Into The Light’ to help weed out any familiarity felt, and therefore leave a feeling of contentment rather than abject disappointment.