The Bite Magazine - Spring Summer 2013

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bitenewsingles
RACHEL JONES GIVES HERVERDICT ON SOME RECENTLY RELEASED SINGLES.
New Single Releases
Coastal Cities - Entropic/Nothing Ever Changes
British band Coastal Cities recently released a double A-side single in the form
of ‘Entropic/Nothing Ever Changes’ through Once Upon A Time Records. From
HighWycombe, this very young and fresh-faced, barely out of college quintet have
already had their tracks on airplay by up-to-the-minute, on the pulse DJs such as Steve
Lamacq, Nick Grimshaw, and Huw Stephens.
Formed in 2009, Coastal Cities consists of Declan Cullen on vocals and guitar, Sean
Semmens on guitar, Dan Hardy on bass guitar, Lewis Slade on drums, and William
Clark on synths.The first track on their double A-side single ‘Entropic’ was produced
Images courtesy of Purple PR
by Hugh Worskett and mixed by Adrian
Bushby, who has in the past also worked
with The Rapture and Two Door Cinema
Club. The song has an unassuming but
summery sound, with a steady, driving beat
that somehow manages to feel peaceful
and calm. Lyrically, the track tells of making
the most of life and doing things whilst
you still have the chance, something that
Coastal Cities seem to have already lived
and embodied; the fact that the members
only recently left college is both something
to admire and envy.
‘Nothing Ever Changes’, another
production courtesy of Worskett, is
slightly less memorable than its partner,
but both tracks have a sound that is
incredibly reminiscent of 80s indie, a trait
that will no doubt endear many music fans
to this band. Coastal Cities have already
spread their music as far as the Kitsune
Night at last year’s Les Inrocks Festival in
Paris, and 1, 2, 3, 4 in London. This year,
the touring continues, and the tour dates
and venues can be found on their official
Facebook page.
Watch the video for ‘Entropic’ at:
and
‘Nothing Ever Changes’ at:
London Grammar is a band that was
formed by Hannah Reid, Dot Major,
and Dan Rothman whilst they were
at university together. Their new single,
‘Wasting My Young Years’ was released on
the 16th June, hot on the heel of the band’s
February EP Metal and Dust. The band is
starting to generate many new fans and
much attention, especially since their first
track on Soundcloud, ‘Hey Now’ has had
around 370,000 plays since its upload last
and Rob Da Bank. Metal and Dust was
first played on Radio 1 by Zane Lowe,
receiving the accolade of “Hottest Record”
on his radio show, and was subsequently
added to Radio 1’s “New Music We Trust”
List, ensuring that 2013 would be quite a
memorable year for the band.
‘Wasting My Young Years’ is mostly a
piano driven ballad, sporadically picking up
the pace with regular, driving, and pumping
drum beats, but all of it has a paradoxically
wintery sound for these (supposedly)
summer months. Reid’s vocals sound
mature and bold, full and well-rounded,
and give the song a slight air of New Age,
soothing music to be played over wistful
shots of winter moors and countryside.
Proof, perhaps, that even with a city centric
band name such as London Grammar, their
music may be able to convey a far wider
scope of places, emotions, and ideas.
With their first two sold out headline
shows behind them at London’s
Electrowerkz and at London Islington
Assembly, the band’s tour dates have
recently spread out further with gigs in
Manchester, Brighton, and Bristol, while
near future dates include appearances at
Bestival, the Wilderness Festival, and even
this year’s Glastonbury Festival. London
Grammar, it seems, will not be seeing their
successes in 2013 and beyond limited to
simply their namesake, and it looks like
they’re eager and ready to branch out and
let their music be heard.
Watch the video for ‘Wasting My Young
Years’ at
LONDON GRAMMAR - WASTING MY YOUNG YEARS
December.
The trio has
since received
airplay, shout
outs, and
r e c o g n i t i on
from radio DJs
such as Zane
Lowe (Next
Hype), Huw
Stephens, Phil
Taggart and
Alice Levine
( R O T W ) ,
A n n i e
Mac, Gilles
P e t e r s o n ,