Leon Frear
Secret Second Moon
Chicago
 
With a brand-new album on its way in the new year, the Chicago-based rock and alternative music creative Leon Frear offers a fascinating animated video single. Secret Second Moon is the first track released under the artist’s new name and has been brought to life by French film-maker Ronald Grandpey. The Wild Rice LP is due out on the 2nd of February and is no-doubt an exciting time for Leon as his new sound and direction are brought into real life. Having produced the album at his home studio after setting up sticks and moving to a new city, it’s more than a fresh start in music for this mark two archetype. A basis of genuine experiences such as broken hearts and broken phones lend their clarity and symbology to his work as the down-to-earth yet rich in imagery music hits home.
 
A vibrant drumbeat begins the music as a quick-step bass and guitar join to match. A ska-punk energy forms the riff and the lyrics hit with hushed and melodic lines. A surge of classic rock merges with the snare-driven rhythm as bluesy chords with a thick and fruity distortion lava over the backbone of the beat. With swinging bars, the chorus and verse align with a steady pulse in between that stitches the various acts together in a seamless screenplay of still-life sound. Secret Second Moon from Leon Frear has a hint of the Fun Lovin Criminals about it with style and swagger from the band meeting a cool and tempered vocal section.  

​Make sure to support the artist and buy the music from Bandcamp

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Soda Blonde
Boys
Ireland
 
As the high-flying Irish group Soda Blonde prepare to set off on their long-anticipated tour, they set the scene for the occasion with the new single Boys. Highlighting their adeptness in creativity and expressive arts, the dexterous Soda Blonde have proven themselves once over after the recent sophomore LP Dream Big. This new single is the final piece in the jigsaw that forms the future picture and has plenty of space for more to come. With a growing fanbase and lots of praise in the media already, if you want to catch this band in their salad days with intimate surroundings then this may well be your last opportunity.
 
A choppy beat flurries into the mix as an emotive and melodic vocal adds a sense of jazz and blues. Harmonies join with layers of voice in high-energy climbs of drama and the band add their colours with guitar, brass, and keys. A palette of splendid vibrancy shimmers in the moving progression with lightning moments illuminating the quietude in between. Catchy chorus motions resonate with the easy-beat rhythm as the individualism of the instruments work together in moving passages of shared intention.  

​You can find out more on the Soda Blonde website

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​For your interest: ​New customers receive 10% off first orders with promo code WELCOME at Beyond Retro with this support link.

​Tickets for the 'Dream Big' tour are available for purchase now via The Soda Blonde Website.
 
DREAM BIG TOUR 2023/2024

Nov 22 - The Lexington - London

Nov 24 - Roisin Dubh  - Galway

Nov 25 - Dolans - Limerick

Nov 26 - Connollys Of Leap - Cork

Nov 30 - Cyprus Avenue - Cork

Dec 7 - The Black Box - Belfast

Dec 8 - Spirit Store - Dundalk

Dec 14 - Vicar St - Dublin

Jan 17 - PopUp! - Paris

Jan 18 - Le Botanique - Brussels

Jan19 - Paradiso - Amsterdam

Jan 20 - Nochtwache - Hamburg

Jan 21 - Prachtwerk - Berlin
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Tulipomania
Then And Only Then
Philadelphia
 
They have kept their fans waiting for a long time. True followers never give up hope, however, and their faith has been rewarded with the fifth studio record. Out on Friday, the taster single is out now and is possibly the first thing we’ve heard in all this time. What has been affectionately described as synth-punk, the duo brings a delectable infusion of spirit and creativity along the lines of modern technology. Not long now until the record comes out, Dreaming Of Sleep had cover art made by Michael Speed of Beggars Group London. A fantastic production was carried out by record industry executive Howard Thompson, who’s worked alongside bands like Motorhead, Billy Bragg, MC5, and the Psychedelic Furs. The brilliance of the band shines through the expert design of their album and the new video Then And Only Then leaves us in no doubt as to what we can expect.
 
A ghostly vocal enters the sound as a smooth and icy synthesiser slides around various key tones. Electrocution style drumming jolts in tempered blasts of electro percussion and mysterious and edgy notes bubble around the duo vocal. An eerie and dramatic atmosphere gives the music an intriguing sense of endearing awkwardness that presents as clever and fitting against the abstract composition. A drift of various images and colours sail before us as the song takes us through various hushed and emotional sections of breaking waves.
 
​You can find out more about Tulipomania on their website

​Make sure to support the artist and buy the music from Bandcamp

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​PS. You can support this journal and get a great deal with trusted quality clothes from Cotton On. 

Sabatta
Get Over Yourself
How To Get Even
 
We’re back in the big smoke, London, where the rock and psychedelia artist Sabatta calls home. His new album is out tomorrow and to prove the point he unleashes the next single from the record Get Over Yourself. How To Get Even LP is due on Blackfriars Entertainment and with the Get Your Shit Together already pushing the boundaries and waking people up to the state of their world, Get Over Yourself is another poke in the eye of those who wish you’d stay asleep. No one is too important to get stuck into whatever the issue happens to be and no one’s too unimportant to be ignored either. Sabatta is built around the solid Yinka Oyewole, an Essex lad with heritage in Nigeria. After finding a love for music in the work of artists such as Hendrix, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Tupac, a massive mix up of styles and perspectives generates his unique sounding material.  
 
A surge of synth and bass plumets us down into a funky guitar groove laden with character and tone. The blues-style lick pushes the button and drums add the new level. A juicy distortion flutters the notes as the song begins. Yinka adds his voice, a soulful and melodic mosey through harmony and swerve saunters along the virtuoso guitar work. Clever breaks add new flavours to the sound and the chorus keeps coming back at the perfect time. We can sing along after just a few turns and dance to the expressive grooves laid bare before our ears. A backbeat of progressive bass and drumming frames the centrepiece guitar that makes the song unique and special. Get Over Yourself from Sabatta is a return to the cavalier guitar hero with a new wave of celebratory attitude.
 
Make sure to support the artist and buy the music from Bandcamp

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For Your Interest: ​Jimi Hendrix Monopoly Board Game

Supreme Unbeing
Scarecrow
Heavy Metal
 
Describing themselves as a complete mystery, this sibylline group of resplendent musicians reveal their new single Scarecrow. Filmed in Poland, the video was shot at the site of thought-control experiments during the second world war. Who knows what horrible secret sciences of psychology were uncovered during these turbulent years. Now a perfect setting for a sinister and frightening musical experience, Supreme Unbeing delight us with a fantastic mix of imagery, psychodrama, and the regeneration of lost secrets. With two full-length records already enjoying over 10 million streams across the internet, this new single brings a focus and direction that will undoubtedly gather momentum and fans in its wake.
 
With sinister tones and a chiming bell, the song opens into dripping percussion and ghostly bass build. In an amazing moment, the guitar leaps into the fray with a huge riff that melds chops and melody with palm-muted rhythms that hit the target. A fiery vocal throws itself into the centre of the mix. Tuneful and abrasive, an early Metallica sense of rock n roll forms the backbone of the inventive composition. Chunky riffs push the music outward in heavy thrash metal shredding and elevations of lead guitar. The smash and grab atmosphere of Supreme Unbeing’s Scarecrow extends into a long-lived brawl of music and pantomime that draws us into the heart of the show.
 
You can find out more on the Supreme Unbeing website

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Interesting book: ​Consensus Trance: Mind Control & Human Experiments
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Deadset
Bleak
Man Demolish Records
 
Formed in 2022, Deadset sprang into life when guitarist James Massey and singer Sam Mellors found a great song writing chemistry together. Their blend of styles and influences, such as Interpol and New Order, bonded with a clear professional ease when paired with one another. The band harnessed the sound with expert progression by inviting bassist Adam Arnold and drummer Rio Campbell to enter the fold. Now a well-groomed four-piece, Deadset bring Bleak, their latest single via Man Demolish Records. Drawing on the gold-mine left behind by classic acts from the 80s and 90s, the band bring a sense of alternative and nostalgic groove to the modern scene.
 
A stomping drum rhythm bashes out the first few bars. Then, a slurry of bass and distorted electric guitar hammers down to push the pulse into overdrive. As the verse begins, a toned-down melody resonates from grungy guitar that simmers on bristling heat. A rock and swagger vocal sneaks through the motions with breezy and drama-fuelled lines. Chunky rhythms hammer onwards as guitar feedback and soaring treble sings through the forward and dynamic progression of passionately felt words.
 
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Useful reading: ​The A to X of Alternative Music by Steve Taylor
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