The Playback | March 2017

*Knock knock*
“Who’s there?”
“5 exciting new musical acts that you may or may not know were worked on at Metropolis Studios.”
“5 exciting new musical acts that you may or may not know were worked on at Metropolis Studios, who?”
“…”

Strong Asian Mothers – Animal EP

This London based trio are extremely hard to pin down. On their “Animal EP”, released on the 3rd of March, they switch seamlessly between Hip-Hop, Indie-Pop, Electro and Trap. What we can say for certain however is that (as well as having one of the best band names evaaaah) Strong Asian Mothers has a sound distinctly theirs and comparing them to influences would be an arduous and ill-fated task. If you are interested be sure to catch them at their next headline gig at Kamio (formerly The Red Gallery) on the 27th of April. They happen to fit in very nicely with the artist below, Seramic, so I guess now would be a good time to transition to…

Seramic – I Got You

P-Funk style vocals and synths, some filthy guitar licks and a bassline Thundercat would be proud of combine to great effect on the track “I Got You” by Seramic. The track mixes live and sampled sounds to help create a cocktail of Soul, Funk and Pop. A second EP is on the way from the London producer and we imagine it will be greeted gleefully. Seramic will be heading out on tour with Bear’s Den across some select cities in the UK, Ireland and Europe throughout March and April so why not see two great acts for the price of one?

Black Honey – Somebody Better

Black Honey are back at their loudest and most urgent with their new single “Somebody Better”. Guitars wail, drums pound away meanwhile Izzy Phillips’ vocals soar triumphantly over it all. The band were one of the revelations at last year’s Great Escape Festival in Brighton and will be returning to the scene of the crime (the crime being playing noisy yet melodic guitar music really rather well) on the 3rd of April when they conclude their UK tour at Concorde 2. This exciting act are really one not to miss!

XamVolo – Old Soul

XamVolo might be telling the truth when he sings “I spend my days listening to Old Soul” but there certainly isn’t anything “old” sounding about his new single. Old Soul, out on the 7th of April, is another hybrid on this month’s list, combining elements of soul (that lead vocal is dripping with the stuff!), jazz (the acoustic guitar flourishes throughout are majestic) and hip-hop (whirring synthesisers, pitch shifting vocal melodies and a killer bass drum). Also for any scat fans out there (I can’t be the only one surely) there is a lovely bit of vocal gymnastics in the final third of the track. XamVolo will be playing the Live At Leeds festival on Saturday the 29th of April (alongside Black Honey and Strong Asian Mothers who you just read about only a few seconds ago!) so if you are in the area get down there, seriously, get out the house and see some live music it would be fun I promise!

Mura Masa – 1 Night

Summer banger alert! Ok I know it’s not really even Spring yet but Mura Masa with “1 Night” has dropped a track that is sure to be blasting out of sweaty cars stuck in sweltering traffic, tinny bluetooth speakers in public parks and one of a group of teens’ iPhones at the back of the 29 bus. The fact that none of these scenarios would be considered annoying is a huge compliment to Mura Masa as the freakishly young producer (with help from another friend of Metropolis Mastering Charli XCX) has served us a bouncy and energetic exploration of being young, popular and good looking. Something we all can relate to surely. His album will be out all in good time so whilst you wait listen to this and “Love$ick” on repeat.To keep up to date with all things Metropolis Mastering related check out our website…

Check out our Spotify playlist which we will be adding to as the year goes on with all our tips and recommendations…

The Playback

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