A Penny Arcade for your thoughts…

Throughout his creative life James Hoare has been at the heart of some of the finest and most loved underground independent music to come out of the UK. His various projects have garnered praise and admiration not only here at home, but across Europe and the US too.

On Saturday 11th May James brings his new solo project Penny Arcade to Twenty One Southend, headlining Tim Keech’s latest Tea and Oranges night. Ahead of the gig, he very kindly agreed to answer a few questions for heavymetalkids.uk:

Hi James, thank you for talking to heavymetalkids.uk. For those unaware, please introduce us to Penny Arcade. Who are you collaborating with on this project and how would you best describe your sound?

Penny Arcade is my new musical project, effectively a solo project though i do have extra people playing on it. Max Claps from The Proper Ornaments plays guitar and organ on a few of the tracks, Nathalia Bruno (Drift.) is singing backing vocals. There is a selection of different drummers including Juan Jacinto (Ultimate Painting) and Daniel O’Sullivan. 

I would describe the sound as minimal psychedelic/pop. 

Throughout your career thus far, between Veronica Falls, Ultimate Painting and The Proper Ornaments, you have been able to connect with some of THE key independent labels both here and in the US. How has it been linking up with the likes of Slumberland, Trouble In Mind and Tough Love Records?

I’ve worked with various labels over the years. The best kind of label for me is the one that give you the most support, enabling you to tour and get things done. 

When you feel like someone has your back, that’s a good feeling. 

Penny Arcade – Jona

Penny Arcade’s debut long player Backwater Collage is out now via esteemed Hamburg based label Tapete. What inspired the writing/recording of this new album and what are your hopes and expectations for it?

The writing of the album was done over the last couple of years (2021-2023) In the post lockdown world. Much of it was written in my garage late at night which gave it a slightly subterranean feel. It’s about things that were going on in my life at the time, and various fictional characters and stories that came out of my mind during that period. 

The album was recorded in my home studio on a 16 track Studer tape machine and an ex BBC console from the late 70’s. Sonically I was inspired by various albums and bands. Air, Canned Heat etc…

Having your own studio is great but it can lead to procrastination, I found that the best things I did on this record were the more spontaneous.

I’m looking to start playing more with Penny Arcade and releasing more music.

It’s GREAT to see you coming to Southend as part of the ever-growing Tea and Oranges nights underneath the pier at Twenty One, and you have brilliant support lined up from local bands Yes Today and Masal. Are you looking forward to showcasing your work at such a unique venue and are there other dates coming up for those who can’t attend?

I’m very happy to be coming to Southend. I really like the place and I’ve heard good things about Twenty One. There’s a great local scene there. 

I’ve got some more UK dates coming up. Falmouth, Underland on the 8th June and Coventry, Just Dropped In on the 21st June. They’ll be some more announced later in the year.

Penny Arcade – Don’t Cry No Tears

Tickets for the Tea and Oranges gig are available here. Backwater Collage is a beautifully woozy nocturnal treasure loaded with emotive minor key melodies, you can pick up the vinyl here. Huge thanks to James for talking to the blog and to Marion Seury and Tim Keech for making it happen.

Photo of James by Kate Mount.

Goodbye Wudaokou – New Century Regrets

Reflecting on the blissful naivety of youth and it’s seemingly endless possibilities, Manchester based DIY artist Mat Mills returns with a new single for his indie/electronic project Goodbye Wudaokou.

Dialing back the emotive synth tones that so flavoured his previous cut Ultraviolet Kiss, New Century Regrets sees Mills with a freshly blooming spring in his step as he embraces the sonic rush of power-pop.

The third and final single to be taken from Goodbye Wudaokou’s forthcoming debut album Mirror Skies, New Century Regrets provides yet another angle to an artist bursting with pure creative spirit.

Available to stream/download here.

Poppy H – To The Dead, We Failed/Mother Give Bark Black Fire

The fearless experimental sounds of prolific UK artist/producer Poppy H transcend boundaries until they first become part of our landscape and eventually part of us. It’s not so much that you’re listening to his creations, more like you’re somehow amongst them.

Hot on the heels of the recently released albums Grave Era and Confidence Of Crisis for Cruel Nature Records and the Tokyo recorded Nemurenai comes two deeply immersive self-released gems. Across both, Poppy H paints vivid pictures with sweeping lo-fi brushstrokes.

To The Dead, We Failed focuses in on haunted acoustic collages whereby Mother Give Bark Black Fire features fractured vocal explorations, minimalist soulful electronica and woozy ambient jazz. Both are worthy of the deepest of dives and both are available to stream/download now.

Yea-Ming and The Rumours – Ruby

Jangle popping in determined defiance of projected perfection and the inescapable pressure it evokes, Yea-Ming and The Rumours’ new single Ruby is a soaring, soothing delight.

Building on the spirited indie country of her 2022 album So, Bird…, Oakland based Yea-Ming Chen has further refined her winning formula with a flourishing pop polish that renders her molten melodies and ever-comforting croon completely irresistible.

Working with new Rumours members Jen Weisberg (Hits) and Luke Robbins (Latitude) in addition to long-term collaborators Eóin Galvin and Sonia Hayden, new album I Can’t Have It All releases 24th May via Dandy Boy Records. You can pre-order the album here.

Dream Bleeding – Suddenly I Remembered Your Hands

Arriving fully formed with devastating beauty, Scottish space rock trio Dream Bleeding have completely captured this blog’s heart with debut release Suddenly I Remembered Your Hands.

Somehow both huge in scope but intimate in execution, the band extract every inch of emotion from their soaring sonic assault, with enveloping waves of sound collapsing into ethereal, spacious moments of sudden calm.

About as essential as a band’s first act gets, Suddenly I Remembered Your Hands is available to stream/download here.

Ship Full Of Bombs ep.12

My latest radio show is now available for streaming/download via Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Mixcloud, Google Podcasts, Deezer and other leading podcast apps.

Alternatively, you can visit http://www.sfob.co.uk and scroll down to the widget at the bottom of the page.

Playlist: Monday 22nd April

1) The Reds, Pinks & Purples – What’s Going On With Ordinary People

https://theredspinksandpurples.bandcamp.com/album/unwishing-well-3

2) Lightheaded – Moments Notice

https://areyoufeelinglightheaded.bandcamp.com/album/combustible-gems-2

3) Neutrals – Wish You Were Here

https://neutrals.bandcamp.com/album/new-town-dream

4) Autocamper – Blanche

https://safesuburbanhomerecords.bandcamp.com/album/blanche-budge

5) Oort Clod – AC Reed

https://oortclod.bandcamp.com/album/cult-value

6) Goodbye Wudaokou – New Century Regrets

https://goodbyewudaokou.bandcamp.com/track/new-century-regrets

7) Dancer – Ferret Fancier

https://goldmoldrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dancer

8) Is/Ought Gap – Wake Up Wet

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/album/sua

9) Mythical Motors – Upside Down World

https://mythicalmotors.bandcamp.com/album/upside-down-world-2

10) Red Pants – Castles In The Snow

https://redred.bandcamp.com/album/gentle-centuries

11) Yea-Ming and the Rumours – I Can’t Have It All

https://dandyboyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-cant-have-it-all

12) Renovator’s Delight – Bucket Of Water

https://renovatorsdelight.bandcamp.com/album/bark-all-night

13) Tummyache – Las Vegas

http://www.tummyachemusic.com

14) Al Harper – Plaster Of Paris

https://alharper.bandcamp.com/album/the-analemma-observation-league

15) Magic Fig – Goodbye Suzy

https://magicfig.bandcamp.com/album/magic-fig

16) Torrey – Really Am

https://torreymusic.bandcamp.com/album/torrey

17) Masal – Dying Days

https://masalbanduk.bandcamp.com/album/the-galloping-cat

18) Herald – Soul Ronnie

https://errolshotwax.bandcamp.com/album/linear-b

19) Look.Up. – Where The Crazies Are

https://lookupsounds.bandcamp.com/track/where-the-crazies-are

20) Aluminum – Beat

https://aluminum.bandcamp.com/album/fully-beat

21) Lane – Everybody’s Finding Out

https://lanetotalwar.bandcamp.com/track/everybodys-finding-out

22) Dragged Up – Third Level

https://draggedup.bandcamp.com/album/high-on-ripple

23) Zeinab Shaath – Resist

https://zeinabshaath.bandcamp.com/album/the-urgent-call-of-palestine

24) Adrianne Lenker – Relief

https://adriannelenker.bandcamp.com/album/i-won-t-let-go-of-your-hand

25) The Lost Letters – Cecille

https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-letters

26) Vanishing Muffins – White Wall

https://shorediverecords.bandcamp.com/album/central

27) Cindy – Why Not Now?

https://cindytheband.bandcamp.com/album/why-not-now

Is/Ought Gap – SUA

This latest release from the wonderful HHBTM Records sees the once lost art-pop/post-punk stylings of Is/Ought Gap brought passionately and powerfully out into the light.

Emerging from the same early 80s Athens, GA indie scene that spawned the likes of REM, The B-52’s and Pylon, Is/Ought Gap were always a looser, noisier proposition, their incendiary live shows a consistent highlight extending across the Southeast.

Despite their successes on the live circuit, the band’s debut album Lucky 7 remained unreleased, a wrong now put right on this vibrant and vital new compilation. Also included are tracks freshly recorded during the bands 2014 reunion, with some choice bonus live cuts to close.

Fizzing with electric energy, Is/Ought Gap have emerged from the shadows with a rousing, rowdy beauty certain to resonate deeply with a whole new enraptured audience. SUA is out now, you can purchase the vinyl/digital here.

Autocamper – Blanche/Budge

Like only the very best indie-pop acts can, Manchester quartet Autocamper excel at finding the extra in the ordinary. The underlying wonder of the everyday is indelibly woven into their intricate pop tapestry, a fact deftly demonstrated across the band’s new double A-side single.

From Blanche’s punchy defiance to the multi-layered heartache of Budge, dual vocalists Jack Harkins (guitar) and Niamh Purtill (keys) artfully capture moments and memories, conveying weighty emotion with endearing charm and confidence. Harry Williams and Arthur Junior Robinson’s rhythm section adds muscle to the magic, joining all of the dots to complete a perfect pop picture.

Released via Safe Suburban Home, Blanche is available to stream/download now, with Budge to follow on 3rd May. Tapes are available for pre-order here.

Live Dates:
May 
03 – Manchester, Withington Public Halls (SINGLE RELEASE)
05 – The Crescent, York
08 – Venue TBC, Glasgow
17 – The Grand, Clitheroe (with The Bug Club)
31 – Sheffield, Sidney & Matilda 
June
04 – London, The Social

Torrey – s/t

There is a deep authenticity that runs through the various projects of Bay Area artist Ryann Gonsalves, and it’s that same authenticity that provides the beating heart of the new self-titled album by Torrey, recently released via Slumberland Records.

Across the album’s twelve tracks, Gonsalves’ infectious melodies embed themselves artfully amongst layer upon layer of beatific, sweeping guitars. These spellbinding arrangements, crafted with brother and band co-founder Kelly, capture a duo brimming with confidence and creativity.

Each contributing musician subtly elevates the whole as the album progresses. Be it Matthew Ferrari’s synths offering bountiful light and shade, the dualing textures of Adam Honingford and Kelly Gonsalves’ guitars, right through to Keith Ival’s vital, expressive rhythms.

Singles No Matter How and Bounce offer the most obvious pop moments and are glorious in their directness and heavy rolling momentum. There is so much more going on beneath the surface however, with each play uncovering new treasures within the ever shifting soundscapes.

I urge you all to give this album the attention and love that it truly deserves. In these maddest, saddest of times it offers a little bit of hope, a whole lot of comfort, and some of the finest guitar pop you will hear this year. Essential.

Torrey – No Matter How

Oort Clod – Cult Value

Originally conceived by Manchester based songwriter Patrick Glen as a fluid project with shifting members, Oort Clod’s five-strong line up was solidified across pandemic-era practice sessions, culminating in a 2021 EP split with fellow MCR based group Priceless Bodies.

Released via Safe Suburban Home (UK) and Repeating Cloud (US), the band’s debut album Cult Value blends fractured pop sensibilities with pure punk spirit, twisting their 80s/90s alternative and 60s garage rock influences into bold new shapes. It’s a contrast of styles that makes the band hard to pin down but very easy to love.

Hanging by a gloriously vital thread, songs like Car Talk and AC Reed showcase Oort Clod’s unique and powerful take on indie rock, breathing new life with each giddy strum and bittersweet melody. A thrilling debut that is absolutely not to be missed.

Vinyl/digital available here.

Oort Clod – Car Talk