Cougar Microbes

Wild Palms first came to my attention last year when they released début single ‘Deep Dive‘ on One Little Indian. It was a boisterous little tune and, in my mind, it warranted a lot of attention but, disappointingly, it didn’t receive its rightful share of hype.

However, their latest offering, ‘Delights in Temptation’, is unlikely to fall privy to the same infliction. The track begins softly, with mellow chords, supportive drums and a carefully considered vocal. And then suddenly it freefalls into a majestic sound with beefed out grunge guitar pieces and harrowingly hollow vocals before quickly recoiling to bring you back to resting heart rate.

Sound exhilarating? It kind of is. There is more than an obvious nods to their post -punk tour pals Gangs of Four but these South London boys have a more ethereal and abstract stamp and their sound is all the better for it.

They’ve got a host of tour dates line up and their due to release their début album ‘Until Spring‘ this March; we can only hope that they become this season’s must have.

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Post by the NYC bound Ruby

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TRACKS:

Spanish five-some We Are Standard, are adding some anthemic head -wobbling indie pop to their second and self titled album this year. The nine track LP is crammed with post- punk nuggets such as ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘The First Girl Who Got a Kiss’ and ‘Other Lips’.

Their trademark sound displays startling similarities to the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Young Knives and, with the production help of Andy Gill, obviously Gang of Four. In an attempt not to be labelled a one trick pony they’ve added an electro- dance pop feel to many of the tracks too.

If you’re looking for rebellious guitar solos, a cutting falsetto vocal, and a whole lot of snare drum, then this album will have you working yourself up into a delightful sweat.

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Post by the rule breaking Ruby
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TRACKS

We Are Standard – Don’t Give Up