New Waves.. Empire Of The Sun - 'Alive'

'Alive' is Empire Of The Sun's first offering since their 2008 debut album, Walking On A Dream. Five years is certainly a good while to wait, especially in the fickle music industry which only tends to humour such sabbaticals from established icons or cult artists.

When it comes to Empire Of The Sun, to me at least, they look how they sound - a tad flamboyant, a little bit weird, and with a healthy dose of fun, all of which hold true in regards to 'Alive'. The track seems perfectly poised to be unleashed on a country that is desperately longing for summer (hello, UK fellows, I'm calling out to y'all), and such honey-glazed synthpop practically comes purpose built for the festival circuit and summer parties.

That said, 'Alive' feels like almost common fodder for Empire Of The Sun, and one could have easily mistaken the song as one from their debut album way back when, and not been any the wiser. Currently, it feels as though the band have not progressed from circa-2008, unless we are to be proven wrong when second album Ice On The Dune is released later this year.

http://empireofthesun.com/
https://www.facebook.com/empireofthesun

Flashback Friday.. Hurts - 'Better Than Love'

You may, or may not, have heard of Hurts. You should have heard of Hurts, as their brand of neo-New Romantic synthpop was applauded by many a music critic after the atmospheric single, 'Wonderful Life' was thrown around cyberspace circa 2009.

If you haven't heard of the Manchester band, I'll resist from spanking you; I've never heard them played on radio and only sporadically on music channels. Despite this almost hot and cold response from Brit music press, the band have practically blasted through the charts on the continent, with their debut album, Happiness charting in the Top 10 in twelve European countries. Their second album, Exile, is to be released on March 11th and the band have recently (and somewhat surprisingly, in my eyes) graced the front cover of NME. To give you a taster of what they are about, take a listen to my favourite Hurts song, 'Better Than Love'.

'Better Than Love' is, in my opinion, the most immediate Hurts song, slowly building with a forebodingly pounding beat juxtaposed with glittering synth riffs at the chorus before exploding in a euphoric crescendo, 'Better Than Love' is an ode to fear of loving but failing to live, and uncertainty and denial in a relationship. In short, it's a terrific song, a genuinely rare gem!

Hurts' second album, Exile is released March 11th.
The first single from Exile, 'Miracle' is released March 10th.

2013 European tour dates are as follows:

March 14 - Cologne, Essigfabrik 
March 15 - Munich, Theaterfabrik 
March 16 - Hamburg, Uebel & Gefaehrlich 
March 18 - Stockholm, Strand 
March 20 - Warsaw, Palladium 
March 23 - Zurich, Kaufleuten 
March 25 - Milan, Magazzini Generali 
March 27 - Vienna, Arena 
March 28 - Prague, Lucerna Music Bar 
March 30 - Amsterdam, Melkweg 
April 1 - Manchester, Academy 2 
April 2 - Glasgow, Garage

http://www.informationhurts.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hurts

New Waves.. Sky Ferreira - 'Red Lips'

Sky Ferreira's new song 'Red Lips' is a far more rockier affair than her previous efforts such as 2010's 'One' and 'Obsessions' from her As If EP, which channeled electro synthpop,

The first single from her debut album Wild At Heart, 'Red Lips' marks a distinct - and intentional, it seems - change in sound, working with Garbage frontwoman, Shirley Manson, amongst others, to write her album. Manson's influence is all over this track; catchy yet grungy pop which just about swerves generic in this instance, which will no doubt expose Ferreira to a different more alternative audience.

Currently, there are no release dates for either the 'Red Lips' single or Wild At Heart album.

http://www.facebook.com/skyferreira
http://soundcloud.com/skysoundcloud
https://twitter.com/#!/skyferreira