Please don’t confuse my romance for desperation. Please don’t confuse my longing for fear. I’m reaching out a hand. You need to reach back.

There’s room at my mother’s for two. Room for two in a single bed. We can shoot birds or light fires in the entry. And if my ticks become too much, you can look away or read the Argos catalogue.

I choose you. Any of you. Choose me, too.

DOWNLOAD: Gross Magic – “I Don’t Care”

(Photo: Dan Simons)

The tears are yellow and oily, streaming rainbows across crumpling skin.

Through this haze of slow burning sadness, there’s kaleidoscopes, like when fists are pushed into eyes and memories reconfigure as prism patterns. There’s sun spots in the mind’s eye.

History’s written through this pain, until coming out the other side, aching to a slowly dying ebb in a new future.

Only coloured scar reminders remain.

DOWNLOAD: Welcome Back Sailors – “Love’s The Answer, Blame It”

(Photo: Randy P. Martin)

“O’ it’s such a big city, little girl.”

“O’ you’re such a big baby, little boy.”

DOWNLOAD: Seapony – “Go Away”

(Photo: Alison Scarpulla)

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Download Seapony’s 4 track EP from their Bandcamp for free.

Chicks Dig Jerks present…

Calories Basic Nature Album Launch Party
Saturday 11th September @The Rainbow, Birmingham

Calories
Echo Lake

DJs
This is Tomorrow
Chicks Dig Jerks

18.30 – 22.30
£6 advance tickets available here

Address:
Adderley St,
Digbeth,
Birmingham
B12 0LD
0121 772 8174

<< Facebook event >>

I do not want to talk to you. I will not engage. I refuse to explain myself. I refuse to explain why. I do not care for the rest of the world since I like my room and games console just fine. This is the most I will ever speak to you. I do not care what you have to say in return. I will not listen, because I will no longer be here to hear.

There is evil in this world too much to imagine and all of it is the result of human interaction. I have no desire to be human, not in any way you may understand. From this point forth, my only communications to the world will be in smoke form, released from the tops of anonymous office blocks and, intermittently, the east London Mosque.

You will know me only as what I leave behind and that itself may be nothing at all. I am not here and I never will be, but you will know in my absence everything you lack. I will show you the void that you live in and call happiness. You will never know happiness. You will never know me.

DOWNLOAD: Hype Williams – “Fruit Bats Forevr”

(Photo: Sylvain Emanuel P)

Following the release of the short sharp burst of their debut album Adventuring last year, Calories return with sophomore album Basic Nature, released on September 13th.

A rich and varied record, Basic Nature sees Calories compliment strong melodic hooks with frenetic noise, recalling such underground titans as Hot Snakes, Cap ‘N’ Jazz and No Age.

Recorded “at various times in curious locations”, Basic Nature points to a group that are continuing to build on the stirring indie-rock praised so highly on Adventuring. “Orchard Girls” harks back to Captain-era Idlewild, while the boisterous gang vocals and pop laden chorus of lead single “FFWD” instantly grabs at you. What’s more, the gentler moments in ”The Offer” and the soaring climax in “Habitations” indicate the strides forward that the band have undertaken on this record.

Basic Nature will be released as a combined vinyl and CD set, a digipack CD, and download via all the usual channels. Thanks to Gordon Armstrong for the stunning artwork. You can pre-order both formats from the links below, which also direct to the album tracklisting:

PRE-ORDER: 12″ & CD set – £10.99
PRE-ORDER: CD – £6.99

“FFWD” will be the first single to be taken from the album, released via digital download only on August 30th. You can listen to the song below, in the embedded Soundcloud player. Calories launch the record with a party at The Rainbow in Birmingham on Saturday 11th September. Support comes from Echo Lake. More details here.

You can also hear exclusive songs on the band’s Tumblr.

Calories – “FFWD”

There’s infinite insect empires building a buzz on the veranda, the sole static pulse of the otherwise motionless City of Daughters.

We feel the heat exiting the earth as the sun dissolves into the sea, but the night lingers on.

We got high.

Below, rooftops stretch out and into tomorrow.

And if we never make it that far, we never make it that far.

DOWNLOAD: Sea Pinks – “Evening, Dreaming of Empire”

(Photo: Ana Kras)

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Sea Pinks is the new project from Girls Names drummer, Neil Brogan. He releases an 11 track album under that moniker very soon.

It’s hard to catch a breath in the city.

A lungful can weigh a ton in the sweated haze of where the days end and start.

Leaden grit wont come clean, dirty from our insides out.

But everything can turn around.

One day we’re all gonna turn around.

DOWNLOAD: Yellow Ostrich – “Mary”

(Photo: Sylvain-Emmanuel P)

Two weekends ago, Tough Love celebrated it’s fifth birthday at the soon to be no more (or at least soon to be completely different) Stag’s Head in Dalston. A lot of good bands played and a lot of people showed up to show wild appreciation. It’s was a beautiful day.

Thanks to Danny Sangra for catching it on film and editing together a montage of what he could salvage from the day’s hedonism. I recognise far too many people in this and make an equally disturbing amount of cameos.

Danny also took some photos which Dummy were good enough to publish. You can view them here.

So, a belated thanks to everyone involved in the day/night. We’re going to Malta next year.

As premiered on Drowned in Sound yesterday, here’s the new video for “FFWD” by Calories, directed by Ollie Evans.

“FFWD” is the first single to be taken from their forthcoming eponymous album, Basic Nature, released on Monday 13th September as a 12″+CD set, CD, and download.

The video is also streaming at the band’s Tumblr, along with four songs.

Pre-order the record from here.