These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Tony Hardy this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

ABOUT-FACES – Learn To Surf

Keeping things alphabetic, we open with a new name to Fresh Faves in the shape of Leeds-based five-piece About-Faces (that enough hyphens for you?) who announced themselves last July via debut single, Under the Sun. Comprising Sennen Ludman (guitar and vocals), Danielle Capstick (keys and vocals), Cormac Connolly (lead guitar), Nigel Ngwenya (bass) and Joseph Schofield (drums), the band members got to know each other around the local music scene, some previously playing in other bands together. The pandemic provided an unexpected impetus for the new band to coalesce.

Learn To Surf is the fourth single from About-Faces and commands attention from Senna’s stretched vowels on the opening lines over an increasingly irresistible instrumental build. Danielle’s supporting vocals add to the anthemic feel of the song while the lead vocal mixes things up with sing-speak passages. There is a lot in this song’s skilful construction that calls to mind The Waterboys (maybe with a hint of U2 meeting at a crossroads); certainly, the lyrical intensity of frontman Sennen Ludman sits well against Mike Scott as he likens overcoming life’s turmoils to conquering the surf. The result is bold and uplifting, auguring well for the future of About-Faces.

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AZU YECHÉ – Leave Me Now

Conversely, London-based singer-songwriter Azu Yeché is here for the sixth time if my maths is correct. His music is an engaging blend of old soul, infused with uplifting gospel, folk reflection and the rhythms of Africa. He started on his songwriting journey at the age of 11 and has released a string of singles and 3 EPs over the past few years, writing songs from the heart to lift the soul. Azu is acclaimed for his live performances, supporting Lemar on his Closer tour in April and has headline dates in Birmingham, London and Leeds lined up this month.

Leave Me Now opens beautifully and poignantly with Azu’s unaccompanied voice signalling acknowledgement that a relationship has reached its end and finding the courage to recognise it is the right outcome. The backing voices add sympathetic choral texture as the song develops with instrumentation nicely restrained to ensure Azu’s warmly emotive vocals remain the main event. Towards the end of the song as the drums come in, he flexes those vocal muscles to soar into the high register with ease. Perfectly crafted throughout, it is a song of joy as much as sadness.

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COMBOVER BEETHOVEN – The Privacy Of Rooms

Combover Beethoven clearly wins ‘band name of the week’ hands down. Self-described on their Bandcamp page as ‘Two men. One mission. To stave off old age by creating new music. Will they succeed? You decide’, there is a self-deprecating directness that mirrors the duo’s music. The boys may not be Elon Musk fans as they frequent Threads where the copy lines go ‘Two guys bashing synths, overdriving guitars and smashing drums – with vocal blabberings and harmonies. Cocoatronica/Politecore from the West Country.’ Full marks for inventing two new tongue-in-cheek music sub-genres.

The Privacy Of Rooms is billed as the debut track from the Cheltenham pairing while a full album entitled Borders is promised soon. The track is propelled by an insistent synth theme driven by ‘Tank’ who also contributes guitars while ‘Unit’ sings and plays drums. There is a touch of Tangerine Dream psychedelia about the feel of the song which lyrically seems to want to shut out the world and all its bad stuff by turning the lights down and retreating to the privacy of rooms. Maybe two men with a message as well as a mission.

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DYLAN BAILEY – Midnight Pulse

Next, another new name to me. Indie singer-songwriter Dylan Bailey hails from Los Angeles. After high school, she had a stint as the night assistant at Rockmafia recording studio in Santa Monica, forming a friendship with Sam Sturges aka mehro and playing bass for him as his career developed. The experience acted as a catalyst for Dylan to pursue her own path in music and she went on to release a 7-track EP, Misty, last September with each song carrying an undercurrent of empowerment.

From the aforementioned EP, Midnight Pulse has already topped 100k plays on Spotify which suggests that Dylan must be making some waves despite a fairly low online profile otherwise. Its atmospheric vibe is established via the opening 30 second soundscape of distant guitars and ambient sounds and continued as Dylan’s soft drawl with its slurred accents and die-way falls enters the scene. A night city scene glides past your eyes as she contemplates losing herself in drink and gauzy lonesome confessionals; haunting and unsettling in equal measure.

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EUREKAS – Falling From Your Grace

New to me and to Fresh On The Net is Newport, South Wales indie rock four-piece Eurekas, formed by Jack Perrett who previously worked as a solo act with friends Dan Burridge (guitar/vocals), Rhys Jones (bass) and drummer Morgan Wicks. (Patrick Laffan replaced Jones on bass at some point.) Initially exchanging voice notes during the days of Covid to start the songwriting process, as restrictions lifted the band progressed to in-person rehearsals and then live gigs. Listing The La’s and Arctic Monkeys as key influences, Jack and Dan collaborate to share guitar, vocal and songwriting responsibilities.

The riff-heavy, drum laden Falling From Your Grace hits you from the off like an old school rock song, holding little back until a smouldering breakdown two and half minutes in turns the heat down to a festering simmer. Lyrically withering towards the ruling political class for its moral duplicity: ‘you make the rules / you break the rules’, Eurekas rail at the way we have been governed with righteous anger. It is a strong statement wrapped in a mosh pit-ready workout; a cutting edge with a conscience to boot.

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FRANCES MISTRY – Flower In The Garden

Just like Azu Yeché, Brighton’s Frances Mistry is back among the Faves for the sixth time, a real endorsement of her gift for compelling songwriting and the kind of vocal poise that gives her music a point of distinction. Frances has been a serial favourite of Fresh On The Net moderators and readers in recent years and her talents were equally recognised when she was longlisted for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition in 2022. She described the prevailing theme of her 2023 debut EP, Let Them Eat Grass, as ‘navigating my emotions and relationships as an autistic person as I really struggle with things like that’. Despite the complexities the spectrum adds to her life, she can be justly proud of how well she communicates through her music.

Flower In The Garden is the lead track from her follow-up EP, Messages. Propelled by busy drums and strummed acoustic guitar, Frances’ vocals are contrastingly beautifully relaxed with a soft delicacy underpinned by a yearning substance. Navigating the chances for romance continues to be central to her thoughts as she likens her struggle to make the right connections in life as ‘a flower in the garden with no access to sun’. The imaginative chord changes and deft little production touches give the song a refined individuality while everything plays out perfectly in a coda decorated with ringing guitars and layered harmonies.

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LIZ HANKS – MEER (HAIKU SALUT REMIX)

Having worked with a wide selection of pop, folk and rock names, Sheffield-based cellist and composer Liz Hanks is acclaimed locally and across a much wider demographic. She settled in the city during the 90s, immersing herself in the area, playing cello for local hero Richard Hawley for over 20 years plus working with Thea Gilmore and a notching up a litany of recording and touring duties. Liz released a studio album, Land, last year incorporating local field recordings and referencing old photos and paintings to reflect on how life might have been like before housing and roads took over the area.

She went on to release an EP in January comprises remixes of selected tracks from the Land album by Jason Singh, Richard Norris, Leafcutter John and Haiku Salut. The entry song that scored highly among Fresh On The Net readers this week was Derbyshire instrumental trio Haiku Salut’s reimagining of Meer – meaning a boundary. The remix develops with bass echoes, ambient sounds and rippling percussion until the string-driven folk overtones of the original recording return towards the end of the track, accompanied by electro beats, handclaps and what sound like vibraphone tones. Lovely and contemplative throughout.

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MULHOLLAND JIVE – Beast Mode

Next, a band name with a nice play on words for us David Lynch fans – Mulholland Jive. Described as the brainchild of Irish musician Ben Mulholland, a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Cambridge, Mullholland Jive perform as a 9-piece band, with a rotating roster of ‘superhuman musicians’ to bring its energetic instrumental funk-jazz-rock to life. Live shows include the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Ely Arts Festival and Strawberry Fair, plus headlines at Suffolk’s John Peel Centre and the Portland Arms, and performances at the NMG Awards while its music has been played on radio stations from Cambridge to San Francisco.

With three EPs behind it, the fourth Mullholland Jive offering, Thunderfunk, is due for release in July and I expect Beast Mode will be on it. I am not quite sure what to read into the title. It may not have helped by a dyslectic moment of thinking Beast Mode was the band before hearing the track and psyching myself up for a dose of heavy metal. It’s not of course. Opening with stabbed chords before brass takes up a bright theme while those root chords return at intervals to aid structure. A particularly dextrous piano solo later heralds a punchy conclusion. Mulholland Jive are playing London’s The Spice of Life on 24 July. I wish them luck in fitting on the stage.

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NEEV – Dianne

A Fresh Fave in July last year, the Glasgow-born singer/songwriter and guitarist Neev makes a welcome return here. Now London-based, Neev operates both as a solo act with live band support and as a member of Frankie Morrow. Her music draws from the rhythms of Scots folk music, adding a touch of jazz to her melodies to combine with fine vocal inflections and deft storytelling. The result is a thoughtful and immersive blend characterised by a sure command of her broad vocal register.

Neev’s latest single, Dianne, is a story of someone who is ‘in denial about who they are, the person they’re with and the life that they live’. The lyrics paint a disturbing picture of what others can see in a relationship that the titular character of the song cannot. Or at least denies. The song explores how this can shape a person’s life and affect those around her. Starting out softly in folk tones, Neev’s soothing voice glides and picks up pace in the soft folk rock choruses to deliver an exemplary and sympathetic vocal topline. The last minute and more is given over to a ghostly coda; an open ending which seems to echo the title character drifting apart and moving out of focus.

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PULSES – Tribe

Last but by no means least, Pulses. Actually, that should be first, as the Nottingham musician, composer and teacher Chris Miles who trades as Pulses secured the highest number of reader votes this week. A glance at Chris’ Bandcamp page shows that he is highly productive in releasing music, blending a range of electronic styles to create memorable tunes to listen to or dance along. He offers frequent live-streamed performances with tracks from Pulses’ extensive back catalogue of originals and remixes. The next one is scheduled for 7 June and details can be found on Pulses’ Facebook page.

The chilled Tribe clearly resonated with lots of our readers at the weekend. It is a particularly bright and engaging piece, opening with a, dare I say it, pulsing beat which carries on beneath the track as clipped synth lines intersect and give sway to chiming melody lines. An organic theme takes hold while fluctuating phrases rise and fall away, a bit like breathing in and out. Really, this is a very skilful and holistic track to groove along to or just lose yourself in listening.

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