Whilst I’m generally someone who switches off the outside world to some degree when it comes to going on holiday, there are certain emails I’m more than happy to receive and respond to, regardless of location. Beer52 offer? Yes please. Redirect a parcel? If you would. Premiere a new track from one of our favourite outfits today? Abso-bloody-lutely.
Returning from an afternoon on the slopes this week, I was chuffed up to find an email from Cassels offering such a gift (a track premiere, not a Beer52 code…)
Now based in London (but originally from cretin-capital Chipping Norton), sibling duo Cassels have had us on the hook ever since we interviewed the pair at a festival way back in 2016. 2022 album ‘A Gut Feeling’ was a firm favourite, big single ‘Charlie Goes Skiing’ even making a dent in our ‘Top 50 Songs of 2022’!
Brothers Jim and Loz Beck now have a new release forthcoming, one which explores the anxieties that came with the UK lockdown. Of ‘About Not Writing’, guitarist and vocalist Jim suggests that he really enjoyed the first few weeks of lockdown given the time devoted to staying indoors, but that soon slipped away to mind-rot and a struggle to write anything.
“Sitting around in my pants, watching the days slip away. It was an odd time.”
Picking up where ‘A Gut Feeling’ left off, ‘About Not Writing’ packs a wallop, drummer Loz hammering away as Jim captivates with every word, the pair ultimately getting more and more frantic as the tension rises and it builds to its raw conclusion.
Taken from a split 7” single with the equally raging Beige Palace on the other side, the record is available to pre-order now via known tastemakers God Unknown Records and Human Worth.
To celebrate its release, Cassels have got a run of dates set up which you can grab tickets for here:
09 April – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
10 April – Botanique, Brussels
11 April – Trefpunt, Gent
12 April – L’International, Paris
13 April – Quai M, La-Roche-sur-Yon
14 April – La Bateau Ivre, Tours
15 April – La Bulle, Lille
18 April – The Social, London (SOLD OUT)
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Here at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we like to get to the heart of what an artist is all about. We feel the music they listen to is just as important as the music they make.
With the year coming to a close, we’ve decided to once again turn it on its head a bit and ask some of our favourite artists what releases they’ve been raving about this year. With that in mind, off the back of releasing their latest album ‘A Gut Feeling‘ (via God Unknown Records), we’re chuffed to have Loz Beck of Casselstalk us through his favourite releases from the past 12 months.
“Our Jim has been a big Sea Power fan for years, and I’m not sure why but they never really fully grabbed my attention. But this latest record completely blew me away, it sounds absolutely massive & anthemic AF, and since listening to it I’ve completely converted into a huge Sea Power fan. We both went to see them at The Roundhouse earlier this year – which in hindsight was probably my GOTY.“
“I’ve been an Alex G fan for yonks, and in my opinion, he’s been writing the best sad boy tunes since 90s Elliot Smith. But this one in particular really stands out due to the close nature of the production compared to his old, roomy lofi sound. Encompassing biblical influences & themes of religion throughout, on first single Blessing (a personal fave) an almost piercing synth sound sends you headfirst into the album. The well-thought out production style and ever present, almost-ASMR like whispery vocals, makes the tracks distinctly personal and eerie up against his former works.“
“UK dance music had an absolutely massive year this year, but refreshingly dictating the charts hasn’t been just your usual shite Ibiza House / EDM. Nia Archives has re-created 90s jungle & breakbeat, but with huge HIFI modern-day production, which accompanied with her delicate, melodic vocals is a match made in heaven. She’s like 19 or something too, and releases it all under her own label – an absolute inspiration!“
“Similarly to the Alex G record, I think Bad Breeding have really mixed it up with this record. Their old stuff is a great representation of the genre – fast paced and scrappy, typical of a hardcore album. With Human Capital they try something new, they up the production and get experimental with the songwriting. A great example is ‘Rebuilding’ which is a slow, droney tune and my personal highlight. For me, it’s the perfect heavy record.“
“This stands out as my favourite hip hop record of the year. Danger Mouse & Black Thought have collaborated with all these phenomenal rappers and, instead of falling into the trap of quantity over quality, they produce a well constructed album with a tight 90s hip hop vibe & all the right beats. It’s particularly special to hear the late MF Doom on ‘Belize’ as, in my opinion, Madvillainy is the best hip hop record of all time.“
‘A Gut Feeling‘ is out now(via God Unknown Records)! Grab your sen a copy of it right here!
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Every month we put together this wee playlist of 20 of our favourite tracks from the past 30+ days and we’re always stoked for people to get involved with what we’ve been listening to. This month in particular is a real doozy, let me tell you. Oh boy.
From 70s German synth-punk to Mancunian weirdo-rock, big booming disco beats to heart-swelling nostalgic pop and heaps more.
Tell your mates, tell your Mum (phone your Mum), and get it liked and shared. Yee-Haw!
Another belter from forward-thinking Canadian duo Deliluh, now based in Europe, who excel in building tension throughout their latest record, ‘Fault Lines‘ (reviewed here). Lead single ‘Body and Soul‘ is a brain-melter – all encompassing, the vocal of Kyle Knapp captivating against the frantic instrumental and punctuating thuds.
DAF – Der Räuber Und Der Prinz (Alles Ist Gut)
This is absolutely the ticket. A hypnotic and unnerving wonky opening makes way for head-fuck whispering amongst the various whistles, clinks, clanks and bell clangs. From on the pulse 70s outfit D.A.F. (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft), it’s clear to hear just how influential the German duo were.
“-seen in a crowd they create an optical illusion, but on its own it’s this singular piece of art.” So says Aussie artist Stella Donnelly of her forthcoming album ‘Flood‘, its 11 tracks reflecting the story behind the album art of Banded Stilts, a native bird of Australia. Lead single ‘Lungs‘ follows 2019 album ‘Beware of the Dogs‘ and features more in the way of Donnelly’s heavenly vocal and wicked songwriting.
Ripper territory from New Zealand lot Die! Die! Die! from their latest album ‘This Is Not An Island Anymore‘, out earlier this year. Three minutes of ear assault, ‘Never Tire Looking At The Sun‘ barely lets up as the trio hit out full pelt, adding a wigging out Tenor Sax into the mix for a proper noisy attack.
New out this year from the winners of the coveted Birthday Cake For Breakfast band name of 2022, ‘Dumb Bitch‘ is a hypnotising, dancey punk banger from a quartet of New Yorkers who clearly don’t give two fucks. Part of the Suicide Squeeze ‘Pinks & Purples Digital Singles Series‘.
On the name, the band call it like they see it – from their Bandcamp: “As soon as cumgirl8 began exploring the artistic possibilities of fusing the URL world with in-the-flesh performances, the assholes had to come in and ban them from social media platforms because of their name. Puritans, TERFS, and homophobes always find a way to impose their bullshit on the gender outlaws and sexual provocateurs of our times. Well, cumgirl8 has had enough of the archaic mores and narrow-minded values.“
I still have fond memories of a winter evening in January 2019 watching PILL in the basement of The Peer Hat. The New Yorkers split not long after, with some of its numbers moving on to form new outfit P.E. From their second album, ‘The Leather Lemon‘, out this year on Wharf Cat Records, the groove-tastic ‘Blue Nude (Reclined)‘ is a total trip, lit up with bursts of brass and the engrossing vocal of Veronica Torres. Elsewhere on the album, you’ll even find a guest appearance from New York royalty, Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts!
I think it’s fair to say they’re back! Sadly not a cover of the brilliant album track of the same name from David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance‘, instead the new one from Preoccupations is an urgent earworm reminiscent of their 2016 self-titled full length. Hard not to hang on every impassioned word of vocalist Matt Flegel.
A swish number from cult Welsh artist Gruff Rhys, the title track from the rather wonderful 2021 full length ‘Seeking New Gods‘ (reviewed here). An absolute heart-stopper and the very essence of warmth in a track, from a record inspired by the Paektu Mountain, which allowed Gruff to mythologize his own sonic mountain to clamber up.
A return to the blog from Kentucky trio Wombo, ‘Backflip‘ goes here there and everywhere, with a Cate Le Bon-ish vocal against a raging math meets post-punk meets psychedelic vibe. From a forthcoming new album influenced by fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, naturally.
Favourite Youtube clip? Elvis on his last legs, letting it all hang out and absolutely ripping it up in Rapid City, South Dakota (yee-haw!) Shoehorning it in (allow it), have you heard this one from Philly quartet Empath? A proper fuzzy, heart-swelling joyous pop song!
Big fight feel in the chorus of this as vocalist Jon Higgs reels off a list of all those who told him what would happen if he clicks/is ‘CUT UP!’ From the meat head to Kevin to the ‘Pizza Boy‘, just ludicrously good stuff from Everything Everything, taken from their terrific new record ‘Raw Data Feel‘ (reviewed here).
It’s been a good few years since we last heard from Sweet Baboo in a solo capacity (5 years by all accounts!) Like putting on a favourite shirt you found in the back of the closet, it’s a joy to have him back. A real swell lounge affair, with that heart-melting vocal we’ve come to love from the Welsh troubadour, it comes inspired by the likes of Stereolab, Tropicália and Paul Simon and is hopefully an indicator of more new music to come.
More new music from OSEES, takenfrom their forthcoming ode to gnarly punk bands of old. Latest single ‘Perm Act’ sees vocalist JPD stretching out that goblin voice of his, whilst the double drumming of Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon steals the show.
Featuring the combined efforts of current and former members of PINS, Girls Names and September Girls, the new one from box fresh outfit GRAVE GOODS is a proper bit of kit. Revved up gnarly noise, destined for a moody, dimly lit basement venue.
GRAVE GOODS talked us through their new single just the other day, which you can read about here.
Late last year we were lucky enough to catch Narrow Head in a support slot up the road at YES in Manchester, where they blew the headliners out of the water. Their first release via tastemakers Church Road Records, ‘T.W.I.N.‘ is a Deftones-esque ripper that signals good things to come!
Kicking off a series of forthcoming demos, unreleased tracks, instrumentals, experiments and more – released outside of studio albums – London based artist Du Blonde has just dropped this 100 second rocker. Coming fresh off 2021 full length ‘HOMECOMING‘, it’s the classic bright music / sad lyrics scenario, the theme of the anthemic ‘Live Wire‘ being to hide away and “lay in the basement alone“.
Bloody lot of talent coming out of Manchester you know! Not content with putting out the much loved ‘Nude With Demon‘ this year (as The Web of Lies), Irma Vep teams up with players from the likes of Aldous RH, Sex Hands and Lovvers for this ace bit of unhinged weirdo rock, channelling the likes of DRINKS and Terry under the collective moniker of The Birthmarks. Well good.
On their 2021 album ‘Cooler Returns‘, we suggested Kiwi Jrcombined the sounds of Dylan, The Byrds and Jonathan Richman with the vibe of a Wes Anderson flick. The recently announced ‘Chopper‘ (out August on Sub Pop) seems to have more of a romantic, longing feel to it, though new single ‘Unspeakable Things‘ (supposedly written whilst watching “prestige tv drama” ‘Justified‘), still shows they’ve got that sun-soaked, anthemic style in the bag.
It’s not something I’m normally arsed about, but I’ve found myself devouring Glastonbury highlights this year, lapping up everything from Confidence Man to Black Midi to Roisin Murphy. Notorious disco daddies Warmduscher were a vibe all of their own, bringing early morning sleaze to a sunny afternoon in the field, with the raucous ‘Twitchin’ In The Kitchen‘ particularly capturing our attention. So much so we had to include it here!
Chipping Norton’s finest Cassels returned earlier this year with the nails ‘A Gut Feeling‘, an album we suggested is “their best record by a country mile.“ ‘Charlie Goes Skiing‘ is a noisy ripper make no mistake, the sibling duo proper putting in a shift, taking it to explosive, ear-destroying heights.
Earlier this year, the pair talked us through the track ‘Your Humble Narrator‘, which you can read about here!
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Tell you what – we love hearing from artists when things go right. We equally love hearing from artists when things go dreadfully wrong. A song that was a piece of piss, written in 20 minutes? Or years in the making and a bastard to write?
Whether it’s a song that came together through great duress or one that was smashed out in a short amount of time, we’re getting the lowdown from some of our favourites on the one song that they can’t stop thinking about – in their own words.
Off the back of releasing their latest album ‘A Gut Feeling‘ (out now on God Unknown Records), Jim Beck, guitarist and vocalist in London duo Cassels, talks us through album opener ‘Your Humble Narrator‘.Take it away, Jim…
“‘Your Humble Narrator’ is the first song on our new album. The idea for it came about after we played Fusion Festival in Germany, which was bloody nuts. A very nice promoter called Adrien messaged us on Facebook and asked if we wanted to play – we thought it sounded cool, so said yes. We didn’t know anything about the festival, but it turned out to be a bit of a legendary one, known by some as ‘the European Burning Man’. At times it felt like we were on the set of Mad Max or something; loads of crazy art installations, most of the stages were in deserted military bunkers – proper good. Anyway, the line up was super varied, but there was also a LOT of techno. After not really listening to much techno before, that festival got me well into it.
So, the idea for this song was essentially to do a techno tune. Or do something as close as our relatively limited set up would allow. The song is built around a simple guitar loop, which variously swells, fades, and develops over the course of 9-ish minutes. I think I technically only play two notes for the entire song, which makes it sound like a piece of piss. However, it was indeed – to quote the opening remarks of this article – an absolute bastard to write. In fact it’s easily the longest we’ve ever spent on one song. We nearly gave up on it 2 or 3 times. I’m really glad we stuck with it though as it’s now one of my favourites.
I think our default approach to songwriting is to throw a lot of shit into the pot. Our songs often have multiple sections and make use of loud/quiet fast/slow dynamics, often jumping from one extreme to the other. It’s a simple way to create impact, particularly as a two piece. ‘Your Humble Narrator’ required a change of approach though. We focused much more on creating gradual changes through repetition; introducing new elements to keep things interesting while settling into a, dare I say it, ‘groove’.
To complicate things further (and without [hopefully] going into loads of boring detail) the aforementioned guitar loop is set up in real time using an analogue pedal which isn’t really built for looping. This means the timing of the playback is often slightly irregular, meaning Loz (the drummer/younger brother) has to try and stay in time with something which isn’t really in time with itself. There’s also a point in the song where I add another layer of guitar – changing the loop from a regular 4-to-the-floor-type-thing into a syncopated-type-thing. If I don’t hit the exact combination of pedals at exactly the right times the whole thing falls apart.
We spent months just trying to play in time with this stupid fucking loop. Some might argue I should have just invested in a proper looping pedal or, even better, some kind of backing track/tap tempo set up, but where’s the fun in that?
Anyway, after a few months of frustrated farting around, the song gradually began to form into a rough structure. And, crucially, we could actually sort of play it. Sometimes nearly all the way to the end. We got it to a decent-ish standard, and then went into Lockdown 1. At this point we’d pretty much written the entire album, so I told myself I wouldn’t write any more songs whilst locked down for fear of getting bored with what we already had. Instead I obsessed over the album tunes – thinking of things we could tweak, layers we could add etc. Once lockdown had ended we were then able to demo the album, and the songs changed and evolved again.
When it came time to record ‘Your Humble Narrator’ we were the tightest we’d ever been, but were still bricking it. I think we may have even left it until the end because we were anticipating it being a nightmare. There was talk of recording the loop in isolation and playing to a click, but first we thought we’d have a go at bashing it out live. And guess what? Nailed it in a couple of takes didn’t we. Like a couple of bloody legends. Then we spent a while chucking ridiculous noise and synths all over it. Up until this point an egg shaker was about the furthest we’d gone with additional instrumentation, so this song was another important milestone in that respect.
The lyrics for this song set up the thematic frame for the rest of the album. It’s the only song written in the first person, and is intended to introduce an unreliable narrator who goes on to tell the stories that follow. I think the words were written before any of the others on the album, and before the overarching theme had been established. I thought describing art in nefarious terms akin to propaganda – as a sort of evil mind control device – was kind of funny. The words also have a tongue-twister quality to them which I quite enjoy.
As I said, this song is now one of my favourites, and I’m excited for people to hear it. We’re opening our set with it these days and I can’t see it leaving the set list anytime soon. I think it will also inform the next batch of songs if/when we get around to writing again.”
Cassels – ‘A Gut Feeling’ – reviewed here!
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At the time of writing, Isaac Wood, vocalist and guitarist in Black Country, New Road, has just announced his departure from the band, alluding to mental health reasons. Admittedly it’s come as a shock to us all, particularly with this here second album just about to land and it’s hard to imagine the band without his distinctive vocals. But with the band vowing to continue, ‘Ants From Up There‘ acts as the perfect swan song for this chapter of the collective.
After seeing the band air a lot of new material live last summer, I remember thinking there was a definite change of pace from the genre shifting drama of ace debut ‘For The First Time’. With a focus on slow burning, post-rock dynamics, ‘Ants From Up There’ swaps intensity for atmosphere, bringing in new layers of beauty and vulnerability.
The intro is a jubilant, math-y burst of staccato sax and piano stabs that towers overtop a driving, full band backing. It’s such an uplifting start that is almost over too quickly, but brilliantly leads into the sprightly, orchestral indie pop of ‘Chaos Space Marine’. It’s a head on start to the album that feels bright and elegant, but it’s when we get to shimmering indie epic ‘Concorde’ that the beauty of this record really begins to shine.
Dynamically, you can’t help but be engulfed by the songwriting here; the build in ‘Good Will Hunting’ is nothing short of heart-bursting, while the drum track on ’Snow Globes’ is incredibly encompassing. They always know how to keep you interested as a listener, but there’s a fluidity to the compositions here that feels tighter, stronger and even more engaging.
‘Ants From Up There’ retains the excitement and theatre of its predecessor but adds new levels of depth, warmth and even romance. Though it’s sad to think of this as Isaac’s last outing with the band, especially with him putting in such incredibly raw and emotive performances, I still feel hope gleaming through this record, particularly in the instrumentals. And with this I feel a lot of optimism and excitement going forward for this supremely talented group.
There was a point where Cassels seemed like a band that never stopped, with an arsenal of releases (including two full lengths) and countless tours across the past 7+ years. But, like the rest of us, the brothers Beck found themselves in the midst of some unexpected downtime, allowing them to work on new material at a slightly slower pace. Still keeping their noise punk credentials firmly in place, they looked at how they could evolve their two piece sound, and the result is their most assured work to date.
My first thought when hearing ‘A Gut Feeling’ was how raging it is. Huge riffs tower over crashing, muscular drums with ever eloquent yet snarling spoken word vocals. For this third album, guitarist and vocalist Jim looked into writing character based stories in which he found himself able to inject even more personal thoughts and feelings through these characters. It can go from intense to thrilling to even heart-breaking in the blink of an eye.
While the likes of ‘Mr Henderson Coughs’ and ‘Charlie Goes Skiing’ are arguably the most dramatic and gnarliest tunes they’ve penned, ‘Family Visits Relatives‘ and ‘Dog Drops Bone‘ nearly reduced me to tears with there brutal realism and stripped back arrangements. This is pretty potent stuff – at first I just wanted to be battered round the chops with noisy rock songs, but the depths this album goes to can be rather breath-taking.
‘A Gut Feeling‘ requires the same amount of attention that was put into it. It’s not an album that you can digest straight away. Though it has some pretty immediate moments on it, as a whole piece it’s a record that soaks into your skin more on each listen. The foundations of what makes Cassels such a great brand are still firmly in place, but with subtle sonic switch ups and a deeper understanding into composition and texture, Loz and Jim have made their best record by a country mile.
I have a vivid memory of hearing the first Rolo Tomassi EP back in 2006 and being blown away by its mathcore madness. Forever pushing the boundaries of alternative metal, It’s been extremely interesting to see this band’s journey unfold over the years.
Here we land at their sixth album, ‘Where Myth Becomes Memory’, which comes four years on from the critically acclaimed ‘Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It’. To my mind this album feels like the third part in a trilogy of albums which started with ‘Grievances’ in 2015. Though I have a lot of positive things to say about the last two albums, I did sometimes feel that the band were still working out the kinks, heading towards their masterpiece. I think it’s fair to say that this record is definitely that.
Never have Rolo Tomassi sounded so humongous. I’ve always enjoyed their sharp dynamic twists, often going from the extremely heavy to the beautifully melodic, but on this album there is this expertly executed blend which sends the songs into the stratosphere. ‘Cloaked’, ‘Drip’ and ‘To Resist Forgetting’ are superb examples of combining ethereal yet Instant melodies over the top of bone-crushing metal-core riffs. And they sound even more powerful and fearless for it.
It’s also really great to see them push the post-rock undertones of the last two records. It’s something I’ve really wanted to hear the band move into and you could not get more gorgeously expansive than ‘Closer’ or enticingly transcendent as ‘Almost Always’.
Rolo Tomassi have done this really rare thing of trimming the fat but also knowing when to hit you at the right moment. The emotional core of this album has never felt stronger, sometimes it being the instrumentation that completely catches you off guard (the piano passage in ‘Mutual Ruin’ is quite possibly the most stop you in your tracks moment they’ve made). I know I’ve already made a pretty sweeping statement in this rundown, but it must be said that ’Where Myth Becomes Memory’ is the sound of a band at their most realised and is quite possibly their strongest and best album to date.
We’ve said it a few times across these pages, but there’s definitely something in the water up in that there Leeds. It’s like you know whenever you see the words ‘Leeds band‘ that you’re going to be impressed. Although, Thank frontman Freddy does state on this record that there’s never been a good band from Leeds. Or London for that matter. But he’s wrong, because Thank have been the DIY scenes best kept secret for a number of years now and we are chuffed to finally have a debut album to sink our teeth into.
‘Thoughtless Cruelty’ continues to expand the horizons of this brilliantly bonkers band, making obnoxious noise fuelled punk for the dance floors. Recent single ‘Good Boy’ is a gleaming example of the above statement, battering your ears with hypnotic sub bass that builds into a disco punk banger from hell, sounding like Gilla Band being possessed by old Lucifer himself.
Described by the band as a stark observation of human cruelty, this is very much an edge of your seat sort of record, often exploding into a rampage of thick bass, spiky guitars, acid dipped keys and groovy beats. On top of this we have Freddy shouting his head off with superbly executed one-liners that range from anxious and intense to sarcastic and witty. The description of viewing the house that smells like grilled sausage and old boots on the electrifying ‘Dread’ is equally hilarious and grimly relatable.
As a fan of the band’s previous releases, it’s really great to see them push the limitations of the foundations they’ve already set. They’ve gone deeper and darker into their sound – everything sounds beefed up and compositionally they really know how to draw you in, scare the shit out of you then just ascend into an utterly thrilling world of chaos. ‘Thoughtless Cruelty’ is intensely smart, beautifully detailed and totally batshit crazy. Welcome to the new norm.
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