“One for the introverts and dreamers, the ones that still find beauty and magic in things” Now, technically speaking, we at Backseat Mafia have already previewed this back in October, ahead of a physical release on December 11th, but, this being 2020, nothing is ever that straightforward, so, this has now been rescheduled to 18th December …

Iconic Scottish troubadours Arab Strap have announced details of their forthcoming 7th studio album, ‘As Days Get Dark’, their first since 2005’s The Last Romance, and due 5th March 2021. “It’s about hopelessness and darkness,” says singer and lyricist Aidan Moffat. “But in a fun way.”  Despite coming out of that late nineties scene that …

Some 8 years following the the release of their last album The Shallows, and having recently signed to the Atlantic Curve label, Leeds band I LIKE TRAINS have announced new album ‘Kompromat’ and with it, lead track ‘The Truth’.  Something of a departure from their previous releases, yet unmistakeably I LIKE TRAINS, it’s an absolutely storming piece of work, one can …

Since emerging on seminal Scottish label Fence (King Creosote, Pictish Trail) in 2006, Diana De Cabbarus, aka Candythief, has released a succession of critically acclaimed records with a distinctly Alt/Folk/Psych vibe, culminating in this years third full length album, ‘Imaginary Medals’. Latest track ‘Today’, continues in that vein, accompanied by this dazzling animated video, premiered …

“Sex and death. Love and life. Family, fortune, faith and fear. Guitar, voices, cello, sax, Roland, wolves. Leggings and jeggings, the multiverse and marshmallows” Having put aside his critically acclaimed ‘solo’ work, including 2012’s SAY award winning Everything’s Getting Older, for the 20th anniversary reformation tour with Arab Strap, Aidan Moffat returns in collaboration with …

It’s been just over a year since the release of Sheffield band MollyAnna’s fantastic “Ghosts” EP, and follow up “Horror Show”, and the band, now expanded to a quintet, are back with new single “Louder”. Inevitable comparisons with Evanescence, you might say, but as something a little bit different to the plethora of “four blokes …

We’re big fans of Minor Victories here at Backseat Mafia, and their eponymous debut was up there amongst the best albums of last year. The band have now stripped back those tracks to produce “Orchestral Variations”, which you might expect to simply be, well, orchestral versions, but no. Take “Scattered Ashes”, one of the stand-out …

Lanterns On The Lake have been quiet of late, however, they’ve seen fit to furnish us with this sumptuous video for ‘The Crawl’, one of the stand out tracks from recent album ‘Beings’. As singer Hazel puts it; “The Crawl is an invitation to someone. It’s about a magic escapism that transcends the shallow everyday …

Most will look back on Sheffield’s The Long Blondes with a fair degree of fondness: It’s be easy to trot out the “female fronted Pulp” cliché but they were so much more than that, and promised great things until their untimely split in 2008 following guitarist Dorian Cox’s illness. Front woman Kate Jackson has been …

Minor Victories, if you haven’t read our review of debut single “A Hundred Ropes”, are Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Justin Lockey (Editors) and his brother James (Hand Held Cine Club, responsible for the exquisite videos that accompany some of these tracks). Originally conceived as part of Justin’s intention to make a ‘noise record …