New Music: Puzzles/Paul Conrad/Violet May

Hello there !

A quick round-up of some of the new sounds pinging around in the Backseat Mafia inbox.

First up are Sheffield quintet Puzzles. Made up of Matthew, Alex, Rob, Harry and Robert, the band formed at the University and have made music their refuge from the real world, at least for now. They’re clearly on the way up already, having supported Bastille and played at the recent Tramlines festival. They’ve a new EP due out in October entitled “Little Orchard”. For now though, enjoy the insistent synth, drums and horns of the eminently danceable “TMBTY”:

Next up Sydney singer Paul Conrad and new track “Thanks for Nothing”. There are some lazy comparisons with Jeff Buckley being made but an echoing central guitar part is no real excuse. Conrad’s detached vocal is most powerfully enriched during the latter half of the song when an additional spectral, haunting guitar figure comes in. Unsettling but hard to relinquish.

Bookending this entry are another Sheffield band, this time the pounding force that is The Violet May. They’ve just released a new EP (“Strange Lives” came out this Monday) and you can hear storming opening track “Letters of Love”, replete with furious squalling guitars, unrelenting bass and drums, and white-knuckle vocals, below.