Ginny is a young Italian multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ginevra Fenoglio, who sings and plays keyboards and guitars on her debut EP If I’m Not Loving You, out now on Swiss label EEEE Records. Backed by a band including the EP’s producer Paolo Spaccamonti on electric guitars, Federico Marchesano on double bass and Dario Bruna on Marimba, Ginevra Fenoglio pens six alt-folk, indie folk songs with gentle acoustic textures, between guitars, string inserts and subtle synth lines. The mood on all the tracks is one of great simplicity and candour and Ginny’s vocals are lovely.
This Is The Kit, the nom de plume of Kate Stables, has been in existence since the 00s, when Kate moved to Bristol and started playing and collaborating with local musicians. Now, based in Paris, Kate Stables’ group This Is The Kit have five albums under her/their belt. This Is The Kit’s first album, Krülle Bol (2008), was produced in Bristol by John Parish. The band’s second album, Wriggle Out the Restless, was released in 2010 with the help of Rozi Plain, Jim Barr and Francois & the Atlas Mountains. In 2015 their third studio LP Bashed Out was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National on his Brassland label. In 2017 the band’s fourth LP Moonshine Freeze was released on Rough Trade. In 2018, Stables was invited to join The National on the road for multiple tours and TV appearances – a continuation of her contributions on their album I Am Easy To Find. Their second album for Rough Trade Records, Off Off On, (2020) was recorded just before the pandemic forced the world to pause, with producer Josh Kaufman, a New York-based musician, Hold Steady collaborator and member of Bonny Light Horseman and Muzz. Careful Of Your Keeper, the sixth album by This Is The Kit, produced by Gruff Rhys, will be out tomorrow, June 9th, again on Rough Trade.
Whitney’s Playland is the pandemic-era project of Inna Showalter and George Tarlson, longtime friends and veterans of the music scene (Grandma’s Boyfriend, Blades of Joy, Modern Charms).Whitney’s Playland is named after a defunct amusement park at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Inna Showalter and George Tarlson met in high school in SF’s Sunset district when Inna sang in the choir and George played in the orchestra. Having worked together on previous projects, they reunited with their new LP Sunset Sea Breeze recently released on vinyl by Meritorio Records and cassette by Paisley Shirt Records (all cassette orders come with extra tape A Day At The Fair Demos and B Sides). The backdrop is 90’s and 00’s college radio, interspersing acoustic and distortion, synthetic orchestra and the like. Their music is about the usual things in life: love and loss, sometimes with a wry and sardonic angle. The result is a dreamy pop landscape reminiscent of Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices, The Sundays, and Dinosaur Jr. The band expanded into a four-piece in late 2022 with the addition of Evan Showalter and Paul DeMartini.
Panic Pocket are long-term BFFs Sophie Peacock (synth and vocals) and Natalie Healey (guitar and vocals). They formed the band in 2017 for London’s First Timers Festival and soon became a DIY sensation, releasing their debut EP Never Gonna Happen with Reckless Yes in 2019. Panic Pocket are recognised for their cathartic musical storytelling, wry sense of humour and undeniable charm. For their first album, Mad Half Hour (out tomorrow, May 26th), the British duo have found a new home at Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey’s Skep Wax. Expect indie-punk-pop exuberance, monster hooks, killer harmonies and lyrics that are so truthful they hurt. “Me and Rob first heard Panic Pocket during lockdown and played their first single again and again.” says Skep Wax co-founder Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly/Catenary Wires/Swansea Sound) of their newest signing. “We were delighted that they wanted to do their first album with us – and agreed to play live with us at the Heavenly shows in May. Panic Pocket know how to turn anger and humour into brilliant pop songs.”
At just twenty-two years old, Alex Pester has already established himself as a prolific singer-songwriter hailing from Bath, England. He has released three albums to date (Devotion, 2019, Seasons, 2020 and Lover’s Leap, 2021) each displaying his immense talent as a musician and songwriter. Influenced by the Incredible String Band, the Beatles, Robert Wyatt, Animal Collective, Harry Nilsson, and The Microphones, among others, his music has been described as dreamlike, hypnotic, and magical. Better Days, his fourth album, will be out on Violette Records on May, 26th. It is Pester’s most accomplished work yet, showcasing his mature songwriting, complex arrangements, and exquisite attention to detail. The album features ten songs that range from instrumentation with vintage sounds to storytelling passages to suggestive sound experiments and acoustic caresses.
