A lot of bases covered, some brilliant production and a load of killer songs. It is a real good week.

Okay, the release schedule. There used to be a time when January was just a pensive period of bleak reflection. Late July through early September was pure Summer holiday and mid November onwards was just rolling karaoke parties. But now, there is always something being released alongside lots of other things. Every week. The point we are trying to make is that years ago August was a commercial no zone for releases, whereas August 2024 has been one of this year's most stacked calendars. Today is no exception.

Man, that dragged on a bit. Best work harder on the Q4 intros. Still with us?

The week's main event is very deservedly Fontaines D.C.’s all new Romance album. They have proven, across their discography to date, they can connect on a deeply emotional level whilst still really giving it the wallop. But, where Romance really excels is when it really gets weird. It is a fearless record and instead of idle swagger, this is all about joining the band and taking it all in.

It was a real pleasure to hear it first with some mega fans in the shop, and watching them listen to their boys evolve was a cool experience. Believe the hype, it’s a really good record. Record of the Week.

+ Available on very limited Pink vinyl.
+ Available in the shop as a very very limited Screen Printed White Label edition.
Loja is the new album from former Maccabee, Orlando Weeks and it really is lush. I think it’s his voice above all else, but there is a real intimacy to the performance against an epicness to the production. Loja is Portuguese for ‘store’ and we know he likes stores as we spoke to him about them a few years back for Deluxe.

We worked with Orlando on a really good Dinked Edition. Last few online, now!

The Daptone affiliated WICK Records are one of those few labels where we always, absolutely pay attention. This week they release Benny Trokan’s Do You Still Think of Me? and it is a right mood, a hypnotic and reverbing soul LP. The former leader of The Reigning Sound, he has also lent his talents to a hugely impressive sweep of the Daptone family and more. The whole album sounds glorious; a clean but richly analogue soul smoulderer with real lightness.

+ Available on exclusive Orange Colour vinyl.

Starchris is the debut LP from Philadelphia producer Body Meat. The production is just amazing. Pop glacials, breathy vocoders and loads of other smart timbres, but the bass… Man alive! Proper post-trap rippers that make any stereo shake. Really impressive stuff.

You’ll Have To Lose Something is the expansive (aren’t they always) new LP from Philadelphia experimental trio The Spirit of the Beehive. It is not an easy one to describe as it totally flips 90 degrees about every 15 seconds, but weirdly isn’t annoying or a discombobulating listen. A sort of post ‘slacker rock’ with contemporary noise tones and a bubbling hyper-pop texture too. We played it back to back twice this week and it really has something going on. Can’t say what exactly, but it really has such allure.

+ Available on limited Happy Birthday [Red and White Splatter] colour vinyl.

Forever & Ever is the debut LP from Hawthorne California’s Thee Heart Tones and it is a smouldering soul LP of lo-fi crunch and angelic swirl. Precocious, legit, wildly talented and just drenched in all the right influences. This one has the vibe from the second it starts to long after it stops. Highly recommended.

+ Available on exclusive Clear Orange colour vinyl.
Also on the racks this week… American Standard is the new LP from noise band Uniform and it is hard as absolute F. Really primal stuff. Illuminator is an album of clicking shoegaze dream pop lushness from NYC band GIFT on Captured Tracks. Such a great drive here, it put me in a really good mood. A Grand Stream is the new LP from Smote on Rocket Recordings, and a proper dark treasurer it is too! The Harlem Gospel Travelers return with Rhapsody on Colemine Records and man alive do they have great voices. I mean, amazing stuff actually.

Lastly today, Oakland trio Fake Fruit release Mucho Mistrust this week on Carpark Records and it is full of bratty, brittle and meaty riffs with yelps and the odd sax skronk. A really great punk record, with propulsive highs and lows. The artwork is 10/10 too.