LUGHOLES: What's Been In Our Ears This Month! (October 2023)

ALRIGHT YOU LOT!!!??? It’s been a bit of a messy one, October, hasn’t it?? What with the random heatwave at the start of the month, then Storm Babet (thanks for the cancelled train the other week hen xx) and all the chaos of spooky season (a very soggy pumpkin is currently sitting outside my doorstep). I’ve spent the past week or so watching some classic horrors and eating my bodyweight in chocolate. Christmas is just around the corner lads!!! Anyway, as per ush-the start of the month calls for LUGHOLES- our post of what groovy choons we’ve been sinking our fangs into the past few weeks!

October has seen the return of the LEGEND that is Jools Holland, as the latest series of Later…has kicked off on BBC2 (be there or be a square) and has been blessing our ears since. One of my fave new bands, The Last Dinner Party, were on 2 weeks back performing “Nothing Matters” and their gorgey new single “My Lady Of Mercy”, which has been ON REPEAT this month. It’s like Kate Bush meets Wolf Alice and goes from this quite soft synthy whimsical tune, which sounds like the musical equivalent of a load of bunnies hopping in a field on a nice sunny day to a proper gritty grungy chorus and I absolutely LOVE it.

BUT (and as you can see it’s a big but) this lot aren’t the only Later… guests that have made an appearance on my playlist this month. I’ve recently discovered Antony Szmeriek and his single “The Words To Auld Lang Syne”. Did you ever learn the words to Auld Lang Syne? Did I fuck! Did you? You hear it every new years being squawked out of the bagpipes on Hootenanny and everyone sings along but they’re all so drunk that you can barely hear them slur the words to learn them, apart from the “AUUUULD LAAAANG SYYYYYNE” bit at the end which everyone does seem to remember. Anyway, this isn’t about that. Antony Szmeriek is a bit like what would happen if you combined The Streets with Fred Again. I’m not usually a fan of spoken word artists, though I do love Ver Streets and Original Pirate Material is one of my go to albums if I need a good giggle. I just find them a bit too, erm, “chinrubbery” (I use this word a lot) but there’s something about this track that just, y’know, hits? It’s quite a nice sentiment, lyrics about being in the moment with people you love (nawww) and being grateful for the life you have, set against a backdrop of ambient beats which remind me of all those 90s trance compilations that are still kicking about in my parents CD racks. It’s definitely one to stick on when all the lights are off. Thanks Jools, you the man!

Speaking of returns, one of my absolute favourite bands OF ALL TIME, released their comeback single this month. That’s right, that little flower band from Stockport, BLOSSOMS ARE BACK! BACK!! BACK!!! And it’s got a bracket title too!! Remember when they started doing this in 2018 with There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)?? Well they’ve done it again but this time it’s called To Do List (After The Breakup) and features lyrics nicked from every 2017 art hoe’s favourite poet, Rupi Kaur! And it sounds like a New Order track! And it’s a collab with fellow Stockportian, Findlay! And it’s perfect! Psst, this is also your reminder that they’ve started up the podcast again and it’s brillo (however don’t agree with Josh’s verdict on Hocus Pocus during last weeks “Josh On Demand”, I was #OFFENDED)

If you’ve read last week's post, then you'll know that I went to see Deco this month (or last month, cos y’know, writing this in November n all). Because of this, I’ve had their “Nice Car” EP on repeat the past few weeks. We’ve already talked about this lot on the last blog post, but their debut EP is absolutely chocka with synth pop bangers, like the sophisticated and slow “Us Don’t Mean A Thing” (complete with an all important sexy sax solo) and “Just Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind”, which is very catchy and you won’t be able to get out of your mind…very apt I’m sure you’ll agree. We’ll be covering them more in the future so keep yer eyes peeled!

Once again, I’ve been playing the shit out of Young Fathers. I mentioned this last month that I’ve been really into “I Saw” which is a bass heavy bop that has also won the approval of Cillian Murphy very recently (Tommy Shelby knows what’s up). But I’ve also LOVED “Tell Somebody” which is also off this year's record, Heavy Heavy, which is definitely up there as one of my albums of the year (psst…post coming on this next month…so stick aroond). “Tell Somebody” couldn’t be any different from “I Saw”. It’s a soft atmospheric track which sounds like the sort of thing you’d hear in the background of an uplifting scene in a film where the main character, whos spent an entire 2 and half hours having an existential crisis,finally finds their purpose in life (basically described the entire concept of “It’s A Wonderful Life” there). It’s cinematic (yeah that’s the word) and it’s beautiful and I love love love it. Would 100% “Tell Somebody” about it (ffs Cerys). Also ALSO, missed out on seeing this lot at Brighton Dome the other week and I am proper kicking myself about it. Their live shows are supposed to be OOT OF THIS WORLD.

Lastly, but certainly not least, another artist I’ve been treating me ears to this month has been Jade Bird. Oh my god. Jade Bird. I love this woman. I really do. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love her. She’s just got the most soft silky voice but also has the capability to sound like a fucking lion at times and since she’s been teasing her comeback on t’internet, I’ve spent a lot of time relistening to tracks off her last album, “Different Kinds Of Light” from 2021. It’s a bit like her first album, bit shitkicky in places but not too shitkicky (y’know when it just gets a bit too whiny and yanky?) and I've had 'Candidate' and 'I'm Getting Lost' on repeat. Both absolute bangers.

As per, before we head off, here’s a few honourable mentions:

• Strangers by Kenya Grace (aka, the song that has been ALL over TikTok this past month and has spent 3 weeks at number 1 in the UK charts, a soft drum and bass tune about a shitty relationship, it's slightly addictive.)

• Normal People Things by Lovejoy (another white boy indie band brings out a track that is really quite good)

• Daydream In Blue by I Monster (a total trip hop CLASSIC!)

• 405 by Metronomy & Biig Piig (twinkly, synthy choonage)

• (I Raise You) The Price Of Your Head by Folly Group (electro post punk, we likey we lighty)