FRANZ NICOLAY REVEALS NEW VIDEO 'BRIGHT WHITE' // NEW ALBUM 'TO US, THE BEAUTIFUL' OUT NOW

Franz Nicolay unleashes the new video for track ‘Bright White’ in preparation for his forthcoming UK tour.  Taken from his latest album To Us, The Beautiful – out now through Xtra Mile Recordings on CD, clear and blue splatter vinyl, and download – this video was directed by friend and bandmate Andrew Seward (ex-Against Me!). You can watch the video below:

The video was recorded while on the road with the full band, exploring the brief but intense life spiral of a band on tour. Mostly filmed from the car dashboard as they travel across country, and in a homely, untidy motel room, we peek into the sleep- and-drive rigmarole of travelling musicians. Surrounded by the trappings of their lifestyle (like gaffer tape and bottles of water) it captures the essence of Franz’s hard-working but ultimately free artistry. ‘Bright White’ also spills over with this, rooted in riffs and combustible breakdowns but with Franz’s eloquent, eccentric vocals flung over the results. 

Photo by Andrew Seward

Photo by Andrew Seward

To Us, The Beautiful is Franz’s fourth solo full-length and his second with Xtra Mile Recordings, and provides newcomers with a refreshing burst of elegant, eccentric and elegiac songs with a deliberate rock bent. Long-term fans will find a more straightforward chapter in Franz’s story, still gleaming with banjo twang and his distinctive theatrical voice, so they won’t be lost among the distortion and melodic drive.

Franz will be live in the UK in March 2015, let him wow you at a show or two. Look at our gigs calendar.

Praise for Franz Nicolay:

“Natural-born star…really something special.” – Pitchfork
“A great storyteller and wordsmith.” – Punknews

Praise for To Us, The Beautiful:

"Nicolay could probably sing the phone book and make it sound like Dostoevsky." - Éclat
"Fantastic...all of the scope and grandeur we've come to expect from a Franz Nicolay full-length...Franz Nicolay is the complete songwriter and To Us, The Beautiful is undoubtedly the first great record of 2015." - The Ruckus
"Perhaps his most accessible record to date...At its heart, this is a pure punk-rock record...balance[d] between boisterous celebration and punk-rock anger...an album that lives with you after you've pressed the pause button...a bold and confident statement. 4.5/5" - Contact Music
"Exhilarating...It’s a staggering album, maybe the first truly great release of 2015. 4.5/5" - God Is In The TV
"Filled with huge torch songs, heartfelt acoustic numbers and buzzing three-minute pop songs. 4/5" - Already Heard
"Every track brings its own reward...Recommend[ed]." - Echoes and Dust
"Masterfully emotional song-writing. 8/10" - Toxic Online
"A ramshackle treat." – Stereoboard

www.franznicolay.com / @FranzNicolay / Facebook

PJ BOND SIGNS TO XTRA MILE RECORDINGS // NEW ALBUM 'WHERE WERE YOU?' OUT 4 MAY 2015 // STREAM 'BROAD STREET'

Americana-tinged folk songwriter PJ Bond has signed to Xtra Mile Recordings and will release his new album Where Were You? on 4 May 2015. You can pre-order the album on CD and download from the following places: 

Amazon

Xtra Mile Recordings

Google Play: 

You can also stream 'Broad Street', the first single to be taken from the album, here.

PJ Bond has been compared to Elliot Smith, Micah P Hinson, and Wilco, while his new album reveals all the bombast and ambition of someone who has listened to a fair amount of Dylan or Springsteen, and dreamed. He's spent years travelling and playing to everyone he could, essentially homeless, while recording a heap of songs, including for the breakout solo release, You Didn't Know I Was Alphabetical. 

His lyrics cover topics that lace the modern musical lexicon – love, loss, friendship, family, and music. But you've also got a wink and nod to infidelity and murder on 'Everglades', while '87 Broadcast' (which revolves around his "complex relationship with music, 'making it', songs, connecting with other people”) boasts the refrain 'the radio makes you honest'.

Xtra Mile and PJ Bond were introduced by labelmate Billy the Kid, when Billy put forward 'I'm In a Bad Way' for Xtra Mile's fifth Xtra Mile High Club compilation, which included unsigned artists picked by the entire XMR roster. It was such a good choice, and fit with the label so well, that releasing the record seemed inevitable.


Talking about the signing with Xtra Mile, PJ said: 

“Xtra Mile is one of the rare labels where it seems that they put out music that they truly believe in, and are not so much constrained by genre that they'll question whether or not it is a 'good idea'. This approach by clearly music-loving people is what drew me most to XMR, and was supported by everyone with whom I spoke about them. Honesty, respect, heart, these are the common threads. All in all, I think I've found a lovely home.”

We couldn't agree more, and we're happy to have him. 

www.facebook.com/PJBond / Twitter @pjbondmusic / pjbondmusic.tumblr.com

ROB LYNCH SUPPORTS CHUCK RAGAN FOR A TRIO OF UK AND IRISH SHOWS IN MARCH 2015

London based indie-punk troubadour Rob Lynch plays a trio of special shows in March 2015, including his first trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, as special guest of Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan.

Providing the perfect high-spirited and infectious foil to Ragan’s warm, earthy growl, Rob Lynch’s melodies will no doubt capture the hearts of fresh ears supporting Ragan’s Till Midnight tour.

Following the release of his debut album All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul in September 2014 on Xtra Mile Recordings - which you can buy from our web shop, Amazon, and iTunes - Rob has toured extensively in the UK and Germany, including a January stint successfully co-headlining with the excellent Allison Weiss. He continues to impress and garner followers with each show and has also caught the ears of some renowned and respected acts. Ragan is most definitely one of those.

The three dates, stopping in Dublin, Belfast and Inverness, are in March and can be seen on our gigs calendar and synced to your Google calendar too. .

Recently Rob released a free download of previously unreleased track 'Lord Knows I Have Tried'.

www.facebook.com/roblynchmusic / @TheRobLynch

MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY 'THE BEST OF' AND NEW SINGLE 'KEEP FALLING' OUT 27 APRIL 2015 // FULL BAND 'LOSS' TOUR // COLIN MACINTYRE'S DEBUT NOVEL OUT 14 MAY 2015

Colin MacIntyre – best known as Mull Historical Society – will mark the 15th anniversary of his debut single ‘Barcode Bypass’, with a best of compilation on 27 April 2015, through Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder the CD from our web shop. 

A special, double-vinyl format of the album will also be available on 18 April as part of 2015's Record Store Day celebrations. 

The Best Of gathers material from all six of MacIntyre’s albums to date, including Xtra Mile release City Awakenings. In addition, the album also features the brand new single ‘Keep Falling’ - also out 27 April - which was produced by the Grammy-winning Dom Morley (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Grinderman), who MacIntyre previously worked with on City Awakenings.

“I can recognise now that the past two years has been one of the biggest creative surges,” says MacIntyre. “It reminds me of the period leading up to my first album Loss, where I first found an authentic sound and voice.”

This spring will also deliver a new MHS full band tour where Q Magazine's 'Best Debut Album of 2001' Loss will be played in full for the first time, alongside other favourites from MacIntyre’s rich back catalogue. He adds: “This will be a celebratory tour. Playing Loss will be an emotional life-flashing-before-my-eyes journey, but I can’t wait.”

Tour dates and tickets for the April Loss tour can be found on our gigs calendar.

MacIntyre has also recently announced his debut novel The Letters of Ivor Punch which is now available to preorder and will be released on 14 May 2015. Hilarious and heartfelt, rowdy and true, The Letters of Ivor Punch is a novel about fathers and sons, secrets and lies and how, sometimes, you have to leave home to know what home is. A MHS track of the same name will be released to coincide with the book’s publication.

www.colinmacintyre.com / @colinmacintyre

SKINNY LISTER'S NEW VIDEO FOR 'CATHY' PREMIERES TODAY

Following last week's stream of new single 'Cathy' from Skinny Lister's second album 'Down On Deptford Broadway' - out on 20 April 2015 through Xtra Mile Recordings, preorder CD and download from out digital shop - you can now watch the brand new video for the single on Vevo. Watch it here. Or feast your eyes below.

Purchase the new album 'Down On Deptford Broadway' featuring 'Cathy': http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-Digital http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-XMR http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-Banquet http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-AmazonCD http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-AmazonLP 'Cathy' is the second single to be taken from Skinny Lister's forthcoming album 'Down On Deptford Broadway' out on 20th April 2015 on Xtra Mile Recordings.

NEW TRACK 'CATHY' NOW STREAMING // NEW ALBUM 'DOWN ON DEPTFORD BROADWAY' OUT 20 APRIL 2015 // UK HEADLINE TOUR

Following last week’s sold out shows supporting Frank Turner for Independent Venue Week, Skinny Lister have unveiled their new single ‘Cathy’. Listen here:

New Skinny Lister album 'Down On Deptford Broadway' out 20th April 2015. Pre-order: http://smarturl.it/Skinny-DODB-XMR

It’s a perfect slice of infectious sing-a-long punk ‘n’ roll, fusing their traditional shanti-inspired folk with an attitude and stomp of The Pogues. Singer and guitarist Dan explains:

"'Cathy' is an ode to addiction and recklessness. A declaration of desire for someone or something that you know is bad for you, and you'd be wise to steer well clear of. The classic wrestle between head and heart." 

It is the second single to be taken from their forthcoming album  out on 20th April 2015 on Xtra Mile Recordings. Preorder the CD or download from us now, vinyl and CD from Banquet Records, CD from Amazon CD or vinyl from Amazon LP, or download from iTunes. Packed with smart songwriting; bursting with catchy choruses and high energy it’s a fast-paced, uplifting, beer-swilling good-time record perfectly capturing their legendary live shows.

The last single ‘Trouble On Oxford Street’ garnered support from Steve Lamacq at 6Music and John Kennedy at XFM. Check out the video here:

Taken from the forthcoming album 'Down On Deptford Broadway', set for release April 2015 on Xtra Mile Recordings.

Coinciding with the album release the band tour with Chuck Ragan in the UK and Europe throughout March before heading off on their own headline tour of the UK in April and May. You can see the dates on our gigs calendar.

From day one, Skinny Lister set out to cause chaos and make friends, travelling to the four corners of the globe plying their unique rum-soaked blend of English folk and punk rock anarchy. From Japan's Fuji Rock Festival to the desert stage of California's prestigious Coachella, via the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury and many a festival across Europe and beyond, Skinny Lister are an experience never to be forgotten.

They’ve held gigs in Land Rovers. They’ve sung while wing-walking. They’ve toured in a narrow boat. They’ve stomped and jigged on restaurant tables, in hotel elevators and in record label car parks. And wherever they play their lusty shanties, punk folk roar-alongs and crazed whirls of love, fighting and hardcore drinking – you’ll find them out dancing with the crowd, passing around their flagon of rum or crowd-surfing to the bar to neck shots mid-song. Make no bones – Skinny Lister are the wildest party band you’ll ever get drunk with. And you will get drunk with them.

Tracklisting for Down On Deptford Broadway:

Raise A Wreck
Trouble On Oxford Street
George’s Glass
What Can I Say?
Cathy
Six Whiskies
This Is War
Ten Thousands Voices
Bonny Away
Bold As Brass
This City
The Dreich

www.skinnylister.com / @skinnylister / www.facebook.com/skinnylister