XTRA MILE HIGH CLUB VOL. 5: SMOKIN' (SIGNED VS UNSIGNED) OUT 11 AUGUST 2014

Xtra Mile Recordings will release Xtra Mile High Club Vol. 5: Smokin’ (Signed vs Unsigned) - the fifth installment of the critically acclaimed label compilation series - on 11 August 2014. 

Split into two halves, this digital only compilation features almost every act on Xtra Mile Recordings’ roster on ‘Side A’ and an unsigned act of their choosing on ‘Side B’.

Showcasing the diversity of Xtra Mile’s musical leanings, Side A features the caustic title track from Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!; the cannonball barrage of Möngöl Hörde’s ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’; the unmistakable roots groove of Sonic Boom Six’s ‘A Little Bit of Reggae’, and the unplugged wordplay of Ben Marwood’s ‘They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea’. You’ll get pop highs off of Rob Lynch, gruff bluntness from Beans On Toast, and synth-laden pop from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. You’ll hear from our newer signees like Billy the Kid and one of our oldest friends, Jamie Lenman. The whole spectrum.

Our acts are always discovering new music and ‘Side B’ - in keeping with Xtra Mile’s constant search and support for new and unsigned acts - comprises their recommendations of emerging artists. Included are the sublime Spring Offensive, The Lion & the Wolf, The Karma Party, Toucans, Grace Petrie & the Benefits Culture, Little Rob and The Mob and many, many more.

Joining the unsigned half of the compilation are International Departures who won the final spot with their track ‘Give Me Something’, voted for by our dedicated Xtra Mile Street Team from hundreds of entries sent to us last month. Like bumping into a dear friend unexpectedly, it turns out Henry Carden – formerly of Dartz! alongside William Anderson of current XMR band, Algiers – is the man behind International Departures.

The artwork is a snapshot taken of an active volcano and is in keeping with all previous plane/sky/space themed XMHC volume front covers. This naturally gave rise to the so-obvious-it’s-not-even-funny compilation title: Smokin’.

Look out for an XMR Hub feature which will include our bands’ reasons for choosing their unsigned counterparts and other fun Smokin’ related things.

The Xtra Mile High Club series, proudly shows off the breadth of talent on its eclectic roster. Welcome to the club… 

Full tracklisting is below:

Side A – Xtra Mile                                             

1. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2. Cheap Girls - Man In Question
3. Northcote - Counting Down The Days
4. Ben Marwood - They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea (Alternate Version)
5. Rob Lynch - My Friends and I
6. Billy the Kid - Yet
7. To Kill A King - Cold Skin
8. Algiers - Little Friction
9. Retrospective Soundtrack Players - Smart Girls For Talking, Morons For Dancing (Live) 
10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - As Always
11. Mull Historical Society - Why Do They Go So Soon (Home Demo)
12. Beans On Toast - Sold Out Shows
13. Crazy Arm - Black Canyon
14. Jon Snodgrass - "Song For The Groom's Friend, the friend who is the actual guy conducting the ceremony” (Exclusive Version)
15. Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - A Beaten Drum (piano version, live at St Paul's Lifestyle)
16. Franz Nicolay & The Cut Ups - To Us, The Beautiful
17. Drag The River - Marooned
18. Sonic Boom Six - A Little Bit Of Reggae
19. Jamie Lenman - Shower of Scorn
20. Oxygen Thief - con.script.shun
21. Möngöl Hörde - Blistering Blue Barnacles

Side B - Unsigned

1. The Frankl Project - A Day At The Races
2. Failures’ Union - Hard To Sea
3. Kayleigh Goldsworthy - Tennessee
4. Quiet Quiet Band - Hunter's Moon
5. The Lion & the Wolf - Ghosts On Trinity
6. PJ Bond - I'm In A Bad Way
7. Spring Offensive - Speak 
8. Toucans – Welcome To Lovers House
9. CG Whitear - Tokyo Drizzle
10. International Departures - Give Me Something (XMR competition winners)
11. Sorren Maclean - Either Way (feat. Roddy Woomble)
12. Little Rob and The Mob - Oaths
13. Brunel - Score Sheet
14. Gasoline Heart - Love Let Her Go
15. Grace Petrie & The Benefits Culture - The Redundancy Hymn
16. Emilyn Brodsky - Someone Belongs Here
17. Jonathan Coody - I Just Gotta Know
18. The Karma Party - World War
19. CeCe - These Four Walls
20. Strange Planes - Sharpen Your Teeth
21. Samoans - The Moth

REUBEN 'RACECAR IS RACECAR BACKWARDS' 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION OUT WINTER 2014

Reuben’s debut album Racecar is Racecar Backwards turned 10 on 21 June 2014 and to celebrate a decade of its joyful existence, Xtra Mile Recordings is releasing a two disc deluxe edition of the album later this year.

Disc one contains the original 16 song album, while disc two is crammed full of completely unreleased radio sessions, demos, and interviews. They will be packaged together with new artwork, photographs and a booklet all commemorating this acclaimed debut album.

Tracklisting and artwork will be revealed nearer the release date.

Original Racecar is Racecar Backwards artwork

The album was originally released on 21 June 2004, and is the first album Xtra Mile Recordings released independently, with the catalogue number XMR001CD. Its impact within the ever-brewing UK rock trenches was significant. Along with albums by label mates Million Dead and other bands like Hell Is For Heroes, Jarcrew and mclusky, it helped form a nascent stream of heavy music that was melodic and aggressive yet sieved with all-important wry British humour.

Reuben became a cult band with a fanatical following that still remains to this day. The album helped earn Reuben a Kerrang! Award nomination for Best British Newcomer and spawned classic singles like ‘Freddy Kreuger’, ‘Moving To Blackwater’, ‘Stuck In My Throat’ and ‘Let’s Stop Hanging Out’.

Speaking about the album, Reuben’s three members reminisce: 

“When I hear the album now I’m always surprised how full of energy it sounds, since we were so exhausted when we made it. I know some people say the production is scrappy but I thought and still think it’s pretty slick! I remember desperately not wanting our first album to be swept under the carpet, to be just a practice run for the second one. I wanted it to stand on its own and I think it does.”

— Jamie Lenman, guitarist and vocalist

“I’m incredibly proud of Racecar, and it’s loaded with hits. I can feel the adrenaline running through me when I listen to that album up nice and loud - Those songs make me feel fucking great. I am one proud owner.”

— Guy Davies, drummer

“We knew how we wanted it to sound…we found someone who could record what we wanted and we nestled into a dark and dingy former shed in Surrey. Both Jamie and Guy are such awesome musicians, and the songs were so well shaped after years of touring, you can still hear that when you listen back to it today.”

— Jon Peace, bassist

Charlie Caplowe, MD of Xtra Mile Recordings said: “I remember vividly the day the album was finally finished and being able to put a plan together to release it. We knew it was a great album and when the positive reviews started pouring in it was nice that others realised how special it was too. The success spurred us on as a label to do more, and the rest, as they say, is history. We’re thrilled to celebrate its tenth anniversary.”

Check out this awesome video montage of featuring the audio on No One Wins The War from a BBC Session in 2004 which will feature on Disc 2 of the release.

Why not make your own Spotify playlists of your favourite Reuben tracks and share them with us on Spotify, Facebook or Twitter. 

ROB LYNCH TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM 'ALL THESE NIGHTS IN BARS WILL SOMEHOW SAVE MY SOUL' ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2014 // UK SEPTEMBER HEADLINE TOUR ANNOUNCED // NEW VIDEO 'FEELING GOOD'

London-based punk rock troubadour Rob Lynch will release his debut album All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul on 22nd September 2014 through Xtra Mile Recordings.

You can pre-order the album on CD or digitally from Xtra Mile, on CD from Amazon, or download via iTunes.

The release will follow Rob’s current stint performing on the whole of the Vans Warped Tour in the US and it’ll be dropping in the midst of a recently-announced UK headline tour.

You can also watch the brand new video for album track 'Feeling Good'. Go on.

'Feeling Good' is taken from Rob Lynch's debut album 'All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul' released on 22nd September 2014 through Xtra Mile Recordings.

Not one to shy away from the rigours of the road, Rob Lynch has been busy carving out his niche in bars and venues across the country, and also in Germany where he’s sold out many a show, played Reeperbahn Festival and even appeared at the legendary St Pauli FC souvenir store. Other notable festival appearances for Rob, even before he had management, agent or label on board, have included Download, Slam Dunk (UK), Groezrock (BE) and Fest (US).

Between November 2012 and August 2013, Lynch took time out to record tracks in Philadelphia with Shane Henderson (Valencia) and Hoxton, East London with Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly), that would go on to make up his full-length album. The result was an unbelievably honest and intimate record, a 12-track journey tackling such themes as the death of his father, life on the road, and finding light in times of darkness.

Taken from the upcoming debut album, "All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul", on Xtra Mile Recordings. Featuring guest vocals from Joe Boynton (Transit/Long Lost). http://www.facebook.com/roblynchmusic http://www.twitter.com/TheRobLynch

As Rob himself says, opener ‘31/32’ is “a call to arms about enjoying the moment we’re living in.” From the singalong lilt of recent single ‘My Friends & I’, to the therapeutic mellowness ‘Medicine’ and unassuming tearjerker ‘Widow’, this is an album that tells many a story of sadness and regret but always with an underlying sense of positivity and hope.

HEADLINE TOUR:
Buy tickets here.

SEPT
09 Cambridge @ The Portland Arms
10 Norwich @ Owl Sanctuary
11 Liverpool @ Maguire's Pizza Bar
14 Bristol @ The Old Bookshop
15 Plymouth @ Tiki Bar & Diner (no presale)
21 Kingston @ Banquet Records (instore)
22 London @ The Monarch - Free Entry
24 Cardiff @ Undertone
25 Stoke @ Sugarmill
26 Derby @ Victoria Inn
27 Dundee @ Kage (no pre-sale)
28 Glasgow @ King Tuts Bar (free entry)
30 Newcastle @ Think Tank

OCTOBER
01 Leeds @ Cockpit 3
02 Manchester @ Gullivers
03 Guildford @ The Boileroom
04 Brighton @ The Hope 

www.facebook.com/roblynchmusic  /  @theroblynch

CHRIS T-T NEW SINGLE 'A BEATEN DRUM' // THREE SPECIAL LONDON LIVE SHOWS

Chris releases the compelling digital single ‘A Beaten Drum’ today, taken from his ninth album The Bear,  featuring a mesmeric piano version and the full album version of the song alongside an improv piano version of ‘Tunguska’ as b-sides. 

Buy it here

Check out the book-burning, fan contributed video here.

Chris T-T releases the digital single 'A Beaten Drum' on 16th June 2014 - taken from his acclaimed album 'The Bear' out now on Xtra Mile Recordings. Buy here: http://smarturl.it/the-bear or here: http://bit.ly/TheBearXtraMile Chris heads to Europe in May to tour with Emily Barker and then with Mark McCabe.

Chris will also play three entirely different shows in London this week.

On 16 June, Chris will mix music with talk, with the emphasis on the spoken word, joining Robin Ince and Charlotte Young at their Your Culture Is Ailing Your Art Is Dead club at the Old Queen’s Head in Islington.

On 18 June he digs into political territory as he plays the Orgreave 30th anniversary benefit concert with his band The Hoodrats at Buffalo Bar, Islington. Expect loudness and polemic, as only Chris can do. Tickets here.

The third show is on 22 June, with Martin White and the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra at Boogaloo, Highgate, where Chris will perform solo songs with some accompaniment by the orchestra, which includes two members of The Hoodrats playing cello.

Chris will also play Blissfields, Truck, Beautiful Days and Greenbelt festivals throughout the summer.

christt.com

MONGOL HORDE UK TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED // ALBUM OUT NOW

MONGOL HORDE IS MORE THAN A BAND. MONGOL HORDE IS A MOVEMENT. MONGOL HORDE IS AN INVASION. 

That's not actually true. Möngöl Hörde is a band. We don't really want to talk about it. 

Mongol Horde's self-titled first album is out now. Listen to opening track 'Make Way' here and ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’ here. 

Enjoy it, or don't. Stop fucking asking questions.

Catch them on tour on the following dates:

Support from Palehorse and Oxygen Thief

JUNE
19 Birmingham @ The Institute - Library
20 Newcsatle @ Academy 2
21 Leeds @ Cockpit
22 Bristol @ Fleece
23 Portsmouth @ Wedgewood Rooms
25 London @ Garage
27 Nottingham @ Rock City Basement
28 Manchester @ Academy 3
29 Glasgow @ King Tuts

AUGUST
22-24 Reading/Leeds Festival

Mongol Horde, the album, features the tracks ‘Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen’, ‘How The Communists Ruined Christmas’ and current track ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’. It is available on CD, download and limited edition white vinyl.

Buy the album at the following retail outlets:

Xtra Mile / iTunes / Amazon / Banquet

mongolhorde.co.uk

BILLY THE KID RELEASES NEW SINGLE 'BACK TO YOU' ON 30 JUNE 2014 // EUROPEAN TOUR WITH CHUCK RAGAN AND NORTHCOTE

Billy the Kid is set to release her first single on Xtra Mile recordings, ‘Back To You’ on 30 June 2014, which is taken from her new album, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. 

Canadian songwriter Billy the Kid will release her fourth album in September 2014 worldwide via Xtra Mile Recordings and it can be pre-ordered here. The album was produced by Frank Turner, who also plays on the record alongside The Sleeping Souls drummer Nigel Powell. 

Listen to the single, 'Back To You', here.

Canadian songwriter and recent Xtra Mile addition Billy the Kid will release her fourth album 'Horseshoes & Hand Grenades' in September 2014. 'Back To You' is the first single. Preorder here: http://smarturl.it/HorseshoesPreorder 'Horseshoes & Hand Grenades' through Xtra Mile Recordings on a worldwide release.

For more on the recording of the album, this exclusive video has interviews with Billy and Frank, and snippets of studio performances. 

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades showcases Billy's tender laments, tied up in beyond-her-years’ experience and the ever-present signature of hope. Recorded in London with bare bones arrangements, it allows Billy's natural storytelling and lithe voice to guide the listener through her world and her life.

Billy is also set to tour UK and Europe in May and June with Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan and labelmate and fellow Canadian, Northcote. Tour dates are:

Chuck Ragan - Overseas Till Midnight 2014
with special guests Northcote & Billy the Kid

MAY
27  Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Basement
28  Bristol, UK @ Thekla
29  London, UK @ The Garage
30  Hunxe, Germany @ Ruhrpott Rodeo Festival
31  Erfurt, Germany @ Centrum

JUNE
01 Nurnberg, Germany @ Hirsch
03 Aschaffenburg, Germany @ Colos-saal
04 Munich, Germany @ Theaterfabrik
05 Wien, Austria @ Arena
06 Leipzig, Germany @ Conne Island
07 Berlin, Germany @ SO36
09 Utrecht, Netherlands @ de Helling
10 Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall
12 Milan, Italy @ Live Forum
14 Saarwellingen, Germany @ RockCamp Festival
15 Tilburg, Netherlands @ 013
17 Osnabruck, Germany @ Rosenhof
18 Dresden, Germany @ Scheune *
19 Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schachthof *
24 Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
25 Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
26 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell

* w/Dave Hause

billythekidonline.com