Hidden Shoal News

perth sign to Hidden Shoal, new album out in November!

Sep 6, 2013

perthHidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the signing of Australian outfit perth. ‘drank and kites and tomorrow’, the first single to be taken from their forthcoming album what’s your utopia?, will be available for free download on 26 September, followed by the album release on 14 November.

Shifting effortlessly between psychedelic pop, folk-laced electronica and shoegaze, what’s your utopia? manages to meld these disparate genres into a beautifully cohesive statement. Comprising three members of Apricot Rail (Matthew Saville, Justin Manzano and Jack Quirk) plus songwriter Michael Dolan, perth have a unique magic that stems from their ability to refract the individual members’ unique sensibilities through an experimental lens. The follow-up to their acclaimed 2012 album Babes, Water, Waves, what’s your utopia? takes an eclectic approach to organic electronic music while evolving its scope and clarity. Recorded in a variety of locations, from a desolate cabin perched upon the surly south-west Australian coast to the glow of Studio 373 in Perth, the album was then mixed by band member Justin Manzano before being mastered by Simon Struthers (Mukaizake, Umpire) of Forensic Audio.

And if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, on Saturday 7 December, Perth play the Slanted and Enchanted festival in Perth (!), alongside artists as diverse and wonderful as Deerhunter, Jon Hopkins and Cave. More info on Slanted and Enchanted at Life is Noise.

Stunning New Single from Kramies’ Forthcoming EP – Free Download

Sep 5, 2013

Kramies - 'The Wooden Heart' (Single)Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the release of ‘The Wooden Heart’, the title track from the expansive new EP by dream-pop singer-songwriter Kramies (out 17th Oct. 2013). Grab the track for free here or stream the track below.

Produced by Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard, Circus Devils), ‘The Wooden Heart’ is a kaleidoscopic introduction to Kramies’ beautiful new release. The song’s windswept grandeur is married to an emotional directness that demands your attention and doesn’t let go. Akin to The Moody Blues’ classic ‘Nights In White Satin’, ‘The Wooden Heart’ renders an immersive, widescreen pop vista that takes your breath away.

In addition to Todd Tobias’s production (on ‘The Beginning’, ‘The Wooden Heart’, ‘Upon The Northern Isles’ and ‘The Ending’), The Wooden Heart EP also features the production and instrumental talents of Jason Lytle of Grandaddy fame (on ‘Sea Otter Cottage’ and ‘Clocks Were All Broken’). Rounded out by the beautiful artwork of French photographer Jérôme Sevrette, The Wooden Heart EP is a lovingly constructed work of art.

Read a full press release here.

Stunning Review for Jumpel's "Bloc4" in Igloo Magazine

Aug 30, 2013

Jumpel’s sublime new album Bloc4 has just scooped a glowing review in the excellent Igloo Magazine. Here’s a taste,

Bloc4“The aesthetic conjunction linking fragility, abstraction and poetical expression is perfectly programmed and transport the listener into melodious-chantlike world of sounds. The expressive and acoustic qualities of Chole March’s very own experiments and personal poetry resonates intimately with Joe Dürbeck’s immersive and powerful electronic fragments to a create a very sensuous experience.” – Igloo Magazine

Read the whole review here and stream and purchase the album (CD + MP3 + FLAC) here.


Jumpel – ‘Blue Ceiling’

[The] Caseworker 'Dependence Day' Single (Download & Stream)

Aug 28, 2013

[The] Caseworker - Dependence Day‘Dependence Day’ is the new,  freely downloadable single from garage-dreampop trio [The] Caseworker. The track is lifted from their forthcoming album Voices Out There, out through Hidden Shoal Recordings on 24 October 2013.

‘Dependence Day’ marries [The] Caseworker’s trademark restraint with a strident, slowburning melodic sensibility. A vague memoir to vocalist Conor Devlin’s time spent living in San Francisco, raising a toast to the city while also happily turning his back on it, the track’s atmosphere is ominous yet accessible, with its three-dimensional guitar melodies and crisp drums underpinned by sinuous bass and Devlin’s reassuring purr.

“[The] Caseworker extract darkness from inside whispery, ambient pop… completely enraptured and awesomely dazed” – Rolling Stone

The track is lifted from the band’s fourth album, and their second for Hidden Shoal, Voices Out There which sees [The] Caseworker rein in the lo-fi guitar-pop impulses of acclaimed third album Letters From The Coast to explore a more expansive, minimal sound, akin to Conor and Eimer Devlin’s previous band Half Film. The band maintain their enigmatic intimacy and atmosphere, while hinting at haunting vistas just beyond the horizons of these succinct, sad songs.

Jason Lytle and Kramies Talk About “The Wooden Heart” EP

Aug 14, 2013

KramiesJason Lytle and Kramies give us a sneak peek into their working process for the new Kramies EP. The forthcoming EP, The Wooden Heart, by dream pop craftsman Kramies features a collaboration with and co-production from the wonderful Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) along with the magic touch of Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices, Robert Pollard), also taking on co-production duties.

The Wooden Heart sees the light of day on the 17th October with the first single dropping September 5th. In the meanwhile, be sure to check out Kramies fantastic 2011 EP The European.

Hidden Shoal MixTape

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