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Why Rain Showerheads Are the Worst: Personal Essay
Is it possible to make a cleaning device your enemy? I’m not talking about loathing robot vacuums or an air conditioner you can control from your phone. No, I’m here to get on my high horse, her Royal Pettiness, about the absurdity of a rain showerhead. Nothing in the world will guarantee my foul mood more than the impractical, anxiety-inducing, irritating experience of a “rainfall” shower. For some reason, hotels worldwide have taken this Pinterest board idea too far, and I’m here on six legs (mine and my high horse’s) to stand against this abomination to women and the rest of mankind. Why would I, as a Black woman, ever…
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Singing in the Rain – Tones And I at the Sydney Opera House 30.11.2024 – Backseat Mafia
As the Sydney Opera House readies its iconic sails for Tones And I’s (Toni Watson) upcoming performance, anticipation is at fever pitch for Australia’s most unpredictable pop innovator. Since bursting onto the global stage in 2019, the Mornington Peninsula busker turned global phenomenon has rewritten the rules of pop, crafting anthems that defy convention and demand attention. With Dance Monkey smashing records left, right, and centre—going six times platinum in the U.S., topping Shazam charts, and cementing her as the first female artist to surpass 3 billion Spotify streams on a single track—Tones And I’s ascent has been breathtaking. Her debut album, Welcome To The Madhouse, marked her as a…
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News: Tom Emlyn Shines On New Album ‘Rehearsal For The Rain: Scaredycat, Vol.2’
Welsh singer-songwriter Tom Emlyn releases the much-anticipated new album Rehearsal For The Rain: Scaredycat, Vol.2. A hypnotic blend of psychedelia, Americana and rock all encased in a invitingly 70s-rock feel, amplified by it’s lo-fi production, the ten track release highlights not only Tom Emlyn’s prolific output but also his ability for authentic, enjoyable and always interesting songwriting. Following on from the May 2023 release of Return Journey Revisited: Scaredycat, Vol.1, Volume 2 see’s Emlyn capture more of his raw and experimental approach to songwriting, this time building fuller, more intricate soundscapes compared to the primarily acoustic first volume. Drawing from years of musical fragments, revisiting and reworking older pieces to…
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Infected Rain / Skarlett Riot – Rebellion, Manchester 30.08.2024 – Backseat Mafia
So, it’s been just under three weeks since we caught the charismatic Infected Rain at Bloodstock with their impressive set on the Sophie Stage and this time round we had an appointment with them in the cosy and oppressive surroundings of the Rebellion Club in Manchester. Skarlett Riot were opening up the proceedings and they well and truly rocked the joint with their brand of hard rock and melodic metal. Drinkwater tamed the crowd with constant interactions and conversation, even including a declaration that Manchester is one of the bands favourite cities to play in, all of which attracted a response which only went to cement that theory I’m sure.…
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Dark indie melodies converge with raw emotion in Wunderhorse’s haunting new track ‘Rain’ – Backseat Mafia
Wunderhorse have shared ‘Rain’: the latest single off the band’s forthcoming album, ‘Midas,’ which will arrive 30th August via Communion. Recorded at Minnesota’s Pachyderm Studio (birthplace of Nirvana’s In Utero & PJ Harvey’s Rid Of Me) with producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence + the Machine), ‘Midas’ is the band’s second LP, following 2022’s debut ‘Cub.’ ‘Rain’ lands alongside a live recording from Wunderhorse’s November 2023 headline performance at O2 Forum Kentish Town. ‘Rain’ is the kind of track that makes you want to dance in the drizzle, blending catchy rhythms with lyrics that dig deep beneath the surface. “Rain is about the feeling that makes you…
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Central Rain unveil video for the anthemic, enigmatic track ‘She Showed Me Her Room’. – Backseat Mafia
Central Rain is the project for esteemed Melbourne-based, Gold Coast/Brisbane expat singer/songwriter Luke Thomas (The Ronson Project) and we are honoured to premiere the video for for the gorgeous track ‘She Showed Me Her Room’. The track is off Central Rain’s new album ‘Paint Over Paint’ – to be released Friday, 26 July 2024. As a sign of what’s to come, the project name was influenced by the classic R.E.M. track. The track is shimmering and haunting – delivered over jangling acoustic guitars framed with slide guitars and Thomas’s vocals edged with a roughness through the sweet refrain. It has moving pop melody that positively shimmers with a George Harrison-evoking…
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Brisbane psych exponents Nice Biscuit want to stop the ‘Rain’ and find some respite in an effervescent glam stop. – Backseat Mafia
Brisbane’s Nice Biscuit – a firm favourite here at Backseat Mafia – have unveiled their first single since their 2021 double EPs, ‘Create Simulate’ and ‘Passing Over’, and following last year’s cover of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ which was dropped in support of 2023 UK/EU dates that included festival appearances at Wide Awake and The Great Escape. “Rain’ is propelled by a motorik beat, electronic pops and burbles with scything synths and a jaunty, catchy rhythm. The dual vocals of frontwomen Billie Star and Grace Cuell create a shimmering hue that contrasts the effervescent beats with a serious message. The band says: We began to work on ‘Rain’ again after…
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Dynamic prog-jazzers Emily Francis Trio preview new EP with the drama of ‘After The Rain’. – Backseat Mafia
Track/Video: Dynamic prog-jazzers Emily Francis Trio preview new EP with the drama of ‘After The Rain’. – Backseat Mafia .. #Dynamic #progjazzers #Emily #Francis #Trio #preview #drama #Rain #Backseat #Mafia
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Dea Matrona share latest single “Black Rain” ahead of tour – Backseat Mafia
Irish indie rock outfit Dea Matrona drop their latest single – Black Rain – ahead of their UK & Ireland tour in May, and it’s right up there with the level we’ve come to expect from the band. Always an exciting proposition, they’re a band that plays around with genres, but in a way that feels totally authentic. Black Rain is another example of that blend of indie pop and rock that the likes of Red Button and Stuck On You, released earlier this year have delivered. This time though, the new track strikes a darker and moodier tone, reflecting “that feeling when your heart sinks. A feeling that everyone…
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Finnish Sludge-Doom Metal band Earthblood released a first single Sons of Heavy Rain from the upcoming second EP Witchburner! – Backseat Mafia
Finnish Sludge-Doom metal band Earthblood are set to release their second EP titled ‘Witchburner’ on the 18th of April via Inverse Records, after only half a year since their critically acclaimed debut EP ‘Primal Fury’. As a taster, the band have shared the first single from the upcoming EP ‘Sons Of Heavy Rain’ The band comments: “The song tells tales of band life, alcohol and the madness of one’s aspirations to greatness. “Sons of Heavy Rain The drums echo nowToo long have you slumberedIt’s time to make a stand” ” Fuzzy and crushing, dominated by the heavy downpour of drumming and the groovy vocals the song doesn’t let up over its 5…
