Kaki King: Infinite Ache

Brooklyn based guitarist Kaki King is a musician's musician, whose dexterity and tone on an acoustic is nearly impossible to replicate. The four tracks on her Infinite Ache EP may deal with sadness, but they also manage to sound comforting and even uplifting. Fluidity interacting with single notes, plus her own invention the passarelle, once more shows her versality as a player and composer.

It is small batch of songs to gently bop along with, scratching your head how to hell she manages to do what she does. Enjoy in small doses, because the overall effect can be overwhelming.

Heavenly: Scene Stealing

Cult indie pop band Heavenly have released another single from their forthcoming album Highway To Heavenly, their first in 30 years. On Scene Stealing they paint the picture of a guy taking advantage of an inebriated girl, the subsequent guilt and realising that this will haunt him forever and leave a permanent scar on his victim. They point a finger by way of an upbeat song that sounds cheerful, but of course it isn't, making it a prime example of damning dichotomy.

Chalk: Tongue

Belfast based electro-punk act Chalk have filled every nook and cranny on their new single Tongue, a dark and dense banger that hits hard. Ross Cullen (vocals) and Benedict Goddard (guitar, synth) have nailed bottling anxiety and make it sound like having fun in a weird way.

Fischer-Z: three extra shows in The Netherlands

New Wave band Fischer-Z have announced three extra shows in The Netherlands as part of their 50th anniversary tour:

Live dates:

• 09/23 Podium Victorie, Alkmaar
• 11/07 Paard, Den Haag
• 11/08 Doornroosje, Nijmegen

» fischer-z.com

In Loom: Once Upon Time b/w Tails

Dutch musicians Gijs Kerkhoven (Showdog) and Sander van Munster (No Ninja Am I) have joined forces for a new duo. Naming themselves In Loom they have woven two lo-fi shoegaze songs, using only bass and guitar and their voices. Once Upon Time is dreamy and melancholic and Tails is a bit more upfront, with the muffled vocals gradually getting louder.

Kerkhoven usually plays bass and Van Munster takes care of the guitar, but for this project they switched it up, stepping out of their comfort zone in order to create a quiet intensity that worked out very well.