For the 52nd edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Mondo, Hunch Power, Eyre Llew and Blu Syrup...
Album: Mondo - Love & Betrayal
Mondo is a new collaboration from two respected figures from the Nottingham music scene. Neil ‘Nail’ Tolliday is half of the electronica duo Bent, who have been active since 1999 and also a familiar face for anyone who bought records from him back in the day at Selectadisc. His new other half is guitarist Henry Claude Scott, who cut his teeth playing jazz and is known for his roles in Balearic-minded acts such as Torn Sail and Brown Fang. This new LP is a ten-track collection of 1980s-inspired synth-pop, released on the Ibiza-based NuNorthern Soul label. Stand-out tracks include Correspondence, Beyond The Rainy City and Muscle Memory. In the day and age of Spotify playlists it’s an album that benefits from being listened to from beginning to end. @mondoloveandbetrayal (Roger Mean)
Look out for the launch event, complete with Q&A and DJ set, at Rough Trade Nottingham today!
Single: Hunch Power - Sick Sick World
After a record breaking hot summer and with the spectre of a super El Niño looming large, this latest single from Hunch Power could not have been released at a more appropriate time. The track was initially released on Harvey Springfield’s fifth album in 2023, but the urgency of the times necessitated a re-release by the band, who have injected an extra dramatic dimension into the original solo effort. This rousing number highlights the immediate environmental issues facing the world from climate change and pollution due to corporate greed and exploitation. Strident guitar riffs and driving rhythms hammer home the song’s commanding message with an insistence that makes you sit up and take notice.
The lyrics, too, will burrow their way worm-like into your consciousness with the repetitive strapline “Are you gonna get past tonight? It’s the end of the world tomorrow,” which reportedly came from a conversation on an underground train before Covid hit. @hunchpower (Claire Spencer)
Single: Blu Syrup - REAL
Another honest serving of proper indie rock from this Notts quarter, ticking all the boxes: fuzzy meets crunchy guitars; soaring vocal lines with backing lines chipping in and out; nicely firm drumming; a bassline that supports without intruding ... it's formulaic in the best sense of that word, with plenty of character and personality to make this not just another rock song.
Listening once, the song brings enjoyment. Listening again, it becomes clear Blu Syrup have put their heads together and thought about each section of this song - how it all hangs together, how lines should be sung, how the baton should be passed between band members. They have balanced energetic, riffy guitar rock with an emo, melancholic tone and the result is something infectious. Nice. @blusyrupband (Phil Taylor)
Album: Eyre Llew - Bloom
Nearly a decade after their acclaimed debut Atelo, local post-rock favourites Eyre Llew have finally returned with their highly anticipated and triumphant follow-up, Bloom. A record forged through years of uncertainty, perseverance and creative renewal, the band regrouped post-pandemic with an expanded line-up, featuring Laurie Illingworth (piano / drums) and Russ Clark (bass), and have now emerged with their first batch of new music in almost a decade.
Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, Bloom transforms their experiences in the years since Atelo into an expansive and deeply emotional record. Across eleven tracks, Eyre Llew blend soaring post-rock, cinematic soundscapes and heartfelt songwriting, all while exploring themes of love, loss, devotion and memory. From the euphoric title track and uplifting Oban to the powerful encouragement of Fireworks, the first half of the album shows the band haven’t lost their gift for balancing epic instrumentation with genuine human emotion. That said, there are plenty of great moments in the back half too, including the tender lead single Miningsby, the moving Rainbow Bridge written in response to the loss of a family pet, and soaring album closer Sunblind. Rather than reinventing their sound, Eyre Llew refine everything that has made them one of Nottingham’s most distinctive musical exports, delivering a life-affirming and richly rewarding return. @eyrellew (Karl Blakesley)
You can experience the new album live at Eyre Llew’s huge homecoming album launch show at The Nest on Sunday, 15 November.
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