JOHN - "Stadium of No"

Photo by Paul Grace

The amount of noise a duo can generate can be quite impressive. Take the latest single from London's JOHN. It's just John Newton on drums and lead vocals and Johnny Healy on guitar and backing vocals. It may not quite be a Lightning Bolt level burst of noise, but "Stadium of No" is getting comparisons to both Metz and Sonic Youth. It's an intense indie rock rager with growling, metal style vocals. It's the kind of speed and noise you would get in an early 90's Sonic Youth song during their Geffen Records period. It's a giant and loud song that is making me yearn for my college years.

John Newton says of the new song:

“In parallel to the recurring motif of twenty-four hour work that runs throughout the album’s track listing, stadiums appear as hopelessly redundant monuments when they’re empty - only activated by the bodies that inhabit them. The song’s a nod to the often-overwhelming conditions of our present: a stadium-like crowd of opinions trying to shout on top of one another."

You can watch the video for "Stadium of No" below. Nocturnal Manoeuvres will be out October 8 on Pet Care Records and Brace Yourself Records. You can pre-order the album here. For more on JOHN, check out the band's Facebook and Twitter.

Flossing - "Switch"

Flossing is the new musical project of Heather Elle, formerly of BODEGA. Her new single, "Switch," is a surprisingly catchy electroclash/dance track with some hip hop influences about BDSM. (I have friends that would be disappointed that I didn't pick up on the subject matter based on the title alone...) It reminds me of some of the more mainstream electronica or trip hop of the late 90's mixed with some darker industrial, like Sneaker Pimps mixed with Ruby. It has just the slightest hints of darkness while still being an upbeat song. 

Heather Elle says of the new single:

"‘Switch' is the most honest documentation of my psyche in 2020... a messy and perverse mental excavation. In its dual moods, the song represents the complexities of coinciding grieving processes — my mother passing suddenly before tour, ending a five-year relationship, leaving a band, and learning that my city and industry would be on an indefinite hold.”

You can watch the video for "Switch" below. Queen of the Mall is due out September 10 on Brace Yourself Records. For more on Flossing, check out the artist on Instagram and Bandcamp.