Into Music: Even More New Music February 2025
Valentine’s Day may be fading into the past but over here at Into Creative towers we remain committed to bringing you music we think you will love and you don’t need a crumby day to celebrate it or listen to it! Read on, listen and swoon to these amazing tunes.
Artist: Gareth Sager
Album: Play Yr Heart Out
Label: Creeping Bent/Last Night From Glasgow
2025 is the final year of the Creeping Bent record label but there is no denying they are going out with an almighty bang. This new release (in conjunction with Last Night From Glasgow) brings together twelve tracks from the multi-talented and multi-instrumentalist Gareth Sager. Formerly of The Pop Group and Rip Rig + Panic, Sager’s own solo career is extensive and includes six albums on the Creeping Bent label going back twenty-five years. A talent that is at ease moving across multiple genres and influences, this album perfectly captures the music, spirit and imagination that makes Sager such an appealing artist.
The opening salvo of St. Jock and Disco Sofa hit square in the solar plexus, the former loosely written about the ex-Clash confidante, Jock Scot, all angular guitars and searching vocals whereas the latter is like a schizophrenric nightmare of melting weirdness that jars, jags and buzzes out of control, a warped delight!
From there, more treats follow from that impressive back catalogue, the jazzy ease of Johnny Bristol Flu through to the motorik beat and electronica pop wonder that is They’re Playing Kraftwerk in the Coffee Shop which also features Georgia Lewis and Davy Henderson.
Safe as Your Secret has an airiness and a sultry vocal care of Susie Hug while album closer Edinburgh 60 is full on Twilight Zone, noir-esque and slightly chilling.
Whether you are new to Gareth Sager or are a long time fan, this is an album containing twelve really original choice cuts of musical wonderment that you need to hear. To buy Play Yr Heart Out, head to the LNFG website here.
————————————————————————-
Artist: The Green Telescope
EP: Andy Kershaw session 23.01.86
Label: Precious Recordings of London
Reading the sleeve notes to The Green Telescope session had me laughing but also intrigued. You see, the production staff ridiculed the band’s kit and sneered when they asked to sound as unmodern as possible! But that is the result here, four tracks that have a 1960’s psychedelic vibe, which truly captures the sound the band wanted to represent them. The stop/start on opener Who Knows? works well, shut your eyes and this could be the early Rolling Stones, Lenny Helsing’s vocal screeching, pleading and howling in equal measure, bloody fantastic.
X+Y=13 is perhaps the most rounded, poppy track with Bruce Lyall’s organ providing the groove, clocking in at less than two minutes of hip-shaking delight, an absolute earworm. Finishing off with a cover, Horror Asparagus Stories, originally by The Driving Stupid is also an inspired choice, and not just for the mad song title. The Green Telescope may only have been around for a short time in the mid 1980’s but this really is a fantastic release and a great addition to anyone’s record collection, seek it out.
To order, head to the Bandcamp page here.
————————————————————————-
Artist: The Open Flames
Single: Eat Alone
Label: Subjangle Records
Trust me on this, one listen to Eat Alone, the new single from New York/London four-piece The Open Flames will see you burrow down the rabbit hole, seeking out more and more of this wonderful sonic tuneage. Dave Eastman’s fragile vocal belies the gritty and rocky edge the band bring to the track. Shades of peak REM, interwoven by hard harmonies and subtle melodies, feedback and a whole lot else.
Expansive and smothered in a cool punk attitude that most bands can only dream of, their debut album Same Time Next Year has just been released and while only seven songs coming in at twenty-three minutes, it does not have a bad track or filler on it. New favourite band? You bet. Get in early and check them out now as I suspect we will hear more and more of the brooding, cinematic soundscapes on offer here.
For more on The Open Flames, head to their website here.
————————————————————————-
Artist: The Double Diamond Club
Single: Best Club Singer In South Wales
Label: Alcopop Records
Apparently the original Double Diamond Club were a vocal duo that played up and down the social clubs of South Wales in the 1970s/1980s. Indeed, hailed as legendary and perhaps the best band you never heard or saw. Invariably, musical and artistic differences are cited as the reason they split up at the peak of their power. Now, it’s not for me to speculate if that is truth, myth or somewhere in between but it does make for an interesting story. Fast forward to 2025 and The Double Diamond Club are back, courtesy of Welsh pop royalty Helen Love and John Mouse.
The duo have been quick of the mark with a self-titled single in January and the follow up here which is out now, Best Club Singer In South Wales. The track is blessed with indie pop sensibilities and contains clever and inventive lyrics. Mouse and Love bounce off each other and the track is quite the breath of fresh air. Sometimes, music just needs to be this, not taking itself too seriously, tongue-in-cheek escapism. They’ll be dancing in the Welsh valleys and beyond to this, guaranteed.
For more on The Double Diamond Club, head to the Bandcamp page here.
————————————————————————-
Artist: Pistol Daisys
Single: Crying In Marseille
If there is a better new music scene than that in Glasgow, I’m yet to hear about it. Sure London, Manchester and Dublin might lay a claim but for sheer originality, talent and a plethora of musical styles, Glasgow is without doubt, the place to be. One of the top tips for 2025 is Pistol Daisys who blend alt-pop with tinges of country rock. They may only have a handful of singles released over the past year or two but that hasn’t stopped them supporting the likes of Callum Beattie and Big Country, playing a number of festivals and the iconic Glasgow Barrowland.
Belly Rachel and Lori M are the duo in the band and new single Crying In Marseille is out now and was written the night after they played to 15,000 at Fete de la Music in Aix-en-Provence. The track has an infectious dance edge with the occasional jangly guitar, a superb vocal and heralds another move up the music ladder for the group.
Pistol Daisys play Glasgow, St.Luke’s on 30th April. Get tickets here.
John Welsh
@welshjb
Links:
@GarethSager Gareth Sager (@GarethSager) / X
@creepingbentorg (1) The Creeping Bent Organisation (@creepingbentorg) / X
@LNFGlasgow (1) LastNightFromGlasgow (@LNFGlasgow) / X
@subjangle (1) subjanglesounds (@subjangle) / X
@DDiamondclub (1) doublediamondclub (@DDiamondclub) / X
@HELENLOVE123 (1) Helen Love (@HELENLOVE123) / X
@ilovealcopop (1) Alcopop! Records (@ilovealcopop) / X
@Pistol_Daisys (1) Pistol Daisys (@Pistol_Daisys) / X