Well, as I type this we’ve had lovely sunshine, a rain shower and burst of hailstones – welcome to the Scottish summer! More importantly though, I have been listening to some of the best new music out there. So, dear reader, strap yourself in and let me introduce you to a trio of beautiful tunes as recommended by Into Creative! 

Artist: Marie-Therese 
Single: Strange Relationship
Label: PXXI Records

Regular readers may recall that back in 2022 Into Creative waxed lyrical about Marie-Therese’s debut release Luna which was one of our favourite tracks of the year. Good news then to hear that the Dublin artist is back with a fantastic cover of Prince’s Strange Relationship, a song from his 1987 Sign o’ the Times album. 

Now, if you are going to a cover version of one of the most iconic musicians of all time, you better do it justice. And you better bring something different to the table. Fear not, Marie-Therese has really deconstructed the song and brought her own personal stamp to proceedings, the backing music provides the perfect marriage to a voice which is sultry and assured. 

Releasing on 07th June to tie in with what would have been Prince’s 66th birthday is a nice touch and it’s no surprise that the likes of Dexy’s Kevin Rowland and legendary producer Tony Visconti are big fans of her work. There is also the promise of new, original material to come over the summer months but in the meantime, get your ears wrapped around Strange Relationship. 

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Artist: Blueboy 
Single: One
Label: Precious Recordings of London

If you’re going to release new music after a twenty five year hiatus you’d better make sure it’s a stone cold cracker. Fortunately, that is exactly what Blueboy has done, phew! Active between 1989-1999 the Reading band released three acclaimed albums, the first two on the super cool Sarah Records. 

Original guitarist Paul Stewart is joined by Mark Cousens on bass, Martin Rose on drums and Gemma Townley on vocals. The lead track, One gives Townley a platform for her dreamy style voice set against a solid backbeat of indie pop at its finest.  

The flip track is Air France, a stripped down acoustic number that aches with melancholy, its simplicity is its strength. Interestingly, this is the first non-BBC session release by Precious Recordings of London and is a great coup for the label. 

Great to have Blueboy back making new music and playing live. Head to their Bandcamp page here for more. 

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Artist: Parent Teacher 
Single: Kind Time
Label: Wilbur & Moore Records

Parent Teacher are back with a new album Ethereal Collapse and preview that with the single Kind Time. Hailing from New York, the band fuse killer guitar hooks (think Sonic Youth) with delicious drum and bass rhythms to produce music with strands of indie, punk and grunge. The intro suggests a My Sharona vibe but that is quickly dispelled as the track evolves, laden with typical NYC attitude. 

The album is out now on Wilbur & Moore Records in collaboration with Lonely Ghost Records and is a “poignant swan song echoing cursed tweets from a collapsing urban dystopia“. 

 Head over to the Parent Teacher Bandcamp page for more details here. 

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John Welsh
@welshjb

Links:

@MT_Marietherese
@officialblueboy
@PrecRecs
@_PARENT_TEACHER
@wilbur_n_moore