Bill McClintock made a mashup of Al Stewart and Nirvana: Year of the Cat + Come As You Are = Come as the Cat. Want more? His YouTube channel has lots of them.

Nottingham psych-pop band Midnight Rodeo must have been hiding in Sherwood Forest since the late 60s. There is no other proper explanation for the retro sound of their new single Dixon, which is drenched so much of echo and reverb that there is no need for other stimulants to drift away. Take note of the intricate interplay between the keyboards and the dreamy vocals. Think a hybrid of early Floyd having a cup of tea with the Laurel Canyon crowd. The video was directed by Ciaran Grant.

London based singer-songwriter Garlen Lo covers the middle ground between the Beach Boys and music hall on his new single London Girls. Things are way less complicated when you speak the same language and have a working knowledge of the culural references that might pop up in a conversation. Who needs a blank stare when you mention Bruce Forsyth or Ruby Murray? "Choose your city, spin this globe // New York, Paris, Tokyo // It doesn’t matter where in this world // There’s nothing like a London girl". The video was shot at Trafalgar Square.

English indie band Wet Leg made a splash with their self-titled debut album, a collection of catchy songs with irony and empowerment playing catch. They have stuck to that winning formula for their new upbeat single, catch these fists, the first taste for their album moisturizer, due for release on July 11 via Domino (vinyl, cassette, CD, digital).

Rob Clarke and The Wooltones like to do things differently. While the whole music biz has embraced streaming and putting things up on YouTube, they have decided to release a DVD to commemorate the release of their Big Night Out album in 2018. Big Night In collects the quirky videos they made for all the tracks of the album. They ransacked the footage of 60s TV shows (Vikings!, The Thunderbirds!), newsreels and commercials, in grainy B&W and faded colour, had a whale of time putting together off-kilter extras and threw in footage of their The Day John Met Paul 60th Anniversary gig on July 9th 2017 at St. Peters Church in Liverpool, with original Quarrymen drummer Colin Hanton joining them as a special guest.

It is a trip to simpler times, when card games and knitting were considered first rate entertainment, and the police had ample time to indulge in stunt driving - watch the video for You're Looking Good for proof of this. It is a fun watch. The band obviously loved putting it together and it is no problem if your are not able to place all the segments and references they used. Enjoy it as is, with some tea and biscuits or any other combination you prefer for watching the telly, after you have managed to get that DVD-player to do its job again.

Swedish psych singer Miynt latched upon the "pick-me girl" phenomenon and turned the tables on her new single I Am I Am What. Note the unrelenting the guitar riff. It is simple, but very contagious. Once again she sings softly, but it is very clear that she will will not suffer fools gladly.

It is a track from her forthcoming new album Rain Money Dogs, due for release on May 30th via B3SCI Records.

Watch the Chris Church video for She Looks Good in Black, a track from his new album Obsolete Path: "He almost never goes for a straightforward radio-friendly song, sneaking in unexpected breaks and diversions to ensure that the listener keeps paying attention."

» Chris Church on Facebook

HCTF review of Obsolete Path

Remember optimism? The feeling that things could actually work out? Songwriter Drew Danburry is fully aware that the idiots are ruling the asylum right now, but it does not hurt to dream away with The World That We Live In, the latest release by his band Icarus Phoenix. As per usual the track is also available as solo acoustic version.

Watch the Tugboat Captain video for their new single Nothing Embarrassing: "Finding out what the significant other likes or dislikes is trying to make it safe through the minefield - things can go terribly wrong - and it takes some time to come to conclusion that it is perfectly alright to be different. The hassles of being a young adult in a big city like London are in fact far more difficult to deal with." The clip was directed by Sophia Bartlett and Joshua Cobb.

It is quite alright to label English band Jetstream Pony as an indie supergroup. With members of the Wedding Present, the Dentists, Aberdeen, Trembling Blue Stars, Popguns, Luxembourg Signal, they created a buzz with a few singles, two EPs and a well-received full self-titled album.

On the new full-length Bowerbirds and Blue Things the band dives into the outer regions of twee pop, with a wealth of jangly guitars plus a reappraisal for the lowly percussion instrument the tambourine in the capable hands of lead singer Beth Arzy.

Darren Smallman becomes a powerful guy, scouring the heavens and taking out people with his laser eyes. Talk, Clown., the new single by his one-man trash punk band Dez Dare, has all the signature elements of his music: the fuzzy and scuzzy production, a little over the top but somehow still in control mayhem, with the gnarly guitar as the launch pad for his distorted vocals.

The instore performance @ Sound Records in Stroud on March 7 by English singer-songwriter William William Rodgers and his band was filmed. This gives a pretty good idea what it will be like on his upcoming shows in the UK.

• 04/11 The Holloway, Norwich
• 04/12 The Snug, Atherton (supporting the Shipbuilders)
• 04/26 The Exchange, Bristol (supporting the Shipbuilders)
• 05/10 waterintobeer, London (w/ Watch Paint Dry)

» William William Rodgers on Facebook

HCTF review of Pond Life.

Watch the full set by Leeds based indie singer Ellur. She performed three tracks from her God Help Me Now EP, plus two singles. It is a crash course for soft-spoken power.

1. Someone Else
2. Yellow Light
3. Your Dog
4. Boys
5. God Help Me Now

• 05/31 Temple Newsam Park, Leeds, UK (w/ Kaiser Chiefs, The Cribs, We Are Scientists)

» Ellur on Facebook

HCTF review of God Help Me Now

English baroque-pop band Tugboat Captain paint a picture of a couple in the early stages of their relationship on their new single Nothing Embarrassing. Finding out what the significant other likes or dislikes is trying to make it safe through the minefield - things can go terribly wrong - and it takes some time to come to conclusion that it is perfectly alright to be different. The hassles of being a young adult in a big city like London are in fact far more difficult to deal with.

Liverpudlian queer six-piece indie band from Flower Show are taking the piss in a good-natured way when it comes to coping with fuck ups and unfortunate accidents on their new single Spitting At The Walls. Yes, people do make mistakes, get drunk, and say things that were a bit scathing in hindsight. Might as well decide to live with it and turn it into a Northern soul infused banger, with a jubilant trumpet to boot. It is a track from their debut album Painted Nails & Silver Bells, due for release on May 2nd. The video was directed by Patric Rogers.

• O3/21 Liverpool, UK @ Ullet Road Church
  (w/ OORYA & Pink Mountain)

» Flower Show on Instagram

HCTF review of Bags For Life

Dutch garage rock band Black Operator are back for a gritty blues-infused single, Rolling, with a keyboards break that sounds not unlike The Who's Baba O'Riley. The band went through some personel changes since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2019. Then the pandemic happened, but the fire is now succesfully rekindled, with a new EP coming out later this year.

Dutch garage rockers The Covenant have had their fair share of bumps in the road during their 37 years as a loved underground band, but losing founding member and bass player Peter Stap hit them hard. Should they call it quits? After much deliberation they decided to keep going, at first with singer Frank van der Reep working a double shift during the rehearsals of the songs that they worked on for what become their new album: The Age of Rage. Stap can be heard on some of the tracks - most prominently on Loophole, which was released as a stand-alone single in 2020, but it is new guy Erol Erdogan who is taking care of the bottom end.

Grief is a fierce force for creating art and the band put it to good use to channel their anger about losing a dear friend in the title track and the pitch black Bones. The stuttering guitar part that drives Artisticus Narcisticus is 101 for getting the job done with just a few notes. Amsterdam has spawned quite a few great rock bands, but none of them comes close to the raucous energy of The Covenant. Big celebration show @ Paradiso to celebrate their 40th anniversary?

Ryan Anderson has made a video for Nightmare Rider, a track from Rock Alone, the new album by his Minorcan project: "A record that does not take shit from anybody. The sound is murky, but that is by design. Anderson doesn't do pretty. He is a rocker, who makes his guitar scream and howl as he strangles the neck of his instrument".

» minorcanmusic.com

HCTF review of Rock Alone

Marianne Faithfull's final recordings will be on a 10" EP for Record Store Day (April 12). The release of Burning Moonlight was held back initially, following her death on January 30th, her family now requested to go ahead. Her son Nicolas Dunbar explained: "As we grieve the loss of Marianne, we are pleased to announce the release of these songs which she worked on during the year before her death. Marianne lived to create and perform music – it was her driving force and she never stopped. Right up until the end she was looking forward to this release which now completes and celebrates her remarkable artistic career."

Watch the new Steven Wilson video for Objects: Meanwhile, a segment from Objects Outlive Us, which takes up one side of his new album The Overview. The lyrics of this part were written by Andy Partridge. The album will be played in full during the second set of his upcoming tour, with the full movie made by Miles Skarin as the backdrop.