Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 2002. Their original line-up was composed of Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy and Paul Thomson. Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot joined the band in 2017 after McCarthy left during the previous year, and Audrey Tait joined the band after Thomson left in 2021. The band are one of the more popular post-punk revival bands, garnering multiple UK top 20 hits. They have been nominated for several Grammy Awards and have received two Brit Awards—winning one for Best British Group—as well as one NME Award.
Riverside are a Polish progressive rock band from Warsaw. They were founded in 2001 by friends Mariusz Duda, Piotr Grudziński, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki, who shared a love for progressive rock and heavy metal, although Duda, the main lyricist and composer of the band, was originally a fan of electronic, ambient, experimental music, like Radiohead, Massive Attack, Dead Can Dance, Tangerine Dream, Peter Gabriel, and later on, prog rock like Pink Floyd, Rush, Tool, Marillion, as well as thrash metal. Riverside can be described as a blend of atmospheric rock and metal elements, resulting in a sound similar to that of Porcupine Tree, and Pain of Salvation.
Blood Red Shoes are an English alternative rock duo from Brighton consisting of Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell. They have released six full-length albums, Box of Secrets (2008), Fire Like This (2010), In Time to Voices (2012), Blood Red Shoes (2014), Get Tragic (2019) and Ghosts on Tape (2022) as well as several EPs and a number of singles. In 2014, they founded their own label, Jazz Life.
Hard Life, formerly known as Easy Life, is an English alternative indie pop group formed in Leicester in 2017. They came second in the 2020 edition of the BBC's Sound of..., an annual music poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. Their third mixtape, Junk Food, reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart a day after its release. Their debut studio album, Life's a Beach, was released on 28 May 2021.
The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo formed in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2007. The band consists of Katie White and Jules De Martino.
Everything Everything are an English art rock band from Manchester that formed in late 2007. Noted for their eclectic sound and complex, avant-garde-inspired lyrics, the band has released seven albums to date — Man Alive (2010),Arc (2013),Get to Heaven (2015),A Fever Dream (2017),Re-Animator (2020), Raw Data Feel (2022) and Mountainhead (2024) — and has been widely critically acclaimed. Their work has twice been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and has received five nominations for Ivor Novello Awards.
"Islands" is a song recorded by English indie pop band the xx for their self-titled debut studio album. Written by band-members Jamie Smith, Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft and then-member Baria Qureshi, "Islands" is a dark and simple indie pop track. It also contains influences from house music and features instrumentation from guitars and synthesizers. Croft and Sim, who provided vocals in the track, sing about themes related to loyalty and love. "Islands" was released on 26 October 2009 as the third single from the album by Young Turks in 7-inch single and digital download formats. In March 2010, the song was re-released as a 12-inch single.
The Wytches are an English rock band formed in 2011 in Peterborough. Following their formation, the band were based in Brighton. The band currently consists of singer-songwriter Kristian Bell, bassist Daniel Rumsey, keyboardist/guitarist Mark Breed and drummer Bhavin Thaker.
Jungle are a British band founded in 2013 by London-based producers Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. Jungle have released four studio albums: Jungle (2014), which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, For Ever (2018), Loving in Stereo (2021), and Volcano (2023). The first two albums were released through XL Recordings while the latter two via their independent label Caiola Records. In 2023, having worked as the main musical contributor on Loving in Stereo and Volcano, and a key performing member of the live group, Lydia Kitto joined as a permanent member.
Sleaford Mods are an English post-punk music duo, formed in 2007 in Nottingham. The band features vocalist Jason Williamson and, since 2012, instrumentalist Andrew Fearn. They are known for their abrasive, minimalist musical style and embittered explorations of austerity-era Britain, culture, and working class life, delivered in Williamson's East Midlands accent. The duo have released several albums to critical praise.
Vant are a British indie rock band formed in 2014 by frontman and songwriter Mattie Vant. In 2015, Vant signed to Parlophone Records. The band announced an "indefinite hiatus" in 2017 to take effect at the end of their Last Days of Punk tour during November. The band released a new song, "Propaganda Machine" in December 2018 and teased new music in 2019.
Are You Satisfied? is the debut album of English punk duo Slaves. It was released on 1 June 2015. It reached number 8 in its first week on the UK Albums Chart. The album was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize. A deluxe edition was released on 13 November 2015 which featured their single "Where's Your Car Debbie" and one of its B-sides, 3 songs from their "Sugar Coated Bitter Truth" EP, 2 tracks from BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and other new songs.
Joseph is an American folk band from Portland, Oregon made up of three sisters: Natalie Closner, and twins Allison Closner and Meegan Closner. Their first album, Native Dreamer Kin, was self-released in early 2014. Their second album I'm Alone, No You're Not was produced by Mike Mogis and was released on August 26, 2016, by ATO Records.
Take Control is the second studio album by English punk rock duo Slaves, released on 30 September 2016. The album was produced by former Beastie Boys member Mike D, who also makes a guest appearance on the song "Consume or Be Consumed". Lead single "Spit It Out" debuted at number 37 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart upon its initial release, later re-entering at number 28.
They is an American R&B duo from Los Angeles, California, consisting of Dante Jones and Andrew "Drew Love" Neely. The duo started their career in 2015, releasing the debut extended play Nü Religion, which received critical acclaim. That year, they released the commercially successful single "Working for It" in collaboration with Zhu and Skrillex. In 2016, they began touring with singer Bryson Tiller. The following year, the duo released their debut studio album, Nü Religion: Hyena. In 2020, They signed to Avant Garden Records under Island Records and released their second studio album, The Amanda Tape, on October 23, 2020.
Derek Tyler Carter is an American musician and songwriter from Habersham County, Georgia. Carter began his musical career performing drums in local bands in Atlanta. Following his underground success, he joined metalcore outfit Woe, Is Me, releasing their debut studio album, Number[s], in 2010, in which he left the following year.
Acts of Fear and Love is the third studio album by English punk rock duo Slaves, released on 17 August 2018. It was the final studio album released by the band before they changed their name to Soft Play in 2022.
"Momentary Bliss" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring British rapper Slowthai and the Kent-based punk rock duo Slaves. The song was the first song to be released for Gorillaz' Song Machine initiative, a web series consisting of singles and music videos released over the course of the year from the band, with each episode featuring different guest musicians on new Gorillaz material, and is the first single released for their seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. This was the final single before Slaves changed their band name to "Soft Play".
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is the seventh studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 23 October 2020 via Parlophone and Warner Records. The album was released as the culmination of Gorillaz' Song Machine project, a web series consisting of a collection of singles and music videos, dubbed "episodes" each featuring different guest artists. The album marked the return of the character Murdoc Niccals in promotional material, after his absence from The Now Now in 2018. The record received positive reviews from music critics. Slowthai, Slaves, Fatoumata Diawara, Peter Hook, Georgia, Octavian, ScHoolboy Q, Robert Smith, Elton John, 6lack, Beck, Leee John, St. Vincent, Kano, and Roxani Arias, among others, appears as the collaborators on the album.
The Velvet Ditch is the second EP by English punk rock duo Slaves, released on 18 July 2019. It was the band's final release before they changed their name to Soft Play in 2022.
