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Quiet As A Mouse

The last time we heard from the Scottish indie quartet 'Quiet As A Mouse' was in January, when they had just released their video to the exquisite 'Oliviatown'. But, following gigs with the likes of Hinds and and the Palma Violets, the acoustic laden band are back to romance our ears with their divine EP: 'Memorybox'.

The EP opens with 'Snowflake', perhaps not the title of a song you think of in the lead up to summer but it really is a gem. It streams gentle, neutral, loving tones and is one of those great tracks that has such a petite opening before it explodes, in this case, into a pastel colored daydream. Following that is 'The Day The Cat Came To Stay'. This is 3 minutes of smiles: the title should make you chuckle, the upbeat tempo should make you happy and the need to 'dance on your own' to this track should make elation seep through your body like some sort of drug.

Whilst 'Letter In My Pocket' may make you think the band are on a jealous high as they ponder to poor old Charlotte 'Why are all your friends men?', it does feature a minimal rock infusion into their folk sound, making the song into a snippet of heaven. The EP's namesake brings the release to end and is a pure high point, it features a pop-styled intro and cascading notes which burst into color as they brush your eardrums.

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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)

Interview // Taylor Casey

We recently had the joy of asking Taylor Casey a few questions about his music and his new self-titled EP. The EP itself is smooth, groovy and easy going, Casey has basically created your summer soundtrack in 5 glistening songs.

Mytacism Music: Hi Taylor, lets start off with the thing that first thing that got you into music? 
Taylor Casey: I took guitar lessons for about a year or so when I was younger and played mostly just for fun until my last few years in college. Like most artists, I pretty much was never satisfied with my singing voice. Somewhere around college I finally grew into my voice. From there it took off.

And what made you think that you would create such an irresistible EP?
Well thanks first off, I wasn't trying to create an irresistible EP - just trying to make music. I moved to NYC after graduating to take some music classes - one thing led to another and I was recording an EP about a year in. I didn't move to NY to record - but it was always in the back of my mind. I just thought it’d be years from now.

What are your musical influences, listening to the EP there seems to be no end to the mix of genres and styles.
I like a lot of music - recently, I've been into the Alabama Shakes, Felice Brothers, Houndmouth, Jim Croce, Dylan, Dr. Dog, and Shakey Graves.
Could you run us through what you each song means to you?
I mean, I could, but I feel that takes away from the songs. I really enjoy how different people are able to find completely different meanings in the same song. Sometimes, when I hear someone else’s take on a song of mine - it can influence what the song means to me.The words lyrics in each song really say everything I really want to say.

Would you want your fans to have the same ideas about your music?
I've always been a fan of musicians and songwriters who are able to use words to spread ideas and make people think. I respect them for that. It’s easy to write a catchy song with cliche lyrics. I’d hope that my songs would make those who listen to it think - also, it’s okay if they dance. Dancing’s good.

The EP sounds very smooth and easy going, does this reflect the production of the release?
I've always been pretty easy going. Most of my friends would attest to that - sometimes too much so. But yeah, I had some pressure to speed up the production process but I wasn't in all that much of a hurry. Patience was probably the biggest factor in the process. Because I spread it out over a few months - the songs continued to grow and change and be replaced with newer better songs. I didn't have a precedent to compare to for how things were done so I did it my own way. It was my first time in a studio.
   
Where there any moments during this time which changed the EP's original path?
I was pretty adamant about taking my time in the pre-production stage - choosing my best songs, making them better, figuring out how I wanted them to sound with a full band. It made it so when I finally went into the studio, I knew what needed to happen and how do make it happen.

Away from the music and the inspirational quotes on Twitter, what else do you get up to?
I’m pretty into surfing - I definitely miss it since I moved away from CA. I’m new to twitter, but someone else is helping me run my account right now so it’s chalk full of quotes - I delete anything I don’t like though.

What are your plans after the EP release? Is there a full album on the horizon or any gigs we can catch you at?
I moved to Austin, TX about a month ago - been playing a few acoustic shows around and am currently in the process of putting together a band. Hopefully I can get a tour going in the near future. Full album’s the next step.
And finally, do you have a last message for your fans?
Don’t listen to whatever music is marketed to you - be in charge of what you want to listen to and take the time to find music that you truly connect with. It amplifies the satisfaction that you get from the tunes.

Keep up with Taylor Casey:
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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)

Meresha

Meresha. The 18 year-old produces some of the most insane sounds I have heard, all you can do whilst listening is shut your eyes and follow every beat, every synth-pop sound and every rise and fall of her delicious voice. It is like being consumed and its like being rejuvenized. It is everything at once.

Her new EP 'New Revolution' does exactly what it says in the tin: it revolutionizes whatever music taste you have. I have been converted to Meresha's 'grimey' apparel and I'm pretty sure you will be too. Opening with 'Lemonade City', the youthful artist immediately confronts you with a sassy attitude, boasting that 'We can make the tough boys cry', which is accompanied by a sound to die for, the track sounding a lot like a dark Lana Del Rey track. Following that is the EP's namesake, a song that whisks you off to some nightclub somewhere, full of lasers and smoke, sounding quite 80's through the imposing electronic tones. It is inevitable for this one to get stuck in head.
'You' slows the EP down as Meresha opens herself up a little more, enveloping us in a lyrical feast. Her honey-like voice oozes  'My head is spinning like / I've been electrified' and 'I'm overcome with flames / This moment's all I know / You're pumping through my veins', they're the kind of lyrics you need to learn off by heart. 'August' ends the EP on a summer infused high, her words are more elongated than summer solstice and the warped electronics injects sunshine into your body.

Meresha's aim is world domination. I'm pretty sure she's got it.

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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)

Lost and Profound

The Canadian band 'Lost and Profound' are raring to go ahead of their new album, entitled 'Goodbye Mine', which is set to be released on the 12th of May. The album itself is comes alive with the sophisticated and robust lyrics that mix with the steady and cool melodies, conjoining to create a force of goosebump inducing sounds. Opening with 'Superhuman', the band immediately blow you away with their rawness, it sounds so stripped down and pure you can't help but gasp.

Following on a gentler note is 'Until It Broke', a song which evolves into a gushing composition featuring almost hypnotic vocals. Both the title track and 'Iodine' are empowering and soulful tracks making them irresistible to sing-along to and simply heavenly to listen to. The song 'Love's Hard Landing' is soothing and chilled whilst 'Jewel', fronted by male vocals, is more upbeat and daring, featuring a rock/country sound instead of the previous sophisticated indie sound.

'Bad Sister' and 'Alcohol' both flaunt the band's signature sound and 'Rover' sounds almost magical with its sparkling intro which eases onto a touching and gentle flow, a song that is perhaps worthy of closing the album. 'Spectre' however does do a worthy job at closure, its strength and prowess ignites a shiver to slither down your spine.

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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)

Blade of Grass

Despite the unassuming name, Blade of Grass are actually rather peculiar (in a good way of course). The band are swiftly on their way to captivating the thousands, sounding like the result of a psych dream rather than a psych band: they mix shockingly strong vocals with empty but outlandish melodies, creating an irresistible and alluring front.

Their most recent track, 'She Was', flaunts robust vocals which take centre stage of the track whilst, behind them, is a meandering drum beat and intermittent warped sound. The overall sound wakes you up with its clarity but then takes you somewhere far away too, making it a track full of conflicting factors but still, somehow, it just works. Whether its the climatic ending or just the abnormality of the melodies I don't know, but it all gives a satisfying click as it fits into place.
Another older track worth checking out is 'Dance To The Radio'. The song is a fast paced rumble, its unforgivingly danceable and induces a permanent smile on your lips, the cheerful melodies and reassuring lyrics massage away at any tension and sadness. If you can be down while this is on, you need to win some sort of prize, I'm serious.
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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)

Zibra // Great White Shark

With a push of momentum, 'Great White Shark' enters your orifices. And not only does does Zibra's new track have a sickeningly repetitive beat, but it flaunts an addicting and cleverly sweet facade, one which hides something gloomy and sinister. Example A: The opening lines ("Twist your wrist like bubblegum / And your bones are popping one by one") sound like something out of a psychopathic King novel. Example B: the sugary melodies that swim before your eyes for the short and sweet 2 min 47 second duration of the song begin to whirl and twirl, manifesting into something more than just a synth-pop layer cake. The reality of this song is that the underlying darkness is simply alluring to the mind, it's like a crush on the most bad-ass guy at school.

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Emily Branson (@emiemzy)