The Friday Dispatch
Amyl and The Sniffers, Nectar Woode, Polly Money, Anna Shoemaker, Car Seat Headrest, HOVVDY
Amyl and The Sniffers are being human
In the face of planetary collapse – and with their third record Cartoon Darkness about to drop – Melbourne punks Amyl and the Sniffers are finding beauty in failure.
“When's the time to be young? To make bad decisions, to be dumb, to just make mistakes?” the band’s force-of-nature vocalist Amy Taylor says. “I'm just going to fucking do something stupid for the sake of doing something stupid, like liberating yourself with a bad decision. It’s not even necessarily ‘I'll go out and get fucked up.’ But like, ‘I'm going to have a tantrum and throw my phone out. I'm going to let emotion overcome me.’”
That ethos is heard throughout Cartoon Darkness – a smirk beneath the blunt riffs and choruses. You hear it most in Taylor’s yelped lyrics, such as her choice to open the record with the line “You’re a dumb cunt, you’re an arsehole”, mostly just because it’s fun to swear.
Many tracks on the new record, released this week, are a confident rejection of criticism and off stage, Taylor is open about how such things can get to her. “With social media, especially for somebody who has some degree of attention, you do feel like you can't fuck up ever because it's like people will criticise you,” she says. “I noticed that drinking isn't really a thing amongst the younger generation, and I can understand why. There's all eyes on them all the time. If you're drunk and you make out with your fucking best friend’s boyfriend or whatever when you're fifteen, you're cancelled online for being a house wrecker.”
That rejection of perfection and criticism doesn’t mean the band don’t listen to feedback. Taylor admits that she never used to pay attention to politics, but her time with the Sniffers has changed that. “Even though the album isn't like directly about politics, I think it is, because everything is political and every action is a reaction to the world that we live in,” she says.
Read the full profile by Skye Butchard now over on Best Fit
In an extremely exciting week for new drops, we’ve been excited about the release of Soccer Mommy’s profound, skillful record Evergreen. Also out this week is Pom Pom Squad’s earnest and refreshing Mirror Starts Moving Without Me; Katie Gavin’s folk-tinged solo debut, What A Relief; Amyl and The Sniffer’s overdrive-washed Cartoon Darkness; Kelsea Ballerini’s latest LP, PATTERNS; and indie newcomer Yana’s first EP Amy.
In other exciting news, Overpass have signed to Communion Records and announced a new EP; Mamalarkey will join the Epitaph Records roster; Medium Build teamed up with Julien Baker on “Yoke,” a gut wrenching new single; and Sophie Jamieson and Imogene and the Knife both have exciting fresh tracks out.
Nectar Woode is On The Rise
From open mics to nationwide headline shows, London's Nectar Woode is creating her own brand of enriching soul. Taking cues from 90s and early 00s icons like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Maxwell, Woode’s early work is reminiscent of a summer’s day on Primrose Hill, having a drink with friends in the afternoon golden hour.
Steeped early on in creative spaces, music was always the goal Woode was running towards. “My mum reminds me I've always wanted to do music. I've always wanted to gig.” Going to jazz gigs at The Stables with her dad, she reminisces watching “some instrumental saxophone music – you'd see their craft and be like ‘Whoa, how do they do that?’ So disciplined.”
After moving to London to study music at university, Nectar fell into a rhythm of open mic nights and jam sessions. “There's always something going on in London, you can always be inspired by it. Like in North London there could be a jam or songwriting thing, then you go down South the next day and you're listening to the best jazz you've ever heard.”
Now, with one EP already under her belt and a slew of impressive cosigns (including an opener slot for Leon Bridges), Woode is gearing up to record what she says is her most personal work to date. Despite radiating relentless positivity, her next project, Head Above Waters, cuts straight to the heart of life’s imperfections. “I'm very proud of it because I didn't think I could make something like that and be as honest as possible.”
The introduction
Though you might recognise her as part of the The 1975’s touring band for their At Their Very Best shows, Cornish singer/songwriter Polly Money is now striking out on her own as an indie-pop one to watch.
Your sound in 5-10 words…. indie guitar pop sometimes not
How you started making music… when I got my first guitar when I was 10
How to overcome imposter syndrome… you have to remind yourself of how and why you got to the place you’re feeling imposter syndrome in. It’s usually because you are meant to be there and have earnt it so don’t forget that or your identity. Also helps to get really good at playing pool.
Best memory from touring with The 1975… playing London’s O2 Arena for the first time. I had seen so many artists and bands play there and couldn’t see a way I’d ever play it. So when it happened and all my friends and family were there it was a very emotional evening for me.
Go-to meal on the road… A poke bowl for sure. That sounds so pretentious doesn’t it, but it’s a great one if you’re looking for nutrition and to fill yourself up. Got to look after yourself on the road.
Polly Money’s latest single “Anything (Cool Online x Ross MacDonald Remix)” is out now
Win Live At Leeds VIP tickets with dinner and a bar tab for two
Live at Leeds in the City returns this November with sets from the likes of Everything Everything, CASISDEAD and hometown Mercury Prize winners English Teacher.
This year, Best Fit will be partnering with the showcase festival to host a stage at legendary local venue The Wardrobe, and we’ve got an incredible VIP experience to give away to two lucky winners: a pair of tickets for you (and a friend) plus dinner for two and a £50 bar tab to use at the venue.
To enter, just answer one easy question
Something Old, Something New
Every week, we share recommendations from the Best Fit community on two iconic records — one from the past, one from the present. This week, Philadelphia-born artist Anna Shoemaker shares her thoughts on Car Seat Headrest’s Teens of Denial (2016) and HOVVDY’s self-titled (2024).
Years ago I interned at the radio WXPN in Philly. I would find a ton of music through working there. I would do some editing of interviews and I would program the songs into the radio shows on ProTools. Car Seat Headrest had just put out Teens of Denial, and they kept having me program a bunch of those songs. I immediately became obsessed. To be honest, I’m such a freaky mega fan of all their records but Teens of Denial was the first one I heard so I sort of hyper-fixated on it. He does such a good job describing what it’s like to be a bored teenager or young adult waiting for their life to start. To me it feels like it’s all about that grey area in suburbia where your parents don’t really care what you do as long as it’s not something that’ll disrupt their evening (or life). The music itself goes really hard and can even be unrelenting at times but there are these moments of tenderness and romance in his writing, it’s a really nice juxtaposition.
My friend Taylor showed me HOVVDY a few months ago and since then I’ve become such a huge fan. He showed me their first album True Love, and I listened to that approximately 1000 times before graduating to their newest self-titled record HOVVDY. I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest production head/audiophile kind of girl (I tend to be more interested in lyrics and melody), but this production feels so special to me. I had read that a lot of the recording was done on iPhones in different non-studio spaces. It just really feels like its own little world. Also of course the writing is clever and beautiful. I think my favourite is “Heartstring.” To me that song feels like falling in love and having your heartbroken all at the same time.
Anna’s latest single, “Game of Thrones” is out now
Ahead of their performance at last month’s SON Estrella Galicia micro-festival in East London, Brighton quartet The New Eves dropped in to record a session for Best Fit, performing “Astrolobe”.
The Brighton quartet are pulling from the past to make a sound that platforms experimentalism: otherworldly psych folk with an underground punk spirit that welds The Velvet Underground’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable shows to Wicker Man ritualism.
Having taken over both floors of Hackney’s iconic Paper Dress Vintage their last event, the Spanish beer specialists look to music as a force for good as they deliver a myriad of activities grounded in their ethos of environmental sustainability, as well as allying themselves with some London’s most iconic independent venues. The next Son Estrella Galicia event runs on 11 December at Two Palms in Hackney; tickets are available now via DICE.
Listen to the week in new music by following our Discovery playlist
Dropping at midnight every Thursday, follow our playlist for a taste of the best new music from the most exciting breaking artists – 20 new tracks, top-loaded from the last five days in music and on repeat in the Best Fit office right now.
Leading the selection this week are new tracks from jasmine.4.t, Georgian, virgin orchestra, two drinks i love you, and coverstar Darcey Beth.