Jul 23, 2014 By Paul Bridgewater Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

Most bands retain the stamp of their home towns and cities, but Brits MONEY came together as usurpers in their adopted Manchester, the uniquely creative environment that gave us The Smiths, Joy Division, and Factory Records. Decamping to the north of England in his late teens, London-born vocalist and frontman Jamie Lee credits the city with indelibly shaping the sound and identity of the Bella Union-signed band. More

Jul 16, 2014 By Matt Fink Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

The world, and especially the music industry, has changed a lot since Guto Pryce was a founding member of Super Furry Animals in the mid-'90s. Back in those days, people actually bought records, labels gave advances to help bands get tour vans, and the economics of balancing books wasn't emphasized quite so severely. More

Jul 09, 2014 By Paul Bridgewater Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands

London duo Jungle kicked off 2014 as one of the hottest bands in the U.K. A placing on the BBC's prestigious "Sound Of" list—chosen by over 200 tastemakers—was all the more extraordinary considering the misinformation and mystery surrounding the band's early press. A lack of photos confirming who Jungle was even left many assuming core members "J" and "T" might in fact be the talented roller-skating stars of the clip for second single "The Heat." More

Jul 02, 2014 By Michael Wojtas Web Exclusive

"Today!/Together!" Tim Beeler repeatedly yowls on the title track of More Than Any Other Day, the full-length debut from Montréal indie upstarts Ought. More a battlefield rallying cry than a utopic declaration, the couplet rides an exhilarating emotional crest that suddenly dives earthward when the song's momentum halts and singer/guitarist Beeler bows out with a shrugging "We're all the fucking same."

Jun 25, 2014 By Melody Lau Web Exclusive

Elephant's Christian Pinchbeck describes his band as "nostalgic," though that can be interpreted in one of two ways. He and vocalist Amelia Rivas create time-stamped melodies that echo decades past, but Elephant not only look back musically for their influence: their debut album Sky Swimming also bears marks of the duo's romantic history.    More

Jun 17, 2014 By Laura Studarus Web Exclusive

Ice Cream Cathedral (Anja T. Lahrmann, Kristian Paulsen, and Anders Bach) call their music "space pop." It's a good place to start, since very little about the Danish trio's music feels terrestrial. More

May 21, 2014 By Stephen Humphries Web Exclusive

Syd Arthur is a South by Southwest success story. The four-piece British band—no, it's not the name of an individual—raised money to attend last year's annual music industry festival in Austin, Texas. More

Mar 12, 2014 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Scottish post-punk quartet Casual Sex will play the first of Under the Radar's three SXSW 2014 parties today (Wednesday, March 12th) at 3:15 PM. Guitarist and lead vocalist Sam Smith took some time to answer a few questions for us ahead of the event.

Feb 18, 2014 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

Most Anglophiles tend to worship from afar. Three of the London-based Cheatahs did just the opposite—vocalist/guitarist Nathan Hewitt originally hails from Edmonton, Canada, bassist/producer Dean Reid is from San Diego, California, and from Dresden, Germany is drummer Marc Raue. The only local, so to speak, from Leicester, U.K., is guitarist James Wignall. More