Track of the Day: The Doctorates ‘Put Away The Medicine’

Canterbury based three piece, The Doctorates, return, with another uplifting indie-pop release. School friends, forming back in 2012, Nick Tompkins, Addison Williams and Josh Marden, unveil ‘Put Away The Medicine’. Progressing onwards from their first energetic  EP, ‘Sorry Love’ and last single, the thunderous ‘Backseat,’ the boys show development. Armed with buckets of charisma, in their clever, catching lyrics, and great instrumentation, they progress to an even sharper sound.

‘Put Away The Medicine’ moodily propels up and down like a rocky romance. Tompkins’ voice is at its deepest and angsty, with a rough edge at its heights. ‘I’m sure it’ll be alright again, I said just put away the medicine,’ he growls with energetic speed. Driving bass and drums collaborate, for a thumping and jumping beat. The song slows and strips back to a bluesy swing. ‘You’re better alone my friend now…’ soothes Tompkins, with a handsome tone, before speed and exhilaration reforms. The track tells the tale of a failed romance, as its elated and animated resonance picks you up, like a friend offering you a drink, to drown your sorrows.

‘Doctorates’, translates as ‘to teach’ in Latin. With a great ability to create mood brightening tunes, with an edgy indie style, The Doctorates appear to have a lesson for their listeners. That it’s not all bad, when you’ve got good friends and good music, to always plonk a smile on your face.

For more information on The Doctorates, see the bands Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TheDoctoratesBand

Band of the Day: Hollow People

Newly born band from Birmingham, Hollow People, make their introduction with impressive indie-pop vibrancy. The five piece, teenage band consists of: George Stanhope on vocals, Joe Callaghan on guitar and backing vocals, Adam Plummeron guitar, Will Cooke on Bass and Harry Southerton on drums. ‘Surf’ is brought to our ears via Soundcloud, as a delightful debut, to drift and dream amongst.

Twangles of playful guitar, open ‘Surf’, with delicate joy. The tinkers grow into a funky and catchy riff, which drives cooly in and out of the track. The drums quickly inject an upbeat bounce. Underlying , handsomely nomadic bass, floats beneath the swirling sound. Stanhope’s vocals behold a marvellously melancholic deepness. He sings of ‘the waves, the waves, the waves, so simple, so calming…’ in an effortless pensive glide. The chorus crashes and collides in drums and guitar, with a soothing overtone of backing vocals from Callaghan.

Emerging amongst what has been dubbed the ‘B-town’ scene,  in Birmingham, the boys have great indie formers, such as Swim Deep to strive up to. They may be following, the Birmingham stamped sound, of blissful surf-rock, but with a first track as cool and clean as this, they make their own mark. Each at just seventeen, this band of boys, make a mature sound.

Hollow People are set to play their first gig at Birmingham’s O2 Academy 3 on September 5th, see the bands twitter page for details http://www.twitter.com/Hollow_People