New music review with Feral Family and Holiday Ghosts

Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason brings us her review of new singles from Feral Family Sold and Holiday Ghosts Sublime Disconnect

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Artist: Feral Family

Track: Sold

Credit Feral Family

In the week when they release their debut album Without Motion, Feral Family have shared their new single Sold. 

It’s a gloriously atmospheric track creating a dark intense soundscape which nonetheless moves along at pace. The combination of electric guitar riffs, deep basslines and pulsating beats weave their magic to provide a backdrop for Jamie Lowe to add his relentless vocal over the top.

The overall result is a perfect vehicle to express a scathing appraisal of the daily grind of living and working in broken Britain. As he further explains: “Sold is based on life being taken over by work, it quickly gets to a point in your day to day where working to live becomes living to work, and I think it’s one that many people can relate to.”

Feral Family are based in the seaside town of Bridlington on the East Coast of Yorkshire.  Their music has already been hailed as “a perfect blend of haunting vocals mixed with an in-your-face sound akin to Foals” by BBC Introducing.  On the evidence of their music to date I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more from this trio in 2024.

Feral Family live dates February 2024

01 BIRMINGHAM The Victoria

02 DARWEN Sunbird

03 LIVERPOOL Sotto

08 GLASGOW Nice n Sleazy

10 HULL BUDfest

16 BRISTOL Crofters Rights

17 NORTHWICH Salty Dog

23 LONDON Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes

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Artist: Holiday Ghosts

Track: Sublime Disconnect

Credit Declan Haughian

Holiday Ghosts have released their new single Sublime Disconnect, the lead track taken from their upcoming fifth album Coat of Arms which is set for release on 29 March via FatCat Records. 

It’s a short sharp blast of garage rock. Co-vocalist Kat Rackin shares the inspiration behind the song: “I’m Iranian, my parents were both born there and moved to Sweden after the Iranian revolution in the ‘80s, I was born in Malmö and moved to England when I was eight. I grew up as a child with little attachment to Iran as I tried my hardest to blend in with the people around me, but the older I got the more different I felt and the more blurred my sense of self got.”

Sublime Disconnect’s lyrics acknowledge this dissonance of identity, with lines such as: “And now they ask who am I and where am I from, will I find peace when I belong?” The chorus of “ba ba ba ba baa” and the jaunty pace of the track belies the sentiment of the theme. 

Holiday Ghosts acknowledge that Sublime Disconnect anchors the band’s activist identity.  Something that will no doubt be explored further on Coat of Arms.  If the rest of the album presents such weighty topics with such an enjoyable soundscape, then we are in for a treat.

Holiday Ghosts Live Dates March/April 2024

11th-16th Mar - SXSW

23rd Mar - Ritual Union, Bristol

4th Apr - Whereelse, Margate

5th Apr - Wharf Chambers, Leeds

6th Apr - Stereo, Glasgow

8th Apr - Bobiks, Newcastle

9th Apr - Deaf Lodge, Manchester

10th Apr - Metrocola, Liverpool

11th Apr - Deadwax, Birmingham

12th Apr - Clwb for Bach, Cardiff

13th Apr - Wanderfal Festival, Falmouth

16th Apr - Komedia Basement, Bath

18th Apr - Smokehouse, Ipswich

19th Apr - Diest, Tijl, Belgium

24th Apr - Moth Club, London

25th Apr - Dust, Brighton

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