mp3hugger

Chuck 2 – Tethered

hugger — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:03:23 +0000

I was instantly struck by how much this sounded like the Sundays and though ‘Tethered’ might not have been a cut from ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’ there is still a quintessential 90’s feel to proceedings. A feel-good number with a shuffle and an endless capacity to keep the bounce going, a singer too who gives of Jimi Goodwin out of Doves hum like consistency so we can dance and when we seize up just sing along in unison. Strikes me as the sound that is our stock in trade. KH

Back 2 U by Chuck 2

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Year: 2026

Superet Light – Floor Come Down

hugger — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 10:50:57 +0000

Came across like the internal machinations of a moth moving inexorably towards the flame. So there is a fragility to ‘Floor Come Down’, folk but obviously more too because Superet Light have the wattage to power electro pop magic carpet rides of the kind that sound like they are driven by vibrant imagination. I listened wide-eyed, ears had already become that way inclined, and just waiting for the next blast of chorus where it felt like we were not only standing by the fountain producing all the kool-aid but we had also been gifted a generous receptacle. KH

More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Superet Light
Year: 2026

Surfders – Green

hugger — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:39:59 +0000

I do love me a bit of grandeur when it comes to ye olde indie rock and Nashville’s Surfders crack that particular style early on ‘Green’. then crucially retain it to the very end. So as well as a production that sounds positively Byrds in direction there is a chorus we can all sing/hum/swoon along to. Sure it is retro inclined, sure it sounds familiar but it sure has a way of whipping us into a happier version of ourselves. In short, simply gorgeous. KH

More Info: Official
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Year: 2026

Flywheel – I Want To Join The Fall

hugger — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:48:24 +0000

Don’t think I’ve heard anything as Stereolab sounding as well er Stereolab last released a song but then there was Clinic and another Irish band called 8Ball who were capable of whipping up the motorik like Cork’s Flywheel have done here. ‘I Want To Join The Fall’ doesn’t mess around either, it hits peak Spiritualized straight away and it only rose imperiously from there. In short I could listen to this blaze of psychedelic noise until the cows come home, but given the racket they are unlikely to want to. KH

More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Flywheel
Year: 2026

Heavy Diamond Ring – The One You Use

hugger — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:32:37 +0000

As I get older folk gets more important or maybe I just get less impatient and it is to songs like ‘The One You Use’ that I turn for sustenance. Can’t escape the feeling that there is an old school charm here, both in the playing and the advice being doled out. But what Heavy Diamond Ring (Sarah Anderson and Paul DeHaven) do is involve us completely in the way the hypnotic arrangements circulating to a degree that it feels like their company not only can’t be avoided but it becomes essential. A lovely waltz to give us meaningful sustenance. KH

Heavy Diamond Ring · The One You Use

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Year: 2026

Fulton Lights – A Little Bit Low

hugger — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 14:00:48 +0000

My instincts told me that Fulton Lights might just be channeling something Explosions in the Sky, a post-rock leaning with some ‘Man of Aran’ by British Sea Power thrown in for good measure. So I was close to besotted in that first minute, mood and waves of undercurrent that didn’t need to make sense to catch us off guard. The vocal didn’t burst the balloon and though is this epic in length there is majesty to this tune that is going to stay with us for a long time. There are grand instrumental passages here that just feel like they are delivering the essence of life itself. Wondrous from Andrew Spencer Goldman. KH

Best World by Fulton Lights

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Year: 2026

Sidewave – Big Whisper

hugger — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:36:24 +0000

I was all in when it came to that rush of a opening from Sidewave, a big cinematic approach that suggested that something even more grandiose was on the way. I picked up on the Cure, but also plenty of the shoegaze scene from the early 90’s and the emotional swell that came with it. ‘Big Whisper’ also had me thinking back to 2005’s ‘And The Glass Handed Kites’ from Danish prog act Mew so there are a plethora of reasons why it was always going to have us embrace it. This is a techicolour and emotionally rich production to swallow us whole. KH

More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Sidewave
Year: 2026

No Beauty – Matty

hugger — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:41:27 +0000

Canada’s No Beauty have a falling down intensity about them, ramshackle you could call it or an absolutely glorious return to the true meaning of indie rock. And that for me is down to the spectacular firing guitar sequences but most especially a singer who understands to exist in that environment one needs to have an aloof sense of destiny about oneself. Every box ticked. KH

Drive Slowly Think of Me by No Beauty

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Year: 2026

Fountain Road – What Great Light

hugger — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:00:25 +0000

There are more stages to ‘What Great Light’ than you initially might think and my head was flipping through the list of possible influences from Sigur Ros to the Delgados and increasingly it felt like Glasgow’s Fountain Road would be our sort of band as a result. Did find it took a little time to click, but once there it made for a touch of experimental but a whole lot of interactive glee. The boys and the girls singing in time, a form of celebration while the clatter and hum of glorious instrumentation worked up a storm all around. Glorious. KH

More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Fountain Road
Year: 2026

Slow Down Molasses – Life Without Buildings

hugger — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:07:01 +0000

This is such a big spectacle, a sound that is fiercesome from the getgo and the kind that raises the pulse to the point of palpitation. Saskatoon Slow Down Molasses really don’t abide by the rules of rock and we very much like that about them, coming across like Dinosaur Jr. or a whole host of devil may care 90’s noise rock firebrands who never quite lose the sense of song despite the fireworks being set off all over the place. Long may they thrive. KH

Life Without Buildings (ft. The Garrys) by Slow Down Molasses

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Year: 2026

The Temponauts – Made of Nothing

hugger — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:50:38 +0000

There is a jangling sense of sixties psychedelia to Italian act the Temponauts so while it might not be entirely new ‘Made of Nothing’ does feel shiny. In fact it’s more than that, it is a good vibes operator that gives a taste of summer all year round. I have been a sucker for these kinds of things since the golden days of Teenage Fanclub back in the nineties and ‘Made of Nothing’ reminded me of that scene. Uplifting stuff, a smile maker every time. KH

The Summer Rain Archive by the Temponauts

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Year: 2026

The Active Set – Uncomfortable

hugger — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:53:55 +0000

It rather staggers into life but life is not something ‘Uncomfortable’ is short of. In fact it is positively bubbling under (and over) with the sort of vitality that gives the rest of us a leg up. I do like that the Active Set have gone their own way here, after 20 years they know the way these things work, feels fresh and free spirited and syncs up perfectly with the last days of summer. Plenty of variety too so we are stimulated from start to finish on an epic piece of sunshine (and I know it does have a narrative that is the complete opposite!). KH

More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: The Active Set
Year: 2026