Fortitude Valley - Fortitude Valley [12"/CD]

Artist: Fortitude Valley
Title: Fortitude Valley
Format: 12” red vinyl | CD
Cat#: Fika087LP/Fika087CD
Release date: 29th October 2021
Spotify | Bandcamp

“Writing songs on guitar and being the front person for a band is a new thing for me,” admits Fortitude Valley front woman Laura Kovic, laughing “I’ve never been in charge before!”

With a musical restlessness setting in over the past few years during her time as the keyboard player of East London indie pop band Tigercats, Kovic might not be used to being the boss, but she doesn’t seem to be letting that get in the way.

After experiencing writer’s block for a couple of years, she took the bull by the horns, as she explains, “Finally I bought a guitar in February 2018 to see if doing something different would help me...and it did!”

Kovic cemented the band’s line up by recruiting mutual friend and bassist Greg Ullyart from Night Flowers, meeting bandmates Nathan Stephens Griffin (drums) and Daniel Ellis (lead guitar) of Martha/Onsind through their shared label home on now sadly-defunct indie bastion Fortuna POP! 

“I played in Mikey Collins’ band with Greg, but our first band together was a Blur cover band called Bleurgh...funnily enough, our first show was opening for Martha!” she recalls.

Named after an area of her home town in Brisbane, Australia, Fortitude Valley is a fitting moniker for the songwriter’s first outfit, who says: “It’s essentially the heart of the music scene in Brisbane, and it’s where I first played a show. As a place, it’s always had a special meaning to me.”

Combining elements of power-pop, indie-pop, pop punk and indie rock, their diverse approach takes influence from the likes of Weezer, Belle & Sebastian, The Beths, The Weakerthans, and Pavement.

“In the past I’ve usually written more gentle melodic pop songs,” explains Kovic, “but I’ve tried to move away from that slightly on this album and experiment with adding more deliberate bite to my songwriting. Nathan, Daniel and Greg definitely helped to make it more punk. Compared to the other bands people might have heard me playing in, it probably has more of an indie rock vibe.”

Addressing those bouts of writer’s block which have plagued her over the years, she says: “I’ve always tended to write in bursts of productivity, then go for long periods without writing anything. The strange thing about this album was that we were ready to record the last four songs in April 2020, then the pandemic hit and we couldn’t finish it, and in the intervening period I ended up basically scrapping some of those songs, and writing new ones instead. My rescue cat Margie has been a great source of inspiration!”

Recording in two stints during 2019 and 2021 with a COVID sized hole in the middle, the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut album was laid down between Soup Studios in London, Rocking Horse Recording Studio in Durham, and the members’ respective homes. The album was recorded, engineered and produced by Giles Barrett and Neil Combstock, mixed by Michael Collins, and mastered by Dave Williams.

Addressing themes of the passage of time, friendships and relationships growing apart, and feelings of insecurity, depression, and anxiety—as well as searching for love and salvation—the album is very much a product of our times.

With songs ranging from recent single ‘Cassini’, about the doomed spacecraft, to ‘All Hail The Great Destroyer’, a tribute to Margie the rescue cat who destroys everything for fun and is “an absolute legend”, it’s an album that’s packed with pathos, humour, and hope.

“The fact that we recorded half of the album before the pandemic hit, and then the other half a year and a bit into lockdown life, those ideas of being stuck in a rut, and looking for salvation, have definitely become more prominent themes,” says Kovic, “but those were there already to some extent. Thinking about time running out has become much more real when everyone has lost a year of their lives (or much worse) to the pandemic.”

And now, with time no longer seeming like such a precious and pressured commodity as we all take a step towards COVID being a thing of the past, what does the future have in store for Fortitude Valley?

“We’re playing End of the Road Festival in September and Twisterella in Middlesbrough in October, but that’s all we have booked in for now,” says Kovic reservedly. “I'm cautiously optimistic about being able to do more when things are safer!”

As for Kovic’s continued never-say-die dedication to the underground rock scene? You can take the girl out of Fortitude Valley, but it seems there’s no taking Fortitude Valley out of the girl...

View fullsize

“Terrifically hooky and brash rock songs from this UK group with tremendous, gleaming hooks that burrow under the skin.” Bandcamp - New & Notable

“when you add tunes to die for and those gliding harmonies then this is an uncut diamond of an album that overflows with buckles being swashed, derring-do and head-bopping glee” JoyZine

“it’s clear that fans of indie-pop will be revisiting Fortitude Valley time and time again” Noizze

“You can just feel the energy emitting from the song, and this band is truly at their best when they let go and have fun” Distorted Sound Mag

“full of perfect, rapid fire, light indie rock tunes” The Punk Site

“The mix of energy, melody, mournful passages and upbeat tempos ensures that this debut is not one you will be forgetting anytime soon” GBHBL

“Durham’s (UK) answer to Auckland’s (NZ) The Beths. Their self-titled debut provides the ear candy that can only be the result of hitting the sweet spot between indie pop, powerpop and pop punk.” Add To Wantlist

“While "Baby, I'm Afraid", the opener here, buzzes with a vibe worthy of early Weezer, other selections on Fortitude Valley are even better. "All Hail the Great Destroyer", for example, recalls The Wannadies, with as much emphasis being put on the fuzzy hooks as on the bright vocals from Kovic, while "It's The Hope That Kills You" marries a Pavement-y melodic line with elements of Rilo Kiley from their peak years. All of this record is just as good, really.” A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

“perfect little indie rock gems” Popoptica

“vibing a bit of Weezer, The Beths, even Juliana Hatfield’s smooth pop vocal stylings here and there” Pop Rock Record

Why is the vinyl delayed?

For most of Fika’s existence, we’ve been able to put together mastered audio and finished artwork, send them off for the production of vinyl, and receive them back 3-4 months later - sometimes quicker, occasionally a little slower. That’s fitted nicely into our timescales for working press - long lead (that’s monthly print magazines for example) run off a 3 month or so lead time as well, so everything’s been tied in nicely.

That’s all changed over the last 6-18 months. Early on in the Covid pandemic, with recording studios closed, tours cancelled and records pushed back, there was a small window of opportunity where records were coming back from factories at breakneck speed. We’re facing a very different set of circumstances now, where our records are facing ever increasing delays.

That’s partly still due to the Covid19 pandemic - vinyl pressing plants are still taking safeguarding measures to keep their staff safe. Social distancing measures naturally makes it more difficult to keep throughput high.

Vinyl demand has been on the up too. All those cancelled tours and postponed records are being rescheduled and put in for manufacture. The capacity for manufacturing vinyl in Europe has barely changed in years, but sales have been increasing a lot over the past few years. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the majors (who, of course, dumped their pressing plants decades ago and their vinyl capacity, with the shift to CDs and then digital). Pressing 20,000 copies of yet another Fleetwood Mac re-issue is significantly less work (= higher margin) than manufacturing 40 different records in runs of 500 each. It’s hard to not feel small (tiny) indies are getting nudged ever further down the queue. Special coloured vinyl editions also require the presses to be cleaned down between each run, and it all takes time, reduces throughput, and pushes up costs for us all.

Global supply chains are a mess. From containerships queueing at ports from Felixstowe Shanghai to Los Angeles, shortages of warehouse space, and a lack of lorry and freight train capacity to move goods on, the pinch is being felt globally. Soaring energy and transport costs, global shortages of the PVC pellets used to make vinyl records (not to mention shortages of coloured PVC pellets in particular), and ever more expensive costs for paper and cardboard, means that even if all the component parts make it to where they’re needed when they’re needed, costs are going up rapidly.

And of course there’s Brexit, increasing red tape, costs, and time getting records into the UK.

We’ve tried using different pressing plants for some releases in the hope their estimates on turnaround are accurately quicker than we’re seeing elsewhere (which sadly, doesn’t look to have been a gamble that paid off this time). We’re sitting on records for months and months before starting press work and announcing anything, waiting for our place in the manufacturing queue. I’ve got records in the works now that won’t see the light of day until the autumn of 2022.

While we’re getting quotes upfront when placing an order, plants aren’t committing to prices until the record is about to be manufactured - they don’t know what their input costs are going to be month-to-month currently. While we could walk away at that point if prices have gone up too much, we’d give up our place in the queue and be left without any vinyl being pressed, at a point where we’ll already have kicked off press and promotion for the record, started booking tours and producing videos, etc. And for anything delayed, where we’ve already put up a pre-order, there’s every chance that record comes back costing us 10% or 20% more than anticipated.

As we stand, the Fortitude Valley vinyl, originally scheduled to be delivered in mid October, was recently pushed back to late December, and now we’ve been told not to expect it until early March.

Just Rain from Jessica’s Brother is still scheduled to arrive with us mid to late November, but there’s every chance that could slip back - the plant these are coming back from do seem to be fairly accurate with their delivery estimates, so we’re hoping it’ll come through on time.

We’ve got 3 more vinyl records in production currently, and hoping once we announce those release dates, we should have the vinyl in hand. They’re due from January through to June, so there’s every chance still there’ll be another spanner in the works by the time we get there.

So where do we go from here?

I love vinyl as a format, and will continue to try and find a way to make it work. Given the unpredictability of when they arrive, and what they’ll cost when they do, there’ll be some releases we may just announce, get out, and hope you’re still in love with it enough 6 months later to buy the record.

Pre-orders are going to be increasingly tricky. Manufacturers aren’t committing to prices until just before the record goes into manufacture, which will be 6-10 months after we’ve placed the order and got the quote.

We’ve tried to keep our prices as affordable as possible, but future releases are going to be more expensive, and there’s every chance that current vinyl pre-orders go up in price when they’re released (that’s your chance to save a few quid if you don’t mind a bit of wait).

What if you’ve already pre-ordered a vinyl record, and it’s been delayed?

It’s frustrating for us, as it is for you. We’re doing everything we can, talking to multiple vinyl brokers and manufacturing plants trying to keep on top of where the delays are, where there’s the most sensible lead times, all while ensuring we keep the quality up.

If you’ve pre-ordered a record and want a refund because it’s been delayed, do get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you. You’re welcome to swap your vinyl pre-order for a CD or a digital only pre-order and we’ll refund the difference. And if you’re happy to wait, we thank you for your patience!

Jessica's Brother - Finding Snowdrop [Digital]

Artist: Jessica's Brother
Title: Finding Snowdrop
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika088SG3
Release date: 22nd October 2021
Bandcamp | Spotify

‘Finding Snowdrop’ is the final track to be previewed from the new album Just Rain, from London three-piece Jessica’s Brother, comprising songwriter Tom Charleston, The Wave Pictures’ Jonny Helm on drums and Charlie Higgs on bass.

This was the most enjoyable one to record and a track that I'm particularly happy with. I am yet to feel comfortable in the recording studio. The vocals sounded rubbish when we first did them so I retreated to my bedroom where I felt more relaxed and could capture the mood a bit better.

Finding Snowdrop’ is a spiritual rebirth gone wrong, influenced by the rambling poetry and hooks found in Yoni Wolf’s Why? and Bill Callahan. In spite of failure, the potential for growth remains. This budding, on an ageing tree, is celebrated in the joyous rhythms, off-kilter harmonies and a fizzing guitar solo

Stitching together a variety of influences, from crunching indie-rock, to gothic country and contemplative psych folk, Jessica’s Brother create the sound of a band coming together and getting caught up in the rush of starting afresh. 

The disintegration of a long-term relationship, coinciding with a global fracturing, provided a catalyst for ‘Just Rain’. The songs explore a relentless collision of melancholy and resilience alongside themes of comedy, agency, and hope.

Jessica’s Brother formed in October 2016. Jonny and Charlie worked together in a framing business and had often talked about collaborating in a band together. Fate intervened when Jonny’s girlfriend Jessica introduced him to her brother Tom, and they found a songwriter in waiting. Their debut, eponymous, album released in 2018 was warmly received.

‘Just Rain’ was produced and engineered by Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghost Poet, Anna Meredith) at Hackney Road Studios during the summer of 2020. The album features Dan Mayfield’s elegant touch on violin (he has performed with artists from Daniel Johnston to Allo Darlin’), and new female voices from Polimana (a jazz vocalist from the SoCal suburbia) and Shantha Roberts (whose voice has graced Glasgow’s reggae sound system Argonaut Sounds).

The eponymous Jessica Jane Charleston, a painter and printmaker, provides the meteorological juxtaposition to the album in the visuals, the warmth of a giant sun looming over the contorted figure, rising up to fight another day. Tom was drawn to the hotter colours this time round as opposed to the moodier blue palette of the debut. The colours and figures convey a sense of revival after a period of hibernation. It fits well alongside the band’s hiatus throughout the pandemic and their much awaited return. 

With an at times folkloric narrative, ‘Just Rain’ is both poetic and playful retaining throughout a thread of darkness. 

The record takes a step forward in terms of production while maintaining the band’s rough around the edges charm. It is an intimate affair punctuated with louder and more unwieldy moments. A true story revolving around a relationship and a world falling apart.

“has this tendency to let the notes meander, going on a nice little musical walkabout, so to speak. It allows for the band, and their backing vocalists, to kind of create this sort of campfire seance, the sort of passionate performance where everyone, listener and musician, sinks into the fabric of the tune” Austin Town Hall

Jessica's Brother - Caroline [Digital]

Artist: Jessica's Brother
Title: Caroline
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika088SG2
Release date: 24th September 2021
Bandcamp | Spotify

‘Caroline’ is the second track from the new album from London three-piece Jessica’s Brother, comprising songwriter Tom Charleston, The Wave Pictures’ Jonny Helm on drums and Charlie Higgs on bass.

Caroline is about that feeling of falling behind. Whether it’s a friend, partner, enemy(!) - we often fall into the trap of finding ourselves reacting despondently instead of feeling inspired

Stitching together a variety of influences, from crunching indie-rock, to gothic country and contemplative psych folk, Jessica’s Brother create the sound of a band coming together and getting caught up in the rush of starting afresh. 

The disintegration of a long-term relationship, coinciding with a global fracturing, provided a catalyst for ‘Just Rain’. The songs explore a relentless collision of melancholy and resilience alongside themes of comedy, agency, and hope.

Jessica’s Brother formed in October 2016. Jonny and Charlie worked together in a framing business and had often talked about collaborating in a band together. Fate intervened when Jonny’s girlfriend Jessica introduced him to her brother Tom, and they found a songwriter in waiting. Their debut, eponymous, album released in 2018 was warmly received.

‘Just Rain’ was produced and engineered by Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghost Poet, Anna Meredith) at Hackney Road Studios during the summer of 2020. The album features Dan Mayfield’s elegant touch on violin (he has performed with artists from Daniel Johnston to Allo Darlin’), and new female voices from Polimana (a jazz vocalist from the SoCal suburbia) and Shantha Roberts (whose voice has graced Glasgow’s reggae sound system Argonaut Sounds).

The eponymous Jessica Jane Charleston, a painter and printmaker, provides the meteorological juxtaposition to the album in the visuals, the warmth of a giant sun looming over the contorted figure, rising up to fight another day. Tom was drawn to the hotter colours this time round as opposed to the moodier blue palette of the debut. The colours and figures convey a sense of revival after a period of hibernation. It fits well alongside the band’s hiatus throughout the pandemic and their much awaited return. 

With an at times folkloric narrative, ‘Just Rain’ is both poetic and playful retaining throughout a thread of darkness. 

The record takes a step forward in terms of production while maintaining the band’s rough around the edges charm. It is an intimate affair punctuated with louder and more unwieldy moments. A true story revolving around a relationship and a world falling apart.

“The crashing guitars sound absolutely huge, like this stormy wave of distortion (and occasional soloing) bashing us over the head. That said, the trio, pull back in all the right spots, letting you take a breath before smashing you right in the face. And more fun, you can enjoy the noise, but it operates entirely separately from the generous pop moments that course throughout the tune…be that the backing bops or the core vocals from Tom” Austin Town Hall

“This feels like a step forward for Jessica’s Brother, a band moving on without losing the initial glint in the eye that made them such an exciting prospect in the first place.” For The Rabbits

Fortitude Valley - All Hail The Great Destroyer [Digital]

Artist: Fortitude Valley
Title: All Hail The Great Destroyer
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika087SG3
Release date: 27th August 2021
Spotify | Bandcamp

Durham-based indie punks Fortitude Valley are pleased to reveal the video for their new single ‘All Hail The Great Destroyer’.

The track is the final single to be taken from their self-titled debut album set for release on 29th October 2021—preorders are live on bandcamp now.

A tribute to vocalist Laura Kovic’s rescue cat Margie, who destroys everything for fun and is “an absolute legend”, it’s the perfect taste of an album that’s packed with pathos, humour, and hope.

Commenting on the track, Kovic says: “At times this past year and a half has felt like we’re all being sucked into a metaphorical black hole. This song is about trying to find little things that bring you joy and holding on to them. We’re all just doing our best to escape the void.”

Recording in two stints during 2019 and 2021 with a COVID sized hole in the middle, the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut album was laid down between Soup Studios in London, Rocking Horse Recording Studio in Durham, and the members’ respective homes. The album was recorded, engineered and produced by Giles Barrett and Neil Combstock, mixed by Michael Collins, and mastered by Dave Williams.

Addressing themes of the passage of time, friendships and relationships growing apart, and feelings of insecurity, depression, and anxiety—as well as searching for love and salvation—the album is very much a product of our times.

Previously-released album singles ‘Wreck’, ‘Cassini’ and ‘Baby, I’m Afraid’ have all received praise from a rapidly growing list of press including LOUD WOMEN, The Punk Site, Noizze, Austin Town Hall, Bring The Noise, For The Rabbits, Get In Her Ears, NARC. Magazine, Sweeping The Nation, Distorted Sound and more.

‘Baby, I’m Afraid’ also made the band’s first splash at radio, landing on the X-Posure Playlist at Radio X, XS Manchester playlist, Idobi Anthm playlist, Amazing Radio playlist, KINK Indie playlist, securing BBC Introducing and local radio support, as well as a swathe of regional and specialist shows jumping on board.

The band will appear at End of The Road Festival 2021 and Twisterella Festival 2021 later this year (see below for listings).

“They keep releasing these pop rock jams that just get stuck up inside your head” - Austin Town Hall
“The most slacker-pop band that’s ever burst forth from [checks notes] Durham” - LOUD WOMEN
“Blistering bubblegum punk...they’re something to get really excited about” - Get In Her Ears
“Amplified pop tunes...reminds us of Dinosaur Jr.‘s slacker electricity” - Turn Up The Volume
"A brilliantly awkward and slacked anthem...set to be the sleeper hit of the year" - Noizze
“Deliciously driving indie-pop” - For The Rabbits

Fortitude Valley is the new outlet for the songwriting talents of Durham-based Brisbanite Laura Kovic. Having spent the majority of her musical career playing keyboards in other people’s bands, bringing their songs to life with a melodic flourish, it was about time for Kovic to find an outlet for her songs: awkward power-pop that’s bound to appeal to fans of The Beths, Weezer or The Weakerthans.

She assembled quite the band, too, teaming up with Martha’s Daniel Ellis (lead guitar) and Nathan Stephens Griffin (drums), and Night Flowers’ Greg Ullyart on bass.

The quartet take their name from Brisbane suburb Fortitude Valley—or just “The Valley” if you’re from Brisbane—the heart of the city’s music scene, and also where Kovic first started playing in bands, before moving to the UK in 2010. “It was a place that objectively felt mythical, a suburb with a special meaning, looking back from the other side of the world and many years later,” she reflects.

@valleyfortitude
https://fikarecordings.com/artists/fortitude-valley

View fullsize

Jessica's Brother - Just Rain [Digital]

Artist: Jessica's Brother
Title: Just Rain
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika088SG1
Release date: 20th August 2021
Bandcamp | Spotify

‘Just Rain’ is the opening track from the second album from London three piece Jessica’s Brother, comprising songwriter Tom Charleston, The Wave Pictures’ Jonny Helm on drums and Charlie Higgs on bass.

Stitching together a variety of influences, from crunching indie-rock, to gothic country and contemplative psych folk, Jessica’s Brother create the sound of a band coming together and getting caught up in the rush of starting afresh. 

The disintegration of a long-term relationship, coinciding with a global fracturing, provided a catalyst for ‘Just Rain’. The songs explore a relentless collision of melancholy and resilience alongside themes of comedy, agency, and hope.

The title track lays this out with an opening burst of slacker rock as Tom reflects back over a passage of time that feels like persistent unrelenting rain. Vacillating between despair and defiance, we uncover the strength to shrug it off as “just rain”; after all, as the track draws to its conclusion “losing sight can be relieving”.
Interestingly, the lyric, “open up your heart, it can help to wear a mask”, was written before the pandemic had properly struck in the UK.

Jessica’s Brother formed in October 2016. Jonny and Charlie worked together in a framing business and had often talked about collaborating in a band together. Fate intervened when Jonny’s girlfriend Jessica introduced him to her brother Tom, and they found a songwriter in waiting. Their debut, eponymous, album released in 2018 was warmly received.

‘Just Rain’ was produced and engineered by Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghost Poet, Anna Meredith) at Hackney Road Studios during the summer of 2020. The album features Dan Mayfield’s elegant touch on violin (he has performed with artists from Daniel Johnston to Allo Darlin’), and new female voices from Polimana (a jazz vocalist from the SoCal suburbia) and Shantha Roberts (whose voice has graced Glasgow’s reggae sound system Argonaut Sounds).

The eponymous Jessica Jane Charleston, a painter and printmaker, provides the meteorological juxtaposition to the album in the visuals, the warmth of a giant sun looming over the contorted figure, rising up to fight another day. Tom was drawn to the hotter colours this time round as opposed to the moodier blue palette of the debut. The colours and figures convey a sense of revival after a period of hibernation. It fits well alongside the band’s hiatus throughout the pandemic and their much awaited return. 

With an at times folkloric narrative, ‘Just Rain’ is both poetic and playful retaining throughout a thread of darkness. 

The record takes a step forward in terms of production while maintaining the band’s rough around the edges charm. It is an intimate affair punctuated with louder and more unwieldy moments. A true story revolving around a relationship and a world falling apart.

“The crashing guitars sound absolutely huge, like this stormy wave of distortion (and occasional soloing) bashing us over the head. That said, the trio, pull back in all the right spots, letting you take a breath before smashing you right in the face. And more fun, you can enjoy the noise, but it operates entirely separately from the generous pop moments that course throughout the tune…be that the backing bops or the core vocals from Tom” Austin Town Hall

“This feels like a step forward for Jessica’s Brother, a band moving on without losing the initial glint in the eye that made them such an exciting prospect in the first place.” For The Rabbits

We're back live! September 1st at The Shacklewell Arms

We’ve not put on a live event since the Winter Sprinter in January of 2020, our shows from February through to September that year all succumbing to Covid restrictions… but we’re back!

Do come and join us on the 1st of September at The Shacklewell Arms, for Darren Hayman and Common or Garden. An End of the Road festival warm up show, showcasing Darren's recent album Home Time and songs from throughout his career.

Tickets £10+bf adv via WeGotTickets or Dice.

Covid19 guidance:
Please check and follow the latest NHS and government guidance on Covid.
We encourage everyone to take a free NHS lateral flow test before coming to the gig, and if positive, seek a PCR test and isolate as per the current government guidelines.
If you are displaying Covid symptoms, please do not come to the venue.
If you're unable to attend having been required to self-isolate or as a result of a positive PCR test, please get in touch and we'll organise a refund of your ticket if you wish.
We'd encourage you to wear a mask moving around the venue if you wish to, and to be considerate to everyone else attending, we’re all at different stages of getting comfortable returning to live events again.
We hope to give you all an enjoyable and safe evening of music - if you’ve got any accessibility requests, or questions on Covid protocol, please do get in touch.

Fortitude Valley - Baby, I'm Afraid [Digital]

Artist: Fortitude Valley
Title: Baby, I’m Afraid
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika087SG2
Release date: 9th July 2021
Spotify | Bandcamp

Fortitude Valley channel Weezer’s Blue Album for their latest single Baby, I’m Afraid. 

“This is a break up song.  It’s two people feeling that the vibe is off, but not communicating.

It’s about feeling insecure, over analysing little things and assuming the worst rather than actually speaking to the other person.”

Fortitude Valley tear through three minutes of scorching rock with crunchy riffs and indelible hooks, harnessing their vibrant slacker-pop to dissect a stalling relationship.

Fortitude Valley is the new outlet for the songwriting talents of Durham based Brisbanite Laura Kovic.

Having spent the majority of her musical career playing keyboards in other people’s bands, bringing their songs to life with a melodic flourish, it was about time for Laura K to find an outlet for her songs: awkward power-pop that’s bound to appeal to fans of The Beths, Pixies or The Weakerthans. 

She’s assembled quite the band too: Martha’s Daniel Ellis on lead guitar and Nathan Stephens Griffin on drums, and Night Flowers’ Greg Ullyart on bass.

Fortitude Valley is the heart of Brisbane’s music scene and it's also where Laura first started playing in bands before moving to the UK in 2010.  It was a place that objectively felt mythical, a suburb with a special meaning, looking back from the other side of the world and many years later. 

Fortitude Valley release their debut full length album at the end of the summer 2021.

View fullsize

“Heartstring tugging lyrics, guitars that send you bouncing round the kitchen, and a supercute video complete with a puppy – seriously, what more do you want?” Loud Women

“the lyrics, about the last days of a relationship, are tinged with sadness, they’re lifted by the spiky guitar riffs and pure punk drums, which collide brilliantly with front-person Laura Kovic’s shoegaze-inspired, bubblegum vocals. The result is truly euphoric.” Get In Her Ears

“letting these grunge-y pop rock riffs rip and swirl all over the place as Kovic bounces her voice in and out of the song’s grooves” Austin Town Hall

“Fortitude Valley offer bubblegum scented power punk in a manner irrefutably slacked and relaxed” Noizze

“a powerful '90s power-pop in which Laura's soft voice and excellent melodies stand out” Indie For Bunnies

The Smittens - Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away) [Digital]

Artist: The Smittens
Title: Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away)
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika086
Release date: 2nd July 2021
Bandcamp | Spotify

Vermont’s The Smittens return to bubblegum pop with a 5 track EP, front by Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away), recently commissioned by Burlington City Arts for their Bubblegum Pop exposition.

“We wanted to sound like The Archies meet Beat Happening (a band from Olympia Washington from the late 80s). The song is called "Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away). It is about longing and having that thing you want just out of reach. It is wrapped in the bubble confection of a pop song.”

Formed in 2002 The Smittens identify themselves as an indie-twee-pop musical group known for their strong harmonies and powerful lyricism. Written and composed for Bubblegum Pop, The Smittens’ single ‘Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away)’ embodies both the exhibition’s theme and the ‘bubblegum pop’ era of music of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, with its catchy, upbeat, and novel melodic forms. A hallmark of this distinctive pop sub-genre is it’s mass-marketing toward children and young adults (originally named for the jingles often heard in candy commercials or cartoons on the radio or TV).  

On Wanna Go Dancing (So Far Away), the predominant theme centres on yearning and unrequited love, made more problematic during the social isolation caused by the pandemic:

Never gonna see that boy go by again

Never gonna see that boy go by again

Do you remember or was it a dream?

Am I pretending the way that it seemed?

Or am I only, only wishing that you feel the same way?

If I can only, only, only get the guts to say…

So far away – la la - six feet away.

The Smittens produced ‘Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away) over the course of several months in 2021. The band worked with Eric Masunaga, a well-known composer, sound recordist and sound mixer, to mix and master the song.

A gallery edit of the single begins with a series of channel switches – complete with the recognisable static of a radio – that feature brief samples of past Smittens’ songs from the past 19 years that lightheartedly gesture to youth, and to the exhibit’s bubblegum pop theme.

The EP features a further two new songs. Year of Happiness was recorded during sessions for the band’s 2014 EP Love Record Breaker, and Saratoga was recorded live in 2002 during the band's fifth performance and Dana’s outing with the band. American laptop-folk musician Greg Davis provides a remix of The Garden, a track originally appearing on 2010’s Dancing Shoes - The Smittens Remixed.

The Smittens are a hard-working, globe-trotting independent American twee pop band from Vermont., based in Burlington and New York City. The band is friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that. Max Andrucki, Missy Bly, Colin Clary, Dana Kaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create catchy, harmony-driven pop anthems and queer love songs—always brilliantly lyrical, and often brazenly political. 

Wanna Go Dancin (So Far Away) was commissioned by Burlington City Arts as part of the Bubblegum Pop exhibition.

Bubblegum Pop at Burlington City Arts runs Jun 4 - Oct 9, 2021, featuring work by Pip & Pop, Matt Neckers, Jon Rappleye, Kathryn Wiegers and The Smittens.

https://www.burlingtoncityarts.org/exhibition/bubblegum-pop
http://www.smittens.com
https://twitter.com/thesmittens
https://www.facebook.com/thesmittens

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Fortitude Valley - Cassini [Digital]

Artist: Fortitude Valley
Title: Cassini
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika087SG1
Release date: 4th June 2021

 Fortitude Valley follow up 2019’s debut single with the new single: “Cassini”

Cassini is a scorching 2 and a half minutes of slacker-rock and power-pop, recalling the eponymous satellite’s lonely final days and fiery self-sacrifice. Laura Kovic elaborates:

“In September 2017, National Geographic published the article ‘How NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Met Its Fiery End’ [1]. 
I thought it was so heart-breaking that this spacecraft that NASA had been following for almost 20 years had to be destroyed.
In the song, I’ve anthropomorphised the spacecraft and personalised the story a bit, so it’s just between me and Cassini. Cassini is venturing out on a long, lonely journey that will inevitably end in its destruction just so I can see what it’s ‘like out there’. And even though I know how it’s going to end, it doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye.”

Fortitude Valley is the new outlet for the songwriting talents of Durham based Brisbanite Laura Kovic.

Having spent the majority of her musical career playing keyboards in other people’s bands, bringing their songs to life with a melodic flourish, it was about time for Laura K to find an outlet for her songs: awkward power-pop that’s bound to appeal to fans of The Beths, Weezer or The Weakerthans.

She’s assembled quite the band too: Martha’s Daniel Ellis on lead guitar and Nathan Stephens Griffin on drums, and Night Flowers’ Greg Ullyart on bass.

Fortitude Valley is the heart of Brisbane’s music scene and it's also where Laura first started playing in bands before moving to the UK in 2010.  It was a place that objectively felt mythical, a suburb with a special meaning, looking back from the other side of the world and many years later. 

Fortitude Valley release their debut full length album at the end of the summer 2021.

“the sound is one of deliciously driving indie-pop” For The Rabbits
“an amplified pop tune with a highly catchy melody, sweet vocals, and glowing guitars, reminding me of Dinosaur Jr.‘s slacker electricity” Turn up the Volume

NASA’s Cassini–Huygens was launched October 15, 1997. It took 7 years to get to Saturn, which it began orbiting in 2004, and where it remained until its end in 2017 [2]. Staying in orbit meant that it risked one day colliding one of Saturn’s moons, namely Titan and Enceladus (which researchers believe have the potential to harbour life), and contaminating them with Earth microbes.  Cassini Project Scientist, Linder Spilker, described the end of Cassini’s mission as “like losing a friend”. 

[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/09/cassini-saturn-nasa-grand-finale-space-science/
[2] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/12892/cassini-10-years-at-saturn-top-10-discoveries/

@valleyfortitude
https://fikarecordings.com/artists/fortitude-valley

“infectious indie pop gems that would sidle up nicely alongside Joanna Gruesome, Lisa Prank, or Colleen Green” Raven Sings The Blues

“the band set the sad tale of lost space hardware to a surprisingly fiery slice of power-pop, with the Pavement-like lurch of the rhythm section, contrasted by the rambunctious assault of the twin-guitars, and Laura’s vocal tumble of lyrical gems” For The Rabbits

“Fortitude Valley are something very special indeed” Get In Her Ears

Interview at NARC

View fullsize