Ren makes music

And you just have to hear it

Ren

In the latest instalment of Ren’s musical museum he gives us what we want by taking us on a walking tour of the 90s.

Ren’s new track echoes the likes of Fatboy Slim’s weapon of choice, The beastie boys, and kriss kross. The iconic influence of these industry legends and the sprinting of references to populate provide a peaceful place for a listener to just bask in the songs lyricism and have a good time. There is that much to explore that current time fades away and you’re back to bomber jackets and slip dresses, sipping snapple with your Mp3 in.

The power, the party and the revolution hosted by the 90s finds a home again in this track which begins with a bombshell of a verse. The jazz elements compliment the groovy guitar riff that give this track Ren’s distinctive twang. Each verse so individual it defies all genres leaving only the simplest message to resonate with a listener that this song gives us what we want, and what we need, just a bloody good time.

What you want MV

Filmed in the hotspots of Brighton, the video also nods to the days of The Big Push(Ren’s former band) and busking which lead him to be signed by Sony records in 2010. The simplicity of a setting tied with the cinematic nature of Ren’s storytelling make for a frenetic atmosphere from a live crowd. The passion and charm and charisma of Ren adds an extra layer to the usually foreboding nature of his songs, especially when the vibrant streets were set as a backdrop to Ren’s earlier narrative; Jenny’s tale.

Jenny’s Tale.

Released in 2019 the track takes us to the dark streets of london where we observe an unfortunate meeting between two grotesque characters; Jenny and a thief who goes by the name Screech. Ren stumbles around a desolate brighton setting the grim scene with each strum of his guitar strings. An omniscient narrator, he sets the stage. The guitar picks up pace when the situation starts to escalate as Screech demands;

“Give me all your money bitch, give it to me
If you co-operate, then you’ll soon be free
I want your purse, your phone
Don’t fucking look at me
I mean it bitch, are you listening to me?”
Jenny freezes, statue like, a lady shaped stalactite
Fear like liquid nitrogen in the dark night
She tried to find strength to move
But stayed as still as a statue in high heeled shoes

The puncture these lyrics leave you with will ring round your head for a while. The weight of lyrical talent in this one verse sets the tone for the entirety of Ren’s track list. He is a trailblazer, shedding hope to those of us who may not be able to afford PR, or costly camera equipment or have the laptop for high tech editing software, he shows us that with passion, patience and perseverance we can produce a song that will reach 1 million views on youtube-which Jenny’s tale did.

The final instalment in this tale came earlier this year in the form of Violets tale. The track’s opening is unsettling, a Spanish infused guitar and interruptive snapping strings bring us to a scene where a woman is ‘fighting to stay alive’. Once again this haunting tale paint Ren as a one man musical.An additional punch in this track comes in the form of the video itself. We see Ren, not in his usual exuberant Brighton backdrop but in a sterile blue hospital gown, picking his guitar from his bed. Ren was diagnosed with lyme disease 2016, spending most of his time bed bound and isolated, his songs allowed him to walk the streets again, setting scenes and and chasing dreams despite being dropped by his record label. You can buy Violet’s tale here.

Ren remains triumphant producing bangers and stunning listeners time and time again with his wordplay and banter. He appeals to all with his transcendent ability to echo old-time quality classic with his own acuity.

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Scotland Based Band YABBA release debut single GET BY.

Josh Kirk (vocalist), Korey Patterson (guitarist), Elias Muusavi (guitarist), Max Thomson (drummer), Nick Farrell (synth) Taken by Owen Davies

The rhythm of a 9-5 starts at 7am as an alarm wrestles you from sleep.Teeth brushed, coffee drank you are on your commute. You sweat, you serve, you balance the numbers, get home, devour dinner, swallow TV, catch up on reading to fall asleep. It continues.

How do you get by? Sex? Drugs? Rock and Roll? Is this your real life. This inescapable cycle of repeated events.You worked hard, you were promised more than this, but this is all there is for people like us.

GET BY Yabba

YABBA’s guitar shredding arrival tears this mentality asunder. A raging bass and a near by siren echoing, this song screams at you to question status you, to hold these restrictive systems accountable. Maybe don’t quit your job just yet, but you can certainly change it. This song demands you to challenge predictability, resonating with those of us haunted by the dissatisfaction of this relenting reality. YABBA both exposes and heralds the addictive vices approximately 3.2 million of brits find themselves using to “GET BY”. Another violent cycle, we are all victim to some sort of rhythm in our lives, nut at least we can learn to dance to it.

From Dumfries, South West Scotland, the stirring quintet are prepared for a full scale assault on the normalcy of the indie landscape. A concoction of incomparable sleaze disco, self indulgent track about drug use and addiction, this song would not be a stranger to a rave playlist, it is both melancholic and danceable.

Speaking about their hard edged debut YABBA revealed that “Get By can be used as much like C4 is used to blast the doors off a bank. The song carries the same burden shared with the common people in the UK. GET BY is the theme song Stone Cold Steve Austin wished he had. GET BY is big music, once you hear it you’ll never be the same”

Despite no previous recordings this band have established themselves with a slew of support shows in March 2022, performing alongside the likes of Irish buzz saw band Enola Gay.After being signed by indie revered record label Nice Swan Records they finish the year with slots lined up at Left of the Dial Festival, Swn Fest, Float Along Festival and Mutations festival, to name a few.

With gigs that promises to be “stomping” you are not gonna want to miss out.

Live dates below

23rd Oct – SWN Festival, Cardiff

3rd Nov – Neu Waves, Portsmouth

4th Nov – Mutations Festival, Brighton

23rd Feb – Bobiks, Newcastle

24th Feb – Castle Hotel, Manchester

25th Feb – Broadcast, Glasgow

Midland Railway release new song, She Loves Ted Bundy.

Midland Railway

Ted Bundy raped and killed roughly 30 women in six American states between 1974 and 1979. Some were as young as twelve. Yet time and time again we choose to discuss him and others alike. He has been described as a ‘Charming, intelligent and capable young man’, who wasted his potential with his acts. Are these descriptions meant to make us feel for him, that he was a victim to his own behaviour too? Can any of us remember the name of even three of his victims?

I admit I too am guilty of indulging in drama documentaries, movies and podcasts that discuss these horrific individuals. They are fascinating in the same way an atomic bomb is. Perhaps some of us have this infatuation with these immoral acts because we wish to learn to understand why they happen in order to prevent them, to see justice served and to understand that some of these people were just utterly normal-violence and murder aside, you could be in the same job as them and you would not realise. This shielded immersion into these lives exposes us to our own vulnerability, its past tense perspective cradling us into believing we are safe from harm when really we are not.

She Loves Ted Bundy

As this new track by Midland Railway suggests we can all fall for a Ted Bundy and not realise. psychopaths are deceptive, manipulating and cunning. They know how to build up a rapport that is alluring to all, their gravitational nature hooks its victims. We are all vulnerable when it comes to love for it can be as captive as a cocoon, you must transform yourself in order to break free whilst understanding it is not your fault you have fallen for someone so warped.

The song can also be seen as satirical commentary on our aforementioned obsession with true crime. This strange catharsis, this desire to be exposed to such vile people offers the opportunity for a psychological study into both our brains and the mind of the killer.

Similarly to their previous work, such as The Pokemon adventure, She loves Ted Bundy offers an upbeat musical number on our social interests. It’s combination of jazz and electra pop makes for a completely fresh take on Ted Bundy and focuses more on the women that fell for him, so although his name is in the title it’s really her story, yet it’s told through the perspective of a male narrator who is clearly jealous of her choices.

Midland Railway

There may have been times in our lives when we are aware that someone close to us is falling for someone who is not very good for them, our mental turbulence struggling to decide whether to step in or to celebrate for them for we see how happy they are. Most times our protective side takes over and we advise them that this person may not be right, we just have to hope that they will listen.

Read about their older songs here.

The Women this criminal attacked/murdered

Joni Lenz, 18

Lynda Ann Healy, 21

Donna Gail Manson, 19

Susan Rancourt, 18

Roberta Parks, 20

Brenda Carol Ball, 22

Georgeann Hawkins, 18

Denise Naslund, 18

Janice Ott, 23

Nancy Wilcox, 16 

Melissa Smith, 17

Laura Aime, 17

Carol DaRonch, 18

Debra Kent, 17

Caryn Campbell, 23

Julie Cunningham, 26

Denise Oliverson, 24

Melanie Cooley, 18

Lynette Culver, 12

Susan Curtis, 15

Margaret Bowman, 21

Lisa Levy, 20

Kathy Kleiner, 20

Karen Chandler, 22

Cheryl Thomas, 21

Kimberly Leach, 12

Number for National Domestic abuse if you are in need.

0808 2000 247