Death Rays - The Shape Of The Night b/w Shadows MSR-019

Death Rays debut 7" The Shape Of The Night b/w Shadows.

Death Rays are formed by two like-minded souls from the small market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk UK, these two suburban outsiders go by the names Alexander Hawthorne & Simon Nunn.

Death Rays as a musical project was birthed as a revolt against the ever frustrating boredom of small town UK and Market Square are super proud to be releasing this their great brand-new debut 7".

Their debut focused around two tracks written & recorded by the pair via Hawthorne's home studio Am Krogel in Berlin Germany.

Side One, The Shape Of The Night starts with ambient crowd noise which gives way to the intense pounding of a vintage 70s drum machine, enveloped synth sounds and guitar feedback, sounding like a weird mixture of Suicide, early Sisters of Mercy & Les Rallies Denudes. Hawthorne begins singing in a Mary-Chain-esque manner about the woes of life, the highs, the lows, the subject matter open to interpretation, the music building to a feeling of intense agitation and creating to my ears one of the best new drone pop moments in music today.

This is neo-psychedelic music which "means" it, it is minimalistic, intense and angst ridden.

The B-side is a more softer affair featuring the track Shadows, the track has a very Spiritualized feel to it, with tremolo guitars, fluttering synthesisers and softly spoken vocals.

I feel this Death Rays 45 is a super new release and far outshines many of its contemporaries in the neo-psych "scene".


To add to its charm the 45 has been mastered by Sonic Boom who needs no introduction.


Limited to 300 copies only housed in hand-numbered risograph fold-over sleeve includes a lyric insert and Market Square post-card.


Released on September 11th 2017

The 7" can be purchased from Market Square Shop as well as a host of other outlets.

Also can be obtained via the band themselves at Death Rays Bandcamp

Check also  Simon's Photography & Film  www.simonnunn.co.uk   & Alex's other musical project Slows Down

Also pay a visit to the groups Facebook here Death Rays Facebook

Real Numbers - Frank Infatuation b/w Leave It Behind MSR-18

DUE TO ISSUES AT PRESSING PLANT, THIS 45 WILL BE RELEASED AT THE END OF JULY - likely 24th JULY 

Minneapolis' Real Numbers have been a mainstay amongst the DIY indie scene for a number of years now, with each of their releases getting better and better as they go on.

Market Square are incredibly proud to be releasing a 7" by Real Numbers, whom I regard as one of the current generation's best bands.

Centred around the song-writing of the band's leader Eli Hansen, Real Numbers have for a succession of releases forged out a discography full of great shambolic lo-fi pop brilliance right from their early beginning. In recent years Real Numbers popularity has grown and they are now highly regarded by fans and other musicians the world-over.

Market Square are pleased to release Real Numbers' double-sider of amazing pastoral indie-pop.

This new 7" see's the band release a newly mixed version of Frank Infatuation from their 2016 debut LP Wordless Wonder (available on Slumberland Records). The song is a gem and highlight of Eli Hansen's great songwriting ability, I'd like to say this will one day be considered an indie classic in years too come (only time will tell).

The b-side Leave It Behind is a track written by Eli's father & a close family friend, the song is one of the most tenderest songs I think Market Square has released to date and is an absolutely beautiful track, laid back chorus laden guitar and reverbed vocal highlight the track but the overall vibe of melancholia is what makes the song so great, its a really great piece of song-writing.

I consider this single to be one of the best indie releases in recent years and fans of C86, groups like New Order & The Wake as well as 60s influenced mods cannot fail with this release, Real Numbers seem to merge  many cool genres in to one to come across as a totally original and completely unique band of the modern era.

Real Numbers are...

Eli - Vocals and Guitar
Ian - Guitar
Johnny - Bass
James - Drums

The 45 will be limited to 300 copies only and housed in a riso-graph fold-over sleeve designed by Eli from the band, all copies will contain an insert in either "yellow" or "blue" paper.

Go give the band a follow on their Facebook page here... REAL NUMBERS' FACEBOOK

The Record will be released at the end of June (likely the 29th June) and available from Market Square direct from the labels Bandcamp Page... HERE!!!

Records will also likely be available from...

The Bands themselves
Rough Trade (UK)
Normans (UK)
Clearspot Distribution (throughout Europe)
Florida's Dying (US)
13 O Clock (US)
Sorry State (US)
Strange World Records (Australia)
Japanese distros.
plus a few others too possibly.

The Shifters - A Believer b/w Contrast Of Form MSR-17

DUE TO ISSUES AT PRESSING PLANT, THIS 45 WILL BE RELEASED AT THE END OF JULY - likely 24th JULY 

Melbourne Australia's The Shifters have been making a really impressive noise over the last couple of years, still in their infancy but growing stronger with each gig they do, the band have grown to become one of more interesting new groups to emerge from Melbourne's Underground in recent years.

The group's debut 7" Creggan Shops impressed me with its monotone sleeve and scratchy guitar punk genius.

Market Square are proud to be releasing the band's second 7"  A Believer b/w Contrast of Form.

Both sides combine great DIY art punk of the highest calibre.

A Believer starts proceedings with rhythmic drum work very reminiscent to Television Personalities 1988 single "How I Learned To Love The Bomb" a steady tribal beat opening way to a mesmerising chord and fender jaguar laden hook. The track also has a very Fall-esque vibe about it, with the way the organ flows through the track.... but ultimately this is The Shifters in their most snotty art-punk best, the song is poppy, its catchy and its the sound of a great new talent.

The b-side Contrast of Form is basically a trademark sound for this band, this in my opinion is some of the most perfect outsider pop happening in the world right now, the song takes us on a journey explaining the story of a weirdo artist and his ambitions to be a "real" artist and also to possibly "take flight" the song is open to interpretation, thats what's so cool about this song.

Musically The Shifters follow in a similar course forged by their Antipodian brothers from the early 80s NZ underground scene, groups of which came out of the embryonic Flying Nun Records catalogue, bands like the Stones, The Clean and The Bats... in-fact Contrast of Form is the closest I've heard a recent band capture the Dunedin sound without even trying.... there must be something cool in the water down-under??

The Shifters are...

Miles Jansen - Words and Rhythm Guitar
Ryan Coffee - Drums
Violetta DCR - Lead Guitar
Tristan Davies - Bass

They are currently working on a new LP and actually have a completed bulk of work ready for release... so check them out on Facebook SHIFTERS FACEBOOK

The Record is limited to 300 copies and will each be hand-numbered, the record comes housed in a riso-graph sleeved designed by Tristan from the band.

The Record will be released at the end of June (likely 29th June) and available from Market Square direct at our Bandcamp  HERE!!!!

Records will also likely be available from...

The Bands themselves
Rough Trade (UK)
Normans (UK)
Clearspot Distribution (throughout Europe)
Florida's Dying (US)
13 O Clock (US)
Sorry State (US)
Strange World Records (Australia)
Japanese distros.
plus a few others too possibly.

The Higher State - Your Casting Doubt b/w X-Ray Day MSR-16

Market Square are about to release a slew of new releases in 2017, the first being the brand-new 45 for UK based Garage band The Higher State.

The Higher State have been making records now since 2005 and this release is their ninth 45rpm single, If you're into authentic sounding 60s garage styled punk rock, then you'd probably know who The Higher State are.

The A-side Your Casting Doubt instantly kicks the listener from a low gear stasis straight into the territories of tearing the skin against concrete at full speed, the opening snare drum snaps and the guitars pound followed by a swirling Farfisa organ which gains momentum throughout the track. The song breaks into an up and down wave of rhythm, beat and melody, building to further heights with rumbling bass lines and sharp lyrical observations regards to all those phonies and sell-outs which dwell in society today, such lines spat out with venomous precision include ".. And the precious lies that you hold on to, seem so real at the time they're said" and my personal favourite "You're as fake as the one you're standing next too and I see right through everything you've said"... NICE!!!!  The track also has some soaring fuzz-tone guitar both in the lead break and the outro. The outro also including some pretty killer organ, drum and bass work too.

Flip the record over and The Higher State have entered more moodier terrain with the b-side X-Ray Day; again the Farfisa organ floats gently whilst fantastic observational lyricisms are sung above a solid drum beat and some quite stead-fast guitar picking adding resonance to the vibe of the track.... everyday is your X-Ray Day, just remember that!!!

Overall this 45 does indeed sound like some bored teenagers in some garage space in Fort Worth Texas circa 1966, but instead its some equally bored dudes in a stairwell in Kent.

The 45 is limited to 300 copies and released on March 20th 2017.

100 of the copies will be coming in the special home-made (made by the band) 'Nancy Kovak" sleeve, these copies are only going to be sold via the band's own Bandcamp page, which can be found here.... HIGHER STATE BANDCAMP

All the regular copies will come in a Market Square company sleeve; all the records come with a lyric sheet and a hand-numbered Fender Jaguar insert.

the standard copies can be purchased from the label's Bandcamp page here.... LABEL BANDCAMP

Copies will also be found from the following outlets.

13 O' Clock Records

Clearspot Distribution

Rough Trade

Normans

Heyday Mailorder

As well as other record shops around the UK.

In the meantime, why not check out the band's promo video for the single.