Lucky Number Music

New York trio Sunflower Bean – vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming (she/her), guitarist and vocalist Nick Kivlen (he/him), and drummer Olive Faber (she/they) – today announce that their long-awaited third album Headful of Sugar will be released May 6th.

Fuelled by the agony and ecstasy of contemporary American life, Headful of Sugar is a psychedelic headrush designed to be played loud, windows down. It is about outsiders disillusioned with the modern world who, despite their alienation, refuse to be subdued; buoyed by the relief found in interpersonal relationships that counteract the daily barrage of cheap entertainment and convenience.

If their acclaimed second album Twentytwo in Blue, released in 2018, was a self-described “ode to the fleeting innocence of youth,” then Headful of Sugar shoves the listener into a new, dangerous world, one that is less safe but also less suffocating. “Tomorrow is not promised, no tour is promised, no popularity is promised, no health or money is promised,” bassist/vocalist Julia Cumming says. “Why not make what you want to make on your own terms? Why not make a record that makes you want to dance? Why not make a record that makes you want to scream?”

Sunflower Bean also share Headful of Sugar’s opening track, the taut groove “Who Put You Up To This?” The band says of the track, “Are you satisfied? Who put you up to do things that you do? Was it your own choice? Questioning your life is the first step to taking the agency to change it. Sometimes you have to let go of who you have been so that you can become who you want to be.”

Glasgow’s Walt Disco today announce their upcoming debut album Unlearning, to be released on April 1st. The breathtaking debut is steeped in metamorphoses, a stage show in two acts. It covers flings and romances, identities and bodies and change, profound familial love, and – of course – Hollywood glamour. The album plays out like a musical, with an emotional arc and even an instrumental interlude, winkingly titled ‘The Costume Change’. Pre-order/pre-save HERE.

Brand-new single ‘How Cool Are You?’, also released today, shines with ease; a stomping live anthem and fan favourite after the band’s run of sold-out UK dates last autumn – the track prances and parades its way through three minutes of glaring pop pomposity. For the video, the band joined up once again with Eric J Liddle and Kasparas Vidunas of Humble Film Productions. The band shares, “This time we wanted to slip into our skates and paint the rink all the colours of the rainbow, flying in the face of the pouting ‘cool crew’ and showing that coolness shouldn’t come at the cost of having fun and accepting yourself!”

The new track is the fourth to be taken from the upcoming debut album, following the thundering and highly emotive singles Macilent, ‘Weightless’ and ‘Selfish Lover’ released in 2021. While the themes of the album are universally relatable, Walt Disco’s gift is in the unique experience of discovery and heartbreak between queer people – something that frontperson James explores in depth on songs such as ‘Weightless’, ‘Be An Actor’ and ‘Hold Yourself As High As Her’. In Walt Disco’s eyes, it’s never too late to become what you might have been and there are plenty of possibilities to explore on Unlearning.

Following a flurry of hyped gigs across the UK this year the band have also just announced their biggest UK and European tour to date for next spring, including London’s Scala, Paradiso in Amsterdam and ending at Point Ephemere in Paris – tickets are on sale now.

Ascendant Yorkshire five-piece Priestgate have today announced their debut EP Eyes Closed For The Winter – out 25 March. (Pre) Order HERE.  Priestgate have also shared the EP’s title track and its accompanying video.

The follow up to previous single ‘Bedtime Story’ – their first for Lucky Number – ‘Eyes Closed For The Winter’ is yet another stellar slice of indie dream-pop with deft gothic undertones. Speaking on the new single, vocalist Rob Schofield explains: “‘Eyes Closed For The Winter’ is about how time affects us as people & how often we avoid things we’re scared to deal with. Sometimes the best medicine for this is to just close your eyes and accept that things can get a little hard at times.”

Produced by Nick Hodgson (Alfie Templeman), and mixed by Caesar Edmunds (Foals, The Killers, PJ Harvey), the Eyes Closed For The Winter EP is a formidable statement straight out the gates – and a window into the world of one of Britain’s most thrilling young bands.

Following recent dates with Dream Wife and The Ninth Wave the band will shortly head out on an Independent Venue Week tour alongside Deep Tan and Deadletter and will also support Walt Disco on their upcoming UK tour. Priestgate have also announced a headline show at the Polar Bear Club in Hull on 25 March, with pre-sale tickets available 19 Jan and general sale tickets available 21 January via the band’s website HERE.

After digging through our Lucky Number archives, we’re pleased to present the first Revive mix, collecting some past favourites and previously unreleased instrumentals in a laid back and carefully curated compilation. Intended as a soundtrack to any slow-down activity, please take a moment to relax, rewind and revive with these lo-fi and hi-fi indie selections.

Both the compilation and our YouTube visualiser above have art and animation by Mike Raymond, who previously designed HMLTD’s West of Eden album and merch.

Watch this space for more Revive mixes in the future!

We are delighted to announce the signing of rising NYC-based band Momma and, to celebrate, today release their dynamic, energising new single “Medicine” alongside a Hailey Heaton-directed video shot on VHS-C.

Produced and mixed by bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch, it also marks Momma’s first song demoed and written in New York as a 4-piece of singers/guitarists Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten, bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch, and drummer Zach CapittiFenton. The band explained: “The two guitar riffs were written by Etta and Allegra about a year before we actually brought it to the full band. When we wrote the first verse, we realised it was one of the first times we couldn’t write about heartbreak – we were both in very loving relationships. We wanted to write about that feeling of just being addicted to someone, and how someone else’s company can really feel like a drug.”

The band put out a breakthrough full-length, Two Of Me, in 2020 which saw Momma pick up significant support in their home country with the group featured by Rolling Stone (Artist You Need to Know), Pigeons & Planes (Best New Artists), NPR and LA Weekly. Momma also earned further praise and support from The FADER, Stereogum, Pitchfork, Paste, NYLON, and more.

The band will support their new labelmates Sunflower Bean on a series of US dates early next year with further plans for their first ever UK dates to be announced in due course.