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Shadows of a Silhouette deliver a rush of energy with razor-edged new garage-rock single, ‘No Matter Where I Go’

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Following the release of their acclaimed singles ‘Tempest’ and ‘Outside the Fade’, Derbyshire’s boundary-pushing alt-rock outfit Shadows of a Silhouette return with their latest offering, ‘No Matter Where I Go’, dropping 2nd May 2025. A lean, razor-edged cut of garage-rock minimalism, the track delivers a rush of energy that’s both raw and irresistibly direct – cementing the band’s sonic evolution ahead of their debut album ‘For Those That Know’.

Driven by a gutsy guitar riff and propelled by unrelenting rhythm, ‘No Matter Where I Go’ wastes no time. There’s a sense of urgency here, a stripped-down intensity that feels immediate and unfiltered. That’s no accident. According to lead guitarist Reece Carter, the song was salvaged from an old voice memo recorded back in 2021. “I found this 30-second audio of me and Nay [Nathan Brown] jamming the first verse – it was just sitting there,” he explains. “It never materialised into anything with the band at the time, but I just loved how raw and to the point the riff was and thought that the lyrics were class. I knew it was the perfect tune to go on the debut LP.”

The track might have ended up on the cutting-room floor, if not for Carter’s persistence. After the first day of recording, he recalls cornering the rest of the band at the studio – “I was rambling on for ages to Nay (Nathan) and Tyler [Henderson] about how we had to make this song. They wanted to hold it for album two or release it later, but I wouldn’t drop it until it got made.”

Frontman Nathan Brown delivers one of his most compelling vocal performances yet, wrapping sharp melodic lines around lyrics that stemmed from what he describes as “nothing short of a flash of inspiration – the sort of thing that seems to appear from nowhere.” Reece had called him in with the rediscovered riff, and it sparked something immediately. “As usual, my mind wandered far from wherever I was standing – drawn, I’d like to think, by the simple, defiant nature of the riff itself,” Brown recalls.

What followed was a vivid narrative set in the American desert, imagined through the lens of incarceration and fleeting freedom. “It begins with an escaped convict in a stolen prison van, having just smashed through the gates in a desperate sprint for freedom,” Brown explains. “But in a place where there’s nowhere to hide – and no real way to survive – his escape seems doomed from the start. After he crashes in a haze of adrenaline, he faces a choice: brave the wilderness, risking death in the labyrinth of desert canyons, and maybe die a free man; or return to the road and savour what little freedom he’s managed to snatch. Either way, he’ll serve his time – in hell, or back behind bars.”

The single was recorded at Liverpool’s iconic Motor Museum Studio, a creative haven for legendary UK bands including Arctic Monkeys and The Lathums. With Al Groves at the production helm, the band captured the grit and immediacy of their sound in full force. Groves, known for his work with Bring Me the Horizon and Cast, brought a punchy, analogue sensibility to the track, harnessing the band’s live-wire energy while giving the mix a crisp, modern finish.

Formed in the heart of Derbyshire, Shadows of a Silhouette channel the restless spirit of the Midlands into a sound that feels at once familiar and unshakably their own. With Brown, Carter, William Scott on bass, and Tyler Henderson on drums, the four-piece blend the lo-fi immediacy of early 2000s garage rock with the lyrical depth and tension of modern indie. Touchstones like The White Stripes, The Strokes, and early Kings of Leon can be heard in the DNA of their music, but their identity is unmistakably theirs – born of shared experience, local grit, and an instinct for connection.

Their debut singles ‘Tempest’ and ‘Outside the Fade’ showcased two sides of their sonic palette: expansive and anthemic on one hand, brooding and introspective on the other. ‘No Matter Where I Go’ completes the trio with a rough-edged punch to the chest – a reminder of how visceral the band can be when stripped down to its core elements.

Shadows of a Silhouette spent much of 2024 on the road for their debut UK tour, bringing their feverish live set to new audiences across the country. That momentum continues into 2025, with headline shows at Rough Trade already lined up and more dates on the horizon. Their sold-out appearances at venues like The Bodega and Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden have proven their ability to pack out rooms and leave a lasting impression.

With over 230,000 Spotify streams and growing recognition from outlets like BBC Introducing East Midlands, Derby Telegraph, and RGM, Shadows of a Silhouette are poised for their breakout. ‘No Matter Where I Go’ isn’t just another release – it’s a snapshot of a band doubling down on its identity, refining its voice, and refusing to compromise.

This is the sound of a band pushing forward – gritty, immediate, and totally their own. The debut album is coming. And if this single is anything to go by, it’s going to hit hard.

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Acclaimed US singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd to tour the UK for the first time this summer

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Shortly after releasing her sophomore album in 2007, US-based singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd walked away from music completely for more than 10 years, feeling burned out and unhappy with her career progression like so many other independent artists. After going through a divorce in 2019 and in the midst of a global pandemic, she found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting and again making the leap to pursue it full time. Her latest album ‘Carnival’, released in 2024, is in many ways the culmination of those decisions, and the reintroduction of an artist who now has the wisdom of experience.

There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates ‘Carnival’. “I’ve always been envious of writers who say they write songs because they have to, because they had these things they just had to get out of themselves,” Juliet says. “I had never really felt that way until this album. I’ve become someone who writes because they have to.”

Stylistically, ‘Carnival’ draws on a range of influences from Laurel Canyon-era singer/songwriters, to Lilith Fair rockers, to confessional country/folk balladeers, to indie pop. The central theme of the record and that of its title track is not being too precious about any one experience or decision. Take them for what they are, live in the moment, and move on when they’re done. It acknowledges also that memory can be subjective, and ambiguous—was an experience ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? And whose memory can you rely on to determine the answer to that question?

‘Carnival’ doesn’t just deal with the complexities of ending relationships, it also deals with all the feelings that come with moving on. The album’snine songs feature evocative storytelling that reveals a simple truth: when the carnival inevitably leaves town, you’re left with an empty parking lot. And how you remember, it is a choice. As Juliet sings in the title track, “If only there was a way you could bottle up that feeling / and you’d drink it in / when the days are short and you long.”

Across her 20+ year career, Juliet has been admittedly stylistically non-monogamous. Her first full-length album, ‘All Dressed Up’, was released in 2005 and was heavily jazz-influenced- a label that she rejected at the time. “I am a piano player and a woman, so I was immediately compared to Norah Jones—and I bristled at that,” Juliet says. “Listening back now, I can totally see that it was true, and it of course wasn’t a bad thing.” Her follow-up release ‘Leave the Light On,’ came out two years later and featured a slick piano-pop production that led to five of its songs being placed on reality TV shows on MTV and VH1. Coming back after her 10-year break from writing and recording, Juliet released ‘High Road’, a collection of five Americana/soul-tinged songs produced by Jim Ebert (Meredith Brooks, Shai) that earned her widespread recognition and songwriting awards both in her home region of DC as well as nationally.

Now with her first ever UK tour scheduled for July 2025, Juliet is launching a completely brand-new single ‘Wild Again’ on 16th May, which like ‘Carnival’, was written with and produced by Todd Wright (Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker, Toby Lightman). ‘Wild Again’, however, charts yet another new step in Juliet’s journey.

Carnival’, is full of deeply personal songs that are drawn from my real-life experiences and relationships. Coming out of that album cycle, I was feeling a little exhausted by my own navel-gazing and I was craving inspiration elsewhere. So, a lot of the songs I’m writing now are an evolution of sorts – focused more on external stimuli and finding the personal stories and humanity in that. Wild Again is a perfect example of this,” she explains.

The idea for ‘Wild Again’ was born out of a NY Times podcast Juliet listened to about the real-life efforts to return the whale that played Willy in the iconic movie ‘Free Willy’ back into the wild.

“It’s an insane, heartbreaking story that asks all kinds of thorny questions about human responsibility and humility and what’s the “right” thing to do and is that the same as the “kind” thing to do. There was a line that one of the trainers said in the podcast, explaining that they were trying to “train him to be wild again.” The complete absurdity of that statement hit me in the moment, and I immediately started jotting down lyrical ideas”, Juliet says.

Catch Juliet Lloyd on her UK tour this July:

1st July: The Folklore Rooms / Brighton
2nd July: The Hyde Tavern / Winchester
3rd July: Hen and Chicken / Bristol (CRH Music promotions)
4th July: Artisan Tap Hartshill / Stoke-on-Trent
6th July: Cafe#9 / Sheffield
7th July: Hyde Park Book Club / Leeds
10th July: FortyFive Vinyl Café / York
11th July: The Muddy Puddle / London
12th July: The Wrotham Arms / Broadstairs

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