Track of the Day: Yusuf Azak - Silver Rose

After two albums on the ever-excellent Song, by Toad records, Yusuf Azak has taken his uniquely gruff vocals and off-kilter indie-folk sound across the city to Gerry Loves Records - here he has released his third album Peace in the Underword earlier this month.

His lead single comes in the form of Silver Rose; a delicious piece of slacker rock, awash with leftfield Elliot Smith-esque guitar parts and a lackluster confidence which is effortlessly brilliant.

Anyone who's followed this intriguing talent's earlier work won't be surprised by the quality he delivers on Silver Rose, but if this track sparks interest in the rest of Azak's work, you can find his previous releases available here and his latest record Peace in the Underworld on his Bandcamp here.

Let the musical exploration begin....

Track of the Day: Laurel - To The Hills

Whilst catching up on the last couple of months of Tom Robinson's ever-excellent 'Introducing Mixtapes' I discovered an unstoppably brilliant song which halted me in my tracks. 

After a bit of hunting I discovered it was the work of 19 year old South Coast songstress, Laurel. 'To the Hills' is the title track from her new EP released last month, and is a real statement of intent for what this promising artist is all about. Soaring strings, pulsing base and a towering vocal display (highly reminiscent of Lana del Ray) make for one of the most exciting pop tracks of the year.

Watch the video directed by Ben Newbury, which was inspired by Raymond Carver's short story Why Don't You Dance.