Flowers

Instrumentally, the iridescent indie-pop of Everybody’s Dying To Meet You almost amounts to a more direct take on late’80s/early ’90s underground staples like Galaxie 500 and Cocteau Twins. Mixing reverb-laden guitar leads and bass lines with a heavy crunch, the atmosphere of Flower’s sophomore album is spacious without sparsity, maintaining a sense of heaviness that doesn’t disrupt its clarity. With all this in mind, the album turns out to be more of a refreshing allusion to its influences than an attempt at emulation. Perhaps the most unique element on the trio’s sonic pallet is the voice of Rachel Kenedy. Celestial without losing its solidity, the lead singer and one-string bassist’s crystal-clear falsetto might sound just as at home in a choir as it does amidst all the dirt and reverb.

There’s something about vocalists like Rachel Goswell and Bilinda Butcher that not only epitomizes the sound of their era but will always and forever just sound so right. And while there aren’t too many bands in the current musical stratosphere who can satisfy this craving — though many certainly try — Flowers have created something that will allow you to finally take those old Cranberries cassettes off repeat and get a fresh take on an your favorite sounds. Listen below. - Stereogum review

Some things remain a mystery to me; how there are always enough potatoes, Donald Trump's hair 'style' (Actually just DT altogether), black holes, the joy in pot holing, Coronation Street and... amongst many other things, why Flowers have not yet 'broken through'. Maybe it's luck, timing, air play, the alignment of the stars; maybe it's that so far a wider audience has just not been quite ready for their brand of seraphic Indie Pop. Whatever the reason the new Flowers album, 'Everybody's Dying To Meet You', should go a long way to help reset their trajectory skyward.

Following on from their stunning debut, 'Do What You Want To, It's What You Should Do', the new album builds on their core sound with a lot more confidence, a loss of innocence and an enhanced, more electrified, delivery. Where their debut rather charmingly, but somewhat timidly, explored their potential their new release seems to realise all the pent up potency and undoubted potential.

Flowers have lost none of what made their debut such a great record. The trio's close knit interplay and balanced performance allows each element to shine. Jordan Hockley's percussive back bone continues through 'Everybody's Dying To Meet You' and it once again not only acts as a formidable platform on which each track is built but is in itself an individual pleasure. Sam Ayre's (Flowers founding member) guitar is as tuneful as it was, however, this time around it has a sound that's not afraid of its power or its energy and Rachel Kenedy's vocal? Well, that remains a thing of profound beauty and only ignites pure wonderment.

On the new album there is less of the inward intimacy of the former highlights, 'If I Tell You' and 'I Love You', and more of a raucous abandon. Bernard Butler may have helped the band immensely with the first album but this one, produced in the glamour of Walthamstow, by Brian O'Shaughnessy, feels freer and more liberated and as such is a lot more alive and vibrant than its predecessor.

The ten tracks on the new release are headed up by the first single to be taken from the album, 'Pull My Arm'. The initial jangle of swirling guitar, tight beat and characteristically falsetto vocal soon give way to a terrific blast of unleashed angry and aggravated guitar, intermittently thrusting into the wave of sound. Sam's guitar sound has clearly developed and been allowed more room to breathe. It now has a bite and a fire that were only hinted at previously. 'Bitter Pill' (Percussively reminiscent of Jesus & Mary Chain's 'Darklands'), 'Russian Doll' and 'Tammy' further this trend and show just what brilliance the band are capable of.

The beautiful, articulate, despairing 'Intrusive Thoughts', "band favourite", 'Ego Loss', 'All At Once' and honest, unwavering surety of 'My Only Friend' share more similarities with the band's debut but even here the sound seems more assured and each of the band members contribution far bigger than it's resultant whole. Each track is as complete and composed as you could ask for. The mix of up tempo tunes, angular guitar, heady vocals and mesmeric arrangements give rise to a fabulously enjoyable cocktail of invigorating, fresh, immediate and relevant music.

'Everybody's Dying To Meet You' is brim full of terrific tunes. The ten track package couldn't be a more sweetly set if it tried. It's succinct, pure, potent, and above all superb. The three track sequence of album pinnacle 'Tammy', moody and melodramatic 'Russian Doll' (Check out the brooding bass line) and more acoustically accented 'My Only Friend' are worth buying this album for alone.

Flowers are a great band clearly on the way to greater things. The songs, their musical relationship, the production and the delivery are all spot on. Add in one of THE most unique, beguiling, bewitching, beautiful and angelic vocals that you're ever likely to hear from Rachel Kenedy and you have a stupendous proposition. Don't delay, go hear Flowers for yourself. - Contact Music

Then came what may have been the high point of Popfest, and certainly the most pleasant surprise. Flowers, from the UK, have a deceptively simple set-up — a drummer, a guitarist with some effects, and a lady vocalist (and sometime bassist) who doesn’t appear particularly comfortable on stage — but the music they conjured was nothing short of magical. A little Jesus And Mary Chain, a lot of Black Tambourine, and one hell of a voice. We can’t wait to catch these guys again. - doNYC

I've been among the fans of Flowers since I first heard and featured some of their demos a few years ago. For their part, the London trio has rewarded us by getting even better on each outing. And the proof is their new LP Everybody's Dying To Meet You. Replete with soaring pop songs adorned with arrangements that are full, but not weighty, and deliver the perfect amount of reverb, fuzz and crunch to complement the jangle and hooks. I expected a good album, but I think we got much more than that.

The combination of guitar, bass and drums evokes, without imitating, such worthies as Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Galaxie 500, Shop Assistants, Black Tambourine, and Cocteau Twins. The songwriting has caught up with the promise of earlier recordings, and all the performances show increased confidence. But what takes Flowers from "good band, isn't it?" to "shut up and listen to this" is Rachel's voice. Impossibly high and clear as a bell, it is arresting, captivating, soothing and, to my ears, seductive. Whether riding the uptempo noise pop or filling in the colors on a slow song, Rachel's vocal are memorable and affecting. This is noise pop the way it should be played -- the Flowers are blooming early for Spring.

Everybody's Dying To Meet You is out now via Fortuna POP! in the UK and Kanine Records in the US. Flowers are Rachel Kenedy (vocals/bass), Sam Ayres (guitar), and Jordan Hockley (drums). - When You Motor Away

London-based noisy indie-poppers Flowers have just released an eleven-track monolith entitled 'Everybody's Dying To Meet You' via the marvellous Fortuna Pop Records (UK) and Kanine Records (USA). Flowers have a sound that magically leans towards those shimmering, hazy days of early 4AD, with a late '80s dreampop-era vocal arrangement underlined by noisy, reverberating guitar structures and pounding drums. Collectively they have perfected a beautiful and effortless sonic synergy between the light and shadier moments on this release, with each track constructed perfectly to peak and trough at just the right time.

'Intrusive Thoughts' is simply stunning! Its opening melodic salvos remind me of Welsh dreampop outfit Golden Fable and indiepop favourites Tuff Love but it's that dual vocal attack that has me hooked. Up next, 'How Do You Do' is a glorious indiepop standard melded with layers of fuzzy, hypnotic guitars! Pounding percussion hits announce the arrival of 'Tammy' and we're back, vocally, into dreamy 4AD territory but with added layers of distorted guitars and throbbing bass. 'Russian Doll' screams PJ Harvey while 'My Only Friend' is beautifully melodic with its shimmering guitars, steadying drum pattern and intense, in your face, vocal lines.

The album's closer is a slow melodic bruiser that crawls within a whirlwind of stunning sound. 'Bathroom Sink' uses its quieter moments to showcase the seemingly impenetrable vocal abilities that Flowers seem to have whilst controlling the distortion just enough to lift the track when needed. 'Everybody's Dying To Meet You' is a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt through noisy, reverberating indiepop. Recommended listening for fans of Cocteau Twins, Golden Fable and Tuff Love. - The Sound Of Confusion

Then came what may have been the high point of Popfest, and certainly the most pleasant surprise. Flowers, from the UK, have a deceptively simple set-up — a drummer, a guitarist with some effects, and a lady vocalist (and sometime bassist) who doesn’t appear particularly comfortable on stage — but the music they conjured was nothing short of magical. A little Jesus And Mary Chain, a lot of Black Tambourine, and one hell of a voice. We can’t wait to catch these guys again. - doNYC

Flowers confirmed a few hours ago via its official Facebook page that they have been signed to Fortuna Pop and are already preparing what will be a first single and already after a long. Before that, for what is still months away, will the EP they told us they would edit Cloudberry Records, the exquisite seal Roque. We welcome galore for them and believe will be the beginning of a trajectory that promises interesting sea for all pop fan.

Fortuna Pop (home of Allo Darlin ' , Comet Gain , Tender Trap and European distributor of the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart , or what is the same, a seal to follow every fad) has left there's new for 2013, and also just announced the release of a single of Americans Tullycraft-si, the Twee -. The same before the end of the year announced new material from Comet Gain / Cinema Red & Blue, as David Feck was with people from Crystal Stilts in a study not long ago. Fingers crossed.

We leave you with Young, one of the demos of Flowers: - VanishingPoint

Limited and hand numbered to 500 copies on Cloudberry Records. Flowers are the latest indie sensations from the ever impressive Cloudberry label. 'When You Lie' is a pure C86 indie pop gold with scratchy and fuzzy guitars and distorted drums that sits somewhere between an early Primitives demo and the Rosehips. You will not have a more pleasurable two minutes this year. Newly signed to Fortuna POP! and being chased by a number of US labels Flowers are set to be the next indiepop band to step up to a bigger stage. - Pebble Records

Limited and hand numbered to 500 copies on Cloudberry Records. Flowers are the latest indie sensations from the ever impressive Cloudberry label. 'When You Lie' is a pure C86 indie pop gold with scratchy and fuzzy guitars and distorted drums that sits somewhere between an early Primitives demo and the Rosehips. You will not have a more pleasurable two minutes this year. Newly signed to Fortuna POP! and being chased by a number of US labels Flowers are set to be the next indiepop band to step up to a bigger stage. - Pebble Records

Not the plants, though a few have been poking up through the ground at the park around the corner and I am thrilled. We’re talking here about Flowers the band, a U.K. group that has nailed down everything you want in punchy, short, sugar-dusted pop songs.

Almost never crossing the two-minute mark, Flowers deliver delightfully fuzzy nuggets of melodic noise. A couple of far-too-short demos, known simply as “demo” and “demo 2,” showcase musicians brave enough to try to sound like early My Bloody Valentine, where shoegaze and punk were not wholly separate aesthetics.

Did we mention that you can name your price when you download both releases? Just be prepared to leave this stuff on repeat until the neighbors come over and ask to join the party. We'd be remiss, also, not to note that Flowers will be playing NYC Popfest with The Ballet, The Proctors, and Ringo Deathstarr on June 1. See you then! - BLACKBOOK

Not the plants, though a few have been poking up through the ground at the park around the corner and I am thrilled. We’re talking here about Flowers the band, a U.K. group that has nailed down everything you want in punchy, short, sugar-dusted pop songs.

Almost never crossing the two-minute mark, Flowers deliver delightfully fuzzy nuggets of melodic noise. A couple of far-too-short demos, known simply as “demo” and “demo 2,” showcase musicians brave enough to try to sound like early My Bloody Valentine, where shoegaze and punk were not wholly separate aesthetics.

Did we mention that you can name your price when you download both releases? Just be prepared to leave this stuff on repeat until the neighbors come over and ask to join the party. We'd be remiss, also, not to note that Flowers will be playing NYC Popfest with The Ballet, The Proctors, and Ringo Deathstarr on June 1. See you then! - BLACKBOOK

Concerts at the Bastione Alicorno in Padua have become a fixture for us at I’m So Indie. We faced heavy rains and far more dangerous strikes from Trenitalia to reach the city of “the language of the saint”, for the second concert organised by Looop Club. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (TBOBPAH) are a pop band of the times we’ve thought of highly recently, purely because they combine shoegaze and grunge with pop melodies, reminiscent of The Smiths and Belle & Sebastian. And they do all this according to the now classic "male + Asian chick" formula that is now a craze for lovers of ' indie rock all over the world. Well, the four (plus one) New Yorkers made the audience cheer playing all their blockbusters that speak of love and hardship, and they did all this pretty much in the dark: the lights on the stage were turned off for the duration of the concert, suggesting a slightly exhibitionist attitude. Where others would have hit the public , TPOBPAH (I know, somewhere in the world this is a dirty word) held the feet rather firmly in place for the whole hour of concert; vain fans below the stage tried to focus on more exuberant keyboardist Peggy, who was sipping a Campari spritz. However, apart from us snobs who care for nitpicking, they all blessed the performance and left us at the end of the concert banquet full of LPs, EPs, 45 RPMs, all the most "authentic" you can imagine. Of note, among the merchandise , a stunt worthy of the MoMA: a brooch that plays their latest album,”Belong”, yes a pin, and for those of the environment it is called PlayButton. But the delightful surprise of the evening there was the gift of Flowers, a London band formed just five months ago but absolutely lovely! The Flowers are Rachel, Sam and Jordan, respectively, vocals and bass, guitar and drums. The guitar has a noisy and distorted 80s sound, while Rachel (wrapped in a lovely coat) has left us stunned with heavenly vocals reminiscent of the beloved Elizabeth Frazer. And when in mid-concert the singer picked up a one-string bass, we broke up for good. And then it was us who hurled the bouquet. We were given CD-Rs burned by the group, with hand-made covers, and home-made badges as a gift .... How much sweetness. Luca Baldinazzo - Sanbaradio (Italy)

Concerts at the Bastione Alicorno in Padua have become a fixture for us at I’m So Indie. We faced heavy rains and far more dangerous strikes from Trenitalia to reach the city of “the language of the saint”, for the second concert organised by Looop Club. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (TBOBPAH) are a pop band of the times we’ve thought of highly recently, purely because they combine shoegaze and grunge with pop melodies, reminiscent of The Smiths and Belle & Sebastian. And they do all this according to the now classic "male + Asian chick" formula that is now a craze for lovers of ' indie rock all over the world. Well, the four (plus one) New Yorkers made the audience cheer playing all their blockbusters that speak of love and hardship, and they did all this pretty much in the dark: the lights on the stage were turned off for the duration of the concert, suggesting a slightly exhibitionist attitude. Where others would have hit the public , TPOBPAH (I know, somewhere in the world this is a dirty word) held the feet rather firmly in place for the whole hour of concert; vain fans below the stage tried to focus on more exuberant keyboardist Peggy, who was sipping a Campari spritz. However, apart from us snobs who care for nitpicking, they all blessed the performance and left us at the end of the concert banquet full of LPs, EPs, 45 RPMs, all the most "authentic" you can imagine. Of note, among the merchandise , a stunt worthy of the MoMA: a brooch that plays their latest album,”Belong”, yes a pin, and for those of the environment it is called PlayButton. But the delightful surprise of the evening there was the gift of Flowers, a London band formed just five months ago but absolutely lovely! The Flowers are Rachel, Sam and Jordan, respectively, vocals and bass, guitar and drums. The guitar has a noisy and distorted 80s sound, while Rachel (wrapped in a lovely coat) has left us stunned with heavenly vocals reminiscent of the beloved Elizabeth Frazer. And when in mid-concert the singer picked up a one-string bass, we broke up for good. And then it was us who hurled the bouquet. We were given CD-Rs burned by the group, with hand-made covers, and home-made badges as a gift .... How much sweetness. Luca Baldinazzo - Sanbaradio (Italy)

There’s not too much information out there concerning Flowers, but I guess that’s too be expected considering the group’s name. What I can tell you is that the UK outfit is going to have a four-song EP coming your way very soon from the good folks over at Cloudberry Records. On this single, there’s a rush of distorted guitar and pounding drums, encouraged by the spritely female vocals that flow effortlessly throughout the track. This is the sort of music I dig at the moment, combining bits of noise and dainty elements of indie pop. The EP should be out soon! - Austin Town Hall

There’s not too much information out there concerning Flowers, but I guess that’s too be expected considering the group’s name. What I can tell you is that the UK outfit is going to have a four-song EP coming your way very soon from the good folks over at Cloudberry Records. On this single, there’s a rush of distorted guitar and pounding drums, encouraged by the spritely female vocals that flow effortlessly throughout the track. This is the sort of music I dig at the moment, combining bits of noise and dainty elements of indie pop. The EP should be out soon! - Austin Town Hall

*TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH ORIGINAL*

I always dreamed of writing a success story as a subject for Fan2. Flowers could give me the opportunity. Everything happened very quickly for the trio. Between last April, composing their first songs, and their tour opening for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, very little time has elapsed. This meteoric rise is naturally explained by the talent and creative energy of the group. Sam Ayres (formerly The Notes), Rachel Kenedy and Jordan Hockley offer noisy and elegant pop, with distinct references.
This love of Flowers’ energy is reminiscent of the first singles by Jesus And Mary Chain at Creation Records, and My Bloody Valentine or Sunny Sundae Smile. Added to this is the lyricism present in the songs by the young Rachel, and the result is real originality by the British formation.
Bleeding Gold Records, The Notes’, Marc Desse’s and many others’ label, did not make a mistake by giving Flowers was first published record in July last year with the single (7 ") Cut And Run . The records are sold out, but the songs are still available online.
So now’s the moment we could talk about Flowers. We waited precisely until today to celebrate the release of their self-titled EP via the excellent tutor of indiepop: Cloudberry Records. To give you a little insight, the first song is available as a free download.
But the beautiful story does not stop there! Indeed, Flowers just finished a few dates with their long-standing heroes: Young Marble Giants, and they also have the luxury of having recently been signed to Fortuna POP!. A first album should not be long in coming…
Once more on Tweendie, leave us a very subtle pun: Flowers never want to fade!

- Tweendie Webzine

*TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH ORIGINAL*

I always dreamed of writing a success story as a subject for Fan2. Flowers could give me the opportunity. Everything happened very quickly for the trio. Between last April, composing their first songs, and their tour opening for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, very little time has elapsed. This meteoric rise is naturally explained by the talent and creative energy of the group. Sam Ayres (formerly The Notes), Rachel Kenedy and Jordan Hockley offer noisy and elegant pop, with distinct references.
This love of Flowers’ energy is reminiscent of the first singles by Jesus And Mary Chain at Creation Records, and My Bloody Valentine or Sunny Sundae Smile. Added to this is the lyricism present in the songs by the young Rachel, and the result is real originality by the British formation.
Bleeding Gold Records, The Notes’, Marc Desse’s and many others’ label, did not make a mistake by giving Flowers was first published record in July last year with the single (7 ") Cut And Run . The records are sold out, but the songs are still available online.
So now’s the moment we could talk about Flowers. We waited precisely until today to celebrate the release of their self-titled EP via the excellent tutor of indiepop: Cloudberry Records. To give you a little insight, the first song is available as a free download.
But the beautiful story does not stop there! Indeed, Flowers just finished a few dates with their long-standing heroes: Young Marble Giants, and they also have the luxury of having recently been signed to Fortuna POP!. A first album should not be long in coming…
Once more on Tweendie, leave us a very subtle pun: Flowers never want to fade!

- Tweendie Webzine