As previously mentioned, having gone through all the Indietrack Compilations between 2012 and 2019 in the previous eight parts of this mini-series, I’m now identifying singers or bands who appear on two or more of the compilations but have yet to make an appearance on the blog.
Today is the turn of a band from London whose members are Brian Bryden (vocals, piano, organ), Bree Wright (keyboards, vocals, bass guitar, percussion, organ), Kris Schoolcraft (drums, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion), Ian Cowen (guitar, backing vocals), and Thom Allott (bass guitar, organ, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, mandolin, backing vocals).
A very brief description on last fm states “they make the kind of dreamy indiepop that Felt peddled in their prime, tinged with a caustic wit last seen dribbling from Luke Haines’ mouth.”
Which is a lot to live up to…….
mp3: The Understudies – Jackie (from Indietracks Compilation, 2013)
mp3: The Understudies – Is There Gonna Be Dancing? (from Indietracks Compilation, 2017)
The band’s debut album, Let Desire Guide Your Hand, came out on the excellent and reliable Berlin-based Firestation Records in 2014, and Jackie was the lead-off track, but prior to this there had been a number of singles and EPs on a variety of UK indie labels.
As far as I can tell, Is There Gonna Be Dancing? was a new and exclusive track for the Indietracks compilation, and it wasn’t included on the band’s second LP, If Destroyed True, which came out in 2019 on their own Carbide & Carbon Records.
Here’s a couple more of their songs:-
mp3: The Understudies – Erika K (single, 2013)
mp3: The Understudies – Travelling Companion (from If Destroyed True, 2019)
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 