ON THE RECORD FULLY BOOKED

ALTERNATIVE, INDIE Premonition

By White Lung

Released by Domino Recording Company, Premonition is the fifth and final album by the band, who are going their separate ways. It explores the powerful themes of birth and rebirth, and growth.

Hysteric opens with a bang! It’s a fastpaced song, catchy, even for those who aren’t punk or rock listeners. Date Night follows, sustaining the tempo. Kenneth’s guitar work on this one is impressive, keeping you hooked. Combine that with attention-grabbing lyrics: “І'm оn а dаtе wіth Gоd Аnd hе'ѕ drunk.”

About midway, Under Glass , a powerful yet soothing song, offers a break from the fast beats. The lyrics on this one: “I can’t think under the glass Lost what I know”, “Summer comes I’ll survive Honey, it’ll be fine.” and “Still I walk around Visions in my eyes To you I’m bound.”; the underlying message seems to highlight that something positive like growth is accompanied by loss – we lose a part of ourselves in the process and perhaps, that’s what change and evolution are all about.

The tempo increases again, with songs showcasing the theme of motherhood. Not surprising, considering frontwoman Mish Barber-Way realised she was pregnant while she was preparing to record back in 2017; the album’s release comes after a five-year hiatus or ‘transformative period’, evident from the underlying intense emotion. Exhibits metallic riffs and an energy that’s raw and feral.

ALTERNATIVE, INDIE

Conditions of a Punk

By Half Alive

Released via RCA records, Conditions of a Punk is an album about love and its many nuances. Right from the title track and opener C onditions of a Punk , you know this is a musical creation that will eventually grown on you. The infectious “Da-da-da-da-da” in this first song pulls you in. The lyrics are light-hearted but strike a chord with the listener. You feel like your heart’s floating – “Hold You in my hands like hot tea Knowing I'm safe 'cause You want me” on Hot Tea ; “Summerland holds what I want right now It's like the hoodie you find and you wear forever,” on Summerland and “When you think you really know someone And you're blinded by the summer sun Fall in love with who they won't become Was it ever real? Did I make you up?” on Did I Make You Up are some cases in point. Complementing the words is the easy going, melodious and peppy music, peppered throughout with irresistible electronic touches. While neither overpowers the other, the music stands out from time to time. Such is the sound of this album, unique and arresting. Each song offers something new, leaving you wanting more. Half Alive create a charming playlist to sing and dance along to.

Biography

Revenge : Meghan, Harry and the War

Between the Windsors

By Tom Bower

Bored of Harry and his seemingly self-obsessed Spare? Then take a look at what makes Meghan the woman she is.

Meghan's success has alternatively won praise, bewilderment and outrage. Confused by the Sussexes' slick publicity, few understand the real Meghan Markle. What lies ahead for the woman who won the heart of Britain’s playboy prince? And what has happened to the family she married into? Can the Windsors restore their damaged reputation under a new monarch? Already a Sunday Times bestseller, this book contains extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before. Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics and thwarted childhood dreams to uncover an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.

Literary Fiction

The Dream Builders

By Oindrila Mukherjee

A much anticipated debut novel with Goodreads dubbing it ‘Buzziest Book of the New Year’, Mukheerjee examines class, gender and even survival as she tells the story of Maneka Roy who returns home to India, after many years living in the US, to mourn the loss of her mother. In the booming, aspirational, fictional city of Hrishipur, where her father now lives, she learns that nothing―and no one― is as it appears. Told from the perspective of 10 different individuals, each struggling for survival in a city that is becoming increasingly Americanised and challenging traditional norms and values, ultimately, it will take a tragic event for Maneka and those around her to truly understand just how fragile life is in a sparkling new city built on dreams.