Surfacing: Mt. Wolf's Bassi Fox Spreads His Solo Wings

Words: Saam Das

Mt. Wolf emerged as one of our favourite British bands of the last few years, and one that we'd had the pleasure of backing from the very start. The outfit are currently continuing as a duo, with singer-producer Sebastian 'Bassi' Fox opting to pursue his solo creative juices, having also dabbled in recent times with production for the likes of Roo Panes. Listen to the first official fruits of Bassi Fox's mesmeric labours below.

Surfacing: ARIEL [New Act]

Words: Saam Das

It's been several years since Kate Sproule first made a significant impression on our ears as a member of dream-folk outfit Mt. Wolf. The somewhat abrupt departure of Sproule in 2013 was such a loss to the group that they initially disbanded, prior to a pleasing return a year later. Sproule's next step was in a solo venture as Bo Rocha but a recent re-invention sees her return as ARIEL.

Listen: Mt. Wolf - Heavenbound [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

We first wrote about Mt. Wolf over five years ago(!), and they've finally finally announced news of their debut album - 'Aetherlight' is due out on May 26th. Now admittedly, the London band have some mitigating circumstances for this delay, having actually split before a welcome return in late 2014. Listen to the soaring 'Heavenbound' below.

Year In Review: Tips For 2016 Revisited

Words: Saam Das

It's fair to say that few would have predicted a double whammy of Britain exiting the EU and a Trump victory in the US Presidential Election last year, so perhaps the business of prediction is something of a fruitless exercise. But I do have a soft spot for lists, so here's an assessment of my shortlist of tips for 2016:

Festival Review: Day One Of The Great Escape 2016

The Great Escape Festival (19-21 May '16, Brighton) // Words: Saam Das

I owe a fair amount to Brighton's excellent new music festival, The Great Escape. I've been doing this music blogging lark for ten years now, and it's partly because I went to the very first edition of The Great Escape that I began writing in the first place. Since then, it's become my favourite festival, and I've had the fortune of being a "tastemaker" on the BBC Sound of 2011 and working with Glastonbury Festival, among other nice things that I've very grateful for. The Great Escape 2016 was again a pleasure, and here's a rundown of my first day at the fest.

Festival Preview: Ten Bands To See At The Great Escape 2016

The Great Escape Festival (various venues across Brighton, 19-21 May '16) // Words: Saam Das

Back in 2006, I took a punt on a new festival called The Great Escape. Although not a great enough punt to pay for more than one night at a Travelodge in Brighton. Since then, The Great Escape has grown into the UK's finest festival for new music, and arguably one of the world's finest festivals. This year, they've grown even further, partnering with Raindance Film Festival for a new film strand.

Futuresounds: Ones To Watch For 2016

Words: Saam Das

Why bother publishing a ones to watch/tips for 2016 list mid-way through March? Well, because a) the early year hype has died down, and b) because we can and want to support artists that deserve some added attention. And c) because we're mavericks. That said, three of our following ten bands to watch for 2016 did appear in our nominations for January's Blog Sound Of 2016, although only one of my chosen acts made it to the long list.

Listen: Mt. Wolf - Burgs [EP Preview]

Words: Saam Das

One of the most pleasing things of 2014 was the return of Mt. Wolf - even without former lead vocalist Kate Sproule, their comeback track 'Red' felt as naturally Mt. Wolf as any of their fantastic previous tracks had ever done. That song leads their newly released EP of the same name, and you can listen to the sprawling closer 'Burgs' below.

Listen: Mt. Wolf - Red [New Track]

Words: Saam Das

We're rarely as on it as when we discovered Mt. Wolf, being one of the very first to cover them back in 2012. Better yet, we thought they were bloody good. That meant it was particularly disheartening to see the dream-folk outfit call it a day late last year, well before reaching their peak. But Christmas has come early and they're back, with a beautifully soothing new track 'Red'.

EP Review: Mt. Wolf - Hypolight

'Hypolight' EP (UK Release: 8 April '13) // Words: Saam Das

London's Mt. Wolf released their impressive debut EP, 'Life Size Ghosts', toward the end of last year, and have seen their stock rise considerably since. Recently announcing a new headline show at London's Union Chapel, alongside a slew of festival appearances, they've unveiled another set of enrapturing dream-folk songs with the 'Hypolight' EP.

Listen: Mt. Wolf - Shapeshift [EP Preview]

Words: Saam Das

It's surprisingly rare to find a song title that actually matches its content but London dream-folk quartet Mt. Wolf have produced one such effort. The pulsating 'Shapeshift' previews their forthcoming 'Hypolight' EP, scheduled for release on April 8th.

Listen: Mt. Wolf - Hypolight [New Single]

Words: Saam Das

I hadn't written about Mt. Wolf's latest single 'Hypolight', with the consideration that they might appear in the FG tips for 2013 - which is indeed still coming, even though we are nearing the end of February. It's perhaps too early to expect this dream-folk quartet to achieve considerable success in 2013. Yet magical songs like 'Hypolight' can expect to make their own mark.

Download: Mt. Wolf - Climax (Usher Cover)

Words: Saam Das

We're really, really pleased to see London dream-folk quartet Mt. Wolf coming up in the world. Since we first wrote about them in February, the band have unleashed their debut release, the 'Life Size Ghosts' EP, which has won the hearts of many in the blogosphere. Now they've covered RnB superstar Usher's 'Climax', downloadable below.

EP Review: Mt. Wolf - Life Size Ghosts

Words: Saam Das

We realise that no-one really cares who posts what first but on the rare occasion when we probably have been the first to post something, we might as well pipe up about it. Such is the case with Mt. Wolf, who we wrote about back in February, declaring their song 'Life Size Ghosts' as "one of the most hypnotic tracks of the year". It spearheads their debut EP, which you can listen to in full below.

Surfacing: Mt. Wolf [New Band]

Words: Saam Das

Last year, I chatted about "night folk" artist Shura on BBC 6Music, now on Akira Records. Well, the guys behind that label, are also in a "dream folk" band. That band used to be called Solar State but they've started afresh name-wise, with Mt. Wolf. And unleashed one of the most hypnotic tracks of the year in 'Life Size Ghosts'.