Erin Hughes – Nick Tann's Fresh Music Fix

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Subscribe to the email list and get a reminder every Monday when a new episode drops.

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I’m Nick Tann, musician and songwriter, sharing the best new music you haven’t heard yet.

Welcome to episode 45

We kick off with the brilliant

Mad Haven and their new sing “Wasted On You”

They tell me …….

“Mad Haven’s latest single “Take Control” was a huge success. In the last month, the band’s monthly Spotify listeners rose to a staggering 10,750 and the single gained 20,000 streams, and over 500 playlist adds!

‘Wasted On You’ is a song of encouragement and empowerment, to tell you that if someone is constantly getting you down, wearing you out and not appreciating you, while all you do is be kind caring and work hard to make them happy, you are not valued here.

The song tells the story of someone aiming for the stars, someone who will do anything to get what they want, even if it means hurting the people that are closest to them. This person wants to “live like a megastar” and “live like they’re on TV” but while you are putting in all your effort to help and support them, they present you with lies and a total lack of caring.

Once you become so low that you cannot continue, you will have no option but to walk away and tell them “I’m not gonna waste it all on you”. The next phase will be hard. There will be fabrications made up and hate being thrown your way, anything to keep up their narrative of being the victim and it won’t stop until they find the next. Stay strong, you are better than this. Know when it’s time to get out.”

They have socials….

https://www.facebook.com/madhavenrocks

https://www.instagram.com/madhavenrocks/

Next up is Dan O’Farrell & The Difference Engine and “The Colonial Club” taken from their forthcoming album ‘The Fish That Learned To Drown’ (Gare Du Nord, 22/02/26); Produced by Andy Lewis.

A song for all those people who start sentences with “I’m not racist but…” and then spout pure racist bile inspired by the toppling of Edward Colston’s stature in Bristol a few years ago.

Follow them to here for all the best stuff

https://danofarrellthedifferenceengine.bandcamp.com/track/the-colonial-club

Erin Hughes – Replaceable

Erin tells me that “Replaceable is pop-rock with that bitter “You Oughta Know” kind of flavour. Not heartbreak but bubbling rage, the song was in part inspired by my very favourite line of ABBA’s extensive back catalogue, “but tell me does she kiss like I used to kiss you? Does it feel the same when she calls your name?” replaceable, though, is less gracious in defeat, and the result is an emotionally-charged sing-a-long!

https://www.instagram.com/erinhughes_music/

Which brings us to Eugene McGuinness and his great song London which coincidentally comes just a week after I spent a weekend in this fine city. I had a great time traveling around and despite what idiots may tell you, I felt and was totally safe and had a ball catching all kinds of public transport around the place!

This is what I was told about Eugene McGuinness “….had accepted his career in music was over.

The end of his deal with Domino Records, followed by a difficult self-released album, fatherhood, and just life generally, saw his personal dreams and ambitions slowly slip out onto the horizon.

A period of great change, McGuinness had embraced his new work and family life happy to leave the ugliness of the music biz behind him but the absence of making music, and the joy the process brings, left a hole.

Which brings us to ….

London. The second single from the returning Eugene McGuinness.

London is where McGuinness was born and currently resides, but one he’d never really call ‘home’ despite his deep affection for the city. Born to Irish parents, his complex relationship with London is considered in this lyrically personal yet universal exploration.

London is a city that is fun, vibrant and romantic whilst simultaneously hard, bleak and intolerant. The song explores themes of identity and belonging, where you come from and where you’re going, in a place that can seem to be fighting against you.

Recorded at Liverpool’s Docklands Speed Shop with friend and producer Gajo Paco, the track is lush, warm and cinematic. Tasteful additions of cello, slide guitar and wurlitzer compliment a rich, beautiful melody.

McGuinness’ wry lyrical flair is once again flaunted in this ‘widescreen romance’ about displacement and uncertainty.

Eugene McGuinness is an inventive songwriter and performer, known for his wry, nimble lyricism and blending retro influences with contemporary sounds to create his unique brand of off-kilter pop.

Of Irish heritage, the idiosyncratic McGuinness began crafting songs in his teens, and gained recognition with debut EP ‘The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness’ released in 2007. His self titled debut album was released in 2008 on Domino Records followed by ‘Glue’ (2009 as ‘Eugene and The Lizards’), ‘The Invitation to the Voyage’ in 2012 and ‘Chroma’ (2014). ‘Suburban Gothic’ (2018) was released independently and marked his departure from Domino Records.

McGuinness’s discography reflects his evolution as an artist unafraid to experiment and never playing to the gallery following a tradition of songwriters Bob Dylan, Shane MacGowan, Randy Newman, Rufus Wainwright with voices and interior universes that are all their own.

Credits

Eugene McGuinness
Music, Lyrics, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano

Ryan Wyatt
Bass Guitar, Wurlitzer Electric Piano

Joe McMonagle
Acoustic Drums & Percussion

The Kambourines
Backing Vocals

Matthew Phillips
Strings arrangement and Cello

Produced, Mixed & Engineered by Gajo Paco
at Docklands Speed Shop Recording Studio, Liverpool, UK

Links

https://mellowtonerecords.com/

https://www.instagram.com/docklandspeedshop/

Lyrics

You and I go back a long time
We braved the rain and bathed in sunshine
But you walk all over me sometimes
As we drag our shadows

London I love you
But you’ve stung me
And you only want me for my money
The money that you just won’t let me have..

And we’re falling in and out of love so fast

Now I only watch those movies for the fight scenes
Been led to quite the nightmare from these pipe dreams
I see a ferry on a river
A river of electric light

We’re shifting mirrors tonight

London I love you
But you’ve hurt me
And you make me feel so dirty
I own up there was a time I was into that..

And we’re falling in and out of love so fast

I can’t take it anymore.

And there you have it. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me about the podcast, it’s always great to read your comments here there and everywhere.

See you next time …x

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can listen to every episode of Nick Tann’s Fresh Music Fix right here on nicktannsfreshmusicfix.com, or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or via RSS.

Subscribe to the email list and get a reminder every Monday when a new episode drops.

Buy Me a Coffee

If you enjoy the show and would like to support it, you can also become a supporter on Patreon.

I’m Nick Tann, musician and songwriter, sharing the best new music you haven’t heard yet.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can listen to every episode of Nick Tann’s Fresh Music Fix right here on nicktannsfreshmusicfix.com or on your favourite podcast platform including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube or if you prefer RSS.

While you’re here, hit subscribe and get a heads up email every Monday when a new episode drops.

I’m Nick Tann – musician, songwriter, and your guide to the best new music you haven’t heard yet.

I start off with the fantastic Laptop and Additional Animals that I admit I did take a bit of a liberty with but I think I may have got away with it. I believe this might have been called eclectic anywhere else but not here and not today. I bloody loved it.

It says in their blurb:

Laptop is the cult electro-pop project of quintessential New York filmmaker and musician Jesse Hartman, and now his 19-year-old son Charlie Hartman (Jesse’s clone. Same wiring. Way upgraded hardware), arguably the first father/son duo in alt-rock history. Known for blending sharp wit, heartbreak, and a deadpan delivery with a totally unique insincere sincerity, Jesse was once a Voidoid with Richard Hell and half of the duo Sammy (Fire Records/Geffen Records), before releasing three critically acclaimed Laptop albums on Island Records/Universal.

Following TikTok hit Weirder, their new single Additional Animals is a darkly funny and disturbingly catchy electro-pop track that imagines a planet running out of meat — and the social unraveling that might follow. With shimmering synths, horns, guitars, and a chorus that’s part plea, part punchline, the track taps into something both absurd and alarmingly real.

The song builds on Laptop’s legacy of blending deadpan lyricism with stylish, off-kilter production. Jesse and Charlie trade vocals like two generations trapped at the same dinner party, equally complicit and confused about the future. The result is funny, existential, and hard to forget.

A critical favourite in the early 2000s for his sardonic take on synth-pop, Jesse Hartman’s return comes with a full new band, a new album, and a live show in London this October — Laptop’s first UK appearance in over 20 years.

I can’t find anything about the gig in London. Why don’t you check out their Linktree and see if you can see anything.

Next was my band name winners this week Escape Goats and Rompecabezas. Yeah try and say that out loud, I dare you!

From their blurb:

Charles Bukowski said that isolation is the gift, but as a German he should have known that it’s actually poison. Latest release from Escape Goats comes in the form of Rompecabezas. A three-minute blast, capturing the feeling of being pulled in conflicting directions, playing on double meanings and pseudowords, paired with angular guitars and powerful drums. It was recorded at Venice of the North Studio in Glasgow by bass player Shep, and mastered by Robin Sutherland Mastering in Finland. The single artwork was created by Dundonian fine artist Tom Carlile.

Three-piece alternative band Escape Goats formed in Glasgow (just north of London…) at the beginning of 2024. Members include bass player Andrew Shepherd, guitarist and singer John McLinden (formerly MEMES) and drummer and singer Adam Parker (formerly Make Sparks). The band have recently been featured on BBC Introducing, Fresh on the Net, and Spotlighted by the Unsigned Guide. Having just opened for Glasgow legends Sluts of Trust on their return to the stage in July, we are excited to get our self-produced/funded debut album finished (due for release late 2025).

Here’s their Linktree.

Good Time Locomotive are back with their stonking new single Daylight.

From their press release:

Good Time Locomotive are back with throwback disco rock single Daylight. Hot off the heels of their self-titled EP, released earlier this year, they show no signs of slowing down with their nostalgic disco/rock single. The band re-enter the limelight with new music on the horizon, working with Grammy-award winning mix engineer/producer Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, U2).

Blending full-on rock funk and self-searching emotive lyricism with their signature feel-good grooves, Daylight is a bombastic, floor-filling anthem. Synthesising nostalgic 80s synth disco vibes, before left turns into full-on rocking out and a guitar solo that’s enough to make Eddie Van Halen rise from the dead for a listen.

Speaking about the new single, frontman Hugo Leite says, “People talk a lot about the dangers of drugs, but what about the evil twin of love: Lust? Lust has to be the king of the deadly sins right? That is until you have a moment of clarity and pull back from the brink of being a full-on bunny boiler. This song is all about never going full crazy on that lust stuff!”

Good Time Locomotive are an alternative pop rock band hailing from London, UK. Since officially debuting in 2023, they have enthused their funky pop songwriting style with a feel-good flourish and positive messaging to build an exciting sound.

Follow them here:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube

Erin Hughes does a fine job of cleansing our souls with her beautiful track I Wish You Love.

She says:

It’s a raw, theatrical breakup track about the emotional whiplash of wishing someone well when you’re still shattered. Think Evanescence-style vocals over a driving rock backdrop, soaked in that post-breakup “grit your teeth and sing anyway” kind of energy.

The track is part of my upcoming EP Penny in the Jukebox — each song tackles a different post-breakup emotion, from rage to resignation. But this one? This is the heartbreak track you put on when you’re still crying but pretending you’re okay.

I say I love it and it reminds me of All About Eve, the band not the film.

Erin just shared her socials with me!

Instagram

YouTube

SoundCloud

I only used chatgpt to tidy up the notes this week and don’t they look loverly. I am running a week long Facebook marketing campaign this week, targeting UK folk who like Spotify podcasts. Lets see how that works out. I ran one last week that was suppose to target Texas but I managed to mess it up and got hundreds of website visits from Mexico. They didn’t listn biut then how many Mexican podcasts have you listened to? Exactly! I quite like these end of show show notes. I’ll let you know how this new Spotify campaign went. Pip pip!