It’s been impossible to compact the best new Manchester music into a handful of highlights this week. But we’ve given it our best shot.
On our radar from the past seven days is a nice mix of sultry R&B from two familiar faces, poolside vibes from a solo project making a comeback, and a collab from two emerging Manchester songwriters.
The weather might have taken a turn for the worst, but here are our favourite releases from the past week to brighten your day.
SPRXNGBREAK – Shores
‘Shores’ will transport you to the beach that you’re craving.
Manchester-based SPRXNGBREAK have had quite a journey so far. Forming some years ago, instrumentalist Mick Warwick and Grammy-award winning producer Nate Cassells originally formed the band.
The pair joined forces whilst living in London and honed their sound in a studio in rural Germany – where they apparently slept on the floor and ate nothing but instant noodles. But a couple of demos later, they parted ways to pursue different things, leaving SPRXNGBREAK to lie dormant.
Five years later, Warwick discovered the original demos and spent a year remixing and reworking them all. Now working alone, he’s developed a 2.0 version of SPRXNGBREAK in which this newest track falls within.
‘Shores’ is a collaboration with producer Sam Wiseman and is bursting with the Balearic sounds of Ibiza. So, have a listen to this one if you’re looking to get lost in some nostalgic tropical beats. It’s too easy to picture yourself by a beach watching the sunset with a cocktail in hand which we’re all here for.
We’ve definitely found our summer 2021 anthem.
ZULA, glue70 – Head
‘Head’ is taken from glue70’s latest EP ‘Creationism’.
We’ve raved about ZULA on The Manc Audio a couple of times now, and rightly so. The pair are such a captivating combo and each one of their releases is as dreamy as the last.
Consisting of producer glue70 and singer Freak Slug, the Manchester-based duo have been making music under the ZULA guise for a bit now and we can’t help but include their latest track in another one of our top 5 lists.
Typically, their sound is a blissful fusion of lo-fi and electronic beats from glue70, met with Freak Slug’s sweet vocals. And whilst their new one, ‘Head’, retains some of their classic elements, it’s much more upbeat and lays out a welcome change.
The KTNA – Can’t Stop It
The twins are back with sultry track ‘Can’t Stop It’.
Now, you might recognise these two from the programme Waterloo Road, first emerging into the public eye as Rhona and Shona Mansfield in the popular high school drama. But twin sisters Millie and Hope – a.k.a. The KTNA – have swapped acting for music.
With over a year spent in lockdown, the girls were able to dedicate time to their production and lay down the foundations of their brand-new EP ‘Resurgence’ which is out soon.
Taken from that project is this new track ‘Can’t Stop It’. The twins say it’s for anyone who feels they’ve been criticised for doing what they love. And judging off their previous work, they love to produce such empowering music as this quite often.
‘Can’t Stop It’ is a sultry R&B track with stunning soulful vocals. Team this with their amazing style and infectious energy and The KTNA are fast becoming one of Manchester’s most exciting R&B exports.
SUTTY’s new one is a collab with songwriter Migixhi.
Singer-songwriter SUTTY’s vocals are beautiful on her new one ‘Daisy Chain’ which dropped this week. It’s been released on Rhythm Lab Records, a label which is all about bringing together emerging Manchester artists into one project. So for this one, SUTTY was joined by talented producer and songwriter Migixhi.
SUTTY has experienced quite a classical music background. She’s a flutist, taught herself to play the piano, and has been writing music for years. All of these have helped her grasp a technical understanding of music.
‘Daisy Chain’ is a smooth electronic R&B number which navigates the heartache of losing someone you love and moving forward.
StreamGM and The Manc have teamed up to show some some serious love and support to the region’s renowned theatres, nightclubs, and live-music venues with the launch of SeeGM – a digital campaign to shine a bright spotlight on many of the amazing events, club nights, gigs and shows in our region.
A rising Manc musician is supporting a global popstar on tour in America
Danny Jones
Up-and-coming Greater Manchester musician Elliot James Reay, from just down the road in Bury, has just joined fellow rising solo artist and already established US superstar Benson Boone on his upcoming American tour.
Yes, a lad from Bury is opening for the bloke who belts out that ‘Beautiful Things’ tune that’s been stuck near the top of the charts for what feels like the last year.
Fittingly joining Boone for the US leg of his American Heart tour supporting his sophomore album of the same name, 23-year-old Elliot James Reay has already played a trio of shows warming up the crowds ahead of the headliner and is quickly gaining new fans across the pond.
Especially since his music harkens back to some of their most famous music icons of all time.
The youngster is still having to pinch himself at the mere notion of being on the road with such a big name so early in his career, posting on social media this week, “How do I explain this one to my friends back in Bury?
“A dream come true to be opening for Benson Boone in St Paul last night, I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to sing to you all and thank you for all the love you gave me!”
Roy Orbison-obsessed Raey – who also takes plenty of look and feel from the likes of Elvis and Billy Fury, among other old school, soulful American singers – has gone from releasing covers on YouTube to dropping his first-ever EP back in June and now playing full Stateside stadiums.
What a whirlwind journey it’s been for the local lad already.
The Manc songwriter and guitarist featured as one of our artists of the month last December, and we’re glad to see he’s only gone from strength to strength.
It’s fair to say that he’s matured a lot in the time since then, let alone the last 12 months or so, and booking a slot as a support act for as big as Benson Boone is right now is nothing short of huge.
We said late last year, and we’ll say it again: we see a bright future ahead for this talented young Macunian, and we wish him all the best for the dozen or so remaining US tour dates.
If you haven’t listened to his stuff before, you can get a little taste with his latest single HERE.
Or, if you want to take our advice, why not watch a great music video filmed around some very familiar city centre sites down below?
He’s certainly got his own style, even if it his heavily inspired by some of the greats.
Last night marked K-pop group ENHYPEN’s first-ever visit to Manchester, the UK and Europe as a whole, so it was no surprise the crowd was ready to get ‘Loose’ as they took to AO Arena.
The lights dimmed, the fans screamed, and it had finally dawned on Manchester that it was officially ‘En-O’Clock.‘
It’s a bouncy bassline, synth-stinted number also known as ‘Brought The Heat Back’ that kicks the show off, and on a day when our city was surprisingly warm, this three-minute performance was very fitting.
ENHYPEN performing ‘Loose’ for 21,000 fans at AO Arena in Manchester (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
‘Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)’ had the crowd quite literally jumping for joy, ‘Given-Taken’ saw a similar response, while a personal highlight was ‘Bite Me’.
With lyrics like “Come here and get some” and “Just come over and bite me”, this song follows a perfect pure-pop formula that works every time; it’s hard to ignore.
‘Your Eyes Only’, which makes reference to the previous hit “You can bite me / You can play me”. Did we like this song? “Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya” we did.
Disco belter ‘Sweet Venom’ had the crowd captivated for just under three minutes with its “Swe-hee-hee-t” earworm lyrics in every chorus.
K-pop boyband ENHYPEN played ‘Tamed-Dashed’ during their ‘Walk The Line’ tour at AO Arena in Manchester (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
An extended electronic synth introduction plays out as the staggered-vocal single, ‘XO (Only If You Say Yes)’ begins, and it’s easy to see why this is a fan favourite.
Whether it’s the fact that it has an easy-to-follow but incredibly addictive chorus or due to it featuring on the soundtrack for the Netflix rom-com and To All The Boys I Loved Before spin-off, XO, Kitty.
Following this was the 2010s-reminiscent ‘Bad Desire (With or Without You)’, which felt like a callback to ex-boyband star Justin Timberlake and his return with magnum opus ‘Mirrors’.
This song warranted such a roar of cheers and applause that the band decided to give it a second play later in the set, although this time they opted for the English version, which was equally appreciated.
All seven members of ENHYPEN interacting with fans during their Manchester show (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
During interactions with fans between songs, ENHYPEN discuss what they recognise Manchester for, stating, “This city is really famous for its football”.
Instead of declaring their support for the reds or blues, the band opted for a smart and conscious, “We’ll leave it there” – well played, boys.
‘Paranormal’ signalled that this night of incredible dance-packaged music was coming to an end, but ENHYPEN’s version of an encore is much different to any other musical act.
These seven singing sensations decided to play not just one or two songs before saying goodbye to the Manchester crowd, they opted for five plus – phenomenal.
Hannah Starkie -
29th July 2021 
