BIG STIR DIGITAL SINGLES

In November of 2018, Big Stir Records launched its Digital Singles Series. Since that time, we've released over 60 A-sides and B-sides. They've encompassed big names and rising stars, garnered worldwide airplay and rave reviews, and resulted in a celebrated series of CD compilations of which we're unspeakably proud. The Singles Series has become an ongoing diary of the very best of the global pop rock scene.

Why did we embark upon this enterprise? Well, we got to thinking. The best thing about music on the internet is that it's IMMEDIATE. That means anyone who comes up with a timely tune can record it and get it out there right away. The worst thing is that it's EPHEMERAL and we've seen brilliant one-off tunes not getting the attention they deserve because of the blink-and-you-miss-it pace of social media.

Befitting the core mission of Big Stir and everything we do, we believe these artists and these tunes deserve more attention, so BIG STIR DIGITAL SINGLES is our attempt to showcase them for more listeners. Our physical CD compilations of the series will continue to be issued as we go along, to give these tracks a permanent home... visit our Store to order the discs of the BIG STIR SINGLES collection!

ROSIE ABBOTT, "Hold On" (BSDS-0096, September 26 2020)

Hold On (Big Stir Digital Single No. 96)

Rosie Abbott

It's another Surprise Saturday Single from Big Stir Records, and today we bring you new music from ROSIE ABBOTT! This marks the first time we're able to offer tunes from an artist we not only admire and adore, but who was the in fact a protagonist on one of our previous releases – even if you don't know Rosie's work, you might recognize her name from the lyrics of “Skylarks of Britain”, a much-loved track on our recent album release from THE CORNER LAUGHERS. “Hold On” b/w its exclusive B-side “I Don't Mean to Block Your Sunlight” is up for download at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles right now.

Rosie Abbott is a multi-instrumental artist from Nottingham, UK, currently living in Chesterfield in North East Derbyshire. She writes, performs, records and masters all of her own material, with a retro-influenced but difficult to pigeonhole sound. She's about to release her third album MAGNIFIED on October 2... it's already gotten an 5-star review from SHINDIG! Magazine in her native UK. Our A-side “Hold On” is the second advance single from the album and offers a sampling of what to expect. “I was chasing quite a stripped back and slinky production sound for this track and so it's mostly built around bass, drums and organ. I wanted to throw in some unusual chord sequences (my favourite thing to do) and you really notice them when the strings come in on the second half of the song. The lyrics came out as a stream-of-consciousness style flow. It's a sort of gentle pep talk to myself or anyone else who might be feeling a bit stuck in a rut.”

The utterly charming B-side “I Don't Mean To Block Your Sunlight” is exclusive to this release. “It's a track that almost made it onto my last album but I ran out of space,” says Abbott. It's quite a poppy tune on the surface, but the lyrics are actually quite dark and about possessiveness. As usual I was a one-woman-band and I played each individual instrument.”

Rosie's full-length album Magnified will be released on 2nd October 2020 and will be available as CD or download, along with her full back catalog, at her Bandcamp page:

www.rosieabbott.bandcamp.com

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Hold On 2:14

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I Don't Mean To Block Your Sunlight 2:34

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THE BROTHERS STEVE, "Beat Generation Poet Turned Assassin" (BSDS-0095, September 25 2020)

Beat Generation Poet Turned Assassin (Big Stir Digital Single No. 95)

The Brothers Steve

The BIG STIR RECORDS SINGLES SERIES reaches its milestone 100th release with a double-barreled blast of “Beat Generation Poet Turned Assassin” from THE BROTHERS STEVE! The new single – out Friday, September 25 and up for pre-order right now at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles – features two versions of the tune, the “Unabridged” track as it appears on their debut album #1, and the brand new exclusive “Abridged” version on the virtual flip side. Both feature the blend of bubblegum and snarl that made #1 a highlight of this crazy year... the B-side's just got more of it!

Let's talk about all the paradoxes that make this the quintessential release for the Year of Cognitive Dissonance: The “Abridged” version of “BGPTA” is crytically longer than the “Unabridged” version because it's got... well, a bridge, loaded with face-melting phased guitar and half-time menace, before the song swings back into its ultra-catchy (but also somewhat sinister) chorus, with a bit of bonus organ for good measure. Also, puzzlingly, the new version is arguably the original arrangement. The single itself is either the third or fourth single from the record. And keen-eyed fans will note that this is labeled as Big Stir Single No. 95, but it is, as advertised, the 100th Single in our series (thanks to a few bonus releases along the way). Welcome to the paradox that IS The Brothers Steve... we wouldn't have it any other way.

It's the mysterious Os Tyler on the lead vocals here, backed by TSAR stars Jeff Whalen (guitars, vocals), Steven Coulter (drums) and Jeff Solomon (bass) plus fifth Brother Dylan Champion on guitar and backing vocals. The entire #1 album has been hailed as a stack of singles waiting to happen: in recent reviews, Dagger 'Zine sums it up as “10 songs in all on here and not a bummer in the bunch”, and Musocribe notes “The title and refrain of one of the album’s strongest cuts exclaims, 'We Got the Hits,'... in terms of quality, The Brothers Steve deliver on that promise.” So here's the next hit from TBS, in both forms of its glory... enjoy it with or without a heavy psych interlude, or have it both ways... the choice is yours!

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Beat Generation Poet Turned Assassin (Unabridged) 2:58

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Beat Generation Poet Turned Assassin (Abridged) 3:38

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IRENE PEÑA, "It Must Be Summer" / "The Summer Place" (BSDS-0094, September 19 2020)

It Must Be Summer / The Summer Place (Big Stir Digital Single No. 94)

Irene Peña

Today marks the immediate release of a very special BIG STIR RECORDS “Bonus Single” from IRENE PEÑA and her band. “It Must Be Summer” b/w “The Summer Place” are out at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles right now. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE fans will immediately recognize that this summer themed project is a tribute in remembrance of Adam Schlesinger, and comes at the end of the strange sad summer in the year since his passing due to complications from COVID-19. We are honored to bring you these interpretations of a pair of FOW classics.

Hot on the heels of her cover of Tom Petty's “I Won't Back Down” recently released on Futureman Records, Irene and her remotely-distanced band recorded these tracks while quarantined. The players here include John Borack (Popdudes, The Armoires) on the drums, Jeff Colchamiro and Ron Allen on guitar, Steve Zeilman on bass and Irene herself on vocals.

Since the independent release of her debut album Nothing To Do With You in 2011, singer-songwriter Irene Peña has maintained a more-than-steady relationship with pop music. Planting her roots in Seattle, she's mastered the art of converting her jangly power pop tunes to acoustic sets that have managed to rise above the din of espresso machines. She's also kept a pocketful of bandmates close by to rock the local venues when possible, and her connections with musicians on the global guiarar pop scene (like the fine players on both sides of this single) allow her to genuinely rock even during the pandemic era.

Irene has continued to tour (in-person and virtually) and promote her original tunes, while recording and releasing her well-received Trying Not To Smile EP in 2017.

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It Must Be Summer 2:53

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The Summer Place 3:28

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NICK FRATER, "Let's Hear It For Love" (BSDS-0093, September 18 2020)

Let's Hear It For Love (Big Stir Digital Single No. 93)

Nick Frater

With less than a week before the release of NICK FRATER's new album FAST & LOOSE, BIG STIR RECORDS is proud to announce the first official single from the record, “Let's Hear It For Love”... along with an exclusive non-album B-side featuring Nick covering the Gilbert O'Sullivan classic “Alone Again (Naturally)! Both sides are out Friday, September 18 and are up for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles right now.

“Let's Hear It For Love” has already been racking up international airplay since the announcement of FAST & LOOSE (which is out this Saturday, September 19, and up for pre-order on CD and digital formats at www.bigstirrecords.com/store now). And it's already been cited as just the first of the many should-be-massive radio-ready hits that make up the record. It's easy to see why, too – Nick's soaring but ever so slightly arch vocal tops an ace arrangement that's instantly inviting and sophisticated... but also possesses the immediacy and energy of the “fast and loose” recording approach from which the record takes its name.

The wonderful cover tune on the B-side was crafted by Nick for the occasion of the 100th episode of I DON'T HEAR A SINGLE's Audio Extravaganza program in Frater's native England. It's never seen official release before, and we're proud to give it a place in the Singles Series. For what might have been a one-off, it drips with the emotion and attention to detail that characterize Nick's music, especially when taking on an iconic hit song. And it's further evidence, if any is needed, that Frater's own work stands... well, naturally beside the best of the '7os radio classics from which he draws so much inspiration.

FAST & LOOSE is fast approaching and we at Big Stir Records can't wait for you to hear it in full, but for now, let's hear it for “Let's Hear It For Love”!

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Let's Hear It For Love 3:14

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Alone Again (Naturally) 4:02

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