LeftLion's Latest Listens #31: Notts music we're currently spinning

Single: Sancho Panza - Your Place or Mine

Make no mistake, Sancho Panza are a band going places. This Nottingham-based four piece have been playing to sell-out crowds at The Bodega and Rescue Rooms, as well as being hailed as the "coolest guys in the city" by the Rough Trade venue in Broad Street. Local hero Jake Bugg was also impressed by the band, describing them as as "one of the most exciting artists in Nottingham" and securing airplay for them on BBC Radio 1.

This song might be short, coming in at under two minutes, but it packs an awful lot in during that time. Your Place Or Mine sure is catchy and hits the ground running, starting off with some persuasive percussive beats, reminiscent of a metronome. These persist throughout the song after the appearance of some funky guitar riffs in a song that has the potential to become an earworm to anyone who hears it. There are some nicely mixed effects in there, too, intricately combining guitars and electronic effects, adding colour and structure to a song which has a overall Indie sounding happy sing-along sound to it. @sanchopanzamusic (Claire Spencer)

Single: Parisa East - Ungrateful Sometimes

Parisa East is an artist who has the wonderful ability to convey a meaningful message clearly in her music in a delicate feminine manner. This is her second full release, in collaboration with Nottingham-based producers 80p & Chewsday, and is a song that gives hope to those who might find themselves in a dark place at some point in their lives.

Through the medium of her music she encourages us to hold out and look for the positives that we might find unexpectedly in our everyday surroundings. The song is driven by gentle vocals and a percussive beat that reinforces the ideas being conveyed in the lyrics: being grateful for all the wonderful things in creation. No matter how bad things might be, there are always those little things that we encounter that might brighten up our day.

This conscious lyricism is effortlessly carried along with laidback jazzy melodies and soulful vocals along with a sprinkling of 90’s hip hop vibes to create an overall soothing sound. @parisaeast (Claire Spencer)

Single: Fools & Sages - All That Could Have Been

Lush with cinematic textures and drenched in the mysticism and drama of their 70s influences, All That Could Have Been deftly blend operatic vocals and scuzzy, sharp-edged metal with the smoothness and reverb-soaked atmosphere of classic rock. The verses flow gorgeously, with twinkling arpeggios and softly sung words of longing. Tension is built so beautifully here, before being unleashed in the gonzo choruses. Grace Leah belts out her lyrics with fierce intent and no little skill, harmonising seamlessly with Connor Botherway-Hill to create an epic mood that befits the six-minute runtime. The song’s crescendo crashes like waves on a flood wall; it’s loud, transportative and crying out to be blasted in front of a huge crowd. The track then floats away on those arpeggios, tide receding having demonstrated the elemental power of an immediately exciting Derbyshire band. @foolsandsagesband (Kieran Lister)

Single: Blackadder - Canopy

Irresistible momentum and sun-soaked tropical imagery abound in Blackadder’s beautiful new release. Like the eponymous jungle canopy itself, this track is dense and vibrant, radiating an energy that’s impossible to ignore and all too easy to lose yourself in.

Canopy bounces along like a perked up slice of Four Tet, albeit one augmented with an impeccable injection of exuberant joy to move with. Chimes glint throughout, adding a delicacy to the underlying beats, while vocal samples fade in and out, keeping the music grounded and human. It’s in the latter half that the track truly takes flight though, with the sense of spaciousness opening upwards and outward, wings unfurling and transporting you into the vast bright expanse of open sky.

Absolutely a track for anyone wanting to exist in eternal summer. @blackadder.music (Kieran Lister)