My Name Is Ian

As promised on this St David’s day, today’s featured band is based in Wales – the country of flowing hills, daffodils, and rugby. And my university years. Well, the band is sometimes based in Wales.

My Name Is Ian is another of the releasees of the Plymouth / Weymouth / Portsmouth bedroom label Art Is Hard. Less than me being biased for potential future sofa crashes, however, the regular posts on bands on this label has more to do with their quality. Honest! First appearing on their now sold-out first ever release – a compilation of south-west bands available through purchasing a t-shirt - the one-man band fronted by, you guessed it, Ian is now releasing his ‘Man Club’. A three-part series of cassette releases, the Man Club means that those who pay the £12.79 membership fee are posted the tapes (apparently all varying in genre) one by one, monthly, starting from today. Limited to 20, Art Is Hard warn that these memberships will be sold out very soon (and may even be already for all I know), although I’m sure the music will be available to non-members in digital form at some point also.

It’s another great idea from the label, and made even more appealing given that My Name Is Ian makes rather good music. Influences such as Daniel Johnston, Stanley Brinks, and the Wave pictures are fairly evident but an appreciating for the lo-fi sound has also got AIH stating that the cassettes will also be agreeable for fans of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Yuck, and Former Ghosts. Often fairly minimal, songs sometimes consist only of Ian’s downbeat vocals and sliding, echoing guitar lines – though they are just as likely to also be ridden with buzzing synth lines and twinkling bleeps. They’re wonderfully put together regardless of their means, though, as well as being honest and emotive songs and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Cardiff people who like Sweet Baboo will undoubtedly be fans, as will those who enjoy Voluntary Butler Scheme and all of those other bands that have been mentioned thus far. Find out more info on My Name Is Ian at Art Is Hard here and here. Preview some tracks below!

My Name Is Ian - If I Found Out I Was Termanilly Ill
[taken from cassette #3]

My Name Is Ian - Staring at the Sun
[taken from cassette #1]

My Name Is Ian - Give it a Year
[taken from cassette #2]

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