Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me by Porridge Radio

Porridge Radio, the indie rock trio out of Brighton, England, made a pretty big splash on the 2022 Top 31 with their third album, Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky showing up at #12. And now they’re back, two years later, with an even better album here at #11: Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me, their 4th LP in their 10-year history.

There are some great singles on Waterslide, but Clouds holds together as a single idea, executed well. After touring extensively throughout 2022 in support of the last album, Dana Margolin, the band’s dynamic, deep voiced lead singer and principal songwriter, returned home and shortly thereafter split up with her partner. It is from the ashes of that exhausting tour and subsequent breakup that Clouds sprang. When describing the band to new listeners, I more often than not say “they’re the second coming of Modest Mouse, with a female lead.” But really that’s only because the person I most want to compare her to is Spencer Krug (as seen back at #14), but it’s impossible to compare one unknown tortured singer/songwriter to another without causing confusion. Margolin is a powerful voice, singing about universally felt emotions, creating songs like no other female-led band in the 20’s.

I’m excited to see Porridge Radio for the second time, in just a couple weeks from now. The last time I saw them was in 2022 during the band’s torrid stretch of worldwide touring. Margolin had recently shaved her head bald, and the show was a blast, but it wrecked the band members by the end of the tour. Looking at the current videos, it appears that she’s got shoulder length hair now, and looking a bit more stable. Check out the video above for “A Hole in the Ground,” or for the lead single from the album, for the song “Sick of the Blues,” and you’ll get a good glimpse of their stage presence. I suppose looks can be deceiving, as the band announced on January 15 that they’ll be splitting up after this tour. No reasons given.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Porridge Radio (@porridgeradi0)

I hope the rationale for closing up the Porridge Radio shop is something innocuous. But since no reason was given, my gut says it’s something more, something dire. You don’t step away from your still up-and-coming band without a lot of introspection and difficulty. I’m glad they’re not so bad they have to cancel the tour. I do wish them well. And, like Spencer Krug being the heart of Sunset Rubdown, Margolin is the heart of Porridge Radio – the songs and the sound they evoke are hers, so I suspect (and very much hope) we’ll be hearing more from her in another capacity soon.

__________________________________________

Subscribe to the Top 31 playlists!

Full Albums
All albums in their entirety

Radio Station
The best song pulled from each album

View all previous years’ Top 31s

Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio

When I moved to Seattle in 1997, I was introduced to a a few things in quick succession that opened my eyes to the world of music. First came “public radio:” kexp.org. Prior to then, I had no idea there could be radio without commercials screaming at you. Next came “club shows.” I’d been to a few concerts, some even in smaller venues (Tori Amos in the 250 person Sooner Theatre in 1992 being my first ever concert), but the idea that a venue existed where different bands performed multiple times a week was entirely foreign to me prior to moving to Seattle. And finally, “local music.” Of course I knew a band or two locally in Oklahoma, but the idea that a city could sustain multiple bands playing multiple venues around town regularly and only rarely escape the city limits was beyond my comprehension.

It was there, in those formative, new-to-Seattle days that my love of indie rock solidified. Sky Cries Mary, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, Damien Jurado, Modest Mouse — these bands were all essentially in my back yard, any one of them playing a show nearby on any given weekend, along with countless other, less well-known but still equally as-good bands.

Into this miasma of fuzz is where my hearing-deprived brain wants to throw the band who occupies the #12 spot on the 2022 Top 31, despite the band being from nowhere near Seattle, and with over 20 years separating me from those formative days of my youth. Porridge Radio, from Brighton, England, are a throwback to an era not too far away in spirit, but far enough away to be able to legally drink in the US.

Led by the dynamic singer / songwriter / lead guitarist Dana Margolin, Porridge Radio brings a heavy amount of spite and angst to their songs that feels urgent and unbridled. Behind her is Georgie Stott on keyboards, Maddie Ryall on bass, and drummer Sam Yardley. Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky is the band’s third LP since forming in 2015. Their last album, the critically acclaimed Every Bad, came out March 13, 2020, exactly six days before I packed up my desk and told my boss “I have to worry about my family, I’m going to work from home for the next couple weeks.” According to Pitchfork, Margolin had already started writing “Back to the Radio,” featured in the video above, when Every Bad came out.

Go ahead and hit play on the video above. It has all the things I love about indie rock – fuzzed out, strong guitars; heavy drums that start out low and build; and a dynamic, charismatic hero/heroin at the fore, giving it their all. Multiple songs on the album convey this same feeling. Together, the album is a real triumph. I haven’t yet heard Every Bad, but a few months ago I did get to see Porridge Radio live on an actual stage. Barboza was packed, with its low ceiling and narrow build, and Margolin filled it out wonderfully. I can’t wait to experience it again. Prepare yourself as well – listen to the album, and then go with me the next time they come through town.

__________________________________________

13. I Walked with You a Ways by Plains
14. The Last Goodbye by Odesza
15. A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile
16. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
17. Inside Problems by Andrew Bird
18. Laurel Hell by Mitski
19. Full Moon Project by Phosphorescent
20. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.
21. I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
22. Too Much to Ask by Cheekface
23. Dripfield by Goose
24. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
25. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood
26. NOT TiGHT by DOMi & JD BECK
27. Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
28. Live at KEXP, vol. 10 by Various Artists
29. All You Need Is Time by Daisy the Great
30. Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
31. CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

There are many ways to listen to the 2022 Bacon Top 31. Subscribe now and enjoy the new albums / songs as they are revealed on the countdown!

Full Album
All albums in their entirety.

Radio Station
A single song selection pulled from each album.

View all previous Bacon Top 31s

#11 on the 2024 Bacon Top 31 — Porridge Radio

#12 on the 2022 Bacon Top 31 — Porridge Radio