Fake Laugh has confirmed details of his debut album. The self-titled record will be released on July 28 via Headcount Records. The self-titled album arrives as the delicate accumulation of years of experimentation. Unfurling slowly, the full length has been a gradual process: part playfulness, part search for pop perfection. Tuning into the digital disconnect of contemporary life, the album is a vivid rummage through the familiar worlds of love, confusion and self-questioning, refocused through the bright lens of Berlin-born, London-based artist Kamran Khan.

Currently touring as a member of The Japanese House, and having previously played in Lovepark, Khan has been tirelessly grasping time in between for writing and recording whenever possible. A busy 2016 saw Khan release the energetic Ice EP, the bubbly trepidation of double A-side 'Mind Tricks/Birdsong Lullaby' and the more complex and serene Great Ideas EP. All three were important steps towards setting the foundations for his debut album.

Khan confesses that once upon a time Fake Laugh was “a bit of fun on the side”. However, now with the project his sole focus, there’s a revitalised commitment to recording that saw him finishing the album this year. Working with producer Theo Verney (Traams, O.Chapman), Khan brought the intimacy of his bedroom recordings and sentimental lyrics to glistening pop melodies that belie a much bigger and more accomplished sound.

Inspired by the likes of Broadcast and Beach House, Verney and Khan looked to create something opaque but gripping. Or as Khan puts it: "ambitious good pop songs".

 “I wanted to make a point of writing more traditional and direct songs” he explains. “I wanted to make sure that every part I wrote for each instrument was as melodious as possible. That sort of super satisfying feeling you can get from music sometimes is the aim for to me. The challenge is being able to hit that spot.”

The result is a record that flows with a wise but youthful abandon, hinting at latter Belle & Sebastian records that retained their adolescent flare and longing. Khan’s big gestures on the record utilise a dreamy sense of crushed idealism, finding a delicately balanced juxtaposition between hope and despair amidst the deceptively radiant guitar tones.

Fake Laugh presents eleven tracks of unbridled pop hooks; a melodic sense of escapism, echoing with poignant refrains and thoughtful musings. He invites you to get lost, and be found again, all within the compact universe of his sun-dappled and thoroughly captivating debut full-length.

Fake Laugh track list:

1. Melt (Lyric video)

2. Short of Breath

3. Kinda Girl

5. As I Get To Know You Better

5. Hiding Place

6. Freely

7. You Will Find Out

8. Wouldn’t Bother

9. Physical (ft Soph Nathan)

10. You Do Know

11. Time to Die

Fake Laugh live dates:

31 Jul Nottingham Rough Trade

1 Aug London Rough Trade East

Panda Cult are a new band fresh out of Merseyside bringing cool, indie-pop vibes to the UK with ‘Blue Angel’ their second release.

The perfect summer tune with hints of Metronomy and epic ‘80s bands like Tears for Fears, Hue & Cry and Go West. Despite having been officially formed in March they’ve already garnered immediate buzz across Liverpool and the North West having played Sound City, they plan to follow the footsteps of their friends in Paris Youth Foundation in the whole re-bourgeoning of the Liverpool indie scene. 

Panda Cult are four friends who create music purely out of love and passion for music. Their live set is energetic, searing and tight. They’ve also recently caught the eye of their local BBC Introducing, where they were invited in for an interview after being heavily featured on the show. New on the scene, the band are yet to travel the country with their music but vow to do so soon. Meantime those in Liverpool or passing through would be smart to catch them at the Hope and Glory Festival in Liverpool on the 6th August.