A. Johanson - Paul Maged - Future Cavemen - Miesha and The Spanks - Martha
Today A. Johanson releases his single 'Fragments'. After 'Parade' and 'Your Eyes' it is the third track from his debut album 'Who Are We Fooling'.
Fragments' is a true dark indie song, reaching straight for the heart. "It’s about how your life can feel as if it is broken into pieces when things are not lining up" says A. Johanson. The song pulsates through all these emotions with haunting vocals, building up to a carefully arranged moving string section.
If he could, he would take you on a road trip through the Scandinavian nature while listening to his music. Slowly evolving roots music in the car, a little folk song by the fireplace in a wooden hut, soaked in melancholy. That's what A. Johanson sounds like, an indie folk artist from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Whether it's just him and his guitar, or a soundscape where you can dream away.
After releasing his self-produced, recorded and mixed debut EP 'Little Lies' at the end of 2019 and scoring a streaming hit in 2020 with the song 'October, Halfway July', A. Johanson started working on his first full-length record in early 2021. This debut album, 'Who Are We Fooling', is expected to be released in October 2022.
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Veteran NYC-Based Singer Songwriter Paul Maged always has something profound to express, whether it's hard-hitting and politically charged or emotionally charged and positive. His hyper-catchy new single "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" leans towards the latter tendency, themed on gratitude and seizing the moment, a message we all could use right now. Paul's songwriting is about as versatile as they come, and this new single finds him stretching lyrically, musically, and generally in life as he finds the positive message within a space of doubt and fear. Paul's songwriting pedigree comes from artists like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Billie Joe Armstrong, all writers who evolve and adapt to modern times without shying away from speaking their truth. Effortlessly fresh, care-free, motivational and inspired, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the perfect anthem for these pessimistic times.
“After completing and releasing my last album, ‘Culture War’, I was emotionally spent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write or release any more music. At the same time I really started to reconnect to the energy of New York City. So many people wrote about the demise of NYC during the pandemic, saying it would never come back the same. But to me, it never left. I went to a bunch of my old stomping grounds and each one inspired something different in me. I started writing again and this song poured out of me in less than a couple of hours. Lyrically I wanted something that combined the romanticism and grittiness of NYC with feelings of positivity, love and gratefulness.”
“This new song has a real funky vibe. I wanted something different, not as hard-edged guitar wise. I wanted more of a groove, I wanted something that would emote toe taps and finger snaps.”
“I needed a fresh feel and vibe for this song so I wanted to work with someone new on the engineering side. I met Dan Konopka from the Grammy winning band ‘OK Go’ and we hit it off. Dan mixed and mastered the song and I feel like he captured the exact energy that I wanted”
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Following his beguiling EP ‘II’ released earlier this year, the new cut sees Future Cavemen blend enigmatic riffs with wonky electronics that tingle with electricity and squirm amidst fuzzy reverb and jangling percussion.
“Battle Scars” owes to a range of retro influences whilst simultaneously making a break for the offbeat allure of the future. Written in a 1970s block of flats hemmed in by Clissold Park on one side and continuous building works on the other, Future Cavemen explains of the track’s inception:
“Recording new ideas was tricky because there were only small windows of time to make noise without disturbing neighbours or having my efforts swallowed by relentless engine noise. I was getting into mangling electronic stock beats and making them my own. Taking something pristine, tame, pretty lifeless .. And making it raw and energetic, violent.”
With words that are just as intriguing as its melodies, “Battle Scars” comes as further evidence of the solo artist taking steps beyond his comfort zone and exploring ways of writing and music-making that go far beyond the norm. He adds:
“Lyrics just seem to happen like a subconscious brainstorm. In that sense, the song sort of writes itself. Bukowksi once said: ‘Don’t try. Not for Cadillacs, creation or immortality.’ I find this comforting.”
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On the heels of their April release ‘Dig Me Out’ - an emotional and heavy-hearted ode to the lost children of North American residential schools - Miesha & The Spanks are ready to shed some weight and break into summer with high energy new single ‘I Can’t Wait’.
Known for their bold and explosive sound, ’I Can’t Wait’ sees the pair deliver a fun and raucous slice of garage-rock gold, brimming with vibrant textures. Produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant and channelling their diverse array of power-pop and punk influences, this new release sees Miesha & The Spanks in renewed spirits - a taste of what’s to come as they work to complete their upcoming full length album.
On their new single, Miesha says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”
“I think writing I Can’t Wait had a particular challenge. It’s a song with so many good parts and it’s hard to not overplay on everything,” Sean elaborates on the recording process, “It would be fun to have rippin’ drum fills over all the pauses and screeching lead guitar over the chorus - but just getting out of the way of how the song naturally wanted to settle was the right thing to do.“
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Pity-Me, UK’s finest, Martha (come on, you know who they are by now) return with a brand new 7”! The A side is called “Beat, Perpetual”. Warning: it’s catchy.
The B side is called “Dreaming Out Loud”, is a cover of Wisconsin rock band Tenement, and is exclusive to this EP. Warning: it’s also catchy. This 7” is a one-time only pressing of 500 copies (300 on black, 200 on blue), and will never, ever be repressed. Order it through Dirtnap Records.
"Beat Perpetual" was recorded at JT Soar Nottingham. It was produced by 'Bad' Phil Booth and mixed by Phil along with Rich Collins and Rob Newman. It was mastered by Dave Williams. The B side is a cover of a song by the Wisconsin rock band Tenement. That one was recorded by Neil Combstock at Rocking Horse in Durham, and mastered by Dave Williams.
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