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| Photo - Jacques Feeney |
Displaying a band hitting their stride as they find their sonic identity and deliver their most complete sounding work to date, the five track release comes fresh off the back of a UK tour with Iglu & Hartly. The EP showcases the quartet’s blend of 90's rock revival with a biting indie edge. Shimmering guitar work, melancholic, observational lyricism and melodies which are both emotionally resonant but also carry a commercial hook, the EP is at once musically vibrant, heartfelt and sincere.
From the driving, Sam Fender-esque new single ‘Godspeed’, to more intimate moments such as ‘A Thousand Faces’ and ‘Sing Me To Sleep’ the EP showcases the width of the band’s writing through some anthemic melodies and biting walls of guitars, punching drums and splashes of well placed keys and saxophone. Speaking about the EP Owen Castillo (singer & co-writer) explains: "A Guiding Lie, our debut EP, is a maturation of the sounds and themes we’ve been building towards for the past couple of years. It is an exploration of the isolation of modernity, the death of ambition and the universal lies we tell ourselves and each other to make sense of an uncaring world."
Stu Smith (guitarist & co-writer) adds: "The sonic landscape of this EP was largely inspired by the anthemic stadium-rock sound of bands like Kings of Leon and U2. Equally, we weirdly kept returning to Feeder while we were in the studio, who are without a doubt one of Owen & I's favourite British bands of the last twenty years (and so underrated!). These days though, you can’t escape Sam Fender. The way he seamlessly transitioned from 'indie darling' to arena rock between his debut and sophomore albums is impossible not to be inspired by as a small artist in the current landscape and we're huge fans of his writing. Some underlying textures on this EP, especially in the guitars, are my attempt at floaty shoegaze-esque leads to add more of a nostalgic edge, which is all thanks to the Slowdive albums I was spinning on repeat last summer.
We ultimately wanted to create an EP we felt was the sum of all our parts, songs that can stand the test of time that we can look back upon in years to come and still be proud of. Above all, we try to make music that anyone can connect with on a personal level, whatever their age or circumstance, attaching their own story to the lyrics and themes we write about."
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Singer-songwriter Jenna DeVries releases hauntingly beautiful new single "Flat Earth" and the single is out now. “Flat Earth” uses conspiracy theories as a metaphor for heartbreak, showing how doubt reshapes reality when trust breaks down. Sonically, the track leans into a cinematic and folky palette — built on acoustic guitar, warm piano, soft textures, and sweeping, intimate string arrangements — while still crossing genre lines in a way that feels fluid and expansive. While some of Jenna DeVries’ past releases have been unmistakably country, “Flat Earth” resists being boxed in, prioritizing feeling over format and letting the emotion lead.
Lines like “Maybe there was no man on the moon / Maybe birds are too good to be true / Powers that be aren’t what they seem / and you never really loved me,” spiral through impossible ideas before collapsing into emotional truth. The chorus lands with, “A flat earth isn’t hard to conceive / If the world’s full of dark mysteries / I’ll believe in the things I can’t see / If you never really loved me,” capturing the way heartbreak distorts logic and belief. The imagery expands even further — “Maybe aliens built the pyramids / and Atlantis is where they all hid / in the depths so nobody believes / and you never really loved me,” — reinforcing the song’s central idea: when trust fractures, even the most otherworldly explanations can feel real.
Already featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Country, Spotify’s All New Country, Apple Music’s New in Country, and Spotify’s New Music Friday Country, Jenna DeVries has quickly established herself as a compelling new voice with both industry and audience momentum. She first gained national attention as a Top 24 contestant on American Idol, introducing her powerful voice and storytelling instincts to a wide audience. Since then she has a growing presence across both mainstream and tastemaker platforms. Named an NSAI Songwriter to Watch, DeVries further cemented her arrival by landing a #1 video on CMT with Adam Mac for their collaboration “Chapel,” which held the top spot for two consecutive weeks.
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| Photo - Iona McLeod |
Rising duo Big Fear announce their explosive new single ‘Anger’ (24th April), as a precursor to their forthcoming EP New Hire. Produced by Charlie Andrew (alt-J, Wolf Alice, David Gilmour), the track showcases the band’s signature fusion of alt-pop dynamism, industrial-tinged synths, and visceral live instrumentation.
Fronted by the asexual, and endlessly expressive Alice Edwards, alongside multi-instrumentalist Jack Wilkinson, Big Fear craft searing narratives that confront contemporary culture with wit, rage, and vulnerability. ‘Anger’ channels a deeply personal, feminine fury, exploring the emotional toll of forced reinvention and unattainable expectations in relationships.
Alice explains: “Feminine rage, y’all. The woman who has to shed her skin between every relationship, forced into changing herself to be what is deemed desirable by the men she is trying to marry. One by one they will reject her, and she will drive herself mad over the failures. She cannot obtain love for who she is because she is never permitted to show herself, crafted into a new persona with each experience. She is forever angry at what the world does to her, she is forever mourning a happy marriage.”
Following their acclaimed debut EP ‘Career Day’, which surpassed 250,000 Spotify streams Big Fear continue to cement their status as one of the UK’s most urgent new acts. Their theatrical, glitter-streaked live performances have earned sold-out shows and national attention, with upcoming support slots for Dance Lessons in Oslo this April and a UK national headline tour set for September (Southampton, Bristol, Brighton, London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Northampton).
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Sin Cos Tan continue their Greed album with “Economy,” their fifth single to date. The track sharpens the album’s central themes around money, systems, and control into a clear, focused statement. Produced by Jori Hulkkonen and written by Juho Paalosmaa, it extends the duo’s internationally recognized electronic pop catalogue. The single is featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday and Apple Music New Music Daily, New In Electronic and New In Indie playlist here in Finland and in the Nordics.
Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their precise, measured approach to electronic pop, where classic songwriting and electronic production exist in careful balance. Their work draws from a distinctly European tradition while maintaining a clear and consistent identity across releases.
“Economy” approaches its subject without abstraction. The title is direct, and so is the perspective: money, systems, and the structures that shape individual choices. As part of Greed, the track sits within a broader exploration of power, ownership, and control, continuing the album’s restrained and observational tone.
Jori Hulkkonen’s production reflects more than three decades of international activity in electronic music, including releases on Laurent Garnier’s F Communications and collaborations with artists such as Goldfrapp, José González, Robyn, Chromeo, Kid Cudi, John Foxx, Lydia Lunch, and Tiga. His work has consistently moved between club culture and electronic pop without losing focus on form.
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Silva Emilia returns with “Pretty Little Life,” the second single from her upcoming debut album. The song is a tender, intimate ballad about the fragility of life, finding comfort, and learning to breathe through difficult moments. Written by Silva Emilia and released via All That Plazz, it continues the rise of a young singer-songwriter already gaining attention beyond Finland.
A touching and intimate ballad, Pretty Little Life reflects on the fragility of life, offering a sense of calm and acceptance without overstatement. It is the second single from Silva Emilia’s upcoming debut album, following earlier releases that have begun to build her profile beyond Finland.
Her debut single What If We Could Fly was featured prominently in the soundtrack of the Finnish-Swedish TV series Reindeer Mafia, bringing early international exposure. The previous single Secret Medicine further expanded her reach, receiving airplay on Sweden’s Radio Finska.
“Inspiration for the song came from a moment when I realized how limited life really is, and at the same time how beautiful it is that we get to live and breathe at all,” Silva Emilia says. “We go through so much, and not everything is in our control. Sometimes it’s important just to pause, breathe, and try to appreciate the journey. I wanted this song to feel like a warm embrace for anyone going through something difficult.”
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An emerging singer/songwriter that has already been hailed for her “immense talent” and “an artist who refuses to be defined by any one thing”, Cassandra Coleman has just released her brand new single “Dying Star.” Available everywhere through Warner Records, “Dying Star” finds Coleman with eyes on the horizon as she envisions a prescient visit with her future self. The lush, sweeping instrumentation soars beneath her ethereal vocals anchored by wisdom-seeking lyrics that grapple with fate, longing, and the search for meaning.
“‘Dying Star’ is a walk with the woman that I’ll become,” stated Coleman. “Curious of the knowledge that time has given her, I ask what the future holds. She reminds me that worry is a thief, time is an illusion, and the ones we love make the journey worth walking.”
After closing out a batch of tour dates with The Brook & The Bluff earlier this month, Coleman will hit the road in June supporting AMBLE. The run will take her through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Kansas City. She will also perform at this year’s Oceans Calling Festival in September along with Mumford & Sons, Gwen Stefani, and My Morning Jacket among many others.
“Dying Star” arrives after a series of new singles that have quickly established Coleman as one of indie-pop’s most compelling new voices. Her debut single “Coming of Age” was produced by Jack Antonoff and recorded with all the members of Bleachers at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The gorgeous, soul-searching epic prompted Rolling Stone to call it “a song that both mesmerizes and energizes” and “proves that folk pop can be thrilling.”
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