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| Photo - Jenna Elson |
With heavy eyes and an open heart, Boorloo/Perth-based singer-songwriter sleepy soph awakens with her debut EP ‘lucky’, out today Friday, November 28.
sleepy soph creates songs that feel like pages from a diary written at golden hour, that are shared in a dozy blend of indie folk and alternative pop. Moving through daydreaming bedroom intimacy to bright beams of energy, the record captures the soft, reflective moments that come with growing up and learning to let go. Speaking on the EP, Sophie states:
"My debut EP ‘lucky’ is a reflection on what it feels like to navigate my early twenties. I tried to capture the fleeting moments that define this time; falling in love again, losing and gaining friendships, and the growing pains that come with figuring out who you are."
Built around delicate guitars, airy vocals and laidback rhythms, ‘lucky’ moves with lazy ease and a cosy warmth. Opening with the gentle sounds of ‘leave it’, one of two tracks previously released from the EP, Sophie explores the emotional complexities of letting go of friendships that no longer serve us. Like overhearing her play in her own bedroom, soft layers of harmonies wrap around her dulcet vocals before the song shifts and is joined by drums, subtle ambient textures, and an overdriven electric guitar.
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| Photo - Artemis Szekir-Rigas |
Artist and producer Austel (Annie Rew Shaw) shares her divine new single ‘The Beach in December’ ahead of her upcoming live show at The Waiting Room on the 4th of December with Arthur Squawks. The new single arrives alongside a gorgeously nostalgic music video shot with her brother Louie on Brighton beach on an old camcorder. Sharing more, Austel said: This song has a very specific sense of place for me, but it's also about reflection and looking back. So it felt fitting to retrace the steps of the journey within the video.'
Rich, soothing instrumental and meticulous lyricism reflect on the lasting impact that childhood has on our adult relationships. Beautifully cinematic, Austel wrote the track after a fleeting summer romance in Brighton ended amicably but sadly. Sharing more, she said: ‘I returned to the beach during the winter months (Bon Iver season) and reflected on how our childhood experiences impact how we move through the world. I decided to record the entire journey from Brighton beach to the train station, then the train back to London, on a Zoom recorder. I wanted to create a memory for people to get lost in for a few minutes - travelling with the song along the beach, on the train. It still evokes a lot of memory - it’s a bit of a time capsule, which I think is the work of the field recordings.’
The release of ‘The Beach in December’ marks a new chapter for Austel. Now exploring the folkier intimacies of the guitar, she is developing a very personal sound that preserves a very spacious and open feeling. Her extensive production work has seen her sound and talents continually expand over the years, honing her ability to create polished, indie-folk outputs that shine with an unmistakable texture and warmth. The track was mixed by Grace Banks (FKA Twigs, Jockstrap, Paloma Faith, Hozier) and mastered by Katie Tavini (Shura, Los Bitchos, Arlo Parks).
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| Photo - Josh Kolby |
Burned-out mathematician turned indie-soul artist Jeremy Voltz returns with "Feel It All," a deeply introspective track about the struggle to care for someone despite anger, distance, and the vulnerability that comes with connection. As the latest release from Voltz's 2025 music campaign, the single captures the push and pull of human relationships – tender, complicated, and ultimately unbreakable.
"The song came from a rocky relationship with a friend," Voltz shares. “I tried for almost a year to distance myself and keep safe at arm's length. But I realized that no matter how hard I tried not to care about my friend, I couldn't stop. My anger had dried up without me noticing, and I even tried to cling to it so I wouldn't have to care, because caring is hard. But ultimately, care blooms in spite of our best efforts."
Uniquely, this is the first song Voltz has ever released that he created on an Akai MPC – the legendary drum machine and sampler made famous by J Dilla and first discovered by Voltz through Dilla's influence on D'Angelo's music. "It's an amazing new way to create away from my guitar," he shares. "The track inspired the lyrics, which is usually the other way around for me. When I came up with the beat, these emotions and lyrics flowed out of me almost instantly."
Voltz adds, "The message of the song is that you can try as much as you want to harden yourself, to not care, but care and concern grow in spite of yourself. Like a flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk."
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| Photo - Zoe Ardiff. |
Dublin’s KK Lewis returns after a four-year hiatus with ‘Pigeon Man’ - a tender piano ballad of youthful heartbreak. Marking her first release in four years, Dublin artist KK Lewis makes a powerful comeback with ‘Pigeon Man’ out yesterday (November 27th). The single signals the beginning of a new era for the rising Irish talent, one that captures the bittersweet space of being in your twenties, caught between girlhood and adulthood.
Originally emerging as one of Ireland’s most exciting new voices, KK was named ‘One to Watch’ by Hot Press (2021) and quickly gained recognition from the likes of Notion Magazine, Earmilk, The Thin Air, Nialler 9 and Ones To Watch, and national radio. Following the success of her acclaimed debut EP ‘Dreaming’ in 2021, she now steps back into the spotlight with ‘Pigeon Man’, a song that feels both intimate and timeless.
Recorded with Daniel Da Burca (Amble) in Drogheda, mixed by Joseph Rodgers (beabadoobee, Rina Sawayama), and mastered by JHJ (Olivia Dean, Adele, London Grammar) ‘Pigeon Man’ is an evocative piano ballad inspired by classic Disney romance and soul, while echoing the emotional depth of modern storytellers like Adele. The song revisits KK’s first heartbreak - breaking up with her first boyfriend in Dublin’s St. Stephen’s Green, left standing beside the familiar figure of the “pigeon man” feeding birds. The result is a stripped-back yet cinematic sound that bridges nostalgia with raw emotion.
Talking about the single, KK Lewis says, “This song represents more than just a heartbreak - it’s about growing up. Everyone remembers their first heartbreak, that moment you realise love isn’t the perfect thing you imagined it to be. I remember how lost I felt at the time, having lost friends too, but I also remember how important my girls were. Female friendships soften the heartbreak, the confusion, the rejection - they remind you that you’re not alone. I recorded the song with my good friend Tadhg (SexyTadhg), who helped me arrange it and translate that heartbreak-romantic feeling into the piano part. We tracked it pretty much live in a studio up in Dundalk, spending the whole day keeping it minimal and intimate - as if you were hearing it in the room, without being overly produced.”
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Eugene McGuinness is an inventive songwriter and performer, known for his wry, nimble lyricism and blending retro influences with contemporary sounds to create his unique brand of off-kilter pop.
“London” is the majestic new single from the returning Eugene McGuinness. Adorned with sweeping string sections and lovelorn lyricism, the latest from the breakthrough talent is both a stirring paean, and playful personification of the capital. London is where McGuinness was born and currently resides, but one he’d never really call ‘home’ - despite his deep affection for the city. Born to Irish parents, his complex relationship with London is considered in this lyrically personal - yet universal - exploration.
“You and I go back a long time // We braved the rain and bathed in sunshine // But you walk all over me sometimes” quips McGuinness here. McGuinness' wry lyrical flair is once again flaunted in this 'widescreen romance' about displacement and uncertainty. Capturing the dichotomous nature of London - both its fun, vibrant and romantic surface; and its hard, bleak and intolerant underbelly - it’s a song that muses themes of identity and belonging, of where you come from and where you're going, in a place that can seem to be fighting against you.
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We featured The Chemistry Set a few days ago & at the time gave some background & we quote "The cult London psychedelic scientists have quite a history…founded by Dave Mclean and Paul Lake in 1987, The Chemistry Set's discography now stands at 54 releases and, since their comeback in 2008, every single and album have 'sold out' on release. For some inexplicable reason, they’ve given Fruits de Mer exclusive rights to pretty much everything they’ve released since they got back together – in fact, we created the ‘Regal Crabomophone’ label specifically for the band"
We now have a video for The Tragic Fridge Magnet and & band member Paul Lake explains… “Whenever my wife and I go on holiday we always buy a fridge magnet. We’ve done this for many years from way back on family breaks when our kids were little and it’s become a bit of an obsession.
Now we have a fridge plastered with the things…which is great when they relate to somewhere you enjoyed, but a few remind you of a holiday that maybe was not so good, so I try not to look at those ones, but can’t bring myself to remove them.
Now suppose you bought one that was really an ancient amulet from the days of the Pharaohs that had been nicked from a tomb, stuck to a magnet, inscribed with the words “Hello from Cairo” and sold for a few quid in a local souk? It could happen, right? Now that would be tragic wouldn’t it? Both for the magnet with its terrible fall from grace and possibly for you…if it were cursed…..look what happened to Lord Carnarvon!”
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