Showing posts with label Kaleida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kaleida. Show all posts

Monday, 27 January 2025

Magana - Kaleida - Luna Morgenstern - Stergin - flipturn

Magana - Shower Song / Half To Death.

‘Bad News’ is a new EP from Magana, the solo project of acclaimed LA-based multi-instrumentalist and photographer Jeni Magaña. Best-known as the current bassist and backing vocalist for Mitski (recently performing on the “Coyote, My Little Brother” / “Buffalo Replaced” single), Magaña is also one-half of the pen pin pop duo with Emily Moore, and has previously played with Lady Lamb, amongst others.

In March, she returned to the Magana project after a three-year-absence with the critically acclaimed ‘Teeth’ LP, which reunited her with Audio Antihero Records (Frog / CIAO MALZ / Nosferatu D2) who issued her ‘Golden Tongue’ debut in 2016. Released to coincide with the peak illumination of the Worm Moon, her return was marked with a “Witchy Rock” sound that combined Acid Folk, Synth Pop, and Indie Rock. Magaña followed this in October with ‘DREAMS,’ a multimedia project released via the UK’s Hand Drawn Hand label, which combined Ambient Electronic music with a spoken word dream diary and a book of her photography.
 
The ‘Bad News’ EP is her third release in a ten month period, and is considered the final part of the 'Teeth trilogy.' Teasingly described by Magaña as “Cozy Core” and “Winter Pop,” these four songs see her return to the singer-songwriter focus of works like ‘Golden Tongue’ and ‘Teeth’ but strip away the Rock and Ambient layers, so to emphasize words, meaning, honesty, and change.

"This EP is the last of what I think of as an interconnected trio of releases. 'Teeth' was made for spring, a period of growth. It was expansive and exploring. 'DREAMS' was made for fall. It was about dusk, the dawning of the restful months. 'Bad News' is made for that period of time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Stillness before movement. Each song is about the period of time right before a transition: the realization that change is coming or that it needs to come. As the most lyrically driven of the releases, it is mostly about storytelling. I think of each track as a vignette of a moment in time for four different stories." – Jeni Magaña.


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Kaleida - Chalong.

Fresh off the heels of their album ‘In Arms’ and the subsequent tour through Europe and North America, Kaleida (Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder) announce ‘In Arms (Deluxe Version)’, out now via Embassy One. Alongside an unreleased track ‘Chalong’, all five bonus tracks of the upcoming deluxe album – live studio takes of ‘Don´t Turn Me Out’ and ‘Hollow’ as well as stripped down piano versions of ‘Hansaplast’ and ‘Seagull Nun’ – are a testament to the immediacy of transatlantic duo’s stage-presence and the emotional resonance of their songwriting, not to mention their ability to reinvent themselves.

“We're glad to share this one with the world... We made it on the last day in the studio during one of our writing trips... Just a spontaneous creation and it feels good to share it with you and let it be free.” – Kaleida on ‘Chalong’

The discovery of a new artistic frontier is evident on the hypnotic microhouse opener ‘Chalong’ that sees Kaleida thriving in the twilight zone between pulsating club sound and meditative electronica. Christina Wood’s lullabylike chant front and centre with a cavernous, sixteenth note dotted bassline, Cicely Goulder wraps up Wood’s sibilant vocal tone in gauzy synth chords, an intricate texture that is soon juxtaposed with a dynamic interplay between arpeggiated guitar licks and percussive patterns, which lends the track an air of mystery and allure.



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Luna Morgenstern - heartbreak hotel.

Songwriter and producer Luna Morgenstern just released her new EP 'heartbreak hotel', alongside a spellbinding new video for the EP's title track - directed by Anna van der Velde - capturing the stark, untamed beauty of Iceland's volcanoes, glaciers, and endless black beaches.

The juxtaposition of club music with raw, biographical lyrics is at the heart of Luna Morgenstern's new EP, 'heartbreak hotel'. Documenting an unraveling of a long-term relationship, each song opens the door to another room within the metaphorical ‘heartbreak hotel’, reflecting on the intricate emotional stages of two people parting ways.

Taking cues on her production from sources including Imogen Heap, Caroline Polachek, Taichu and ML Buch, Luna Morgenstern fuses alt-pop heartbreak with late '90s rave and early '00s club influences.

Speaking more on the video for the EP's stunning title track "heartbreak hotel", Luna said: "For these visuals I partnered up with Anna Van der Velde, a multidisciplinary artist, director and wonderful human being whom’s otherworldly visual handwriting fascinated me from the first time I discovered her work. We immediately connected creatively and personally and from that mutual trust we were able to build a visual world that beautifully reflects ‘heartbreak hotel’. At first, I was really stuck on recreating the ‘heartbreak hotel’ I had imagined while writing the record. But I am glad that I let go of that literal translation and trusted Anna with her vision: To travel to Iceland and let the otherworldly landscapes represent the different stages of grief on the record. So we flew all the way to Iceland, travelled the island in a rental car and shot as we went. We were shooting in freezing cold and windy conditions - it felt like a transformative experience that we went through together. In a way, I was able to relive some of the pain in a physical way and could let go of it."

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Stergin - Here And Now.

Stergin, the eclectic indie artist known for genre-bending explorations, is set to release brand new EP “Here”. Written over a reflective and wildly creative 10-day residency on the Atlantic island of Gomera, “Here" embodies the joy and curiosity of its surroundings—surf pop vibes, playful synths, and dreamy vocal choirs.

With only a laptop, microphone, mini keyboard, and beat-up guitar, Stergin has crafted songs that are fun, whimsical, and textured with sounds both intimate and psychedelic. Expect indie rock and twee pop riffs, mingling with surf and chamber psychedelic twists—a mix aptly being named “Napoleon Dynamite in band form”.

The EP’s track, “Roly Poly,” captures a memorable moment from Stergin’s island life. Each night, he encountered a troop of tiny centipedes (affectionately nicknamed Roly Polies), which he carefully escorted outside before bed. “At first, I was a bit horrified,” Stergin laughs, “but eventually, we made peace. Now they have a song!”

Each track on “Here" will launch individually on streaming platforms starting 24th January 2025, released every six weeks, alongside the full EP also available for download on Bandcamp from 24th January. Listeners can expect music to dance to, dream with, and escape into... "Here" isn’t just an EP; it’s an invitation to get lost in music inspired by wind, waves, and an artist’s journey through grief and joy. This is the beginning of Stergin’s wild quest, offering a light, quirky, and soulful sonic adventure.

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flipturn - Burnout Days.

flipturn, have unveiled their new album Burnout Days via Dualtone Records. The 12 song collection finds the indie-rock powerhouse returning as sonic architects, harnessing their impressive knack for hooks, shimmering soundscapes and “nostalgia-inducing lyrical delivery” (Uproxx). Born from years on the road together, flipturn arrives with more grit, craft and vulnerability than ever before - a clear evolution in the band’s sound, and one that reflects their growth as musicians and individuals. The album has been lauded for its “rays of optimism” (SPIN), “irresistible hooks” (Consequence) and “infectious energy” (Luna Collective) via advance tracks and videos “Rodeo Clown,” “Juno” and "Sunlight.”

Featuring some of their most intimate and cathartic songs to date, Burnout Days recounts hours spent in vans, green rooms, and onstage, all while navigating life in their mid-20s and the constant twists and turns of an industry that can be far from compassionate. As SPIN Magazine puts it, the album is “shining a light on a personal subject.” Lead singer Dillon Basse’s story – from growing up immersed in Celtic folk, by way of his mother, to supporting her through a sobriety journey – is one theme at the heart of the collection.

“‘Burnout Days’ feels like a further push into what our sound can be, whilst also staying familiar to our roots.” says Basse. “Some themes that are explored that I find new for flipturn are toxic positivity, burnout, and acceptance of constant change…It's the most honest we’ve been to our audience about what life has looked like for us the last few years.”

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The Hengles - Books of Moods

The Hengles - Cover Up (Album). Experience a trip down memory lane with The Hengles' latest album, Cover Up. This Dutch indie band revi...