Annie Booth - Mrs. Henry - Big Little Lions - Kindsight - Prima Queen - SUEP

Photo - Brian Sweeney

Annie Booth - Tropic / Cocoon.

Annie Booth is an Edinburgh-based artist with a gift for mood-painting and storytelling. A seasoned singer, performer and songwriter - with a flair for the nostalgic and the melancholy - she wields a unique voice in Scotland, bridging genre and influence with ease. Her restless live performance and songs never cease to capture the listener with their haunting melodies and infectious arrangements. Recorded over several months at Chem19 Studios and Green Door, Booth’s sophomore album 'Lazybody' will be released on 19th November 2021 on limited edition vinyl, CD and download. 

The debut single 'Cocoon' from the album has already received support from the likes of  The Roddy Hart Show, Vic Galloway & Rapal on BBC Radio Scotland, Postcards From The Underground, Shereen & Phoebe on BBC Music Introducing, Fresh On The Net and Amazing Afternoons on Amazing Radio.

The singer-songwriter is also known for her enthusiasm for collaboration. From 2015 to 2020 she performed backing vocals and guitar with prolific dark-folk collective Mt. Doubt, touring across Scotland, England and Wales and recording on numerous records. 2020 saw the release of 'Clean Living' (Last Night From Glasgow) under the moniker Slow Weather: a vintage-infused EP of alt-rock co-written with producer extraordinaire Chris McCrory. The release garnered praise and spins from Steve Lamacq (BBC Radio 6), BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio as well as features and airplay in the US. Over the years Booth has also collaborated on tracks with artists such indietronica outfit Out of the Swim and indie pop quintet Wojtek the Bear.

Last Night From Glasgow · Annie Booth - Tropic

Last Night From Glasgow · Annie Booth - Cocoon

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Mrs. Henry - I Don't Want To Let You Go.

Rock band Mrs. Henry returns to the San Diego stage on November 28th to perform The Last Waltz at the Belly Up in Solano Beach. The Last Waltz was originally a farewell concert from The Band at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Thanksgiving of 1976. This performance will be Mrs. Henry’s second rendition of the show after their first recreation in 2017.

Mrs. Henry turned their last show for The Last Waltz into a full-blown celebration. Honing up to that celebration, this year's show will feature some of San Diego’s most notable musicians such as Jack Tempchin, Marc Ford, Isiah Mitchell, The Deca Dames, Mike Stax, Bryan Barbarin, Shane Hall, Jason Meyers, Clinton Davis, Murf McRee, Leonard Patton, Mike Pope, Anna Zinova, David Tcheng, and the Fresh Veggies Micro Brass Horn Ensemble. 

This accomplished lineup will make for an unforgettable night. In 2019, a documentary of their 2017 performance premiered at the Oceanside International Film Festival and has since been played at festivals around the world like Belgium, Australia, Wales, and Canada. In addition to their documentary, in 2019, Mrs. Henry released a cover album dedicated to their performance of The Last Waltz, which is available on streaming platforms.

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Big Little Lions - Extraordinary.

Big Little Lions continue their monthly releases with 'Extraordinary' which is out Thursday, November 18th.

Extraordinary is an upbeat, uplifting tune about becoming who you were always meant to be. It's about breaking free from self imposed obstacles, to become extraordinary.

Big Little Lions is the fabulous songwriting duo of Helen Austin and Paul Otten.

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Kindsight - Don't You Grow Up.

Danish indie-rock four piece Kindsight has shared new single ‘Don’t You Grow Up’. Kindsight’s music draws from 80’s and 90’s alternative rock and combines it with the shimmering Scandinavian pop that the region has become so renowned for, resulting in a sound that is both fuzzy and melodic in equal measure.

Kindsight formed when front-woman Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen and guitarist Søren Svensson bonded over a shared love of The Sugarcubes. They went on to recruit bass player Anders Prip and drummer Johannes Jacobsen and over the past few years have earned a reputation within Copenhagen’s thriving indie scene for their exciting live shows.

New single ‘Don’t You Grow Up’, a coming-of-age indie gem, was the first song the band ever wrote together. Written in “a time when we thought to be a sunny teenage rock band, you had to write songs about teenagers in the sun,” they say. Atop jangling guitars, Rasmussen’s distinctive voice dances somewhere between that of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and Alvvays’ Molly Rankin, leaving the listener drenched in the nostalgic optimism of summers gone by.

Such sparkling talent is impossible to ignore and Kindsight is showing no signs of slowing down. Their new single comes alongside news that their highly anticipated debut album will be released on esteemed Swedish indie label Rama Lama Records in early 2022. ‘Don’t You Grow Up’ is available to stream and download now.

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Prima Queen - Chew My Cheeks.

Prima Queen release their new single Chew My Cheeks - the song, produced by The Big Moon, is Prima Queen's first release on Nice Swan Recordings. After 18 months away from the stage, Prima Queen made a triumphant live return at this summer’s Green Man Festival, boasting a new collection of songs and an expanded 7-piece band. With Chew My Cheeks, Prima Queen once again display the subtle touches and lyrical flourishes that marked them out as pre-pandemic press favourites.

 On the new single Prima Queen offer the following:
"Chew My Cheeks is a song that centres on an unhealthy obsession with someone who is slightly out of reach. We wrote it in lockdown last year when we were remembering what it was like to idealise people you don’t know and to use them as a form of escapism. We ended up watching The Matrix in isolation together around the same time and were really inspired by the world in which the movie creates"

Prima Queen are an all-female indie/alternative rock band fronted by songwriting duo and best friends Louise Macphail (Bristol, UK) and Kristin McFadden (Chicago, USA). Combining vulnerable and nostalgic story telling with light-hearted lyrical imagery, their ethereal yet gritty style draws influences from artists such as Julia Jacklin, Nilüfer Yanya and Lucy Dacus.

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SUEP - Misery.

Not to be fooled by the name, Misery is a strand of futuristic swing-pop wizardry with a cosmic piano melody and stabs of deep guitar. Described by T-Mr.9, who leads on vocals (with the Supremes-inspired harmonies courtesy of SuepLord), as “A love song disguised as a song about loss. It's about cherishing the things that matter but it's also about having the courage to say goodbye. I wanted every line to tell its own small story with different characters. They're all a bit lost but I feel like they work out what to do in the end.”

Misery’s joyful, surrealist and psychedelic accompanying video is the work of visual artist Rebecca Molloy, who says of the video “I wanted Misery to be a cross between a kids TV program and a cabaret show.  So, a pink and green dog was born and thrown into a psychedelic world with a not quite right band!” With an abundance of SUEP’s playfulness, the video explores the same themes of love, closeness, and despair that the song grapples with.

SUEP are a band who dance to their own beat, creating oddball music with a taste for the theatrical storytelling. Led by SuepLord (Porridge Radio, Garden Centre, The GN Band) and Brain Wastefield (UK top model) and borne out of a near-decade of wearing silly clothes and deconstructing pop together. After relocating from Brighton to London, GN (The GN Band, Joanna Gruesome, The Tubs), Freakin' Deacon (PC World, Garden Centre), and T-Mr.9 (Head of Pastoral Care) were added to the line-up. They take turns writing songs and taking lead vocal, so each new song feels like its own unique entity, but all hailing from the playful, eccentric planet SUEP.

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Classic Water - Kindsight - Meg Webb - Zoe & Cloyd - Hailey Whitters

Classic Water - Tomorrow.

Dutch indie band Classic Water return with their fourth single Tomorrow. A song about desperate times and corresponding desperate measures, but as the lyrics say: “tomorrow this will all be gone.” A soothing thought at the start of this new year.

The music video is based on the artwork designed by visual artist Viktoryia Shydlouskaya-Dijk and animated by Classic Water’s keys player Lotte van Leengoed.

Classic Water introduced themselves in 2020 with singles Living Likeness, It’s Never Easy and Carthage. Debut album Concrete Pleasures will be released on March 12th 2021.

Tomorrow is a song about someone driven to desperate deeds and is partly inspired by the Talking Heads’ Listening Wind. The narrator leads the listener to the brink of the deed in the first half of the song, after which a long instrumental part follows where multiple melodies and rhythms combine into something like a hypnotic stretch of endless highway.

The songs of Classic Water bring to mind driving through dusty backroads of deserted villages, thinking back on what once was but will never be again. The surreal words of singer Tom Gerritsen are guided by stretches of intertwining melodies, alternated with brief bursts of rock and roll. In an earlier life, Tom released folk music as The T.S. Eliot Appreciation Society, playing over 180 shows in Europe. Seeing Classic Water perform live is a visceral experience. The debut album Concrete Pleasures was recorded and produced by Stacy Parrish (T Bone Burnett, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant) in a 14th century farmhouse in Sweden.

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Kindsight - How I Feel.

Kindsight is a new act from the Copenhagen indie scene and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali,  Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). Last fall, the young quartet released the two very promising debut tracks 'Who Are You' and ' Terminal Daze'. Two warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop songs that got them praise such as "your new favourite band". Now, the slow-burner 'How I Feel' follows and expands the sound of this promising act.

Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".

The quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time.

Kindsight on 'How I Feel': Nina was once gripped by an overwhelming need to tell the world how she felt. Everyone agreed that it seemed like a fair deal, as she is the lead-singer. A longing ballad with a hazy view was built to heed her demand. But as it turns out, Nina hasn't got a clue how she feels. How I Feel is out now on all platforms via Rama Lama Records.

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Meg Webb - What's The Logic.

Meg Web who is sharing her new video and single "What's the Logic." The track was co-produced by the legendary Jason Falkner (Beck, Jellyfish), in which he also lent a hand on drums, bass and additional synths. The video was directed and shot by Jessica Calleiro and filmed by Calleiro and Matt Boman.

Meg grew up as a classically trained multi-instrumentalist learning violin, piano, harp, cello, synths, bass, flute, tenor guitar and a recently added marimba. Growing up as a competitive dancer (you can see some of her smooth moves in the video), as well as a softball, basketball and soccer player. Raised in Woods Cross, Utah, until  2009, when she was 16, she completed her GED and fled to Arizona (pretending to be a foreign exchange student from Czechia so she could hang out with her cousin at her school) to escape Mormonism and play shows with her bandmate who lived there.

Meg Shares: “The inspiration was an anti-inspiration-where all hope and trust flew out a window and I was starting from scratch with everything~ ideas about people, the internal and external workings. A question to and about them and myself."

Webb moved to Laguna Beach in 2011 after hitchhiking through, deeming it her personal paradise. There she was a street performer for 4 years, and in Los Angeles,before landing her first commercial. Then she started learning about analog sound engineering in San Francisco. Now back in LA, Meg Webb is in full force with her gorgeous and dreamy blend of indie goodness.

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Zoe & Cloyd - Paper Crowns.

Following the exuberant, traditional bluegrass of their last single, Organic Records’ Zoe & Cloyd return with a sweet, original take on another kind of tradition: the enduring theme of a parent’s love. Written and sung by the semi-eponymous duo of Natalya Zoe Weinstein (fiddle) and John Cloyd Miller (guitar), “Paper Crowns” is classically framed in a direct address to their daughter, even as its contemporary language and asymmetric rhythms reveal it as thoroughly modern.

The track is further testimony to the sensitivity of Zoe & Cloyd’s bandmates, Kevin Kehrberg (bass) and Bennett Sullivan (banjo), whose sympathetic playing offers just the right support for the song’s bright imagery of “paper crowns and dancing curls.”

“We started writing ‘Paper Crowns’ on our daughter's fifth birthday, a cold and rainy day in February,” notes Weinstein. “I was feeling nostalgic for her younger years, as five felt like a big turning point in her transition from toddlerhood to school age. Little did we know how much her life (and ours) would change in the coming year, and how the loss of early childhood innocence would be especially poignant as the pandemic set in. But no matter her age and come what may, she'll always be our little girl."

With its celebratory chorus — ”today you’re turning five years young, another ring around the sun” — and sharp eye for details (“muddy boots and tangled hair, pink and purple everywhere”), “Paper Crowns” is just the kind of personal, yet universal song to capture the timeless emotions of parents across the years and around the world

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Hailey Whitters - The Ride (feat. Jordan Davis).

Rising country star Hailey Whitters announces LIVING THE DREAM, a deluxe edition of her critically-acclaimed 2020 album THE DREAM featuring five new songs, will be released on February 26 via Pigasus/Big Loud/Songs & Daughters. The deluxe album finds Whitters moving from fantasizing about “the dream” to actually living it, calling upon her close friends and collaborators Brent Cobb, Jordan Davis, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town, Lori McKenna and Trisha Yearwood to contribute vocals to the fresh tracks.

Following the release of her current single “Fillin’ My Cup” (feat. Little Big Town), Whitters has dropped “The Ride” (feat. Jordan Davis), the second track to be pulled from LIVING THE DREAM.

“Jordan Davis took me out on his very first headlining tour when I was only an independent artist. I thought that was a bold statement for him to make, and I am very appreciative of him taking a chance on me,” explains Whitters. “He's one of the key reasons I've been able to say I'm "living the dream", so when thinking about who to collaborate with on this project, he was a no-brainer. I just love his voice and everything he's bringing to the country format.”

“All of the artists featured on this project are responsible for me being able to hang up the apron strings and make music full-time,” says Whitters about LIVING THE DREAM. “The royalties from Little Big Town’s cut on ‘Happy People’ helped pay for part of THE DREAM, Brent Cobb and Jordan Davis were two of the first artists to take me on tour, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey are my two songwriting idols and favorite co-creators, and Trisha Yearwood is one of the first artists that got me excited about moving to Nashville and pursuing country music. I wanted to show fans full circle what ‘living the dream’ looks like for me – from where I started with ‘Ten Year Town’ to the bucket list moments that have resulted since I released my record, THE DREAM. I felt it was important to show them what can happen when you don't give up on yourself.”

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The Bats - Elthia - Kindsight

Long standing New Zealand indie band The Bats are back just four weeks after they shared 'Another Door' with the final single a beautiful, mellow and moving piece called 'Gone To Ground' taken from their upcoming 'Foothills' album due next month. ===== Elthia is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles who has just released 'i love you, but you make me cry'. Her defined and pleasing vocals give the track distinction, with the melody and rhythms adding even more hooks. ===== Kindsight are a new band from the Copenhagen indie scene who this week share their second single 'Terminal Daze', which is an original, melodic and refreshingly catchy track. 

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The Bats - Gone To Ground.

The Bats have unveiled their final single ‘Gone To Ground’ from upcoming album Foothills — out November 13th via Flying Nun Records.

‘Gone To Ground’ is a moving, moody song from the never-ending pen of Robert Scott and sees the band interpret and explore the paths we lead in life to consider where yours might take you. This single is a tune from the “before times” that seems strangely relevant now, seeing how we’ve all, for the most part, “gone to ground” and to many it can feel like “no one cares”. ‘Gone to Ground’ is generously served up with lashings of spooky EBow and a sense of soft reflection. Enjoy!

Robert Scott on ‘Gone To Ground’ — “Hide and seek, do we want to be found.... maybe not. Many people have gone to ground in these tricky times. A slight sense of unease pervades the song with the spooky strains of an E bow filtering through the trees. You could walk the marshes and go far. It's funny how you can draw connections between fictitious tales and present day life.”

Annabel Kean has said on the ‘Gone To Ground’ video, “This is by far the longest we’ve spent on a video. We started about a year ago when we heard an early mix of the song, but the discovery of perpetual motion by way of spinning veges really opened a can of worms. Then it took us three attempts to pluck up the courage to light a guitar on fire.” Co-director Callum Devlin adds, “It was a total collaboration, and a very instinctive process. We wanted to try and capture what we felt listening to the song. There’s an uncertainty and a mystery to the lyrics that I feel lead us somewhere a bit more conceptual.”

Spanning the last 38 years, The Bats have now clocked ten incredible albums; each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott —and their upcoming Foothills is no exception. Add to that tally the extra singles, b-sides, EPs, compilations and tribute songs they’ve recorded, creating a succinct setlist is a nearly impossible task.

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Elthia - i love you, but you make me cry.

Elthia is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. With a songwriting style that references her favorite influences from pop music, while still showcasing the elegance of fingerstyle guitar, Elthia has been penning beautifully nostalgic songs, taking listeners on a colorful adventure.

Following the release of her debut EP, Island of Mine, Elthia is unveiling her new single, “i love you, but you make me cry.” The song was the beginning of her new venture towards indie-pop music with dance elements, showcasing delicate instrumentation, soft, dreamy vocals and glittery guitar harmonics.

Thematically the song was inspired by the pieces of a broken relationship; it’s about trying to reach someone, but they keep putting up their walls, trying to protect themselves, and every time you try to dig a little deeper, it hurts a little more. Elthia explains, “The message of the song is to tell the story of what it’s like to love something that hurts you every time you try to understand it. I wanted to show the duality of the two ideas that are constantly at war while existing inside of you, and showcase what the breaking point would actually be, if there is one at all.”

“i love you, but you make me cry” finds inspiration in magic, with lines like “immersed in your hypnosis, willing to suffocate”, meaning, “I’ll keep obsessing over you, even if I put myself in danger”. The song is about the obsession, knowing that you’re getting hurt and still wanting to reach out anyway. The hypnosis and spells create an image of otherworldly forces taking over you, and that’s what this love feels like.

Emanating sincerity and a raw edge, Elthia shows the emotion behind the song, right down to the shakiness in her vocals. She confides, “I wanted the listener to feel like they could break down to this song as well; I feel like the best time and place to listen to this song is when you need to cry.

Elthia · i love you but you make me cry

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Kindsight - Terminal Daze.

Kindsight is a new act from the Copenhagen indie scene and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). Late August, the young quartet released their debut single 'Who Are You' - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song. Today, the band will put out their second single 'Terminal Daze' - an effort that cements their place as one of Scandinavia's most interesting new bands.

Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".

The quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time.

Who Are You, "a summer song written in January" was just the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more from the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music. Next comes 'Terminal Daze', another perfectly tuned and polished indie gem that continues to show that the young quartet already are very home in their sound.

Kindsight on 'Terminal Daze': "After countless attempts at keeping Kindsights somewhat rowdy rhythm section quiet in the verses and complementary to the singing, Nina Hyldgaard allowed in her own words, one “Sausage of a song”, and Terminal Daze came to be. As unrelenting as a big train- steady as it goes."

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Faultress - Kindsight - The Gina Furtado Project

Faultress returns with her new E.P 'Creatures'. We featured her a few times last year and are delighted to share this creative and imaginative new collection of songs. === Kindsight are a new band from Copenhagen and have just released the gorgeous and melodic indie pop track 'Who Are You'. === The Gina Furtado Project return a month after we first featured them with 'Alley Cat' a vibrant and extremely catchy bluegrass song.
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Faultress - Creatures (E.P).

“I know we’ve all felt this, but the aching dullness of being locked away for months has gnawed away at me, unable to see so many people I love, unable to create. I sat alone for weeks in a fairly broken bout of depression when one day went to the park, and as I watched the birds and the insects around me, these 4 songs poured out of me.

The creatures I saw around me put a shape and words to my thoughts and feelings around loneliness, pain and the feeling of alienation, not only from loved ones, but from myself.”

About Creatures EP - Written entirely during lockdown, Creatures lyrically examines loneliness and fractured mental health and are delivered through Faultress’ voice alone, manipulated with electronics. All songs are designed specifically for headphones and are produced by award winning sound designer and producer Gonçalo Abrantes (aka Agon Branza).It is a poised and assertive performance from a musician with a masterly handle on the themes of her art.

Faultress · Creatures EP

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Kindsight - Who Are You.

Kindsight is a new Copenhagen based band and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). The young quartet today release their debut single Who Are You - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song.

The Danish quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time. Debut single Who Are You is the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more of the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music.

Kindsight about Who Are You: - "Who Are You is a summer song written in January - lush, light and forward-driven. Originally dismissed by the band as a stupid disco song when brought to rehearsal by guitarist Søren Svensson, adjustments were made and the song was granted life as Kindsight’s debut single."

Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".

Shortly after forming the band played their first gig in a parking lot to a crowd of children. The band tells us that the children "were overwhelmed by the sudden influx of melancholic beauty to the otherwise rather dull parking space. As one 7 year old kid said moments before being squashed under an unstable wheel of fortune, “Wow, they are so cool, I also prefer The Sugarcubes to Björk’s later work!”". Since then, the band have played frequently on the Copenhagen indie scene for a bit older and growing crowd.

Who Are You is out now. Kindsight consists of Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen (vocals, guitar), Anders Prip (bass), Søren Svensson (guitar), Johannes Jacobsen (drums) and are available for interviews.

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The Gina Furtado Project - Alley Cat.

Drawing on the distinctive sound and fresh musical ideas that recently earned its namesake her third consecutive International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year nomination, The Gina Furtado Project shows a more playful side of Furtado’s musical personality on “Alley Cat,” the group’s latest single for Mountain Home Music Company.

The song tips its hat to Furtado’s Celtic influences with an irresistible, Irish-flavored melody that works both as a framework for sprightly unison playing by Gina and her violinist sister, Malia Furtado, and as a fitting vehicle for the lyric’s deftly prolonged metaphor:

“He doesn’t care to compromise
The alley cat with laughing eyes
And when he laid his eyes on me
The other girls were history...
A pat and scratch behind the ear
Really you’ve no business here
A little milk is all you’ll get
‘Cause I don’t want an alley cat”

As the bandleader slyly notes, "’Alley Cat’ is for anyone who has been charmed completely and unexpectedly — whether it be by a stray kitty, or any other free spirit."

With harmonies from Malia Furtado, and a gracefully grooving rhythm section of Drew Matulich (guitar) and bassist Max Johnson, “Alley Cat” is a sunny, light-hearted frolic that packs an abundance of good-humored energy into its two minutes, proving once again that, even in music, brevity is the soul of wit.

Syntax Creative · The Gina Furtado Project - "Alley Cat"

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