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| Photo - Lennon Gregory |
This week Marie Dahlstrom has announced her third full-length album Marie will be released on 18th September via JFH Records, and has shared jazz-influenced new single '1 Journey Away'. The Roskilde-born & London-based vocalist, songwriter and producer has also recently announced her return to the live stage, with two headline shows confirmed in London (8th October) and Copenhagen (13 October).
New single '1 Journey Away' sees Marie Dahlstrom lean into her jazz influences, blending intricate, percussive rhythms with her signature soulful vocals. An expressive scat solo adds a standout moment of musicality, while subtle, groove-led production from Corey Fonville of US jazz quintet Butcher Brown underscores her versatility and refined musicianship. The song also includes features Cuban percussionist Eliel Lazo and a synth solo from Los Angeles musician Elijah Fox.
'1 Journey Away' is the third single to be revealed from Dahlstrom's new album, following 'Alive' (feat. Jords) and 'Frostbite'. Speaking on the release of '1 Journey Away', Marie Dahlstrom said: "The song is about family life - having loved ones spread across different countries and carrying that constant feeling of wanting to be closer to them. It reflects a longing for a slower, simpler way of living, where connection and togetherness matter more than everything else happening around you.”
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| Photo - Rachel Andes |
Glass, the stunning solo debut from Nora Stanley, is due to arrive July 31 and is co-produced with Nate Mendelsohn (Frankie Cosmos, Dougie Poole). If Nora’s name sounds familiar, it may be from her work with artists like Cassandra Jenkins, The New Pornographers and Fred Frith, or from Distance of the Moon, her acclaimed 2023 collaboration with Benny Bock. Today, she’s sharing the album’s first single, “Noble Gas,” and I hope you’ll give it a listen and help spread the word.
Nora tells us about "Noble Gas": Our phones are listening to our conversations, reading our messages, wanting desperately to participate in the drama of human life. "Noble Gas" is about the limits of that intelligence and a funny-in-retrospect yet painful-in-the-moment mistake in the advertising algorithm it fed. "Noble Gas" is about inertia, instability, and bonds, about the influence a person can have on you, and about regaining equilibrium after your world has been turned upside down.
As a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser, Nora has spent years bringing her singular voice to other artists’ projects. On Glass, she steps fully into the spotlight, drawing inspiration from Anne Carson’s writing to explore themes of reflection, separation, and the ways we see ourselves mirrored back through others. The result is a beautifully crafted indie-rock record that feels both intimate and expansive.
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New York–based alternative singer-songwriter Lauren Minear shares her latest offering, “‘Til The World Ends.” It’s a cinematic and emotionally charged alt-pop single that grapples with fear, uncertainty, and the fragile state of the world before ultimately arriving at a deeply human conclusion: love is the only answer. Blending rising tension with introspective lyricism, the track captures a moment of personal and collective anxiety, filtered through Minear’s signature emotional clarity.
“‘Til The World Ends” was written in November 2024 in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. presidential election. “I felt scared by how divided the world has become and worried about the sociopolitical conditions my children will grow up in,” Minear explains. At the same time, she found herself immersed in dystopian storytelling, rewatching multiple Walking Dead spinoffs that explore separation and survival in apocalyptic conditions. “I was thinking about how horrifying it would be to be separated geographically from my family if the world stopped,” she says.
What began as an attempt to process fear quickly evolved into something more grounded. Sitting at her piano, Minear started listing unanswered questions about the world around her, only to arrive at a more instinctive truth. “Naturally, I ended up writing a song about the only answer to fear: love.”
Sonically, “‘Til The World Ends” leans into atmosphere and tension. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Scott Jacoby, the track blends organic instrumentation with contemporary production techniques, creating a soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive. Arpeggiated piano chords form the foundation, while layered contributions from collaborators; including guitar (Ben Butler), keys (Andrew Sherman), percussion (Doug Yowell), and fretless bass (Richard Hammond); gradually build a sense of unease and momentum. A standout moment arrives in the bridge, where a soaring vocal stack from Lauren Mian adds an almost ethereal release.
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