Showing posts with label Sin Cos Tan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sin Cos Tan. Show all posts

Sunday, 26 April 2026

Mosaics - Jenna DeVries - Big Fear - Sin Cos Tan - Silva Emilia - Cassandra Coleman

Photo - Jacques Feeney
Mosaics - A Guiding Lie (EP).

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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Jenna DeVries - Flat Earth.

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
Big Fear - Anger.

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 - Economy.

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 - Pretty Little Life / Secret Medicine.

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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Cassandra Coleman - Dying Star.

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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Friday, 27 March 2026

The Rolling People - Travellin' Blue - Sin Cos Tan - The Corner Laughers - Karen Dahlstrom - The Great Emu War Casualties - Brennen Leigh

Photo -  Freya Barber
The Rolling People - A Crack In The Glass.

Manchester risers The Rolling People release the new single ‘A Crack In The Glass’ released just ahead of the anticipated new EP Outlier (due 6th April). Marking a bold step forward in both sound and identity, the upcoming EP captures a band in the midst of reinvention - sharper, more expansive, and unapologetically themselves.The EP coincides with the launch of a new brand partnership alongside Pretty Green. 

Produced by the renowned Richard McNamara (guitarist of Embrace, production credits including Basht., EEVAH), the new single showcases more of the contemplative, 90s alt-rock influenced side of the bands sound, comparable to The Verve whilst bringing a contemporary indie-rock flourish.  McNamara’s influence brings clarity and scale to the band’s evolving identity, balancing anthemic indie hooks with atmosphere and depth to create an expansive and immediate, yet, emotional and reflective sound. 

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “A Crack In The Glass is our most stripped-back work to date. It was one of the songs that was born out of a live recording session, giving us the freedom to build the song up from a more natural-sounding and relaxed setting. For this EP, we chose to go in a new direction in terms of production, and this live and raw style lent itself perfectly to the track.

The lyrics of this song focus on the emotional journey of living with mental health challenges, following the emotional lows and highs and the quiet relief that comes from overwhelming thoughts. It felt important for us to address this topic, as music can be a cathartic outlet that helps people feel heard and understood, especially when managing personal and unspoken issues.”


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Travellin' Blue - Take Me Home.

Started late 2020 as 'full Belgian' band, Travellin' Blue Kings had a major update in autumn 2023, displaying solid letters of nobility and an impressive pedigree: Blues Lee, Last Call, The Electric Kings, The Scabs, Hideaway, Howlin' Bill, ... just to name a few. Travellin' is not in the name by chance, these five gentlemen worked with their respective bands all over Europe. 

One could find them on festival stages in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. And of course, in every corner of Belgium and the Netherlands. The 'Bending The Rules' album, released in 2022, has been very well received and generated considerable airplay in Europe and the States (64 weeks (!) in Roots Music Report's Top 50 Blues Rock Album airplay chart in the US), resulting in the band being booked in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway.

But from now on, never say 'Travellin' Blue Kings' again, but say 'Travellin' Blue' !! A modified line-up, a renewed repertoire, written for the 3rd album, which does even more justice to the previous album title "Bending the Rules", prompted the band members to make this (minor) name change.


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Sin Cos Tan - Wall of Stone.

Finnish synthpop duo Sin Cos Tan continue the Greed era with the single “Wall of Stone,” the fourth release from the upcoming album. Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa. 

Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of Nordic melancholy, classic pop songwriting and precise electronic production. Their music lives in the space between nostalgia and forward motion: restrained, melodically exact and deeply connected to the tradition of European electronic pop.

Sin Cos Tan have received an Emma nomination, toured across Europe, and enjoyed long-standing support from international critics. Their music has also been featured in the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Their previous album Living in Fear (2022) received a full five-star review from Soundi.

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The Corner Laughers - Concerns Of Wasp And Willow (Album).

Northern California indie pop/folk outfit The Corner Laughers have been weaving a rich tapestry of timeless sounds and lyricism since the early 2000s to ever-increasing acclaim, solidifying their quintessential lineup of Karla Kane (vocals, ukulele), Khoi Huynh (bass, vocals and more), KC Bowman (guitar, vocals and more) and Charlie Crabtree (drums) on their 2015 breakthrough album Matilda Effect. When last we left our heroes, they'd spent five years crafting its follow up, the band's Big Stir Records debut Temescal Telegraph, only to have its release date coincide with the onset of the 2020 pandemic. 

In a musical miracle for troubled times, the album's themes and musical settings resonated with the unease of the year and offered solace for the losses and isolation of that bleak miniature era. The global music press took note: Goldmine Magazine called it “a wonderfully enticing triumph,” The Swindonian labeled it “a magical otherworld, idyllic and innocent and yet poignant in its many charms,” and Shindig! Magazine's five-star review concluded “Every track is absolutely brilliant, brimming with vim and vigor.” In the end, the album was not just a leap forward for the band, but a lifeline of comfort for fans old and new.

We haven't been treated to the unique wordplay, inventive arrangements and sheer idiosyncratic ebullience that characterize The Corner Laughers' music for the half-decade since, and it's arguable that we need them more than ever. The world remains unsettled, and anyone possessed of empathy might find themselves vacillating between profound sadness and the need to reclaim the joy on which hope is founded. With their new album Concerns Of Wasp And Willow, the band audaciously and artfully create consonance from those very contrasts. 

While the band is often thought of as purveying “sunshine” pop, Kane's lyrics and the band's musical textures have always balanced the dark and the light. On 'Concerns', erasing that dichotomy becomes a mission statement with endlessly fascinating results. Listeners first heard this new blend last Halloween when the single “Dark Matter” appeared, its title belied by its jubilant beat and bright melody as Kane celebrated (not for the first time) ravens and crows, inviting listeners to join the band's “new crone coven” in solidarity with anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. 


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Photo - Rosie Cohe
Karen Dahlstrom - Love These Days (Album).

“When I realized I’d been wrong to doubt Willie Nelson, that’s when music really started to make sense.” Brooklyn-based musician Karen Dahlstrom grew up singing in show choirs and Jazz ensembles, a popular soloist earnestly emulating Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald. “I enjoyed performance, but I also knew my limitations. You have to have a certain focus on technique in order to go really far.” She accepted what she considered her constraints and stopped singing for the better part of her twenties. Today, listening to Dahlstrom’s incisive, unflinching lyrics, delivered straight to the heart with a husky, insurgent depth, it’s hard to imagine pesky technique was ever the point.  

Around age thirty, at a turning point in her life, Dahstrom’s relationship to music began to change. Visiting a friend in San Francisco, she scavenged Amoeba Records for vinyl and perhaps even a rejuvenated sense of self. “I didn’t even know what music I liked anymore.” She was surprised to find herself drawn to artists whose music didn’t rely on any complex arrangement—Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, The Stanley Brothers, Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, Jean Ritchie—folksters palpably at ease alone with their instruments. “Three chords and the truth suddenly seemed like enough. Plenty, even.” She opted for High Lonesome over high brow, sentiment over skill. “The kicker was discovering Gillian Welch,” she says. “Other singers had made me want to perform, but she made me want to write.” In her third decade, Dahlstrom picked up the guitar. 

Back in Brooklyn, Dahlstrom began sitting in on sessions at Jalopy and Sunny's in Red Hook. “You can’t help but learn from other people,” she says, wistfully recollecting a time akin to a freshman year. She answered a Craigslist ad for a rhythm guitar-player who could sing harmonies, and soon enough, joined the all-female Americana trio Bobtown. The band released four acclaimed albums from 2010 to 2019; Dahlstrom’s late-blooming love of folk didn’t just endure, it flourished. 

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The Great Emu War Casualties - Public Sweetheart No.1 (Album).

Growing up is hard. Dissecting those universal feelings and turning them into art is much harder, but that’s exactly what The Great Emu War Casualties have achieved on their debut album ‘Public Sweetheart No.1’, out today Friday, March 27. 

Across three EPs, Melbourne indie-rock outfit The Great Emu War Casualties have steadily sharpened their sound and songwriting, building toward their most fully realised work yet. The band recently shared the first glimpses of what was to come with the singles ‘Donut’ and ‘Wanna See You’, two tracks that capture different sides of their melodic, emotionally direct indie rock. 

Now, it all comes together on their debut album ‘Public Sweetheart No.1’, a record that reflects on personal missteps, relationships, and the search for clarity amid chaos. Blunt, reflective and at times wryly self-aware, the album frames these reckonings through punchy, guitar-driven songwriting and sharp lyricism, presenting an honest self-examination that balances remorse, humour, and a determination to confront the past. Speaking on the album, Joe Jackson shares:

"‘Public Sweetheart No.1’ is a blunt, honest self-assessment of my own behaviour over an extended period of time and the various ways in which I have affected the people closest to me, so I’ve at least tried to make it catchy in order to better live with myself. It’s about the clarity I’ve found in going back to basics, in trying to remove the chaos and noise of the world in favour of honesty. An anthemic apology, with some ‘sorry, not sorry’ sprinkled on top. I am sorry though, really." 

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Brennen Leigh - The Traveling Kind.

Known for penning tunes that Lee Ann Womack, Charley Crockett and others have recorded, Texas singer-songwriter Brennen Leigh flips the script on her new single “The Traveling Kind.” A cover of a song released eleven years ago by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, it’s set for release in March on Truly Handmade Records, a Nashville-based label owned by Guy Clark, LLC.

Leigh’s version of the song, which was co-written by Harris, Crowell and Cory Chisel, strips things down to just two musicians. The exquisite and heartfelt rendition features Leigh playing mandolin and lead vocals, with her husband Kevin Skrla on acoustic guitar and backing vocals.

Leigh and Skrla recorded the song at the request of Truly Handmade Records president Tamara Saviano, who wanted a fresh version of the tune to use as the theme song of her new Wisconsin radio show. The Americana music program, which also will be called The Traveling Kind, will air from 5-7pm on the third Saturday night of each month beginning March 21 on Monona, WI, community station WVMO 98.7 FM.


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Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Sin Cos Tan - Brother Wallace - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Night Swimming - Marie Dahlstrom - Danny George Wilson

Sin Cos Tan - I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money.

Finnish synth-pop duo Sin Cos Tan continue their Greed era with “I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money”, the third single from their forthcoming album Greed. Following the late-night pulse of In My House, the new track sharpens the album’s central theme into a clean, hook-driven statement: desire, justification, and the ways money can become both motive and excuse.

Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of Nordic melancholy, classic pop songwriting, and precise electronic production. Their music exists between nostalgia and the future: intimate, detailed, and timeless synth-pop that resonates equally well in headphones, after-dark settings, and on the edge of the dancefloor

“I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money” is built like a classic: tight structure, immediate chorus, and a steady electronic momentum that never turns into a genre exercise. Instead, it delivers a focused, literate narrative voice, letting the lyric carry the tension. It is one of the most direct tracks in the Greed cycle so far, capturing the album’s view of greed not only as money, but as power, control, and the normalization of harmful choices. Elegant, unsentimental, and highly melodic, it underlines why Sin Cos Tan remain one of Northern Europe’s most respected synth-pop acts.


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Brother Wallace - Gone With The Wind.

Every so often, an artist arrives with a voice so seasoned and a story so grounded that they feel less like a "discovery" and more like an inevitability. Brother Wallace is that artist. Now, the West Point, Georgia-bred singer, pianist, and soul revivalist releases “Gone With The Wind,” the latest single and music video from his forthcoming debut album, 'Electric Love' (out 8 May via ATO Records). 
 
While his previous singles showcased a high-octane grit, “Gone With The Wind” reveals a more introspective, tender side of the powerhouse vocalist. It is not only luminous, but it also finds him turning inward without losing any of the fire that’s quickly made him one of soul’s most compelling new voices. Built on a rollicking piano riff and carried by Wallace’s sublime vocal, the track is a lived-in meditation on letting go of the noise, protecting your peace, and giving yourself permission to breathe. 
 
“I started writing that song when I was driving home from work one day, feeling like I needed to let the world go and take some time out for myself,” Wallace explains. That sense of sanctuary is amplified by the song’s heavenly background harmonies, provided by a group of young vocalists from Wallace’s hometown—students he personally trained during his years as a choral director. “When they added their parts, it felt like they were carrying me away as they were singing,” he says. “It was like a beautiful journey that I didn’t want to end.” 

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Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - She Never Knows.

Hamilton, ON's Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature are following up on their debut single, "Istanbul," with "She Never Knows," a high-voltage garage-rock burner that pairs blistering blues riffs with deeply reflective songwriting. Written years ago and resurfacing with renewed clarity, the track wrestles with avoidance, identity, substance use, and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slip away from themselves.

"This is a song about seeing a close friend resort to substance abuse to avoid confronting their reality," Duxbury explains. "As I've moved forward through my life, I have seen so many close people go through similar issues; my dad, close friends, and even bits in myself. Avoidance takes many forms. Sometimes it's substances. Sometimes it's just lying in bed and not wanting to face the world."

Despite its heavy subject matter, "She Never Knows" is delivered as a punchy, riff-forward blast of electric rock; an intentional contrast. "You'll find this scenario in a lot of my music," Duxbury notes. "There'll be something fun and energetic, and then you listen back and realize what I'm actually saying. Songwriting is journaling for me. It's my way of converting negative feelings into something positive."

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Duxbury's home studio Bonnie Doon Records, "She Never Knows" embodies New Mother Nature's DIY ethos. "I like to keep production as part of the songwriting process," he explains. "I'm wired as an audio engineer so I can hear what direction I want the production to go as I record and layer a track.”"


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Photo - Derek Bremner
Night Swimming - Poison Berry.

Bath, UK-based dream-pop band Night Swimming today announce their second EP 'Melting, Sometimes Bleeding', out 22nd May via Venn Records (Bob Vylan, Witch Fever, High Vis) - produced by longtime collaborator Peter Miles (Orla Gartland, Nina Nesbitt) and mastered by Simon Scott of Slowdive.

With the EP announcement comes the release of new single 'Poison Berry' and a one-take video directed by Jay Bartlett depicting a relationship deadlock. 'Poison Berry' provides the new EP's second taste, following 2025 single 'Submarine'. Built around a hypnotic rhythmic pulse, Night Swimming lean into a gauzy dream-pop palette, turning the lens inward on recurring relational dynamics. 

Speaking on the release of new single 'Poison Berry', vocalist and lyricist Meg Jones said: "'Poison Berry' is an amalgamation of my experiences with men and how they have made me feel in relationships, but it is also a reflection of my own responsibility for the kinds of dynamics I can be drawn to. There is a dryness of tone to this song that I haven’t explored before in lyrics, and a numbness. ‘Poison Berry’ details the state of being acutely aware of your partner’s emotions, although they seem distant, and the loneliness (or bitterness) of feeling like that isn’t reciprocated."

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Photo - Lennon Gregory
Marie Dahlstrom - Frostbite.

Danish London-based vocalist, songwriter and producer Marie Dahlstrom today shares her new single ‘Frostbite’, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Roskilde-born musician and offering the first glimpse of a new project set to arrive later this year. Over the past few years, Dahlstrom has quietly built one of contemporary R&B’s most trusted catalogues – rooted in neo-soul, jazz and understated groove.

That sustained momentum now sees her entering her most assured phase yet, starting with new single 'Frostbite', produced by Dan Diggas (Central Cee, Mahalia).

Staying rooted in the soul-led intimacy that has defined her work to date, 'Frostbite' finds Dahlstrom pushing further into nuance and atmosphere. With a cooler tonal palette than her recent work, the track explores love’s mutability through immersive textures and glistening melodies, unfolding with the quiet control that has become Dahlstrom’s signature.

On the release of 'Frostbite', Marie said: “‘Frostbite’ is a song about longing and about how the feeling lingers in the body. It’s drawn from many experiences in my life, all wrapped into this piece. It was recorded on my old piano at my parents’ house in Roskilde, in my childhood bedroom. We tracked it with one small mic held close to the piano — nothing pro about it at all — but the instrument has this warm, muted tone that really captured the feeling. To me, this is what music is about".

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Danny George Wilson - Arcade.

Danny George Wilson, who releases his new album 'Arcade' on 20th March via Loose Music, has been confirmed as a special guest on The Handsome Family's forthcoming UK tour in May. Coinciding with the announcement, Wilson has today unveiled the title track to the new album. "Arcade’ is a song about youth culture and nostalgia…a mix of sadness and gratitude" reflects Wilson. "Doffing a cap to the classic and influential ‘Subway Art’ book that emerged in 1984, a first taste of Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Freak Scene’ and Sonic Youth’s ‘Teenage Riot’ and memories of Sutton’s long demolished Arcade."

'Arcade' finds Danny George Wilson returning to Hamish Benjamin’s studio in East Sussex - five years on from his startling, post-lockdown solo album Another Place – to construct its sequel. With Lewes-based Benjamin and right-hand man Henry Garratt, again given free rein, 'Arcade' presents a fresh collection of sonically inventive, deeply romantic songs, with atmosphere taking primacy over meaning, and narrative dissolving. As Wilson tells it: 

“The songs are about the ways we deal with losing people, time, place, or don’t deal with it… Looking back, we discover what was always there, or things that are just easier to ignore - different and contradictory perspectives. And I wanted a chance to work with Hamish and Henry again, and this seemed like their thing, and it was”.

Traditional instrumentation meets technology; the majority of tracks feature a string quartet, while Benjamin and Garratt employ synthesiser and mellotron along with a plethora of guitars. Gerry Love again provides backing vocals with cameos from Emma Tricca and Annie Dressner. Fragile, tender, full of uncertainty, ultimately 'Arcade' is a song-cycle in which the premise of each track subverts the previous, and demonstrates most assuredly, we still move in doubt.


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Sunday, 18 January 2026

Lauren Minear - Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Sin Cos Tan - Anna Smyrk

Lauren Minear - Perfect Girl.

New York–based alt-pop singer-songwriter Lauren Minear returns with "Perfect Girl," a razor-sharp, darkly playful exploration of what it means to be a woman expected to shapeshift endlessly to please others. Written from the perspective of a fictional, satirical character, the track leans into the absurdity of "perfection" and the way chasing it strips away humanity in the process.

Built on deliberately hard, robotic production choices, "Perfect Girl" captures the inhumanity of trying to be universally palatable. Minear originally drafted the song in 2021, but it found its true place during the creation of her new album, Boxing Day (released October 17th), a project rooted in anger, honesty, and reclamation. At a co-writing retreat, the track came fully into focus with the help of Dan Weeks, Dan Barrenechea, and Leah Wheatley, who pushed the melody and arrangement into sharper, more subversive territory.

"This song is unlike anything else I've ever written," explains Minear. "It plays with themes of body privilege and power to illustrate how the construct of perfection hurts and disconnects everyone (including men)."

Though the track is built around a fictional voice, "Perfect Girl" taps straight into Minear's longstanding thematic terrain: womanhood, mental health, self-perception, and the quiet wars we wage between who we are and who we’re told to be. "I don't deliberately write about the female experience," she says, "but I am a woman, a mother, and a psychotherapist trained in a feminist relational approach – it comes very naturally to me." In the end, "Perfect Girl" lands as defiant, mischievous, and liberating – a mirror held up to the impossible standards women navigate every day, delivered with a wink, a snarl, and a fully embodied alter-ego.

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Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Damp.

As the release of their seventh studio album Pale Bloom approaches (February 13th via Unique Records), Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys unveil the record’s final single, “Damp,” which arrived Friday January 16th.

What began as a stripped-back acoustic sketch from Kruger was later reshaped by guitarist Liú Mottes into something more urgent and propulsive, gradually unfolding into a deep exploration of collapse, raw vulnerability, and the fragile promise of renewal. A steady pulse runs through the track, lending it movement and momentum while leaving space for uncertainty. Feelings of isolation are rendered physical and warm, with drifting violas fading in and out like the last light of day.

“Like most of what I write, it’s about a desire for depth and connection—a kind of quiet mocking of the mundane and domestic,” Kruger explains. “The first verse reflects that polite culture of not saying what you mean, of being too afraid to ask for what you need in case you seem too much, or expose the mess of falling apart. There’s a wanting, though—to give in, give up, or simply to give. Eventually, the fantasy of a breakdown moves closer to the tongue, almost reaching release, before slipping back into silence. Something restrained that feels both tender and oppressive, mirroring the path that led me to the mess of not making a mess in the first place.”

At its core, “Damp” wrestles with the distance between feeling and expression. The lyrics circle restraint, politeness, and the fear of asking for too much. The song builds toward release without ever fully arriving, settling instead into a quiet tension that reflects its central paradox: holding everything in, even when it might be easier to let it spill. Kruger adds, “I like that the thought that can’t quite be spoken hovers veiled above a bed of sound that expresses the feeling far better. It’s in that clash—the friction between what’s said and what’s felt—that the song finds its meaning, or at least does justice to its complexity.”


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Sin Cos Tan - In My House.

Finnish synth-pop duo Sin Cos Tan continue their new chapter with In My House, the second single from their forthcoming album Greed. The track deepens and expands the album’s world by highlighting a more rhythm-driven, club-aware side of the band, without losing the melodic precision and emotional restraint that define their sound.

Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of Nordic melancholy, classic pop songcraft, and precise electronic production. Their music exists between nostalgia and the future: timeless synth pop that feels equally at home in headphones, on night drives, or in late-evening settings.

In My House is darker and more direct than the album’s opening single Cutting Losses. It is built on a steady pulse, repetition, and a rhythmic structure that reflects the duo’s long-standing relationship with club music. Rather than referencing house music as a genre, the track draws on it as an understanding of movement and space. There is something distinctly nocturnal about the song, about the moment when rhythm takes over and carries the listener forward. Within Greed, In My House approaches themes of power, ownership, and desire from its own angle, without explanation or emphasis.

Jori Hulkkonen is one of the central figures in Finnish electronic music, with a career spanning over three decades across multiple strands of electronic sound. In the 1990s, he emerged as a key artist on the influential French label F Communications, contributing to the golden era of French electronic music alongside the label’s founder Laurent Garnier and contemporaries such as Mr. Oizo.


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Photo - Michelle G Hunder
Anna Smyrk - Skin Thinner.

Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk lets down her walls with ‘Skin Thinner’. The new single is here ahead of her debut album ‘Spectacular Denial’ which will be out on the 20th of March via Community Music. Arriving as a catchy dose of indie-pop, ‘Skin Thinner’ shines a light on the complex processes that come with the loss of a loved one. Sonically upbeat, the lyrics bare an unexpected and powerful vulnerability.

Sharing more Anna explained: ‘I wrote this song about trying to peel away the layers that I put up to protect my mind after my dad passed away unexpectedly. It’s a resolution to try to work through the shock and denial and be open to the world again.  

Denial and staying numb can be a useful part of the process, it can protect you when you’re not ready to feel your feelings. But at some point, if you want to feel all the good stuff as well, you need to find a way to stay open and hold the painful stuff and the joyful stuff at the same time.’

With the release of her first full length album ‘Spectacular Denial’ coming in March, listeners can look forward to a beautifully compelling body of work. Shaped by her deeply personal journey with grief and her exploration of the many forms denial can take, the new album sonically sits in a rich space between indie, alt-pop, and folk.


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Sunday, 30 November 2025

doops - Adore - Alpha Pet - Sin Cos Tan

doops - The Space Between (Album).

Reading (England) alternative trio doops release the anticipated debut full-length album, The Space Between, this weekend. Blending elements of Psychedelic Rock, Punk and Indie, the album showcases the quartet's boundless creativity and musical maturity.

Recorded with impromptu drums at Brighton’s Farm Road Studios alongside rising engineer Spencer Withey (Man / Woman, Chainsaw, Youth Sector, Alien Chicks & Ladylike), the rest of the instrumentation, mixing, and mastering across the album was completed at home by the band themselves, highlighting their self-sufficiency as collective but also their DIY approach. The band explain: “In crafting these ten tracks, the band also learned to mix and master — striving to capture the full spectrum of doops’ distinctive soundscape and, in doing so, fully embracing the DIY ethos.”

From the swirling fuzzy, psychedelic punk intensity of ‘Idle Hands’ and ‘Fever tree’ to more ethereal, dark atmospheres found on tracks such as ‘Forget-Me-Not’ and ‘Falling’ the album balances its frenetic splashes of visceral energy with tracks which more a more considered, contemplative and melodic approach, whilst always keeping the intricate instrumental tendencies which makes the band so unique and interesting. 

Speaking about the album, Andy shares. “The Space Between' is our first attempt at a full fledged album, aimed at encapsulating both sides of their sonic abilities - from heavier fast paced tracks such as 'Idle Hands' & 'Witching Hour' to the softer laid-back and introspective arrangements of the likes of 'Milk Slug' and 'Falling'. 


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Photo - James Flynn
Adore - Sweet Keith.

Rising Irish punk duo Adore have unveiled a new video for their latest single 'Sweet Keith' - directed by Matthew Tallon - coinciding with confirmations for 2000 Trees and Truck Festival next summer. Fusing flurries of abrasive noise and crunching guitars with disarming honesty, 'Sweet Keith' is Adore's tribute to chosen family.

On the video release, singer Lara Minchin said: "Wowowow we finally have a music video. We’re so happy that Sweet Keith gets her time in the sun, immortalised in video format, directed by the wonderful Matthew Tallon who I met through a Scooby Doo mystery gang of comedians who are endlessly talented. 

The whole team were absolutely fantastic. No confections were wasted, they were all rescued from bakeries who were going to have them euthanised and collected over the duration of a week. Trust me, that room smelled awful."


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Alpha PetMall of Death.

After a run of “Come to Brazil!” evoking releases, Swedish rock four-piece Alpha Pet returns with what might be their most distinctive and instantly gripping single yet in the form of "Mall of Death".

"Mall of Death” is built on a tight, staccato-driven foundation of bass and drums, with guitars that clearly don’t wish you well. It’s the perfect soundtrack for your next soul-draining pilgrimage to a shopping mall. It's the first taste from their forthcoming debut EP that will be out via Rama Lama Records early 2026. 

The song has long been a fan favorite in Alpha Pet’s live set. The band has been steadily buzzing around Stockholm’s live scene for the past few years — and now the track finally sees the light of day on the most capitalist day in the calendar: Black Friday.

“Welcome to the mall of death, where you can enhance your life experience with everything from pills, weed and poisonous centipedes to plastic toys. All equally fun! All equally deadly!” the band says.

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Sin Cos Tan - Cutting Losses

Internationally acclaimed Finnish electropop duo Sin Cos Tan open a new chapter in their career. Their collaboration with the Helsinki-based label All That Plazz begins with the single Cutting Losses — the first glimpse of their forthcoming album Greed. Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of melodic sensitivity, Nordic melancholy, and precise electronic production. Their music lives somewhere between nostalgia and the future — intimate, detailed, and timeless electronic pop that resonates equally well on dance floors and in headphones.

Cutting Losses marks both a fresh start and a continuation. It’s brighter and more rhythmic than the band’s earlier work, yet carries the same finely tuned emotional core that has defined their sound from the beginning. A song about letting go and moving forward, it feels like a quiet sigh opening the door to a new era.

“Cutting Losses is about a relationship where one person gives up love for money. The other is left to make sense of that decision. It serves as an introduction to the album’s overarching theme of greed,” says vocalist and songwriter Juho Paalosmaa.

“It’s direct and deceptively simple — intentionally a bit of a red herring for what’s to come. That’s precisely why it makes the perfect opening track,” adds producer Jori Hulkkonen.


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MUKI - Sad Daddy - YYY - Samuel S.C. - Eliza Hull - Sandhouse - This Is The Deep

MUKI - Trampoline (EP). Melbourne/Naarm artist MUKI unveils his debut EP, 'Trampoline', out today Wednesday, June 3, a deeply perso...