Empire Child is the new musical project of Ruth Rothwell. Having spent decades shaping music culture from the inside out, Ruth—formerly a senior A&R manager at MCA/Universal—was a key figure in the UK dance music explosion of the 90s, starting out as a club promoter before becoming label manager at BCM Records, the most successful UK dance label of the era. During this time, she helped launch Digital Underground in the UK, worked closely with Andrew Weatherall, and later went on to manage and develop artists including Dina Carroll, Carleen Anderson, and Juan Atkins. At MCA Publishing, she signed and nurtured globally influential acts such as Zero 7, Basement Jaxx, and Air. Alongside artists, Ruth also nurtured key songwriters, most notably Rob Davis, during whose time with her he went on to co-write era-defining hits including Spiller’s “If This Ain’t Love” and Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”. While looking after Eg White she put him forward for a co-write with newly signed Adele. This resulted in the song “Chasing Pavements”.
Despite her success behind the scenes, songwriting was always her true calling. “Songwriting is really my calling and I could no longer ignore that fact,” Ruth says. That pull eventually led to Empire Child, her long-form artist project, with the forthcoming record produced by Madrid-based jazz professor and producer Mariano Diaz.
Her debut single “Trace the Race” introduced the project with a deeply personal reflection on identity, ancestry, and belonging. Inspired by her heritage—her mother Indo-Jamaican, part of the Windrush generation, and her father from Cape Town, South Africa, who fled apartheid—the song explored migration, legacy, and the reminder that “your ancestors were immigrants once.”
Now Empire Child returns with her new single “Negativity Be Gone”, a song about reclaiming control over the thoughts and influences that shape our lives. Rooted in the idea that what we think every day affects our mood and outlook, the track is a call to push away self-doubt and destructive thinking. “I’m trying to get the message across that we have choices,” Ruth explains. “Choices about what we think and who we surround ourselves with. There are so many wonderful people in the world that you’ve yet to meet. Find the good people.”
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| Photo - Alex Csorba |
Texas singer-songwriter Thomas Csorba has shared "You Think You Know Someone," a heart-on-your-sleeve-style song detailing the never ending discovery of a lasting love. From sweet notes tucked into jean pockets to a deep unspoken understanding, there’s always a layer to peel back and new ways of loving to uncover. This is the latest single from Csorba's new album Tender Country, which is out May 22 as the first release on the newly-launched Turtlebox Records.
“If there is anything I have learned in five years of marriage, it is that someone you know so intimately can still genuinely surprise you," says Csorba. "Growing old alongside someone is not for the faint of heart; it requires a tender spirit to recognize that, while our lives are intertwined, we are still individuals evolving along the way.”
He continues, "This song documents that perspective. It acknowledges that neither my wife nor I are the same people we were when we met about a decade ago. Over the past year, I have been moved by her depth and thoughtfulness as I watched her become a mother to our two boys, build her art business from the ground up, and navigate being married to a (sometimes-neurotic) artist of a husband. I am grateful to have a front-row seat to watch her life unfold, and I'm even more grateful to be a part of it."
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North Carolina’s Kenny Shore is back with a new full length album, Happiness & Misery The album runs the gamut of emotions and sounds and once again focuses on Shore’s ability to distill the human experience into song.
Happiness & Misery is an album of ups and downs, thus the title. As they were finishing the recording, Jerry Brown and Kenny reflected on the themes brought forth on this album and realized that the title from the song "Happiness & Misery" fit perfectly. It captures the back and forth throughout... from the fun bounce of "Roller Coaster Ride" to the grieve- filled angst of Nail It To the Wall. This didn't happen as planned. It was through looking back at what had happened organically, that made them sure of the album title.
As in the case of Kenny’s last album with Jerry, they had a real blast recording this. Maybe it's the "requirement" that was established with recording the last album, Time Stands Still - to start things off with a well told joke. This helped set the tone for each session. They tried (and succeeded) not to take each other, or this whole process, too seriously. Kenny says, “I think it worked and helped us make sure we were having a good time, doing what we love.”
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Paris-based duo Special Friend release their third album “Clipping” today. Special Friend have become the masters of weaving elegant and sophisticated pop musical webs while staying true to their DIY roots. The French/American duo (Guillaume Siracusa on guitar and vocals, Erica Ashleson on drums and vocals) manage to create a sound like no other band. When they play live, audiences marvel at the huge, intricate structures the band construct, while falling in love with the crystal-clear vocal melodies that are threaded in between the shards of guitar and the rattle of the drums. How can a duo achieve so much? UK audiences will be able to ponder this question in March: Special Friend are coming over from France to do a substantial tour of the UK.
The new album is more diverse that the last, with the high-tempo indiepop of first single ‘Breakfast’, the majestic, Yo La Tengo-like dreampop of ‘Clipping’ and the country-ish, gentle, homesick melancholy of ‘Isolation’. Final track ‘OOO’ is a bold piece of Krautrock-inspired experimentation; ‘Mold’ is a beautiful slice of slowcore and opener ‘Paint A Picture’ is modern pop at its catchiest and most direct.
‘Clipping’, the album title, refers to the discipline of pruning growth back, removing dead wood to create a perfectly shaped tree with abundant blossoms: an accurate description of the album, and of the songs that hang from its elegant branches. The album artwork is by Erica: Special Friend are in control of every aspect of this elegant artefact.
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Who are Fine Night Elements? Fine Night Elements are a working-class band from the North East of England, formed in 2021. Blending alt-rock energy with electronic textures, melodic hooks, and cinematic atmosphere, the band refuse to sit neatly in one genre. Fine Night Elements make music that feels grounded, ambitious, and unmistakably their own.
Around This Sun began as a simple, sombre acoustic idea that reflected on the state of the world with themes of war, homelessness and addiction. It steadily builds in intensity, each section lifting higher into atmospheric and reflective choruses, a soaring bridge and guitar solo, before closing on an expansive, ethereal, crescendo.
Commenting on the new single the band say "We’re so proud of this one, and it’s a song that feels so relevant in today’s world."
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Jeniffer Lima - Pour Me A Drink.
A promising new voice in Swiss pop music is emerging from the vibrant heart of Winterthur: Jeniffer Lima. With her new single “Pour Me A Drink,” the multilingual musician ushers in a new era. She has turned away from Swiss-German pop and instead discovered modern English-language country pop. It is no surprise that the rising artist has been discovered by renowned producers. Together with Manuel Egger and Dave Demuth, she created her first songs, which quickly found their way onto Swiss radio. Her single “90s Vibe” has already secured a coveted spot on the rotation playlist of Radio TOP.
As a songwriter, Jeniffer Lima tells autobiographical stories that resonate far beyond a young audience. With catchy melodies and honest, profound lyrics, she creates music that touches listeners across generations. After her first releases in an acoustic singer-songwriter style, Jeniffer Lima quickly evolved under the guidance of producer Dave Demuth and found her place in the modern pop genre. Despite this musical development, one thing remains central: authenticity on stage.
With “Pour Me A Drink,” Jeniffer Lima once again shows her instinct for contemporary pop and emotional storytelling—confirming her potential as one of the exciting new voices from Winterthur (Switzerland).
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