Maija Sofia has released 'The Glitter' a soothing and quite peaceful song. The vocals and lyrics are simply outstanding and the musical arrangement equally special.
Back in April we featured 'Half-Light Boy' by Grizzly Coast and now she (Alannah Kavanagh) returns with 'High-Functioning'. It's an energised indie rocker loaded with some deep digging hooks.
Shadowlark return with 'Huntress' taken from their debut E.P. 'Bleed My Heart' of which we featured the title track just a month ago. Described as "ambient and atmospheric" this expansive, melodic and dreamy track is one of four songs on the new release.
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Maija Sofia - The Glitter.
Irish art-folk virtuoso Maija Sofia (Trapped Animal Records) has released the first single from debut full-length 'Bath Time' (November 22).
'The Glitter' tells the story of Jean Rhys, a troubled novelist from the Caribbean who came to England aged 16 and struggled with feelings of displacement and a lack of belonging. Fragmented guitars and yearning violin fuse with her biting vocal to make something truly unique.
Speaking on the track, Maija said: ““The Glitter was inspired by my experience of reading the book 'Good Morning, Midnight' by Jean Rhys, a heavily depressing but brilliant novel about a lonely, self- destructive and impulsive woman living in 1930s Paris. The song came about with Jean Rhys in mind, and the influence her novels had on my past self.
“It's about having a tendency to romanticise and the desperate feeling of realising you've fallen out of love but are still trying to cling to something. It was recorded in a little studio in Dublin, with Christophe Capewell (who plays with cult Irish folk singer Lisa O'Neill) on violin and Niall Murphy on lap steel. Christophe ended up playing on the track after I was stranded at a festival in Leitrim and Lisa's band kindly offered me a midnight lift back to Dublin in their tour van.”
As well as drawing on women from the history books who were silenced and misrepresented - Bridget Cleary, Edie Sedgwick and Mary of Nazareth - Sofia also takes aim at the catholic church, an institution that normalises outdated views of women in Irish society.
Written between London, Galway and Dublin, ‘Bath Time’ features appearances from alternative folk singer Junior Brother and lap steel player Niall Murphy (Oh Boland). The former, Junior Brother, appears on ‘The Wife of Michael Clearly’, a bristling tribute to Bridget Cleary, who died at the hands of her husband Michael. The latter, Niall Murphy, starring on ‘Edie Sedgwick’, a track named after the muse of Andy Warhol.
Grizzly Coast is the musical project of Toronto based indie-rock musician Alannah Kavanagh. Her interest in writing, mixed with her lifelong affinity for playing music led her to blend the two mediums on her stand-alone singles, "Half-Light Boy" and "Zuzu’s Petals".
She has spent 2019 touring throughout Ontario and Alberta with her band and preparing for her EP release in early 2020.
Her new single – "High-Functioning" – serves as a reminder that the surface-level doesn’t illustrate the whole picture. With a high-energy melody and bouncy riffs, the song evokes the feeling of chaos you experience when your anxious thoughts are starting to run you while you’re trying your best to keep up.
Leeds threepiece Shadowlark have released their debut EP Bleed My Heart and lead single Huntress, which are both available to stream and buy now.
Following on from last year’s single Hunger, the band recently released the title track to their EP Bleed My Heart, alongside a powerful cinematic video. Produced and mixed by long-term collaborator Dan Austin (Massive Attack, Biffy Clyro, Doves), the Bleed My Heart EP expands on the band’s unique ethereal and poignant sound across four tracks, including lead track Huntress.
Huntress is a poignant ambient song about disloyalty, which profoundly pulls you in through the haunting and atmospheric vocals. Lead singer Ellen says;
“It’s about recovering from betrayal. I think it’s a beautiful song, I love it very much. It’s actually kind of developed a bit of a new context for us since I wrote it and we’re relating to it in new ways. But it’s always been about being a fighter, keeping your head up high, eyes on the prize and learning what you can use to make yourself better, to feel better, to be better.”
Influenced by artists such as Portishead, War on Drugs and Bat For Lashes, Shadowlark are proud of their Northern roots and wear their hearts on their sleeves through their introspective and emotive alt-pop sound, which is a portrayal of real-life experiences and genuine everyday reality. As the band say; “we write real songs about real things that happen, and we play them to real people who care and will connect with them because these things happen to them too.”
Marey are from Switzerland and have released 'Synthetic' the first single from their upcoming second album due out next year. The song is a mixture of lush electronica and dreamy vocals, with the arrangement adding even more depth.
We have a couple of songs from The Bergamot namely 'Young Again' and 'Bones'. Taken from the duos recent 'Mayflies' album, the two tracks give some indication of the differing directions and style their music has, the constant level of creativity is impressive, as well as award winning.
Miesha and The Spanks have just released 'The Girls Are O.K' which is a feisty rocker with some classic punk vibes, and bags of potent energy.
Portuguese alternative folk-rock artist, Marinho, has unveiled the
new single and video, 'I Give Up and It’s O.k' from her upcoming debut album. Melodic and quite catchy the lyrics are reflective, the vibe relaxed and additively pleasing.
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Marey - Synthetic.
Since 2016, the band has been constantly reinventing itself and embarking on an ever more complex and in-depth musical research. Above all, the love of creation prevails, without barriers, without taboos and without the desire to please or affiliate with a particular style.
The independence and DIY aspect that the group wants to keep allows them to free themselves from codes. If we can recognize in their latest creations some influences of electronica and modern trip hop, the band stands out for their experimentation and their willingness to surprise and disturb.
Their texts and music are aimed at what is hidden deep within us and human nature. To plunge into this universe is to enter a lunatic world, between dream like light and gloomy coldness, between calm and violence. A macrocosm of questions rather than answers where nothing is permanent except the music and everything it contains.
Emmy Award-winning duo The Bergamot release new record Mayflies produced by legendary engineer/producer Matt Wiggins (UK). The sterling stream of singles released this year has set the world stage for The Bergamot. The new album, Mayflies is set to be the biggest release in the group's history. The band has announced a full U.S. tour this fall, more music videos upcoming, all the while the band's fanbase grows by the day. It's been an overnight success that has been 10 years in the making.
The Bergamot's journey began on October 20th, 2017. The Bergamot released their dreamy anthem P.D.R. (Both Records LLC). The single launched the band's career who was discovered by Matt Wiggins (Adele, U2, Florence and the Machine) and then went on to achieve great reviews being called "The hottest emerging music talent" (People) and "a gorgeous sound" (Daily Mirror) and the "Best of 2019" on Where the Music Meets and mp3hugger.
In recent months, The Bergamot revealed a fully animated music video for "One Mile" and the fascinating "Bones" video filmed by evolve Films. The "Bones" music video was filmed underwater and marks a poignant message about depressions and suicide. The glitches of the video reflect a fragmented perspective and touch the viewer in an empathetic and revealing way. After making the band's UK debut in The Daily Record and The Daily Mirror, the band is being heralded as "one of 2019 finest" (mp3hugger), "Best of 2019" Where the Music Meets, and a band that "We’ve been lauding for years" (Atwood Magazine).
Based in Treaty 7 Territory, Miesha & The Spanks have been making a name for themselves as Calgary’s louder-than-you-might-think, non-stop touring machines. They’ve been described as “a fast, nasty, sexy slab of riff-fuelled Runaways rock, clad in spit-polished black leather and bursting with sass and singalong swagger”— as portrayed by rock n roll matriarch Miesha Louie and her partner in crime, the hardest hitting Sean Hamilton on drums.
Miesha created The Spanks back in 2008 as a means to control her destiny— a specific brand of rock grown from her punk rock roots and nurtured by her own experiences and story-telling, and a career heavy in touring and vinyl. No more band break-ups and lost songs — Miesha & The Spanks would do what it wanted as long as Miesha had the fever. Earlier EP’s were released via Winnipeg’s Transistor 66, before the resurrection of Calgary’s Saved By Vinyl — a local boutique label, and current home to MATS, Astral Swans, and Eamon McGrath.
Their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of UK Punk Legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It was also given regular attention by Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show Rodney On The Rock. Girls Girls Girls saw Miesha & The Spanks on the cover of Alberta’s Beatroute Magazine, accompanied by 30 dates across Canada, and festival appearances at Blizzard Music Fest (Rossland BC), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), Sled Island (Calgary), Rifflandia (Victoria BC), Halifax Pop Explosion (Halifax), Big Winter Classic (Calgary), The Great Escape (Brighton UK), FOCUS Wales (Wrexham UK), and Breakout West (Whitehorse YK).
Late 2019 into early 2020 will see the release of a series of singles, beginning with The Girls Are O.K.— an ode to the pre-teen cis, trans, and non-binary girls that Miesha works with at Girls Rock Camp Calgary year after year. Then, get ready for a solid spring touring schedule in Canada, the US, UK, and EU. MATS have played as direct support to such acts as Queens Of The Stone Age, Death From Above 1979, Hot Snakes, Propagandhi, Pack AD, White Lung, Reignwolf, and more.
Portuguese alternative folk-rock artist, Marinho, has unveiled the new single and video, “I Give Up and It’s Ok,” from her upcoming debut LP, ~ (read tilde).
Born in Lisbon and raised in front of the TV, Filipa Marinho had plenty of early exposure to American cartoons and mid-90's movies, as well as an intimacy with Hollywood’s views on love, relationships, and overall human nature. Growing up in an emotionally abusive household, Marinho was exposed to things a child should never be exposed to, causing her to live in fear of not being loved and accepted.
Sadness and abandonment phobia are themes that she tackles on ~, in addition to her sexuality and feminism. Tracks like “I Give Up and It’s Ok” find Marinho letting go of the idealized person that she thought she wanted to be in relationships, and gaining new strength and a will to finally take up space.
Recorded at Black Sheep Studios and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Marlon Williams, Feist, Andy Shauf), ~ is constructed from the simplicity of the roots of American folk music, with lush, cinematic tinges. The first single, “Ghost Notes,” made a splash on major Portuguese radio stations as well as Spotify and Apple Music playlists such as “Fresh Finds: Six Strings” and “New Music Friday,” and “Breaking Alternative,” respectively. The momentum continued to build with the release of “Window Pain,” which premiered on VICE Portugal, and Marinho spent the spring and summer touring in anticipation of the album.
Thyla have returned with their newest release 'Two Sense'. Last year we featured the band four times as they consistently impressed us with some real stand out material, now they return with a high octane alt rocker with plenty of the Thyla characteristics such as passion, commitment and rocking hooks.
From the Swedish band Lilla Parasit we have 'Gaslights' which mixes some subtle psychedelic vibes with a mixture of indie folk and rock the combination working really well, it's a little Lo-Fi and its rather catchy.
Canadian band Kiwi Jr. have just shared their first international single 'Salary Man' and have an album due in January next year. Accompanied with a video Salary man is a fabulous and slightly quirky song, the vocals and lyrics are superb and the bands tight musical delivery a perfect match.
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Thyla - Two Sense.
Positioning themselves at the forefront of the emerging indie landscape, Brighton post-punks Thyla herald the next stage of their remarkable development with explosive new cut Two Sense.
The first track taken from their eagerly anticipated sophomore EP out early 2020, Two Sense showcases a band continuing to shift boundaries with their impeccable blend of dream pop, having already attracted glowing praise from all corners of the press and across the airwaves following the arrival of debut EP What’s On Your Mind? earlier this year.
Discussing their upcoming single, front woman Millie Duthie explained: “Two Sense is about the short-term sacrifices we make in order to create space for long-term gains. It’s a song about growing up and claiming your right to self-determination. We’re really proud of the direction we’ve taken both in terms of the writing and production, it feels like our boldest cut yet; the vocals are purposefully front and centre and the message is clear”.
The indie juggernauts have had a formidable 2019 on the road supporting the likes of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, in addition to capacity shows at The Great Escape, Live At Leeds and Hit The North, and will be embarking on their first full-length UK tour this October, including their biggest show to date at London’s Electrowerkz. Thyla is Millie Duthie (vocals, guitar), Mitch Duce (guitar), Dan Hole (bass) and Danny Southwell (drums)
Live Dates:
07 Oct – Green Door Store, Brighton
08 Oct – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
09 Oct – Oporto, Leeds
10 Oct – The Cluny 2, Newcastle
11 Oct – Broadcast, Glasgow
12 Oct – Soup Kitchen, Manchester
14 Oct – Waterfront Studios, Norwich
15 Oct – Electrowerkz, London
16 Oct – Jericho Tavern, Oxford
17 Oct – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
18 Oct – The Lousiana, Bristol
19 Oct – Swn Festival, Cardiff.
Lilla Parasit is the latest addition to Stockholm label family Rama Lama Records (Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Julia Rakel etc.). Debut single Gaslights is out today, an excellent introduction to the band lead by Melby's Are Engen Steinsholm.
Lilla Parasit may be a new band, but the members are no strangers for fans of the Swedish psychedelic and indie scene. Besides Are, who's band Melby released their debut album this spring to great acclaim and recently played Reeperbahn Festival, the band consists of Amanda Lindgren (Systraskap), David Svedmyr (Me and My Kites) and Jessica Klingsell.
The project started out three years ago and has since changed both names and members before finding both the perfect setting and sound. Starting with Gaslights, the band's grand semi-psychedelic lo-fi folk is now finally ready to reach the world's ears, with a mini album on the way.
Are on Gaslights: "Lilla Parasit has been underway for almost three years, both the name and some of the members have changed since the beginning. Amanda, Jessica and David who are the band now have put up with me changing each song a number of times to figure out what I wanted the band to be. Gaslights was the first one that found its final form. It feels like a fitting presentation of the band, containing almost all of our ideas at once."
Gaslights is out now via Rama Lama Records. The band will celebrate the release at Snotty Seaside in Stockholm och October 4th, more live dates TBA.
We have a debut single and album announcement from Canada’s Kiwi Jr., originally hailing from Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, an island just east of Canada and now residing in Toronto. Their first international single “Salary Man” came out yesterday and the debut album, “Football Money”, is due to land January 17th on Persona Non Gratis (Pip Blom, Guided By Voices etc.).
An early version of the album was circulated by MINT RECORDS, already recreated at high volume on stages across Canada, Toronto’s Kiwi Jr. presents Football Money: a dispatch stitched out of fragments, a lustrous twelve-string paint-job unravelling ten book-smart tracks in under thirty minutes.
A product of two years of labour, a monument to work-life balance, the record is not unattractively scarred by its circumstance; recorded by nightfall in dormant studios, friends and enemies drafted as backup singers and engineers, Football Money untidily fuses the yin of work with the yang of life, chronicling a dual-existence, unkempt instrumentalists moonlighting as under compensated administrators by the harsh fluorescent light of day, borne back ceaselessly into the Greater Toronto Area by night.
Built from the clay of the day-to-day - as attentive to the complexities of a sporting salary cap as to the mystery of love; to the burden of Toronto rent as the reality of ruin - it’s a record of modern creation, lyrics text-wrapped in Excel spreadsheet cells, Rickenbackers detuned to the frequency of a blue-screen migraine.
Kiwi critics delineate influences like sections of the cow - the rump: JANGLE; the loin: PUNK - and seem set on referring Football Money to the criminal court with the Modern Lovers and the Kinks cc’d but ultimately unable to prove intent. But Kiwi Jr. conjure what we think about when we think about Patricia Highsmith paperbacks, Peel Session Comps, and pitchers of cheap domestic: Football Money is a laser cold hit.
Lucy & La Mer has shared an upbeat video for 'Discover'. Oozing positive and feel good vibes this indie pop song is an absolute charm.
Canadian avant-garde folk artist, Mappe Of (a moniker for Tom Meikle) has just released a wonderful song entitled 'Unkno'. It's something of a folk epic as Tom's superb vocals and a clever, intriguing musical background garner immediate attention.
Our third feature this year for Emily Breeze is for her latest single 'Heaven's Gate'. Described as "a glacial slice of Sci-Fi propaganda" (see more below) the songs musical arrangement conveys other worldly notions, Emily's vocals are once again impressive as they drive the piece forward.
Café Spice return here for a second occasion with their brand new single 'Open Door'. Once again the beautiful vocals and exquisite harmonies are simply wonderful, this trio are most certainly on my must hear music list.
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Lucy & La Mer - Discover.
Lucy & La Mer is the LA-based indie project of singer/songwriter Lucy LaForge.
Known for her bright melodies and disarming lyrics, Lucy wrote her debut EP Little Spoon while living aboard a sailboat after a bad breakup. The folk pop EP charted on College Radio in 2015, followed by a national tour and 2 semi-finalist spots in the International Songwriter Contest.
After landing in LA, Lucy began performing live with a full band and caught the attention of major press like the LA Times. Lead by Lucy’s welcoming stage presence and unmistakable attire (the band wears colorful bowties and decorates the stage), their live shows have gained attention for their interactive audience participation and focus on community activism.
Lucy has garnered acclaim from the likes of Billboard, Huffington Post, Refinery 29 and Earmilk to name a few. The songstress has shared the stage with everyone from electronic artist Moby, folk sirens Joseph, to emo rockers Bayside. She is endorsed by Kala Brand Ukuleles and stays close to her fans by live-streaming every weekend on the band’s facebook page. Her message is about positive self-belief, self-care, and honest self-expression.
The Canadian Avant-garde folk artist, Mappe Of - a moniker for Tom Meikle - is now sharing the beguiling new single ‘Unkno’. Released in the wake of ‘Ailynn’, ‘Unkno’ is the latest to be lifted from the forthcoming nine-track sophomore record, The Isle Of Ailynn, which is due for release on November 1, 2019 via Paper Bag Records.
Recorded at Bathouse Studio, Ontario (operated by the multi-award-winning Canadian band, The Tragically Hip) with longtime collaborator Will Crann and engineer Nyles Spencer (Broken Social Scene, Gord Downie), The Isle of Ailynn documents a fantasy world through nine different landscapes that draw parallels between a mythological space and everyday conflicts, troubles and fears within our lives. ‘Unkno’, which makes up one of the nine distinct environments, sonically situates Meikle alongside the likes of Grizzly Bear and The Antlers, pulling on resplendent string sections and Meikle’s velvet-soft vocals.
Speaking about the new single, Meikle says: “‘Unkno' explores how violently the barriers of distance, language and culture can separate us when our hearts and minds are closed. The second half of the song features these two distinct vocal lines, one descending and the other ascending, that I like to envision as the two parties in this fictional land having this same core belief, yet somehow manifesting it in nearly opposite ways.”
The Isle of Ailynn looks to follow-on from the Toronto-based artist’s critically acclaimed 2017 debut, A Northern Star, A Perfect Stone (tipped by Stereogum, NPR, Consequence of Sound and Paste) marking a more focused theme and progressive understanding of genre and songwriting. Meikle’s debut release would find him on tour with the likes of Martha Wainwright and Bahamas whilst amassing over five-million streams on DSPs. UK dates are set to follow the new release in early 2020, these to be announced shortly.
The fourth single from Emily Breeze’s debut album Rituals, “Heaven's Gate” is a glacial slice of Sci-Fi propaganda which was inspired by a documentary about the 90’s Christian U.F.O cult of the same name. Emily says, “I was interested in how a seductive promise of eternal salvation can compel a person to hand over all personal agency to devote themselves entirely to a belief system, especially one as bizarre and deadly as Heaven's Gate”.
Written from the perspective of the cult leader, this is interstellar Doo Wop for all the drifters, loners, dropouts and seekers out there. Emily and her cohorts invite you to join the psychedelic dance, cast off your earthly shells and drink the Kool Aid!
Produced by Bristol luminary Stew Jackson, writer, producer for Massive Attack, who has also worked with Tom Waits, Patti Smith and Nick Cave, Rituals has received airplay from Radio X, BBC Introducing in the West and Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6) who described Emily as a “21st century Patti Smith”.
Other praise for Rituals includes Louder Than War stating that it is “As vital a statement on what it is to be alive in 2019 as any of the more celebrated, male, bands currently garnering all the praise." God Is In The TV refers to “the kind of delicious noirish pop that Luke Haines specialise in. If there is a soundtrack to the world gradually falling apart this is it!” and MOJO magazine draws comparisons to Jarvis Cocker and describes “A tempestuous debut, Rituals accentuates the drama of its songs, swathing them in black humour”.
Café Spice have just released their latest single ‘Open Door’. This is the third single to be released by the phenomenally talented trio, and their second single release this year. A beautifully orchestrated song that features all three distinct voices creating a trifecta of harmony and accompanied by a sweet core progression of melancholic pros.
Born from a love of singing in harmony, beautifully crafted songs and plain naan bread, Manchester based all female indie folk band Café Spice have been blessing our eardrums with heavenly and autumnal harmonies since the release of their first single ‘Lauren’ in 2018.
Since then the trio, made up of Georgia Gage (Scotland), Niamh Feeney (Ireland) and Eleanor Lang (The North), have been performing gigs in most major cities across the UK and a significant series of gigs in Bangkok earlier this year. Not to mention a sold out full band gig at Jimmy’s in Manchester and supporting the legendary singer songwriter Boo Hewerdine!
The single, Open Door, is a song about two people who love each other and although they want deeply to be together at this moment in time it’s not possible. The trio tells us, “it’s about having to say goodbye to someone when you know that you love them, when you know it’s not the end of your story and when you know it’s not forever. You’re leaving them for now, leaving them in pain, but leaving with an open door behind you.”
Just Like Honey recently released 'The Wood Room Sessions' an album of acoustic and stripped back versions of some of their songs. The band have taken the original alt rock and dream pop material into new territory and wow does it work, as their music morphs into Americana, folk and other genres doing so with constant beauty and demonstrating excellent vocals and musicianship.
From Cliffs and Caves we have 'Defiance' accompanied by a music video. It's a song with a clear message and the piece takes the duo into a determined and earnest indie rock vibe, with hints of their folk instincts adding depth.
Liverpool synth/alt rock band The Cheap Thrills have just released 'Time Waster'. Energised and hook fuelled, the single is a taster for 'Vue Du Monde' their new E.P due out in mid October. On the strength of this song, that is something to be anticipated!
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Just Like Honey - The Wood Room Sessions (Album).
During the production of their critically acclaimed 2018 album "The Weight of the Stars", Alternative Rock/Dream Pop band Just Like Honey had the idea to record acoustic versions of a handful of their songs.
As the abstract idea took tangible shape in spring 2019, musicians sans traditional rock pedigree like American violinist Miranda Avery and Israeli cellist Telalit joined forces with the band during two extensive recording sessions.
During the Wood Room Sessions Just Like Honey’s songs took on a life of their own. Stripped of the bands’ usual guitar noise, the tracks started to reveal their hopelessly romantic heart. Much to the band members’ own surprise, a few of the songs even turned into some kind of American Folk courtesy of Darlene Jonasson’s ability to play the mandolin and thanks to the inexplicable use of a resonator guitar. On a side note you may be interested to learn that “Out in the Storm”, one of the tracks eventually laid down during the Sessions, was written by Patrick Le Mar on the spur of the moment during the first stint of recording.
It deals with the mystery of missing people and merely took shape in its Bluegrass version as of yet – a fact that might change in the not-too-distant future. According to one’s personal gusto The Wood Room Sessions could either be considered as a side project of Just Like Honey or simply as a yet undiscovered facet of the band, which has picked up its electric guitars again in the meantime and continues to lay on the fuzz and the reverb on every occasion.
Mother/Daughter duo Cliffs + Caves announce the release of the music video for their lead single "Defiance", recently featured on their critically-acclaimed album release Capsize. Stepping away from their traditional Indie-folk blended sound, Cliffs and Caves create a fierce indie-rock song that breaks the silence of anyone who has been victimized or silenced before.
Written as a battle cry, standing up for the powerless who can't speak up for themselves, the song was originally inspired by an interview from a victim of sexual violence. The song takes on different meanings for every person who listens - breaking the silence and speaking out against any type of oppression no matter how big or small it may seem. Overall, Cliffs + Caves aims to say "we won't be quiet anymore" and hopes that the lyrics of "Defiance" will empower others to speak out and speak up to help others who may be being silenced by their own oppressors or bullies.
In an era of female empowerment, mother-daughter duo Lindsey and Claire Justice are unabashedly sharing their voices to empower others through their unique blend of indie-folk music.
The duo has worked with well-known producers Jamie Candiloro (R.E.M., The Eagles) and Chris Jacobie (Penny & Sparrow, Duncan Fellows) to develop their musical style that showcases the depths of their skills as songwriters and instrumentalists with intimate lyrics lilting intrinsically over smooth musical progressions. Balancing powerful harmonies with delicate acoustic soundscapes, their newest EP, Capsize, explores the musical ingenuity that's created when artistry runs in the family.
The Cheap Thrills are a synth rock band from Liverpool. Renowned for producing sonic pop songs with infectious hooks and melodies.
'Time Waster' is the new single released from EP "Vue Du Monde" a glimmering and bold statement of intent that shows that these scousers mean business. The EP will be released digitally and in vinyl format on the 18th of October through Eighties Vinyl Records.
"A glimmering and bold statement of intent that shows that these scousers mean business."
Recent singles 'Saint Or Sinner', 'Codependence' & 'Smile When You Sleep' were played by John Kennedy & Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 & Radio X and featured on Spotify's 'Hot New Bands' and 'Indie List’.
Molly Linen just released her new single 'When They Didn't Care'. Molly's vocals are described as beguiling, emotive, yet serene, which I agree is a fair assessment, she is also a creative songwriter as is witnessed by this very fine song.
New Zealand vocalist Ria Hall has a new single out entitled 'Cause & Effect' a gorgeous mixture of classic reggae music and her natural soulful vocals, backed by vocal harmonies that again add those reggae vibes.
Duo Beatific have a new video for' She Loves Him' the first single from their debut EP out in December. The vocal harmonies are wonderful as this dreamy song drifts along sounding carefree and relaxed.
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Molly Linen - When They Didn't Care.
Lost Map Record’s latest signing Molly Linen returns with a new single ‘When They Didn’t Care’, released on streaming services and via Lost Map’s PostMap Club series on 27th September. It is taken from Linen’s debut Outside EP which follows on 4th October.
Molly Linen is a Shropshire-born, Glasgow-based songwriter and guitarist. Her beguiling voice is both emotive yet serene recalling the dulcet whispered tones of Cat Power, layered upon melodic guitar lines which draw influence from artist such as Devon Sproule and Nick Drake.
Linen’s latest single 'When They Didn't Care’ touches on, as Linen explains, “Worrying too much about what other people think, and the moment you realise that they don't actually really care.” The single follows the release of Linen’s wonderfully received debut single ‘Away’ (May 2019), which was described as “remarkably mature, so beautifully focused, and so frightfully exciting” by influential blog For The Rabbits, and included on several high profile Spotify playlists including NPR’s ‘New Music Friday’ round-up as well as producer Lar Gotrich’s own playlist. At radio, the debut single was played on BBC 6Music (Gideon Coe) and BBC Radio Scotland (Vic Galloway and Roddy Hart), whilst unreleased tracks from the Outside EP have received additional support from Pete Paphides (Soho Radio) and Cerys Matthews at 6Music.
Molly Linen’s forthcoming debut Outside EP is a collection of accomplished, atmospheric and personal songs written in, and inspired by, Linen’s life in rural Shropshire and the West End of Glasgow where the EP was recorded. As Linen expands “Some of the songs on the Outside EP reflect on my personal experiences of being out in nature and feeling the many emotional benefits, whilst others are observations of being in particular environments and noticing small details.”
The Outside EP was written by Molly Linen (guitar/vocals) and features Beth Chalmers (keyboard, harmonium and vocals), Liam Chapman (drums, synth and vocals) and Gemma Fleet (bass). It was recorded by Ronan Fay at Green Door Studios, Glasgow, and mastered by Steven Ward. ‘When They Didn’t Care’ is released on 27th September as a digital single on streaming services and via Lost Map’s PostMap Club, with the Outside EP following on 4th October digitally and on 10” vinyl.
New Zealand-vocalist Ria Hall returns with her first new music in nearly two years with the single ‘Cause & Effect’. This waiata is the first taste of a new album inspired by current political, social and racial climate, one that musically brings together elements of classic reggae and soul.
‘Cause & Effect’ combines Hall’s stunning voice with an all-star band, creating a sound that evokes memories of classic 70’s reggae and soul, with a modern, slick and conscious tilt.
Co-written and produced by Laughton Kora, the track features Kora himself alongside Rob Ruha & Troy Kingi on backing vocals, members of L.A.B. & Sons of Zion making up the band, and a horn section led and arranged by Warren Maxwell (TrinityRoots).
‘Cause & Effect’ is the first single from Hall’s second full length album, which will be released January 24, 2020.
San Francisco-based duo Beatific released a visualizer for "She Loves Him," the first single from their debut EP out in December.
"This song is about the merging of two bodies and souls... and the unshakable faith that everything is alright in the world when you are held in the bliss of pure and summery love," singer/songwriter Elad Marish says on the single.
"Engulfed in serenity and drenched in creativity, Beatific offers their terrific new single titled ‘She Loves Him," Jammerzine raves in their review. "Beautiful vocal harmonies abound over a captivating crystal clear guitar riff that carries the music forward like a lucid dream."
Known for his sound design and mixing videos for A-list clients like Beyoncé, Eminem, and The Jonas Brothers, Marish was a songwriter long before becoming a respected industry figure and President of the American Association of Music Producers. While not Marish's first band or side project by any means, Beatific is the first collaboration between him and Jeremy Black, the former drummer of Apollo Sunshine known more recently for his collaborations on the Bon Iver and The National-organized music festival PEOPLE. Their collaborative debut EP, Sunshine, arrives December 6th.
Hunting have just shared 'Whatever You Need'. It's a mixture of alt and electro rock with a smooth flowing vibe and plenty of upbeat energy.
From Ruthie we have 'The Tide' ahead of her debut EP ‘Universal Heartbreak Now’ which follows in November. It's beautiful and melodic pop that is gorgeously arranged.
Understated and dreamy psych rock comes our way in the form of 'I Love My Friends' by Martian Subculture. It's also quite hypnotic.
We have a music video from Tokyo Tea Room for 'Things Are Changing'. The psych pop bands song is gentle and dreamy with the vocals down in the mix, sounding distant which just adds to the track.
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Hunting - Whatever You Need.
"Whatever You Need" is about meeting someone you like so much you’d do anything to make them happier, give up anything to make their life better.
"For me, I met that person right before leaving town to live in Europe for two months to write songs and try to catch Bowie’s late 70’s Berlin vibe. Though, all the while I felt like it’d be way more fun if she was there tripping around with me. The lyrics ‘We’ll get high on our Fame, all stoned on our vain’ is a reference to what it must have been like to be Bowie and Iggy Pop lighting up that city."
Hunting is barely recognizable as the same band that released a debut album five years ago: it’s gone from a solo project to a trio, from folk to catchy electro-rock, and from wistful melancholy to buoyant exuberance. All this can be heard on the group’s sophomore album, Whatever You Need, due out in summer 2019 via Nevado Music.
Songwriter-producer Bradley Ferguson initially intended the album as a quick follow-up to 2014’s rootsy Hunting LP, but the initial sessions stalled. Instead, Bradley put Hunting on the back burner: he produced an electro-pop LP for Vancouver vocalist Jessicka, and acted as a bassist-for-hire in an array of projects.
Hunting eventually got back on track with the addition of two new members: Jessicka came on board as a full-time backing vocalist, while songwriter Dustin Bentall joined as a co-frontman. “We went back and started the album from scratch,” Bradley remembers. “We decided to approach it in a more organic way. I had been editing it to pop perfection — but then we breathed new life into it and it came together really quickly.”
Dustin Bentall is a well-travelled troubadour in his own right, and he contributed five of his own songs to the recording sessions at Afterlife Studios. Dustin says, “I had this batch of songs that weren’t really going to fit my next record, and I realized they worked seamlessly with Hunting.”
Bradley and Dustin’s songs mesh perfectly on Whatever You Need, tied together by pillowy vintage synth pads and surging rock rhythms. Returning collaborator John Raham (Destroyer) acted as engineer as well as drummer, Paul Rigby (Neko Case) added additional guitars, and Mother Mother’s Ryan Guldemond co-wrote a handful of tracks.
Blessed with the ability to conjure challenging emotions into melodic and engaging pop, the hotly-tipped Ruthie shares her brand new single ‘The Tide’. It’s the first track to preview her debut EP ‘Universal Heartbreak Now’ which follows on November 22nd. It follows her three independently released singles ‘Land of My Lover’, ‘Spirit Now Moves’ and ‘What Kind of Woman’.
With ‘The Tide’, Ruthie expresses bittersweet feelings with a sweeping beauty that elevates the mood of the moment. Set to a dreamy backdrop of modern pop and country-tinged folk, it drives to a crescendo in which her multi-layered vocal harmonies surge to create a choral wall-of-sound. Ruthie’s style echoes the likes of Angel Olsen and Jenny Lewis back to Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell, while her distinctively English accent adds a unique touch.
“‘The Tide’ is another banger about feeling terrible,” says Ruthie. “It’s about sitting in my room feeling lonely, like the sea had just spat me out onto a deserted beach. It’s definitely melodramatic and now I can’t remember ever feeling that way, but that’s the alchemy of songwriting: you can crystalize a feeling that becomes an object to look at rather than an overwhelming tidal wave. I also wanted to echo a very classic country music narrative of ‘Once I had everything, but now I’ve lost everything.’”
The four-track ‘Universal Heartbreak Now’ EP represents the biggest statement of Ruthie’s career to date. Eoin Loveless of Drenge contributes haunting duet vocals and psychedelic flavoured guitar to ‘No One On This Earth’, while all four tracks were mixed by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Islands). The songs were all written with Ruthie’s creative collaborator Ben Lewis.
Ruthie’s timeless, lovelorn songwriting has enamoured a growing following. She’s gained wide-ranging airplay including Radio 1, Beats 1, 6 Music and BBC Introducing at home along with daytime spins at triple j and double j in Australia and New Zealand. Key playlist adds include Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, Amazon’s Fresh Indie plus lists curated by NME, Dazed and DIY. Add Nylon and Wonderland to an ever-growing range of backers and it’s clear that Ruthie is on the way up.
Ruthie started playing her debut headline set with a homecoming show at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds before impressing at the Bluedot and Deer Shed festivals. She has also supported new Domino artist Sasami plus Anna St. Louis and Barrie. Further live dates:
12th Oct – Tenement Trail, Glasgow
19th October – SWN Festival, Cardiff
30th November – All Dayer with The Magic Gang, Leeds.
"I Love My Friends was written in the midst of a lot of my friends and I growing up really fast for many different reasons.
It’s basically a love letter to all those who have kept me occupied with dumb s throughout long periods of very very dull s. There’s also a line in their about a friend of mine naming her cat ‘Lofi’" -Martian Subculture
From his base in Ireland’s Limerick City, Martian Subculture creates leftfield, lo-fi psych rock. An eerie, restrained vocal is surrounded by kooky, comatose guitars on tracks that oscillate between themes of love, loneliness and interplanetary exploration.
Recorded alone in a bedroom studio, Martian Subculture introduces his latest single “I Love My Friends” as another invitation into a new sonic universe.
As life progresses, various pressures and influences, both internal and external start to pull you in a myriad directions, requiring choices to be made on a personal plane. Resolving yourself to an unyielding whole and accepting the best way to deal with these changes is the theme of hazy Canterbury psych-pop band Tokyo Tea Room’s mesmeric new single ‘Things Are Changing’. The sonics are reminiscent of bedroom-pop artist of today in MUNYA, Men I Trust or Inner Wave as well as taking cues from Tame Impala, DIIV and Mazzy Star.
Primary songwriter Daniel Elliot elaborates on the meaning behind the track: “‘Things Are Changing’ is about recognising yourself growing up, seeing yourself change and trying to find a balance. The lyrics are telling a story of someone discovering their own flaws, analysing them and moving forward.”
It’s a relatable theme, and has great synergy with the group’s approach to song-crafting and production. Deciding on a fresh start at the beginning of 2019, and realising how much their sound had matured, the band removed all their previous output from digital services, choosing indeed to move forward in their new sonic direction.
This bold approach however hasn’t stopped Tokyo Tea Room achieving success on a wider level including live slots alongside Wolf Alice and Super Furry Animals, acclaim on key tastemaker site The Line of Best Fit and spins on audio indie bible BBC 6 Music. As well as this they’re rapidly building cult following in the hazy corners of YouTube and Spotify, resulting in over one hundred thousand plays in six months on Spotify alone for the last two singles.
A key tenet of the band’s approach is their focus on aesthetic, which is strong and consistent throughout, and unique whilst holding a candle to the canon of psychedelic and shoegaze pioneers they take inspiration from. For this release, they have teamed up for a forthcoming music video with established Brighton-based visual artist InnerStrings, a well-known figure in the Psych scene who has previously been involved in events such as This Is Psych Fest, and this year’s Bella Union’s Great Escape Festival showcase.
Tokyo Tea Room are Daniel Elliot (Synths/Vocals), Ben Marshall (Bass), Beth Plumb (Vocals/Keys), Sam Teather (Drums), Ryan Debling (Guitar) and Graham Nunn (Guitar)
Hannah James has shared 'Canal Song' which is the first of ten tracks on her forthcoming 'The Woman and Her Words' album. Beyond Hanna's distinguishable and melodic vocals the album has an array of rich musical arrangements as a variety of creative avenues are explored. The often intriguing lyrics add even more to a highly credible and pleasing album.
A couple of months back we featured the debut song 'Need To Change' fromMagnapop ahead of their upcoming album 'The Circle is Round'. Today we get another taste of the album with 'Dog On The Door', where the bands deliver a vibrant and catchy alt rocker.
Sonny Winnebago has released 'Take Me For A Ride' a bright and uptempo pop song with Sonny's vocals rightly centre stage, supported by an equally melodic and pleasing musical backdrop.
Ahead of debut album 'Visitor' due next month Dominic Sen has released her final single 'Natural History'. We have already featured a couple of songs from the collection, and once again we have a beautifully arranged & very impressive piece, accompanied by a fine video.
Maddee returns for a third time this year with her brand new song release 'Wwy', a soulful and creatively arranged track and another absolute tease for next months six song E.P release.
We are always on the look out for creative and original music, so Skeleton Flower are very welcome and we have two music videos for 'My Double' and 'Fitcher's Bird' where imagination, art and great music come together superbly.
Atlanta-based, Arizona-born rock band, The Endangered Species round today's musical round up off with a unquestionably refined natural rocker entitled 'Magic Man'.
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Hannah James - Canal Song.
Innovative musician and dancer Hannah James and her most recent project The JigDoll Ensemble, announce the release of their impressive new album The Woman and Her Words on October 4th; and first single Canal Song has just been released.
Recorded in Hungary, at the prestigious music venue/studio Budapest Music Centre, the album hosts an international line-up of musicians - András Dés (Hungary – Percussion); Marti Tärn (Estonia – Bass Guitar); Kate Young (Scotland – Fiddle / Vocals); Toby Kuhn (France – Cello).
"I deliberately put together this band of extraordinary musicians because, at this time, I feel it's so important to keep international friendships strong. I have always felt European, not English, and this band is a celebration of that and an example of the great things that can emerge when people from different countries and backgrounds have the freedom to meet and work together". Hannah James.
One of the key figures in the revival of English percussive dance, Hannah is renowned as one of the best accordionists of the British Folk scene, her musicianship extends far beyond the tradition and flawlessly incorporates beautiful vocal-stylings with both classic and contemporary applications of English clog dance.
The new release is a celebration of ageing, gaining wisdom, and of the many women who have delivered essential truths along the way. Artist and puppeteer Katarina Cakova, based on Hannah's stories, created the physical form of 'the woman’, which appears on the album cover.
A previous collaborative project, Songs Of Separation, won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Album in 2017; while Hannah's vocal trio Lady Maisery produced three critically acclaimed albums and was nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Folk Awards. Her most recent project began solo before becoming the JigDoll Ensemble, was acclaimed as 'the highlight of the festival' at the Folk Expo Manchester in late 2017, debuting to a standing ovation from professional delegates from across the world.
Magnapop’s new album, The Circle Is Round, is the Atlanta-based group’s debut release for HHBTM Records, and is their sixth album, coming nearly a decade after their previous record, 2009’s Chase Park. Prior to this, the group had a fruitful run during the Alternative Rock heyday of the mid-90s, finding critical acclaim with 1994’s Hotboxing (with single “Slowly, Slowly”) and 1996’s Rubbing Doesn’t Help, which featured their most beloved song, “Open The Door.” And although the phrase was an endearing joke courtesy of slacker film Singles, Magnapop were indeed “big in Belgium,” finding enduring success that has led them to visit the Benelux region numerous times over their three decade career. (They have a tour slated for the area this September.)
Yet let’s not think of it as a “comeback,” shall we? Magnapop never really went away, appearing on the live circuit in Europe sporadically since their last release. The seeds that would blossom into The Circle Is Round were planted in 2011. “We reunited in 2011 when bassist Shannon Mulvaney contacted us about playing a benefit for Criminal Records, a local record store,” says guitarist and songwriter Ruthie Morris. “Playing together was easy, but we knew we needed time together to play our old songs again. The more we played together, the more we realized we wanted to work on new material.”
The Circle Is Round was recorded at Furies Studios in Marietta, Georgia, and produced by the band and studio owner Ed Burdell—he worked with the band on one of their first recording sessions—the album came together quickly this past February. Furthermore, there’s a sense of the circular nature of existence at play, as a few of the songs are some of the band’s earliest. “’Change Your Hair’ was the very first song Linda and I ever wrote together, before there was a band,” says Morris. “Our drummer, David McNair, was the one who came up with the idea of recording it. At first it seemed like a crazy idea, but the more I listened to it, the more I thought it would be fun!” The album also includes two demos from a 1992 recording session, previously unheard until now. Longtime fans of the band will find much to love with The Circle Is Round, while new listeners will get a taste of what converted listeners way back when to become lifetime fans.
“During one of our recent tours of Benelux we were interviewed on a Belgian radio program,” says Morris. “We were talking about the four of us reuniting and coming back together as a band. The interviewer said something in Flemish and he translated it as "The circle is round" to describe our situation. At first it sounded kind of funny, but the more we thought about it, the more poignant and appropriate it seemed.” - Indeed.
Sonny Winnebago is the moniker of Welsh-Australian troubadour /musician Harvey Jones, who's spent the entirety of 2019 living out of his battered suitcase and beloved camper van, all whilst feeding other people's cats and dogs. He was born with hypermobility syndrome which allows him a heightened flexibility, creating a very dynamic and unusual performance style. His infectious music embodies a 'melody is king' approach to pop writing, drawing inspiration from 1970s figures Harry Nilsson & Cat Stevens.
Following a string of profiled support slots, including Michael Kiwanuka & Joel Baker, Sonny Winnebago will be releasing his anticipated debut single 'Take Me For A Ride'. It is one of four tracks he'll be releasing with the support of Welsh artist development scheme 'Forté Project', enlisting the skills of producer Charlie Francis (R.E.M, The High Llamas), featuring session musicians Davey Newington (Boy Azooga), Matt Evans (KEYS) and Steve Black (Sweet Baboo).
Harvey says that 'Take Me For A Ride' was written from a place of restlessness, following the event of a long-term friendship going south."It's a true story, and a relatable one too, with strong themes of detachment and self-empowerment" Backed up by an uptempo rhythm section and bright, choppy chords, 'Take Me For A Ride' ultimately engulfs the listener with feelings of summer abandonment and child-like joy.
‘Natural History’ is the final single from Dominic Sen's debut 'Visitor' out on October 18 on Roll Call Records. Chronicled in this song is protagonist Tal Naata’s experience of finding meaningful connection during a trip to the American Museum of Natural History following months of social isolation post-arrival on Earth. Her companion, a paleontology graduate student, transforms into something more as looking at objects from our distant past begins to lay out before her a future of endless possibilities.
“‘Natural History’ makes tactile the rush of a fantasy becoming reality -- the first few, intoxicating brushes of physical contact, a hypersensitivity to every single sensation” comments the albums’ author, Dominic Sen, a Galaxy M64 émigré who was drawn to Earth by our colourful pop culture, convinced they had a shot at Earthbound stardom.
But connection means vulnerability and vulnerability comes with a cost: “In this snapshot, Tal may be free falling enthusiastically into infatuation, but she still holds onto secrets and the fear that she will not be valued fully as an alien or, as she slowly learns from her terrestrial experiences, as a woman” explains Sen.
Dominic Sen's terrestrial debut is a space opera and thought experiment that tells the tale of Tal Naata, a biologically human female coming from a distant and socially progressive civilisation to study Earth. Taking Tal Naata’s story as their prism, Sen casts our own primitive ideas of gender, duality and social cohesion back at us through shimmering, crystalline pop that pays homage to our recent past.
Like Tal Naata, the album's creator Dominic Sen is themselves a visitor to Earth. The seventh and only surviving child of the supermassive black hole at the centre of “The Evil Eye Galaxy,” Sen drifted around space in limbo until intercepting the radio waves from Earth’s broadcasts during 1980’s and 1990’s.
‘Visitor’ will be released on Roll Call Records on October 18. It will be immediately available for pre-order, including as a limited edition LP in “Interstellar White” vinyl. Dominic Sen will play an album launch show in NYC on Oct 26 @ Trans-Pecos,
The Toronto-based artist, Maddee is today sharing the wonky funk of ‘WWY' - listen here. Taken from her forthcoming debut six-track EP, ’Red Mind’, which is due for release on October 17, 2019, the new cut finds the artist locking into oscillating grooves underneath syrupy electronic textures.
‘WWY’ - an acronym for ‘Where Were You’ - finds the 21-year-old artist collaborating with Louie Short to mine personal experiences once more, this time with Maddee turning attention to times of abandonment in close relationships. Speaking about the track she says: “‘WWY’ was written about a really bad night I had where I was seeking comfort and support from the person who I thought was supposed to be there for me and quickly found out that they weren't. I thought I needed their support and in the end, I had to learn how to provide that for myself.”
The latest cut to be taken from the EP further examines the overarching subject of the forthcoming collection, wrestling with the ramifications of a negative relationship and the emotions that Maddee felt throughout that period. From love to infatuation and naivety, the complex theme of love and emotion is further accentuated through the accompanying scarlet artwork.
Maddee cut her teeth initially with features on the ‘Colours EP’ from Toronto-based producer, Harrison - from here, she picked up slots opening for the likes of Lil’ Yachty, Willow Smith and Tennyson, alongside which she showcased across festivals including SXSW, NXNE and Field Trip. A pair of debut singles were released in 2017 (produced by Toronto’s Birthday Boy and Shagabond respectively), earning the buzz-building artist tips from tastemaker blogs, Majestic Casual and the attention of Red Bull Sound Select who handpicked her as one their spotlight artists.
Skeleton Flower’s debut album is a musical collection filled with gritty honesty, wild imagination, a generous sense of humor, and unleashed artistic expression. It is based on a new performance that is a semi-autobiographical exploration of a creative person’s struggle with identity, depression and the awakening of personal power.
The Stranger Recommended, Don’t Miss: “They've created a seven-song collection that takes indie rock to art school in the manner of St. Vincent, Dirty Projectors, and Deerhoof. Nishimura’s endearingly quirky voice comes off like a Japanese Joanna Newsom, and Nortness’s bass clarinet and saxophone lines sometimes skew the songs into chamber-jazz territory. However, Skeleton Flower's final two tracks—“The Red Shoes” and “Mirrored Sky”—hint at Björk's phantasmal electronic songcraft, and are all the more interesting for that.” –Dave Segal
“"Listen and watch after reading the fairy tale (or a synopsis of it), and it’s impossible not to be struck by how elegantly Nishimura’s visceral words metamorphose and compliment the source. The beauty of “Fitcher’s Bird” is that, as befits any great dark fairytale, enchantment and eeriness walk hand-in-hand. It’s an uneasy but irresistible path.” –Anthony James Kay, Artist Home
As with all of Degenerate Art Ensemble ’s work, Director Haruko Crow Nishimura draws on her own difficult and at times violent childhood which led to major breakdowns and years of depression. The work balances compelling supernatural narratives along with exploring how, through creativity, Crow was able to not only survive, but also share the fruits of her imagination with others and transform herself in the process.
The Skeleton Flower dance performance was shown as a work in progress in Bulgaria as part of the Spotlight USA Festival and premiered in Seattle in March of 2019 and they are excited to debut the Skeleton Flower band in September.
Atlanta-based, Arizona-born rock band, The Endangered Species, tell a tale of loss, hardship, and redemption on their video "Magic Man” and forthcoming, self-titled album, produced by music industry veteran, Joey Huffman (Izzy Stradlin, Soul Asylum, Drivin n Cryin). Music this raw and authentic stems from experience, and brothers and central figures, Wade and Robin Divver, have had more than their fair share of hard times. On February 12th, 2001, their father was brutally murdered by the Sinaloan drug cartel. The only living memory the brothers have of their father were his most prized possessions: a 1983 Fender Stratocaster and a 1967 Gibson SG. The album arrives October 18th, just in time for their father’s birthday.
Eight years later, inspired by their life experiences and their passion to see the world change for the benefit of all species, the pair officially started their band The Endangered Species.
The concept of the video is to capture the groove of the song. The idea was to show all types of different dance being done to the song. Pole dancers, break dancers, astronauts on the moon listening to the song, dead people dancing, etc. The lyrics are more serious and dark in nature, so instead of a doom and gloom video I wanted to create a video that put the focus on the groove of the song. I think it makes the song more fun and exciting for the listener. The lyrics will speak for themselves for the listener who can relate. As I stated before Magic Man is the drug dealer who is benefiting off the addicts addiction. Fueling the demise of others for his own gain. The song expresses the path of the desperate addict giving up more and more to satisfy their addiction, until they are so desperate they take everything they need from Magic Man by putting a gun to his head.’But they ask so politely indeed.’ The video was created and produced by Robin Divver (Rock & Roll Rd. Productions).”
For the Divver brothers, The Endangered Species are more than just a band: they are a movement raising awareness, consciousness, and trying to spark an awakening of thought and revolution in their listeners. If humans do not become more conscious of their impact on the earth, the other species that exist, the water, the future generations, humans will cease to exist. They urge fans to stand up and change the world for the better, to not be mindless sheep used as pawns in a society ruled by the powerful elites and their money first mentality. They want to be a voice for the people who have been forgotten, left behind, and demand change. The pair live by the motto, “Try to save a life a thousand years away, it starts with a change inside yourself.”
The brothers and family lived a humble life in Arizona on Rock & Roll Road, where Robin was born at home. Living off the grid one mile from the U.S. Mexico border, they pumped water from a windmill, took bucket baths, had no electricity other than a generator, and utilized two school buses that once served as the family’s home. In fact, Wade was given birth to in one of the buses while his parents lived in Contreras, New Mexico. Despite the hardship this family faced, they got through it thanks to their shared love of Rock & Roll. But it was going to take a while before the family saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
