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Swedish-born multi-instrumentalist and producer Sofia Härdig returns with her latest album ‘THIS BIG HUSH’. With squalling guitars and vivid colours Härdig creates a cinematic vignette delivered through the poet’s eccentric palette of post-punk, playing and producing the entirety of the album. Sofia brings chugging energy, intense lyricism and a chaotic presence; she’s heading for a higher status amongst rock’s elite, and comments on the moment she met Patti Smith; “We met backstage at her gig in Stockholm and she gave me tickets to her show. We spoke about art, music and what it means to be an artist. She was generally very supportive and attentive; it was a beautiful moment sharing poetry and words.”
Talking about her fourth full-length, Sofia said “I recorded this album with the band in less than three days live in Tambourine Studios in Malmö. The vocals were all done in one day, a lot of them are even kept from the original live take. Part of the process is that my electronic demo making has become so thorough and time-consuming that they have been good enough to be released. Since they are out in the world and out of my system, I can break free and do something different with the band, and not the same thing all over again. We never play the same tempo, same length, they follow me where I lead them… this is THIS BIG HUSH”
Sofia now drops the second single; ‘RADIANT STAR’, lifted from her forthcoming album. Musically, the track is more in the vein of art-rock, and Sofia doesn’t shy away from showcasing her talents as a producer here, as we’re constantly reminded of hazy ‘Unknown Pleasures’-esque angst. “It was made during many endless nights,” Sofia tells us about the single, “on my own and in my studio, and also with the band on some more hectic days. Then a lot of other endless days and nights in the studio producing it. My own take of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’; a song I learned as a 3-year old on the grand piano we inherited from my grandmother.”
Having worked with the likes of Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), a few members of Free Kitten, Sofia is no stranger to the live circuit and previously shared the stage with many other experimental musicians such as Ikue Mori, Yoshimi of The Boredoms, John Tilbury as well as Swedish Grammy Winners bob hund and The Hellacopters, among others.
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“I'm an accidentally good guitarist,” explains Poppy Jean Crawford. “I started playing just because I wanted to have chords to go along with my music.”
Listen to a song by the 20-year-old Crawford, however, and it seems like her preternatural musical ability might be more fate than chance. After all, the tracks on her forthcoming EP JEANJEANIE, out November 1st, show off not only her skill on the guitar but a unique ability to create a mood—swinging from seductive to savage and beyond—through dark, personal lyrics and powerful delivery that ranges from ethereal to unrestrained.
“When people listen to my music, they can feel as though they’re in a trance,” Crawford says. “But it’s more than just that. There’s a wall of noise that brings you in, but beyond that there’s beauty alongside the chaos.”
Delicacy presented side by side with disorder is precisely what Crawford does best. It’s evident in the debut single from the new EP, “Same Old Tricks,” as well as tracks like “Jonsies Gonesies,” which displays a talent for mellow sounds that linger just below haunting lyrics, and “Not Today” and “Better for Me,” which both boast a drive that demands attention. When she talks about the music she herself loves—a diverse selection including P.J. Harvey, Portishead, and Bjork—it highlights the same idea; Crawford is an artist who’s not only at home among different ideas but also one who can draw clear lines between them for anyone lucky enough to follow along.
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Folk-pop singer/songwriter Emma Charles is gearing up for a major step in her musical progression as she is set to release her new single “Vertigo,” which has just been chosen as a “What’s Next” spotlight on the forthcoming iconic quarterly compilation album of hitmakers NOW That’s What I Call Music! #72. “Vertigo” is the follow up to a series of recent singles including “Scorpio” and “Comfort In the Chaos” which were produced by Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Emmy the Great). On this track, her trademark pristine sound takes a powerful turn with the addition of collaborator and producer Andrew Furze who co-wrote the song and plays guitar. Charles is the latest in a long line of “What’s Next” featured artists which includes Shawn Mendez, Billie Eillish and Maggie Rogers. “Vertigo” was released digitally October 18 on Sky Records, the pop unit of the Resilience Music Alliance. NOW! 72 was released on October 25.
Charles has been honing her distinctive brand of songwriting since she began releasing music as a student at the Berklee School of Music (when she was known as Emma Charleston). Her growing fanbase have always had a glimpse into her personal life as her lyrics have always had their foundations in self-reflection and particularly so on “Vertigo.” Says Charles: “‘Vertigo’ is about feeling displaced and losing my sense of self. I graduated college, moved across the country to Los Angeles, and then immediately left to go on tour- all in the space of three crazy months. I was trying to write songs while my head was still spinning and I never felt quite grounded- and this is the song that came out of that.”
Emma’s evolution as an artist has never been more pronounced than in 2019 as she’s recently graduated from school, relocated across country to Los Angeles, performed on national tours with Howie Day and Tyler Hilton and most importantly, put 1000 percent of her focus into creating a solid repertoire of songs with collaborators such as Schadt and Furze. Charles will continue to release singles in 2019 culminating in the release of the first of two 5 song Eps by the end of the year.
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Out on Diversion Records: In Memory by The Cordial Sins - songs about love lost in bad habits. Written in earnest by The Cordial Sins co-founders, Liz Fisher and Corey Dickerson, and lovingly bore by long-time bandmates Kyle Edwards, John Allen and Mike Ortiz, all during the most haphazardly fleeting form of time: tour. In moments on the road — of arresting inspiration, dissembling emotion, and scarce stillness — The Cordial Sins made a grittily fizzing meld of rasping indie rock, melty shoegaze, and raw emotion, almost combative in its strength.
Though the music of The Cordial Sins is conjured and constructed by highly capable instrumentalists, its intention is not to achieve musical perfection, but rather, to tell the stories of its frontwoman. Fittingly titled In Memory, the EP follows Liz Fisher through the familiar process of a heart’s shatter and excruciating rebuild. It’s a melodic confrontation with her past that reverberates and resonates into any who have felt the same experience. Throughout, Fisher leans on lyrical mantras to cope, and at times, survive:
Sonically, Fisher’s training in classical violin offers evocative context for her intensely rock vocal delivery, a fervent belt that could be compared to Sharon Van Etten or The Cranberries’ Dolores O'Riordan. Her string arrangements weave the ups and downs of grief with intention, into one enveloping layer of sound. Just beneath that rippling surface, Corey Dickerson’s impassioned lead guitar drives the whole with force. The self-trained musician grounds the manic fluctuations of Fisher’s sentiment, as well as the audible powers of Edwards, Allen, and Ortiz, steering a beautiful frenzy of vibrations into one unified vision.
Love, loss, and redemption are not new concepts, but The Cordial Sins’ take on their combined effect is wonderfully rampant and stirringly sincere. Collaboration and honest storytelling sit at the core of In Memory, an individual’s examination of life as it is and reimagination of life as it could be.
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Iggy Mayerov is a dream pop band from Prague, Czech Republic. Their sound is build around dominant vocal of the lead singer, and is surrounded by walls of lush and hazy guitar parts.
Iggy Mayerov was formed in the autumn of 2016. Already in spring 2017 they
released debut EP Stardust, and have started performing regularly. Iggy Mayerov most often performed in Prague Clubs as Rock Caf\'e9, Chapeau Rouge, Cross and many others.
In the autumn of 2017 they participated in band contest and managed to get to
the finals. From the total number of 125 band, Iggy Mayerov ended up on the
fifth place. In the spring of 2018 the band showed up in the undiscovered talents chart with the song Stardust, and they were holding on the leading position for five weeks. The same song was also broadcasted by Manchester's radio All FM in Through The Courtains show.
During the summer Iggy Mayerov were playing in several prestigious festivals
such as Budweiser, Mezi Ploty or United Islands. At the end of the summer they performed at Radio Wave showcase and on Ponton music sessions organized by magazine Headliner.
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“It’s the secret no one tells you in the movies,” says Hart, “the journey to capture a woman’s heart, and to enjoy the wellspring of her affection and wisdom, only begins once the field has been narrowed to just two. There is a longing she has to be loved, but this longing does not mean there will be a deep and sustained connection. Our heroine, in my cover, the singer of this song, as opposed to the object of affection in Bruce’s original work, tells him quite poetically how he can win her over. But the truth is, the journey only really begins once she has been won.”
Excitement for Hart’s music has been growing since the release of her first single “I Know A Gun” earlier this year. The track premiered on Folk Alley which noted, "Very few artists make a first impression so indelible and wondrous that you know within seconds that they are truly special. In the past few years, Courtney Marie Andrews, Anna Tivel, and Dylan LeBlanc all cleared that bar and even raised it with succeeding efforts. Now comes Kerry Hart making a play of her own to join their ranks." Listeners feel the same as evinced by Hart’s steadily increasing streaming numbers.
Hart joined up with Nick Rosen and Léo Costa, multi-instrumentalists who have worked with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Jason Mraz, to record I Know A Gun at Perfect Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The album finds Hart embedding her lyrics with pieces of hard-won insight, enveloping that wisdom in her endlessly warm delivery. With its lavishly detailed and largely acoustic sound, the album unfolds in transportive melodies and sweeping arrangements, while bearing an edgy complexity entirely unique to Hart. She will be previewing songs from the album at her upcoming show at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on December 14th.
Hart is also passionate about reforestation and has been offering a "Pre-Save To Tree Save" campaign in conjunction with Eden Reforestation Projects. For each pre-save of her album I Know A Gun on Spotify, the non-profit group will plant one new tree. The unique initiative has already led to the planting of 2,500 new trees. "We are excited to have Kerry Hart as a new partner in our efforts to plant trees and save lives," writes ERP. "We know how much she cares about trees and the earth. We love her pre-save to tree save campaign so pre-save away!". Find out more at www.kerryhart.com/tree.
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