Aminah Hughes - Rizo - Cold Reading - EnnieLoud

Aminah Hughes has shared 'Tell Me It's Over' accompanied by a video, the song is a refined ballad with soulful overtones and a timeless gospel chorus. === Rizo has a new video for her single 'Hit Of You' the song is gorgeous, the video adding some risque intrigue, but it's the song that works for me. === We featured a couple of songs from the new three part concept album by Cold Reading last year, and from the third part we have 'Tree Diagram' this is a highly imaginative indie rock band. === From EnnieLoud we have a song and video entitled 'The Best I Can Do' a genre defying piece, that's rich yet musically minimalist, the vocals adding passion and emotion.
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Aminah Hughes - Tell Me It's Over.

When Aminah Hughes steps on stage she does more than fill the room with her honeyed voice. She draws her audience into nostalgia, calling us to remember the beauty and rebelliousness of an analogue world. “Inspiring” and “strong” are words that are often passed around at her performances as she embodies the empowerment we are all aching to feel. “An intelligent and vocal woman of extraordinary musical talent -a powerful musical force” (Robert James, GANGgajang/Yothu Yindi), Aminah is unafraid to touch the rawness, giving voice to pain, laying it bare, and finding the light in its grace.

A seasoned performer in Australia and Europe, Aminah has shared stages with Tommy Emmanuel, Declan O’Rourke, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Waterboys fiddler Steve Wickham. She has been featured in US magazines, appeared on Irish TV, RTÉ and BBC Radio and performed with various orchestras both as a flutist and singer. She appeared on eleven albums in Australia and Europe before producing her debut album, Blue Wooden Boat. Recorded in Ireland, USA, Australia, and Germany, the album features special guests Emmanuel, Wickham and Nashville gospel singers, The McCrary Sisters. Mixed in Nashville and mastered in Memphis by Grammy award-winning engineers, the album marked her debut as a producer and launched her independent label, Blue Wolf Records. It has earned her a growing list of accolades including a nomination at the Independent Music Awards in New York.

“A strong, soulful singer” (All About Jazz), her voice appears on a variety of productions, including Australia’s Who Do You Think You Are? and NBCUniversal game, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock. An award-winning screenwriter and director who also helms her own music videos, Musical Notes Global (New York) cite Aminah as “a true Renaissance woman.”

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Rizo - Hit Of You.

Grammy-winning artist Rizo (formerly known as Lady Rizo) has returned with a new video for her single “Hit of You”. Rizo’s new video comes as she kicks off a string of west coast dates, where she will be performing her new show “Losing the Lady”.

“Losing the Lady” seductively peels back the layers of Rizo’s alter-ego; and she explores the delight and trappings of our shadow selves through her own songs along with the tunes of Sasha Fierce (Beyoncé), the Thin White Duke (David Bowie), and Camille (Prince). “To those that have seen her perform live, she is a superstar. For those that have not yet had the pleasure, you are missing out on a life altering adventure,” says EARMILK. Rizo’s west coast tour comes after debuting “Losing the Lady” at Joe’s Pub (The Public Theater) in New York for 4 nights.

The New York Times once referred to Rizo (né Amelia Zirin-Brown) as “a formidable belter who can sustain phrases and notes even when sprawled on her back on a piano and scissoring her legs.” They’re not alone in that enthusiasm. Rizo has collaborated with Moby, Reggie Watts, and Yo-Yo Ma, the latter on his Songs of Joy & Peace album, which won a Grammy Award.

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Cold Reading - Tree Diagram.

Lucerne, Switzerland based Indie quintet Cold Reading just released their long-awaited three-part concept album 'ZYT' on January 31st.

Cold Reading are going off the beaten path for the realisation of their second album 'ZYT'. In the form of a concept album, Cold Reading explore the subject of time both musically and lyrically, and try to approach this elusive concept from different perspectives.

The album consists of three EPs - Past Perfect, Present Tense and Future Continuous, dealing with the past, the present and the future, respectively. The album, which is also available as double gatefold vinyl with interchangeable artworks, also contains an audio book, elaborating on the ‘Through the Woods’ song-trilogy, of which one song can be found on each EP.

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EnnieLoud - The Best I Can Do.

Sweet without being saccharine, sentimental without being mawkish, ‘The Best I Can’ is a poignant reflection on the twin poles of femininity, and the quiddities of being human and vulnerable. Framed as a series of statements to one’s weaker self, ‘The Best I Can’ is a slow bounce hinged around a minimal and addicting bassline. Written by Cassandra, whose R&B tinged vocal recalls the halcyon days of Lauryn Hill, the song was produced by band member Fabio Rizzoli, aka BeeOff, and recorded and performed by the band at the SAE Institute of London. Beau Vallis (Kelly Rowland, Pharrell, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg) assists Fabio with the mixing and masters it himself.

On ‘The Best I Can’ EnnieLoud have found a style that mixes neo-soul melodics with the ambient soundscaping of artists like Portishead and Goldfrapp, adding technical flourishes used by live DJs - drum and bass filters, synth arpeggiators and samples. The video was directed by Juanmi Cuesta and choreographed and performed by Italian danseuse Colette Gasparini. It follows a young girl as she dances with tireless passion in the immensity of a disused warehouse. ‘The Best I Can’ is a sincere expression of inner-strength, a genre-defying testament to self-definition in the face of very human doubts.

EnnieLoud are a trio of musical innovators from diverse points on the map who coalesced to craft their unique sound in the cultural melting pot of north London’s Wood Green. The plurality of their adoptive neighbourhood is channeled into their music, which crosses cultural and generic boundaries to arrive at a sound which can loosely be defined as ‘alt-soul’. Street-dancing singer/songwriter Cassandra fronts the dexterous trio, which also includes Berlin producer/DJ BeeOff and multi-instrumentalist Ross. Together they have received international acclaim, co-writing ‘My Faults’ with top Italian DJ Vincenzo Callea, before getting remix treatment from Grammy-winning producer Yoad Nevo (Goldfrapp, Sia, Moby).

The single was released in Germany and Italy, where it hit national radio playlists and made waves across Europe in France, the UK, Greece and Russia. The accompanying video won ‘Best Video Clip’ at the New York City International Films Infest Festival and became a finalist at the 2018 Los Angeles Cinefest. Their first official single ‘In My Room’ was released in July last year and hit the blogosphere to much acclaim, receiving coverage in the UK, Mexico, USA, Canada, France, Belgium and Kenya. Receiving its premiere on Clash, ‘In My Room’ went on to be playlisted across Spotify, hitting ten thousand streams in three weeks. It’s early days, but EnnieLoud are quickly proving themselves a vital and beguiling new act on the international circuit.

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Fassine - Les Flâneurs (Feat Hanna Turi) - HMS Morris

Fassine make their fourth appearance on Beehive Candy with the brand new song 'Bloom' ahead of the third album 'Forge' due in March, the track mixing a powerful chorus with more melodic and beautiful vocals. === Les Flâneurs has released 'Your Days' which features the impressive and delightful vocals of Hanna Turi, plus the fabulously arranged musicianship of Alex Marchetti. === HMS Morris new single is 'Babanod' (meaning Babies) the Welsh language song is passionate and expansive, the music growing in depth, the hooks building throughout.
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Fassine - Bloom.

Fassine’s third album FORGE (March 27), and first on Trapped Animal Records & Cargo Records, is a tribute to the unassuming heroes on the fringes of society.

New single ‘Bloom’, out today, is a response to the obsession of perceived beauty in perfection. Addressing this disconnect, the band asks if something is more beautiful when it is broken.

'Bloom' flips violently between states, from the tranquil verse, where Sarah Palmer’s sweet, manicured vocal is backed by just a propulsive bass, to the apocalyptic chorus of crashing drums and ear-bleeding synths.

Forthcoming record 'FORGE' is bolder than ever, elevating the London trio’s distinctive take on electronic music with heavier, more aggressive instrumentation. Fassine has garnered acclaim from The Guardian, The Independent, Clash and more with comparisons spanning Trent Reznor to Berlin-era Bowie.

Since their last release, Fassine’s XTC cover of “That Wave” appeared on the Sky Arts documentary on the seminal band, This Is Pop. Their track “Whatever It Takes To Help You Sleep” played as the backdrop to Netflix’s first feature film “Velvet Buzzsaw”, and ”Leaves” was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar.

‘FORGE’ literally means to ‘create something strong and enduring’. And with this album, Fassine have embodied the grit and grime of their personal heroes to weld into existence an industrial and hard-hitting piece of craftsmanship.

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Les Flâneurs - Your Days (feat. Hanna Turi)

"Your Days" follows the trip-pop of “Dark Souls”, released in December, that got attention and airplay worldwide. “Your Days” was born out of the spontaneous collaboration with swedish singer Hanna Turi, whose emotional lyrics and top class songwriting, along with the well-received album “Tracks in the Water” (2015), have led to several performances at South by South West (SXSW) in Austin and gigs at legendary places in New York and worldwide.

Alex Marchetti, the man and producer behind Les Flâneurs' project, remembers his first meeting with Hanna, during her Italian tour: “I met Hanna during a house concert in the place where I produce music, a medieval farmstead hidden in the countryside. When she arrived with her band she seemed to be worried, like thinking: 'where the hell am I? My agent will have to know!' She didn't know I was doing concerts in that place since several years.

The audience sat in silence, mesmerised, during the whole performance, totally taken by the music and Hanna's impressive voice. At the end of the night she told me it was the best show of her tour, because of the respectful and loving attention she got. Then she gave me the most wonderful present: she turned the simple melody I was composing into “Your Days”, a dreamlike naive pop song.

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HMS Morris - Babanod.

Following a tour of Japan, a Welsh Music Prize nomination and a gig-filled 2019 HMS Morris are back with their new single 'Babanod' meaning 'Babies', will be released on February 7th (Dydd Miwsig Cymru – Welsh Music Day) on Bubblewrap Records. 'Babano d' is the first in a series of singles slated for release in 2020, during which the band will also be developing a theatre show ready for performance in 2021.

The impetus for writing 'Babanod' was the awkward moment in your friend’s wedding when someone feels compelled to reassure you that “you’ll be next”. In that situation, surrounded by married couples and young children, how do you assert your right to a slightly alternative lifestyle, something other than just moving directly from graduation to marriage to parenthood, without sounding like a total dick? Better to smile, bottle it up, and release it in a song when you get home.

'Babanod' will be available digitally from all the usual platforms.

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AM Clouds - AyOwA - Howie Payne - Delune

AM Clouds mix and merge rock styles and arrive with a sumptuous and rich overall sound as is witnessed by 'Tune Me In' a fine taster for their 'Rainmaker' album due later this month. === It's been a while since we last shared some new material from AyOwA so 'First Frost' makes for a more than welcome return by the electronic duo and their fabulously individual sound. === On Friday Howie Payne released 'Into Daylight' a gorgeous mixture of alt rock and lovable psychedelic vibes. === Sister duo Delune have a brand new release entitled 'Lavender Too' which put simply is short in duration but absolutely beautiful.
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AM Clouds - Tune Me In.

Oregon-based AM Clouds craft adventurous roosty indie rock that traverses both the internal and external landscapes of human experience. Their hometown of Bend offers extreme climate changes and expansive beauty, prompting them to coin the term ‘high desert rock.’ Even their name, AM Clouds, was derived from a phrase that was constantly broadcast across the Oregon weather forecast.

Meshing classic and alternative, the band connects the dots between several eras of rock music, from angular indie to psychedelic noise jams, equal parts Neil Young and Meat Puppets, Tom Petty and Uncle Tupelo. Their debut EP, War of Love, was released in 2017, and was welcomed with open arms by local press, picking up heavy rotation on KPOV and KRFM. “We’re located in a rugged, remote place, where culture has a tendency to be overshadowed by nature,” Moon relates. “I think people really connect to hearing their majestic surroundings captured musically with a bit of cinematic flair.”

Made up of Bruce Troy Moon (lead vocals, lead guitar), Graham Boostrom (rhythm guitar, vocals), Pete Ficht (bass, keys, vocals), and Dan Paggi (drums, vocals), the band is both immediate and relatable, comprised of musicians committed to their individual tone but more invested in serving the overall sound. Since their inception, they’ve played across Central Oregon, sharing the stage with veteran roots rockers the Mother Hips and Portand’s psych rock pioneers King Black Acid.

Their forthcoming LP, Rainmaker, was tracked at the Firing Room in Bend, Oregon with engineer Dayne Wood and mixed by Portland producer Jeff Stuart Saltzman (The Black Keys, Death Cab for Cutie). The album is due to drop February14th.

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AyOwA - First Frost.

With the release of electronic duo AyOwA’s new single First Frost on January 31, 2020, it marks the band's first release in English. The single proceeds the coming debut album Amoeba (September 2020).

Since the beginning, the duo has been synonymous with evocative electronic compositions, consisting of Hannah Schneider's spheric vocals and Nicolai Kornerup's significant synth productions. After extensive touring around Europe, the new music has come to life, passing frosty country roads, dark lakes and broken hearts. With First Frost they channel their mutual love of subtle dark pop songs and electronic soundscapes.

The song First Frost is about a couple who has experienced their whole life, and towards the end sets out in the first winter frost to disappear together. It is the sound of a lasting pact, of infinite love and strength. A sound of crackling snow under your feet, and of clarity of the heart.

In September 2018, the duo released their 2nd EP Farvel - a powerful selection of songs about light and dark, break ups and new life. In the autumn of ’18, AyOwA supported Faroese artist Eivør on her European tour. With 14 shows in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Bulgaria and UK and two more showcases in London in Aug. 2018 on a Notting Hill Arts Club, the duo has expanded its audience beyond the country's borders.

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Howie Payne - Into Daylight.

Howie Payne has just released a new single ‘Into Daylight’, the first blast of new music from the former Stands frontman since 2017’s critically praised solo album release, ‘Mountain’. The track arrives just ahead of a sold-out London headline from Payne coming up on February 5, 2020 at the Old Queen’s Head, with further full band shows for 2020 to be announced shortly.

Shifting up through the gears from the blissfully understated songwriting which characterised much of both ‘Mountain’ and Payne’s Ethan Johns-produced 2009 debut, ‘Bright Light Ballads’, the clattering ‘Into Daylight’ buzzes along atop the attack & recoil of darting electric guitar lines (with all instruments on the recording played solely by Payne). Speaking about the lean, self-produced and self-mixed track - which zips by in barely two minutes - Howie says; “The first person I played it to said; ‘It sounds like if Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and early Pink Floyd were the same band’...I’m having that thank you very much. It's the first full on electric rock and roll tune I've put out since I was doing The Stands, definitely the most psychedelic, and the first guitar solo I've cut for a while. I've been listening to a lot of rock and roll and rediscovered my love of playing the electric guitar, and of volume and it sent me off in a new, heavier direction. ‘Into Daylight’ is a pure rock and roll song, it’s loud, fast and exciting to play live. I can see us absolutely jamming the shit out of it at the shows down the line.”

Payne came to widespread recognition in the early noughties - far beyond the buzzy, fertile local scene of his beloved Liverpool (his brother Sean is drummer for The Zutons, sister Candie is a visual artist & musician) - via his solo-project-cum-band, The Stands. Highly regarded both by critics & musical luminaries alike including the likes of the Stone Roses, Spiritualized, Jack White, Noel Gallagher and Bill Ryder-Jones (the latter two both of which made appearances on the band’s debut album), The Stands toured variously alongside Paul Weller, The Libertines, The Coral and Oasis. The band released two enduring albums (2004’s debut ‘All Years Leaving’ and the following year’s ‘Horse Fabulous’), burning as brightly as they did briefly, before Payne disbanded the outfit in late 2005.

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Delune - Lavender Too.

Sister duo Delune are graduates of Columbia University, the NYC based duo is quite incredible. In the past, they’ve been compared to artists like Lana Del Rey, but if you check them out, I’m sure you’ll see they have a sound and identity all their own.

The girls of Delune, Kate & Izzi, lived in Berlin, teaching music in a refugee camp.

They’ve taught songwriting at Rikers Island and in 2018 they released two records and videos “Wild West Side Highway,” and “Those Days.” Starting this week, the duo will be releasing one song a month leading to an August album release date for a concept album titled, Pierrot, in homage to the sad clown in Commedia Dell'Arte: the fool in love, who breaks the fourth wall; constantly trapped in a cycle of falling in love, getting his heart broken, and repeating the cycle.



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Barb Carbon - Nicolas Godin - Lilly Hiatt - The Modern Society - Malena Zavala

Barb Carbon shares 'Patience' a fresh sounding indie rock meets roots rock kind of song with plenty of hooks throughout. === Accompanied by a video filmed around the Palace of Versailles Nicolas Godin has just shared 'Catch Yourself Falling' featuring Alexis Taylor, a relaxing, melodic and smooth song. === Less than a month since her first appearance here Lilly Hiatt returns with another new song entitled 'P Town' a powerful and passionately delivered country rocker. === The Modern Society debut single 'Bad Thoughts' is an impressive affair, the young band packing passion and determination both musically and visually. === Malena Zavala returns to Beehive Candy for a third time with 'I'm Leaving Home' a beautiful song with the mixture of Anglo and Latin influences ensuring originality and subtle splendour once again.
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Barb Carbon - Patience.

Barb Carbon is an independent folk/roots-rock musical artist from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She performs as a solo act, as well as with her musical partner, Arrie Bozeman, in the band The Ain’t Sisters.

Cutting her teeth as a traveling street performer before taking to the stage, she has spent the past 20 years honing her craft. Now, at long last, she is putting her music out into the world. Her influences are evidenced in her beautifully raw and gritty sound. Shades of Shovels and Rope, The Avett Brothers, and Lucinda Williams punctuate her melodies, while her earnest, inspired songwriting was clearly shaped by early encounters with The Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile. Offering up a catalog of songs that are deeply personal yet refreshingly accessible, Carbon gives us a glimpse into her own experience and then artfully strips away the layers, exposing the nerve and laying her finger on the emotional essence of our shared struggles and hopes.

The Fighter (2019) is the first solo endeavor for the budding troubadour, but as a member of her main outfit, The Ain’t Sisters, Carbon has already begun her ascent. On the heels of their first record, Marrow (2018), the dynamic ensemble has experienced a regional surge, selling out Decatur, Georgia’s renowned Eddie’s Attic, Rattling the walls of Atlanta’s Terminal West, and sharing the stage with such acclaimed acts as Donna the Buffalo, Brad Parsons and Starbird, and Tank and the Bangas.

Garnering the attention of industry legends including Jim Lauderdale, Joe Craven, and Billy Gilmore (The Grass is Dead), the future is certainly bright for this up and coming artist. Keep an eye out for a sophomore effort from The Ain’t Sisters in 2020, and more solo offerings from Carbon in 2021.

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Nicolas Godin - Catch Yourself Falling feat. Alexis Taylor.

Following excellent reviews for his new album Concrete and Glass, out now via Because Music, Nicolas Godin has shared a beguiling video for “Catch Yourself Falling”, one of the standout tracks from the album, which features Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip on vocals. The video was filmed in the gardens and alleys Palace of Versailles and features a goofy young king roaming the gardens and generally surveying his kingdom. Of the video director Joseph Bird says: “I had heard Nicolas grew up in Versailles then all I could imagine when listening to the track is a young boy exploring the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, then to make him a young king with red hair sounded even better!”

In its soft ambient pulse and melting minimalism, lead track “The Border” is a perfect entry-point to Godin’s hymns to buildings, arranged and co-produced with Pierre Rousseau. Elsewhere, current single "The Foundation", which features guest vocals from Cola Boyy sees the Oxnard singer and activist brings soul to the righteously engaged track whilst the squelchy synths and buoyant grooves burn slow, allowing the stealthy arrangements and message room to resonate.

While Godin’s vocoder vocals also hark back to Air’s early work, the album accommodates a diverse spread of guest vocalists. Psychedelic soul singer Kadhja Bonet sings with measured serenity over tremulous synths on “We Forgot Love”, while Russian experi-pop artist Kate NV brings a gracefully aching romanticism to the blissful swoon-pop of “Back to Your Heart”. Additionally, Australian conceptual provocateur Kirin J Callinan contributes a vocal of restrained drama to “Time On My Hands”, a midnight-drift soft-pop ballad with a silky allure.

Between its title-track and the sultry, smoky jazz stylings of closer “Cité Radieuse”, Concrete and Glass is an album that truly travels, in tune with its global pitch. For Godin, it marks another milestone in a musical journey that began when Air’s 1998 debut album, Moon Safari, became the sublimely weightless soundtrack of its time. For Concrete and Glass, Godin builds on his storied past with tremendous finesse, charm and fluency, opening fresh windows of perspective at every lovingly executed turn.

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Lilly Hiatt - P Town.

Lilly Hiatt is set to release Walking Proof on March 27th via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by former Cage The Elephant member Lincoln Parish (Lucinda Williams, Lissie) and features guest appearances by Amanda Shires, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Luke Schneider, and Lilly’s father, the legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt. John’s appearance on “Some Kind Of Drug,” marks the first time the pair have appeared together on one of her records. Walking Proof is the anticipated follow up to Lilly’s breakthrough Trinity Lane, which appeared on many year-end “Best Of 2017” lists including NPR Music, Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and more. Lilly also received an “Emerging Act of the Year” nomination from the Americana Music Association.

Following a whirlwind year of touring in support of Trinity Lane, and stripped of the daily rituals and direction of life on the road, Lilly found herself alone with her thoughts for the first time in what felt like ages. “When you’re out there on the road, you’re just kind of living, and you don’t have the chance to stop and think about how everything you’re experiencing is affecting you,” Lilly says. “When I got home, I realized there was a lot I needed to catch up on.” She did what’s always come most natural to her in times of questioning and uncertainty: she picked up a guitar.

As rewarding as Trinity Lane’s success was, the collection came from an emotionally challenging place, and Lilly found herself frequently revisiting the hurt and struggle that inspired it as she spoke candidly to the press about her painful breakup, her struggles with sobriety, and the overwhelming sadness of her mother’s suicide. Rather than succumbing to the weight of it all, Lilly managed to emerge stronger and more serene from the experience, treating it as a foundation from which she could begin the essential work of re-examining her relationships and the world around her. “When I got that little gap in my schedule, it gave me the chance to appreciate some mental stillness,” Lilly says. “I can be a pretty anxious person, but I found a sense of peace by deconstructing all of these interactions and emotions I’d experienced and reconfiguring them into songs. It helped me make sense of everything and learn to relax.”

The resulting eleven songs found on Walking Proof walk the line between Lilly’s rough, rock and roll exterior and her tender, country roots, exuding a bold vulnerability as she takes a deep and unflinching look in the mirror. What emerges is a maturity in her writing, an abiding sense of calm in the face of chaos as she learns that sometimes, you have to let go in order to get what you want most.

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The Modern Society - Bad Thoughts.

Cheshire alternative pop fourpiece The Modern Society have announced their debut single Bad Thoughts, released this weekend. Aged between only 17 and 18-years-old and forming the band whilst still at school, The Modern Society have a unique sound that blends indie and rock with funk and pop alongside youthful and direct lyrics.

Debut single Bad Thoughts, which was produced by Simon Jones (The Verve), opens with subdued pomp before building to a rock chorus backed by vivacious guitars and singer Lucas’ gravelly vocals. Lyrically addressing the dangers of not discussing mental health, the track is backed by a poignant video shot by Cinframe Productions, which features varies guises of the band themselves. The band say;

“Bad Thoughts is about the importance of addressing poor mental health in the 21st century, trying to avoid the distraction from our mental states. The song is accompanied by visuals demonstrating the danger of suffering in silence and how quickly life can turn upside down.”

The Modern Society have been building their local following playing shows in and around Cheshire over the last year, including a recent show at Manchester’s Band on the Wall. They will be performing at the Tivoli in Buckley tonight and the Jacaranda Club in Liverpool on 28th February, with further live dates announced soon. The Modern Society are Lucas Humpheys (vocals & piano), Declan Fowles (drums), Jack Varah (guitar & backing vocals) and Connor Loman (bass guitar and backing vocals).

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Malena Zavala - I'm Leaving Home.

Malena Zavala has today released new single ‘I’m Leaving Home’, and details of her second album, ‘La Yarará’, to be released April 17 on Yucatan Records. Zavala will follow the release with a headline show at London’s Courtyard Theatre on April 23. The follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2018 debut ‘Aliso’, ‘La Yarará’ cements Zavala as a new Anglo-Latin talent, with a unique songwriting perspective on where she’s from, where she’s headed and where her music can take us.

When you’re born in Argentina to parents with Italian passports, then grow up from a young age in Hertfordshire, it’s easy to feel like an outsider. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you sound like? Spanish language, Latin culture, Home Counties – which is the most you? With the gloriously rich and transporting ‘La Yarará’, Malena Zavala has come home. A beautifully-wrought love letter to the culture in her DNA, its ten songs are vivid, vital hymns to the various aspects, colours and shades of Latin music and culture: cumbia, reggaeton, Afro-Cuban, Afro-funk, Andean folk, Argentine folk, bolero-son. And all sung, in a mixture of Spanish and English, in Zavala’s passport-to-paradise voice.

“When I started making music it was more about expressing my emotions, and learning to write and produce music myself,” she explains. “With my first album Aliso, I had to get something off my chest. But now with this second album, it was about exploring and overcoming my identity issues – about not knowing where I belong. That’s something I’ve felt my whole life.”

After the release of ‘Aliso’ – described as “gently warped and beguilingly melancholy guitar pop” by The Guardian in their 4 star review - Zavala toured all over Europe and the UK supporting Lord Huron, Blanco White, and Men I Trust, before hitting the festival circuit. She then spent three months writing her second album in Tarifa, the southernmost point of Spain.

Zavala and her close circle of collaborators recorded ‘La Yarará’ in two weeks last September at Urchin Studios in London Fields, with Zavala producing and Dani Bennett Spragg (Baxter Dury, The Amazons) engineering. “Urchin is a really beautiful, all wooden studio, which was really important for the sound of this album,” says Zavala. “I wanted it to feel like Buena Vista Social Club. I wanted to play the room, to feel the walls and wooden floors.” ‘I’m Leaving Home’ is out now and ‘La Yarará’ will be released on the April 17 on Yucatan Records.

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SHEL - Inferior Complex - amini - Seazoo

SHEL have today shared the stirring video for 'Rainbow'. It's related to SHEL's desire to help empower the women of Hope Springz and support their craft shelter, that said it's also a wonderful song. === Originally formed in 1979 Inferior Complex today release 'Dome' the bands cinematic sounds resonating beautifully on this instrumental piece. === amini have released their third E.P today which is entitled 'When We Were Kids' a collection of four gorgeous and heartfelt indie pop songs. === Seazoo make their fourth appearance on Beehive Candy with the new song 'The Pleasure' accompanied by a video as the Welsh band once again impress us with their distinctive mixture of indie pop and rock.
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SHEL - Rainbow.

Did you know that in some regions of India, when a woman becomes a widow, she becomes a "bad omen," shunned by friends and family?  In fact, Vrindavan, India is home to more than 20,000 abandoned and destitute widows who live in forced exile.

But here's the coolest part--there are locally-run craft shelters like Hope Springz (which was featured in award-winning documentary Beyond Karma) who are empowering the women and teaching them how to support themselves by making jewelry (they're making rainbow colored bracelets for this creative campaign). With their beautiful single and gorgeous video "Rainbow," acclaimed folk-pop outfit SHEL wants to further empower the women of Hope Springz by bringing awareness and telling the world about them.

The video features the women of Hope Springz, and the joy on their faces is unforgettable. SHEL’s Eva Holbrook traveled to India to make the music video for "Rainbow" with a focus on raising much-needed awareness for these vulnerable women. SHEL (sisters Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza Holbrook) hope their partnership with Hope Springz will make a lasting impact.

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Inferior Complex - Dome.

Led by brothers Andrew and Ray Missons, Inferior Complex was originally formed in 1979 .  Andrew plays guitar and keyboards and Ray plays bass and is the vocalist. Original drummer Jimmy Faye left the band late 1980 but the band continued with another drummer and later on with a drum machine until the band split in 1983.

The brothers then  played in various other bands together until they reformed the group in January 2011 using an online drum machine.  In 2015 they added Paul Jenman on drums to complete the current line up.

Their influences are  early Factory Records bands including  Section 25,  A Certain Ratio, The Wake, Joy Division and New Order.

They self released their album “In Your Life” in June 2017 on Bandcamp and hooked up with German Shepherd in July 2017 for wider distribution.  A series of singles and EPs followed. We are pleased to announce the launch of a new single called "Dome". An instrumental, this epic track brings a cinematic feel to the bands trademark post punk sound.

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amini - When We Were Kids.

amini (Nio Amini and Mattis Moviken) are a two-piece cinematic indie duo based in the heart of London, whilst originally from Oslo, Norway.

Today Friday 31st January the duo who are independent artists release a brand new E.P comprising of four wonderful and original songs.

This is amini's third E.P and their "heart stirring" indie pop really is something to hear and behold!


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Seazoo - The Pleasure.

Welsh noise-pop experts Seazoo launch newest quirky indie bop ‘The Pleasure’ and announce details around their forthcoming second album ‘JOY’, set for release 3rd April via BIG TERRY.

Following acclaimed lead single ‘Throw It Up’, with its swaggering, anthemic qualities, and sparkling follow-up ‘Heading Out’, the indie five-piece continue to edge further into the spotlight with each offering from their forthcoming record, mixing unbridled positivity with their trademark charisma to sublime effect.

Discussing their forthcoming single, enigmatic frontman Ben Trow explained: “‘The Pleasure’ is about taking time to enjoy small moments that make you happy – I think it’s really important right now as the world goes completely bonkers! For me it’s my love for writing and recording music, something that I never take for granted; but the tune can be about anything really”.

Heavily influenced by the likes of Yo La Tengo, Courtney Barnett and Grandaddy, the fledgling quintet have already attracted significant critical acclaim (Q, NME, DIY, Dork, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit) and widespread airplay (BBC Radio 1, 6 Music), not to mention a glowing live reputation through appearances at SXSW, The Great Escape and Green Man and supports with IDLES, The Lovely Eggs and Circa Waves; with their profile only set to increase further on their April UK tour in support of the album.

Recorded at Big Jelly Studios and produced by Ben Trow and Mike Collins (Girl Ray, Pip Blom), Seazoo’s ‘The Pleasure’ is out now and available via all digital platforms.

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Lilla Parasit - Rubaiyat - Union Duke - Jennah Barry

Lilla Parasit were featured a couple of times here towards the end of last year and they return today with 'Eirik', a song that sees them continue to explore differing rock moods with imagination. === Los Angeles based trio Rubaiyat have today released 'Breathers' a distinctive and atmospheric alt rocker. === Another band we shared music from twice last year are Union Duke who now have a video for the fabulous and refined roots rock song 'Left Behind'. === Whilst we are on the subject of artists who made a couple of appearances here last year Jennah Barry is another and has just shared 'Big Universe' accompanied by a video, her gorgeous vocals again shining through ahead of her new album due in March.
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Lilla Parasit - Eirik.

Late 2019, Lilla Parasit signed to Stockholm label family Rama Lama Records (Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Julia Rakel etc.) and introduced themselves with the excellent 'Gaslights' which was followed by 'Feather Soul', both receiving praise from Scandinavian and international sources. Today, new single 'Eirik' is released on all platforms, the third cut from the band's forthcoming, self-titled debut mini album which is out in March.

Lilla Parasit may be a new band, but the members are no strangers for fans of the Swedish psychedelic and indie scene. The band is lead by Are, who's band Melby released their debut album last spring to great acclaim, and made complete by 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. The band's grand semi-psychedelic lo-fi folk is now finally ready to reach the world's ears. Eirik showcases the band's bombastic sides and is an absolute highlight from the upcoming mini album Lilla Parasit, out in March 2020.

Are on Eirik: "I started out with this blunt, kind of stupid guitar riff. Didn’t really think it would go anywhere, but then the verse melody came to me and I felt like the contrast between them had something. You could say the song moves between something fragile, almost embarassingly personal and something bold and pompous. And in the long instrumental parts we dive into that contrast. To me, Pelle Westlins saxophone pushes the whole thing to the limit of how many conflicting moods i can take in at the same time. And I think that’s good for a song."

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Rubaiyat - Breathers.

"Tired from my teeth on edge like razorblades stuck end to end" - "Breathers is about getting caught up in an abusive relationship where you aren't valued and you struggle against the perpetuation of your own self-deprecating negativity. There's always a part of me that can't help but keep loving someone I've loved before- no matter the state of our current relationship or how they've treated me in the past. There's a fine line, however, between acknowledging some abuse or developing a kind of Stockholm syndrome. It can be hard to see someone in a new light when you've known them another way for so long." - Joel Heinrich

About Rubaiyat: Rubaiyat is a three-Piece doom wop/indie rock band based out of Los Angeles, CA. In April 2018 songwriter Joel Heinrich assembled his friends to sing off-kilter songs that take a darkly honest look at his brushes with love. With undercurrents of alternative rock like Pixies or Sonic Youth, Rubaiyat's lyrical content is focused on distilling moments into morsels of insight of life and love’s hedonistic and nihilistic tendencies.

Heinrich recruited Matt Camgros (drums) and Ian Earley (vocals, bass guitar) and the trio began playing shows around L.A., including spots like The Satellite, Hotel Cafe, Highland Park Bowl, and The Love Song Bar. In late July 2018 Rubaiyat recorded their debut EP, “O” with August Ogren at Petting Zoo in Minneapolis.

Inspired as a modern manifestation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Rubaiyat’s music captures the inevitable dichotomy present in romantic love; sonically embodying, through dissonance and harmony, the conflict and confusion of finding love when it seems impossible and the discord between the bliss of romance and the dread of a life without meaning.

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Union Duke - Left Behind.

“Left Behind is exactly what you think it is: a song about leaving things behind. We were trying to capture the feeling of loneliness and isolation one can feel when they’re far from the one(s) they love - both lyrically and musically. It’s about the distance often forced between us and the longing to be together again.

It’s the only soft-ish song of the music we’ve released over the last year and once we got in the studio with it we had the opportunity to explore some really cool ideas that are pretty new for us. It was a lot of fun building this tune and taking it from mellow and simmering to a driving banjo-driven sing-along…plus lapsteel!" - Ethan Smith

Based in Toronto, Canada, Union Duke comprise Matt, Ethan, Jim, Will and Rob, genuine friends who take influence from the gems of their parents’ record collections and injecting an extra dose of rock n roll attitude, whilst staying to the traditional roots. Five singers; five songwriters; countless reasons for them to be your new favourite band. With three albums, countless festival stages, and hundreds of thousands of kilometres in the rear-view, the band is excited to be touring new music and winning new fans everywhere they go.

In the two years since their last record Golden Days, Union Duke has been steadily travelling and unravelling across the country, and they’re ready to share the lessons they’ve learned with a slate of new music. Having played at at London’s The Moth Club on 28th January as part of AmericanaFest UK, Union Duke put on a high energy live show complete with soaring harmonies, driving rhythm, chicken pickin' guitar licks and banjo at a breakneck speed. Their humour and infectious enthusiasm will put a grin on your face and have you kicking up dust on the dancefloor. Union Duke are five guys, twenty-four beers, and a half-ton truckload of foot stomping folk rock. Left Behind is the final single to be released from their EP, following Atlas of Love; Ladidadida and 1,2,3.

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Jennah Barry - Big Universe.

"There was a period in my life where I read my horoscope not matter how goofy the source was. I was circling the drain a bit and was desperate for someone to tell me what to do. The horoscope writer for US weekly did not help me with this. Big Universe is about that.

And despite the confusion I was feeling in the song (Big Universe) I worked with 3 really great women on the music video and had a very life-affirming experience (something that doesn’t necessarily happen very often in the biz). We went overboard with a haze machine and created a storyline for a woman who plays big for no one".

"Big Universe" comes from the gorgeous Jennah Barry LP Holiday, coming March 2020 on Forward Music Group. Majorly recommended for fans of Andy Shauf, whose bandmate Colin Nealis produced the LP, the songs here are built to last, with echoes of those soft-rock classics often referred to as "AM gold." Barry's vocals are warm and weave through the arrangements with so much skill. The arrangements are full and pillowy but always pull up short of being cloying or overdone, more-so than the source material she's referncing.

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Remington Super 60 - The Hengles - Cayley Thomas - Tara Vern

Remington Super 60 today share the new E.P simply entitled 'New E.P'. We have all six songs to enjoy below, with each track from the indie pop group sounding gorgeous, sometimes dreamy and always totally engaging. === We featured The Hengles a couple of times last year and they return this week with the new song 'Down To The Water', the Amsterdam based trio's imaginative and timeless pop sounding as good as ever. === From Edmonton, Alberta we have Cayley Thomas with 'Blue Jean Baby' a beautiful song that suggests her upcoming ‘How Else Can I Tell You?’ album will be more than worth checking out. === We finish today's selection with a punchy rocker from Tara Vern called 'Girl With Flashing Eyes' the Australian artist packs some fine hooks into this refined rock track.
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Remington Super 60 - New E.P.

We have a brand new 6 track EP from Norwegian indie-band Remington super 60 simply entitled 'New EP' which has been released today (29th of January 2020).

Remington super 60 is an indie pop group hailing from the town Fredrikstad in Norway. It was founded by the group's songwriter and bedroom producer Christoffer Schou late 1998. Originally set up as a Casio pop band (listen to the first album pling 2001 and you see what I mean) the sound has gone back and forward but always been inspired by Christoffer's musical heroes Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, Velvet Underground as well as newer bands such as Stereolab, High Llamas, Cornelius, and Yo La Tengo & Eggstone.

The band has released several albums, EPs on various indie labels around the world, and appeared on numerous compilation albums since it's early start. The new material is released on Christoffer's own label Café Superstar Recordings.

Remington super 60 2020 consists mainly of: Christoffer Schou & Elisabeth Thorsen with a little help from long time collobarator Magnus Abelsen.


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The Hengles - Down To The Water.

A new year, a new song! Down To The Water, The Hengles’ 6th consecutive single, takes you on a sonic trip to uncharted musical landscapes. Starting from scratch, adding layer after layer as the music progresses, eventually leading the listener to a blissful serenity.

The distinguished gentlemen of The Hengles have more than earned their musical spurs in the past. The guys from Amsterdam played in illustrious 80s and 90s bands like Fatal Flowers, Treble Spankers, Supersub and Jack Of Hearts. Since 2015 they represent The Hengles, originally specialized in the better cover stuff and in addition active as backing band both live and in the studio of various artists.

Last year The Hengles have taken the next step: writing their own repertoire making pure melodic jingle-jangle Hengle pop with a twist, taking you on a trip down memory lane of more than 50 years of popular music history and blending this into their own style.

As said before, 2019 has been very kind to The Hengles: entries on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, Apple Music’s New Music Daily playlist, Dutch National Radio NPO 5 playlist and a real Number 1 spot at Dutch IndieXL Indie chart, airplay in Germany, US and The Phillippines, to name but a few!

This new year, The Hengles will continue their quest to bring you more music, more music, more music. More music to your ears! So, follow The Hengles, go Down To The Water and spin it around! Down To The Water is released 31 January 2020.

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Cayley Thomas - Blue Jean Baby.

Cayley Thomas is a singer, guitarist and songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta whose natural affinity for constructing catchy melodies reveals her striking vocal range and character. Under a delirious guise of simplicity, she weaves sensitive eccentricities and cathartic declarations into her own brand of unique, knowledgeable pop.

Cayley’s upcoming album ‘How Else Can I Tell You?’ is a collection of songs that reflect upon a period of subconscious overwhelm and the subsequent shift into conscious thought and awareness. Recorded between Edmonton and Toronto, the album deliberately combines Hi-Fi studio production and Lo-Fi living room charm.

‘How Else Can I Tell You?’ is fresh enough for modern indie rock ears to find familiar, with spells of synth and its modern production, all the while drawing on the fuzzy raw warmth of our favourite sounds from mid-century rock and soul. It features Cayley Thomas at the helm and is tied together by producers Nik Kozub (Shout Out Out Out Out, Humans, The Wet Secrets) and Steve Chahley (U.S. Girls, FRIGS, Badge Époque, Darlene Shrugg.)

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Tara Vern - Girl With Flashing Eyes.

Following hot on the tale of her album Feverlurden, Tara Vern has released righteous new single Girl With The Flashing Eyes.

Girl with Flashing Eyes is the lovechild of Pat Benatar and Foo Fighters. Powerful guitar hooks, an 80s aesthetic and demented drumming. With a double hooked chorus and menacing yet plaintive verses, this single is a thank-you letter immortalised in song.

In September 2019 Tara bunkered down in Zen Studios, Sydney, to record her first solo album Feverlurden with engineer Geoff Lee and session drummer Miles Thomas. The album was mastered by Steve Smart at Studios 301, Sydney. Tara’s goal was to create rock you can dance to. With a single guitar track, a single drum track, and single bass track, the music is raw, stripped back, immediate and danceable.

Tara was the singer/guitarist/songwriter in early noughties Sydney band Guddling, which received praise from radio and print for “dark-edged pop melodies, emotive hooks and sorrowful female harmonies” the group which split when various members moved abroad in 2002. After spending several years in the wilderness honing her hunting skills and dallying in electronic music as Noot Records, she has returned to the thing she loves best - Rocking out on the guitar.

Upon a tumult of drums and a ringing two-note-tap to your forehead, Girl With The Flashing Eyes gets your attention and points your gaze towards a future of scuzzy riffs and cheeky twists. Tara Vern a rocker not content to rest.

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Kinley - Motihari Brigade - Amy Petty - Greg Hoy & The Boys - ØZWALD - Mountain For Clouds

Kinley has shared a lyric video for 'Washington' a melodic and desirable mixture of indie folk and pop. === Motihari Brigade have a brand new album called 'Power From Below' from which we have 'Talking To Crazy' which gives a good feel for the bands revolution rock. === Taken from her brand new album 'The Darkness Of Birds' we have  Amy Petty and 'Sick Of The Radio' where the contemporary pop artist delivers some really fine songs. === Greg Hoy & The Boys have released a music video for 'Green' a vibrant rocker that showcases the San Francisco band very well. === ØZWALD return to Beehive Candy after our first feature just over a month ago, this time we have 'Call off the Doctor' a gently paced, calm and increasingly catchy song. === The first of ten songs on their final album before calling it a day we have 'Water' from Mountain For Clouds and I thinks it's more than fair to say they are leaving on a splendid high.
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Kinley - Washington.

Kinley Dowling is a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who spent ten years touring the world as a member of the band Hey Rosetta!. When not on tour with her friends, she finds time to write and record her own music.

She released her solo debut album 'Letters Never Sent' as KINLEY in October 2016. The album won three Music PEI awards and two East Coast Music Awards for Rising Star of the Year 2018.

For over a decade, KINLEY has appeared on violin with the likes of Jenn Grant, Stars, Matt Mays, In-Flight Safety, Rose Cousins as well as loaning her talents to Classic Albums Live and Anne and Gilbert; The Musical.

Her career has also seen multiple appearances with Grammy-winning artist Anne Murray and as a member of Hey Rosetta!, Kinley has toured Australia, USA, Canada and Europe multiple times, appearing at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Ottawa Bluesfest, and Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road tour. She has recorded violin and viola on over 400 songs for numerous artists across Canada.

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Motihari Brigade - Talking To Crazy.

Rock-N-Roll began as an expression of youth rebellion. Beautiful bands of outcasts, renegades, and radicals claimed the music as their voice to express ideals of independent human resistance.

But there was always the music industry - plastic robot manufactured culture to distract and placate the masses.  Many were hypnotized by the artificial programming flooding their tele-screens.

They may call the tune, but we need not consume what we are fed.  We can create our own independent rock-n-roll resistance.

Motihari Brigade creates high-energy revolution rock as a beacon for those seeking their independent lost tribe.  The new album Power From Below evokes the encouraging electric sound of “Bernie Sanders meets Helter Skelter.”  They are a voice in the wilderness calling “We are on our own, but not alone” - words from the song Waiting For the Revolution and inscribed on the electric guitar from the album’s cover art.

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Amy Petty - Sick Of The Radio.

Amy Petty releases "The Darkness of Birds" With pristine production and a powerhouse vocal performance, "The Darkness Of Birds" announces Amy Petty as force to be reckoned with in Adult Contemporary Music.

The eleven song set will evoke comparisons to many of the great divas who have laid the foundation for emotional and introspective modern pop music.

Delivered over an ethereal instrumental bed, developed in concert with producer Andy Reed,  Petty provides layers of vocals that waft and wail with passion and grace.  Both inspirational and foreboding, "The Darkness Of Birds" in an epic sonic achievement.

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Greg Hoy & The Boys - Green.

San Francisco based, Greg Hoy & The Boys have just debuted their latest music video for their single ‘Green’!

According to frontman Greg, “‘Green’ is about seeing the tip of the iceberg of a person while ignoring the depth below its surface: the cheerful barista, a wistful lover, your dear leaders.

And while it celebrates empathy, it also cautions against believing the facade — seeing what we want to see — by asking what goes on behind closed doors. Sometimes the truth is way, way uglier than it appears.”

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ØZWALD - Call off the Doctor.

Comprised of Jason Wade (Lifehouse) and Steve Stout (former-Lost Beach/Blondfire), Nashville-based ØZWALD doles out everyday wisdom on an indie platter.

A departure from their first record, Sweet Delirium, ØZWALD’s new LP Born In A State is inspired by their environment in the heart of Tennessee.  These songs tell stories from the perspective of two creatives pondering the value of art and music in a world of likes and follows.  Truly Nashville, this collection is organic, quietly eccentric, and full of nostalgia.

Roughly five years ago, Stout was called in to play as the guitarist on an international Lifehouse tour that would eventually have its US route canceled, but a bond began to form between Stout and Wade on the overseas run.  Following the tour, Wade needed an engineer to assist him in his California studio where they both lived at the time and called Stout.

What began as an artist/engineer relationship quickly evolved to an artist/artist partnership and the two immersed themselves in the inspiration of something new as they set a goal of completing three songs in two weeks. The duo amassed a total of twelve songs which made up their first record, Sweet Delirium.

They have since moved from Los Angeles to Nashville and quickly found the change of scenery influencing the way they approach writing songs, with the aesthetic of their surroundings really bleeding into the music. Deeper and more colorful, Born In A State probes the melancholic world of Art Pop and Indie Folk, conjuring up the work of Wilco and Foxwarren while retaining their signature levity.

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Mountain For Clouds - Water.

Mountains for Clouds are calling it quits, but not before giving us one last album as a parting gift - Anxious & Aware showcases all the things that made them great; expansive musical soundscapes and contemplative, emotional vocals. The album sees release February 21 via Count Your Lucky Stars, just prior to their last show February 23 at Chicago's Sleeping Villiage. More details on the event are here.

Bands with expansive names evoking strong imagery rarely live up to their monikers. Fortunately in the case of Mountains for Clouds, we have a band that lives up to their title. Composing huge, soaring pieces that build and layer into a delicate beauty so fragile it threatens to break at a the drop of a pin. While most bands would take this step too far, Mountains for Clouds are masters of their craft, reigning in or pulling the intensity of their music like it was clay in their hands.

On their final album, Anxious and Aware, we can hear their entire decade of playing together culminate into one last masterpiece. We hear the return of their large and sweeping musical palate - guitars that create their own sonic soundscapes that evoke images as majestic as their moniker, bass that weaves in and out like fine stitching on a tapestry, and drums with detail precision that add immense clarity and power. We also can hear something refined- contemplative and emotional vocals that cap the portrait, leaving us with a feeling that we have just heard something special - the final work of a musical life well spent.

All bands come to end, but not all of them bow out as gracefully as they came in. Let’s celebrate the last album instead of mourning their death. They would have wanted it that way.

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