Selkama - The Danberrys - Pawn Painters - Detalji - Satin Nickel - Puss N Boots

Having featured the previous two singles from there forthcoming album it's a pleasure to include the third from Selkama entitled 'Mosquito Bite' as the pair once again impress in a big way. === The Danberrys have just released their new single 'The Mountain' and the Americana duo have a bluesy rock vibe going on as they give us a glimpse of the upcoming album 'Shine'. === From Bavaria, Germany we have Pawn Painters and 'Under The Sun' a moody, emotive and atmospheric indie rocker. === Detalji shares 'Without You' a feisty and rhytmic electro song where her vocals soar superbly above and within the beats. === New York City based Satin Nickel release 'Call It' a fabulous folk pop song accompanied by a beautifully matched video. === Puss N Boots might be better known than many of the emerging artists we feature here however their new song 'Sister' is just to good to ignore.
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Selkama - Mosquito Bite.

Mosquito Bite is the third single from Selkama’s upcoming debut album which will be out this spring.

About the song: Mosquito Bite is a break-up song written in retrospect. It’s about realizing that you’ve been denying your feelings for someone and then understanding it too late. It deals with how hard it can be to let go of strong memories that you’ve been romanticizing and rewriting way too much in your own head. Kim arranged the powerful strings that Jenny Lander later played so beautifully on violin and cello in the studio. It’s something special to hear your own songs with strings for the first time and for a little while we felt as close to a James Bond-soundtrack as we will ever come.

About the video: The video is animated and directed by our talented friend Michaela Rosengren who was given free reins to come up with whatever she wanted.

Michaela about the video: Selkama’s song is a telling depiction of a lost love that you can’t seem to forget. In the video I tried to illustrate the physical and psychological emotions that you drown in and are haunted by after a painful break-up.

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The Danberrys - The Mountain.

Americana duo The Danberrys officially release their new single "The Mountain". For the single, Dorothy and Ben pulled inspiration from New Orleans’s traditional second-line rhythm and blues and features vocals from American songwriter Darrell Scott. Their lyrics reflect a message of destruction becoming a catalyst in creating new strength and wisdom.

"The Mountain" is the first single off The Danberrys' upcoming album Shine, out May 8th, 2020. Comprised of 12 new tracks, The Danberrys masterfully depart from their signature acoustic sound to capture elements of rock, blues, and folk. This new musical direction lets the pair venture into a darker atmosphere as well as allowing their self-written lyrics to stand tall. Shine will mark The Danberrys third full-length album.

In the meantime, The Danberrys are excited to finally release "The Mountain". The single will soon be proceeded by more incredible singles including the title track "Shine". Be sure to check out The Danberrys on social Media and check out "The Mountain", now available on all streaming platforms.

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Pawn Painters - Under The Sun.

Indie band Pawn Painters from Bavaria / Germany release their first radio single "Under the Sun" via Junuh Music / Believe Digital.

The Pawn Painters combine vintage-oriented sounds with a modern, spherical sound spectrum for driving indie and alternative vibes. In some places the band is reminiscent of the young The Strokes, carried by the extraordinary voice of singer Simon Mennes

If the Pawn Painters were actually painting, their paintings would be rich in intense colors and patterns. Even if the four musicians from Bavaria are not painters, the description fits their style perfectly. The band bundles vintage-oriented sounds with a modern, spherical sound spectrum for indie and alternative beats.

The Pawn Painters were founded in 2016. Four musicians, plagued by the band landscape in the area and their own efforts. A cellar somewhere in the slums of Schrobenhausen's Westside is considered the creative breeding ground for these united souls. The first contests were won with the string jump in Pfaffenhofen and the Noiseattack in Ingolstadt. The result was the first release of their single "Talk Philosophy" and an appearance at the Taubertal Festival in Rothenburg, followed by appearances at the Noisehausen Festival at their hometown.

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Detalji - Without You.

Helsinki based artist and producer Detalji shares explosive new single 'Without You’ via Deep Limit + announces UK dates.

Detalji is the solo project of Krista Myllyviita, a Helsinki based artist and producer. Today, Detalji shares romantic party anthem Without You. a musical expression of excitement and the relief you feel when you’re finally ready to surrender yourself to love. It’s about the joy of knowing that your loneliness is coming to an end.

In 2019 Detalji was shortlisted for Breakthrough Artist of the Year on Finnish national radio, as well as winning a Femma Award (Finnish "indie Grammy”) for Best Electronic Act, alongside playing her first shows outside of Finland including appearances at Iceland Airwaves and Eurosonic Noorderslag.

Myllyviita first started making left-field electronic pop from her bedroom after attending her first rave with her sister at the age of 18. Up until this point, Myllyviita fulfilled her musical desires singing and playing guitar in various bands, but she was always striving for something different. And so in 2016, after a few years of exploring and developing her sound, experimental electronic project Detalji was born.

Rising from the thriving Finnish pop scene, Detalji is an artist forging her own path with ambitious tracks written for international crowds. “I do everything alone, using tools on my computer, a few synthesizers, Ableton Live and a microphone,” she explains, a process which all takes place in her studio apartment in a gloomy part of Helsinki called Itä-Pasila. 2020 is already off to a flying start with Detalji being nominated for a prestigious EMMA award as well taking her enthralling live show on the road.

Tour Dates:
13/2 The Lexington, London UK
18/3 SXSW, Austin TX
25/3 Studio 9294, London UK w/Kedr Livanskiiy
4/4 Dream Soul Fair III (Kallio Church) FI.

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Satin Nickel - Call It.

NYC-based folk-pop band, Satin Nickel, has released the new single, “Call It,” via a premiere on Pancakes and Whiskey, and announced the release of their first full-length album, Shadow of Doubt, on April 10, 2020.

The song was inspired by the personal experiences of band member Samantha Aneson (vocals, guitar, banjo). “A few years ago, I was in a toxic relationship with someone I was pretty addicted to. We had a lot of arguments, weeks we’d go without speaking, and not a lot of respect,” she explains. “I remember him, in the middle of arguments, saying that we ‘should just call it now before it gets worse.’ That saying really stuck with me. ‘Call it’ is a phrase I’d hear in reference to going home at the end of the night - something much less final. It was almost insulting, how easy that phrase made breaking up sound. When I was healing from the relationship, I went back over that phrase and ended up writing a hook based around it.”

Satin Nickel began as a collaboration between Aneson and fellow songwriter Morgan Hollingsworth (vocals, guitar, mandolin). Combining Hollingsworth’s aggressive approach to the Americana narrative with Aneson’s sentimental and introspective approach to folk music, they found their contrasting styles complemented each other, forming a powerful dichotomy, smooth as satin and hard as a nickel. In the winter of 2018, they met fellow theater artists Nikola Balac (drums) and Ariana Karp (cello) and released their debut self-titled EP. Adding bassist Andrew Shewaga to the group, Satin Nickel became a full-bodied quintet and recorded Shadow of Doubt.

Satin Nickel will be performing at NYC’s Bowery Electric on February 17, in celebration of the release of “Call It.” Shadow of Doubt is out everywhere on April 10, and tour dates will be announced soon.

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Puss N Boots - Sister.

Puss N Boots—the charming trio featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper—have released “Sister,” the title track of their forthcoming second full-length album Sister, which comes out February 14 on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. “Sister” was co-written by all three band members and features a lead vocal by Dobson, who also plays drums on the track, with Jones on electric guitar/vocals and Popper on electric bass/vocals. It follows the first single “It’s Not Easy” featuring a lead vocal by Jones.

Puss N Boots has also announced upcoming tour dates including two NYC album release shows—February 14 at Rough Trade in Brooklyn and February 15 at Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan—and a run of Southeast US shows in April that will include an appearance at the 2020 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 25. Visit pussnbootsmusic.com/tour for ticket information.

Puss N Boots – Tour Dates:
2/14 Rough Trade, Brooklyn, NY
2/15 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
4/21 Hargray Capitol Theatre, Macon, GA
4/22 The Caverns, Pelham, TN
4/24 WorkPlay Theatre, Birmingham, AL
4/25 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA

Sister is a fetching collection of originals written by the band members collectively and individually, mixed with loving covers of songs by Tom Petty (“Angel Dream”), Dolly Parton (“The Grass Is Blue”), Paul Westerberg (“It’s a Wonderful Lie”), and Concrete Blonde (“Joey”). Jones, Dobson, and Popper each take turns delivering lead vocals and also pick up multiple instruments throughout the album trading off on guitar, bass, and drums.

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The Golden Age Of TV - ROCH - Store Front - Ramshackle Rodeo - Allister Thompson - Paul Louis Villani - Sobranie 8 18

The Golden Age Of TV share 'Me, You And A Dog' a vibrant and almost urgent yet distinct sounding alt rocker. === We featured ROCH four times last year so yes, we like her and the delightful new song 'T-Rose' sees her in a more reflective personal mode. === From New York we have five piece band Store Front with 'Rip The Price Off' a smooth flowing indie pop song. === Meanwhile from Derry, Ireland Ramshackle Rodeo have released 'Duga 3' whose electro rock is both striking and dramatic. === Allister Thompson shares a video for 'Dusty In Here' from the album “No Reason to Cry: Songs by Grant McLennan,” due out on the 20th, and I have to say all eleven songs deserve a listen. === Paul Louis Villani has a new album out from which we share the first song 'Before I Go' which is just one dimension of this creative collection. === Last month we featured 'Angels Fight' from Sobranie 8 18 and now we have the full and self titled album 'Sobranie 8 18'. If you like different, creative, imaginative and superb music, you have arrived at your destination. 
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The Golden Age Of TV - Me, You And A Dog.

Leeds art-rock quintet The Golden Age of TV released explosive, abrupt new single ‘Me, You And A Dog’ on February 6th ahead of their debut self-titled EP, dropping March 13th. Opening solely with Bea Fletcher’s impressive vocals delivering the chorus hook, before the gritty, analogue instrumentation comes crashing in, there’s no time to be left wondering. The immediacy is compelling; it’s a call to arms from the five-piece, a command to involve yourself in their rapturous world.

Sonically, there’s a call back to intelligent turn-of-the-2010s indie – The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Cribs -whilst occupying the same space as fellow acts re-invigorating hooky, joie de vivre lead guitar music in Orchards, The Big Moon, Sports Team. Bea has a penchant for lyrically nailing relatable themes, with tongue lodged firmly in cheek – and ‘Me, You And A Dog’ follows its title’s lead in its exploration of the way we navigate taking our romantic relationships to the next level. As she puts it:

'It's a playful love song about wanting to take a big step in a relationship. Though, y'know, staying pretty casual about it - hence the lyrics at the end 'if you want to do nothing, that's alright too'. Getting a dog on your own is a big commitment, but doing it with a partner is a nice way of saying you wanna hang out with them for another 10+ years.'

Over just a few releases the band have managed to impress cultural gatekeepers, and steadily build a following. Huw Stephens at BBC Radio 1 is a fan, to go alongside support from 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio. Press wise takes from DIY, The Line of Best Fit and Clash, have positioned them as indie risers to watch, with the buzzy blogosphere also propelling them to attention.

The live side too has seen exciting opportunities for the group. Support slots with Another Sky, CHAI and Marsicans bringing them to a wider audience, as well as performances at Reading and Leeds, Live at Leeds and Liverpool Sound City festivals. ‘Me, You And A Dog’ was produced at Greenmount studios by Lee Smith and Jamie Lockhart (The Cribs, Easy Life, Pulled Apart By Horses), and is out on February 6th ahead of debut EP ‘The Golden Age of TV’, out March 13th.

Live Dates:
26th March - Oporto, Leeds
27th March - The Finsbury Pub, London.

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ROCH - T-Rose.

London based singer, songwriter, and producer ROCH is sharing ‘T-Rose’ – the latest single from her upcoming debut album ‘Via Media’ (out March 6th). Alongside the new single ROCH is today announcing a headline show at London’s Servant Jazz Quarters on April 9th. With a sound that is completely unique, ROCH’s (aka Kate Miller) spiralling pop creations are truly something to treasure. ‘T-Rose’, released today, occupies a darker, more melancholic space. Bringing together ROCH’s hushed vocals with a moving piano motif - Miller contemplates childbirth and motherhood: “What happens if I have a child, or lose a child?”

Speaking a little more about ‘T Rose’, ROCH said: “The song is about an absence of a child / loss of one and a common feeling of once someone/thing is gone you feel you have more to say to them. This is the most intimate and pared back song on the album. I wanted to capture the domestic setting where I made the album by recording conversational dialogue between the people (young and old) in the studio. This theme will carry on through a visual that will accompany the song.”

Fascinated by crossovers of space and language, and by rethinking the “mundane and ubiquitous ideas” found in every day life. The bridging of grand scale and domestic scale is a concept Miller has been exploring in her work since her time studying performance and sculpture at University of the Arts London’s Central Saint Martin’s college, and continues to probe in the impassioned synth pop she makes as ROCH.

Miller’s interest in the lofty versus the mundane stems from her religious background as well. “Roch” was Miller’s confirmation name, after St. Roch, the patron saint of the plague. Miller grew up going to Catholic school and studied 13th and 14th century medieval art history in school. She’s captivated by medieval art, patron saints, and religious paraphernalia, and the way those emblems manifest in every day life. “The music is influenced in a lot of ways by sacrifice,” Miller explains. In line with depictions of Catholicism and sainthood, the songs on ROCH’s debut album, Via Media, often deal with sacrifice of the body—taking that quintessential religious image into the every day. Instead of the sacrifice being for God, it’s for family, career, or comradery. “Rather than this saintly sacrifice being these dramatic Catholic ascension-type scenes, it's work, labour, pregnancy.”

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Store Front - Rip The Price Off.

Five-piece New York group Store Front is releasing their debut EP Task on streaming platforms everywhere February 14. The five songs that make up Task are hook-forward pop songs about trying to make something of a life that feels squalid (sometimes in a great way). Laura Snapes of The Guardian says EP opener "Rip the Price Off," which was previously released as a demo, unites Sonic Youth and Stereolab calling it "louche yet invigorating," and Brooklyn Vegan’s Bill Pearis says it sounds "...a little like Everything But the Girl by way of '90s Liz Phair."

Store Front is Amy Rose Spiegel (vox/lyrics), Peggy Wang (bass, formerly of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart), Bob Marshall (guitar), Brandon Louro (guitar), and Chalky Edwards (drums).

"Task is about making private jokes in your head about all the big concerns you’re trying to keep track of, especially in the cases when those things are supposed to feel gravely serious," says singer Amy Rose Spiegel. "'Rip the Price Off' is about feeling like you have to be successful on other people’s terms, which is both a sick joke and sometimes an actual fact." Later on the EP, she says, "'I Would' is a sweet, upbeat song about pretending you want to be alone when what you love most of all is other people."

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Ramshackle Rodeo - Duga 3.

Derry, Ireland alt. indie electro-rock export Ramshackle Rodeo has released a debut album, 2019’s Back from the East, and new single “Duga 3” — available now!

Helmed by frontman and main brain Stephen Cassidy, and produced by Nail O’Doherty, “Duga 3” is a sonic cycle through grunge up guitar riffs and consistent, persistent percussion at its feet.

“This is a spiritually coherent, no-frills, bedroom-produced, genre-splitting musical narrative,” Cassidy says, laying bare the genesis of both the track and the nine songs that precede it on the record. “There are melodies and rhythms that trade places in ambient, rock and dystopian electronic soundscapes.

“There are echoes of early 90s Baggy and House to be heard, re-remembered like foggy dreams.” - “Duga 3” and Back from the East are available now.

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Allister Thompson - Dusty In Here.

Canadian Singer-Songwriter Allister Thompson Pays Homage to Go-Betweens’ Grant McLennan With Full Album Tribute.

Background from Allister - I appreciate this opportunity to present the album “No Reason to Cry: Songs by Grant McLennan,”  by Allister Thompson, which I am releasing Feb. 20, 2020.

I have recorded 11 songs by the late co-frontman of the legendary Brisbane indie-rock pioneers The Go-Betweens, from his time with that band, solo, and his Jack Frost project with The Church’s Steve Kilbey.

Grant McLennan died in 2006, and I remember well how sad I felt as a longtime admirer. In 2019, since I’d always felt an affinity with his work both as a listener and a player, I decided to record a cover version; that 1 song turned into 11, since they all just started coming to me.

Each song is in a new arrangement, some more of a departure from the original than others. I am a singer-songwriter from North Bay, Ontario, Canada. I record in various genres, including folk, ambient, and psychedelic music.

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Paul Louis Villani - Before I Go.

“The title of the album accurately prepares any listener for a mix of emotional folk, lo-fi, pop/hard rock acoustic/electric styles that reflect the writers’ current lifestyle challenges and observations”   - Paul Louis Villani.

Be prepared to be taken on an emotional roller coaster ride where the only source of truth is reality without softening filters.

Before I Go - A week in the life of someone who cannot stand being themselves can be torturous. Add into the equation someone who is trying to help but being let down time after time. The end result is separation for the sake of clarity and stability, perhaps leading to an end of unity. So be it.

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Sobranie 8 18 - Sobranie 8 18 (Album).

Russian electronic duo, Sobranie 8 18, have released their much anticipated self-titled album, a collection of ten tracks of transcendental melody; avant garde experimentation; retro pop and eternal truths.

Sobranie in Russian means “meet together”, an appropriate word for the coming together of music, verse and minds of Nastya and Kirill, the masterminds behind Sobranie 8 18. Following in the wake of Sobranie 7 17 a now extinct dark electronics project and alongside Nastya’s solo project, Sobranie 9 19, Sobranie 8 18 has become the main effort of the duo. The figures 7 and 17 are sacred numbers - the other figures represent the artist’s intuitive associations with the variety of music genres. Influenced by dark techno, new euro pop, field recordings and experimental sounds, Sobranie 8 18 is the clearest manifestation of their musical manifesto.

A world away from their debut LP, Demons, the Angel and Dark Thoughts, they explain their new self-titled release;

“We have been working on it for about 2-and-a-half years. Our composition principle was to make sure that each song was as distinctive as possible. This title is probably not even an ‘album’ in a generic sense but rather a collection of songs because every track is very different.

It was the first time we used live instruments. With the help of our friends we have recorded bass guitar, sax, flute, male and female choir trio, harmonica and piano, adding all this to the electronic sound made by Elektron Analog Four among other synths. We also used a recorder to capture some of the instruments, our homage to the low-fi sound and a way to say ‘goodbye’ to it.  We’ve been inspired by many things - music, movies, feelings, hometown atmosphere and intangible things one can just feel”

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Juliper Sky - Fruitz - Wynnm - Post Louis - Casii Stephan - Honey Cutt - Ben Wood and The Bad Ideas

Juliper Sky make their second appearance here with today's new song release 'Reflections of the Winter Sun' the bands dreamy, lush and expansive rock style really stands out again as something special. === A few days back Fruitz shared 'Daydream' a heartfelt and hook filled indie rocker. === Wynnm has just released 'Fire On The Moon' a gentle and melodic song with fabulous vocals above a restrained musical backdrop. === It's our fourth feature for Post Louis who share their brand new song 'Winter Pollen' where the art rock band power up musically surrounding the vocals with swirling guitar licks and more. === We shared a song by Casii Stephan back in May of last year and now we have her brand new single 'Trapeze Artist' which is a wonderful and passionate rocker with plenty of soulful vibes. === Honey Cutt give us a taste of her March album release with the title track 'Coasting' and put simply, it's gorgeous. === We have some no nonsense rock from Ben Wood and The Bad Ideas with 'Cora Cora Cora' a vibrant rocker with vocals that resonate wonderfully with the band.
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Juliper Sky - Reflections of the Winter Sun.

Jumping straight into 2020 Juliper Sky unveil their next offering ‘Reflections of the Winter Sun’ which is set for release on 7th February. The single release will be straight off the back of a busy January tour schedule. The track itself continues to explore and refine the sounds and feelings of escapism, using lushly orchestrated guitar tones a wash with a unhealthy amount of reverb. It experiments with destructive tones, phasing, speaker induced chorus’s and some time-bending for good measure. Lyrically the track is about two humans craving and longing for one another, but due to circumstance it is a dream which can never be realised. The heart often craves what it cannot have and in ‘Reflections of the Winter Sun’ it is in a state of mourning.

This being the last release from a four track EP, officially due to be released in April, Juliper Sky complete their collaboration with producer James Kenosha (Rhodes, Dry The River, Dinosaur Pile Up). Much in the same vein as the previous tracks the band adopted a DIY ethic having all the individual components recorded either in a local Manchester studio (VIBE) or in their home studios. Keeping the recording process local before passing over to James to sculpt the final picture.

Liam Grindell (Synth/Guitar & Backing Vocals) comments as follows on the latest release; ‘we knew we had something with this one assoon as Jamie (Vocals) played us the basic chords and melody. There was a lot of space to play with and we wanted to fill everything single bit of it. We were conscious of wanting to include some new interesting tones into the music but staying true to our sound at the same time. The title was already there at the start of the writing process and it creates such good imagery. It was kind of like paint by numbers and we were just filling in the blanks with guitars, synths and reverbs rather than paints’.

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Fruitz - Daydream.

Launching into the music scene in late 2017, FRUITZ quickly made a name for themselves as an exciting live band.

The Dublin quartets first release was hard hitting single ‘KNOTZ’, which was followed up by the melodic rock/pop song ‘U & I’. FRUITZ earned themselves an international following, playing their UK debut to a sold out headline show at Liverpool’s Zanzibar Club and playing Gullivers’ in Manchester for renowned indie label ‘Scruff Of The Neck’.

FRUITZ ended 2019 on a high note by releasing the catchy number ‘Girl Around The Corner’ and playing a hometown show.

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Wynnm - Fire On The Moon.

Though born amidst the sands and sunburnt rock faces of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwestern United States to an amateur harmonica player father and a first-generation Korean mother, Wynnm’s dark notes and honey-throated tones draw from experiences far beyond her landscape, circumstance, and family myths of origin. CD’s like Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Moby, The Doors, and Creedence Clearwater Revival spun in the family car on long road trips. She came of age with a love for bass beats and albums by powerful female vocalists like Annie Lennox, Portishead, and Fiona Apple.

Wynnm’s quicksilver sound is an elegant amalgamation of smooth folk and vital bass. Her music emerges from the dusty mirages of Arizona and the private mountains of Idaho but it cycles to the electronic beats of her current residency in Amsterdam.

Kicking off 2020 with a lasting impression, Wynnm presents her single Fire on the Moon: starting off gently with dreamy reverberated guitars supporting her angelic vocals, downtempo beats are added after 2 minutes to complete the overall feeling of synesthesia!

Wynnm on Fire On The Moon: "I am a cheater. So are you. We all are, every once in a while. This song brings me back to that first moment of disbelief. The first landing in Amsterdam." Penned in the first months of Wynnm’s residence, Fire on the Moon tells the truth of looking into the eyes of your companion - their eyes hopeful, your eyes bloodshot - between them is the truth that starts and ends the race.

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Post Louis - Winter Pollen.

Exciting five-piece art-rock band, Post Louis, have today released another single from their upcoming debut Descender – new track Winter Pollen was written from the perspective of a young woman internalising the effects of the Me Too movement – a burning rage, suppressed by the daily grind of life. “A couple of Christmases ago I was feeling overwhelmed by all the turmoil produced by the courageous disclosures in the Me Too movement” says Stephanie Davin, lead singer of Post Louis. “The Brock Turner witness statement had been published in the summer of 2016. That act of bravery occupied my mind, alongside a relentless looping mental image that I couldn’t shake, of Emily Doe (Chanel Miller) lying in the road. I wanted to link that image to the idea of heat, rage and being burnt out - whether by work or aspiration or fury. Fiery anger is often apt, but it can be exhausting as well as empowering.”

Winter Pollen reflects this heavy lyrical focus, embodying an anxious determination, painted by huge guitar sounds that were recorded at the garden studio of Bombay Bicycle Club’s Ed Nash. “They didn’t have very long, and you can hear the urgency in the recording. Most of the parts are one-off takes and decisions on sounds and equipment were made impulsively.”

The band garnered critical acclaim for a string of singles sporadically released throughout the last 18 months, and now their iridescent debut album is announced for release on 28th Feb 2020. A colossal stride forward, following on from their early EPs This Could Be a Bridge and Uptight, Post Louis have spent every spare moment outside of their day-jobs experimenting, honing, and pushing the boundaries of their creative capabilities to construct their kaleidoscopic debut album Descender.

And this is the driving force that lies at the heart of the album. Desperate exhaustion – both through mental and physical labour. While the EPs were preoccupied with the ways in which people can damage one other, Descender extends this gaze, taking in questions about love, labour, effort and blame.

After a European tour supporting Secretly Canadian’s Porcelain Raft, Post Louis’ songwriters Davin and Robbie Stern (previously of Cajun Dance Party) retreated to a remote cottage in Wales to avoid the distractions of working life, armed only with a looper and a Dictaphone. They brought the material that surfaced to the rest of the band, together forming the songs that would make up their debut through meticulous testing, deconstructing and experimenting at their rehearsal space: the Norwegian Church (Sjømannskirken) in Bermondsey.


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Casii Stephan - Trapeze Artist.

Casii Stephan is a soul pop/rock artist hailing from Minnesota. Now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the impassioned songstress evokes subtle vibrato notes and roller-coaster-like melodies, which immediately grab the listener, while her emotional lyrics share intimate stories. She has been compared to the likes of Florence Welch, Fiona Apple and Carole King, as her vocal timbre possesses a full and warm quality.

Stephan’s voice is fierce and fearless, but this was not always the case. She grew up shy and afraid of her voice until she started writing songs on the family piano in South St. Paul when she was 16. In music, she discovered something extraordinary that allowed her to transcend everyday life and find a deeper sense of self. Stephan moved to Tulsa in 2014 with the intent to give up her pursuit of a music career, however with a little encouragement from a friend, she continued her journey and started releasing music. Her songs were promptly applauded by critics and have since been racking up a number of awards, as well as garnering acclaim from media and fans across the globe.

Stephan’s latest single “Trapeze Artist” was inspired after scrolling through her social feeds and seeing the highs and lows of humanity. The songwriter reveals, “From finding love to accounts of racism. It's all there and it makes one feel like a trapeze artist swinging back and forth. It's a growth process to know how to process all of this information and what to do with it and know what I can reasonably do in the community I'm in. No one person can change the world”. Sonically “Trapeze Artist” details Stephan’s velvety vocals, cascading piano melodies, swirling string arrangements and bright brass, building into an anthemic and empowering track. Reminiscent of Brandi Carlile meets Adele, Stephan has created a sound which brings power and color, whilst maintaining a quiet intimacy. The visuals play off the feeling of social media leaving people isolated and how community, friends and music help to bring us back to the reality that hope and change is possible.

An underlying theme throughout Stephan’s music is hope, she explains, “Its such a cliched word and yet there are so many layers to it. Hope keeps us alive. It keeps us moving. But it also feels flighty some days like a pixie that does what it wants. But it's not a pixie. It's more like the air we breathe. Some days it's presence is stronger than we realize and some days we forget in our day-to-day lives that it's there... keeping us moving forward”. Her music combines her love for the storytelling elements of Disney ballads and the bold, brilliance of The White Stripes, as well as the soul-wrenching R&B melodies of H.E.R.

Casii Stephan has seen success both obtaining and being nominated for multiple awards from the likes of Independent Music Awards, Hollywood Music in Media Awards and USA Songwriting Competition to name a few. She also heads a female fronted festival entitled MisFEST in Tulsa, that has gained recognition both locally and nationally. Continuing to craft real, authentic, soulful music with the intention to help others feel a little less alone, Casii Stephan is releasing “Trapeze Artist” in 2020.

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Honey Cutt - Coasting.

Honey Cutt are sharing a new single entitled "Coasting", the title-track from their forthcoming LP, out on Kanine Records on March 13th. Released to coincide with the announce of a North American tour (full details of which can be found below), "Coasting" is the second single from the album, following January's "Vacation." - "Coasting" is about trying to hold it together and be strong for my family," says Honeycutt. "I think that sometimes there is strength in just surviving. Seeing my mother get us through the things that she did when I was younger really made me who I am today.” On her debut album, Coasting, Honeycutt lulls you in with emotional personal stories that are refreshingly selfaware and satirical. Her warmth and charm resonates throughout the catchy guitar pop record.

While Honeycutt has been writing songs since she can remember, it wasn’t until she was 21 that she started playing out at small bars in Orlando, Florida. Between working full time to make rent and studying full time at a small community college, Honeycutt fell behind. When her grades dropped, she lost financial aid for school. Honeycutt says, “Something clicked in me after that. I moved into my friends bedroom and shifted focus fully to writing and recording.” The result was an EP she released under the moniker Baby!, but the name quickly proved unsearchable. Honeycutt rebranded herself simply Honey Cutt (2 words) and readied her debut album, Coasting.

Her Florida environment heavily influences the ten tracks that make up her debut album. The youngest of seven children, with four older brothers and a single mom, her family found themselves relocating from Asheville, NC to a small migrant farm town in central Florida called Ocoee when she was just 8 years old. “My grandmother was sick so we moved back to my moms hometown. I remember the day we arrived in the U-Haul, and found out that the rental house my mom had made a payment on was actually a craigslist scam. We arrived in Florida with no money, no home, and the medical bills of my dying grandmother. We slept in the homes of strange ‘sort-of’ cousins, around different places in central Florida, until my mom could save up enough for a new place.”

Drawing from her experiences growing up below the poverty line and being forced to move often throughout central Florida, those problems didn’t go away when she moved to a big city. In Boston, Honeycutt sought new musical friends and a live band. It was there that she found her footing in the world of live music. Working her way from DIY basement shows to opening for bands like Bully, Gus Dapperton, Varsity, and Calpurnia at some of the cities largest music venues, her talent did not go unnoticed. She earned three Boston music award nominations for best indie rock band alongside the likes of other talented New England based artists like Palehound and Sidney Gish.

Honeycutt is ready to debut a full-length record that showcases her relentlessness as an artist. From dirt roads in small Florida towns, to dirty basements flooded with Ivy League college kids dancing along unassumingly to her coy pop tunes, Honeycutt’s love of indie pop and dreamy, surf pop guitar tones run throughout her debut album. Honeycutt is clever and never overstays her welcome while Coasting is delivered with a vulnerability that is both bracingly fun and energizing. Coasting will be released via Kanine Records on March 13th, 2020.

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Ben Wood and The Bad Ideas - Cora Cora Cora.

Whilst starting out as a perform er in London and a busker on the London Underground,Ben Wood was offered the unique opportunity to contribute to an X-Ray spex charity album in the U S - one of only two UK bands who were offered the privilege. Ben had to find a band and put a track together and send it over in 48 hours.

Amazingly, he pulled it all together and formed his band, Ben Wood and The Bad Ideas from the experience: the name was a reference to his trepidation about the previous situation. They went on to play many stages: Prince Charles’ Garden Party, the Yes To Life Festivaland release their compilation track, Obsessed with You as their debut single. The band’s 2018 release “The Reveal” featured Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions) on bass as well as artist Cristabel Christo.

In 2020 the band will be releasing a single per month for a year. The band’s 2020 offerings will have guest spots from legendary musicians such as Dave Barbarossa of Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow , Billy Ritchie of 60s prog pioneers Clouds (Ritchie famously introduced a young David Bowie to Jimi Hendrix) and even Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols. LA based musician Nick Maybury (Scott Weiland Band/Juliette & The Licks) and Mike Webster of Southend’s Baddies and Asylums will also feature on guitar.

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Rachel Beck - Seablite - Arabnormal - Adwaith - Vundabar - Ted Jasper

Rachel Beck shares 'Warrior' where her beautifully distinctive vocals glide above a refined musical backdrop. === Less than a month since we featured 'Skeleton Couch' Seablite are back with 'High Rise Mannequins' and again their mixture of dream pop and shoegaze impress. === Arabnormal have a pretty unique opening for 'Digital Veil' on the video version of the song. I think I'll stick to the audio version in the longer term but it's well worth seeing. === The trio Adwaith release 'Lan y Môr' tomorrow on Welsh Music Day, and it's a natural rocker that packs plenty of feeling. === We shared a song from Vundabar back in 2017 so it's been a while however 'Petty Crime' is a catchy and slick indie rocker, so welcome back. === From Ted Jasper we have the intimate and intricately arranged 'Stone Cold Kisses', it's a taste of what's to come on his 'Equinox' E.P next month and a very fine one at that.
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Rachel Beck - Warrior.

Glowing with catchy pop hooks, Rachel Beck distinctive piano melodies and emotive vocals are captivating audiences across Canada. Her upcoming release, Stronger Than You Know, is a celebration of strength and resilience. Its a gentle call to action -- a call to stand up, to speak out, to be present, to love fiercely. The record shimmers with layered synths and lush strings, balanced by dynamic percussion and bass. But the focal point, the unifying force throughout, is Beck's stunning voice.

Based on the success of her multi award-winning debut album, one might presume otherwise, but this Prince Edward Island songwriters journey to a career in music was anything but conventional. After completing degrees in psychology and education, teaching high school for ten years, and giving birth to three beautiful children, Beck found herself seeking a creative outlet. That outlet quickly transformed into passion and a wave of momentum following the release of her first single, Reckless Heart, which topped the CBC Music Top 20, ranked #4 in the CBC Music Fan Favourites of 2018, and earned a SOCAN #1 Award.

Mere months after releasing her self-titled debut, Rachel Beck took her own advice and leapt, leaving the security of her full-time teaching position to hit the road. Tour highlights include performing for Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, appearing twice at the legendary Stan Rogers Folk Festival, opening the 2019 ECMA Gala Awards Show, and playing beautiful festivals and venues from the Rogue Folk Club in Vancouver, BC to the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, NB.

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Seablite - High Rise Mannequins.

Bay area shoegaze / dreampop 4-piece Seablite debut title track "High-Rise Mannequins" off their upcoming 10" EP.  (Emotional Response Records).

2019 finished with critical acclaim across the board for SEABLITE’s lives shows and their excellent debut album topping many Year End “Best-Of” lists. There was even a surprise and welcome placing at #36 in Good Morning America’s top 50 albums of the year, rubbing shoulders with some industry giants!

The new year sees the band off to a flying start, with a brand new 4 song 10inch EP, that builds on their growing stature as songwriters and performers. Recorded by Alicia Vanden Heuvel (The Aislers Set, Poundsign etc), in San Francisco, the new recordings capture the band at an exciting moment in time, as they take their place amongst the growing list of Bay Area fuzz-pop indie-greats.

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Arabnormal - Digital Veil.

After 3 albums Antwerp’s noisiest outfit The Hickey Underworld evaporated. They never announced a break up, they just ceased to be… but the genie’s back out of the bottle. Well sorta… Frontman and main songwriter Younes Faltakh is the sole survivor and teamed up with ex Das Pop member Niek Meul. The pair set up camp in Niek’s studio in Oslo and recorded 10 eccentric, mysterious and groovy tracks. Guitars do a lapdance wrapping their tormented strings around a worked up rhythm section while Younes’ hoarse growl sounds as familiar as it does threatening.

Birthed in post-punk, heavily infused by Eastern psychedelica, and described by their record label [PIAS] as alternative world music, most refer to Arabnormal as ‘a manically zonked-out flying carpet ride’.

Read the above and listen to Arabnormal’s new single ‘Digital Veil’ and you’ll know that doesn’t make any sense at all… ‘Digital Veil’ is a sweet, sophisticated and too cute to cuddle soft rock gem. To honour the late Hickey Underworld tradition of psycho-facemelting video’s, Arabnormal’s visual companion for their latest single is quite something. Does your mouth get wet thinking of a make-up sandwich? Well, here’s the recipe.

When performing live, Younes Faltakh is joined by The Hickey Underworld member Jonas Govaerts, Mich Beniest (ex-Deadsets) and Millionaire members Damien Vanderhasselt & Sjoerd Bruil.

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Adwaith - Lan y Môr.

CAN, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Ventures and The Breeders are all here in ‘Lan Y Môr’, but ultimately what you hear in Adwaith’s new single is the fearless songwriting of Hollie, Heledd, and Gwenllian, following their creative instincts.

‘Lan y Môr’ is another musical highlight in a growing catalogue of emphatically individual and emotionally rich songs from the 2019 Welsh Music Prize winners. The single is built from the surf guitar and bass interlocking riffs of Hollie and Gwenllian that dance over Heledd’s driving motorik beats.

Hollie Singer, the band’s guitarist and vocalist explains how they adopted the traditional Welsh folk song ‘Ar Lan y Môr’ to be theirs.

“The original inspiration for this song was the surf rock riff I came up with. We chose to use the lyrics to ‘Ar Lan y Môr’ as they fitted well with the vibe of the track. I’ve wanted to have a cover in the set for a little while now and this was so much fun to make completely our own.” ‘Lan y Môr’ is released especially for Welsh Music Day 07.02.2020.

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Vundabar - Petty Crime.

Vundabar share a new track, 'Petty Crime' and an accompanying video from their upcoming album, Either Light, out 13th March 2020 on Gawk Records.

It’s clear the 'Petty Crime' video was inspired by The Sopranos. "Tony Soprano was an inspiration while we wrote this album. He's this simultaneously despicable yet endearing character who's searching for meaning, desperately wants to change but is plainly doomed, so to channel a little Ton' felt right.

We wanted to create a sense of transition and anticipation, so we chose to use cars, motels, treadmills, pools and parking lots. They're all liminal-in-betweens or places where movement doesn't necessarily bring you anywhere.”

'Petty Crime' follows the album’s lead single 'Burned Off', which won praise from Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, NYLON, Under the Radar and more.

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Ted Jasper - Stone Cold Kisses.

Cornwall-raised and London-based artist Ted Jasper is today announcing his new ‘Equinox’ EP with the first single ‘Stone Cold Kisses’, alongside news of a headline show at London’s The Waiting Room on April 21st. Doubling up as a house DJ/producer as well as a fully-fledged songwriter carving out jazzy, hip-hop-infused downtempo, Jasper has quickly becoming a fast-rising name on the London scene since his 2018 ‘One Day’ EP on Jamz Supernova’s Future Bounce imprint. Arriving off the back of the follow-up ‘Back For More’ EP (2019) and support from 6 Music, Complex, Mixmag, Boiler Room,  Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Jasper’s five-track ‘Equinox’ EP is due for release March 6th via Au Contraire. You can stream the opening track, ‘Stone Cold Kisses’, alongside some accompanying visuals here: hyperurl.co/6iwfjo

Pairing his smooth, intoxicating vocals with a breezy head-bopping beat, crisp guitar loops and textural piano chords, ‘Stone Cold Kisses’ is a perfect example of the symmetry Jasper has been able to find between his club-oriented DJ sets and production, and his work as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist (surprisingly, though, 2019’s ‘Back For More’ EP was the first time he stepped in front of the microphone.) He says of the track:

“At least once a month I’ll go through all my unfinished projects and see if there’s anything that jumps out at me. I had this cute garage beat that felt really open so I started building it up and I ended up creating an arrangement that I was really excited to sing on. A lot of the time I’ll upload the instrumental to Soundcloud and then listen to it through headphones and go on big walks around London or Cornwall. I’ll just keep walking until I get it, no matter how long it takes. I love putting little references to things I’m reading or thinking about in my songs – Icarus flying too close to the sun, Caliban being kept prisoner by Sycorax in The Tempest, those are all there in ‘Stone Cold Kisses’ – and that comes a lot easier when I’m on the move."

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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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