Smoke Fairies - Brudini - The Shacks - Chelsea Williams - Kluster B

Smoke Fairies have just released a new track entitled 'No Matter How This Goes, Just Make Sure That You're Kind', we've already featured three songs from their recent album and this one is another spectacular piece. === Brudini returns with 'Radiant Man' which is a beautiful calm singer-songwriter piece. === Retro indie rockers The Shacks released 'Wings' and it opens as an understated song before adding more melodic layers. === Los Angeles artist Chelsea Williams new song is 'Wasted' which is an upbeat and hook filled track with bags of charm. === So far this year we have shared three songs from Kluster B new album 'b' and it's a pleasure to now share the full collection that has just been released.

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Smoke Fairies - No Matter How This Goes, Just Make Sure That You're Kind.

Smoke Fairies (Jessica Davies & Katherine Blamire) have just surprised fans by releasing an exclusive and unheard new track “No Matter How This Goes, Just Make Sure That You're Kind”.

Recorded with producer Phil Ek in Seattle last year for their recent critically acclaimed ‘Darkness Brings The Wonders Home’ album the track was initially held back. However, the band Feel the song to be so pertinent to the current world health crisis they wanted to share its message of love.

The track comes at a fruitful time for Smoke Fairies who this week sit at Number 1 in both the physical and vinyl Official UK Singles Charts with “Elevator” a Limited-Edition 7” picture disc. The single’s sales pitched the band at #1 in both charts topping The Weeknd and Bon Iver respectively.

This follows the album from which ‘Elevator’ taking a #1 in the Rock Album Charts at the start of February as well. Forced to abandon live plans to celebrate the release of “Elevator” by playing a series of intimate in-store shows and signings the band moved their single launch on-line and managed to raise money for the Red Cross in the process.

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Brudini - Radiant Man.

Having become a fan favourite at his live shows, Brudini’s new single Radiant Man unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A protagonist with good intentions, fighting on, crushed against a tidal wave of forces beyond his control.

Recorded in a basement studio in Stoke Newington without any use of a click-track and on analogue instruments only, Radiant Man has a timeless, soothing feel, and features jazz drummer Derin Bayhan (Istanbul) and Casper Hoedemaekers (Netherlands)  on double bass. It was mixed and mastered at legendary NYC analogue boutique studio Sear Sound (John Lennon, Lou Reed, Ryan Adams ++) by Grammy-winning engineer Jeremy Loucas and Brudini.

Radiant Man is the 4th single from forthcoming debut album From Darkness, Light which is finally due for release on May 15th. It follows the critically acclaimed singles Reflections (which is currently is getting solid support on BBC6), Emotional Outlaw and Pale Gold.

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The Shacks - Wings.

Retro indie rockers The Shacks make their return with the bottom heavy, feel-good anthem “Wings.” With enticing vocals and pulsing guitar, The Shacks’ new single cuts its way through the speakers from the first note, offering listeners an escape from our recently altered reality.

“Wings” is equal parts new sonic landscape and familiar territory for The Shacks. The group made an impressive first mark on the scene with their hit “This Strange Effect”, which soundtrack a worldwide iPhone commercial. The Shacks continued to build their fanbase touring internationally in support of their debut album Haze with groups such as Khruangbin and Chicano Batman. It’s no doubt that their initial success and esteemed touring schedule lead them to this infectiously catchy and tasteful crowd pleaser.

The unique, ebullient beat that backs “Wings” is attributed to the pumping guitar line, which is actually three baritone guitars playing in harmony. “A baritone guitar is halfway between a regular guitar and a bass. It’s also known as a tic-tac bass,” said Max Shrager, guitarist and producer for The Shacks. “It’s an unusual instrument, but you can find it throughout various genres.”

“Wings” is sure to be an anthem for the spring and will give The Shacks’ fans a taste of new music to come. The Shacks are currently finishing up their new album, which is due early 2021.

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Chelsea Williams - Wasted.

Los Angeles artist Chelsea Williams has released “Wasted”, the latest track off her upcoming album Beautiful & Strange, which drops on May 8 via Blue Élan Records. Encapsulating Williams’ unrelenting positivity in the face of misfortune, the upbeat new song depicts a destructive relationship nearing its end with clever lyrics wrapped around sunny pop hooks and a brilliantly infectious chorus. Accompanied by a triumphant new video, “Wasted” was featured this morning at Earmilk, who said “It’s complexion in disguise, perfectly aligning dynamic layers of guitar chords and a simple backbeat. It periodically sneaks in other subtle instruments, jovial and innocent, never once letting you escape its irresistible charm."

“There’s nothing like the freedom you feel when you get out of a toxic relationship,” explains Williams. “I was a master of toxic relationships in my 20s. ‘Wasted’ is a summary of some of my experiences wrapped up in a fun little musical package.”

Beautiful & Strange showcases Chelsea Williams’ diverse musical palette, as she blends catchy pop sensibilities with elements of roots, psychedelia and jazz and incorporates everything from toy pianos and singing saws to sweeping string arrangements and a symphony of harmonicas and keys. Whether she is dissecting relationship dynamics or examining the very notion of destiny, Williams’ charming, confident songwriting and airy, nuanced vocals maintain an underlying current of optimism. The result is a cinematic collection of songs that are equal parts whimsical spontaneity and mature sophistication. NPR Music recently featured the album’s debut track “Red Flag”, with Stephen Thompson calling it a “fantastic earworm” and declaring “Williams’ brightly rendered Americana songs dispense poppy, anthemic uplift and earthy grit in equal measure.”

Chelsea Williams honed her skills busking at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, where she captured the attention of passersby including Ron Howard and Sheryl Crow. This eventually led to a high-profile TV commercial singing in Maroon 5’s “Playing for Change” version of their hit “Daylight”, as well as a record deal and a Singer-Songwriter of the Year award from the Hollywood in Music and Media Awards. Williams’ 2017 release, Boomerang, garnered praise from critics including Rolling Stone Country, who describes her sound as “K.T. Tunstall, Sheryl Crow and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild on a confessional girls’ night out.”

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Kluster B - b (Album).

Kluster B (fka Kluster) are putting out their second album, 'b'. A lot has happened in all the five members lives since the first album, civic (2018). The band was very shattered during the period that the music was written, being far apart from each other both geographically and emotionally, which resulted in turns within the music none of the members could have foreseen. A band crisis emerged, a crisis that was processed in the studio during the recording week, something that has left its clear marks on the record. In the end, the recording of b was an enriching experience for the band, coming out stronger than ever on the other side, with a new name and a new record. There was now nothing left to lose.

Kluster B was founded by four friends and a virtual drummer in Malmö 2014, a real life drummer joined in shortly afterwards and the gang was complete. Since then, the quintet has been active on as well the Malmö indie scene as playing shows in Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, supporting acts such as Frankie Cosmos, Omni and Nicole Sabouné. Debut album 'civic' was released in 2018 and Kluster received praise from Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, major Swedish music magazines and more.

The band returned earlier this year with new single 'Counterpart', the first taste from the  sophomore album that will be released on April 17th. b is like diving in to 10 different swimming pools of Kluster B's playful sound - a melting pot of broad influences such as pop, punk, noise, lo-fi, indie and jazz. It is a development of the sound we got to know on their first album. The interplay and paradox between the complex and simple is still there but the quintet have this time allowed themselves more time and space to experiment with almost jamming and evolving parts that hypnotizes the listener.

The members have a history as academic jazz players, forming Kluster B after longing to find a collective process free from strict genre playbooks and narrow-minded academic rules. A process that resulted in Kluster B's captivating characteristic dynamic and turning points, alternating from melodious to dissonance, complex to simple.

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Discovery Zone - Juliper Sky - Soë Blue - Pam Tillis - Dougie Poole - Walter Martin

Discovery Zone shares 'Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody' which is a rather fine song title and an equally pleasing and soothing electro piece. === Our third feature for Juliper Sky in just a few months is for new single 'Infinite Jets' which follows their recent E.P release and is another impressive song from the band. === Soë Blue has released her debut single 'Karma' and what a gorgeous and refined soulful track it is. === Pam Tillis recently released 'Looking for a Feeling' a sultry country song with a touch of bluesy vibes. === From Dougie Poole we have 'Vaping On The Job' ahead of a new album due in June, the track itself is a mixture of country with a touch of rock & roll. === Finally today we have Walter Martin with the topical 'Quarantine Boogie' an amusing and thankfully listenable song on the current situation (& we have received plenty that are hard going to say the least) anyway this is also for a good cause as you can see below.
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Discovery Zone - Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody.

What are dreams? Where do they come from? How can we share our dreams? New York-born, Berlin-based musician and filmmaker JJ Weihl is set to release her debut solo record as Discovery Zone having previously played bass and sang in acclaimed experimental pop band Fenster. 'Remote Control' is out via cult Berlin label Mansions and Millions on June 5th.

Today, Discovery Zone shares ‘Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody’. On the single, Weihl says “The title is a quote from a five hour-long Wagner Opera I saw called “Der Meistersinger von Nürnberg”. Sitting in the Munich Opera house surrounded by strangers and listening to music that was written long before I was born, I had the distinct sensation of experiencing time travel. I had this feeling that I was listening to the inside of Wagner’s mind - of being transported into someone else’s dream."

The accompanying video is a commercial for invisible wearable tech that allows you to download and share images from your dreams, Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation is the name of this revolutionary new product. The video was made by Weihl,  in isolation at her home in Berlin. It is composed of stock footage and artificial faces generated by GAN technology. It poses the question - how do humans dream of computers and how do computers dream of humans?

Her album Remote Control, with its palette of chimes, chirps and shimmers, is a glowing meditation on our contradictory moment in history. In her hands, the limitations of the default setting form a territory of unbounded experimentation, from the system-notification synth funk of “Dance II” to the trance incantations of “Blissful Morning Dream Interpretation Melody.” There are bits of sound collage and a lot of operatic robot choirs woven through tight emotional electronic pop.

Weihl implements drum machines, vocoder, sound collage, theremin and electric guitar, creating a small laboratory both in the studio and on stage. The experimental aspects of Weihl’s music are reflected in the spectrum of playful aesthetics, maintaining a strong focus on emotional and accessible pop melodies. Nostalgia is mixed into more synthetic sound worlds, each song dipping into past and future sonic landscapes.

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Juliper Sky - Infinite Jets.

Juliper Sky have made significant strides in the seven months since their inception, catching the eyes and ears of Spotify’s editorial taste makers with several highly regarded playlist placements, including ‘The IndieList’, ‘Hot New Bands’ and ‘New Music Friday’, receiving over a quarter of a million streams in the process.

Meanwhile, the band have gained national and international radio support from the likes of BBC Introducing, BBC Radio, Radio X, Amazing Radio and KEXP.

Following on from a busy 2019 and the release of their debut EP ‘Visions of a New Age’ in March 2020, Juliper Sky are set to release their hotly anticipated single ‘Infinite Jets’ today 17/04/2020.

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Soë Blue - Karma.

Here comes a new soul- and pop-voice that deserves being heard: Soë Blue from Zurich surprises with her debut single 'Karma'. As its title already says, her karma spreads pleasant feelings, warmth – and a lot of positive vibes.

But despite this fact, 23-year-old had to conquer doubts all over again. She had to learn that money rules the world – specially in the music-business. This painful experience has influenced the emerge of «Karma».

More than ever, such a positive soulpop-anthem is necessary at the moment. Due to corona-crises Soë Blue had to postpone her record release-party. She, who is blessed with a soulful and slightly darkly timbred soulful voice.

Soë Blue has got a great fascination for the Montreux Jazz Festival. That's where her love for music – and her inspiration – comes from. She's fascinated by the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Simply Red, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone and Aretha Franklin. They all, however, have inspired her current sound.

After «Karma» there's more modern soulpop on the way, as Soë Blue will release more singles. And – as soon as the crises is over – she will tour with her strong band.

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Pam Tillis - Looking for a Feeling.

Restless and unwilling to compromise, Pam Tillis has released her 12th studio album Looking for a Feeling.

At times genre defying, Looking for a Feeling is a rootsy ramble with spiritual and philosophical underpinnings and seventies overtones.

Driven by percussive acoustic guitar strums and a funky drum pattern, the production provides Tillis with enough space for an expressive vocal performance that ranges from a Dylanesque tumble of words to the gritty gospel soul of Mavis Staples. -Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone (Looking for a Feeling Single)

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Dougie Poole - Vaping On The Job.

Dougie Poole, the Brooklyn-based country musician and songwriter, will be a familiar name to many in the DIY music scene. After coming of age in Providence, Rhode Island Poole has long had ties to several artists in the experimental music scene including Jerry Paper with whom he toured nationally while playing in Paper's live band, and in 2019 he appeared on the Drugdealer album Raw Honey, drawing praise from Pitchfork for his "sad-eyed Elvis croon" on the track "Wild Motion."

He released his solo debut Wideass Highway in 2017, which was his first public experiment with country music and became an immediate favorite of publications like The FADER, who praised his ability to bring classic country songwriting into a "contemporary space" with an album that "articulated a generational self-consciousness." Exploring a hybrid of synth pop and country music, with a wry sense of humor and often cutting observational insight the album established Poole as a forerunner in a class of musicians who grew up in a post-genre ecosystem, equally as likely to be influenced by Ariel Pink and Animal Collective as Dolly Parton and Dwight Yoakam.

Today, Poole is announcing is Sophomore LP The Freelancer’s Blues, out June 12th on beloved Brooklyn indie Wharf Cat Records (Palberta, Bambara, Public Practice), with the lead single "Vaping On The Job." As this first single makes plain, Poole's latest LP sees him graduate from the drum machine and synthesizer bedroom country experiments of his first album to a full band with honky-tonk harmonies, wailing pedal steel, and carefully constructed arrangements that whole-heartedly embrace the country sound he only hinted at on his debut.

Produced by Jonathan Schenke (PC Worship, Gong Gong Gong, Public Practice), who produced the full LP, "Vaping On The Job" is a perfect encapsulation of Poole's skill as a songwriter, and of how deftly he bends the country idiom to tell stories that are true to his experience and those of his city-dwelling, romantically alienated and financially precarious peers. Verse by verse he follows the stories of a a delivery driver with an art degree, a midtown tech startup employee and the bartender they tell their woes to with a blend of humor and earnest compassion, backed by his tightly-drilled backing band whose blend of steel guitar and the occasional synth texture create a backdrop that settles with surprising comfort somewhere between Alan Jackson's early '90s output and the alien warmth of R. Stevie Moore.

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Walter Martin - Quarantine Boogie.

Renowned songwriter and Walkmen co-founder Walter Martin released today a new song "Quarantine Boogie (Loco)." Recorded at home in isolation, the song features guest vocals from Matt Berninger of The National (who also appears in the video) along with horn accompaniment by Stuart Bogie. Walter is working with City Harvest, a non-profit organization providing support to those affected by COVID-19 and supplying food to NYC public school kids in need. Walter has started "Walter Martin's Team" and the first goal is to raise $10,000.

"I made this song hoping to make enough of a fool of myself to inspire people to join my City Harvest team and donate money," stated Walter. "They are doing amazing work feeding people in NYC right now, and helping get food to public school kids who rely on school breakfast and lunch. I hope you can laugh at my song during these hard times and please join my City Harvest team and donate HERE."

Walter released his latest album The World At Night earlier this year, his fifth solo effort since The Walkmen announced their hiatus in 2013. It was met with widespread critical acclaim from Pitchfork, Noisey, Billboard, Vogue, Paste, Flood, and NPR Music who raved, "Whenever the state of the world gets me down, I listen to him and I always feel better." Last month, Walter also released two surprise albums on Bandcamp called Common Prayers and Green Beans & Tangerines, both comprised of various unreleased songs from his prolific archives, including unused B-sides, demos, alternate track versions, and more.

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Marie Dahlstrom - Andrea & Mud - Sandmoon

Marie Dahlstrom just shared 'Wandering' and it's a lush and beautiful soulful song, her vocals are fabulous as is the whole arrangement. === Andrea & Mud have released 'Lines' as a foretaste of their next album due in June, the surf-western duo are in splendid form and the album is all on a par with this fine song. === We first came across Sandmoon back in January and they are back with 'Empty' and it's another refined indie folk song from this creative band.
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Marie Dahlstrom - Wandering.

Danish, London based artist Marie Dahlstrom continues to tease the release of her upcoming debut album Like Sand, with soulful new jazz-inflected cut "Wandering".

One of the more experimental, electronically-charged tracks on the album – Marie creates an image of a ship being adrift at sea, not being able to navigate to shore again. “I wanted the song to feel like being lost," Marie explained. "Something I feel like everyone goes through at some point in their life - and something I feel a lot of musicians can relate to when navigating their career as an artist.”

Brought up on some of soul and R&B’s greats; recalling the likes of Edwyn Collins, Womack & Womack and Gloria Gaynor being on regular rotation in her family home in Roskilde, Dahlstrom also cites the discoveries of Dwele, Musiq Soulchild, SWV, Dire Straits, Lucy Pearl, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin and Fleetwood Mac in her teenage years as key points of inspiration in her musical upbringing.

Moving to London 9 years ago from her hometown of Roskilde in Denmark – Dahlstrom has made a significant name for herself in those years for her warm, jazz-tinged, soulful R&B.

Now, she is preparing to release her long-awaited debut full length album Like Sand, out May 22nd. Recorded between LA, Copenhagen and London, Like Sand features collaborations with the likes of South London soul singer James Vickery, California based songwriter and producer Jeremy Passion, Brooklyn based singer/producer Elijah Fox, British guitarist Beau Diako and more.

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Andrea & Mud - Lines.

Atlanta-based surf-western duo Andrea & Mud have announced a June 12 release date for their latest LP Bad News Darlin' and have shared the first two singles from the album at Wide Open Country and Glide Magazine. Both tracks will be available on all streaming platforms April 17.

Surf-western music is a vigorous elixir - blending spaghetti westerns with rough-edged, honky-tonkin’ classic country. Atlanta-based duo Andrea & Mud draw upon genre stalwart Junior Brown, who coined the “surf-western” term, into their own special mix, tossing in heartier blues stock ala Shovels & Rope. Their songwriting is uniquely potent, and with their new album, Bad News Darlin’, they extract parts of themselves to cope, mend, observe, and grow.

Consummate storytellers, Andrea Colburn and Kyle “Mud” Moseley bury their instruments and melodies in the earth’s dusty shell. Each song is soaked in style, immersive and heightened like a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack 一 think Kill Bill or Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood.

The duo co-produced the record with Damon Moon at Standard Electric Records in Decatur, Georgia, and the roster of musicians is impressive. Players include Tre “Danger” Watts (upright bass), Adam Higgins (electric bass, organ), Will Derr (drums), Bradley Daugherty (drums), “Smoking” Brett Resnick (pedal steel), Liz Sloan (fiddle), Chad Paulin (trumpet), Jim Ivy (saxophone), and Matt’s Blues (Matt Jordan on piano).

These 11 tracks are ragged, transportative, and electric. “Birmingham, AL 8:30 AM” is a bluesy, late-night swiller, as they tie together a real-life story about a debaucherous night in the Yellowhammer state that carried on well after sunrise. Then, a song like the boot-scootin’ “Used Car Salesman” depicts a tale about a greasy, sleazy salesman and his hooker. With “I Ain’t Home,” they bite off their most straight-arrow country tune, a thick pluck reminiscent of Loretta Lynn with a smooth Conway Twitty charm. Together, Andrea & Mud are a match made in heaven, their stories forever intertwined. Separately, their backstories could not be more different.

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Sandmoon - Empty.

Sandmoon, an indie folk/rock band led by Lebanon-based musician Sandra Arslanian, is set to release their third single from their forthcoming album, “Empty”—a gorgeously measured and thought-provoking ode to a lost love and the consequences both melancholy and uplifting. The moody mid-tempo track employs a dark beat augmented by sharply executed atmospherics on guitar and electronics that ebb and flow and culminate into a cathartic crescendo.  Capturing the mood beautifully is the accompanying video shot by Cesar Award-winning Paris-based director Hany Tamba (After Shave). The striking black and white video showcases the band performing on a computer screen and  removed from a compelling, quietly intense and haunting series of images (starring actor Didier Vinson).

Sandmoon continues to create substantive music with emotive themes and an unerring sense of style that springs from Arslanian’s multi-cultural upbringing—born in Lebanon with Armenian roots and raised in Belgium.  Produced by Faddi Tabbal at Tunefork Studios in Lebanon, the song features Arslanian on  vocals, backing vocals, synth and additional guitar; Sam Wehbi on guitar, Georgy Flouty on bass and Dani Shukri on drums.  “Empty” is the third single taken from their forthcoming album, Put A Gun/Commotion, which will be released later this year and the follow-up to their recent single “Angels.”

Says Arslanian: “’Empty’ is about realizing how wrong some of your life choices have been and how liberating it is when you let go of them. The emptiness that ensues is an opportunity to care and dare again.” Adds Tamba: “What I like about ‘Empty’ is that it is both melancholic and uplifting. Sandra’s hauntingly beautiful and mellow vocals flow graciously through to the end.  There’s something very fluid and organic about ‘Empty,’ a song about the void left after an emotional break-up. There’s a sweet sadness to it, but also optimism.

For the visuals, I chose not to ‘tell a story,’ but to simply capture the emptiness while remaining faithful to the haunting atmosphere that the song generates. Slow and graceful images in black and white seemed appropriate, with a slight hint of color when we see Sandmoon on the computer screen.  In the end, what is important is that the images and the music become one. I hope I have succeeded in doing that.”

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Suzy and The Lifeguard - Richard Edwards - Emily Keener

We have already featured a couple of impressive tracks from Suzy and The Lifeguard 'Anima' E.P due May 1st and now we have a third song entitled 'Loolluby', which is a calm and dreamy ballad. === We have to go back to January 2017 for the last appearance of Richard Edwards on Beehive Candy still the new song coincidentally entitled 'January' makes for a fine return, it's a beautifully textured and melodic piece. === Following on from 'Do You Love Me Lately' Emily Keener returns with 'Boats' ahead of the album, 'I Do Not Have to Be Good', due out May 22, the new song is gentle, sincere and intimate folk music.
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Suzy and The Lifeguard - Loolluby.

Mental health is seemingly being torn apart at the seams amongst the Covid-19 crisis. Suzy & the Lifeguard’s new ballad, “Loolluby,” presents a soothing elixir, while also questioning what is real and what isn’t in the battle within mental illness. “Loolluby” will be released on April 6.  It’s off the EP, ANIMA, produced by Grammy award-winning recording and mix engineer, Phil Joly (Patti Smith, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk).

“Loolluby” serves as a melancholy backdrop to its darker meaning. Paradise’s vocals comfort as they fade in and out of focus, mirroring the inner drawing in and out of a person grappling with mental illness. Keys gently twinkle, punctuating that dream-like state where the struggle with reality exists for the person suffering from mental illness and the loved ones impacted by it.  “Loolluby” snaps in and out of reality as Paradises soothing vocals transform into a haunting interlude on the song’s bridge when she sings, “Wasn’t if different / didn’t it matter.” Suzy Paradise says, “It basically describes loving someone who is ‘there’ and then suddenly not; how that prompts you to question what is real.”

The chorus encapsulates the overall message of the song: “ So I keep digging underneath / You’re there deep down / You have to be / Or was I just imagining? / You seem so far away.” It enacts Bob Marley’s message, “My home is in my dome” within three key points. We can self-soothe by seeking refuge from an otherwise chaotic world by looking inward. We can find peace by not needing anything from others. And we can exude unconditional love and be happy with an experience regardless of the outcome.

The ANIMA EP due out May 1, embarks on a shadowed journey of neon nightlife and moody ambiance. Recorded in Kauai at a friend’s chocolate farm/music studio, Paradise says, “It’s vibier than the last record. It’s a bit darker overall, but it’s also still silly and fun. I feel like it’s an honest reflection of not only what I have experienced in the last five years but also the fun and magical space we were in.”

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Richard Edwards - January.

Today Richard Edwards has announced his new album The Soft Ache And The Moon will be released on June 12th. Edwards has also shared a lyric video for the single "January." Both graceful and impassioned, "January" blends introspective, searching lyrics with lush orchestration to create a compelling lead album track. Edwards is the former frontman and guitarist for Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, who released six albums between 2006-2014.

"I wrote this song, like so many on the record, while dancing alone in my house," writes Edwards. "I had an idea that by moving the body while singing, my melodies might bend and twist in ways they hadnʼt during years of sedentary writing. I was correct. The song is about a reoccurring dream when Iʼm sick."

The Soft Ache And The Moon was produced by Richard Edwards and Mike Bloom, and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Greg Calbi (Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour, Tame Impala's The Slow Rush). Reflecting on the album's creation, Edwards writes, "As has been the unfortunate case for the past few years of my life, upon getting started on a new record, I fell ill and had to make other plans.

I built a small studio in my house, where I was stuck for over a year of illness, and worked on finishing it long distance with my Los Angeles based band. It is more or less about things never quite getting back to normal after a personal cataclysm. And hopefully its actually about more than that, too."

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Emily Keener - Boats.

Cleveland indie-folk artist, Emily Keener, announces the April 13 single release of “Boats.” Through tender, breathy vocals Keener reflects a snapshot in time, capturing what it feels to be safe and understood.   It’s off the album, I Do Not Have to Be Good, due out May 22.

Keener wrote “Boats” after sailing Lake Erie on a summer night under the stars. It was her first time on a sailboat; everything was calm and there weren’t any other boats or people in sight. That peaceful tranquility exudes every note even as the chorus releases and the song concludes into a feedback-soaked space. She says, “I wanted to write a song that was so simple, just about appreciating the loves in your life and the moments we get lucky enough to end up in every now and again.”

On her upcoming album, I Do Not Have to Be Good, Keener colors her plaintive and introspective lyricism with a frailty that longs for connection and understanding. When Keener began working on the new album with Dalton Brand at WaveBurner Recording, she consciously broke away from the belief in perfection and purity as being necessary, or even possible.

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Rosie Carney - Maleena - Alla Igityan

Rosie Carney has released a new single 'i spoke to god' alongside her new E.P. We shared 'When I Look At You' a month ago and this is another gorgeous track from this consistently creative artist. === Maleena shares 'Don't Forget Me' and it's a refined modern pop song with beautiful vocals. === From Alla Igityan we have 'Sad Song' which may have sad sentiments lyrically, but it's also a refined and very pleasing piece.
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Rosie Carney - i spoke to god.

Rosie Carney releases new single "i spoke to god" alongside new EP i dreamed i was the night today. The EP was made in New York with Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), known for his work with Sufjan Stevens, Vagabon, Florence & The Machine and more, after the success of her debut album Bare.

‘i spoke to god’ was written in Rosie’s family home in Ireland after a 3-month tour, as she explains: “I was very heartbroken at the time and I remember it rained nonstop for a week and I literally didn’t leave my bedroom. All in all, the melody came first, fairly quickly and the lyrics followed slowly after as a poem but made up of gibberish.”

“I basically floated around my room like a ghost talking to myself,” she continues. Despite the title, she says “I’m not religious and I didn’t actually speak to god (disappointing I know), but when I did speak to myself, I pretended it was being heard by something much bigger than all of this.”

Although it comes from a place of pain, "i spoke to god" has an edge of optimism: “this song is predominantly a breakup song, but the message is very much one of self-reflection during a time of obsessing over someone who didn’t love me anymore.” "i spoke to god" follows previous single "when i look at you", an intimate cut capturing the last 10 tumultuous years of Rosie’s life which featured her bravely dancing on camera for the first time.

The EP follows Carney’s critically acclaimed debut album Bare which saw NPR write; “her songs feel lived-in and worn, conveying a bruised ache well beyond her years” and glowing reviews from The Line of Best Fit (9/10), Mojo, The Sunday Times and Uncut. "i spoke to god" is available on all online platforms April 10th alongside upcoming EP i dreamed i was the night, via Color Study, a self-described “personal pop” indie label founded in 2019 by her manager Spencer Kelley.

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Maleena - Don't Forget Me.

18-year old pop artist and high school senior, Maleena, today released a heart-wrenching video dedicated to the worldwide class of 2020, who are increasingly seeing their schools closed for the rest of their senior year due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The video for “Don’t Forget Me” bounces between scenes of current-day Maleena isolated in her cap and gown and scenes of future Maleena looking through a box of memories from her senior year, including a newspaper documenting the school closures.

“It is heartbreaking to know that we, as the Class of 2020, have unexpectedly already spent our last days in our schools without a proper goodbye,” said Maleena.  “But, I want to let all my classmates throughout the world that we are not alone in this.  We are bonded together by these unprecedented events and we will be a stronger generation because of them.  We can’t forget that and we can’t forget each other.”

Maleena began her musical career in 2010, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She has been involved in numerous musical groups, ranging from the hard rock band, Chip & The Charge Ups, to Pittsburgh Youth Chorus.

Maleena has been performing her own songs in shows that feature singer-songwriters since 2017. She has been writing music for the entirety of her life and finally made a breakthrough in her music career with the release of “Uninvited” in 2019.  She continues to write and record her original music and plans to release a 6-song EP in 2020.

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Alla Igityan - Sad Song.

Being a software engineer by profession and a singer/songwriter by passion, I am super-blessed to enjoy two distinct yet exciting careers at the same time. Back in school life, when everyone was preparing for university, I decided to opt for vocal lessons along with getting apt at playing violin and guitar. That marked a new phase of my life. From turning on karaoke to pretend myself performing at my concert to actually recording my favorite songs and uploading them on YouTube, I eventually achieved that level where I wrote my first song.

While I love the extensive troubleshooting and technical exposure of my day job as an engineer, singing is an entirely different world for me. Having Bob Dylan, Jason Isbell, John Prine and many other amazing songwriters as my inspiration, I strongly believe in openly expressing my ideologies and personality in the songs I write.

I was born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, and even though in the last couple of years I started performing at the local bars/pubs and having success there, in 2019 I left my comfort zone to move to Berlin, Germany. I believe being a part of a much bigger music community will bring more challenges, and will also let me learn and grow even faster.

This song is about unwanted changes that sometimes happen in our lives. It doesn’t matter if you stay strong and believe that it’s gonna work out for the best - sometimes you just can’t help but feel sad. I wrote this song a couple of years ago when I was going through something similar in my life, when I wanted to go back to the way everything was before. With everything going on in the world at this moment this feels like an appropriate time to play this song.

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MYNTH - Forever Honey - Lesley Barth - Percy

MYNTH just shared 'Laurel' which is the first single from their third studio album due in September, the song itself is a gorgeous mix of guitar led Electro music and lush vocals. === We had the pleasure of sharing 'Christian' by Forever Honey a few weeks back and they have returned with 'Twenty-Five' which is another refreshing mixture of melodic pop and rock. === Lesley Barth first single from her forthcoming album is 'Woman Looking Back at Me' a hook filled song that combines Blondie style disco beat with reflective lyrics. === UK band Percy just released 'Love Song' accompanied with a video, the bands powerful post punk sound remains intact with addictive vocals, it's a fine taster for their next album ‘Seaside Donkeys’.
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MYNTH - Laurel.

'LAUREL’ was out yesterday April 10 and is the first single from MYNTH’s 3rd studio album (SHADES | MYNTH), which will be released in September 2020.

With their new single, the twins Giovanna and Mario have refined the sound of MYNTH, whilst maintaining their signature electronic trip hop vibe. In ‘LAUREL’ the guitar is at the forefront, creating gloomy and edgy mood, balanced with a dreamlike state of mind.

‘LAUREL’ is an unobtrusive companion on the road to nowhere on a mild spring night, providing insight into a bizarre and surreal world of sounds and images. Director of the video Gabriel Hyden worked with the twins, and all three took inspiration from David Lynch to bring their vision to life. They play with impressions of a foreign sphere. In the context of self-isolation, emotions are taking shape and embody a nightmarish feeling of oppression, which occasionally gets burst by hopeful sunrays and bright soundscapes.

It’s when loneliness and lust for life ask the protagonist for a dance, she realizes she’s trapped in her own dull and seemingly perfect world, owning everything she needs. But more and more she’s losing the ability to live in the moment. Everything moves past her, she tries to figure out what’s happening in the world, and in her loneliness she almost becomes the voyeur of these little puppets out there in the carousel that rotates ever faster. A spinning top that draws the audience into madness. "I run away, I run away" - over and over, we run away.

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Forever Honey - Twenty-Five

Forever Honey's second single "Twenty-Five" came out yesterday Friday, April 10, along with an accompanying music video.

Forever Honey is the Brooklyn-based project of Liv Price (lead vocals, guitar), Aida Mekonnen (lead guitar, vocals), Steve Vannelli (drums), and Jack McLoughlin (bass).

Finding common ground over a love of the jangly guitar-driven pop of the late ‘80s and harmony-saturated rock of the ‘60s, the four draw lyrical inspiration from personal experiences and self-reflection.

The band’s first single “Christian” was released at the end of February and appeared on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Indie editorial playlist.

Forever Honey's debut EP "Pre-Mortem High" is slated for an April 24, 2020 release.

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Lesley Barth - Woman Looking Back at Me.

We are excited to share the first single, "Woman Looking Back at Me" from NYC singer-songwriter Lesley Barth.  The track is a reflection on negative self-talk and chronicaling Lesley's journey of transformation as she quite her corporate job to rebuild her sense of identity.

Lesley's remarks on the "Woman Looking Back at Me":

Woman Looking Back at Me is a song I wrote on the bus after going to a friend’s holiday party where I felt super self-conscious and self-critical.  I had begun meditating daily and I think that caused the flash of inspiration - all of the sudden, I thought, “wait a second, who is this bitch criticizing me nonstop in my mind?”  Putting some distance between my negative self-talk and my true self was really helpful, and, you know, why not set it to a Blondies-inspired disco beat?

Lesley's remarks on the album I wrote this album during the process of completely uprooting my life, and recorded it as I was still navigating a life without structure and regular paychecks. It's an album for these uncertain times where many people feel their lives have been stripped to the bone, they've woken up from a daydream, and they weren't sure what tomorrow would bring because that's where I felt I was when I wrote it.  Almost all the savings I had for quitting my job got wiped away by healthcare costs, and I had to scramble."

We urge you take some time with this heartwarming collection of beautiful songs. "Big Time Baby" is out 5/15/2020.

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Percy - Love Song.

Yorkshire based Percy gained notoriety in the early nineties when their home brand of left-field post-punk led to a record deal with legendary Leeds label Mook Records and consequently airplay from John Peel & Steve Lamacq. They made ‘single of the week’ in Melody Maker and rode the wave of minor indie celebrity status.

Songwriter/lyricist Colin Howard (Vox / Guitars) and Andy Wiles (Bass) have continued to operate as ‘Percy’ since, undergoing several line-up changes over the years, most notably with ex-Housemartins’ Hugh Whitaker joining them on drums between 1997-2004. Whilst Colin and Andy have been together such a long time developing an almost telepathic connection, they both agree that there has never been as much energy and eclectic productivity in the band since they were joined three years ago by Jason Wilson on drums and Paula Duck on synths.

A lover of improvisation, Jason brings some real hammer to the tracks when required and amazing subtlety when space is needed. Paula's synths bring a flourish and depth that, while commonplace in the proto-indie bands of the eighties, has all been swept away by the standard modern band set-up of guitar, bass and drums.

The process for new album ‘Seaside Donkeys’ started with the invitation from Vinyl Eddie Records of York to release an album on 12” vinyl. The band were inspired with the prospect of a vinyl album as this was something that had eluded them to date. There was a conscious intent to team up with a top level engineer and studio sympathetic to the band’s sound so they recruited Isaac Minnis at Crooked Room Studios in York, who has also recently been involved with breakthrough recordings by The Howl and The Hum and Avalanche Party.

True to the band’s punk ethos the album was recorded with the full band in a live room, with minimal separation and minimal overdubs. The recording included a number of songs so fresh the band were sight-reading as they were being recorded. In some cases, the final lyrics were yet to be written and the lyrics simply improvised on the day. This purposefully delivers that fresh and immediate sound to the recording, creating a white-knuckle ride for the band and listener alike at times.

First single from the album is double A-side ‘Seaside Donkey’ and ‘Love Song’. Out on April 3rd, they are poignant and relevant to a country and planet on the brink of unchartered waters, choc-full of slang from the north-east, and clearly showcasing the depth of style and quality among the band, whilst future single ‘Will Of The People’ with its in-your-face riff and swirling synths offers an ageless rage of being dragged off into isolation in a future that obsesses over the good old days, prophetically in the UK’s recent trials.

Elsewhere on the album ‘The People Who Drank Themselves to Death’ is a witness to decades of decay in the North of England. A memento mori to larger than life characters cut down to size by a culture that expects a daily excess of alcohol. ‘Big Lil’s’ is a fanciful story of a visit to the fabled pub of the same name on the Headrow in Leeds with its mock-saloon doors and a crowd that goes quiet when you enter the room.

The whole collection represents the gritty realism of the 2020s. There are big issues out there to wrestle with, and maybe this album just says: You are not alone out there. The album photography by Paula Duck, shot over multiple visits to Scarborough on the north-east coast is a witness document of the place before the impact of CV-19 and what Brexit will become.

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Camille Delean - Orpine

Camille Delean has just shared her new single 'Fault Line (Late July)'. The singer - songwriter delivers a mixture of folk and roots rock, the musical arrangement is refined and a wonderful match for her engaging vocals. === Back in February we shared 'Sondern' from Orpine who have returned with 'Two Rivers' where the duo once again delight with their creative & intimate modern folk sound.
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Camille Delean — Fault Line (Late July).

Montréal-based singer-songwriter, Camille  Delean, is sharing her enticing new single, ‘Fault Line (Late July)’. In tandem with releasing new music, Delean is announcing news of her sophomore album, Cold House Burning which is due for release via the Hull, Québec-based artist-run label, E-Tron Records on June 5, 2020.

Whilst becoming something of a staple on the East Coast Canadian music scene over the past few years, supporting the likes Timber Timbre, Fink and Andy Shauf along the way, the new album trails Delean’s 2017 debut, Music On the Grey Mile, an album that introduced the artist’s distinct palette. Whereas her first record was a cumulative travelogue, a reflection of disorientated years on the move, Cold House Burning summons a present-tense examination of its opposite: a troubled settling down. Inertia brought on by illness developed a feedback loop of sorts, a spiralling sense of solitude; it was a strictly interior world decorated with isolation, homebound routines, and internal dialogues, pieced together with little victories.

With a swelling tempo and carefully sewn layers of percussion, strings and saxophone, ‘Fault Line (Late July)’ explores the perilous pitfalls that surrounded her physical and psychological state when writing. “It’s a hyper-anxious way of moving through the world,” she says. “Full of warnings, as if being alive meant getting away with something. A snapshot of a state of mind: a good place to visit, but not to linger.” Though sombre in tone, it acts as a true beacon of hope on the album, shining a torchlight through her malaise and looking it in the eye.

Written over an extended period of near seclusion at home in Montréal, the album has morphed into a true child of the city, welding together a collection of songs recorded with a pool of trusted collaborators from the city: Delean’s co-producer, Michael Feuerstack (Bell Orchestre, Snailhouse), Jeremy Gara (Arcade Fire), Mathieu Charbonneau (Last Ex, Organ Mood) Philippe Charbonneau (Scattered Clouds, Esmerine), Joshua Zubot (Land of Kush) and Adam Kinner (Land of Kush, Leif Vollebekk).

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Orpine - Two Rivers.

Orpine are Eleanor Rudge and Oliver Catt. Migratory birds nesting in disparate climates; singing in harmony 300 miles removed. Being outside and keeping off the internet. Mostly apart but never alone. Following brief stints in bands and singing on one another’s records, the pair lost touch. Ceasing to make music, days punctuated by silence, Eleanor made contact.

Having not seen one another for years, they ventured to a cottage in the Scottish Borders at the foot of Black Hill. With only a stove for heat and a car full of groceries for sustenance, four days of writing passed.

The result is debut album ‘Grown, Ungrown’, produced by Jonathan Coddington (The Magic Gang, Joanna Gruesome). Delicately branching and bereft of irony and cynicism, the songs have room to inflate and deflate, to meander, and shake loose like an antidote to sagging spirits. Harmonies wash against gentle strums and climb from the ambient to the anthemic as Orpine turn their backs on modern absurdity with nerve and solemnity. Like a tiny figure on the horizon casting a huge shadow on the mountain, there is a humbleness about ‘Grown Ungrown’ that projects awe without hubris.

While the bulk of the record was recorded in The Crow’s Nest in Hackney, all of the strings and brass were added at Greenman Swaler – a secret place Oliver helped some friends build when he was a teenager. Decamping from the studio to a den-like locale befits an album with a narrative that is generously autobiographical. “I’ve worked with Jonny since before we knew what we were doing so we have a good understanding of how the other works. The desk has more channels now but the relationship remains the same.” states Oliver.

First single, ‘Sondern’ is a song about grief and defeat. Written around the time of the first Brexit deadline, the title is a German conjunction that derives from an old Germanic word which meant ‘to separate’. “I liked the idea that this use of the word is outdated and it had morphed into something it was never originally intended to be – which was a lot of the criticism being levelled at the European Union on the Leave side.” Its movements lurch, and contract and expand with an inevitable seasonality, from giddy summer to lunar winter, before melting into the payload of a tender spring: “I love you. I always did.”

‘Two Rivers’ speaks of the purifying feeling of laying on the bed of the River Ouse near Mount Caburn, near Elanor’s home town. Submerged and held quietly in water, the industry of transport links dissolves to be replaced by the sunken stillness of the natural world. “Easier to be, than to be gone.” muses Eleanor. The second river, and namesake, the River Ouseburn runs down the road from Oliver in Newcastle. Two little river versions of each other, hundreds of miles apart, striving for the same creative open waters.

The record’s title is taken from the Walt Whitman poem ‘On The Beach At Night Alone’ and is intended as an expression of being between two things; the theme of duality characterises the work: knowing and not knowing, understanding and not understanding. A state of flux that Orpine have imbued into their live shows; depending on the performance, they have the ability to call upon drums, strings and horn sections, or opt for the simplicity of two voices and two guitars.

Not subscribers to the cult of modernity, Orpine choose instead to make visors with their hands and squint back to landscapes left untouched. A return to nature is favored over the fatigue of likes and followers, the hum of commerce logistics and temporal edge of diversified eating experiences. The countryside liberates Eleanor and Oliver, enabling them to view the modern world, select all and delete.

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Sunshine Boys - Diners - The Roseline - CIEL

Sunshine Boys just released their second single 'Summertime Kids' taken from their forthcoming album 'Work and Love'. The Song has fresh positive rock vibes and plenty of musical hooks. === Our second helping of Diners this year comes in the form of the new single and video for 'Big Times' which oozes indie pop charm both musically and visually. === Last Friday The Roseline released their new album 'Good Grief' and it's a refined collection of Americana, folk and country rock beautifully arranged and delivered. === CIEL make their third appearance this year on Beehive Candy with 'Same Old Times With U' and once again the Brighton based band are on top form with this dream pop/rock piece.
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Sunshine Boys - Summertime Kids.

"Summertime Kids" is the second single from the Chicago band's sophomore album Work and Love, which will be released on Friday, May 1 via Room F/Pravda Records (CD and digital) and Cheap Kiss Records (vinyl).

Dag on the formation of the band - "SUNSHINE BOYS started after Freda and I were separately asked to help round out a band being assembled by our friends Brett Neveu (yes, the amazing playwright) and Rich Sparks (yes, the amazing cartoonist), based on their spiky pop tunes.

When Jason Narducy (yes, the famously elbowed musician) was unable to be a part of the team, I leaned in heavily and told Brett and Rich that we HAD to bring in Jackie Schimmel on bass. They kind of had no choice. This five-piece collective (called Sex Ritter: did you ever see us?) gelled quickly and we fleshed out and banged out Brett and Rich’s songs for a couple of really fun gigs. I think I had an ulterior motive, though, and that was to get Freda and Jackie together.

I knew that Jackie’s brilliantly melodic basslines would fit perfectly within the hypnotic and musical gallop of Freda’s drums, as well as the unkempt jangle of my guitar. We knew right away that we had something as soon as we started rehearsing with Sex Ritter, and we decided immediately that the three of us were a band. After more than a few years of not writing songs (I was busy learning a couple hundred songs by other artists for my cover band Expo’76), I began to crank out a bunch of material which Sunshine Boys set about learning in the summer of 2016. Deadlines are great motivators, and we’d asked Brett and Rich if we could open a Sex Ritter show in November (our debut!) and we worked in earnest throughout the fall.

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Diners - Big Times.

Lauren Records recently announced the new LP from Diners and now they are unveiling a new single and video "Big Times"

Leisure World (out April 24th) is the latest album from singer-songwriter Tyler Blue Broderick, who performs with the project Diners. Not only is it the most eclectic and ambitious album in the songwriter’s (already muscular) catalog to date—it’s one of the catchiest, most realized indie pop records released in years.

"It’s the American Dream: move to Los Angeles with high hopes, scan Craigslist for a little too long, and move away with a trove of songwriting material dealing with the absurdity of the entertainment capital of the world." says Flood Magazine of Diners upcoming LP.

Like all of their work, Leisure World—which Broderick scrapped and rerecorded several times before landing on an aesthetic they found satisfactory—draws on the most enduring aspects of pop’s past. Its 13 tracks bring to mind the technicolored melodies of ‘60s pop icons like the Beatles and Zombies, the
chilled-out pop proficiency of Laurel Canyon legends like Carole King, and the wry, observational story- telling of Jonathan Richman, and, to cite a more recent artist, Jens Lekman.

But Leisure World isn’t merely a puree of a record store clerk archetype’s most coveted possessions; like all the best pop music, it gleefully somersaults across the bridge connecting the past and future, and much of Broderick’s instrumentation and lyrics feel planted firmly in the present. These are bite-sized, mid-fi symphonies replete with glorious Omichord sweeps, second-hand synths, and layers of sun-kissed vocal harmony.

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The Roseline - Good Grief (Album).

Lawrence, KS-based The Roseline crafts soulful alt country in the vein of Gram Parsons, Neko Case & Conor Oberst.

Spearheaded by singer-songwriter Colin Halliburton, the sixtet has proven themselves to be a prolific, providential and important act over the past decade. They’ve secured sync placements in ABC’s Nashville & Resurrection as well as USA’s Queen of the South, press in NPR, PopMatters and No Depression, and tours all over the US as well as Poland, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium, sharing the stage with Ryan Bingham, Split Lip Rayfield and Dylan LeBlanc.

15 years in and six full-lengths deep, The Roseline are now gearing up to release their most personal record to date, GOOD/GRIEF (released last Friday). The LP was written in reponse to a tramautic year in the life of Halliburton, in which he dealt with the death of his best friend (and keyboardist in The Roseline) as well as the loss of his mother-in-law to suicide. The tracks are flush with millennial existential dread, mashing life experience with fictional narratives, set to soft country shuffles and epic barn-burning rock.

“I’m drawn to writing about subjects that are dark but perhaps make the listener feel a little less alone,” Halliburton admits. “My favorite pieces of art always do that for me.”

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CIEL - Same Old Times With U.

Brighton-based risers CIEL share reflective new single 'Same Old Times With U' ahead of debut EP ‘Movement’, set for release April 10th.

Delivering moody alt-pop with magnetism, merging shoegaze with post-punk, noir rock and dream pop, ‘Movement’ revolves around a turning point, both physically and mentally, in Dutch frontwoman Michelle Hindriks’ life, as she moved back to her adopted hometown and gained inspiration to write the songs that form the band’s debut EP.

Comprising of acclaimed lead singles ‘The Shore’ and ‘Days’, the trio’s forthcoming EP highlights their early promise and intrinsic mystique, with praise arriving throughout the online community (Clash, Dork, Gigwise) and across the airwaves (BBC 6 Music), alongside welcome comparisons to Alvvays, Cate Le Bon and Our Girl.

Now calling Brighton their home, the cultured quartet have quickly earned kudos for their exquisite live show, with extensive live plans in place for later this year, following slots with the likes of Hatchie, Sasami and Penelope Isles, and accomplished sets at Eurosonic, Le Guess Who and SPOT Festival.

Detailing their EP release, frontwoman Hindriks explained: “The whole EP is about moving away from a more introspective period in which I felt quite distant from other people and moving into a new phase of my life in which I was able to open up. We’re now releasing this EP in a time in which we are forced to distance ourselves from one another; but I feel more connected to the people around me now that I did before”.

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Juniper Bush - The Coo - Bijou Noir

Juniper Bush brand new album is entitled 'Healing Through A Sonic Figure'. We featured the video for 'Turn' just a few days ago and it really is a pleasure to share the full album today from this highly talented psych-rock and shoegaze band. === The Coo have shared a video for 'If Only', a live track recorded in April last year in Amsterdam and it's a gorgeous dual vocal acoustic piece. === It's been eighteen months since we first featured Bijou Noir and they are back with a cover version of The Beatles 'Tomorrow Never Knows', a song that they creatively and sensitively put their own mark on.
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Juniper Bush - Healing Through A Sonic Figure (Album).

Healing Through A Sonic Figure, the debut full-length record from Winnipeg psych-rock/shoegaze troupe Juniper Bush is out now via Transistor 66. The album deals, in part, with finding one’s way through the other side of painful experiences towards a better sense of truth.

Of the eight songs contained on the record, five of them revolve around different phases in a troubled relationship and the challenges of returning to a partner in the throes of drug addiction. Atop chaotic, wall-of-noise chords, “Hindsight” is a dance with intuition and knowing, and “Foresight” is the loss of self that ensues. On “Turn,” vocalist/guitarist Lizzy Burt sings about the inner turmoil of a complicated love, and how patterns repeat despite life’s lessons. With the loud-quiet-loud dynamics of “Slowly,” there is a sense of resignation; and on the final tune of the suite, “And You,” the band offers the sort of swooning melancholy that will make you want to revel in gloom just a little bit longer. The lifeblood of each song is Burt’s celestial voice, capturing the agony of the experience with each fragile breath.

“Initially we wanted to release those five songs about letting go and coming back as an EP, but we continued to write,” says Burt, the group’s lead songwriter. “Music is a huge part of how I process very personal things in my life. Making this record felt like a turning point in my healing process after some pretty difficult times.”

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The Coo - If Only.

The Coo’s journey started with a serendipitous meeting at an Amsterdam open mic, and has since evolved into a deep musical and personal relationship that bridges the North Sea. Matt Arthur (The Arthur Brothers) and Jara Holdert (Lewin) write and sing songs together in two-part harmony, reminiscent of the warm late 60s and early 70s sound of artists such as Carole King & James Taylor; Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris;  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and contemporary artists such as Angus & Julia Stone and Big Thief.

Where The Coo’s first single told the story of their meeting, ‘If Only’, the second track from their upcoming debut EP, is the first song they ever wrote together and represents the genesis of their musical collaboration. After their first serendipitous meeting in Amsterdam, contact faded for a year, as Matt went back to the UK. But a year later, when Jara decided to visit him spontaneously in London, they reconnected and wrote a song on their first afternoon. They performed ‘If Only’ that same evening at an open mic in Camden Town, marking their first ever concert together.

‘If Only’ is a warm and harmonic story of the artistic journey through isolation and guilt and the yearning for release. With subtle musical shifts, The Coo’s second single is reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell with hints of Revolver era Beatles and Big Thief.

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Bijou Noir - Tomorrow Never Knows.

The ever-evolving Prague-based Bijou Noir have surprise-released a commanding rendition of The Beatles' 1966 "Tomorrow Never Knows" as a "name your price" download via Bandcamp.

What happens when you break up with your entire state of being? Bijou Noir's vivid debut LP We Are Alone Together is a savvy collection of pop songs that probe tectonic fractures in identity, spirituality, fidelity and loss in the 21st century.

Bijou Noir was formed in 2013 by Augustus Watkins, a creatively restless and ambitious multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and lyricist.

Bijou Noir's distinctive songs and videos have been called: textured, intoxicating, nifty, fuzzy, cinematic, innovative, soulful, incredibly catchy, complex, sinister, offbeat, moody, stunning, shadowy, gloomy, dark and enigmatic. Watkins and Bijou Noir, are currently based in Prague.

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