Sunday, 18 October 2020

The Luxembourg Signal - Rosie Carney - Terra Lightfoot

The Luxembourg Signal are back with two new singles 'Mourning Moon' and 'The Morning After' ahead of their new album 'The Long Now' due out this coming Friday. Mixing dream pop and indie rock these two tracks suggest the album as a whole will pack plenty of creative and varied material. ===== Rosie Carney is one of the most (deservedly) featured artists we have on Beehive Candy and her new version of Radiohead's song 'Bones' is taken from her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album 'The Bends' due in December. ===== Terra Lightfoot makes her seventh appearance here with the new song and video for 'Consider the Speed' and it's yet another hook filled and melodic rocker.

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The Luxembourg Signal - Mourning Moon / The Morning After.

Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal dropping two new singles this afternoon with "Morning After" at Joy of Violent Movement and "Mourning Moon" at the Week in Pop. Their new album 'The Long Now' is out on Shelflife Records and Spinout Nuggets on October 23rd.

With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).

Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.

"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.

The LP echoes these concepts in tracks like the jangly and upbeat ‘The Morning After’ which evokes the optimism of sunrise at dawn while the dynamic and gritty '2:22' conveys the paralysis of being confined in a digital world. 'Lost Hearts' and 'Mourning Moon' reveal vague and simple lyrics that bring up memories that are anything but vague and simple -- From fundamental disagreements with a mate over a history that cannot be rewritten, to the very moment of the loss of a loved one. 


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Rosie Carney - Bones.

Rosie Carney announces her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album The Bends. It is due on December 11th via Color Study (Lav, Charli Adams, Haux) and today she also shares her recording of “Bones”.

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends, highlighted in her arrangement of “Bones”.

“I recorded “Bones” the day before I flew home to spend the rest of lockdown with my family in Ireland” Carney explains. “I listened to it nonstop as I travelled from my flat in London into the middle of nowhere. Every single line resonated with me on such a deep level and after this one I became far more confident in how I wanted the songs to sound if they were mine.”

Like so many others this year, Carney’s original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic. Having to abandon her recording plans, she relapsed into depression and decamped from London to her bedroom in her parent’s house in Ireland. While receiving treatment there she decided to cover ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ but when she saw how many people had already done it, she changed tack and went for the LP in full as a bigger challenge.

Sketching out most of the album on Garageband she drafted in co-producer JMAC (Haux, Luz) who added violin, viola, cello, drums, horns, woodwinds and vocoder remotely.

It’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room. Now, covering the band as therapy, it’s a poetic example of things coming full circle.

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Terra Lightfoot - Consider the Speed.

Nearly three years since the release of her critically acclaimed album New Mistakes, soulful rocker Terra Lightfoot shares the new single and video for "Consider the Speed", the title track off new album Consider the Speed, released today on Sonic Unyon Records.

Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee at legendary Royal Studios, the new single sees Lightfoot supported by drummer Steve Potts, bassist Eli Abrams, and keyboardist Lester Snell — and was produced by Jay Newland and engineered by Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.

Celebrating the release of her new studio album, Lightfoot will perform an exclusive album release on Saturday October 17 starting at 7pm EDT. This full-band concert will deliver the powerhouse performances that fans have come to expect from the acclaimed songwriter-guitarist-vocalist. The ticketed livestream will feature Lightfoot and band (bassist Eli Abrams and drummer Glenn Milchem); tickets are now available via Terralightfoot.com and sidedooraccess.com.

Alongside the single, Lightfoot releases a new video for the song, directed by Mat Dunlap, videographer and graphic designer for The Sheepdogs, Andy Shauf, and Rose Cousins. For the freewheeling video, Dunlap transplanted some of the song's Southern energy into Hamilton, Ontario's historic Gage Park.

“This video shoot was so much fun,” Lightfoot recalls. “We borrowed some bikes from my manager's mom, and Mat made a mask to look exactly like my drummer Frankie (who is American and couldn't cross the border to be with us). The video shoot was mostly me yelling "AWWW" at every dog that walked by. Gage Park is a local dog-walking mecca, so this probably happened every five seconds. Mat was shooting from a rickety old bike trailer I borrowed from a friend, so the other half of the video shoot was me asking “Dude... are you okay?" While we were shooting the bandshell performance, a French immersion pre-school class was watching us from the field. It was probably a half hour of the same song, but they loved it and danced the entire time. That's definitely the vibe you see on camera.”

“We came up with the idea after Terra was texting me photos from a sunrise bike ride and the light looked amazing,” says Dunlap. “I knew Terra was going for a lot of bike rides during the pandemic and thought it could be a fun thing to lean into. It’s such an unabashed love song that it seemed like the video needed to have Terra front-and-centre with her heart on her sleeve. It’s also a rocker, so we added a little glam flavouring with the stars and the band as silhouettes just to keep it fun and weird. In the end, it was one of the most enjoyable video shoots ever because we basically just biked around Gage Park while Terra waved and sang to every dog in sight.”

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Saturday, 17 October 2020

The Bats - Elthia - Kindsight

Long standing New Zealand indie band The Bats are back just four weeks after they shared 'Another Door' with the final single a beautiful, mellow and moving piece called 'Gone To Ground' taken from their upcoming 'Foothills' album due next month. ===== Elthia is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles who has just released 'i love you, but you make me cry'. Her defined and pleasing vocals give the track distinction, with the melody and rhythms adding even more hooks. ===== Kindsight are a new band from the Copenhagen indie scene who this week share their second single 'Terminal Daze', which is an original, melodic and refreshingly catchy track. 

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The Bats - Gone To Ground.

The Bats have unveiled their final single ‘Gone To Ground’ from upcoming album Foothills — out November 13th via Flying Nun Records.

‘Gone To Ground’ is a moving, moody song from the never-ending pen of Robert Scott and sees the band interpret and explore the paths we lead in life to consider where yours might take you. This single is a tune from the “before times” that seems strangely relevant now, seeing how we’ve all, for the most part, “gone to ground” and to many it can feel like “no one cares”. ‘Gone to Ground’ is generously served up with lashings of spooky EBow and a sense of soft reflection. Enjoy!

Robert Scott on ‘Gone To Ground’ — “Hide and seek, do we want to be found.... maybe not. Many people have gone to ground in these tricky times. A slight sense of unease pervades the song with the spooky strains of an E bow filtering through the trees. You could walk the marshes and go far. It's funny how you can draw connections between fictitious tales and present day life.”

Annabel Kean has said on the ‘Gone To Ground’ video, “This is by far the longest we’ve spent on a video. We started about a year ago when we heard an early mix of the song, but the discovery of perpetual motion by way of spinning veges really opened a can of worms. Then it took us three attempts to pluck up the courage to light a guitar on fire.” Co-director Callum Devlin adds, “It was a total collaboration, and a very instinctive process. We wanted to try and capture what we felt listening to the song. There’s an uncertainty and a mystery to the lyrics that I feel lead us somewhere a bit more conceptual.”

Spanning the last 38 years, The Bats have now clocked ten incredible albums; each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott —and their upcoming Foothills is no exception. Add to that tally the extra singles, b-sides, EPs, compilations and tribute songs they’ve recorded, creating a succinct setlist is a nearly impossible task.


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Elthia - i love you, but you make me cry.

Elthia is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. With a songwriting style that references her favorite influences from pop music, while still showcasing the elegance of fingerstyle guitar, Elthia has been penning beautifully nostalgic songs, taking listeners on a colorful adventure.

Following the release of her debut EP, Island of Mine, Elthia is unveiling her new single, “i love you, but you make me cry.” The song was the beginning of her new venture towards indie-pop music with dance elements, showcasing delicate instrumentation, soft, dreamy vocals and glittery guitar harmonics.

Thematically the song was inspired by the pieces of a broken relationship; it’s about trying to reach someone, but they keep putting up their walls, trying to protect themselves, and every time you try to dig a little deeper, it hurts a little more. Elthia explains, “The message of the song is to tell the story of what it’s like to love something that hurts you every time you try to understand it. I wanted to show the duality of the two ideas that are constantly at war while existing inside of you, and showcase what the breaking point would actually be, if there is one at all.”

“i love you, but you make me cry” finds inspiration in magic, with lines like “immersed in your hypnosis, willing to suffocate”, meaning, “I’ll keep obsessing over you, even if I put myself in danger”. The song is about the obsession, knowing that you’re getting hurt and still wanting to reach out anyway. The hypnosis and spells create an image of otherworldly forces taking over you, and that’s what this love feels like.

Emanating sincerity and a raw edge, Elthia shows the emotion behind the song, right down to the shakiness in her vocals. She confides, “I wanted the listener to feel like they could break down to this song as well; I feel like the best time and place to listen to this song is when you need to cry.

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Kindsight - Terminal Daze.

Kindsight is a new act from the Copenhagen indie scene and the first act outside of Sweden to sign with Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes etc.). Late August, the young quartet released their debut single 'Who Are You' - a warm, nostalgic and atmospheric indie pop song. Today, the band will put out their second single 'Terminal Daze' - an effort that cements their place as one of Scandinavia's most interesting new bands.

Kindsight are Nina, Søren, Anders and Johannes and formed out of Nina and Sørens shared love for The Sugarcubes. According to the band, the two of them then recruited drummer Johannes to "drag him out of an unsettling obsession with jazz-music" and bass player Anders was chosen "only because of his looks and his ability to fit into small bags.".

The quartet makes retro-tinged indie pop that is instantly appealing and addictive. Nina's vocals crowns the atmospheric soundscape perfectly and makes Kindsight something that's been missing in Scandinavia for a long time.

Who Are You, "a summer song written in January" was just the first taste of their melancholic beauty which we will hear a lot more from the upcoming year as the band are ready to finally share their music. Next comes 'Terminal Daze', another perfectly tuned and polished indie gem that continues to show that the young quartet already are very home in their sound.

Kindsight on 'Terminal Daze': "After countless attempts at keeping Kindsights somewhat rowdy rhythm section quiet in the verses and complementary to the singing, Nina Hyldgaard allowed in her own words, one “Sausage of a song”, and Terminal Daze came to be. As unrelenting as a big train- steady as it goes."

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Friday, 16 October 2020

Ida Mae - Soë Blue - The Silverbeets - Will Powers

Ida Mae released 'Raining For You' this week and the Americana duo really do serve up something special, the vocals are creative in themselves and glide over a wonderful acoustic backdrop. ===== Soë Blue appeared on Beehive Candy back in April with her debut single 'Karma' and we are pleased to share today's release 'Totally Confused' which is a funky, soulful and beautiful song. ===== For The Silverbeets we only have to go back three weeks for their last feature and now we have the brand new track 'Girlfriend' which takes their indie art rock into a rhythmic and slightly psychedelic direction. ===== Will Powers (the brainchild of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Oli Palkovits) today shares 'Woven and Shattered' and it's a fabulously layered rocker with notable vocals and bags of hooks.

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Ida Mae - Raining For You.

The Americana duo Ida Mae have released "Raining For You," the title track from their upcoming EP. Raining For You will be released on November 20th via Thirty Tigers.

"This was one of the first tracks we recorded as Lockdown measures began here in Nashville TN," writes Ida Mae. "It's a simple love song written from the perspective of a friend of ours, someone I knew that was losing themselves in the darker memories of a past romantic relationship. Through social media and memory I think many people today can find themselves feeling like a helpless voyeur, watching the self-destructive behaviour of someone brilliant they love but feel powerless to help.”

Describing the story behind the Raining For You EP Ida Mae writes, "Our last show was in San Antonio Texas when we were flown home from our tour schedule and into quarantine. The years before had been the biggest adventures of our lives, two Brits on our own travelling and playing non stop shows across the length and breadth of the USA and Europe. We played a rollercoaster of shows from Entertainment Centre’s in Wisconsin to Stadiums in New York. In all that time we’d been collecting scraps of conversation, words and sounds from our experiences on the road.  We’d been piecing together the bones of our next album in hotel rooms and the backs of taxis every spare moment we had. Collecting fragments of what felt like a strange, ragged, dream-state journey. All the plans we’d made for recording the next album had gone out the window, so we wired the house into our lockdown studio and began to self produce"

There’s a genuine 'Bonnie & Clyde’ perspective to Ida Mae’s songwriting, reflecting the wild expanse of America as viewed through the eyes of two restless lovers. The husband-and-wife duo have toured roughly 120,000 miles of the USA and Canada to date, earning rave reviews and performing at festivals like Bonnaroo and Philly Folk Festival, and alongside artists like Willie Nelson, Greta Van Fleet, Allison Krauss and Marcus King. All the while Ida Mae was at work writing new material inspired by their experiences on the road as well as their favorite American authors (Kerouac, James Baldwin, Ferlinghetti, Raymond Carver).


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Soë Blue - Totally Confused.

Here comes bright music for dark times: 'Totally Confused', the new single by young Zurich-based Soë Blue, gives a nod to the good old days of northern soul with its joie de vivre. Mixed with a some bits of funk and pop - these tunes are exactly what we need now!

Specially as there's a lot to be worried about in these times. And be it the question how to combine music, work, love, friends and family. 

That's what 'Totally Confused' is about: So many things to do, so little time. Or, to say it with the words of Soë Blue: «This can make your head spin. But one day we'll be dancing in the sun again».

Soë Blue brings back sunshine. And when she sings, she brings back memories of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Simply Red, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone and Aretha Franklin as well. Don't you think?


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The Silverbeets - Girlfriend.

Australian indie art rockers The Silverbeets present their 'Girlfriend' single, the second taste of their new 'Halcyon Days' album, which is the band's third multi-track release. This long-play will be released on November 13.

Formed in 2014, The Silverbeets are Farnz Cordeaux (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jamie Scott (lead guitar, vocals), Nigel Hope (bass) and Bill O’Brien (drums). Their sound is also heavily influenced by their “5th member”, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ernie Oppenheimer.

The Silverbeets hail from Hobart, Tasmania - the small Australian island state at the bottom of the world. This relative isolation has led the band to craft an idiosyncratic sound that borrows from luminary rock acts like Pink Floyd, The Byrds, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Pixies, Queen, Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Cave and Neil Young, among others.

With a rich dark green sound interspersed with multi-coloured stems, their non-formulaic style is distinct. Like their forthcoming 8-track full-length album, this single evoke the spirit of artists such as Can, They Might be Giants and XTC.


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Will Powers - Woven and Shattered.

New single, "Woven and Shattered," is carried by a polyrhythmic riff, with lyrics that reflect the sense of seamlessness/continuity between our inner and outer worlds.

Will Powers is the brainchild of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Oli Palkovits. Oli won the 2019 NOFMA Outstanding Album award for his 2017 self-release Flowers of Atacama. 

Following the release, he moved to Montreal, where much of the material that would become the Will Powers’ debut EPs was written. 

He has since moved back to Sudbury and is currently working on several albums with members of Murder Murder and Tommy and the Commies.

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Thursday, 15 October 2020

Judson Claiborne - Hermitess - Keegan Powell

Judson Claiborne have just released 'The Trimmergrant' along with a video, the song itself is strangely addictive and highly original, bet you have to give it atleast a second listen. ===== Hermitess returns with a new four song E.P entitled 'Celestial'. We featured 'Followers' from her last E.P back in June and this new collection is most welcome from this very talented artist. ===== Keegan Powell latest song 'Rock N Roll Kind Of Night' has already recieved considerable attention, that's not overly surprising as he delivers a timeless rocker with some melodic psych vibes.

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Judson Claiborne - The Trimmergrant.

Judson Claiborne, the Chicago-based project and a moniker for ex-Low Skies frontman, Christopher Salveter has this week shared his new single, "The Trimmergrant" via La Société Expéditionnaire (Strand of Oaks, Daniel Knox).

"The Trimmergrant"t' is a track that exposes the strange lawlessness behind the Redwood Curtain with Salvater lamenting the tragic disappearance of marijuana trimmers in the mountains of Humboldt County, CA. It comes ahead of the new EP, When a Man Loves an Omen which is out Nov 13.

Briefly recapping, Chris is previously known for his work as a founding member and frontperson of the Pitchfork-tipped "apocalyptic desert rock" band, Low Skies (signed to Flamethrower Records, also Russian Circles, Mannequin Men) who supported the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Neko Case and Band of Horses in their time. This new EP comes off the back of four previous releases – earlier material included a slew of noteworthy guests: members of Mute Duo, Tal National, Roommate, and Drag City Records signees – as Judson Claiborne which found the band opening for Bill Callahan, John Grant and Lower Dens. 

As Judson Claiborne, Christopher dials down the apocalyptic murder ballads and desert dirges of Low Skies to find something more reflective and in-tune with his storytelling nature (earlier tracks reference tree-dwelling bank robbers, a self-immolating anti-war activist, a disappeared marijuana trimmer amongst other characters). 


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Hermitess - Celestial (E.P).

Hermitess is putting out another EP this year, entitled 'Celestial' it's actually out today Thursday. It's ben described as "somewhat spontaneous and a bit of a surprise!"

Celestial is a four song EP by Hermitess. Recorded in the summer of 2020 under a mixture of unforeseen circumstances, an act that was speculative and hopeful in strange times. Mostly self produced and recorded, it plots new possibilities for future creations. Celestial is the second in a series of EP’s that build upon each other both in theme and sound. Cascading harps and and voices combined with programmed beats, and unexpected instrumental touches such as pedal steel and saxophone, suggesting deep folk roots colliding with the modern times.

Hermitess releases are concepts gathered around a chosen theme, each one a small world contained like a vignette in a snowglobe. Celestial is meant as a bit of a counterpoint and companion to the Tower Ep which came out this summer. At its core Celestial is about finding orientation in a time that feels very disorienting. Like the starry void it aims to conjure, this EP speaks to being untethered and not knowing what the future holds, while taking stock of what it means to be human with a shared worldly existence.


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Keegan Powell - Rock N Roll Kind Of Night.

Keegan Powell is a Toronto-based songwriter/guitarist/singer. Powell started his journey writing and recording in Teenage Kicks (Resolute/EMI) as guitarist on their debut album ‘Spoils Of Youth’ recorded with Alain Johannes (Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures).

While being guitarist and co-songwriter for Dine Alone Records/Captured Tracks band Chastity, Powell has also released several singles and EP’s under his own name. 

His first single ‘The Door’, released 2018, was included on Apple Music’s Breaking Rock Playlist. His latest EP “Is+Was” featured singles, ‘Beginning Of Life’, featured on CBC radio 3, and ‘All The Love’, which sound-tracked acclaimed director Kazik Radwanski’s film, ‘Anne At 13,000’. Powell’s debut solo LP is slated for a 2021 release.


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Wednesday, 14 October 2020

Sun June - Randell Bramblett - Flor and the Sea

Sun June share a new music video for 'Karen O' along with announcing their new album 'Somewhere' due next February. Karen O is a seductive, dreamy indie rock song with plenty of atmosphere. ===== Randell Bramblett has a forty year musical career and has worked with a good number of rock and blues finest artists. With a new album due next month he gives us a stylish yet natural rocker in the form of 'Rocket To Nowhere' to mull over ahead of the release. ===== Flor and the Sea recently shared a video for 'A Candid Lie' and it's a sumptuous indie, electro song that is gorgeously arranged.

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Sun June - Karen O.

Austin indie-pop 5-piece Sun June have announced their new album Somewhere with a music video for "Karen O." The album will be released February 5, 2021 via Keeled Scales and Run For Cover.

Somewhere is Sun June at their most decadent, a richly diverse album which sees them exploring bright new corners with full hearts and wide eyes. Embracing a more pop-oriented sound the album consists of eleven beautiful new songs and is deliberately more collaborative and fully arranged: Laura played guitar for the first time; band members swapped instruments, and producer Danny Reisch helped flesh out layers of synth and percussion that provides a sweeping undercurrent to the whole thing.

They've called this album their 'prom' record; a sincere, alive-in-the-moment snapshot of the heady rush of love. "The prom idea started as a mood for us to arrange and shape the music to, which we hadn't done before," the band explains. " Prom isn't all rosy and perfect. The songs show you the crying in the bathroom, the fear of dancing, the joy of a kiss - all the highs and all the lows."

“ 'Karen O' is one of the only songs we've written that takes place over the course of a single night, and we hope we captured what it feels like when you're completely worn out but can't bring yourself to go home and go to sleep. It's about the kind of night you let heartache swallow you whole, and you find yourself heading straight toward the things you should be running away from. The actual Karen O is a hero of ours of course, and in the song, she spurs on a lonely night of reflection about what could be versus what can't. It covers some of our favorite topics-love, performance, regret, and hereditary drinking problems-and explores how we sometimes choose to heighten grief rather than reduce it. It also features a voicemail mailbox, which is unfortunate.

We shot the video out on a Texas Hill Country ranch with a spotlight ranchers use to check on cattle at night (very Texas of us). We thought the stage lights and disco ball helped draw out the connection between feeling an emotion and performing it, both for yourself and others. We got lucky and happened to shoot during a lightning storm, so we went full melodrama with it." 


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Randell Bramblett - Rocket To Nowhere.

Randall Bramblett will release Pine Needle Fire on November 13th, 2020 via New West Records. The 12-song set was produced by Bramblett and Gerry Hansen and is the follow up to his acclaimed 2017 album Juke Joint At The Edge Of The World. In addition to his solo work over the course of his illustrious 40-plus-year career, Bramblett has recorded, performed and composed alongside rock luminaries like Gregg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, The Band’s Levon Helm, Widespread Panic, Marc Cohn, and more. With Pine Needle Fire, he recognizes a thread throughout its songs. Bramblett says it is “about time passing, or at least grappling with the realization that you don’t have an infinite amount of time left like you think you do when you’re young. 

So there’s the mortality part of it. And then another part has to do with our current situation in this country. I grew up protesting in the ‘60s and ‘70s, so I’ve always felt connected to politics. Now I’m really hung up on it. And you look around and there’s a lot of people that are kind of desperate for change and for justice...or maybe they’re just desperate. They’re trying to hang on in this world. I’m one of them. Most of us are, to some degree.” These everyday people populate Pine Needle Fire, in which Bramblett provides a clear-eyed and engagingly detailed study of lives ordinary and unconventional, loves resilient and vanished and moments that have passed and are also yet to come.

Bramblett previously shared the album track “I’ve Got Faith In You,” calling the song “... genuine and trustworthy, a pierce of sunlight through those dark clouds we seem to be encountering all too often these days." “I’ve Got Faith In You” comes complete with something of a musical bonus: a slide-guitar melody performed on Duane Allman’s famous 1961/1962 Gibson SG. It’s the same one heard on the Allman Brothers’ legendary At Fillmore East and particularly famous for being the instrument played on the live recording of “Statesboro Blues.” 

Bramblett said, “Pine Needle Fire is filled with people on their different journeys through life…experiencing loss, getting up before dawn to go to work, knowing time is running out, remembering lost love, hearing the wolf at the door and feeling lucky to be alive. Jason Slatton and I wrote ‘I’ve Got Faith in You’ several years ago. I thought it fit in nicely on the record as a voice of encouragement and support. We were able to borrow Duane Allman’s original Gibson SG for that session and my old friend, Tommy Talton, used it to play a beautiful slide guitar solo. Since Tommy knew Duane when they were both living in Macon, GA, using that guitar created a circle of sound and memory for us all. It helped capture the feeling of longing and hope that we needed to complete the record.”


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Flor and the Sea - A Candid Lie.

About Candid Lie - The video’s festival setting is a familiar and bittersweet sight to all music lovers in a time of global anxiety. Two masked characters (later revealed to be band members Marc Aretz and Chaem) cavort in the crowd, intercut with performance footage of Flor and the Sea onstage. It’s a contrast that highlights their tinderbox potential, realised sonically through their exemplary future pop sound on this standout track. The new wave atmospherics, vibrant and fluid guitar fills and unforgettable refrains reveal a band who have written the atmospheric foot stomper they set out to write. Produced at their Munich studio with the help of Dieter Dolezel and mixed by Moritz Enders at the hit-making Tritonus Studio in Berlin, Flor and the Sea have created a masterly indie pop anthem that radiates the joys of summer, freedom and untrammelled optimism.

About Kings & Queens - The songs of Flor and the Sea’s debut EP Kings & Queens invite their listeners to surrender themselves to the stream of music: to dream, to dance and to defy the world’s insistent tumult for a moment. Rich in stylistic fusion, pop elements meld with electronica references throughout their songwriting, inviting a host of esoteric influences from dubstep to synth pop to trap to join them. It’s a melting pot of style that recalls the work of Flume, Miike Snow or Alt-J. Co-produced by composer Dieter Dolezel and mixed by Moritz Enders (Casper, Kraftclub), the songs are a multidimensional exploration of sound. From the lilting, mythology-evoking arpeggios of ‘Arcadia’ to the propulsive electro ambience of ‘Dark Minds’, and the bleak dystopian piano keys chiming throughout ‘Reconnect’, Kings & Queens reveals a restless group with a unique musical chemistry, one not keen on travelling the same musical road twice.

Munich-based indie/electropop duo Flor and the Sea was originally founded in 2015 as a five-piece project. With the release of debut singles ‘Hold Your Breath’ and ‘Shed No Tear’, as well as bigger live gigs at Digital/Analog Festival and the Muffat Winterfest among others, the band generated a lot of buzz in short time and was featured as ‘Band of the Week’ by the Suddeutsche Zeitung/SZ Junge Leute in early 2017. After the band split up later that year, Marc Aretz (guitar/synth) and Chaem (vox) decided to keep Flor and the Sea alive as a duo. They redesigned their sound from scratch, incorporating influences from bands like Alt J, Radiohead and Portishead. The singles ‘Dark Minds’ and ‘Reconnect’ were birthed from the rubble and led to widespread acclaim, receiving regular airplay on radio stations like Ego-FM, Bayern 3, M94.5 and BR Puls, and landing positive reviews on international blogs like Composer's Toolbox and York Calling. Capping it all, the duo performed live on Radio Fritz ‘Live on Air’ for the first time. Alongside the production of their debut EP Kings & Queens, Flor and The Sea also resumed live performances in 2019 and put together an elaborate new program with their own light show, visuals, masks, and the support of additional live musicians. A first taste of this show was presented at renowned festivals Theatron Musiksommer and Sound of Munich Now in 2019.


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Tuesday, 13 October 2020

Lauren Hulbert - Speaker Face

Lauren Hulbert returns to Beehive Candy just a month after we were first introduced to her. The new single 'Honeydew' is another beautiful, arresting and melodic song.

Speaker Face have released their album 'Crescent' this week. We have already shared two songs from the collection and are really impressed with the remaining tracks including the new single 'Call Me Out' which once again emphasizes the bands genre defying yet gorgeous music. 

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Lauren Hulbert - Honeydew.

Lauren Hulbert has just released “Honeydew”. The light-hearted, sweet melodic journey expresses the joy and magic of opening up to pure love. Twinkling synths draw the imagination into full bloom while jingle bells shower the listener into euphoria. The single is off her upcoming EP, Superbloom, due out October 30.

Hulbert wrote the song while living with her ex-boyfriend in Ecuador. They had rented an apartment in Quito with an incredible view down a mountain valley. After traveling together for months, she says, “I think I was happy to be in one place, making a temporary home, in our own space, with a nice, friendly neighbor and a little bodega at the end of our alleyway. It was a really cute spot. We got to make a little life for ourselves. We had a lot of hope for our future together and I remember that feeling really good.” The song reflects that feeling of hope and starting each day fresh: “Honeydew first light of dawn. Start anew. A day is born. Honey, do you love me? Like the dew wash over me and I will bloom for you.”

Superbloom was inspired not only by the sound of the EP itself but also by Hulbert blooming back to life; following a dangerous foot injury while on a surf trip in Indonesia, she was practically immobile for six months and it was unclear if she’d ever be able to walk again. While the music for this EP didn’t come from the injury, it was a very dark time for her – life, as she knew it, had ended, and her artistic momentum was devastatingly quelled. Fortunately, over a year later, she has healed and credits the experience as terrifying but ultimately beneficial – one that allowed her to reassess her life, align with what’s important and has made her all the more grateful for health and opportunity – and to be performing and sharing her music again.

The Oakland, California singer-songwriter has lived worldwide- from East Coast to West Coast, and Thailand to Ecuador. Her dreamy vocals have been leaving audiences breathless for years, enchanting listeners with her warm, winsome, highly personal combination of folk, alternative country-rock, and atmospheric semi-acoustic pop. The singer has a diversified palate: while she is currently a folk-pop artist, she began competing in Bach and classical festivals as a kid. She can switch back and forth between her classically trained piano skills or self-taught guitar expertise easily. Her favorite lyrical subject is the human condition; she finds inspiration in every feeling, emotion, and situation to create lyrically dense and bona fide tracks. It’s important for Lauren to vocalize and visualize her experiences and hardships into muses to build connections and heal others.



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Speaker Face - Crescent (Album).

The self-produced, genre-less album Crescent is out this week and Speaker Face have this to say about the album and the latest single. "We believe that electronic music can meld with folk and singer/songwriter music to enhance and transform it".

They continue - The record's newest single, "Call Me Out," is about patience and providing space for someone while they work through their feelings. Listen, learn, and give someone as much support as you are able. The jagged beats and nostalgic chord progression further the feel of disjointedness, while maintaining a touching and mesmerizing groove.

Lose yourself in the trancy loop of "Call Me Out" while meditating on the intimate feeling of caring for someone so deeply that you are willing to walk alongside them through their dark times. Celebrate the strength of compassion and understanding.

Our last album was an exploration of electronic music, and with Crescent, we maintained the idea of no rules while stripping away any nonsense and focusing on simplicity. There's space for the instruments to exhale, space for the beat to permeate, space for the voice to feel free.

For you to be transported and muse about a past love, a failed relationship, a joyful moment, jumping into the water from a cliff, or sitting by a campfire… that is all we could hope for.



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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Misty Coast - Anna Krantz - Loaver

Misty Coast have a new video for their wonderful song 'In a Million Years' where the familiar vocals of Linn Frøkedal once again shine against a rich musical backdrop. ==== Anna Krantz has shared 'Blessed Are The Free' along with a video, the song is fast flowing and melodic with hints of Americana. ==== Loaver returns to Beehive Candy with 'Apart' the final single to be taken from her October 30th, debut album 'Fern', and from we've heard so far promises to be a very creative and mixed genre collection.

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Misty Coast - In a Million Years.

Misty Coast have released a new video for ‘In A Million Years’

The video tells a sort of four-dimensional sci-fi story that takes place in a common apartment. We see three women interacting in the same spaces without crossing each other's path. Are they all different personalities of the same human being? 

Like an intergalactic Kim Deal, vocalist Linn Frøkedal’s reverb and distortion laden vocals are layered over a heavenly backdrop of fuzz, drawing in the listener like a piece of debris into a black hole.

“the song represents a recurring theme on the album, and it lingers in thoughts about whether we should choose to ignore the reality outside of what we experience as our world - or if we should dare to seek a larger, perhaps unpleasant truth." 


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Anna Krantz - Blessed Are The Free.

“Wake up to life in colour, don’t you want it” - Anna Krantz

‘Blessed Are The Free’ is the second song in Krantz’s “New moon new tune” series of releases. Co-written with Jessica Sharman (co-writer of Ward Thomas’s #1 song, Cartwheels) “Blessed Are The free” is an uplifting and relatable offering and follows “We Could Be High” which recently featured on RTE Radio 1’s recommends playlist.

At a time when the world was in a state of uncertainty and relative stillness, Krantz began to reflect on the concept of freedom:

“I wasn’t allowed to fly to London and see my family or show my masked smile to a stranger. I wasn’t allowed to go out for a meal with my boyfriend or grab a coffee with a girlfriend. I wasn’t even allowed to be in the same room with Jessica to write the song. Like everyone else, so much of my freedom had been removed. Yet I felt free in my spirit and happy in my heart. This me made wonder what freedom actually means and how it can be accessed from within as opposed to without.”

After sharing past stories and new insights, Sharman and Krantz created this catchy, uptempo number. Her yearning voice soars high above the track’s bouncy shuffle, creating a whirlwind of emotions set to rouse the heart and fortify the soul.

The self-produced track was played by a number of Krantz’s favourite Nashville musicians and was Mixed by Craig Alvin who mixed and engineered Kacey Musgrave’s multi Grammy winning album, Golden Hour. The perfectly crafted sincere single sets the bar high again with a timeless quality of song writing and a satisfying freshness for the ever- shifting 2020 landscape.


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Loaver - Apart.

Malmö, Sweden, based singer-songwriter Linnea Hall started her solo project Loaver with a desire to be able to showcase all sides of her experiences and inspirations. On October 30th, debut album 'Fern' is released via Rama Lama Records. 'Apart' is the last single taken from the album and is out now.

Linnea Hall on Apart: "Apart was originally written for the Opera Festival in Brescia, Italy, in 2018. The song plays with an excerpt from Arrigo Boito’s Mephistopheles, why "he" in the end alludes to the rapture or, if one so wishes, the evil in us. Otherwise, the song is mostly a bundle of questions or reflections of the loneliness we share."

In 2019, she put out her self-titled debut EP on Birds Records. The music – experimental, smooth and dark pop at its finest – was written and recorded in Italy during 2017, in close collaboration with artists such as Giovanni Ferrario (PJ Harvey, John Parish etc.), who produced the tracks, and Emanuele Maniscalco. Through the six tracks we were drawn between the uttermost boundaries of emotions – love, hate, dreams, doubt, chaos and naivety. The new record is once again recorded in Italy but this time in collaboration with Emanuele Maniscalco and Carlo Poddighe.

Early 2020, Loaver returned with new single 'Drömmeri (om döden)' on Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Julia Rakel, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes). The single, a pendant to Debussy's Reverie, is a memoriam to Linnea's grandmother that was released on her death day. This was the first taste of the upcoming album that's packed with highly unique and instantly memorable tracks, like the slow burner 'Bloom With Me', the shapeshifting 'Forget All About' and captivating 'Apart'.

The debut LP 'Fern' sees Loaver develop her creative pop and experiments with trip hop, singer-songwriter, dream pop, jazz and bedroom pop elements that together with Hall's splendid vocals and personal lyrics create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape.


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Saturday, 10 October 2020

Jeen - Slow Weather - Girlhood - Wild Pink

Jeen already has a notable legacy in music having started out age sixteen and her brand new song 'Idols' simply demonstrates just how fresh and gorgeous her musical capabilities are. ==== Slow Weather have just shared 'Great White Male' which has all the hallmarks of a timeless UK indie pop song with that extra gritty edge. ==== Girlhood have released 'It Might Take A Woman' where a number of genres come together beautifully and some wonderfully catchy moments cry out for another listen. ==== Wild Pink have a new video and song entitled 'The Shining But Tropical' and it's quickly gaining a whole lot of attention down to the superb nature of this addictive piece.

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Jeen - Idols.

Jeen started in the music industry busking on Queen West in Toronto at 16. It was there she and her band were scooped up by the Jeff Healey team, and were managed by them for the half decade that followed.

After two subsequent solo albums, Jeen was invited to share lead singing/song writing duties on Brendan Canning’s (of Broken Social Scene) Cookie Duster album, When Flying Was Easy.

She then dropped her last name and self produced three more solo albums in succession (Tourist, Modern Life, Gift Shop) which garnered regular radio rotation and much deserved attention from the likes of NPR, Billboard and Buzznet to name a few. Her songs have been used extensively in ad campaigns alongside many TV/film placements (MTV, Google, MasterCard, Molson, etc).

Jeen’s latest offering may be her strongest to date. Self-titled and slated for October 9, 2020, Jeen will release a 12-song LP co-produced by herself and Ian Blurton (Change of Heart, C’mon, Future Now). Recorded at Pro Gold in Toronto in 2019, this album features Ian Blurton on lead guitar, Stephan Szczesniak on drums, Ben O’Brien/Brendan Canning on bass, Jeff Heisholt on synths and a cameo by Kevin Fox on strings. Jeen is currently recording her next album. 


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Slow Weather - Great White Male.

In a time where everyone is looking back at the sounds that defined the blog-age the UK indiepop outfit Slow Weather find this perfect blend of Grandaddy, Gomez, and Badly Drawn Boy and let loose one of the most twisted little earworm potential pop-hits of October titled "Great White Male" off their upcoming EP 'Clean Living' on the Last Night From Glasgow. The track debuted earlier today at the Recoup.

Slow Weather is the new project from renowned producer and Catholic Action front man Chris McCrory and LNFG’s Annie Booth.

Annie and Chris first met when Annie was providing feature vocals on a Wojtek the Bear track. A big fan of his recording style, Annie then went into the studio with Chris to work on her Spectral EP. The process was extremely fun and organic, leading to talk of writing together for a new project.

After they penned their first song together in four hours, the two knew they’d stumbled across something exciting. The Clean Living EP, due for release later in 2020, was recorded mainly at Hermitage Works Studios in London, with the finishing touches added at Chris‘s home.

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Girlhood - It Might Take A Woman.

The new single from Girlhood is 'It Might Take a Woman', which is out now. It's the final single to be taken in advance of the band's debut LP which is out October 23 via Team Talk Records.

This new single finds the pair switching the pace again from the slow-burning groove of Queendom finding a sound the brings with it arresting rhythms and 90s house feel; thematically it looks to celebrate and embrace femaleness and what it means to singer in the group, Tessa Cavanna. 

To recap quickly, the band drew praise for previous material from the likes of Loud & Quiet, The yourselves at Best Fit, Wonderland, Complex, Clash and more for their Neo-soul, R&B and electronic sound – the pair, made up of Christian Pinchbeck and Tessa Cavanna, racked up quite the gig list with dates opening for Poliça and performing festival sets at Iceland Airwaves, Visions and Latitude.

The band has given their take on the sounds of late 90s/early 00s – Fugees, Avalanches and Neneh Cherry all come to mind – with particular favourites of mine such as ’The Love I Need’ earning support from Huw Stephens on his R1 Introducing show and Lauren Laverne. A key theme that runs through the record is Tessa Cavanna's exploration of womanhood and what it means in all its different forms, it’s a record of “transparency and honesty” and the "need to be loved, heard and understood.”

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Wild Pink - The Shining But Tropical.

Wild Pink are announcing their new album A Billion Little Lights, alongside their new single and video for "The Shining But Tropical", starring newly-minted Emmy-winner Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek). The follow up to 2018's breakthrough Yolk In The Fur, which earned an 8.1 from Pitchfork, and garnered high praise from outlets like Stereogum, FADER, NPR, Paste and Uproxx, the album is the band's first record with Toronto-based label Royal Mountain Records, and will be released on February 19th, 2021.

Of the track, Wild Pink's leader John Ross explains: "It was inspired by Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” as well as “If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt, this song is named for a grim retirement home in Florida. It’s about somebody who was born sheltered realizing how large the world is and how unimportant they are. Julia Steiner’s vocal contributions brought the song to fruition, and it was a lot of fun to make. We spent a lot of time focusing on the drums and percussion, using a phone recording of some cicadas in a quieter part towards the end of the song, and I really like all the stuff Dan came up with like the Agogo bells and Rototoms."

Annie Murphy explains a bit more about the video and the setting: "My family has a cabin in the middle of nowhere in rural Ontario that they use as a hunting camp every October. The previous owner was a woman named Mrs. Clark who lived there with her husband and sons in the 1940's. Though she had them as company, they all worked outside of the house, and most of the time she was very much alone, with no electricity and no running water. After many years of isolation and many long, dark winters, she walked into the woods one afternoon and killed herself.

My uncles, who I think would consider themselves "tough guys", have all had at least one strange and spooky encounter in their time at the hunting camp. Would they fully admit to seeing or hearing Mrs. Clark's ghost? No. But I would on their behalf.

This is a video loosely based on Mrs. Clark's story. When the crew set up the camera's for the first shot in the cabin, the monitor screen just showed static. Mike [McLaughlin, director of photography] was truly baffled and insisted he'd never seen this happen before. That's when my Uncle Pat stepped in and called up the stairs "Hi Mrs. Clark. It's me, Patrick. We're here to make a little film about you. It's respectful and nice and is telling your story, so we hope you don't mind". Five seconds later, the monitor started working. Thanks Mrs. Clark, I hope you like what we made!"

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Friday, 9 October 2020

Emma Miller - Thrillhouse - SOUP! (feat Meredith Adelaide - Meisha & The Spanks

Emma Miller just released a soothing and gently flowing singer-songwriter track called 'Sail Away'. ==== Back in March we featured 'Lesser' from Thrillhouse and they are back with 'If It's Important' which is a catchy fast moving and rhythmic song. ==== SOUP! share 'All To Myself' featuring Meredith Adelaide and between them they have created an original and vibrant modern pop track. ==== Miesha & The Spanks new song 'Wanna Feel Good' is a potent garage rocker that fires hooks in all directions.

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Emma Miller - Sail Away.

Following the release of her folk-tinged single “Honey”, Scottish artist Emma Miller returns with her introspective new track “Sail Away” - further demonstrating her inquisitive nature as a songwriter.

Experimenting with soft electronics and shimmering harmonies, “Sail Away” is a beautiful offering from the young artist. The delicate soundscape allows Emma’s powerful lyricism to take centre-stage, her warm vocals lapping gently against rumbling synth patterns and soft percussion.

“I wrote ‘Sail Away’ on a quiet evening at the end of 2018 when I was reflecting on what had been a fairly tumultuous year”, Emma explains. “I wanted to write the song from the perspective of what  a friend might say to me, rather than the critical inner voice we can slip into when we’re  feeling particularly inadequate. I hope when people listen, they’ll be comforted in the  knowledge that they’re doing just fine and no matter where you are in life, it’s ok to take  the road less travelled.”

Releasing music since 2017, Emma has taken a noticeable step back over the past 2 years. Instead, as she quietly watched and supported her peers to  find success in their own musical projects, she chose to diligently focus on her songwriting and began working on a body of music she could be proud of.

Like many artists and songwriters who’ve found themselves jaded by the music industry, it  wasn’t until Emma let go of the idea that music had to pay the bills that she fell head over  heels in love with it. Today, amongst other things, (such as roaming the Scottish hillsides and looking after her dog, Gracie) Emma is pursuing a Diploma in Counselling Psychology, supporting people in the quest to navigate their mental health.


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Thrillhouse - If It's Important.

Brighton's alt-indie band Thrillhouse return with their latest single If It's Important, a love letter to those that help you through the shit times and to anyone that pushes you to achieve your dreams however foolish they may seem.


Out today October 9th, If It's Important follows a string of self-produced releases snagging spots on Spotify's 'Hot New Bands', KEXP, XFM's John Kennedy and Amazing Radio. Steadily carving out a space for themselves in the alt-indie scene the Brighton trio are building momentum in anticipation of their debut album Enter Spacebar, due for release mid-2021.

Thrillhouse are purveyors of sincerity cushioned in good humour. The lyrics convey a sense of personal struggle that is joyfully balanced with melodic and layered production, pushed forward by driving beats and ecstatic hooks. Check out their vid for previous single, Lesser.

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SOUP! - All To Myself (feat. Meredith Adelaide).

London based Italo-British experimental duo SOUP! have teamed up with American singer and multimedia artist Meredith Adelaide for a transcending, metaphysical Pop gem. 

SOUP! and Meredith make a game-changing pairing, with SOUP! breaking rules and boundaries within the paradigms of Pop, and Meredith bringing their thoughtful honest lyrics and dreamy vocals. 

Meredith and the band met through the Rattle Collective, an international music network based in London and L.A., which allowed many artists to connect and cooperate during lockdown. Meredith recalls: “I’ve been trying to work with Gigi at The Rattle since I joined the Los Angeles crew. He started SOUP! as a way to not overthink creation and asked me if I’d be down to add vocals to a song. 

It happened during the pandemic. It was a time of transition when I was asking myself a lot of hard questions about what I actually wanted in and for my world”. The result is the single ‘All To Myself’, born out of a remote collaboration transcending physical borders. The new single maintains the essential ingredients of SOUP!’s debut ‘All The People’ - with their abstractionist approach, dystopian soundscapes and a symbiotic performance between the human and the machine.

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Miesha & The Spanks - Wanna Feel Good.

Miesha & The Spanks are a high octane garage rock duo from Calgary AB, made up of rock n roll matriarch Miesha Louie and her partner in crime, the hardest hitting Sean Hamilton on drums. Together they draw inspiration from classics like The Runaways, L7, and The Buzzcocks to create some modern noise that’s catchy enough to raise a fist and sing along.

Noise Journal describes them as “a filthy rocket of pure jet-fuel up the nostril, with surf rock sensibilities, a grunge groove and hair metal swagger,” while Canadian Beats called their last album “reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age meets The Animals – a certain coolness about it, making it impossible to forget.”

They’ve made a name for themselves as a band who is here to stay. Since Miesha created The Spanks in 2008, she’s opened every door, and taken advantage of each opportunity that’s come her way. Tour after tour down Canadian highway to play every small town and big city, with as many drummers as are up to the task, until landing someone crazy enough to stick around.

Their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of UK Punk Legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It was even given attention from Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show Rodney On The Rock.

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Anna Smyrk - ZOCO - Howling Bells - TCBYML

Photo - Michelle Grace Hunder Anna Smyrk - This is a Drill . Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk shares a poignant moment o...