Sara Bug - I Ya Toyah - Big Little Lions - The Pink Stones - Megan Wyler - Tara Vern

Sara Bug - Die With You.

Nashville songwriter Sara Bug (the name is an old family nickname due to her diminutive stature) describes herself this way, with her usual wry humor: World's finest southern-kitsch artist. born in Mississippi, raised in Louisiana, stuck in Nashville. Her songs balance that humor with deep feeling, which lets them hit hard and stay light at the same time. Add in her distinctive and fantastic vocals (occasionally sounding quite a bit like Dolly Parton, as on country standout "Back in Nashville") and you have a terrific new artist to watch. Her second single is  "Die With You" .

The ten songs on Sara Bug’s forthcoming self-titled debut album were not meant to be shared. A culmination of seven years of her life, these songs were journal entries that reckoned with defining herself. Growing up in New Orleans, Bug imagined herself to be a successful songwriter. “I was so deep in the music. ‘Oh, I'm going to be a famous musician. When I get out of high school, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go have a career in music,’” she explains. “I think I held on to that for so long, I had finally kind of let go, like that pressure. Now it was just fun.” This eponymous project embodies Bug’s journey away from the expectations of others and her younger self, allowing her creative freedom.

Sara Bug opens with a lush, symphonic ballad about desire. “My whole life through, I want to die with you,” she sings tenderly on “Die With You.” Romantic and a bit morbid, Bug opens with the oldest song on the album and takes us to that time when the urgency of her happiness began pushing against the pressure of others’ approval. It's easy to get lost in the dreamy guitar strums and sturdy bass lines, Bug’s voice sharp and clear against the country-psych rock combination. A close listen reveals that Bug is letting the listener into the most poignant moments of the past years with sincerity and ease. She takes us on reflective motorcycle rides, whether literal or desired, for “Rosebank” and “Ride On Sundys.” She details the loss of a family member and a trip back home from her then-residence in New York on “Lotta Pride.” Inspired by the detailed storytelling of Dolly Parton and Neil Young, Bug leads across state lines and along her timeline of personal growth with unconventional, vivid song structures.

After moving to Nashville in 2013, the pressure of perfecting a craft in a notoriously famous city for honing musical skills only added mountains of stress. “I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be awesome. I'm going to be around other musicians all the time, it's going to be inspiring and force me to work harder on my music.’ It kind of had the opposite effect for me unexpectedly,” she admits.  “It feels hard sometimes to do your craft and your thing in a real way without feeling super judged or feeling if you're not at a certain level your art doesn't matter. And honestly, that's part of the reason I kind of grew apart from the idea of even making music at all. I didn't like the pressure in Nashville that I felt when I first moved there.”

As the album comes to a close we’re left with an ending and a new beginning. “Lift this weight off my shoulder, stop believing that my beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,” she sings on “The Beholder.” Here, we’re witness to Bug accepting and working through insecurity. But the closer “Back In Nashville” mocks the pressure that led Sara Bug to initially question her musical chops. “I told myself, I wanted to write a cheesy country song about not wanting to be in like the most country city in the United States,” she laughs. Sara Bug captures a weird, but integral period of growth for the pensive musician. Her debut defines a period of questioning that Bug conquered in order to realize that music is exactly what she should be doing. That letting go can be a new kind of permission. - Margaret Farrell.

EggHunt Records · Die With You

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I Ya Toyah - Out of Order.

I Ya Toyah has released her latest single, Out of Order.’ The track, written, produced, and performed by I Ya Toyah and produced, mixed and mastered by Nick Palazzo, is available on all streaming platforms on February 12th. The music video for the first single, was filmed by Joel Lopez of Lumbra Productions.

‘Out of Order is the first of 5 singles of her sophomore EP, titled the same name. The EP is set to release on March 26th exclusively on bandcamp, June 18th on all streaming services, and is available for pre-order on bandcamp. Everyone who pre-orders instantly gets the streaming and download access to Out of Order the single, as well as another single in February.

This latest single features I Ya Toyah's powerful, sensual vocals, expressive lyrics, melodic guitars, aggressive synths and deep, resonating drum beats, which all come together to paint a vision of disturbia and a dystopian reality full of chaos, pain, and hope.

“I couldn't hold back, I gave it all. All my pandemic moods processed through my brain and ended up here to explode, both sonically and visually. I wrote it feeling these emotions and being unable to share them as we all used to- through the togetherness, a hug, and live music experience, says I Ya Toyah of her latest single. In the future, the pandemic will be over, but the need for this connection will remain. I hope this song will be a reminder of how we survived this dark time, and how fragile yet strong we all are- even when we are out of order.

I Ya Toyah is currently awaiting new tour dates confirmations with Stabbing Westward and her Northwest US and Canadian tour, as they got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic spread.

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Big Little Lions - Enough.

Big Little Lions have been described as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’. Prolific songwriting, infectious folk-pop style, and an offbeat, memorable live show. This award winning duo consists of Helen Austin and Paul Otten who, despite living thousands of miles apart, have found a way to connect and create music together. 

Despite being in two different countries, they have found common ground to share their message. Call it destiny, or call it fate, call it a necessary progression for these modern times. Helen lives in British Columbia, Canada and Paul lives in Cincinnati, OH. 

But the distance provides the necessity to create in a new way. Using technology as their ally and their differences as their strength. Their monthy single releases are their way of getting through this pandemic while all the usual album cyle release plans don’t make sense anymore. Their music is jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies, the sound of two people working side-by-side.

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The Pink Stones - Shiny Bone.

The Pink Stones will release their debut album Introducing...The Pink Stones on April 9th via the New West Records imprint Normaltown Records. The 10-song set was produced by Henry Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Deerhunter) and was recorded at Chase Park Transduction and the Barn in Athens, GA. Mixing elements of classic cosmic country, raucous rock’n’roll & indie rock, and fresh humor & heartaches, The Pink Stones are authoring a new chapter in the annals of Cosmic American Music and are within a new wave of young artists from the same college town that gave the world R.E.M., The B-52’s, Drive-By Truckers, Pylon, The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Widespread Panic, Vic Chesnutt, The Whigs, and more.

Frontman Hunter Pinkston explains that the track is “a metaphorical ballad” saying, “I wrote it in my first apartment in Athens. I was living alone and feeling pretty lonely—that ‘not a lot of friends in a new town’ sorta feeling that comes from moving away from home and losing people in the transition...It’s about ‘killing’ those feelings and memories that make you feel alone or lonely, while still being able to dig them back up when need be.”

Under The Radar previously premiered the video for the first single, “Blueberry Dream," saying the band "...conjures an other-worldly mix of country, indie, and barn-storming rock on their upcoming debut...The Pink Stones already are a fresh, left-of-field addition to the world of cosmic country." Naming the song one of the best of the week upon its release, Rolling Stone Country said “Athens, Georgia band The Pink Stones mine their town’s grand tradition of Southern jangle along with the swirl of cosmic country on 'Blueberry Dream,' from their upcoming debut Introducing… the Pink Stones. But rather than merely imitating those styles, the group injects them with something fresh and youthful, giving 'Blueberry Dream' a breezy, slacker-rock feel that hits like a ray of candy-coated sunshine."

Especially notable on Introducing...The Pink Stones is the band’s ability to intertwine joy, heartache and self-deprecating humor in songs. It’s a classic hat trick of country music that is all too easy to overplay and seem forced by modern Americana aspirants, but one which the band crafts perfectly. The end result is a fresh and exciting debut album from a great band.

While their average age is only 25, the band also features the music veteran John Neff, one of the founding members of the Drive-By Truckers, bringing his experience and sense of legacy to the group. The Pink Stones are Hunter Pinkston (Vocals, Guitar), Will Anderson (Piano, Vocals), Adam Wayton (Bass), Logan Brammer (Guitar, Vocals), John Neff (Pedal Steel), Jack Colclough (Drums).

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Megan Wyler - The Calling.

We have a haunting new single from singer/songwriter Megan Wyler. Her first in seven years, the song is featured as the title music for Amazon Video’s new series Tell Me Your Secrets which is premiering on Friday. It starts off slow, ultimately building to a climactic crescendo that is so so satisfying.

A California native, Wyler released her 2013 debut Through The Noise while living in London. The album was praised by the likes of Nowness, Songwriting Magazine, Indie Shuffle who described her sound as “incredibly moving and luscious,” and Clash Magazine who called her music “subtle, delicate and very beautiful.” 

For “The Calling” Wyler reunited with Through The Noise producer Adem Ilhan (Fridge, Silver Columns) as well as Grammy Award-winning mixer Mark Rankin (Adele, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles), and multi-award-winning composer/producer Peter Raeburn (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast) who co-wrote the song.The song also features Alex Thomas on drums (Air, Anna Calvi, John Cale), and Matt Sweeney on guitar (Johnny Cash, Bonnie Prince Billy, Catpower). You can find more info in the press release below.

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Tara Vern - Bubble Girl.

Tara was the singer/guitarist in early noughties Sydney band Guddling. After spending several years in the wilderness honing her hunting skills and dabbling in electronic music as Noot Records, she has returned to the thing she loves best.

She tells us "Lockdown hasn't been all bad - I've had a chance to crank out another rollicking tune and have a second album on the way! (I am trapped in Lisbon for the pandemic - wild, right?!)"

Tara's brand new song 'Bubble Girl', was recorded in Lisbon by Leopoldo Lopes at Sound Pressure Studios, using a virtual Aussie drummer Miles Thomas, with Tara on bass, guitar and vox. She say's "I wanted it to be fast and energetic to shake off the pandemic blues".

Tara Vern · Bubble Girl

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Marie-Clo - Wild Pink - Genghis Tron - Sunfields

Marie-Clo - Shell(e) Pt III.

A true creative chameleon and seasoned traveler, Marie-Clo is a born performer who ropes her audiences into a feverish pitch in both official languages; thanks to “hooked on phonics”. Singer-songwriter and dancer, her eclectic indie pop tackles current themes & conscious lyrics, but also conjures a colourful and enchanted world.

Marie-Clo began her artistic career on stages worldwide performing in musicals, but honed in soon thereafter on her true passion project, music. She is currently promoting the first of three EP’s which will make up her full-length english album entitled Shell(e). A conceptual feminist narrative, it is slated to be fully released in 2021, produced by Polaris shortlisted drummer/ producer Olivier Fairfield (Fet Nat, Timber Timbre, Leif Vollebek), with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR.

In 2017, Marie-Clo won TFO’s pan-Canadian tv search for francophone artists Planète BRBR and was given carte blanche to participate at the Granby International Song Festival 2018, as well as at the Petite- Vallée Song Festival 2018. Following these, Aero chocolates bought her song “Sablier” for a 52-week run national commercial in which she stars.

She celebrated the independent release of her debut EP Faune which has since been playing on numerous radio stations across Canada, on Sirius xm, and joined numerous editorial playlists on Spotify. Radio-Canada named her Ontario’s number one artist to discover in 2018 as part of a 13-artist list, Canada wide, for each province & territory. Her latest single Red Flag topped CBC (#2) & Sirius XM’ (#4) top 10 charts for many consecutive months & was featured as a Sirius XM exclusive single. She recently had the pleasure of playing Ottawa’s Bluesfest, the National Arts Center, Place des arts in Montréal & opening for Ariane Moffatt.

Marie-Clo · Shell(e) Pt III

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Wild Pink - Pacific City.

Wild Pink's highly anticipated album A Billion Little Lights, is due out this Friday on Royal Mountain Records. On "Pacific City", Ross delivers a slice of pitch-perfect, anthemic indie featuring shimmering steel guitar and soaring saxophone. A rumination on self-acceptance and patience, of giving yourself time and space, he explains the meaning behind the track: "Pacific City is named after the city in Oregon and I was watching Heat a lot while writing it. I wanted to write a few songs with a conventional song structure on this album and this was one of them - we spent a lot of time on the drum tones and used a Yamaha RX21 drum machine. The song is about time passing and realizing you’re not the same person you used to be."

On Wild Pink’s third album and first for Royal Mountain Records, A Billion Little Lights, Ross explores the dichotomy of finally achieving emotional security—of accepting the love and peace he deprived himself of in his twenties—while also feeling existentially smaller and more directionless than ever before. The record is a two-pronged triumph: an extraordinary reflection on the human condition presented through the sharpest, grandest, and most captivating songs Wild Pink have ever composed.

The band, which is rounded out by bassist T.C. Brownell and drummer Dan Keegan, formed in New York City in 2015 and put out a handful of EP’s before releasing their critically acclaimed self-titled debut in 2017. It was a sophisticated showing for a band’s first album, but it was the striking maturation of Yolk In The Fur that established Wild Pink’s unique sound: a glistening variety of pastoral indie-rock akin to The War On Drugs, Death Cab For Cutie, and Kurt Vile, but informed by classic American rock poets like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. The album received glowing praise from Pitchfork (a score of 8.1), Billboard, NPR, Stereogum, and Uproxx, the latter deeming them “one of indie’s best emerging bands.”

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Genghis Tron - Ritual Circle.

Genghis Tron have shared a new song titled “Ritual Circle” from their highly-anticipated Dream Weapon full-length. Hamilton Jordan comments, "When writing and recording this album, one of our aims was to create a deep sonic world the listener can really get lost in.  'Ritual Circle' embodies that for me—it still takes me to another place whenever I listen.  Find some headphones, turn it up, and zone out."

The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn. Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders) and was mastered by Heba Kadry.

Lyrically and conceptually, Dream Weapon picks up where 2008's heralded LP Board Up The House left off. “That album’s closing track, ‘Relief,’ was about how humans have become a burden to the planet, and how Earth will endure long after we’re gone,” Jordan explains. “There is sadness at the end, but some relief—and beauty—too. Dream Weapon is, loosely, an album-length meditation on that theme.”

From the ethereal, almost robotic vocal phrasings accompanying the industrial attack of “Pyrocene,” to the chaotic, pulse-pounding drumming acrobatics and cyclical guitar patterns in the album’s triumphant title track, Dream Weapon is not just a nod to Genghis Tron’s celebrated past as a metal/progressive/experimental outfit. The new album redefines what these genres, sounds, and musical elements can achieve. Dream Weapon is a record that captures Genghis Tron at a matured, focused state; the ebbs and flows of the album are just as hard-hitting as they are dreamy, soaring, and meditative.

Seasoned Genghis Tron listeners will find Dream Weapon to be both excitingly fresh and reassuringly familiar. “Though it sounds a bit different than our previous albums, I don't think we approached Dream Weapon any differently than the others,” Jordan explains. “Michael and I take years to write and trade demos, with about 80% of our ideas landing on the cutting-room floor. Once we have a rough song idea we both like, we write dozens of drafts of a song over months before we end up with a final demo.”

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Pic - Jennifer Maagendans.

Sunfields - Got Some (But It Ain't Enough).

Imagine Elliot Smith hanging out with Tom Petty in the back of Neil Young’s van while listening to Sparklehorse.

Acid-laced pop Sunfields is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jason Kent. Although the quartet was born in 2009, three quarters of its members have been playing music on and off together since they were teens. Their tunes carry a classy bombast of chamber rock, the intimacy of a singer songwriter, and the easy-breeziness of vintage pop with some psychedelic undertones thrown in.

Since their formation, Sunfields have toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe. Their fourth album, made in isolation, will be out March 12th, 2021 on Elephants on Parade.

PALACE IN THE SUN (2010) was once described as “…full of stunning imagery, coupled with swooping guitars and harmonizing that the Eagles would be proud of…the most overlooked album of 2010.”

Their sophomore, HABITAT (2014) was described as “…blossoming like a field of poppies in a rainy English field.”

MONO MONO (2017) “An album that catches you from the outset and its beauty is that it has many layers that reveal themselves after every listen.”

Elephants On Parade · Got Some (But It Ain't Enough)

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Sweet Crude - Swansea Sound - MF Tomlinson - Eric Bolander

Sweet Crude - La Rêveuse / Under New Moons.

The New Orleans-based six-piece band Sweet Crude announced Dualité: have a new double A-side singles series where the group will release pairs of songs where one is sung in Louisiana French and the other in English. In celebration of Mardi Gras, the band released the first installment today with two brand new songs “La Rêveuse” and “Under New Moons.”

“Tours? Nope. Money? Broke. Launch a blitz of bilingual bangers in 2021 because we can? Putain ouais (hell yeah, and pardon our Louisiana French),” explains singer Sam Craft. “Through confinement and a lack of gigs, we’ve steadily built up a loyal Patreon following with whom we’ve been streaming and chatting on a regular basis. They’ve been inspiring us to keep going and to write like crazy. We show them brand new ideas, they give us feedback, and we are now self-producing and self-recording a whole new body of work for approximately zero dollars. Dualité is the result, or really the start, of this new frontier. The first two tracks to kick things off showcase our French and our English sides. We remain dedicated as ever to creating new avenues to celebrate our Louisiana roots.”

“‘La Rêveuse’ (The Dreamer) is an all-French song and carries the premise that we are all living in someone else's dream. In the song, our dreamer is likened to a little kid playing on the beach, building sandcastles and romping around. Unbeknownst to our baby-god, we are actually all denizens of her temporary sand creations and are at the mercy of all her arbitrary whims. It could kinda explain why everything is so dang weird all the time. Not exactly being conspiracy theorists, we wanted the music to have a certain tongue-in-cheek bounce to it, while maintaining the drama of COVID-induced desperation.”

“Meanwhile, ‘Under New Moons’ is a reality check. On a stream one day, our fans offered us the prompt to write a song about self-care during lockdown. We narrowed that idea down to the moments in life when the best self-care is to disengage from that person (place or thing) that provokes all your worst habits. This moody, minor-key bop takes you on a push-and-pull emotional journey.”

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Swansea Sound - Indies Of The World.

‘Indies of the World’, the new single by SWANSEA SOUND, is a call to arms. Its aim is to revitalise the Global Pop Underground, making it strong enough to vanquish the corporate behemoth. OK, it’s just a limited release 7” single.  But the revolution has to start somewhere.

Hue Williams and Amelia Fletcher of the Pooh Sticks were reunited a few months ago on the first SWANSEA SOUND single, ‘Corporate Indie Band’.  It attracted lots of interest and airplay and sold out in a few hours.  Since then, second single ‘I Sold My Soul on eBay’ has been released as a one-off (on eBay) and played on many radio stations.

‘Indies of the World’ will be released simultaneously on four different Indie Labels of the World.  There’s no need to buy an expensive import: It will not be released on Spotify, Apple Music or other corporate streamers.

‘Indies of the World’ is for record-lovers, indie dancefloors, non-corporate radio shows, and the flourishing online indie DJ/blogging scene. Flipside ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ is a duet in which feckless male Hue is berated by nonplussed female partner Amelia.  It’s like ‘C is the Heavenly Option’ after a lovers’ tiff.

From Rob & Amelia - The song and the video are a celebration of ‘indie’ in its most meaningful sense, i.e. independence from corporate control, with a DIY attitude to playing, recording, releasing records and making videos.

The video was made by Amelia and Rob, using the 7” single sleeve art by Welsh artist Catrin Saran James.  Swansea Sound started during lockdown, so the band are used to sending each other bits of music, ideas for songs and video footage.  It will be a strange and disconcerting moment when they are finally able to meet.

Indies of the World is the first release on new UK label Skep Wax, but it’s also coming out on sister labels Formosa Punk in Japan, HHBTM in the USA and Lavender Sweep in Wales.  It’s available digitally on Bandcamp, but isn’t on Spotify or Apple or any the other corporate streamers because they aren’t sisters, they are ogres.

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MF Tomlinson - Them Apples.

MF Tomlinson, the project of London-based Australian singer-songwriter Michael Tomlinson, today releases new single "Them Apples" – the second track to be heard from Tomlinson's upcoming debut album Strange Time, out April 9th.

Quickly following his debut EP 'Last Days of Rome', Strange Time was written slap-bang in the middle of 2020; Tomlinson, confined to his home, created a stripped-back home studio set up and the songs immediately began to flow.

Central to the album is new single "Them Apples" – a psychedelic seven-minute treatise on modern paranoia and social media addiction, taking in elements of acid-folk, chamber-pop and progressive rock along the way.

The song floats on glistening organ and bluesy guitars as Tomlinson contemplates how “even when we’re really here, half of us hangs in the air.” Guest vocalist Connie Chatwin (Sam Smith, dodie) takes up the choric role, playing the voices of morbid-yet-irresistible headlines, singing sweetly to him about SOS notes found in cheap clothes from Bangladesh, and the Venetians losing their city to rising tides, dragging him deeper into the doomscroll. As the opus descends into a beautiful clutter of flute, sax and noodling guitar that mirror his overwhelmed mind, Chatwin’s mellifluous tones turn into cackles as Tomlinson finds himself powerless to resist the screen, begging “talk to me world, tell me everything.”

At almost 8 minutes long, it's the album's undeniable centrepiece, both stylistically and thematically. Speaking on the themes behind the song, Tomlinson explains: "Originally it was because Viljam (Nybacka, co-writer of the song) asked me, what have you been doing? I said 'I can't remember, I've been so busy'. I thought that was intriguing - the intensity of life rendering each day featureless. Then the pandemic hit and everyday really was the same! I knew then that this was one of those - a song about EVERYTHING all at once, a real rabbit hole."

Adding further context to Connie Chatwin's Greek Chorus-inspired backing vocals, Tomlinson explains: "They are tweets, feeds, stories from phones and various other devices. They are the voices in our heads that only we can hear as we go about our daily lives, inaudible to others outside of our personalised versions of reality on our screens. The meditative chorus lyric is the reason for the season, the compulsion and anxiety to find the answers and validations that we want from the world through the portals that we carry around with us."

The track's video is "a reflection of the hyperreality of 2020" – according to director Tomas Jef. Shot on a digital camera and then processed through analogue video equipment; custom-built video effects machines and redundant BBC Studios-salvaged broadcasting equipment, Jef went on to say: "All this time we spent indoors staring at screens, the whole year was like one blurry memory with a weird sense of time passing slow and fast at the same time. Different scenes in the video suggest the contrasting worlds between imagination and reality."

"Them Apples" also features contributions from guitarist Angus James and clarinet from Joe Connor. Its sound palette is part-inspired by seminal British folk band Trees' second album On The Shore, and Tomlinson's time playing in the On The Shore Band alongside members of Trees, Metronomy and Friendly Fires.

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Eric Bolander - Cold Men.

Eric Bolander has officially released the music video for “Cold Men” -- chronicling the Blackjewel Miners protests in Harlan County, Kentucky in response to owed back pay.

This new single, produced by regular Bolander collaborator Duane Lundy (Sturgill Simpson, Ringo Starr) in Lexington, Kentucky, is a natural transition in Bolander’s catalog as a deeply-emotional protest song in an ever-tumultuous world. While it is based in the realities of a specific event, it serves as a cathartic microcosm of the pain so many have felt in the past year.

Sonically, Bolander’s music gallops through the crossroads of John Moreland and Bruce Springsteen (circa Devils & Dust), from rollicking explorations of struggle and its broken remnants to bitter, cynical prayers.

Bolander’s sensitivity to the human condition stems primarily from humble roots in the small eastern Kentucky town of Garrison, stretching at the edge of the Appalachian foothills and running along the Ohio River Valley. Growing up in a low income household instilled within him a sense of hard work and fighting for what he wanted in life. His mother was a homemaker (whose family had ties to several bluegrass legends) and his father a union carpenter and construction worker, both pivotal forces behind his early development.

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Silly Boy Blue - Western Column

Silly Boy Blue - The Riddle.

Silly Boy Blue shares her brand new single “The Riddle” today, February 15th. Silly Boy Blue (real name, Ana Benabdelkarim) is a singer-songwriter and producer from Nantes, France who was recently snapped up by Columbia France. The new single is exemplary of her adventurous and emotive songwriting and stirring vocals. It follows her previous single, “Goodbye”, which showed a more pop side of the young musicians’ talent; Ana’s vocals shine and soar with the yearning lyrics, whilst the production holds a melodic, pulsing beat.

“The Riddle talks about someone I never could decode. I wrote this song to remember to always keep focusing on hope, that there is always a place where we feel like we belong.  Hence the chorus' mantra "Somewhere, you could be fine somewhere, you have to find somewhere, he's not the one". To finally find your own bedroom, where you feel safe” says Silly Boy Blue of the song.

For the accompanying video, Ana headed to the subways of Prague. She says, “In the music video we aimed to translate this absolutely crazy feeling about obsession, that no one besides you can stop, and when you realize it's time to let go. It takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, and it was the most intense two shooting nights of my life - continuously getting down the escalators for several hours- it most likely got close to the frenzy state I felt while writing the song.”

Silly Boy Blue is a young singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Paris, who started her music career in the band Pégase. Ana now embodies her music through her solo work, choosing to name her project “Silly Boy Blue” after the David Bowie song that tells the story about a boy who breaks all the rules. Playing with light and shade, Silly Boy Blue sings teen pop anthems and breakup songs and has a passion for 90’s music, movies, and style. Silly Boy Blue recently appeared on YouTube channel COLORS, featuring on Isaac Delusion’s show. She has just finished her debut album, which is set for release this year.

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Western Column - Hear not Say.

Western Column is the songwriting project of Glasgow based DIY musician Christopher Devine (Dutch Wine/Stock Manager) whose second single ‘Hear not Say’ is due for release via Negative Hope Records on February 12th 2021.

‘Hear not Say’ gives delicious guitar-centric layers of feeling with a shoegaze bent, as Devine’s dreamer vocals float over a driven guitar wall that spills over with a momentum that will have you wanting to listen again.

Following on from sun drenched debut single ‘Golde’, ‘Hear not Say’ is the perfect follow up as Devine continues to build a name for himself as a solo artist

“Having only been the third song I’ve entirely written myself, I feel like I’m still finding my feet and trying different things to see what sticks. “This track was a good bit of fun trying out ideas and more than anything it was a really good learning experience.”

‘Hear not Say’ was recorded, mixed and mastered Melissa Brisbane, who also provides guest vocals on the track.

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Red Sun Radio - GEA - Samantha Margret - Bandicoot

Red Sun Radio - Dry Martini.

Your favorite Brooklyn gentlemen have donned suits and returned with a love song for the acid lounge. The gin-soaked single "Dry Martini" goes down easy, stirred with a blend of reverb-addled guitars, candlelit-drums, and sultry vocals

"Dry Martini" conjures forlorn feelings of a love so close you can taste it, and yet so irresistibly out of reach -- "Far beyond the horizon you'll find / a never ending lie / to hold on to."

Dry Martini gently drifts into view, the vocals exude some late night bluesy emotion, the music is restrained yet somehow ups the intensity of the piece. Red Sun Radio may be new to our ears however the song feels like an old friend, one to share a few drinks with, maybe Gin, although I'll settle for some Bourbon or a large single malt Scotch.

 

Red Sun Radio · Dry Martini

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GEA - Truth Between the Lies.

Helsinki-based ethereal storyteller GEA has announced the release of her haunting, timely new single/music video "Truth Between the Lies", out February 12 via Fragity Records. GEA's powerful lyrics encourage us to seek out the truth, especially when it's not easy to do so. With what's happening in the world right now, the timing of this release is not a coincidence. Musically, "Truth Between the Lies" is ominous, electro-infused dream pop with touches of menace and beauty.

When I wrote this song I had no idea how relevant this message would be now, when it is being released. We can't pretend that constant lying wouldn't have a profound impact on our society and souls. Truth is an absolute necessity. Truth will set us free!

Truth Between the Lies is a song about the bad things we do when we think no one is watching. It's about the lifestyle where people close their eyes about immoral things, and think they'll get away with them.  It's about the dangerous sense of comfort and false sense of safety we get from money, career and consumption. It's about our planet not being able to carry the weight of our choices any more. It's about everyone's soul mission wanting to be manifested instead of focusing on doing what brings the easiest income. It's about the truth running eternally through our veins no matter how much we would benefit from the lie.

The stunning animated music video for "Truth Between the Lies" is brought to life by BYNEW (Producer) and Raimi Nikkari (Animator).

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Samantha Margret - Mine / Negative Space.

Samantha Margret writes music for the girl who wants to own her history, her body, and her feelings. Samantha likes big jewelry and every kind of fruit she’s ever tasted, and she’s a conscientious journaler. Her ballads tell stories about acceptance and showcase her soulful voice, and her pop songs are not afraid of a good time. She tries to never write the same song twice, and is always up for a giggle.

Samantha gets her second first name from her great grandmother. Margret was born with a second “a” in her name, but she gave it up after falling in love with a traveling salesman who had only seven letters in his name. Did she want them to match? Did he dislike the letter “a”? Three generations later, Samantha was born on the same day and given the same name with the same odd spelling. As she grew up in San Francisco, struggling to convince teachers she was spelling her name correctly, Samantha took to poetry and songwriting. She learned by copying Sara Bareilles songs on the piano at school, and by writing songs instead of going outside. Did the gift of a missing “a” lead to the wordplay Samantha uses in her music to this day? Probably not, but who can really say?

Her compelling EP delivers powerful vocals with a passionate and sentimental look into her past with love. The melancholic ballad "Mine" revels in the revisit of heartbreak and betrayal, while “Negative Space” delves deep into the absence of someone you love with the mixture of sweetness, pain, and nostalgia.

"Everything has two sides—every great personality trait comes with a few bad habits, every good feeling eventually gives way to an equal opposite; that's what I believe. And, every holiday has space for celebration and sadness. This EP is my gift to people who want to settle into Valentine's day with a little heartbreak this year." - Samantha Margret

Samantha Margret · Mine

Samantha Margret · Negative Space

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Bandicoot - Dark Too Long.

Reclaiming for a new generation the poetry of Dylan, the stark beauty and unhinged Rock and Roll of mid-70s John Cale, and Badfinger's melancholic timeless songcraft, this is Bandicoot. Their sound flows like post-industrial blues through Swansea's rain-soaked concrete streets.

Bandicoot have earned a ferocious reputation, thanks to their raucous, overflowing live shows that spin euphorically from post-punk and krautrock to glam stomp and art-pop sensuality at the drop of a note.

‘Dark Too Long’ is Bandicoot‘s debut single on Libertino, a song they describe as a “frenzied cry of desperation from the depths of excess and loneliness, influenced by the driving rhythms of NEU! and Can.”

"Bandicoot are wired instinctively to the cathartic screams of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, the lustful danger of The Velvet Underground, and CAN's cinematic propulsion. They are the art-house provocateurs of Warhol's Factory brought to life on Swansea's rainy streets" - Libertino

Libertino · Bandicoot - Dark Too Long

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The Mojo Slide - Kalbells - Reality Anonymous - La Femme - Anya Hinkle - Hailey Whitters

The Mojo Slide - To Kill A Monkey.

"Having recently returned to attention’s radar with the singles Good Times, & Not In My Name, UK rockers The Mojo Slide now keep ears focused with their latest single from the album 'Manic Panic'

With their first album, Twist Your Bones, an extremely well received 2015 encounter springing a host of eagerly played singles on radio shows and stations worldwide anticipation for its successor has been patient if eager. It is a release which looks like following suit with its lead single already luring great support the way of the band and we only expect Not In My Name to do the same.

Ridiculously infectious and skilfully flirtatious in its grooves and hooks, Not In My Name instantly entangles ears with a great juicy melody, its wire of temptation escaping the guitar of Mike Fennaand soon joined by the melodic lures of fellow guitarist Matt Legg alongside the rhythmic swing of bassist Dan Savage and drummer Michael Graham. Amidst it all vocalist Mark Wilks adds his only creative infection, his voice almost dancing on the strands of sound making up the contagion.

Increasingly manipulative by rousing verse and anthemic chorus, Good Msn Down is one of those songs which just gets under the skin, for us eclipsing its predecessor and ensuring the release of new full-length, Manic Panic cannot come soon enough, an encounter you can also soon find us exploring on The RR.." - Pluggin' Baby - The Ringmaster Review

Formed in 2011, they released their debut album 'Twist Your Bones' in November 2015 on DO IT Records. The album features a contemporary mixture of classic rock 'n' roll, and blues rooted alternative rock. They have had radio play on BBC, Absolute and Planet Rock, amongst others, and have since signed with Nub Records.

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Kalbells - Pickles.

Kalbells—the collaborative art-pop project of Kalmia Traver, Angelica Bess, Sarah Pedinotti, and Zoë Brecher—today shared their new single “Pickles,” a fun and buoyant track featuring multimedia artist/rapper Miss Eaves off the upcoming full-length, Max Heart, releasing March 26 via NNA Tapes.

The sophomore album from Kalbells, illustrates the formidable love Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket) discovered with her touring band turned bandmates. Together, Angelica Bess (Giraffage, Body Language), Zoë Becher (Hushpuppy, Sad13), Sarah Pedinotti (Okkervil River, LipTalk) and Traver, practice both listening and accountability, rejoicing in their queerness, and promoting each other to be their most genuine selves. 

The result is Max Heart—ten vibrant and subtly layered tracks of mesmerizing psychedelic synth-pop. Common groove language is a rare medicine to happen across, which is why, as a group, playing together has been not only exciting, but healing. Max Heart harnesses this magnetic power for a collection of songs that are packed with inspired tension and daring surreality. Read the full bio here.

Max Heart is available to pre-order on standard black & "Salty Pickle" green vinyl, as well as on compact disc and digital formats here. The album will be available on "Red Marker" red vinyl exclusively from local indie record stores.

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Reality Anonymous - The Ghost Host, Vol 1 (Album).

Reality Anonymous is the brainchild of Lyn Vaus and the debut album The Ghost Host, Vol. 1 features contributions from Rob Myers (Thievery Corporation), Alex Rowney (Soft Candy), and Kenthany Redmond (Kenthany Redmond's Infrared Quintet).

Basic tracks, helmed by Joe Tessone, were cut with Blase Settecase at Mystery Street Studios. The album was mixed by Philip Stevenson at Rat City in Chicago and mastered by the legendary Bob Olhsson in Nashville.

Lyn Vaus is now based in Chicago and is a veteran of the Boston post-punk band Carnal Garage, who had a song featured in the hit SCI-FI movie The Lawnmower Man. After the band dissolved, Vaus moved to LA and got a job as a story editor at a film production company. Bouncing back and forth between LA and Boston for several years, his subsequent film credits include The Darien Gap, Next Stop Wonderland, and the micro-budgeted Temptation, starring Annette O’ Toole and Elisabeth Moss. 

That film rekindled his interest in playing music and he began writing the psychedelic songs that eventually appeared on his first solo record The Floating Celebration, which was recorded in Washington D.C. with musician/producer/Night World label head, Philip Stevenson.

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La Femme - Le Jardin.

Parisian psyche-pop band La Femme released the video for their new single “Le Jardin,” taken from their highly anticipated third album Paradigmes (out April 2nd via the band’s label Disque Pointu, distributed worldwide by IDOL). Shot in the south of Spain between Granada and Sevilla, the “Le Jardin” video is an excerpt from the band’s forthcoming full-length feature film, which will be released in conjunction with Paradigmes.

Released in time for Valentine’s Day, “Le Jardin” is a tender melancholic ballad, and La Femme’s first song in Spanish. “The lyrics were written during a trip to Spain a few years ago,” the band explains. “This is kind of an old-school slow dance which underlines how fate can be random and fragile. The moments we go through, sometimes very sudden, from shadows to light, and vice-versa. All of this, in a Romanesque scenery of the historic city of Sevilla, where the Holy Virgins are omnipresent on the walls, overlooking at mankind and its madness.”

The two main songwriters who started the band together, Sacha Got and Marlon Magnée, are the traditional heart of La Femme, and their vision is consolidated on stage by the masterful rhythm section of Sam Lefevre and Noé Delmas (bass and drums, respectively), and sublimated by the vocal talents of female singers like Alma Jodorowsky, Clara Luciani, Clémence Quélennec, Grâce Hartzel and Jane Peynot. Within this album of beautifully-curated electropop you will hear everything from coldwave to yéyé, Kraftwerk to the Velvet Underground, all distilled and sequenced and psychedelicized so that it sounds uniquely La Femme.

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Anya Hinkle - What's It Gonna Take (feat. Graham Sharp).

For as long as people have written songs, they’ve written songs that respond to and reflect on events in the world around them. And so, when Organic Records’ Anya Hinkle and her neighbor, Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers) got together to write on the day that news broke of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, it was almost inevitable that what would emerge was a meditation on the gulf between American aspirations and American reality.

“In fraught moments, you usually write what you need to write, to process what's going and find the words to move forward,” says Sharp. “This was the case with ‘What's It Gonna Take.’ My first instinct as we were writing was to look inside myself and what I could do. It was a very raw moment to see the pain of George Floyd and the Black community and know that I needed to account for myself in that moment.”

“Writing was the only way to really open up to things we often keep locked inside, things that aren’t pretty to examine, that are scary in fact,” Hinkle adds. “It helped us get honest about that, to push through some kind of strange fear of admitting how clearly some of us benefit from the system and others just lose over and over again. I don’t think the song does anything except to invite people to take a look at this sparkling mess and admit it’s there and needs to be reckoned with.”

As events continued to unfold, the pair worked to complete the song, and when it was finished, Hinkle began to think about how to record it. With Sharp’s participation an obvious ingredient, she reached out to a couple of other western North Carolinians and invited them in. “When we went into the studio to cut the single,” she recounts, “we asked a master of the sacred steel guitar, DaShawn Hickman, and gospel singer Wendy Hickman to join us in asking ‘what’s it gonna take?’ Bringing in their voices was an important part of processing the difficult summer, building trust and beauty through song. Only by listening to Black voices are we going to know what it’s gonna take.”

Syntax Creative · Anya Hinkle - "What's It Gonna Take" (feat. Graham Sharp)

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Hailey Whitters - How Far Can It Go? (feat. Trisha Yearwood)

Rising Country star Hailey Whitters releases “How Far Can It Go?” (feat. Trisha Yearwood) from LIVING THE DREAM, a deluxe edition of her critically-acclaimed breakthrough album THE DREAM that will be released on February 26 via Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. The deluxe album finds Whitters moving from fantasizing about “the dream” to actually living it, calling upon her close friends and collaborators Brent Cobb, Jordan Davis, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town, Lori McKenna and Trisha Yearwood to contribute vocals to the fresh tracks.

"When I wrote this song with Nicolle Galyon and Hillary Lindsey, we were drawing inspiration from all of the '90s female powerhouses I grew up listening to on Country radio,” explains Whitters. “This song reminds me of something I would've been singing along to on the radio, driving my old truck back in high school. We all know that young couple back in our hometowns with 'forever in their eyes,' and the feeling of wondering if they'll be able to make it work when they go off to college. Those story songs in Country music were relatable to me then (and now), and I hope there's a generation of Country music fans that still find them just as relatable today.”

“How Far Can It Go?” (feat. Trisha Yearwood) follows Whitters’ current single “Fillin’ My Cup” (feat. Little Big Town), which has racked up more than 4 million streams globally since its debut and was just named SiriusXM’s Highway Find. Watch Whitters chat with SiriusXM The Highway’s Storme Warren and MC Callahan HERE. Whitters also recently released “Glad To Be Here” (feat. Brent Cobb) and “The Ride” (feat. Jordan Davis) from LIVING THE DREAM.

“All of the artists featured on this project are responsible for me being able to hang up the apron strings and make music full-time,” says Whitters about LIVING THE DREAM. “The royalties from Little Big Town’s cut on ‘Happy People’ helped pay for part of THE DREAM, Brent Cobb and Jordan Davis were two of the first artists to take me on tour, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey are my two songwriting idols and favorite co-creators, and Trisha Yearwood is one of the first artists that got me excited about moving to Nashville and pursuing Country music. I wanted to show fans full circle what ‘living the dream’ looks like for me – from where I started with ‘Ten Year Town’ to the bucket list moments that have resulted since I released my record, THE DREAM. I felt it was important to show them what can happen when you don't give up on yourself.”

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Kelseidoscope - K Michelle DuBois - Quiet Marauder - Borito - Emily Coupe - Charlotte Spiral

Kelseidoscope - Wouldya Bee?

Kelseidoscope has released her latest single, ‘Wouldya Bee.’ The track, performed and written by Kelseidoscope and produced by Randy Kalsi is available on all streaming platforms today February 12th.

This latest single explores the importance of harmony in the world, and features Kelseidoscope’s cheerful vocals, along with her ukulele playing, to create a sweet and freeing soundscape that we all need in 2021.

“The chorus of Wouldya Bee first came to me while on a date at a bee sanctuary but I didn't finish the song until years later. For a long time I thought romantic relationships were a distraction from personal and spiritual development, until I later realized love can be one of the greatest motivators,” says Kelseidoscope. “Similarly to how the teamwork of bees makes the sweetness of honey, the sacred bond of a loving relationship can overflow to bring more sweetness into the world at large. Shortly after I came to these realizations I decided to finish the song and incorporate these insights into the lyrics of this fun-loving, joyful tune!” More singles for this artist are underway in 2021 with an album also expected.

Kelseidoscope [Kelsey Eide] is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose mission is to create music with a lens to heal and inspire. “Kelseidoscope” is not only a play-on-words via her name but is indicative of her process as a musician: repeated reflection. She digs deep into life’s beauty and trials offering positivity, hope or emotional processing with her high consciousness lyrics, catchy choruses and warm, embracing vocals. 

From teaching English in Korea to organic farming in her hometown of Timmins Kelseidoscope has a multitude of enriching life experiences she credits for forming her unique approach to music. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Community Development which deeply influenced her outlook on life and the themes of her songs. She has lived and volunteered in many parts of the world including teaching English in Korea, volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand, and working as a TV Presenter in Shenzhen, China. While living in Shenzhen her sister Kylah tragically passed away, motivating her to pursue her dreams full-heartedly. Kelseidoscope is motivated by supporting others to feel life’s greatest emotions and instill confidence and self love. Each of her songs have layers of stories, adventures and meaning she is committed to sharing with the world.

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K Michelle DuBois - The Fever Returns.

Wolves have long appeared as symbols in songs—spectral embodiments of solitary spirit animals driven by otherworldly passions and a mystical sense of freedom. After all, everyone from Duran Duran to the Los Angeles punk band X have invoked the hungry wolf in their songs detailing their most uncanny allegorical excursions into the night.

With her latest album, titled The Fever Returns, Atlanta-based singer, guitar player, and songwriter K Michelle DuBois pushes the boundaries of her Southern-inflected indie pop songs toward mysterious new and nocturnal terrain. Throughout the album, unlikely musical bedfellows—highly cultivated guitar tones, boundless pop production, and metaphysical imagery—placed side by side form singularly pleasing and full-bodied combinations.

The album’s opening title track comes to a head with a lingering rumination. DuBois sings: “Broke free from a comfort zone / Was it really that good? / Or were you just hiding / Seeing things you ain’t seen before / Walk right through an open door / You get so excited.”

Her words cast light on a path snaking through songs with titles such as “Heaven,” “Firestar,” and “Baby Witch,” each one finding the earth, the moon, the stars, and the elements taking on deeper and higher meanings amid her bounding melodies.

It’s in the song “Strawberry Moon,” though, when the wolves come out. The music builds subtly at first. The sound of wolves howling in the darkness blend with lingering percussion and synth lines, all resonating on the same spectral frequency. DuBois eases into the song, adding texture as she sings, “I was hunted beneath the Strawberry Moon / All told, my sole purpose was finding a place / Finding a place where we could stay wild.” The sound of her voice, and the shape of her words stir up a pensive atmosphere. It’s here in the midst of “Strawberry Moon” where she reveals the vital essence of The Fever Returns, and it’s message of looking deep within to make sense of her place in the world.

“It’s about finding your powers and your strengths—honing them,” DuBois says. “Let them be the impetus for you to leave your comfort zone, and to go out and experience new things, and to open new doors.”

The album’s title, and its opening number came to DuBois in the Spring of 2019, while she was stuck in bed, fighting a months-long illness. “I was spending a lot of time at home, much like right now,” DuBois says. “I had a horrific fever that was coming and going, and then I started thinking about it in different terms, like a fever for life, or whatever your passion may be, and ideas started coming together.”

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Quiet Marauder - Will I Remember To Remember?

Following swiftly on from last year’s Tiny Men Parts EP, Quiet Marauder re-enter the sonic fray with their latest Bubblewrap Collective long-player, The Gift, on 9th April 2021. Taking a strong divergence from the bombastic pop-punk of its predecessor, The Gift sees backing vocalist Kadesha Drija step to the foreground for the majority of the album, standing afront a richly crafted, multi-instrumental acoustic-folk backdrop.

Recorded pre-pandemic, January 2020, in The Burning Hell’s (Canada) pop-up Snowbird Studios, aka an art deco villa in Riofreddo, near Rome (Italy), this release marks another chapter in the ongoing international collaboration between the bands. For this album, Quiet Marauder’s (Wales) contributions of acoustic guitar, bass, trumpet and layered lead and backing vocals are granted further textural depth from their Canadian counterparts. These include minimalist harmonic splashes of flute, piano, organ (Jake Nicoll), electric guitar, bouzouki (Darren Browne) and bass clarinet (Ariel Sharratt).

Returning to the conceptual songwriting approach of previous releases MEN and The Crack And What It Meant, The Gift charts the narrative of a troubled teenage girl (Willow) haunted by visions of a mysterious house fire. Willow’s path is traced through well-meaning foster parents, teenage love interests, time-bending superpowers, distrust of domestic appliances and, ultimately, her own memories; covering themes of self-identity and the fallibility of human recall. Though the album marks a more overtly serious tone for the band, the sensitive subject matter is delicately handled through their trademark low-key, observational and, sometimes, darkly humorous lyrics.

bubblewrap.collective · Will I Remember To Remember?

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Borito - What We Have Now (Album).

Welcome to Borito's time machine - music that sends you back your summer vacation. The album is all about bringing back innocence, the freedom of loving, living and creating without the obligations and disappointments of adulthood. 

Borito’s debut album, "What we Have Now", is independently produced by band members Yael Copeland and Shahar Levi. Yael and Shahar are Tel Aviv musicians. They met in a music festival where Yael was performing and Shahar was the sound engineer. As their relationship developed so did the music of Borito.

Borito songs are fun, danceable, dreamy and colorful arrangements influenced by contemporary indie pop bands, a love for post-funk and storytellers from the best
of the rock and folk traditions. The band received a lot of attention with their first three singles.

The songs are being played in radio stations around the world: UK, The Netherlands, and South Korea & of course Israel. Playlists, international blogs and magazines are featuring the songs and complementing Borito's unique sound.
Borito is rounded out with two additional talented musicians: Sivan Dahan and Yoni Deutsch, both accomplished indie musicians that add their own sound and personality.

Altogether, the fantastic four create a colorful world of sound that is not limited by genre. In an age where we are surroundedby major challenges, global changes and an unknown future, the album celebrates the sweetness in life that can be easily forgotten.

Borito · What We Have Now // Borito's debut album

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Emily Coupe - Nursery Rhyme (Lullaby Version).

Prolific songwriter and consummate performer, Emily Coupe, delights audiences of all ages with her latest release, ‘Nursery Rhyme’ due to be launched worldwide on February 12th. 

The Australian born, Los Angeles artist releases this song as a follow up to the highly successful “Quarantine Christmas” which received airplay and video exposure in Australia and Japan. 

Her latest release further demonstrates Emily’s strength as a lyrical melody writer and creative arranger. The song, features the critically acclaimed, multiple solo album, Australian pianist, Timothy Davey. 

Reflecting the title, the listener is taken back to their childhood with the interplay of a familiar nursery rhyme enhancing the haunting message of Emily’s song. Available on all streaming platforms on February 12 ‘Nursery Rhyme’ is a not to be missed hit song for Emily Coupe.

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Charlotte Spiral - New Light.

Dark-alt pop duo Charlotte Spiral impressed with their debut EP Ideal Life in February 2020, garnering widespread critical acclaim, a Union Chapel show in support of Alice Boman, a Rough Trade Recommends showcase, and support from BBC6 Music. A year later, they’ve teamed up with Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (Kae Tempest, Bat For Lashes, Sia) once more for their evocative new EP New Light. Confronting and examining loss, escapism, dissatisfaction and comparing oneself, the EP will be released on April 9th.

Recorded both remotely and in-person with collaborator Dan Carey throughout the last year in and out of lockdown, New Light is both a reaction to, and a product of, Charlotte Spiral’s experience of an extended period of self-reflection.

Lead single and title track ‘New Light’ examines the internal conflict between living in the moment and wishing you were elsewhere, and thanks to social media, comparing your own life to others. Speaking about the song, lead singer Amy Spencer explains that it was written in response to a personal battle that will be familiar to many; “It’s simply a message to myself to live more in the present and stop imagining how things could be, especially nowadays when it's so easy to get distracted and compare yourself to other people”.

Charlotte Spiral is a collaboration between Amy Spencer and Avi Barath; two musicians that have been involved in multiple projects respectively before coming together to form the duo. Having met at Goldsmiths, the pair connected due to their mutual love of artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Julia Holter, Moses Sumney, Yann Tiersen and Beach House, and their inherent desire to write music that is lyrically driven and built upon organic piano melodies.

Charlotte Spiral · New Light

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