Elephant - I Ya Toyah - Thrillhouse - Big Little Lions - Remington super 60 - Quiet Marauder ft. Kadesha Drija

Elephant - Midnight in Manhattan / E.P.

Sunny, melancholy and in a major key. That is the sound of the 4-piece indie band "Elephant". Mellow pop music with an eccentric edge, for fans of Wilco, Andy Shauf and Big Thief. In March 2021, Elephant released their self-titled EP, produced by Pablo van de Poel (DeWolff) and recorded in the Electrosaurus Southern Sound Studio.

‘It may be midnight in Manhattan but here it’s time to rise. There is always someplace better, don’t let it fool your eyes.’ The subtle groove and the sobering lyrics make Elephant’s first single ‘Midnight in Manhattan’ a must-hear for music lovers. It was added to the playlist of Amazing Radio (UK/US), peaked at the 12th position of the ‘verrukkelijke 15’ chart of Dutch national radio, and quickly reached over 25.000 streams on Spotify.

Their second single ‘Bird’s Eye View’ is a both a sweet and haunting song about coming to terms with faded dreams and getting older. On this track, Elephant is accompanied by pedal steel guitarist Stefan Wolfs (Judy Blank, Dylan LeBlanc, Next of Kin).

Elephant was born in the year of a near-fatal knock-out of the music business, but debuts with a fitting and resilient response. Elephant is tipped as the new roots/indie band that just might make a difference in the coming years. ‘Something special is happening in Rotterdam’ - Leo Blokhuis (NPO radio 2)’

Elephant · Midnight in Manhattan

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I Ya Toyah - Concrete.

I Ya Toyah has released her latest single, Concrete. The track is written, produced, and performed by I Ya Toyah and produced, mixed and mastered by Nick Palazzo. 

Concrete is the second of 5 singles off I Ya Toyah's sophomore EP, Out of Order. The track explores anxiety through cyberpunk synths sounds and groovy beats, sharing I Ya Toyah's intense personal expression of the current reality we are all living in.

Futuristic vocal harmonies hypnotize audiences, and the rhythmic music puts them in an immediate trance. This song is about pandemic anxiety. It brings light to the extreme mental wear, something most of us are now familiar with thanks to 2020 and its dystopian vibe, says I Ya Toyah.

I Ya Toyah's sophomore 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 preorders instantly gets the streaming and download access to the first two singles off the EP. The music video for Concrete, filmed by Joel Lopez of Lumbra Productions also drops March 17th on I Ya Toyah's Youtube channel.

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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Thrillhouse - Where The Roads Don't Go.

Thrillhouse return with their latest single Where The Roads Don’t Go. A song about that brief but beautiful moment after you’ve finally come out of being in a bad place and things start to seem alright again. ‘It was written just as I was coming out of having a real stinker of year and things started to look up. Hopefully it captures that joy. Then lockdown hit. Great’

One of Indies largely undiscovered gems, Thrillhouse are steadily carving a unique space in the indie scene. Thrillhouse are a Brighton based alt-indie band living in the past. Born into the wrong generation, struggling with the delicate routine of a wholesome, balanced life they tend to stick to their bedrooms where they sometimes write music but sometimes don’t.

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. Recorded at the Silk Mill. Mixed by Tom Bishop Where The Roads Don’t Go is out March 19th

Thrillhouse · Where The Roads Don't Go

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Big Little Lions - Missed The Start.

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 monthly single releases are their way of getting through this pandemic while all the usual album cycle 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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Remington super 60 – Nouvelle Noveau (E.P).

What a breakup can do for musical inspiration. Remington super 60 is a band consisting of Christoffer Schou, Elisabeth Thorsen & Magnus Abelsen. The members have previously played in bands such as Musique Le Pop, Navigators, Frode Fivel amongst others.

Since the early start back in the end of the 90s, Remington super 60 have released albums, EP`s on various indie labels around the world, now they are ready with the follow up from last years EP “New EP” that received plenty
of attention on various blogs and radio stations around the world.

The new EP “Nouvelle Noveau” consists of 6 new songs and one forgotten song from 2002. The bands songwriter/producer Christoffer & Singer Elisabeth Thorsen were a couple of almost 16 years but decided to end their relationship last year. Some of the songs on this EP deals with exactly this. Christoffer & Elisabeth have remained very good friends and decided to continue their musical work together, something this EP is a living proof of.

The music is mainly recorded in Christoffer`s living room surrounded by guitars, basses and a rather large collection of Casio/Yamaha keyboards from the 80s, although most people consider these keyboards to be toys Christoffer loves to include them as much as possible.

Musically the band has been labeled a “dream pop” band by media, not that strange considering the music has a big atmospheric vibe, featuring many vocal layers & big reverbs. “Nouvelle Noveau” is released on Christoffer`s own label Cafe Superstar recordings and also released on cassette by the Slovakian indie label z-tapes.

Cafe Superstar Recordings · Nouvelle Nouveau

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Quiet Marauder ft. Kadesha Drija - Let's Run Into The Flames Together.

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.

The Gift will mark the second Quiet Marauder vinyl release via Bubblewrap Collective and will come on a heavyweight 180gm, purple marble 12-inch adorned within bespoke, Sims-based artwork designed by Carlota Nobrega. Each vinyl also comes with a lyric fold-out and sew-on ‘house fire’ patch. Alongside the vinyl release, The Gift will also be available to stream and download via all standard digital retailers and streaming services.

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Genghis Tron - Sunfields - Elissa Mielke

Genghis Tron - Pyrocene.

Genghis Tron share the official hypnotic 4K video for “Pyrocene” less than two weeks before the release of Dream Weapon— watch the Yoshi Sodeoka (Tame Impala, Oneohtrix Point Never) created video on YouTube. Guitarist Hamilton Jordan comments, "'Pyrocene' was the first song we finished for Dream Weapon. It all started with a single drumbeat that I wrote during an extended stay in the Arizona desert. I gave that beat to Michael, and within a few weeks he built an entire sinister, pulsating world around it. We knew, well before finishing the album, that this had to be the opening song on the record."

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 Zach Weeks (God City Studio) and was mastered by Heba Kadry. Dream Weapon is out March 26, 2021 on CD/LP/Digital.

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Pic: Jennifer Maagendans

Sunfields - Just Like The Young.

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 · Just Like The Young

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Elissa Mielke - Palace.

Some thoughts and words from Elissa including the featured song 'Palace' which is really special: "These songs are really personal for me; it's funny because both of them started out as songs for other people and ended up being things I needed to learn. Songs seem to do that for me (to me? haha).

Trying was a song written out of frustration in a time when I felt like I was constantly failing everyone, and ended up being more so about my own inner critic and the way I criticize myself. The lyric "Can't you see I'm trying?" ended up being a reprimand that my inner voice needed to hear just as much as the people I wrote it for did.

And Palace is about the moment where you meet someone and say "Can you please be who I hope you are?" Turns out that was something I needed to hear too; learning to come through for myself even when others can't or don't, and to love myself with the same fullness I do other people."

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Home Counties - Kieran Mercer - Mango In Euphoria

Home Counties - White Shirt / Clean Shirt.

Home Counties return today with new single "White Shirt / Clean Shirt". The second of two new self-produced singles, it follows "Modern Yuppies" released in January, and the band's widely praised 2020 debut EP 'Redevelopment'.

The band take a sharp left-turn on "White Shirt / Clean Shirt", upping the tempo and storming forwards with a hip-wriggling, eccentric examination of office work. Building on the playful post-funk hooks present in “Modern Yuppies”, Home Counties continue to show they're a band who are not afraid to colour outside the lines, both sonically and lyrically.

Singer Will Harrison said: "'White Shirt / Clean Shirt' began life as a guitar-orientated number that was a staple of our live set last year at our first shows, but then we had sort of fell out of love with it. Through lockdown, as we started experimenting more heavily with synthesisers and drum machines; we reworked the song with these new influences and it found a new lease of life.

"The two singles are linked lyrically, both looking at working life under contemporary capitalism. ‘Yuppies’ was written about the destructive mentality of middle-class professionals - constantly wanting more success, more money and more consumer goods. ’White Shirt / Clean Shirt’ looks at the less aspirational, and more universal reality of office work. It voices that feeling of losing your sense of self and place as you go into work, dressed uniformly in a Next suit, in an indistinguishable space, staring at another spreadsheet. It’s also got a bit of a ‘how did I get here?’ sentiment, being at work thinking about what more aspirational (or more expensively educated) people might be doing. Ultimately, it voices a feeling of having ‘learnt to fall’, rather than taught to succeed - sinking into the safety net of unfulfilling white collar work."

Since forming in January 2020, Home Counties have cemented themselves as a key act to watch, with radio support from Jack Saunders, Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq, Amy Lame, Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music) and Matt Wilkinson (Beats 1), along with press support from DIY Magazine, Loud & Quiet, NME, Dork Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, So Young Magazine, YUCK, The Rodeo, Gigwise and more.

Both "Modern Yuppies" and "White Shirt / Clean Shirt" are exciting first glimpses of a band evolving beyond their indie roots. Combining their aptness for angular guitar work with a more flamboyant sonic vision, the band's next steps will see them begin work on their second EP, due for release in the autumn.

Home Counties · White Shirt / Clean Shirt

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Kieran Mercer - Looking Through the Glass.

“Kieran Mercer is no stranger to the Canadian music scene, having opened for the likes of Marianas Trench, Walk off the Earth, Carly Rae Jepsen and Lights.

Looking through the Glass is Kieran’s first independent release. The song was written and performed entirely by the artist, and produced by long-time friend and former band mate, Martin Leather. The song is nostalgic for the glory days of youth and is more acoustic and stripped down than previous releases. Looking through the Glass observes a younger generation through the window of social media at an age where the observer is no longer in on the joke.

Kieran’s songwriting pulls from many musical styles. “My influences are all over the map,” says the 32 year old. “I grew up listening to country music like Hank Williams and British bands like the Kinks. In high school, I got into Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. This mix of influences is my foundation and I let it all flow into my own unique style.”

His 6 song EP Help Me Help You was released in 2016 under 604 Records, charting on the Top 20 Canadian Album chart on iTunes. Anarchy was the first single released from his EP Fools Gold in 2018, to critical acclaim.”

KieranMercer · Looking Through the Glass

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Mango In Euphoria - Golden Shrine.

Starting her project in London after being employed in Florida and travelling through the United States, French-born Alternative artist and songwriter Mango In Euphoria quickly found her audience when she dropped her first experimental work at the end of 2020.

The singer is an emerging talent noticeable by her quirky style and her mysterious signature voice, matching her very own unique musical tracks mixing Electronic Rock, Dream Pop and Dark-wave genres.

Creating melodies coming from her mind with virtual instruments and recording with a very basic microphone during the global Coronavirus pandemic, Mango In Euphoria also began to work remotely with Belgian producer Philippe Francq who helped her developing a lot of demos with physical instruments inspired from vintage influences such as the Twin Peaks series soundtracks, The Cure, and Garbage. As Mango was mainly musically influenced by Grimes, Marilyn Manson and Lana Del Rey, there's no doubt that the result would be quiet outstanding.

MangoInEuphoria · Mango In Euphoria - Golden Shrine

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Dessa - Nelson Sobral - The Catenary Wires

Dessa - Life On Land.

Today singer, writer, and rapper Dessa has released “Life On Land,” the third installment of her new single series IDES — the project sees Dessa dropping new music on the 15th of each month.

“I started writing ‘Life on Land’ sitting at my Casio keyboard wearing a green sweater and with my hair still wet from the shower,” Dessa explains. “I know because I filmed a little video of myself playing the key line to make sure I didn’t forget it. The first lyrics came easily: ‘Flip a coin, flip a car / I don’t care where we are / the picture and the sound won’t sync / some things time can’t fix’. Almost every other line resisted being written. 

I walk a lot to try and solve that problem, muttering for a mile or two and coming home with another viable four bars. Like the other songs in the IDES series, this track is a collaboration between me and producers Lazerbeak and Andy Thompson. All three of us thought the song needed an epic pop chorus…but those are easier to talk about than they are to write. When we finally had words and music for each section, we tried several sequences before landing at the structure on record. In the end, we built with pop bricks, but decided to ditch the pop floorpan and go rogue.”

Alongside this release, Dessa is also announcing a collaboration with Dogwood Coffee Co. on a limited-edition coffee. IDES coffee—available in 12 oz whole bean packages—is a blend of coffees from Mexico and Colombia, lightly roasted to produce a cup with notes of maple syrup and dark chocolate covered almonds. Online orders can be placed via Doomtree’s website, and packages will be available at Dogwood’s three retail locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul later this month. A portion of proceeds from sales at Dogwood’s shops will benefit Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest and most effective hunger relief organizations. The custom coffee is Dessa’s latest venture into food and beverage collaborations, joining her two signature ice cream flavors with Izzy’s Ice Cream and limited-edition bourbon and rye from RockFilter Distillery.

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Nelson Sobral - Pendulum.

Long, swaying grass, the hoofbeats of horses, and infinite blue skies: this is the typical imagery that has long come to mind when someone brings up Americana. But for Toronto-based Nelson Sobral, when you inject Americana with a hard-edged, urban blast of gritty midwest blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and northern soul, Americana adopts an entirely new identity, one of overpasses, subway trains, and the grit of city streets.

“I really don’t care if people think I’m ‘rural’ or not,” Sobral says from within the murky labyrinth of downtown Toronto. Despite being born and raised in the rough-and-tumble Parkdale neighbourhood, Sobral has long been surrounded by an outlaw spirit and lawless, yet valorous, energy. “My uncle loved country music—Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson were always playing at his place—but Otis Redding is my spirit animal for vocals, and growing up, I admired all the guitar players that served the song and meant more to me than just solos, like Jimmy Page and Keith Richards: they had dynamics and song craft. All of it is part of my gumbo, for lack of a better word.”

For Sobral, all that is sacred is the song, and the means by which it is delivered transcends genre. Though clearly inspired by the roots songwriting giants—the Hank Williams and the Gram Parsons of the world—Sobral’s work deserves a wider scope, a wider breadth, and a wider reach. Through the lens of soul, blues, and rock and roll, Sobral’s songwriting, paired with his incomparable voice and monster guitar playing, is fit for any stage, any night of the week, any audience, anywhere.

Nelson Sobral has already defined his road-hardened career by sharing stages with the likes of legends such as David Wilcox, The Trews, and Jeff Healey, and his knuckles-to-the-dirt, workhorse spirit has seen him tour and play relentlessly across Canada and the United States. “You need to do those things as a musician to experience life,” Sobral continues. “Even if you write from that perspective, you can tell if someone’s done it or not. You can tell when someone’s paid their dues.”

Sobral certainly has, like the aforementioned songwriting greats that have come before him. With a career due to be long, enduring, and unconcerned with being pigeonholed and catering to one image, one sound, and one spirit, Nelson Sobral has bigger plans: beneath the wide canopy of his influences and styles, Sobral continues to unite listeners with the impact of his songs and energy, as varied and wide-reaching as car wheels on a gravel road and the barreling rhythm of a Toronto streetcar.

Nelson Sobral · Pendulum

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The Catenary Wires - Mirrorball.

Mirrorball takes two lonely single people, and takes them for a night out in an 80s disco.  Surrounded by divorcees and middle-aged drunks, will they be too shy to talk, or will they find some love action?  Is this going to be heaven or hell?

This is definitely the most positive and the most romantic duet The Catenary Wires have ever released.   With delicate – and not so delicate – musical tributes to the 80s, Mirrorball starts off sceptical, but ends up falling in love with the music of a decade that was pure, unsubtle, tasteless and synthetic.  The 80s disco turns out to be heavenly!

To celebrate, there’s a real (virtual) 80s disco in the diary - and everyone is invited.  Top indie club How Does It Feel has invited The Catenary Wires (and a lot of guest DJs) to take over for the night on March 27th. The playlist will be mostly heaven, but there will be a bit of hell thrown in...

Rob and Amelia (ex Talulah Gosh, Heavenly) started The Catenary Wires as a duo, but they’re a full band now – and the new recordings have a very different tone, with the inspired contributions of Fay Hallam (keyboard), Ian Button (drums) and Andy Lewis (bass).

The Catenary Wires write songs for grown-up indie kids.  They don’t pretend to be 23 any more, but they do remember what it felt like.   Their songs are a combination of joy and regret, innocence and experience.

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Hunter Moreau - Laddermen - Sarah Klang

Hunter Moreau - Hazy.

Hunter Moreau believes everyone should strive to be more in touch with the vulnerable parts of themselves. And Hunter Moreau practices what she preaches.

Through her music, the soulful pop songstress frequently steps outside of her comfort zone to express the most vulnerable parts of herself, captivating listeners along the way.

Her newest single, "Hazy," is no exception. Produced by Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Ashe, SHAED), "Hazy" officially dropped on March 12.

"As simple as it may sound, 'Hazy' is about the pure bliss of summer nights," shares Hunter. "Doug and I were reminiscing about stories with friends, both new and old, and the magic that seems to happen on warm nights where nothing seems to really matter. We wrote this song to capture the nostalgia of looking back on those carefree times, and longing for that same feeling again. The feeling that no other moment matters besides right now. The excitement of not caring how exactly you’re going to get home, or where you even are, but just knowing that you want whatever feeling this is to last forever."

Born and raised in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts (population 6,000) – a seaside town near Cape Cod - Hunter began taking voice lessons at eight years old. Though Mattapoisett is both small and distinctly quaint, she will tell you that her hometown has fueled her love for music in a myriad of ways.

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Laddermen - The Huntress Obeyed.

Two weeks after the release of their first single "The Huntress Obeyed", the band Laddermen (CH/US) delivers the accompanying video clip.

"The Huntress Obeyed" is a spherical post-punk song about cocaine addiction in Austin, Texas and the dark side of the excessive party scene there.

The video presents this topic very powerful and with strong visuals. The focus is on two dancers who express the allure and tragedy of the relationship between a person and addiction.

Laddermen will release their debut album later this year. Their haunting songwriting and deep dramaturgy, for which they draw inspiration from English bands, should splash the indie scene with another palette of colour.

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Sarah Klang - Anywhere.

Gothenburg’s Sarah Klang, the self-declared “saddest girl in Sweden,” returns to form with the lush, melancholy of new single ‘Anywhere’, a song she describes as “about the constant search for happiness or at least peace or answers within yourself. How I long to feel better.” Warm Americana-tinged guitar reverberates with Klang’s incredible country-hued vocal diving straight to your heart.

‘Anywhere’ is the fourth single to be taken from the Swedish Grammy winning artist’s forthcoming album ‘Virgo’ (following 7th May, Pangur Records) and proceeds the “galloping country-rock” (The Line of Best Fit) of ‘Canyon’, the soulful smokiness of ‘Girls,’ and most recently ‘Fever Dream’ accompanied by the “sexy” Fredrika Eriksson directed video which premiered on i-D.

Sarah Klang has previously released two albums,  her debut album ‘Love In The Milky Way’  (2018) which won ‘Best Album’ at the Swedish Grammys and topped the charts and ‘Creamy Blue’ (2019) which was also nominated at the Grammys in both the ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Alternative Pop’ categories, as well as receiving a nomination for ‘European Album of the Year’ at the IMPALA Award.

Klang’s fun, exuberant live shows have seen her achieve sold-out headline tours in Scandinavia and mainland Europe, a sold-out show at The Lexington, London in 2019, and an arena tour in support of First Aid Kit.

‘Anywhere’ was recorded in Gothenburg, produced by Kevin Andersson, and mastered by Magnus Lindberg. It is released a digital single today, with the long-player ‘Virgo’ following 7th May via Pangur Records.

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JÁNA - Jack Conman - Sara Watkins - Phogg - DL Rossi

JÁNA - Outsider.

Swedish artist JÁNA has announced her second EP 'Works'. Due for release later this year, the EP follows standalone single "Green" featuring Nigerian-American duo VanJess, and her widely acclaimed (The Fader, Lyrical Lemonade, COLORS) debut EP 'Flowerworks' – both released in 2020. Accompanying the new EP announcement, today JÁNA is also releasing the EP's first single "Outsider".

Co-produced by Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin, "Outsider" elevates JÁNA's hybrid of alternative pop and bedroom R&B to exciting new levels. Uniting lucid synths with chugging industrial percussion, the song portrays a scenario of feeling lost, or feeling like an "outsider" amidst the fallout of a relationship.

Speaking on the new single, JÁNA said: "The lyrics and melodies came super quickly to me on 'Outsider'. It’s my first “breakup song”. I’m questioning this person, the relationship and myself after a breakup. I’m basically asking this person lots of questions in a “how could you” type of way. There's a sense of frustration, resentment and some sort of sad hope (referring to the second verse) in this song; addressing the feeling that you don’t belong without that person or maybe you lost who you were before ever meeting them."

JÁNA, (aka Stockholm based Johanna Andrén) was introduced to the world via her collaborations with Swedish heavyweights Little Dragon on her debut solo EP 'Flowerworks'. A mediation on relationships in general – as well as a chronicle of one of her own past relationships – The Fader praised its lead single "Wild Roses" for its "lush guitars and jazzy, minimal beats", whilst Lyrical Lemonade described the release as "a memorable debut that’s sure to put JÁNA on the map on a global level".

Majestic Casual Records · JÁNA - Outsider

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Jack Conman - Seventh Sense Libido.

Singer-songwriter Jack Conman’s album Seventh Sense Libido is streaming in full below.

Seventh Sense Libido marries the sexual politics of Cigarettes After Sex with the romanticism of Jeff Buckley & Pete Doherty - cited as Jack’s most cohesive body of work yet. It’s an intimate & reflective album about relationships which, through its honesty, affords the listener their own chance of self-reflection.

The album features singles Come Back In The Room which tells of the emotional push & pull experienced in relationships & Before You Love Me with its strikingly intimate vocal performance. They have received support from BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio & many more. 

With well over a million streams on Spotify for previous single Oxytocin, Jack has enjoyed airplay on BBC Radio 1 & 6Music, performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, featured in Clash's coveted Next Wave & gained a loyal following after showcasing on youtube channel COLORS. His music is now getting much attention, particularly in America, Germany & the UK with strong & encouraging streaming figures.

Jack Conman · Seventh Sense Libido

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Sara Watkins - Night Singing.

Sara Watkins of the Grammy-winning groups Nickel Creek and I’m With Her, as well as The Watkins Family Hour will release Under the Pepper Tree on March 26th via New West Records. The 15-song set was produced by Tyler Chester (Sara Bareilles, Margaret Glaspy) and is the follow up to her critically acclaimed 2016 solo album Young In All The Wrong Ways. Created with families in mind, the personal project encompasses songs Sara embraced as a child herself and brings storytelling, solace, and encouragement to the listener, no matter the age. In addition to two stunning original songs, the album includes Sara’s renditions of “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Beatles’ “Good Night,” “Moon River” (originally sung by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and more. 

Under the Pepper Tree also reunites Sara’s Nickel Creek bandmates Chris Thile and her brother Sean on “Blue Shadows on the Trail” (from the 1986 comedy The Three Amigos), Sara’s I’m With Her bandmates Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O’Donovan on “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” (originally performed by Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers), Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on Harry Nilsson’s “Blanket for a Sail,” David Garza on Roy Orbison’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” and Sara’s now three-year old daughter on her immensely sweet rendition of The Sound of Music’s “Edelweiss.”

Sara admits that she initially felt conflicted about making a children’s record until she realized that perhaps this album could impact a young listener in the same manner as the music from her own childhood affected her. The nostalgic and gentle Under the Pepper Tree offers a comforting record for those moments as daily rhythms fade into nightly rituals — and when a child’s imagination comes to life. “I want this album to be a place of calm, imagination, and relief,” Sara says. “Some days are perfect and things are a dream and make you feel like a superhero. And some days are just… such a challenge. I feel like this record has a place in both of those days, and I really hope that these recordings find a place in kids’ hearts, and become as special as they are to me.”

Sara sequenced the album’s 15 songs with the vinyl listening experience in mind. After forming the track listing of Side A and Side B, she then crafted transitions between the songs, making each half of the album seamlessly glide by. Sara says, “Although this album can certainly be enjoyed by listening all the way through, very early on in the planning I began thinking of it as something to be taken one side at a time. I imagine someone dropping the needle on side A one night, and side B the next.”

Under the Pepper Tree also features a stunning vinyl package so children can interact with the record in a deeper way. The idea stemmed from the vintage vinyl releases she’s collected for her daughter. “You find some that are really beautiful, and there are some Winnie the Pooh albums that we listen to on a daily basis, not just because of what they sound like, but because of what they look like,” she says. “My daughter will look at the book while I put on the record. The pages don’t tell everything that’s in the song, but that doesn’t matter because sometimes she’s more looking and sometimes she’s more listening. It’s all there, it’s all connected. I want kids to experience my record that way, with all of those senses.”

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Phogg - Sharkness.

The Swedish psyche-rock wonder is defined as Phogg and the band has returned with a new album. An album that has been forged out of pandemic, 30-year crisis and broken hearts. 2020 has not been an easy year for none and Phogg is no exception:

“What does it mean to be a rock band these days? How does it matter? We are all closing in to the dirty thirties. We have ended relationships and people have ended it with us. We have lost treasured memories and have had our computers and hard drives stolen.

We have lost rehearsing spaces and studios, gigs and opportunities. The glory days of Rock have faded away in this pandemic apocalypse’s fart of the times. There is no fun making songs about an allegorical downfall when you are in the middle of it.”

In September 2019, we saw the release of Phoggs second studio album “Mofeto: Mashine Adamkosh”, an album “about robots seizing world domination”, that was well received by the music media community, both domestic and internationally. After the cries of joy in the wakes of “Mofeto”, Phogg took on the challenge to record two albums at the same time. The goal was to work on these albums parallely and release them simultaneously but as it would turn out, that was an extremely stupid decision and the band were inches from mentally burning themselves out.

This week the release of “Sharkness”, the fourth and the last single before the highly anticipated third album, “The Sharkness”, premiering the 16th of April.

“Sharkness, the title track of our new album, came to be while recording the album. ‘Sharkness’ means to hold a kind of self-destructive self-preservation drive. To navigate through difficulties and hardships. To push down instincts of worries and prance forward in life. This is to hold Sharkness."

The tune is featured by the incredible Indrielle, who was recording with us in our studio at the time. The song is a favourite of ours and we hope that you will love it at least as much as you love us.”

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DL Rossi - Tumbling.

“There’s absolutely no reason why we should be doing this right now, other than the fact that this is who I am and this is what I want to do. So let’s just make a record.”

Such was the theme of the recording sessions for soulful roots musician DL Rossi’s upcoming album Lonesome Kind. Known for his brand of heart-wrenching, deeply personal songwriting that’s been compared to the likes of Isbell, Orbison, and Brooks, Rossi left Nashville for his home state of Michigan last year after his uncle was diagnosed with brain cancer, only to find himself commuting back the Music City to record the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album A Sweet Thing.

After a career spent embracing and feeding comparisons to his aforementioned contemporaries, the aim this time around was to break free from those associations and let his own light shine. Raised on Christian music and spending many years of his adult life as a worship leader, he came to love Springsteen, Petty, and Jackson Browne late in the game. And while you can still hear threads of their influence, Rossi’s latest offering shows a maturity and willingness to stand on his own.

Lonesome Kind is a vibey, ‘70s-inspired album laden with Motown guitar riffs and soulful lyrics with a reoccurring theme of independence while mourning the loss of ideals and energy of youth.

It was produced by Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham), who also lent his skills to tracking bass, keys, and some guitars. Rossi was joined by his brother Nolan (Audrey Assad) and Juan Solorzano (Molly Parden) on guitars, with Ross McReynolds (Jess Nolan, Katie Pruitt) rounding the group out on drums.

DL Rossi · Tumbling

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Lily Konigsberg - Alyssa Messina - Borrowed Thoughts - My Name is Ian

Lily Konigsberg - Owe Me.

Lily Konigsberg: singer, instrumentalist, lifelong songwriter. Since her early childhood, the Brooklyn-born-and-based artist has occupied her time with music. “Basically I was born and immediately started wanting to be a rock star,” Konigsberg told Pitchfork in July of last year (she was a 2020 Pitchfork Rising Artist). By the time she won a five-borough battle-of-the-bands contest as a teenager Konigsberg had already been performing solo sets in cafes around her native Park Slope, and in 2013 she would link with fellow Bard classmates Nina Ryser and Ani Ivry-Block to form the egalitarian art-punk outfit Palberta, a beloved DIY scene fixture who have recently come to wider attention on the back of their critically-acclaimed 2021 album Palberta5000.

Since the early days of Palberta Konigsberg has been posting solo material on her personal Bandcamp page. Between various other collaborations and musical projects she has released three official EPs under her own name beginning with 2017's Good Time Now, a milestone split release with Andrea Schiavelli, 2018's 4 Picture Tear, and 2020's It’s Just Like All the Clouds, her first EP on long-time Palberta home Wharf Cat Records, and a release that began t bring broader attention to Konigsberg's solo work. Today, Konigsberg is announcing a new compilation on Wharf Cat entitled The Best of Lily Konigsberg Right Now, a release that compiles her three EPs alongside unreleased tracks into a remastered (or in some cases mastered for the first time) collection. To announce the release Konigsberg is sharing "Owe Me," an older track she initiall demoed with It's Just Like All The Clouds producer Paco Cathcart, that features keyboards from Matt Norman (Horn Horse) and final production handled by Nate Amos (This is Lorelei, Water From Your Eyes).

This compilation is a musical omnibus—the first widely distributed Lily Konigsberg physical release as well as the first vinyl treatment for both Good Time Now and 4 Picture Tear. The collection loosely parallels the melancholic narrative behind the latter, where a mental break triggered Konigsberg’s depersonalized sense of her past self. Of the 4 Picture Tear EP, Konigsberg says, “I would look at this photo-booth picture I took with Matt [Norman] and cry because I thought I was looking at the person I used to be in that picture and that person was gone.” In retrospect, these three EPs feel like distinctive vignettes of Konigsberg’s progression as a songwriter, each version of her past selves tethered by an invisible thread to the present through musical alliances and fervent introspection.

“Owe Me,” a song Konigsberg never felt fit on any of her previous releases, now serves as an opening curtain call. “Thank you all for coming to my show,” Konigsberg says to an invisible audience’s applause. “If you didn’t know, now you certainly know.” It’s a transportive moment that combines Konigsberg’s patient steps into the underground pop limelight with her exceptional ability to connect with a diverse and talented cohort of creatives.

"I wrote 'Owe Me' in Petaluma on a trip with my friend Matt Norman," says Konigsberg. "I knew immediately that it was one of those bangers that was gonna rock people’s worlds, but after Matt added some essential keyboard licks, it disappeared into the abyss of my computer accompanying roughly 500 other songs still stuck there. When concept of The Best of Lily Konigsberg Right Now came together with my friend Trip Warner, I knew this should be released. With the help of Nate Amos who enhanced the beat, added the descriptive sounds, and basically just made it sound amazing, it was finally complete. For me, the lyrics to this song aren’t as important as how much collaboration and friendship can transform a banger into a BANGER. I love my friends."

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Alyssa Messina - Born Again.

Born Again is a song about the impact that one may leave on another person in ways that have never been felt before. It’s a song about the discovery of true love, the acceptance of these feelings, and the fear and excitement that comes with it. The distance between you and this other person means nothing because even though they are so far, they always feel so close; they’ve naturally become the missing puzzle piece.

These feelings grow deeper each day; like a never ending field of blooming flowers with scents that captivate your mind and take you to a whole new world of discovery. You can’t get enough of what makes them who they are; everything about this person warms your heart and draws you closer to their dreams that you wish you could be a part of.

Born Again underlines the theme of hope in the sense that you begin to fantasize about how life would be like with this person. The ‘impossible’ has suddenly become the ‘new reality’ and there’s no turning back. You feel ‘born again’ because of how they’ve helped you to see the world differently. Life is full of surprises, and this, by far, has been the most beautiful and life changing one for me. It’s true when I say that, “he makes me feel Born Again.”

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Borrowed Thoughts - Decompress.

As we received it from Michael - My name is Michael Masurkevitch (singer-songwriter under the name  "Borrowed Thoughts.")

I am an actor and aging-teen-father, who is able to pursue my dreams because I live in my parents' basement (my 14 year old has a room upstairs.)  Funny story, not only am I also a Michael, I also also used to be a beekeeper for a few years.

On March 11, I am releasing my first ever single, "Decompress." The song was conceived when I was meditating in an urban woodlot off the DVP in Toronto, and began to cry with the release of how much I had needed time to process my feelings, and began singing to myself through my tears.

The song felt like a gift from the universe, so I found a talented producer to help me turn it into a gift that can be shared.The result is a cathartic baroque-pop ode to taking time for mental health, with a roguish lilt and notes of my Romani heritage.

The song has been described by listeners as "A quarantine anthem" ; "A really sweet reminder to take time to love myself" ; and, "fun and whimsical, but then with this real sincerity and melancholy underneath."

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My Name is Ian - For Love.

We are delighted to welcome My Name Is Ian back onto our release schedule after an uncharacteristically long development period for their latest album, Fantastic Company, out via Bubblewrap Collective on 4th June 2021.

Fantastic Company will be preceded by lead single, For Love, on 12th March 2021 offering the first taster of the band’s new sound. The album will be available on limited edition heavyweight black vinyl and across all the usual digital streaming and retail platforms.

The band’s standard ‘prolific-and-terrific’ approach, culminating in no less than 18 releases since 2010, has been put to one side, with their latest being written and recorded over two years, with time spent in four different locales (Cardiff’s Rat Trap and King’s Road Studios, the pop-up Snowbird Studios in Riofreddo, Italy and Axe and Trap Studio in Wells). The resultant LP takes a substantive shift from the garage-pop of previous records and leaps double-footed into a charmingly wonky, indie-dance parallel universe where almost anything seems possible.

Placing centrally the multi-layered, pre-programmed beats of in-house production guru, Joseph Coleby, live instrumentation including electric guitar, four different keyboards and synths, smooth funk-soul bass and hand percussion are also liberally sprinkled throughout. Flanking Reginald Foxwell’s ever-incisive lead vocals are over 20 other singers including members of The Burning Hell, Quiet Marauder, HMS Morris and more. The aggregated effect of this production methodology, musicianship, and spirit of sonic adventurism is a warming, texturally deep and irresistibly catchy set of tracks straddling pop, hip-hop and experimental soundscapes.

Fantastic Company will be preceded by lead single, For Love, on 12th March 2021 offering the first taster of the band’s new sound. The album will be available on limited edition heavyweight black vinyl and across all the usual digital streaming and retail platforms.

bubblewrap.collective · My Name is Ian - For Love

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Renée Reed - Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band - PACKS - Jane Inc - Susan Gibson

Renée Reed - Neboj.

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed shares "Neboj" from her self-titled debut album out March 26, 2021 via Keeled Scales.

The song follows the hazy psych of the French single "Où est la fée" released in February, and the spell-binding earworm "Fast One" released in January.

"Neboj" is originally a Czech word that Renée came across while diving into Czech animation. For Renée, this is a song about letting go and not being afraid to fall in love, to just trust her heart. The song gently unspools with brilliantly finger-picked guitar and Renée's dreamlike vocals.

Renée grew up on the accordion-bending knee of her grandfather Harry Trahan, in the middle of countless jam sessions at the one-stop Cajun shop owned by her parents Lisa Trahan and Mitch Reed, and soaked in the storytelling of her great uncle, the folklorist Revon Reed and his infamous brothers from Mamou. She was surrounded by a litany of Cajun and Creole music legends, both backstage at the many festivals of Southwest Louisiana, and on the porch of her family home.

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Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band - Too Cool To Dance.

The new album from Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Dance Songs for Hard Times, is scheduled for independent release April 9, 2021 via Thirty Tigers. Ahead of that, the band released a video (“Ways and Means”) last month and a second single, “Too Cool to Dance,” this week.

Of the “Ways and Means” song and video, Rev. Peyton explains: “It’s a personal song, like all of my songs, but the song ‘Ways and Means’ is written for all those folks that have the moves, the style, the substance, the talent, but maybe not the seed money or the famous last name.  All those people that had to work extra hard, because they didn’t get to start way ahead. Folks that have been playing catch up since they were born, and had to get really good just to make it to zero. The idea for the video was born from the lyrics, but also as a wink and a nod to those folks that know what it’s like inside of a Laundromat. There could be a lot of magic hidden inside the people that you interact with in places like a Laundromat, and my hope was to convey that.”

“‘Too Cool to Dance,’” he says, “might be interpreted as the album’s centerpiece for its message of not taking things for granted. The seize-the-moment anthem offers the chorus, ‘We may not get another chance. Oh, please don’t tell me you’re too cool to dance.’ I was thinking about all the times where I’ve been somewhere and felt too cool to dance. I didn’t want to be that way. Not being able to do anything last year, I had this feeling of, ‘Man, I’m not going to waste any moment like this in my life — ever.’”

The album as a whole conveys the hopes and fears of pandemic living. Rev. Peyton, the Big Damn Band’s vocalist and world-class fingerstyle guitarist, details bleak financial challenges in “Ways and Means” and “Dirty Hustlin’.” He pines for in-person reunions with loved ones on “No Tellin’ When,” and pleads for celestial relief on the album-closing “Come Down Angels.”

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PACKS - Silvertongue.

PACKS were an increasingly visible presence in Toronto in the first part of 2020. A string of intriguing lo-fi singles, appearing once every month or so on Bandcamp through 2019 had begun to persuade people to take notice in their hometown, where the band were sharing stages with people like Squirrel Flower and Odetta Hartman, and outside of it. Despite having rarely ventured outside of the city, and having never crossed the border into the US as a band, these early tracks caught the attention of the rising Brooklyn label Fire Talk Records, who have recently introduced celebrated acts like Dehd, Patio, Deeper and Mamalarky. Today, the band are formally announcing their debut LP take the cake, which will be released by Fire Talk in partnership with the Toronto indie Royal Mountain Records (Alvvays, Wild Pink, Mac Demarco) on May 21st.

To mark the announce the band are sharing the album's first single "Silvertongue," a track that captures PACKS at their fuzzed-out best.

"It’s easy to be lured into the comforts of past relationships," says PACKS leader Madeline Link. "What’s harder is dealing with years of exhaustion, mistrust, and always hoping. Ditch the whiplash of manipulation and decide what YOU want out of love! "

PACKS was initially a solo songwriting project of Madeline Link that she pursued between gigs as a set dresser for commercials, the band is now a four piece, composed of Shane Hooper (drums), Noah O’Neil (bass), and Dexter Nash (lead guitar). Together they turn Link’s melodically adventurous and introspective songs into the purest and brightest kind of indie rock. Anchored by Link’s voice, which brings such an easy charm to her songs that it’s easy to miss her keen ear for acrobatic vocal lines, the band’s debut is a collection of songs that marry the loose but incisive jangle of early Pavement with the barbed sweetness of Sebadoh and the wide-eyed wonder of the first Shins LP.

Written in two different settings, between the city limits of Toronto where Link was living in 2019, and the Ottawa suburbs where she was quarantined with her parents in the spring 2020, both remain complementary emblems of self-reflection and wry observation of the mundanity of daily life.

“The album is a meeting of old and new,” says Link. “Old songs from a year ago where I'm having really horrifyingly awful days at work, getting doored while biking in Toronto and flying into the middle of the street, or going on dates with guys who I'm either instantly in love with, or who end up creeping me out a bit. Those songs are more packed with that feeling of hurtling-through-time-and-space-at-breakneck-speed, manic energy. The newer songs are infused with a foggier, slower-paced disillusionment, and deal with the strangeness of a reality morphing before my eyes every day. I still try to be optimistic obviously, but these songs are really glorified coping mechanisms.”

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Jane Inc - Obliterated.

Toronto-based Jane Inc., the solo project of Carlyn Bezic who is also known for her work as part of U.S. Girls, Ice Cream and Darlene Shrugg is today sharing the widescreen, cinematic-pop of "Obliterated" – listen here. The new single, taken from Bezic's forthcoming debut album, Number One – out via Telephone Explosion Records on March 19, 2021 – follows on from previous tracks which have found tips at Brooklyn Vegan, The Line of Best Fit and Earmilk.

Written and produced by Bezic, the new project is unlike anything she has been part of previously. Beginning as a one-woman show, Carlyn wrote and produced the early songs for Number One by layering multiple instruments on top of samples and drum breaks. She later recruited recording engineer, Steve Chahley to co-produce and record drum and drum machine with Toronto drummer, Evan J. Cartwright (Tasseomancy, U.S Girls, Eucalyptus), adding saxophone by Nick Dourado (BUDi Band, Aquakultre, Fiver) and Wurlitzer by Scott Harwood (Scott Hardware).

In a lot of ways, this album is a constant self-assessment. How do our surroundings impact our depression? Does outside imagery warp our ideas of beauty and self-worth? How do we manage our unhealthy connections to social media? What can we do to better our planet? This internal dialogue often leads Number One into vulnerable territory. “I think a lot of the songs on the album deal with how we form ourselves and how that gets fragmented and complicated by the societal structures we interact with”, says Bezic. “It felt right to make a collage of pictures of me (and ads from magazines) for the cover of the album. It’s like a weird fragmented self, building up an idea of who you are based on other people's ideas of you”.

This new cut, "Obliterated" marks the closing track on the forthcoming album and an adventure into this brightly colored, syrupy alt-pop which is fashioned around downtempo percussion and woozy synthesizers. As a single, "Obliterated" continues to explore some of the album's wider themes that look at our digital footprint and how we appear to others in an online world: "Obliterated" imagines the moment that the IRL self is overtaken by the online self," says Carlyn, "leaving a serene melancholy and calm resignation"

Themes around how self-image affects our decisions and everyday lives are central Number One. Within its lyrics and boisterous rhythms is an exploration of the difficulties of self-reflection when our sense of self is constantly shifting in each new context. Jane Inc. is an outlet to escape real-world bummers and forge fantasies, a sonic journey through a complex reality. It is an extension of Bezic, a solo persona used to explore the different facets of herself and her artistry.

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Susan Gibson - Compassionate Combat.

Texas songwriter, Susan Gibson released the new single, “Compassionate Combat”, today to celebrate, thank and benefit nurses across the country and the world. Produced by Billy Crockett and recorded at his Blue Rock Studio late last year, the song speaks to the hard work, and dedication that nurses put into helping those in need. Never in our lifetime has this work been more at the forefront of our thoughts than it has been over the last year and Gibson’s song captures the feelings that so many of us share about them. So often we struggle to find a way to thank those people that do so much for us and “Compassionate Combat” serves as the perfect way to show them that we all care. It is officially available on all streaming platforms today. The video directed by Brent Tallent (linked below) is also now posted.

The song itself has had quite a journey. In the spring of 2020 as our country was realizing the impact the pandemic was having and going to continue to have, Susan was one of the songwriters approached by Carolyn Philips of Songs For The Soul, an organization that strives to support caregivers through the power of music. Carolyn asked Susan to write a thank you song to the nurses that were working so diligently to help steer the nation through these unprecedented times. Once “Compassionate Combat” was written and a demo distributed to Songs for the Soul’s network it began to take on a life of its own. 

Shortly after, a friend asked Susan to record a video telegram of the song to send to nurses in the Houston area. With no plans to record a new album and the touring industry at a halt, Gibson spent the rest of the summer and early fall in Montana on her family cabin. A November online show from The Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio would prove to be a pivotal moment in this song’s life. With no other new songs to showcase but having never performed the song live, Gibson decided to throw “Compassionate Combat” into the set list.

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Jordy Benattar - Wy - Lauryn Macfarlane - Fresh

Jordy Benattar  - Falling (feat. Tyler Simmons).

A newcomer to the music scene, Canadian actress Jordy Benattar has a distinct sound hard to compare to anything else you’ve heard before. Described as “enchanting”, “delightful”, “soothing”, and “carefree”, Jordy Benattar is a breath of fresh air.

Storytelling through art has always been part of Jordy’s journey. As an actress in film and television, Jordy worked alongside talent including Brooke Shields, Whoopi Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Gary Sinise, Billy Baldwin, Freddie Highmore, and renowned directors who helped shape her craft. Her performances have earned her a CAMIE Award, a Young Artist Award Nomination, and a Gemini (Canadian Screen Award) Nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Drama or Mini-Series.

Musically inclined and eager to write her own ‘script’, Jordy started writing songs where she gets to play the character she knows best: herself.

Influenced by nature, life experience, growing pains, quotes that make us look within, and world-changing events that make us look out, Jordy has a unique way of pouring universal feelings into mellow, magnetic music. Her tight, smart lyrics are perhaps a product of her education and eye-opening work experiences. Jordy is a lawyer by training, an MBA grad, and an infinitely curious student of the world.

A natural melody-maker and lyricist, Jordy is most interested in collaborating with creatives who bring a different sound than she does to the studio. Keen to write for producers and other artists, she views the songwriting process like a chemistry experiment, where different elements combine to produce something completely new. A natural songwriter dancing on the matrix of indie, folk and the softest of pop, Jordy Benattar’s music feels like the most honest conversation you’ll ever have.

Jordy Benattar · Falling (feat. Tyler Simmons)

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Wy – That Picture Of Me.

Wy are a band strongest at their most vulnerable. The Malmö indie duo, Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren, have showcased their musical skills across two albums, 2017’s Okay and 2019’s Softie which gained them recognition from KEXP, Line of Best Fit, NBHAP, Tonspion, CLASH and more as well as tours in Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. But what makes them stand out as a band is the raw, brutal emotion they capture in their music.

A Wy song at their best sounds like opening it all up, and letting the feelings flow where they will, letting the pain, anger, fear, hope and love steer the song. Those emotions are spun into the band’s skyscaping, cinematic sound, and turned into music that has a force behind it, a power that hits you, even when it's at its softest. And that power that illuminates the band’s songs is more present than ever on their new album Marriage which is out on May 7th, That Picture Of Me is the third single and a track that was wrote as "a stream-of-consciousness scrolling down social media feeds. It's fascinating and very silly to me how many thoughts and emotions can occur within a couple of seconds, just because your feed is so jam-packed with information. From friends, to ads, to memes and memories. Your mood can shift so instantly and it feels very necessary to spell it out like this, so you become more aware of it.".

Marriage is the first record since signing to Rama Lama Records (Melby, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Chez Ali etc.) and the  sound of Wy moving forward and backwards at once. Leaving the more produced style of last album Softie behind, it turns to the simpler sound of their earlier work for music that’s rawer and sharper. On both the indie-rock and the pop songs of this album, there’s less between the listener and the heart of the song - this is music that’s very direct, both in theme and sound, with melodies that hit cleanly and leave nothing even trying to hide. It’s the work of a band that have grown into themselves and what they do, and making the strongest songs of their career.

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Lauryn Macfarlane - Nowhere Town.

Lauryn Macfarlane’s celestial take on indie pop is as captivating as it is stunningly harmonious. As a rising Canadian artist and songwriter, Lauryn has garnered attention across Eastern Canada, through a rigorous show schedule and an unwillingness to waver from her roots.

Raised in a small town in rural Ontario, Lauryn was the product of a community that made arts a priority amongst young students. Having this foundational strength has given Lauryn a glowing confidence that bursts through her as she performs. Lauryn has been recognized as a bewitching storyteller, drawing inspiration from her own experiences and struggles as an empath with an unceasing flow of emotion. Her honest songwriting, powerful voice, and vibrant, colorful melodies have drawn comparisons to Jade Bird, Phoebe Bridgers, The Chicks, and Maggie Rogers, all of which are great sources of inspiration to Lauryn.

After opening for various acts including JJ and The Pillars, Heaps (formally The Kents), Kane Miller, and NEFE, Lauryn has found a presence and aura on stage that commands attention. The energy is raw, visceral and intimate. Those who experience a show tend to walk away with the feeling that they have fallen on one of Canada’s secret gems.

In the fall of 2019, Lauryn decided to make the move to Montreal, Quebec, Canada where she has been working alongside producer/engineer Sam Woywitka (Luca Fogale, Half Moon Run) and musicians Isaac Symonds (Half Moon Run) Mishka Stein (Patrick Watson) and Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) on her debut EP. Alongside these esteemed musicians, Lauryn has created a collection of songs that she is incredibly proud of and that will provide the industry with a clear vision of what she has to offer as an artist.

Lauryn Macfarlane · Nowhere Town

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Fresh - Girl Clout.

London DIY punks Fresh today share a new track via Specialist Subject Records, ‘Girl Clout’. The band have worked tirelessly since their inception – touring with the likes of The Beths, PUP, Adult Mom and more, releasing two albums and amassing a devoted fanbase following appearances at Fest, Manchester Punk Festival and The Fiest in Madrid amongst others. For a band that have existed for a relatively short period of time, the four-piece have already released a hefty catalogue of work – prolific, ever evolving and always fresh (in every sense of the word). The UK punk scene continues to suffer at the hands of Covid-19 and following a year of no live shows, ‘Girl Clout’ is here to remind us not only of what we’re missing but of what we’ve got to look forward to when Fresh can finally tour again.

‘Girl Clout’ is a musical embodiment of frustration and pure visceral anger. “I wrote it in two minutes and as soon as we jammed it out together, we knew that it felt right” says lead singer Kathryn Woods. “Themes include power, not being taken seriously by male musicians and bands, and being tokenised. It’s also about seeing through performative male allyship, owning your space in punk music as a woman and venting your frustrations through good old-fashioned rock and roll.”

Fresh have been an unwavering fixture within the UK punk scene since their first record in 2017. A joy to behold live, the band includes musical peer Myles McCabe of ME REX, while lead singer Kathryn Woods is a member of a number of heralded indie and punk bands, including cheerbleederz and ME REX alongside McCabe. With future plans to tour alongside a new album, FRESH show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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