Scenes - Lady Dan - Wyndow - Seafoam Green - Sterre Weldring - Hunter Moreau - Shadow Monster

Scenes - Henhouse feat. Ainslie Wills.

Brisbane songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Scenes made his debut last month with his dynamic new single 'Henhouse' featuring Ainslie Wills. Today he shares his moody video clip alongside the announcement of his debut EP releasing later this year.

Scenes is the solo project of Graham Ritchie, self-produced and recorded, Scenes’ debut single flourishes with drum loops and reverberant analogue synths that swell around the distinct vocals of Melbourne artist Ainslie Wills. The track also features Ryan Strathie on drums (Holy Holy, Andy Bull, Olympia) and was mixed by Jake Miller (Bjork, Aurora).

"In the verses, Ainslie’s lower register captures and draws you in, and then soars over the driving chorus instrumentation. Layers of saturated vocal delays colour the chant-like phrases which contain fragments of self-talk," explains Graham.

The video shot and produced in his hometown of Brisbane by director Matthew Howard sees two young adults walking home and in their bedrooms, both experiencing moments of introspection and catharsis. "'Don’t let the fox guard the Henhouse’… it’s about our minds. Our fragility and limitations. But there’s also a commitment to hope and progress," Graham continues.

Since the song released it has already received high praise from triple j as well as additions to popular Spotify playlists 'Indie Arrivals' and 'Broad Chords' as well as placement on international Apple Music playlists' 'New In Indie'. Over his career, Graham has collaborated and toured with artists including Big Scary, Japanese Wallpaper, Emma Louise, Airling, Thelma Plum and Gretta Ray.

Already preparing more singles and a debut EP, don't wait any longer as his music engulfs you and takes you on a musical journey.

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Lady Dan - Misandrist To Most.

Lady Dan has shared her new track "Misandrist to Most" – it's the final piece to be released ahead of her debut album, I Am the Prophet which is out via Earth Libraries on April 23.

It's a real highlight for me on the album, following in the wake of NPR, Stereogum, GoldFlakePaint, FLOOD and Line of Best Fit-tipped tracks, this time addressing the patriarchal systems that dictated Tyler Dozier's (real name behind the Lady Dan moniker) life previously. There are some glorious examples of slide guitar here as well as off-kilter percussion and Tyler's mesmerising voice which has found comparisons so far to Sharon Van Etten and Julia Jacklin.

As a full piece, I Am the Prophet dives into some deeply personal content for Dozier, in a sense tackling lots of the pressure and symbols of authority that she has come up against in her life. Initially hailing from Dothan, Alabama, Tyler grew up in a strictly religious environment, moving to Birmingham, Alabama in her teens to attend a ministry school which was when she began to question the role of the Church in her life. 

It was an amalgamation of the Church and a controlling relationship that birthed the crux of I Am the Prophet – a celebration of sorts about ridding the patriarchal restraints that refused her growth, as well as being a frustrated kick at those who've always said she couldn't in life. Each track poses a new narrative, arriving as multilayered existential quandaries of empowerment and restriction, of life and death, or of faith and its absence.

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Wyndow - Two Strong Legs.

Wyndow is the psychedelic-pop project of revered singer-songwriters Lavinia Blackwall and Laura J Martin. The duo recently announced their collaboration via the sharing of their debut single ‘Take My Picture’ which has already earned support from the likes of The Quietus, For The Rabbits, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland & BBC Radio Wales. The pair first met whilst playing on the same bill at Moseley Folk Festival in Birmingham and hit it off instantly over a shared love of the music of Robert Wyatt. Over the years that followed, their paths crossed several more times and eventually the pair began working on a new set of songs together during the first UK lockdown, beginning with a cover of Robert Wyatt’s ‘Free Will and Testament’.

New single, ‘Two Strong Legs’, reflects on those days when nothing quite sits right. When the outside world feels a step too far and thoughts strain to make sense. "If the dog looks like a rabbit and the front door's a step beyond, this is your song” explains Laura. “It's a tune for whacked out worriers lifting weights in the worry gym. Feeling uneasy never felt so easy". Mining the textures of chamber pop string arrangements, topped with arresting multi part vocal performances and with Neuköln synth atmospheres creeping at the edges, Wyndow bring a lysergic dimension to every day internal mind games.

The accompanying video was directed by Jess Swainson. The video plays with the natural elements of snow, wind and water and the malleable fibres of flesh filtered through influences from early eastern european cinema. Innervisions of the natural turned into the unreal abound, mirroring the muddled thoughts referenced in the lyrics and the shifting textures of the sonics.

Wyndow’s new sound is an exciting next step for the duo, both of whom have enjoyed abundant success in their careers to date. Laura J Martin has so far released three critically acclaimed albums. A mercurial and bewitching live performer who interweaves layers of vocals, flute, mandolin and electronics; Laura and her band have toured regularly across the UK and Europe and supported acts such as PJ Harvey, Teenage Fanclub, Cate Le Bon and performed and collaborated extensively with Euros Childs. Lavinia Blackwall’s work with prolific Glaswegian psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells has earnt her a reputation as one of the best voices in the scene, many critics having likened her singing prowess to that of Sandy Denny. Along with Trembling Bells she has released seven full-length albums and performed as the backing band to folk legends Bonnie Prince Billy and The Incredible String Band’s Mike Herron. Her 2020 debut solo album ‘Muggington Lane End’ was extremely well received by critics and fans alike.

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Seafoam Green - House on The Hill.

‘House on The Hill’ is the first single from Seafoam Green’s forthcoming album ‘Martins Garden’. This hard-hitting, good-times rock’n’roll song is an arresting statement on where the band are going, ahead of their eagerly anticipated album, due for release later this year.

Seafoam Green’s upcoming long player - ‘Martin’s Garden’ - is the band's second studio record.  Their debut was a collaboration with Rich Robinson, of the Black Crowes.  Once again, Seafoam Green are collaborating with the artists residing in their own record collections - inspirations steeped in the culture of the Southern States. How do two Irish rock n’ rollers go from talking about the music they love, to playing with the musicians who made it?  It all comes down to the songs they are writing.

Tyler Greenwell - founding member of Grammy Award winning Tedeschi Trucks Band - got wind of Seafoam Green preparing to make their next record, and made it known that he wanted to be involved. It wasn’t long before Seafoam Green were out recording with some of the gnarliest players in the world during a symbiotic week in Atlanta, USA. Dave O’ Grady and Muireann McDermott Long specialise in what we have come to know as Americana. If you want earthy, rootsy, blues, gospel, country, folk, they have it, but what it amalgamates to at this level which has been perfected across two albums and countless live shows is the sound of a glorious rock n’ soul revival.

‘House on the Hill’ is a howitzer of a song and offers early indication of what can be expected from a seminal record with the thumbprints of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s influence on the producer’s console and wider reaching fusion metastasized as two richly embedded cultures collide, namely Irish folk and Southern rock, with TTB’s Greenwell on drums, Seafoam’s O’Grady playing slide for the first time on a record, and topped by the inimitable trademark vocal intercourse between O’Grady and McDermott Long. This is future soul rebel music and bodes well for the full experience of ‘Martin’s Garden’, an album that’s not to be missed.

Seafoam Green’s inimitable collision of Irish Roots and Southern American rock and soul is a unique take on a classic sound. As our two heroes implore on this track, “You don’t need keys for the house on the hill”. Come on in, and make yourselves at home.

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Sterre Weldring - Not With Me.

The video clip of Sterre Weldring's latest single ‘Not With Me’ has just been released. ‘Not With Me’ was already well received and made it to Spotify's New Music Friday. For the video clip Sterre set out on the Amsterdam canals.

Sterre Weldring explains: “The video clip of ‘Not With Me’ is the representation of a situation in which there is no real communication between Sterre and her counterpart, who is never in focus. They go past each other and the result is the realization that he was never really there, ‘not with me’. "

The search for answers, some of which will never be found, plays an important role in Sterre Weldring's lyrics. By describing love and relationships in her songs, she hopes to be able to offer comfort to others who embark on a similar quest. Her previous singles had the same goal and it was recognized by streaming platforms around the world. With major playlists in Mexico and Spain on Spotify, she reached a new fan base.

At the age of 16, Sterre Weldring was still a bit young for the conservatory, but she made a very mature decision: she started studying songwriting at BIMM (Brighton Institute of Modern Music). In between studies, she completely immersed herself in Brighton's rich music scene. While jamming, and playing live, she quickly developed her own sound, which she describes as folk-pop. In concrete terms, this means that her songs have a pop structure, on which she puts a folk stamp on with her characteristic voice. Amy Macdonald is a common comparison.

After a successful 2019, including a place in the final of the 'Grote Prijs van Nederland' and a tour through the country during 'Popronde', the Amsterdam-based singer-songwriter is now releasing her new single. This song is part of her new EP, which will be released later this year.

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Hunter Moreau - Hazy.

Through her music, rising pop songstress Hunter Moreau frequently steps outside of her comfort zone to express the most vulnerable parts of herself, captivating listeners along the way. Her latest single, "Hazy," is no exception.

Produced by Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Ashe, SHAED), "Hazy" officially dropped on March 12. Now Moreau is releasing the official music video for “Hazy.”

“I wanted the video to feel like a warm, breezy, summer's day that causes all of your worries to subside for even just a moment,” shares Moreau.

“I wanted to capture the soft light of summer afternoons, and the hazy hue that comes along with it. We shot the video at Betty's Neck in Lakeville, Massachusetts, which is this enormous, beautiful park near where I live.”

Directed by Mac Lynch, a Rhode Island based photographer, videographer and mixed media artist, the video for “Hazy” is out now.

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Shadow Monster - Kill Me Sweetie.

Shadow Monster is an angsty and loud two-piece from Bushwick, Brooklyn. Gillian Visco’s gritty, dissonant and desperate guitar riffs meet with John Swanson’s epic and explosive drumming style to form a raw and moody version of grunge rock. 

Lyrically, Shadow Monster explores themes of loss, depression and isolation. If you're into Elliott Smith, Weakened Friends, Helium, and Kills Birds, your ears are going to love Shadow Monster. Their new video "Kill Me Sweetie," is the final release from their LP "Punching Bag," which is an artful masterpiece from start to finish. 

Shadow Monsters sound is vibrant, captivating and bold as they bring a vision to the table that is truly their own. It's hypnotic and smooth, yet raw, vibrant and dark. They bring the best of all worlds. The video perfectly encapsulates the essence of the duo, and goes above and beyond to impress your ears.

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TeenCanteen - The Armoires - Shadwick Wilde - Century Egg - Deva St. John - Caoilfhionn Rose - Saccades - Ryan Downey

TeenCanteen - How We Met.

To mark the five year anniversary of their lauded debut album, Say It All With A Kiss, Glasgow four-piece TeenCanteen have decided to unleash This Is How It Starts, the collection of recordings that should have been their debut album four years prior. ‘How We Met (Cherry Pie)’ is the lead single from the upcoming album, and it’s the shimmering ray of sunshine that heralded a warranted buzz around TeenCanteen when they formed in 2012; that sugar coated indie pop jangle, the addictive melody and those irrepressible three-part harmonies wrapped up in a sticky sweet tale of new love.

A reimagined version of the track would later go on to feature on their debut album, but this original bright sparky version of the track feels just as fresh as when people fell in love with it on the soundtrack of Karen Gillan led RomCom Not Another Happy Ending. TeenCanteen are Glasgow formed four-piece known for their sticky soda pop harmonies, stomping beats and classic pop sensibilities, they were championed by BBC 6Music’s Marc Riley and went on to release SAY Award long listed album Say It All With A Kiss (2016) and acclaimed EP Sirens (2017).

Lead singer and songwriter Carla Easton said: “‘Cherry Pie’ was that song that just fell out of thin air, I didn’t have to think about it too much, I was just at the beginning of a new romance and was all excited, it’s a total happy, fallen for someone song.

“I think of it as the first TeenCanteen song, it was the first one writing it where I was like “wait a minute I’m onto something here”, it was just exciting, it was the first track that we went “that’s us”.

“It’s a total slushy DIY innocent indie pop love song, it’s not trying to be anything more than that, but I think that’s why so many people connected with it; it’s fun, it’s fresh, it’s raw, it’s exciting, it’s DIY, it’s indie pop and it’s long overdue release.” This Is How It Starts is due August 2021, with a vinyl release from Last Night From Glasgow/HIVE.

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The Armoires - Incognito (Album).

The unique harmonies of Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome combine with jangling guitars, sparkling keyboards, soaring viola, and a singular sense of songcraft to create the essence of THE ARMOIRES. It's sunshine pop with a kick, tapping the rich Southern California pop rock heritage from The Byrds to X and back to hits-era Fleetwood Mac, and melding it with a twist of English psychedelia and postpunk drive. The sweet and sour vocal sound gives life to Broome and Bulbenko's sophisticated lyrics – sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, always a bit mysterious. It's a dreamlike combination of the warm and the unsettling that's captured ears and hearts wherever The Armoires travel, and is as instantly recognizable as the pair's visual profile: matching paisley attire, spectacles and platinum blonde hair.

The band is widely known as the founders and leading lights of the Big Stir collective, a global concert series and record label dedicated to the musical community based around power pop and similarly styled melodic guitar rock. But The Armoires are an artistic force of their own, constantly reinventing themselves. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the approach taken to their new album INCONGNITO: The record's tracks were released throughout 2020 and 2021 as a series of singles attributed to fictitious band of their own invention. The result is a surprising record of joyful experimentalism and playfulness that loses none of the band's signature sound, but pushes in exciting new directions. It's the band playing dress-up in order to rediscover themselves.

INCOGNITO, like its breakthrough predecessor ZIBALDONE, is a sly exploration of what the pop-rock form can be, but its reach is wider and its vibe looser. The band, completed by violist LARYSA BULBENKO, bassist CLIFFORD ULRICH, and JOHN BORACK in his debut as the band's drummer, is again aided and abetted by an impressive array of co-conspirators from across the global pop-rock scene. It's a testament to the work Bulbenko and Broome have put into nurturing that community, but it's also the sound of a band stretching out and seeing what it can become when all bets are off, and it's only the next step in their strangely compelling journey. What comes next as the typically hard-gigging band looks forward to returning to the stage in the coming months, we can only wait see. For now,  as THE ARMOIRES unmask themselves after their undercover experiment with identity, the music testifies to the fact that they're ready for anything.

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Shadwick Wilde - When All of This is Over.

“Everywhere, people were saying, ‘well, when all of this is over…’” says Wilde.  “I heard it so many times, it began to feel like a joke, or perhaps a mantra, both hopeful and meaningless.”

“I’ve never been mistaken for an optimist,” Shadwick jokes, “but we have to hold onto some kind of hope if we’re going to make it through the dark days… even if the end of one nightmare is only the beginning of another.”

Wilde recorded the song live in one take, at his home studio on a farm outside Louisville, KY.  Longtime friend Diederik van Wassenaer overdubbed the strings from his home studio in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Rejecting the conventions of genre, Shadwick Wilde’s songs touch each other’s edges, but each brings its own distinct vision, strung together by the common thread of Wilde’s muscular poetry, emotive vocals, and unique style of upside-down, left-handed guitar playing.

Shadwick grew up in San Francisco, Havana, and Amsterdam, astride his mother, activist, poet, and filmmaker Sonja de Vries.  At 18, Wilde left high school for an invitation to go on tour as a guitarist for D.C. hardcore band Iron Cross, of Dischord notoriety. At age 23, Wilde entered an addiction recovery program, where he would write Unforgivable Things (2010), his first effort as a solo artist.  The self-released demo would go out of print and disappear, but by this time Wilde had gone on to form Quiet Hollers as an outlet for his songwriting.  Since 2013, the shape-shifting indie rock collective have released three LPs, toured Europe twice, and criss-crossed North America ad nauseam, all while flying under the mainstream radar.

In 2020, Wilde wrote three albums of new material, recording one of them with Nashville producer and former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, along with a cast of session players.  Another LP he recorded alone, on the Kentucky farm where he lives with his partner, psychologist and visual artist Sarah French-Wilde, and their young daughter.  The third is a collaboration with current and former Quiet Hollers members.  All are intended for release in 2021.

Shadwick Wilde · When All of This is Over

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Century Egg - Do You Want to Dance?

Century Egg is a band of escape artists. On their debut EP for Forward Music Group, the Halifax four-piece blaze through basement pop jams carefully crafted with the desires of the listener at the front of their minds. The desire to move, to dance and be free of our walls and our traumas. Century Egg creates music to make us free.

Coming hot on the heels of their We Can Play EP, Little Piece of Hair is the band’s loudest, clearest mission statement to date. Boasting a new rhythm section of Matty Grace on Bass and Meg Yoshida on drums, Century Egg is a band reborn. Still present is the dance punk bliss of previous Egg outings, only bolder and brighter. Robert Drisdelle’s guitar swirls and soars like never before, at times channeling Thin Lizzy or the heyday of Rush before landing back at Stooges-esque punk roots. 

Vocalist Shane Keyu Song lives front and center at every turn, delivering clear incendiary vocals in both chinese and english. Matty Grace, stalwart hero of Halifax bands, keeps a steady hand on bass duties, keeping the beat driving ever forward, no looking back. Meg Yoshida behind the kit is a powerhouse addition, loud but never too fast, always on time and ever present.

These are songs about finding yourself, understanding your value in the present and celebrating the changes life delivers. This is a collection of songs about dancing and being free and rediscovering the joy in music and our lives, despite the shells around us. Century Egg makes music to remind you to be free.

forwardmusic · Century Egg - Do You Want to Dance?

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Deva St. John - Preacher.

Born in London to American parents and raised in Berkshire, Deva St. John’s sound harbours a true sense of trans-Atlanticism. Bridging the gap between the sleaze and swagger of ‘70s British rock and its much more contemporary American counterpart. Deva succeeds in breathing new life into the blackened lungs of a genre that was struggling for breath.

Both a peerless vocalist and an honest lyricist, there’s a sense of authenticity at play that stems from the lo-fi alt rock production of her recordings. It’s something that in turn bolsters Deva’s lyricism, allowing her to channel her sensitivities into her own brand of contemporary and idiosyncratic alt rock while crafting song that peer under the veneer of modern life to express something fundamentally timeless, a yearning dissatisfaction; rock n’ roll in its purest form.

Her latest single ‘Preacher’ is just that. Three minutes of blistering rock ‘n’ roll that takes aim at those in power and described by Deva as “a fast paced, high energy commentary on the people who run the 'free world’ - and how their methods may mirror the politics of religion” it’s the perfect introduction to Deva St. John for those unfamiliar, and for those that are, it’s a welcome return.

“We don’t live in the land of the free,” she continues, “we live in the land of the rich.”

Deva St. John · Preacher

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Caoilfhionn Rose — To Me.

Manchester singer-songwriter Caoilfhionn Rose (pronounced Keelin) has today shared a new song from her luscious, soulful new album Truly. 'To Me' is about feeling a connection with nature and life.

"I love going on long walks and the healing power of nature is a recurring theme in a lot of my lyrics. I have a very optimistic outlook and I find solace in the small things like being outdoors. I worked on this song a lot when I was away in the Suffolk countryside. A lot of the lyrics came about through improvising over a guitar part by band member Rich Williams. I tried not to over think or complicate the words. It’s a peaceful tune about noticing everything that is happening around you."

Truly moves through a tapestry of curious musical inflections; nods towards folk, jazz, ambient, electronica and even a subtle influence of psychedelia, it never stands still to take a breath, despite its ethereal and delicate core. Out April 9th on Gondwana Records (Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet, Matthew Halsall, Hania Rani), in Truly, the young singer-songwriter has accomplished a body of work that is both sonically and lyrically wise beyond her years.

Co-produced by Keir Stewart of The Durutti Column following Rose’s collaborative endeavours with them on their album Chronicle LX:XL, the musician’s song writing draws from a diverse palette of influences, including Building Instrument, Rachel Sermanni, Alabaster dePlume and Broadcast. Rose also professes to a love for beautiful, stripped back, piano based music, such as Dustin O’Halloran and label mate Hania Rani.

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Saccades - Older Than Tomorrow.

Saccades, the solo project of The KVB’s Nicholas Wood, is today sharing ‘Older Than Tomorrow’, the latest single to be lifted from the forthcoming ‘Flowing Fades’ album due out April 9th on Fuzz Club. Where Wood’s work as half one of The KVB trades in minimalist post-punk/coldwave, his solo material as Saccades marks a journey into escapist psychedelic pop. Following the recent singles ‘Heat’ and ‘Islands Past’, the sublime, 80s-indebted dream pop of ‘Older Than Tomorrow’ features Wood’s KVB bandmate and wife Kat Day on vocals. You can stream the song and its accompanying video here: fuzzclub.lnk.to/tomorrow

On ‘Older Than Tomorrow’, Wood says: “I wrote this song shortly after moving back to the UK from Berlin and it’s about the bittersweet feeling of leaving something behind and starting something new in life and how change can sometimes be good. It’s also about learning to accept the beauty and the flaws in the world around you. Written initially as an acoustic ballad, it ended up in a more dream-pop style with Kat’s added backing vocals. The song title is also a nod to my favourite Byrds album, ‘Younger Than Yesterday’”.

Talking about ‘Flowing Fades’, Wood continues: “I began to properly work on this album after returning from The KVB’s North American Tour in late 2019, my head filled with new inspiration for this project and a clear idea on how this album should sound. I wanted to create something soothing and immersive. Music for escapism, which can be listened to at sunrise or sunset. Even though it’s lighter and mellower than my usual output, I feel like there are strong hints of melancholia in there too, reflecting the world in which it was created.” Whilst songs like ‘Older Than Tomorrow’ and ‘Islands Past’ deal with themes like memory, nostalgia and change, ‘Like Everyday’ and ‘Heat’ are songs about lockdown paranoia and missing live music and life on the road, respectively.

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Ryan Downey - Contact.

Melbourne art-rock artist Ryan Downey shares ‘Contact’ a languorous and atmospheric single with an accompanying cinematic video inspired by films such as Solaris, High Life and Blade Runner 2049, with a subtext exploring the isolation of lockdown.

It’s the second single to be taken from Ryan Downey’s Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett, Julia Jacklin) produced album ‘A TON OF COLOURS’ (14 May on Dot Dash Recordings) following the first single ‘Heart Is An Onion’ which was described as “the Cars fronted by Bryan Ferry” (Sunday Times Culture).

‘Contact’ balances the stylistic grandeur and deep humanness in Downey's raw sophisticated sound, with both these elements mirrored in the single’s accompanying video which was co-directed by Downey and filmmaker Alex Badham. The video sees a space crew - featuring Downey, his band and manager - hibernating in isolation pods, journeying towards an unknown mission but longing only for the touch of loved ones and the reality of the outside world. The poignant visual gives further weight to Downey’s emotional lyrics such as “Hold me like you want to be held when it's almost over" and "If I can't be touched right now, then I need your love."

Touching on our universal experiences of wanting to escape the cabin-fever fatigue of lockdown, the ‘Contact’ video sees the crew find respite from their tedium and heartache in the therapeutic form of futuristic vapour trips that transport their senses to another time and place.  As Downey explains "Sci-fi allows us to see our world through a heightened lens, Alex (Badham) and I had a chance with the video to capture the sentiments that a lot of us went through, and are still going through, in lockdowns.” The result is a cinematic video that takes the viewers mind out of this world whilst carrying an emotional punch.

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Sally Robinson - Kele Fleming - Bandicoot - Jessica Pearson and the East Wind - Kat Eaton - Wild Powwers

Sally Robinson - Moonlit Skies.

Sally Robinson is a third year Commercial Music student at Bath Spa University who has quite literally reached the stratosphere with her new double A single.

This relatively unknown artist who creates delicate haunting folk music wanted to see how far her voice can travel, so sent her songs to inspirational scientists around the world. Astronaut Scott Kelly was taken aback by her beautiful track ‘Moonlit Skies’ and beamed it up to be heard in space on the International Space Station!

‘Moonlit Skies’ is a love letter to Mars and includes samples of the first recordings from NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover’s on-board microphone. So, whilst listening to the track, you can also hear the actual rover on another planet! The track comes from a series of four otherworldly double A-side singles set to be released taking inspiration from the four elements in science: Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

‘Moonlit Skies’ is joined by ‘Leaves In The Light’ to make up the ‘Air’ duo which explore themes of space, movement and hope and sound like the missing link between Vashti Bunyan, This Is The Kit, Tiny Ruins and David Bowie’s Space Oddity.

The series seeks to empower people to engage and have conversations with people they wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to speak to, promoting awareness of environmental concerns. “I try to make everything I do as sustainable as possible, and the entirety of this project will be carbon neutral”, says Sally. “This project grew from my love for science and astronomy, and my interest in hearing the individual stories behind each listener. I love the idea of being heard in remote and unusual locations, particularly after being in lockdown, so I set myself a challenge of seeing how far away I could be heard”, she adds.

Based in Cardiff, studying remotely currently in Bath, but with her roots in Cornwall, Sally is an independent artist pushing boundaries. Passionate about the Earth her inspiration comes through art, sculpture and nature with her music being compared to Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell and The Staves.

Each of Sally’s forthcoming releases will be sent to unusual locations that connect to the element of which they represent. For Air, she has sent tracks to space and weather scientists, and polar research facilities. For Earth, she is sending them to facilitators and protectors of deserts and rainforests; for Fire, she will be sending tracks to volcanoes, and for Water, she is focusing on scientific research ships. So far, as well as the International Space station, Sally’s beautifying music has been played at polar research facilities in the Arctic, in Svalbard, and Antarctica, on Adelaide Island.

The tracks are each being released on significant days too, with the first double A single available on the first day of British Summer Time, 28th March, also a full moon.

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Kele Fleming - Compassion Machine.

Is the world getting to you? Are you longing for more connection? Do you relate more to social media vs social interface? If the answer was “yes,” grab your preferred device, cut through the chaos, and tune into Canadian singer/songwriter Kele Fleming’s new single, “Compassion Machine” — available now!

Spanning a runtime of four-minutes-ten-seconds, “Compassion Machine” is an exposing commentary on our technological dependency, and its role as a mechanism of coping with reality.

The allaying melody of the single's instrumentation is an entendre to Kele (pronounced “Kelly”) Fleming’s subversive lyrics; her vocals are both congenial and alluring while, at the same time, furthering the single’s cautionary parable in a cleverly ironic way.

These sentiments resonate with truth in the lyrics, “I bow to a new god, all shiny, bright, and oh so sleek.”

When considering the underlying message of “Compassion Machine”, the Vancouver-born, Victoria-based artist says this anthemic song is “meant to bring the listener a sense of release from the modern alienation of our dependency on technology as a replacement for connection with life.”

Having been recorded prior to the social restrictions brought about by COVID-19, she elaborates by adding, “this song took on an entirely new meaning for me in the pandemic, as technology has also been a salve for me and has given me the gift of human connection despite distance.”

The foundation for “Compassion Machine” was built around metaphors from recognizing her own dependency, she admits. When commenting on the musical composition, she makes apparent the guitar’s celtic tone, as well as the bass, which soothingly answers the call to the chorus’s vocal melody. The clapping, heard towards the middle, strips the song to its core, effectively drawing the listener’s focus towards the vocals before its big crescendo.

“Compassion Machine” is the second single (following “Vanishing of Bees”) from her fourth album, The Song I’ll Write For My Whole Life. Written and sung by Fleming, she provides the guitar heard on the single. She is accompanied by Ron Yamauchi on piano, Aaron Troy on bass and Tony Lee on drums.

The single, as well as the album, was recorded live off the floor at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studio with Juno-recognized engineer and producer, Sheldon Zaharko of Zed Productions. The  recording was assisted by Nick Civero and Annie Kennedy. Mastering was handled by Andrew Spindor at Railtown Mastering.

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Bandicoot - FUZZY.

Bandicoot’s description of their new single FUZZY perfectly incapsulates its timeless, joyful energy ... “FUZZY is a deranged attempt at seduction which draws on 70s ‘Top of the Pops’, glam rock and memories of misguided adolescence.”

Following hot on the heels of the bands successful debut single on Libertino ‘Dark Too Long’, FUZZY shares DTL infatuation with the decade where you cycled to catch your dreams on your trusted ‘chopper bike’ and ‘glittered teenage anthems filled the airwaves as much as your imagination’.

With FUZZY Bandicoot are Gene Vincent’s lustful, greasy-haired, leather-jacketed rebellion channelled through Bolan and the New York Dolls infectious boogie. As they sing FUZZY is their Vitamin C, now let FUZZY be yours!

According to Bandicoot “FUZZY is a strutting statement of intent, fizzing with energy, rolling relentlessly on. It captures the energy that we’re bursting with, cooped up in our homes, awaiting the return to the stage. And a triumphant, ferocious return it will be”

Libertino · Bandicoot - FUZZY

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Jessica Pearson and the East Wind - Broken By You.

Jessica Pearson is a Canadian born storyteller with a voice like melting honey on a summer’s eve. Accompanied by Maddy O’Regan on the fiddle, they bring to life tales of the past and express the beauty and heartbreak of the world today.

In life we have many different relationships; family, friends, co workers, partners. Most of these relationships are good, healthy, and help you grow as a person. But sometimes we end up in relationships that take away our voice, who we are and we become a shell of who we used to be. 

Jessica Pearson and the East Wind’s new single, “Broken By You,” is all about taking your voice back, being done with the pain and realizing that you can choose to stay in this place of hurt, or leave and find joy.

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Kat Eaton - Slow It Down.

Today, March 31st, London/Sheffield-based blues/soul artist Kat Eaton announces her debut album ‘Talk To Me’ due July 2nd and shares ‘Slow It Down’ the sultry and brass-infused new single taken from the upcoming album.

Speaking on the track Kat says, “'Slow It Down' started with Nick  (Atkinson) and I talking about a dream that we both share: when you're driving from the back seat of a car and you can't see where you're going. I have it whenever I feel like my life is out of control and going way too fast. We wanted to write a song that encapsulates this feeling of watching your life go by in a blur and wishing you could switch to slo-mo just for a second so you can appreciate the present moment.”

Whereas some debut albums show artists still finding their feet and sonic direction, Kat is unashamedly bold & confident in her abilities as a vocalist and songwriter, effortlessly merging Soul, and classic R&B throughout a mature and well rounded 10 tracks. Utilising completely live instrumentation (a must for Kat), ‘Talk To Me’ takes the classic vintage sound of inspirations such as Barbara Lynn and Lesley Gore and updates it with contemporary embellishments and relatable lyrics for the 21st century. 

As well as her powerhouse vocals, Kat’s songwriting is also adept, tackling delicate and topical issue such as mental health (on title track ‘Talk To Me’), modern love (on the powerful ‘Put Yourself In My Arms’) and drunk dialling an ex on ‘Checking In’.

Kat Eaton has steadily been making a name for herself over the last few years in the UK, as well as overseas. Originally discovered through BBC Introducing, Kat's singles ‘Giving It Up’ and ‘The Joker’ earned her strong support from BBC Radio 2, Robert Elms and Gaby Roslin on BBC Radio London, as well as BBC Introducing in Sheffield. 'The Joker' was also play-listed at BBC Radio London and NPO Radio 2 in Holland.

Having already toured the UK/EU supporting various artists (Jools Holland, Marc Broussard, The Teskey Brothers, Mama’s Gun), selling out multiple headlines shows in London, co-writing with the likes of Ruby Turner, Caro Emerald and Andy Platts (Mama’s Gun/Young Gun Silver Fox) and breaking through to new territories via the national radio airwaves of Holland and Belgium, Kat has established herself as one of the hardest working and talented performers in her field.

Kat met long time collaborator & now partner Nick Atkinson at just 15 in Sheffield, a city that had a profound impact on Kat & Nick’s musical identity, with its rich lineage of working class musicians influencing the pair massively. Although Kat is very much the face of the project, behind the scenes Nick contributes with co-writing & production credits for the whole record, making the album very much a collaborative effort between them both.

Less an artist in ascendancy, ‘Talk To Me’ solidifies Kat’s place as an artist already at the top of their game and now ready to share the fruits of years of hard work to the world.

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Wild Powwers - Decades.

Wild Powwers recently announced their upcoming What You Wanted LP for Nadeline Records. Their new album will be out on April 23rd, but you can check out the Ron Harrell-directed video for their new single now (see KEXP premiere), and download/stream the album below for review purposes....

"The typically ferocious trio have softened up their grunge-inspired sound for the third single off their forthcoming record, What You Wanted." says KEXP of the new single, adding "While drummer Lupe Flores keeps the song moving with a quick-paced, driving beat, Lara Hilgemann’s vocals are toned down significantly, with her signature growl only making a short appearance about ¾ of the way through the song and the majority of the song led by a gentle croon of empathetic lyrics."

Wild Powwers are a dynamic trio who come from the dark, dank corners of a basement in Seattle, WA. Throughout their several years relentlessly writing and touring as a band, they have grown their sound using the vastly different influences in their lives.

They are often challenging themselves to write something completely different from the song before, and their upcoming album “What You Wanted” is the best representation of who they are and what they bring to the table yet. Produced by Sam Bell, (R.E.M., Minus the Bear, Weezer, Taylor Swift), and mastered by Ed Brooks, (Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, R.E.M.), "What You Wanted" runs the gamut from straight up punk rock ("Real Deal Phil" and "Pageant") to strangely beautiful psychedelia ("Tricky and "Chrome). Cathartic angular rock (“Sucks”) intersects with gorgeous, shimmering melancholy (“Decades”) and the many melodic shades in between. Showing a wide array of influences skillfully blended into a sound all their own; this album is a beautiful journey. Honest, raw, and relatable - it's "What You Wanted."

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Wy - Dorothea Paas - Sophia Fracassi - De Arma

Wy - Window.

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, Window is the fourth single.

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.

That album, in a way, begins with a wedding. Ebba and Michel have been together since their schooldays, but a couple of years ago they tied the knot. The songs on Marriage have all been made since their wedding, and so in that sense the timing made it a natural title for a record that’s something of a scrapbook from the first two years of that marriage. But there’s also a deeper sense to it. Both in sound and theme, Marriage is more of a conceptual record than their earlier work. Ebba writes the band’s lyrics, and on the previous albums her themes were specific to her. 

But on this album, their relationship is at the heart of the songs. The lyrics have come from the experiences they’ve shared together, which they’ve then worked together into what they want to say, to each other and to everyone else.  “I have always written the lyrics”, says Ebba. “But this time they feel like our lyrics, and not just my diary set to our music. We've talked a lot with each other about what we want to say. About who we are and where we can find our place in the world. The title has been in place since we started, and that was because a lot of the songs revolved around our relationship since we got married. Not so much the relationship between us, but more about the internal conflicts that appear when you’re in a long-term, safe relationship, where you’re really sure about each other, but you’re not sure about yourself”.

The journey to the record has been a difficult one. The band started work on Marriage not intending to make an album. They went into the studio with the idea of making an EP, wrote some songs, but couldn’t quite nail what they were going for - the songs didn’t quite feel right together. So they went into overdrive, wrote a bunch more songs, and suddenly found themselves with over 20, and within those 20 what they realised was an album.

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Dorothea Paas - Container.

Beloved Canadian songwriter, Dorothea Paas is today sharing "Container", the latest single to be taken from her forthcoming debut album, Anything Can't Happen which is set for release via Telephone Explosion Records on May 7, 2021. "Container" follows off the back of the album-titled single which earned praise earlier this month from FLOOD, NPR, The Line of Best Fit (Song of the Day), Exclaim and more. You can listen to the new single here.

For over a decade, Paas has played her unique, prismatic style of folk songcraft for audiences across North America, and lent her talents as a guitarist and vocalist to artists including Jennifer Castle, U.S. Girls, and Badge Époque Ensemble. The songs on this album have been a long time coming, transforming through a near-infinite number of forms whilst being performed at house shows and in sold-out venues. All of this makes Anything Can’t Happen feel far more mature and complex than a debut album. It’s a statement of purpose, the next step in a decade-long process of artistic growth and evolution, and a bridge between the DIY style of Paas’s previous cassette releases and a more refined studio sensibility.

Recorded between Hamilton, ON, and Toronto, and mixed by Max Turnbull (Badge Époque Ensemble and U.S. Girls) and Steve Chahley, these songs bring a diverse range of musical influences into the conversation: inflected with the layered reverberations of Grouper, shot through with the piercing harmonies of the Roches, electrified with the searing energy of Sonic Youth. You can hear Neil Young in its surges of grittiness; Joni Mitchell’s Hejira in the album’s lyrics and Fairport Convention in Paas’s voice. The influence of Stevie Wonder – one of Paas’s greatest musical role models – is present too, in the album’s conceptual foundations.

"I think of many of my songs as "love songs about not being in love"," explains Paas of the warm, intimate new single, "Container", whose melody was inspired by Karen Dalton’s “Something on your Mind". “That song has such a home in the main chord,” she continues. "I wanted my song to have a sense of ‘home’ to continually re-center the stream-of-consciousness lyrics that take the listener around the spiral. The chords and vocal melodies wander, but we always return to the warm C chord to move us possibly toward some conclusion, or maybe ground us as we move further into the question."

"I can drift away from it, but I always have to return.” That coming-home is reflected in the lyrics in an unexpected way: “It’s a love song about anxiety and the lifelong relationship that I have with it. Will it ever evaporate, or is it mine forever? And then: Of course, it’s always going to be mine.”

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Sophia Fracassi - Wish I Never Met You.

Ontario based singer/songwriter Sophia Fracassi makes melodic, emotive and passionate contemporary pop with skill far beyond her years. 

Her music is heavily piano driven with vocals that draw on eleven years of voice training and an impressive mezzo soprano range. Almost as soon as she could speak, Sophia was singing. 

At five years old, she began performing for large audiences, and at nine years old she wrote her first song. Now, at just sixteen, she has the uncanny ability to create music that speaks to the experiences that unite us as human beings. 

Raw, honest and heartfelt, the listener is invited to share in the sentiment of each song and claim it as their own.Currently working in the studio to bring her songs to life, Sophia is on the cusp of promising future in Canadian music.

Sophia Fracassi · Wish I Never Met You

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De Arma - Illusions Of Love.

De Arma have released 'Illusions of Love' as the first single taken from their forthcoming album "Strayed in Shadows", which is slated for release on June 25, 2021. The Swedish goth rockers also reveal cover art, tracklist, and further details of their sophomore full-length.

De Arma comment: "We never had any serious intentions to write a ballad, but I guess that many might want to place this song into that box", remarks Andreas Pettersson. "It is simply a song about being delusional about love and the feeling of being in love with something that is actually not there. The longing for something that you wish for, but that will never appear. It is just love. For good or for worse."

Melancholy is a delicate matter. This haunting emotion can in one moment sting unbearably painful yet at other times even deliver a bittersweet pleasure to the afflicted. Yet there can be no doubt that this feeling permeates all of the songs on DE ARMA's sophomore full-length "Strayed in Shadows" in one way or the other. And while the Swedes shift musically in and out and between melancholic metal, gothic rock, shoegaze, and even post-punk, melancholy remains the duo's anchor point.

Although geography is often overrated in the interpretation of music, there is no denying that long winters' darkness high up North seems to have an effect on artists. Frontman Andreas Pettersson hails from Arvisjaur in the historic Swedish province of Lappland and drummer Johan Marklund lives in the the town of Skellefteå, which lies just across the Gulf of Bothnia to the west of the Finnish town of Oulo – home of such renowned brothers in melancholic spirit as SENTENCED and CHARON. The North is leaving a dark mark on its people.

On "Strayed in Shadows" the line-up has undergone a significant change. In the place of FEN and FELLWARDEN mastermind Frank "The Watcher" Allain, who sang on the album debut "Lost, Alien & Forlorn" (2013), guitarist and bass-player Andreas Pettersson, who founded DE ARMA in 2009, took over vocal duties as he already does in STILLA among other bands. This decision was partly caused by the extremely personal nature of his lyrics for "Strayed in Shadows". Those, who have followed the many bands and projects of this very creative Swede might be surprised by his vocal expression in the album, which is supported by the beautiful guest performance of Maria Oja on the tracks 'Illusions of Love' and 'Days Of Judgement' – a constellation inviting comparison with acts such as ANATHEMA and ANTIMATTER.

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Jesse Roper - Morcheeba - Aibai - FaB (Fitzsimon and Brogan)

Jesse Roper - Horizons.

Canadian rocker Jesse Roper is back with a charismatic, barn-burner of a single, “Horizons,” a first taste from recent sessions with JUNO nominated producer Gus Van Go (Arkells/Sam Roberts Band/The Stills) recorded at his Brooklyn, NY studio.

Van Go pushed Roper in new directions. Discussing he states, “Recording with Gus and Werner F was on a whole new level. They really cared where the songs were headed and that they ended up just right. Everything was broken down to the finest details and nothing was allowed to sit at just ‘ok’. It was all about getting the vibe right.” And right it is.

“Horizons” is an enigmatic track, inspired by a late night looking up at the stars. “I'd been sitting on it for about 3 years before I recorded it knowing I had a cool idea there but was really stuck with how to move forward with it,” Roper shares. “Sometimes these tunes don’t reveal themselves until they’re shouting back at you.”

At the heart of the track is Roper’s soulful, powerhouse vocals, propelled forward by pulsing percussion and undulating guitar. The layered production style lends to a mysterious, almost seductive, edge to Roper’s refrains; it tantalizes and charms, hooking the listener in.

The title of the track is no coincidence. It’s in reference to, “the endless expanse of something unexplained,” Roper explains. And it’s the perfect introduction to this new collection of songs in which Roper looks to stretch his musical legs and broaden his musical horizons.

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Morcheeba - The Moon.

Morcheeba share ‘The Moon’, the third single from upcoming studio album ‘Blackest Blue’ due May 14th 2021. Released on a full moon ‘The Moon’ follows on recently released singles ‘Oh Oh Yeah’ and ‘Sounds Of Blue’; the latter released alongside a striking video, while South London producer, composer and DJ Hector Plimmer took ‘Oh Oh Yeah’ for a deeper, chilled, electronic dive with his remix.

The Moon’ is a cover originally by Irena Žilić, a Croatian singer-songwriter. Ross fell in love with the song when they shared a bill in Zagreb with Irena and asked her permission to cover it. Skye added another verse to it and that is where the album title ‘Blackest Blue’ came from.

Talking about the track, Skye says; “it’s about following the light of the moon and tapping into its powerful luminous energy, harnessing it’s positivity to escape the depression and darkness.”

Pioneers of the British music scene, ‘Blackest Blue’ will be the band's 10th studio album in a discography that spans three decades. 2020 saw Morcheeba unable to tour or perform live, which gave Skye Edwards and Ross Godfrey “time to write songs and really get to hone them,” as Godfrey puts it. “There weren’t so many pressures so we could really take our time getting the songs right,” adds Edwards.

The result of this time is a refined 10 track album that fuses previous incarnations and sound of the band - such as downbeat, chill, electro-pop and soul - into one cohesive record that delves into the soul of the band’s genre-mashing musical heritage. As usual, the band didn’t approach the album with any pre-conceptions, and instead created an organic journey that represents everything great about Morcheeba.

Edwards’ lyrics are primarily focused on positivity and overcoming personal adversity that lies within. ‘Sounds Of Blue’, is a stunning cut that puts Skye Edward's sultry vocals to the forefront, floating high above an ethereal backdrop, and touches upon her recent free diving experience in Thailand and “my new found confidence and love of the ocean above and below,” says Edwards.

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Aibai - Aibai (E.P).

Aibai is a 23-year-old producer based in Minneapolis. Her songs are filled with ambient, cinematic soundscapes that create a daydream-like atmosphere. Originally focusing on making electronic music, the young musician has started to diversify her sound in her recent releases, exploring more of the alternative, indie and R&B realm. Inspired by electronic artists like Odesza and Flume, as well as indie/alt greats such as Clairo, Rex Orange County and Goth Babe, Aibai combines these two worlds, while giving it a unique flair of her own.

Aibai confides, “I decided to combine genres and make an indie electronic EP. This first single “Glow” is a perfect example of that. With the indie vocals of Des who goes by Swims, combined with my ambient music, I was able to produce the indietronica sound I was going for!” Sonically “Glow” is inspired by the outdoors and the feeling you get when you immerse yourself in nature. “Glow” features warm, laid-back vocals which shimmer atop the oscillating synths, while the layered harmonies resonate deep throughout your body. The chilled-out, slow-paced song emits an intoxicating, feel-good vibe that you can’t get enough of. Lyrically, the contemplative song talks about readjusting into single life and wondering what it will be like, now that your love has gone.

Gentle tugs on electric strings lay the mood and tempo, with incoming silky, cooling vocals from Colby Hansen in “More Than Friends”. The track has a laid-back, rippling essence of femininity with an indie/alt glow from the use of analog instruments. This track is a tad less electronic than the rest of the EP, but still contains an electro hint on the vocals and delicate production flutters, putting Aibai’s sonic stamp on it. The track narrates the fear of telling someone you like them more than friends, then suddenly realizing the hard-hitting, heart-breaking reality there is nothing more to the bond than being buddies.

“Feel Again” featuring Mønty C oozes a cinematic, indietronica aura. Along with ambient piano and soft claps are the looping electronic riffs and euphoric synths that enrich the intensity of the emotions. The song has lots of subtle builds, constantly uplifting you with vocal cries flooding the background of the soundscape in an affecting howl, dripping in feeling. The lyrical context written by Mønty C touches on regaining and rebuilding trust in a romantic relationship that is struggling to maintain its closeness.

“Open Up” is a gentle bubbling stream of warmth and radiance. Featuring breezy bass lines, an up-beat, gently bouncing beat, dancing, high vibe guitar and stunning dynamic pauses that carry much emotiveness. Swims opens up on the track about flowing through life, knowing it's ok to start over and that being vulnerable can bring much happiness. Each experience allows you to grow and build resilience, you will learn to understand that “all along you had the key.”

Overall, the EP is a delightful blissful experience. Aibai’s production on each track encompasses the beauty of raw instruments adding an electronic flame over the sound. Her soundscapes are dreamy, feminine and a beautiful escape into heavenly, soft, swirling sounds. The features across the EP all complement the delicacy of the instrumentation and it's clear that each track is emotionally charged and meticulously thought out to ensure the perfect yin and yang combo of indietronica.

Aibai · Aibai

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FaB (Fitzsimon and Brogan) - Dancing Partner.

With their latest album, "This Wicked Pantomime," the UK pop/rock duo of Neil Fitzsimon and Bee Brogan (FaB) have managed to hit the iTunes charts at home and abroad with no less than 3 singles. "A Toy For Juliette," released in late 2020 reached the top of the South Africa iTunes Rock songs chart, while second single, "Persuasion" hit the UK Top 50. With the release of a third single, "Dancing Partner," FaB have their highest charting UK hit at #17. The single features the talents of Elvis Costello's long-time drummer, Pete Thomas.

Neil Fitzsimon describes "Dancing Partner:" "The track is a tribute to all those New York bands like Blondie, The Ramones, and all those bands that played at the CBCG's back in the 1970s. It's about the rites of passage, that everyone goes through in the process of growing up, and that the dance floor can be one of the loneliest places in the world - a ritual that Bee and myself personally found terrifying!"

ABOUT FaB: At the crossroads where Bowie meets the Beatles and Elvis Costello meets The Smiths, you will find UK-based pop duo, FaB (Fitzsimon and Brogan.) Preferring to remain faceless in an industry that holds image in high regard, FaB have gone on to form a songwriting/production partnership that led to placement of their songs in Film and TV, including a USA Sci-Fi Feature Film. They also wrote a musical, Jack Dagger, which was showcased at the Greenwich Theatre, London for the Musical Futures Award. It was also showcased at the Bridewell and the Royal College of Music in London.

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Eivør - Renée Reed - Sweetlove - Deanna Faye

Eivør - Gullspunnin.

Faroese folk electronica artist Eivør has released a music video and new live version of ‘Gulspunnin’, lifted from her latest album ‘Segl’, out now. Produced by Lana Del Rey collaborator Dan Heath, ‘Gulspunnin’ is Copenhagen-based Eivør’s love letter to her childhood home on the remote Faroe Islands. ‘Segl’ - featuring appearances from Ásgeir and Einar Selvik of Wardruna - is the follow-up to Eivør’s widely-praised 2017 UK commercial debut, ‘Slør’, which triggered her debut on Later….With Jools Holland. Eivør soundtracked the latest series of Netflix/BBC flagship The Last Kingdom, and her music has previously been synched on Homeland & Game Of Thrones. The new video for ‘Gulspunnin’ is now streaming from here, with a new live version of the track also included on DSPs here.

With a title that translates from Faroese as ‘cocooned in gold’, the lyrics for ‘Gulspunnin’ were created as a poem written by Faroese poet Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs. Speaking about the track - which arrives today alongside a music video directed by Icelandic visual artist Anna Maggy - Eivør says; The main inspiration behind 'Gullspunnin' came from a certain feeling I often get when I am back at home on the Faroe Islands. There is something intriguing about the light and foggy landscapes that creates some sort of nostalgic in between state of happiness and sadness -  a longing for something intangible. I wanted to reflect this feeling and a certain timeless state of mind in this song. The poem written by Marjun tells a story about the soul, forever travelling alone but cocooned in shimmering gold. I have been fascinated by Anna Maggy for quite some time. In her work I could sense this same mood that I was in when I created the song. For me she really gave 'Gullspunnin' a visual home. It was a very deep and empowering experience to create this piece alongside these amazingly talented women.

Eivør is an artist perfectly attuned to the savage vicissitudes of nature. Born & raised in Syðrugøta, a tiny community of just over 400 people on one of the northerly Faroe Islands, Eivør grew up surrounded by the windswept landscape of the North Atlantic, a backdrop that has deeply influenced the elemental electronica she creates. ‘Segl’ - Eivør’s ninth album, since releasing her debut at just 17 - builds on these motifs, exploring the journeys we undertake, both metaphorically and physically. The title – meaning ‘sail’ in Faroese – alludes to our desire for growth and direction, and the role of fate.

Eivør immersed herself in music from 13, fronting a trip-hop band after discovering albums by Massive Attack and Portishead. Gigs soon followed, held afloat in rowing boats, in a huge cave on the island of Hestur. At 16 Eivør quit school, moving alone to Reykjavik to release her debut album and pursue classical singing training. She has since won the Icelandic Music Prize, twice - the first non-Icelandic artist to do so. Such itinerant tendencies have bled into her music, ‘Segl’ no exception. “My creative process can be very chaotic and abstract, so I need to find the space to dive deeper into it and sculpt it,” she says. “After sitting on songs for a year or more, I’d go in and edit the melody or the lyrics. Sometimes the production too. The whole album is very much about change, so it’s quite apt.” Working closely again with composer/producer Tróndur Bogason (also her husband), the extra space allowed Eivør to explore programming and production more thoroughly than ever before, focussed on a free flow of ideas, and enriching collaborations.

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Renée Reed - Renée Reed (Album).

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed releases her debut album via Keeled Scales. The 12-song album includes the songs "Out Loud" and "Until Tomorrow" that earned her early praise last year from Gorilla vs. Bear and The Wild Honey Pie, as well as recent singles "Neboj" and "I Saw A Ghost" and the gentle psych of the French single "Où est la fée."

The songs on Renée’s self-titled debut album chronicle a three-year period. These are songs about toxic relationships, seeing ghosts, ancestral baggage and blessings, and daydreaming about love. Renée describes her music as dream-fi folk from the Cajun prairies, and this, her album, as “a whole document of me coming to terms with myself and embracing who I am without reserve.”

There is a timelessness throughout these songs, a through-line to the past, and a deep mixing of influences into something hopeful and new:

for our bones, they belong to the country
and marigolds, we will hold in our hands
and we won't know what they don't understand

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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Sweetlove - Goodnight, Lover (E.P).

Born out of a tsunami of grief and pain, Sweetlove's Goodnight, Lover is a portrait of an artist coming into her own.

In late 2017, Sweetlove was beginning to work on new material when she was faced with three devastating losses - her oldest friend, Matt, her long-time love, David, and her cousin, Teddy, all passed away within one year of each other. She funneled her grief into collaborations with writers such as Jay Stolar (Selena Gomez, Trevor Daniel, Aloe Blacc, G-Eazy, Demi Lovato), Evangelina, Zach Berkman/The Heart Of (Ron Pope), Garen Gueyikian, and Adam Tressler, resulting in a collection of songs about “grappling with loss, coming to terms with it, missing someone, wishing you had known you weren’t going to have more time, and how to find joy again.”

Sweetlove has found her own refuge in songwriting after years of helping others showcase theirs. She sang backup vocals for GRAMMY-nominated and Tony award-winning artists, paying dues on huge stages. The daughter of a preacher and a teacher, she grew up in California’s Simi Valley and experienced music as a natural part of life –– not as a pursuit or a practice, but an extension of just being. Now, after living in West Hollywood for the last 15 years, Sweetlove has drawn from her time sharing stages with superstars and that resonant voice that readied worshippers for interpreting tongues to create something that is entirely, beautifully hers.

Produced by Justin Glasco (The Lone Bellow), Goodnight, Lover puts Sweetlove’s twin devotions to her earthy pop and the people she loves on magnificent display. Written with Stolar, the title track nods to the bluesy swagger of Shelby Lynne as Sweetlove sings to a new lover, from a distance.

Sweetlove · Goodnight, Lover

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Deanna Faye - Reassure.

Metaphorically Potent & Engaging, Folk Singer/Songwriter DEANNA FAYE's “Reassure” Bears the Weight Behind Hardships of Love. Toronto-based indie folk singer-songwriter Deanna Faye poetically contrasts the light side of love and its inherent pressure with this, her new video for “Reassure.”

That latest to land from her breakthrough EP, Good To You, the song grapples with the concept of love — and how difficult it can be to grasp.

While the word, in and of itself, denotes feelings of joy and happiness, the reality behind such an emotion is that of balance; with balance comes weight, and “Reassure” exemplifies the beauty in the struggle in such a reflective way.

The instrumentation within the single instills a disheartening sensation, as the twang and reverb of the guitar march along with the pensive beat of the drums. This appropriately sets the tone of “Reassure,” as it’s a reflection of the stress and pain love can bear. Deanna Faye’s mellow and articulate vocals carry the metaphoric weight of her lyrics with innocence and conviction.

In terms of metaphors, the single is representative of Faye’s thoughts on the cycles of relationships, as well as the impulsivity of rushing into a romantic connection. She compares these experiences to pillars, in the sense that two people can pull apart yet still be close together by way of the weight they both share.

The weight, she describes, is structured around the intertwining of boundaries and desires.

“I'd been walking around the city and on hiking trails aimlessly,” she shares. “I noticed these tagged pillars that always stood out to me as being a cool piece of architecture. This is a song that illustrates the ebbs and flows. Ultimately, in a healthy relationship, the pillars still stand strong but they are always just the perfect distance apart to keep the structure sound.”

It’s been a reflective time for the emerging singer-songwriter, and the poignancy of “Reassure,” in its entirety, holds nothing short of that.

The video itself is vibrant. It revolves around a still of Faye’s face as it’s surrounded and augmented by soulful imagery that relates and reflects the song’s message. Interspersed throughout the video are live action cuts featuring the musician performing the song.

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