Melby - Course - James Parm - Van Plating - Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell

Melby - Magic.

Stockholm four-piece Melby have constantly been growing since their debut with catchy single 'Human' in 2016. In 2019, the band released their acclaimed debut record 'None of this makes me worry' which was followed by tour dates all over Europe. During the pandemic in 2020, the band have worked on new material in a new way. From these sessions, we've previously heard the prog/psych inspired 'Common Sense', the dreamy but melancholic 'Old Life' and most recently 'Somewhere New', a dynamic track inspired by classical counterpoint composition. Today, the psych-tinged indie pop gem 'Magic' is released.

Are from the band tells us about Magic: "I feel like Swedish culture has a very low tolerance for expressing imagination. Stockholm in particular is a place that demands extreme realism, concrete explanations. This can be really frustrating, and Magic is kind of a free association on that theme, wrapped in a polite, straightforward pop-tune."

On 'Magic', Melby continues to cement their role as one of the most interesting Scandinavian acts around, a band so home and accomplished within their sound that they're now ready to continue to experiment with it without losing their characteristic. The new material was mainly written and straight-away recorded in the studio in close collaboration with producer Alexander Eldefors, this is a completely new way for a band that previously in many cases have toured material for years before recording them.

The band often gets compared to fellow Swedes Dungen and Amason but Melby’s dynamic sound, with influences from folk, psych, indie and pop, stand out. The quartet's light, semi-psychedelic folk pop is led by Matilda Wiezell’s enchanting voice which fits perfectly with Melby’s unique musical landscape - a sound that's been called "otherworldly, and wholly brilliant" by The Line of Best Fit.

The band consists of Wiezell, Are Engen Steinsholm (back-up vocals, guitar), David Jehrlander (bass) and Teo Jernkvist (drums) and formed while living together in a Stockholm shared housing.

Rama Lama Records · Melby - Magic

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Course - Sixteen.

Chicago based synth/indie/pop group Course released today their nostalgic new single "Sixteen" off their forthcoming debut album A Late Hour (out May 21st). The song debuted on Consequence of Sound along with the accompanying flash fiction short story written by singer/guitarist Jess Robbins.

"While the song is about the mixed emotions that come with the newfound freedoms of adolescence, there's a comparison to be made about the struggles and successes of the last year," stated Consequence. "'This life, this love/Call it crazy, call it dull - but don't call it luck,' sings Robbins over optimistic synths that dance with anticipation."

"Sixteen" follows the release of the band's lead single "Give it All Away." It was featured on Under The Radar who called it "a lush dream pop tapestry."

Comprised of veteran musicians Robbins, Chris Dye (drums), Dan Ingenthron (synth/keys), Mikey Russell (guitar), and Brian Weekly (bass), Course blends diverse aspects of dream-pop, 90's new-wave, alternative, electronic, and indie rock. Drawing on Robbins' indie-folk roots, Course incorporates polished, modern production and lush electronic instrumentation to create songs with a characteristic ethereal-industrial sheen.

Course recorded the bulk of A Late Hour in the desert town of Dripping Springs, TX with producer Dan Duszynski (of Subpop group Loma), who's studio is set up among a series of airstream trailers. Bright but with depth, the album offers a collection of elegantly upbeat reflections on life and love - though not without somber moments. It's an album filled with intricate and sweeping stories - literally. At one point while writing lyrics, Robbins found herself stuck, so she devised another way into the songs: She wrote narrative fictional short stories to accompany and elaborate each track. The stories will be released in a Chapbook along with the record.

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James Parm - Doing Time.

Background for the video and superb new album from James - "My brand new album titled The Art of Waiting explores our relationship to the pain of the past, the anxiety of future, regrets and aspirations, and the indescribable beauty of life that often eludes me. An expose on the feelings of tiredness, weariness, and being stuck under the oppressive force of time."

The pensive and melancholic track, "Doing Time," is a lament on the routine and stagnant repetition of modern life, and struggles with self-control. Our obsession with time creates a stale and tedious prison.

Time is an illusion we have created to ensnare ourselves, forfeiting life for security and predictability, believing that the modern world is a machine which uses us for its will and not the other way around.

Waiting is the experience of death in slow motion. Since we have converted the action of living to the passive state of waiting, life is less the Art of Living, and more the Art of Waiting.

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Van Plating - The Way Down.

Van Plating wasn’t sure how her self-titled album would be received in 2019 after a nine-year hiatus from music.

After attending Florida Southern College and majoring in violin and voice, Plating spent her 20s immersed in the indie rock scene, playing violin and singing with her band Pemberly (named after the country estate in Pride & Prejudice). The band was poised for success, receiving warm receptions while on tour with the likes of Copeland, The Postmarks, Matt Pond PA, and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. Things were going great — until they weren’t. The band broke up and she decided to take some time off. A year turned into three, which turned into six, and before she knew it nearly a decade had passed.

Plating woke up one day and wasn’t sure where she fit in musically anymore. The music business isn’t known for being kind to women after they reach a certain age — and she no longer had a band to blend in with. She knew if she took another shot at it, she would be front and center, and would rise or fall alone. Either way, she knew she wanted to try again, and cast any fears aside.

Plating recently confessed about 2019’s Van Plating, “A year and a half ago, I thought I was going to write a little acoustic record to give to my friends, but that’s not what it turned out to be at all.” Instead, the album took on a life of its own, blossoming into a collection of songs indebted to the confessional folk tradition whilst embracing forward-thinking pop song structures, harkening to celebrated offerings from Lilith Fair icons like Paula Cole, Aimee Mann, Natalie Merchant, and Shawn Colvin. Plating also dipped her toes into the Americana world with songs like “Standing Still” and “Mountain” — both of which received praise from Americana-focused media outlets.

“I was literally in the studio experimenting and trying things,” she recalls. “Where I landed, which has been really cool, is in that Americana world, which I love a lot. And that just sort of happened organically after the record was released. I had a lot of momentum coming into the spring with a festival booked, and a lot of shows were coming in before they all got canceled, and they were good opportunities.”

It was the reception to her new sound that gave her the confidence to lean into a more singer-songwriter vibe on the songs she’s recorded during quarantine.

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Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell - Deshta (Forever).

Dead Can Dance members Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell have teamed up under a new guise with James Chapman (MAPS) to create a studio album, titled ‘Burn’. The record began its journey more than seven years ago, when Lisa met Irish theatre composer Jules Maxwell before working together for the first time. ‘Burn’ is set for release on 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

Speaking about the origins of the album, Lisa Gerrard explains, “It is with great pleasure that I share this collaboration with Jules Maxwell. Jules and I began our creative journey with Dead Can Dance. We realised that we could connect through improvisation and that musical exploration continues to evolve with this present work.”

Although this record is a new release, its beginnings go all the way back to 2012 during that year’s Dead Can Dance world tour. Originally brought in as a live keyboard player, Jules Maxwell helped create a new song with Lisa Gerrard called ‘Rising Of The Moon’, which was performed as the final encore of each show. By the time the tour finished in Chile in 2013, a strong affinity had begun to develop between the two of them and further opportunities to collaborate with each other resulted over subsequent years.

In 2015, when Maxwell was asked to submit songs for the Bulgarian choir The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares), he approached Gerrard to co-write material and travelled to Australia to work with her in her home studio. The pair came away with four new songs for that release, as well as the building blocks for this new venture together.

Jules describes the introduction to James Chapman. "About a year later, over dinner in Sofia after a concert by the Bulgarian women, my publisher suggested to me that I work with James Chapman on completing the BURN songs. James had established a sound with his band MAPS, which also had big horizons at its core, and it seemed like an intriguing proposition to me."

With Chapman joining the duo as producer, ideas began to be generated freely and over time a distinct sound for their work began to emerge. Their focus was to create a sound that was both euphoric and compelling, more inventive than what they had worked on separately in the past. From gentle beginnings, each track builds and intensifies, creating a hypnotic experience to listen to from start to finish. With Lisa remaining in Australia, Jules adding his keys and percussion from France, and James bringing new light to the sound from England, the three were literally worlds apart, but those worlds fused in the music.

Recently, Jules Maxwell also released his debut solo album ‘Songs From The Cultural Backwater’, Lisa Gerrard received a Grammy nomination and returned to Dead Can Dance to release the group’s critically praised ninth studio full-length ‘Dionysus’, and James Chapman released MAPS 4th full-length album ‘Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss’.

Stylistically, the new album ‘Burn’ is a diverse mix of electronica, alternative, cinematic soundscape and world music with hints of early Vangelis. Accumulatively, this is a stunning departure for all three of them. Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell’s new album ‘Burn’ will be available as of 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

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ME REX - Kandle - Stolen Stars - Summer Sleeves - Scout

ME REX - Heart of Garbage.

South London’s ME REX have shared a brand-new animated video for their infectious single Heart of Garbage, taken from their most recent EP ‘Stegosaurus’, which saw them receive acclaim from the likes of Stereogum and DIY. Talking about the track, lead singer Myles McCabe said "The central metaphor is of a plant trying to grow in a poisonous environment. The song is about digging out space, providing light and clean water, trying to create the circumstances under which growth can happen."

Sometimes taking a break is the only way to reignite a passion. Having immersed himself in music from a young age, ME REX, originally a solo project by Myles, saw early success with previous bands, but quickly became disillusioned with the music industry alongside an addiction to alcohol and battling mental health issues. However, the artist came into his own when he first began experimenting with electronic bedroom pop in 2018 in the solitude of his own home, leading to supports with the likes of Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage, Chris Farren, and Onsind and tours in the UK and Europe with his constantly evolving new project.

With his band (Phoebe Cross (Happy Accidents/Cheerbleederz), Rich Mandell (Happy Accidents) and Kathryn Woods (Fresh/Cheerbleederz)) the artist has seen ME REX morph into an exciting collaborative project. Taking inspiration from the instantly definable electronics of WHY? and lyrical prowess of Los Campesinos, ME REX makes music that channels conflicting emotions, painted with unique and delicate flourishes yet at its core bearing a depth of emotion that’s so potent, it feels as though it may only just be scratching the surface of what’s to come from the promising songwriter.

“I reached kind of a critical point with my mental health around the time I got sober and in the following months. I wasn’t really able to write or make music. I became quite disillusioned with the idea of being in a band and making music within the music industry and in 2012 the band gradually fell apart.” Says McCabe. “After a couple of years, I decided I wanted to work as a solo act, there were a lot of advantages to this, logistically and interpersonally things were a lot easier. I found it much easier to tour alone and enjoyed the autonomy, I began touring around the UK and Europe. In 2017 I joined Fresh and began to see that it actually was possible to organise practice, writing and touring in a way that wasn’t soul destroying.”

Graduating from home produced music, the band’s recently released EPs ‘Triceratops’ and ‘Stegosaurus’ were recorded at Resident Studios in North London with band member Rich Mandell at the helm; allowing ME REX the opportunity to explore concepts as a musical unit, shaping material that touches on themes of friendship, forgiveness, joy, dinosaurs and mental health wrapped in sombre melodies.

“I like to include jokes and wordplay because I enjoy writing these things in, but also to undercut the idea that this kind of thing can only be discussed in strictly sombre terms. The process of developing my own health and recovery is for me a joyful one and I think that should be reflected when talking about it. I like to make my verses quite dense with ideas and images, so that a listener might not be able to take it all in at once. This leaves them to draw connections between the ideas that do stick out, this can give more space for interpretations that will change over repeat listens.”

ME REX may only just be beginning their journey, but they are already one of the most forward thinking and exciting new bands around, coming together to create something that resonates on several levels; sparking joy, hope and reflection with a collection of songs that are achingly poignant.

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Kandle - Misty Morning.

Kandle is moving forward. The golden era-sounding chanteuse from British Columbia is taking the reins of her career and her creative, ambitious visions are now a reality. This journey began with last year’s Stick Around and Find Out EP but now comes fully formed with her fourth studio record—and first independent—Set The Fire, to be released in spring 2021.

Kandle has long been known for her ability to transmute difficult feelings and situations into beautiful and tragic melodic stories. As a therapeutic outlet, music was always it for her. Yet here, Kandle exhibits a different kind of therapy and healing—a new, stronger way of wearing her heart on her sleeve. “This is the most empowered state I’ve ever been in. So much of my music has been very victimized—I’ve been through a lot. I was really dark and angry, and my writing reflected that,” she says. With Set The Fire, Kandle emerges from a new place of independence and power. “I’m trying to set the fire myself rather than be burned by it.”

This new record familiarly follows a cabaret and rock n’ roll path Kandle has already forged sonically. It’s no lazy qualifier to liken her to Shirley Bassey and Nancy Sinatra—her vocals are deep, feeling like they hold the wisdom and sadness of a thousand women before her.
She studiously pays attention to these legends from a golden era in pop and rock history. While Kandle rarely listens to records after the late 60s, turning mostly to poets and modern giants like Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen, merges the past with the present and burns a bright new future with Set The Fire.

This is Kandle’s first independent record. Now, she is free from others’ expectations and the voices that eclipsed hers time and again. The irony of writing and recording an album on her terms just as lockdowns became a worldwide reality last March is not lost on her. “This album was made independently for the first time ever with total freedom, but also at the time where we as a society lost all of our freedom.” The process she says was “nothing but love and support as the outside world was completely falling apart.”

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Stolen Stars - Thought Broadcasting (E.P).

Stolen Stars is a rising pop/rock band from Orem, Utah. Weston Paul and Tanner Pierce have emerged from the hot Utah music scene that produced such bands as Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees and The Used.

In June of 2018, they released their first single, “The Cupid Caper.” After only a short time they dropped their first EP, “A Program About Love,” which takes listeners on a journey through the phases of love, while showcasing their unique pop and rock sounds. Just this year they released their second EP, “Thought Broadcasting”, an emotional look into the mind of music.

Stolen Stars music has been played on local radio where it was met with approval from fans and positive reactions from the industry. Their success in winning a Top 5 spot in the South Jordan Battle of the Bands, kicked off a series of performances all across Utah. Stolen Stars music is distinctive in capturing a snapshot of sounds from bright guitars, rock grooves, and electronic backings to create a passionate musical collage.

Stolen Stars · Thought Broadcasting

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Summer Sleeves - You'll Never Change.

Jeremy Charbonneau grew up in the car culture of the midwest, going to auto shows with his father on the weekends. And the oldies were always on the radio on these trips. “That music still has such a huge influence on me, to this day,” he says. Many of those early influences would give way to indie rock, punk, art rock and eventually, folk over the years, but the simplicity of ‘60s Top 40 pop is what’s behind the music of Summer Sleeves. Jangly, folk-brushed acoustic guitar, a raucous hook and a smattering of vocal harmonies.

Jeremy first formed Summer Sleeves as a way of getting social and making friends. He’d spent the previous 15 years playing drums for Seattle artist Carrie Biel (Moon Palace) and as a founding member of Smile Brigade. After several years recording and touring with these groups, he walked away from music to go to design school and get a “real job” to help support his young family. But once the dust settled on that life transition, music worked its way back into his forethought.

He got together with a couple friends for something to do socially, and together they played a few songs he’d written. A small handful of songs quickly built up to enough material to play out as a live band. That incarnation of Summer Sleeves dissolved as groups do, but Jeremy wanted to keep the music going and decided to record the songs he’d put together.

Summer Sleeves’ debut album In the Throes of Woes is eleven songs performed by Jeremy and friends Alon Bassok and Mike Oprinski. Bassok and Oprinski took on bass and lead guitar, respectively, for the majority of the home-recorded songs, while Jeremy took on the rest. The result is a lo-fi foray into indie pop, folk, and at times, noisey psychedelia. The album was recorded over the fall/winter of 2019–2020 at Jeremy’s West Seattle home with a few mics, a laptop and a DIY sound-treated room—all the makings of true lo-fi record. The album was mixed by Jeremy and Ethan Jones (Math and Physics Club/Model Shop).

Summer Sleeves · 1 You'll Never Change

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Scout - Never Fade.

Enfield, London based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Scout has launched their debut single, "Never Fade". With sonic touchstones ranging from MUNA and 070Shake to Christine & The Queens, "Never Fade" is the first track to be heard from Scout's debut EP, due for release later this year.

Co-produced by Gethin Pearson (Charli XCX, Orla Gartland) with additional production from Joe Cross (Lana Del Rey, Hurts), "Never Fade" blends gentle harmonies and rich vocals against a pulsing synth-pop backdrop, wherein lies a powerful message of tragic nostalgia.

Scout says, “Its a kind of snapshot of the stage of heartbreak when everything feels like a reminder/brings up memories of your ex. I guess I like to roll around in the darkness and romanticise for a bit too long because ultimately that’s all thats left of the relationship at that stage and it’s hard to let go, but it’s also the process and the birth place for a lot of relatable music, at least for me."

Scout went on to say: "Being a visual person a lot of this stuff plays out in my mind a bit like a film and I wanted the production to echo the emotional/cinematic aspect of sentimentality. The starting point was a beautiful synth loop which quickly set the tone and the song wrote itself really quickly after that. It’s perhaps a bit more cinematic than the rest of my stuff, but it (and the EP) fills an important spot chronologically for me.”

Having played in bands throughout much of their teenage years, Scout readily admits they always felt more drawn to writing and pop music. Now, they're ready to step out on their own, with "Never Fade" standing as the perfect introduction. Scout's classically trained musical prowess, paired with their intimate story telling and lush dream-pop soundscapes combine to form a fresh, yet nostalgic take on modern pop - firming planting a flag as an exciting new talent to watch this year.

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Robyn Sherwell - Quiet Marauder - MaryLiz - Matilda Gracia - Carbon Memory - Oracle Sisters - Juanita Stein

Robyn Sherwell - A Kiss.

Singer and songwriter Robyn Sherwell shares ‘A Kiss’, the second single taken from her upcoming new album ‘Unfold’, due for release on June 18th. Talking about the meaning behind the song, Robyn says; “A kiss is a simple act, but can also mean crossing the line between friendship and something more than friendship. The song speaks to the risk of doing something that can’t be undone, something that could change everything, and the floating exhilaration, fear, excitement and anticipation of that moment.”

Robyn’s alluring vocals are set over gently rocking Wurlitzer keys, with lush electric guitar delays building up into beguiling cascading layers, giving the sense of free-falling as the line is crossed. Robyn’s vocal delivery is like the whispered sharing of a secret, as we hear every tiny breath and are carried on the journey into this moment, one that so many people can relate to.

The song is accompanied by a dance performance video, featuring LA based dancer Carly Blaney. The idea behind the video was born when Carly and Robyn connected via Instagram after Carly posted a video of herself dancing to Robyn’s cover of ‘Landslide’. “We wanted the video to be simple and allow the choreography and Carly’s talent to shine,” explains Robyn. “Carly’s interpretation of the song as a solo dancer perfectly connects to the lyrics. I just adore how expressive and intimate it feels. I’ve always loved how beautifully dance can convey a song’s energy and meaning., I’m so happy to have been able to collaborate with Carly to create these visuals.”

Robyn Sherwell is a name that has been on the lips of tastemakers since her debut single ‘Love Somebody’ became a firm favourite of Lauren Laverne’s on BBC Radio 6 and signalled the arrival of a new heart-on-sleeve female singer-songwriter. Follow up single ‘Islander’, a dedication to her childhood home of Guernsey, quickly secured support from Huw Stephens and BBC Introducing, catapulting Sherwell onto the latter’s stage at Glastonbury in June 2015. That same summer, her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ was chosen as the soundtrack to the trailer for the film ‘Suffragette’. This led to Lauren Laverne making the track her 6Music Recommends Track Of The Week, and Jo Whiley playing it twice in one show on her BBC Radio 2 show. In 2021, the emotive power of her rendition is still turning heads: having caught the attention of Airbnb, the song was placed within the film for their latest major global advertising campaign. While her original songs ‘Low’ and ‘Love Somebody’ have been featured on the soundtrack of popular TV shows including Good Trouble and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar.

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Quiet Marauder - Epic Plot Twist: Extinguished.

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.

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MaryLiz - Winter in California.

MaryLiz draws her inspiration from ordinary scenes of her life and transforms them into powerful messages that can reach everybody. A rare gem that will grasp your attention through powerful and engaging live performances. A singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist that is not afraid to deliver her songs with infectious grace and a singular vulnerability. She recalls being influenced by various musical genres and performers, including the blues, Sade, Fleetwood Mac, and Drake to name a few.

Her style is still young and developing, although the consistency of her writing is very mature. She chooses subjects that relate to the role of the modern woman and moves easily between ballads and more uptempo beats, varying her delivery to occasionally allow her band to stretch the music and incorporate elements from world music and Jazz.

Originally from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, she obtained a music degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and while doing so, developed many contacts within the local music scene where her artistry is quickly earning her a pristine reputation and her fan base continues to expand. MaryLiz actively participates in numerous festivals and venues, including Blast Furnace Blues Festival at Steel Stacks, International Blues Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, Tall Trees Festival, the Kimmel Center, Silvana’s, Barnes Foundation, The Grape Room, and many others. Additional performance credits include Brian Williams and The Get Back, and Blues Junior at the ”Best of Philly” Soiree. Her song “Can I Be” is featured in the film “Drown The Clown”.

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Matilda Gracia - Rising Sun.

I wrote Rising Sun exactly one year ago, the day I was told my beloved Grandmother passed away from Covid.  I was in shock and the only thing that got me through that moment was writing this song. In fact, I feel as if I didn’t write it at all, it just poured out of me almost as if it was her helping me through that moment.

During this past year I have spent many months working on this song, day and night, in my home studio. Rising Sun will be available on all platforms on the 9th of April.

Matilda Gracia is a half Irish, half Spanish singer songwriter, musician and producer who describes her music as Self-help pop, “I like mixing catchy melodies with topics that matter, with the goal to connect and help people through music”. She is influenced by various genres including pop, soul, blues & singer-songwriter.

Since moving to London there have been a few highlights for Matilda including supporting Spanish Indie rock band on a UK tour, performing in iconic venues such as Notting hill Arts club and Electric Ballroom, making a guest appearance on Andertons live sessions and working with record label Dreamscope media group, to name but a few.

Since moving back to her hometown in Spain, Matilda has made creating music her top priority. She has been dedicated to working in her home studio to find the know how to express her music.  “I want more freedom and ability to express my thoughts through music, so that’s why I’m learning how to do it myself, plus I’m having so much fun in the process”. You can find Matilda on all the social media platforms as she embraces this new world by releasing her music.

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Carbon Memory - Distance.

Carbon Memory is a dynamic alternative rock band that develops sonic snapshots that are both transporting and cinematic. The Toronto band cues magnetic guitars and contemplative lyrics to a reel of ambient textures that oscillate between a sense of nostalgia and optimism.

It is in this spirit that the band came upon the sound and title of their upcoming EP, Tourist. Following the arduous process of self-producing/recording their 2018 debut EP, Panoramas, the band decided to enlist the help of Toronto producer Graham Walsh (Holy Fu*k, Alvvays, METZ) to best capture and instigate sonic experimentation on the group’s latest material.

Tourist was recorded over a period of two weeks, late summer 2020, at Toronto’s Palace Sound and Candle Recording studios. The EP features the band’s most compact and direct work yet. From the hazy, ethereal shoegaze textures and krautrock inspired “Distance” to the smug and insidious piano driven crooner “Rumours” that burns slow but heavy; Tourist gives the listener an idea of where the band has been and hints of where they want to go next. “The Only One” borrows plenty from the British Alternative rock aesthetic with a wall of guitars, a pulsing piano and soaring catchy choruses. “Closure” is the band’s organic midnight summer synth funk jam, while the brooding track “Tonight” plays out a recurring dream suspended by angular rhythms, wiry guitars and haunting melodies.

August 2018, saw the band release its debut EP, Panoramas; setting across Southern Ontario for a string of shows including dates at Toronto’s iconic Opera House and Lee’s Palace. The band was also featured on Southern Souls, the fantastic online video archive of the latest Canadian independent talent, showcasing two live-off-the-floor performances of the band’s jazzy and psychedelic laced track “Medusa” and their embracing folk-inspired song “Ocean of Gold”.

Carbon Memory · Distance

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Oracle Sisters - Paris II (E.P).

Parisian trio Oracle Sisters share their new EP ‘Paris II’, via NYC/LA independent label 22TWENTY (Madge, Fat Trout Trailer Park). Over the past twelve months, Oracle Sisters have built up a loyal and global following, blurring the lines between music and visual arts. Support for their music has come from NME, CLASH,The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, So Young, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Beats1, COLORS, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, KEXP, NPR and many more. This culminated in the critically acclaimed release of Paris I, mid-way through 2020.

Now, Oracle Sisters release its sequel, ‘Paris II’ . Building upon their first EPs thematic premise of music lifted from a utopian vision of the French capital (where the band are based) the upcoming body of work shows the duel side “of that world...coming back down to earth to explore the darker sides of the psyche while probing some allies of hope” add the band.

Moreover, the EP has allowed the trio to mature and develop into sophisticated songwriters, weaving together their own sonic universe built on a tapestry of enigmatic lyrics lightyears ahead of their contemporaries and melodies that are  fitting to be sung round a campfire, or in a far-off tavern filled with revellers transporting the listener “to a portal to the past and the future, the stars and the moon.”

Oracle Sisters’ members hail from across Europe and the UK , the band are uninhibited in their influences, finding inspiration within the art, cinema, philosophy, and music of the world over; resulting in a sound that is both sonically sophisticated and warmly familiar. Lyrically, they explore timeless narratives of love, mysticism and spirituality, scattered with intriguing insights into their own personal lives and experiences resulting in songs that are cryptic yet inviting.

Now, having started recording in Greece,  the band are finishing off their debut album in Paris, due for announcement soon. Along the road, they’ve also played impromptu shows on the island of Hydra with friends from Fontaines D.C & The Murder Capital – capturing the troubadour spirit of the band.

With well over three million streams across their modest catalogue, and an impressive schedule of live dates to be announced across the UK, Europe and US and a debut album on the way - Oracle Sisters are quickly becoming recognised as one of the most exciting and prolific outfits to emerge from the French music scene, and now set their sights further afield.

Oracle Sisters · Paris II

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Juanita Stein - Snapshot (Locked Down - Live from Brighton Electric).

Juanita Stein will release a new live EP, Locked Down - Live From Brighton Electric via Nude Records on 28th May. The Howling Bells frontwoman turned solo artist performed songs from her acclaimed album, Snapshot, with a band that included her Howling Bells bandmates and the album’s producer, Ben Hillier, for the EP, which also features a pair of bonus tracks recorded during the original LP studio sessions.  Additionally, Juanita has announced some changes to her upcoming UK tour dates made necessary by ongoing COVID restrictions.

The release of the live EP will coincide with Stein’s previously announced UK headline dates. However, she has unfortunately been forced to cancel several dates due to ongoing COVID restrictions.  She explains:

"For those of you in Leicester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh I’m so sorry but with things being what they are right now, that is, still under part lockdown, I just can’t make these shows work at 50% capacity. I was holding out for a bit to see if we could, but financially it’s a kill. I want nothing more than to play Snapshot live for you and want to honour that with a full band. As SOON as I’m able to, I will get to you again. Birmingham, Bristol, London and Brighton will go ahead as scheduled, proximity to getting myself and the band home [each night] makes these shows entirely possible for me right now. I hope you understand and see you soon! X Juanita”

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Remember Sports - PACKS - Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones

Remember Sports - Out Loud.

'Like a Stone', the new album from Philadelphia's Remember Sports, is all about breaking away from old versions of yourself. Vocalist Carmen Perry (she/her) rummages through feelings of doubt and spins them into an imperative to treat herself more kindly; her experiences growing up with Catholicism and later studying religion, as well as living with an eating disorder, provide a visceral lens for the literal blood-and-guts self-scrutiny she writes through.

With gated drums reminiscent of a naughties pop highlights comp, their third pre-release single, 'Out Loud,' is undoubtedly one of the album's standout moments. Vocalist Carmen Perry got to go "full Ariana Grande," guitarist Jack Washburn says of the diva-leagues vocal chops on display, “and the whispering she does on that last chorus is one of the most special moments on the record for me.”

The songs on 'Like a Stone' are about insecurity, but they’re also about optimism—emerging from an intrusive thought with a new way to perceive and care for yourself, represented in spectacular denouements made possible by the closeness between the band members. “We’ve grown up together and grown to trust each other,” says Carmen. In recording, Jack felt drawn to music that’s “communal and loud and cathartic, but also kinda confidential and private. I hope we achieved something similar, where you can hear the influence of each of us in the album.” Carmen seconds that; “It feels seamless. To me, Jack and Catherine’s writing feels like an extension of my own.”

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PACKS - New TV.

Last month Toronto's PACKS announced their debut LP Take The Cake, and their signing to Fire Talk Records (Dehd, Patio, Mamalarky) and Royal Mountain Records (Wild Pink, Alvvays, Mac DeMarco) who will release the record on May 21st. The album was announced with the single "Silvertongue," which caused considerable excitement, earning comparisons to Pavement, Sonic Youth and Best Coast from outlets like Stereogum, Exclaim and So Young, and best of the week nods from NPR, BrooklynVegan, Gorilla vs Bear and Paste. Today the band sharing their second single from the LP, "New TV."

"I got the chance to witness a craigslist transaction of two bros selling a hideous pink couch to an eager young man with a U-HAUL," Link explains. "As they lovingly demonstrated the LA-Z-BOY function, everyone seemed pretty impressed. New TV boxes and old couches litter curbs every garbage day. This song goes out to other people’s garbage."

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.

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Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones - Let's Go!

Ask anyone who’s caught them live and you’ll hear the same thing: It’s simply impossible to see Lara Hope & the Ark-Tones perform and not have a great time. A smile on the lips, a swivel in the hips, and an earful of snappy tunes are the inevitable takeaways from any Ark-Tones appearance. The band’s singular blend of rock ‘n’ roll, country, blues, surf, Western swing, rockabilly, folk, pop, and jazzy rhythm & blues gets feet a-moving and hands a-clapping no matter the audience. By the end of the night, if they weren’t already, those lucky concertgoers are rabid fans.

From behind her trademark red cat-eye frames, Lara, winner of the 2017 Ameripolitan Music Award for Best Female Rockabilly Artist, fills any hall that she and the Ark-Tones play. Her neon-bright, bigger-than-life persona is matched only by the outsized power of her towering voice, an instrument that moves effortlessly between big-stage belting and sexy, sultry crooning. Alongside Lara, the ace Ark-Tones know innately how to complement the leader and singer-songwriter’s dynamic vocal presence, both before an audience and in the studio: Double bassist Matt “The Knife” Goldpaugh, lead guitarist Eddie Rion, and drummer Jeremy Boniello keep the train rocketing down the rails, making moody detours whenever the songs call for them. Want an illustration of an act that knows its craft? Here to Tell the Tale, the band’s red-hot third album, is diamond-hard proof. In spades.

“Lara Hope & the Ark-Tones’ records and live performances capture, and release, the spirit of the original rockabilly and country bands that I have listened to and enjoyed for most of my life,” says Tony Garnier, Bob Dylan’s long-time bassist and a devout devotee of the group. “And my two boys, who are 10 and 13 and are [otherwise] glued to Top 40 radio, are also huge fans.”

Garnier is by no means alone in his praise for the quartet’s sound. “A beguiling chanteuse, Lara swirls with facility from sonorous swinging to purred intimations to powerhouse, knock-down-drag-out rock ’n’ roll,” says No Depression, while PopDose calls their music “a damned fine gathering of real, American rock ’n’ roll — the way it was meant to be played — with fun and passion.”

Although Lara and the group have been well known on the rockabilly scene for years, those who’ve followed their recordings know that the band’s stylistic approach is increasingly diverse. “Since our earlier albums [2014’s Luck Maker and 2017’s Love You to Life], we’ve grown a lot as musicians, and I feel like my songwriting has really matured along the way,” says Lara. “I believe that Here to Tell the Tale has our best songs so far. It’s more widely varied, in terms of the emotions, musical styles, and subject matter. We always try to have something for everybody.”

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Vök - Carley Arrowood - Spud Cannon - Zoe & Cloyd

Vök - Lost in the Weekend.

Icelandic trio Vök have shared the bold and cinematic video for their dynamic new single Lost in the Weekend, which is out now through Nettwerk Records.

Following the release of their acclaimed 2019 album In the Dark, which was written and recorded by the band in collaboration with producer James Earp (Bipolar Sunshine, Fickle Friends, Lewis Capaldi), Vök have been nestled away in their Reykjavík studios working on new material. The result is some of their most atmospheric work yet and Lost in the Weekend is an early taste of their progressive alt-pop sound.

Based around a semi-autobiographical character, Lost in the Weekend focuses on the ease of over-indulgence when you’re living in the moment and the purposeful loss of a sense of self. Mixed by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, Goldfrapp, The xx), it builds playfully, launching into a bold chorus, which musically echoes the meaning behind the song. The video, directed by Einar Egils, portrays the story of a man who loses himself in the weekend to celebrate who he is and conveys an overall message of everyone accepting who they are and being who they want to be.

Lead singer Margrét says; “With the video for ‘Lost in the Weekend’ we wanted to focus on the importance of showing your true self and letting one’s inner personality come out. Whatever you are on the inside, don’t be afraid to show it. Let’s celebrate our diversities.”

Through their unique and lushly layered sound that blends electro and indie with forward-thinking pop and a self-assured aesthetic, that is just as striking as their sound, Vök continue to cement their position as one of the most exciting alternative bands right now. Following two critically acclaimed albums, Lost in the Weekend is just the first musical moment in an exciting year for Vök, with further new music announced soon. Vök are Margrét Rán (vocals), Einar Stef (bass/guitar) and Bergur (drums).

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Carley Arrowood - My Kind of Nightlife.

Following the demonstration of her fiddle virtuosity on the instrumental “Ducks On The Millpond,” Mountain Home Music Company’s Carley Arrowood returns to form with a strong vocal performance that builds on the success of last year’s “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” by offering a different angle on a similar theme.

Written by producer-bassist Jon Weisberger and Music Row hitmaker Jenn Schott, “My Kind Of Nightlife” gently contrasts crowded downtown streets and “cafes and honky tonks full of sound and light” with the glow of lightning bugs “dancing in the air” and “the call of the nightbirds.” “That’s my kind of nightlife,” Arrowood sings with a self-assurance born of her own experience and preferences, while the song’s relaxed tempo, lush harmonies and subtle instrumental backing all combine to transport the listener to the chorus’s front porch swing and an idyllic night in the country.

"It was a fun day getting to write this with Jon,” recalls Schott, whose long list of credits includes cuts by Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Mickey Guyton, Pam Tillis and the Eli Young Band. “I’m so thrilled Carley recorded it — and her singing and playing are both fantastic!”

Backed by the same crew that recorded “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” with her, including Steve Martin Banjo Prize and five-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year recipient Kristin Scott Benson, Wayne Benson on mandolin, Daniel Thrailkill (guitar, harmony vocals) and her sister, Autumn (harmony vocals), Arrowood sings and plays not just skilfully, but with an interpretive sensitivity that belies her youth and suggests that she’s already a fully mature artist.

“‘My Kind of Night Life’ paints such a beautiful picture of simplicity,” she enthuses. “It captures the very essence of nostalgia and, for me, reminds me of my childhood with every line. I grew up on a dirt road in western North Carolina, and my summer evenings were spent barefoot in the backyard, playing endless pretend and catching lightning bugs with my sister and brother with nowhere in particular we had to be.”

“During the pandemic, and especially now that I’m planning my wedding,” she notes of her recently-announced engagement to Thrailkill, “I’ve come to cherish the nights when my whole family is home together, and I look forward, Lord willing, to the days when I can raise a family in the same way: running barefoot in the yard, catching lightning bugs, and just simply loving the life that God gives us.”

Syntax Creative · Carley Arrowood - "My Kind of Nightlife"

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Spud Cannon - Juno.

Today, Poughkeepsie rockers Spud Cannon are sharing "Juno," the first single off of their forthcoming LP, Good Kids Make Bad Apples, out June 25th via Good Eye Records.

Recorded as a part of an all-nighter, one-take, not-campus-approved sessions on a squash court at the band's now alma mater, Vassar College, "Juno" captures the undeniable energy of a night out on the rails with your friends.

"It was the spring of 2019: we were on the verge of breaking up," the band's Jackson Walker Lewis detailed to Consequence of Sound. "I was on the verge of graduating, and we had no budget for a third album. After every legitimate venue on campus was booked up, we opted instead to throw a secret show in the squash courts at the suggestion of Lucy, who thought the court’s location would make it easier to evade security.

The show sounded terrible, but during our ‘soundcheck’, I thought the court sounded magnificent. I’ve always adored the Beach Boys wall-of-sound style, and suddenly the mere thought of recording an entire record in the squash courts consumed our imaginations.

That summer, we’d hang out at Meg’s house in Poughkeepsie, write, party, and on the final day of each ‘mini-vacation’, head to the courts. We’d wedge a door, wait till after closing time, and then sneak in with all of our gear and record from 12am-6am before they opened in the morning. We wanted to capture our live sound, so we recorded together, sans metronome, and decided we’d need to get pure takes of each song.

While some came easy, 'Juno' was arguably the hardest. It took two separate nights, and I think in the end we did something like 70 takes overall to get one we were happy with."

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Zoe & Cloyd - Chestnut Mountain.

Despite its distinctive flavor, the appeal of bluegrass music is broad enough to have gained fans literally the world over. Still, direct, personal ties to the music and the communities in which it originated can lend an extra dimension to a performance, and just such a connection underpins the latest single from Organic Records’ Zoe & Cloyd.

With its themes of memory and the losses created by suburbanization and rural dislocation, “Chestnut Mountain” is a moving tale that’s all the more compelling for being based on John Cloyd Miller’s family history — one that not only embodies the lyric’s themes, but connects to bluegrass’s earliest days through his grandfather. Jim Shumate was not only the inheritor of the family’s Chestnut Mountain homeplace, but also a one-time fiddler for iconic bluegrass artists Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs — in fact, it was he who brought Monroe and banjo legend Scruggs together in late 1945, paving the way for the explosive musical combination that created bluegrass itself.

"‘Chestnut Mountain’ is a song I wrote about our family homeplace in Wilkes County, NC,” says Miller, who sings lead on the song. “My late grandfather, bluegrass fiddler Jim Shumate, was born there in 1921. There is so much history on that mountain. When I was young, the whole area was relatively remote and undeveloped aside from a few almost impassable roads. Later, a developer came in and tried to get my grandparents to sell their part, but to no avail. To my grandparents, that land was priceless. I'm so thankful that they held out and that my cousins and I have this place to share with the next generation.”

“I remember Grandpa saying he used to hear his Uncle Erbie playing fiddle from across the holler when he was a boy,” he continues. “When I'm up there, I always try to imagine what it was like for him growing up there. I picture the cabin, the farm animals and the garden, and I always listen for the sound of the fiddle wafting on the breeze."

Deeply nostalgic, yet precise in its sentimentality, “Chestnut Mountain” matches the elegant minimalism of its words with a sensitive ebb and flow in the harmonies and instrumental backing from Miller (guitar), Natalya Zoe Weinstein (fiddle, vocals), banjoist Bennett Sullivan and bassist Kevin Kehrberg. With its empathetic solos, delicate touches of dialogue between vocals and instruments, and a finely tuned build-up that culminates in an emotional, alternating repetition of the narrator’s basic wish — “I want to go back in time” — that’s echoed by the rise and fall of unison lines from banjo and fiddle before the final, restrained closing, this is a performance that exemplifies the authenticity that lies at the heart of Zoe & Cloyd’s music.

Syntax Creative · Zoe & Cloyd - "Chestnut Mountain"

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Andrea Nixon - August Green - The Gama Sennin

Andrea Nixon - Outskirts.

Since releasing her debut album in 2017, Edmonton, Alberta singer/songwriter Andrea Nixon has grown into a powerful voice within the Canadian country music scene, mainly by sticking to her roots while expanding her craft. Her new single “Outskirts'' -- available today on Apple Music and Spotify -- might just be her most accessible work yet without compromising her artistic identity. “Outskirts” follows Andrea’s 2020 single “Blind Spot” as the second preview of her forthcoming full-length album, the provocatively titled Barbed Wire Dreams.

On “Outskirts,” Andrea continues to make significant creative strides with a song that’s at once thoroughly modern, yet based in classic country themes accentuated by Andrea’s pure, soaring vocal performance. Produced by Russell Broom (Jann Arden), who also contributes on guitar, the band on “Outskirts” includes drummer Lyle Mozan (Kathleen Edwards, Dean Brodie), bassist Chris Byrne (The Road Hammers), keyboardist Brendan Waters (Brett Kissel, The Washboard Union) and pedal steel legend Smokey Fennel.

When asked to describe the message behind “Outskirts,” Andrea says, “This song explores the distance between two people, set against the backdrop of broken down love and the chill left behind.” Indeed, this is a timely topic in our socially distanced reality as our connections have been all challenged by our extended absence from those we love.

When it comes to songwriting, Andrea has never been one to fall back on clichés. Instead, she weaves stories with universal themes into the music, leaving the listener feeling both understood and represented. Andrea captures this brilliantly on “Outskirts,” aided by award-winning tunesmith Robyn Dell’Unto (The Good Lovelies’ “I See Gold”) as part of Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI)’s Artist Entrepreneurship program at the National Music Centre.

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August Green - Early Morning.

Stockholm native and indie folk singer/songwriter, August Green, had a clear vision of himself as a songwriter for other artists until he, in the middle of what he describes as ”a typical early 20s life crisis”, asked himself the question: ”What do I actually want to do?”. 

The answer was to pursue a career as a solo artist and led to him rekindling a spark in his lifelong friendship with music and the joy of making it. He began crafting his sound taking inspiration from his musical background, but also from other artists he admires, such as Bon Iver, Simon & Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell.

He released several singles in 2016 and his efforts began paying off when his song, “Pictures”, amassed over 200k streams on Spotify after being featured in popular YouTuber AlexRainbird's Indie/Pop/Folk compilation, which has over 1.7 million views on YouTube. 

August Green is now living in the Netherlands and has spent two years writing, producing, and exploring the acoustics of his church studio, figuring out how to incorporate even more of himself and his background of singing and studying choir music into his own work. Vignettes is deeply influenced by his recording space and life experiences, featuring atmospheric instrumentals, light, airy vocals, and gentle acoustic guitar.

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The Gama Sennin - I Kill You.

Presented in three movements inspired in part by Brian DePalma’s 1974 classic Phantom of the Paradise and Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, The Gama Sennin offers an elaborate 10-song suite of exceptional psychedelic adventurism. 

The brainchild of frontman Kevin McGuire, the California-based band fuses alternative energy, psychedelia, expansive desert grooves, and spaced-out prog into a pulse-pounding, mind-bending original sound. 

The Gama Sennin is abetted by John Avila (Oingo Boingo/Mariachi el Bronx) on bass, Adam Maples (Earthlings?/Sea Hags) on drums, Dimitri Coats (OFF!/Burning Brides/Ten Commandos) on guitar, Chris Caswell (Daft Punk/The Muppets) on keyboard, Art Pacheco (Jamaica) as a percussionist and very special guest Dave Catching (Rancho de la Luna/Earthlings?/Queens of the Stone Age). The album was co-produced by Peter Franco (Daft Punk) and mixed by Dan Lerner (Daft Punk). Their self-titled debut album is out now.

The Gama Sennin · I Kill You

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Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters - Render Sisters - Violent Vickie - the Slowinks -

Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters - New York / Open Up Your Door.

There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has challenged every artist to think differently about their work, but Amanda Anne Platt and her band, The Honeycutters, are probably one of the few inspired to work on an innovative project at once more sweeping and yet more intimate than anything they’d previously done — a concept suite built from songs recorded under the straitened circumstances of quarantine and envisioned as a “deconstructed album,” released, not as a package, but in a monthly series of paired singles.

For the first Organic Records release, Platt has chosen two numbers — "New York” and “Open Up The Door” — that exemplify the project’s essential concept of duality and its ultimate title: The Devil / The Deep Blue Sea. As she explains, “I’ve always liked that saying. For me, the two groupings of songs represent different sides of the creative process, with The Devil including the more manic, upbeat, outgoing — maybe even grotesque at times — and The Deep Blue Sea being more reclusive, contemplative, understated. As an artist I’ve spent a long time judging myself when I’m at either extreme, so it’s nice to have an opportunity to celebrate the balance they provide one another. As a good friend of mine put it, ‘Sometimes you’re drowning in The Deep Blue Sea and you need The Devil to pull you out.’”

With Evan Martin’s nervously insistent cymbal taps, rolling keyboard and steady drums underpinning a pared-down, two-chord progression, “New York” offers listeners their first glimpse of The Devil — and a bit more of a pop sensibility than is usual for Platt. It’s a note of departure, a message of admiration, and an image-laden, poetic love letter to her home state that carries plenty of punch in Matt Smith’s electric guitar and bassist Rick Cooper’s simmering bass lines.

“‘New York’ is a song I wrote when my parents were selling the house that I grew up in,” the singer recalls. “I hadn’t lived there for a long time at that point, but it came at a time when I was saying goodbye to a lot of people and places that had meant home and comfort to me, and it just felt like kind of a final break from something I had been. This makes sense to me as the first ‘A side’ for just that reason- goodbyes sometimes make the best beginnings. We’re not in Kansas anymore… or New York.”

The first “B side,” on the other hand, serves up a more melancholy meditation on creativity, artistic ambition and, perhaps, the enforced idleness of quarantine. In "Open Up Your Door" the mournful sobs of the steel guitar (Smith), and the warm, R&B flavor of Martin’s electric piano echo Platt’s wistful tones, as she looks back at “all the miles I tried to fly on broken wings” to recall “those hungry days we had, And dreams that kept us up ‘cause we wanted them so bad.” And while the narrator offers that “tonight I think I’d trade every memory I made to get that back,” she still offers a wistful toast to hope as the song subsides into an instrumental coda that is somehow sparse and lush at the same time.

Still, Platt’s wit emerges when she notes, “‘Open Up Your Door’ in title alone would have been a good kicker for the B sides. It’s a call to the muse — don’t forsake me, I’m still here and I have all this shit to make sense of.” And irreverent though it may be, that’s a sentiment that augurs well for the entire series to come, The Devil / The Deep Blue Sea.

Amanda Anne Platt · New York / Open Up Your Door

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Render Sisters - Black Roses.

Pop-country duo Render Sisters from Pine Bluff, Arkansas continues to grow as up-and-coming singer-songwriters with their harmonious new upbeat single “Black Roses,” available across all major digital music platforms (linktr.ee/rendersisters) on Friday, April 2. However, fans can listen to the new tune now on their SoundCloud. Stella and Mary-Keaton Render co-wrote the song with hit-making Nashville songwriter Britton Cameron (Don Williams, Jon Pardi, Dillon Carmichael), who's been writing with and developing the sister duo since their emergence in 2020.

“Black Roses was such a fun and unique song to write with Britton,” said Mary-Keaton. “We laughed and joked around about roses not always symbolizing true love, and how black roses demonstrate the reality of what relationships can become.”

The Renders Sisters also have a brand new video for “Black Roses” which they’ll premiere in the coming weeks. Shot in and around Nashville, the video was Directed by country music icon Pam Tillis, who has been mentoring and working with the girls on the artistic direction of their music videos since last year.

“We had such a blast working with Pam while she directed our fun-filled video,” Stella laughed. “She always has a great perspective on how to best visually portray the song’s message. The energy we felt with her while filming was simply amazing. My favorite part was getting to eat the yummy donuts during the video!”

Render Sisters · Black Roses

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Violent Vickie - Circle Square.

Los Angeles-based Dark Synth-Riot artist Violent Vickie's  "Circle Square" Video is out now. The music video for Violent Vickie's "Circle Square" is a layered, rhythmic collage directed by AJ Strout of Ex Corpse Art Collective.

The video was shot on Vickie's Photobooth computer app in her apartment during the pandemic when in-person creativity was not a possibility. Much like Violent Vickie's epic Serotonin project, the black and white video features the counterculture design and aesthetics that visual artist AJ Strout has presented at goth clubs throughout Los Angeles. 

"Circle Square" is a gloomy, noisy electronic track with forlorn and haughty vocals that, conceptually, is an exploration of the illusion of not belonging. Released on Violent Vickie's Division LP in September 2020, "Circle Square" is a mix of techno/electro beats and noisy synth texture reminiscent of the dark techno tunes that Vickie once partied to in Oakland warehouses.

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the Slowinks - Stay With Me Awhile.

Get ready to kick up your heels, because today Montreal's The Slowinks release their debut album Stay With Me Awhile on (weewerk) and all digital platforms.
With a sound that combines Classic Country, Jazz and Western Swing, Montreal’s The Slowinks have successfully charmed their hometown and are now poised to do the same to the wider world. Stay With Me Awhile was recorded in February 2020 by acclaimed Quebec singer/songwriter Fred Fortin at his home studio in the wilds near Lac Saint-Jean, with its eight tracks capturing The Slowinks in their purest form yet.

Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Felicity Hamer—formerly of United Steel Workers of Montreal—the drummer-less combo also features lead guitarist Martin Tremblay, rhythm guitarist Olivier Pépin and double bassist Mathieu Deschenaux who together infuse their original songs (plus covers of the Tin Pan Alley standard “Ain’t Got Nobody” and the soul classic "Let Them Talk") with an undeniably modern energy, while adhering to tradition.

Listeners got a taste of The Slowinks' at their rowdiest on the album's first single “One Shoe,” on which Felicity cuts loose in full Rose Maddox-meets-Neko Case fashion. However, Stay With Me Awhile also delivers its fair share of  heartache on songs such as “Nobody But You,” while the band proves to be just as potent en français with “Solange.” In fact, Stay With Me Awhile’s haunting title track began life as one of Martin’s demos with French lyrics. Felicity chose to write new lyrics in English to reflect her own experience of trying to hold onto someone she lost, and in the process gave the song an entirely different power.

Felicity says, “Just weeks after our return from recording, the pandemic hit Montreal and the song has since taken on even more meaning. This is just one of those songs that feels like a memory—‘These streets are filled with ghosts, hard to crack a smile. I miss you the most, stay with me awhile.’”

Indeed, one of the great joys in listening to Stay With Me Awhile is in knowing it was recorded just before the pandemic, when there was still fun to be had. Those days will come again, hopefully sooner than later, and The Slowinks are ready to provide the soundtrack.

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