Our Propaganda - Ashley Shadow - Bailey Kate - The Weeping Willows

Our Propaganda - Fast Food At Midnight.

18 months in the making, and the start of British alt-rock quartet Our Propaganda's debut album 'Fast Food At Midnight' has just (September 17th) been marked by the release of their title track single and video, blending brit-rock riffs, driving beats and a crescendo of powerful vocals alongside striking live footage.

"'Fast Food At Midnight' is about knowing something is wrong but continuing to support it, about giving into urges over what you may think is right. Something we're all guilty of. We used fast food as the example but it's more a metaphor for buying into agendas even though they're morally questionable. Mass consumerism has quickly become the biggest issue in the world and this song addresses our almost cynical nature towards it.” - Jack Denton, Our Propaganda

Taking influences from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots and numerous iconic British artists, Our Propaganda have since 2016 been taking their striking blend of alt-indie rock to the stage, having previously gigged over half a dozen countries across Europe and played countless shows around London, the South of England and their hometowns of Southampton and Portsmouth, including five years’ consecutive invitation to the stage of Southampton Pride.

The South Hampshire quartet also mark today’s release by taking to the stage at 2021's Isle Of Wight Festival at 6:20pm on 17th September, the River Stage, joining as a part of the long-awaited resurgence of live music across the UK. Though 2021 is coming to an end, September is just the start for Our Propaganda, who after signing a publishing deal with Peermusic, now prepare to release a series of singles and music videos leading up to their debut album release, recorded with renowned producer Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode/The Cure), and mixed by Grammy nominated recording and sound engineer Jonas Westling.

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Ashley Shadow - Catlin.

The Vancouver, B.C.-based songwriter, Ashley Shadow is sharing "Caitlin", the final advance track to be taken from her MOJO, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and Beats Per Minute tipped album, Only the End which is out September 24 (CD/Digital) and October 29 (Vinyl) via Felte. The forthcoming record comes mixed by Joshua Wells (Destroyer, Lightning Dust, ex-Black Mountain) and follows her eponymous self-titled debut which found critical acclaim.

Ashley describes "Caitlin" as "a tribute song to a life lost too soon." It's a remarkably intimate yet stunning highlight from the forthcoming record, accentuated with Paul Rigby's (Neko Case) woozy pedal steel guitar and lightly picked electric guitar. The song smolders, burning gently with Shadow's mesmerizing vocal performance that nestles amongst the instrumentation.

While the songs on Only the End were conceived in contemplative solitude, Ashley invited some very capable collaborators into the studio to assist with the process of recording; alongside the aforementioned Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shadow invited Paul Rigby (Neko Case), Joshua Wells (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust), Colin Cowan (Elastic Stars) and Ryan Beattie (Himalayan Bear). Ashley, the twin sister of Amber Webber (of Lightning Dust, co-founder of Black Mountain), has previously contributed vocals to Bonnie "Prince" Billy's album, Lie Down in the Light, Pink Mountaintop's Outside Love, The Cave Singers' Welcome Joy and more.

 

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Bailey Kate - Care.

Self-care can't be left out of the equation when seeking to achieve your goals. My new song, "Care," was inspired by a period of burnout in 2019.

I spent all summer that year running around trying to get organized, and the time I was supposed to have to recharge slipped away without notice. I missed out on hanging outside and appreciating the things around me because I was too caught up anticipating the next hurdles. As such, I returned to my job in the fall with an empty battery.

When plants' needs aren't meant, they shrivel, become pathetic and wilted, and the longer they remain in that state the more difficult it is to revive them. It's not always as easy to pin-point the signs of an actual human that has been missing out on taking care of themselves.

Hopefully we can be proactive in recognizing when things are happening at a pace that can't be maintained long-term.

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The Weeping Willows - Southern Gothic.

Tireless country-folk auteurs Laura Coates and Andrew Wrigglesworth have long made a study of the shadowy fold of Southern American musical tradition – a study that reached a high-water mark with the release of this year’s hauntingly beautiful Southern Gothic EP.

Lifted from that release, the pair’s latest single 'Southern Gothic' finds the celebrated vocal harmonists turning their hands to an original instrumental. 'Southern Gothic' is a brooking study in backwoods fiddle and dreadnought guitar and ripples with portentous feeling like so many live oaks shivering at the urging of a chill and keening wind.

Showcasing Andrew’s celebrated picking on guitar and banjo, ‘Southern Gothic’ also features in-demand multi-instrumentalist Luke Moller (Kasey Chambers, Hayes Carll) on fiddle, and veteran session player David Piltch (Willie Nelson, Mary Gauthier) on upright bass. The single was recorded, engineered and mixed by Roger Bergodaz (Raised by Eagles) at Union Street Studio in Brunswick West and was mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering, Brunswick.

The Weeping Willows opened the year as winners of the 2021 Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year. They’ve been nominated for eight CMAA Golden Guitar Awards and supported Americana greats from Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (USA) to Iris Dement (USA).

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Lily Konigsberg - Bren Holmes - Renée Reed

Lily Konigsberg - Sweat Forever.

Last month, Lily Konigsberg announced her debut solo LP Lily We Need To Talk Now (which will be out October 29th on Wharf Cat). 

Following her well-received EP from 2020, It's Just Like All The Clouds, (Pitchfork described it as a collection of left-field pop that sits "at the center of a Venn diagram containing haunted dolls, Arthur Russell, and Ariana Grande" in a Pitchfork Rising feature), and a compilation of her early solo recordings culled mostly from Bandcamp and Soundcloud releases entitled The Best of Lily Konigsberg.

Recorded (like the rest of the album) with producer Nate Amos, whose project Water From Your Eyes recently released their critically-acclaimed LP Structure, "Sweat Forever" departs from the album's guitar-based first single, instead showcasing Konigsberg in a more electronic environment in something closer to her pure pop mode, bringing her unique perspective and melodic sensibility to a song about a moment of transition.

"'Sweat Forever' was the first song successfully recorded for the album," Konigsberg explains. "It's mostly about the bad part of going through a huge change in your life and the confusion surrounding that. But now I'm in the good part, so there's something to celebrate. Sweat on brother!"

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Bren Holmes - You Say.

When you’ve been a professional musician for over thirty years, you can accumulate a large trunk of songs. The tucked-away tunes that Ireland-born / Los Angeles residing Bren Holmes shares on his solo debut, Everything You Never Wanted, reveal impressive singer/songwriter talents that never got fully displayed during his lengthy tenure as bassist with the Young Dubliners. While old Young Dub fans will connect with Celtic music flourishes that course through this album, they – and all listeners – also will be easily drawn into the spirited rootsy sound that fills Everything You Never Wanted, which arrives September 17, 2021 on his own Bren Holmes Productions label.

The Dublin native and long-time L.A. resident cuts across a range of genres on Everything You Never Wanted. "I don't set out to write a particular song or music," Holmes shares. "Whatever comes out, I just go with it.” Guided by a lovely lap steel guitar, the opening track, and first single, “Sweet Talkin’ Angel” leads listeners into Americana territory, while the delightful roots pop of “You Say” and “Take It All Away” suggest a roughed-up Crowded House. Holmes follows the hooky charmer “Can’t Stop Thinkin’” by taking a darker turn with the brooding rocker, “No Return,” and he mines a spare, bluesy vein - similar to the Stones’ in “Country Honk” mode - on “Love On Your Side – LC Blues.”

While Holmes states that “there’s no particular theme to the record,” he admits that this set of emotionally rich songs is “about loss and heartbreak over a long span of time." This theme might be best exemplified on “Ugly.” Featuring a duet between Holmes and former Donnas frontwoman Brett Anderson, the song ponders a “will-you-still-love-when” question in a “roller coaster ride” of a relationship. Surviving a rocky relationship also is a motif in the album’s sole cover, a catchy reworking of “S.O.S.,” which uses mandolin and guitars to remove some of the gloss from ABBA’s original.

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Renée Reed - Tonnerre mes chiens.

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed shares the first single "Tonnerre mes chiens" from a new four-song EP titled J’ai rêvé out November 2, 2021. While this song with a French title is sung in English, the EP also includes two French cover songs and a second English-language original.

Renée says this about "Tonnerre mes chiens": "The title of this song is a colloquial phrase in Cajun French which literally translates to 'thunder my dogs' and is used similarly to 'god dammit.' The song is about listening to someone else’s anger while feeling that my own anger is going unheard. "

These songs were recorded during the same four-track album sessions as her stunning self-titled debut album, released earlier this year. That album garnered early praise from tastemakers Gorilla vs. Bear and Gold Flake Paint and a 7.7 Pitchfork review which describes her music as "full of dreamy, odd notes, and a sense of unreality shimmers around her songs."

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Still Corners - Big Little Lions - Palmaria - Ellyn Woods - Mike Etten - Jillette Johnson

Still Corners - Heavy Days.

After delivering their highly-praised album ‘The Last Exit’ in January this year with standout reviews in NME, DIY, Uncut, The Quietus, Mojo and many more, Still Corners return with the energetic ‘Heavy Days’, along with news of a big US tour and re-scheduled European tour dates.

‘Heavy Days’ continues the band’s journey through the atmospheric side of indie-rock. With rich and soaring guitars layered effortlessly against singer Tessa Murray’s compelling vocals, Heavy Days gallops forth, riding the edge of rock-n-roll and expansive desert-noir twang.

Speaking about the new song, Tessa said, "Sometimes it all can all feel a little overwhelming, there's a lot to take in reading the news all the time. We wanted to write a reminder to put the phone down now and again, get out there and live life to the fullest while you can.”

Still Corners will be heading off on tour in 2022 throughout the US and Europe to support their recent releases.

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Big Little Lions - Didn't I.

Big Little Lions continue their monthly releases with 'Didn't I' which is out Thursday, September 16th. 'Didn't I' is about the regret you might face if you've lived your life taking no chances and sticking to the rules of how you think life should go, therby missing out on the magic that happens in the accidents and unknown.

 Big Little Lions have been described as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’. Prolific songwriting, infectious folk-pop style, and an offbeat, memorable live show. 

This award winning duo consists of Helen Austin and Paul Otten who, despite living thousands of miles apart, have found a way to connect and create music together. Despite being in two different countries, they have found common ground to share their message.

BigLittleLions · Didn't I

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Palmaria - Ocean (Live Session).

Palmaria are an Alt-Pop duo from a small town in Italy, currently residing in London. Members Giulia and Francesco have been making a name for their distinctive sound, poetically transporting listeners on a journey of dreamy landscapes and uplifting experiences. Think The xx meets Sylvan Esso, meets Little Dragon on a field trip to the Italian coast.

Their latest single “Ocean” is off of their upcoming EP, Crystallize. Co-written and produced with B-CROMA (Yendry, Fia Moon), the single stays true to their sound of delicate, hypnotizing vocals with a mix of organic sounds and utopian guitars. Taking sonic inspiration from the drums on James Blakes’ “You’re Too Precious”, the duo re-interpreted the sound through Francesco’s classical guitar.

The song is inspired by the legend of Colapesce, the magical story of a man that sacrifices his life on earth, turning into a fish to save his island, but also highlights the problem of the pollution of the ocean. “Ocean” is a call for help. The duo confides, “We wanted to give voice to our frustration; it’s been hurtful to see what is happening, especially growing up in a town almost surrounded by the sea. The ocean has always been such an important element in our lives, inspiring and healing us every time we were in need, so it’s now our turn, we have to protect it.”

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Ellyn Woods - Tangerine.

Ellyn Woods is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Montréal. In addition to being a singer and songwriter, Ellyn has a degree in Fine Arts from Concordia and a passion for illustration and tattooing. Her art and music are a direct reflection of her love for nature and all things organic.

Ellyn received her first electric guitar when she was 12. She began learning her favorite songs by artists like Feist and Angus & Julia Stone, building her familiarity with the instrument and developing her own song-writing skills.
At age 18, she moved to Toronto. Immersing herself in the city’s diverse music and art scenes, Ellyn began sharing her original material and honing her craft as a performer and artist. Her raw and vulnerable material connected with audiences and fellow artists alike. Her ability to effortlessly weave her personal experiences into her music, combined with her soft voice and songwriting instincts, lead to several collaborative projects and showcases.

In 2015, Ellyn began receiving widespread attention and acclaim for her collaborations with Montréal electronic duo Sterling Grove. The artists released three singles – “Sound of Home,” “La Vigie,” & “In the Backyard” – which have generated nearly 2 million streams. In 2019, Ellyn and Sterling Grove travelled to northern Québec to record an album. Their efforts yielded Cabin Days, a collaborative EP released June 25, 2021.

In addition to Cabin Days, Ellyn plans to release her debut solo album, All At Once, on August 13, 2021. The LP follows its lead single “Tangerine,” which gained airplay on Sportsnet’s live broadcast of the Stanley Cup Finals, CBC’s q with Tom Power, and several official Spotify playlists. Teaming up with producer/songwriter Kyle MacDougall, Ellyn weaves a colorful sonic landscape, incorporating a vast array of genres including electronic dance, indie pop, alternative rock, and R&B. Ellyn explores the complexities of love and spirituality overtop MacDougall’s brimming beats, yielding a fresh soundtrack for all your summer activities. Fans of Jungle, Men I Trust, The xx, and The Marias are sure to gravitate towards the breezy stylings of Ellyn Woods, as she effortlessly channels multiple genres and palettes all at once.

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Mike Etten - Saints.

Mike Etten is a songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. One of the founders of the Brooklyn DIY venue and collective Le Wallet, Etten recorded and played in various experimental, chamber, punk and country projects throughout the last decade, including PC Worship, Ashcan Orchestra and Dougie Poole. 

Amidst extensive touring and performing, Etten started writing his long-awaited solo debut, Love Wash, a twisted slice of fringe Americana, composed of carefully crafted and self-recorded song experiments that are equally catchy and off-kilter.

Some words directly from Mike himself: "Saints was written early one morning in a bit of a blur, strumming a chord progression in 3/4 time and singing a melody and words that wrote themselves pretty quickly. I built up the arrangement around the guitar and vocal, first adding drums and then synths that play a weaving counter line. Francesca Caruso added a vocal harmony and Adam Markiewicz (LEYA) layered a violin part based on a melody I sang to him, recorded at his home studio in Ridgewood. The bridge goes into a more ecstatic heavy waltz, it comes back around for a final verse, and feels like by the end of this one I’ve communed a little with myself, people from my past, and maybe a spirit or two from some other life."

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Jillette Johnson - Daddy Dopamine.

Jillette Johnson released a new single “Daddy Dopamine” as she embarks on her first national tour in support of her critically acclaimed new album It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You. The song was co-written and produced by Joe Pisapia, who produced her last album, and marks the first time Jillette has released a collaborative single. The tour with Houndmouth kicks off tomorrow in Oxford, MS and will make stops in Boston, MA, Washington, DC, and more. Find a full list of tour dates below or at her website.

“I wanted to create a spacious sonic landscape where my voice could just be, without having to really ‘perform,’” explains Johnson. It’s about the hamster wheel of dopamine addiction. We all chase highs to fill voids and soothe ourselves to make up for what we’re really after, which is human connection.”

“Speaking of connection, I’m so excited to be putting this song out right as my band and I hit the road with Houndmouth, who I happen to be a big nerdy fan of. I put my third album out in February, and it was such a weird feeling to not be able to play those songs in front of people. Making records to me is all about communication, and I can’t wait to give this body of work the opportunity to be more of a conversation than just a statement. Also, Houndmouth rules, and I’m honored to open for them. Gonna be a blast.”

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Benz - Lydia Brownfield - Absolutely Free - Koka - aloric

Benz - I Never Thought That This Would Be The End.

Ebba Salomonsson (Benz) grew up in her stepfather's record store where she explored endless different influences and styles. Benz have now signed to Rama Lama Records (Melby, Wy, Chez Ali etc.) and is back with another collection of songs packed with her playful and diverse psych-tinged indie folk, its a sound where Benz with big confidence lets her music both be direct and breathe - creating a musical soundscape for the listener to get swept away in.

The new EP 'This Could Be The End' is out on November 5th. Lead single 'I Never Thought That This Could Be The End', an up-tempo indie folk track about "two friends that make eachother go crazy", is out now alongside a music video made by Ebba G. Ågren (Wy) and produced by Feverish.

Thematically, the EP treats a broken relationship. But this is not your usual romantic sad-break-up-indie, as the lyrics tell the story about breaking up with an old friend. Ebba herself has compared the EP to "six seasons of Girls, a comedy-drama in a compressed format".

All the tracks on the EP are written by Ebba Salomonsson herself, produced by Wallentin Richardsson and recorded with Nathanel Salomonsson (drums), Simon Ström (bass), Olle Wahlström (guitar) and Alfon Keteli (keys).

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Lydia Brownfield - The Digger

Lydia Brownfield announces the release of the single “The Digger” on September 14. It’s off the upcoming album, Dig, due out November 19. The cornerstone of the album, “The Digger,” explores self-discovery before, during, after, and between relationships.

Brownfield’s voice swells and recedes within the crevices of new love, heartbreak, and the holy grail of self-discovery. The song gracefully weaves and spirals in a melodic embrace in the search for truth: “… and if you find hell, well, just dig deeper still.” Brownfield says, “Although it’s rather personal, I think other people can relate.  We all have ‘stuff.’ Stuff we don’t like about ourselves, stuff we wish we could change, stuff that doesn’t serve us well, and stuff that isn’t even ours. We were born into other people’s stuff, and we just learn to carry it along with us. It becomes part of us. All this stuff is mixed in with what’s at the core of us – and if we don’t separate it and rid ourselves of that stuff, then it just continues, on and on.”

The album travels the euphoric highs of being in love and the dramatic lows of breaking up and discovering internal power. Through genre-bending twists and turns of folk, punk, and pop, it explores the journey of getting caught up in someone else and losing sight of one’s journey of self-discovery.

The album produced by Fred Blitzer includes studio musicians Jeff Martin (drums), Andy Harrison (guitar), and Phil Maneri (bass) hand-selected by Blitzer. It also includes Brownfield’s partner, Jeff Dalrymple, on acoustic guitar. Blitzer agreed to work with Brownfield under one condition – if they used his studio musicians. Although it placed Brownfield in an awkward position and created strife with the existing musicians she was used to working with, the results were beyond expectation.

Lydia Brownfield · The Digger

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Absolutely Free - Remaining Light.

Absolutely Free has cultivated a decade-long reputation for an unorthodox approach to both conceiving and performing music. The Toronto psychedelic pop trio’s Polaris Music Prize-nominated debut was hailed as “breathtakingly beautiful” (Stereogum) and a “deep-space cosmic-rock odyssey” (Pitchfork) upon its 2014 release. Following an array of multimedia projects and releases, including 2019’s Geneva Freeport EP (featuring U.S. Girls’ Meg Remy), the band recently announced its much-anticipated sophomore album, Aftertouch, with that “flying wedge of art pop” (Brooklyn Vegan), first single “How To Paint Clouds.”

The album’s second single, “Interface” was a peek further into the kaleidoscopic minds of Absolutely Free, accompanied by a visual drench in vibrant neon palettes and retro-futuristic tendencies by Australian artist Benjamin Portas.

Now with the 3rd and final single "Remaining Light" the group echoes some of their heroes, from Talk Talk to Brian Eno to Steve Reich on a track that has had a five year gestation period.

The band explains: "‘Remaining Light’ expresses the frustration felt towards invincible and corrupt institutions that uphold structural inequities, including police brutality and manufactured poverty experienced primarily by racialized communities. Written during a heat wave in the summer of 2016, the song dishearteningly remains as relevant as ever today."

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Koka - Double Up.

Koka is an independent three-piece group from the Coachella Valley in California. Throughout their 3 years as a group, Koka has managed to perform at venues such as the House of Blues in Anaheim and Chain Reaction as well. 

All of Koka's music is self-recorded and self-produced. "Double Up" is Koka's 6th new single. 

This catchy song is filled with luscious indie pop melodies, groovy bass and hypnotizing drums!

 

 

 

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aloric - Poor Classes / Pour Glasses.

London-based aloric releases his first new single after a 4-year hiatus, with 'Poor Classes / Pour Glasses'.

After the initial success of his first singles 'Who?' and 'Fate', aloric received widespread positive press from Stereogum, HillyDilly, FreshOnTheNet, Overblown and was featured on Spotify's 'Fresh Finds' playlist - all as an unsigned artist who had yet to play his first gig.

His new single is a nod to nostalgia, the rise of the 'rose-tinted glasses' view of the past and the dangers that come with it. A cyclical narrative that seems to be playing out far too often, both on an individual and global scale. Inspired by the sounds of Björk, James Blake, Radiohead and Sigur Rós.

As with all aloric tracks, it finds the artist in the multiple roles of songwriter, singer, producer, engineer, performer and everything inbetween - a true 'one man band'.

aloric · Poor Classes / Pour Glasses

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Astrid Swan - Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters - Little Galaxies

Astrid Swan – Luxuries.

After delivering her much-loved singles ‘Not Your Mom’ and ‘Silvi’s Dream’ in recent months, Finnish singer and songwriter Astrid Swan continues the support for her new studio album ‘D/other’ with the warm and soaring new offering ‘Luxuries’.

Much like what we have heard so far, ‘Luxuries’ sees the artist transport us to a bright and atmospheric realm, filled with euphoric textures. The light and effervescent energy of her music creates a fresh and vivid alt-pop direction that compliments not only her sublime songwriting, but her bold and sweeping voice as well.

Speaking about the new release, Astrid said, “Time and life are the resources we run out of first, the most treasured luxuries. This is very clearly about being ill, knowing death is near and living life to the fullest while idealizing the state where one does not worry about each day and season because it may well be the last.”

Her new full-length ‘D/other’ finds Swan writing about motherhood, dreaming and sleeping – realising her most complete and personal musical statement yet. Composed over the course of the last five years, the stories Swan tells over the ten songs of ‘D/other’ cover themes of dream-states, mothering, loss, creativity, digital versus analogue, feminism and relationships. ‘D/other’ was produced by Swan herself. Her long-time collaborator Mikael Hakkarainen recorded and mixed the album. Along with Hakkarainen and Swan’s trusted musical partners Alina Toivanen, Veli Kauppinen and Johannes Salomaa, the Canadian visionary Owen Pallett also performs and arranges the strings for the album.

Continuing about the new record, Swan said, “I set out to write about mothering, being a daughter and a mother. I was informed by the simultaneous research process for my PhD which investigates maternal life writing in blogs and memoirs. The title D/other comes from this research. It is a mother/daughter in digital form, and a trans-affirmative concept which argues that mothering is done by anyone who performs care. In my songs, I wanted to explore sleeping and dreaming as states of unconsciousness which connect us to each other, and to different times and to those who are dead and that which is in the future. I wanted to explore the logic of the liminal and intra-active, that which slides and transforms. I focused on clear, comforting and uplifting lines, trying to crystallize what I do melodically. In this case the lyrical depths are presented in comforting pop structures.”

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Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters - Great Confession / Even Good Men Get the Blues.

As Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters reach the halfway point of their “deconstructed album” release with two more singles embodying the collection’s over-arching The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea concept, the singer-songwriter has chosen a pair of titles that offer complementary glimpses of parent-child relationships framed in contrasting musical settings.

“‘Great Confession’ was the first song I wrote after the birth of my daughter,” says Platt. “It carries a lot of the same themes that repeat on this album… growing up, growing old, learning more about what it means to be a parent and a child and a human. Rick Cooper plays the electric guitar, showcasing another one of his unsung talents.”

Indeed, Cooper’s contribution here fits perfectly into the song’s mellow, melancholy country-rock mood nestling next to Matt Smith’s pedal steel guitar as they glide over the bed of sustained organ chords and flashes of piano supplied by Kevin Williams and drummer Evan Martin. With its cold vocal start, swelling, steel-driven outro and meditative story line built around choruses that ask two different, yet equally wistful questions: 

“...now you're up at dawn just waiting on another great confession
don't it seem like there should be some kind of lesson?...”

“...now you're staring at the business end of all your bad decisions
don't it seem like there should be some kind of wisdom?"

Amanda Anne Platt · Great Confession / Even Good Men Get the Blues

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Little Galaxies - One with the Waking Sea (Album).

Little Galaxies has released their vibrant new album One with the Waking Sea, available to stream and download everywhere now. With unique instrument manipulation, emotive themes, and graceful lyricism, One with the Waking Sea is sure to entice any individual or crowd. The 10-song LP is being released on Coconut Spaceship Records.

Little Galaxies describes One with the Waking Sea as being inspired by “the turbulence of life,” just as the ocean is constantly moving and changing. “The album explores central themes like accepting fate, getting closer to what brings us joy, and learning how to co-exist in an ever-changing world that can throw us into the trenches at any moment,” explains lead singer Jeanna Fournier when describing how she translated her trauma to song.

The opening track, “Find Yourself in Orbit,” welcomes the sound of an ocean with crashing waves overcome by an ominous drone of a theremin, as if it is disrupting the calm ambiance. This sets up the overall tone for the entire album. The next track, “Waking Sea,” carries themes of both balance and uncertainty, inspired by the PTSD Fournier has experienced after a life-altering car wreck and her journey to acceptance. Adding to the intimate emotion in the song, Ken Oak brings on comforting cello alongside Phoebe Silva on the violin. These delicate and soulful instruments add to the deep-seated listening experience. Other songs to note are “Fate” and “It’s Natural,” which both carry motifs of accepting destiny and change. The listener is drawn in to appreciate the more profound meaning Little Galaxies conveys with Fournier’s powerful, soulful vocals accompanying mesmerizing instrumentation.

Little Galaxies · One with the Waking Sea

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Wyndow - Seafoam Green - Birdtalker - Ewan MacFarlane

Wyndow - All Cameras Gone.

Ahead of the release of their eponymous debut album, Wyndow (Laura J Martin and Lavinia Blackwall) return with new single 'All Cameras Gone'. The songs on Wyndow exist in the space between waking and sleeping, hazy tales that unfurl and engulf the listener in a slightly uncanny sense of familiarity. New single, ‘All Cameras Gone’, is a paean to the dust and crackles of the analogue age and the shadows of a lonely projectionist leaving the booth and memories for the final time.

The project was ignited by a love of Robert Wyatt and an off-hand idea of collaborating on a version of his song ‘Free Will and Testament’. In a time of weird interludes, the self-examination of the song’s lyrics opened the pathway to themes examined throughout the record, that of being and wanting and the battle between knowledge and knowing. Who am I and do I see myself the way others see me?

What followed was an exploration of the uncertain and the impermanent.  According to Martin, they are “tunes for whacked out worriers lifting weights in the worry gym,” where “feeling uneasy never felt so easy." Reflections flit between two pendulums as the pair wrote and recorded remotely and exchanged these dog-eared musical postcards to see each others’ responses.  Eschewing the “band in a room” aesthetic out of geographical necessity they focussed on maximising the sonic palette of each song, doing exactly what each piece demanded without thinking about who had to play each instrument.

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Seafoam Green - Maggie.

Seafoam Green’s sophomore album ‘Martin’s Garden’ was released in June to huge critical acclaim including 8/10 from Classic Rock Magazine and a glowing 4-star review from MOJO who described it as ‘a near faultless album’.

Produced by Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Tyler Greenwell, the album is a colourful melting pot of Americana, rock, folk and psychedelia with Seafoam Green’s and own musical identity, by way of their Irish & Liverpool roots, fully stamped over it. The album is available to now on CD, vinyl or download here: https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/240136/seafoam-green-martins-garden

Seafoam Green’s next single from the album, is perhaps the album’s most indie-pop leaning track. Shining electric guitar chords, emotive piano and Muireann McDermott Long’s stunning vocal set out a powerful ballad as the band ponder, “What if your love is not enough?”.

On the new single, the band said, “Maggie is based around the notion that just because someone loves you, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your own happiness to spare their heart. It's a song about new horizons; taking control of your situation and not looking back.”

If you weren’t aware of Seafoam Green yet, now is the time to get your ears on their music. Combining the best of the old with the best of the new, they are a quality outfit, serious about continuing to make a mark on the music world. ‘Maggie’ is yet another example of the band’s top notch songwriting, superb versatility and and why ‘Martin’s Garden’ has been so highly lauded.

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Birdtalker - Taking Control.

Nashville-based indie/folk group Birdtalker released their emphatic new single "Taking Control." The song is the latest peak at their forthcoming self-titled sophomore album (out October 8th via AntiFragile Music) and follow-up to their 2018 critically acclaimed debut One. With "Taking Control," Birdtalker kindly commandeer their instincts and shed their self-consciousness with driving bass, acoustic rhythms, and playful synth flourishes.

"It's a silly lil tune about codependence - moving from a place of caring more about how I am perceived to a place where I can rediscover what motivates me and what my instincts are," the band told The Boot, who featured the track. "I love how the chorus peeks out of the co-dependent headspace by starting with 'I hope you don't mind,' but finishes with 'I'm taking control of the skin I'm swimming in.' The bridge plays with timing and it feels like it reveals a bit of hesitation behind the lyrics."

"Taking Control" follows the release of the breezy duet "Tides" and "Old Sob Story," a rollicking song full of bravado and sass that Rolling Stone called "at times evoking the dramatic flair of the Decemberists' Colin Meloy, at others the bravado (and glammy tones of Marc Bolan." Lead single "Better Days" is also out now, a tranquil yet stirring song that finds the quintet reawakening and optimistically looking forward.

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Ewan MacFarlane - Underneath Your Spell.

When Ewan MacFarlane, the charismatic former Grim Northern Social frontman and long-time member of electro maestros Apollo 440, states “Its high time I stepped out and made the music I always needed to make,” then you’d better believe it, as he boldly embraces a whole new sound.

Following debut solo single ‘Stirrin’ In The City’, which picked up BBC Radio Scotland & Amazing Radio airplay, MacFarlane returns with second single ‘Underneath Your Spell’ out 10th Sept. Both tracks are standout works from MacFarlane’s superb forthcoming full-length album ‘Always Everlong’ due out October 29th. Whilst the trademark socially insightful lyrics and biting vocals of his previous recorded output remain very much part of the DNA, it’s safe to say that stylistically speaking, MacFarlane has mellowed; for he has spent the intervening time embracing his inner melodic troubadour, en-route to an uncharted destination. Sporting more than a touch of Americana in his new material, he honours the revered rock’n’roll songbooks of his songwriting heroes Bowie, Petty, and Springsteen.

Whilst the new songs may take inspiration from some legendary songbooks though, their origin remains, very much a thing of its time. Challenging himself mid lockdown to write and upload one tune per day to Youtube, the songs mostly tell tales of tension with pledges of eternal love.

‘Underneath Your Spell’ is a classic rock belter that brilliantly expresses the euphoria that love brings being captured underneath your lover’s spell. On the track’s themes MacFarlane says, “It’s both about a lust and love for life and for each other. It’s about endless boundaries, about taking the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, the laughter and the tears, but not least it’s about kicking down the walls of constraint and living life exactly how you choose. Free to be what you want to be without judgement.”

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Gustaf - Alice Hubble - Alphanaut - stores - Family Time

Gustaf - The Motions.

Brooklyn art punks Gustaf are sharing the final single from their highly anticipated debut album Audio Drag For Ego Slobs. "The Motions" follows previous tracks "Best Behavior" and the NPR-approved "Book" and is the latest track from one of New York’s “hardest working…and most reliably fun bands” (BrooklynVegan) before their album comes out on October 1st via Royal Mountain Records.

Ahead of an extensive of touring schedule that sees them traversing the US, UK and Europe alongside IDLES, Pillow Queens, and Osees, vocalist Lydia Gammill explains, "I always envisioned "The Motions" as our ‘walking around New York City’ song. The cadence is great for trudging across a bridge or taking the subway.

The song is about snapping between the perspective of your chaotic inner narrative while following the precut path of the world around you. Like when you’re strutting down the sidewalk to a song and your headphones slip off for a second to reveal the natural soundscape you’d been ignoring, realizing the world you had been wrapped up in is not the one shared by everyone else. 

Then you see that everyone with headphones is jumping between their own personal world and the reality they’re actually living in. I’ve found that if you walk around New York City without headphones, the streets are surprisingly silent. It’s us that add the cacophony of our own personal soundtracks.

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Alice Hubble - Hexentanzplatz.

Hexentanzplatz the new album by Alice Hubble will is released today September 10th, 2021 via London-based electronic-pop label Happy Robots. Described as the work of ‘one lady at home with her enormous collection of synthesisers’, Alice Hubble mixes melancholic pop, layered vintage synths and elegant vocals, reminiscent of Ladytron, Jane Weaver and Dubstar. Her debut album Polarlichter was released in September 2019 to much critical acclaim.

The title track of the album, Hexentanzplatz is named after the German mountain steeped in magic and legend. It translates literally to mean 'Witches’ Dance Floor' in English. An apt title for an album that dances it’s way through themes of illusion, love, feminism and protest whilst maintaining glistening, 80’s synth-pop sensibilities. “Being an eternal optimist I felt the need to write something in 2020 that was full of hope and positivity,” she says. “‘Hexentanzplatz’ is in part about the mountain, but really it's an inclusive pop song about fighting the patriarchy,” she continues. “Oh what a beautiful mountain” she sings atop euphoric, glitchy electronics. ‘Hexentanzplatz’ is a celebration of the wonders of nature, inclusivity and acceptance.

Of the other tracks on the album, perhaps the most classically pop moment is ‘Projections’ an 80’s style love song for the confused. “1,2,3 and I fall in love with my projections of you / I just see what I want to see” the chorus goes, referencing the love you project onto an unobtainable person. Second single ‘My Dear Friend’ was inspired by the discovery of a collection of love letters written by Hubble’s mother to her father around the time that they first met. “My mother passed away when I was in my teens and these letters gave me a real insight into who she was as a person, her ‘newly in love’ giddiness jumping off the page,” she says.

In contrast, Hubble found herself channelling a lot of anger into ‘Power Play’. “The track is a comment on what happens in a post #metoo world, once the worst offenders have been ‘cancelled’ and the news stories are over. Has something changed?  Does society move on and go to the next issue?” she explains, “‘Power Play’ is the closest thing I’ve written to a protest song”. The album also showcases Hubble’s talent for creating immersive electronic soundscapes. Tracks like ‘Numb’ and album opener ‘West Reservoir’ are awash with twinkling synths, the latter of which invites the listener into Hubble’s carefully curated world. ‘Gleichfalls’, a blissed out five minute instrumental, close

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Alphanaut - Young, Wild And Beautiful.

We have a new single from Palm Springs music collective, Alphanaut! Coming in hot before the release of their album on October 15th, they are sharing “Young, Wild & Beautiful,” another smooth delivery from the band that showcases their flare for new wave rock laced with electro-synth sweetness. With founding member Mark Alan’s warm and inviting vocal delivery, I call it soul food for the ears.

Alphanaut is a true passion project of ringmaster Mark Alan, along with the creative contributions of family and friends. As musicians with a shared purpose and common love of Bowie, Talking Heads, and Roxy Music. 

Upcoming album “On Some Planets This Is Pop” is a rose tinted exploration of inclusivity, praising the unordinary while championing what it means to shine as your true self.

Alphanaut · Young, Wild And Beautiful

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stores - bones.

The debut single from Merseyside based stores, 'bones' has already caught the attention of the likes of Speedy Wunderground founder Dan Carey, who gave the song a spin when sitting in for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music. The single has also found it's way on to a range of playlists including Spotify's 'Melomania', Birp FM's Indie, The So Young List and others.

The band have announced the music video for 'bones', directed by Existential Pleasures, will be released today Friday 10th September. "A story regarding the complexities and imbalances of a toxic relationship, a perpetual loop of virulent tendencies in which each consort feels like a sacrificial lamb on the altar"

The CGI animation created by Existential Pleasures Studio manifests the duo digitally in a contorted digital dreamscape. Presenting the themes of toxic relationships with the imagery of lambs for the slaughter, peace offering flowers and rabbits in the headlights.

About Existential Pleasures - Existential Pleasures are a multi-faceted creative studio formed in 2015 by Fionn de Buitlèar and Joseph Wyness. Their output of work intertwines various artistic disciplines including graphic design, 3D animation, product design and art direction. The studio looks to constantly push boundaries in its work through the use of the newest technologies to form new ways of storytelling.

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Family Time - New Positions.

Spanish duo Family Time share ‘New Positions’, their first release since 2019s experimental pop-opera album ‘The Great Abismo’  and their first with US indie label 22Twenty. They also announce an exclusive showcase with Oracle Sisters, in partnership with Primavera Sound and an extensive run of EU dates this Winter.

Trading the humid backdrop of holiday resorts that illuminated their last work for a snow-stormed makeshift studio-shelter in Berlin, they have been working on new material, of which we are now offered an opening taste. ‘New Positions’, with a certain fin-de-siècle allure and cinematic poise, is a reflection on the mathematics of intimacy. How does any relationship fare when faced with cold, rational scrutiny? What happens when we poke at love with our anxieties? And will our numbers hold, we are asked, by the time we get to morning?

Opening with gentle piano, the track is tinged with jazz inflections that underpin it’s captivating but laid back atmosphere. Dreamy saxophone lines enter and leave the musical conversation like guests at a dinner party, both fleeting but punctuated with meaning.

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Spunsugar - Reb Fountain

Spunsugar - Rodan.

Following on from the release of their highly-praised debut album ‘Drive-Thru Chapel’ last October, fast-rising Swedish trio Spunsugar return once again with their shimmering new effort ‘Rodan’.

Continuing that trend of sweet and euphoric dream-pop textures they have earned a reputation for, ‘Rodan’ sees the group return in stellar form. With its rich and soaring aesthetic married perfectly with smooth and seductive vocals, they are keeping both a tight hold over their progressive sound and pushing the boundaries of it as far as it will go.

While also a danceable-but-sad pop/shoegaze song, Rodan is of course a Kaiju, a Japanese movie monster like Godzilla. “That’s who I felt like while writing the lyrics” guitarist Cordelia says. Rodan was the first Kaiju movie made in color, and that’s a fitting symbolism to Spunsugar’s new material. With glittery guitars, synthwavey drums and Felix’s thumping railroad bass the song is equally yesterday, today and tomorrow in its sound. Elin’s vocals are clear, controlled and encourages you to listen. It solidifies a new direction for the band who feels they’ve come into their own as a unity more than ever.

Spunsugar is an alternative rock band with shoegaze influencers based in Malmö, Sweden, with roots in the small town bible belt country side. The trio has different musical backgrounds which has led media to express praise for their elaboration and new take on the dark and pulsing nature of the post-punk sound and deliver it through a completely new and diverse contemporary lens, incorporating both goth and electronic elements. After an EP and some introductory singles they 2020 released their thunderous and anthemic debut album ‘Drive-Through Chapel’. The album put them on the map as one of the most exciting bands coming out of the scene and Scandinavia with media support from Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music, The Independent, The Line of Best Fit, Nothing but Hope and Passion and much more.

Adrian Recordings · Spunsugar - Rodan

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Reb Fountain - Foxbright.

The fourth single ‘Foxbright’ is shared from Reb Fountain's forthcoming album IRIS out via Flying Nun Records on October 1st, 2021. The new single serves as a mesmerizing slow-burner, brimming with delicate piano, acoustic guitar and a stunning string section that guides the listener through its tender and understated production, with Reb’s enchanting vocals complimenting the music masterfully.

'Foxbright' is a reminder that there’s love to be found even when we can’t find it in ourselves. Reb wrote 'Foxbright' on the piano in one day, but as with all songs, it’s made up of what has come before; wild fragments in total eclipse. The simple verses, the declaratory motif and extended mid-section were connected by a chorus with a repeating melody.

"When I played Foxbright to Dave Khan he said, ‘that melody is the bass line’. I love that about the chorus; it’s a subtle and hypnotic imprint fully formed.”

We’ve all had a turn at hiding of late; the burrow’s the place we head to when in headlights. Lola Fountain-Best and Reb created an unadorned video landscape in which to observe the state of play. Dressing the set like a re-imagined blanket fort they borrowed a 16mm film projector to project industrial film footage from the 1950’s onto Reb’s body. The result is a beautiful and intimate expression of our nature.

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Dahlia Sleeps - Guyville

Dahlia Sleeps - Too Good To Hide.

London based duo Dahlia Sleeps today announce their long-awaited debut album, Overflow. Two years in the making and almost 6 years since their debut single, producer/writer Luke Hester and singer/writer Lucy Hill will release Overflow in two parts – the first of which will be out on October 19th, with the B-side to follow early in 2022.

Accompanying the album announcement is new single "Too Good To Hide". The track unfurls beautifully; partnering smoky atmospherics and soaring guitars with rich live percussion and a haunting string section, "Too Good To Hide" dissects how mental ill-health can hold us back and keep us repeating the same painful patterns, as the song builds elegantly towards its stunning crescendo.

Of the new single, singer Lucy Hill said: “Too Good To Hide is a song about running towards turmoil instead of towards the light. So often it is a battle to build the life we want because trauma or mental health issues keep us where we are. This is the first song on the record that touches on mental health, a theme that features heavily in forthcoming songs. And as with all these songs, this one ends with hope, something that exists for all of us as we learn to love ourselves and overcome our pasts.”

With eclectic influences ranging from electronic acts including MOVEMENT, Autechre and Burial to the lyrically poetic works of Florence + the Machine, Radiohead and The National, Dahlia Sleeps shift seamlessly between genres; from dance to electronic to pop.

Dahlia Sleeps' new material and forthcoming full length brings a new weight sonically, depicting a new kind of freedom for the duo – from managing and coming to terms with mental health problems to experiencing love in all its forms despite them.

 

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Guyville - Nothing.

Guyville is a Los Angeles based duo comprised of its founding members, Kat Hamilton and Emily Hulslander. The pair craft songs that combine elements of 90s rock, pop and country. As their name suggests, the legacy of Liz Phair brought these two powerful women together in songwriting bliss. The duo strikes the perfect chord with Hulslander's intelligent pop approach and Hamilton’s confessional lyricism.

Guyville was formed during your usual Los Angeles writing session in the Valley. What was unusual, was the easy flow and chemistry between the two prolific writers. Within a few hours, the duo had written their first song “Should’ve Never Dated”. Emily Hulslander had already made a strong name for herself in LA songwriting circles, but was struggling to find another writer who she could relax into the process with. Kat Hamilton was newer to LA, but felt unfulfilled as a writer. On that pivotal day, Emily and Kat found common ground in their failed relationships, artistic journeys and the women of the 90s.

This connection is highlighted in their debut Guyville single, “Nothing”. The end of summer jam combines elements of indie rock and 90s girl anthems with a sprinkle of Shania Twain. “Nothing” celebrates the wonderful post- breakup feeling of absolutely nothing for your ex. In the music video, Hamilton and Hulslander frolic in rose gardens and dance along sandy beaches. The result is a bubbly, tongue in cheek ode to getting over it and moving on.

 

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Favours - Susto - Seasurfer

Favours - Call Me.

Favours are made up of Jacq Andrade and Alex Zen. They released their first LP, Made to Wait, in 2020. It was recorded at Candle Recording Studios in Toronto. Their song “Stowaway” was featured on Netflix and CBC Gem. 

Recently, Favours joined forces with Jacq’s brother, Mark Andrade and built a home recording studio in a former halfway house in Mimico. Throughout the pandemic, Favours tracked a ton of music in their home studio. Their EP, Left Behind, will be released in 2021 and it features a fresh dreampop, new-wave sound inspired by their shared love of the DIY post-punk feel of Robert Rental. 

The band collaborated with a strong team for this upcoming EP. They enlisted the talents of Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning who plays bass on the EP, the engineering chops of Tallies’ Dylan Franklin who engineered the drums and bass, and the mixing prowess of Alexandre Bonenfont.

Favours · CALL ME

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Susto - Summertime.

Susto will return with Time in the Sun on October 29th via New West Records. The 11-song set was produced and engineered by Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses) in the band’s hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Time in the Sun follows their critically acclaimed 2019 studio album Ever Since I Lost My Mind which Paste raved was “a resounding triumph.” 

The joy of birth, the closure of death, the warmth of true friendship, and the future rotate on the axis of the band’s New West Records debut. Frontman Justin Osborne distills this ebb and flow into songs underpinned by lyrical eloquence, unpredictable dynamics, and a thoroughly alive rock and roll spirit.

Prior to entering the studio, Osborne became a father and midway through recording, lost his own father to cancer. Osborne says, “Because I had begun writing when I found out I was going to be a dad, these events were the biggest inspirations for the record. It felt like I was in between the beginning and end of life. Up until my own father passed away, I felt like it was an album about new life and becoming a parent. His passing shifted the narrative towards the cyclical nature of life, death, and new births.”

 

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Seasurfer - Drifting.

Shortly after Seasurfer’s acclaimed third album “Zombies” has also been released on vinyl in addition to the earlier CD edition, the Hamburg-based dream pop duo comes up with a new version of the song “Drifting”. The track turned out to be one of the fan’s favourites on the record, so Dirk Knight and Apolonia decided to produce an alternate mix.   

However, the song still captivates due to the rich atmosphere and the dark elegance of the floating synth sounds which reveal a blissful 80s feeling. This applies all the more so for the “Extended Single Mix” – almost 12 minutes long and probably one of the most impressing reworks in the band’s history.

Dirk Knight explains: "For me “Drifting” is the song with the coolest bass of the whole album “Zombies”. For the first time I recorded all the basses by myself and learned to love playing this instrument. Basses are extremely important to us and determine the harmonies and melodies, similar to how Simon Gallup (The Cure), Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) are doing it. For the single and the extended mix we let the drums run straight through to make the song even more mesmerizing.

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