Ellen Arthur Blyth - Dana Gavanski - Many Voices Speak

Ellen Arthur Blyth - Young Ones.

Ellen Arthur Blyth is a Dublin based singer songwriter. Her unique, soulful sound blends classic artists such as Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee with contemporary hints of Katie Melua and Lana Del Ray. Honing her craft over the years Ellen is excited to unveil her debut album ‘Nine’ in 2022. Leading up to the album release is her new single ‘Young Ones’. With a seductive vocal line and jazz-infused instrumentation, the new offering is a tantalizing tease of what we can expect more of from Ellen Arthur Blyth.

“It's less about falling in love and more about choosing to stay in love, trying to find magic and playfulness with someone in the mundane of the everyday. It's striving to be someone’s safe place in a world that can seem overwhelming at times. Love is a choice and so it’s important how we frame it.” Ellen shares.

The track was recorded as part of her upcoming debut album ‘Nine’ in Hell Fire Studios, Dublin and produced by Alex Borwick, head engineer at the famed Grouse Lodge studios in Ireland.

The impressive sound walks a tightrope of consonance and dissonance, nostalgia and joy, resulting in a finely poised drama of soft, lilting melody and haunting wistfulness. The vocal, at once resonant, is at times achingly honest and captivates from beginning to end. With the plethora of talent behind it, ‘Nine’ does not sing like the debut album it is, but instead stands as an accomplished piece, unapologetic, stylish, and yet encapsulating the fears and aspirations of a nine-year old girl tottering about in her sister’s high heels whilst belting out numbers into her hairbrush.

 

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Photo - Clementine Schneidermann

Dana Gavanski - Indigo Highway.

There’s something mesmerizing about the fingertips of Dana Gavanski. Conducting each note with a light gracefulness, they appear to dance whilst aiding their owner in expressing the stories behind each of her lighter-than-air tones. Stories which, on her new album When It Comes – out April 29 via Flemish Eye (and Full Time Hobby outside of North America)  – may never have been heard if not for healing ‘lost’ vocal cords and a lesson in taking the rough with the smooth.

“In many ways this record feels like it is my first,” Dana tells. “When I could use my voice, I had to focus so there is an urgency and greater emotional trajectory than before… it’s very connected to vocal presence, which extended into an existential questioning of my connection to music. It felt like a battle at times, which I frequently lost.”

Arriving where introversion and extroversion meet, When It Comes is Dana’s most vulnerable record to date. A Canadian-Serbian artist unafraid of extremes, she seamlessly blends her love of music from the 50s-70s with mythology. Led by instinct in its purest form, Dana’s latest chapter is an ode to the voice as an instrument – its power, and how intricately it can deliver words to tug at, and tie knots in, every heartstring. “Words can be taken quite literally, but to me, a lot of the time, they are pivots. They point in a direction but don’t necessarily stay there,” she says.

The follow-up to her 2020 debut Yesterday Is Gone was started in Montreal, ended in Belgrade, recorded back in London at Total Refreshment Centre, and then mixed by Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump). It offers something altogether more atmospheric and widescreen, as heard in the idiosyncratic carnival arpeggio grooves of the first single "Indigo Highway."

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Photo - Julia Mard

Many Voices Speak - Seat For Sadness.

Many Voices Speak has announced her return with second album 'Gestures', released on 29th April via Strangers Candy. Many Voices Speak, the project of Swedish musician Matilda Mård, has always found its power in its ability to capture an eternity in an expression. Mård’s elegant, yearning dream-pop makes the world seem to slow down around it, where time stretches out, and you can get lost in the deep pools of memory and emotion. After the success of her 2018 debut 'Tank Town,' her new album 'Gestures' showcases her growth as a songwriter, one more comfortable in her own skin.

The first single taken from the new record is 'Seat for Sadness'. “The verse of this song kind of came to me all at once. Then it took quite a long time until I got the rest of the song out of me", Matilda recalls, "I lived in Berlin at the time and rented a piano room at a music school, and most of the hours spent in there I was searching for the rest of the song. It wasn’t until me and Petter Nygårdh had started recording the album back home in Sweden, that I came up with the melody that would become the chorus. The new chorus pushed us in a new direction by making the whole song require something more. We had only brought a small part of the home studio to a country house to escape the noise from the neighbour’s renovation, but we found an acoustic guitar in that house that ended up being an important part of Seat For Sadness, and later on an important part of the album as a whole.”

Working with longtime producer Petter Nygårdh, the writing process, and how Mård thinks about it, grew into something new on 'Gestures'. She wrote the early versions of the songs on piano, as she always has. But before, she thought as a singer-songwriter, determined to make the songs stand up on their own, in their stripped-back version. Here, she wrote them merely as beginnings, aware of the possibility to evolve them into something more. “I want to capture these things that I can’t really put my finger on”, says Mård. “The lyrics have become more important for me. I’ve put a lot of trust in the text this time. I could explore this darker and more cinematic sound, I didn’t just think about writing a pop song”. That step made for an album that presents a more mature, developed vision of Many Voices Speak.

As well as an artist, the album has seen Mård grow as a person through writing it. Each song represents an issue she has struggled with - they tell a story of unspectacular, but deeply meaningful, transformation. Mård says “What unites the songs is a need for inner change, to handle the things in life that can’t be changed. I’m creating strategies for myself - new ways of thinking, so I can live with certain things. The title comes from that. I’ve figured out that gestures are important because they’re proof of love, and that’s the only power we have against death and separation”. It’s a theme that’s very personal to Mård, but one that resonates with a lot of people – something that could be said about Many Voices Speak itself. The stargazing mood of Gestures makes for an album that’s powerfully moving, one that creates a space apart from the noise of the world around it – a little retreat for Mård, and her listeners, to call their own.

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Andrew Ryan - Jody and the Jerms - Ghosts Of Torrez

Andrew Ryan - Midwest Kids.

Andrew Ryan announces the release of his Americana single, “Midwest Kids,” out today. The single is off the album, A Tiny Death, due out April 1 on Delete Yourself. “Midwest Kids”  revolves around the growing pains of figuring out who you are or where you belong, even within yourself.

“Midwest Kids” serves as a guide to navigating life, the good or the bad, from childhood through adulthood. Ryan says, “Being a father, I’m starting to see my daughter try to navigate the same waters that we all swim through.” The single is an open letter to Ryan’s daughter, who moved from being a kid to becoming a pre-teen when he wrote the song.

After spending so much time on the road, Ryan found a kindred spirit in William Least Heat-Moon’s book Blue Highways. In fact, on his upcoming album, he wrote the song “Heat Moon” about the fellow traveler. The book chronicles Heat-Moon’s journey across back highways (blue highways), where he encounters a diverse group of people along the way while discovering more about himself in the process. Ryan says, “I find inspiration in everything I experience, the people I meet, the places I’ve been, and the difficulties that life presents. I credit a lot of it to touring and being on the road.”

“Midwest Kids,” the first single set for release, revolves around the growing pains of trying to figure out who you are or where you belong, even within yourself. Ryan says, “Being a father, I’m starting to see my daughter try to navigate the same waters that we all swim through.” “All My Life” follows the struggle of trying to do the right thing or understanding if what you’re doing at the time is the right thing or not.

Jay Burgess (The Pollies), Alden Hedges (American Aquarium), Daniel Wolff (Dead Horses), and  Will Walden (StaG) were just a few of the friends and artists who contributed to the album. It was all recorded from everyone’s home or home studio, except for some backing vocals recorded at Native Sound in St. Louis, Missouri.

Andrew Ryan · Midwest Kids

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Jody and the Jerms - Heavenly.

True to its title, it’s a track of divine indie-pop that finds the Oxford-via-Wales band harking back to the genre’s golden era. For a track written in hell-on-earth (i.e. a traffic jam going over Henley Bridge as the band made their way to the studio one day), “Heavenly” defies all expectations with its saintly vocals, shimmering guitars and sunkissed melodies.

A bittersweet love song that will play a serenade on your heart strings, “Heavenly” is all “about the perils of falling for someone head-over-heels and how that plays out” says Jody.

Written and recorded on the same day in October of last year, the song is a beam of warmly fuzzy guitar pop laced with all the promises of new romance and new beginnings around the corner, yet spun with the reclusive cautiousness familiar to any indie kid finding their way.

Earning a dedicated fan in the late broadcaster Janice Long, the new single was aired for the very first time when Jody & The Jerms were invited into what would be the DJ’s last ever live session on 20th December 2021, shortly before her passing.

“Heavenly” is the lead single and opening track of Jody & The Jerms’ upcoming second album, ‘Flicker’ which they also announce today. Confirmed for release on 4th March 2022 via their own JATJ imprint, ‘Flicker’ arrives less than 18 months after the surprise hit of their lockdown-released debut ‘Deeper’ (released Autumn 2020).

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Ghosts Of Torrez - The Legend of Billy The Whale.

Ghosts Of Torrez released their first single (The Return) during the second lockdown in 2021 to critical acclaim and the follow up ‘Closer’ following later in that year. In 2022 the band will release their debut LP and have already started taking their cinematic style, psychedelic, electro-folk to the live arena (more live dates TBC).

Their new single ‘The Wailing’ is due to be released on the 11/02/2022 on all streaming services, followed by a limited free, Flex-Disc release in early March

‘The Wailing’ is accompanied by a Manga style video, “The Legend of Billy The Whale” (The Wailing/Whaling – who doesn’t love a play on words), which depicts the desperation of a broken, Captain Ahab type figure, vengefully taking on the beast he holds responsible for the death of his loved ones.

Taking their lead from bands such as Explosions in the Sky, Joy Division, Sigur Ros and Mogwai, GOT build their songs from soft, slow beginnings into cinematic style wonders.

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Romantic Thriller - Van Chamberlain - Jules Jones & the Legendary Ten Seconds

Romantic Thriller - I Cannot Tell.

LA based performance artist and mastering engineer, Rebecca Huston, aka, Romantic Thriller says her music is inspired by film noir, the dictionary states of the film genre: it’s marked by a mood of fatalism and menace. The avant garde artist weaves an intricate tale on her new offering ‘I Cannot Tell’. Eerie synths and an enigmatic vocal line make up the haunting soundscape of the track, making for an otherworldly listening experience.

The track tells the story of teenage love, jealousy and big personalities that perhaps cannot coexist. Huston details the characters in her story; Cynthia, Heather and Jesse. On a mystifying night in the woods behind a fairground, things change forever as Heather goes missing and Cynthia and Jessie’s worlds collide.

“Though no one knows a thing, really… about what happened that night in the woods, there are details Cynthia has never been able to bring herself to say. Would Jesse understand? Would Heather still be here if she revealed her secret? She cannot tell.” - Huston says on the track’s story.  This track and others in her catalog have interwoven storylines and recurring characters.  She says she likes to think of them as tantalizing blurbs on the back of campy serial teen romance novels.

The release arrives with a music video that captures the story being told through Lynch-inspired dreamy visuals. Hazy imagery of the fairground and the woods transport the audience to the fateful night that is captured in ‘I Cannot Tell’.

Huston has been musical from the start, playing violin and oboe in school. She comes from a creative background and to this day surrounds herself with friends with innovative endeavours. Huston honed her craft over the years and her life experiences led to her identity of Romantic Thriller. Comparable to musical misfits such as Grimes, Ashnikko and FKA Twigs, Romantic Thriller creates pop music with a mesmerizing quality that drags you into a mystery story you MUST solve.

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Van Chamberlain - A.G.T.

Van Chamberlain is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band. Having grown up making music together on a shared wavelength, brothers Van & Jacob began playing under the name Van Chamberlain in 2019. They make music that combines dream pop and jangle, with a slight 90’s alternative influence showing through. They’ve each played and toured the world in bands including Phantom Buffalo (Rough Trade Records, Time Lag) and Eternal Drag (members of The Dodos). In 2019 they found themselves reunited in Brooklyn, and immediately began crafting their new record, In the Sun.

The band released their first studio-demo, LY, in 2020, right on the cusp of the global pandemic. Having to cancel their live debut, they instead turned to the recording studio. Their first LP, In the Sun, was finished in 2021. By the end of that year Van Chamberlain signed with Very Jazzed with a release scheduled for March 2022.

In the Sun is an album about layers, both sonically and philosophically. Driven by textures of guitars, lush reverb, and grounded by infectious percussion, In the Sun offers sonic choices that feel new and undiscovered every time you put the record on. While Van’s laid-back vocal style offers the disposition of a sunny day with little to do, his lyrics draw from personal experiences of loss and subsequent growth. Their layered sonic approach reaffirms the band’s philosophical message: that what’s past is prologue, and the future holds promise, but neither will count unless you make peace with the present.

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Jules Jones & the Legendary Ten Seconds - The Spanish Are Coming.

The Legendary Ten Seconds started off as the solo music project of Ian Churchward during the time when he was the lead guitar player of The Morrisons who were featured on John Peel's radio one show back in 1987. In 2013 Lord Zarquon joined Ian's music project and since then various guest musicians and vocalists have helped out in the recording studio. The most recent musicians to join the project are Phil Swann and Martyn Hillstead.

The Legendary Ten Seconds have recorded many critically acclaimed English folk rock albums which chronicle the Wars of the Roses and the life and times of Richard III in England during the late 15th century. The albums are available on Amazon and itunes and the band have donated money to a scoliosis charity from some of the income generated from the sale of their music. The CD versions of the albums are available via the Richard III Society in the UK.

In 2018 the band recorded the Mer de Mort album which was commissioned by the Mortimer History Society to commemorate the Society's tenth anniversary. It is a historically accurate album of songs which tells the story of the significantly important Mortimer medieval family from their roots in Normandy prior to the battle of Hastings and into the 15th century. The album includes historical narratives read by the actor John Challis ( Boycie in Only Fools and Horses ) who was the patron of the Mortimer History Society.

2019 saw the release of four albums, Devon Roses, History Book Part One. Instrumental Legends and Thrilling Blunder Stories. In February 2020 the History Book Part Two album was completed and this was followed by The Acoustic Almanac, Amazing Songs and the Pageant of Torbay Part One albums. Additionally a new version of the first Richard III album was released in digital format via Circle of Spears Productions. The new version of the album features fictional narratives written by Sandra Heath Wilson. Following the release of the Pageant of Torbay Part Two and the Semi Acoustic Almanac albums in 2021, the latest album contains songs all about Devon. This album is in the format of a Torquay radio show with jingles recorded by the band and introductions by Riviera FM's Peter Cartwright.

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Anna Westin - Violent Vickie - Vakili Band

Photo - John Haney

Anna Westin - Bright Burning Mess.

Singer, songwriter, and poet Anna Westin, who hails from the UK by way of Canada, has released the second single from her upcoming album, LEV (the Hebrew word for “heart”). The single, “Bright Burning Mess”, which also opens the album, begins with some of Anna’s spoken word poetry, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and setting the thematic tone for the record as a whole. As the spoken intro of the song slowly gives way into a sturdy folk rock groove, Anna Westin’s entire musical style gently unfolds before you, drawing the listener with some of the album’s catchiest vocal melodies and lush backing instrumentation before dissipating back into the ether as Anna’s poetry returns in the track’s outro.

Speaking to her inspirations for “Bright Burning Mess” and how the process of creating this song was the moment that unlocked the album as whole, Anna writes: “At first it was just a collection of songs. It was only later that the more recent songs brought it into a whole concept for an album. So, probably sitting in my new flat in Margate, wondering whether I should have moved to a town I didn’t know by the sea, excited about the possibility of what was next, mourning an old love. I remember distinctly - the flat, with one sofa, before the furniture was bought - the cold blast of sea air, the sense of anticipation, and making sense of a few dreams that I kept having. That’s where 'Bright Burning Mess' started, and where the album emerged essentially.

There’s a Turner painting of the sea bed that reminds me of the movement of the piece - where Turner paints this churning brown muck that is caught up in the crystal blue storm sea, and there’s a bit of that in the piece - a sense of the underriding ’stuff’ pulled up from the deep, and the clear blue that transmits its own burning brightness of light across the horizon, reflecting sunset and moon and light and the vastness above, as it settles, as the day clears, like when we are going through something that causes the foundations to be broken up, and then find that we are on the other side, that the sea within has settled, and we are in the middle of a burning glorious brightness. All just feels like it has settled - like it is well again.”

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Violent Vickie - The Gloom (Dimension 23 remix).

After recording a DJ set for Rinse France, Violent Vickie returns with “THE GLOOM” (Dimension 23 Remix) , a dark punky dance remix of her angsty song by the Techno Trance producer of the 1997 rave hit "I. M.O.K.R.U.O.K" known as Dimension 23. “The Gloom” (Dimension 23 Remix)  is the second track off of Violent Vickie's Division Remixes LP which will be out in March 2022.

Violent Vickie is a Los Angeles based Dark Synth-Riot artist consisting of Vickie and co-producer/recording guitarist E.  Vickie has toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and has shared the stage with Trans X, The Missing Persons,  Jessie Evans (The Vanishing),Them Are Us Too, Pastel Ghost and Aimon.

She has toured the US, Mexico, Canada & Europe and played Insted Fest, Solidarity Fest, Shoutback Fest & Gay Prides and Ladyfests.  Vickie’s tracks have been released by Crunch Pod, Emerald & Doreen Recordings (Berlin), Riot Grrrl Berlin, & LoveCraft Bar (PDX).  Her track "The Wolf“ was featured in a National Organization for Women film and she was interviewed for the documentary “GRRRL”, part of the museum exhibit “Alien She”.

Her LP "Monster Alley” was voted best album by KALX and her tracks have been remixed by 25+ artists.  Violent Vickie's Division LP was released in September 2020,  followed by a remix album of "Under The Gun" in February 2021 and a cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire in July 2021.   Violent Vickie’s “Division” Remixes LP will be out in March 2022.

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Vakili Band - Fathers Sound.

In anticipation of the album, Walking Sideways, Vakili Band have released the new single, “Father’s Son,” on January 28, 2022, with a video to come. Fronted by powerhouse vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Lily Vakili, Vakili Band cites artists such as Patti Smith, Prince, Iggy Pop, and Rage Against the Machine among their influences, and “Father’s Son” pays tribute to those influences, with lyrics that embrace rebellion.

“My lyrics are a poem with references and nods to what it is to be an outsider, loner, non-conformist - an artist, a son, a woman, a person that doesn't accept easy categorization,” she says. “There's anger in being in that place of otherness - and self-doubt too: ‘I find myself in an indiscriminate rage over misperceived aggressions and slights.’” 

Inspired by a riff written by lead guitarist Ben St. Jack, the song came together when bassist Matt Jovanis and drummer Gordon Kuba locked into an intense percussive groove and Joel Dorow introduced a melodic line on harmonica. The horn section - a new addition to the band’s sound - came to Vakili in a dream. “When it works this well, as a singer/performer, I feel completely unconstrained and can be more experimental with vocals,” Vakili states.

Born in Honduras and raised in Thailand, Puerto Rico, and Iowa, Vakili worked in theatre and went on to carve out a successful career as a biotech lawyer while continuing to nurture all manner of dreams, including making music. She’s since released three albums - two as a solo artist, and one with the band.
Walking Sideways shows the growth of Vakili as a songwriter, vocalist, and bandleader, and the group as a whole. As the band gears up for the release on February 25 2022, they are enjoying the return to the stage. “Performing music live is a pursuit of ecstasy, connection, desire, and love... it’s real, heady stuff,” Vakili says. They’ll next perform at NYC’s Mercury Lounge on January 31, 2022.

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SUGARFUNGUS - St.Arnaud - Tidal Wave - Ewan MacFarlane

SUGARFUNGUS - Whats A Good One Worth?

SUGARFUNGUS is an indie pop/indietronica band from Vancouver, Canada that was formed remotely in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The 5-piece collective describes themselves as “introverts making dance music” and their songs, like debut single “Ghosts”, evoke a certain dream-pop meets Pacific Northwest electronica sound. But SUGARFUNGUS are more than just bedroom pop, the group’s influences range from classic rock to nu-jazz.

The members of SUGARFUNGUS are lead singer Tess Meckling, bassist Alex Marr, lead guitarist Bradan Decicco, keyboardist Jackson Moore, and drummer Ivan Barbou. The name SUGARFUNGUS comes from a literal translation of Saccharomyces yeast, used in wine, beer, and bread. It is a fitting name as lab partners turned bandmates, Marr and Moore met while attending graduate school at the University of British Columbia in a wine yeast genetics lab. Friends and Capilano University jazz students/alumni, Decicco, Meckling, and Barbou were soon asked to join the group that would ultimately form SUGARFUNGUS. The band is intending to release their first EP entitled “Letting Go, Moving Still” in Winter of 2021/2022. 

The EP presents a set of warm and fuzzy tracks that blend bright guitar lines and atmospheric synths, all the while punctuated by pop-driven hooks that capture the feeling of drifting in and out of a state of sweet, mushroomy bliss. Each song of the EP was written and recorded at the homes of each of the band members, who would produce their parts, share for notes, and feedback, and then send the parts to drummer and producer Ivan Barbou. “Good music presents a story and people feel it through their interpretation,” Barbou says of the band’s intentions. “We have the same vision to entertain people and get them to dance.”

For a band inspired by science, nature, and dance music, the idea of stitching pieces of different organisms together to evolve into something infinitely funkier, more brilliantly alive is an apt metaphor. With restrictions easing, SUGARFUNGUS are hopeful that their underground tendrils will soon be able to rise to the surface and break out into the light, a unique and talented bunch – now a fully formed organism ready for its arrival.

SUGARFUNGUS · What's A Used One Worth?

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St.Arnaud - Catching Flies.

Following up the enormous acclaim he garnered for his brilliant 2019 debut album ‘The Cost Of Living’, Edmonton singer and songwriter St. Arnaud has now returned to announce the details behind his highly-anticipated follow-up LP ‘Love And The Front Lawn’, alongside the breezy new lead single ‘Catching Flies’.

Much like what we heard on his previous full-length, ‘Catching Flies’ sees the artist return in a fresh and jubilant guise. Continuing his light yet textured approach to the sweeping indie-pop sound, his newest venture makes for a wonderfully bright and joyous listen, filled with his distinctive brand of diverse instrumentation and alluring persona.

Speaking about his latest offering, he said, “Catching Flies is, somehow, St.Arnaud’s covid song, if there’s going to be one. Dropped into an inner monologue of feigning amusement and a sigh of complacency, a tone of equal parts smoky and cheeky set the scene of a twenty-something’s life and love on pause.”

Edmonton indie-pop songster St.Arnaud is a little bit of everywhere to everyone. Working alongside his brother and fellow creative, the YouTube animator GingerPale, St.Arnaud found a loving home on YouTube and Spotify with legions of eager listeners and was swept up in dozens of tour dates across Canada and the USA. His debut album was a DIY tour-de-force of fun-loving melodies overlaying themes of death, loss, and anxiety. His new album, 2022’s Love and the Front Lawn continues the sad lyrics/happy melodies framework but with a new instrumental palette. St.Arnaud has performed with Basia Bulat, Reuben and the Dark, and Lucy Rose among countless others and has performed at stages across the world including at Reeperbahn, New Colossus Festival, FOCUS Wales, and Tallinn Music Week, along with been featured on Exclaim!, BeatRoute Magazine, Indie 88, and more.

St.Arnaud · Catching Flies

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Tidal Wave - This Cost Of Life.

Tidal Wave is a 7 piece Art Rock band known for their powerful soundscapes and diverse instrumentation. Formed in 2018, the group met each other working and performing in the local live scene in Toronto. 

This eclectic group of songwriters was initially put together by guitarist and lead vocalist Connor Young; who assembled guitarist Marco Carboni, guitarist and producer Marcus Retterath, drummer and keyboard player Mike Poisson, violinist and vocalist Joey Assaad, violinist Brittany Iwanciwski, and bassist Kyle Texiera. 

Whether you are listening to their recorded or live material, the band meticulously layers its elements to give the music a full wall of sound with forward momentum. It is an ever present atmosphere composed of rich textures of guitars and synthesizers, with a delicate balance between soaring string lines and strong vocal melodies. 

The name of the band rather accurately depicts the overall tone of an unrelenting unstoppable force. Tidal Wave evokes the melodic elements of indie rock bands like Arcade Fire, while creating compelling production-heavy ambient synth and guitar textures comparable to Godspeed! You Black Emperor and My Bloody Valentine. In 2021 they released their debut self-titled EP.

Tidal Wave · This Cost Of Life

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Ewan MacFarlane - Honey.

Ewan MacFarlane’s debut solo album “Always Everlong” was released in October 2021 to much acclaim, as the former Grim Northern Social and Apollo 440 frontman set out his stall as a solo artist with a collection of finely crafted rock ‘n’ roll songs that capture the unnameable feeling all great musicians elicit when you find yourself in the presence of something truly special.

The album came about when MacFarlane challenged himself mid lockdown to write a tune a day to upload to YouTube each evening, these songs tell tales of tension with pledges of eternal love. An expression of his hopes and fears, “Always Everlong” is emboldened by a personable approach to classic rock penmanship as Ewan bares his soul by putting pen to paper, unafraid of the consequences. Honouring the revered rock’n’roll songbooks of Bowie, Petty, and Springsteen, it plots the works of those making up the soundtrack to his own life, who have always called, enthralled, and entranced him.

Like all great albums, music lovers will be revisiting “Always Everlong” for years to come and with this in mind, MacFarlane has announced the digital release of a deluxe “Always Everlong” package to come out in February 2022. Including extra rarities and treasures, the new digital release celebrates the successes of the album’s initial release and as ripples of the initial “Always Everlong” release still expand out into the world, the deluxe edition gives those that may have overlooked this future classic another reason to dive right in and check it out.

On the deluxe release, Ewan said, “we had so many great songs that we left out first time around. Then when the reaction to the album was so strong, it seemed like the sensible thing to do was to release an expanded version of the album.”

The new package includes 7 extra tracks in total, and among them BBC Radio Scotland afternoon show single of the week “This Year” and new single “Honey”. “Honey” represents the first time Ewan has revisited his back catalogue, being a recording of a song that was originally written and released via his band The Grim Northern Social back in 2003. “I’m really proud of that period of my career, the success we had and the songs we released,” says Ewan “Honey is about being so much in love that you can taste it. It’s about wanting someone and fantasising what it would be like to have it all on your terms, which is of course is impossible. None the less, its ok to dream!”

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Pinegrove - Liam Davis - Alice SK - Carmody

Pinegrove - Habitat.

As they prepare for the release of their new album 11:11 this Friday, New Jersey-based group Pinegrove have shared today a new video for the mini-epic lead track "Habitat." A robust, textural masterpiece, "Habitat' was inspired by long drives around upstate New York with dilapidated houses covered in plantlife spotting the landscape along the way."

Of the song, singer/guitarist Evan Stephens Hall stated, "'Habitat' collages imagery from across the 2020's - monuments to the past torn down, vandalized, and thrown to the waves, making much needed room for new symbols to ornament our world with."

Pinegrove have also announced a full band live performance will take place this Friday, January 28th to celebrate the release of 11:11. The livestream will begin at 8pm EST and will be available for 24 hours. Tickets can be purchased on their website at www.pinegroveband.com.

Hall is big on multiple meanings. The leader of Pinegrove titled their sixth album 11:11 because of its layered significance: the numerals gesturing to a row of trees, or striped corduroy; the cornfields of upstate New York, or people shoulder-to-shoulder. But it’s also a special time, a “wink from the universe,” as Hall says, for those who witness it on the clock to wish for something brighter. “Calling the record 11:11 should be a heartening statement, though there's certainly a range of emotion across the album. There's much to be angry about right now, and a lot of grief to metabolize. But hopefully, the loudest notes are of unity, collectivity, and community. I want to open a space for people to feel all these things.”

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Photo - Adrian Lewis

Liam Davis - Make Me Cry.

As a native New Yorker, Liam Davis grew up influenced by an array of music. While his father’s love of classic rock engraved the iconic soundprints of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd into him as a child, his studies of classical percussion (such as Bach’s ‘Violin Concerto in A minor’ for marimba) and jazz (Max Roach’s ‘Max’s Mode’) would shape him into a well-rounded musician as he aged. 

Picking up piano at the age of eight and guitar at fifteen only deepened Davis’s musical character and gave him the ability to put whatever he hears in his head into a real space. Influenced by many of the greats (Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney) as well as more modern acts (John Mayer, Nothing But Thieves, Billie Eilish), Liam has developed a broad writing style that blends numerous genres. 

Liam’s career began with the release of his single ‘In My Dreams’ (2020), a contemporary folk ballad about a past relationship that took a downfall due to personal issues. While the release of this song was a huge accomplishment for him, he’s deeply motivated to expand his sound and has been working on a plethora of new songs that will be released in the coming years.

Here's what he had to say about it: "I started writing 'Make Me Cry' when I was still in college. My girlfriend at the time had hurt me really badly, and I channelled that hurt into my songwriting". He continues, "While it's only my second release, it feels like so much more; I focused in on honing my sound, and was able to take influence from the traditional styles I was raised on while still creating something entirely new, unique, and true to my voice as an artist".

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Alice SK - Run Away.

London artist Alice SK's new single “Run Away” is a striking vintage-noir track about being trapped in our minds and how this can lead to us being our own worst enemy. Alice’s haunting, soulful voice sounds classic yet modern through the influence of cultural icons, such as Ella Fitzgerald & Joni Mitchell, and present-day acts, like The Strokes, to create something fresh.

The single comes from Alice SK’s forthcoming debut EP “Electric”, produced by Muca (Los Bitchos, L.A. Salami). “Run Away” is the fourth track to be unveiled from the EP, following the release of Muca’s single “Until We Meet Again” and Alice’s tracks “Another Girl's Man” and “Hidden Paradise”. Alongside Brazilian bossa nova legend Roberto Menescal, Alice featured on “Until We Meet Again” which caused a stir during the summer and the track will also be released as part of the EP package.

Written in lockdown, when we all had a lot of time to reflect on life, relationships, and our own thoughts, “Run Away” captures the moment at when we start to overthink and analyse and start on a self-destruction landslide without realising that it’s happening. The track’s production has an organic feel and an unsettling intrigue with a vinyl crackling backdrop and dark enveloping moods that build to great effect. Portishead vibes are blended with the uniqueness of Alice’s deep and low vocal tones as the track grows out of control.

The video for the single, directed by Henry Harte conjures late 90s nostalgia. On the video’s concept and style, he reveals, “I wanted to capture not only the vibe of the song but the story, and with that I incorporated the backdrop of a harsh city scape paralleled with imagery of escaping or 'running away' by car as a visual metaphor for being more hopeful for the future. I used super 8 sim to portray the nostalgic aesthetic and texture.”

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Carmody - Morning.

Carmody releases her new single "Morning" lifted from her much anticipated debut album Imperfect Constellations, out 6th July via Young Poet. Co-written and produced by Tom Misch, "Morning" also features percussion and synth contributions from rising London producer and artist Conor Albert. Addressing grief and ultimately hope in the aftermath of loss, the song's instrumentation oozes positivity, with Misch's uplifting guitar work and Conor's soulful beat-driven percussion juxtaposing the track's affecting, personal lyrics: ["I see your face now, in everything / cause my heart it won’t believe / In the unspoken and unnamed, for a life I can’t reclaim"]

"'Morning’ is about grief and the way the world continues even after someone you love has died," Carmody notes. "It’s also about hope, the idea that although they’re not physically present you can carry them with you in your mind. I wrote the track with Tom Misch, who also produced it and recorded some eerie, but beautiful, high-pitched ooo’s, as well as playing a solo guitar line. Conor Albert made the drum beat and also recorded some wondrous synth lines."

Carmody's long-awaited debut album Imperfect Constellations is due for release on 6th July via Young Poet and will be split into four separate "constellations" – with each constellation housing tracks that are all thematically linked. "Morning" stands as the first to be heard from 'Constellation B' - 3 songs that focus on "loss and learning to accept a new world without the person you love in it", following 'Constellation A' which offered "a group of songs that explore how we remember".

Carmody went on to say: "'Morning' in particular focuses on this as I write about carrying them with me in my mind, although they are not physically present. 'Strange' is about a walk I took through a cemetery, I was really inspired by observational lyric writing and how artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Alex Turner make the everyday sound beautiful and I wanted to emulate this in the song. 'Yosef' is also about grief, but I am mourning someone who is yet to be found, almost a loss in reverse."

 

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Old Crow Medicine Show - Fe Salomon - Lisa Heller - Nurdjana

Old Crow Medicine Show - Bombs Away.

Old Crow Medicine Show have just released “Bombs Away,” the latest single from the GRAMMY award-winning band’s seventh studio album Paint This Town (out April 22 via ATO Records). Featuring Molly Tuttle on banjo, the band’s devil-may-care twist on a classic divorce song is accompanied by a live performance video.

"I realized something about my song ‘Bombs Away’ when my new girlfriend played the Kacey Musgraves’ album Star-Crossed on a recent road trip; I realized that ‘Bombs Away’ is a song about divorce,” explains Ketch Secor. “Bobby Braddock wrote what I believe to be the genre’s epitome when he spelled it D-I-V-O-R-C-E, but my song about life's detour through Splitsville is far more breakneck, full of fiery fiddling, lyrics more spat than intoned, focusing upon that final phase of the Big D.”

He continues, “‘Bombs Away’ is a song about acceptance. And not of the keel over and die variety, instead it’s a whole-hearted without-a-net leap, a jump-from-the-airplane kind of acceptance, one in which the singer obliges his fate and decides that ‘If I can’t learn to fly let me fall.’ We all crash. We all burn. And if you can accept that, then you might just get through it, hobble home from the impact site, and start living again. Because the only trail down the mountain spelled D-I-V-O-R-C-E  is the one spelled S-U-R-V-I-V-E, and since that’s the path to take, you might as well start now, pierce the air, take the plunge, commence falling. What are you waiting for? Bombs away.”

Paint This Town showcases Old Crow Medicine Show’s ability to merge profound introspection with a rapturous string band revival sound, shining a light on the darker aspects of the American experience with character-driven songs underpinned by visions for a more harmonious future. The album unlocks a new level of creative freedom for the band, who took a far more insular approach than on previous releases as they recorded in their own Hartland Studio and co-produced it with Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Jason Isbell). The process revived the band’s spirit of pure abandon and marks a return to the deliberate unpredictability of their earliest busking days.

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Fe Salomon - Super Human.

Gifted with the kind of superpowers that have blessed Alison Goldfrapp with her unwavering glam-pop allure and Stevie Nicks with that invincible soul, Fe Salomon’s strident first offering proves she’s cut from the same cloth and ready to be your newest musical hero.

With pop prowess firmly in check, “Super Human” sees Salomon backed by simmering ‘Big Band’-esque arrangements courtesy of her faithful co-writing sidekick: Johnny Parry. An esteemed classical arranger in his own right, Parry conjures all of the drama and intrigue of a Vaughan-Williams composition, accompanying Salomon’s earthy vocal with shadowy orchestral overtones.

Speaking about the inspiration behind “Super Human” and its origins, Salomon says: ““Super Human” is a song exploring the alter ego. It originated with dancing around with some upper body shimmy moves. Then a chunky brass section, dirty synth and disjunctive rhythms, all inspired by a number 70’s and 80’s movie soundtracks.”

Chiming with the single’s cinematic qualities, “Super Human” is accompanied with an expertly choreographed, kaleidoscopic video by Director/Videographer Fraser Taylor and starring Salomon. Fe Salomon is a singer-songwriter, performer and producer, currently based in the East Midlands. Born in Northampton, Salomon moved to London where she cut her teeth on the bustling stages of the Camden music scene. Developing her act in the capital for over 13 years, it was there that Salomon honed her idiosyncratic sonic stylings from its melting pot of influences and began to percolate ideas for a solo career.

 

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Photo Credit Adrian Andres

Lisa Heller - cheetos n coke.

Today, the young bedroom pop superstar Lisa Heller is thrilled to share her new single, “cheetos n coke.” The first music to be released since last year’s massively successful is anyone listening? EP is a beautifully vulnerable performance, replete with sweet-as-sugar melodies and Heller’s endearing and inviting vocals.

Speaking on the origins of the song, Heller writes: “I wrote “cheetos n coke” with my frequent collaborator Meghan Williams. We wrote the song when I mentioned I wanted to write a song about my previous struggles with an eating disorder and the common struggle amongst a lot of people, especially young women, with body image and body neutrality.”

Heller continues, “I recorded the song in my bedroom in LA, which felt symbolic because I have actually looked in the mirror in that very room and dealt with some negative body image. I worked with my producer, Will McCoy, to make sure the production remained just as vulnerable as how I felt when writing the song. I think that “cheetos n coke” touches on important aspects of mental health. Although not everyone will have a mental illness in their life, everyone has their mental health to tend to. Body image is something that I have had my struggles with and at times really took over my happiness and my life. I wanted to open the conversation by openly sharing those struggles for the first time through a song, because maybe it will help someone feel a little bit less alone.”

Raw, authentic, and honest describe the alternative pop music of Lisa Heller. Lisa found her voice at the age of 13 when music became the creative outlet for her anxiety. As her local following grew, Lisa saw that her music not only helped her, but that its message could help others. Through the release of her music, including her latest EP, “is anyone listening?” Lisa has gathered millions of views and streams, been placed on official Spotify and Apple playlists, and performed with artists such as Bryce Vine, American Authors, Party Nails, Weathers, Jesse McCartney, Kenzo Cregan and Bea Miller. 2022 will bring more touring, more music, and more fans. Lisa Heller and her music and just getting started.

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Nurdjana - What If I Love You.

Nurdjana is a Canadian vocalist who was born and raised in the Netherlands. She’s been immersed in music ever since as a little girl she tagged along with her dad Rob de Rijcke.

He was a singer/songwriter and guitarist and when Nurdjana started singing it was only natural to start making music together.

Rob was a composer of dreamy songs full of love and sadness. Nurdjana and her dad won songwriter competitions, recorded music and played lots of gigs together. He was a modest man and modesty doesn’t bring fortune and fame. But that was not what he was after. He was only after poetry and that was what he found.

Nurdjana is a true advocate of her father’s music and after taking a break from singing when he passed away, she is back full force; determined to put her dad’s music back in the spotlight. Her sound has been described as delicate, yet soulful and jazzy.

Her first EP ‘Coming Home’ will be released May 10th. All songs are written either by Rob or by the duo of father and daughter, some completed by Nurdjana after he passed away.

Nurdjana · What if I love you

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Papercuts - Primer - Brooks Young Band (feat: Ruth Clapton) - Basement Revolver

Papercuts - I Want My Jacket Back.

""I Want My Jacket Back" started out as a bit of absurdist fun, as I was feeling at my wits' end during the end of the US election cycle." -Jason Quever

Jason Quever has been releasing timeless guitar-based dream pop as Papercuts since 2004, impervious to trends or micro genres that have come and gone around him. In that regard, his contemporaries are artists like Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Andy Shauf or Kings of Convenience – artists who are more concerned with song craft and perfecting their sound, and less concerned with gimmicks or fitting into a specific scene. Past Life Regression is his new album and it's a journey into the dreamier reaches of psychedelic folk-pop that digs deep into influences as wide-ranging as The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Spiritualized, Echo & The Bunnymen, Leonard Cohen and late 60s pop of various flavors.

Crafted shortly after Jason's relocation back to the San Francisco Bay Area after several years in LA, the new album revels in the tensions between the pleasures of homecoming and the collective miseries of the pandemic and our current political upheaval. The return home and the enforced isolation of lockdown lend the album a mood of contemplation and immersion in memory. The results are beguiling, from the lush sunshine pop harmonies of first single "I Want My Jacket Back" to the trippy farfisa-driven space-pop of "Lodger" to the gorgeous, Bunnymen-tinged "Palm Sunday."

As always, Jason's songcraft, arranging and production are immaculate, (Quever has been tapped to work with dream pop luminaries Dean Wareham and Beach House as of late) as evidenced by the elegant chamber-pop of "My Sympathies" and the epic flow of "The Strange Boys," “Hypnotist" and "Remarry" in the album's warbly second half. The mood of longing and recollection is a perfect match for the album's dreamy textures and for the unusual times we're living through. It's a true testament to the resilience of the Papercuts project that after several acclaimed albums, Jason still has much that's new to say, and is continually finding new ways to say it.

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Photo - Blake Doyle

Primer - Just A Clown.

Primer (AKA Alyssa Midcalf) makes stadium sized electro pop bangers with bubbly synths, thumping bass and lofty choruses. Quote from Alyssa: Just A Clown is a self effacing pop song about feeling like you’re constantly failing. It’s a song to scream-sing along to by yourself in the car after getting rejected or feeling humiliated. It’s about coming to terms with the knowledge that the game is rigged but continuing to play along because it’s never occurred to you to quit.

“There were experiences that hit me hard emotionally, moments in my life that hit me in a weird way,” Alyssa Midcalf shares when asked about the inspiration behind her latest album, Incubator. “I felt like the only way to process them was to write about them.”

In 2019, under the performance moniker Primer, Midcalf released her first solo album Novelty. And now, the vocalist and electronic producer, has put the full wealth of her experience, from life to music into her sophomore album, Incubator, sharing honest, and sometimes harrowing, stories from her own life through a pop-tinted lens.

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Brooks Young Band -  Promises (featuring Ruth Clapton).

Brooks Young Band's new song, Promises. The song originally made famous by Eric Clapton, has now been covered by Brooks Young Band featuring Ruth Clapton, the daughter of the guitar legend. Brooks Young and Ruth Clapton became friends during the pandemic and started working on new music. Ruth always loved her Dad's Promises recording, so Brooks and Ruth decided to record a new version of the classic track.

You can hear how well the two of their voices harmonize. In this classic rock/country song, Brooks Young adds smooth bluesy guitar licks underneath his and Ruth Clapton's vocals. Ruth's warm, heartfelt vocals remind you of the classic harmony sung initially by Marcy Levy on the 1978 Backless album released by Eric Clapton.

Brooks Young has toured extensively throughout the USA, sharing the stage with icons such as B.B. King, George Thorogood, John Waite, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, The Wallflowers, Boyd Tinsley of Dave Matthews Band, Byran Adams, Robert Cray, and many others.

Brooks Young · Promises (featuring Ruth Clapton)

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Basement Revolver - Circles.

Basement Revolver has always centered around the friendship of bassist/keyboardist Nim Agalawatte and guitarist/vocalist Chrisy Hurn. Lead guitarist Jonathan Malström and drummer Levi Kertesz round out the band’s larger-than-life sound.

The band’s catalogue spans back to their breakout single, 2016’s “Johnny.” That single, and their self-titled EP from the same year, led to their signing with Fear of Missing Out in the UK, and later, Canada’s Sonic Unyon Records.

Heavy Eyes, their debut LP, built on their aesthetic which merges hardcore-inspired indie and ambient dream pop. In support of that they toured throughout the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany. With tour plans on hold through 2020, Basement Revolver found time to wrestle with questions about identity, faith, mental illness, and sexuality.

Their sophomore LP, Embody, is explicit about these new ideas and new thoughts, addressing them with a deeper sound and crisper production to adroitly express the complexity of the world. It is an album of friendship, of working out identity together, and making deeply personal art.

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The Gina Furtado Project - Blue Violet - Team Me - Cassidy Mann

The Gina Furtado Project - It Wont Be Me.

Drawing on the distinctive sound that earned her a third consecutive International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year nomination in 2021, Mountain Home Music Company’s Gina Furtado starts off her 2022 with a new single, “It Won’t Be Me.” Backed by her eponymous Gina Furtado Project, which includes two of her sisters, the singer-songwriter serves up a characteristic blend of engaging music with a powerful lyric theme.

“It Won’t Be Me” mines the rich vein of Latin- and gypsy jazz-flavored sounds that has served Furtado well since her 2017 breakout hit, “Puppet Show” — and as it did there, the deft ensemble playing of sisters Malia (fiddle) and Lu (bass) Furtado, plus guitarist Drew Matulich, is deployed to support a woman’s declaration of independence from mistreatment.

Delivered in Furtado’s immediately recognizable voice, the lyric works its way over minor chords from an opening uncertainty — “I could see the writing on the walls/Sometimes it would fade/And sometimes it was all I saw” — to a dawning recognition (“You broke my heart, my home/And in my broken mirror/A woman said, ‘He’ll never break your spirit’”) before turning to a more optimistic sound that underpins the defiant lines of the chorus:

“I will be the one who’s standing firm and strong
And I will be the one who writes
Whatever kinda song I want
And when you treat somebody just exactly as you please

“This was a touchy song for me,” notes Furtado. “Domestic abuse is so prevalent that we're all bound to know someone who has, and/or is experiencing it. I know I do. It is often so confusing for victims, and so hard to leave a bad situation. I hope that this song might help somebody who just needs to hear an ending that is alternate to what they may currently be feeling they are destined for.”

 

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Blue Violet - Poster Girl.

“When I was a Poster Girl in 1984, you tore me from your magazine and pinned me to your wall” lulls Sarah Gotley, seemingly adrift in the bittersweet reflections of another lifetime.

A twisting ballad that touches on the fickle promises of fame, the fight for feminist rights and finding your own way through life, “Poster Girl” is the story of a shining star who’s unafraid to stand her ground. As Blue Violet guitarist Sam Gotley elaborates of the track:

“”Poster Girl” is a song about fighting back. The character it centers around resists objectification, defends herself from evil and keeps whatever company she sees fit – in the chorus she finds herself the leader of a group of drunken sailors that accompany her on her voyage… As the writing process went on we felt that a dystopian, Orwellian setting was perfect for the female protagonist: weary traveller, fighter, lover & saviour all rolled into one.” 

With shades of Slowdive or Sigur Ros’ subtly-epic sonic masteries to Mazzy Star’s brittle heartbreakers, “Poster Girl” finds the Anglo-Scottish duo of Sam & Sarah Gotley in perfect synchronicity as they pair lush arrangements to a narrative straight out of Hollywood biopic. “Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed definitely worked its way into the fabric of this one” adds Sam, “but we also wanted to give it an anthemic feel. We layered a lot of guitars & synths and have two drum kits playing at the end, giving a feel that the world is kind of collapsing around you.” 

Written in 2019 as Blue Violet found themselves well-into the throes of recording sessions for a full album with legendary producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Bat For Lashes), the track emerged as a standout from a clutch of new demos the band recorded during a particularly prolific creative spell. With pre-production perfected at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, “Poster Girl”’s swelling riff and lyrical narrative soon began to fall into place. With the final version recorded with Ellis, “Poster Girl” was mastered by Mount Olympia Mastering, engineered by Peter Miles and mixed by TJ Allen.

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Team Me - High Street.

Norwegian art-pop band Team Me release new single "High Street" - the third track to be heard from the their long-awaited third studio album 'Something in the Making', out 11th March 2022 via Propeller Recordings (Sløtface, Highasakite, Lokoy).

Mixed by Grammy-award winning producer/mixer Darrell Thorp (Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Beck) and mastered by Emily Lazar (David Bowie, Björk, Coldplay, Haim) the new album is their first for 7 years, following their critically acclaimed and Norwegian Grammy-winning debut album To the Treetops! (2011) and its follow up Blind as Night (2014).

Psychedelic art-pop anchored by superlative songwriting, "High Street" is another charming taste of what to expect from Team Me's long overdue return to the fore. Led by Norwegian singer/songwriter Marius Drogsås Hagen, Team Me have received widespread international success and attention to date, creating an engrossing alternative pop universe in the process.

New album 'Something in the Making' continues in that vein, a journey which began with the band's surprise reunion in 2019: “When we first announced our reunion, the love and appreciation was just overwhelming to be honest. I was very surprised,” says Hagen. “Still, it was a good move to not rush into anything. It left everyone with hope and motivation for the future.”

It paid off. That compulsion drove Hagen to complete the most accomplished and world-beating collection of songs of his career so far. What makes it even more of a triumph is that this music finds a whole lot of light out of the darkness.

 

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Cassidy Mann - Fine.

By entwining her acoustic roots with gentle electronic textures, singer-songwriter Cassidy Mann finds her true voice on the upcoming debut EP, If It’s Not Forever. As a lyricist, she often reshapes a small moment into a powerful and poetic song that feels both personal and relatable. What makes these recordings stand out, though, is the way the sonic approach enhances the storyline, allowing her to share her most intimate memories in a singular way.

Co-producing with her friend Roman Clarke, Mann wanted to find a cinematic yet wistful sound to complement these emotionally driven pop songs. They achieved that effect through reverb and delay on the guitars, along with crafting lyrics about specific moments in past relationships.

“My favourite thing is to write about tiny things that make the bigger picture more important somehow,” she says. “I was wondering a lot about how two people can be in the same situation and have different memories attached to those times. It’s interesting to me how memories are interpretable that way.”

Mann notes that these songs also serve as a catalogue of how her early relationships ended and why – and she hopes that other people will feel seen and comforted by her stories. While processing one particular breakup, she remembers sitting on her bed and eating the same sour candy she once shared with the person she missed. When she discovered the metaphor – “this thing that seems sweet, but also physically hurts you if you have too much,” as she describes it — the song “Tropical Sour Candy” emerged.

She wrote “Election Night,” tweaking the melodies with Clarke, to capture the intense awakening and transformation that many people experienced over the four years of the prior presidency. The lyrics focus on a couple that moved beyond just friends that night but ultimately ended as strangers. Her skill as a writer is especially clear on “Fine,” as that simple word takes on multiple meanings in the context of a heartbreak.

Certain moments in a relationship are almost always at the core of her songs, whether it’s the potential start of something special (“Since I Met You”) or the inevitable end (“Stop a Heart”). There’s also an acknowledgement that listeners can carry those important parts of the past through the rest of their lives (“If It’s Not Forever”). “A lot of the time, whenever I’m remembering something, I find myself connected to these subtle moments that made me feel alive in some way. Those are the things that I replay in my mind a lot.”

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