Tuvaband - Natalie D Napoleon - Ellevator

Photo - Maria Louceiro

Tuvaband - Rejuvenate.

Oslo, Norway-based indie-rock artist Tuvaband is a critically-acclaimed artist with an impressive international profile that, to date, has earned 40 million cumulative streams on Spotify. Tuvaband is the wildly eclectic brainchild of fearless songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Tuva previously earned a Norwegian Grammy nomination. Her song “Irreversible” was remixed by beloved dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Tuva’s intrepid artistry has garnered favorable comparisons to Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, David Lynch, and CocoRosie. Her songwriting exudes an indie-pop mystique, easing through delicate, piano-led folk, softly-soaring post-rock, and carefully-crafted sound design. Floating over these carefully-composed songs and densely textured soundscapes are Tuva’s fluttery vocals which manage to be both visceral and vulnerable. Tuvaband’s latest album, New Orders, out October 21, 2022 —her fourth overall—is a bold exploration of the many facets of her creativity. It marks the first time she did everything on an album, including playing all the instruments (except trombone and drums, though she programmed these beforehand and additionally kept parts of it), recording, producing, and mixing. It’s a pure transmission of Tuva’s full-bloom artistry.

New Orders’ first single is the album’s opening track, “Rejuvenate,'' a song that is both haunting and hypnotic. Wrapped in shoegaze style textures and propelled by trip-hop drums, it pulls the listener into a warm pulsating womb. “During the height of COVID, I listened to music to feel comforted. I wanted to write something that felt soothing, and as this is a song about a friendship, I decided to write from a more empathic angle.” Tuva shares. The song overflows with grounding affirmations, and one choice lyrical passage reads: Nothing’s in vain - step back and contemplate/I know you’re in pain - take your time - rejuvenate/I think you’ll be fine - breathe in and accumulate/Let’s intertwine - be nothing but compassionate.

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Natalie D Napoleon - You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea (Album). 

Sometimes in life and music you just have to say 'What-the-hell!’. Having spent 25 years playing music and a decade living and performing in California, Natalie D Napoleon decided to return to her native Western Australia. She had just been awarded a prestigious national poetry prize and was subsequently offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD in poetry. What long-suffering musician could say no to that? After two decades of performing everywhere from grimy Australian pubs to commanding the stage of international music festivals, Natalie had all but given up on music. It didn't seem to love her quite as much as she loved it. But before she said goodbye to her American band, she decided to record her latest collection of songs. 

A lot had changed since Natalie recorded her 2012 release - Leaving Me Dry - in a lavish Santa Barbara studio with an all-star cast. Her long-time sidekick Kenny Edwards, who for decades was Linda Ronstadt’s leading man, had passed away while David Piltch was back on the road with k.d. lang. Eight years on and Natalie had an album's worth of songs, most of which were written on the front porch of her 100-year-old Santa Barbara cottage and honed live with her rustically orchestrated fourpiece. So Natalie threw caution the wind, said 'What the hell!' and went into an old wooden chapel nestled in the hills behind Santa Barbara with a single microphone to see what the band could capture. The intent was to record the songs for posterity. With that one mic they recorded 12 songs that Natalie considered worthy of everybody's time. 

The aim - to capture the beauty and spontaneity of each song’s performance when it was fresh and new, the joy of four people playing music in a room together and the sonic beauty of the century-old wooden chapel, “I went into the room with Dan Phillips, Jim Connolly, and Doug Pettibone, with faith and trust in each other and, damn, the music gods delivered.” 

The result is the 12-song album, You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea -captured live with a single microphone. When Natalie played the recording to friends, they told her she needed to release it. So she did - via Bandcamp. Radio in Australia started playing the first single, "Thunder Rumor" and enthusiastically added it to playlists Australia-wide. When the second single, "Wildflowers" was released the album climbed to the very top of Australia's AIR Independent Albums Chart. With rave reviews from critics and word to mouth support it seemed that the universe was responding in kind. Now, in 2022, with some much-needed help by a grant from the Western Australian government, the album is being released internationally for the first time, on her own imprint - First Blood Recordings.

Natalie D-Napoleon · You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea

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Ellevator - Party Trick.

The Hamilton, Ontario-based trio, Ellevator are today sharing their new single, "Party Trick" which arrives as the final advance track to be lifted from their forthcoming Chris Walla-produced debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me  – out May 6 via Arts & Crafts. The new single arrives following earlier tips from NPR, Consequence, The Needle Drop, Exclaim, FLOOD, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, CBC and more. The band, who have just wrapped up a run of US dates including a stint at SXSW will support the release of the new record with Canadian dates this May with support coming from Pleasure Craft (Toronto) and Deanna Petcoff (London, Hamilton).

The band, which is comprised of Nabi Sue Bersche, guitarist, Tyler Bersche and bassist/synth player, Elliott Gwynne, will deliver on the promise of their self-titled 2018 EP with their long-awaited debut album. The record was pieced together across numerous locations but primarily while living together at The Bathouse (a Kingston-area facility owned by Canadian alt-rock legends The Tragically Hip) and comes off the back of earlier dates with Amber Run, BANNERS, Cold War Kids, Arkells and Dear Rouge. Across 12 tracks, it inhabits an emotional landscape that is both breathtakingly intimate and impossibly vast, documenting various experiences to turn universal (existential longing, romantic power struggles, the neverending work of true self-discovery) and highly specific (e.g., one band member’s journey in extracting herself from a cult) storytelling into a truly hypnotic body of work, giving rise to the kind of radiant open-heartedness that radically transforms our own perspective.

Ellevator poses a fantastic ability to sculpt these mammoth, melodramatic post-rock and indie-rock soundscapes, somewhat inspired by the late-aughts sounds of Spoon, Metric, Interpol and Arcade Fire, as well as the stadium-ready sounds of U2, Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. "Party Trick", the album closer, arrives as one of the album's twinkling, emotive ballads utilising delicate piano and brooding guitar textures.

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Dahlia Sleeps - Chris Tavener - J Nicolás

Dahlia Sleeps - Overflow (Album).

Two years in the making and almost 6 years since their debut single, producer/writer Luke Hester and singer/writer Lucy Hill bring a new weight sonically with their debut album Overflow, 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.

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.

Across the album's track listing, Dahlia Sleeps have collaborated with Jacob Oak Welsh (drummer/producer from The Hics), cellist/bassist/guitarist/pianist Mat Roberts, and pianist Edward Cross.

Speaking more on the upcoming album, the band said: "The title Overflow was chosen because this is a record that features a lot of struggle, fight, bravery, will, hope, and ultimately, triumph." Early on in the writing process for the album Lucy battled a severe episode of mental ill-health, which strongly influenced the direction of the record. “What we have now is an album about entering the very depths of despair, those who hold us when we’re there, and climbing back out again”, Lucy said of the record.

Dahlia Sleeps · Overflow LP

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Chris Tavener - Right Back Again.

 'Right Back Again' is a heartfelt ballad that refuses to sit quietly: with its piano-rock style, raw, impassioned vocals and a compelling chorus that swells with emotional poignancy. The lyrics grapple with love and loss; as mind over matter proves to be a futile exercise... The sincere emotion is perhaps the most surprising facet of this song from a singer-songwriter that is mostly known for satirical social commentary.

Tavener states that this song in fact came from personal experience: “This song came very naturally to me. I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of losing someone, and trying to rush your recovery when your heart and mind are continually being taken back to memories shared with them”.

The minimal production by Aron Bicskey really allows the song and Tavener's vocals room to breath. The driving drums and upright piano make the track seem determined to move forward, while there's an emotional fragility put forward by the ethereal sounds and an almost Americana-feel to the sparingly-placed electric guitar.

The single is the second from Tavener's upcoming EP 'Easy Ways To Be Happy'. The ironic title seemingly commenting on society's increasing fixation towards a quest for happiness. The new pop-rock, five-song EP will be released in the middle of this year. Jangly-guitar rock and a biting sense of humour meet in the satirical stylings of Chris Tavener. A deft lyricist with an acerbic wit, Tavener writes his storytelling songs from the perspective of flawed characters that he draws from 21st century life.

His cynical social commentary, dressed in punchy, uplifting pop-rock and acoustic ballads has won him acclaim from BBC 6 Music and multiple BBC Introducing stations. He's popular for his unique and theatrical live performance that has seen him sharing the stage with Super Hans, Emily Capell, Tony Hadley, and Peter Hook of Joy Division, whilst also writing songs for the likes of Sir Ian McKellen

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J Nicolás - Lost + Found.

Folk singer-songwriter J. Nicolás has released his latest single, "Lost + Found." The new track reflects on a love he feels is being lost and ponders the possibilities for revival. “Lost + Found” is being released alongside a studio performance music video, which can be viewed on YouTube. The single is available to be streamed on digital music platforms worldwide.

With a combination of picturesque lyricism, layered guitars, and raspy, inviting vocals, J Nicolás skillfully tells the story of losing a love and longing to rediscover it. Nicolás took inspiration from his life, past dreams, and memories to create a compelling song about finding something to hold on to in trying times. "’Lost + Found' was inspired by a couple of things: I've had this recurring dream since childhood, where I fall into a dark hole and encounter a witch," Nicolás explains. "It's a tribute to someone who has helped me find myself & encouraged me to be vulnerable as a means of finding my way out of that hole — often just by merely being in their presence." The accompanying music video displays Nicolás performing his newest track live in an intimate and warm setting. Nicolás produced and mixed the track at The Hallowed Halls & Mission Mountain Recording Co. with Allen Hunter on bass, and Joe Mengis on drums. “Lost + Found” was mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.

J Nicolás has been involved in the indie rock scene for over 20 years, and only recently began his solo career in the folk area, gaining a fanbase in both genres. He has toured all over the U.S. and has played internationally with a copious amount of musicians. Nicolás' first album Wild Oak was released at the end of 2021; with 10-tracks, he dives into his journey of self-discovery and uses poetic lyricism to make a mark on the folk genre. His upcoming sophomore album, A Rosary of Bone, will further tell his story of introspection and focuses more on his darker times, leading to his ability to overcome hardship. "Lost + Found" is a message about finding hope even when there is none to be found.

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Strange Neighbors - Pet Deaths - Alison Sudol - Oceanator

Strange Neighbors - Window Watching.

Strange Neighbors first unleashed their jangly power pop onto the New York scene in 2018. Founded by vocalist Aidan and drummer Tracey, they soon brought guitarist Zach into the mix through a Facebook ad. It remains one of the three all-time positive outcomes of social media. 

Their new single and video for "Window Watching," is a nostalgic and vibrant track with Indie vibes steadily laced throughout. The video shows the true essence and nature of the band which further brings the song to life.

After a few early singles and some lineup changes, the band brought along bassist Dana to record their debut album “How to Human” in early 2019. Taking influence from the power pop and pop punk of the band’s youth, the album’s eight songs are characterized by sparkling guitars, intricate bass lines, rock solid beats and impassioned vocals, a mix of the old and new.

The band followed up with the “Illuminasti” EP in 2020 and marked their live comeback as a live act with the single "Mystic Piers" in July of 2021. They have continued recording, writing and performing into 2022. Since their formation, Strange Neighbors have played at popular New York City haunts like Piano’s, The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, and more.

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Pet Deaths - Swingtime.

London based duo Pet Deaths have announced their second album unhappy ending - out 27th May via Silver Mind Records and release new single "swingtime" alongside a stark, surrealist black and white short film. The announcement follows the band's widely acclaimed debut album To the Top of the Hill and Roll... - released in 2019, described by Huw Stephens as “beautiful, understated and special” - noting it as one of his favourite albums of the year.

Inspired, musically, by the spiritual moments of Alice Coltrane, the freeness of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew with a sprinkling of Talk Talk’s Spirit Of Eden in its colourful unravelling, unhappy ending is an enveloping experience, touching upon universal themes but all shone through the lens of lyricist and vocalist Liam Karima’s signature perspective.

Swirling new single "swingtime" showcases the Pet Deaths' ability to juxtapose this deep dive of discovery with the brightness of the music. A beautiful five minutes, the song feels like a daydream, a memory you can’t quite get a hold of - “Hindsight is true fuckery, it’s our last waltz, and curtains for you and me baby,” Liam sings – while the music paints an almost psychedelic journey, the layering of the instrumentation indicative of the band’s desire to push these songs to their most colourful form.

Speaking on the release of "swingtime", vocalist Liam Karima said: "It’s a bite in the cheek song about irony at its bitter finest, protecting that loved one from the rogues and strapping in for the bumpy ride. When we suddenly see the sun through the clouds and it gets snatched away by a rain cloud; when we buy the milk and it’s sour; just when you think things are about to get better, D:REAM write a song about it - we go back to swingtimes."

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Photo - Federico Nessi

Alison Sudol - Peaches.

American singer-songwriter and actress Alison Sudol shares intimate new single ‘Peaches'. Released ahead of her upcoming support dates with Goldfrapp at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 April, and a day before the UK release of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’, in which Alison reprises her role as Queenie Goldstein, ‘Peaches’ is the first single taken from Alison forthcoming album due later in the year.

Delivered with bare-bones songwriting, hushed vocals, ‘Peaches’ is a deeply personal paean to motherhood. The intricate, yet delicate arrangement - built through sparse guitars, drums, bass and synths - is skilfully constructed around Alison’s vocal harmonies, which carry her autobiographical tales with mature delivery and poetic undertones. The single gives us a first glimpse into Alison's upcoming album, which she wrote, co-produced and recorded with London based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer Chris Hyson, who is also half of adventurous collective Snowpoet in Wales at Giant Wafer Studios, during Summer 2020.

“We came up with the foundation of ‘Peaches’ in the studio in Wales, sitting in the sun during an insane heat wave, looking out over sheep fields,” says Alison. Opening about the inspiration behind the track, she unveils; “the framework of the song came almost immediately but the words were slow. Several months later, with a nearly finished record, ‘Peaches’ still had no lyrics. My partner and I were talking about trying again for a child after our loss. I kept dreaming of this little baby girl. The dreams were so vivid, so real it was like she was right there, but I had no idea if I could bring a child into the world. The dreams made me long for her so much it was dizzying, but painful too, knowing it might never happen. The lyrics finally came. Three weeks later our daughter was conceived”.

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Oceanator - The Last Summer.

Brooklyn artist Oceanator recently announced her sophomore album Nothing's Ever Fine, co-produced by Bartees Strange, due out tomorrow, April 8th via Big Scary Monsters / Polyvinyl. Today, she shares new track 'The Last Summer', with an accompanying video directed by Baby Pony Food. Talking about the video, Baby Pony Food said: "The Last Summer’s lyrics evoke aimless youthful nights in DC, aimless youthful nights that we lived alongside Elise, so we tried to channel those memories and that energy as much as possible. We thought of this video as a love letter to Washington, DC and tried to cram in as many of our favourite places in the city as possible.:

"The cars break. Everything goes slow motion. There’s disaster and fire,” foretells Elise Okusami, describing her cinematic vision of the end of the world. Apocalypse is a subject she mined in acute detail and to critical acclaim on 2020’s Things I Never Said, her debut full-length as Oceanator. But in her most recent cataclysmic telling, she keeps the camera focused on the people who survive and need to keep on living. A couple escapes the wreckage in a classic pickup truck, their dog riding in the back. They find a new home in the woods and consider how to start over. “It could either be hopeful or negative,” Okusami explains of the tale’s ambiguous ending. “You’re either walking off into a nice sunset or going off into a black hole. For me, it depends on the mood; it can be both ways.

Those speculative vignettes inspired polymathic Okusami to begin writing a short film—one she ultimately scrapped in favour of putting those themes to music. These vividly imagined scenes comprise the sunrise-to-sunset arc of her resplendent new record Nothing’s Ever Fine, the first Oceanator has recorded for Big Scary Monsters/ Polyvinyl and the already-shredding project’s heaviest collection yet. This narrative of doom and hope told over the span of a single day is reinforced by a thrice-recurring leitmotif—appearing on the tracks “Morning,” “Post Meridian,” and “Evening”—composed on Okusami’s newly beloved Reverend baritone guitar. 

She used it to write several of the songs’ knottiest riffs, lending a gut-punching low register (perhaps indebted to her past experiences playing in thrash and hardcore bands). But like on previous Oceanator recordings, Okusami’s characteristic ease with bright hooks still shines, and the wide-ranging influences of ‘80s power pop, ‘90s melodic punk, Americana, film scores and Civil Rights-era vocal groups lend textured complexity to the collection. Okusami uses these sounds to explore anxious nightmares, nostalgia for late night adventure, the fog of depression, climate catastrophe and cautious optimism for the future. It’s material ripe for an end-of-days flick, sure; but it’s also the reality of living with the noise in your own brain in America’s 2020s.

Many Voices Speak - Susan Cattaneo - Jesse D'Kora - Georgia State Line - The Deslondes - Nice Vice

Photo - Julia Mard

Many Voices Speak - Nothing's Gone.

Swedish artist Many Voices Speak has announced her second album 'Gestures' will be out on 29th April via Strangers Candy. Having released two previous singles 'Seat for Sadness' and 'Within Reach', she has now shared new track 'Nothing is Gone'. She explains: "Nothing’s Gone is about coping with the physical presence of something that is no longer there."

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.

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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Susan Cattaneo - Borrowed Blue.

Boston award-winning, songwriting boss Susan Cattaneo has shared "Borrowed Blue," from her forthcoming LP, All Is Quiet, which is also released today.

This spare, beautiful track tackles the complicated relationships we, as women, have with our mothers and our daughters - "What do we, as women, inherit and what do we pass on? What roles do we play and what sacrifices do we make?" Susan asks. "I am the daughter of a mother in her nineties and the mother of a teenage daughter, and I wanted to explore these themes and show how sometimes we are caught between what we’ve been taught and being our true selves."

The most powerful voice in the room isn't always the loudest one.  On her new album, All is Quiet, Susan Cattaneo sings softly and carries a big song. Nine big songs, actually. Recorded remotely during the initial months of the pandemic, All is Quiet reflects Susan’s heartache for the world, but also reveals how she rediscovered joy and resiliency through music. 

It’s been an extraordinary and challenging time to be a musician and creative person in the world. For many artists and musicians including Susan, those first few months of the pandemic were filled with uncertainty and fear. When the quarantine shut everything down, opportunities were cancelled, collaborations were scrapped and most importantly, momentum was lost. For the first time in her life, Susan felt creatively muted. All is Quiet was the project that helped her process these feelings and in making this album, she found the joy and redemption that only music can bring.

 

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Jesse D'Kora - Dont fool with a phantom.

Jesse D’Kora is an indie/dream pop artist based in Salford (UK). His new song - ‘dont fool with a phantom’ - is his 4th single in as many months. Continuing on the one release per month plan for 2022, this latest track is fun, nostalgic, and crammed full of great vibes.

Jesse tells us "I wanted to make a song that made me feel like I was back in the 90s watching cartoons again. Inspired by those early mornings as a child in front of the tv with some sort of ridiculously unhealthy and tasty cereal, the title of this track is taken from an original classic Scooby Doo episode. Looking back I find the idea of chasing and unmasking the bad guys for them to only turn out to be someone you know and don’t expect strangely paralleltek in adult life. Specifically with the new age anonymity that the internet brings, I decided this song is for the trolls. So any internet trolls out there, this ones for you! ;)"

He continues "Musically it's similar to many of my other tracks; it's got the jangling guitars, surfing drums, washed out vocals and to the point structure. On its own, I think it's a track that wants to chase you down a hallway lined with doors, for you to go in one door and come out of another and the chased become the chaser… or something like that!"

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Georgia State Line - Jackson.

Georgia State Line has been on a hot streak since the release of the highly acclaimed and ARIA charting album, ‘In Colour’, released through Cheatin’ Heart Records/Spunk Records.

As one of the most talked about Americana acts in Australia thanks to the refreshingly honest, yet melancholy sounds, that are even parts heartsick and hopeful, Georgia State Line takes the third single from the album to Australian radio, ‘Jackson’.

According to Georgia Delves, ‘Jackson’, is a track inspired by the comfort found in an old worn song.

“Just like good friends, they’re there for us in the best and worst of times, softening the blows and making us all feel a little less alone”.

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Photo by Bobbi Wernig

The Deslondes - South Dakota Wild One.

The Deslondes are set to return with Ways & Means July 8th, 2022 via New West Records. The 14-song set is their first album in five years and follows 2017’s critically acclaimed Hurry Home. Ways & Means was produced by The Deslondes & their longtime collaborator Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes) and was recorded at The Bombshelter in Nashville, TN. The album features Margo Price on the title track, as well as Twain and the multi-instrumentalist Billy Contreras on multiple songs as well. 

Long combining elements of early Stax, Sun, and Atlantic Records with the influence of a more raw, stripped-down sound gleaned off field recordings from Alan Lomax and the Mississippi Records catalog, the band also incorporate psychedelic flourishes that bring to mind the sonic experimentation of Joe Meek, Lee Hazlewood and the Velvet Underground. Infusing everything from saxophone, flute, and synth to string arrangements and a full drum kit for the first time, the group naturally progresses and evolves in real-time on their third full-length offering.

Lauded as “burgeoning stars” by The New York Times, The Deslondes’ 2014 self-titled debut was a breakout hit praised by NPR as “energized, elegant, and new,” and their follow-up, Hurry Home, earned similar acclaim with Rolling Stone calling it “a gritty, grimy mix of early rock ‘n’ roll and lo-fi R&B.” Following the band’s hiatus in late 2018, members Sam Doores and Riley Downing each released their debut solo albums to critical acclaim. PopMatters called Doores' eponymous debut “...a deeply poetic and haunting collection that draws upon the musicians’ disparate influences” and “Perhaps not since Los Lobos’ Kiko has an artist so effortlessly married avant-garde and everyman sensibilities, arriving at a place where childlike curiosity meets the fruits of patient practice and ambition. 

Deep knowledge and unbound imagination coexist peacefully, happily, throughout. Of Downing’s Start It Over (2021), Uncut Magazine in the U.K. called it a “dusty triumph” and described his voice  “...like Johnny Cash with a hangover,” exclaiming “His brain…is abuzz with sounds and ideas, which makes his solo debut a thrill.” The first sampling of Ways & Means is “South Dakota Wild One.”

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Nice Vice - No Ends.

Indie-rock trailblazer Nice Vice has just released his latest single, “No Ends.” The new song vividly shows his inspiration from ‘90s rock icons and features melodic guitars, heavy undertones, and honest, reflective lyricism. “No Ends” is now available to stream worldwide on digital music platforms.

“No Ends” conveys to listeners the range of talent of which Seth Horst, known musically as Nice Vice, is capable. Being in your twenties is an exhilarating yet confusing time, and “No Ends” displays the personal strife of having to figure that out. Horst explores how to set boundaries, learn and maybe unlearn life habits, and simply understand how to let things be in his newest single. 

“‘No Ends’ went through a lot of phases,” says Horst. “The chorus of this song was originally a slower verse from another track, but after some experimenting and switching things around, it somehow turned into this! It ended up being my favorite recording process of all the songs on the EP!” Similar to his previous release, “Bloom,” the new single was also mixed by Zak Van Zeumeren and mastered by Theodore Papadopoulos. Both songs have been a thrilling look into the upcoming EP from Nice Vice, which he has described as having two main themes. 

“Half of the tracks deal with different stages of being in love,” explains Horst. “Some good, some bad, and just the general feeling of new love and how great that can be and then also how bad it can be. The other theme is ego death: dealing with your own personality, breaking points, and becoming someone else.” The EP, entitled First Dose, will be released later this year.

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Fresh - Wildes - Dana Gavanski - Tragedy Ann

Fresh - Babyface.

London DIY punks Fresh have announced their forthcoming new album, ‘Raise Hell’, out 1st July on Specialist Subject. Alongside the announcement, they share lead single ‘Babyface’, a song written in early lockdown, “hence the ‘boredom’ refrain” says lead singer and songwriter Kathryn Woods (cheerbleederz, ME REX). “It’s a song about having a mind that’s both overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time. The light, airy synths make it a cry for help masquerading as a pop song.” This is a sentiment that runs through much of ‘Raise Hell’ – the push and pull of conflicting emotions, wrestling with opposing personality traits, the tension between learning to self-love and yet wanting more.

Fresh have been an unwavering fixture within the UK punk scene since their first record in 2017. A joy to behold live, lead singer Kathryn Woods honed her craft not only fronting Fresh but as a member of several heralded indie and punk bands, including cheerbleederz and ME REX alongside Fresh bandmate Myles McCabe.

Their new album radiates with their signature mischievous British charm and flourishes of brilliant pop punk flair – though underestimate Fresh at your peril. ‘Raise Hell’ dares to dive deeper than most, delivering Woods’ darker moments and contemplative thought processes through the sharply focussed lens of upbeat indie punk.

Having shared another single from the album towards the end of last year, Fresh have shown no sign of slowing down; ‘Morgan and Joanne’ references the story of a blind date that went viral in 2019. “It’s about queer joy and queer visibility” says Woods. “I wrote Morgan & Joanne because I was so struck by the charm of Morgan and Joanne and how they turned what had the potential to be a typical first date into an adventure. The song is about the magic of meeting someone who you really fancy for the first time and kind of escaping into a different realm with them. I think popular media and historical narratives tend to make queer relationships tragic instead of focusing on all the joy and possibilities that they hold, so I wanted to put a song out there that’s sweet and funny and empowering to counter that a little bit.”

specialistsubject · FRESH - Babyface

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Wildes - Woman In Love.

London singer songwriter Wildes returns this week with her new single "Woman In Love". The new track is the first to be heard since her 2020 EP 'Let You Go' and debut EP 'Illuminate'. Sonically falling somewhere in a Bermuda Triangle of Angel Olsen, St Vincent and PJ Harvey, Wildes' music sits within an entrancing skeleton of folk songwriting, all the while lifting the listener up on a storm cloud of cinematic electronics and her sharp, honest lyricism. Wildes’ sound is one that never falls short of empowering, and new single "Woman In Love" is a biting first taste of her currently unannounced debut album, due for release later this year.

Produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) - "Woman In Love is a song of anger," Wildes explains. "It's all about the facade presented by someone who isn't all that happy, and the rage that lies under the glassy exterior. I had put on a brave face for so long when I was in fact feeling underestimated, scared, manipulated, and cornered. I wanted to release that fury and fear in to a song and be honest for the first time about how I was feeling. The music was part inspired by artists who occupied my head at the time - PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, SASAMI. Unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I'd been cowering in."

Wildes is the solo project of Ella Walker, a singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in London. “Come on and bare your teeth” urged Wildes on her soaring debut single "Bare". And bare she did, tenaciously carving out a path that saw her release 2 acclaimed EPs; ’Let You Go’ and ‘Illuminate’, which have over 60 million streams across platforms to date; firm radio support across BBC Radio 1, 2, and 6 Music, as well as Radio X, KCRW, and European stations 3FM, Flux and Radio Eins.

The viral success of Wildes grabbed the attention of Danger Mouse, who became her publisher, and led to over 20 notable syncs on US TV shows like Suits, Scream and The Royals. On top of UK tours supporting Isaac Gracie and Ardyn, Wildes' music has received widespread press support from outlets including Consequence, The Line Of Best Fit, Metro, Stereogum, Notion, Clash Magazine, DIY Magazine and more.

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Dana Gavanski - I Kiss The Night.

Taken from her forthcoming album When It Comes which is out on April 29 through Flemish Eye, Dana Gavanski has just shared the video for the opening track on the LP, "I Kiss The Night". The video, directed by Gaia Alari, is made up of 1,700 hand-drawn frames, around 12 drawings per second, creating a beautiful stop motion animation that fits the music perfectly.

“The nocturnal and lulling atmospheres evoked by Dana's song,” says Gaia, “had me design a video treatment that aims to represent a dreamscape, or, more precisely, the moment of drowsiness happening right before falling asleep. By entering the door of the liminal space between awake and asleep, the character erases the external world and enters within her brain, experiencing a maze made of layered visions, distorted perception of self, time and space, intrusive thoughts that range from playful-bizarre-uncanny sequences to reassuring memories, in the attempt to fall asleep and finally shut the door.”

Dana wrote the song whilst cat sitting alone in her friend’s apartment in Montreal: “It’s an ode to the night, learning to lean into its magic and the spookiness of solitude in a winter storm.” Yesterday Is Gone is the follow-up to her 2020 debut When It Comes. It was started in Montreal, ended in Belgrade, recorded back in London at Total Refreshment Centre, and then mixed by Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump).

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Tragedy Ann - The Shield.

Every note of The Shield urges you to surrender to the infectious sense of wonder evoked when driving North and West around Superior. Vivid storytelling pairs with rich strings to create sweeping vistas, with the listener in the passenger's seat; The Shield is as lush and dynamic as the locations it describes. The name of Stuart McLean is invoked, and is not done lightly: this new single by Tragedy Ann rings with a familiar awestruck love and gratitude for the landscapes that define travel in this part of the world.

With their upcoming album Heirlooms (May 6, 2022), Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan issue a call for deeper connection with each other and with the natural world. The answer to this call is reflected both in the collaborative creation process and the meaningful ways in which Heirlooms will be shared. Setting these intentions rooted them and provided the insight needed to nourish the project and create something lasting.

"We want Heirlooms to encourage listeners to question their individual choices and reconsider the experiences of others in their communities, provoking critical thought rather than merely expressing our opinions. In order to encourage this in others, we must do so ourselves." Heirlooms is an opportunity to reconnect, share stories and learn.

The album is a follow up to their 2018 release Matches which garnered them two ‘Songs from the Heart’ songwriting awards (Folk Music Ontario), international critical acclaim, Canadian folk/roots radio charting, and syndication on CBC Radio and Stingray Music.

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Dani Ramos - Deer Scout - Laurie Biagini

Photo by Francisco Barrachina

Dani Ramos - Dime Algo.

Sound of Berlin shares hypnotic video for Dani Ramos' "Dime Algo" Columbian Berlin-based producer and DJ Dani Ramos reveals Dime Algo EP via Sound of Berlin, digitally available everywhere now. 

Originally from Columbia, Dani Ramos lives in Berlin and embraced the electronic scene with performances alongside the likes of Luciano, Martin Buttrich, Nick Warren, Hiroko Yamamura, Clive Henry, Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves, and Guti at premiere events ranging from Circolocoin Cartagena, BPM in Costa Rica and venues such as Ministry of Sound, SONAR, Pacha in Ibiza, Watergate, CDV, Hoppetosse, and counting.

Infused with lean basslines, crunchy drums, and rapid-fire high-end jabs, Dime Algo EP aims for peak times and is an excellent addition to the current tech-house revival. With a higher BPM, the EP features jerky drums cutting through layers of static kick drums, while floaty vocals rise and fall in the background.

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Deer Scout - Synesthesia.

On Friday Deer Scout will release her debut LP Woodpecker on Carpark Records. Songwriter Dena Miller began writing songs under the Deer Scout name in her Philadelphia dorm room as a college freshman, before the project grew as she began popping up on DIY shows around New York and Philly, sharing stages with people like Waxahatchee, Joanna Sternberg, Gobbin Jr, Told Slant and Yowler while periodically putting out singles on Bandcamp and cassette. 

Six years on from those first singles her debut LP has proved worth the wait, with the pre-release tracks earning praise from places like NPR's All Songs Considered, Stereogum, NYLON, BrooklynVegan,  FADER, and a host of others. Now Miller is sharing a final single from Woodpecker, a track called "Synesthesia."

"'Synesthesia' is about associative memory and inexplicable connections between sounds, places, and experiences," Miller explains. "It was written on the train ride home from a show that absolutely captivated me and jogged a bunch of memories. It’s about different points in my life that share the same undercurrent for no clear reason."

Woodpecker is a record about memory and the subconscious. And like an unforgettable dream that keeps you puzzling over its riddles for days, it’s as packed with direct symbols as it is with ruminative haze. “I approach songwriting as a process of boxing things up, or putting away a time capsule,” Miller, who wrote the album over a period of six years. It’s a culminating collection of the project’s many sounds and influences to date, from Philly’s punk cooperatives to Oberlin’s conservatory experimentalism to New York’s DIY history. At the center is Miller’s assured guitar fingerpicking and boldly clear voice, firmly grounded even as it gently probes uncertain emotional and musical terrain.

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Laurie Biagini - Do What You Gotta Do.

Today we share our third taster from Laurie Biagini's forth coming album and once again it's a catchy addictive track full of good vibes. To recap Laurie is a songwriter-singer from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, whose music would appeal to fans of 1960’s California sunshine pop.  Her sound and compositions have been compared to The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, Carol King, The Carpenters, and Jackie DeShannon. Her main influences include these artists along with The Beatles, The Byrds, The Monkees, The Turtles, and Jan & Dean.

Laurie has played piano by ear since age five, alongside ten years of classical piano training. She only started writing music in August 2006, after writing her first song which came to her with music and lyrics simultaneously one afternoon as she was commuting home from work. Since then, she has completed and released four albums.

Almost all of Laurie’s songs have been written, composed, performed and recorded by herself, with the exception of a few songs from her third and fourth albums which featured guest vocals, guitar tracks and lyrics.

Laurie Biagini · Do What You Gotta Do

Roscoe Roscoe - Sondew Lerche feat. Aurora - Geowulf

Roscoe Roscoe - Secret Underwater Love.

East London based five-piece Roscoe Roscoe have released a dreamy new single “Secret Underwater Love,” out now on Slow Dance Records / Missing Piece Records. The track comes off the back of the success from the band’s first two singles, the “ferociously alive” (NME) “Brain Retrieve,” and the “brilliantly psychedelic summer romp,” (Under The Radar) “Jacob’s Ladder.”

“‘Secret Underwater Love’ is one of our oldest songs,” states frontman Charlie Read Clarke. “I wrote and recorded the first demo when I was about 15, long before I'd even met half of the band and since then I think there have been at least 3 different recorded studio versions until this one. It has a special, weird place in my heart that both floods me with equal parts nostalgia and cringe. Despite being the least mature of all our songs, it felt worth releasing after all these years, as our sound feels like it is forever changing. The track was recorded at Famous Times Studios in Hackney with my Dad.”

The band met at The Brit School (following in the footsteps of Black Midi, who also formed there) and came together through a shared love of 60s counterculture and psychedelia. Rather than sheerly revivalist, however, their music comes from being part of a generation who have been able to take non-specific and widely drawn sources via the infinite bank of the internet. Other influences the band have cited include avant-pop groups Stereolab and Broadcast, along with evident echoes of Wand, Tame Impala, and Crumb in their music as well.

In 2019, they played a BBC televised performance at Glastonbury despite having no released music. Their charged, inventive live performance was also invited to The Southbank Centre for Nile Rogers’ Meltdown Festival within just a few months of their formation and in 2021, they closed the Rising stage at Green Man Festival.

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Photo - Synne S. B. Bønes

Sondew Lerche - Alone In The Night (feat. AURORA).

Sondre Lerche released Avatars of Love, his most ambitious work to date, via PLZ / InGrooves. The 14 song double album features contributions from AURORA, CHAI, Felicia Douglass (Dirty Projectors), Mary Lattimore, Rodrigo Alarcon, and Ana Müller. Also released today is the official video for the album’s closing single “Alone In The Night” (feat. AURORA).” On April 30, Lerche will embark on his first US tour in more than 5 years. The tour will make stops in Seattle Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and more.

Lerche explains: “‘Alone In The Night’ was the first recording I did for the Avatars of Love album. It put everything in motion, and surprised me greatly. I heard AURORA's voice singing it in my mind one day when I was out running in the sun. So I asked her if she'd sing it with me. It felt extra special, because I had just returned home to Bergen after 15 years of living in the US. And she was one of the first to greet me there. It's a song about what happens to our bodies and souls when we fall in love, and then again through the passage of time, when we age and die. It's ultimately about our memories and dementia. How frail we really are, and how heartless the process of aging can be to lovers."

This morning, the album was highlighted as one of the best albums of the week on NPR’s New Music Friday podcast, with NPR Music’s Cyrena Touros calling it, “A journey start to finish… I feel like I could spend six months just listening to this one album and I could find so much to mine and explore." In their four star review, American Songwriter said, “An impressive accomplishment, Avatars of Love probes the depths of desire to extraordinary effect." Recently, Lerche released the official video for the album’s 10+ minute long centerpiece “Avatars of Love,” which was praised by FLOOD Magazine and Stereogum, and was named one of the best songs of the week by BrooklynVegan and Under The Radar.

“This is without a doubt the biggest, boldest, most complex thing I’ve ever done,” explains Lerche about the new album. “At the same time, it was also the easiest, most natural, and most liberating. As an artist, it’s the kind of project you always dream about.”

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Geowulf - Drown.

Australian alt-indie duo Geowulf returns with a new song “Drown.” The song is the perfect track to kick back and reflect on good love, even if it’s not the right kind of love.  The track also comes with an official video with stunning images of a late-night drive into the unknown.

Speaking about the song, Star explained “Drown was another song Toma and I finished in lockdown over Skype and as difficult as that was I think this song is pretty special because in a way this song is about love (or a form of it) and how when you can fall in love it can be magical but not always right. This song is about finding a new space to exist in love or friendship after the breakdown of a relationship.”

Of the video, Star added “This video was filmed at the first time Toma and I had seen each other in two years due to covid and lockdowns. We wanted to channel a pop noir  “Natural Born Killers” vibe and had such a great director in Tim Heinrich and his sidekick Jordan Kaye. It’s moodier vibe for us and we’re all about it.”

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Carmody - Chew Magna - Amitida & Alberto Merelo - Skinny Lister

Carmody - Hurricane.

London based singer, songwriter Carmody releases new single "Hurricane", lifted from her upcoming debut album Imperfect Constellations. Out 6th July via Young Poet, the album features collaborations with Alfa Mist, Tom Misch, Conor Albert, and Laura Misch.

In matters of healing, we often don’t know how much we are carrying until we truly pause to take stock. Carmody has long been using music as a way to uncover her subconscious, examining the complex web of relationships that surround her. In the face of memory and generational grief, Imperfect Constellations is split into four main parts (or 'Constellations') and draws on her own experiences of alternative therapy, entering a world of discovery and recognition.

Co-written and co-produced with Avi Barath (Berwyn, Priya Ragu, Pa Salieu) and Calum Duncan (Alaskalaska, Rachel Chinouriri, Jones), new single "Hurricane" opens Imperfect Constellations in magisterial and captivating fashion, paying homage to a specific family member, painting her character into full tumultuous vision.

“My Grandma once told me that she doesn't dream, and that if she does, it’s not in colour. I was just like wow, that line has to go in a song,” Carmody laughs. “We have a strange relationship, because she's quite a difficult, but very loveable woman. She’s quite rude, she's really crass, she's got a lot of love but she can't often feel it. It's about me trying to get through to her, but also recognising that I feel like I am quite like her. I wouldn’t call it depression, but I struggle with sadness, and there’s a lot of sadness that she's had in her family that she's just carried. That hurricane feeling; I feel like I carry some of that too.”

Over the years, Carmody has crafted a sound that fits her well, complimenting her lyrical dexterity with melodies that evoke the timelessness of Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading while nodding to the modern alt-folk of Laura Marling and Big Thief. When Carmody began work on Imperfect Constellations, it was this sound that she was aiming for, rich in detail and emotional substance.

Commenting further on the release of "Hurricane", Carmody said: "I am very close to my grandmother, she is the matriarch of our family and the thread that holds us all together. She looked after me a lot when I was younger and taught me how to sing. She is quite an unusual character. I think she struggles to live in the present and acknowledge the love that orbits around her, we are quite similar in this respect. This track explores my frustration with her, and with myself, to appreciate the things we do have, rather than what we’ve lost."

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Chew Magna - 4232.

Further teasing their forthcoming self-titled debut album, Manchester’s most raucous, riff-fuelled jam band Chew Magna are getting philosophical with newest release ‘4232’ – an anthemic eruption pounding to the traditional teaching of ancient thinkers, in pursuit of freedom. 

“Lyrically, ‘4232’ is a joyous song about existential freedom, perhaps even alluding to the concept of authenticity,” tells the band’s singer and nominated spokesperson, Laurie, of the track’s inspiration. “The song stems from the wisdom of German philosopher, Martin Heidegger. He said, to be human is to navigate the correct way to live in the world when most things occur without reason or are the result of an accident. Ultimately figuring this out, he says, leads to a more authentic life because you can question expectation.” 

Serving up their own alt-rock antidote to lifelessness in the modern age and delving deeper into the band’s poetic and philosophical fascinations, ‘4232’ is powered by Chew Magna’s tried and tested approach to ‘spontaneous’ song writing. Melding ideas together in the former furniture warehouse where they rehearse, melodies emerge from endless instrumentals and boundless imagination to capture the raw emotion of live performance.

Selected from the Chew Magna album sessions recorded with SWAYS producer Martin Hurley in The White Hotel, Salford, ‘4232’ hurtles along with a chorus akin to alternative Sonic Youth tuning. Playfully screwing with structure, added instrumental ‘choruses’ embrace elements of Krautrock, Post Hardcore, Punk, Noise Rock and Shoegaze as Laurie calls out; “You’re running cos you can’t slow down / You’re running cos there’s time to save / Running cos you figured it out yeah / Running cos you can’t be late.” 

“Sonically, 4232 is our most intentionally shoegaze track to date,” Laurie tells. “Its title comes from the weird timing parts in the verse, although we changed it so the numbers are wrong and don’t suit the structure… it should really be called 4323!”

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Amitida & Alberto Merelo - Closure.

Amitida Is a 18 years old Singer Songwriter from Iran. An inspiring artist with her catchy lyrics and top line vocals. I love working in different genres such as (rock,electro pop ,house ,dance indie/pop) but currently I’m focusing on Electro Pop House and Dance Music. Music is my passion it’s what’s inside me and Since the age of 13 I have been songwriting and singing . In the last few years I have also been learning production.

I had been using a vocal coach to help me with my performances and to help me find my true voice but everything else was completely self taught. My musical inspirations and the people who make me want to do music are Adele and Taylor Swift they are amazing artists. My biggest fan and supporter is my Dad helping me and encouraging me to follow my dream. Recently being signed to Happy Sounds Productions in London with the first Single “Tricky Boy” produced by BOI SYCO. With more release to come from these two in the coming months. 

Also working with other artists from the label on other projects the 2nd single to be release is “CLOSURE” with Alberto Merelo. The duo are also working on another project together, to be released in 2022 I plan on working with different producers and artists and regularly release music on streaming platforms also performing live at gigs and showing the world what i have to share. 

Alberto Merelo is a Uk based Music Producer/Composer born in Cádiz (Andalusia, Spain) in 1990, Starting his music career at the age of 17 When he learnt how to produce and compose music by himself. Starting in the hip hop genre and making tracks for different artists, He then begun to produce in different genres such as Rap, R&B, EDM, Pop, Reggae, Dance Hall, Reggaeton and other Latin music genres. Since coming to the Uk Alberto is working as a social worker and has a Masters in Studies and Intervention in Inmigration, Development and Vulnerable Groups from the University of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain). 

Starting his own music production company in 2017 called 'Greedy Game Muzik'. Working with lots of different artists and genres. Also working on his own album hopefully to be released late 2022. In 2021 Alberto was signed to a London based record label Happy Sounds Productions Ltd where he has started working with different artists from the label. The first release will be a track called “Closure” in collaboration with the amazing Amitida.

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Skinny Lister - Like It's The First Time.

“Like It’s The First Time” is a chipper cut from the band’s latest album ‘A Matter of Life & Love’, a raucous record that pays homage to all the greatest things in life.

The exultant song celebrates the thrill of being on the road with a gang of your best mates, set to a foot-stomping beat, dizzying melodies and elating vocal harmonies. As frontman Dan Heptinstall says of the track: “‘Like It’s The First Time’ is a well-trodden ode to life on the road as a touring musician. The travelling, the shows, the hangovers and, most importantly, the connection with the friends and supporters of the band that we get to hang out with along the way. That feeling of often being so far from home yet so utterly at home.”

Creating the mood and atmosphere reminiscent of the final moments of a rowdy night out — when the bar is closing, eyes are blurry and you have a fuzzy feeling in your stomach whilst you jump around to a forgotten throwback track blaring on the radio — “Like It’s The First Time” took on a more bittersweet undertone when touring and “good times with good friends” were put on hold. Something that they were also keen to capture in the official video accompanying the track. As Heptinstall adds:

“It’s a track made all the more poignant for us in the wake of the pandemic, which saw us take a lengthy break from touring. It's been great to be finally back on the road ‘doing it all over again’. The video perfectly mirrors the images I had in my head when writing the song. It’s great to have such memories captured this way, and serves as a reminder to look forward to those we’ve yet to make. Bring it on!”

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