Rachael Dadd - Brittany Collins

Rachael Dadd - Moon Sails.

On 14 October 2022 wildly creative free-form songwriter Rachael Dadd is to release her brand new studio album Kaleidoscope via Memphis Industries. The first taster is ‘Moon Sails’ which comes with a video directed by Narna Hue. Kaleidoscope is Rachael’s second album for Memphis Industries and follows 2019’s Flux, which was released to much acclaim and which she was touring when the pandemic struck.

Like so many people disconnected from their communities and struggling through the lockdowns, Rachael Dadd turned inwards, seeking escape through music and connection through songwriting, and her hope is that when people listen to Kaleidoscope “they will feel held and find space to breathe, grieve and celebrate.”

"Music for me usually comes from a place where I’m in a state of flow and free-child: playful and explorative and sparked by the infinite possibilities that creating it can bring,” she continues, “so kaleidoscope, a toy with infinite possibilities of shape, colour and pattern, seemed like a really good title."

Having been kissed on the cheek and told to pursue music at the age of 14 by Tori Amos, who along with Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell lit up a new universe of possibility and magic for her, showing Rachael a way to translate her own inner world into words and music, she went on to discover John Cage, Steve Reich and John Tavner. Creating avant-garde feedback loop experiments at Alton College also left a big impression on her, as did WARP artists such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Plaid and Broadcast, and more recently Elsa Hewitt. "I love synth worlds and it's been really great to explore this more deeply on ‘Kaleidoscope'”, says Rachael, who also draws inspiration for the new record from Bristol’s contemporary jazz scene and artists like Ishmael Ensemble and Waldo's Gift.

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Brittany Collins - The Apple.

Soul-stirring Americana artist Brittany Collins is a late bloomer who never imagined that her calling would be singing, but once she discovered it, there was no turning back. Raised in the Pacific Northwest, she didn’t step on stage to perform in public until her twenties. Her soulful voice immediately captivated audiences with its intensity and raw energy, turning her into a darling of the Northwest music scene. Collins quickly built up an impressive resume of performances from acoustic coffeehouse shows to summer festival stages before landing spots on more extensive tours throughout California. After releasing two self-produced, self-released EPs, The Hitchhiker EP and Rough Sides, Collins will release her debut album, Things I Tell My Therapist, on August 12th, 2022.

The album’s overarching theme is examining how the people who raise us and the people we encounter in our lives shape how we see the world. Every song on the album is about a specific person; sometimes, that person is Collins. The record was written primarily in late 2020 when she was going through many changes in her personal life that caused her to reflect on her relationships. The process forced her to unpack a lot of trauma. But, the good news is that she ended up healing from it for the very first time. The songs might examine times in her life when she grappled with painful memories and situations, but they are tinged with hopefulness.

“If there is a message I would want someone to take away from the album, it would be “Life is messy, you get hurt, but you get to choose the kind of person you want to be, you get to choose to grow past the hurt and be a source of light for people if you want. It’s never too late to choose to put yourself first,” explains Collins.

This album feels a little bit like Collins’ diary, primarily written during a time when she was just beginning to address and recover from trauma stemming from childhood abuse. It reflects on her own relationships, the people she encountered during her time as a social worker, and stories that compelled her. Starting out as a tongue-in-cheek title for a song she wrote while on a hike in the woods, she soon realized that the title “Things I Tell My Therapist” was painfully and comically accurate.

BrittanyCollins · The Apple

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The Orchids - Andrés Alcover - The Special Pillow

The Orchids - This Boy Is A Mess.

Sometimes it can take several years to realise what you’ve been missing.  Sometimes it can even take decades....  (If you already know all about The Orchids, well, you’re going to like Dreaming Kind a lot.)

The Orchids were making sophisticated pop music right back in the early 1990s when Sarah Records first started.  Their songs were as emotionally pure as anything else on that label, but they were always a step ahead of their peers in terms of song arrangements and musical ambition.  With a casual, unpretentious air they made writing perfect pop songs seem easy, almost accidental, and several great releases followed.  The Orchids gained a passionate following: people knew a good thing when they heard it and they hugged it close.  But now it’s time for the rest of the world to be let in on the secret.

The songs themselves are a beautiful mix of strength and gentleness.   They wrap you in a powerful embrace, making you feel comfortable and secure – and then whisper their insecurities and anxieties into your ear.  They say: ‘it’s OK to admit weakness.   It’s OK to be fragile.  That’s where true strength comes from’.  From Glasgow, and proudly Scottish, the band shares a musical lineage with other great groups from that city, from Aztec Camera to Orange Juice, Lloyd Cole to Teenage Fanclub. All bands that specialise in song-writing that that can tell big stories through small fragments, that can make the ordinary extraordinary.

Producer Ian Carmichael has helped the band create a perfectly-crafted masterpiece. He subtly accentuates the drama of the songs, with a sophisticated choreography and gloss that never overwhelms the tenderness of the music.  In ‘This Boy Is A Mess’ (the first single from the album), the lyric confesses frailty while the music gets stronger and stronger.  It is bittersweet and exhilarating at the same time. ‘I Want You, I Need You’ has harmonies as big as a house – but the yearning message remains intimate and close.  ‘I Don’t Mean To Stare’ is a sophisticated new version of the track that first appeared on the Under The Bridge compilation earlier this year.

Album opener ‘Didn’t We Love You’ daringly opens up empty spaces where the reverb of the drums is the only thing you can hear... and then floods your ears with a harmonised chorus, sweet guitar melodies and sweeping effects.  Even then, the lyrical lament, expressing the desire to live in a better place - a place unspoilt by the greedy phonies who’ve taken over – comes across as clearly as if Hackett were leaning over for a friendly chat in the snug bar of The Orchids’ favourite Glasgow pub.

Rob and Amelia (Skep Wax Records) say: “the first gig we went to after lockdown was the Preston Popfest.  It was an emotional occasion: many bands were playing for the first time in two years.  The Orchids were really special that night.  We were surprised to hear so many new songs, and such great new songs too – really powerful.   That’s the night we decided to ask if we could release their album.”

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Andrés Alcover - Where Did We Go Wrong?

Coming as a glimmering follow-up to his string of 2021 releases — including debut single “Untouchable” — the new track is a daydream-inducing cut of twinkling percussion and gently twanging guitars underpinned by Andrés’ laidback vocal delivery.

A delicate web of vintage-tinged rhythms, textured guitars and cushiony harmonies, “Where Did We Go Wrong?” stirs to life with gentle acoustic guitar plucks before blossoming into a more complex arrangement of mellow instrumentation that glimmers like a long-lost relic found in an abandoned ‘70s LA recording studio.

Written, produced and arranged by Andrés himself, the artist explains of the track’s production: “I wrote the song a couple of years ago, my time split between Spain and the UK, and recorded it at my flat in London. However, the drums were recorded in an old abandoned theatre-turned-studio in Majorca by Spanish drummer and good friend Tomi Solbas. He created the perfect sound to accompany the rest of the instrumentation, and you can really hear the room’s texture.”

Despite its gentle rhythms and dreamy melodies laced with optimism, Andrés’ lyrics grapple with more existential themes. With his earlier releases dealing with estrangement, loss and a sense of an internal search, the songwriter’s knack for melding deeper ideas with drifting instrumentals is showcased clearer than ever on “Where Did We Go Wrong?”.

Andrés Alcover · Where Did We Go Wrong?

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The Special Pillow - Mind Wipe.

The Special Pillow return with a new EP and single "Mind Wipe" which is also the title of the EP. The band have been steadily putting out eccentric weirdo psych/pop/folk over the last few years with yet another release already in the works. Mind Wipe feels a lot like those golden indie-psych years of the late 90's bringing to mind Terrastock Festivals, Elephant 6 artists like Elf Power and Fablefactory, and folks like Beavis Frond.

Mind Wipe is the latest, greatest release from The Special Pillow, a full-spectrum, string-driven sound encompassing concise ’60s-flavored pop gems, dreamy hallucinogenic reveries, and pulse-pounding propulsion redolent of your favorite antipodean indie upstarts of the ’80s. A sitcom-length salvo featuring six synapse-snapping songs that address Greek tragedy, artificial intelligence, and voluntary brain erasure, Mind Wipe will clear your consciousness of everything else.

Since 1995, The Special Pillow have trafficked in catchy and confounding songcraft that has earned them notable fans like Yo La Tengo, who covered the group’s classic “Automatic Doom” in 2015. The Pillow’s 2020 releases, the World’s Finest EP and a cover-version single of The Who’s “1921,” garnered extensive underground attention and accolades, but now Mind Wipe is here to make you forget all about that old news.

Mind Wipe is the group’s first project to be recorded at Brooklyn’s Deep Dive studio with longtime engineer Mitch Rackin. The band consists of bassist and songwriter Dan Cuddy (ex-Hypnolovewheel); Katie Gentile (Run On) on violin and viola; Peter Stuart (Headless Horsemen, Tryfles) on a remarkable selection of guitars; and Eric Marc Cohen (Fly Ashtray, Autobody) on drums and percussion.

The Special Pillow · Mind Wipe

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Fresh - A.N.J.A - Nora Kelly Band - Redgrave Jones

Fresh - Why Do I.

'Raise Hell' - the forthcoming new album from London punk band Fresh - resolves with our protagonist breaking free of a toxic relationship, joyously riding into the sunset singing doo-wops. It’s the first time on the album that the inner conflict settles, and contentment takes precedence. The band have shared the album's closing track 'Why Do I' as a single today, with their new full-length set to hit virtual shelves on 1st July via Specialist Subject.

“Sadness and self-doubt are acknowledged and present on ‘Why Do I’, but they don’t hold power over you anymore. There’s power in starting from scratch” says lead singer and principal songwriter Kathryn Woods. She expands; "Think Nicole Kidman signing divorce papers in 2001-vibes. There’s a real catharsis and joyous presence to this song, upbeat do-woop vocals, guitar riffs with a touch of delay and soaring lead vocals make it a great note to end the record on."

Fresh have been an unwavering fixture within the UK punk scene since their first record in 2017. A joy to behold live, 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.

specialistsubject · FRESH - Why Do I

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A.N.J.A - A-Bomb.

Belfast-based Rock/Alternative Artist A.N.J.A. becomes a dynamic burst of energy on her unhinged, anthemic new single "A-Bomb", out June 10 on streaming platforms. A.N.J.A.'s unique sound is laced with grit and dripping with realness, harkening back to retro punk and rock greats while boldly facing a dystopic, uncertain present with a fearless, electrified spirit.

“A-Bomb” is inspired by real life predators and power imbalances. The lyrics are a journey through dirty cityscapes and outskirts of depraved humanity. The song dances around the inevitability of human decay. Crime lingering around every corner.

It’s a criticism of messed up humanity, oppression, and danger within a superficial society where the incapability's of law enforcement and failed justice systems are ubiquitous and grinding.

Saying that, I don’t take myself - and especially my artistry- too seriously. My music is supposed to entertain. It’s supposed to be fun and after all, I’m doing what I love most. With my sound I want to show confidence in mixing fuzzy retro punk, modern electronica and feminine energy.

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Nora Kelly Band - Change My Mind.

When COVID struck Montreal-based artist Nora Kelly was getting ready for her break-out with her grungy post-punk trio DISHPIT’s Steve Albini produced album, only to have the rug pulled out, as did we all. When the tide waters receded this spring, what emerged was the Nora Kelly Band, a nearly fully formed alt-country quartet, and a stunner first single, “Hymn for the Agnostics.” Today, Nora and her cohorts follow with “Change My Mind” in advance of two Toronto performances during Canadian Music Week (tomorrow at The Monarch, 9pm) and NXNE (June 18 at the Dakota Tavern, 11pm).

Discussing “Change My Mind” Nora noted, “The lyrics might sound like a familiar, pinning love song, however, when I wrote it, I was actually trying to write from the perspective of my very close friend who was in a toxic, long term relationship. I was single at the time and filled with horror whenever she would vent about her boyfriend. It seemed like she wanted to leave, but even more than that she didn’t want to be alone. She was always hoping he would do something to ‘change her mind’, to justify her staying.

I filmed the music video on a recent trip to Arizona for my cousin’s wedding. After the festivities, my parents and I rented a car and drove around New Mexico for a few days. I’ve always been in love with the desert, and I shot everything I could. Being from Canada, nothing feels more magical than the desert. Along the way I would get my dad to hold the camera while I lip-synched along, embarrassing us all many times. My mom also makes several cameos in the video with her iPad.”

During the pandemic lockdown Nora looked inward, asking hard questions about her relationships, which led her to rock’s roots. Out poured tunes about love, independence, and checking into the Purgatory Motel. Last summer she and friends played her songs by railroad tracks that run by her Mile End neighborhood, and people flocked to sing along until the cops chased them off. Words spread, propelling The Nora Kelly Band to play rowdy gigs at Ursa and other Montreal venues.

The Nora Kelly Band features Nora on vox/guitar, Ethan Soil (Fleece/DISHPIT) on drums, Michael Feurstack (Bell Orchestre) on pedal steel, Vader Ryderwood (Treasure Eyes) on bass, and Rachel Silverstein on keys. The tracks were mixed by Pietro Amato (The Luyas/Belle Orchestre). Kelly’s lyrics, some soulful, some tongue-in-cheek, echo DISHPIT themes of self-empowerment.



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Redgrave Jones - Two.

We are a little late getting this song here at Beehive Candy however it's still well worth a feature. Two is the opening track of Redgrave Jones’ debut EP, Luckiest Girl In The World.

Brooding, raw and Sexy, It’s a song that spent over a decade in incubation. The basic frame of the song was written when she was just 19 years old!!

She recorded the track with producer Jason Lowrie and the song features Anthony Burulich (The Bravery, Ween, Morrissey) on the drums, Scott Dolgin on bass, Jason Lowrie on guitar and Redgrave on keys.

Although this track was originally released as part of the EP, the pandemic halted the production of the video that Redgrave Jones had an iconic vision for. With that video finally produced she decided to give this track a new lease of life before new material was unleashed.

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Brodie Dawson - The Subtheory - Ina Forsman - Gran Noir

Brodie Dawson - Will I Ever.

Singer-songwriter Brodie Dawson has released her latest single,“Will I Ever,” the fourth off her next album Wholehearted.  “Will I Ever” follows Dawson through her very personal and vulnerable journey of overcoming her separation from her husband. It features country guitar grooves, live instruments, sultry and powerful vocals, and empowering lyrics.

“I wrote this the summer my husband and I separated. My heart was devastated, and I was so lost, but hellbent on finding myself again. A beautiful couple I know on Hornby Island offered me their cabin for the weekend as a little writing retreat. So I packed up my dog, my guitar and my journal and spent the entire weekend at the ocean, thinking, crying, writing and playing,” says Dawson. "For the longest time it was more of a groove song than anything, and it only had one verse. I actually wrote the second verse the night before recording it in the studio in Nashville!”

The track was written and performed by Brodie Dawson, produced by Patrick Davis, engineered by Lee Unfried and Rory Rositas, mixed by Lee Unfried, with additional editing by Nathan Senner at Kinnikinik Studios, and Joanna Finley and Trent Woodman at Omnisound Studios. It was recorded at OmniSound Studios and mastered by Eric Conn at Independent Mastering in Nashville. The track features Tim Lauer as the band leader on keys, Bryan Sutton on acoustic guitar, Fred Eltringham on drums, Tony Lucido on bass, Justin Schipper on steel guitar, Kris Donegan on electric guitar, and Kristen Rogers on background vocals.

 

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The Subtheory - Everyday.

With a long career working with major record labels and two critically acclaimed albums behind him, Hill is exploring the deeper electronic side of his music and influences.

The Subtheory’s sound speaks of Hill’s experience splitting his time between the UK and Los Angeles.The music draws from a darker, grittier version of a neo-retro dystopia: Bladerunner noir meets cyberpunk detective.

Andy Hill has always loved making music starting off with his parents’ mono record collection as he created on-the-fly remixes with pause buttons and the early days of MPC samplers before moving into the fully digital age of software DAWs.

Through the years, Hill has experimented and explored many genres but with a sustained ethos to create music that moves people - whether it be their feet, their hearts or their minds.

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Ina Forsman - Love Me.

All There Is is a pop album at its core, blending modern pop sensibilities with strong R&B and soulful jazz influences from the 60s and 70s. Ina Forsman's music can be compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera during the Back to Basics era, Yola, and the Monophonics.

The latest single from the album, "Love Me" captures the feeling of saying, "I love you" for the first time. The track's upbeat rhythm and old-fashioned arrangements will move your feet, but the composition's moody blues will make your heart flutter.

Ina Forsman, a Berlin-based singer influenced by Etta James and Christina Aguilera, presented herself as a promising vocalist on her sophomore album Been Meaning To Tell You (2019) and her eponymous debut album Ina Forsman (2016). Throughout her new album All There Is, she maintains those earlier influences while coming into her own. 

All There Is is rooted in the romantic aura of the 1960s, a sound that makes no secret of her commitment to old school soul and jazz. Ina Forsman was inspired by the era's romantic songs that had a cinematic flair, so she chose to stick with a concept she calls "cinematic soul". Ina's powerful presence on each track gives All There Is a contemporary perspective on the sixties and seventies.

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Gran Noir - At the Sea.

And already Gran Noir deliver the next hit to fill the summer gap with the catchy tune 'At The Sea'. After their radio indie hit «On and On», they also landed with their two latest tracks 'War Ends?' and 'Empty Heart' directly in the Spotify editorial playlists and on playlists of several radio stations from Europe to South America.

Now they are ready with another banger: Inspired by Harald Hauswald's photography 'Only when I dream, I am free', Gran Noir tells in 'At The Sea' about your view to the sea. Of what you were, what you are and what you want to be. About what connects us all - the longing for freedom.

The sublime and smoldering track pushes and rolls like a mighty wave to the California coast - where Beach Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers once circulated their spliffs - yet is clearly a gran noir number.

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Elizabeth M. Drummond - Claude - Berries

Elizabeth M. Drummond - Crisis.

Getting lost in a window into somebody else's own existential crisis shouldn’t feel as joyful as it’s made to sound in Elizabeth M. Drummond’s sensational first steps as a solo artist. In her aptly named debut single out today titled “Crisis”, you’ll find a track that runs on the pure adrenaline that came from her own self-realisations and the honest reactions that followed.  Drummond was formerly a member of the critically acclaimed band Little May, who toured with The National & City and Colour, whilst headlining their own headline shows across the globe.

Speaking about the song Drummond said, “I wrote Crisis when I had moved cities after leaving Little May and a long relationship. I felt like everything I ever identified with had just exploded in front of me. I also realised I had been living on auto-pilot for as long as I could remember, and that I had been ignoring what I actually wanted for my life. At this point, I had started to feel a huge amount of relief and humour in surrendering to the idea that things couldn’t get any worse. In many ways I felt like I had become “no one”, and this started to become liberating. This song marks that time and those feelings for me.”

The song was written between Sydney & Melbourne, however, It was in Melbourne that she took it to her friend James Seymour for his opinion and he then went on to co-produce Crisis.  Drummond said “ We co-produced the rest of the song together at Small Time (a studio in Brunswick, Melbourne). We threw everything at it, and most of it didn’t work. Liam Gough (from The Teskey Brothers) played drums on this one. His playing really informed where everything else was going to sit dynamically. Zac Barter played strings on it, and that really added another layer of depth and weirdness to the song that I loved. As much as I like the song, I’m relieved I never have to produce it again - it was a bit of a pain in the arse.”

Ask Drummond who she is and she’ll describe herself as a self-confessed misfit with an anxious disposition. Her plans of pursuing a career in acting were sidelined by the breakout success of her band Little May, which she had started with her childhood friends. Their first release took off, a record produced by Aaron Dessner of The National followed and this inevitably led to them touring the world… It was fast, furious and it took its toll. Elizabeth M. Drummond pulled the ripcord, not for any selfish ambitions but to seek the time to repair herself, regain a sense of identity and beyond the band environment, to recover from the bruises of a few poisonous relationships.

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Claude - twenty something.

Claude—the Chicago based existential dream pop solo project of Claudia Ferme has announced that her debut full-length album, a lot’s gotta change, will be released on August 12th, 2022 via American Dreams Records.

Produced and engineered with Michael Mac (Tenci, Tasha, Devin Shaffer, Mia Joy), the album includes contributions from fellow Chicago musicians such as Dustin Laurenzi (Twin Talk, Bon Iver), Vivian McConnell (V.V. Lightbody), Maria Jacobson (Fran), among many others, and was mixed and mastered by Andrew Weathers.

“This album is a snapshot of my early-to-mid twenties — formative, sometimes confusing years,” says Claude. “I can pinpoint specific experiences and instances that correlate with each song. Yet, I was frustrated I still didn’t have things figured out like I thought I should and that things weren’t working out the way I’d hoped they would.” Through catchy hooks, wistful production, and deadpan humor, lead single “twenty something” reflects Claude's frustrations of society’s expectations when faced with reality, which is represented visually with an accompanying music video directed by Reilly Drew.

Regarding the video, Claude shared the following: “I wanted to explore the ‘snapshot’ aspect of the album and way of concretizing experiences through the different landscapes and outfits you see throughout. The emptiness and the surreal and dream-like quality of these spaces serve as a representation of my internal environment. I’m alone in each scene, on some strange kind of journey, walking, thinking, looking inward, even when I’m surrounded by people.”

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Berries - Haze.

Berries have unleashed a third cut from their debut album ‘How We Function’. Rhythmic and rambunctious in equal measure, meticulous new track “Haze” seesaws between infectious and ansty in a beat and evokes how unexpected the onset of intrusive thoughts and mental hurdles can be.

Just as biting as earlier tracks “We Are Machines” and “Wall of Noise”, albeit with a more measured edge, the new track showcases the band’s tight musicianship and ability to find optimism and craft an arresting melody in a tough time.

“”Haze” represents the barriers we often put up and how scary but also uplifting it can be when they break down. The “Haze” descends when least expected and is hard to fight through, but it’s important to recognise the strength it takes to open up and fight past the intrusive thoughts and be the best version of yourself.”

Blending gravelly garage rock stylings with uplifting hooks and a hopeful vision for the future, “Haze” arrives as a third glimpse into Berries’ forthcoming debut  ‘How We Function’ — an album ostensibly about mental health struggles and the resounding empowerment of overcoming and learning to live thoroughly with them.

Having sieved the last four years of their lives through tight, crunchy guitar lines and puncturing rhythmic patterns, ‘How We Function’ explores the band’s musical and emotional DNA revealing what it takes to not only overcome personal problems but set yourselves down a path to being truly independent in sound, ambition, heart and mind. “We really couldn’t have put more into it,” adds Holly, “we are so proud of the end result.”


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Lydia Luce - Headshrinkers

Lydia Luce - Matter of Time.

It’s no secret that an artist’s surroundings directly influence their output, but in the case of Lydia Luce’s new single “Matter of Time,” it isn’t so much about the beautiful nature in which the song was written. Moreso, Luce’s ethereal tune focuses on what might become of her Eden with the upward trend of wildfires and climate change.

Written during her time as an artist in residence on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington—only a couple of months after a series of devastating heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest—it was greatly apparent to Luce that her refuge was threatened. “I was on this incredibly beautiful island immersed in nature thinking about the effect of climate change in that area.

In that moment, I was grateful to be able to be there and experience the beauty,” she says, recounting the genesis of “Matter of Time.” “I tried to stay present and really absorb it all because every year we are seeing changes to our world.” “I want to stay in the light, because I know it’s a matter of time,” she sings.

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Headshrinkers - The Sea Has No Friends.

Expertly tapping into and memorialising a certain place and time in history, the latest single from the Black Country-based newcomers is a lofty expanse of a track that merges spoken-word lyrics with velvety vocal harmonies and opulent stretches of instrumentals.

As gentle acoustic guitar strums and skillfully-crafted poetry descend into an exhilarating crescendo of steady and majestic drums, jubilant riffs and increasingly urgent vocals, “The Sea Has No Friends” ingeniously boasts the band’s breadth. Straying slightly from the rip-roaring post-punk of their earlier singles, the new track stays true to the band’s knack for capturing the imagination and evoking the sights and sounds of a specific — and at times long forgotten — moment in time.

Of the story behind the track, vocalist and songwriter Garran Hickman explains: “It was quite the reflective day when I wrote that piece. Words and melody were both written in half an hour. It’s just two entwined memories really: one is of my older relatives sharing stories of their loved ones in the war, and secondly the opening line, ‘the sea has no friends’, are words my dad used to describe the sea.”

Produced and mixed by Gavin Monoghan at Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton and engineered by Liam Radburn, the track comes as an astute follow up to the band’s most recent single “Monocle”. Headshrinkers are Garran Hickman (vocals), James Knott (guitar), Xavier Al-Naqib (bass) and Scarlett Churchill (drums, backing vocals). Having formed in 2019 and bonded over a shared vision of capturing the intricacies of modern life within their music, the Black Country-based foursome have been quick to make a name for themselves on their local music scene and beyond.

Carving out an unmistakable sound characterised by its unflinching poetry set atop searing and confrontational guitar riffs, thunderous basslines and pummelling drums, Headshrinkers were dubbed as Brum Radio’s ‘Band of the Year’ for 2020, and named on This Feeling’s ‘Big in 2021’ list.


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Certain Animals - Son Parapluie feat. Isobel Campbell

Certain Animals - All Is Over Now.

'All Is Over Now' proves that Certain Animals dares to become more and more personal, and is less anxious to show her true colours. What emerges is sometimes soft, sometimes sweet and longing for a recent past. Smooth and polished, like the late seventies period from which the song borrows inspiration, but always with an edge. 

With vintage artistry and a Wurlitzer which would have suited a Supertramp record, the band describes the drifting apart of two lovers, without forgetting to shine a positive light on such a situation. 

Incredible close-harmony, befitting The Beach Boys or The Beatles, and falsetto choirs echoing the sound of Electric Light Orchestra records, are complemented by an array of musical talent in the form of clarinets, flugel horn and a Hammond organ. All dressing this track up to perfection. 

After mourning a loss and nearly drowning in nostalgia, Certain Animals breaks free in the final phrase and closes the song with tasteful Baroque themes, played vigorously on trumpet and fuzz-guitar. Thus paying homage to the band Focus and lifting the spirit of the listener after an emotional journey.
With the release of their last two singles Midnight TV and Angels In Disguise, Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV.

TCBYML · Certain Animals - All Is Over Now

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Son Parapluie - Paris n'existe pas (feat. Isobel Campbell).

Just released is a unique and wonderful set of songs entitled Paris n’existe pas by Son Parapluie (Translation: Paris Does not Exist by My Umbrella) through a partnership between French label Europop 2000 and American cohort 80 Proof Records. This project, a reverie of a classic era in French music featuring a fascinating, unexpected combination of performers, will be initially released on digital and limited-edition CD with a crowdfunded vinyl version. A unique NFT single with exclusive art and music will also be released.

Son Parapluie originates with Jérôme Didelot of the band Orwell, who has released a string of artful pop albums over the past two decades including 2020’s Parcelle brillante. Didelot wrote these new songs to evoke the late the 60’s Paris of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian, Mark Lanegan duet albums) leads the sterling cast as featured guest vocalist. Jah Wobble (PiL, Invaders of the Heart), Martin Carr (The Boo Radleys, Brave Captain), and noted French engineer/producer Yann Arnaud also appear providing remixes of songs from the project. Japanese singer Sugar Me rounds out the performer list singing on an alternate version of one of the songs.

Famed French artist Charles Berberian (known for his comic books, multiple movie posters and magazine covers including The New Yorker) created original artwork for the album cover, as well as second unique piece that will be available only via an NFT single. 

The lead song and title track, an aching masterpiece of gentle French pop, explores Paris as metaphor. A place steeped in dreams and fantasies that are unattainable for all but a very few. Does this Paris exist? Peut-être. Peut-être pas. The album launched globally on 3rd June via all major digital platforms and compact disc on Amazon, Bandcamp, and select record stores in Europe through Europop 2000 and Belgian label Hot Puma and North America via 80 Proof Records.

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The Local Honeys - Art Moore - Pitou

The Local Honeys - Better Than I Deserve.

Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs, better known as the beloved Kentuckian duo, The Local Honeys, have a gifted way with words—particularly the playful colloquialisms and regional idiosyncrasies from their home in the Bluegrass State—that simultaneously connects the past and present, old and new. They bind stories with warm vernacular that makes those in-the-know feel warm and welcome and those not, well, flat out curious to hear more. 

The Local Honeys’ newest is “Better Than I Deserve” from their upcoming self-titled album (out July 15th via La Honda Records), of which the title itself was an everyday motto of Hobbs’s Papaw; a positive answer for the oft-asked question, “How are you doing?” A moody two-step, “Better Than I Deserve” tells the story of Montana’s grandfather who was an orphan, a U.S. naval pilot, and a war survivor. “‘Better than I deserve’ was his motto in life and carried him through many hardships,” says Hobbs, who built the whole song around his iconic informal greeting.

Their first release on La Honda Records (Colter Wall, Riddy Arman, Vincent Neil Emerson), The Local Honeys features ten winsome vignettes of rural Kentucky, conjuring 90’s alternatives sounds with hillbilly Radiohead lilts, soaring above layers of deep grooves and rich tones masterfully curated by longtime mentor Jesse Wells, a GRAMMY-nominated producer, musician (currently a member of Tyler Childers’ band The Food Stamps), and Assistant Director at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State.

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Art Moore - Muscle Memory.

Art Moore make vivid, heartbreaking short stories. Each song on the newly formed three-piece’s self-titled debut album is its own individual universe of bittersweet feeling: a brief snapshot of a moment in time that captures the fragility and occasional impossibility of human connection. The ten tracks that comprise the record are deft character studies, zeroing in on restless widows, shy beginners, jilted friends and friendly exes, chronicling minute moments — road trips, casual dates, games of truth or dare — with rich detail and subtle wit. The result is a world of remarkable emotional complexity, an album-length study of loneliness, heartache, and loss that’s sweet but never saccharine, sad but never maudlin. Featuring the inimitable songwriting of beloved Oakland luminary Taylor Vick of Boy Scouts set in sharp relief against lush production from Ezra Furman collaborators Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks, it’s a quietly wondrous record — a set of songs that sketch out the struggle and beauty of coping with everyday life.

When Durkes, Brooks and Vick first set out to collaborate, the idea of Art Moore, as a band, or Art Moore, as a cohesive, ingratiating record, was still a ways away. Durkes had become close with Brooks through his work on Ezra Furman’s 2019 record Twelve Nudes, and the two had  begun work on her soundtrack for the Netflix series Sex Education. The pair already knew Vick, who had established herself as a prolific cult solo artist with Boy Scouts, and asked if she would be interested in lending her voice to the recordings.

“We all met up at the studio, and it was never even like, ‘Let’s be a band’, that was never a thing,” recalls Durkes. “It was more like, ‘Let’s think of a movie scene or a photograph or still image and see if we can write something around it.” Reflecting on those initial sessions, Brookes adds, “we wanted to work on something new outside of what we were so used to doing.”

Spurred by that early collaboration, the trio decamped to a studio in Oakland in January 2020, where it quickly became clear that a wellspring of inspiration lay untapped. They fell into an easy rhythm: Brooks and Durkes would work on a track from the instrumental demos they had made together, while Vick sat outside, writing hooks and lyrics. When she was done, she would come inside, lay down what she had written, and the process would repeat. The trio’s remarkable efficiency gave them the confidence that they had more than a handful of demos on their hands; the contours of Art Moore were beginning to take shape.

Art Moore · Muscle Memory

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Pitou - Big Tear.

The music of Amsterdam-born singer and songwriter Pitou is characterized by her mesmerizing, multicolored voice, and her unique compositions. Enchanting tales, moving from delicate and intimate to grand and orchestral. As a child she sang in a professional classical children’s choir. In search of independence she started writing her own music.

Her latest single “Big Tear” is the perfect example of her love to blend pop music with classical instrumentation. Showcasing unexpected harmonies and song-structures, vocal layering and poetic, storytelling lyrics, the song transcends into a beautiful kaleidoscope of hypnotic rhythms. The harp loop mirrors the feeling of an angry, but not bitter energy, similar to a child unable to solve a puzzle due to not having learned the tools. Pitou explains, "This went well with the lyrics, a formative childhood memory translated into a fable.”

With a fearlessness towards weirdness, there are no boundaries to the music of Pitou. She shares, “I tend to write songs that serve a personal purpose. A bit of hopefulness or light that I need, a reminder of something I should give more attention, a guideline for how I’d want to live my life, or just the processing of something that’s happened. The underlying theme is often ‘how to be human’. I suppose the upcoming album could also be seen as a sort of ‘How To Human’ guide, one that I needed at the time.”

Pitou has garnered acclaim from the likes of The Independent, BBC 1, BBC 6 Music and Radio X, and has performed all over Europe (UK, Turkey, France, Italy, Belgium and more), in venues such as Paradiso (NL) and L’Olympia (FR) and festivals such as The Great Escape (UK) and Best Kept Secret (NL).

The unique musical universe that Pitou has carved out for herself has become even more substantial - a translation of this modern world into intriguing, richly layered musical tales.

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Night Court - Katrina Burgoyne - Bad Pelicans - Nikki Lane

Night Court - Surfin' Iona.

"Surfin' Iona" is the third video from Night Court's second album - "Nervous Birds Too." A tongue-in-cheek, surf-punk ear worm featuring lead vocals by Emilor to make it sound more like the B-52’s. Shot on location in cloudy Richmond, British Columbia!

Vancouver power trio Night Court was born during the great lockdown 2020 with lifelong friends Jiffy and Dave emailing each other song ideas. Using Jiffy’s old Tascam 4-track and stolen recording software, they guerilla recorded what would become Night Court’s earworm-riddled debut duology – Nervous Birds! One and Too. 

The addition of Emilor on drums perfected the band, and conditions were now optimal for Night Court to release itself upon the world of rock. Drawing from a wide pool of influences – “kind of indie rock-ish at times, catchy yet dripping, with feedback in all the right places.” (Ty Stranglehold, Razorcake) – the band’s only concern is to play delightfully sick melodies through stupid ripping guitars, disgusting fuzzed-out bass, and bombastic beats on borrowed and broken drums. Night Court demands attention, but long attention spans are not required.

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Katrina Burgoyne - I Wanna Get Away With You.

Country artist Katrina Burgoyne, all the way from Australia, released a music video inspired by her and her now-husband's love story.

Australia native Katrina Burgoyne’s latest single “I Wanna Get Away With You” is the perfect summer love song with an accompanying music video that captures every moment of a spontaneous romance. Set against a backdrop of lush green and sweet dates around town, Burgoyne and her band jam out to the guitar-heavy verses that complement the singer’s crisp vocals. The palpable chemistry between the two lovebirds makes for an experience that is immersive amidst shots of the band illustrating the excitement of true love. As viewers get out into the world and open their hearts to new experiences, “I Wanna Get Away With You” is masterfully created to usher them in.

With a goal to become the first Australian female artist to make an impact on American Country Music in the last three decades. Katrina Burgoyne moved to Nashville in 2017 with just three suitcases, a guitar, and her little Aussie battler spirit. Since releasing her debut album in 2011, Katrina has secured four top 10 singles, a top 10 ARIA charting album, and two CMAA nominations. As a songwriter, Katrina has collected indie and major label cuts across three continents (North America, Australia, and UK) and four countries (Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Ireland).

Katrina has seen her songs top the iTunes Charts in New Zealand & Australia. Additionally, topping the mainstream Shazam charts in Northern Ireland and gaining a feature on Fresh Country and New Nashville Spotify playlists & Today's Country Apple Music playlist.

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Bad Pelicans - Paris.

The constant Full Chorus on top of a distorted bass, along with a martyrized snare and guitar riff plucked with the thunderbolts of Zeus present the restless trio of the Bad Pelicans as a V12 powered machine blazing full throttle in the the night with condemned break pedals.

Redirecting the Svrf Pvnk from their first records towards a savage, menacing avant-garde artrock, the band decided to ditch all the codes and protocoles of the punk scene where they grew and revives the flame of Nirvana's "Bleach" with their new record "Eternal Life Now" recorded in Seattle with Dylan Wall, coming out late 2022 on Géographie Recs.

The radical nihilism of the Bad Pelicans, exposed live through (litteraly) incinerating performaces, apparently isn't the band's only tour de force. From underneath the rumbling detonations and layers of feedback emerges a sincere display of delicacy and true songwriting talent.

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Nikki Lane - First High.

Nikki Lane will return with her anticipated fourth album Denim & Diamonds on September 23rd via New West Records. The 10-song project was produced and mixed by Joshua Homme at his Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, CA and is Lane’s first album in five years.

The recordings boast a diverse range of players thoughtfully tailored by Homme to nudge Lane further into the rock and roll space. The All-Star band includes Homme, as well as his Queens of the Stone Age collaborators Alain Johannes on guitar, Dean Fertita on organ & Michael Shuman on bass. Additionally, the album features drummers Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys, Carla Azar of the acclaimed post-punk band Autolux (and frequent Jack White collaborator), and Lane’s pedal steel player Matthew Pynn (Dwight Yoakum, Miley Cyrus). 

Nikki Lane has also shared the video for the album’s lead off track, “First High.” The video was directed by Jocelyn Cooper and shot in North Fork, CA. Says Lane of the track, “This song is about chasing that feeling of the first roller coaster, the first drag of a cigarette, that first kiss. Those moments are harder to come by the older we get, yet only get better each time. The video captures that feeling of being young in a small town on a summer day, and the lack of inhibition that came with it”

Lane is the first to recognize how long of a gap five years is in the music world, but she credits the time away as allowing her to write the most reflective work of her catalog. “There is a song that didn’t make the album with the lyrics ‘sometimes you gotta run away to live a life that you can write a song about.’ Prior to this album, I was so focused on writing about life on the road, that I just didn’t have the headspace to write about the road that got me here,” Lane says. The result is Denim & Diamonds, a wild and heavy journey into the mind of one of today’s most gifted songwriters.

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Alex Amor - The Hengles - Wy - Carmody

Photo - Harvey Pearson

Alex Amor - Colour Me.

Up-and-coming London-based, Glaswegian indie-pop artist Alex Amor releases her new single "Colour Me" on UK Indie label Young Poet. Fresh off the road after supporting Thomas Headon on his recent UK tour, Alex Amor teamed up with Mack Jamieson and Gianluca Buccellati who produced “Colour Me”, the latter known for his work on Arlo Parks' Grammy-nominated album Collapsed In Sunbeams.

Glowing with star quality, Alex Amor finds a delicate balance between indie and dreamlike alt-pop as she gracefully describes the arrival of a special person using a lyrical pallet awash with colour: "Pocket full of sunshine / Need shades to see her / Golden in the day time".

Speaking on the release of “Colour Me”, Alex Amor said: "When you’re in a dark place, life can seem grey, monotonous and stale. But sometimes, all it takes is for one person to come crashing into your life for the world to come back in blazing colour. Falling in love makes the leaves turn greener, the sky bolder and the sun shine brighter. It’s like you’re viewing the world through a saturated lens, where the boring parts of life become not only bearable but enjoyable again with this person by your side."

Hailing from suburban Glasgow, Alex Amor takes an uncompromisingly direct and emotionally honest approach to songwriting, marrying together an alt-pop aesthetic with biographical accounts of her experiences growing up; combining the sincerity of Billie Marten, the versatility of Phoebe Bridgers and the pop sensibilities of Olivia Dean.

Alex’s debut EP ‘Love Language’ released in 2021 has been streamed over 1.5 million times and received widespread support from Spotify, Apple Music, BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders, Annie Mac, Sian Eleri), BBC Scotland, BBC Introducing, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH, Notion, The Sunday Mail and The Scotsman. 2022 has already seen Alex play The Great Escape and Road To The Great Escape showcases, following previous appearances at Dot To Dot Festival and a UK tour with Thomas Headon.

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The Hengles - Flowers In The Rain.

Summer is coming! The Hengles give you their new single Flowers In The Rain. Many of us will cherish those vivid memories of a long-gone childhood, when life seemed simple and the music was good. Flowers In The Rain brings you back to the days when you were just listening to the radio and enjoying the summer breeze that seemed to go on and on forever. Of course, it didn’t, but those happy days will stay with you for a lifetime.

The Hengles were asked to write a song for ‘The Floral Album’ art exhibition this year. That song became Flowers In The Rain. There are of course many Flowers In The Rain to be picked, but don’t worry, you just can’t go wrong here, because everything will be all right! 

The Hengles have made considerable progress internationally. That resulted in airplay on radio in among others: Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, USA, UK, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Phillipines, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Hungary and Austria. Singles from the band also entered the iTunes / Apple Music charts in: Netherlands, Finland, Belgium and Switzerland.

The distinguished gentlemen of The Hengles started in 2015 as a 100% cover band. After signing to Dutch digital label TCBYML (January 2019), the band made the transition to recording self-penned music only. Influenced by more than 60 years of British and American pop music, The Hengles manage to blend this into their own style and give proof of their skill in writing and recording melodic, catchy pop songs with a twist.

TCBYML · The Hengles - Flowers In The Rain

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Wy - High Score.

Wy are a band strongest at their most vulnerable. The Malmö indie duo, Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren, have showcased their musical skills across three albums, 2017’s Okay, 2019’s Softie and 2021’s Marriage which gained them recognition from KEXP, Line of Best Fit, NBHAP, Tonspion, CLASH and more as well as tours in Germany, Scandinavia and the UK. But what makes them stand out as a band is the raw, brutal emotion they capture in their music. A Wy song at their best sounds like opening it all up, and letting the feelings flow where they will, letting the pain, anger, fear, hope and love steer the song. Those emotions are spun into the band’s skyscaping, cinematic sound, and turned into music that has a force behind it, a power that hits you, even when it's at its softest. High Score is the second song from new EP Something Amazing which is out on all platforms and a limited CD including a six page booklet (which also includes Marriage) on June 17th.

High Score "expresses some sort of catharsis. Letting go of that control and letting things be the way they are. It’s a message for everyone who, like the both of us, have been struggling all their life to conform and fit in."

Something Amazing picks up where Marriage left off, exploring dramatic life changes, including the experience of knowing that there soon will be a third person in the family. It is the second release since signing to Rama Lama Records (Melby, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Chez Ali etc.) and continues the path from last years Marriage, leaving the more produced style of second album Softie behind, it turns to the simpler sound of their earlier work for music that’s rawer and sharper.

The duo describes it as being about “the light at the end of the tunnel. About narrowing your circle and focusing your gaze on what is important - the people close to you. About a door, opening wide into a completely new life, with entirely new challenges and overwhelming beauty. ”

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Carmody - Trespasser.

London based singer/songwriter Carmody has released her new single "Trespasser", the latest taster of upcoming debut album Imperfect Constellations out 6th July via Young Poet, which will feature collaborations with artists including Alfa Mist, Tom Misch, Conor Albert, and Laura Misch.

Carmody has long been using music as a way to uncover her subconscious, examining the complex web of relationships that surround her. Rich in detail and emotional substance, her music evokes the timelessness of Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading while nodding to the modern alt-folk of Laura Marling and Big Thief. 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 with and produced by Young Poet label-mate Conor Albert, "Trespasser" merges captivating folk songwriting with modern production flourishes to stunning effect; written about relationships that leave a lasting imprint on you: "I can’t forgive my mind / summons you at night"

Speaking more on the lyrical meaning behind the track, Carmody said: "It’s about the frustration you feel when your body still remembers, despite the passing of time. Even if you would like to forget them, there is always a constant pull towards their memory. I took this track to Conor Albert who produced it and added some beautiful piano lines that really brought the track to life."

Carmody's debut album Imperfect Constellations follows Carmody's previously released EPs: 2020's 'My Jupiter', 2019's 'Catching Blue', 2018's 'Five Kinds Of Loveless', debut solo EP 'Skin' in 2016 and her 2014 collaborative EP 'Out to Sea' with Tom Misch – accumulating over 70 million streams along the way, securing strong press (Notion Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, Dummy, LISTEN Magazine + more), radio airplay from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders, Sian Eleri), 6Music and BBC R2, alongside huge support from Spotify and Apple Music.

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