Melby - SPECTRA*Paris - Nick Kizirnis - Quilty Pleasures - Pixy Jones

Melby - Music Should Feel.

On a first, careless, listen, Stockholm four-piece Melby might seem like a charming, fun little jangle-pop band. Pay a little more attention however, and you’ll find their waters run a lot deeper than that. The band (Matilda Wiezell, Are Engen Steinsholm, David Jehrlander and Teo Jernkvist) have all the flash and sparkle of your favourite indie band, but add an ability to touch moods and feelings with a meaning beyond most of their peers. Their guitars, drums and synths rattle, roll and flicker around each other, all held together by the soul-shiver in Wiezell’s vocals, to make immaculate little guitar-pop gems, equally dusted with sadness and sugar.

Melby’s debut album None Of This Makes Me Worry was released in 2019, and took them on tour in Scandinavia, Germany and the UK, as well as earning them slots at prestigious showcase festivals like Norway’s by:Larm and Hamburg’s Reeperbahn. Now after a couple of years of beavering away, they’re back with the follow-up Looks like a map which will be released on October 21st with the new single 'Music Should Feel' available now.

Moving on can be painful, but as with a lot of feelings, Melby have a knack for making it sound pretty. That’s the case with their new single ‘Music Should Feel’, a warm, charming little pop cocktail of music and memory, that doesn’t need to shout or scream to work its way into your heart.

Listening to ‘Music Should Feel’ feels like spending time with an old friend. The song has an elegant swing to it, as it waltzes its way along, made even more cosy by little butterfly wing flutters of saxophone. There’s a little ambiguity in Matilda Wiezell’s vocals, a little sadness, a little comfort, and those gently-bubbling emotions fit in well with the song’s breezy tempo. It’s a song that’s easy to love, one steeped in its own memories, and a good companion to you getting lost in your own.

Wiezell says: “’Music Should Feel’ is a song about love, missing someone, and processing those feelings. Acceptance, a tribute to past experiences, and the hope for new good ones. The song came together over quite a long period, was forgotten for a while, and then was brought back to life, and got its chorus, after a lot of rehearsal and attempts at making a demo”.

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SPECTRA*Paris - Moondrops.

A few days in advance of the release of "Modernism", the new full-length from Elena Alice Fossi's dark electro project SPECTRA*Paris, the enigmatic Italian singer is now revealing a final video single: 'Moondrops' is a richly textured electro pop vignete somewhere in the excitingly wild space between The Human League, Visage, Amanda Lear, and Kraftwerk.

Charismatic, enigmatic, and absolutely outstanding, singer Elena Alice Fossi, who is best known for her work with Italian electro-trailblazers KIRLIAN CAMERA, presents "Modernism", the fifth album of her eclectic project SPECTRA*Paris.

"Modernism" is transfiguring electronic music through the prism of Elena’s voice and several collaborations with other musicians into a beautiful kaleidoscope of stylistic colours ranging from EBM, future pop, dark electronic, art pop, and various influences more.

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Nick Kizirnis - Way To Me (Reimagined).

“Way to Me,” Ohio-based songwriter Nick Kizirnis‘ forthcoming single, re-imagines his moody “indie noir” songwriting style with modular synth textures and electronic drums, transforming the song's original Roy Orbison/Twin Peaks vibe into strange yet welcoming territory.

For almost 20 years, guitarist/songwriter Nick Kizirnis has explored songs and styles ranging from Americana to pop, and from rock’n’roll to /experimental. He has worked with Tobin Sprout (Guided by Voices) and The Breeders (last years’ "The Dirt Eaters” single for 4AD). Since releasing his 10th album, The Distance, Kizirnis has seen his music shared across U.S. and Europe, and has now begun releasing a series of singles reimagining his diverse song-writing style.

Kizirnis and co-producer Patrick Himes decided to “re-imagine” “Way to Me” - a song that originally appeared on Kizirnis’ most recent album The Distance - after Kizirnis worked out solo arrangements of those lush break-up songs using loops and ambient guitars. The temptation to see what they could create with a fresh perspective was too great to resist.

On “Way to Me” singer Kate Wakefield’s (Lung) lush, dreamy vocals evoke a fever dream while Mark Patterson (Son Volt) manipulated drums veer from roots rock to electronica and almost back again. Kizirnis’ guitars melt down into a pile of circuits and wires, emerging almost unrecognizable.

Despite the change in sound the song’s story about a message of love across the distance remains intact. As Wakefield sings “You’ll find your way back to me” the song holds on to hope, trust, love and friendship that can endure any separation. “I’m really excited to share this new version of 'Way to Me.'" It’s a song I’m very proud of and it was a great experience to take it to a new place and see what was possible.” Kizirnis says.

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Quilty Pleasures - Four Posters.

The second single - '4 posters' from Cardiff collective Quilty Pleasures taken from the forthcoming album 'Quilty Pleasures' is a tale of two brothers still living in the same room as adults and having the same posters adorning their walls and the occasional tiffs that occur.

The track has a building anthemic feel with a psychedelic edge. 

Quilty pleasures is a collaboration based on the concept of bedding and sleep between producer - Frank Naughton and Wayne mcauliffe, Gid Goundrey, Jessica Ball, Paul Battenbough and Andy Fung.

'Quilty Pleasures' the album will be released on Friday 2nd September.

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Pixy Jones - Hold Your Tongue.

Pixy Jones third and final single from 'Bits n Bobs' entitled 'Hold Your Tongue' is released today Friday 26th August. Taken from anticipated debut album 'Bits n Bobs' released via Strangetown Records on the 16th September. 

Previous singles 'I'm Not There' and 'Maureen Dreams No More' have gathered support from Gideon Coe, BBC 6 Music, Adam Walton on BBC Radio Wales, and Pixy Jones was announced as Huw Stephens BBC Radio Wales Artists Of The Week in July. Support for the new releases have come from Music Blogs like Shindig Magazine, Circuit Sweet and Psychedelic Baby Magazine.

El Goodo guitarist and songwriter 'Pixy Jones' has announced that his debut album entitled 'Bits n Bobs' is due for release on 16th of September via Strangetown Records.

Branching away from the familiar El Goodo platform, Welsh psych scene stalwart Pixy Jones has himself compiled a truly remarkable collection of tracks that fluctuate from 60's harmony-rich psych pop, to Alt-Country with ringing tremelo guitar.

Pixy Jones · Hold Your Tongue

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Rachael Dadd - KiKi Holli - Lukka

Rachael Dadd - Heads Down.

This week, the wildly creative free-form songwriter, Rachael Dadd is sharing her new single, "Heads Down". The track is taken from her forthcoming studio album, Kaleidoscope, out October 14 via Memphis Industries – “a terrific album of upbeat but off-beam English folk-pop” (Uncut).

Premiering on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC 6 Music, "Heads Down" came out of a playful music session with Rachael's youngest son, as she explains: "Having just bought my new Gretsch guitar and Wem amp, and cranking it up in my front room with Oto on the harmonica, the chords and rhythm felt fun and energizing. The words followed, inspired by someone on the radio recounting being chased by a gang with baseball bats after naively offending the gang leader. Cockiness and misjudgment are qualities of brazen teenagers and arrogant politicians alike. But rather than just waggle my finger at the others, I looked inward to find that I too have a part driven by impulsive feelings and misguided strong will. After crashing we might hopefully be able to learn and grow by practicing self-discipline and self-compassion alike."

Kaleidoscope is Rachael’s second album for Memphis Industries and follows 2019’s Flux which was released to much acclaim and which Rachael was touring when the pandemic struck. “This album is a lot more honest and personal than Flux" she shares, “but I feel the songs are universal as they are largely rooted in truth and love. If I had to pick a favourite album it would be this one because of the magical rekindling of human connection when me and my band got back in a room together again. All that magic went into these songs."

Co-produced by Rachael and Rob Pemberton (The Staves, Emily Barker, Maja Lena), ‘Kaleidoscope’ includes musical collaborators such as Maja Lena (Low Chimes), long-time collaborator Emma Gatrill (Willy Mason) and ‘Flux’ producer Marcus Hamblett (Villagers, James Holden, The Staves).

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KiKi Holli - Play To Lose.

Los Angeles indie-pop vocalist KiKi Holli creates stunning and soulful music woven with intricate emotive storytelling for a truly captivating and cathartic listening experience with an eclectic musical aesthetic. Holli draws on inspiration from her rich theatrical background, as well as from iconic artists such as PRINCE, Dusty Springfield, The Cure, Stevie Nicks and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Crafting a unique sound, KiKi Holli’s music is beautifully vulnerable and nurturing, with themes of connection, healing, personal growth, and living in the moment. If her delivery seems genuine, empathetic even that’s because it is. She’s been there. “You know, Amor fati — love your fate, love whatever is in front of you and embrace the moment,” she says.

Holli’s debut single was a breathtaking cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This”, a raw and intimate version of the celebrated 80’s hit. Collaborating with acclaimed producer Ethan Allen (Throwing Muses, Tricky, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), she was inspired to release her own version of the song in the midst of dealing with intense grief and loss.

Her first original song, “NEW HIGH” is a celebration of simple pleasures, finding solace in your happy place and a returning to love after a time of hardship. With soaring vocals singing sunshine-dipped melodies over lush and blissful pop rock soundscapes, “NEW HIGH” is a welcome sonic escape, collaborating again with Allen to create a landscape of music that pulls the listener into the neon glow of a surreal joy ride down the coast of Malibu.  The track received praise from the likes of Earmilk, Atwood Magazine and Buzzbands who proclaimed it "a day-brightener in which her crystalline vocals ooze optimism with every note".

In her new single “Play To Lose”, KiKi examines leaving a toxic relationship and finding your voice and confidence in the end. With layered vocals full of confidence and depth, and acoustic guitars dripping with nostalgia, “Play To Lose” is a radiating groove-infused roots pop single. “Play To Lose” reminds the listener to know your own worth and find your power even in the most hopeless of situations.

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Photo - Jen Meller

Lukka - People Of Light.

Lukka, the brainchild of German-born, New York City-based artist Franzi Szymkowiak, released her latest single “People of Light” yesterday, from her sophomore album, Something Human out this Friday, August 26. The single release is accompanied by a stop-motion lyric video.

Discussing the lyrics, Lukka shared, "the meaning of the title generally refers to all that we are and who we see is a reflection of the light. The song itself indicates that certain situations and circumstances we experience through the times causes us to change and reincarnate to different people. One can never know what kind of person they will be in 10 years from now as no one can really foresee the future."

Something Human speaks to both the head and the heart. The album’s essence is perfectly captured in its first two singles “Wisdom of the Sun” - a yin-yang ode to finding positivity in even the darkest of situations, and “Life In Reverse” where Lukka finds herself closing one chapter, to start the next. At once an escapist psychedelic synth-rock odyssey and a timely shot of science-based spirituality like the philosophical belief of reincarnation described in “People of Light,” the 10-song LP wraps messages of oneness and self-determination inside multi-layered melodicism, cultured retro-electronica, and tastefully effected guitars. “Transmitting the message of love and oneness through music is very important to me,” stated Szymkowiak.

Recorded at Brooklyn’s Transmitter Park Studio and co-produced by Franzi and Abe Seiferth (Guerilla Toss, Nation of Language) – who also engineered and mixed – Something Human’s ten tracks traverse heady psychedelia, nostalgic ‘80s new wave, and experimental pop. Lukka’s singular throughlines are Franzi’s crystalline timbre, a disarmingly sunny pre-punk melodicism, and recurring lyrical themes exploring our role in the universe and the meaning in our lives.

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Julian Taylor - Mamalarky - Queasy Pieces

Julian Taylor - Wide Awake.

How do you follow-up a career high point? If you're Julian Taylor — the Toronto-based singer/songwriter who garnered widespread acclaim for his intimate June 2020 solo album The Ridge you double down on upping your game by striving to exceed the creative fruits that have already bloomed from the artistic spark that got you there in the first place.

A lot was going on in Taylor's mind at the time of writing his new song, "Wide Awake." We were all stuck in another lockdown and he was dealing with writer's block, feeling a bit self conscious about himself, his music and about his own life and existence.

There was some turmoil going on in my family and that was troubling me too. Mostly because I felt like it could have easily been avoided and at the same time a few people close to me and some that I used to be close with were going through some huge losses in their lives. I could feel their pain but wasn't able to be there in person. So that was weighing heavily on my mind. I was going through a lot of changes and losses too and they couldn't be there for me either.

There is a universal message of hope and redemption that flows through this song. The line leading up to the chorus says it all really: "There is an abundance of hope that lies within the oceans of time / There's nothing singular about it yet it can clearly be defined."

The universe speaks to us all and it is unfolding exactly how it should be. It's rather insidious of us to believe that we can control it. Rather than try to control, we are all so fortunate to be given the opportunity to follow the path that has been chosen for us by us.

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Mamalarky - It Hurts.

Last month, Mamalarky announced their sophomore full-length, Pocket Fantasy, which is due out September 30 via Fire Talk. The album is the follow up to the band's critically-acclaimed 2020 self-titled debut LP, which earned praise from many music sites.

To mark the announce the band shared a single called "Mythical Bonds" that created an immediate stir, earning praise from the New York Times, landing on multiple best of the week lists, and even appearing on a new music playlist from Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. Now, Mamalarky are back with a second single from their forthcoming LP, a track called "It Hurts".

Where "Mythical Bonds" saw Mamalarky in an anarchic and exploratory mode, "It Hurts" shows that the band are equally adept at creating quieter moments, building a mesmerizing whirl of keyboards around a Livvy Bennett's plaintive vocal performance.

"Writing about this song in this context feels extremely meta because the song itself picks at what it's like as a musician to essentially be careerizing your own experiences and emotions," Mamalarky's Bennett explains. "It's pretty bizarre to put out shit that is so personal–like, when someone loves a sad song you wrote it's like...I'm sorry we've been down in the same way? Or, I'm glad you enjoy listening to something that was essentially an intervention that I needed to have, haha.

"'It Hurts' is also a bit about the one-sided narrative of songwriters writing about their lives and relationships, for that to exist out there forever and to be consumed by people who only know the song. I'm always left wondering about the other side of the story when I hear those epic heartbreak songs, we'll just never know.

"There's one line about being 'a poorly drawn caricature,' which is what it can feel like having any of your music deciphered by anyone. The goal is to draw a really moving, poignant portrait though and I feel closer to doing that with every song we put out."

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Queasy Pieces - Been So Good To Me.

Queasy Pieces is a new project from one-man-music-making-machine Andrew Anderson; dance music done wrong / perplexing punk / and art rock for the absurd. Imagine if you mixed all your favourite foods together, from ice cream to baked beans, and somehow it still tasted good. Today, Anderson is announcing his debut self-titled album via the sharing of new single 'Been So Good To Me' and as well as new short film, Instruction Manual For The End Of The World. Queasy Pieces is due out on November 18th via FatCat.

A veteran of punk groups like Freak Genes, Hipshakes and Proto Idiot, Queasy Pieces sees Anderson use his DIY aesthetic on music that makes you move. Instead of power chords and fist pumping, this new project leans more on 808 bass hits and dance synths. “When I was 12 I wanted to be Fatboy Slim,” recalls Anderson. “Now, some 25 years later, the dream has finally come true – except I can’t afford to live in Brighton.”

Queasy Pieces self-titled first release came together over the last year, with the songs slowly assembled from fragments of ideas.“ For each song I’d try to write it around a single idea and keep things as simple as possible,” notes Anderson. “I’d come up with a song that only has one lyric, or that uses just one chord. Then I’d do whatever I could to make it sound like dance music. I didn’t know what I was doing, but luckily that didn’t matter.”

It’s been a long road to this point for Anderson, who has played in punk bands since he was 15. His first group Hipshakes were signed to legendary US label Goner Records, and after a US tour he ended up staying in the US and working as a news reader for a local radio station. After returning to the UK he worked as a wedding photographer, aircraft engineer and classical music journalist while still playing DIY music on the side.

FatCat Records · Queasy Pieces - Been So Good To Me

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Louien - Brooke Annibale - Basset

Louien - Second Best.

Norwegian indie-folk act Louien has shared new single 'Second Best', the second cut to be shared from her forthcoming EP Figure Me Out. Emerging from Nesodden, a peninsula in the Oslo fjord, Live Miranda Solberg (Louien) fuses the fiercer elements of Feist and Sharon Van Etten’s songwriting with the timelessness qualities present in the work of Carole King and Gillian Welch.

We last heard from Louien in the summer of 2021 when she shared her highly-acclaimed, liberating EP No Tomorrow. An attempt to write from a less serious perspective, it was the antidote to her 2019 debut album None of My Words which dealt with the trauma left behind by her father’s death. Out September 16th via Jansen Records, Figure Me Out is in many ways a sequel to last year’s No Tomorrow.

Thematically, the EP is about how characteristics we think of as cool, such as aloofness, are often the reverse and that it’s much cooler and, indeed, stronger to be yourself and choose vulnerability when you know it might bring pain.

“I’ve found that so many people try to stay mysterious in order to seem interesting, when in reality it’s being open and candid that’s the most attractive, at least in the long run,” explains Louien. "So many of my relationships have had this deep insecurity in their core, creating a very intense and very toxic dynamic,” she continues.

Her new single, 'Second Best', showcases Louien’s truly arresting vocal abilities. It speaks of the journey Louien has taken towards accepting her own emotions.

Of the song, Louien says “I grew up learning that some emotions are good and some bad. Later in life I’ve learned that emotions are emotions, and that they only become dangerous when we label them as such and let them scare us. This song came from my process of understanding this, and from meeting people who’d been taught that it’s safe to be emotional from a young age.”

Jansen Records · Louien - Second Best

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Photo - Shervin Lainez

Brooke Annibale - Be Around.

Indie singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale has just released her new single "Be Around." The latest peek at her forthcoming album Better By Now (out Sept. 30th through Nettwerk Music Group), "Be Around" finds Annibale leaning more into her pop sensibilities with a simpler thematic approach and a straightforward love ballad about just wanting to be in someone's company as much as possible. Under The Radar called it "an irresistible pop groove."

"On the surface, this is a simple song about falling for someone and just wanting to be around them," said Annibale. "But it's also about having the confidence to say so. I've been feeling a lot more confident in my own skin, and the way this song turned out is a reflection of that."

She continued, "I learned an Oasis song ('Champagne Supernova') and loved how the verse was all open chords and then when the chorus hits it has this big lift because of the full major chord. That's why it feels so great. I went for that feeling on this song."

"Be Around" follows the relase of the title track "Better By Now," a stark reflection that merges personal emotions with the roller coaster of current events, praised by Melodic Magazine as "intoxicating" and The Revue who called it "A terrific tune from an underrated singer-songwriter." Earlier this summer, Brooke teased the “immediately catchy” (FLOOD) lead single “What If You” and the “soaring, ethereal pop song” (Brooklyn Vegan) “5 AM” accompanied by the Genéa Gaudet-directed video. In celebration of Pride Month, Brooke also shared an inspiring op-ed via Atwood Magazine on representation, equality, authentic connection, and her journey to self-acceptance.

A fearless new collection of songs, Brooke has both emboldened her sound on Better By Now as well as entered a new phase of life after making significant strides in her mental-health journey and saying “I do” to her wife. Produced by Christian “Leggy” Langdon (Joseph, Amos Lee) and Matthew E White (Natalie Prass, Dan Croll), Better By Now features 10 blossoming indie-pop tracks that Brooke describes as a “spectrum of emotions.” In her trademark layered approach, the Pittsburgh-born, Rhode Island-based artist reflects on love, anxiety, depression, and how two seemingly opposing forces can exist at once. “The album is basically half about falling in love and half about mental health.”

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Basset - Change Of Time.

This is Sam Clark and Yasmine Shelton of the folk-duo Basset. We call Toronto home, and this gritty, massive, in-your-face, messy place is woven deep into the music we create.

After graduating from university we took a big trip to Italy. I (Sam) was coming out of the worst burnout of my life, and had made the decision not to continue with school, and pursue music instead. Yas was in a similar boat, and had decided to take some time off as well.

I couldn’t believe how much Italy looked like a movie; it was so beautiful it was almost ridiculous. While we were in Florence we got caught in the rain, and not a little shower, it was a total downpour. We were soaked in seconds, but we didn’t mind at all. We had nowhere to be, and the rain wasn’t cold, so we just stood there while the water made rivers in the streets. Later that night we took a walk, with the street lights reflecting off the canals and the wet cobblestones. It was total catharsis, and the perfect thing to mark that transition in our lives.

The water’s so warm
In this change of time

We find the closer we stand next to each other, the better we sound. Because of this, we had always wanted to record a song around a single microphone. So we set up in a barn in rural Ontario with our friend and fellow songwriter, Benjamin Dakota Rogers. It was the high heat of summer, and there was no air conditioning in the barn, no windows. We cooked and sweated our way through that session, and you can see the heat in that video. But we really captured the heart of the song in this recording.

Produced by Joshua Van Tassel (Sarah Slean, David Myles), the ten songs on our debut album, In The Clay (Sept 30), explore various themes of life in change, our travels around Northern Ontario, the Canadian and American prairies, our lives in Toronto, and the characters – from all walks of life – who have crossed our paths.

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Rhett Miller - Recitals - The Hooten Hallers - Joselyn and Don

Rhett Miller - Go Through You.

This week, Rhett Miller released a new single “Go Through You” from his forthcoming album The Misfit out September 16 via ATO Records. The 11-song collection was co-written and produced by Miller’s Hudson Valley, NY neighbor Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Sharon Van Etten, Danger Mouse) and continues their musical partnership that began on 2018’s The Messenger.

“Every songwriter has a favorite skin they inhabit, a story they tell over and over again. For decades I’ve been writing from the perspective of a sad sack loser, a ‘broken guy.’ He isn’t who I am in real life, but for whatever reason when I sit down to write a song I often become him, picking at old wounds, bemoaning my perceived victimization. The funny thing is that he’s, well, funny. I wouldn’t want to be the sad clown in real life, but thanks to songs like ‘Go Through You,’  I don’t have to,” explains Miller. “For the production on ‘Go Through You,’ Sam Cohen created a sonic world adjacent to Jeff Lynne’s work with Traveling Wilburys. I’m in love with the sounds he came up with. It’s all the things – hooky, bouncy, bubbly, catchy… Try listening to this song without smiling. Good luck.”

“Go Through You” follows the album’s first single “Follow You Home” that features vocals from Cassandra Jenkins and Annie Nero. The song was praised by American Songwriter, BrooklynVegan and Rolling Stone, who said, “With shades of Fleetwood Mac and dream-pop, the buoyant “Follow You Home” is anchored by its upbeat rhythm and sunny splashes of electric guitar.”

The 11 songs that comprise The Misfit are an elegant blurring of psychedelia, dream pop, and electronic-leaning indie rock, grounded by the vulnerable songwriting and unaffected vocal presence Miller has perfected as the frontman for legendary alt-country band Old 97's for the last three decades.

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Recitals - Gradient.

Recitals have unveiled the third and final single from their upcoming debut album, Orbit I. ‘Gradient’ is a dynamic sentiment that divulges the state of the world’s climate, reflected sonic-ally through the musical tensity and release - from the sparsity in the introduction, with its bare vocals and spidery synth, to the explosive breakdowns capturing the band’s potent energy.

“I remember going out to stand on the roof of my building in January 2020 to see the moon a violent red, painted that way by the Australian bushfires of the season. I remember thinking that it felt like an undeniably bad omen, the idea that we could/and were, changing the colours of our planet. It seems obvious now, as everything in the world seemed to combust, and spin completely out of control, to a point of uncontrollable dimension after that moon. I didn’t own any guitars at the time so I had to keep stealing one out of my flatmate’s room while he was away for the summer. I wrote the verses for the song and then worked with Christian and Josh to write those cacophonous 7/8 sections and that breakdown section at the end. The song kind of feels premonitory now, or like a prelude to all of this.” - Xanthe Rook.

The band have teamed up once again with director Matilda Boese-Wong, as well as editors Erin Murphy and East Abernethy to bring ‘Gradient’ to life visually. The music video, made with the generous support from NZ On Air and shot masterfully through the brilliant lens of Bill Bycroft (Aldous Harding, Womb, Marlon Williams), follows two lovers’ adventure across the land, where a chest is discovered and an otherworldly power is unlocked within.

“Xanthe Rook and I conjured up this peculiar video late one night in my bedroom. We wanted to take the viewer to a luscious alternate dreamscape, so we spent many evenings painting, cutting and gluing in order to craft this realm. With the contributions of some phenomenal artists we were able to see our vision through.  ‘Gradient’ is packed to the brim with rich instrumentation, so it was important the visuals matched that. It was blissful to collaborate with editor Erin Murphy, in order to play with all of the opulent footage shot by Bill Bycroft and bring it into an otherworldly territory.” - Matilda Boese-Wong.


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The Hooten Hallers - Cat Scrap.

Missouri's The Hooten Hallers have been around a long time and are inveterate road warriors, bringing a hard driving blend of blues, Americana, and old school rock n roll. The video is an animated tale of a scrappy old tomcat that used to live behind them in the alley and had a lot of adventures.

Back In Business Again- September 9, 2022 For the past fifteen years, The Hooten Hallers have been crisscrossing the country as inveterate road warriors, bringing their peculiar vision of Americana–a fiery rock and roll fever dream birthed in Missouri’s fertile musical heartland. 

They’ve put so many miles into the road that they’ve burned through multiple tour vans and left twisted metal and frayed rubber strewn across the road behind them. With their aptly named new album, Back In Business Again, the trio roar back on to the international stage with ten incendiary new original songs drawn from their many travels and inspired by the hardships that all touring musicians have faced throughout a seemingly never-ending pandemic. 

There’s hope in these new songs, but tinges of madness too, driven by the raw drumming of Andy Rehm, the infernal growl and swirling guitars of John Randall, and the low rolling baritone and bass saxophones of Kellie Everett. The Hooten Hallers have always been musical colliders, smashing together everything from pre-war jazz to Chicago blues with jaunts around New Orleans and garage rock explorations with hints of anti-racist punk and Oi!. It’s Morphine meets ZZ Top along St. Louis’ Mississippi waterfront. Produced by bassist Dominic Davis (Jack White, Greensky Bluegrass), Back In Business Again takes a match to The Hooten Hallers’ fuse and explodes the renegade power trio to the edge and back again, one vigorous, swinging, perfectly peculiar song at a time.

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Joselyn and Don - Deep Down.

Montana natives turned Angelenos, Joselyn & Don’s intoxicating music feels like a walk through mountain wildflowers and Southern California Joshua trees. Enter their wild garden – where blues, folk, and jazz form a dark under story illuminated with lyrical truth. 

Joselyn Wilkinson and Don Barrozo forage musical ideas from many sources and plant those seeds in rich Americana soil. These are deeply rooted songs reaching for new light.

Their 2020 debut album Soar was warmly received by critics and independent radio across North America, earning several charting positions and recognition in song contests such as Music City Song Star. The duo’s highly anticipated 2022 EP Seeds & Bones digs deep into modern roots with an urgency born of truth-seeking.

Joselyn & Don · Deep Down

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Moonpools - The Little Kicks - Fastheaven - Los Blancos

Photo - Dominik Asche

Moonpools - Damaged Goods (E.P).

Moonpools, the charming quintet from Basel fronted by singer Marcie Nyffeler, will release their new EP 'Damaged Goods' on August 19th via Young and Aspiring. On their sophomore release, the band combines emotional dreampop with driving indie rock reminiscent of international artists such as Cocteau Twins, Snail Mail or Soccer Mommy.

Moonpools were formed in 2016 by Marcie Nyffeler (vocals/ guitar), Jasper Nyffeler (drums), and Francesco Vona (keyboard) and completed by Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass). The latter are known from various Basel-based projects such as Sheila She Loves You, Don't Kill The Beast, Brainchild and Mastergrief.

The band released their first EP 'Turbulent Times' in 2019, which was immediately met with positive reactions: For example, the single ‘Brainbug’ was chosen as SRF Virus CH-Song of the week. After a few concerts, including support shows for Oso Oso and Prince Daddy & The Hyena or a show at the Lauter Festival (ZH), the band started working on new music.

In contrast to ‘Turbulent Times’, which was a collection of songs with differing influences, the songs on their second EP ‘Damaged Goods’ are all cut from the same cloth. The sound is inspired by artists like Hatchie, Snail Mail, Ride and Soccer Mommy and moves between Indie Rock and Dream Pop with rousing guitars and anthemic synth parts.

The concise arrangements, however, only form the backdrop for the catchy and touching vocals that form the heart of the band. Marcie Nyffeler, whose lyrics are often a balancing act between melodrama and kitsch, sings about unrequited and unexpected love, loss of control and apathy. This honest and at times self-deprecating view, together with the tumultuous music, unfurls a charm that makes Moonpools' music so irresistible and brings a smile to your lips while you are still wiping a small tear from your eye.

Moonpools · Damaged Goods

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The Little Kicks - Right To Be Here.

Right to Be Here is the new single by The Little Kicks and is released today Friday 19 August 2022. Speaking about the single, front man Steven Milne said: “Lyrically the song is about taking pride in yourself and being less afraid to put yourself out there and it was inspired by a particular incident. 

In 2017 the band were nominated as finalists for an award (“Best Musical Group”) with the chosen winners to be announced and presented to as part of a ceremony in the centre of Scotland. We deduced we likely wouldn’t win but having been invited to attend -and with a new album to promote -we decided to go along. After some awkward entrance photographs, drinks for courage and a sit-down meal it was time for the awards to start and we were first up. As our nominated name was read, I remember thinking maybe we COULD win, wouldn’t it be nice to WIN something and if we did what on earth should we say. 

Then we lost to a funk band who had won the year before. No speech required. I was surprised at how disappointed I felt, not bitterly, more suddenly very self-aware and wondering “Are we imposters in the room, sitting dressed up for no reason?” and I wanted to disappear. Nevertheless, we made a hell of a night of it, brushed itoff and got through it. However, for weeks after the event I had a weird unfamiliar feeling of rejection and an anger kept coming back to me. This incident, coupled with another set-back or two around that time, had me thinking “Why should we be overlooked?” while also wondering “Why do I care?”. 

I decided I wouldn’t let that feeling take hold and jotted down how I felt in words. While lyrically the song hasn’t really changed much since its early inception, the demos of the song were initially much more electronic. Over time the song morphed into what it is now –it’s intended to have an almost modern soul/ warm retro sound. Citing things like Pastor T.L Burnett, Marvin Gaye, Durand Jones, Richard Swift and Michael Kiwanuka as production influences when we got to the studio, Paul really helped us achieve the feel we wanted. He knew exactly what we were trying to achieve and was great at listening to our suggestions while bringing his own expertise to the session and we are so proud to bring you the final results.

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Fastheaven - Big Satellite.

Fastheaven - the newly formed band from Fribourg - creates uniquely intimate atmospheres, warm and emotional harmonies and understands the craft of songwriting. 

Many of the band's songs feature the talented New Zealand-born singer Megan Carpenter.

The wonderful melodies of the track "Big Satellite", in which synth elements of the 80s flow, catapult us into other spheres and make us dream. 

The song is about change and at the same time about the difficulty of really finding one's way in a new environment.

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Los Blancos - Chwaraewr Gorau (Yr Ail Dim) / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

You know it’s going to be an unforgettable, endless summer when the unmistakable sound of Los Blancos fills the hot mid-evening air, kicking it’s way out of the speakers with equal amount of attitude and boundless charm. The band are back with a Double A side Single ‘Chwaraewr Gorau (Yr Ail Dîm) / Kareem Abdul Jabbar’.

These songs are tantalising glimpse of where the next album will find Los Blancos. “I wrote a rough version of Kareem Abdul Jabbar during the first lockdown, after a phase of watching loads of basketball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all time leading points scorer in the NBA but is also a successful actor, author and social justice advocate. The song is a tribute to him. I'm always blown away with how humble he is, especially when you consider his accomplishments. There’s references to his unstoppable “skyhook” and his cameo in the film Airplane.

"I had been listening a lot to Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix and Neil Young, and had just re-watched 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and was trying to create a kind of 1970’s California vibe (I’m not sure if that comes through, but i liked the result nonetheless)” Dewi Jones, Vocals, Bass

“Chwaraewr Gorau (Yr Ail Dim) was written before lockdown and takes influence from artists such as Stephen Malkmus and Twin Peaks. Both have been a favourite for the band since we began. It started out as a rough Demo and it was built on during recording sessions over lockdown. The song is a portrayal of someone who's a slacker/nearly man, who can't quite catch a break. I also wanted to include some football references in the song, It includes a reference to Nick Cusack, a former Swansea City player, who was a bit of a bruiser when the Swans were in the lower divisions.” - Gwyn Rosser, Vocals, Guitar

Libertino · Los Blancos - Chwaraewr Gorau (Yr Ail Dim)

Libertino · Los Blancos - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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Twain - Mini Trees - Florence Arman

Twain - 2 Lovers.

Twain shared “2 Lovers” yesterday, another new song from the upcoming album Noon to be released October 21. The song opens with familiar nostalgic warmth.

Songwriter Matthew Davidson shares that, " '2 Lovers’ is the oldest song on Noon, from the end of my time living in New York. The bar in the song was called Manhattan Inn, in Greenpoint. I was briefly employed there as a bar-back. There was a beautiful room in the back with tables and benches against each wall and a fucked-up grand piano in the center of the room. It was a great place to see shows, with the audience surrounding the band in a hush. I remember sets from Adrianne Lenker, Nick Hakim, Joanna Sternberg, and really special was working the brunch shift, juicing lemons in the hard sunlight while Dylan Meek made jazz music on the piano."

Davidson shares, "Something new for me about making Noon was allowing writing to be an active part of the recording process, making time each morning to finish or edit songs that we’d be working on that day. It was nice. I’m usually very fearful of not having ‘enough’ music prepared, so I corral it all together before a session takes place.” The new album has caught ears at BBC, Spotify’s "Fresh Folk" playlist, Brooklyn Vegan, and Consequence.

Twain’s fourth release on Keeled Scales, Noon, is a collection attempting to balance soul-fantasy with self-scrutiny, to erode the barrier between those two places, and to find the liminal state between the spirit’s ambition for itself and the often harsh truth of the present. Says Davidson, “Sometimes the facts of life make dreams difficult to protect. Twain is my effort to reconcile those two states… to forget that they could ever exist in opposition.” Noon was recorded by Twain’s longtime collaborator Adrian Olsen at Montrose Recording in Richmond, VA with Ken Woodward on bass and drums by Austin Vaughn.

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Mini Trees - Let Down.

Off the back of her critically acclaimed 2021 debut album Always in Motion and tours with Death Cab For Cutie, Julien Baker, Hovvdy and more, rising songwriter Mini Trees (aka Lexi Vega) today releases her version of Radiohead’s cult classic, ‘Let Down’ via Run For Cover. The release comes ahead of her newly announced UK / European tour dates with Gracie Gray.

Talking about her take on the much-loved song, she said: “I recorded this cover of “Let Down” with my friend and bandmate Andrew Goldring the day after we got back from 3 weeks of winter touring. Our van had just broken down on the way home and we were exhausted but this song had been in constant rotation on tour, and we knew we wanted to record a cover of it on the one extra day I had in town. 

“Let Down” was always a song that really captivated me, from the unexpected moment the drums come into the massive build into the final chorus and all of the beautiful melodies that weave throughout. I recently read somewhere that this year is the 25th anniversary of OK Computer, so while the timing of this cover was a complete coincidence, it feels like a good way to celebrate the first Radiohead album I fell in love with.”

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Florence Arman - Stupid Heart.

Florence Arman (UK) today launches the official video for her incredibly honest yet emotional, self-reflective alt-pop single “Stupid Heart.” Heart-on-the-sleeve to its very core and  playful lyrics now has an incredibly funny video.

Speaking about the song, Florence said  “Stupid Heart' is the first song I wrote about family stuff.  Being the youngest in my family I think I’ve inherited a bit of baggage, which is normal I think and totally fine, but then again I still want to be able to write very dramatic songs about it."

Florence’s debut EP ”Out Of The Blue” out last year was supported on BBC Radio 1, The Line of Best Fit, Clash, COLORS, and Dork Magazine.  She has since begun touring extensively in 2022 including pitstops at The Great Escape, Eurosonic, and more recently at  Mad Coo. She also toured with Dadi Freyr.  She is also confirmed for Reeperbahn and Lollapalooza, both in Germany. Florence will also support indie superstars Milky Chance on their European tour dates in October.

Florence Arman is an established singer-songwriter and no stranger to the international pop scene, having worked with artists such as Rhys Lewis, The Kooks, Barns Courtney, G-Flip, Bakermat, John Martin, filous and Harry Hudson to name a few. Over the last year she has established herself as one of the most promising newcomers with her intimate, yet witty and light-hearted artist project. 

She writes all her songs alone and works with a close team of producers to finish them. She comes from a family of English musicians, her father is a conductor and composer, her mother a vocal coach, one of her brothers a jazz guitarist and the other is a songwriter/producer. Arman released her debut EP in July 2021 is now working on another 7-track EP that will be released this year

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Natalie Holmes - Annie Keating - Tough On Fridays

Natalie Holmes - Floating TV.

Described as a consistently astounding songwriter, South West/ Bristol based singer-songwriter Natalie Holmes writes lilting, haunting and yet also invigorating Indie-Folk tinted with a hint of Pop. Now back with new single ‘Floating TV’ taken from the upcoming album ‘Vitamin Be’, Natalie once again demonstrates her honey toned vocals and incredible musicianship.

‘Floating TV’ is a prime example of Natalie’s work, bringing together gentle musical textures with dappled moments of experimentation to create a beautiful and warming soundscape. Blending the gentle folk-infused nature of her material with shuffling drums, twinkling piano, swelling guitar lines and jazz influenced double bass, the result is a stunning, multi-faceted musical backdrop. Topped with Natalie’s effortless, ethereal vocals and a deceptively catchy vocal line, the track manages to gracefully tread the ground between Bon Iver-esque raw instrumentation and accessible indie-pop in a unique and hugely effective way.

With her soberingly relatable, yet soothing lyricism, Natalie sets out to strike a conversation between the conflicting effects of modern society, and those of the natural world on our ability to be content. With mental health struggles being talked about and diagnosed more and more, Natalie felt called to write about the simple bewilderment at being a young adult in today’s society and the pressures that brings.

From the constant comparisons we make on social media, to the over-stimulated, unrelenting pace of modern life, to the money fears that leave younger generations wanting to run for the mountains, the upcoming album touches on many elements of modern life and how they can affect mental wellbeing.

Speaking about the meaning behind the new single ‘Floating TV’, Natalie explains: “I have this ever-present sadness at the way the world is becoming more limiting, constantly feeding us stimulation and keeping us needing or wanting an endless cycle of stuff and achievements. This song is about rebelling I suppose - in a sweet, naive kinda way."

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Annie Keating - Sunshine Parade.

Ahead of a fresh run of UK and Ireland shows this Autumn Annie Keating is revealing a surprise new single: “Sunshine Parade”. Released yesterday, the track is a taster of a brand new EP from the NYC singer-songwriter, ‘Twenty 22 Tour EP’, which will be exclusively available at her upcoming shows.

With its blazing Keith Richards-inspired guitar licks and vaporising lyrics capable of blistering even the most hydrated of tongues, “Sunshine Parade” is the tarmac-melting new release from Annie Keating.

Born in the daze of the New York heatwave in the summer of ‘21, “Sunshine Parade” came together as Keating found herself dreaming of escaping the city’s almost claustrophobic temperatures. As Mercury relentlessly rose, she began to play around with some phrases that were hounding her thoughts in the heat.

“It was hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement” remembers Annie. “When I was walking my dog in the thick August heat, I wanted to take myself someplace else with my imagination, to have some fun with words”

Inspired by a phrase inherited from her mother to not “let it rain on your parade”, the single offers a tongue-in-cheek inversion of that old adage, as Keating purrs:  “There’s no rain on this parade / yeah not today babe not today / You can lie down in the shade but sunshine’s what I really crave / There’ll be no rain now on this Sunshine Parade”.

AnnieKeatingNYC · Sunshine Parade

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Tough On Fridays - Growing Pains.

Tough On Fridays has proven time and again that they are experts at the big, in-your-face, wall of incendiary, alt-rock salvos. The new single by the alternative indie rock band, ‘Growing Pains’ expertly shows off the more understated, deft, and delicate side of their musical personality. Rock it still is, but rock showing its more sensitive side. 

Big rock guitars are replaced with washes of indie rhythms and almost country-esque vibes. On top of that, you’re reminded how great the twin vocals of Caleigh and Carly can be, especially when they are given the room to breathe, intertwine and beguile, that this song allows. This release marks a first for Tough On Fridays after finding their home at newly launched label Archangel Records, a subsidy of the Golden Robot Global Entertainment Group.

The ironically named single 'Growing Pains' is nothing short of sonic anarchy to trip up those who would pigeon-hole the band or the sound of them evolving, being adventurous, and spreading their sonic wings. Instead of being weighed down by expectation Cayleigh and Carly remain expertly in control, staying true to their eclectic sound and pushing the limits of genre and familiarity. As long as it is an approach and attitude that they don't lose, who needs, or indeed would want to maintain, musical comfort zones when you have bands like Tough On Fridays in the world?


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Michael McArthur - Yumi And The Weather - Olive Louise - SPECTRA*Paris

Michael McArthur - Winding River.

Singer/songwriter Michael McArthur just released another peek at his forthcoming album with his brand new single "Winding River." Originally penned years ago but never finished, the hopeful song closes out Milky Stars with a message of assurance surrounded by gently finger-picked guitar and McArthur's smooth, elegant vocals. Under The Radar featured the song and called it "a blissful dreamy folk tune, gently burnished by subtle synth lines and soulful guitar melodies. McArthur sweeps you away on the titular winding river, leaving you awash in pastoral instrumentation and fervent lyricism."

"If you’ve ever had a day that hasn’t gone your way, you’re not alone," stated McArthur. "It’s likely not the first time it’s happened and it surely won’t be the last. Like the river that winds in pursuit of an ocean, we will, all of us, get to where we’re going. So long as we bend with the bends and seize the ride. That's 'Winding River.' A gentle reminder that we're together in this life. Fighting the same fight. Figuring it out as we go along."

McArthur recently shared the "stunning" (Ghettoblaster) official video for his previous single "Run Around," which was also featured on CMT. Holler previously called the track "one of those songs that will shine brightly in the imaginations of many listeners that fall under its spell; a raw slice of bluesy country soul that brings to mind Stanley Road-era Paul Weller with the emotional weight of Colin Blunstone and the playfulness of Leon Russell." Lead single "Lady Luck" is out now as well, a gritty cry for help which features Drew Smithers (Marcus King Band) on slide guitar. The song has since spent multiple weeks in the Top 40 on Billboard's Triple A Indicator Chart and in the Top 40 on RMR's Roots Rock Chart. McArthur was also recently featured as a showcase artist at JBE SummitFest in Boulder alongside artists such as Charley Crockett, Delta Spirit, Nikki Lane, and KT Tunstall.

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Yumi And The Weather - Can You Tell.

A cautionary tale for the brave, the latest from the creative voice of Ruby Taylor is an ensnaring electro/punk proposition inspired by a series of real-life events that almost had the most calamitous of outcomes.

A song about recklessness and regrets, fate and fortune, loneliness and a longing for love, its suggestive lyrics construct a troubling narrative of a near-miss only narrowly evaded. “Let’s drive straight into the fog, All I know is this isn’t love,” lulls Yumi with all the dreaminess of someone sleepwalking into a cul-de-sac, “This could be the last road that I take, No time to go back or contemplate…”

Of “Can You Tell”, Yumi AKA Ruby explains: “‘Can You Tell’ was inspired by a very impulsive decision… It could have been the biggest mistake of my life, but luckily it was absolutely fine. This song came out of the sadness from feeling the fear I felt that overcame me when I realised I was no longer in control. Thoughts of what could happen came into my head, and I thought about what I was doing and had to have some words with myself. I lived and learnt that life is not a dream where I can just wake up when it goes bad, so I slowed down after that because trust is something you build in time, and presumption is the mother of all **** ups!”

With a laissez-faire cool somewhere between Sonic Youth and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Can You Tell” creates a joyride of veering sonics and compulsive rhythms that will fasten you in tight and refuse to let-go until the road runs out.

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Olive Louise - The Loveliest.

The new single from NY based whimsical indie pop artist Olive Louise is entitled "The Loveliest", the single was written in an airbnb with Olive's fiance.  She confides, "It was awesome putting into a song how much I love the person I'm with and plan on being with forever. I think it’s relatable because it’s how anyone that’s really in love feels, like, this person is amazing and you have your own language with them, and that feeling is universal." With fanciful piano under Olive's signature soul-drenched ethereal vocals, "The Loveliest" is a heartfelt alt pop lullaby. 

Olive Louise is a classically trained musician with an innate pop sensibility. The New York-based artist is a promising new voice in alt-pop, thoughtfully carving her own path through captivating storytelling and refreshing vulnerability. 

Louise possesses the rare ability to delve deep into self-exploration and still emerge open-hearted, optimistic, and deeply empathetic. This gift, paired with her natural musicality, is ultimately what has drawn listeners to her. Her poetic-yet-digestible lyrics and haunting, airy soprano are a hypnotizing amalgamation of her classical roots and indie-pop influences. In the short time that she’s been releasing music, she has amassed a passionate fan base that recognizes and appreciates her talent and authenticity. 

Growing up in Kings Point, New York (on the very estate that inspired F Scott Fitzgerald‘s novel The Great Gatsby), Louise spent her early years studying piano and violin under the tutelage of her mother, who was the lead pianist of the Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra. Her earliest memories include falling asleep to the sound of her mother’s playing and being allowed to leave for school only after mastering a Vivaldi concerto — inevitably, music is part of Louise’s molecular makeup. 

Unfortunately, Louise’s dreamy childhood was cut short by the tragic passing of both of her parents. After this devastating loss, she turned to songwriting as a way to process her emotions, eventually recording a song at a studio in her hometown. The experience showed Louise that while she loved Vivaldi and Mozart, she was capable of creating something entirely her own.

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SPECTRA*Paris - Poison Fresh.

Enigmatic Italian singer Elena Alice Fossi has released the lush single, 'Poison Fresh', which is taken from the forthcoming new full-length of her dark electro project SPECTRA*Paris. The fifth album of that band is entitled "Modernism" and has been slated for release on August 26.

SPECTRA*Paris comment: "The new single 'Poison Fresh' is perhaps the most psychedelia-inspired song on the album", singer, composer, and lyricist Elena Alice Fossi writes. "It is a journey to unknown shores, where you learn how to free yourself from reptilian and poisonous empires. Getting on that spaceship has a price and takes you away from the known side of the world. But the dream is well worth living. 'Plant your stigma on all dogma'!"

Charismatic, enigmatic, and absolutely outstanding, singer Elena Alice Fossi, who is best known for her work with Italian electro-trailblazers KIRLIAN CAMERA, presents "Modernism", the fifth album of her eclectic project SPECTRA*Paris. "Modernism" is transfiguring electronic music through the prism of Elena’s voice and several collaborations with other musicians into a beautiful kaleidoscope of stylistic colours ranging from EBM, future pop, dark electronic, art pop, and various influences more.

"Modernism" in a way is a musical child that was born out of the isolation that was imposed on Northern Italy during the pandemic. To cage a tigress like Elena and to separate her from the beloved stages and music performances probably had to result into something consequential and massive. With "Modernism" the singer and composer turned something horrible into something wonderful in a process that was liberating and empowering at the same time. Elena trapped into the SPECTRA*Paris songs all the notes that absorb her fears, her astonishment, and her sense of confusion into what she calls "a weird concoction of melancholy and rhythm".

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