Maya’s Radio Orchestra - Nora Kelly Band - Blusher - Ruby Waters

Maya’s Radio Orchestra - Suntrap.

Maya’s Radio Orchestra has released the luminescent new single “Suntrap,” available on all streaming services this Wednesday, May 3rd.

"Suntrap" is a song about Maya’s uncomfortable realization that capitalism and the need for productivity are incompatible with human nature, and are having a detrimental effect on communal mental health. The song hints at dusty underground jazz bars with sweeping strings, swirling harps and honey-like vocals, with an understated piano underpinning the structure that fully supports the warm arrangement.

It’s easy jazz but with elements of classical music and triphop, a melting pot of influences coalesce supported by Maya’s masterful writing and playing of strings, harps, piano and glockenspiel. The expanded jazz band is punctuated with glittering whispers of synths from producer Lauren Gilmour whilst lazy drums reminiscent of Portishead or Zero 7 keep us in a dreamlike trance.  

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Nora Kelly Band - Lay Down Girl.

Montreal quartet, Nora Kelly Band, have returned with  their new single, “Lay Down Girl,” and announced their debut album, Rodeo Clown, which arrives August 25 via Mint Records. Rodeo Clown was written by Nora Kelly, produced by Kelly with Ethan Soil, and mixed by Pietro Amato (The Luyas/Belle Orchestre). Pre-order Rodeo Own here.

Going clown-mode runs deep in this first single and its accompanying music video. When people think “clown” they think funny, or maybe creepy, but always of that painted smile. For a song about overcoming one’s tendency to people please, a painted smile makes for the perfect metaphor. Watch the uproarious video directed by Gabie Che.

“The lyrics to this song were direct advice that I was giving to myself, to stop being a ‘Lay Down Girl’,” notes Kelly. “To stop staying put, acting sweet and putting everyone else first. Other people’s approval had been my priority for so long that over time my connection to what I liked and what I wanted had become weak. The lyrics are advice to this former self, with a chorus that chants, ‘I’ve been a fool…I’m going back to school, but this time my education’s gonna be ‘bout myself.”

"Lay Down Girl" was hatched this way in the first months of the pandemic. Like everyone else, Kelly had a lot of time for introspection and for feeling scared and lonely, realizing that she had surrounded herself with ‘cool’ people but not necessarily people who supported her, the way she supported them. "It was painful to realize but ultimately caused me to make changes in my life, including walking away from my post-punk project DISHPIT and toward my dream to play in a country band,” continues Kelly. “'Lay Down Girl’ will always be a catalyst song for the Nora Kelly Band, because in its lyrics I’m giving myself the advice to start the band before the band even existed."

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Blusher - Backbone.

Meet Blusher, the confessional Melbourne-based 3-piece who make euphoric pop music, laced with chaos, camaraderie and an unbridled gritty confidence.

Today they announce their debut EP, aptly titled Should We Go Dance? – set for release on Friday 14 July via Atlantic Records/Warner Music Australia. The news comes alongside the release of their brand new single, ‘Backbone’ - a powerful anthem about the aftermath of heartbreak - and ahead of the trio’s international debut at Brighton’s The Great Escape Festival. The trio have also been announced as special guests, joining Swedish pop powerhouse Tove Lo on her upcoming Australian headline shows having already supported Aurora earlier in the year.

Speaking on ‘Backbone’, and how it came from the whiplash and aftermath of a breakup, Blusher explain how they wanted to "sing about the way that heartbreak can strengthen and empower friendships. It’s a fiery, energetic love song to the friends who have your back through it all. Backbone is aptly named, its themes of power, confidence and deep friendship are the foundation of our band."

The new single is accompanied by the music-video-quality-visualiser which features Blusher in their alter-ego ‘choose your fighter’ personas. Speaking on the concept behind this, they explain; "when we first wrote the song, we had visions of 80s workout routines/Charlie's Angels/a “choose your fighter” moment in an anime video game.  It made us think about what our video game characters would be. We saw ourselves channelling an element in each of our verses. Miranda’s verse is powered by fire and lit by red brake lights, Jade’s, a watery moment with a tear filled champagne glass, whilst Lauren’s air bending bridge propels you to the dance floor and breathes new life into you."

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Ruby Waters - Flash Flood.

Today, JUNO Award-nominated, indie/alternative rock artist Ruby Waters has dropped her newest single “Flash Flood” via Wet Records. Waters continues to push the envelope with her heavier sound and unapologetically raw and sensuous lyrics with “Flash Flood”, remaining forthright in her convictions to being her true authentic self.

After recently selling out her 2022 North American Soaking Wet Tour, Waters is coming off her widely received US based Spring Chicken tour. This month she will head to The Great Escape festival in Brighton, UK for a handful of shows and will continue her tour into the United Kingdom.

With a 2022 JUNO Nomination for Alternative Album of the Year and two top five singles at Alternative Radio under her belt, Waters is more determined than ever to continue bringing her most authentic self to her craft with a promise of new music and exciting news coming in 2023.

Hailing from the small town of Shelburne, Ontario, Ruby Waters' journey is much like her music - eclectic, always evolving, and unfeigned. A Métis person born to two artists, music has always been a familiar presence. Since her 2022 Juno-nomination for alternative artist of the year, Waters has continued to push boundaries and blaze her own trail as one of North America’s most promising independent artists. To date, her highly acclaimed sophomore EP, If It Comes Down To It (2020), has amassed over 12 million global streams. She has also sold out headline shows across the US and Canada and plans to bring her show over to Europe and the UK for the first time in 2023.

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Inkfields - Teeniest - Rob I. Miller

Inkfields - The Third Side of the Coin (Album).

The Third Side of the Coin is the second album from Edinburgh based artist Inkfields, following on from the single of the same name, it sees the songwriter dicing with fate on the toss of the coin.

Eclipsing his previous releases with a carefree, bluesy soul tinged record that builds from his classic bedroom indie sound, The Third Side of the Coin feels like the complete package in the context of Inkfields work to date, weaving between psychedelic glimpses and classic indie guitar sounds. There’s a feeling of optimism and confidence emitting from the record, highlighting Inkfields as a songwriter at the top of their game.

Moving from surf tinged indie to funky disco enthused pop The Third Side of the Coin swaggers along with delighting harmonies, unnerving chills and locked in grooves that assault the senses in the best way possible. Inkfields, the guise of Samuel James-Griffiths, began in Dresden, Germany as a spontaneous after work street music experiment, moving through Sweden, Southern Germany and finally to Edinburgh. The music has been forged through thousands of hours of street music across dozens of cities in Europe, from -12 to +40 degrees, through rain, snow, wind and sun.

Over the years the music has journeyed through genres and matured with time, releasing debut album Beneath the Waves in 2018, followed by a single a month experiment through a lot of lockdown, and has found his true sound on The Third Side of the Coin. Each of the tracks on the Creative Scotland funded The Third Side of the Coin will have a specific piece of artwork made for them, to outline certain species of animal and plant that are endangered in Scotland, raising awareness of some unusual species that people may not be aware of.

Inkfields · The Third Side of the Coin

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Teeniest - Billie Eilish won't follow me.

Teeniest is a duo from Brooklyn, New York (USA). Their music is alive with beauty and color, whether it's a gentle acoustic folkie tune or an all-out electric guitar rock assault.

This quirky song takes a wry look at pop stardom and music streaming algorithms, with a good dose of kind-hearted humor. 

We brought a unique sound to this project, with clarinet, Rickenbacker electric guitar and bizarre chanting voices. It's weird but fun and accessible.

 

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Rob I. Miller - The One.

When Rob I. Miller (Blues Lawyer) found that the records he’d once leaned on to help him through heartbreak weren’t working for him anymore, he wrote his own. The result is Companion Piece, a collection of heart-on-sleeve songs building on the classic guitar pop tradition of pairing melancholy with melody, out May 12 on Miller’s own Vacant Stare Records.

Primarily known for playing in bands, Miller has released solo music before, but Companion Piece is his first album under his own name; a choice that reflects the vulnerability underpinning these 11 self-recorded songs, each one representing a different stage of post-break-up grief from the shellshock of rejection and rumination over the past, to fantasies of a future that never came to pass and the cautious blooming of feelings for someone new. It is, he says, “my attempt to contribute to the canon of break-up albums.”

First single “Wedge” is a damaged pop song featuring sampled drums and heavily distorted guitar about the feeling of being an unwitting pawn in an emotional game played by the other person. “Borrow” and “Wrong for Us” use sunny alt-rock and downcast late ‘90s indie touchstones to excavate the heartbreaking awkwardness of situations like having to explain to your friends why someone doesn’t come around anymore.

On “The One” Miller wonders over an anthemic chorus if a new fall (as in falling in love) “will be the one from which I die”—a mix of morbidity and sanguinity unabashedly lifted from the Teenage Fanclub playbook. “I was really inspired by that song ‘Norman 3,’ how ballsy it is to just say ‘I’m in love with you’ for three-and-a-half minutes,” he says. “It’s seemingly so unafraid—I’m just going to be as sensitive and vulnerable as I want to be right now.”

Rob I. Miller · 11 - The One - 1644

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SUSTO - Burning Jacobs Ladder - Melody Moko - Lawn Chair - Holly Henderson

SUSTO - My Entire Life.

SUSTO will return with My Entire Life July 28 via New West Records. The 12-song set was produced by Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses) and SUSTO’s Justin Osborne and Johnny Delaware. My Entire Life follows their critically acclaimed 2021 album Time in the Sun which Holler said “provides proof that Osborne and his bandmates are an important voice in today’s conflicted world,” while No Depression called it a “fluid and engaging listen.” Ink 19 said “It’s a great example of SUSTO’s ability to create true lyrical and musical masterpieces so fresh you simply cannot turn it off” while the Bitter Southerner named it one of “The Best Southern Albums of 2021.”

A season of drastic change is what brought SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne to the band’s new album. There was a divorce, difficulties re-building his band after the pandemic, and the pain and helplessness of witnessing family members struggle with addiction and mental illness. Despite these challenges, Justin ultimately found himself in a new landscape, with new love and a deeper perspective, all of which is masterfully projected into My Entire Life. As a whole, the album documents Justin’s personal journey through highs and lows in his life, with many of the details on full display. He narrates the demise and aftermath of an almost decade long relationship, while celebrating the joy of falling in love, and the hopefulness of starting over.

The video for the album’s title track and lead single, “My Entire Life,” is a song with an urgency “to keep living.” Director Luke Pilgrim says, “We at Sozo Bear Films ventured into the relatively unknown world of AI art. We took inspiration from the lyrics, SUSTO’s entire catalog, as well as Justin’s previous musical endeavors to create visuals that represent themes from his entire life. We used stable diffusion to create a mind-bending psychedelic experience. Stable Diffusion is a type of deep learning generative neural network with the ability to prompt, render and process AI imagery.”

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Burning Jacobs Ladder - Fickle Bones.

Following the release of his debut EP EP/1 in 2021, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jake T Johnson’s project Burning Jacobs Ladder has just released the long-anticipated single ‘Fickle Bones.’ Hailing from the Gold Coast, swinging dark Spaghetti Western melodies infused with hauntingly passionate vocals of Jake, ‘Fickle Bones’ is an eerily familiar track. The unwavering rumble of drums, soaring guitar licks and a looming chorus of vocals hang in the air.

Stripped to raw reality and bare bones, Jake’s authentically emotional storytelling surpasses his lyricism as ‘Fickle Bones’ sounds unearthly. Winding through the single, each component brews, creating an all-encompassing tale between a young man and child.

Throughout his catalogue, Burning Jacobs Ladder delves into very personal discussions about mental health, escapism, and anxiety and 'Fickle Bones' is no exception. Regarding the single, Jake states: “It’s the emotional burden people carry on their shoulders from past experiences. It’s becoming numb to extremes, emotional detachment and living a life for someone else when they can’t.”

Widely received by the likes of The Music, Scenestr, AAA Backstage and The Live Wire to name a few, the experimental powerhouse has put in the work. Written, performed, mixed, and mastered entirely by himself, Jake’s project Burning Jacobs Ladder shows his immense talent and wide skillset as a recording engineer and singer-songwriter.

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Melody Moko - Ain't What You Used to Be.

“Ain’t What You Used to Be” sees Melody reacquaint herself with her inner rock attitude and channel it into a biting, Americana anthem. “First of all - the guitars on this track slay! They are probably the best guitar parts on any Melody Moko song ever”,says Melody. “I’d been listening to an intense amount of Sheryl Crow here, you can hear it”.

Recorded in Nashville and completed in Brisbane, “Ain’t What You Used to Be”, features the incomparable Jen Mize on the sweetest harmony vocal which not only turns the song on its head but blends oh so beautifully with those Sheryl-esque guitars.

In the song, Melody calls out a woman who disregards the feelings and concerns of others in order to get what she wants. And the big question – is it about anyone in particular? “It’s not! It’s actually about a fictionalised version of a future self who lets ego get the best of her”, says Melody.

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Lawn Chair - I Can Change.

German-American art punk band Lawn Chair have released their new EP, Eat The Beans and Wear The Jeans. To celebrate the release, they have also shared a brand new music video for EP focus track 'I Can Change'.

Ever since their stage debut in late 2021, Lawn Chair have relentlessly rehearsed, recorded and played shows, including appearances at showcase festivals such as Reeperbahn and Waves Vienna. The band, fronted by Seattle-born Claudia Schlutius, has quickly gained recognition in the German indie scene with a guitar-driven energetic sound, Schlutius’ powerful stage presence and meticulous songwriting. A string of punchy singles have so far garnered the group early support from the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music and DIY as well as comparisons to bands like Gustaf & Bodega.

After releasing a self-produced debut EP in the spring of 2022, Lawn Chair returned to the studio in the autumn to record their follow-up. Eat The Beans And Wear The Jeans! was recorded with the help of esteemed producer Olaf Opal  (The Notwist) and L.A.-based mixer Chris Coady (Beach House, Future Islands, TV On The Radio), who helped take the songs to the next level. The new songs present a new and interesting twist to timeless topics like unrequited love, the despondent boredom growing up in the countryside and the hardships of show business. With this new EP Lawn Chair are underscoring their rightful ambitions to a much larger audience.

Atmospheric ballad and new single ‘I Can Change’ offers a tempo switch from the bands previous offerings. Drenched in gorgeous reverb, words of self-doubt echo through a monotonous beat interwoven with tasteful melodies only to later culminate in an otherworldly epic Radiohead meets Sonic Youth guitar drop.

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Holly Henderson - Head Full of Soil.

London based Holly Henderson returns again with the fourth single from her critically acclaimed sophomore album “The Walls”. “Headfull Of Soil” is an infectious vintage sounding gem that wraps the listener in a hazy dream. With quirky harpsichord break downs and soaring harmonies, the track blends ethereal folk with psychedelic explorations to great effect. It’s a breezy ear-tingling affair that will make you want to return straight away for more.

“I wrote Head Full Of Soil about the way we convince ourselves that everything is fine, when it is in fact, fantasy”, says Henderson. “The more we pack in the soil, the deeper we bury the delusions. As the song progresses a flower never blooms - but it may, at the right time.” she explains.

The song is reminiscent of a wild garden, layers of vocals, harpsichord, guitars, bass, percussion - tamed only by the way they weave tightly together, in a vibrant burst of whimsical Sunshine Pop sensibilities. Synths wash over as the rain comes, and the song reveals paths we couldn’t have predicted as it descends into a river of colour.

While her debut album, “Monday Green” featured Henderson’s impressive rock guitar work and alternative pop anthem prowess, “The Walls” shows a more introspective, and slightly more delicate side to her songcraft. Recorded in a farmhouse in the English countryside, Henderson’s new album brings her full circle from her previous Los Angeles recorded album. Finely crafted arrangements, sonic musings, and playful themes take us on a journey with Henderson as she deconstructs her Brit Pop and classic influences and reassembles them into progressive-folk wonderment.

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The Prairie Joggers - Moving Into Tucson - Olive Louise - Vectralux

The Prairie Joggers - In The Wake.

Describing themselves as a gritty folk-rock band The Prairie Joggers (Cody Goertzen (guitar/vocals) and Adam Hill (drums) will release their new EP, ‘Going Nowhere’, Friday June 9th. We have to say this is a very impressive showcase for the duo, who produce some notably original and addictive music. The second single is out today, we will let the band tell you the rest.

All three tracks were written throughout various lockdowns while the two were stuck inside straightening out their sound. The EP was mixed by Riley Hill at No Fun Club Recording Studio and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova.

Blending warm electric guitar, raw vocals and dampened drums, The Prairie Joggers form a thick vintage sound that cushions their bleak but not entirely hopeless lyrical themes. What the band lacks in bells and whistles they make up for with a sincere sense of nostalgia that agrees with their minimalistic approach to instrumentals.

The songs, which derived sluggishly throughout isolation, all stem from personal past experiences surrounding sketchy jobs, hometown funerals and unhealthy habits. “Writing the songs came pretty easy,” explains Goertzen, “making the music feel good was what took awhile.”

Frank and dry with a punchy groove, the first single, ‘Move Along’, reflects on the life and times of a shady work environment. “It’s about being a fly on a wall somewhere for far too long,” says Hill. Laid back cynicism litters each verse while the chorus delivers a more obvious mantra, “find a space that isn’t this place, whatever you do move along.”

The second track off the EP, ‘In the Wake’, is a somber but not entirely sober account of what going home for a funeral might stir up. “Had a few late nights throughout lockdown digging into tired grief,” Hill recalls, “ended up with a song about a funeral that never happened.” “Although the songs suggest a bleaker meaning for the title, sometimes going nowhere is a pretty good place to be,” says Goertzen, “locked down with your best pal making music in your living room.”

 

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Moving Into Tucson - Never Gonna Be Easy.

Moving Into Tucson is basically the side effect of the COVID epidemic. Why, you will ask. Well for the simple reason that the band was formed during the pandemic. Can you call Moving Into Tucson a band? Well, yes as in, it's a band, with a singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer etc. But also no because it's not a band as usual. Band members do not come from the same city or even country, but from different parts of the world.

When the world was in lock-down and many were forced to stay at home, there wasn't much left for musicians to do other than work from home. But, how? And better, with whom? Like for many, Zoom video brought a solution. Fortunately, we live in an advanced digital world and a lot is possible without necessarily having to be somewhere. Only someone who arranges it. This is where the label TCBYML, the label of the various artists in the band Moving Into Tucson, stepped in.

Result, twenty songs composed over a period of 18 months. These have now been brought together, mixed, mastered and provided with artwork. In 2023, five of them will be released as singles and together with eight more songs will form the album "Distraction" that will see the light on November 24 of this year. A great initiative that may be followed up in 2024. Who's to say.

Moving Into Tucson's music is comparable to that of the early 90's. The sound that all who participated could very much agree on. Moving Into Tucson is therefore for fans of: REM, Lemonheads, Sugar, The Posies, Buffalo Tom, Teenage Fanclub and the Counting Crows but also reminiscent to bands as U2 or The Police. Recognizable indie pop rock, sometimes dark, sometimes mysterious, or vague, but with depth in the music and certainly in the lyrics.

TCBYML · Moving Into Tucson - Never Gonna Be Easy

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Olive Louise - Moroccan Oranges.

The new single "Moroccan Oranges" from NY confessional singer/storyteller Olive Louise is released today. The song was inspired by her mother's passing and the vibrant folk/pop single juxtaposes poignant lyrics about inner strength and trying to hold life and family together even when you are in grief.

Olive confides, "the song is about the summer I traveled to Morocco and Paris with my dad and sister after my mom passed away. It’s about the dissonance I felt looking at my dad trying to hold it together and make us feel okay, knowing that even though we were seeing stunning views, and trying new foods, and were there together, we felt completely shattered."

The single is off of her debut cathartic and enthralling EP 275 Kings Point Road, titled for the place where she grew up the actual Main House of The Great Gatsby estate. Olive’s newest music offers an earnest perspective of the stages of grief, something she knows all too well, losing both parents at a young age. She has received praise for the likes of Refinery 29, Wonderland, American Songwriter, LADYGUNN and more. Elle Magazine is set to cover her unique and storied past.

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Vectralux - The Subtle Extravaganza.

Atlanta Indie Pop Band Vectralux read between the lines, reveling in the subtleties of human life on "The Subtle Extravaganza", out April 28th on streaming platforms. This release thematically addresses the ever-changing flux of thought and emotion as a common, shared experience. Musically, "The Subtle Extravaganza" dances slyly through the shadows and back alleys of the subconscious, resilient and poised with layer upon layer of melodic hooks. Fans of indie rock and indie pop innovators like Guided by Voices, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., The Pixies and Blur should enjoy this new collection.

Vectralux follows up on 2021's impressive debut "Each Morning and the Morning Thereafter" with a new EP, "The Subtle Extravaganza". This new short set represents as much a maturation of the writing style as a departure from the first record. Still displaying the same decades-spanning influences, but incorporating darker themes and new sounds, this EP still shines with effervescent optimism served with a wry grin.

About the new record, producer/bassist/singer Andy Tegethoff said "We all have contrasts and contradictions that pile up in our lives. Plusses and minuses, details and generalities. There's a sine wave of highs and lows but when you look back, eventually we perceive those ups and downs more as a line than a wave. A blur of good days and bad days -- many days both at once. We may remember peaks and troughs, but on the whole it's a plainsong pageant. Just your typical tornado. A stationary journey. It's a Subtle Extravaganza."

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STRABE - Shelf Lives - The Pearl Harts - Kieli

STRABE - All My Heart.

STRABE have today dropped brand new single "All My Heart", which is available now on [PIAS] Recordings alongside a stunning video directed by Tom Furse (The Horrors). It introduces the musical and visual world behind the band’s upcoming debut album, having gone viral with first track "Best Worst Year" (which has surpassed over 10 million streams) and won widespread praise for debut mixtape JUVENOIA.

"All My Heart" summons the wistful alternative-pop of bands like The Cardigans or The Cranberries, alongside a keen ear for emotive, electronic and dance influences like Romy or Fred again.. Both uplifting and melancholic, on "All My Heart" STRABE aim to capture - they say - “when love feels so simple. Something wonderful that I (Angelica) realised when in my first queer relationship was how natural, easy and joyous loving as your authentic self can be.”

The video to "All My Heart" sees STRABE further explore new territory, as well as a water-theme that recurs throughout their upcoming work. Directed by Furse, the band’s seaside performance in Margate is replicated by a unique AI model, with the results blurring the line between fact, feeling and reminiscent of a live Matisse painting.

STRABE are alt-pop duo Angelica and Emmet, soundtracking those chaotic coming-of-age experiences with innate musical maturity. Angelica (originally from Scotland) met Emmet - who was born and raised in Ireland - in the smoking section of a Cork music festival: the pair quickly realized they represented the missing part of each other’s projects, but failed to swap numbers at the end of a long night. Both, in their own way, used STRABE (and the blossoming, unconventional friendship at the heart of it) to work through their own emotional journeys, which were vividly explored across debut mixtape JUVENOIA. 

From the soon-to-be-prophetic "Best Worst Year" - which climbed to 10 million streams over the pandemic - to "Life On Pause" (channeling Gen Z’s suspended experiences of growing up over lockdown), here were songs variously affecting, euphoric and hugely accomplished. Having since moved to London, played their first ever live shows, and picked up support across BBC Introducing, 6Music and more, STRABE threw themselves into a brand new project which begins beguilingly with ‘All My Heart’. Watch out for more coming soon.

 

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Shelf Lives - All The Problems.

Swiftly rising electro-punk two-piece Shelf Lives release new single "All The Problems" - which will feature on a new EP due for release this autumn. The new single follows NME describing the duo as "the extroverted electro-punk duo we need right now", and their recent stint across the UK in support of Cardiff band Panic Shack. "All The Problems" arrives ahead of a busy spring and summer of festival appearances at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, Glastonbury, London Calling, FOCUS Wales, Sŵn Festival and more.

Co-produced by SPACE (Do Nothing, IDLES), "All The Problems” confronts the crisis of masculinity with one of Shelf Lives' most gentle, melodic choruses. “Tell me something you like about yourself,” the duo sing softly in unison, evoking a question therapists often ask and most people can’t answer. Seeking the reasons behind male rage, the track balances extreme acts of violence with the jarringly passive way the wider world processes them.

Speaking more on the release of the new single, the duo said: "To be vague about it, “All the Problems” is a casual chat about the suppression of emotions, specifically among those who identify as males and what it could lead to as a result. The track goes through the motions of seeking a reason behind the resulting rage and offsets extreme, sometimes violent, acts with the World's passive and unsettling way of dealing with them. There's nothing casual about the topic and events itself, yet, socially we've reached a ridiculous, dangerous place where we feel like in order to survive we need to be.  Essentially, so we can... "get on with our day"."

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The Pearl Harts - Baby Chaos.

The opener of the band’s new album ‘Love, Chaos’, “Baby Chaos” is a powerful statement of intent from The Pearl Harts, igniting the starting fuse that winds its way into their explosive latest collection.

Produced by the band themselves, “Baby Chaos” sees retro-rock flourishes and a riotous no-holds-barred attitude prickling amongst raw rock’n’roll guitars and melodic punk sensibilities. The end result makes for a record that sounds like the warped lovechild of Bikini Kill, The Stooges and Tony Visconti, funnelled via the N.E.R.D school of production. Of the new track The Pearl Harts explain:

“Ever had that kind of love that feels so right but so wrong… it jitters in the gut but aches in the heart? A twin flame kind of mentality — this is what “Baby Chaos” is about. The kind of love that brings madness, codependency: feeling alive and out of control yet so comfortable at the same time. Relationships aren’t black and white… love can cause us to confront our shadow itself.”

With references to the David Lynch road-movie classic ‘Wild At Heart’, complete with the black leather jackets, ‘60s rockabilly chic, long drives, escapist desires, and romanticism; “Baby Chaos” arrives with an official video.

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Kieli - O.

Kieli is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer Elin Pöllänen. Kieli’s artistic expression is inspired by her Swedish-Finnish-Karelian roots. On her multilingual debut album From Summer to Spring, due out on May 26th via Cognitive Shift (PJ Harvey & Harry Escott, Roger Goula), Kieli invites the listener to a cinematic soundscape that is simultaneously beautiful, ingenuous, uplifting, and melancholic.

For years, Pöllänen has worked as a researcher exploring human relations to other animals and nature. New single ‘O’ is a marching anthem for the power of grief with particular reference to mass extinction, a tragedy she says is “upheld by indifference and separation”. “I wanted ‘O’ to portray a sense of wonder for our planet and the impactful everyday encounters with nature that are often taken for granted,” she says. “The song processes complex emotions, such as a kind of modern nostalgia: a deep longing for an interconnected and living world - a world that already exists, but that we are at risk of losing due to our inability to act and join the movement that already exists,” she continues.

From Summer to Spring explores the emotions that arise in life-changing transitions; grief, exhaustion and worry, but also feelings of hope, gratitude and unconditional love. “From Summer to Spring is a very personal album that I wrote during a life-changing time,” explains Elin. It is a personal portrait of a daughter and her father during their last years together, as well as the experience of being a caregiver to someone who is disappearing, yet as close to you as they will ever be. “Amidst the fear, music really became the most attentive and merciful language that I could use to communicate with myself and explore my emotions so that I stayed resilient and open to life,” she explains.

Throughout the album’s nine songs, Kieli expertly blends cinematic indie-folk with neo-classical composition and swirling electronica, creating mystical and surreal soundscapes. Non-verbal and verbal vocals sung in Swedish, Finnish, English and the endangered Karelian language Livvi all help to evoke the many parallel feelings she experienced during this time.

Cognitive Shift · Kieli - O

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Neev - Twin Rains - Photo Ops - Breandán Fitzpatrick

Neev - Will I Change You.

Ahead of the release of her debut album Katherine this Friday, Glaswegian artist Neev has released new single ‘Will I Change You’ via Trapped Animal. The single, a rousing indie-folk anthem, is an ode to the contemporary Scottish artists that inspire Neev. Of her new single, she says:

"I hope 'Will I Change You' functions as a little injection of energy and a jolt for the listener when hearing the record in its entirety. I had so much fun putting this together with the band, it happened really quickly but it  was a really memorable experience. I loved arranging it and letting it burst from the seams at points. It brings together the loud and quiet moments of contemporary Scottish artists I really adore like Frightened Rabbit, Fatherson, Paolo Nutini & Rachel Sermanni.'

Since the release of her debut single in 2019, Neev has built a reputation for discovering beauty in the small details. Katherine, a collection of intricate indie-folk songs that pack a lyrical punch. The album carries all of the trademark sounds of Neev’s previous releases; acoustic guitars, soaring string arrangements and layered backing vocals can be found throughout, but this time they’re bigger.

Buoyed by the experience of engineering, mixing and producing her 2021 EP Currants almost entirely alone whilst the country was in lockdown, much of Katherine was recorded at Neev’s home studio and the homes of a host of talented musician friends. “It was really important to me that the album wasn’t only a group of songs but that it would also be a learning curve for me, and it was! I learnt so much about arrangement, frequency, the range of my voice and the way I like to construct songs and write,” she says.

Every song on Katherine is tied to the idea of identity. “Each song explores the different facets of an individual,” explains Neev. “Them as someone’s child, someone’s sibling, someone’s partner. Someone as the gender (in my case, female) they identify as, someone as the job they do,” she continues.

The album’s title encapsulates the record’s essence. “Katherine is a common name in my family and it’s also my middle name,”  says Neev. “So whilst it has a personal meaning, it also exists in a few different ways. I named the album ‘Katherine’ because it  touches on the themes of family, identity and the different identities one person can hold within themselves.”

 

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Twin Rains - You're The Only One.

Love is apocalyptic, according to Twin Rains. Love demands courage, the sort that has us looking into the darkest shadows of our hearts. Our pain is a weapon, our unchecked darkness the ammunition. Blame is easy, but it solves nothing. When we live without the courage to examine our own motivations, we are bound to hurt ourselves and others. We are bound to do it either way.

Toronto act Twin Rains is set to release their new single, an apocalyptic love song called ‘You’re the Only One’, today April 25. The song, a sonic offspring of the band’s 2020 offering, ‘Strawberry Moon,’ in its heavy, dreamlike qualities, is the first new material from the band since the release of their second full-length, ‘Unreal City,’ in 2021.

Twin Rains is Jay Merrow and Christine Stoesser. The two write, record and mix most of their music that blends dream pop and psych rock and electro. Twin Rains perform regularly in Toronto's music scene with live drummer Greg Smith. Signed to Rough Trade Publishing, they have had their music streamed around the world and licensed on TV shows and movies.

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Photo Ops - Stand In the Shadows.

“The song tries to walk the line and showcase the contrast of cathartic, trance-like meditation with honest, dark and uncomfortable feelings. Showcasing the gulf between the idyllic and the real, and the beauty and irony and how they rarely meet. I feel the necessity of standing both in the shadows and in the light.” -Terry Price / Photo Ops

The autumn blaze maple tree, famous as music in Nashville, is a fast grower. Imagine its teeming majesty of red leaves from above one house in the city’s Inglewood neighborhood. You see it ensconced like a controlled flame by rolling hills and winding roads. A familiar pattern lulls you from days into nights in this dreamy park town. You never realized from the ground, under the shade of that tree, how all these beautiful designs in any city keep you sane.

The sweeping vantage points of Photo Ops’ Burns Bright belong first to the quiet of Nashville’s first modern suburb after World War II. Terry Price lived there while perfecting the melodic soft-rock modes that pleased audiences on tour with Camera Obscura and Fences.

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Breandán Fitzpatrick -Sweet Return.

Breandán Fitzpatrick is an artist from Ireland. He is one half the acclaimed band Omonoko who are mostly know for electronic dance music, however over the last 10 years Breandán has also been working steadily in the background of the band on his own acoustic singer-songwriter tracks, which are about to take the forefront of his musical ambitions with debut solo single ‘Sweet Return’, out now.

The years in which Breandán has spent perfecting his solo material in the background of Omonoko has truly paid off. ‘Sweet Return’ is a perfectly produced and instantly striking gorgeous indie-acoustic affair, that would sound at home on national radio as well as major Spotify playlists alike.

Lyrically, the song centres around an individual who no longer is in the world of the protagonist, as Breandán reflects on a difficult relationship, wishing for a ‘Sweet Return’. Combining true feelings and a relatable modesty, the song’s simplicity allows it to scale high mountains of depth.

“You’re here in my heart, you’re here in my head”, he sings as subtle piano picks out emotions and creates poignant atmospheres behind the song’s Ben Howard and Jose Gonzalez-esque acoustic rhythms.

Omonoko have been highly revered across Ireland by the likes of RTE, Hot Press & Nialler 9 and more, but with ‘Sweet Return’ it is an exciting time for Breandán who is coming out of the shadows to showcase a long secret side to his creativity. ‘Sweet Return’ looks set to put Breandán firmly on the map this year as a singer-songwriter of very high calibre.

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Zoe & Cloyd - Victoria Staff - Burr Island - Anya Baghina

Zoe & Cloyd - We’ll Meet Again Sweetheart.

In May, Asheville, North Carolina duo Zoe & Cloyd will release their album, Songs of Our Grandfathers, which weaves together the musical legacies of Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller’s families. Both of their grandfathers were hard-working practitioners of musical styles — klezmer and bluegrass — birthed in two different cultures and originally separated by thousands of miles, yet Weinstein and Miller artfully blend them in exciting and innovative ways. 

Ahead of the album release, Zoe & Cloyd have released four singles from the album, and now they share a music video for one, “We’ll Meet Again Sweetheart,” from the rich bluegrass heritage of John Cloyd Miller’s grandfather.

Says Miller, “This classic bluegrass number was one of four sides my grandfather Jim Shumate recorded with Flatt & Scruggs for the Mercury label in 1948. That early lineup of the Foggy Mountain Boys — featuring Jim, Mac Wiseman, Cedric Rainwater and, of course, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs — was a force of nature and set the standard for bluegrass moving forward. We were excited to revisit the energy and tastefulness of that iconic recording." It’s a track that will bring a smile to those who know every note of the vintage recording even as it reflects Zoe & Cloyd’s unique creative touches.

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Victoria Staff - Olive and Ruby.

This is a thoughtful and beautiful song that is delivered with vocals that are full of touching emotion and combine wonderfully with a perfectly matched musical backdrop.

Victoria Staff has the following to tell us: "Is it a cliche to say I don't remember not writing music? You can blame my parents for putting me in piano lessons at five, they say it "developed character." But from day one, I was more interested in playing the pieces I made up than the music I was assigned.

I write music for the same reasons I run and bake and hang out with friends and family – it makes me feel better, and I'll continue to write music as long as it makes me happy. And that's what I want you to hear in my music, holding on to the memories I want and finding a way to process the memories I need to let go of.

There was a coffee shop in Vancouver that I spent a lot of time in while I lived there. It shut down during the pandemic and I was devastated. First and foremost – they had INCREDIBLE banana bread and chai lattes, but also this shop was a keystone in my Vancouver life and it was gone forever.

I wrote "Olive and Ruby" so I could try to hold onto the way I remembered the cafe. I didn't want it to be one of those memories that just turns lackluster with time and fades. I wanted to make sure I held onto all the little bits that made that place familiar."

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Burr Island - Distant Stars.

From the UK’s West Country, duo and best friends, Tom England and Oskar Porter, are to release their stunning debut single ‘Distant Stars.’ Recorded at Kundalini Studios in Devon and produced by Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene/Paul Weller/The Specials/P.P. Arnold), the song explores themes like the expansiveness of the cosmos and how selflessness can allow us to open up to the boundless beauty of the universe.

Burr Island say, “It's about trying to discover a greater truth in life through someone we love.” With its raw instrumentation, tight harmonies, and bursting positivity, ‘Distant Stars’ will leave you feeling uplifted and full of life. Having harnessed a core following round the Glastonbury type fields of yore, Burr Island are an Alternative Indie Folk duo, whose close harmonies have brought comparison to the iconic Simon & Garfunkel, however, their originals and equally introspective lyrics bring new meaning to that golden era of San Francisco ‘happening’ hippie spirit, as channelled through their beloved West Country, as they take you on their own Burr Island; an intimate, melodic journey and state, in search of meaning and humane value.

The duo, born in 2022 after a decade of friendship, explore themes of growth, beauty, and truth in their music. The West Country pair grew from strength to strength in 2022 with several headline shows, plus recording at Kundalini Studios in Devon with Steve Cradock (OCS). In September, they supported Steve Pilgrim & Paul Weller at Union Chapel in London, before embarking on their biggest venture yet, a UK December Tour supporting Ocean Colour Scene, playing at multiple O2 Academy venues and music halls. They’ve since landed a live agent, PR and a very passionate team who intend to see Burr Island break through to a mainstream audience as only the very best do.

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Anya Baghina - For Now.

Indie pop artist Anya Baghina is proud to release “For Now”, the lead single from her upcoming self-titled album. due for release this summer. Anya Baghina spends "For Now" self-analyzing and talking to herself, trying to understand why she makes certain life choices and how to follow her own intuition rather than others'. It's about accepting insecurity and doubt, realizing you don't have to follow another's path or follow someone's footsteps.

Anya Baghina releases her debut self-titled LP on June 23rd, 2023. It was mixed by Lucas Knapp (Dear Life Records, Double Double Whammy), mastered by Elaine Rasnake at Daughterboard Audio, and produced by Jonathan Franco. Accessible melodies are balanced with sometimes nonlinear song structures and progressive arrangements, ranging from shoegazey dream pop to slide guitar-fuelled jangly indie folk to synth-driven ambient soundscapes to distorted indie rock. Its lyrics oscillate from resigned to hopeful, biting to patiently observant, and grief-stricken to something approaching peace.

In "For Now", Anya Baghina says she is talking to herself, trying to figure out why she's made certain decisions in life and how to follow her own guidance. "When I mention 'her' in the song, it’s a personal reference to my mother, who passed away in 2017. It’s about coming to terms with insecurity and doubt, and realizing you don’t have to follow a path that is laid out for you. As a result of my efforts to become the person she wanted me to be, I lost myself. During that time, I created an artist residency as a safe place for grief and re-discovery. It was my opportunity to 'take a seat and listen carefully' and find my own voice" says Baghina.

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Immaterial Possession - Gillie - Junior Bill - Miss Velvet - Sock - Josienne Clarke

Immaterial Possession - Medieval Jig.

Mercy Of The Crane Folk is the beautifully accomplished second album from Athens GA’s Immaterial Possession. A theatrical soundscape littered with subconscious flashbacks, retro keyboard flurries, wandering Morricone-esque guitar and dreamy Sumac-like harmonies.

Featuring the ethereal eerie dream pop of former artist commune residents Cooper Holmes and Madeline Polites, with drummer John Spiegel and Elephant 6 descendant Kiran Fernandes (keyboards, clarinets, flutes). Additional contributions come from drummer Jon Vogt who can be heard on "Mercy Of The Crane Folk" and "Birth Of Queen Croaker."

It’s a haunting and immersive trip into the inner psyche of these nomadic soothsayers; a psychedelic dance party from a half-lit underground world; breathlessly eerie and all consuming; a salubrious sojourn that sounds like nothing else. Filled with a kind of peculiar optimistic uncertainty that any quest to make sense of a drowsy recollection of simpler and far better times would have; Mercy Of The Crane Folk is soft and serene summoning up a fanciful folkloric place where, undoubtedly, the mysterious crane flock prosper.

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Gillie - Llawn.

After the success of her single ‘i ti’, a song that announced a new beginning and a new creative chapter for Gillie we are excited to unveil its follow up the mesmerising yet quietly brooding ‘Llawn’.

With this new single, Gillie who also produces and records her own music wanted to “Sonically explore something that felt both rhythmically uncertain, and free, with builds and small releases of tension throughout”

Thematically Gillie explains the background to the song: “‘Llawn’ centres around the feeling of your life changing due to external factors/other people’s control over decisions, and finding a safe place for yourself within this. The idea that someone has power over you whilst you’re in a vulnerable state is interesting to me, and when I was writing this song, I had an image of someone force feeding me these ‘changes’, hence the opening lyrics. It’s also about finding freedom in uncertainty and practicing resilience, trying to find warmth in the present and embrace ambiguity.”

Blending gold-flecked guitar loops into an ambient haze on top of relentless driving rhythms, Gillie harnesses the anxieties, stress and struggles of modern life, weaving them into something unapologetic and inherently intimate.

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Junior Bill - Teeth.

Described as 'a 21st Century Joe Strummer' by BBC 6Music's Tom Robinson, Junior Bill is the project of Welsh songwriter Robert Nichols. 'Teeth' is the third single from upcoming debut album 'Youth Club!' and documents the ailing health of an elderly sugar addict, spending her last days in a 'tiny cul-de-sac' that represents the claustrophobic society of present day Great Britain.

With buzzing lead single 'Boys From Jungle', Junior Bill found international praise for a powerfully charged attack on the mistreatment of asylum seekers in the UK. 'Flag of St George' followed, honing in on the dour mood of the country with an equally bleak black & white music video. 'Teeth' is another political missive, this time wrapped up in a bouncing dub reggae outfit and swaying with glittering production and charming depth.

The band, led by Nichols, are set to travel the UK this year in support of the album. A well-honed live show has been seen supporting Supergrass, at Glastonbury Festival and most recently at a packed out hometown show.

Junior Bill · Teeth

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Miss Velvet - Born To Be Your Own Wild (Lullaby Version).

Channeling the legends of classic rock with powerhouse vocals, impeccable leather style and an elusive sense of danger that takes you by surprise, Miss Velvet has taken the rock n roll world by storm. No stranger to the stage, Miss Velvet has dominated over 100 cities and 127 shows opening a world tour for the iconic George Clinton - who calls her voice “the definition of rock n roll.” George Clinton isn’t the only one singing Miss Velvet’s praises either, with numerous music critics comparing her bold and electrifying performances to the likes of Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin and Robert Plant.

Additionally, her previous releases (with her band, Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf) have garnered two top 20 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Chart. Entering a new era of self, Miss Velvet’s forthcoming solo album Traveler blurs the lines between the roles of being a rock star, an artistic explorer, and a young mother – resulting in a potent rock escapade that’s both raw and multifaceted. After moving from her native New York City to sunny Los Angeles, Miss Velvet connected with acclaimed rock producer Esjay Jones.

"'Born to be your own wild' is the very first song that my producer Esjay and I wrote together, on the day we met" says Miss Velvet "I had my little girl who was 10 months old at the time sitting in the room with us as we wrote this song to her, and at the same time, I didn’t even know I was pregnant again! I wanted to sing about the hope we have as mothers, about the beautiful dreams we have for our children and the fears we hold deep inside about the hardest journey we embark on".

The original version of the song was a Miss Velvet classic- a rock power ballad. But right as she was meant to submit the song to her team, her and Esjay decided that they should make the song more intimate- it was written for her baby, after all. And so, the "lullaby version" of the track was born. "We created this 'lullaby' version to honor that delicate sentiment where parents dream of the best, yet at the same time, lament the inevitable letting a child go from their loving arms to go 'be their own wild.' Unconditional love".

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Sock - Accidentally High.

Formed in Cardiff, Sock make guitar-driven alternative rock, taking inspiration from psychedelic music. Known for their creative melodic arrangements and blending of genres, the band describe their music as “a rather progressive affair”.

Following on from the bands debut album ‘Fresh Bits’, in 2018, their much anticipated self-titled follow up is out this April. The album features Jacob on Rhythm Guitar & Vocals, Billy on Lead Guitar, Sam on Bass & Keys, and Simon on Drums & Percussion.

Produced by the band, the album was recorded during the pandemic and sees the music move into a heavier and more refined sound. Accidentally High is the third track released from their self-titled second album, which is out on the 28th April through Bubblewrap Collective.

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Josienne Clarke - Done.

Last Friday, Josienne Clarke released her new album Onliness (songs of solitude and singularity) via Corduroy Punk Records. Onliness is both a wholesome project and a spellbinding work in its own right. Opening with one of her earliest compositions – ‘The Tangled Tree’ – and closed by a brand-new song, it presents a career retrospective viewed through a new lens. The album is comprised of reworked versions of fan favourites and hidden gems from a back catalogue that always glimmered, but this time they’re entirely hers, carrying everything from booming drums to intimate acoustic guitars, with Josienne's powerful yet, at times, fragile voice whispering and screaming straight into the listeners ear.

In her own words, Josienne Clarke viewed her 2021 album – A Small Unknowable Thing – as a leap into the abyss. Finally free from the industry structure that had been built around her over the preceding decade and more, she released the album via her own label, Corduroy Punk Records, and handled every aspect of the album’s writing, recording, and release herself, on her own terms.

From her home on Scotland’s Isle of Bute, Josienne began thinking about the idea of reclamation. Cutting her teeth in an industry that so often works against the artist it's supposed to support – and with a lingering idea in the wake of Taylor Swift’s ‘Taylor’s Version’ project – Josienne began revisiting the songs in her back catalogue that felt buried somehow; that had never had the spotlight she felt they deserved, for myriad reasons.

Of her new single, Clarke says: "'Done' is a resigned break-up ballad that, when writing it, I had intended to be a sort of melancholic ode to “My Way” — which is kind of a ridiculous premise. But the whole song is harmonically structured to sound like an ending, descending inevitably towards its close. When I wrote it, it was originally based on a descending finger-picked guitar pattern which gave it a rhythmic meter so you could feel its last moments tick away. In my reworking, I decided that it could definitely take the “last orders at the bar” piano torch song treatment. My references were Tom Waits’ 'Closing Time' and Randy Newman’s 'I Think It’s Going To Rain Today'. This arrangement places the words centrally and leaves plenty of space for contemplation. It was one of those songs that never quite found its spotlight, but I always believed it was one of my best — one of those rare times when you manage to say exactly what you mean, just how you feel, no more, no less, in three-and-a-half minutes. Making this retrospective album gives it another chance to shine...'

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