Pascoe - Sparks - The Mrs - The Avulsions - Mauno

Pascoe - Lorelei.

Background - Pascoe is an artist from the isolated streets of Sydney’s day-dreamy suburbia, where small town gossip meets city seclusion. Pascoe is excited to announce the release of her debut single ‘Lorelei’, an introspective narrative of a ruined woman.

After finishing up her music degree, she decided to focus on developing her songwriting. The 22-year-old songstress has been collecting dark tales and crafting them into melodies, capturing an honesty for the mechanics of the human mind.

Seductive synth and thundering drums come together in this brooding marriage of folk and pop to support Pascoe’s sweet vocal as she tells the story of the forlorn siren Lorelei. During a storm driven blackout, she was moved to write about the seductress and the tragedies that befell her lovers.

Produced by Cameron Robertson and Joey Wenceslao of Glades, the dark single tells the tale of a young woman torn apart by the collision of her public and private selves, how she is perceived by herself and others around her. Inspired by the portrayal of women in history and literature, Pascoe observed the intricacies of the relationships around her to construct her own modern take on the fable.

Let this stunning track transport you to the murky depths of the ocean and drown you in a salty reminiscence for poor lonely Lorelei. Facebook here.

'Lorelei' mixes electronic pop sensibilities with more folk orientated vocals resulting in a fabulous song. Story line lyrics are melodically delivered, whilst the music adds depth and a darker feel.

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Sparks - What The Hell Is It This Time?

Background - Sparks (featuring Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael) have just released "What The Hell Is It This Time?", the new single from the highly-anticipated album Hippopotamus (due September 8, 2017). Sparks are famed for writing songs about unlikely subjects and do not disappoint with "What The Hell Is It This Time?" – “an often uttered phrase when people listen to a new Sparks song,” according to Ron Mael.

Recorded in Los Angeles, Hippopotamus sees Sparks take the pop form, shake it up, and create an album that is adventurous, fresh, and idiosyncratically ‘Sparks.' Described as “the smartest, most consistently evolving band in the history of rock”, and internationally-acclaimed as pop pioneers, Sparks’ music has always been innovative and instantly identifiable.

The title track "Hippopotamus" was first played on BBC Radio 6 Music after Sparks' set at the 6 Music Festival in Glasgow. The song was received with delight on its March 24 release. Together, the two songs "Hippopotamus" and "What The Hell Is It This Time?" are now available for instant download with the full album pre-order here, website here, Facebook here.

I've been a fan of Sparks music for rather a long time. Their distinct and arguably totally unique sound never ceases to please my ears. 'What The Hell Is It This Time?' continues their musical journey where seemingly nothing is ruled out (or in). They just continue to create music, it's what they do, and they never disappoint.


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The Mrs - Blink of an Eye.

Background - The Mrs combines modern pop sensibilities with soulful, vocal harmonies to create songs as meaningful as they are infectious. 

An all-female band here to remind you to be true to yourself and live that YOLO life, The Mrs is on a mission to give you something different, because they are something different.

In 2014, The Mrs released their "Magic Mirror" video, which featured their first single, "Enough." It became a viral success, gaining over 5 million views on YouTube, and finding its way onto Good Morning America and The Queen Latifah Show. 

It's now been translated into multiple languages by fans. In 2017, The Mrs was a breakout act at SXSW, and released their first full-length album in March of that year. Website here, Facebook here.

OK so I clearly slept through The Mrs viral success that was 'Magic Mirror' and so 'Blink of an Eye' is my personal introduction to the band. I'm not complaining, this is one feisty rock'n'roll tune with bags of passion and hooks galore, a good enough place to play catch up from I would say.



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The Avulsions - Mars. --- Mauno - Waste.

Background - Flemish Eye is happy to announce a new collaboration between two artists from across our country: a limited-edition split 7” featuring Halifax-based Mauno and Saskatoon’s The Avulsions.  The 7” will be strictly limited to only 300 copies and primarily available on the merch table as both bands go on tour over the spring, including dates next week at The Great Escape in Brighton, UK.

The 7” record features a song from each artist,  each one complemented by an illustration by Chad VanGaalen. Some limited copies will be available in the Flemish Eye shop and in select retailers — but mostly you will have to grab one of these from the bands when you see them on tour over the next month!

The Avulsions - Saskatoon, Canada-based band The Avulsions quickly started to make noise after their formation in 2015 — despite only playing 20-30 shows in Western Canada and with only a handful of songs available online. Centred around the songwriting of vocalist, guitarist, and synth player Samantha Renner — who draws inspiration from an extensive background in classical music and a deep reverence for classic noir-pop groups like The Cure and Martin Hannett-era Factory Records acts — The Avulsions envelop her tunes in darkly lush, intricately ornamented arrangements, betraying a superb collective attention to detail and subtlety.

Mauno - Formed in 2014, Nova Scotia’s Mauno has been working relentlessly at bringing their unique pop rock to as many ears as possible. Driven by the collective boredom, excitement and curiosity of its 4 members (Eliza Niemi, Nick Everett, Adam White, Scott Boudreau), they take their various backgrounds in classical, folk, and math-rock and turn it into something unpredictable and new. Mauno plan a  full length album on Idée Fixe in fall 2017.

Facebook The Avulsions here, Mauno here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour new page.

Two bands and one shared 7" single. The Avulsions provide a powerful wall of sound with vocals a little Nico like (not a complaint!) on the rather haunting 'Mars' song. Mauno are gentler in their delivery with melodic vocals singing above a tight rhythmic musical arrangement. It's an intriguing combination and it works.

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The Lovely Days - Hawkmoon - Vandana - Chastity Brown

The Lovely Days - Mornington.

Background - “Arms Wide Open is a new collection of songs about welcoming the power of possibility into your life. It explores hopefulness, vulnerability, openness & retreat; but learning how to deal with life’s uncertainty and that it doesn’t always go the way we plan." Tennyson Nobel (Vocals/keyboards).

Like many bands, The Lovely Days started in a garage but with a bit of a difference– brothers Holden and Tennyson Nobel were only five and seven at the time. Most days, they squeezed in behind the Mitsubishi to learn their chops from their songwriter Dad. It was the start of a mad, musical immersion - Mozart one day, McCartney or Radiohead the next.

As soon as they got their drivers licences, they hightailed it to Melbourne from hometown Mullumbimby and hooked up with old school buddy Stephen Dickie and new found friend Jackson McIvor to form The Lovely Days. The Lovely Days emanates musical vibes resonant of the 60’s and 70’s: not to recreate a golden age but purely to invent a new one, authentic, hopeful and always in a groove with stand out harmonies and passionate musicality. The Lovely Days are; Tennyson Nobel [Keyboards, Vocals] - Holden Nobel [Bass, Vocals] - Stephen Dickie [Guitar, Backing Vocals] - Jackson McIvor [Drums]. Website here, Facebook here.

One of five tracks on the new E.P. and 'Mornington' is a zappy and energetic indie pop meets rock type of song. Upbeat and with a message, the band also carve out a defined and individual sound.

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Hawkmoon - Hologramatic.

Background - Hawkmoon are the collective musical identity of Pat Hehir, Liam Hehir and Reuben Aptroot. Their soon to be released debut album The Saturn Return is an album produced to fill a void in the current musical landscape, where distorted guitars, eclectic songwriters and ‘rock’ have gone underground.

After numerous live gigs, festival appearances and EP releases with earlier incarnations of Hawkmoon and Reuben's Ultrafeedy, the three would be brought together in 2013 under the Hawkmoon banner to create music that was thoughtful, challenging, bold and fresh.

On the heels of the album’s first single Silverline, comes Hologramatic, the second single from the album and one of the more unique and distinct songs the band has recorded. Like the rest of the album, Hologramatic was recorded in Reuben’s home studio and produced by the band.

“Hologramatic was one of the last songs we put together for the record”, says Hawkmoon lead singer and guitarist, Pat Hehir. “We wanted to do something different with this song and had a lot of fun experimenting on it in the studio, like creating loops out of objects in the garage. It has a U2 Achtung Baby-feel, combining a live rock band with processed sounds. From a lyrical perspective, the song captures one of the main themes of the album. One of identity and questioning your place in the universe.” Facebook here.

'Hologramatic' mixes exuberant harmonies and somewhat calmer vocals together which alone, makes the song stand out. Add in the feisty alt rock music and we have one very appealing teaser for the album.

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Vandana - Jaan.

Background - Vandana is pleased to share the last single from her new EP, Nox Anima. Fusing elements of disquieting electronica with alternative pop, Vandana’s angular, intense music embraces womanhood and otherness as if from inside the mouth of a cave. Her multicultural lifestyle, from India to London to Brooklyn, has influenced her wildly eclectic and self-assured material, which arrives steeped in the knowledge of ancient Indian traditions and fables as well as in assorted vehicles of abstract art and thought.

Inspired by musical pioneers like Aphex Twin, Thom Yorke and Miles Davis as well as the vibrancy of Bollywood, the Gothicism of The Cure and the evocativeness of Fever Ray, Vandana also takes her cues from purveyors of subversion like Edgar Allan Poe, Lars Von Trier and Henry Miller. In this latest material, the naturally introverted singer brings her insular and mysterious writing process to life via slow-dripping, throbbing synths, creating an atmosphere that’s arcane, exotic and brooding.

An instinctive and intimate record - and one that was created in Vandana’s home studio during a period of solitary retreat - the six-track EP makes for a truly absorbing listen. The whole EP twists about on a mixture of abstract and visceral themes, building you up before submerging you in swirls of throbbing sound that threaten to unsettle your very core. Website here, Facebook here.

'Jaan' has a mysterious feel from the word go. The vocals and electronica seemingly take different paths and at the same time compliment each other as the song builds in richness.

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Chastity Brown - Wake Up.

Background - Following the success of previous release Backroad Highways, a performance on Later ... with Jools Holland with single Colorado and a US tour supporting Ani DiFranco; Chastity Brown has announced the release of her new album Silhouette Of Sirens through Red House Records on May 19th.

An artist who can plumb the depths of sadness in a single note, then release it in the very next breath, Chastity Brown melds folk, pop and soul on her Red House debut, Silhouette of Sirens, weaving together a poet’s lyrical ear and a soul-laid-bare quality. The album’s 10 original tracks introduce us to a new voice – a songwriter of power and conviction who isn’t afraid to bare her heart as she sings of heartbreak, need and love. The album will be released on May 19, 2017 on CD, vinyl and all digital formats.

Based in Minnesota, but with roots in Tennessee, Chastity grew up surrounded by country and soul music. In the full gospel church of her childhood, she played saxophone and drums and found her singing voice and a passion for music. Her first show was in Knoxville, TN, and then it was on to Minneapolis. Since then, she’s been  featured on NPR’s “Favorite Sessions,” CMT, American Songwriter, The Sunday Times, Paste Magazine, Independent and others.

Chastity Brown's vocals exude a mixture of passionate determination, with a little vulnerability. That's enough to make 'Wake Up' grab my attention, however the added pace and energy of the music, pretty much ensures I'm gonna have to hear more.

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Tunabunny - Ed Prosek - King Washington - Alexa Dark - Carter Lou & The Project

Tunabunny - Blackwater Homes.

Background - Tunabunny release second new track in three years "Blackwater Homes" and announce the pre-order of their 5th album also a double "PCP Presents Alice In Wonderland JR" released June 23rd on HHBTM Records.  

PCPPAIWJR creates a universe of sound, music for the internet age. As our access to music expands, its entire history sits at our fingertips just waiting to be heard.  Just waiting to inspire, this is the future of music—a glorious eclecticism that results in something original and urgently now. You can hear echoes of T Rex, Slits, Electrelane, Chills, Human League, John Cage, John Cale, GBV, Beefheart, Ono, Eno, Fine Young Cannibals, Fleetwood Mac, Luc Ferrari, Bananarama, ? and the Mysterians, Smiths, Syd Barrett, Sun Ra, and on, and on.

You’ll want to know about the title, you’ll have questions about the title. Turn on your TV, open up your laptop, sift through your phone, pay attention to the surreal dystopian nightmare all around us. PCP Presents Alice In Wonderland Jr is quite simply what it means to be alive in 2017. Facebook here.

We featured 'Incinerate' earlier in the month and then along comes 'Blackwater Homes' and a chance to share a second song from the bands forthcoming album. As regards the album we said "The album takes us from psych to indie rock and a whole load of other places. Sometimes it's quite avant garde other times hook laden and sparkling, there is never a dull moment", I think the new song might just reinforce that!

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Ed Prosek - Flesh & Blood.

Background - Californian singer-songwriter Ed Prosek releases new EP Flesh and Blood Part 1.

Recorded in Berlin, the artist has flipped the perspective from his previous work, with his new output yielding a much darker, heavier sound. Prosek brings together his singer songwriter roots and a more complex exploration of raw sound, instrumentation and arrangement, moving away from his folkier roots.

At the end of April he teased with "Tear It All Down", a track inspired, in part, by post-apocalyptic 2009 film, The Road. "Tear It All Down" tells a story of perseverance, but ultimately hopelessness. Borne out through both the lyrical themes and the music itself, it’s as if the very weight of the sound of the chorus is the burden of uncertainty carried by us all, and the emptiness of the verses, the stark and brutal void of the calm before the storm. The fear of the unknown is a palpable presence within the song.

Prosek’s evolution from acoustic singer songwriter to this new direction has been a natural progression through both his personal growth as an artist, and a reflection of a less certain world. Ed Prosek will be on a headline tour throughout Germany and the Netherlands in May, with festival dates and international showcases throughout the summer. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page. 

Title track from the EP (Part 1), and 'Flesh & Blood' gently grows into a rich and layered singer, songwriter piece of notable quality. One of three songs it demonstrates well Ed Prosek's ability to turn up the power and emotional feel with great effect.

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King Washington - My Reflection.

Background - LA-based indie rockers King Washington have just released the official music video for their second album single "Superman," from their forthcoming studio album Potential. The album is due out May 19 in digital, CD and LP formats, and is available now for pre-order (here). The Pledge Music pre-order is also live (here), and includes exclusive bundles with signed product. 

"Superman" captures the frustrations of the artist - the feelings of not being good enough despite countless time and effort to improve and succeed. It buddies up to the band's inspiration behind the album title Potential and together, both titles reflect the push-pull of trying to get recognized, while also balancing the need for outside gratification to mark one's assessment of their own talent. The video crystallizes this as the camera follows fine artist Danielle Lee throughout her day as an aspiring artist. Ultimately, as King Washington's Tyson Kelly points out, "There is an underlying message that good things come to those who perservere." 

Drawing from diverse influences such as Grizzly Bear, The Crash Kings, The Talking Heads, The Beatles and Crosby, Stills & Nash, Los Angeles’ own King Washington are in the midst of creating the New California sound. By fusing classic vocal harmonies and lyrical melodies with a contemporary approach to songwriting, the band has created a unique sound that is as creative as it is familiar.

This album sees members Tyson Kelly (guitar, keys, vocals), George Krikes (lead guitar, vocals), and Billy Lee (bass, vocals) joined by David Contreras on drums. With two albums behind them, and a tour history that includes playing over 150 shows across the US since 2014 (sharing the stage with the likes of The Artic Monkeys, Collective Soul, and Ambrosia), King Washington plans on continuing the trend of blowing audiences away across the nation... as one of LA Weekly's top live shows in Los Angeles. Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour page. 

The vocals and harmonies stand out on 'My Reflection' an indie rocker that has plenty of melodic hooks, along with a feisty beat that gives the song an additional dimension to the overall piece.


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Alexa Dark - Blur.

Background - Alternative rock songwriter and guitarist, Alexa Dark, announces her debut EP, Empty Drinks/Empty Hearts, due out August 2017. The album was produced by Angelo "Doc" Velasquez (The Weeknd's Trilogy, The Fray, Christina Perri) and mixed by Patrick Kelly. 

Raised between Spain, London and Germany, now based in New York City and London, the songs are inspired by Alexa Dark's transient lifestyle. The songs were written in bedrooms, planes, between drinks outside East London clubs during early  morning hours and on the concrete of various metropolitan cities. Conceived in heartbreak, in transit and from boundless nostalgia, these tracks intertwine cultural and personal narratives, influenced by the Spanish singer songwriters played in her childhood kitchen, in addition to female rock legends such as Patti Smith, Debbie Harry and Kim Gordon. 

Empty Drinks/Empty Hearts is a collection of songs cultivated in the brief moment when the party is over, when the sobriety comes just before the morning does. "Blur" is one of the first songs Alexa wrote and has evolved to cater to many different relationships and situations throughout her life. It's a "fuck it" anthem, of sorts, but still portrays vulnerability, baring her bones. "Nothing More" is an "anti-love" song, about loving but in an untraditional sense. Referring to the EP's title, "Empty Drinks" is a party anthem that encapsulates the sober realization and reflection on the emptiness felt at the end of the night. Website here, Facebook here.

Alexa Dark's vocals are well suited to alt rock, tuneful with just a little rock'n'roll edge. 'Blur' is one very catchy song, the music is a little understated allowing the song both lyrically and through it's fine delivery, to shine through.

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Carter Lou & The Project - Do Or Die.

Background - Lead by Washington, D.C.-based musician Carter Louthian, Carter Lou & the Project's beginnings stem from tragic circumstances. The night before he was set to go to college, Lou snapped: his two best friends had recently killed themselves a day apart, and his girlfriend had just broken his heart. 

Combined with the reality of the packaged post-college suburban life he was heading toward, he felt even more emptiness. He boldly told his parents that he wasn't going to university in the morning and has chosen to pursue music instead. Since then, the band has packed out numerous headlining shows and earning a prestigious endorsement from PRS Guitars. 

"Do Or Die" is the first single from Carter Lou & the Project's forthcoming self-titled album, produced by Mark Williams and Rick Beato (Shinedown, Needtobreathe). The single's lyrical content arises from Lou's past heartbreak and finding the strength and trust to fall back in love again. Facebook here.

'Do Or Die' is a tight, rhythmic rocker that doesn't try to be anything else. Energised music alongside passionately natural vocals makes for a fine personal introduction to the band.

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Hanne Hukkelberg - Quiet Boy - Stutter Steps

Hanne Hukkelberg - The Whip.

Background - One of Norway’s most acclaimed, influential and vital artists, Hanne Hukkelberg returns in extraordinary form, with her first new single in five years — ‘The Whip’. Self-produced by Hanne herself, ‘The Whip’ is a complex, schizophrenic four minutes of supremely intelligent pop music. This will come as no surprise to fans of Hanne’s previous work, with the new single bringing her sound right up to date — sounding more relevant, and just as intriguing as ever, aligning with the electronically manipulated tendencies of modern pop music.

‘The Whip’ signals Oslo based Hukkelberg’s forthcoming fifth album, joining a nationally adored and internationally acclaimed back catalogue including ‘Featherbrain’ (2012), ‘Blood From A Stone’ (2009) and Norwegian Grammy Award-winning debut LP ‘Rykestrasse 68’ (2006). 

The new track straddles the divide between electronic and organic, both in terms of premise and production; contemplating a cyber society embroiled in, and consumed by, filtered reality. “The Whip is a combination of personal experience and a wider observation of society and how I feel people are living their lives, striving for this unrealistic idea of perfection,” Hukkelberg explains.

“I wanted to write about how nice – and necessary – it is to need someone. To be vulnerable in a society that encourages us to look like someone that has everything, all of the time, and doesn’t actually need anything.”

'The Whip’ features the stunning guest vocal of Highasakite’s Ingrid Helene Håvik – one of Hukkelberg’s many cohorts, with past collaborators including Todd Terje, Jaga Jazzist, Jenny Hval, and Emilie Nicolas. Website here, Facebook here.

'The Whip' mixes gorgeous synths and beats with delicious vocals, as the two elements bounce around each other. Maverick pop of sorts, that is incredibly addictive.

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Quiet Boy - Supergirl.

Background - Quiet Boy’s ‘Supergirl’ developed from a very dark time in principal member and songwriter Gaz Tomlinson’s life. The track, taken from upcoming debut EP ‘Earwig’, works through negative and positive cycles of thought, with its slow burning tempo and acoustic lo-fi meets electro-glitch sound palette.

The song was initially an ode to Tomlinson’s partner, musician and performer Brigitte Aphrodite, and the loss of a major book of her poetry (‘Throwing words into the ocean’) on a night spent on a Hastings beach. The video revisits the same stretch of beach but the track takes on a new persona as ‘Supergirl’ confronts the misunderstanding and persecution of LGBTQ individuals and their relationships.

Gaz explains, “For the visual we wanted to subvert the surface meaning of the song. Supergirls can come in any form and be different things to different people. In this case this is what the song means to band member Alex Faye Braithwaite.”

He adds, “the song ‘sung by a man about a woman’ acts as a counterpoint to the video, where we see a ‘woman singing about a woman’. The words on her body express the stigma attached to her sexuality, and the bravery involved in washing them away”

Their 4 track debut EP ‘Earwig’ includes Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing favourite ‘Redeem’. There is much to delve into and savour, both musically and lyrically – the collection was produced (with Gareth Tomlinson and band member Russell Ditchfield) by Nick Trepka (Emmy The Great, Speech Debelle).

Quiet Boy is a collaboration between 5 musicians led by Tomlinson. They are: Gaz Tomlinson, Russell Ditchfield, Emily Sills, Alexandra Braithwaite and Stuart Roberts. With a series of festival appearances and shows across the UK including Glastonbury Festival in June, Quiet Boy are a must-see live. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page.

Lo-fi and at times quite spartan music, ensures that when the song ups the power, it also unleashes passion and emotion. 'Supergirl' beautifully defies specific categorisation, the video adds to that, it's not necessarily experimental, it is gorgeous.


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Stutter Steps - Submarine.

Background - Stutter Steps debut new track 'Submarine' from their upcoming 12" Floored on Blue Arrow Records, due for release on June 2nd, 2017. Stutter Steps released their debut album on Wild Kindness records at the end of 2015. Group mastermind Ben Harrison, a curator at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and collaborator with Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500/Luna/etc.), crafted one of the bittersweetest indiepop debuts in years. 

Critics who took the time to listen were stunned. With its jangling guitars and plaintive organ, its literate heartfelt lyrics and the skip in its step, Stutter Steps sounds like the missing link between early Flying Nun and the Go-Betweens (geographically, this would put then in the middle of the Tasman Sea and I hope they’ve got a boat).

They return now with a new six-song EP, Floored, on Blue Arrow Records, home of Jonathan Richman among others, that expands on the promise of the debut. Harrison has the rare ability to combine emotions in a song, so ‘Encino,’ with its wistful chords and lyrics of regret, becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The organ on ‘Weak Restraint’ makes you dance (Stutter Steps has never sounded more like The Clean than they do here) while the words make you weep. It would take a heart of orange granite not to be moved. Facebook here.

We featured Stutter Steps in March and the latest track 'Submarine' pretty much confirms our initial enthusiasm was well founded. Melodic with plenty of heartfelt vibes, it's another fabulous track.

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