Varvara - Martha Ffion - Amaroun - Berries

Varvara - Anxiety.

Background - Varvara have released their new single 'Anxiety' and announce the new album 'Go'. Varvara from Hamina, South-East Finland have come a long way since the release of their debut album back in 2011. Varvara was originally formed by main songwriter and guitarist-vocalist Mikko Kiri in 2007 when moving back to his old childhood neighborhood after studies around Finland. Mikko wanted to start a band that would locate in Hamina and gather its’ influences from the late 90s and early 2000s; a period he had first gotten actively involved in music.

Soon Mikko found himself among friends and decided to name the band after a statue they used to gather round before nights of misbehaving. Varvara Schantin (1870-1941), the hometown hero who that statue represents, was born in Russia but became an important figure in the small town of Hamina. Schantin handed out food and refreshments to soldiers as they were preparing for war and their possible date with destiny. Varvara's beginnings were humble, but the band quickly became more than a friendly pastime as demo releases became picked up on by various sections of the Finnish music media. With the help of an old friend Tommi Muhli, Varvara helped establish Haminian Sounds, a collective of musicians which releases music from local acts including Varvara and organizes events to cheer up the small town’s nightlife.

Since then Varvara's output, three albums and an EP, has slowly been recognized as a distinctive collection that harnesses diverse influences into a unique sound. The 2016 album ”Death Defying Tricks” was the bands first release actively promoted outside Finland. The album represented a self-confident band with an exceptional sense of melody amongst a series of quirky details. Combining off kilter rock shapes to straight-up rock, Death Defying Tricks collected nothing but praise in domestic and international rock media. Following the release the band also made their first shows outside the Finnish borders.

Now Varvara is ready to unleash their upcoming fourth full-length album ”GO” to be released February 2018 under their own Haminian Sounds imprint. The new album ”GO” as a whole is about that moment when summer turns into autumn. This reality hits you right in the face reminding that the calm and relaxation of summer is over. From time to time there is a strong contrast between energetic rock tracks and gloomy lyrics. Produced and mostly recorded by the band themselves ”GO” offers an intriguing mix of aggressive garage and melodic rock sounds. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

We have featured Varvara once before getting on for a year ago, and now we have a foretaste of the bands new 'Go' album with the single 'Anxiety'. This is one of those songs that is energised and addictive from the opening moments, alt rock in nature and with some edge, the album is looking good.

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Martha Ffion - Take Your Name.

Background - Irish-born, and now Glasgow based singer-songwriter Martha Ffion has announced her eagerly anticipated debut LP entitled 'Sunday Best’ which is released 9th March 2018 on Turnstile Music. 'Take Your Name' is the first single to be announced from 'Sunday Best'.

'Sunday Best' is by far her most adventurous and accomplished work to-date, the lush instrumentation bringing her detailed lyrical vision to life. Through a series of gleaming guitar-pop songs that drift between soft-centered balladry and something altogether more cutting and forceful. It’s perhaps true to say that our relationship with music is steered solely by connection. Sometimes that’s a very direct thing; the words we sing along to relatable to our own desires and experiences. Occasionally, however, it manifests itself in other ways, a captivation drawn from something we can’t conveniently place or pigeon-hole; songs and sentiments we watch from afar, trying to find a way inside.

Martha Ffion’s work has always flourished within the latter of these two paths. While her Irish roots and current home city of Glasgow have undoubtedly informed her work, so many of her songs resonate all the more for feeling wildly devoid of time and place, an alluring cast of characters drifting in and out of focus, each one examining Ffion’s own thoughts on what it means to be “good” in a society that has such determined expectations.

Her debut album, ‘Sunday Best’, spans the first songs she properly wrote to her most recent compositions, and is by far her most adventurous and accomplished work to-date, the lush instrumentation bringing her detailed lyrical vision to life through a series of gleaming guitar-pop songs that drift between soft-centred balladry and something altogether more cutting and forceful. Recalling the work of Sharon Van Etten and Jenny Lewis, while still sounding thrillingly distinct, ‘Sunday Best’ is a formidable coming-of-age record, and one that stands as a truly accomplished debut. FACEBOOK.

Live Dates - March 2018
Wednesday 7th - Cardiff - Clwb Ifor Bach
Thursday 8th - London - The Waiting Room
Friday 9th - Edinburgh - Sneaky Pete's
Saturday 10th - Glasgow - Mono
Sunday 11th - Newcastle - Think Tank.

It's a very welcome second feature for Martha Ffion and another fabulous taster for her forthcoming 'Sunday Best' album, this time with 'Take Your Name'. Melodic dream pop, with a timeless feel that could be decades old and yet it's fresh and beautiful, love it!


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Amaroun - Made A Fire.

Background - Peckham, London newcomer Amaroun's new single is a slice of soul infused indie-pop titled ‘Make A Fire’. Amaroun (singer-songwriter Jay Brown) joined the highly acclaimed Communion Presents stable of artists in December – a natural fit for her unique brand of electronic soul-tinged guitar pop.

Of ‘Made A Fire’, Jay says: “The song was written in a heightened state, in the aftermath of my coming out. It’s a narrative progression from my previous single ‘Bed Bugs’, where I was deep in confusion, distraction and escapism. In ‘Made A Fire’ I’ve found clarity in the thrill of meeting someone new. When you find that person and there’s this instant connection you can’t deny, it’s something that’s hard to describe. This song is simply gratitude in musical form for that person and that feeling.

Currently working with artists including Charles Watson (Slow Club), LA Salami, Adam French, Fyfe Dangerfield (Guillemots) and Francobollo on a forthcoming recording project, Amaroun headlines Archspace in London on March 6th and is confirmed for this year’s Liverpool Sound City festival. FACEBOOK.

'Made Of Fire' is immediately catchy indie pop infused with melodic hooks and plenty of soulful feeling. One of those songs that would make any music radio play-list all the better for it's inclusion.


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Berries - Faults.

Background - Berries’ new single “Faults” is the second single from their much-anticipated upcoming EP. ‘Faults’ showcases the fresh, surprising alt-rock sound that they have become well known for. Laced with Holly’s brooding vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Faults is both relatable and unexpected and sarcastically plays with those all-too-familiar battles of independence, responsibility and unrealistic expectations.

Berries are an alt/rock trio known for their energetic shows and original take on riff-driven rock. Their upbeat melodies and cool guitar riffs, powerful bass lines and distinct drum beats have earned them regular support from Tom Robinson at BBC 6 Music, John Kennedy at Radio X, Jim Gellatly and Shell Zenner at Amazing Radio and Gary Crowley at BBC London Intro where they were recently featured guests. They have also been selected by Fender as one of their top ten favourite new acts and have been picked up by Fred Perry Subculture, Record Collector Magazine and most recently Lock Magazine. Berries spent the past year travelling the UK playing various shows and festivals including a sold-out show in Manchester for Scruff of The Neck, Tramlines Fringe, Head For The Hills, Camden Rocks Festival and Kazoopa and ended the year with a sold out headline show in London.

Holly from the band explains, “Faults is the latest release from our second EP. We feel this track showcases a different side to us, we have taken our sound in a different direction. We always aim to write music that is exciting live, which means our set is full of very diverse songs that try to keep the audience on their toes! Faults still has all the energy and breakdowns that we love but with an added eerie, bluesy element in the verses”. FACEBOOK.

Upcoming Tour Dates
March 2nd – Liverpool, Popped Music Presents, Sound
March 3rd – Manchester, Scruff of The Neck Presents, Aatma
March 16th – London, Camden Assembly Scruff of The Neck Presents
March 23rd – Brighton, Scruff of The Neck Presents, Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
April 11th – London, Mark Beaumont Presents at The Monarch
May 12th – Hanwell Hootie Festival.

Alt rock with a few other similar genres circling around, Berries are refreshing to hear and 'Faults' is a natural and unpretentious rocker, one that makes the upcoming EP a very attractive prospect.

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Michelle Mandico - Therese Lithner - Croatia

Michelle Mandico - Ptarmigan.

Background - Nashville singer-songwriter Michelle Mandico has a new single entitled “Ptarmigan” (named for a northern grouse of mountainous and Arctic regions, with feathered legs and feet and plumage that typically changes to white in winter) which was released recently.

Colorado native Michelle Mandico traded in snowy slopes as a ski instructor for the warm sounds of Nashville to deepen her career as a writer and musician. Encouraged by a musical family, Michelle grew up singing with her sisters before learning to play piano at age five and she began songwriting shortly after. Her music is comparable to contemporary artists like Ingrid Michaelson and true classics such as Joni Mitchell.

Mandico’s onstage charisma blossomed in Denver's live music scene and she has headlined notable venues, including Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe, Denver's Lost Lake and The Basement in Nashville. In 2015 Michelle released Half Captive , a piano-pop EP produced by Jacob Schrodt. The EP’s second track, “Give It Up,” was featured on Nashville Indie Spotlight 2017. In April 2017 her song “Name Game” (an soul pop duet with Drew Southwell of Trove) aired on Bravo's Imposters. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The song opens with a gentle acoustic arrangement and Michelle Mandico's sensitive and personal vocals just shine on 'Ptarmigan'. The soundtrack builds a little, however it's the fetching vocals that rightly retain centre stage.

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Therese Lithner - Drown.

Background - With a past in bands like Vaken and My Sound Of Silence, Therese Lithner was an active part of Umeå's flourishing music scene in the early 2010's. To begin writing songs for a solo project wasn't an obvious choice or any direct plan but fell more like a coincidence. 

It was during a session in the rehearsal room, when it suddenly was as the 90s shined through and old childhood idols got free play. With reverb on vocals and guitar, Therese began improvising material, wrote three songs on pure inspiration and recorded them on her mobile phone. Somehow they felt different and the idea of ​​a solo project began to take shape.

After Therese moved down to Stockholm, she started playing with Andreas Sandberg (Magic Potion) in a rehearsal space south of the city. Together with co-producer Linus Johansson (Folkvang, Earthquake, Nightcraft, Old Amica, etc.), the work started with the material that now has resulted in an EP, set for release this spring via Lazy Octopus Records. First single 'Drown' has now been released. The song is a journey through a relationship, it's about the feeling of first wanting to hug the breath out of everything thats beautiful and then let it fall apart. FACEBOOK.

There is a positive and engaging rhythmic musical vibe that underpins 'Drown', an indie rock track that provides plenty of room for Therese Lithner's vocals, to glide and add some melodic and soothing vibes.

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Croatia - Make Circles.

Background from Croatia - We’re Croatia, a synth-pop group from Victoria, British Columbia. Taking heavy influence from the revolutionary sounds of 80’s era pop and electronic groups, we aim to create our own meaningful - and at times darker - alternative to conventional pop music. We’re excited to share with you the video for our new single, “Make Circles”. The first track off of our forthcoming Half Dreams EP set to be released this spring, and the first to be released with our new vocalist.

“Make Circles” is a song celebrating the ridiculous and cliché moments of intimacy that we often end up in despite our best efforts, and the potentially beautiful outcomes that they might offer. We wanted to reflect those themes in the video as simply as possible, while keeping each scene and visual engaging. Rob Willey at Tall Grass Films understood our vision from the very beginning, and really encouraged us to run with the idea.

“The band first approached me with the idea of the opening shot: a cigarette burning in a kind of David Lynch style motel room. The original plan was to simply shoot various hands picking up the cigarette. We'd also shoot a few different images to overlay, including one of the band in the pink/blue light that I had set up. As soon as I saw the band in the light I became really excited about how vibrant it looked. We came up with a variety of ideas for shots on the fly as we were filming. During the editing process I wanted to cut and overlay the images together in a way that would really enhance the moodiness of the song.” - Rob Willey (Tall Grass Film)

The writing and recording process behind “Make Circles” was a quick and natural one for us, along with our decision to release the song alongside it’s visuals. The theme of last minute decision making, and trust in how things will actualize, truly runs throughout the entirety of the song. Whether it’s trusting that a new relationship is worth pursuing, or that 4 hours with a group of strangers, cheap cigarettes, and a small garage in the peak of summer will result in something worth sharing with people. FACEBOOK.

Some potent synths open 'Make Circles' before the beats quickly kick in. The vocals are charismatic and give the song some added edge, and then we have the video that gives a further dimension to the piece, ensuring collectively it's a winner.


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The Loons - Malena Zavala - Tenderfoot

The Loons - Blue Ether / Saturday's Son.

Background - In this click bait, flavor of the month, short attention span world, The Loons are an anomaly. Their records and live performances have commanded the attention of a devoted tribe of fans for twenty years and counting. In that time they’ve made four albums, a bunch of singles, and played gigs in more cities around the world than they can keep count of. They’ve collaborated with original ‘60s music icons like Glenn Ross Campbell of the Misunderstood, Dick Taylor of the Pretty Things, Randy Holden of the Sons of Adam and Blue Cheer, and Michael Stuart-Ware of Love. The Loons have grown and evolved but never compromised, remaining fiercely committed to the untamed spirit and creativity of ‘60s garage, freakbeat and psychedelia.

After fifteen years with the same lineup, they have a musical chemistry that is practically telepathic. Mike Stax, who also publishes Ugly Things magazine, is the lead singer.  Anja Stax plays bass and sings backing vocals. Marc Schroeder and Chris Marsteller play guitars. Mike Kamoo is the drummer and producer.

Mike Stax was already a veteran of several other San Diego bands, including the Crawdaddys and the Tell-Tale Hearts, when he first formed the Loons in 1997. Ebbot Lundberg of the Soundtrack of Our Lives produced the group’s debut album, Love’s Dead Leaves, released by Get Hip Records in 1998. Anja joined on bass after relocating to California from London, where she’d been playing with the Diaboliks, and the rest of the lineup clicked into place soon afterwards.

The Paraphernalia album was released in 2004, followed by Red Dissolving Rays of Light in 2010, which included two tracks with Glenn Campbell of the Misunderstood on steel guitar, and Inside Out Your Mind in 2015. All were recorded at Kamoo’s Earthling Studios in El Cajon, which is outfitted with some of the finest vintage analogue recording gear known to man, including the original eight-track machine from Sunset Sound used to record landmark records by Love, the Buffalo Springfield, the Doors, Clear Light, and Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band.

The Loons catalog is anthologized on an exclusive cassette compilation, Diamonds, Garbage & Gold: The Best of the Loons, released on Burger Records in November 2017. Their song As the Raven Flies can be heard in the recent movie Dances With Werewolves, directed by Donald Glut and Dan Golden. They will be touring in Spain and Italy in March and April of 2018.

The Loons new single, Blue Ether b/w Saturday’s Son, is due for release on Dirty Water Records in March 2018.The A-side is a driving, psychedelic-infused number designed, like all Loons songs, to move your mind as well as your feet. The title and lyrics refer to the elusive, mystical realm where all creative inspiration resides, somewhere between the conscious and unconscious mind. “Saturday’s Son,” originally recorded by the Sons of Adam, has been in the Loons’ live set for years, and having reshaped it, they felt it was time to commit it to vinyl. FACEBOOK.

We have both sides of the forthcoming vinyl single to enjoy, 'Blue Ether' and 'Saturday's Son' are psychedelically gorgeous. Timeless, this could be pure sixties psychedelic glory, the quality of production tells us it's more modern, whatever, it's a feast of sonic delight, enjoy!


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Malena Zavala - Could You Stay.

Background - Last year’s singles ‘Should I Try’ and ‘If It Goes’ showcased Malena Zavala’s inventive new sound. Fusing Latin rhythms with her dulcet vocals, they announced a vital new voice unshackled from the conventions of indie rock. The Argentine born London raised artist, producer and filmmaker is now set to release debut album ‘Aliso’ and new cut ‘Could You Stay’ adds new layers to her exuberant artistry which has already been championed by LOBF, Wonderland, Nylon and much more.  

Born into a family of creatives, Malena draws inspiration from the women in her family and small town in the north of Argentina; from the strong Latino character of her Mother honoured in If It Goes, to her maverick Grandmother who in particular encourages a free-thinking approach.

"Every person in my family is truly unique to me and I draw inspiration from different parts of their life and ideology. I'm really lucky to have people around me that let me be me"

Malena was in a band with her brother for five years before he took an opportunity to move to California, a life dream of his. Whilst in the UK, he was a strong musical influence as an older sibling, and would educate her in his music taste, instrumentation technique, songwriting and recording styles. Losing her mentor, although hard at first, was a vital step for her to step out of the shadows. She holed herself up in his house in Aliso Viejo, California and in a surge of energy and desire to prove herself, wrote most of her first LP in a couple of weeks - within 6 months she had recorded, produced, mixed* (with Gareth Jones*), completed all the art, visuals and videos.

"It's really satisfying to find a way to express yourself and get things off your chest that have been there for years, I’m really glad I found it and kinda surprised as well. I'm finally at peace." FACEBOOK.

The musical arrangement for 'Could You Stay' is seductive enough and beautifully produced. Marlena's vocals are more than capable of matching and adding to the piece, this is beautiful, simply beautiful.

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Tenderfoot - Break Apart.

Background - Tenderfoot’s gorgeous debut album Break Apart is now out, along with its limited-edition white vinyl courtesy of Seattle’s Porchlight Records. To celebrate its release, the dreamy lo-fi folk quartet released a emotional video for the album’s title track “Break Apart” this week.

Tenderfoot will be celebrating the album’s release in each of their respective hometowns; their native Seattle (where the band was formed and where 3/4 of the band still resides), and Brooklyn, where frontman Adam Kendall Woods recently moved. The Seattle show is happening at the Sunset Tavern on February 8th, with two of their favorite local bands supporting, Cumulus and Whitney Ballen, and the Brooklyn show will be taking place on March 16th at C’mon Everybody.

Tenderfoot started out as a solo project on the highways and back roads of the US, when Woods and his partner lived on the road for a year in a vintage camper trailer towed behind a Volkswagen Rabbit pickup truck. After several months on the road, the two men found themselves feeling stranded, frightened, and falling out of love. Woods ultimately moved on, and began pouring his heart and soul into Tenderfoot’s early recordings. With an unabashedly romantic, experimental approach to songwriting and the lush dynamics of a full band, Break Apart encompasses the loss of loved ones, health scares, and strained relationships. The album is a constellation between these moments of turbulence and heartache, but with the hopeful glow of found family. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The first of eight tracks on the bands debut album 'Break Apart' sets standards high & what follows is more than equal to that benchmark. Musically the band create fabulous textures and do vary the mood, whilst retaining a core vibe that is somewhere around dream pop and folk rock, and all points between.


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Canary Islands - Everett Bird - Bryde

Canary Islands - Glöm Baby Glöm.

Background - Swedish Canary Islands, consisting of members from Animal Five, are now en route to a new album release.

They have previously released music under their own format ”3P”: 3 songs, recorded in 3 days, released as a long triple song.They released 3 of these 3P’s in one year.

”Glöm baby Glöm” is the first single from their upcoming album, and it’s a straight forward and dreamy pop song:

”Glöm baby Glöm' is about a person that breaks up with someone they love above all because they deserve that kind of love.” - Martin von Inghardt. FACEBOOK.

'Glöm Baby Glöm' is a smooth flowing indie pop song that is beautifully crafted. The vocals are natural and pleasing regardless of any language barrier, the music is vibrant and equally charming.

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Everett Bird - Bucket of Dark Meat.

Background from Everett Bird - We’re Everett Bird, a Montreal-based trio who are very stoked to be releasing our debut record, People Person, through Royal Mountain Records on February 23rd. We’re sharing the first song that we wrote for the album “Bucket of Dark Meat.”

“Bucket of Dark Meat” is about that feeling of anxiety that takes over when it seems like everyone is being more productive than you. On the other end,  it’s a song about suppressing that feeling with things that make you happy.

Fueled by Guru Energy Drinks, Pilsners and twenty years of friendship, People Person was written in an old Montreal apartment. Everett drank so much Gru that we actually turned purple. To fill out the line up, we picked up Mikey Arcidiacono. After catching him slappin' and tappin' on the razorback at Guitar World, we knew that he was the missing link. 

The album was recorded at Montreal’s Breakglass Studios with Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes, SUUNS), where each session wrapped up with celebratory 306’s (Pilsners) and stogies. The album we created meshes rock, jazz, and R&B, with overtones of punk and garage – pairs well with liquor and a bucket of dark meat in the park. FACEBOOK.

With a title like 'Bucket of Dark Meat' your halfway to being featured, just make sure the song is up to scratch! This is a creative and very catchy track, the ideas, the twists and turns make it very addictive, the album is awaited with intrigue & expectation.

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Bryde - To Be Brave.

Background - After setting up her label Seahorse Music to publish records by like-minded women and help make them more visible in a male-dominated industry, Bryde finished up her debut LP Like An Island flitting between London and LA. Exploring themes of independence, liberation, and relationships, her inimitable brand of candid indie rock is realised with mixing help from Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, PJ Harvey and St Vincent), and mastering by Mandy Parnell.

Lyrically, London based Bryde finds intense internal poetry in everyday adversity. While concentrating thematically on life and human interaction, her songwriting persona wears her bruised yet resolute heart on her sleeve.

For the Wales-born songwriter, it’s not just the technical precision of her lyrics that resonate with a widening fanbase, it’s also her vocal delivery. On her latest song To Be Brave Bryde’s voice carries us beyond the imprecision of words into feelings we all know but can’t delineate.

As she says: “To Be Brave was written as kind of a soft squeeze of the hand to many friends who have, like me, been through many a dark period and put on a brave face and just got on with it. It’s a comment about how we all live out certain episodes of our lives in such a public setting these days that I feel we almost edit them to appear flawless, nothing but smiles.”

To Be Brave is a shock to the system of preconceived notions about the style of artist Bryde is. She’s rock and roll for sure, but protean and poetic, a rocker in the vein of Patti Smith. 'Like An Island' comes out on Bryde's own label Seahorse Music on the 13 of April and will be available to preorder. Support in the form of Women Make Music fund from PRS has been awarded to assist its release. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Time flies, I new we had featured Bryde before, in fact it was back in 2016, still it's good to welcome her back with the new song 'To Be Brave'. The vocals are captivating and just feel so personal, the music gradually builds without dominating, however it does become quite epic, the mood and feeling completes the circle.

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