Joy Autumn - Cedric Warner Sparkman - Christopher Pellnat

Joy Autumn - Go.

Background - Go is singer-songwriter Joy Autumn at her most vulnerable. The sparse nature of the song allows room for its listener to breathe into Autumn’s pain, intimately feeling her internal struggle between loving someone so deeply and yet desperately needing to tell them to go.

With lush strings and cinematic harmonies, Joy’s raw and breathtaking vocals float from first verse until final second. Go transports any listener back to that heartbreakingly necessary moment of convincing yourself that you can and will leave. The song is a part of Joy Autumn’s upcoming EP, Midnight, an atmospheric indie-pop record about the dark side of making it as an artist in Hollywood.

“The hardest thing you can possibly do is walk away from someone that you viscerally love and feel is a part of you. In that moment,  I realized that I had to pick my own well-being, even though the distorted reality is that I perhaps loved this person even more than I did myself.” WEBSITE.

Lush and enticing vocals are all apparent from the opening moments of 'Go' a dreamy and intimate song that is both personal, vulnerable and above all, quite mesmerising.

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Cedric Warner Sparkman - Black Rabbit.

Background - "Black Rabbit," the new Cedric Warner Sparkman song that we have the extreme pleasure of releasing, was in the works for five years. It was worth the wait. Cedric would never be accused of working too fast, but it's worth the wait. 

His new concoction is a glam-tinged confection of great harmonies and killer riffs. An amalgam of T-Rex guitars meet postpunk drums and are held together by Cedric irresistable, gooey melodies. A three part pop suite awaits the listener. Three minutes later, you're going to want to go on the sonic journey again.

Cedric Warner Sparkman grew up in the small Eastern Kentucky town of Hazard. His grandfather was in The Kentucky Hilltoppers, and his father was the lead guitar player in The Cornerstones. He was involved in musical theater from age ten, which pushed his musical inclinations towards melody and drama instead of the grunge rawk and country music that his peers preferred. 

Listening to his father's Beatles records and his brother's Pet Shop Boys tapes only developed that interest further. He was a member of Great Went, Varsovia, and Candidate before striking out on his own with his first solo single, PSB. BANDCAMP.

'Black Rabbit' is vibrant and rhythmic and as far as I am concerned could have been twice as long and still needed a second spin immediately. It's alt rock with a good hint of pop and it's fabulous!

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Christopher Pellnat - Ode to Olivia Rhodes - ft. Erin Pellnat.

Background from Chris Pellnat - This song is inspired by the virtual reality (VR) video game, "Lone Echo," which is played on an Oculus Rift. "Lone Echo" blew my mind, not just because of the amazing visuals and the simulated feeling of being weightless in space - but also because of the immediate connection you feel with the main characters.

You play as a robot (Jack) and your companion at the space station is a live person (Olivia Rhodes). Phenomenal voice acting by Troy Baker and Alice Coulthard, respectively, really bring these characters to life. What fascinates me are multiple levels of perception, illusion, and meaning in VR, and the game raises important questions about consciousness, artificial intelligence, and human connections.

As "Jack" you are an AI robot (even though you know you're actually a human being sitting there with a VR headset on in your room) and you feel a connection with "Liv" - who is human - but of course both are actually 3-D virtual reality illusions - one of which you "inhabit". But this inhabitation is so convincing that you are completely immersed. Olivia speaks to you like you're human, so you really feel like a conscious piece of AI, and that she is your friend.

So the magic happens because you buy into the illusion - suspend disbelief. It kind of sneaks up on you. Suddenly you are Jack in a very real way. The illusion becomes all. So this song is written from Jack's perspective - as multi-layered as that is.... Chris Pellnat: TWITTER - Erin Pellnat: BANDCAMP.

Regulars to Beehive Candy may well have noticed that we have featured Christopher and Erin Pellnat both collectively and as solo artists a few times now, and whilst the music remains this good, why not! 'Ode to Olivia Rhodes' gently tells it's story, allowing the energy levels to gradually build and the melodic hooks to dig in very deep.

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NewTown - Ella Grace - Lusterlit

NewTown - Naomi Wise.

Background - Kentucky Bluegrass band NewTown is bringing new life to the “Old World” with their new single “Naomi Wise,” an old English murder ballad written in modern times. It tells the story of commoner Naomi Wise who falls in love with a man in high-standing and what happens when forbidden love takes a dark turn.

Written by Donna Hughes, the haunting “Naomi Wise” serves as a cautionary tale, staying true to the English ballad style. Yet NewTown brings a fresh take with progressive arrangements that harken back to Appalachian roots. The song and accompanying video is the first release from the band’s upcoming album “Old World,” expected later this summer from Mountain Home Music Company. It sets the tone for the rest of the album, highlighting the vocals of both Kati and Jr. Williams and giving listeners a taste of what the band does best — bring tradition into the modern age.

“Donna Hughes is one of the most prolific songwriters in bluegrass and acoustic music, and she has written one of the best songs of her career with ‘Naomi Wise,’” says Jr. Williams. “The classic, tragic love story is portrayed  here and written so beautifully and vividly.”

Songwriter Donna Hughes says, “It was more than exciting to learn that NewTown would be recording this song! The story of Naomi Wise was a very shocking tale. The legend around her hometown of Randleman, NC, is that she haunts the area still. A young orphan teenage girl with so much hope, lends her trust to a young man of means. The story of deception & betrayal is timeless, and familiar to every generation of souls.” WEBSITE.

With a classic story telling style and some top quality duel vocals, 'Naomi Wise' is a fabulous slice of Bluegrass, where expressions such as Roots, Americana, and Timeless comfortably rub shoulders together, whilst NewTown do their beautiful thing...


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Ella Grace - Run.

Background - Indie folk newcomer Ella Grace shares evocative new cut Run, her second release via Ont’ Sofa Records focusing on the pain and heartbreak of a failed relationship and her transition to a better life. Using music to sooth and heal, the 22-year-old Londoner’s therapeutic songwriting is laid bare once more in her latest single, the follow-up to acclaimed debut effort Here We Are Again out late last year.

Having developed an impressive online following (over 200,000 Instagram followers), the young female activist touches on aspects of sustainable living, mental well being and feminism whilst sharing a very raw personal journey through her teenage years, aspects of which are firmly rooted in her music. In Run, Ella’s supreme honesty and spiritual observations on 21st century life permeate her dulcet, husky vocals, exemplifying the songwriter’s burgeoning talent ahead of her debut live shows and further releases later this summer.

Speaking ahead of the track’s release, Ella stated: “Run was a super cathartic song to write and record, it was a message to someone I loved. I wrote it during a time when I was really split between two worlds. Run was this promise to try and stay with somebody whilst my heart was pulling me in other directions. It was a really bittersweet time for me and I think this track captures it perfectly”. TWITTER.

Graceful indie folk, London style, is the first description that sprung to mind when listening to 'Run'. So I go with my first instinct on this, and just throw in a couple of superlatives like imaginative and seductive, for good measure.

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Lusterlit - You Were Never Really Here.

Background from Lusterlit - We've created a double-A-sided single, Lusterlit's ode to Jonathan Ames' new pitch-black novella/film You Were Never Really Here, with 2 songs, which we wrote for Bushwick Book Club events that included the author in Brooklyn and LA 

The twisted pop of Rolodex and and the relentlessly dark River, available now on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music etc. and on vinyl 45, courtesy of Brooklynphono!

Both feature our cinematic blend of electronic and acoustic textures: vintage beatboxes, swirling guitars, Korean drum and sublimely layered vocals, all mining Jonathan Ames' noirish page-turner for more inspired songcraft about books. BANDCAMP.

Comprising of two tracks 'River' and 'Rolodex' the latest music from Lusterlit based on 'You Were Never Really Here' continues to impress me in a big way. Their somewhat darker electronic music remains at the very least absorbing, and the occasionally more "out there" moments are a delight.

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Frøkedal - Batz - AyOwA

Frøkedal - Treehouse.

Background - Oslo, Norway based Frøkedal nears closer to forthcoming second full-length album ‘How We Made It’, today releasing the album’s summer-ready lead cut ‘Treehouse’. The track is breezy, though no less brutal – as the opening line may suggest – with a visually inspired lyric that details a mischievous plot to tear down a tree-topped kingdom. “Treehouse was inspired by a six year old kid who tore his older brother’s treehouse to pieces without knowing he was being watched,” singer/songwriter Anne Lise Frøkedal explains.

“Even if it seems meaningless and silly, the joyful mischief of it feels strangely familiar.” “This idea – or this way of behaving – kind of translates to everyone at some point. Sometimes it just feels better to tear stuff up. Or maybe, tearing stuff down for others feels better than building up your own,” she says. “You’re doing something and you know you’re gonna get in trouble for it but it’s better somehow – you just want to be part of the game.”

Far from the acoustic sensibilities of her earlier material, new album ‘How We Made It’ – released August 31 via Propeller Recordings – signals an arguably more “mature” sound, combining full band with folk-leaning string sections. Though the instrumental approach feels more expansive and fully fledged, the album is thematically inspired by Frøkedal's more "immature" personal traits, by her own admission – detailing “unfiltered, impulsive thoughts and actions fuelled by everything from fear, love and deep passion to red hot anger.”

“When I started writing this new material, I was picturing different ages or stages in our lives when our vision gets a little blurred,” she says. “I wanted the songs (and the characters) to channel these critical moments when decisions are dominated by emotion and not necessarily by logic.” TWITTER.

Following on from 'I Don't Care' which we shared earlier last month Frøkedal returns with 'Treehouse' another gorgeous, fresh and modern folk song. As always the vocals are melodic and are surrounded by some top quality musicianship carefully arranged to allow everything to shine through.

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Batz - Save Us.

Background - Melbourne's Batz swoop in to save the day again with electric new single 'Save Us'. A heady mix of razor wire guitar, propulsive percussion and glimmers of psychedelia, Chrissie Aubry's captivating vocals shine on Batz' latest offering that will chew you up and spit you out in the nicest way possible. Glittering, infectious and unapologetic, 'Save Us' teeters on the precipice of wishful thinking meets transparent actuality.

BATZ aka Melbourne artist Chrissie Aubry tells the tale of earlier days spent living in London, where the nights were long and the romance was flowing. "I had flashbacks of nights out in London with my girlfriends and meeting various randoms, (some who became love interests) and thinking about scenarios where you felt like you could save the relationship. I always feel like I'm the one that can save friendships and relationships, fighting for the last hope to salvage something special", Aubry explains.

Expanding to a five-piece live, Batz take their notoriously raucous show on the road this month, hitting Frankie's Pizza in Sydney on May 31st and The Grace Darling in hometown Melbourne on June 2nd in support of the new single. Recorded at Los Bomberos Studios, the track was engineered and produced by Alex Markwell (The Delta Riggs) and mastered by David Briggs (Little River Band and Australian Crawl).  Batz' latest stomper that follows enigmatic single 'Gameshow Queen' (2017) and fiery debut EP, 'Night Terrors' (2016). With new single 'Save Us', BATZ have well and truly come out of hibernation, guns blazing and guitars at the ready to woo you like never before. TWITTER.

Opening with a feisty and driving beat 'Save Us' is a seductive indie rocker, with plenty of pop sensibilities, ensuring the hooks are everywhere, and the urge to listen again is soon established.

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AyOwA - alt det du ku'.

Background - “Alt Det Du Ku” is a song about standing between break-ups and breakthroughs and in the abstract of looking forward to the future whilst being back in time simultaneously. On "Alt Det Du Ku" AyOwA still have their electronic approach in focus but with more acoustic elements, the band explores new sides of their music. With an infectious rhythm and sweet affected vocal it’s quite a mysterious track.

With modular synths, old tape machines and ethereal vocals, new Danish duo AyOwA channel their Nordic roots creating their dark, electronic, atmospheric songs. Sung in Danish, but with a certain universal and dreaming approach, AyOwA combines noise pop with electronica and melodies with improvisation, in an evocative and playful mix.

Together with the duo's third member - drummer Anders Meinhardt - AyOwA has an energetic and captivating live show. AyOwA had a busy festival season in 2017 with appearances at Spot and Roskilde Festival, the opening of the Marina Abramowich Exhibition at Louisiana and extensive concert activities at many of the country's venues. Then they headed straight into the studio to work their magic on new material. TWITTER.

Well this is our fifth feature for AyOwA, I really didn't realise it had been that many, however as soon as 'alt det du ku' started I was reminded of their distinct and intriguing electronic sound. It feels a little softened this time around, which I suppose in part, demonstrates their ability to gradually move into new territory, doing so well and without losing any of their musical character.

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Curse Of Lono - The Hanging Stars - The Mobros - Cape Weather

Curse Of Lono - Valentine.

Background - London five-piece Curse Of Lono have announced the release of second album As I Fell on August 17th, and plus new single Valentine. “Valentine is about the kind of murderous jealousy that twists you up until you don’t recognise yourself anymore. The sort of dejection that will make you do things you know you will regret,” says Felix. “I think the vocal harmonies floating over the tribal beat, distorted bass and filthy baritone guitar going through a tiny 1950’s Selmer practice amp, really capture that feeling.”

Second album As I Fell, produced by Oli Bayston (Boxed In) was recorded half at Rancho V, a remote desert studio in Joshua Tree, and half at Flesh & Bone Studios in Hackney; and the album is accompanied by a documentary ‘Somewhere In Their Heads’ by Gregg Houston (Noel Gallagher, Two Door Cinema Club, Michael Kiwanuka, Foy Vance).

Joining Felix in Curse Of Lono, who formed in London in 2015, are Joe Hazell (lead guitar and vocals), Dani Ruiz Hernandez (keys and vocals), Charis Anderson (bass and vocals) and Neil Findlay (drums).

As I Fell is the follow-up to their 2017 debut Severed, and builds on Curse Of Lono’s deeply cinematic blend of harmony-laden Americana and driving, gothic alt-rock. It’s a sound that owes as much to old faithfuls like The Doors and The Velvet Underground as it does to more modern practitioners of the form such as The War On Drugs and Wilco. WEBSITE.

Well we featured Curse Of Lono once in 2016, once in 2017 and now for the first time in 2018, I kind of hope we might get a second crack at sharing some more of their music this year. 'Valentine' demonstrates abundantly that the band have a distinct and highly engaging style and sound, the video adds more, as the band expand on the simmering tension and focus of the song,


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The Hanging Stars - For You (My Blue Eyed Son).

Background - Ahead of their forthcoming tour with kaleidoscopic Californian folk-rock janglers GospelbeacH, The Hanging Stars share their new single "For You (My Blue Eyed Son"). The track is co-written and sung by Richard Olson (The See See/Eighteenth Day Of May) and Patrick Ralla (Alan Tyler Show, Edwin Colilns). It is perhaps the most traditionally country song on their recent critically acclaimed Songs For Somewhere Else album, with two-part lead vocal continuing throughout, supported by finger-picked guitars and classic drum shuffle.

The tour with GospelbeacH starts on 28 May in Brighton and heads through Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newport, finishing up at London's Bush Hall on 4 June. The Hanging Stars will also be playing an acoustic set at the Red Rooster Festival.

Channeling the sounds of The Byrds, Big Star and The Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as hints of Mojave 3 and The Allah Las, The Hanging Stars mainline the dying embers of the early 70s psychedelic folk and cosmic country scenes.

Recording was conducted at the legendary Bark Studios in Walthamstow with Brian O'Shaughnessey (The Clientele, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine) at the helm. Joining Richard Olson and Patrick Ralla in The Hanging Stars are Sam Ferman on bass, Paulie Cobra on drums and pedal steel courtesy of Joe Harvey-Whyte. They had a collective attitude to performances on the album, with additional input from US friends Collin Hegna (Federale, Brian Jonestown Massacre), Miranda Lee Richards (on the emotive duet “How I Got This Way”), and Christof Certik (Brian Jonestown Massacre, Winter Flowers), as well as Alison Cotton on viola (Left Outsides, Eighteenth Day Of May), Luke Barlow (Nought) on flute and Thomas Wake on clarinet. WEBSITE.

There are plenty of folk and country rock vibes from times gone by, on 'For You (My Blue Eyed Son)' a sumptuous and catchy affair. Whatever comparisons there might be for bands of old, this is fresh and beautiful, and thoroughly deserves the "timeless" seal of approval.

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The Mobros - Carrie Anne.

Background - The Mobros have shared a new video for their single, "Carrie Anne." “Who are we, and where do we go from here?” These were the questions on the minds of Kelly and Patrick Morris in late 2016. After bringing to an end a long but successful two and a half year tour, playing venues and music halls from small to large from coast to coast including festivals such as SXSW (twice), Midpoint Music Festival, Sweetwater 420 fest to name a few, and recording a live session with Daytrotter. Garnering new fans and attention from various press outlets along the way they averaged over 250 shows a year all in support of their 2014 debut release “Walking With A Different Stride.”

In the midst of it all, they found themselves coming to terms with the fact that they were not progressing in the ways they felt they needed to with their songwriting, and recording. Between being on the road and living in Chicago it was hard to find a permanent place to work and move forward with their music in the ways they wanted to do.

The brothers packed up and headed back to their home state of South Carolina to find a space conducive to living, writing, and recording without the limitations and pressures of time and money that commercial studios usually entail. They needed a home, somewhere to recuperate and hone the sound and conceptive direction they wanted to take with their next release. They found themselves looking in the city Charleston, SC, two hours south of their hometown of Camden, and a place they had spent some time between tours in 2014.

A year later they emerge with a collection of songs that embody the writing and production style developed during their time spent at “Leon’s Electric House.” These works follow suit with challenging the same questions they have asked themselves “Who are we, and Where do we go from here?” The first single off the upcoming release is entitled “Carrie Anne.” WEBSITE.

The video for 'Carrie Anne' is a good one as it adds some additional intrigue to the song. That said the song is just as good with eyes closed and taking in the fabulous vocals and refined rock backdrop.


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Cape Weather - Never Say.

Background - Los Angeles-based Cape Weather released their new single "Never Say". This is the follow up to the bands first single "Telephono",  which received a great amount of blog love and major support from Spotify being added to almost every major Indie Playlist, as well as a video premiere with NPR Music a couple weeks ago.

The band is a collaboration between Natalie Smith and Eric Jackowitz. They’ve both played in bands for years; Eric playing drums for Nick Waterhouse, and Natalie bouncing around the Oakland scene while silently releasing music under solo monikers. After both feeling like it was time to make something their own, the two best friends who attended Berklee College of Music together decided to start writing songs over the internet while Eric was on tour with Waterhouse and thus Cape Weather was born.

"Never Say" encapsulates the simplicity of 60's pop, a nostalgic throwback whose vocal performance brings to mind Trish Keenan of Broadcast and teases their debut EP for Future Gods later this year. If interested, please feel free to reach out as we will be looking to place three more songs in the near future and obviously, we would love all the support we can get with this one. BANDCAMP.

'Never Say' is a lush and melodic dream pop type of song with some natural sixties feeling coursing throughout the piece. It's classy, addictive and deserves to be heard.

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