Sara Lew - Genuine Leather - Astari Nite

We don't often link to Spotify however as it's my only source for Sara Lew and her fabulous new single 'Sunday Morning' from the album of the same name, I feel rather obliged to as her music is just so good!

We have a couple of tracks from Genuine Leather's new '2011-2019 Demos, Singles and Live' collection, the band sharing a fine mixture of songs along those lines, as the two we have selected should demonstrate.

Astari Nite return to Beehive Candy for a sixth feature, the bands atmospheric mixture of Gothic and post punk vibes are present as ever, as is their consistent ability to write great new music.
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Sara Lew - Sunday Morning.

Sara Lew has just released her new album ‘Sunday Morning’ and the title track from it is her new single an epic electro-indie exploration inspired by a visit to Scotland. Sara Lewis Sørensen, who recently expanded her artist name from Lew to Sara Lew, now presents her new album Sunday Morning. Centred around Sara’s expressive vocals and intense melodies, ‘Sunday Morning’ is released on May 24th via Copenhagen-based label HUN SOLO Records.

The eight songs on Sunday Morning take the listener through existential human considerations, all wrapped up in beautifully lyrical sounds and dreamy rock electronica melodies.

The title song ‘Sunday Morning’ describes an encounter with the nature of Scotland, and its exemplification of calm and durability. Sara says: ”Sunday Morning is a story based on a special experience I had when I was visiting The Outer Hebrides in Scotland with my family. The scenery was magnificent.

We lived in a house surrounded by endless mountains full of mystery and surrounded by the Atlantic that daily shifted between the ebb and the flood in the most beautiful way. At ebb the seabed emerged as the finest light sandy beach. I went for a walk out on the sand and suddenly I stood in the middle of a rainbow. The song is based on this experience and describes images from this nature around me. And from there also a line of thoughts built on a relation to and history with another human who had finally found peace and new life.”

On ‘Leave The Shed’ Sara encourages a close friend to dare to step into the unknown and away from the safety net surrounding her. Singles ‘You Said’ and ‘Does Anybody Listen’ show her skill at building the relationship between relevant text and impressive musicality, an ability born of years of song writing experience.

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Genuine Leather - Top Of My Heart / Feel It.

Genuine Leather is the brainchild of Texas-based Chris Galis whose been a fixture in the burgeoning Austin scene since 2009. His previous project, Gorgeous Hands, was championed by local press and developed a minor following before the members disbanded to pursue other opportunities. But there was no turning back for Galis. His brain was switched on with visions of distorted, Beatle-esque seventh chords and sweet 70’s California rock.

Genuine Leather was formed by Galis in an attempt to exorcise these creative impulses. The self-produced debut single, “The Viper,” immediately got picked up by the Austin blogosphere, with glowing reviews in The Deli Austin and Pop Press International. Offers for gigs and house shows followed, catching Galis off guard as he had not anticipated forming a live act. To accommodate a live show that would properly reflect the recordings, Galis enlisted 5 of his most trusted compandres to share the banner of Genuine Leather and away they went.

The majority of the band now lives in the same neighborhood in East Austin. Since their inception, they’ve released 2 EP’s, 3 LP’s and tons of B-Sides, all of which have been deconstructed, pulled from and added to comprise the latest release, 2011-2019 Demos, Singles and Live - releasing digitally and on cassette May 24th. The retrospective collection showcases the dynamic trajectory of the band, from ramshackle sessions, recorded while Galis and co. played hookie from work, to newer, more refined material that conjures up the work of Spoon, Mac Demarco and Nick Lowe.


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Astari Nite - As If You Were Dead.

Astari Nite presents new single and video "As If You Were Dead", the emotive track is the first to be released from their upcoming EP. Filling our hearts and minds with emotional resonance, Astari Nite is gearing up to deliver their latest single "As If You Were Dead". The mesmerizing track is the first to be released from their forthcoming EP, due out February 2020.

Moving and thought-provoking, "As If You Were Dead" communicates the complexity of loss and death, merging the downbeat tempo, and sorrowful lyrics with a dissonant yet soaring melody. The mournful subject matter is enough to bring any listener to tears, but the track brims with hope and a forlorn optimism:

"Memories of you is better this way/To feel what was then when it was yesterday" sings lead singer Mychael. "Knowing that you can never speak to someone ever again is the hardest part when dealing with death. Never hearing that person speak or seeing them smile in front of you again, sure makes for a gloomy day. Nevertheless, one can only mourn for so long. In time, happiness will come in waves yet again and the memories just might stay a bit longer."  - Mychael

The single, mastered by Jackknife Sounds owner and Actors frontman Jason Corbett, will be released on Danse Macabre Records. 


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Freedom Fry - Alyssa Trahan - Space Museum featuring Ian Moss

We have featured Freedom Fry a few times, the last being back in January when we shared 'The Seasons' EP. Now we have 'The Sun is Gonna Shine On You' EP, including a video for their superb French version of Elton John's 'Your Song'.

Alyssa Trahan has released 'Petty' a song that has plenty of Nashville influences and a whole lot of feisty energy, she's described as having plenty of sass, well this song kind of endorses that, it's very catchy as well.

Space Museum will release a mini-album called 'Nightmare on Glitch Street' on the seventh of June. The only song with vocals (by Ian Moss) is 'My Name Is Jim' a sort of homage to Jim Morrison with more than a little mischief. Focusing on the musical backdrop gives a hint of what to expect from the other tracks, but only a hint on this "out there" musical excursion. 
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Freedom Fry - The Sun is Gonna Shine On You EP.

Freedom Fry tell us about The Sun is Gonna Shine On You EP. "It was written & recorded both in our home studios in Paris and Los Angeles".

Track 1: “One Man Show” is about how life is best lived with others and you can’t do it all alone.

Track 2: “Your Song,” by Elton John, is such a perfect song. It’s almost intimidating to do a version of it. We had never heard a French version before so we translated the lyrics and were able to keep the meaning the same. Doing it in French felt freeing and helped us to reinvent it slightly and give it another feel.

Track 3: “The Sun is Gonna Shine On You” is an optimistic indie pop song with a dark sense of humor. Everyone will have their day in the sun, it just might not be exactly how they envision it. “Like a drink on the sidewalk all afternoon, yeah, the sun is gonna shine on you.” - Bruce & Marie.


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Alyssa Trahan - Petty.

A little bit of sass and a whole lot of talent. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (she plays over a dozen) and audio engineer Alyssa Trahan is a young force to be reckoned with. She grew up in the small town of East Rochester, NY where she created a major buzz in her hometown and surrounding areas.

In 2016, she made the move to Nashville, TN and has been making big waves in the music industry ever since. In January of 2018, she signed her first publishing deal with Dan Hodges Music. This is an impressive accomplishment for any young writer, but especially for a young female artist that's new in town. Not only that, but she has become a successful producer in Music City, producing not just her own music and demos, but music & tracks for several other artists & writers as well. In a male-dominated business, Alyssa is giving the guys a run for their money.

Alyssa’s newest release “Petty” is an upbeat and wickedly catchy modern country tune. It pays homage to legendary artist, Tom Petty, both lyrically and sonically, drawing influence from his song titles and signature instrumentation. The song was written as a reminder to “be the bigger person” in a tough situation, a message much needed today, while still remaining lighthearted and positive. This song showcases not only Alyssa’s clever songwriting, but her sweet vocals, impressive musicianship, and unapologetic sass.


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Space Museum featuring Ian Moss - My Name Is Jim.

The seventh of June sees the return of Space Museum with a mini-album called "Nightmare on Glitch Street". After a couple of years off concentrating on other projects label co-owner Bob Osborne returns in his Space Museum guise with a predominantly instrumental album. Exploring Asian beats and adopting Stockhausen influenced sound design this latest collection stretches the edges of modern electronic music. The sole vocal track features the other label co-owner Ian Moss with a tongue in cheek homage to Jim Morrison.

Space Museum is the solo project of label co-owner Bob Osborne, one of many projects in which he is involved i.e. Passage of Time, Auster Boys, The Parasite. Bob was originally part of the duo Markoz between 1971-3, and, following time away from music formed the Auster Boys in 1982 with Bob Stow. Originally playing guitar and keyboards Bob moved to wholly computer based composition in the late 1990s. Space Museum was created in 2014 as a vehicle for his work with German Shepherd Records.

Material is exclusively written using Ableton Live. There are occasional partnerships with vocalists and other label-mates. Following an initial partnership with KP2 , Ion-Morph, and House Mouse (Ian Moss) and a couple of solo releases Space Museum was put on hiatus for three years but returned in Spring 2019 with new material.

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HunBjørn - Zoe Konez - Thandii - Party Hardly - Secrecies - Cream with a K

HunBjørn has released a video for 'All The Red' a gorgeous synth pop song where her distinct and dreamy vocals are matched equally by the beautiful musical backdrop.

South London's Zoe Konez writes and performs personal and thoughtful music as is demonstrated by 'We Got Lost' a song that showcases her talent and concern for others in a very fine way.

'Honey' from Thandii doesn't take long to stand out as a beautiful song, the vocals are gentle and melodic and the simple musical arrangement allows them to glide above as the perfect focal point for this piece.

Indie rockers Party Hardly were featured here a couple of times last year, now they make a welcome return with ' The Hopskotch Man' where once again their innovative and likable music is very hard to resist.

Secrecies give synth music some depth and edge with 'Life We Live' an addictive song drenched in emotion and feeling.

Finally today we have Cream with a K and the passionate and simmering pop meets rock song ' It Gets Me Down' where the subtle hooks gradually work there way in deep.
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HunBjørn - All The Red.

All The Red is a song about finding yourself again. It’s about pealing off layers, slowly build by what you think other people expect from you, and about a reaching for the essence and core of what really matters for you. “All The Red” is a metaphor for anger, envy, stubbornness - all the negativity that we sometimes find ourselves in, when we forget to listen to our own voices.

“Originally I wrote the song to my boyfriend, who battles controlling his temper in stressful situations. But it ended up having a more universal message for myself as well, about the importance of listening to yourself, of not letting the outside world influence how and why you do what you do - of trusting your own process”, explains Ulla Pihl, who’s behind HunBjørn.

“If we are able to give time and room for new acknowledgements to flourish, I’m sure that the negativity and all the metaphorical red will be softened and replaced by a surplus of energy and understanding for others. Then is much easier to be open and more empathetic, to the ones near to you, but also globally speaking”.

HunBjørn moves in an electronic dream pop universe. Her sharp productions mixes the soft and vulnerable with a more raw and direct approach. Catchy synth lines and dreamy vocals. She has a strong talent for using new technologies in her branding and marketing of her music and rapidly grew an engaged fan base with her messenger bot called the “She Bear Bot” and an interactive behind-the-scenes experience that fans could join, with personal V-logs, hidden Easter eggs and exclusive live videos.


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Zoe Konez - We Got Lost.

Zoe Konez has never been one to divide her music and personal life, and why would she start now? The South London songwriter spends much of her life connecting with people on hospital wards, making music with people in challenging circumstances. She’s also relentlessly developing her craft as a performer, having completed numerous tours across Europe in recent years.

A musician in the most complete sense, Zoe self-produces her releases. Constructing her songs from start to finish, she works from home, the studio and on the move, taking inspiration from all that’s around her.

Back for 2019 with a collection of brand new tracks to be released over the coming months, Zoe leads with indie-pop gem ‘We Got Lost’. It’s a track draped in dreamy, psychedelic guitar licks and soft, endearing vocals. On the new track Zoe states:

“I wrote the track in the first couple of days of January, in the quiet, reflective time before things started back for the year. I had changed the strings on my electric guitar and the opening chords were the first I played when I finished, and words fell out. I started recording it in my home  studio as I was still writing it. Lyrically the track explores social media and how isolated and pressured we all felt around that, as well as the division and confusion around Brexit"

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Thandii - Honey.

Margate based duo​ Thandii ​have today released new single ​‘Honey’​, as well announcing brand new EP ​‘Serious Town’​, will be released on July 5th.

Having gained support for their blend of sultry female vocals and upbeat pulsating bass lines on previous single ​‘Company’​, Jess and Graham now return with ‘Honey’​, a hint at a darker, and more muted tone from the duo on this melancholic-pop cry for help. This follows a sold out headline show at The Waiting Room in London.

A wistful vocal drifts over a morose and faltering synth; the beat trudges away like an emotional teen; all while Axelrod-esque synths and strings strike in the backdrop. An ode to the melodramatic, ‘​Honey’​ comes from the perspective of someone who believes they always make the wrong decisions in life. ‘​Honey, won’t you save me from myself?’ i​s the resigned outcry of someone who has nearly given up hoping they can​ change.

‘Serious Town’​, out July 5th on the band's own label Bad Hacker, sees a departure in tonality as well as the way it was recorded from Thandii’s previous works. ​“For the EP we chose to spend some time in a proper studio, rather than recording at home as we have done before. One of our favourites is a place called ‘Echo Zoo’ down in Eastbourne - it’s an analogue recording haven more akin to the Southern States than the southern coast of the UK.” T​ he duo wrote and produced the EP themselves and took inspiration from the darker side of the psyche. “Imagine if the voice in your head sang at a dystopian disco.”

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Party Hardly - The Hopskotch Man.

Leeds indie upstarts Party Hardly share fuzzed-up, melodic offering The Hopskotch Man, the first track taken from upcoming EP Modern Strife Is Snobbish dropping later this summer.

Constantly reshaping their sound as they mature and take influence from the urban cityscape and dirty undertones of Leeds and its thriving DIY scene, the quartet’s brand of off-kilter post-punk has swiftly won praise throughout the online community and looks set to continue with the arrival of their forthcoming EP.

Written after guitarist Matt Pownall suffered an injury resulting in reconstructive surgery which left him bedbound for some months, The Hopskotch Man was a culmination of the subsequent depression that tormented his mind:

“The Hopskotch Man is my anxiousness sitting on my shoulder. I would often have very vivid dreams during my recovery and a sinister man would always come and ask me to play a game of hopscotch, knowing full well that I couldn’t walk. The only way I got rid of this recurring nightmare was to look at him dead in the eyes and beat him at his own game. I’ve slept like a baby ever since".

Having already supported rising indie acts including The Magic Gang and Trudy and the Romance and gained BBC 6 Music airplay (Steve Lamacq), the four-piece are primed to continue their ascent with a slew of live dates to follow later this summer.

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Secrecies - Life We Live.

Awash in towering, reverb-drenched production, "Life We Live" is a prime example of the connected interplay between Shawn Magill and Joey Noga across their debut LP, Secrecies, which arrives on June 7th, 2019 via Idol Records.

By complete happenstance, Shawn Magill and Joey Noga met at a Cashmere Cat concert at Dallas venue Deep Ellum in 2017. They instantly connected over their obsession with sexy, synth heavy electro pop and formed Secrecies shortly after.

Together, their multi-layered chilling harmonies unite over playful pulses, evoking the heartaches and joys of passing youth.

They have performed with Alice Merton, Handsome Ghost, Armors, Swimming With Bears, Wilsen, Geneva Jacuzzi, Bad Bad Hats, Night Drive, Nite Jewel and more. Their debut album, SECRECIES, will be released on June 7th, 2019 via Idol Records.

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Cream with a K - It Gets Me Down.

Tokyo via London grunge-pop chanteuse Cream with a K (a.k.a. Lee Tatlock) returns with her latest indie earworm 'It Gets Me Down'. The scorching new track comes with the news that her highly anticipated debut album is on its way and set for release September 27th.

"All my music is Autobiographical, but I wrote 'It Gets Me Down' in LA shortly after I left Japan. I had been living for about 6 years in an extremely strict and controlled environment in Tokyo, and it was a steep learning curve coming to LA by myself", explains Tatlock. "Not only was I suddenly an unknown nobody in a sea of unknown nobodies but I just wasn’t used to speaking up for myself or even taking control of my own world. I think this song was a big step in the direction of 'finding my legs' as Cream with a K."

A musician, visual artist and former model, Cream with a K is most well known for her former involvement as the singer in the Japanese Pop band Neko Punch (Universal Music Japan). Having cut her teeth in the entertainment industry in Tokyo, she decided it was time to reconnect with the West through Cream with a K in early 2016, her first fully English project since her start in music. Pulling her influences from her hometown of London, her adopted hometown of Tokyo and pairing them alongside fuzzy grunge tones and etherial pop vocals makes her first solo effort a surefire head turner.

Working alongside many noteworthy Japanese producers such as Takeshi Kobayashi, Hydain and Shingo Yasumoto and bilingual in Japanese and English, she also turned her hand to song and lyric writing for other Japanese and Korean artists. In Tokyo, seen as a cultural figure who links the UK and Tokyo Music scenes, she was the TV host of the Japanese Rock music TV Show NHK’s “Nippon Rocks” series.

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Empathy Test - Danny Starr

We have to go back to late 2017 for our last feature on Empathy Test, however the electronic pop band have returned with 'Empty Handed' a song that indicates the bands capability to produce synthwave music with a deeper edge, and as anticipated, to a very high standard.

Danny Starr has shared 'Plastic Magic' a song that manifests personal earnestness, with a gorgeous musical arrangement and his outstanding vocals.

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Empathy Test - Empty-handed.

UK Electronic-Pop band Empathy Test is pleased to announce the release of their limited edition EP, Empty-Handed available on limited edition digipack CD, 7" vinyl and digital formats June 20!

Following the success of double A-side single, "Holy Rivers / Incubation Song", which has racked up over 150,000 streams on Spotify since its October release and was praised by Clash Music for its “shimmering synths, glacial electronics, and heartrending vocals”, London Synthpop group Empathy Test returns with a second, tantalising taste of their upcoming third album, in the form of new single "Empty-Handed."

Empty-Handed presents another sonic leap forward for a band that has never been one to tread water when it comes to their sound, presenting a harder, darker style whilst simultaneously tipping their proverbial hat to the Synthwave scene that helped launch their career back in 2014. An arpeggiated synthesiser provides a relentless momentum from the get-go, while the deceptively simple composition gradually builds to its epic conclusion.

Opening line, “My heart is an empty vessel / Drifting out to sea” sets the tone both lyrically and emotionally. It’s about being unable to give a partner the emotional support or commitment they need and the feeling of emptiness that comes with that. As always, Empathy Test delivers a perfect marriage of music and emotion, the sudden flourishes of strings and synthesisers rushing past like spirits in the night.

There’s a sense of urgency here that has not been present previously, as well as an innate confidence that suggests the third album, which comes after the simultaneous release of two debut albums Losing Touch (Remastered) and Safe From Harm in November 2017 and is slated for release in early September, might just be the band’s most accomplished to date.

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Danny Starr - Plastic Magic.

Danny Starr is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from London. His two EPs have been featured on BBC Radio 1 Introducing, Amazing Radio and major blogs and radio worldwide, where Danny’s exceptional lyric writing and heartfelt vocal delivery have found scores of high profile fans.

Danny’s well-crafted pop songs cover a lot of ground the roots of which are in eras well before his time, take for example new single ‘Plastic Magic’. James Taylor and Jeff Buckley’s footsteps effortlessly lead to London where Danny mixes melody and rhyme into a soundtrack of poignant millennial longing. Never afraid to tackle big, demanding issues, Danny has the incredible knack of turning everyday observations into earworms with deep meaning.

Danny Starr is a regular on London’s singer-songwriter circuit and has played The Great Escape as well as Frank Turner’s Lost Evenings Festival at The Roundhouse and Reverbnation’s Discover nights, who also recruited Danny to their Connect programme. He has appeared on Sofar Sounds and his own headline show at Notting Hill Arts Club was sold out.

Danny’s new intoxicating single ‘Plastic Magic’ (out 21st June) sounds a bit like The Divine Comedy’s best pop moments but for a new generation, oozing style and desperation in equal measure. Ed Harcourt meets The 1975’s Matt Healy perhaps…

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