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Malmö, Sweden-based artist Charlotta Perers AKA Big Fox returns six years after her last album release with new full-length ‘See How the Light Falls’, produced by Tom Malmros (Alice Boman), along with focus track ‘Let Love In’.
Initially due for release in May 2018, Perers received some news which derailed the campaign. “A few weeks before the album was supposed to be released I was diagnosed with lymphoma,” she says. “It all happened very quickly and it was almost like entering a parallel world with a different time scale, rules and priorities. It felt almost like being forced on to one of those ghost trains in a theme park, going in and out of tunnels and not knowing when or how or even if I would be able to get off.”
The whole process also allowed a deeper sense of perspective to come to light for Perers. “Life suddenly became very intense, very here and now - but that amplified positive experiences too. I realized how deeply our happiness is connected to our expectations. If I didn’t expect or demand things of life I could actually be quite happy just playing Yahtzee all day. But it felt good to know that the album was waiting for me on the other side. It was a reminder of something else, the someone I was outside the hospital.”
Layered with hazy synths, string melodies, and soft effortless vocals; ‘Let Love In’ signifies the feeling of desperately longing to be more open with others, and taking new steps to change that. Fusing classic pop and melodic indie, Charlotta has cleverly created a distinctive sound that is both sophisticated and mature.
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Alt-pop teen artist Emmrose shared her debut EP Hopeless Romantics with the world on Friday. A deeply personal collection of songs reflect on love, heartbreak, and finding your own happiness. Emmrose delivers intense, poetic lyrics and catchy pop melodies, immersing listeners into a deeply emotive world of her own.
"Don’t let bad people stay in your life," reflected Emmrose, speaking both on the content of the EP and her own experiences. "It is possible to move on and find happiness. Don’t let the pain of life over come you and take away your spirit. It’s possible to overcome it. It’s okay to be sad, but just know that this sadness isn’t really ‘you’, and your attachment to people isn’t happy and you can move on." While much of the material reflects on heartache and heartbreak, the ultimate message is one of hope, and learning how to find a way to move on.
Hopeless Romantics embraces the idea of interwoven emotions, memories, and experiences, acknowledging how they can continue to impact an individual as they try to move forward in finding their own happiness. "The song 'Takes Me Back' was written a while after I wrote 'Five Months' even though it is heard as an intro to the song," shared Emmrose. "I thought it fit well since it is the memory of what had taken place in the lyrics of 'Five Months'. It was a pretty dark time for me, and the audio effects highlight the lyrics so well. I’m really proud of that track."
Much of her lyrical and musical inspiration comes while writing alone at home. "I’ll either play chords that come to me, or a melody that’s been ringing in my head. Sometimes I write down lyrics and then set it to music," said Emmrose. Over the course of the past year, she recorded Hopeless Romantics, and a surge of new material with producer/engineer Michael Abiuso (Behind the Curtains Media). "I’ve been working with Michael a lot more, and it’s been really exciting," said Emmrose, reflecting on her growth. "While experimenting with sounds in the studio, we often find ourselves working on individual creations until ready to share, we then combine ideas to make something really great. Mike will often suggest some crazy ideas, like having me pick up and play an accordion, or belt lyrics into the bell of a tuba as a vocal effect. We always find ourselves doing something kooky and fun in the studio." Their collaborative efforts showcases itself with intricate details on every track, further accenting her soaring vocals.
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Fake Shape is an Alternative-Indie band from Hamilton, Ontario that formed in September 2018.
All five musicians offer their own aesthetic, creating music that falls between funk, indie-rock, pop and ambient electronic.
They have been writing and recording at Fort Rose in Hamilton and are getting ready to release their debut EP, Night Swim.
The songs drift through contrasting mindsets and morphing textures like navigating a solitary swim through dark water.
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Garage-punk band The Electric Mess share a new single "City Sun" this weekend! Self-described as a dystopian proto-punk ripper, its timing is darkly appropriate, although unintended, with NYC, and the world, coming to a grinding halt over the COVID-19 virus. "City Sun" comes ahead of The Electric Mess' fifth album The Electric Mess V, due out April 17th.
" 'City Sun' is a dystopian tune I wrote about a year ago," reflected front-woman Esther Crow (vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion). "It has some surf elements but also a post-punk vibe, and then a slower, psyched out part with theremin (synth)." While the lyrics reflect darkly, they also provide a sense of hope and ability to overcome. "I think the overall feeling that most of us are experiencing under the current situation and events is what prompted me to write it," continued Crow.
"It specifically refers to the New York City sun, and the setting of the sun/entrance of "the shadow" is a metaphor for the end of the world (as we know it? or...entirely? It's your guess!). Though the song is dark, and times have gotten even darker than when I wrote it a year ago, there's a desperate clutching at HOPE and LIGHT too. The lyrics during the slow/synth part, "what more can I do, here, to keep the light on...in my mind?" reflect a yearning to dig deep inside and stay positive, even though the outside world keeps hurling challenges at us. Ultimately, defeating the darkest elements will depend on fearlessly standing up to evil, and conquering it with love and light. I believe we can do this!"
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