Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards - Art of Empathy - Josiah Johnson - Nicole Atkins

Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards share 'From The Ashes' as a preview for their 'Bitter Better' album set for release in July. Their claim to push the boundaries of folk and roots music is subtly born out with this gorgeous track. === The first single and video from Art of Empathy 'End Of I' album is the atmospheric piece 'Where Souls Shine Brightest' a song that is both mysterious and dramatic. === Josiah Johnson has just released his new single 'False Alarms' which gradually builds into a beautiful, personal and totally engaging song, where the splendid musical arrangement is just right for his vocals. === Nicole Atkins has shared 'Mind Eraser', a new track from her upcoming album 'Italian Ice' due out at the end of the month, the song itself takes on the subject of Lucid dreams (and do I get plenty of those) doing so with an addictive and imaginative mixture of sounds.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards - From The Ashes.

Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards have shared their song "From the Ashes" from their July 17 album BITTER BETTER. The album finds the group drawing on their extensive string music background and knowledge of folk and roots music, incorporating dance-worthy foundational grooves, synth, and loops to push the boundaries of the genre. Inspired by the resilience of friends in California who lost their homes following the 2018 wildfires, San Francisco native Laura Cortese wrote this autobiographical song. "'From the Ashes' came from me thinking about all the ways things are torn down and rebuilt, including ourselves, in a lifetime,” she says.

“In fall 2017, we toured through California weeks after the Tubbs fire that combined with high winds burned more than 36,810 acres and destroyed over 5,643 structures, including four friends’ home,” says Cortese. “What surprised me most was the resilience and strength I witnessed in these friends as they set out to rebuild their lives. As we sit here confined to our apartments and houses, I’m again struck by how quickly people have aimed for solidarity. What can we do for our neighbors? Are we calling our friends who live alone to make sure they aren’t truly isolated? Hundreds of online festivals have popped up intending to support artists & venue staff as well as bring a bit of joy into each other’s day."

BITTER BETTER showcases Cortese and multi-instrumentalist producer Sam Kassirer (Lula Wiles, Lake Street Dive) striving to capture the most adventurous approach to each moment. While the album’s 11 tracks provide relief and release, they also encourage self-examination and personal discovery—the work that is necessary to sustain the energy needed to keep striving, to connect, and to continue to make our complicated world a better place.

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Art of Empathy - Where Souls Shine Brightest.

Aenaos Records will publish the album “End of I” by the Belgian artist Art of Empathy as a special Limited Collector’s Media Book Edition, which will be hand-numbered and limited to 100 copies.

The Limited Collector’s Media Book Edition is available exclusively on Aenaos Records' website: Here. Aenaos Records now revealed the first single and video of the album, “Where Souls Shine Brightest”, which is available as a free download on their brand-new website and at Bandcamp.

About Art of Empathy - Art of Empathy is a Belgian one-man project creating music that embraces Neofolk: grounded on acoustic guitars and combined with dreamy or dark synths and whispering, haunting vocals. Sometimes dark romantic, sometimes apocalyptic. Its character full of awe for the wonders of nature. Always driven by melancholy.

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Josiah Johnson - False Alarms.

Josiah Johnson – a former and founding member of the Billboard chart-topping band The Head and the Heart - has begun a new musical journey in 2020. Today he is sharing his new ANTI- Records single titled 'False Alarms'.

“There were a few big relationships there in the writing of ‘False Alarms,’ but most present on my mind was my friendship with Jon [Russell, of The Head And The Heart],” Johnson explains. “There are waves and waves of love, of creative force, of spark and hard work creating the whole journey; we’re light-years from where we met now. I was (and still am) learning to accept how we sometimes have to feel the sting of loss in order to be willing to learn the rough lessons and do the hard work. And I’m thankful to be here now.”

Like many before him in need of recovery and self-love, Johnson has learned to cope with ghoulish feelings of self-doubt and he does so with new collaborative tools and creative blueprints in tow, buoyed by a single idea: no matter what happens, the world will still turn and you’re still here.

Earlier this year Johnson released his thoughtful, uplifting debut single “World’s Not Gonna End”. “I know you’re more than capable,” Johnson sings on the single, “It hurts but you can grow large enough to allow it all.” In an age when so many feel resolute anger and pain, this warmly delivered, poignant chorus of personal rebirth and renewed possibility is paramount.

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Nicole Atkins - Mind Eraser.

Nicole Atkins has shared 'Mind Eraser', a new track from her upcoming album 'Italian Ice' (29 May / Single Lock Records) today. A groovy meditation on lucid dreaming co-written with My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel, the string-laden song draws from a wide range of influences including Serge Gainsbourg, Radiohead and Roy Orbison. It’s a wholly distinct addition to an album that Nicole has described as "an acid trip through my record collection.”

"Mind Eraser" follows the release of Italian Ice's radio single "Domino," which has been hailed by Pitchfork as “an apocalyptic groove" with "retro glamour" and "shades of French touch and Jessie Ware.” Rolling Stone deemed it "an excellent disco song for our troubled times."

Co-produced by Nicole and Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), “Mind Eraser” was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio with a dynamite band consisting of Jim Sclavunos and David “Moose” Sherman from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Dap-Kings’ Binky Griptite, drummer McKenzie Smith (St. Vincent, Midlake), and Spooner Oldham and David Hood of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

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Endless Forms - Zoe & Cloyd - Jenny Banai

We have three tracks from Endless Forms brand new album 'More Than Candy' with each song exploring differing styles where warm synths, dramatic musical backdrops and refined vocals vie for our attention. === We featured Zoe & Cloyd around a year ago (time flies) and their new song 'Where Do You Stand' is a thoughtful piece with some classic Americana vibes. === Jenny Banai was featured back in February with 'Couch Walker' and her new song 'Intermittent Heart' is another gorgeous and imaginative modern pop affair.
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Endless Forms - More Than Candy (Album).

Endless Forms have released their third album, More Than Candy. The album is their first since 2017's If There Were Water and follows an appearance of their song "Lungs" on Netflix show Elite.

"This is serious listening for the serious-minded music fan," V13 raved in a review earlier this week. "Allen seems very much at home throughout More Than Candy, operating in a mellowy, interpretative space that knows no limits."

The project is Tulsa-based singer/producer Justin Allen's first as a solo project, pairing down from a three piece band in the wake of Water.

"I never had any intention of ending Endless Forms," Allen elaborated in a recent interview. "In 2017, I was in a weird headspace with my art, and I really needed to find a new imagination for what it meant to be an artist... I knew I had more music in me, and I learned again how to enjoy creation itself."


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Zoe & Cloyd - Where Do You Stand.

As we navigate through a year already fraught with both ongoing and new, unanticipated crises, the need for dialogue and common ground has never been clearer. That’s the message of the new Organic Records single from Zoe & Cloyd, which sets its titular question — “Where Do You Stand?” — to a hard-driving, traditional-leaning bluegrass groove.

“‘Where Do You Stand’ is a commentary on the state of our national discourse,” says John Cloyd Miller of the powerful new original, written together with his wife and musical partner, Natalya Zoe Weinstein. “Often, it's the farthest ends of the political spectrum that make the news and it seems like inflammatory rhetoric is the only thing that gets heard these days. I'd like for us to remember that we're all connected and are more alike than we are different, no matter who tries to convince us otherwise. For us to move forward, we have to find common ground on which to build a path toward a sustainable future."

The single is the first new release from the duo and their band — banjoist Bennett Sullivan and bass player Kevin Kehrberg — since last fall’s full-length debut for Organic, I Am Your Neighbor. Produced by Jon Weisberger, the song kicks off with hard-edged fiddle that gives way to Miller’s equally biting lyric indictment of “voices in the chamber halls calling each other wrong” before Weinstein joins to harmonize with him on a memorable chorus built around the title’s urgent question. Fiddle and banjo engage in their own riveting dialogues as the lyrics wonder, “are we too dug in to face the truth, we’re getting nowhere fast.”

With “Where Do You Stand,” Zoe & Cloyd reaffirm their role as leading voices in a new generation of artists expressing the evolution of Southern Appalachian music and culture.

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Jenny Banai - Intermittent Heart.

Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements and whose live show commands attention.

Often garnering comparison to vocalists such as Feist and Jeff Buckley, Jenny Banai’s creative influences range from Andy Shauf to Patrick Watson to The Cranberries. Armed with classical training on both voice and violin, Jenny performs live on electric guitar and brings a unique vision to the creation of powerful progressive pop music.

Following her self-released debut album, Flowering Head (2015), Jenny independently undertook several Canadian tours, collaborated on the documentary Where We Come Home, and early in 2017, her song Boars was featured on the TV and web series The Drive. In 2018, Jenny received Fraser Valley Music Awards, “Folk Artist of The Year”.

Jenny’s new album entitled, couchwalker was recorded at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver with co-producer, Scott Currie and engineer, John Raham (Frazey Ford, Destroyer, We Are The City).

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Sunbather - Lenkie - Hausers - Sunburn

Sunbather just released 'Wide Open' and the Brisbane dream-pop duo serve up a smooth flowing song with some gorgeous atmospheric vibes. === Today Lenkie shares 'Trouble' where the 17-year-old South African artist (living in New York) impresses with some mature soulful modern pop. === Hausers recently shared 'Phoung Mai' and the Milan, Italy based four piece band deliver some powerful and expansive indie rock. === Sunburn are a Dublin based band whose latest song 'Jump The Gun' has already gained them some deserved attention, the track is a solid rocker with plenty of natural passion.
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Sunbather - Wide Open.

Brisbane dream-pop duo Sunbather have returned with their second single ‘Wide Open,’ an emotive song about finding closure.

The first song written for their upcoming debut EP Brown Bread set for release on Friday 26th June, ‘Wide Open’ features lightly spatialised guitars, thoughtful vocal harmonies and gorgeous swells across the deeply introspective piece. “The song explores the sense of space that opens up in your soul when you can truly let someone go, without forgetting or devaluing them,” explains vocalist Sally Latter.

“I had a really simple chord progression and a draft melody to start, and Mike then came up with the lead guitar lines over the top. Mike then wrote the demo drumbeat on our terrible friend-of-a-friend’s drumkit and we recorded it with vocal mics. Despite all that, even with just the very rough bones of the song, we knew it would be one for the EP.”, Sally continues.

In spite of these humble beginnings, they were able to turn it into the polished, dreamy finished product being released today with the help of producer Aidan Hogg (Plutonium Studios) and Stu McKenzie (Good Boy, Future Haunts) on drums.

The track releases accompanied by a music video edited by the duo, producing a Super 8 home movie aesthetic. "This video is a catalogue of our time in Myanmar in the first few months of 2020," explains guitarist Michael Todman. Shot over three locations, the pair temporarily relocated to Myanmar for Sally’s work as a humanitarian lawyer, where the duo lived in a guesthouse characterised by toothpaste-green walls, unsympathetic fluorescent lighting and the sound of monks chanting into the night. “We found it hard to adapt at first, but we were shown kindness by many people. Putting the music video together was an exercise in documenting the moments of beauty in a time that was also tough and confronting,” Michael continues. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the lush soundscapes of the song: juxtaposing beautiful seaside imagery with the track’s sombre, reflective nature.

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Lenkie - Trouble.

“Trouble” is an anthem for the romantically self-destructive, like a song version of a support group. It captures the pulling, addictive feeling of going after someone who keeps you on your toes or makes you work for it, whether or not they actually want you. There’s a point when it stops being about the crush, and becomes about the chase. This song is for anyone who has fallen for someone who doesn't feel the same, or been strung along and then ghosted. It's for the people to make a new memory."

About Lenkie - Lenkie is a 17-year-old South African musical artist living in New York City. Her sound exhibits emotive layerings through soulful vocals and wistfully woven lyrics that luster beyond her age. She unites an open vulnerability, performance power, and presence that's independent and inviting. Her first two singles were released in late 2019, which feature her striking voice and poignant melodies that angle at the current mood in a textured polish.

Produced by Sam Friend (Cherry Jungle), performers on the records include Lenkie on vocals and guitar, Dani Markham (Childish Gambino) on drums and percussion, Curtis Nystrom (MS MR) on bass, and Sam Friend on organ. Luke Moellman (Great Good Fine Ok) mixed the songs. Her upcoming single "Trouble" involves the same team plus Geneva Harrison (Bells Atlas) on percussion. Lenkie represents a blend of her international influences and unique ability to channel universal themes into vivid specifics. First introductions to the public have her connecting fast with a broader audience, as she continues to creatively unfold and shine. A singer-songwriter with a stylish passion and worldly background, Lenkie is a new artist on the move.

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Hausers - Phoung Mai.

In the spring of 2016, four musicians from Milan, Italy, decided to make music as an art laboratory of art experience.

They started experimenting a peculiar way of composing, barely meeting, and making music remotely from their houses: Hausers was born and since then, dozens of home-recorded songs were given birth and each one of these brilliant pieces of music deserves to be discovered.

Hausers' first record is about to come out and hit the mark for new experimentation in home recording rock music.

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Sunburn - Jump The Gun.

Our band Sunburn (Dublin based) released our debut single Jump the Gun last month. Judging by our Spotify statistics, we are doing very well in the UK.

We take huge inspiration from artists like Catfish and the Bottlemen and Sam Fender.

We all met in BIMM Dublin where the likes of Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital we're formed, and have aims to follow in their footsteps onto the exciting new Irish scene.





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Slow Soak - Yard Arms - Roly Witherow - Marin Patenaude

Today Slow Soak have released their new E.P Mostly Fine which comprises of five new songs and the band test the boundaries of indie rock with sonic clarity, emotion and creative style. === Yard Arms new single 'Mantra' is impressive, the Bristol-based transatlantic duo mix powerful pop with rock sensibilities and a bus load of passion. === A couple of weeks after we first featured him Roly Witherow is back with 'Lord Franklin' a famous 19th century lament that's given a tasteful and intriguing modern feel. === Marin Patenaude shares 'Gone Blind' which opens as a gentle song that gradually builds into an expansive and atmospheric folk rock piece.
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Slow Soak - Mostly Fine (E.P).

There is something that one may ask all over again: 'How do you feel?' – 'Mostly Fine', was Slow Soak's answer two weeks ago, according to the title of their last single. Now they confirm: 'Mostly Fine'. Because that's the name of their EP, which is released now.

The good thing about it: While Slow Soak managed to sweep away any worries of the listeners for the length of a single, this jolly good state lasts now during the entire EP for at least.

And it will last on after you have listened to it. The guys from Basel have written timeless songs, they don't have to hide behind indie heroes like Ash, Arctic Monkeys or Catfish and the Bottlemen.

No wonder, the list of Slow Soak's lineup reads like a who's who of young Basel's indie scene: Don't Kill The Beast or the (now disbanded) Sheila She Loves You, for example, are two names that are known far beyond the borders.

For 'LTD', the EP's lead track, Slow Soak have turned up the volume of their guitars, bringing back memories of their indie heroes Radiohead.


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Yard Arms - Mantra.

Yard Arms return with their promisingly melancholic new single ‘Mantra’, described by lyricist and frontman Villeneuve as a ‘triumphant love letter to the anxious’. The track exudes the playful exuberance of Psychedelic Furs and INXS combined with the romantically morose lyricism ala Ben Gibbard or Paul Buchanan. Think John Hughes movies if they were soundtracked by Tim Burton. A pulsating stadium sized emo-anthem to soundtrack your summer time.

Formed in 2018, the Bristol-based transatlantic duo are a jangle-pop powerhouse offering up a taste of late noughties euphoria and heartfelt melancholy. The first year saw them release their hauntingly beautiful debut EP ‘Maiden’, later followed up by their sophomore EP ‘A Glossary of Broken Humans & Beating Hearts’ both of which saw continued support from national radio & press such as BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and the likes of NME.

They’ve recently played notable shows alongside bands such as Arxx, Sorry, Crooked Colours, Band of Skulls, The Blue Aeroplanes and China Bears, as well as a headline slot at Rough Trade in support of Record Store Day.

Mantra, the hypnotic debut from their upcoming third EP, recorded, mixed and mastered at Stage 2 Studios with Producer Josh Gallop (Phoxjaw) is released today, May 8th.

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Roly Witherow - Lord Franklin.

Having made a name for himself as a successful composer of music for film and television, Roly Witherow has chosen an entirely different direction for the first solo release – traditional folk music. Telling stories through his music comes naturally to Roly and by expanding his universe to include sea shanties, styles from not just around the British Isles but also around the world, as well as the whole gamut of life, love, death and a dash of humour, Ballads and Yarns provides a modern yet classic celebration of the art of folk music.

Ballads and Yarns is preceded by the rollicking sea shanty, Row Bullies Row, recorded most famously by Ewan Maccoll but now updated to feature electric instruments and even Korg synthesiser, with an even keener emphasis on the sleazy and the bawdy, a brilliant and evocative tribute to the crumbling British seaside town! Roly’s latest taster from the album is his suitably cinematic take on the traditional sea shanty/lament, Lord Franklin, most notably interpreted previously by Pentangle. The album is a diverse collection of folk styles, from the lullaby on the plight of Mankind in Paean to Earthly Things and Wedding Song which even features a recording of Devonshire sea shanty collective, The Old Gaffers, from Roly’s wedding day! The reworking of traditional songs on Roly’s debut album are reverential whilst taking them into a more widescreen territory, fitting perfectly alongside his originals which both tug at the heartstrings and nibble at the funny bone!

Hailing from Peckham, London, though currently based in East Portlemouth on the South Devon coast during the lockdown with his heavily pregnant wife, Roly Witherow has composed for television programmes such as BBC’s hit, Who Do You Think You Are? and Channel 4’s On the Edge as well as for films such as 2014’s Gregor; Sex Ed (2017) and Try (2018). Ballads and Yarns was written and recorded in Roly’s own home studio and was mixed by Joao Noronha in Brazil (where his wife hails from). A nod to the past, present and future, Roly Witherow’s 'Ballads and Yarns' is 21st Century folk music in all its glory.

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Marin Patenaude - Gone Blind.

Marin Patenaude’s confessional folk is deeply honest, inspired by the wildness of nature, the messiness of human connection, and the overwhelming desire to run away from it all. Emotional lyrics paired with softly powerful instrumentals craft stories that explore loving and losing, the fragility of the human condition, and stories of a rural upbringing.

The daughter of musical parents and the younger sister of Juno-award winning Pharis Romero, she was raised on folk and country harmonies. While it was a huge part of her upbringing, Marin didn’t initially look to music as a viable career. From landscaping for the rich to running through the woods with her dog, a backpack, and a surveyors map, scrubbing toilets to training horses, she collected many random and interesting skills and experiences to use as songwriting fodder. When travels through other disciplines and passions didn’t last, she made a record; a heavy collection of songs about heartbreak and displacement. A surprising first release, it’s full of gut punching beauty.

Following the release of her self-titled debut in 2016, Marin extensively toured BC’s festival circuit as a solo act, across Canada with Kenton Loewen as part of Dan Mangan’s house concert series Side Door, through Germany and Switzerland as a duo with Cole Schmidt, and worked as a session harmony singer in Vancouver for artists including Khari Wendell McClelland, Sam Tudor, Real Ponchos, CR Avery, Ora Cogan, The Crackling and many more. She opened for Sarah McLachlan at the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz festival at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, a personal career highlight.

In support of her second album, Marin joined Dallas Green’s Toronto based label Still Records. Sight Unseen was produced at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, mixed by Karl Bareham, and mastered by Jaoa Carvalho. Marin took the reins on production, and enlisted the help of dedicated players she feels very connected to, musically and emotionally. They kept their hearts and the doors open for magical studio surprises, and the finished album reflects that open minded approach to sound.

Sight Unseen shows a louder, grittier side of Marin’s indie folk sensibility. Citing the influence of artists like Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan, and Neil Young, there’s an underlying darkness beneath the clear, free spirited melodies. For Marin, her songs are an extension of self–an opportunity to be as honest and real as she feels, something she has difficulty doing in the so-called real world. It’s big and it’s not always light. Though she’s a bright personality by nature, she often uses her music as a way to process grief. Her vocals are strong and technically trained, and she’s outspoken about the complexities of relationships and the uncertainty of our current political times. The album is out May 29th.

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