Elephant - I Ya Toyah - Thrillhouse - Big Little Lions - Remington super 60 - Quiet Marauder ft. Kadesha Drija

Elephant - Midnight in Manhattan / E.P.

Sunny, melancholy and in a major key. That is the sound of the 4-piece indie band "Elephant". Mellow pop music with an eccentric edge, for fans of Wilco, Andy Shauf and Big Thief. In March 2021, Elephant released their self-titled EP, produced by Pablo van de Poel (DeWolff) and recorded in the Electrosaurus Southern Sound Studio.

‘It may be midnight in Manhattan but here it’s time to rise. There is always someplace better, don’t let it fool your eyes.’ The subtle groove and the sobering lyrics make Elephant’s first single ‘Midnight in Manhattan’ a must-hear for music lovers. It was added to the playlist of Amazing Radio (UK/US), peaked at the 12th position of the ‘verrukkelijke 15’ chart of Dutch national radio, and quickly reached over 25.000 streams on Spotify.

Their second single ‘Bird’s Eye View’ is a both a sweet and haunting song about coming to terms with faded dreams and getting older. On this track, Elephant is accompanied by pedal steel guitarist Stefan Wolfs (Judy Blank, Dylan LeBlanc, Next of Kin).

Elephant was born in the year of a near-fatal knock-out of the music business, but debuts with a fitting and resilient response. Elephant is tipped as the new roots/indie band that just might make a difference in the coming years. ‘Something special is happening in Rotterdam’ - Leo Blokhuis (NPO radio 2)’

Elephant · Midnight in Manhattan

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I Ya Toyah - Concrete.

I Ya Toyah has released her latest single, Concrete. The track is written, produced, and performed by I Ya Toyah and produced, mixed and mastered by Nick Palazzo. 

Concrete is the second of 5 singles off I Ya Toyah's sophomore EP, Out of Order. The track explores anxiety through cyberpunk synths sounds and groovy beats, sharing I Ya Toyah's intense personal expression of the current reality we are all living in.

Futuristic vocal harmonies hypnotize audiences, and the rhythmic music puts them in an immediate trance. This song is about pandemic anxiety. It brings light to the extreme mental wear, something most of us are now familiar with thanks to 2020 and its dystopian vibe, says I Ya Toyah.

I Ya Toyah's sophomore EP is set to release on March 26th exclusively on bandcamp, June 18th on all streaming services, and is available for pre-order on bandcamp. Everyone who preorders instantly gets the streaming and download access to the first two singles off the EP. The music video for Concrete, filmed by Joel Lopez of Lumbra Productions also drops March 17th on I Ya Toyah's Youtube channel.

I Ya Toyah is currently awaiting new tour dates confirmations with Stabbing Westward and her Northwest US and Canadian tour, as they got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic spread.

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Thrillhouse - Where The Roads Don't Go.

Thrillhouse return with their latest single Where The Roads Don’t Go. A song about that brief but beautiful moment after you’ve finally come out of being in a bad place and things start to seem alright again. ‘It was written just as I was coming out of having a real stinker of year and things started to look up. Hopefully it captures that joy. Then lockdown hit. Great’

One of Indies largely undiscovered gems, Thrillhouse are steadily carving a unique space in the indie scene. Thrillhouse are a Brighton based alt-indie band living in the past. Born into the wrong generation, struggling with the delicate routine of a wholesome, balanced life they tend to stick to their bedrooms where they sometimes write music but sometimes don’t.

Thrillhouse are purveyors of sincerity cushioned in good humour. The lyrics convey a sense of personal struggle that is joyfully balanced with melodic and layered production, pushed forward by driving beats and ecstatic hooks. Recorded at the Silk Mill. Mixed by Tom Bishop Where The Roads Don’t Go is out March 19th

Thrillhouse · Where The Roads Don't Go

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Big Little Lions - Missed The Start.

Big Little Lions have been described as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’. Prolific songwriting, infectious folk-pop style, and an offbeat, memorable live show. This award winning duo consists of Helen Austin and Paul Otten who, despite living thousands of miles apart, have found a way to connect and create music together. Despite being in two different countries, they have found common ground to share their message.

Call it destiny, or call it fate, call it a necessary progression for these modern times. Helen lives in British Columbia, Canada and Paul lives in Cincinnati, OH. But the distance provides the necessity to create in a new way. Using technology as their ally and their differences as their strength.

Their monthly single releases are their way of getting through this pandemic while all the usual album cycle release plans don’t make sense anymore. Their music is jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies, the sound of two people working side-by-side.

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Remington super 60 – Nouvelle Noveau (E.P).

What a breakup can do for musical inspiration. Remington super 60 is a band consisting of Christoffer Schou, Elisabeth Thorsen & Magnus Abelsen. The members have previously played in bands such as Musique Le Pop, Navigators, Frode Fivel amongst others.

Since the early start back in the end of the 90s, Remington super 60 have released albums, EP`s on various indie labels around the world, now they are ready with the follow up from last years EP “New EP” that received plenty
of attention on various blogs and radio stations around the world.

The new EP “Nouvelle Noveau” consists of 6 new songs and one forgotten song from 2002. The bands songwriter/producer Christoffer & Singer Elisabeth Thorsen were a couple of almost 16 years but decided to end their relationship last year. Some of the songs on this EP deals with exactly this. Christoffer & Elisabeth have remained very good friends and decided to continue their musical work together, something this EP is a living proof of.

The music is mainly recorded in Christoffer`s living room surrounded by guitars, basses and a rather large collection of Casio/Yamaha keyboards from the 80s, although most people consider these keyboards to be toys Christoffer loves to include them as much as possible.

Musically the band has been labeled a “dream pop” band by media, not that strange considering the music has a big atmospheric vibe, featuring many vocal layers & big reverbs. “Nouvelle Noveau” is released on Christoffer`s own label Cafe Superstar recordings and also released on cassette by the Slovakian indie label z-tapes.

Cafe Superstar Recordings · Nouvelle Nouveau

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Quiet Marauder ft. Kadesha Drija - Let's Run Into The Flames Together.

Following swiftly on from last year’s Tiny Men Parts EP, Quiet Marauder re-enter the sonic fray with their latest Bubblewrap Collective long-player, The Gift, on 9th April 2021. Taking a strong divergence from the bombastic pop-punk of its predecessor, The Gift sees backing vocalist Kadesha Drija step to the foreground for the majority of the album, standing afront a richly crafted, multi-instrumental acoustic-folk backdrop.

Recorded pre-pandemic, January 2020, in The Burning Hell’s (Canada) pop-up Snowbird Studios, aka an art deco villa in Riofreddo, near Rome (Italy), this release marks another chapter in the ongoing international collaboration between the bands. For this album, Quiet Marauder’s (Wales) contributions of acoustic guitar, bass, trumpet and layered lead and backing vocals are granted further textural depth from their Canadian counterparts. These include minimalist harmonic splashes of flute, piano, organ (Jake Nicoll), electric guitar, bouzouki (Darren Browne) and bass clarinet (Ariel Sharratt).

Returning to the conceptual songwriting approach of previous releases MEN and The Crack And What It Meant, The Gift charts the narrative of a troubled teenage girl (Willow) haunted by visions of a mysterious house fire. Willow’s path is traced through well-meaning foster parents, teenage love interests, time-bending superpowers, distrust of domestic appliances and, ultimately, her own memories; covering themes of self-identity and the fallibility of human recall. Though the album marks a more overtly serious tone for the band, the sensitive subject matter is delicately handled through their trademark low-key, observational and, sometimes, darkly humorous lyrics.

The Gift will mark the second Quiet Marauder vinyl release via Bubblewrap Collective and will come on a heavyweight 180gm, purple marble 12-inch adorned within bespoke, Sims-based artwork designed by Carlota Nobrega. Each vinyl also comes with a lyric fold-out and sew-on ‘house fire’ patch. Alongside the vinyl release, The Gift will also be available to stream and download via all standard digital retailers and streaming services.

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Genghis Tron - Sunfields - Elissa Mielke

Genghis Tron - Pyrocene.

Genghis Tron share the official hypnotic 4K video for “Pyrocene” less than two weeks before the release of Dream Weapon— watch the Yoshi Sodeoka (Tame Impala, Oneohtrix Point Never) created video on YouTube. Guitarist Hamilton Jordan comments, "'Pyrocene' was the first song we finished for Dream Weapon. It all started with a single drumbeat that I wrote during an extended stay in the Arizona desert. I gave that beat to Michael, and within a few weeks he built an entire sinister, pulsating world around it. We knew, well before finishing the album, that this had to be the opening song on the record."

The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn.

Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders), and Zach Weeks (God City Studio) and was mastered by Heba Kadry. Dream Weapon is out March 26, 2021 on CD/LP/Digital.

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Pic: Jennifer Maagendans

Sunfields - Just Like The Young.

Imagine Elliot Smith hanging out with Tom Petty in the back of Neil Young’s van while listening to Sparklehorse.

Acid-laced pop Sunfields is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jason Kent. Although the quartet was born in 2009, three quarters of its members have been playing music on and off together since they were teens. Their tunes carry a classy bombast of chamber rock, the intimacy of a singer songwriter, and the easy-breeziness of vintage pop with some psychedelic undertones thrown in.

Since their formation, Sunfields have toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe. Their fourth album, made in isolation, will be out March 12th, 2021 on Elephants on Parade.

PALACE IN THE SUN (2010) was once described as “…full of stunning imagery, coupled with swooping guitars and harmonizing that the Eagles would be proud of…the most overlooked album of 2010.”

Their sophomore, HABITAT (2014) was described as “…blossoming like a field of poppies in a rainy English field.”

MONO MONO (2017)
“An album that catches you from the outset and its beauty is that it has many layers that reveal themselves after every listen.”

Elephants On Parade · Just Like The Young

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Elissa Mielke - Palace.

Some thoughts and words from Elissa including the featured song 'Palace' which is really special: "These songs are really personal for me; it's funny because both of them started out as songs for other people and ended up being things I needed to learn. Songs seem to do that for me (to me? haha).

Trying was a song written out of frustration in a time when I felt like I was constantly failing everyone, and ended up being more so about my own inner critic and the way I criticize myself. The lyric "Can't you see I'm trying?" ended up being a reprimand that my inner voice needed to hear just as much as the people I wrote it for did.

And Palace is about the moment where you meet someone and say "Can you please be who I hope you are?" Turns out that was something I needed to hear too; learning to come through for myself even when others can't or don't, and to love myself with the same fullness I do other people."

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Home Counties - Kieran Mercer - Mango In Euphoria

Home Counties - White Shirt / Clean Shirt.

Home Counties return today with new single "White Shirt / Clean Shirt". The second of two new self-produced singles, it follows "Modern Yuppies" released in January, and the band's widely praised 2020 debut EP 'Redevelopment'.

The band take a sharp left-turn on "White Shirt / Clean Shirt", upping the tempo and storming forwards with a hip-wriggling, eccentric examination of office work. Building on the playful post-funk hooks present in “Modern Yuppies”, Home Counties continue to show they're a band who are not afraid to colour outside the lines, both sonically and lyrically.

Singer Will Harrison said: "'White Shirt / Clean Shirt' began life as a guitar-orientated number that was a staple of our live set last year at our first shows, but then we had sort of fell out of love with it. Through lockdown, as we started experimenting more heavily with synthesisers and drum machines; we reworked the song with these new influences and it found a new lease of life.

"The two singles are linked lyrically, both looking at working life under contemporary capitalism. ‘Yuppies’ was written about the destructive mentality of middle-class professionals - constantly wanting more success, more money and more consumer goods. ’White Shirt / Clean Shirt’ looks at the less aspirational, and more universal reality of office work. It voices that feeling of losing your sense of self and place as you go into work, dressed uniformly in a Next suit, in an indistinguishable space, staring at another spreadsheet. It’s also got a bit of a ‘how did I get here?’ sentiment, being at work thinking about what more aspirational (or more expensively educated) people might be doing. Ultimately, it voices a feeling of having ‘learnt to fall’, rather than taught to succeed - sinking into the safety net of unfulfilling white collar work."

Since forming in January 2020, Home Counties have cemented themselves as a key act to watch, with radio support from Jack Saunders, Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1), Steve Lamacq, Amy Lame, Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music) and Matt Wilkinson (Beats 1), along with press support from DIY Magazine, Loud & Quiet, NME, Dork Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, So Young Magazine, YUCK, The Rodeo, Gigwise and more.

Both "Modern Yuppies" and "White Shirt / Clean Shirt" are exciting first glimpses of a band evolving beyond their indie roots. Combining their aptness for angular guitar work with a more flamboyant sonic vision, the band's next steps will see them begin work on their second EP, due for release in the autumn.

Home Counties · White Shirt / Clean Shirt

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Kieran Mercer - Looking Through the Glass.

“Kieran Mercer is no stranger to the Canadian music scene, having opened for the likes of Marianas Trench, Walk off the Earth, Carly Rae Jepsen and Lights.

Looking through the Glass is Kieran’s first independent release. The song was written and performed entirely by the artist, and produced by long-time friend and former band mate, Martin Leather. The song is nostalgic for the glory days of youth and is more acoustic and stripped down than previous releases. Looking through the Glass observes a younger generation through the window of social media at an age where the observer is no longer in on the joke.

Kieran’s songwriting pulls from many musical styles. “My influences are all over the map,” says the 32 year old. “I grew up listening to country music like Hank Williams and British bands like the Kinks. In high school, I got into Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. This mix of influences is my foundation and I let it all flow into my own unique style.”

His 6 song EP Help Me Help You was released in 2016 under 604 Records, charting on the Top 20 Canadian Album chart on iTunes. Anarchy was the first single released from his EP Fools Gold in 2018, to critical acclaim.”

KieranMercer · Looking Through the Glass

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Mango In Euphoria - Golden Shrine.

Starting her project in London after being employed in Florida and travelling through the United States, French-born Alternative artist and songwriter Mango In Euphoria quickly found her audience when she dropped her first experimental work at the end of 2020.

The singer is an emerging talent noticeable by her quirky style and her mysterious signature voice, matching her very own unique musical tracks mixing Electronic Rock, Dream Pop and Dark-wave genres.

Creating melodies coming from her mind with virtual instruments and recording with a very basic microphone during the global Coronavirus pandemic, Mango In Euphoria also began to work remotely with Belgian producer Philippe Francq who helped her developing a lot of demos with physical instruments inspired from vintage influences such as the Twin Peaks series soundtracks, The Cure, and Garbage. As Mango was mainly musically influenced by Grimes, Marilyn Manson and Lana Del Rey, there's no doubt that the result would be quiet outstanding.

MangoInEuphoria · Mango In Euphoria - Golden Shrine

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Dessa - Nelson Sobral - The Catenary Wires

Dessa - Life On Land.

Today singer, writer, and rapper Dessa has released “Life On Land,” the third installment of her new single series IDES — the project sees Dessa dropping new music on the 15th of each month.

“I started writing ‘Life on Land’ sitting at my Casio keyboard wearing a green sweater and with my hair still wet from the shower,” Dessa explains. “I know because I filmed a little video of myself playing the key line to make sure I didn’t forget it. The first lyrics came easily: ‘Flip a coin, flip a car / I don’t care where we are / the picture and the sound won’t sync / some things time can’t fix’. Almost every other line resisted being written. 

I walk a lot to try and solve that problem, muttering for a mile or two and coming home with another viable four bars. Like the other songs in the IDES series, this track is a collaboration between me and producers Lazerbeak and Andy Thompson. All three of us thought the song needed an epic pop chorus…but those are easier to talk about than they are to write. When we finally had words and music for each section, we tried several sequences before landing at the structure on record. In the end, we built with pop bricks, but decided to ditch the pop floorpan and go rogue.”

Alongside this release, Dessa is also announcing a collaboration with Dogwood Coffee Co. on a limited-edition coffee. IDES coffee—available in 12 oz whole bean packages—is a blend of coffees from Mexico and Colombia, lightly roasted to produce a cup with notes of maple syrup and dark chocolate covered almonds. Online orders can be placed via Doomtree’s website, and packages will be available at Dogwood’s three retail locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul later this month. A portion of proceeds from sales at Dogwood’s shops will benefit Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest and most effective hunger relief organizations. The custom coffee is Dessa’s latest venture into food and beverage collaborations, joining her two signature ice cream flavors with Izzy’s Ice Cream and limited-edition bourbon and rye from RockFilter Distillery.

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Nelson Sobral - Pendulum.

Long, swaying grass, the hoofbeats of horses, and infinite blue skies: this is the typical imagery that has long come to mind when someone brings up Americana. But for Toronto-based Nelson Sobral, when you inject Americana with a hard-edged, urban blast of gritty midwest blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and northern soul, Americana adopts an entirely new identity, one of overpasses, subway trains, and the grit of city streets.

“I really don’t care if people think I’m ‘rural’ or not,” Sobral says from within the murky labyrinth of downtown Toronto. Despite being born and raised in the rough-and-tumble Parkdale neighbourhood, Sobral has long been surrounded by an outlaw spirit and lawless, yet valorous, energy. “My uncle loved country music—Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson were always playing at his place—but Otis Redding is my spirit animal for vocals, and growing up, I admired all the guitar players that served the song and meant more to me than just solos, like Jimmy Page and Keith Richards: they had dynamics and song craft. All of it is part of my gumbo, for lack of a better word.”

For Sobral, all that is sacred is the song, and the means by which it is delivered transcends genre. Though clearly inspired by the roots songwriting giants—the Hank Williams and the Gram Parsons of the world—Sobral’s work deserves a wider scope, a wider breadth, and a wider reach. Through the lens of soul, blues, and rock and roll, Sobral’s songwriting, paired with his incomparable voice and monster guitar playing, is fit for any stage, any night of the week, any audience, anywhere.

Nelson Sobral has already defined his road-hardened career by sharing stages with the likes of legends such as David Wilcox, The Trews, and Jeff Healey, and his knuckles-to-the-dirt, workhorse spirit has seen him tour and play relentlessly across Canada and the United States. “You need to do those things as a musician to experience life,” Sobral continues. “Even if you write from that perspective, you can tell if someone’s done it or not. You can tell when someone’s paid their dues.”

Sobral certainly has, like the aforementioned songwriting greats that have come before him. With a career due to be long, enduring, and unconcerned with being pigeonholed and catering to one image, one sound, and one spirit, Nelson Sobral has bigger plans: beneath the wide canopy of his influences and styles, Sobral continues to unite listeners with the impact of his songs and energy, as varied and wide-reaching as car wheels on a gravel road and the barreling rhythm of a Toronto streetcar.

Nelson Sobral · Pendulum

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The Catenary Wires - Mirrorball.

Mirrorball takes two lonely single people, and takes them for a night out in an 80s disco.  Surrounded by divorcees and middle-aged drunks, will they be too shy to talk, or will they find some love action?  Is this going to be heaven or hell?

This is definitely the most positive and the most romantic duet The Catenary Wires have ever released.   With delicate – and not so delicate – musical tributes to the 80s, Mirrorball starts off sceptical, but ends up falling in love with the music of a decade that was pure, unsubtle, tasteless and synthetic.  The 80s disco turns out to be heavenly!

To celebrate, there’s a real (virtual) 80s disco in the diary - and everyone is invited.  Top indie club How Does It Feel has invited The Catenary Wires (and a lot of guest DJs) to take over for the night on March 27th. The playlist will be mostly heaven, but there will be a bit of hell thrown in...

Rob and Amelia (ex Talulah Gosh, Heavenly) started The Catenary Wires as a duo, but they’re a full band now – and the new recordings have a very different tone, with the inspired contributions of Fay Hallam (keyboard), Ian Button (drums) and Andy Lewis (bass).

The Catenary Wires write songs for grown-up indie kids.  They don’t pretend to be 23 any more, but they do remember what it felt like.   Their songs are a combination of joy and regret, innocence and experience.

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