Eivør - Renée Reed - Sweetlove - Deanna Faye

Eivør - Gullspunnin.

Faroese folk electronica artist Eivør has released a music video and new live version of ‘Gulspunnin’, lifted from her latest album ‘Segl’, out now. Produced by Lana Del Rey collaborator Dan Heath, ‘Gulspunnin’ is Copenhagen-based Eivør’s love letter to her childhood home on the remote Faroe Islands. ‘Segl’ - featuring appearances from Ásgeir and Einar Selvik of Wardruna - is the follow-up to Eivør’s widely-praised 2017 UK commercial debut, ‘Slør’, which triggered her debut on Later….With Jools Holland. Eivør soundtracked the latest series of Netflix/BBC flagship The Last Kingdom, and her music has previously been synched on Homeland & Game Of Thrones. The new video for ‘Gulspunnin’ is now streaming from here, with a new live version of the track also included on DSPs here.

With a title that translates from Faroese as ‘cocooned in gold’, the lyrics for ‘Gulspunnin’ were created as a poem written by Faroese poet Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs. Speaking about the track - which arrives today alongside a music video directed by Icelandic visual artist Anna Maggy - Eivør says; The main inspiration behind 'Gullspunnin' came from a certain feeling I often get when I am back at home on the Faroe Islands. There is something intriguing about the light and foggy landscapes that creates some sort of nostalgic in between state of happiness and sadness -  a longing for something intangible. I wanted to reflect this feeling and a certain timeless state of mind in this song. The poem written by Marjun tells a story about the soul, forever travelling alone but cocooned in shimmering gold. I have been fascinated by Anna Maggy for quite some time. In her work I could sense this same mood that I was in when I created the song. For me she really gave 'Gullspunnin' a visual home. It was a very deep and empowering experience to create this piece alongside these amazingly talented women.

Eivør is an artist perfectly attuned to the savage vicissitudes of nature. Born & raised in Syðrugøta, a tiny community of just over 400 people on one of the northerly Faroe Islands, Eivør grew up surrounded by the windswept landscape of the North Atlantic, a backdrop that has deeply influenced the elemental electronica she creates. ‘Segl’ - Eivør’s ninth album, since releasing her debut at just 17 - builds on these motifs, exploring the journeys we undertake, both metaphorically and physically. The title – meaning ‘sail’ in Faroese – alludes to our desire for growth and direction, and the role of fate.

Eivør immersed herself in music from 13, fronting a trip-hop band after discovering albums by Massive Attack and Portishead. Gigs soon followed, held afloat in rowing boats, in a huge cave on the island of Hestur. At 16 Eivør quit school, moving alone to Reykjavik to release her debut album and pursue classical singing training. She has since won the Icelandic Music Prize, twice - the first non-Icelandic artist to do so. Such itinerant tendencies have bled into her music, ‘Segl’ no exception. “My creative process can be very chaotic and abstract, so I need to find the space to dive deeper into it and sculpt it,” she says. “After sitting on songs for a year or more, I’d go in and edit the melody or the lyrics. Sometimes the production too. The whole album is very much about change, so it’s quite apt.” Working closely again with composer/producer Tróndur Bogason (also her husband), the extra space allowed Eivør to explore programming and production more thoroughly than ever before, focussed on a free flow of ideas, and enriching collaborations.

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Renée Reed - Renée Reed (Album).

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed releases her debut album via Keeled Scales. The 12-song album includes the songs "Out Loud" and "Until Tomorrow" that earned her early praise last year from Gorilla vs. Bear and The Wild Honey Pie, as well as recent singles "Neboj" and "I Saw A Ghost" and the gentle psych of the French single "Où est la fée."

The songs on Renée’s self-titled debut album chronicle a three-year period. These are songs about toxic relationships, seeing ghosts, ancestral baggage and blessings, and daydreaming about love. Renée describes her music as dream-fi folk from the Cajun prairies, and this, her album, as “a whole document of me coming to terms with myself and embracing who I am without reserve.”

There is a timelessness throughout these songs, a through-line to the past, and a deep mixing of influences into something hopeful and new:

for our bones, they belong to the country
and marigolds, we will hold in our hands
and we won't know what they don't understand

Renée grew up on the accordion-bending knee of her grandfather Harry Trahan, in the middle of countless jam sessions at the one-stop Cajun shop owned by her parents Lisa Trahan and Mitch Reed, and soaked in the storytelling of her great uncle, the folklorist Revon Reed and his infamous brothers from Mamou. She was surrounded by a litany of Cajun and Creole music legends, both backstage at the many festivals of Southwest Louisiana, and on the porch of her family home.

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Sweetlove - Goodnight, Lover (E.P).

Born out of a tsunami of grief and pain, Sweetlove's Goodnight, Lover is a portrait of an artist coming into her own.

In late 2017, Sweetlove was beginning to work on new material when she was faced with three devastating losses - her oldest friend, Matt, her long-time love, David, and her cousin, Teddy, all passed away within one year of each other. She funneled her grief into collaborations with writers such as Jay Stolar (Selena Gomez, Trevor Daniel, Aloe Blacc, G-Eazy, Demi Lovato), Evangelina, Zach Berkman/The Heart Of (Ron Pope), Garen Gueyikian, and Adam Tressler, resulting in a collection of songs about “grappling with loss, coming to terms with it, missing someone, wishing you had known you weren’t going to have more time, and how to find joy again.”

Sweetlove has found her own refuge in songwriting after years of helping others showcase theirs. She sang backup vocals for GRAMMY-nominated and Tony award-winning artists, paying dues on huge stages. The daughter of a preacher and a teacher, she grew up in California’s Simi Valley and experienced music as a natural part of life –– not as a pursuit or a practice, but an extension of just being. Now, after living in West Hollywood for the last 15 years, Sweetlove has drawn from her time sharing stages with superstars and that resonant voice that readied worshippers for interpreting tongues to create something that is entirely, beautifully hers.

Produced by Justin Glasco (The Lone Bellow), Goodnight, Lover puts Sweetlove’s twin devotions to her earthy pop and the people she loves on magnificent display. Written with Stolar, the title track nods to the bluesy swagger of Shelby Lynne as Sweetlove sings to a new lover, from a distance.

Sweetlove · Goodnight, Lover

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Deanna Faye - Reassure.

Metaphorically Potent & Engaging, Folk Singer/Songwriter DEANNA FAYE's “Reassure” Bears the Weight Behind Hardships of Love. Toronto-based indie folk singer-songwriter Deanna Faye poetically contrasts the light side of love and its inherent pressure with this, her new video for “Reassure.”

That latest to land from her breakthrough EP, Good To You, the song grapples with the concept of love — and how difficult it can be to grasp.

While the word, in and of itself, denotes feelings of joy and happiness, the reality behind such an emotion is that of balance; with balance comes weight, and “Reassure” exemplifies the beauty in the struggle in such a reflective way.

The instrumentation within the single instills a disheartening sensation, as the twang and reverb of the guitar march along with the pensive beat of the drums. This appropriately sets the tone of “Reassure,” as it’s a reflection of the stress and pain love can bear. Deanna Faye’s mellow and articulate vocals carry the metaphoric weight of her lyrics with innocence and conviction.

In terms of metaphors, the single is representative of Faye’s thoughts on the cycles of relationships, as well as the impulsivity of rushing into a romantic connection. She compares these experiences to pillars, in the sense that two people can pull apart yet still be close together by way of the weight they both share.

The weight, she describes, is structured around the intertwining of boundaries and desires.

“I'd been walking around the city and on hiking trails aimlessly,” she shares. “I noticed these tagged pillars that always stood out to me as being a cool piece of architecture. This is a song that illustrates the ebbs and flows. Ultimately, in a healthy relationship, the pillars still stand strong but they are always just the perfect distance apart to keep the structure sound.”

It’s been a reflective time for the emerging singer-songwriter, and the poignancy of “Reassure,” in its entirety, holds nothing short of that.

The video itself is vibrant. It revolves around a still of Faye’s face as it’s surrounded and augmented by soulful imagery that relates and reflects the song’s message. Interspersed throughout the video are live action cuts featuring the musician performing the song.

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SLUGS - Gunke - Gawain and the Green Knight - Shannon Dooks - This Is The Deep

SLUGS - I Could Do Better.

SLUGS is a four-piece alt-rock outfit out of Los Angeles comprised of singer/songwriter/guitarist Marissa Longstreet, Sarsten Noice (bass/vocals), Josh Beavers (lead guitar) and Dash Hutton (drums). Their influences range from Linda Perhacs with their melodic harmonies and tenderness to Thee Oh Sees with their high energy, spitfire performances.

SLUGS latest tune “I Could Do Better” got its title after enduring a flight from a poor choice of airline when the idea of I could do better humorously arose. Later working with a friend the song was written and developed at a time when exploring the journey of sobriety, where the lyrics took a deeper dive into the meaning. The song narrates wanting to find a way back to the blissful naivety of being a child, as well as the wonderful and complicated revelations and the highs and lows during the process of grounding. Longstreet shares, “I compared my carefree attitude as a child, finger painting an image of nothing, to the “I don’t care” attitude of my 20’s. I wrote this song as if it were an intervention on myself, and I was playing both sides. I wanted to find my way back to carefree innocence coming from a place of sinister repetition and complacency.”

“I Could Do Better” emits a reflective and experimental sonic appeal through its trippy, psychedelic feel. Somewhat woozy and chill, the song has subtle peaks and falls with wavering vocal melodies that metaphorically pronounce the verified range of emotions. Through jingling high-hats, rocking, rich electric riffs, twangy guitars and a range of percussion that has a softer, tropical sound, “I Could Do Better” is truly transcending. The vocals are soft and restrained, yet clear and powerful, adding to the juxtaposition of the feelings around the journey of going sober. Longstreet explains, “I think the theme is a voyage of floating in space, the big chaotic crash down and every small step after in getting grounded.”

SLUGS have been on tours with LP & The Districts and have opened for Jessica Lea Mayfield, Joywave, Lets Eat Grandma & The Mattson II. Having garnered acclaim from the likes of Refinery29, Live Nation’s Ones to Watch, American Songwriter and Earmilk, SLUGS are certainly an artist to watch in 2021.

SLUGS · I Could Do Better

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Gunke - Football.

‘Football’ is the raw, explosive second single from Glasgow based solo artist Gunke that discusses the anxieties of not fitting channelling that into a churning slice of head nodding energy and a chant along chorus that will resonate with so many that have felt socially outcast ("Football? Softball? I don't know the difference”).

It’s a passionate piece of punk fuelled indie rock that vibes on abrasive 90s alt-rock and early 00's guitar band sounds, creating a powerful energetic tone to counteract the disparate isolation behind the lyrics.

Gunke is the solo creative efforts of Luc Grindle (Dutch Wine, HEYUP, Moonsoup), which aims to bring out the brighter, more optimistic side of punk rock.

Taking strong influence from the likes of The Cribs, Yuck and early Bombay Bicycle Club hits, this is one sure to be left humming their tunes for days to come.

“‘Football' took a long time to mature as a song; four years of recordings in fact!

“I didn't really engage in sports growing up, so often felt out of my depth when conversing with friends who would talk about last night's game or whatever; I made the chorus with football chants in mind as way to a kind of counteract that notion.

“I took a lot of inspiration from The Cribs during the writing process, a lot of their fans are football lads, despite the band having no interest in the sport, I found that quite fitting to pay some kind of homage to.”

‘Football’ was written by Luc Grindle, Melissa Brisbane and Jack Boyle. Performed, recorded and mastered by Luc Grindle. Mixed by Melissa Brisbane. Video was filmed by Christopher Devine. Edited by Luc Grindle.

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Gawain and the Green Knight - In My Dreams, a Perfect Chair.

With the release of “In My Dreams, a Perfect Chair,” Gawain and the Green Knight announce their upcoming EP, A Sleeping Place, out June 11, 2021. The new single exemplifies the duo’s “literary folk” stylings, filled with allegory and inspired by mythology, or, as they put it, “folk for people who like to listen to music while pacing mournfully yet poignantly through the streets, pretending they’re the protagonist in a very beautiful film.” Listen HERE.

“In My Dreams, a Perfect Chair” offers a deep dive on insecurities, centering around a woodworker’s apprentice who feels inadequate because they can’t make anything good enough. Vocalist/guitarist, Alexia Antoniou, wrote the song as a metaphor for her own writer’s block, and multi-instrumentalist bandmate, Mike O’Malley, and the EP’s drummer, Derek Swink, created woodshop inspired sounds to immerse the listener in the story, mimicking sandpaper and hammers. “It’s strange to think of artists in the past being full of doubt, anxiety, self-loathing. Because the art remains but the process is so rarely documented,” Antoniou observes. “But of course, those emotions had to be all tangled in the artistic process, no matter what time we’re talking about… right? I think anyone who has ever sat down to make a thing can relate.”

Partners in life as well as in music, Antoniou and O’Malley were due to be married in the fall of 2020. Like everyone, their plans were waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding themselves isolated, surrounded by insecurity and fear, they felt an urgent need to capture these songs that felt of the moment. “Even before all of last year happened, the fact of our own mortality always felt present, impossible to get away from, really. I think there must be something biologically in human brains that tries to make you forget it so you can function, and the part of you that remembers your mortality and the part that makes you forget are always going at one another,” says Antoniou.

Inspired by the etymology of the Greek word for cemetery, which simply means “a sleeping place,” the duo created a collection of songs that sits comfortably in the deep, sometimes dark, parts of the subconscious, arranged in such a way that you remember why life can be so joyful in the first place, its tempo anything but sad. “I think of this EP as a love letter, full of desperate affection, to anyone who has ever been alive and been scared to die,” Antoniou continues. “Death is loud, but it doesn’t mean you were never heard.”

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Shannon Dooks - Doubts.

Ahead of the release of her new album, Do It Again, Shannon Dooks, lends her supple voice to its earnest and heartfelt lead single, “Doubts” — available now!

When a once-thriving connection turns dubious, acknowledging the signs can be a tough experience — and “Doubts” says it all. Everything from the innocent piano intro to the mellow rhythm sections that follow, the arrangements send the notion of a fond farewell wrapped in a melodic package.

The message within is signed, sealed and delivered by Shannon Dooks’s harmonious and smooth vocal style. As light as the single sounds, the weight within the lyrics denotes a tipping point in a crumbling relationship. According to the Toronto-based artist, “it’s that feeling of constantly putting in effort into the relationship and each broken promise is that much more devastating as it goes on and then you finally reach a breaking point.”

The introductory lyrics in the first verse of “Doubts” perfectly summarizes the singer’s insight: “Don't write, don't text, don’t call, don't do anything at all.” Further reinforcing the message are the closing lyrics of the first verse: “You tell me go, you tell me stay, you tell me leave, but don't tell me what I should believe.”

While Shannon Dooks is known for writing her own songs, “Doubts” was penned by Toronto-based internationally-renowned songwriter, Rosanne Baker Thornley. The single was intended to be a submission for film and television spots, however the voice of Shannon Dooks was found to be a perfect vessel for the tone of the single.

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This Is The Deep - Glass.

East London 7-piece psych pop collective This Is The Deep have released their new single "Glass", along with the announcement of their debut EP 'The Best Is Yet To Come (Part 1)' - out May 21st via B3SCI Records.

Over the last two years This Is The Deep have quietly established a cult live following through support slots with HMLTD, PVA, and Family Time, as well as their own sold out cross-over events at venues such as Windmill Brixton, Moth Club and The Shacklewell Arms, combining immersive art and video installations with live performances from acts including Sinead O'Brien, Opus Kink and Baby Vanga.

Debut EP 'The Best Is Yet To Come (Part 1)' out May 21st is a stunning 7-track introduction, with new single "Glass" an inarguably captivating invitation into This Is The Deep's mysterious world. Utilising a sample of a dramatic reading of Humpty Dumpty, the track brings together a cacophony of horns, pounding drums and squelching synths - all written, recorded and produced by the band at 'The Sauna', their HQ in Hackney Wick.

Speaking on the themes at play on "Glass", the band said: "The song is about the idea of falling and the feeling of something foreboding happening as the result of over-reaching. There are different ways to interpret the lyrics; they can apply to the excesses of late capitalism, our unbalanced position with the natural world, as well as a relationship between two people.The focus on falling and impact could also be seen to be a metaphor for a human position of being in some way always falling towards something, some conclusion or unknown destination. Maybe ultimately the fall is part of what we are, as Buzz Lightyear says maybe we're not flying but ‘falling with style’."

The track's engrossing video was directed and animated by the band themselves, and follows a muscled action-man in a dystopian CGI city who gets sucked into another world through his TV.

"It's kind of a retelling of Humpty Dumpty but instead of an egg there's this bald muscly action-man figure and instead of falling and cracking he gets sucked into another world through his TV", the band nonchalantly explain, going on to say..."He falls into a plasticine Loony-Toons inspired landscape haunted by a mysterious cowboy with pop-corn eyes where pop-corn clouds hang in the sky. We're interested in working with the tropes of visual media and popular culture and how they affect the way we perceive and ultimately construct the world. David Greaber's quote that 'The ultimate hidden truth of the world is it is something we make and could just as easily make differently sums this up for us pretty well."

What started out as late night recording sessions between flatmates Ranald Macdonald, David Bardon and Oscar Robertson - quickly spiralled into This Is The Deep’s carnivalesque troupe of seven musicians. Drawing as much from artists such as Suicide, Death Grips, and the scores of David Lynch and Ennio Morricone, as from the glittery pop-disco of the Scissor Sisters, This Is The Deep consists of post-punk royalty Susie Honeyman (Mekons) on fiddle, Sammy Silue on guitar and vocals, Ranald Macdonald on synth and vocals, Hannah Tilson on trombone and vocals, David Bardon and Oscar Robertson on bass and drums, with electronic drums and percussion from Liam Toon.

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Braids - Lazerine - Third Lung - Sam Lapro - Loretta Querceto - Matilda Lindell

Braids - Slayer Moon.

Fresh off the heels of the release of DJ Python’s “Young Buck” remix, which saw support by Pitchfork, BBC 6Music and more, Braids is thrilled to reveal today two brand new songs titled “Slayer Moon” and “2020.” Recorded during the sessions of their last album Shadow Offering.

The band shares their inspiration behind the songs: “'Slayer Moon' is inspired by a Sailor Moon phone case I bought in Tokyo, at 3am while on tour in Japan. Growing up I was obsessed with Sailor Moon, particularly with the ability to magically transform from a normal girl into a full-on mystical and powerful Sailor Scout, battle-ready to combat the evil forces of the world.”

“What a deal, legs with more potential than my life”

“Sailor Scouts have the longest legs ever drawn - so long that I drew a parallel between their immaculate legs, and our frenetic modern minds, lost in the ego abyss of the infinite scroll.”

“I can’t figure out my life blood, what should I prescribe to?”

“‘2020’ was written sometime in 2017, after a long period of being alone – in an abstract sense of the word – while reaching for fleeting physical closeness. I was with friends, but my heart was lonely and longing for companionship, my body confused with the unfamiliarity of new and shallow encounters. I had been meditating a lot during this time 'tracing a line through the centre of my body' – a process of inward-looking that I veer towards when I take the time to sit. I titled the song ‘2020,’ in 2020. Revisiting the song's lyrics through the eyes of our present reality struck a chord with me. I felt as close to the song as when I had first written it. I find that I am asking myself similar questions while in this pandemic, without my friends, my family, my familiar structures.”

“I am of all things, love and hate. Placing the pieces of myself, hopefully, without judgment, without bitterness. To not knowing, who I am entirely. Who am I, without them? Who am I, without you, in my life?”

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Lazerine - I Felt Fine Today

Lazerine is a London based song recording project based around some ideas of mine that have been coalescing for awhile. Our new single, I Felt Fine Today, is due for release on 26 March 2021 via FUGA. Our previous releases are available on all Major Platforms.

Lazerine are: Sean Dempsey Vocals, Keyboards, David Kraft Drums, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Viola, Violin, Vocals, Chris Evenett Guitar, Bass

I think I should say for avoidance of confusion, including my own, that Gene Lazerine is not real but he has a purpose. When these songs started to come along I could feel that they were from somewhere I'd never spent much time in. I also felt I couldn't ignore them.

Since the songs come from another place, I've attributed them to a distinct "other". It's a bit of mental trickery on myself as much as anything to keep things focused. For as long as it's happening.

So now, thanks to the talents of my co-creators, we of Lazerine invite you to tune in and sooth your weary soul.

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Third Lung - I a Fire.

Third Lung. Emotive, Evocative, Enchanting. Pensive, Powerful and Passionate. Their music continues to capture and inspire, gathering increasing support from Fans and Critic alike. With past praise and compliments flowing from the likes of The Steve Lamacq BBC 6 Radio show, Amazing Radio and The BBC Introducing Team. Always memorable Live. 

Third Lung have performed across the UK. With some notable highlights such as THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL and CAMDEN ROCKS FESTIVAL.The 4 Piece Power House from Reading, UK long to earn your ears and charge your minds in this exciting new chapter.Third Lung are Sam Waugh - Drums, Rob Jacques - Bass, Cams Jurasek - Lead Guitar/Backing Vox, Tom Farrelly - Lead Vox/Guitar. Each Member with a distinctive Musical heritage, the band draws from a wide variety of influences. 

“It wasn't always Indie Rock music that interested me” says Cams, “My Dad, Austrian born, had a passion for Jazz music. Jacques Loussier trio and Eugen Cicero were just a few of the vinyl she would play late at night while he sunk into his thoughts over a Whiskey” 

Sam’s fascination with Groove. “I started playing drums when I was 12. I had a heavy dose of Motown and blues when growing up, and my love for funk has had a massive impact on the way I play. My favourite recording artist is Chaka Khan and My most influential drummer is Dave Garibaldi from Tower of Power.”

Rob remembers, “My first encounter with my mind being blown musically was when I was 6”. “Mr Angel came into our assembly and tore up cello, pretty much shredded on it. I then spent 2 years learning the cello but the classical music wasn’t cutting it anymore. Especially when you’re 8 and listening to Led zeppelin and Queen.”

For Tom, “There was always music in the house. Mum loves Music. Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, QUEEN, Simon and Garfunkel, ELO, Bob Dylan, Eva Cassidy and on and on...Dad Loved music too. Luke Kelly, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, The Fureys, The Chieftains, Charlie Pride, The Dubliners. My parents actively shared their love of music and favourite artists with us”

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Sam Lapro - You Still Need Me.

Sam Lapro (she/her) is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter that knows how to string together the right words to draw the emotion out of and connect with her listeners.

Her soul writing gives the listener an opportunity to know her on an intimate level as her songs represent experiences she has had throughout her life so far.

SAM LAPRO · You Still Need Me

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Loretta Querceto - Eternal Sun.

Sun is the essence of human existence. Without it, we are nothing. To me, "Eternal Sun" means an infinite presence that will carry me throughout this life.

My new song is an affirmation to myself stating that I am self sufficient. I have reached a place in my life where I can confidently say that I have developed a love within myself that can carry me throughout the rest of my life.

I was in a very dark place for the duration of my adolescent and adult life. Now I know that in this moment, I am out of that place and entering a new chapter.

Born and raised in Johnston, Rhode Island, minutes outside of Providence, Loretta Querceto is a 20-year-old student at Berklee College Of Music where she is studying music business and production.

Loretta has been independently writing, recording, producing, and releasing original music since April of 2020. Her released work to date has centreed around the genres of indie and alternative rock with jazz and lo-fi influences. Loretta is a multi-instrumentalist with a primary focus in guitar, self taught from the age of 10.

Loretta Querceto · Eternal Sun

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Matilda Lindell - Dancing Queen.

Matilda Lindell has released her idyllic cover of ABBA’s classic hit, “Dancing Queen.” The experienced singer puts her twist on the legendary disco track by adding vulnerability and a fragile sound. “Dancing Queen” is being released in honor of Women’s History Month and is now available to download and stream on digital platforms worldwide.

Matilda Lindell’s rendition of “Dancing Queen” goes beyond the happy lyrics and upbeat groove. “My version is about female empowerment and encouragement,” Lindell says. “Through the struggles, we need to believe in ourselves and also support each other. A celebration to women!” The track is a perfect complement to Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Lindell creates an almost filmic tone allowing listeners to set their minds free and embrace a new experience. 

“The familiar melodies are discovered in a new way,” she adds. “The essence of the original song is there, but I have created a new perspective, and I hope, a new emotional journey for the listener.” Powerful vocals intertwined with an emotional effort to capture the listener pose a level of relatability in “Dancing Queen.” It’s raw and genuine. Lindell created the updated arrangement for the single, while she co-created the string arrangement alongside Erik Arvinder, whose father played violin on the ABBA original. The song was co-produced and mixed by Andrew Lipke at The Studio Lounge in Philadelphia, PA. A music video for “Dancing Queen” will be released later this month.

Matilda Lindell was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. It was singing that made her most happy early on in life. “I have been singing since before I could talk,” Lindell admits. “I have always expressed myself through music, singing, and performance. I have never had anything else than a singer in mind for a profession.” At the age of 26, Lindell began touring the United States as one of the principal singers in the tribute act “ABBA THE CONCERT.” 

She has performed at various venues, including The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Wolf Trap Performing Arts Centre just outside of Washington D.C. She’s also had one of her original songs nominated for CARA (the A cappella world’s Grammy equivalent). Lindell’s time on tour sparked the desire to create something personal for herself as the classic songs became such a monumental part of her life. Her upcoming EP is a fascinating deep dive into ABBA, and includes interpretations of a selection of ABBA songs that have brought special meaning to her over the years. With a solo EP, It Should Be Easier (2017), and a handful of original singles already under her belt, Lindell continues on her journey as a solo artist.

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Charlotte Spiral - The Weeping Willows - Renée Reed - Natalie D-Napoleon

Charlotte Spiral - Out Of Here.

Dark-alt pop duo Charlotte Spiral impressed with their debut EP Ideal Life in February 2020, garnering widespread critical acclaim, a Union Chapel show in support of Alice Boman, a Rough Trade Recommends showcase, and support from BBC 6 Music. A year later, they’ve teamed up with Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (Kae Tempest, Bat For Lashes, Sia) once more for their evocative new EP, New Light. Confronting and examining loss, escapism, dissatisfaction and comparing oneself, the EP will be released on April 9th.

Today, the duo share a new track ‘Out Of Here’ which was co-produced with Dan Carey over Zoom during the first lockdown. The song addresses a recurring situation that breeds a longing for escape - “There is something about doing things over and over again in a monotonous way that makes a situation feel worse than it is, and I wanted to portray this throughout the song,” explains lead singer Amy Spencer. Sombre piano and laidback rhythms surround luscious vocals which build towards the track's powerful chorus. Here, the song’s ultimate message becomes clear as the decision is made to break an unhappy cycle and focus on taking control of one’s own destiny.

Charlotte Spiral is a collaboration between Amy Spencer and Avi Barath; two musicians that have been involved in multiple projects respectively before coming together to form the duo. Having met at Goldsmiths, the pair connected due to their mutual love of artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Julia Holter, Moses Sumney, Yann Tiersen and Beach House, and their inherent desire to write music that is lyrically driven and built upon organic piano melodies.

The group’s debut EP Ideal Life confronted themes of self-hood, self-doubt, yet ultimately self-belief. The lead track, ‘Wide Eyed’, was produced by Charlotte Spiral and Dan Carey, evincing vocals that are lush and nostalgic, soaring above ethereal piano and polished production. The release garnered widespread praise from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Line of Best Fit, Music Week and BBC 6 Music, amongst others.

Charlotte Spiral · Out Of Here

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The Weeping Willows - Black Crow.

Fresh from the red carpet of Tamworth’s CMAA Awards, where The Weeping Willows took home the 2021 Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year (for previous outing ‘Prelude’), partners in life, love, and song Andrew Wrigglesworth and Laura Coates delve into darkness once again with brooding new single “Black Crow”. Encroaching doom never sounded so sweet.

Shivering with misgiving, “Black Crow” finds its murderous protagonist inescapably fixed by the penetrating gaze of the titular bird – harbinger of his inevitable fate at the end of a rope. Bleakly arresting, it’s yet another unmissable taste of The Weeping Willows’ long-awaited third studio album.

About the song, The Weeping Willows said, “We’ve always been drawn to the more sinister, ‘Gothic’ side of Americana music that harks back to early blues, as well as Bluegrass and ‘mountain music’ traditions. Writing Black Crow allowed us to delve deeper into this sub-genre”.

Rooted in ageless country-folk tradition, “Black Crow” deploys the most urgently up-tempo picking in The Weeping Willows catalogue to date: acoustic and slide guitar rippling like the surface of an inky tarn disturbed by a smoking gun or bloodied knife. It’s also eloquent proof that Andrew and Laura’s celebrated vocal harmony is as exquisitely suited to fatalistic tales of murder as it is to a delicate love song.

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Justin Townes Earle, Tift Merritt, Bonnie Raitt) at Los Angeles’ storied Stampede Origin Studio,“Black Crow” thrills with all the dark storytelling majesty of The Weeping Willows’ critically acclaimed second album Before Darkness Comes A-Callin'. That album netted the duo four-star reviews from Rolling Stone, The Australian, and The Music, and confirmed The Weeping Willows as Australia’s foremost vivisectors of the human condition and the shadowy forces that bind us to the earth.

The Weeping Willows · Black Crow

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Renée Reed - I Saw A Ghost.

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed shares the video for "I Saw A Ghost" from her self-titled debut album out this Friday, March 26, 2021 via Keeled Scales. The dark stop-motion video was painstakingly created by Joseph Howard and Emily Curran.

About the video, Renée says: "I’ve always had a fascination with stop-motion animation and puppetry. I’ve also long-admired Joseph Howard’s work, so I was thrilled when he took up the task of bringing this video to life. The lyrics of the song dance a thin, blurry line between literal and figurative, and Joseph and his partner Emily captured the essence of that beautifully with this video. It’s so evocative. Each time I watch it I see something new."

About the song: "The song is on one hand a story about seeing a ghost, but the 'ghost' also refers to myself dealing with disappointment and sadness from a multitude of sources, and learning about myself as I get through it."

"I Saw A Ghost" follows the intricately finger-picked folk of "Neboj," the hazy psych French single "Où est la fée," and the spell-binding earworm "Fast One."

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Natalie D-Napoleon - Thunder Rumor.

For an Australian singer-songwriter entrenched in the traditions of folk/rock and Americana music, not only did writing her latest album on the front porch of her 100-year old California cottage give Natalie D-Napoleon the time and space to create You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea (due out March 26, 2021) but also the passing world served as a poignant muse.

“I sat there and wrote and wrote and wrote,” explained Natalie. “Sometimes people stopped and listened to me playing, mainly parents with kids. Guys walked up and asked what guitar I was playing. But mostly folks ignored me and kept walking. I really liked watching the world go by, offering up song ideas, while I plugged away on my instrument and sang.”

The view from her porch also gave Natalie a new perspective. “All my life I've written ‘personal’ songs.” Natalie continues. “I’ve tucked myself away and poured my emotional life into music, yet I discovered after a while it burnt me out. It wasn't always a well that was nourishing, but one that began to drain me emotionally.

“As the songs began to flow, a theme emerged — I was telling stories of women that passed me by. But these were stories that aren’t commonly told in song. Women have long been the muse in song-writing but it’s been a very one-dimensional view. Rarely have our complexities been portrayed — I wanted to change that.

“Second Time Around” is a song about the wisdom that comes with starting over and “No Longer Mine” enthusiastically celebrates the resulting liberty from ending a relationship while “Wildflowers” is a rustic front-porch song. “The songs did not come without work,” Natalie is quick to add. “But this time I decided to feed the songbird within me. I gave her water and seeds as you do to any living creature you want to keep coming back to visit.”

It wasn’t always easy going. A songwriting session in Taos, N.M. with American folk icons Eliza Gilkyson and Mary Gauthier ended in tears when Gauthier pushed Natalie to her creative and emotional breaking point.

“Mary suggested a song I played wasn’t personal enough and that I was skirting around telling the story,” she recalled. “I broke down as 25 years of grief and disappointment came to the surface. That night I howled as loud as the coyotes outside our cabin in the New Mexico desert until the early morning. I had decided I was finished with songwriting, but the next morning I picked myself up and went back to the workshop. I had dedicated too much of my life to the craft of songwriting for me to give up now.  Later that same day I wrote ‘Mother of Exiles,’ a song inspired by Emma Lazarus’ poem at the foot of the Statue of Liberty celebrating America’s embrace of immigrants — immigrants just like me.”

Through that experience Natalie found a poignant poetry in the face of adversity, which she channelled into her writing. “Thunder Rumor” is a haunting exploration of one of the most dangerous times in many women’s lives — when they decide to break free from an abusive relationship; “Reasons” explores the emotional rollercoaster of losing an unborn child; and the album’s title track is an exploration of childhood trauma and the lifelong scars it can leave.

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