Favours - Parliamo - The Vaulted Skies - Black Pines

Favours - Escaping.

Favours is made up of Jacq Andrade, Alexander Zen and Mark Andrade. They released their first LP Made to Wait in 2020. Their song “Stowaway” was featured on Netflix and CBC Gem. Recently, Favours built a home recording studio in a former halfway house in Mimico. The studio serves as a practice space and home to Alex, as well as their central creative hub for all music videos and photography projects.

Favours’ EP, Left Behind, was released November 12th 2021 and it features a fresh dream pop, new wave sound inspired by their shared love of the 80’s new wave sound and a DIY post-punk feel. The band collaborated with a strong team for this upcoming EP. 

They enlisted the talents of Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning to play bass on the EP, the engineering chops of Tallies’ Dylan Franklin, who engineered the drums and bass, and the mixing prowess of Alexandre Bonenfont. Previous singles have been featured on NPR, David Dean Burkhart and charted #1 on Canadian College Radio.

Favours · Escaping

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Parliamo - The Parliamo Manifesto (E.P).

Perth, Scotland based 6-piece Parliamo release their eagerly anticipated new EP 'The Parliamo Manifesto' via Modern Sky (The Coral, The Lathums, Abbie Ozard). Drawing from a plethora of influences from The Avalanches and Massive Attack to Super Furry Animals and The Beta Band – Parliamo bring together witty social commentary–styled lyricism with a distinctive songwriting approach very much of their own.

Widely adored by their Scottish contemporaries including Walt Disco, Glasvegas, The Ninth Wave and VLURE, the band have also seen co-signs from The Libertines' Carl Barat, Primal Scream's Simone Butler and Scottish actor Robert Carlyle. They've inarguably backed this support up, quickly rising through the ranks of new Scottish acts with momentous back-to-back sold out at shows at Glasgow's King Tuts and Dundee's Hunter S Thomson.

The band's newly released EP 'The Parliamo Manifesto' is the culmination of over a year's songwriting and is a bold statement of intent from the 6 piece. Employing a charming tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the slightly darker aspects of life which young people face today, the record touches on the complications of religious pressure on "Catholic Guilt", spiraling addiction on "Who Needs a Reason?", mental health on "She’s Only Human" and the awkward beauty of young love on EP opener "Paul & Barry".

The baggy, swaggering sound of the band and the often darkly humorous nature of the lyrics, stands in stark contrast with some of the subject matter, echoing the band’s propensity for laughing in lieu of crying. In a world of such turmoil and uncertainty, ‘The Parliamo Manifesto’ aims to reconcile people with positivity through vibrant, energetic music, whilst providing a relatable commentary on the modern world and the inner workings of the minds of young people. With lyrics sometimes written and delivered in the Scottish vernacular, the record offers a somewhat unique perspective on the simultaneously charming and terrifying nature of modern life.

Parliamo · The Parliamo Manifesto

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The Vaulted Skies - What If I Were The Boy?

James Scott (Guitar, Vocals) talks us through the story of the song… “A long time ago, at a college far, far away, I was paired up on an acting assignment with one of the popular girls. While we were alone in a rehearsal space, she asked me if I wanted her to do something to me, using a phrase I didn’t understand at the time, because I was naive and innocent. I assumed it would involve some kind of physical pain or humiliation - like a wedgie! - so I said no.

I realise now of course, that she was propositioning me. Given that context, I also realise that she said something else that alluded to a very troubled home life. Knowing what I know now, while I still wouldn’t have taken her up on her offer (she was high, as usual), I wish I’d recognised the cry for help underneath it all. I don’t know what happened to her. I can’t find her on social media. Mutual friends
have lost touch with her.

I may be inventing a reality that never came to pass, and she might be perfectly fine; but this song captures the panic I felt when the memory of unwittingly rejecting her advances suddenly came back to me, which haunts me to this day.”

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Black Pines - Chains.

Following on from the enormous response to their breakthrough singles ‘Heaven’s Son’, ‘Power’ and ‘Hope’ last year, as well as their stripped-back collection ‘Isolation Tapes’ in early 2021, Essex-based outfit Black Pines are back once again to deliver their bluesy new release ‘Chains’.

Channeling a bold and atmospheric direction this time around, ‘Chains’ sees the five-piece return in stellar form. With its bold and soaring textures, shimmering hooks, and bouncing aesthetic, they are truly breaking out of their comfort zone on this blistering new effort.

Speaking about the new offering, they said, “This was the first track we created after our debut 3 singles. It marks a somewhat noticeable creative swerve, and a change of attitude when it comes to our songwriting - likely motivated by our Covid-induced isolation. It’s more fun and less forgiving, and pushes Tom’s vocals to new heights.

“Sonically, ‘Chains’ was born from a love of what Nothing But Thieves and Royal Blood had created recently, as well as paying homage to the pitch bending, tone destroying guitars of past players like Tom Morello or Prince!”

Black Pines · Chains

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Cousin Kula - Ovlov - SHEAL - Courtney Cotter King

Photo - Alfred Thirolle

Cousin Kula - Something So Sweet.

Bristol's Cousin Kula today release their new single "Something So Sweet", the final taster of their debut album Double Dinners, out November 26th via Rhythm Section.

With co-signs from the likes of BADBADNOTGOOD, Cousin Kula's forthcoming debut album Double Dinners follows their 2017 EP 'OODLES', 2019's 'STROODLES' EP, along with their 2020 'Casa Kula Cassette', which caught the attention of beloved tastemaker and DJ Bradley Zero who swiftly signed them to his Rhythm Section label.

New single "Something So Sweet" is a prime example of the band's undeniable ability to blur the lines between sweeping psychedelia and blissful jazz. Arguably the best showcase of Joe Milkinson's jazz drumming prowess, the track is wonderfully interspersed with stunning saxophone turns, intricate guitar passages and electrifying synths.

Speaking on the new single release the band said: "The production really stands out on this one and is testament to Doug’s hard work engineering and mixing the whole record from home. Most of the tunes on the album are live takes - Doug built his own ribbon mics, dozens of acoustic panels, and engineered the whole thing so that we could record everyone together from separate rooms in the house - all to get a live feel that lends itself so well to these tunes."

Cousin Kula have created their own musical universe of otherworldly pop serenity with vastly distinct, but complementary elements: “the possibilities of jazz, the emphatic energy of club culture, and the sonic tapestries of psychedelia” CLASH Magazine remark.

Living and recording together, nestled in the sun-drenched hills on the outskirts of Bristol, Cousin Kula are masters of their craft, and also of restraint; widely regarded by their fans for their superior live show. Having performed live in various bands for the past 10 years since their early teens, not being able to hit the stage during lockdown took its toll on these musicians. Ever resourceful, however, Cousin Kula began a series of their own home-made live sessions, which lead in turn to a Boiler Room Session and further a request from XL signees BADBADNOTGOOD to record a live adaptation of their new single.

Now, Cousin Kula flutter into the collective consciousness with a timeless slice of psychedelic soul on debut album Double Dinners. The latest band to emerge out of the buoyant Bristol music scene, they have stripped back all excess baggage for their most accomplished recordings to date.

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Ovlov - Eat More.

We're a little over a week away from the release of Ovlov's third full length Buds, which will be out next Friday on Exploding In Sound. Their first new music following a long layoff after the release of their beloved 2018 LP TRU, the album has been one of the more heavily anticipated of the fall, earning praise from outlets like Pitchfork, NPR, FADER, Uproxx, Paste, MTV, BrooklynVegan, and Stereogum who ran a feature that dives into the band's history and influence last month. Today the band are sharing a final single from the record, a track entitled "Eat More."

"'Eat more' is about that last person I fell in love with, and I wrote it once I realized I had fallen in love," explains Ovlov singer and lead songwriter Steve Hartlett. "They did not feel the same at the time, however. Thus it being so needy, lyrically. One of my favorite guitar parts I’ve ever written, though!"

Formed in 2009, Ovlov are the kind of cult phenomenon that seems to never stop growing despite the stop-start pattern of the band's existence. Led by songwriter and guitarist Steve Harlett, the Connecticut four-piece has released two LPs and a handful of EPs over the last decade and have broken up more times than they have made albums in that span, and yet their reputation (and with it their audience) has steadily expanded, largely as a result of a kind of grassroots, word-of-mouth excitement that feels of a piece with the band's DIY origins. Fixtures at now legendary Brooklyn venues like Shea Stadium, the band's two LPs (2013's AM and 2018's Tru which both saw release on the Brooklyn label Exploding In Sound) have seen them praised for picking up the torch of '90s indie rock groups like Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, making what NPR described as "big, fuzzy rock n roll that you can drown in," while carving out a unique sound that has had a surprisingly persistent influence on the indie rock bands that came after them.

Recorded with the same producer and engineer who has handled every Ovlov album, Michael John Thomas III at his Black Lodge Studio in Brooklyn, Buds is the latest document of Ovlov’s slow and sturdy evolution. But this time, the band’s become even more of a family affair. Though Steve’s long been riffing alongside guitarist Morgan Luzzi, the band was started with Steve’s younger brother Theo on drums. This time around, their older brother Jon joined them on bass—and their dad, Ted, even stops in to rip a sax solo on “Cheer Up, Chihiro!” Considering the Hartlett brothers learned how to play music together, it’s a full circle moment as they all come together in service of making Ovlov’s most fully realized statement yet.

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SHEAL - Gravity.

Following her recent single, “Dark,” SHEAL is revealing a new, melodic piano-led ballad.

“‘Gravity’ is about what it’s like when you choose to love someone in spite of hurt and difference,” the artist explains. “Rather than running away from tenuous relationships, holding space for the other person to be themselves with all their flaws and beauty.”

While her previous single explores the experience of fear shrinking one’s inner world, “Gravity” charts its expansion through love.

Lilting clarinet and strings elevate the grace of this song’s gentle beauty, which is one of SHEAL’s most ambitious pieces, both lyrically and production-wise. It conveys the feeling of weightlessness at the centre of “Gravity.”

“I think a lot of my writing is me finding my voice. I’ve always been inspired by beauty and beauty in music, and that’s inspired me to create. My challenge was always finding my voice and feeling like I had something worthwhile to say.” explains SHEAL, Toronto-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

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Courtney Cotter King - Electric Feet.

Courtney Cotter King has just released her newest song "Electric Feet," a 50's and contemporary style jazz pop song about the happiness her children spread, especially when they dance.

Courtney dedicates “Electric Feet” to moms everywhere and the creative chaos that ensues with their children. Inspired by the “booty-slide-slide” (her oldest’s first signature dance move), it’s all about dancing along with kids’ endless energy, rather than trying to dim it down. From the same planet as Pharrell William’s “Happy” and Ray Lamontagne’s “You Are The Best Thing”, it’s one to lift the spirits with it’s upbeat fun from start to finish.

Courtney Cotter King was born with a piano as an appendage and is inevitably attached to the keys. A raw talent, with smooth vocals and lyrics beyond her years, Courtney commands a room with merit for listening. Courtney’s artistry at the piano drives her blue-eyed soul, singer-songwriter genre. Of her unique sound, Marmoset Music Publishing said, “Piano-driven arrangements informed by classical and jazz come off effortlessly, evoking both early 70s Stevie Wonder and 90s Tori Amos. Smart, soulful, and surprising, Courtney's tunes easily marry sound with story.” She has performed with a long list of artists including, Meghan Trainor, Melanie Safka, and Courtney Marie Andrews.

CourtneyCotterKing · Electric Feet

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The Jaws of Brooklyn - Maria Pellicano - Rebecca McCartney - Chris Kelly

The Jaws of Brooklyn - Fever.

Seattle-based band, The Jaws of Brooklyn, announce the release of the 60s influenced Garage Soul Pop single on November 12. It’s off the album, The Shoals, due out in early 2022. Lyrically the song represents embracing every facet of being a woman – especially anger, and being unabashedly unapologetic in showing up fully in every expression of emotion, despite how “unattractive” or unacceptable it might be to society.

The Jaws of Brooklyn fully express these emotions on “Fever” with a sensual, gritty determination. Lead singer Lindsay Love, says “It touches on being someone’s desire but never their ‘dear.’ It’s about pulling the tape off my mouth to finally speak up and get loud without caring how I’m perceived. It also touches on female sexuality from a purely physical stance that dispels the historical notion that women are always seeking something more from men.”

The band recorded the single in The Shoals region of Alabama at Sundrop Sound, the studio owned by Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner and John Paul White (formerly of The Civil Wars). The single features Alabama Shakes/Brittney Howard background vocalists Shanay Johnson and Karita Law.  Muscle Shoals Alabama’s rich musical history that includes the likes of Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, and Otis Redding, weaves its way into Jaw of Brooklyn’s very essence. 

The Jaws of Brooklyn formed when Radio Raheem’s three members (Zia Uddin-Drums, Paul Christofferson-Bass, Bryan Cohen-Guitar) met singer Lindsay Love in Seattle during the height of the COVID pandemic in August 2020. They recorded a series of 60’s flavored Rock n’ Roll and Soul demos in Cohen’s basement, which included background vocal contributions from Black Pumas’ Lauren Cervantes and keyboards from Funky 2 Death’s Melissa Montalto. The demos caught the ear of Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner and Fitz and the Tantrums and Lady Blackbird writer/producer Chris Seefried.

The Jaws of Brooklyn · FEVER

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Maria Pellicano - Forever and Ever.

Inspiring Singer/Songwriter, author, teacher and coach, Maria Pellicano is set to release her transformative single, ‘Forever and Ever’ on 12th November 2021. A song that takes us on a journey of moving through our inner darkness and discovering what lies beyond.. In other words, painting the darkness with colours of hope.

“Often, we don’t want to look at our own darkness, because we are afraid we will find something we cannot solve.. I wanted to highlight that it’s really there for people.. If we want to grow, we have to confront that there are parts of us that we cannot solve.. you need to become aware of it and sit with it.”

After working with producer, Joshua Hennessy, of Pivotal Music Melbourne, on the creation of the track, Maria plans to combine the song with her existing tools as an experienced author, teacher and coach, to create a powerful message to those looking to grow and develop their voice, presence and confidence.

Music and songwriting have not only allowed Maria to express her own soulful song, but have been a gift that has touched and inspired so many people throughout every stage of her life.

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Rebecca McCartney - For Avery, in June.

Rebecca McCartney returns to the city where she was raised by a family of musicians and nerds, now with her own sound and much to say. She grew up immersed in NYC’s classical music world and her early songwriting eventually led to the release of an indie-folk record under the duo name Garden Party (2020) with her close friend, Jakob Leventhal.

Now, after a college career studying jazz and playing in an R&B band, McCartney is preparing to release her genre-bending debut EP, How You Feel. Calling on her eclectic musical influences and experiences, the upcoming record generates an edgy, ethereal sound that celebrates McCartney’s buttery vocals and absorbing lyrical insights. Rebecca is stoked to share her new single out this Friday, November 12th.

Here's what she had to say about it: "I wrote 'For Avery, in June' for my friend who has been knocked down by relationships so many times. Every time she gets hurt by one of these emotionally illiterate men, I just want her to be okay. So the song’s about that, about calling her back home, and saying that even when these men don’t show up for her, I’ll be there. It’s sad but hopeful. A good song to listen to with small tears and then call your friend you haven’t talked to in a year".

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Chris Kelly - Your Day Begins Again.

Cardiff Singer/Songwriter Chris Kelly announces his latest single 'Your Day Begins Again.'

Released independently the single will be streaming everywhere on Friday 26th November.

Former Front-man of 90's Cardiff Band 'The Scooters' Chris Kelly has made quite a name for himself across Wales as a tour de force on the live music circuit. Honing his craft as an accomplished Singer/Songwriter, Chris Kelly has played extensively across all of South Wales and impressing many an audience with his unique brand of Acoustic Americana Pop.

Beast PR · Chris Kelly - Your Day Begins Again

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Dana Gavanski - Kaya Usher - Parrot Dream - Lydia Brownfield

Dana Gavanski - Letting Go.

Following on from her debut album Yesterday Is Gone and her covers EP Wind Songs both released in 2020, Serbian-Canadian musician Dana Gavanski gives us a taste of what's to come next with her brand new single "Letting Go."

It's a slice of wide screen psychedelic pop. Dana and her band are also heading out on the road with Porridge Radio this week, a tour they will be embarking on by train in the interest of lowering their environmental impact.

Of the new single Dana says: "It's like a little mantra for me to sing, though maybe it’s a tad unconventional being that it’s not necessarily the kind of positive message we all associate with pop mantras. It’s more of an account of how the mind works to undermine us. It’s a subverted mantra. In the chord sequence I was trying to excite my ears and explore different melodies."

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Kaya Usher - Heart Clicks.

Kaya Usher's first single as a recording artist is Heart Clicks, a song about the transcending power of love and the ways in which it unites humanity.  The song comes a week ahead of the November 17 release of her debut album, All This Is, produced by Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene and Nyles Spencer. Mastered by Grammy award-winner Emily Lazar, the 10-track project also features Andrea Nann on back-up vocals and two of Usher and Downie’s children, Lou and Willo. Bringing to life the couple’s dream of one day forming a family band, All This Is will self-released and distributed by Arts & Crafts Productions, the label behind Downie’s solo career.

"This is a very personal album for me, not only because I get to jam out with my kids, but also because music has helped me to rise up and transcend what was holding me back,” says Kaya Usher. “Everyone can connect to music. My hope is that this album helps others reach new heights too.”

All This Is represents a reset. It is Usher’s story, told for the first time through a series of songs. Haunting melodies and soul-searching lyrics create an experience for the listener that reflects Usher’s awakening process, a journey that began when she fought breast cancer in her forties. The album speaks to her unraveling, her epiphany and, finally, her metamorphosis.

Kevin Drew met Usher in 2013 through Downie, and they soon became good friends. Their collaboration is heard throughout the album, in its robust compositions, ambient chords and hypnotic rhythms. Featuring her son Lou on keyboard and drums, her daughter Willo on harmonies and Usher playing classical guitar, organ, harmonica and providing vocals, All This Is is an offering almost thirty years in the making. The project was recorded at The Bathouse Recording Studio — a studio owned and managed by The Hip, near Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. The album art was designed by Willo.

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Parrot Dream - The End.

NY-based dream-pop duo Parrot Dream are sharing a new single, "The End." It's third and final in the band's 2021 song cycle following "Automatic System" and "Red Circle."

The band shares, "'The End' was not in fact written in response to world events. We were experimenting with big dark synth sounds and wanted to create something minimal but deep & dynamic. The lyrics are essentially final thoughts as a chapter closes and one created world ends. We all move through several worlds during the day; worlds we create ourselves, worlds created by systemic repression, worlds of relationships, worlds created by the illusions of capitalism, to name a few. The world ending in this song is specifically a world built around two beings facing a fire and brimstone type of demise."

Parrot Dream is the Brooklyn via Santiago, Chile duo of Christina Appel and Gonzalo Guerrero. Good Eye released their debut, Light Goes, which dealt with themes of disconnected memory and loss as the partners grappled with their different senses of home.

"The End" is part of a set of material that they had planned on recording in a studio in 2020 and ended up recording in their home throughout the year. It's also their first new work operating fully as a duo.

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Lydia Brownfield - Against The Light.

Lydia Brownfield announces the release of the single “Against the Light." It’s an anthem for those trying over and over again despite the odds and also a reckoning for those getting in their own way.  It’s off the upcoming album, Dig, due out November 19.

The frantic and impulsive tempo symbolizes a moth banging around the dark searching for the light. When she finds it she throws herself against it: “Around and round this light I’m flying banging loudly into the night, torn and broken but not beaten, I will throw myself again and again and again against the light”.

It reflects two areas of Brownfield’s own life she strives to get right, her music career and past relationships. She says, “This song kind of sums up my life. Even after failing at relationships, we all do it again. And again and again. We have to try. I always have to try. It’s the same with music. I’ve been at this for decades. But I still throw myself at it as hard as I can, with whatever I have. Or whatever I have left.”

Brownfield plays acoustic guitar, piano, strings and synths on “Against the Light”. The single produced by Fred Blitzer, also features Andy Harrison on electric guitar, Jeff Martin on drums, and Phil Maneri on bass.

The album travels the euphoric highs of being in love and the dramatic lows of breaking up and discovering internal power. Through genre-bending twists and turns of folk, punk, and pop, it explores the journey of getting caught up in someone else and losing sight of one’s journey of self-discovery.

Lydia Brownfield · Against The Light

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