Andrew Ryan - Jody and the Jerms - Ghosts Of Torrez

Andrew Ryan - Midwest Kids.

Andrew Ryan announces the release of his Americana single, “Midwest Kids,” out today. The single is off the album, A Tiny Death, due out April 1 on Delete Yourself. “Midwest Kids”  revolves around the growing pains of figuring out who you are or where you belong, even within yourself.

“Midwest Kids” serves as a guide to navigating life, the good or the bad, from childhood through adulthood. Ryan says, “Being a father, I’m starting to see my daughter try to navigate the same waters that we all swim through.” The single is an open letter to Ryan’s daughter, who moved from being a kid to becoming a pre-teen when he wrote the song.

After spending so much time on the road, Ryan found a kindred spirit in William Least Heat-Moon’s book Blue Highways. In fact, on his upcoming album, he wrote the song “Heat Moon” about the fellow traveler. The book chronicles Heat-Moon’s journey across back highways (blue highways), where he encounters a diverse group of people along the way while discovering more about himself in the process. Ryan says, “I find inspiration in everything I experience, the people I meet, the places I’ve been, and the difficulties that life presents. I credit a lot of it to touring and being on the road.”

“Midwest Kids,” the first single set for release, revolves around the growing pains of trying to figure out who you are or where you belong, even within yourself. Ryan says, “Being a father, I’m starting to see my daughter try to navigate the same waters that we all swim through.” “All My Life” follows the struggle of trying to do the right thing or understanding if what you’re doing at the time is the right thing or not.

Jay Burgess (The Pollies), Alden Hedges (American Aquarium), Daniel Wolff (Dead Horses), and  Will Walden (StaG) were just a few of the friends and artists who contributed to the album. It was all recorded from everyone’s home or home studio, except for some backing vocals recorded at Native Sound in St. Louis, Missouri.

Andrew Ryan · Midwest Kids

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Jody and the Jerms - Heavenly.

True to its title, it’s a track of divine indie-pop that finds the Oxford-via-Wales band harking back to the genre’s golden era. For a track written in hell-on-earth (i.e. a traffic jam going over Henley Bridge as the band made their way to the studio one day), “Heavenly” defies all expectations with its saintly vocals, shimmering guitars and sunkissed melodies.

A bittersweet love song that will play a serenade on your heart strings, “Heavenly” is all “about the perils of falling for someone head-over-heels and how that plays out” says Jody.

Written and recorded on the same day in October of last year, the song is a beam of warmly fuzzy guitar pop laced with all the promises of new romance and new beginnings around the corner, yet spun with the reclusive cautiousness familiar to any indie kid finding their way.

Earning a dedicated fan in the late broadcaster Janice Long, the new single was aired for the very first time when Jody & The Jerms were invited into what would be the DJ’s last ever live session on 20th December 2021, shortly before her passing.

“Heavenly” is the lead single and opening track of Jody & The Jerms’ upcoming second album, ‘Flicker’ which they also announce today. Confirmed for release on 4th March 2022 via their own JATJ imprint, ‘Flicker’ arrives less than 18 months after the surprise hit of their lockdown-released debut ‘Deeper’ (released Autumn 2020).

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Ghosts Of Torrez - The Legend of Billy The Whale.

Ghosts Of Torrez released their first single (The Return) during the second lockdown in 2021 to critical acclaim and the follow up ‘Closer’ following later in that year. In 2022 the band will release their debut LP and have already started taking their cinematic style, psychedelic, electro-folk to the live arena (more live dates TBC).

Their new single ‘The Wailing’ is due to be released on the 11/02/2022 on all streaming services, followed by a limited free, Flex-Disc release in early March

‘The Wailing’ is accompanied by a Manga style video, “The Legend of Billy The Whale” (The Wailing/Whaling – who doesn’t love a play on words), which depicts the desperation of a broken, Captain Ahab type figure, vengefully taking on the beast he holds responsible for the death of his loved ones.

Taking their lead from bands such as Explosions in the Sky, Joy Division, Sigur Ros and Mogwai, GOT build their songs from soft, slow beginnings into cinematic style wonders.

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Romantic Thriller - Van Chamberlain - Jules Jones & the Legendary Ten Seconds

Romantic Thriller - I Cannot Tell.

LA based performance artist and mastering engineer, Rebecca Huston, aka, Romantic Thriller says her music is inspired by film noir, the dictionary states of the film genre: it’s marked by a mood of fatalism and menace. The avant garde artist weaves an intricate tale on her new offering ‘I Cannot Tell’. Eerie synths and an enigmatic vocal line make up the haunting soundscape of the track, making for an otherworldly listening experience.

The track tells the story of teenage love, jealousy and big personalities that perhaps cannot coexist. Huston details the characters in her story; Cynthia, Heather and Jesse. On a mystifying night in the woods behind a fairground, things change forever as Heather goes missing and Cynthia and Jessie’s worlds collide.

“Though no one knows a thing, really… about what happened that night in the woods, there are details Cynthia has never been able to bring herself to say. Would Jesse understand? Would Heather still be here if she revealed her secret? She cannot tell.” - Huston says on the track’s story.  This track and others in her catalog have interwoven storylines and recurring characters.  She says she likes to think of them as tantalizing blurbs on the back of campy serial teen romance novels.

The release arrives with a music video that captures the story being told through Lynch-inspired dreamy visuals. Hazy imagery of the fairground and the woods transport the audience to the fateful night that is captured in ‘I Cannot Tell’.

Huston has been musical from the start, playing violin and oboe in school. She comes from a creative background and to this day surrounds herself with friends with innovative endeavours. Huston honed her craft over the years and her life experiences led to her identity of Romantic Thriller. Comparable to musical misfits such as Grimes, Ashnikko and FKA Twigs, Romantic Thriller creates pop music with a mesmerizing quality that drags you into a mystery story you MUST solve.

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Van Chamberlain - A.G.T.

Van Chamberlain is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band. Having grown up making music together on a shared wavelength, brothers Van & Jacob began playing under the name Van Chamberlain in 2019. They make music that combines dream pop and jangle, with a slight 90’s alternative influence showing through. They’ve each played and toured the world in bands including Phantom Buffalo (Rough Trade Records, Time Lag) and Eternal Drag (members of The Dodos). In 2019 they found themselves reunited in Brooklyn, and immediately began crafting their new record, In the Sun.

The band released their first studio-demo, LY, in 2020, right on the cusp of the global pandemic. Having to cancel their live debut, they instead turned to the recording studio. Their first LP, In the Sun, was finished in 2021. By the end of that year Van Chamberlain signed with Very Jazzed with a release scheduled for March 2022.

In the Sun is an album about layers, both sonically and philosophically. Driven by textures of guitars, lush reverb, and grounded by infectious percussion, In the Sun offers sonic choices that feel new and undiscovered every time you put the record on. While Van’s laid-back vocal style offers the disposition of a sunny day with little to do, his lyrics draw from personal experiences of loss and subsequent growth. Their layered sonic approach reaffirms the band’s philosophical message: that what’s past is prologue, and the future holds promise, but neither will count unless you make peace with the present.

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Jules Jones & the Legendary Ten Seconds - The Spanish Are Coming.

The Legendary Ten Seconds started off as the solo music project of Ian Churchward during the time when he was the lead guitar player of The Morrisons who were featured on John Peel's radio one show back in 1987. In 2013 Lord Zarquon joined Ian's music project and since then various guest musicians and vocalists have helped out in the recording studio. The most recent musicians to join the project are Phil Swann and Martyn Hillstead.

The Legendary Ten Seconds have recorded many critically acclaimed English folk rock albums which chronicle the Wars of the Roses and the life and times of Richard III in England during the late 15th century. The albums are available on Amazon and itunes and the band have donated money to a scoliosis charity from some of the income generated from the sale of their music. The CD versions of the albums are available via the Richard III Society in the UK.

In 2018 the band recorded the Mer de Mort album which was commissioned by the Mortimer History Society to commemorate the Society's tenth anniversary. It is a historically accurate album of songs which tells the story of the significantly important Mortimer medieval family from their roots in Normandy prior to the battle of Hastings and into the 15th century. The album includes historical narratives read by the actor John Challis ( Boycie in Only Fools and Horses ) who was the patron of the Mortimer History Society.

2019 saw the release of four albums, Devon Roses, History Book Part One. Instrumental Legends and Thrilling Blunder Stories. In February 2020 the History Book Part Two album was completed and this was followed by The Acoustic Almanac, Amazing Songs and the Pageant of Torbay Part One albums. Additionally a new version of the first Richard III album was released in digital format via Circle of Spears Productions. The new version of the album features fictional narratives written by Sandra Heath Wilson. Following the release of the Pageant of Torbay Part Two and the Semi Acoustic Almanac albums in 2021, the latest album contains songs all about Devon. This album is in the format of a Torquay radio show with jingles recorded by the band and introductions by Riviera FM's Peter Cartwright.

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Anna Westin - Violent Vickie - Vakili Band

Photo - John Haney

Anna Westin - Bright Burning Mess.

Singer, songwriter, and poet Anna Westin, who hails from the UK by way of Canada, has released the second single from her upcoming album, LEV (the Hebrew word for “heart”). The single, “Bright Burning Mess”, which also opens the album, begins with some of Anna’s spoken word poetry, creating an atmosphere of intimacy and setting the thematic tone for the record as a whole. As the spoken intro of the song slowly gives way into a sturdy folk rock groove, Anna Westin’s entire musical style gently unfolds before you, drawing the listener with some of the album’s catchiest vocal melodies and lush backing instrumentation before dissipating back into the ether as Anna’s poetry returns in the track’s outro.

Speaking to her inspirations for “Bright Burning Mess” and how the process of creating this song was the moment that unlocked the album as whole, Anna writes: “At first it was just a collection of songs. It was only later that the more recent songs brought it into a whole concept for an album. So, probably sitting in my new flat in Margate, wondering whether I should have moved to a town I didn’t know by the sea, excited about the possibility of what was next, mourning an old love. I remember distinctly - the flat, with one sofa, before the furniture was bought - the cold blast of sea air, the sense of anticipation, and making sense of a few dreams that I kept having. That’s where 'Bright Burning Mess' started, and where the album emerged essentially.

There’s a Turner painting of the sea bed that reminds me of the movement of the piece - where Turner paints this churning brown muck that is caught up in the crystal blue storm sea, and there’s a bit of that in the piece - a sense of the underriding ’stuff’ pulled up from the deep, and the clear blue that transmits its own burning brightness of light across the horizon, reflecting sunset and moon and light and the vastness above, as it settles, as the day clears, like when we are going through something that causes the foundations to be broken up, and then find that we are on the other side, that the sea within has settled, and we are in the middle of a burning glorious brightness. All just feels like it has settled - like it is well again.”

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Violent Vickie - The Gloom (Dimension 23 remix).

After recording a DJ set for Rinse France, Violent Vickie returns with “THE GLOOM” (Dimension 23 Remix) , a dark punky dance remix of her angsty song by the Techno Trance producer of the 1997 rave hit "I. M.O.K.R.U.O.K" known as Dimension 23. “The Gloom” (Dimension 23 Remix)  is the second track off of Violent Vickie's Division Remixes LP which will be out in March 2022.

Violent Vickie is a Los Angeles based Dark Synth-Riot artist consisting of Vickie and co-producer/recording guitarist E.  Vickie has toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and has shared the stage with Trans X, The Missing Persons,  Jessie Evans (The Vanishing),Them Are Us Too, Pastel Ghost and Aimon.

She has toured the US, Mexico, Canada & Europe and played Insted Fest, Solidarity Fest, Shoutback Fest & Gay Prides and Ladyfests.  Vickie’s tracks have been released by Crunch Pod, Emerald & Doreen Recordings (Berlin), Riot Grrrl Berlin, & LoveCraft Bar (PDX).  Her track "The Wolf“ was featured in a National Organization for Women film and she was interviewed for the documentary “GRRRL”, part of the museum exhibit “Alien She”.

Her LP "Monster Alley” was voted best album by KALX and her tracks have been remixed by 25+ artists.  Violent Vickie's Division LP was released in September 2020,  followed by a remix album of "Under The Gun" in February 2021 and a cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire in July 2021.   Violent Vickie’s “Division” Remixes LP will be out in March 2022.

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Vakili Band - Fathers Sound.

In anticipation of the album, Walking Sideways, Vakili Band have released the new single, “Father’s Son,” on January 28, 2022, with a video to come. Fronted by powerhouse vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Lily Vakili, Vakili Band cites artists such as Patti Smith, Prince, Iggy Pop, and Rage Against the Machine among their influences, and “Father’s Son” pays tribute to those influences, with lyrics that embrace rebellion.

“My lyrics are a poem with references and nods to what it is to be an outsider, loner, non-conformist - an artist, a son, a woman, a person that doesn't accept easy categorization,” she says. “There's anger in being in that place of otherness - and self-doubt too: ‘I find myself in an indiscriminate rage over misperceived aggressions and slights.’” 

Inspired by a riff written by lead guitarist Ben St. Jack, the song came together when bassist Matt Jovanis and drummer Gordon Kuba locked into an intense percussive groove and Joel Dorow introduced a melodic line on harmonica. The horn section - a new addition to the band’s sound - came to Vakili in a dream. “When it works this well, as a singer/performer, I feel completely unconstrained and can be more experimental with vocals,” Vakili states.

Born in Honduras and raised in Thailand, Puerto Rico, and Iowa, Vakili worked in theatre and went on to carve out a successful career as a biotech lawyer while continuing to nurture all manner of dreams, including making music. She’s since released three albums - two as a solo artist, and one with the band.
Walking Sideways shows the growth of Vakili as a songwriter, vocalist, and bandleader, and the group as a whole. As the band gears up for the release on February 25 2022, they are enjoying the return to the stage. “Performing music live is a pursuit of ecstasy, connection, desire, and love... it’s real, heady stuff,” Vakili says. They’ll next perform at NYC’s Mercury Lounge on January 31, 2022.

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SUGARFUNGUS - St.Arnaud - Tidal Wave - Ewan MacFarlane

SUGARFUNGUS - Whats A Good One Worth?

SUGARFUNGUS is an indie pop/indietronica band from Vancouver, Canada that was formed remotely in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. The 5-piece collective describes themselves as “introverts making dance music” and their songs, like debut single “Ghosts”, evoke a certain dream-pop meets Pacific Northwest electronica sound. But SUGARFUNGUS are more than just bedroom pop, the group’s influences range from classic rock to nu-jazz.

The members of SUGARFUNGUS are lead singer Tess Meckling, bassist Alex Marr, lead guitarist Bradan Decicco, keyboardist Jackson Moore, and drummer Ivan Barbou. The name SUGARFUNGUS comes from a literal translation of Saccharomyces yeast, used in wine, beer, and bread. It is a fitting name as lab partners turned bandmates, Marr and Moore met while attending graduate school at the University of British Columbia in a wine yeast genetics lab. Friends and Capilano University jazz students/alumni, Decicco, Meckling, and Barbou were soon asked to join the group that would ultimately form SUGARFUNGUS. The band is intending to release their first EP entitled “Letting Go, Moving Still” in Winter of 2021/2022. 

The EP presents a set of warm and fuzzy tracks that blend bright guitar lines and atmospheric synths, all the while punctuated by pop-driven hooks that capture the feeling of drifting in and out of a state of sweet, mushroomy bliss. Each song of the EP was written and recorded at the homes of each of the band members, who would produce their parts, share for notes, and feedback, and then send the parts to drummer and producer Ivan Barbou. “Good music presents a story and people feel it through their interpretation,” Barbou says of the band’s intentions. “We have the same vision to entertain people and get them to dance.”

For a band inspired by science, nature, and dance music, the idea of stitching pieces of different organisms together to evolve into something infinitely funkier, more brilliantly alive is an apt metaphor. With restrictions easing, SUGARFUNGUS are hopeful that their underground tendrils will soon be able to rise to the surface and break out into the light, a unique and talented bunch – now a fully formed organism ready for its arrival.

SUGARFUNGUS · What's A Used One Worth?

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St.Arnaud - Catching Flies.

Following up the enormous acclaim he garnered for his brilliant 2019 debut album ‘The Cost Of Living’, Edmonton singer and songwriter St. Arnaud has now returned to announce the details behind his highly-anticipated follow-up LP ‘Love And The Front Lawn’, alongside the breezy new lead single ‘Catching Flies’.

Much like what we heard on his previous full-length, ‘Catching Flies’ sees the artist return in a fresh and jubilant guise. Continuing his light yet textured approach to the sweeping indie-pop sound, his newest venture makes for a wonderfully bright and joyous listen, filled with his distinctive brand of diverse instrumentation and alluring persona.

Speaking about his latest offering, he said, “Catching Flies is, somehow, St.Arnaud’s covid song, if there’s going to be one. Dropped into an inner monologue of feigning amusement and a sigh of complacency, a tone of equal parts smoky and cheeky set the scene of a twenty-something’s life and love on pause.”

Edmonton indie-pop songster St.Arnaud is a little bit of everywhere to everyone. Working alongside his brother and fellow creative, the YouTube animator GingerPale, St.Arnaud found a loving home on YouTube and Spotify with legions of eager listeners and was swept up in dozens of tour dates across Canada and the USA. His debut album was a DIY tour-de-force of fun-loving melodies overlaying themes of death, loss, and anxiety. His new album, 2022’s Love and the Front Lawn continues the sad lyrics/happy melodies framework but with a new instrumental palette. St.Arnaud has performed with Basia Bulat, Reuben and the Dark, and Lucy Rose among countless others and has performed at stages across the world including at Reeperbahn, New Colossus Festival, FOCUS Wales, and Tallinn Music Week, along with been featured on Exclaim!, BeatRoute Magazine, Indie 88, and more.

St.Arnaud · Catching Flies

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Tidal Wave - This Cost Of Life.

Tidal Wave is a 7 piece Art Rock band known for their powerful soundscapes and diverse instrumentation. Formed in 2018, the group met each other working and performing in the local live scene in Toronto. 

This eclectic group of songwriters was initially put together by guitarist and lead vocalist Connor Young; who assembled guitarist Marco Carboni, guitarist and producer Marcus Retterath, drummer and keyboard player Mike Poisson, violinist and vocalist Joey Assaad, violinist Brittany Iwanciwski, and bassist Kyle Texiera. 

Whether you are listening to their recorded or live material, the band meticulously layers its elements to give the music a full wall of sound with forward momentum. It is an ever present atmosphere composed of rich textures of guitars and synthesizers, with a delicate balance between soaring string lines and strong vocal melodies. 

The name of the band rather accurately depicts the overall tone of an unrelenting unstoppable force. Tidal Wave evokes the melodic elements of indie rock bands like Arcade Fire, while creating compelling production-heavy ambient synth and guitar textures comparable to Godspeed! You Black Emperor and My Bloody Valentine. In 2021 they released their debut self-titled EP.

Tidal Wave · This Cost Of Life

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Ewan MacFarlane - Honey.

Ewan MacFarlane’s debut solo album “Always Everlong” was released in October 2021 to much acclaim, as the former Grim Northern Social and Apollo 440 frontman set out his stall as a solo artist with a collection of finely crafted rock ‘n’ roll songs that capture the unnameable feeling all great musicians elicit when you find yourself in the presence of something truly special.

The album came about when MacFarlane challenged himself mid lockdown to write a tune a day to upload to YouTube each evening, these songs tell tales of tension with pledges of eternal love. An expression of his hopes and fears, “Always Everlong” is emboldened by a personable approach to classic rock penmanship as Ewan bares his soul by putting pen to paper, unafraid of the consequences. Honouring the revered rock’n’roll songbooks of Bowie, Petty, and Springsteen, it plots the works of those making up the soundtrack to his own life, who have always called, enthralled, and entranced him.

Like all great albums, music lovers will be revisiting “Always Everlong” for years to come and with this in mind, MacFarlane has announced the digital release of a deluxe “Always Everlong” package to come out in February 2022. Including extra rarities and treasures, the new digital release celebrates the successes of the album’s initial release and as ripples of the initial “Always Everlong” release still expand out into the world, the deluxe edition gives those that may have overlooked this future classic another reason to dive right in and check it out.

On the deluxe release, Ewan said, “we had so many great songs that we left out first time around. Then when the reaction to the album was so strong, it seemed like the sensible thing to do was to release an expanded version of the album.”

The new package includes 7 extra tracks in total, and among them BBC Radio Scotland afternoon show single of the week “This Year” and new single “Honey”. “Honey” represents the first time Ewan has revisited his back catalogue, being a recording of a song that was originally written and released via his band The Grim Northern Social back in 2003. “I’m really proud of that period of my career, the success we had and the songs we released,” says Ewan “Honey is about being so much in love that you can taste it. It’s about wanting someone and fantasising what it would be like to have it all on your terms, which is of course is impossible. None the less, its ok to dream!”

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