Sunday, 16 October 2022

Bad Hammer - Julian Shah-Tayler - Fe Salomon - ALASKALASKA

Bad Hammer - Call Me.

Berlin-based shadow-pop newcomers Bad Hammer have shared new single 'Call Me'. The single comes alongside news that they will be touring the UK and Europe in November and December, including dates with NY's Black Marble. Bad Hammer blends melancholic melodies with poignant guitar riffs, meandering along warm synth pads and subtly driving drum beats to dazzling effect. 

Thematically the songs that make up their forthcoming debut, End of an Age, are connected by referring to a state of being on hold, undetermined, between looking forwards and back, holding on to something and anticipating change. End Of An Age will be released on November 25th.

Their new single, 'Call Me' is is a song about the connection between a mother and her child. A six-minute pop epic drenched in emotion and longing. On their new single, Bad Hammer says: "It's about communication, through the umbilical cord, then through touch, then through words, through machines like a telephone, through thoughts and eventually through energies when one is not there anymore. There is that desire, that feeling of solitude and vastness when that connection has become ethereal.”

Bad Hammer are Lisa Klinkhammer (synthesisers, vocals) and Johannes Badzura (guitar, drums, vocals). In 2019, they released their debut EP, Extended Play, and have been touring extensively throughout Europe ever since, opening for like-minded artists including Molly Nilson, Sean Nicholas Savage, Jaakko Eino Kalevi and more.

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Julian Shah-Tayler - Elysium (Album).

Julian Shah-Tayler is a new-wave electro-rock artist hailing from Leeds, UK now based in South Pasadena, California. He draws his inspiration from 80s and 90s New Wave, Britpop and Electronic Rock with lyrics inspired by literature and a lifetime of professional touring. Fans have described his sound as “David Bowie and Depeche Mode had a baby”. Synthy, complex, sexy music to make love to.

The album features contributions from David J (Bauhaus/Love and Rockets) and MGT (Tricky/Mission UK) as well as coproductions with Robert Margouleff (Stevie Wonder/Devo)

The new album, the third under his own name, entitled “Elysium” is “the story of *the* love of my life from the very moment we met, and the subsequent and very relatable emotional rollercoaster that comes with the territory of being in love and overcoming vast distances, both literal and metaphorical”.

The record opens with “End Of The Line” which narrates the dissolution of old pain, paving the way for new beginnings. It then takes the listener on a voyage through the building back of hope through the different moods and stages of love and resolves with the triumphant universalism of “Darkling U.” In a word Beehive Candy has no hesitation but to say "superb" no make that SUPERB!!!

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Fe Salomon - Quintessential England.

Arriving like a twisted fairy tale from the heart of Middle England, the new single from Fe Salomon is off-kilter and unpredictable at every turn. Taking the listener into “the countryside, in the middle of nowhere, with postcard villages and fresh clean air”, “Quintessential England” finds an artist reflecting on a period of her life where she gave up the bright lights of the city in search of a new life in Rutland (the smallest county in the UK on the Northamptonshire / Leicestershire border). 

While this beautiful pocket of England provided the change of environment she craved, after spending a couple of years playing at the good life, petting sheep and living an isolated existence’ the daydream began to fade and Fe began to realise that the demons that had driven her there hadn't disappeared.

With its toy-town like melodies, topsy-turvy vocal trills and clockwork-like percussive ticks, it’s a song that twitches with a very palpable presence of paranoia and claustrophobia. Speaking about how she formulated its unique score, Fe remembers: “The starting points of this song were the howls and chirps made by the studio cat, mixed with vocals, then transcribed into violin parts and played with chopsticks.”

Through wry lyricism and vivid imagination, “Quintessential England” paints a lucid, if lonely, depiction of a life lived out in the sticks; one that ultimately arrives at the conclusion that perhaps “the grass isn’t always greener”. She’s still searching for that place to belong.

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ALASKALASKA - Glass.

ALASKALASKA (pronounced “Alaska-laska”) share their long awaited new album, Still Life, via Marathon Records (Lava La Rue, Courtney Barnett, Pond etc). It comes ahead of their 13-date UK tour supporting Porridge Radio, which kicks off next week (dates below). Still Life finds writers and producers Lucinda Duarte-Holman and Fraser Rieley embracing a more free-form electronica while exploring the privileges associated with modern domestic existence and the pressures that come with technology, social media and climate change.

The highly anticipated album features singles "TV Dinners", "Still Life" and "Growing Up Pains (Unni's Song)", which drew support from BBC 6 Music's Lauren Laverne, Chris Hawkins and Tom Ravenscroft, BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders and Nels Hylton, BBC Introducing's Jess Iszatt and more. Produced by Jas Shaw (of Simian Mobile Disco), the album is full of digital sounds, drum machine and synth melodies cunningly sat beside rich, organic, acoustic instrumentation–a looping tug of war between existential dread and everyday simple pleasures.

To celebrate the album release, they also share a video for the new album single “Glass”  Lucinda says of the track: "Glass is about the unhealthy relationships some of us have with work. Do you live to work, or do you work to live? Do you feel like you have a choice? It feels like a lot of people are starting to re-asses their work/life balance after the effects of the last couple of years. Ultimately I think there needs to be a shift in work ethics in general. Bring in the 4-day working week and pay people properly for their time and energy!"


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Listen To BCMR (Beehive Candy Music Radio) streaming 24/7 with all the music featured on Beehive Candy in recent weeks and an eclectic mix of music from days gone by. BCMR-HERE.  

Saturday, 15 October 2022

The Steele Syndicate - Uhl - Vera Ellen - Jade Empress

The Steele Syndicate - City of Dread.

A tranquil, subtropical rainforest studio made the perfect setting for Meanjin/Brisbane-based funk/rock octet The Steele Syndicate to record their debut album ‘Weekend’s Coming’. The result is an uplifting, delightfully noise-filled listen brimming with feel-good fun, and is out to enjoy now.

Encompassing the themes of work, love and happiness, 'Weekend's Coming' showcases the band at their raucous and rocking best, with signature doses of funk led by plenty of horns. Each song was recorded using only analogue instruments - so every horn stab, synth note, guitar, organ or kick sound is the real deal. Frontman Steele McMahon divulges:

“I remember tracking the lead guitar line for ‘One Beer (Is Never Enough)’, and having this old Roland Jazz Chorus maxed to the proverbial 11, and there being so much thick noise even when the guitar was not playing, that it sounded like the studio was literally drawing breath.

While it was challenging to utilize only real instruments, in a day where nearly every sound can be achieved with the touch of a button, I think it presented a fun and creative opportunity to embrace limitations, and really allow the nuances and idiosyncrasies of analogue instrumentation to shine.”

The band's feature album opens with the thought-provoking, sway-inducing 'City of Dread'. It sets the scene for next track 'Dance' to steal the spotlight, and amp things up with plenty of brassy fanfare.

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Photo - Zeke Bogusky
Uhl - Haunted Tune.

"Oh what haunted tune can I bring you?" Uhl asks at the opening of "Haunted Tune," the first single from Channels. Her serpentine melodies and operatic storytelling cascade from there in perfectly executed art pop waves that crash over and over, recalling Kate Bush's The Sensual World or Annie Lennox's Diva or Weyes Blood's more recent work. To be sure, this is really not the kind of thing that works if it's only halfheartedly executed or if the artist is anything but exceptional.

And so here's Uhl: fully going for it and fullly pulling it off, supported by the acrobatic production of Peter Murray (Alela Diane, Lisa Crawley). The melodies are memorable, the arrangements are spot on, and the dramatic effect is consuming. Fans of Liz Fraser's and Cindy Sharp's songs on It'll End in Tears, brace yourselves.

Uhl embodies a different character in each song, "channeling" these narratives. In "Haunted Tune," the narrator seems to be singing from the other side, warning that "you can't fool love and you can't cheat fate," but then coolly posing: "Isn’t it a pity / A quick hand deals and suddenly you’re carried away / With all your mistakes / Can’t lose what wasn’t yours to take."

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Photo - Nicola Sandford
Vera Ellen - Homewrecker.

After recently being nominated for 'Best Alternative Artist' at the 2022 Aotearoa Music Awards, Vera Ellen has released her first new music in over a year! It comes in the audio visual form of instant classic 'Homewrecker'.

"Homewrecker is the personification of my inner demon forcing its way in to create chaos where it senses harmony. I'm my own home wrecker. Ain't we all?" - Vera Ellen

The video, directed by Albert River, and made with the support of NZ on Air, is a cheeky tip-of-the-hat to "The King of Cool" Dean Martin, and his 1983 'Since I Met You Baby' video. The high contrast visuals see Vera cheerfully crooning amongst a cast of gorgeous models, despite the bleak and introspective undertones of the song's lyrics.

"I didn't realise it was my dream to dress as Dean Martin and prance about on a roof until a few months ago. Never give up on even your most current dreams!"

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Jade Empress - Madness.

Get swept away by Jade Empress when her powerful electro-pop single 'Madness' came out yesterday October 14. Jade Empress has been gaining steam and collecting accolades over the last few years as a talented songwriter. She was the winner of multiple categories of Songsalive!'s Song Comp in 2017, a finalist in the Australian Songwriters Association Songwriting Contest for three consecutive years, a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition 2021, a participant in Ben Folds’ 2021 songwriting intensive retreat - all while working as a frontline doctor in rural and remote Australia.

Now, the artist is swapping the stethoscope for a microphone, and is ready to share her second single with the world, named 'Madness'. A soaring piece that celebrates the artist's impressive vocal ability, 'Madness' speaks to embracing the chaos of daily life. Produced by Grammy award-winning Kon Kersting (who's worked with the likes of The Jungle Giants, Tones & I, The Reubens and many more), this is a moving, melancholic pop track with emotive piano, converging in a dramatically swirling melody that uplifts and carries the songwriter's compelling voice to even greater heights.

Written in response to the chaos of her life in recent years, she chose to welcome it rather than fight against it. "Routine has always been important for me. I thought the pandemic was bad. Now, suddenly I'm finding myself working in the Pacific, as a doctor alongside the Australian Defence Force, and living day to day in an environment of civil and political unrest, I truly appreciate uncertainty and a certain kind of daily madness."

Jade Empress has already received enthusiastic support for her first release from Triple J, Double J, as well as commercial and community radio stations. 'Golden Hours' has also been featured on international music blogs including Send Me Yours Ears, Roadie Music, Indie Dock Music Blog (UK), PopMuzik (Sweden).

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Listen To BCMR (Beehive Candy Music Radio) streaming 24/7 with all the music featured on Beehive Candy in recent weeks and an eclectic mix of music from days gone by. BCMR-HERE

Friday, 14 October 2022

Ariel Bui - Kirby Heard - The Orchids - Julianna Riolino - Lasse Matthiessen

Ariel Bui - Real & Fantasy.

Nashville based singer / songwriter Ariel Bui has released the music video for “Real & Fantasy”, the second taste from her new album of the same name. The music of Ariel Bui, who Ann Powers of NPR Music once described as "a psychedelic cowgirl cool rockabilly queen”, pulls from her wide ranging musical background as a performer and music educator, blending elements of indie rock, indie pop, country, soul, surf, and psych rock into a distinct sound that should instantly appeal to fans of artists like Angel Olsen and Courtney Barnett. 

This new album Real & Fantasy reunites Ariel with Grammy-nominated producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff), with the entire new LP recorded at his Nashville studio, The Bomb Shelter.

The video was recorded in Tokic’s Bomb Shelter Studio, featuring a team of seasoned Nashville musicians who helped bring this record to life – including Jo Schornikow (Phosphorescent) on Piano & Keys, Megan Coleman (Jenny Lewis, Yola) on drums, Jack Lawrence (Jack White, The Dead Weather) on bass, and Ellen Angelico (She’s A Rebel) on guitar. This studio performance not only highlights the stellar musicianship and warm indie rock sound that makes this record so rich sonically, but also the undeniably compelling presence of Ariel herself as both a performer and songwriter.

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Kirby Heard - Angel Wings.

There is marvelous comfort that comes from listening to this eclectic collection; a sense of warmth, a sense of being nurtured, of being cared for as a listener. While some songs touch on parts of life that aren’t comforting - loss, injustice, hypocrisy - even these convey love, concern, and hopefulness for a better future - the essence of a nurturing spirit.

The album title "Ripples in the Wake” reflects how songs of deep self-reflection, tribute, and political introspection, can ripple into each other, overlapping in a way that carries you into the currents of this album. Kirby remarks that “(That’s What Makes) A Bluegrass Song” was great fun to write and, at times, almost a music theory lesson. “Grab the Lightning” is a tribute to horses she rode in her late teens, especially a retired barrel racer named Rocker. From the very first chord the song takes you into the rush of wind on your face and the beautiful balance of horse and rider.

In comparison, Kirby's voice, an older one in its expression of wisdom, long-held understandings, and timelessness, can ache like winter wind on cold hands. She sings as if she deeply knows herself in “I Was Never a Child.” Kirby’s worked hard the past 3 years and this new CD shines with her fresh songwriting, self- confidence and performing. Sharing her point of view via her heart, these are the songs she lets fly out into the world, bringing us the same insight she brings to herself.

Since the November 2019 release of her first solo project, “Mama’s Biscuits”, Kirby Heard has become known for songs that take listeners on journeys through yesteryear and memories of home. Often introspective, inquisitive, and witty, these are songs with an authentic voice and perspective. Chris Spector (Midwest Record) called it ‘delightful, meaty songwriting that could only come from the heart and does a great job of opening your ears. “Mama's Biscuits" also earned an A- from Robert Christgau, “Dean of American Music Critics” and author of the online music newsletter “And It Don’t Stop”, and ranked #26 on his Dean's List 2020.

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The Orchids - I Never Thought I Was Clever.

The long-awaited return of the best Scottish pop band since Orange Juice!Sometimes it can take several years to realise what you’ve been missing. Sometimes it can even take decades.... (If you already know all about The Orchids, well, you’re going to like Dreaming Kinda lot.) The Orchids were making sophisticated pop music right back in the early 1990s when Sarah Records first started. 

Their songs were as emotionally pure as anything else on that label, but they were always a step ahead of their peers in terms of song arrangements and musical ambition. With a casual, unpretentious air they made writing perfect pop songs seem easy, almost accidental, and several great releases followed. The Orchids gained a passionate following: people knew a good thing when they heard it and they hugged it close. But now it’s time for the rest of the world to be let in on the secret. The songs themselves are a beautiful mix of strength and gentleness. 

They wrap you in a powerful embrace, making you feel comfortable and secure –and then whisper their insecurities and anxieties into your ear. They say: ‘it’s OK to admit weakness. It’s OK to be fragile. That’s where true strength comes from’. From Glasgow, and proudly Scottish, the band shares a musical lineage with other great groups from that city, from Aztec Camera to Orange Juice, Lloyd Cole to Teenage Fanclub. All bands that specialise in song-writing that that can tell big stories through small fragments, that can make the ordinary extraordinary. Producer Ian Carmichael has helped the band createa perfectly-crafted masterpiece. 

He subtly accentuates the drama of the songs, with a sophisticated choreography and gloss that never overwhelms the tenderness of the music. In ‘This Boy Is A Mess’ (the first single from the album), the lyric confesses frailty while the music gets stronger and stronger. It is bittersweet and exhilarating at the same time. ‘I Want You, I Need You’ has harmonies as big as a house –but the yearning message remains intimate and close. ‘I Don’t Mean To Stare’ is a sophisticated new version of the track that first appeared on the Under The Bridge compilation earlier this year

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Julianna Riolino - Isn't It A Pity.

Toronto-based artist, Julianna Riolino shared her new single, "Isn't It A Pity" earlier this week, which comes as the final advance track to be lifted from her forthcoming debut album, All Blue which is out for release via You've Changed Records today. The album has found support so far from Pitchfork, Uncut, The New York Times, Stereogum, CBC, Exclaim, Shindig, Brooklyn Vegan and more.

Leaning more heavily on emotional reality than diary details, the kernel of truth and experience always shines through in Riolino’s songwriting. That duality rings like a lovesick bell on “Isn’t It A Pity”, a track lodged somewhere between AM radio breeze and the florid wash of Waxahatchee. Trilling organ and Roddy Carlyle’s rangy bass play the perfect complement to Riolino’s sweetly strummed acoustic. “Isn't it a pity, isn't it a shame / The flowers in our garden have bloomed and shed their fray," she bounces, before adding lines about astral projection, bringing a modernist edge to the vintage proceedings.

While also moonlighting as part of Daniel Romano's 'The Outfit', Riolino has slowly but surely been building a solo career of her own over the past few years with this debut LP following on from her 2019 EP, J.R. which helped to establish Julianna's musical direction while finding her open for the likes of Julie Doiron and Daniel Romano across North America.

Recorded in August 2020 at the now-shuttered Baldwin Street Sound, All Blue was produced by Aaron Goldstein (credits with Cowboy Junkies, Ducks Ltd, Le Ren, Kiwi Jr) and largely features a cadre of musicians playing together in the room. “Recording live made for some long days, but it was a lot of fun and I had the benefit of working with some really talented people,” Riolino says. “It helped create this feeling of glimpsing a moment in time. It's like therapy: I could just let out this period of life and then move forward.”

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Lasse Matthiessen - Dreams Don't Make Noise.

In Lasse Matthiessen's "Dreams Don't Make Noise", he sings of looking out over to Sicily's warm, dry sienna-coloured earth. He sings about the grapes that grow from the ground and about the sweet wine he and a mystery lady friend had in the evening. Wine made from the grapes. While he looks at her, who ”sucks the light out of the day and glows like the full moon at night”.

He sings of how they could sing their dreams out into the night or let them wither in the darkness of the silence. Because that's how dreams die. If you don’t go after them. But Lasse wants to go back and be there with her. Or maybe he was never there - as he sings in the chorus, "Dreams don't make noise when they die they just fade. It is only a dream”.

Lasse's dark, deep and rich vocals alone in the verse with only pumping synth bass. From the verse and into the pre-chorus, where the clear synth adds color to the chorus's explosion of choirs, beats and the heavy deep sub-bass while Lasse sings. We have to let ourselves dream and follow the dreams until they swallow us.

In "Dreams Dont Make Noise", the singer finds himself in a place that could be Sicily. It could be the South of France or elsewhere. A place where the dry sienna-colored soil is the fertile ground for the grapes grown there and is the ingredient in the sweet red wine he drinks in the evening in his dream when he sings:

"And you can kiss me if you like.
We can play the piano downstairs
Could sing dreams into the night
or let them fade”

In "Dreams Don't Make Noise", the "dream" of what Lasse hopes will happen, the dream of what has happened and what will never happen, flows together. It’s another excellent electro-indie banger from this hotly tipped artist, that’s flecked with melancholy and romance and it is also the title track of Lasse’s forthcoming new album.

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Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Sister Wives - Gabrielle Shonk - Bad Sounds - Sunglasses For Jaws

Sister Wives - O Dŷ i Dŷ / Streets At Night.

Sister Wives have shared two more tracks from their forthcoming debut album. The Double A single release sees the emerging Welsh speaking band release tracks 'Streets at Night' and 'O Dŷ i Dŷ', following on from a string of well-received singles and appearances at festivals across the UK this summer. Inspired by Welsh mythology, thread throughout a cavernous mix of psychedelia, folk, post-punk, garage and 70s glam rock, Sister Wives recently announced their debut album will be released on 28th October via Libertino Records.

New track 'O Dŷ i Dŷ' is about the Welsh folkloric custom of South Wales, The horse headed Mari Lwyd. The song discusses the tradition and questions whether she has been culturally appropriated, and if she has, whether this is a bad thing or not. The earliest accounts of the horse headed Mari date back to 1798, but the tradition declined in popularity in the early 20th century. The tradition saw a resurgence towards the end of the 20th century and then in 21st century has increased its popularity with the iconic image and use of the Mari spreading as far as North America. O Dŷ i Dŷ’ translates as ‘From house to house’, referencing how she attempts to gain entry to houses, where a musical battle would commence to gain entry, like a poetry slam.

"The song questions whether this is a way of celebrating Welsh culture or whether this is a form of cultural appropriation" says the band. "It mentions how ‘the mare runs free, let’s see where she ends up landing’ and asks for people to reflect on whether those who have resurrected her in other countries are guilty of stealing her skeleton."

Meanwhile, 'Streets at Night' is a literal, visceral description of what it feels like to fear for one's life when walking at night. Paired with a retro organ and a pulsing changeable tempo, the track imbues a distinctive sense of dread - almost emulating a classic horror movie soundtrack. "The song was written as an outlet for this experience that we’ve all felt" says the band. "The speed of the song changing halfway through influenced the lyrics and we hear heartbeats speeding up and slowing down throughout, mirroring the feeling of being on high alert when out walking alone."

 

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Gabrielle Shonk - How We Used To Be.

Montréal-based singer-songwriter Gabrielle Shonk shares “How We Used To Be”, her first new music in five years. The song is taken from her forthcoming 2023 album which chronicles the enormity of heartache and hope that comes with endings and new beginnings.

“How We Used To Be” marks a new chapter in Shonk’s career. After parting ways with the major label behind her debut album, she used her newfound creative freedom to collaborate with longtime friends, co-writer Jessy Caron of the band Men I Trust, and producer Jesse Mac Cormack (Helena Deland). The result is a moody single with tinges of 90s R&B exploring romantic nostalgia by reminiscing about a relationship before it fell apart.

Released today via Arts & Crafts, "How We Used To Be" is a love ballad about "a relationship that was hard to leave," explains the JUNO-nominated singer. Delicate piano lines and softly-strummed acoustic guitar accompany Shonk's dreamy vocals recalling a time in a relationship before it turned toxic. “I hate you, I love you, I miss you,” Shonk laments before the soulful chorus reflects on better times: “Touch my hand, gently / Talk to me, it’s soothing / Make me see how we used to be.”

How do you come back to yourself? Perhaps it’s important to first understand you have become lost, and admit you’ve veered off path. How then do you begin to piece yourself back together? Five years since her self-titled debut, this is the journey Gabrielle Shonk takes us on with her sophomore album set for release in winter 2023.

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Bad Sounds - Nu Me Nu Yu. 

Sounding bigger and better than ever before, Bad Sounds return with their knock-out new single ‘Nu Me Nu Yu’. Self-produced and mixed by Nathan Boddy (Mura Masa, Biig Piig, PinkPantheress), bursting with energy the track is an unmissable reminder that Bad Sounds are ever-evolving and here back once again to stay.

Sharing more, the band explained: "We’re absolutely delighted be the latest in a long list of bands ripping off the Beatles and repackaging it as our own. ‘Nu Me Nu Yu’ is a song that was originally destined for one of our side projects, but everybody we know told us it sounds too much like Bad Sounds, so we eventually got the hint and now we feel silly for not realizing it ourselves. The lyrics are pretty self explanatory, they’re just spelled stupid.

The video is super DIY just like they were when we first started out. We built a room of mirrors and spent a day bumping into our reflections, and trying to not break the glass floor/ceiling/walls. It was super fun to shoot and kinda trippy to watch. We really hope people like it!

Nu Me Nu Yu is the band's first release since January which saw the launch of their impressive EP ‘Escaping from A Violent Time Vol 2.’. The dreamy five track record played host to some stand-out collaborative moments including ‘Move Into Me’ which featured New Zealand two-piece BROODS and ‘You Move backwards’ which features hotly tipped UK artist Ruti.

The band's collaborations continue outside of their own music as their production and songwriting network flourishes in their purpose built studio in the Cotswolds. They’ve had their finger on the pulse collaborating with lots of important new acts coming through, including Arlo Parks (co-writing and producing track ‘Bluish’ off her debut album) and others like Rose Gray, Miso Extra, Joey Maxwell, Devon, Max Pope, VC Pines, SOFY and LCYTN.

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Sunglasses For Jaws - Under a Rainbow.

London based outfit Sunglasses For Jaws today announce their new album 'A Room In Europe' will be released 16th February 2023 via Hackney tastemaker label Pony Recordings (Tempesst, Caleb Kunle). The trio mark the album announcement with the release of the album's first single and album opener, "Under A Rainbow" - featuring vocals from Australian singer Elle Musa.

Widescreen, psych-rock with a penchant for the dramatic, Sunglasses For Jaws consists of David Bardon, Oscar Robertson and Olivier Huband. The outfit's new album was produced by David and Oscar in their London studio and mixed by Elliot Heinrich  (Sorry, Parquet Courts, DEADLETTER).

Combining a love of Scott Walker, Somalian 70’s funk, Hollywood strings with a dash of Portishead, new single "Under A Rainbow" opens with a spiralling string arrangement intertwined with splashes of Turkish Yazh - before dropping into its riveting, luxurious psych-groove. Never short of epic reveals, the instrumental is punctuated by welcome splashes of wah wah guitars and triumphant horn sections.

Featured vocalist - Brisbane based painter and musician Elle Musa adds a delicacy and poise to the track, as she pines for normality, new experiences and good times amidst unusual circumstances.

Speaking on the lyrical inspiration, Elle Musa said: "At a time of isolation in Byron Bay, when we weren’t able to go out or see the world, I wrote this song about longing for newness and good times. I recorded my vocals on a very old little tape machine that my partner found. It was used to record nature documentaries back in the day. I love how the tape machine only records mono but somehow it sounds stereo due to the nature of how well rounded the saturation is. The sounds become more alive and that’s exactly how I wanted to feel when writing the song. In my mind I saw the evening light with the sea close by... Falling in love and the bliss that comes with it. Feeling so free as if dancing underneath a rainbow."

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Cactus Lee - Sons of Sevilla - Gwenno

Cactus Lee - Got A Heart Like Rainwater Blues. This spring Cactus Lee released a new self-titled album (with R. Crumb artwork) via the este...