Neev - Matt Corby - Surf Friends - Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra - La Ratte

Neev - Fast Patterns.

Since the release of her debut single in 2019, Glaswegian artist Neev has built a reputation for discovering beauty in the small details. Her talent for storytelling and worldbuilding has earned her early support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Sian Eleri and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson, as well as a sync on BBC drama Waterloo Road.  On April 28th, the now London-based musician is set to release her debut album, Katherine, a collection of intricate indie-folk songs that pack a lyrical punch.

Today, Neev has shared her new single ‘Fast Patterns’. Written from the point of view of an imperfect friend, the song is about not knowing how to be there for someone in their darkest moments. It asks how far you should go for a friend in need and at what point you need to take a step back.

Buoyed by the experience of engineering, mixing and producing her 2021 EP Currants almost entirely alone whilst the country was in lockdown, much of Katherine was recorded at Neev’s home studio and the homes of a host of talented musician friends. “It was really important to me that the album wasn’t only a group of songs but that it would also be a learning curve for me, and it was! I learnt so much about arrangement, frequency, the range of my voice and the way I like to construct songs and write,” she says.

Katherine carries all of the trademark sounds of Neev’s previous releases. Acoustic guitars, soaring string arrangements and layered backing vocals can be found throughout, but this time they’re bigger, at times, calling to mind artists like Marika Hackman and Fenne Lily. Every song on Katherine is tied to the idea of identity.

 

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Matt Corby - Big Smoke.

Today, Matt Corby released his hallucinatory new single “Big Smoke,” the newest single from his upcoming album Everything’s Fine (out March 24th via Communion). Next month Corby will kick off a limited run of intimate shows across the US with sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and Toronto.

His first album in five years, Everything’s Fine vividly captures the personal and creative growth of Matt Corby who, like many, was tipped belly side up recently. Beyond the global touring pause, on the day he was meant to start recording his new album, Corby and his family were instead rescued by a neighbor. Their home had been engulfed by the flood waters that raged through Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, in early 2022.

After nervously watching his heavily pregnant partner and young son be whisked away in a small inflatable dinghy, he got to work ferrying provisions to stranded locals and digging rotting mud out from beneath his home. With their home inundated by floodwaters, the whole family moved into Corby’s Rainbow Valley Studios during the album’s recording process. Juggling familial responsibilities with his creative pursuits was a one-of-a-kind pressure cooker circumstance that galvanized his artistic evolution.

“I'm currently rebuilding a lot of my foundational stuff,” Matt shares. “Covid changed me a lot, slowed me down. I feel like I've become aware of a lot of the stuff I need to work on, and I'm happy to start – and I have been. All of that chaos helped me not be neurotic with this album process and get to the point where I accepted things. Like, I couldn’t sit and stew over how something sounded and potentially make it worse if I was needed elsewhere."

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Surf Friends - Dreaming.

Hot off the heels of their latest single ‘Something Real’, Surf Friends release the second single, ‘Dreaming’, from their upcoming album Sonic Waves. Taking a step further into their kaleidoscopic sound whilst keeping in line with their blissful rock sensibilities, Brad Coley and Pete Westmoreland dish out even more ethereal melodies and guitar loops on ‘Dreaming’, enveloping listeners in its heavenly wash of sonics.

“This song is about how nature provides us with the environment we need to slow us down, allowing us to see more clearly the direction we want to take.” Surf Friends say of the track. “It is about that very moment we become aware and feel our potential, see the direction and take the helm.”

Along with the single, Surf Friends have announced two album release shows in March to celebrate the release of their upcoming album, Sonic Waves. Taking place in their hometown, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland as well as surf capital Whāingaroa/Raglan, Surf Friends will be joining forces with Power Nap (in Raglan), DJ The Bermuda Triangle and King Of The Sadboys (in Auckland) to put on an epic night of music, and showcase their new tunes live and in the flesh. Surf Friends will also be performing at Field Of Dreams Festival on Saturday the 18th of February, alongside Te Huhu, Arthur Ahbez, Wellness and more.

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Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra - Hilton.

Just over a month from now, Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra will release their anticipated new album Racing The Storm on March 17th via Bella Union. Ahead of the release, and having previously shared videos for the singles “Right Here” and “Mikos”, Emiliana & TCO now share a captivating video for new single “Hilton” directed by Aarich Jespers (TCO) & Anaïs Dyckmans. Taking its inspiration from David Hockney, “Tango” by Zbigniew Rybczyński and “Here” by Richard McGuire, the video is a one-shot of Emiliana, The Colorist Orchestra and dancers together in a small living room, projected onto objects and re-shot. In the end we see a broken image of ‘one scene’. This image underlines the eclectic vibe and groove of the song and speaks the language of isolation and being together in online meetings, dreams and fantasies.

Picture this: a big storm is brewing overhead. You’re careening through the backroads of rural Iceland, trying desperately to catch your flight out of Reykjavik as the skies darken behind you. You’ve just had one of the best songwriting sessions of your life, in a farmhouse deep in the Icelandic countryside, but none of that matters now. You’ve found yourself in a race against time to get all your work to the next studio and continue working on your album—one that just might turn out to be one of the most important of your entire career.

This exact scenario is what befell Belgian duo The Colorist Orchestra and Icelandic-Italian singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini during one of the many recording sessions for their new collaborative album—and the experience was so emblematic of the entire awe-inspiring, chaotic, life-affirming process, that they ended up naming the record Racing the Storm.

The Colorist Orchestra knows a thing or two about controlled chaos. Since their inception in 2013, close friends and multi-instrumentalists Aarich Jespers and Kobe Proesmans have taken on the task of reinterpreting other artists’ discographies with their unique blend of pop, electronic and world music. In 2015, they entered into a collaboration with Emiliana, who at that time was already well into her own illustrious career, having released six studio albums, as well as the international hit “Jungle Drum”.

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La Ratte - Astray (Album).

If you like your blues dirty and rocking hard, then La Ratte and their debut album may be just the thing to get you off your chairs, put on your dancing shes and go see where your air guitar is stashed.

Astray is the album where seasoned and street savy musicians Harm van Essen (guitar/vocals) Jochem Jorrisen (drums) and Nikolas Karolewic (bass) meet in their passion for hard hittin' Swamp Blues, Roots and Rock n' Roll. It surely confirms the musicians' punky attitude towards music.

La Ratte is a three piece band formed as a well fitting misalliance. It started out with two Dutch musicians, Harm van Essen and Jochem Jorrisen, with a punk attitude towards music. Harm started to record demos that put La Ratte in a new direction. The new material needed a bass player to play the songs live, and Nikolas Karolewicz from Münster Germany was asked to join the band.

Since late 2021, La Ratte has been based around Harm’s wayward songwriting, raw vocals and fiery guitar playing, Jochem’s explosive drumming and Nikolas’ steady and old school bass groove. The combination nails a contemporary blues sound by delivering a swampy catchy roots album.

The new album, Astray, was recorded in 7 days at Studio De Krakeling, built in a former mental asylum. Each of the eleven tracks explores a different side of American Roots music, taking inspiration from the energy of Texas Blues, hypnotizing Mississippi Hill Country groove, and the catchiness of Louisiana Swamp Pop classics.

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My Name is Ian - Sarah Chirita - Redbud

My Name is Ian - You Are Amazing.

Determined to release a song for all special occasions, My Name is Ian are due to release a Valentine’s Day Indie ballad this year. Following on from their Halloween pop-punk offering, ‘Spooky Holiday’ last year, and 2018’s ‘Christmas Time Again’, ‘You Are Amazing’ will be out across all digital platforms on February 14th.

The track, which references off-kilter romantic sentiments and pairings, has long been a staple of the band’s live repertoire, and has finally been blessed with a studio recording. The track comes as the band prepare to release their latest album, ‘GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS’, due out this summer through Bubblewrap Collective.

Creatures of Cardiff, My Name Is Ian have already built a back catalogue that would have taken The Stone Roses millennia to mirror. Since 2010 their output of has dealt with break-ups, breakdowns, mysterious lion paintings and characters from the Tom Hanks movie Big. This restless productivity has seen genres including but not restricted to lo-fi, bedroom punk, garage rock, prog and anti-folk, all filtered through the pop-oriented cranium of frontman Reginald Foxwell.

Impressively prolific and prolifically impressive, bittersweet but unbroken, My Name Is Ian require your immediate attention.

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Sarah Chirita - Alphabet Soup.

This is a fabulous song from Romanian-American creative Sarah Chirita who we are told "is well versed in singing, song writing, and speaking" and this gorgeous track suggests that statement is not an exaggeration.

Sarah is described as an Americana artist, deriving inspiration from the likes of Zach Bryan, Dolly Parton, Tyler Childers, and many others. She finds herself between Americana, indie and folk.

Sarah's Romanian background played a large part in her love for folk music, whilst growing up in Texas deepened her love for Americana.

This song is for anyone who is struggling financially, was raised by a single parent, or struggled to make ends meet.

Sarah Chirita · Alphabet Soup

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Redbud - Franny.

Franny is the latest single from rising Austin-based group Redbud. It's off of their debut EP, Long Night, which is out February 24th. The band's Katie Claghorn say's regarding the song, "I wrote this song about my cat. My big, silver, mischievous barnyard cat, Francis.

I scooped Franny the kitten from an apartment complex during 2020. He was offered to me in a Facebook group after I posted about finally being ready to care for a furry friend during the Q. As Franny aged, the necessary flea baths grew more and more difficult as he grew more and more aware of what drawing a bath meant for him. He looked so pathetic one day during his flea bath that I began to sing him a lullaby.

I sang the tune (which became the verse melody) to myself for a few months before finally forcing myself to sit down and find some chords that worked alongside it."

Redbud is the brainchild of Claghorn who crafts intimate sonic portraits with whimsical, psychedelic tones and meditative, soul-exposing lyrics. Born out of pandemic, the group has blossomed into a four-piece and has become a rising staple of the Austin scene, most recently supporting Wild Pink and Why Bonnie. Long Night stands as their cohesively kaleidoscopic vision as well as a trail-sign for where their path leads in the future.

Good Eye Records · Redbud - "Franny"

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Tara Van der Kolk - Chris Williams and Kid Reverie

Tara Van der Kolk - Back In Love.

Tara Van der Kolk has released the second single from her upcoming album, Rise (due April 2023), the hopeful reflection on self-love that is “Back In Love.”

Composed after a brutal breakup, “Back In Love” is a “self-soothing anthem” in Van der Kolk’s words, an ode to the hopeful nature of rooting oneself once again.

The melodic, acoustic pop song layers Tara’s harmonies and empowering lyrics to create a peaceful, sonic cocoon.

“Back In Love” reflects on the challenges of being ‘too much’ and the recognition that for oneself and for the right people, one can never be considered ‘too much’ of anything.

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Chris Williams and Kid Reverie - Warning Bell.

“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I’m still gonna care even if you won’t,” sings Kid Reverie in the opening line of the new Chris Williams and Kid Reverie single, “Warning Bell.” An acoustic guitar-driven groove, highlighted by swirling B3 organ fills, provides a comfortable bed for a devastating lyric. “Sometimes folks just give up. 

No matter how hard you try to navigate all of their landmines, inevitably there is an explosion,” says Williams, who wrote the song’s first four lines before bringing in Kid Reverie, known off-stage as Steve Varney, to write a chorus from a little more distant perspective. “We set about working through this idea with just the first verse written. That verse came from a very personal place,” remembers Williams. “There were long discussions about our experiences with this topic that, for me, were very cathartic, yet too close to fully embrace expressing outwardly. Steve was able to seamlessly articulate our points as he quickly wrote out the chorus that followed those first four lines.”

Throughout the pair’s upcoming album Something from Nothing, “Warning Bell” is the only track that features Varney on lead vocals. “Chris referenced the intensity of my rock record that I did as Kid Reverie back in 2018 and I took it from there,” says Varney. “In the end, he loved how I sang it, so I just went ahead and did the vocals. It felt good to make a rock song again.” 

The resulting tune feels desperate and understanding at the same time; an urgent message punctuated by a redemptive, resolute guitar solo to counter the gut-wrenching refrain of “Please, please, whatever you do, don’t let me be like you.” “Steve has a remarkable way of arriving at a vocal expression for a needed moment,” says Williams. “His delivery matched that intensity.”

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Alice Auer - That Old Quiet Lighthouse - Kalila Badali

Alice Auer - Greek Street.

British vocalist and songwriter Alice Auer returns this week with her new single "Greek Street", out now via London tastemaker label Young Poet (Conor Albert, WOOZE). With a voice to thaw the most glacial of hearts, Alice Auer first came to prominence collaborating with south London producer (and Young Poet label-mate) Conor Albert on 2021’s 'Smile' EP and her own 2022 EP 'Daydreaming'.

Since those initial releases, Alice's music has been streamed over 10 million times; she has shared the stage with acts including Nia Archives and ELIZA; received shout-outs from the likes of Justin Bieber, and has established herself as the heart and soul of a burgeoning London scene that includes contemporaries James Smith, Matilda Mann and Maya Delilah.

New single "Greek Street" - produced by Conor Albert and co-written with London songwriter and producer James Smith - exemplifies Alice Auer's supremely relatable and refreshingly modern approach to jazz-songwriting. On "Greek Street", Auer's candid storytelling and pristine vocal shine through as she reminisces about a first date in Soho. With an empathetic worldliness, she offers catharsis against the complexities and heartbreak of relationships and daily life.

Speaking more on its inspiration and how "Greek Street" came to be, Alice Auer said: "I wrote 'Greek Street' in a day with my lovely friend and very talented musician/producer, James Smith. Story wise, Greek Street was inspired by the first date my boyfriend and I went on together, at Jazz After Dark in Soho, London. I wanted to create some contrast in the song emotionally and musically, so we wrote the lyrics from the perspective of someone who had that relationship, that experience, that romance - but lost it and longs to have it back. We then took the bones of the song to Conor and let him work his magic."

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That Old Quiet Lighthouse - Laughter.

That Old Quiet Lighthouse continue to create their sad-boy multiverse with new single ‘Laughter’, out now. After doubling their social media presence through the course of a couple of months, being featured on V13 alongside numerous radio plays including on Charlie Ashcroft’s show on Amazing Radio, That Old Quiet Lighthouse are on somewhat of a roll.

Powering through with their commitment to ‘putting the emo back in wholesome (it’s in there somewhere)’, they combine the keen and emotionally charged lyricism of Pinegrove with the bittersweet textures of Alex G, with a pinch of instrumental virtuosity for good measure.

Building an audience steadily through their brilliant mix of witty banter and immersive musical storytelling, there really isn’t another band like That Old Quiet Lighthouse. Constantly featuring different vocalists and instrumentalists on songs creates what can only be coined as a ‘sad-boy multiverse’ for the listener to enjoy, following each incredibly talented featured artist down their own rabbit hole to a place of entirely different but equally brilliant musical experience.

The guest vocalist on new That Old Quiet Lighthouse single is the perfect example of this. ‘Laughter’ is an upbeat indie-pop tune, channelling folk influences through its tenor horn counter melodies. Featuring the beautiful and unique voice of Sanja Cin, the song is almost a duet - her melodies serving as an echo of a love since gone. The best way to describe it? Infectiously upbeat, irresistibly charming, a song that perfectly articulates the bizarre nature of ending a relationship with no ill will.

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Kalila Badali - Panacea.

Kalila Badali is an alt-folk/art-pop singer songwriter and psychotherapist based in Toronto. Her music strikes an ethereal balance between witchy folk and danceable (yet moody) pop. At the age of seven, Kalila taught herself to play guitar and began writing songs. Having started writing at such an early age, her performing and writing has spanned two decades. She is most influenced by St. Vincent, Kate Bush, and Aldous Harding.

Kalila officially launched her music career with the release of her Indie-Folk EP, Perfectly Collapsing (shared on “plantable paper” to reduce waste). Kalila’s EP garnered attention on CBC Radio One’s Big City, Small World. Her current project, Panacea, has received funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR Canada and will be released in 2023. Her singles, “No Eye Contact” and “Dotty Mae” are out now on all streaming platforms.

Music represents an ongoing avenue for Kalila to express her understanding of the world as a neurodivergent person. Since graduating from University of Toronto with an M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology, Kalila has been a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario with a unique private practice working with neurodivergent, LGBTQ2SIA+, and arts workers. This balancing of her two careers as a musician and therapist has led her to offer workshops to emerging artists on musicians’ mental health.

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