Saturday, 4 March 2023

Kendall Lujan - Holly Henderson - Juliana Madrid - Lynn Miles - Emma Tricca

Kendall Lujan - Forget me Knots.

Kendall's debut single found a spot on the "New In Singer-Songwriter" official Apple Music Playlist , saw great growth on Spotify and was covered by Consequence Of Sound. Her debut video was placed on MTV Denmark, and she's seen radio play from Seattle (KEXP) to Saarland Germany (SR2 Kultur).

Kendall Lujan comes to us from Bellingham, Washington, and has found her place among the blistering hot music community in Portland, Oregon. She fits right into the songwriters with singular voices club that the Portland underground is known for right now. Her debut EP was recorded at the Map Room in Portland by producer Dominik Schmidt, and we first heard her sing harmonies in AC Sapphire's band The Shoulderpads.

Kendall will be roaring into Treefort Music Fest with the rest of the ASTRecords crew (Taco Tapes, Sequoia, AC Sapphire, Meredith Lane, Ryan Curtis, Jeremy James Meyer, Jeremy Ferrara) as a warmup to a 2023 European tour. Later this summer she'll play our inagural label festival, the Cave Creek Ramble, along with Margo Cilker, Bart Budwig, and Maita.


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Holly Henderson - Wendy.

Holly Henderson’s highly anticipated second album, “The Walls” is out now. The album follows the release of last year’s acclaimed single “The Planes”, which Clash Magazine described thus: “bejewelled psych-pop with folk qualities, her work has a haunting after-effect that can’t be shrugged off.”

The long-awaited sophomore release from the UK alternative singer-songwriter brings a very different side to Holly’s musicality and depth. While her debut album, “Monday Green” featured Holly’s impressive rock guitar work and alternative pop anthem prowess, her new work shows a more introspective, and slightly more delicate side to her songcraft.

Latest single “Wendy” is a uniquely fresh, yet retro infused ballad, told from the story of a person leaving their dog “Wendy” at home and promising her that she hasn’t been abandoned. It begins with the familiar whimsy and folk sentiments of Holly’s arrangements, and her dreamy, ethereal storyteller vocals. But as the band creep in, and Wendy’s world grows darker and colder, the warmth of the band, as more drums, percussion, guitars, mandolins and harmonies sweep in to remind Wendy, and anyone else listening, that they are never alone.

Recorded in a farmhouse in the English countryside, “The Walls” brings Holly full circle from her previous Los Angeles recorded album. Finely crafted arrangements, sonic musings, and playful themes take us on a journey with Holly as she deconstructs her Brit Pop and classic influences and reassembles them into progressive-folk wonderment.

On “The Walls”, Holly said, “This album sits within a sense of place. As a songwriter, I can only speak of my own thoughts of home and belonging. I suppose this record is a wandering eye over the fleeting moments from the last few years, of when I felt at home, and when I didn’t. When I felt like the walls were tumbling, when they kept me safe, and when they became my prison. I learned the only way of breaking these patterns, was to let people step over the threshold.

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Juliana Madrid - Afterlife.

Juliana Madrid releases her first single “Afterlife” from her upcoming sophomore collection to be released later this year on Neon Gold Records. After releasing her self-titled debut EP, she returned with a more expansive, deeper sound on “Afterlife”, with lyrics “Hey! I’m not great but I might be alright. So kiss my perfect afterlife goodbye”.

Juliana Madrid explains: “In "Afterlife," I am sort of flirting with the universe in hopes of getting more time. I’m often living in my own head, so I tend to get into these ruts where it feels like I’ve been putting my energy towards the wrong thing or not working hard enough or not using my time to my best advantage. Throughout the song, I attempt to understand these thoughts and try my best to find a middle ground with my own fears."

Juliana "Jules" Madrid is a 21 year old singer/ songwriter hailing from Dallas, Texas.  Juliana combines elements of folk, alt, and pop to write sardonic, coming-of-age tales that are relatable yet uniquely her. Madrid started in music at the young age of 9, learning guitar at the encouragement of her parents. Soon after, she enrolled in a local program called School of Rock. There, she began to find her voice while realizing she also had a knack for songwriting, using music as a creative outlet to express herself.

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Lynn Miles - Johnny Without June.

Coming from a country renowned for having outstanding singer-songwriters, Lynn Miles is considered Canadian songwriting royalty. With a JUNO Award in 2003 for Roots Traditional Album of the year, Lynn subsequently scored JUNO nominations in 2011 and 2006, and took home six Canadian Folk Music Awards including three for Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, American artist Clair Lynch recorded Lynn’s song “Black Flowers” on her Grammy-nominated album of songs penned by Canadians called North By South.

Lynn has the ability to instantly convert listeners into lifetime fans. On her newest album tumbleweedyworld she sings about the differences between people, which ultimately only demonstrates how we are so much the same. As always her ever-emotive voice carries each lyric with breathtaking clarity and heart-wrenching emotion, showcasing her talent as a singer and songwriter.

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Emma Tricca - Autumn's Fiery Tongue.

Emma Tricca will release her anticipated new album Aspirin Sun via Bella Union. Having previously shared videos for the tracks “King Blixa” and “Christodora House”, Tricca now shares a video for her psychedelic new single, “Autumn’s Fiery Tongue”.

Commenting on the track Emma Tricca says: “All the verses in this song come from a strange dream that probably resembles scenes from the film ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. As I woke one morning all those images came alive again before my eyes… just like in a beat poem, the images were sketchy. The title comes from the love I have for Autumn and its dream-like state: both powerful and inevitable.”

“It felt like I was driving through tunnels,” Emma Tricca says of her fourth album – her first for Bella Union. A phosphorescent panorama of undulating color, shape and sound.

As with any transformation, it is this sense of movement that underpins Aspirin Sun and its bold new form, ebbing and flowing, continually unfurling. The tunnels led the Italian-born, London-based singer-songwriter towards something expansive and far-reaching: an entirely new and experimental collection of songs. But they also drew her closer to her late father, and her memories of him driving them both in his small white Fiat, darting through the Alps and whizzing through darkened passageways, where shafts of light flickered ahead of them in the distance.

Light and shade; past and future; love and loss. “I was in uncharted territory trying to understand what was happening to me,” Tricca says. In the winter of 2018, only months after her mystical third album St. Peter was released, her father died, submerging her in a subaqueous world of grief. “I think that the loss really informed the tunes a lot,” she muses. And the tunes quickly emerged. Tricca decided to spend a few months in New York during the summer of 2019 and started recording Aspirin Sun.

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Friday, 3 March 2023

Caitlin Rose - CHVRLI BLVCK - Awkward Branches - Kassi Valazza - Dutch Uncles

Caitlin Rose - Lil' Vesta.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Caitlin Rose announced today a new batch of tour dates this spring. The full-band shows will be co-headlined with fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs.

They’ll kick off on May 30th in Louisville followed by stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia among others. Rose will also be out on the road next month supporting The Old 97’s for several dates across the west coast.

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), it earned widespread critical acclaim including NPR Music, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Paste, Slate, Nashville Scene, and Stereogum who named it as their Album of the Week upon release.

 
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CHVRLI BLVCK - Why Did You Go.

CHVRLI BLVCK is a London-born singer-songwriter living in the New Forest, known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognizable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.

He began releasing music in mid-2022 and has quickly developed a dedicated online following, with over a quarter of a million streams, positive reviews, podcast interviews, and regular airplay on independent radio stations. He has also entered the live arena with some success performing small shows, and is fast becoming a fixture of the local scene.

His single, "Why Did You Go?", is released today, in conjunction with End of The Trail Creative, is a poignant and deeply personal account of the aftermath of a breakup. It begins as a gentle ballad, "People are already walking in my house", builds to a pleading refrain, "Why did you go?”, and concludes with the pain of acceptance, “Feel like I missed my train”.

"Why Did You Go?" blends simple acoustic guitar with layered vocals and retro-inspired synths to create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape, which rises and falls in harmony with the emotional journey it imparts
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Awkward Branches - In That House.

Awkward Branches, the new project of singer, keyboardist and former Fiction frontman Mike Barrett and close collaborator and guitarist Phil Swan, announce their debut EP Melody for a Friend due out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings. This weeks announcement comes with the release of their new single ‘In That House’, the second single to be released from the duo, following on from tranquil sun-flecked number ‘A Frame (Not A Window)’ which came out in the winter of 2022. ’In That House’ is an alt-folk number, which began life in the Welsh countryside. The track combines widescreen guitars, winding synths and breezy vocals that speak to the curious boundary between humans and animals.

Beginning as a few tender sketches some years ago, Awkward Branches' new EP Melody for a Friend has grown, unhurriedly, into a set of six lovingly crafted alt-pop songs. From the acoustic opener and debut single, ‘A Frame not a Window’; the balearic dream-pop of ‘Summer of the Pine’; to the nostalgic title-track which closes the collection, this EP showcases Awkward Branches knack for weaving melody texture and lyricism into compelling and rewarding songs.

Mike Barrett and Phil Swan aka Awkward Branches appropriately first met standing under a much-beloved tree in the gardens of an old wedding chapel where they both worked. While waiting for ceremonies to run their course, talk would often turn to music. United by a shared appreciation for ambient soundscapes and buoyant melodies, they tentatively began recording sketches; ideas which grew over several years, without hurry, into a handful of fully formed songs. Ever since then, they have been writing and performing with each-other in numerous other projects - including a 6-piece experimental collective (Holy Island Sketchbook), gothic trio (Sweet Heave) and as part of Mike’s dream-pop project (Brand New Moon) - they felt it was finally time to put a name to their own project, and thus Awkward Branches was born.

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Kassi Valazza - Corners.

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza recently announced her sophomore full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, which is set to release on May 26 via Loose (Margo Cilker, The Handsome Family).

Now, Valazza has shared the second single from the album, ‘Corners’, which is premiering now over at Brooklyn Vegan. Throughout the track, fingerpicked acoustic guitar dances with bounding bass and twinkling piano, as a gentle backing choir flows behind Valazza like a stream through a lonesome vista. “The clouds move slower than they ever seemed to / Still, they find a way to pass me by,” she sings on her breezy lament about the longing that comes with an unhealthy love, “My friends, though, they wonder what I’m used to / To love a man who never treats me right.”

Of recording "Corners," Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [Portland-based band] TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, who hadn't heard any of the songs before we went into the studio. You're rarely going to find a songwriter that writes and composes every single song; it's a combination of people working things out together, of what I want and what the band hears. 

When people don't know the songs, it’s a lot looser and more magic can happen. You don't overthink it. One thing I really loved about recording 'Corners' in particular was watching the guys do the four-part harmonies. It finally felt like the song was coming together. I also made a point to have no electric guitar to add to those breezy Eagles sounds, making it the only track on the album without electric guitar."

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Dutch Uncles - In Salvia.

Dutch Uncles have shared new single “In Salvia", the final taste of the band's long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, out on 10th March via Memphis Industries.

Showcasing a new sonic palette for the band, new single "In Salvia" blurs the lines between synthesised and acoustic instrumentation, all laser focused around a jaunty "ode-to-Outkast" 808 beat. Accompanied by an all star cast of musical apparatus; Triton horns, bouncing arpeggiators, synth flutes and EBows, the band once more enlisted the help of Metronomy's Anna Prior, further elevating the track with some ethereal ad libs and ASMR additions.

The band have also revealed details of a special launch event for new album True Entertainment. On 11th March, West Didsbury & Chorlton play Ascot Utd in the FA Vase. Dutch Uncles will be taking out an advert in the matchday programme, playing album tracks out on the stadium's tannoy and running a pop up merch stand with discounted tour tickets, vinyl, t-shirts etc. The band have also teamed up with The Beagle in Chorlton, and will continue the album celebrations later that day with the addition of an exclusive new pizza to The Beagle's menu for one night only, the True Entertainment Pizza - a normal pizza, but with chips on top, in reference to their popular Podcast 'Chips Of Chorlton'. The band will also be DJ'ing at the venue.

Dutch Uncles are masters of the unique album launch. For 2017's Big Balloon the band invited fans to join them go-karting beneath the Manchester Arena and for 2013's Out Of Touch In The Wild they worked with chefs at Manchester burger restaurant Almost Famous to develop a burger in honour of the record.

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Tuesday, 28 February 2023

PACKS - Theresa Gorella - Emilee Rose - Ezra Veda - Ryan Brown

PACKS - Brown Eyes.

Last month the Toronto/Ottawa band PACKS announced their sophomore LP Crispy Crunchy Nothing, which is set for release on Fire Talk Records on March 31st. The follow up to their acclaimed 2021 debut Take The Cake, which earned accolades from outlets like The FADER, Stereogum, NYLON, Paste, BrooklynVegan, NME, Gorilla vs Bear and Bandcamp, who called the LP "the sound of classic indie rock as delivered by a promising new voice."

The album was announced with the single "4th of July", which earned best of the week nods from outlets like Uproxx, Consequence and Alt Press who called it "a delight", and now the band are sharing a second single from the album a track called "Brown Eyes".

PACKS' new LP sharpens the laid back appeal of the band's debut, displaying a newfound flair in its arrangement and production that heightens the subtle strangeness of leader Madeline Link's songwriting. Where the album's first single settled on a breezy, folk adjacent sound, "Brown Eyes" is a burst of sludgy slacker rock that holds a low key sense of menace beneath its sunny exterior.

"I had lots of fun writing this song because it’s a simple rock song about falling in love disorientatingly hard and fast," says Link. "Disorientationally? Disorientably? Love disorients me."


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Theresa Gorella - House of Broken Mirrors.

A singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Theresa Gorella writes music that is a reflection of her own experiences, and sings with rawness and honesty that is both relatable and powerful. Growing up on a raisin farm in Fowler, California, Gorella was surrounded by the sounds of country music from a young age.

After attending Long Island University-Brooklyn, she moved to Nashville to pursue country music. She got a job waiting tables at the legendary 3rd & Lindsley and was exposed to different types of music five nights a week. While refilling waters and wiping ketchup off her shirt she saw performances by Vince Gill, Dawn Sears, Beth Hart, Jonell Mosser, Chris Stapleton and Andra Day amongst many other music legends. Seeing these artists changed the way she thought about music and inspired her to form an indie rock/funk band called Poster Child with collaborator Andrew Royal.

With Poster Child, she quickly made a name for herself in the Nashville Funk scene, but felt a pull to get back in touch with her country roots. Her solo project is her way of doing just that, with a sound that blends traditional Country with elements of Soul and Americana, that she describes as “accidentally country.”

House of Broken Mirrors, the lead single off of her solo project is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates authentic and heartfelt music.


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Emilee Rose - Small Town Dream.

Bold, daring and impossible to ignore. Emily Zaletel, better known as Emilee Rose, is an emerging solo artist currently making her mark on the country music scene. Her music is highly accessible to all — with a dreamy western sound that effortlessly displays emotion and storytelling in a relatable and unique way.

Emilee’s captivating anthems have been touching the hearts of many for some time now. The rapidly rising Nashville based star loves to tell stories and relate to others through her music, using life as her biggest inspiration.

“Small Town Dream” is a dreamy country track with a unique take on traditional country sound. It tells a story about a rebel of her hometown ditching her past to create a new future for herself, through the “neon”.

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Ezra Veda - A Brand New Day.

The first time Ezra Veda started creating music was during her high school period. In the school band it became clear that she had a beautiful voice. Soon the first proposals came from the music industry to write songs and specially to sign with them. The then-teenager let it all happen resignedly. "I'd better finish my studies first and then I'll see what else comes my way," was her answer.

A few years later, the time has come. The now 22-year-old releases her first single A Brand New Day. A beautiful pop song in which Ezra's voice is perfectly at home.

The single opens small and subdued and grabs you from the start and then slowly opens and guides you to an apotheosis to return to a sensitive outro. Before you know it, you're at the end of the song and you think, hold on wait a minute and you'll listen to it again.

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Ryan Brown - After Midnight.

Ryan Brown’s newest release, titled “After Midnight” was written by Tony Luke Jr. All proceeds from the single will be donated to The Sound Mind Network, an organization focused on healing addiction and mental illness through music and the arts. 

This is a song that reflects upon some of the struggles many people face. Over the course of the song, the lyrics demonstrate how social media contributes to the growing rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction, to name a few. While the song talks about these issues, it promotes hope for a new day, a new life. With this song, Ryan and Tony’s goal is to help others find hope again.

Ryan’s music showcases the depth and vulnerability in being a teenager, and explores the ups and downs that people of all ages experience. Aside from her love for singing, Brown also enjoys playing guitar, piano, and ukulele.

Brown feels so incredibly lucky that she can share her experiences with the world. She hopes while you listen to her music, you find comfort in knowing that you aren’t alone.

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Monday, 27 February 2023

Megan Brickwood - Gal Musette - Vanity Mirror

Megan Brickwood - Fifth Mile.

Rising musician, singer, and songstress Megan Brickwood is absolutely thrilled to release her beautiful sophomore EP Fifth Mile.

To celebrate the release, Megan has chosen to highlight the title track from the EP, “Fifth Mile.” “‘Fifth Mile’ is one of those 'special gift' songs that I wrote from start to finish very quickly,” Megan Brickwood explains. “One night I decided to try out the CGCFCE tuning and this picking pattern started taking shape. Once that was written, the story for the song just opened up and the song kind of wrote itself from there.

The lyric structure of the song is pretty simple – when I see it written out I realize just how spare the lyrics are – and for someone who is generally a pretty wordy songwriter it was kind of a treat to write this dreamy, abstract tune and really just dig into the vibe and feel of it. I think that the production honored that intention so well, and I think as the title track it's a good representation of a running theme in the EP, which is giving permission to oneself to dream and go off into the unknown....throwing caution to the wind. This track really embraces that on a number of levels.”


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Gal Musette - Plateau.

The new single from Southern California born and bred baroque pop singer/songwriter Gal Musette is entitled "Plateau", the track was written when Gal was in the chaotic traffic that Los Angeles is known for. Gal confides, "While driving the lyrics started coming out as a form of venting, basically I was babying out/complaining about how much time I spend in my car. 

But as the lyrics progressed, they kind of revealed a season of numbness and monotony I was stuck in, and the driving became a metaphor for how I felt in general, going through the motions, mindlessly traveling through life without much direction or emotion."

Sonically, "Plateau" is a cinematic indie pop tune filled with a melodic tenderness rarely seen in today's musical landscape. The kaleidoscopic song highlights a nostalgic bearing melody with fresh and quirky undertones.

Gal Musette has toured with The Magnetic Fields, Donavon Frankenreiter, and has collaborated with Rufus Wainwright and has been profiled by the likes of NPR and Ladygunn, among others.

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Vanity Mirror - Tuesday's News.

 Vanity Mirror, dreamy lo-fi bedroom pop via Toronto and Los Angeles, have just announced their highly anticipated debut LP PUFF (due out Spring 2023 on We Are Busy Bodies) with an advance single and video for the song Tuesday’s News. Tuesday’s News features colorful piano riffs and artful backbeats from Vanity Mirror’s Brent Randall (Gentle Brent, Electric Looking Glass) and percussionist Johnny Toomey (The Turns, Electric Looking Glass). Randal describes Tuesday’s News as “a warm and fuzzy front parlor piano rock piece.” 

This homespun multitrack pop experiment was recorded on a hand-me-down piano in an empty house in Detroit during a February snow storm. While lyrically meditating on winter doldrums the song hopes to hug you with sunny hummable optimism. Randall suggests, “Spin it loud on your living room hi-fi whilst wearing your favorite apple green cardigan.” The result is a multitrack experiment, a nostalgic sweet pop song that is hopeful, beautiful and utterly sentimental. Nods to Emitt Rhodes, Idle Race and The Raspberries are present throughout.

The music video for Tuesday’s News was made with LA based graphic designer/videographer extraordinaire Mat Dunlap. Randall says, “Mat is an old friend and an expat who works with a tonne of Canadian bands. If you know you know!” On the premise of the video, Randall explains, “Johnny had this idea where I’m a chauffeur and I drive around a series of characters that are all Johnny in different costumes.  Johnny, when not drumming in Vanity Mirror, works at a Hollywood costume house and has access to all sorts of great costumes. 

We had limited time and resources so we decided to shoot it against a green screen using a makeshift prop car.  You know in old 50’s movies how they would fake driving around by cutting in stock footage behind the drivers?  We love that look, you can always tell it’s obviously fake. So we leaned into this idea with the green screen and it made for a pretty charming and hilarious video.  I’m singing along to the track and driving around “LA” and picking up these hilarious characters: a 70’s jogger, a far out 60s space dude, a marching band drummer and even a full on lion at a taco stand.”

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Violent Vickie - The Paper Kites - Will Romeo / The 1984 Draft - Mick Clarke - Steel People

Violent Vickie - Open the Door . It's a massive welcome back to Beehive Candy for Violent Vickie who we have had the pleasure of featu...