Matilda Mann - Blueburst - Alice Phoebe Lou - Panic Pocket - Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans - Plastic Barricades

Matilda Mann - The Day That I Met You (Performance Video).

Rising British voice, Matilda Mann, today uploads an immaculate live performance to her new single ‘The Day That I Met You, which seamlessly combines a timeless sound wrapped around an also timeless message. Matilda will be playing London's Jazz Cafe on May 18th which is now sold out. Speaking about her new song, Matilda said “The world can suck. And some days it feels more like a constant than temporary. But then you meet someone, and the hand life dealt you, suddenly doesn’t feel so bad…”

Matilda Mann is a born-and-raised Londoner who has enjoyed an incredibly bright start to her still-young career in music. On the airwaves, Matilda has enjoyed tastemaker support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 where her last was premiered as Hottest Record In The World, KCRW & NPR. At press, she’s had similar impressive support from titles such as Evening Standard, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, COLORS, and NME to name a small handful. Offline on stage, she’s supported The Staves and other rising UK talents Holly Humberstone, Arlo Parks and Beabadoobee.  Matilda’s own headline shows are growing impressively having sold two London shows in 2022 (Lafayette & Earth) with a performance on the Park Stage at Glastonbury in between.

2023 will be an important year for Matilda Mann who has plenty of music on the way that’ll further highlight her enchanting, poetic songwriting. Although she is an important new British artist to look out for in 2023, her talent feels more timeless.

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Blueburst - Vanish.

New Alt-Rock artist Blueburst releases it’s debut single Vanish today March 10, resurrecting the music career of guitarist/vocalist Criag Douglas Miller, with help from one of his musical idols, legendary guitarist Marty Willson-Piper.

As a 17-year-old budding musican soaking in the vibes of The Church’s Gold Afternoon Fix Tour at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater in early 1990, the idea of working on an album with The Church’s legendary guitarist Marty Willson-Piper never crossed Craig Douglas Miller’s mind. “I loved The Church and thought Marty was just about the coolest guy on the planet back then. I never dreamed I’d be collaborating with him someday,” said Miller. But that’s just what happened.

The collaboration started after Miller sought out his hero Willson-Piper for help in getting musically unstuck after a 20-plus-year period untreated clinical depression, and writer’s block had led to zero finished songs. Starting out as a sounding board and coach, Willson-Piper’s role evolved from a teacher/student dynamic into a true musical partnership. And thus, Miller finally found himself with the thing he’d been sorely missing: a trusted mentor and collaborator. With Willson-Piper behind him, Miller dug in, started writing again and created an album’s worth of original songs, under the moniker Blueburst, the name of the finish on his favorite guitar.

With Blueburst, Miller and Willson-Piper have created a lush, guitar-based alt-rock sound, firmly rooted in 80s alternative and post-punk, but with a timeless feel and foot pounding pace. In a world of often overproduced, slick alternative rock, Blueburst is unapologetically retro in style, proudly wearing it’s oldwave influences on its sleeve. “Most of my friends, and a lot of younger people as well, still listening to the albums we grew up with. Because there’s a rawness and honesty in that music. That’s what we wanted to capture.

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Alice Phoebe Lou - Shelter.

Berlin-based Alice Phoebe Lou has built an incredible reputation and fan base with her swooning vocals and other-worldly musicianship.

'Shelter' is her new single released today and It will be the first single to be revealed from her new album which will be coming later in the year. It's a gorgeous, upbeat offering that's full of light.

Originally from South Africa, Alice is currently on a huge world tour and has just announced more dates including Kentish Town Forum in December, which is exciting!

Releasing as an independent artist, Alice has had exceptional self-generated success, with around 100 million streams to her name and loyal fans all over the globe that continue to multiply.

Things have really ramped up for Alice since her last release in 2021 and 'Shelter' feels like a dreamy slice of perfection to kick off the album campaign.

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Panic Pocket - Mad Half Hour.

A new wave of indiepop is emerging in the UK and Panic Pocket are at the forefront of it.  Playful, tuneful, sardonic and sassy, Sophie and Natalie have been friends since childhood, know each other’s secrets - and probably know a few of yours too.

Formed in 2017, Panic Pocket soon became a DIY sensation, releasing debut EP Never Gonna Happen, with Reckless Yes in 2019. For their first album, Mad Half Hour, the duo have found a new home.
For Amelia and Rob at Skep Wax, Panic Pocket reminded them of loads of bands they love  – Bratmobile, Lovely Eggs, Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre – while also seeming completely unique: “Panic Pocket know how to turn anger and humour into brilliant pop songs.”

Many of Mad Half Hour’s 10 indie-pop anthems are concerned with being at odds with life's accepted milestones, feeling alienated from the people you thought wanted the same things as you, while trying to forge your own path. So the top-down janglepop of ‘Boyfriend’ reflects on what happens when your best friend finds love…and insists on bringing it everywhere, and ‘Get Me’ answers claustrophobic questions about settling down with a not-so-silent scream over some deliciously dirty riffs.

But Panic Pocket’s superpower is their sense of fun. On Mad Half Hour, you’re never more than a few seconds away from a monster hook, killer harmony or an acerbically witty turn of phrase worthy of the band’s heroes Aimee Mann or Liz Phair. From receiving a cryptic “frog emoji” from a long-forgotten one-night stand, to ‘Don’t Get Me Started’’s streetlit walk of shame “via Morrisons car park”, no memory is off-limits, no matter how painful.

If you want punkpop exuberance, lyrics that are so truthful they hurt, plus some very infectious tunes - then Mad Half Hour is exactly the soundtrack you need, right down to the minute.

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Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans - Everyone Recommends.

Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans release new single Everyone Recommends  today 10th March. The track is from their upcoming album Mystic Science, released 21st April.

Bristol-based songwriter Davey Woodward is known for his extensive career in music, including his time in The Brilliant Corners, The Experimental Pop Band and Karen. In 2017, Davey gathered a group of friends, seeking to create a new project from his solo work. The Winter Orphans are Julian Hunt, Steve Dew and Jonathan Bewley. Mystic Science is the band's third album together following their 2018 self-titled debut and 2020 Love And Optimism.

Davey describes the new album as "warm, seductive, melodic, human, mostly intimate, sometimes raucous, folk n roll", the LP is available on vinyl and digital by Last Night From Glasgow.

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Plastic Barricades - Counting Fireworks.

London indie rock band Plastic Barricades returns with a new single “Counting Fireworks”. This is the second introduction to the upcoming third album “We Stayed Indoors”, due later this year.

Hopeful and uplifting "Counting Fireworks" is a celebration of new beginnings, the transformative power of change and the limitless potential for growth and exploration, felt so intensely by so many of us at the very start of each new year. Beauty and wonder are found in life's uncertainties, but at times this beauty becomes obscured by anxiety and pessimism.

“Counting Fireworks” is a reminder that we don’t have to face the unknown alone; together we can always sing louder.

The single is released alongside a quirky music video, that continues the tradition of weird and truly DIY video art so close to the band’s heart. Inspired by the works of Michel Gondry, David Lynch and Ok Go, the whole video was shot in one take, with no edits or cuts. Produced by the band’s art director Elina Pasok, the 4-minute and 30-second clip takes you on a bizarre trip around a flat, filled with memories, dreams and visions of the future.

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Kindsight - Güero - Lauren Monroe - Harry Kappen

Kindsight - Madhouse Breakout Multitool.

Danish four-piece Kindsight make music that draws from 80’s and 90’s alternative rock and combines it with the shimmering Scandinavian pop that the region has become so renowned for, resulting in a sound that is both fuzzy and melodic in equal measure. Next week, the band heads to the US for SXSW and ahead of that new track 'Madhouse Breakout Multitool' is released. The single follows atmospheric stand-alone single 'Love You Baby All The Time' and continues to expand the band's sound without losing their lovable characteristics.

About the track, Kindsight says: "Madhouse Breakout Multitool concerns the true story of two siblings boarding up their house somewhere in the Danish countryside to keep safe from a breakout at the local madhouse. Taking place in a bygone age when such places could be escaped."

In 2022, the band released their debut LP via Rama Lama Records to praise such as "your new favourite band". Titled "Swedish Punk", it's an album packed with charming and infectiously catchy noise-jangle-pop melodies full of exuberant optimism and coming-of-age tales inspired by acts such as Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Snail Mail and Big Thief. The album was followed by tour dates in Scandinavia, UK and Germany.

Atop jangling guitars, Nina Rasmussen’s distinctive voice dances somewhere between that of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and Alvvays’ Molly Ranking, leaving the listened renched in the nostalgic optimism of summers gone by. There’s not a single song that would feel out of place in an 00’s independent movie. The band possess an unmistakable talent for crafting disarmingly buoyant yet achingly nostalgic indie-rock songs based on the everyday.

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Güero - Gone Away.

Sacramento quartet Güero released their latest single “Gone Away” yesterday, from their upcoming sophomore full-length album, Wednesdays, out April 7 via Dutch Records. The guys once again tapped director Paul Bates to bring the song to life with a video.

Discussing how “Gone Away” came together, drummer Mike Ruiz noted, "This was a chord progression from Rik that came together rather quickly. There was a lot of back and forth on this song and how it should be structured… Is the solo too long? Is it long enough? Is the vibe off?... were constant talking points. Russell brought his old vox wah pedal for Shea to try out, and the vibe of the song changed dramatically. It gave it this heavy, moody, kind of dark energy that really made the first half of the song fall into place and flow into the second half.”

Güero announced Wednesdays in January with the “Streams of Light” single, which Under the Radar called it, "a lost classic reemerging from a forgotten corner of the radio.” The album was recorded live at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento with ace recording engineer Joe Johnson and further elevated by Oakland producer and fellow musician, Akiyoshi Ehara (The Seshen, Geographer); who amping up and dialing down dynamics added greater tones, higher fidelity, heavy delays and string arrangements.

“We always incorporate something we haven’t explored before and Aki was the maestro; he took our sound to another level. Nothing stands out as something which shouldn’t be there or what one of us wouldn’t play,” added bassist Russell Volksen.

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Lauren Monroe - Love Is Alive.

With the release of the new video, “Love Is Alive,” singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and healing artist, Lauren Monroe, continues to honor her rock roots while spreading a message of healing through music. Co-produced with Jim Scott, the single features performances by Rick Allen (Def Leppard), Beth Goodfellow, John Ginty, Dylan Rose, and more.

“Love is a living, moving and healing experience ready to be shared and lifted in one another,” she says. “If you feel the love, please unleash the powerful energy with your communities.”

That mission is intrinsic to all that Monroe does. With her husband - legendary drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard - Monroe started the Raven Drum Foundation to serve, educate, and empower Veterans dealing with PTSD and TBI, people in crisis, and other at-risk populations. The foundation engages music as a tool for healing, allowing participants to use rhythm, mindfulness, and energy-medicine techniques as an avenue for connection and healing, and supports complementary and alternative-medicine programs for trauma recovery.

For the past two years, Raven Drum has organized the 12 Drummers Drumming online auction, with items donated by artists such as Taylor Swift, Stewart Copeland, Zac Hanson, and more, raising over $100,000. Last year, Raven Drum invited a group of drummers, Veterans, first responders and supporters to the Amazing Grace estate to experience the magic of a drum circle and the healing benefits of music and community.

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Harry Kappen - The Freedom Inside.

Dutch musician, multi-instrumentalist and music therapist Harry Kappen is known for making bold political statements and raising awareness on global issues through his music. While his previous music often calls for large-scale global change, his latest single “The Freedom Inside” is a gentle reminder for people to start a positive change from within themselves, which will ultimately impact the world.

“We all know we live in troubling times with war, climate change, indifference, etc.” Says Kappen. “There’s a lot of complaining everywhere (social media!) and declining trust in governments. If you want to change the world, stop nagging and whining at others and start to change yourself first and search for the freedom inside you to do so!”

In addition to being a notable musician, Harry Kappen is also a music therapist. He offers his services at a youth care center where music therapy is used to help young children cope with various problems and disorders. Harry also offers his expertise as a lecturer for an international master’s degree program in music therapy. Always playing with the magical power of music, Harry Kappen is a standout artist and musician who creates music from the soul, and for the soul.

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Ingrid Mae - Shoeb Ahmad - Inkfields

Ingrid Mae - Closing Time.

Ingrid Mae has written and produced an album where the broken pieces are beautiful. We know it is “Closing Time”and the party is indeed over but we want to stay. From the first track “No SOS” we are hypnotized by this haunting capture and she holds us there; and we enjoy it.

If “Holy Smoke” was the outlaw cry then “Closing Time” takes us back to the hideout for the after-party with songs like “Like It’s Over” and “Poor Little Thing”. An explosive writer with the ability to traverse many different moods you can just label her at whim; Alt-country, Americana or Country-Rock. Whatever country bucket she lands in, there’s a Mae-DNA in her music.

It was a labour of love for Ingrid Mae and Rock Guy (drummer and partner) who produced the album. It was a bitter sweet ending to a year that saw the loss of their beloved best friend and bass player, Eddie, who played on all tracks on the album and has been part of the family since the beginning. The new album, “Closing Time”, is dedicated to him and the time they shared in the old shack “707” recording this album back in early 2020.

“I enjoyed producing the album and working with my close friends to achieve what I heard in my head when I wrote the songs”, says Mae.

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Shoeb Ahmad - double checks against the corner (c).

Following a performance at MONA FOMA and ahead of an appearance at SXSW, APRA AMCOS Art Music Award-winning Canberra-based experimentalist Sia Ahmad (she/her) - who makes music as Shoeb Ahmad - has announced her forthcoming record double checks against the corner, to be released on May 5 2023, along with her signing to No Gold, the new label launched by Angus Andrew of Liars.

Taken as the first single from what the multi-instrumentalist describes as a "song cycle" rather than a traditional record structure, part '(c)' shines a light on the loveworn nature of long term relationships and the frazzled state of distance, as a slo-mo indie-soul bassline and loping groove roll along with the punches.

Sia Ahmad says, "Like all of my work, the "double checks against the corner" song cycle speaks from a personal place and part (c) in particular highlights the unspoken domestic stresses of a relationship in breakdown. There's resolution and an understanding but the distance that's grown before then needs to be addressed. It's a hard observation to make. Musically, this section bridges the song craft from the "quiver" period with the more naive soundclash territory from A Body Full Of Tears and Facade, a dubby off-kilter soul vibe"

A five-part tome weaving a narrative around relationship breakdown, reconciliation and parenthood, double checks against the corner encapsulates what is seen as a hyper-domestic experience, but digs deep into the nuances that are left behind closed doors or in text threads, bringing together Sia's experimental sound art practice with the purity of honest pop songwriting and deep, beat-heavy production.

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Inkfields - Your Head's in the Sand.

‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ is the second single from the upcoming album (The Third Side of the Coin due April 27) of Edinburgh based artist Inkfields and the track sees the songwriter inspired by the fluidity and calming effects of the ocean as he conjures up a mesmerising back drop while he encourages the subject to “give
up you pride”.

Following on from the album’s title track, ‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ came out of a moment of frustration, and you can hear it in the flicker in Inkfields’ voice and the hammering tones that keep you on edge while maintaining that soothing atmosphere.

Heralding a progression in the Inkfields sound these single’s bring about an artist that understands where he is at, it’s a less complicated, more mature, more settled sound that feels like Inkfields hitting his a-game, an artist able to allow his tracks to breathe and engulf the listener.

Inkfields, the guise of Samuel James-Griffiths, began in Dresden, Germany as a spontaneous after work street music experiment, moving through Sweden, Southern Germany and finally to Edinburgh. The music has been forged through thousands of hours of street music across dozens of cities in Europe, from -12 to +40 degrees, through rain, snow, wind and sun.

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Sam Scherdel - Rodney Crowell - Vera Ellen - Todd Dorigo

Sam Scherdel - Balloon.

Sheffield-UK singer/songwriter Sam Scherdel has returned with his delightful new video/track ‘Balloon’ The video paired alongside the track is refreshing, alluring, and enchanting as the visual features Sam and his son for story.

Over the past twelve months he has released a string of successful singles since launching in March 2022, 12 later he releases “Balloon”. Recorded between Doncaster and Nashville Balloon delivers a truly haunting understory lyrically, sung to a countering seismic uplifting Born to Run esque back drop.

His strongest single to date is sure to help make sure 2023 is his biggest year yet. Having began selling out shows across Yorkshire he returns to his native Sheffield to headline the Leadmill March 18th prior to embarking on a string of festival dates across the summer.

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Rodney Crowell - Everything at Once.

Rodney Crowell will release The Chicago Sessions on May 5, 2023, via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded by Tom Schick at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago. The masterful, cross-generational collaboration follows Crowell’s acclaimed 2021 album Triage. Hailed by Rolling Stone as a “country music trailblazer” and by The New York Times as an artist whose songwriting “gets better and sharper with age,” Crowell delivers an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn. Sounding both fresh and familiar, it’s among Crowell’s very best work.

As Jeff Tweedy puts it, “The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I’ve always loved. In my estimation, it’s as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that.”

While looking at the cover of The Chicago Sessions, listeners might recognize a familiar callback to Crowell’s 1978 debut, Ain’t Living Long Like This. “In a lot of ways, this album feels like that very first record to me,” Crowell reflects. “When my daughter suggested we lay the artwork out similarly, the connection made perfect sense. There’s something very simple, very innocent about it. It’s just me and the band in a room together, loose and live and having fun.” The Chicago Sessions is indeed a throwback to the legendary Crowell’s early days of making records, but it’s no nostalgia trip. The songs are vital and timely, touching on everything from love and mortality to race and religion, and the performances are nothing short of intoxicating, fueled by raw guitars, honky-tonk piano, and tight, punchy drums. Tweedy wields a light touch as a producer, his influence subtle yet unmistakable. Engineer Tom Schick’s mixes are dynamic and lively, alternately lush and spacious in all the right places, with a spotlight fixed firmly on Crowell’s warm, weathered vocals throughout.

Now Crowell has released the video for the album’s first single, “Everything at Once,” which features footage recorded at The Loft during recording. A co-write with Tweedy, the song walks a tightrope between hope and despair as it playfully wrestles with overstimulation in an overcrowded world. Perhaps no track better encapsulates the spirit of the record. Crowell explains, “It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album. We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn’t get too precious about it.”

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Vera Ellen - Lenny Says.

Finding humour in self-loathing, award-winning Vera Ellen is back with the second guitar driven single, ‘Lenny Says’  from her upcoming album, Ideal Home Noise, which is out digitally and on both red or black vinyl and CD on Friday March 31st, 2023 via Flying Nun Records.

"I wrote Lenny Says to make fun of myself at rock bottom. It was actually initially for my album Beat Yr Name (2018) but I felt it was too cheesy at the time. Now, I can see the humour in it. The two verses were genuinely written three years apart — though clearly the angst did not dwindle. It's a track for us whining broke losers with unattainable dreams; having a laugh and a moan at the same time."

The video for 'Lenny Says' is the second instalment in the three-part series was directed and produced by Sports Team, and made with the support of NZ on Air. About the video, Vera Ellen says "If you cried in Carpenter, you will scream in Lenny Says. My band joins me for some diabolical plotting and scheming... but what exactly are we planning?? What we do best of course. And, listen, I won't have any of your judgement. We all do crazy things to maintain our youth and glory!"

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Todd Dorigo - Another Fantasy.

Recognised for his baritone vocal, brooding delivery and contemplative lyrics, Todd Dorigo traded big city lights for green wilderness. As the world began to go into lockdown, Todd moved from London to the Swedish woods near Jönköping. Todd has supported bands like The Libertines and also played festivals such as Glastonbury.

Todd Dorigo has released his new EP ‘Another Fantasy’ (March 3 2023). The EP is written and recorded in isolation in the Swedish woods. Sonically, there are echoes of Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker and Ennio Morricone. There is perhaps even an element of cinema to this EP in the way it builds tension and dreams up dusty western landscapes.

“In the process of questioning my own identity and authenticity, these songs intended to seek out the truth but were soon misled through dream sequences, psychedelic trips and erotic fantasies”. - Todd Dorigo.

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