Vancouver-based Glass Forest is an indie-pop group composed of Nick Owen (vocals/keys), Stephen Clarke (bass/beats) and Abby Wale (vocals). They have gained a reputation for euphoric live shows that blend electronic dance elements with atmospheric soundscapes. Their debut EP is anticipated in May 2023.
"Can't Just Walk Away" was written about the emotional hardships following the fallout of a previous relationship; specifically, between band members Nick and Abby.
It was a uniquely honest process writing and recording the single as they directly confronted the traumas. Oddly healing, it gave space to address and work through past issues, broaching subjects rarely discussed by ex romantic partners.
Nashville Americana singer-songwriter Chris Emmert has officially released his latest single, "Say My Love", on all streaming platforms this weekend. The track marks Emmert's second release of 2023, following his debut single "Lets Go Out Tonight". Both tracks will appear on Emmert's June 23rd debut EP Introducing Chris Emmert.
Emmert, on the single: This is one of the last songs I decided to put on the EP. It was a staple in my set for about the last year or so, and was a song audience members would often cite as a favorite after my performances. It’s a simple song with a honest message and an upbeat swing about it. I think everybody likes when a tune is easy to understand and feels good. One of my heroes, Hank Cochran, always said, “make it short, make it sweet, and make it rhyme.” So, I think for those reasons this song works and vibes with folks.
We recorded this song live, only going back to overdub my guitar and vocals. All of the arrangements were developed organically in the studio. I told the players to simply play what they were feeling. I think that fostered a really unique and original sound for all the songs, which was my ultimate goal in producing this EP.
Special Friend (American Erica Ashleson and French Guillaume Siracusa) are a duo with a sound that’s somehow minimal and epic. She drums, he plays guitar, their voices harmonise, a bontempi organ slips in almost unnoticed - and suddenly you find yourself lost in the huge landscape of a song.
Bête is one of many great tracks on the album – insistent, catchy, yet mysterious and elusive. Erica and Guillaume switch effortlessly from English to French in their songs but the melodies are so entrancing you often don’t notice the change. The lyrics lie in wait for you, and they are powerful (Bête is about the self-destructiveness of our species), but the music will seduce you first.
You may be reminded of Yo La Tengo, the Delgados or, when the volume goes up, Quasi and Galaxie 500. But Special Friend bring something new, something special!
Based in Paris, they’ve built a strong following in France, and the new album looks set to introduce them to the wider audience they deserve. The video for Bête is a good introduction to the band; it was filmed in the summer at Studio Heat in Montreuil, where the album was recorded.
Rodney Crowell - Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly.
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.”
This week, Crowell released the video for the album highlight “Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly.” Of the song, Crowell says, “‘Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly’ is something I wrote a while back with Sarah Buxton and Jedd Hughes, both of whom appear on the record. Jedd and I were sitting around with guitars in our hands when he started playing the basic chord pattern. I’m pretty sure the title sprang from something Ben Vaughn said to me back when we were writing ‘When Losers Rule The World,’ but I haven’t had the nerve to ask. Ben, if you read this, I wish you could’ve been there. If you feel left out, you can have my portion of the proceeds and I’ll take credit for putting Jeff Tweedy in charge of overseeing a pretty dang decent recording of the song. Much love, Rodney.”
Growing up in a musical family is not uncommon for many emerging artists, but for Meredith Moon, living in the shadow of her father Gordon Lightfoot’s spotlight, the expectations were onerous. So for the past decade Meredith kept a low profile, taking time to develop her songwriting, avoiding the Lightfoot association, practicing and performing her songs in folk clubs and online forums incognito, wherever there was an appreciative audience to be found. And there were many.
Now signed to the acclaimed Canadian roots music label True North Records and acknowledging the marketing demands of the music industry, has resulted in the forthcoming global album release of Constellations, a 10-song collection that showcases Meredith’s unique voice and captivating lyrics, wrapped in an raw neo-traditional folk sound.
A five-Time Mariposa Folk Festival performer, hiding her lineage with the simple description as a “multi-instrumentalist songwriter,” Meredith’s songs are crafted in a true storyteller's fashion. She has been described as a 'gem' among the Old-Time music scene for her unusual expression of the genre, combining influences of folk-punk with traditional Appalachian step-rhythms and banjo.
Hangin' in the I.P. was released back in February but deserves to be heard albeit a little late. This collection of songs that Cosmic Bull band leader Mark Vickery collaborated on with multi-instrumentalist/producer Paul Von Mertens, known for his work with Brian Wilson, Mavis Staples, Stereolab, The Sea and Cake, Broken Social Scene, and Wilco.
Hangin' in the I.P. follows a handful of singles and the 27X2 EP, all of which were released last year.
Chicago's Cosmic Bull is the latest project from scene vet Mark Vickery, whose earliest band Word Bongo played the city's top venues including Metro and Double Door. Vickery was also a live guest vocalist for Chicago mainstays Liquid Soul before joining the acid jazz/trip-hop groove collective Zo (which eventually morphed into the band Sumo), who took over Liquid Soul's popular Sunday night residency at Elbo Room.
Lavinia Blackwall’s work with prolific Glaswegian psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells has earnt her a reputation as one of the best voices in the scene, many critics have likened her singing prowess to that of Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny. Along with Trembling Bells she has released seven full-length albums and performed as the backing band to folk legends Bonnie Prince Billy and The Incredible String Band’s Mike Herron. In 2020 she releases Muggington Lane End, her debut solo album released under her own name. In 2021, she and Laura J Martin released Wyndow, the debut self-titled album from their new psychedelic-pop project.
Now, Blackwall is releasing her new single ‘The Damage We Have Done’, a powerful dose of folk-rock and the sign of new things to come. Inspired by Percy Shelley’s ‘Ozymandias’, the single is about the brevity we have on this planet. “It’s about the fact that we can't take anything with us, hoping to leave behind something meaningful and the hope that one day we'll all meet again. The realisation that there is an environmental and spiritual consequence to the lives we choose to lead,” says Blackwall.
Recorded at ‘The Barn’, the studio Blackwall shares with her partner and producer Marco Rea at their home in Hardgate, Scotland. “We really went down the rabbit hole with this one,” says Blackwall, speaking of the recording process. “Strings, thumb piano, far too many guitar parts. I must have recorded the vocals about 60 times and was really struggling to get it right, but we got there eventually,” she says. “With the chord progressions and circular movement of the verses, the sound of it is very individual. I don't think it sounds like anything else out there right now”.
The Subtheory set out their stall early for a busy 2023 with an ethereal, atmospheric new single; Cut to Black. Eerie piano leads you to floating, airy synths, jangling guitars laid upon a descending bass groove with Cate DeBu’s melancholy cautionary tale of a life spent playing the odds on both sides.
There is an intriguing contrast between the sweet, dreamlike quality of the music and melodies juxtaposed with the harsh and slightly bitter tang of the lyrics. “There will be a certainty for those who like to bet..”
The Subtheory are building a head of steam as they springboard of a successful 2022 with a series of releases planned throughout Spring off the back of a number of live shows in the UK as well as mini European tour in early Summer. Cut to Black is available from today March 31st 2023 on their Bandcamp as well as Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music and more.
Hollowing Out, the debut album from Cardiff-based five-piece Red Telephone will be released on 31st March 2023. The dystopia-tinged album deals with themes of alienation, identity and monotony, as well as exploring contemporary social dilemmas such as the trappings of ambition in a saturated pop culture age, the pervasive nature of modern media and social media fatigue. Sonically, the band draw from an array of influences; ranging from Berlin-era Bowie, brooding synth-led film soundtracks such as Blade Runner and Uncut Gems, the art rock of Kate Bush and St Vincent, as well as modern electronic pop artists such as MGMT, Mitski and Tame Impala.
Speaking about the upcoming album, singer Declan Andrews said; While putting together ‘Hollowing Out’ we were really getting into synths; drawing quite a bit on brooding, synth-led film soundtracks like Blade Runner, Scarface and Uncut Gems. Part of this was out of necessity - it was the initial 2020 lockdown when I wrote most of the songs in my bedroom and I’d got my hands on emulations of classic synths which gave me free reign to really explore this territory of sounds. I also had the free time to watch and rewatch a lot of movies such as those just mentioned. All of this definitely crossed over with the band’s prior love of film, Bowie’s Berlin-era sound, his work with Iggy and albums like Little Dark Age by MGMT too.
Basically, those dystopian soundscapes that evoke a lot of mood and imagery. As a band we’ve been drawn to them for a while, especially since visiting Berlin and exploring Bowie’s stomping ground (quite run down and not very touristy areas) but also after playing Tallinn Music Week in 2019. The post-Soviet landscape was pretty striking in parts of Tallinn and we discovered bands like Molchat Doma for the first time, who were using synths and electronic elements in ways that got us excited and has definitely rubbed off on our approach since.
We really wanted to integrate these sounds and influences into a modern sounding record rather than just looking back though, so we spent a lot of time getting the bass and low end sounding as big and distinctive as possible - we were really influenced by the likes of Kendrick Lamar in this respect. Similarly, dystopian themes seem as relevant as ever; with the saturated and pervasive nature of modern media which the album explores lyrically, as well as topics like social media fatigue and alienation.
Scottish indie-folk artist Neev has released new single ‘The House’ ahead of the release of her debut album, Katherine, on April 28th via Trapped Animal. Since the release of her debut single in 2019, Glaswegian artist Neev has built a reputation for discovering beauty in the small details. Katherine, a collection of intricate indie-folk songs that pack a lyrical punch. The album 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.
Every song on Katherine is tied to the idea of identity. “Each song explores the different facets of an individual,” explains Neev. “Them as someone’s child, someone’s sibling, someone’s partner. Someone as the gender (in my case, female) they identify as, someone as the job they do,” she continues.
New single, ‘The House’, was written from the point of view of someone who had big dreams but ignored those wants and now feels too old or past it to pursue them. The speaker finds themself trapped in a domestic setting - The House - and instead of feeling like it’s a place of comfort or joy, it's a place that traps her.
Of the single, Neev says: “When writing this song I certainly had in mind the stereotypical trope of a classic 50s housewife, stuck at home with a very prescribed set of tasks and interests they were allowed to explore. In this song, and in other songs on the album, I found myself exploring the woman’s relationship to art and their constraints within that. Historically, women with creative interests were often encouraged to explore those things as hobbies rather than occupations and I think this song touches on the idea that there existed a lot of women in history that weren’t able to explore who they truly were creatively due to societal constraints.”
Following on from earlier single, 'I Like It When You're around', Stay Lunar present their next in a long-line of fantastic singles, 'Distance'. It's been a long run to this point for Stay Lunar, but as the tracks keep coming out the sound gets tinges of a band nearing the fully formed and developed sound.
'Distance' has the sound they've carried so well through their career, the ever-so-present and versatile sonic that always feels like it could soundtrack a film, but there's something slightly more immediate and certainly more forthright about the band's latest offerings.
'Distance' is the launch pad of the band's much promised change in direction, not that it was needed, but chief writer in the band, Harry, has always intended to push the boundaries of the project and 'Distance' is the first real slice of Stay Lunar's take on the Are-These-Guys-Really-English sound.
Taking cues from their British contemporaries like Far Caspian & early stage SPINN, whilst nodding to the likes of Day Wave and The Drums further afield, Stay Lunar are offering a quintessentially British take on a much loved and revered sound. Of the track, singer Harry Leigh said: "Distance is a song about running away from your problems, and how it always catches up with you one way or another."
Based in Victoria, BC, Jesse Roper has amassed 11M+ streams on Spotify alone with his penchant for writing modern indie infused blues music and delivering bombastic live performances buoyed by his virtuosic guitar playing.
"Make It All Work Out" is the first of multiple energetic, fresh, soulful and r&b inspired tracks produced by famed JUNO-nominated producer Gus van Go. The forthcoming LP harkens the voices of JJ Cale, Leon Bridges, Alabama Shakes, while maintaining Roper's strong and unique expression in the genre.
The DNA of the new single is about how Roper recognizes that his life’s structure can make it difficult for someone to attach themselves to him in a way that feels like their dreams and goals are getting satisfied too.
Hannah Georgas - This Too Shall Pass. In 2020 Hannah Georgas released her Aaron Dessner-produced LP All That Emotion. Though a longtime favorite in her native Canada with a devoted international audience, the album was the most critically-acclaimed release of her career to date, earning a wave of positive attention from outlets like The Guardian, Pitchfork, NPR, The New York Times, FADER, Stereogum, New York Magazine, Consequence of Sound and Paste among many others.
In 2021 she released an EP of alternate versions of tracks from the album, featuring contributions from friends and collaborators like Bartees Strange, Owen Pallett, The National's Matt Berninger and Kate Stables, but today Georgas is sharing her first new music in three years with new single, “This Too Shall Pass”. The single is being released to mark the announce of her signing to Lucy Rose's Real Kind Records, and is being released alongside a Joe Connor directed video, shot in London.
Where Hannah’s last record, 2020’s All That Emotion, was produced alongside Aaron Dessner, her next body of work finds Georgas behind the glass. Joining her are partner Sean Sroka (of Ten Kills The Pack) in a co-production capacity, keenly aided by James McAlister on drums (one of Sufjan Steven’s regular confidantes), Graham Walsh (whose synth and bass regularly peppers records by the likes of Holy Fuck and Metz), and Gabe Wax (Soccer Mommy’s go-to collaborator, but has also worked with War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, and Spoon) whose studio know-how and multi-instrumentalist acumen was a welcome addition to the process.
Ultimately though, Georgas sought to take the reins herself, taking back control of her own destiny, and cutting out too much outside influence. Recorded in Toronto with a treasure trove of analogue equipment and a work ethic that left no idea unturned, "This Too Shall Pass" signals a line in the sand, and the beginning of a new chapter.
Hannah Georgas on "This Too Shall Pass": “I have a lot of internal pep talks, as a way to quiet my own doubts and insecurities. This song is a reflection of that, and a reminder to go a little bit easier on myself.” “This Too Shall Pass” is the first introduction to a larger body of work by Hannah Georgas. Further details are to be announced later this Spring.
Ivan Moult is set to release his third album, 'Songs From Severn Grove', this Spring on independent Welsh record label, Bubblewrap Collective. His previous albums have received radio support from BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio Wales, and have been featured on Folk Radio UK.
Ivan's second album, 'Longest Shadow', released in 2018, won him festival slots at Cornbury Festival, Folk on The Dock, and Festival of Voice, as well as support slots with This Is The Kit, Becca Mancari, and Willy Mason. For this new album, Ivan played, recorded, engineered, and mixed all of the instruments himself at his home studio in Cardiff. The album charts a journey of growth and change, beginning with the lockdown during the 2020 pandemic and continuing through Ivan's experiences of fatherhood and the development of his love and relationships.
The album showcases Ivan's voice front and centre, with layered harmonies and a soundscape of delay-soaked electric guitars, drums, and bass. The music draws from influences such as J.J. Cale, Nina Simone, and Tim Buckley, creating a fusion of 1960s/70s folk and blues with a contemporary sound. Ivan's unique and original style remains recognisably present throughout the album.
The first track to be released from the album will be 'Out Of Time' and will be available across all digital platforms on March 29th. Ivan explains: “Lyrically it’s a song reflecting on the nature of life and finding meaning in making the most of things and living in the moment. Sonically the song started off after I’d been listening to Paul McCartney's ‘Ram’ album and it was quite driving whilst also relaxed but in production it ended up more reverb washed and dreamy.”
What happens when you combine two sets of brothers, a world-champion birder, and a former sportscaster for WFUV? Well, you get Debacle, a collective of childhood friends who found each other in seventh grade band class and have been making music together ever since!
With the release of their debut self-titled album on March 25th, Debacle effortlessly continues their hit-making trend while being able to cross genre boundaries in a way that makes their music like no other. With songs like "Shattered Dreams," "I Don’t Know," and "Alright," Debacle showcases their adept skills in different rock genres, including ska and pop punk, while pulling inspiration from genres no one would expect to hear. Meanwhile, "I Forgot To Say I Love You" highlights Debacle’s softer, more soulful side influenced by early jazz traditions and "Good Stuff" and "Flashing Lights" display contemporary jazz and funk’s influence on Debacle’s music.
"For us, it was important to try to showcase as many of our musical influences as we possibly could for our debut album. We have spent countless hours working on making each song the best it can possibly be and we could not be prouder of how they’ve all come out."
With their reputation for energetic and unforgettable live shows, Debacle saw themselves selling out historic venues including The Stone Pony and Rockwood Music Hall on top of having their music played on radio stations around the world. Since the release of their debut album, Debacle saw their newest music displayed on news sites all over the world, including Yahoo.
Goodbye Karelle is the musical project of Karelle Tremblay, a Canadian actor, singer-songwriter and poet preparing for the release of her debut LP in 2023.
The music invokes the hushed tones of spoken word icons like Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits but sits inside sharper, modern production associated with contemporary artists like Mitski, Snail Mail and Japanese Breakfast.
The project is thematically driven by the award winning actor ending a lifelong career in film and television to pursue her musical talent, amidst a new desire for personal expression. Conflicts in gender, sexuality and relationships form a unique and deeply expressive world for the listener. Goodbye Karelle emerges as storyteller and protagonist, a new voice in the musical wilderness.
