Juniper Honey - Ivan Moult - Kassi Valazza

Juniper Honey - Looking at You.

Born out of an all-too-common tale, Juniper Honey’s brand new single “Looking At You” details a story of unfulfilled potential and opportunities squandered. With an upbeat vibe and colorful lyrics, the indie rock band describes the experience of falling in love with a stranger you see out in public and never gaining the courage to approach them. Haunted by this lost chance at love, the track feels painstakingly relatable to those who have experienced a similar struggle. “Looking At You” is streaming now on digital platforms worldwide.

Written with the pieces of a story in mind, Juniper Honey describes the feeling of longing for a person they have never met. “Looking At You” perfectly articulates how these lost connections can stick out in one’s mind for much longer than anticipated. In an artful fusion of silky vocals, enchanting guitar riffs, and energetic drums, the track feels almost dreamy, depicting a romanticized recount of this stranger that the artist has painted in their head. “This one was really fun to work on in the studio,” lead vocalist Jake Hesse claims. “I can perfectly remember us jamming to this one as we were creating it and just being thrilled with what we were hearing.” With the help of producer Stefan Mac (Wallows, Young the Giant), “Looking At You,” alongside Juniper Honey’s other releases, is just as vivid in its storytelling as it is relatable in its subject matter.

While Juniper Honey’s origins can be found in Southern California, they have recently established new roots in San Luis Obispo. Kicking off in 2020, original members Jake Hesse (lead vocalist and guitarist) and Donovan Hess (drums) began their journey by playing gigs across Southern California and up the central coast with their previous band. In 2022, the pair joined forces with guitarist Cason LeSueur and bassist Josh West to officially form the alternative rock foursome that they are today. In the short time span of their career, Juniper Honey’s sound has developed into something unique to their craft. Dynamic, emotionally charged, and vibrant, they balance whimsical, hazy indie, and bombastic, vintage rock. They touch on themes that hit home with younger generations, such as the growing pains of coming-of-age, romance and heartbreak, and other eclectic ideas. Their music has been praised by Grimy Goods, The Luna Collective and Wolf in a Suit.

======================================================================

Ivan Moult - Songs From Severn Grove (Album).

Indie folk singer-songwriter, Ivan Moult, releases his third album 'Songs From Severn Grove' via Welsh record label, Bubblewrap Records. The Cardiff-based artist has received support from BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and Folk Radio UK, with over 100k plays on Soundcloud. His 2018 album Longest Shadow earned him festival slots at Cornbury Festival, Festival of Voice and Swn, as well as support slots with This Is The Kit, Becca Mancari, and Willy Mason.

This new album showcases Ivan's versatility as he wrote, played, recorded and mixed all the songs at his home studio in Cardiff, with mastering polished off by Charlie Francis (REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Adwaith). Songs From Severn Grove chronicles Ivan's journey of growth, beginning in lockdown during the 2020 pandemic, and continuing through the challenges and joys of becoming a father.

His signature sound, combining 1960s/70s folk and blues with a contemporary touch, is on full display as he showcases his strongest work yet. Influenced by artists like J.J. Cale, Nina Simone, and Tim Buckley, Ivan's original and unique voice is at the centre of the soundscape, layered with harmonies and delay-soaked electric guitars.

Ivan Moult · Songs From Severn Grove

======================================================================

Kassi Valazza - Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing (Album).

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza’s second full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, is out now via Loose (The Handsome Family, Margo Cilker). Valazza's first album on Loose, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing is a spellbinding collection of songs, calling to mind greats like Sandy Denny and Karen Dalton and follows her brilliant self-released 2019 debut Dear Dead Days.

Of recording the acclaimed 10-song set, Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [fellow 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.”

News of the record arrived earlier this year with lead single “Watching Planes Go By” as the opening track on UNCUT’s Sounds of the New West Vol 6 disc, which sees Valazza leading a list of breakout roots acts including Allison Russell, Nikki Lane, Sunny War, Margo Cilker, Plains, and more. Within a curious and cosmic atmosphere of psychedelic folk-rock, Valazza reflects on the dangers of standing still in life, "Autumn leaves turn to yellow / and green turns to jealousy / Watching days go by."

The second single “Corners” sees fingerpicked acoustic guitar dancing 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.”

======================================================================

La Faute - Caitlin Rose - The Money War

La Faute - Blue Girl Nice Day (Album).

A hidden gem from the frozen heart of Toronto, Canada, art school dropout and Sony Music Publishing artist La Faute released her debut album ‘Blue Girl Nice Day’ yesterday, along with the focus single ‘Sorry I Can’t Stay’ and coinciding music video. La Faute’s (AKA Peggy Messing) musical style falls under the indie dream-pop, alternative folk and singer/songwriter categories, allowing Messing to bend genres and formulate her own. Citing artists such as Mitski, Lana Del Rey, Chet Baker and Massive Attack as musical influences – to name a few – Messing’s debut album is a hypnotic embodiment of all of these styles and influences.

Messing describes her inspiration for the album and her creative process, “I think this album is partly about me marrying my two loves of music and visual art. I am really enjoying the videos I am making and how moving pictures and songs affect each other. I have almost zero budget for video, and I’m not going unmasked into indoor crowded places to shoot with other people, but I love constraints like that.”

Speaking of the focus single, which was co-written with French neo classical composer and performer Villemin, Messing said: “I wanted to honour my lost and current loved ones as best I could with this song, and make a sincere message to the living, imagining what those leaving would have wanted to say, what I would want to say when the time comes.” “I found [Villemin] randomly on Instagram and fell in love with her music, and slid into her DMs. Fortunately she was open to collaborating, and when she sent this over, the melody and lyrics came to me right away. I've never met her in real life, but during the pandemic we talked over WhatsApp and I felt a real connection with her, personally and musically. I hope everyone discovers her music, it is very unique, subtle and special.”

The music video for the single is informal and lighthearted, showing Messing blowing bubbles in nature. “This song always makes me cry so I had to focus on the bright side to get through it. All I do is try to blow bubbles in the sunshine, gigantic and small, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. They're beautiful and don't last long,” she explained. La Faute (the mistake, in French) is Messing’s dark, dreamy solo project. A visual artist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter originally from Winnipeg, Canada, she explores themes of surface vs. depth, longing, betrayal, mourning and desire. Using a 4 string tenor electric guitar and obsolete hardware samplers, she created her captivating live show and released her debut EP just before the pandemic.

She has dealt with some chronic health problems which have required her to get creative to find workarounds, but when the pandemic started she chose to pause performing live to protect her health. She focused on the creation, and solutions to the problem of isolation. She connected with fellow artists and producers in France, the UK, Canada and the US to create music, most recently with LA-based Topher Mohr, who produced her album.

La Faute · Blue Girl Nice Day

======================================================================

Caitlin Rose - Johnny Velvet.

Caitlin Rose announces the deluxe version of CAZIMI will release digitally on June 23 via Missing Piece Records. Along with the announcement, Rose shares the new original single “Johnny Velvet.” The deluxe version also includes a cover of Jason Molina’s “Nashville Moon,” as well as alternate versions of CAZIMI originals “How Far Away,” “Blameless” and “Carried Away.” Next week, Rose joins fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs to kick off their co-headlining tour in Louisville, with additional stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia, among others.

“I wrote this song after a rather intense dissociative period,” explains Rose. “Alter egos can make for good imaginary friends when you feel like you don’t have any, but while helpful for coping, the long-term effects are less than desirable. Anyways, I found this design company’s swag koozie in a Lubbock bar and it just kind of rolled on from there. It hung around for a couple years until I scheduled a write with Linwood Regensburg. We didn’t get too far on a new song but ended up diving in on this. We tracked some guitar and a scratch vocal and a couple months later he sent me this. It’s definitely a testament to his abilities in working with minimal resources and I love how different of a tone it set for me in a time where I was desperately in need of change.”

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Taking its title from the astrological term for when a planet is in such close proximity to the sun that it’s considered to be in the heart of it, CAZIMI chronicles “the slow motion unraveling of somebody’s life” in the aftermath. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), the album earned widespread critical acclaim.

======================================================================

The Money War - Ride.

Following the success of their late 2022 release 'Somebody Loves You' and their early 2023 collab with FEELDs on 'Was It Ever Really Anything?', Western Australian-based duo, The Money War, are stripping things back with their new single Ride, out yesterday Friday, May 26. The duo are also announcing the release of their EP 'I Don't Hear You Anymore', out June 23.

Inspired by the idea of living in the moment, 'Ride' captures the essence of happiness in simplicity. With minimal production, the single features only stripped back guitar and vocals, providing a liberating energy to sit and resonate with. Lead vocals from Dylan Ollivierre, backed up by Carmen Pepper, deliver a lulling, easy-going track that showcases the duo's emotive lyricism and raw talent.

Speaking on the unplugged essence of the track, Ollivierre states: "I wanted the song to feel like a ‘lost demo’, a bit rough around the edges and to feel like someone playing a song in their bedroom. The aim was to make the song feel emotive without all the production bells and whistles."

Pepper adds to what the song means to the two, "We’re currently at a point in our lives where things are pretty chaotic with raising a young family and trying to juggle a few different projects. I sometimes find myself wishing the time away and dreaming of a day when we can have a bit more freedom, so I have to remind myself that this is such an important time for us and we should enjoy it while we’re in it."

======================================================================

Typical Light - Laura Marie - Tilia - TANDM

Typical Light - Imaginary Ride.

Boston MA USA: record label H1 Massive will release the first full length album from Typical Light. Hailing from Paris FRANCE, the duo creates dreamlike, cinematic synthpop. In 2020, Hélène (vocals, synthesizer) and Hakim (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, synthesizer) joined forces over their mutual love of indie pop, rock, and shoegaze.

Hakim began his musical journey, playing the piano and guitar at 10 years old. “My parents exposed me to a lot of music when I was young, and I wanted to be like the artists they listened to.” Hélène states, “Music has always been a passion for me. I worked as a cultural journalist for several years and putting out this album fulfills a long time dream.” Their first EP SWEET was noticed immediately by French magazine KR Home Studio, because of their catchy melodies and the way Hakim and Hélène weave their silky vocals together.

Typical Light have picked up the baton from French synth pop compatriots M83, and taken it in their own direction. Imaginary Ride is one of those albums where love and disenchantment intertwine, while lyrical imagery and instrumentation playfully interact. Between immersion and introspection, the songs lead us on a wistful guided tour of romance and longing.

“We created Imaginary Ride as a timeless journey, the soundtrack of a slice of life, where joy, sadness and nostalgia mix together. Simultaneously raw and sensual, organic and synthetic sounds interlace to offer multiple dimensions and directions. Images and sounds respond to each other in a dreamlike way.” says Hélène and Hakim.

======================================================================

Laura Marie - Too Sweet: Songs For Setting Boundaries.

Laura Marie's latest project, Too Sweet: Songs for Setting Boundaries, is a chronicle of pivotal points in one trauma survivor's lifelong struggle to navigate life, love, and relationships. Each song is an intimate conversation in singer-songwriter style that follows Laura Marie's path from self-betrayal to self-empowerment through fierce acts of self-love. This five song EP, accompanied by a book of the same name, is a deeper dive into the "one lesson learned on repeat" referenced in her earlier work ("Honest" Stars Apart , 2016) that further explores the frontiers of self-awareness. From the playful sensuality of the title track to the heart wrenching depiction of loss from drug addiction in "Painkiller" to the joyfully combative "Shadows," Too Sweet is a genuine, wholehearted, and unrestrained confessional that lays bare the inner workings of a sexual assault and suicide attempt survivor through relationships.

The idea of a project centered around creating healthy boundaries came to Laura Marie after several years of working to extract herself from several unhealthy relationships that temporarily derailed her career as a songwriter and just a few months before the pandemic that made healthy boundaries a survival necessity. The instrumentation was recorded remotely at SuperLegal Studios in Brooklyn by Laura Marie's longtime friend and collaborator, producer/arranger Jake Owen for DO Sounds. Owen then flew to San Antonio to record Laura Marie's vocals in a homemade PVC and acoustic blanket vocal booth built by the artist and her husband for her home studio. The EP features Owen (Augustana, BoDeans, Goldspot) on guitar/keyboard/programming, Mauro Refosco (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Atoms for Peace, David Byrne) on drums, and a string quartet arranged and conducted by Owen for the song "Why."

Too Sweet: Songs for Setting Boundaries is set for release in May 2023 as a standalone EP, followed by a book and EP set. The book is a memoir and account of events that inspired the songs on the EP. Laura Marie maintains that her songwriting has always been an effort to heal and an essential element for her survival. She wrote the book in the same spirit and to empower survivors in and out of the music industry to overcome the often debilitating consequences of trauma and sexual abuse.

======================================================================

Tilia - Ever Ever.

Dream Pop artist Tilia returns with the new single Ever Ever. With her first two albums Focus (2014) and Patterns (2017), the Zurich-based artist received numerous airplays in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and is still present in some playlists.

After two tours in Germany and Switzerland, she took some time off and now returns with a suitcase full of new songs that hold some influences from jangle pop as well as dream pop. A first new EP will be released in the fall.

With her new songs Tilia builds on her proven strengths, but knows even more how to pack timeless melodies into catchy songs and sound independent at the same time. Ever Ever is a wonderful example of this. The song was created together with the Basel producer Philippe Laffer.

======================================================================

TANDM - The Man in the Sea.

Toronto duo TANDM's songs seem to transcend time, place, and even stylistic categorization. The core duo of vocalist/guitarist Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin first met in their mid-teens and quickly united over a unique creative chemistry. Their influences are as subtle as they are diverse, weaving tinges of genre-bending modern innovators from Alvvays to Regina Spector to even Vampire Weekend into their work.

New track, "The Man in the Sea," was originally written by Maxine as a poem for an assignment in high school. The poem was inspired by a story told to her as a child by her grandmother; the tale was whimsical about how a giant man in the sea would stir a giant spoon and make the waves. "My inspiration was to convey the sensation of a childhood belief/fantasy, that then shattered from discovering the realities of the world."

The video made by continuing collaborators with TANDM, Akash Jones & Bronte Brazier, uses dreamlike stop motion visuals to accompany the haunting tune. The single is a highlight off the group's dynamic upcoming EP Sirens.

======================================================================

Bar Pandora - Clementine Valentine - Toria Richings

Bar Pandora - Ultramess.

Bar Pandora is the stage name of UK alt-pop artist Charlie Tophill. The project was named after a literary cafe in La Latina, Madrid, where in 2017 Tophill used to hang out with her friends talking literature, life and feminism over red wine and fizzy sweets. Retrospectively inspired by the empowerment these friendships engendered, she created Bar Pandora in 2021 as a musical project seeking to redress the balance of a life shadowed by self-imposed limitation and baseless inhibition.

Bar Pandora’s melodious alt-pop is playfully sewn together from the offcuts of personal experience. Field recordings, journal entries and improvised fragments bop bewitchingly along to a rich undercurrent of harmonic synths, guitars and dynamic beats. Her eponymous debut EP, released in 2022, was the result of an experimental collaboration with jungle producer Simply Dread and earned Bar Pandora early support and radio play from BBC Radio 6’s Amy Lamé and Tom Robinson as well as praise from The Times newspaper and many more.

Tophill has continued to work with Simply Dread for her upcoming single, ‘Ultramess’, a “collaboration of artistic-differences” resulting in shimmery electro-pop which ripples with restless energy. ‘Ultramess’ is an alluring snapshot of a cynical romance. “It’s not quite a love song,” Tophill says. “It’s more an ode to the wilful ignorance that leads us to love, and the chaos that follows.”

Tophill’s writing is candid, confessional and refreshingly light, and there’s a mischievous streak that peppers her songs and tempers her occasional intensity. “I’m processing a lot of past mistakes through my music,” she says. “While anticipating future f ups which I’m sure will be just as fun to make.”

======================================================================

Clementine Valentine - Endless Night.

Clementine Valentine, the Aotearoa/New Zealand art-pop duo formerly known as Purple Pilgrims, unveil their shimmering new single 'Endless Night' out via Flying Nun Records. With the embrace of their birth names, sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon mark a significant turning point as they delve into a refined and sophisticated new sound.

'Endless Night' captures the essence of a heroic romance, offering a blend of wide-eyed fantasy and tongue-in-cheek realism. The song comes alive through its intricate layers of instrumentation, entwined vocals, and soaring chorus, expertly produced by New York City's Randall Dunn (Oneohtrix Point Never, Danny Elfman, Jim Jarmusch) and featuring the legendary drummer Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple). Mastered by the skilled hands of Heba Kadry (Björk, Beach House, Slowdive), the track shines with its transcendent soundscapes.

The accompanying visualiser, crafted by Motion Graphics Artist Silas McClintock from FUTURA Studio, showcases the painting 'Clementine & Valentine' by acclaimed Aotearoa artist Liz Maw. Merging religious iconography with contemporary themes, Maw's oil-on-board artworks draw inspiration from European old masters while incorporating celebrities and modern figures. Her imaginative depictions often center around women and delve into the concept of the femme fatale.

Reflecting on 'Endless Night', Clementine Valentine shares, “All songs are moments in time trapped in amber, this one feels particularly so. A relic of a past joy, crystallised behind dusty glass. Part self-fulfilling prophecy, part heartfelt sarcasm ”.

======================================================================

Toria Richings - Fire.

Originally from the UK, singer-songwriter Toria Richings has landed with both her feet firmly planted in all things Americana. With a style of her own Toria’s music has often been described as songs that feed your soul. Toria is a great storyteller and has a huge imagination when it comes to penning songs, she writes with a depth of emotion that will leave your heart feeling every word she sings.

Her latest single release, ‘Fire’, showcases a fusion of Celtic-inspired melodies and poignant lyrics that explore the intricate layers of love. Toria's ballad captures the essence of two people's intense feelings for each other, while one person struggles to fully grasp the depth of the other's love.

In her own words about the track, Toria shared, “Fire is a love song, it is a ballad steeped full of all the emotions you can feel when you find someone you never want to lose. I am really proud of this song. I put so much into creating the right feels, working closely with my producer to make sure we got the right sounds that I had imagined for it from the beginning.”

The song is a testament to the enduring power of belief in love and the willingness to invest in one more night with the person who holds the key to one's heart. Adorned with a sublime lead guitar and pedal steel, ‘Fire’ is a heartfelt masterpiece that will stir your soul.

======================================================================