Wednesday, 16 July 2025

LAWN CHAIR - Wyldest - Bird Streets - Emmett Jerome

LAWN CHAIR - War Machine.

German-American indie punk outfit LAWN CHAIR is set to make waves with their highly anticipated debut album, You Want It! You Got It!, slated for release on September 5th, 2025. Today the Berlin-based outfit share new single ‘War Machine’, accompanied by a new live video, the single is a poignant tribute to front woman Claudia Schlutius’ father.  

Over the past three years, the Berlin-based band has carved out a reputation as one of Germany’s most vital and uncompromising new bands. Formed around Seattle-born vocalist and lyricist Claudia Schlutius, the five-piece have brought their exhilarating live energy to festivals like The Great Escape, Reeperbahn and Fusion, toured the UK and Germany, and shared stages with Sleaford Mods, Primal Scream, Getdown Services, Deadletter, and more. With two EPs produced alongside Olaf Opal (The Notwist) and Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), they’ve already made serious noise. But You Want It! You Got It!! marks their most expansive and self-assured work to date.

Written during a time of personal and creative transition (as Schlutius and guitarist Eric Haupt relocated from Cologne to Berlin), You Want It! You Got It!! was crafted between November 2023 and September 2024, with extensive pre-production shaping its unique sound. The album’s title, a lyric drawn from ‘The Next Big Thing’, is a tongue-in-cheek response to the relentless demands of the music industry. Lyrically and sonically, the album draws inspiration from the absurdities of late-stage capitalism, fragile male egos, the never-ending quest for inner peace - and Schlutius’ own complicated relationship with both her family and her U.S. origins.

Their new single ‘War Machine’ is a tribute to her aging father, a Vietnam veteran and commercial fisherman in Alaska, whose fiercely independent spirit left its mark on her. “You’re a War Machine” becomes a line directed both outward and inward, a recognition of inherited restlessness and the fragility of the people we admire.


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Photo - Tom Gaiger
Wyldest - All It Would Take Is A Phone Call.

Yesterday, Wyldest returned with her poignant new single 'All It Would Take Is A Phone Call'. Out now via Hand In Hive, the track release follows her widely adored 2022 album 'Feed The Flowers Nightmares'. A delicate meditation on familial estrangement ("Now you’re just another memory / Locked away inside my veins / On your way to leave an everlasting stain"), 'All It Would Take Is A Phone Call' channels the quiet ache of a relationship defined more by blood than by real connection. 

The accompanying self-shot video, filmed by Wyldest on the moors of Connemara in Western Ireland, draws a poetic parallel between the song’s theme of lost connection and the birthplace of modern communication. “I came across a big egg-shaped monument called the Marconi and was fascinated by it. It was in the middle of nowhere – standing alone as a tribute to Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the first wireless telecommunication device. I thought, ironically, that was a great link,” Wyldest says.

Sitting at the intersection of ambient dream-pop and intimate singer-songwriter confessionals, Wyldest’s unmistakably weightless vocal is set against a backdrop of skeletal guitars and airy production textures - recalling the stillness of early Cat Power or the emotional incision of Sharon Van Etten. 

The song’s unhurried pace allows its emotional gravity to settle, drawing the listener into a space of painful reflection and quiet acceptance. Delivered with an almost terrifying emotional precision, Wyldest captures something rarely articulated in song: the quiet, slow ache of becoming strangers with someone you once called family. 


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Bird Streets - Mistaker.

Mistaker, the new single from Brooklyn's Bird Streets (John Brodeur) is a gritty minor-key rocker with enough hooks to last the rest of the summer. It has shades of solo Chris Cornell, the Shins, and the Stones, but overall this is very much a Bird Streets jam–lyric-forward, guitar-driven, and melodic to a fault. We think it's going to sound great on the air.

This is the lead track from the third Bird Streets LP, The Escape Artist, due October 17 on the Plastic Dreams label. The Escape Artist was produced by Jason Falkner (Beck, Daniel Johnson, St. Vincent) at his Los Angeles studio. It's a paranoid guitar-pop record, rife with themes of isolation and existential dread. Recorded over four years, beginning in the early days of the global pandemic, The Escape Artist runs the musical gamut from claustrophobic folk to anthemic indie-pop to punk-rock freakout. While largely a two-man affair, the album features guest spots by Gina Romantini (Wallflowers, Jayhawks), Zach Jones (Sting), and Oscar Albis Rodriguez (A Great Big World).

The Bird Streets sound has been described by The Deli as "rock music with mainstream potential that sounds timeless and honest." The 2002 album, Lagoon, featured contributions from folks like Pat Sansone (Wilco), Ed Harcourt, Aimee Mann, John Davis (Superdrag), and Jody Stephens (Big Star), while the self-titled 2018 release became something of a cult power-pop hit on the strength of single "Betting On The Sun." Bird Streets was selected as a Slingshot Artist by NPR Music, and has been featured by Paste, Magnet, Shindig! and many more.


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Photo - Poppy Morrish (photography)
Emmett Jerome - Nothing To Do.

With a weathered voice and a heart tuned to the truth, Emmett Jerome returns with "Nothing To Do," an upbeat, warm country-rock ode to growing up in a tiny foothills town. It's a wistful look back at carefree days, wild nights, and the bittersweet sting of outgrowing the place – and the people – you love.

Written about his own coming-of-age in Bragg Creek, Alberta, "Nothing To Do" pays tribute to sun-soaked river hangs, midnight highway drives, and stolen cases of cheap beer under prairie moons. "Growing up there meant a lot of freedom in the outdoors," says Jerome. "When I turned 18, I left for good and said goodbye to a lot of formative friendships. This song is about the loss of leaving not only that place behind, but the good people of Bragg Creek too."

The track was recorded live off the floor to hi-fi tape, capturing the raw energy of Jerome's band in the room, before layering in baritone guitar, harmonica, and Rhodes to flesh it out. "We wanted to use the same technology our favourite classic records were made with. Real analog gear and real musicians," Jerome says.

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Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Halley Neal - Saycouth - The THIRTEEN 7 - Amanda Shires

Halley Neal - Emily.

“Emily” is a song I wrote for my oldest friend, someone who shaped my childhood in quiet but profound ways. It’s about the kind of bond that leaves a permanent mark on your heart - even when time and distance pull you apart. Writing this song helped me reconnect not just with her, but with the part of myself she helped me believe in. It’s a reminder of how important it is to say the things we often leave unsaid. At its core, Emily is about gratitude, memory, and the power of a friendship that lasts through everything."

“Halley Neal is an award-winning folk singer and songwriter whose music radiates warmth, positivity, and peace. Based in Boston by way of Nashville, Halley blends lyrical, heartfelt songwriting with soaring vocals and vibrant, bluegrass-inspired instrumentation. Often performing alongside her trio of upright bass and fiddle, her live shows are intimate, uplifting experiences that highlight her honest lyrics and effortlessly expressive voice.

A rising presence in the Americana and folk scenes, Halley has toured nationally, performing in listening rooms and folk venues across the country. She has graced the stages of major festivals including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Among her career highlights, Halley has opened for and shared the stage in a duet performance with Grammy-winning artist Sara Bareilles - an experience that reflects both her talent and growing recognition in the contemporary folk world.

Following the success of her critically acclaimed 2022 album Beautiful and Blue, Halley is set to release her next full-length record, Letter for a Friend, in fall 2025. Written as a collection of personal letters to the people who have shaped, influenced, and inspired her, the album was recorded in Nashville and reflects her most intimate and narrative-driven work to date.”


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Saycouth - It's the Ride.

Saycouth follows up their Spring 2025 single "Phantom Love" with the new single "It's the Ride," which was released over the weekend.
 
Nashville-based indie/soul/pop group Saycouth have been active since early 2024. They have been releasing singles, an EP, lyric videos, and have played a couple well-received live shows at Virgin Hotels Nashville with an upcoming show confirmed at Analog at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville on Wed, July 30.
 
Saycouth features Mikayla Debasio on vocals, Nick Bilski on guitar, Frankie Hill on keys and sax, Jarred Harris on bass, and Herschal Van Dyke on drums.

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The THIRTEEN 7 - Carry The Burden.

Let The THIRTEEN 7 introduce you to ‘Gothic Soul”: a fusion of soul, jazz, folk & blues: blending haunting lyricism with rich soundscapes. The complexities of human emotion; grief & loss; mental health & self worth; plus the occasional ghost story, are addressed in their collection of eclectic, emotive songs. Yet their ability to balance darkness with beauty, sorrow with hope, is what makes their sound feel both timeless and fresh.

The THIRTEEN 7 are a UK based recording project. The rhythm section its core: Roger Batting on drums and percussion, and songwriter KLVN (Kelvin) plays bass. Guest vocalists and musicians help bring the songs to life.

Carry the Burden is second release, yet the first song we produced as The THIRTEEN 7. It’s a cover, written by singer / songwriter Trudy Hide, from her eponymous mid 90’s album. Roger asked for a backing track of the song so his niece could experience singing in a recording studio. Instrumentally the track became quite removed from the original: dark & minimal. It set a tone and ambience which in-turn inspired the songwriting for the rest of the album “Nobody’s Listening” (expected 2026).

After the positive reception the first single “The Shadow and the Light” received, we decided to continue the project: so this song, almost complete, we looked to finish next. Despite being a superb vocalist, Emma didn’t quite connect with the song, so we asked Lia whether she’d like to sing it. Once again she delivers a beautiful performance. The song also features a fabulous violin solo by Tony Quinta, Solid rhythm and percussion by Roger Batting and instrumentation by KLVN. The track really demonstrates the “Gothic Soul” sound in which the band inhabits. Dark, reflective, & atmospheric. Late night listening recommended.
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Photo - Brett Warren
Amanda Shires - A Way It Goes.

Amanda Shires will release her new album 'Nobody’s Girl' on 26th September via ATO Records. The GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist returns with her most powerful body of work yet and the follow-up to her widely acclaimed 2022 album 'Take It Like A Man'. Along with the album announcement, Amanda has shared 'A Way It Goes' the first single from the forthcoming record. The video for 'A Way It Goes' was directed by Taylor G. Kelly (Kelsea Ballerini, Brittney Spencer, Fitz & The Tantrums) and shot on location outside Nashville.
 
Produced by Lawrence Rothman and co-written by Amanda and Rothman, 'A Way It Goes' opens the album, taking the listener on an intimately revealing and musically rewarding journey. The track’s understated, soaring arrangement showcases Amanda’s delicate vocals and vulnerable lyrics. Amanda sings, “Spent a year looking inward and healing, made some new friends, don’t ask about the deep end. Even I couldn’t believe it when I felt my heart sprouting feathers and I caught myself dreaming again.”
 
Amanda has never been afraid to blur genre lines, but 'Nobody’s Girl' is not about sonic boundaries, it’s about emotional ones. Produced by Lawrence Rothman, the new album explores themes of heartbreak and loss, resilience, self-discovery and empowerment.  As Amanda explains, “'Nobody's Girl' is what came after the wreckage, the silence, the rebuilding. It’s about standing in the aftermath of a life you thought would last forever and realising no one is coming to save you.” 
 
The 12-track record features Amanda’s moving vocals and signature fiddle playing set to meticulously crafted songs ranging from achingly raw ballads to rock-infused anthems. It was recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, TN, with Fred Eltringham and Julian Dorio on drums, Dominic Davis on bass, Peter Levin on keys, Zach Setchfield on guitar, and Rothman on guitar as well. Amanda also tracked at Rothman Recorders in Los Angeles, CA, with Jay Bellerose (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), Jimbo Hart (bass), Joe Kennedy (piano, guitar), and Rothman again on guitar. In addition to the fiddle, Amanda can also be heard playing tenor guitar and ukulele.

 
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Monday, 14 July 2025

RALLO - Clover County - Anna of the North - goodheart

RALLO - Eggshells & Rollercoasters.

Fresh off a wave of artistic momentum, indie rock singer-songwriter RALLO is set to release her latest single, “Eggshells & Rollercoasters,” today July 14. The new track, a delicate yet powerful meditation on the fragility of love and the highs and lows of human connection, will be accompanied by a cinematic music video exploring the song’s themes of intimacy, tension, and resilience.

Fans will also have the opportunity to experience RALLO’s magnetic live energy at two upcoming shows in the Hudson Valley. On July 17, she will perform at Rock da Casbah in Saugerties from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, and on July 23, she will take the stage at Pearl Moon in Woodstock from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Seating is limited for both events, so early reservations are encouraged by calling 845-247-3929 for Rock da Casbah and 845-684-5537 for Pearl Moon.

"Eggshells & Rollercoasters” finds RALLO at her most evocative yet, layering poetic lyrics over lush, dynamic production that echoes with a sense of vulnerability. Hypnotic melodies carry the listener through a landscape of emotional contradictions: fragility and strength, joy and doubt, chaos and calm. “I wanted to do something enchanting and honest, yet humorous, with the many rollercoasters & eggshells life seems to be paved with,” says RALLO. “This song just kinda rolled out very organically from that initial spark.”


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Photo - Luke Rogers
Clover County - Virginia Slim.

Emerging Georgia-based singer/songwriter Clover County announces that her debut LP Finer Things will release on September 26 via her own label Undercover Lover Records in partnership with Thirty Tigers. Produced by Carrie K (Noah Kahan, Maggie Antone, Koe Wetzel), the album is a coming-of-age soundtrack that explores romantic, familial and platonic love with a winking charm and an observing eye. To accompany the announcement, Clover released the project’s bittersweet first single “Virginia Slim.” Unfolding like the green rolling hills of Georgia’s Blood Mountain where she was inspired to write the song, “Virginia Slim” uses a fuzzy guitar, a painfully beautiful fiddle and the flick of a Zippo lighter to tell the quintessential ‘right person, wrong time’ story. 

Next month, Clover will hit the road with rising country star Sam Barber for a run which includes dates in Toronto, Raleigh and more. She will also play FloydFest later this month and Austin City Limits in October.

“‘Virginia Slim’ is about falling for the idea of someone more than the actual person,” Clover shares. “After months on the road and too many blurred connections, I was burnt out. This song became a way to be honest with myself: about craving comfort, about romanticizing what’s in front of me and about choosing to protect a friendship instead of rushing into something I wasn’t ready for. Brad Cook helped me write the last few lines, including the most important of the whole song – ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve known love that wasn’t war.’ My two favorite instruments on this song are the Zippo lighter and the fiddle.” 

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Anna of the North - Give Me Your Love Back.

Norwegian alt-pop start Anna of the North today makes her stunning return with "Give Me Your Love Back", out now via Play It Again Sam, her first new single since 2022's Crazy Life. She also announces a Winter 2025 U.S. tour, with dates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and more.

"Give Me Your Love Back" is classic Anna— dreamy, emotional, and irresistibly melodic. Her ethereal vocals and bittersweet lyrics are on show. With this new release, Anna bridges the past and future — offering long-time fans a return to her classic sound. The single arrives as Anna’s 2017 hit “Lovers” has been going viral and surpassing 225 million streams on Spotify.

The new single marks the beginning of a new chapter, with more music to come.

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goodheart - Silverspoon Sunday.

Toronto-based indie-pop artist goodheart captures the quiet ache of emotional in-betweens on her debut EP Blue and Other Colours – a self-produced five-track project that explores disconnection, heartbreak, longing, and self-reckoning through shimmering melodies and honest storytelling. With elements of indie-pop, folk, and alt-rock woven through its sound, the EP invites listeners to sit with sadness – not to wallow in it, but to understand it.

From the friction of fading friendships to the numbness of everyday apathy, Blue and Other Colours traces deeply personal experiences with a diaristic sensibility and cinematic edge. Whether it's the drifting isolation of "Casey," the quiet resentment of "Funeral," or the dreamlike malaise of "Stuck in a Cloud," goodheart doesn't shy away from emotional complexity. Instead, she leans in to build lush, dynamic soundscapes that feel both intimate and expansive.

The focus track, "Silverspoon Sunday," is one of the EP's most biting and buoyant moments. With crisp drums, layered guitar work, and bright vocal delivery, it offers a sugar-coated critique of privilege and passivity. "It’s about comfort becoming a kind of cage," says goodheart. "Some people are handed every opportunity and still feel stuck. They coast instead of confronting the real stuff."

Despite its polished surface, the structure of "Silverspoon Sunday" subtly shifts throughout, avoiding traditional pop repetition and instead offering a dynamic chord progression that mirrors the unease beneath its brightness. "I love songs that sneak heavier truths into something that feels fun. This one is a bitter pill with a sugar coating."

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Sunday, 13 July 2025

Isabel Rumble - KĀMA - Mollie Elizabeth - Maddison Kate - MF Tomlinson

Photo - Elise Idiens
Isabel Rumble - Soften.

Indie-folk songstress Isabel Rumble just released her captivating single 'Soften' and its elemental music video. Her 2023 debut album 'Bird Be Brave' was embraced by the music scene with open arms, drawing praise for its intimate songwriting, gaining a Folk Alliance Australia Award nomination, and going on to spur an international tour across Europe and Australia. Having supported artists like Lior & Domini, Daniel Champagne, Holly Arrowsmith and Ireland’s David Keenan, Isabel Rumble is a rising star in Australia's sky. 

'Soften' is a perfect picture of the kind of songwriting that has earned Isabel Rumble her flowers: she aimed to write a song that encapsulated "acceptance of choices made, and a longing to return to the knowing of the body," and delivered in full. 

Exploring how it feels to surrender to an inevitable change through soft, intertwining guitar riffs and tender vocals this song feels like listening to a careful, vulnerable conversation. Then, with a gentle burst, the song blossoms with keyboard and slow-jam drums, exploring the quiet strength drawn from those who came before.

Filmed on Thaua Country, Yuin Nation, in the far southern valleys of NSW, this sepia-toned visual offering moves with the land that shaped it. Minimal and elemental, the video captures Isabel's body in gentle motion amidst ancient rock formations. It is a quiet conversation between self and place. 'Soften' is a song that teeters on the edge between light and dark, softness and strength, and this video captures that dance.


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KĀMA - Is It So Or Not.

KĀMA recently released the single Is It So Or Not, taken from the debut album Propaganda. Is It So Or Not blends post-punk, art-rock and experimental minimalism influences for a romantically restless anthem. 

The sonic energy crosses industrial territories: the tinkling of the guitars weaves a hypnotic plot for a gentle and deep baritone voice questioning the nexus between reality and imagination, while the pressing bass riff and the nervous and broken drums prepare an imaginary meeting between the Smiths, the Jam, the Talking Heads and the Einstürzende Neubauten; the rhythmic breaks wink at the concrete experimentations of Pierre Schaeffer; the crooked intersection of the final guitar arpeggios pay homage to the minimalist phasing of Steve Reich.

The song is paired with a surreal video clip, featuring the metamorphosis in negative blue of the faces of the four members of the band, as a visualizer for the reality-imagination nexus on which the song's lyrics are built. With Is It So Or Not, KĀMA confirm their unmistakable style: contaminated, cultured, in the sign of the most audacious and contemporary alt-rock.


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Mollie Elizabeth - Doe Eyes.

Following her debut EP Dirty Blonde, Mollie Elizabeth delivers a visually stunning music video for “Doe Eyed” (dir. Maya Sassoon). The 21-year-old Washington State-based artist Mollie Elizabeth released her debut EP via Neon Gold / Virgin Music, known for her whimsical, melancholic, and empowering songs, the Pacific Northwest artist describes her music as “tiny worlds”, a refuge shaped by her upbringing in the Washington woods, suffused with old-Hollywood elegance and emotional depth. Mollie co-produced her newest song, “Doe Eyes”, along with her Dirty Blonde EP with Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, Marina) and co-written with Reid and GRAMMY-nominated Casey Smith (Olivia Rodrigo, Ashe, Benson Boone).

Mollie adds: “I have always had a bad habit of romanticizing things/people that are now lost to time. This song is really the anthem for all the girls and guys out there who just can’t help but think one more night might be a good idea- even though it’s definitely not!”

Last month, Mollie released “Until We Meet Again” - a dusky, cinematic ballad steeped in Old Hollywood glamour. With a rare blend of chic elegance, playful confidence, and sincere sweetness, she infuses the track with timeless allure. The single was produced by Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, MARINA) and co-written with Reid and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Casey Smith (Olivia Rodrigo, Ashe, Benson Boone).


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Photo - Samuel Murray
Maddison Kate - More To Me.

Meanjin-based folk artist, Maddison Kate, continues to deliver raw emotion with her warm tones and tender melodies in her single 'More To Me' (just out Friday, July 11). She brings a contemplative and honest energy on this stunning new track, providing a glimpse of her upcoming EP 'What I'd Say To You', out on Friday, August 8.

Maddison Kate's journey into music started at age 9, where she would perform at open mic nights with just her vocals and her guitar, and since then her career has taken off to soaring heights. Now, she has a number of notable venues under her belt, including Gympie Music Muster and Queensland Music Festival, and recently, opening for Kyle Lionhart, on the Queensland leg of his 2024 ‘Careless’ Tour. 

Her poetic sound, folk melodies, and earthy tones have led to plenty of eyes on her and won her competitions like the 2TM Discovered Competition for Tamworth Country Music Festival and Queensland Music Festival’s On Song competition. 

'More To Me' is an introspective tune made from the gentle plinking of piano, soaring violin, charming guitar and vocals that play with the spectrum of emotion and become something angelic. This gentle song explores the overwhelming feelings about being better off without someone unless they grow and change, and hoping for that change regardless.  With her enchanting voice and delicate composition, this song is an introspective and meditative folk-pop number that moves like a playful dance. 

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Photo - Andrea Zvadova
MF Tomlinson - Die To Wake Up From A Dream (Album).

MF Tomlinson releases new album 'Die To Wake Up From A Dream' on PRAH Recordings. Tomlinson plays a run of in-store dates this coming week before embarking on a headline tour this October.

MF Tomlinson's third studio album 'Die To Wake Up From A Dream' marks the final chapter in a trilogy of self-produced full lengths, following his 2021 debut 'Strange Time' and 2023's 'We Are Still Wild Horses', respectively drawing universal praise from Uncut, Mojo, The Times, The Arts Desk, Record Collector, The Line of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine and many more.

An opus on human experience, new album 'Die To Wake Up From A Dream' is an urgent and vivid description of the times in which we live. Inspired in part by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s installation Labyrinth (My Mother’s Album), the album confronts darkness head-on; mapping the psychic geography of our reality, journeying through personal and collective dreamstates before emerging into a nuanced, grounded sense of hope.

Encompassing folk, shoegaze, art-rock, prog and orchestral traditions, the new album was produced by Tomlinson in his studio in Poplar, London. Meticulously captured one instrument at a time, 'Die To Wake Up From A Dream' is a psychoacoustic odyssey of impossible proportions.

From the post-punk pulse of today’s focus single 'Dream Of You' and the grandeur of album opener 'Blink And You’ll Miss It', to the liminal landscapes of instrumental pieces 'A Dream' and 'A Meadow (Part I)', Tomlinson’s work remains characteristically expansive.


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Mummypowder - Sharon Eitan - Dana Maragos - YES TO ALL (D-Formation & Alex Medina)

Mummypowder - Stars In The Snow.      Stars In The Snow, the new single by singer-songwriter Janne Lehtinen ’s long-running project Mummypo...