Lauran Hibberd - Year of October - Michael Malarkey - Soviet X-Ray Record Club - Kansas Smittys House Band

Lauran Hibberd - Old Head Young Shoulders.

Background - Lauran Hibberd’s low-key, beautifully arranged nu-folk single “Old Head Young Shoulders” seems to drift through eardrums and straight into the listeners’ souls. Innocent, soft and with more than a breeze of fresh air around it, it will warmly appeal to the fans of Lucy Rose, Laura Marling or Billie Marten.

In ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’, this Isle of Wight based singer/songwriter manages to convey wisdom and talent well beyond her tender years. At just 19, Lauran is beautifully skewing her love of literature with her ethereal vocal and delicate guitar style. 

If The Guardian’s Kitty Empire named Ben Howard ‘a surfing troubadour high on a new wave’, we’d like to hail Lauran Hibberd ‘a truthful spirit high on a low key nu-folk wave’. Why? With the hope this will encourage you to hear this 2:51min sonic window into this genuine teenage girl’s existence.

Already supported by BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music and Radio X, Lauran says: “To me ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’ is all about losing touch with my youth and the shelter that comes with it. It was one of the first songs I ever wrote, and definitely one of the most honest. I wrote it at a time, where I had no idea what I was feeling, no idea where I was heading and certainly no idea what life was actually all about".

Real is rare, isn’t it? Well, Lauran Hibberd’s child-like love and innocence effortlessly flicker through her new single ‘Old Head Young Shoulders’, which will be available everywhere 1st September. Website here, Facebook here.

Now as I have so many fond memories of holidays and days out on the Isle of Wight, any artist from there is potentially on the receiving end of some rather friendly bias. 'Old Head Young Shoulders' needs none of that, in fact Lauran Hibberd could be from St Kilda Island (UK) albeit that would be impossible (oh just Poogle it) this is just one fabulous vibrant and lovable song.

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Year of October - Come & Get It.

Background - Sweltering husband-wife duo, Year of October, are excited to unveil their first official single “Come & Get It”, from the impending 3rd studio LP Trouble Comes, out in (you guessed it!) October. Following the release of their critically acclaimed 2nd album Golden Days, the singer-guitarist duo, Phlecia and Josh, toured throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, and the South. 

They have built up a loyal fan-base, and have received raving media attention from outlets like No Depression, PRX.org, Country Fried Rock, and Indie Band Guru. “Come & Get It” is a groovy, distortion-laced track that teeters between aggressive and soulful. Phlecia said of the new project, “We like to take influences from all genres of music. We find inspiration in everything and I think if something is good then it doesn’t necessarily have to sound just like us to be a major influence.” 

Formed at University of Kentucky in 2010, Year of October is the passion-project of Phlecia and Josh Sullivan. Mixing their diverse influences of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles for Josh, and Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald for Phlecia, Year of October stands out due to their clawing Nashville-rock edge, and yet soulful, swirling vocals. 

Previously, the band has released debut LP Stories and sophomore album Golden Days. Year of October has played over 250 shows across the South, and has built up a devoted community of fans with their cohesive yet genere-elusive style. Check out their brand new single “Come & Get It”, and stay tuned below for the new album out in October! Website here, Facebook here.

'Come & Get It' is a bluesy and potent rocker. The vocals are full of passion and feeling, whilst the band kick out some feisty riffs.

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Michael Malarkey - Mongrels.

Background - This is the title track from the forthcoming album, accompanied by a new video shot in the UK. Mongrels will be released 8th September 2017 via Cap On Cat Records and you can catch up with Michael Malarkey on the road shortly after for the next step of the journey. 

Quote from Michael: "Mongrels represents the many-faced animal within us that is here but never quite from here; the dreamer within us, stricken with wanderlust, who is tuned to the frequencies of change; the nomad within us whose roots grow not in the ground, but in the wind. It represents the mystery of our vagrant nature, at times a source of weakness and at times a source of power.” 

Michael Malarkey rose to fame, appearing in the HBO series The Vampire Diaries where he played the character of ‘Enzo’ up until the series finished last year.

An avid singer/songwriter, Michael has turned his attention back to touring, with more dates still to be announced around the release this fall. Live dates are over on Beehive Candy's tour news page, Facebook here.

The title track and one of twelve songs on the forthcoming album 'Mongrels' helps showcase Michael Malarkey's distinct and somewhat poignant vocals. The album comprises a fine mixture of material, occasionally dark in nature (but only occasionally), the refined melodies and desirable feel of each song, makes for a rich and pleasing listen. This deserves to be heard not because of The Vampire Diaries, but because it is a very affecting album.


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Soviet X-Ray Record Club - Houses.

Background - Soviet X-Ray Record Club are set to launch new EP 'Houses' today Wednesday, 9 August 2017. Since the release of their debut album 'Wake', SXRC have incorporated glitch, electro and industrial influences into their established shoegaze, post-punk, surf fuelled sound. More upbeat in comparison to their first bleak album,  the new EP ‘Houses’ will be released on 9 August 2017 and will be accompanied by a vinyl release featuring new singles ‘Glasslicker’ and ‘Love So Cold’. 'Houses' will be the band’s first multi-track release since 2015.

Lead single 'Glasslicker' features an aggressive bass and drum track, interspersed with laconic vocals. The track is an observation into the push/pull awkwardness of dancefloor relationships, and is complimented by unique pop/industrial keys to complete the club setting. 

'Love So Cold' underscores crooning, decaying vocals and harmonies with an insistent drum track and polystyrene static, bound together by SXRC's signature haunting shoegaze/surf melodies. Lyrics like "I'm living it up, while my family dies" hide amongst the noise-pop guitar-jangle and add to the impact of the song's title, “No list of emerging artists on the Brisbane music scene would be complete without the inclusion of this band… they are deservedly growing in stature on the back of their commendable ability as a live act.” SONAR

SXRC have received acclaim for their intense and explosive live performances, and have toured with Australian and International acts such as Flyying Colours, Hinds, The Belligerents, Raave Tapes, The Peep Temple, The Courtneys, New Gods and Nantes. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

The new 'Houses' EP is featured in full here, with each track demanding attention as the band drift between a multitude of genres. Sometimes it sounds a little like Ultravox with a bad attitude (OK I know there are more recent references to be had), whatever this is a potent collection of songs, more than worthy of a feature.

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Kansas Smittys House Band - Party Party Party.

Background - Leave all your preconceptions at the door this is Kansas Smitty's House Band. Since their last studio album, the band have headlined and sold out shows at Ronnie Scott's, the Jazz Cafe, and the Shoreditch Town Hall and became proprietors of their own bar.

Kansas Smitty’s House Band’s music is not without influence. Imagine a head-on collision of the sonic worlds of Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Curtis Mayfield, Brad Mehldau, and Willie Nelson. Don't get ideas though, this sour mash of jazz genres is steeped to perfection, making the the KSHB's music very much their own.

‘Party Party Party’ is the next track to be taken from the band’s forthcoming new album ‘Movin On’ due later this year and is an infectious summer anthem-in-waiting. Opening with raucous crowd noise and with a gang crowd vocal main hook, the track sums up the band’s incredible flair and taste for live performance with a tropical feel that invites a vibin’ party atmosphere that could potentially be heralded as an instrumental on par with Average White Band’s ‘Pick Up The Pieces’.

Kansas Smitty’s House Band loves company and has inducted a host of performers into their scene down at their East End London bar. The band features leader Giacomo Smith with the KSHB steadfast lineup of Pete Horsfall, Adrian Cox, Theon Cross, Pedro Segundo, Joe Webb, Ferg Ireland and Dave Archer while the shortlist of internationally recognised musicians who've been down to the bar to play or just to dig what the KSHB do include: Louis Cole, Nitin Sawhney, Kit Downes, Nick Mulvey, Laura Marling, Beth Rowley, Michael Janisch, and Shingai Shoniwa to name a few.
The eclecticism in the KSHB's sound is rooted in this diverse buzz around Smitty's Bar. It's the constant flow of people through their home that makes collaborating with artists ranging from Curtis Stigers to Kitty, Daisy And Lewis easy for the band to flit to and from. 

Smitty's have also taken the show on the road. When they can, the band likes to bring their bar along with them. Takeovers at the Peckham Liberal Club, Stamford Works, The Vault Festival, four nights at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and for an entire month at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - where they programmed a series of concerts in their pop-up venue featuring Sons of Kemet, Swindle and Ska-legends Bad Manners alongside themselves.

The band continue their exciting touring schedule following a main stage shows at Love Supreme and Cornbury Festival with appearances at Boomtown, Goodlife Experience and a return to Shoreditch Town hall as part of London Jazz Festival. Live dates are over on beehive candy's tour news page, Website here, Facebook here.

Today we can end on a real high! 'Party Party Party' is just so invigorating, wonderful, fun packed and vital! Hopefully you get where I'm coming from....

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The Sinking Feeling - Broken River

The Sinking Feeling - One (EP).

Background - The Sinking Feeling is testament to the fact that you can take crushing self-doubts and turn them into something else. With three totally unique personalities and backgrounds, the band converge on subjects of depression and loss. Each with their own trials, each member contributing to the unique dynamic that is proof that there is beauty and worth in every tribulation.

Hailing from Glasgow (Scotland), the band has already put out four quality releases including a split tape with Nai Harvest. Their own brand of emo punk music has won them fans across the UK and a strong cult following in Glasgow.

They’ve toured and supported with the likes of Mineral, Make Do and Mend, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Tigers Jaw, Nai Harvest and many more modern emo stalwarts becoming the name on everyone’s lips in the scene. The Sinking Feeling recently finished recording 'One' with Bob Cooper (Nai Harvest, Self Defense Family, Brawlers, Allusondrugs). Facebook here.

The EP 'One' was released a few weeks back however it has just come our way and is to good to pass up on. The trio deliver a punchy and uncompromising wall of punk sounds, with enough hooks & ideas to keep each track fresh and natural.


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Broken River - Me Verses You.

Background - Broken River is releasing a new single "Me Versus You” and is playing a headline show at The Tote in Melbourne on Thursday, 17th August with support from The In The Out and Teenage Dads.

Broken River is a new project driven by Melbourne singer-songwriter Ben Stolz. Ben’s influences are diverse drawing from The Cure to Bruce Springsteen to Swervedriver.   

Broken River alternates as a solo performer or as a five-piece act which also includes Dave Kleynjans (drums), Ryan Adamson (bass), Dave Rogers (guitars) and Andy Ferguson (keyboard). 

"Me Versus You” was a late addition in terms of studio recordings but nevertheless stood out. The song is a dark anthem with layers of woven guitars and pounding drums. It’s the sound of crushing heartbreak and melancholy. Broken River release 'Me Versus You' on Friday 11th August 2017. Facebook here.

Title song 'Me Versus You' is accompanied by two other tracks on the new release, each of which would be very strong contenders for the A side in the glorious days of 7" singles. Overall we are treated to some genuine & passion fuelled music that suggest Ben Stolz can deliver some very fine & timeless rock'n'roll.


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Sauropod - Sedgewick - WellBad

Sauropod - By The Tree.

Background - Sauropod, Norwegian garage-punk trio made up of – Jonas Røyeng (guitar, vocals), Kamillia Waal Larsen (bass, vocals) and Jørgen Natland Apeness (drums) have announced their signing to Propeller Recordings with the release of explosive new single ‘By The Tree’. With an aggressive intensity and simultaneous pop sensibility, the Oslo based trio are a force to be reckoned with both live and on record. 

"Jump on the rocket / stomp on the day” Jonas yelps as the song bursts into life, to a backdrop of pummelling drum work and rolling bass lines - the song then shifts into a more melodic, but equally as untameable assault of punk instrumentation.

Speaking on the lyrical meaning behind the new single, frontman Jonas Røyeng explained “By The Tree is essentially about juggling two things at once, not knowing which one you like the most." It’s an almighty amalgamation of sounds and influences, perhaps giving a nod to the likes of The Wytches, Thee Oh Sees, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in their songwriting and delivery.

The band are currently preparing for an extensive touring schedule kick-starting in the new year, as well as writing for the release of their debut album on Propeller. Website here, Facebook here.

Totally desirable garage punk comes along in the shape of 'By The Tree' a feisty, determined in your face, piece of natural rock'n'roll.

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Sedgewick - To Fold.

Background - Sedgewick is a dream folk trio yearning for the sounds of the unknown, built on the juxtaposition of the sounds of old and sounds to come. 

They explore the space between a literal and sonic narrative, where the meaning is evolving with each new listen. Their unique live set up of synthesizers, upright bass, effects, and distinct vocal harmonies are sure to inspire. 

Sedgewick solidified their presence in the Chicago folk scene in April 2015 with the release of their debut EP, "Gardens." Before their release, their music had already received accolades from New City magazine and Gapers Block, calling it "gorgeous" and "cinematic," evoking "Sufjan Stevens and a pre-therapy Peter Gabriel."

Their new record, Collapse, debuts in fall of 2017. Website here, Facebook here.

High quality dream folk with an understated and beautifully produced musical arrangement, allows the vocals and harmonies on 'To Fold' shine through. When the musicians do get their moment in the spotlight they come up with a delightful interlude, ensuring the forthcoming 'Collapse' release is firmly on my radar.

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WellBad - Different State of Mind.

Background - WellBad ‘Different State Of Mind’ the new single by German blues rock act out 04.08.17. His raspy voice is as dry as the soil in Death Valley. His full beard is as prickly as a desert cactus. And the atmosphere in his songs is reminiscent of movie scenes shot by Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch. The 27-year old singer and songwriter Daniel Welbat is an engaging, passionate entertainer and, together with his excellent band WellBad, he has impressed critics and enthused audiences wherever they have performed their very own brand of modern Blues Rock. 

WellBad will release their third album, ‘The Rotten’, in September. Paired with the raw,dirty sound of his bandmates, the Hamburg-based Welbat creates an idiosyncratic blend of styles that easily transports a classic Blues vibe right into the here and now. ‘The Rotten' is a genre-defying, elegant mix of Rock, Blues and Jazz and is produced by Stephan Gade (Udo Lindenberg, Niels Frevert), who also worked on the band’s second studio album, ‘Judgement Days’, in 2015.

WellBad have not only made numerous appearances already on major German TV stations, but they also made the podium of the ‘European Blues Challenge’, held in Torrita di Siena, Italy, in April 2016. That same year they also represented Germany in the world´s largest international Blues competition in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to some memorable concerts, the band had the chance to record a single in the legendary Sun Studios. Website here.

Oozing natural blues rock vibes 'Different State of Mind' is completed in style by the notable vocals of Daniel Welbat. That said, the band are super slick and deliver a slice of blues rock that ensures they are a key part of the overall piece. A fabulous video just adds more.


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Diamond Thug - Cloning the Mammoth - PLGRMS

Diamond Thug - Cosmic Dreamer.

Background - In 2016 the South African band, Diamond Thug, recorded their debut EP with the help of Dave Minehan (The Replacements) and released it to waves of support, Indie Shuffle calling it ‘…a joy to listen to’. After significant support at Spotify where they have now had several million plays on just one single, and in their home country, Diamond Thug have introduced their music internationally with their last single ‘Eclipsed’. And more comes in the form of their next single ‘Cosmic Dreamer’, and it doesn’t disappoint. The track is available from August 4th via Phonofile.

Since their formation, Diamond Thug have continually evolved, always striving to create a unique sound that’s stay true to their perspective. Their music glides through dream-pop, skittish, off-kilter electronica & psychedelic-rock, creating cosmic-influenced ethereal soundscapes, which swirl below Chantel’s haunting, yet beautiful melodies. 

The pursuit of an authentic & honest sound has earned the band various honours in international competitions such as Culture Collide’s pick to perform at SXSW 2017, as well as Converse’s Music Global Takeover and the attention of Grammy Award winner Darryl Torr, who had this to say about the band:  "When listening to Diamond Thug, you are taken on a journey.  It’s the effortless vocals, supported by a solid band, that tips you over the edge & pulls you through into their world.  It’s rare to find a voice that can execute such interesting melodies so effortlessly as well as a band that leaves space for the vocals to shine, yet are able to maintain musical integrity." Website here, Facebook here.

'Cosmic Dreamer' lives up to the song title with some refreshing & dreamy music. Melodic vocals are well up in the mix, adding additional power to the magnetic atmosphere.

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Cloning the Mammoth - San Francisco.

Background - Blending memorable melodies and driving tempos with ethereal soundscapes and ambient backdrops, Perth band Cloning the Mammoth have already honed a style that is uniquely their own.

This style is on show in their new song ‘San Francisco’, noticeably in the guitar work, which refuses to marry with conventional rock stereotypes. Heavily effected guitars are used to create synth like backdrops for the band’s more pop-oriented melodies and hooks. An extended range of notes afforded by use of a 6-string bass guitar helps give the bass playing a unique melodic edge. Combined with some unpredictable structures and arrangements, ‘San Francisco’ forms a captivating mosaic of sound.

The writing process behind this sound is very studio based as guitarist Bevan Green explains, “We spend a lot of time fiddling with effects and gear until we can create interesting sounds to fit the music. Especially lately we just write to record, and many of the songs start as sounds and ideas on a laptop before we translate it to a live band format.” 

‘San Francisco’ has all the hallmarks of a young band reaching towards an eclectic, textured and refreshing new sound. With a debut EP in the works and none of the band having reached the age of 20, the future is looking promising for Cloning the Mammoth.  “San Francisco” will be released 11th of August 2017. Facebook here.

The music is enticing and upbeat on 'San Francisco' a vibrant Indie track that is taken even further by the flowing vocals. This is very catchy!

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PLGRMS - Crawling Back.

Background - Australian duo PLGRMS, have released their new single ‘Crawling Back’, via London-based label 0E0E Records. A hugely welcome return from the Sydney based pair - whose spritely, glitchy electronic pop has gained a reputation for being some of the most inventive, exhilarating electronic music coming out of Australia at the moment. The duo have been making some impressive waves of late. Not only have they amassed over 7 million streams for previous singles in the past 12 months, along with with tours supporting Mansionair, Vera Blue and Oh Wonder on their home soil - PLGRMS' stocks are rapidly rising.

"'Crawling Back' was one of the first songs we conceived as PLGRMS” the band explain. “Lyrically, the song is based around seeing friends go through situations where their relationship had gone bad — and they just stuck around because it was all they knew. So I guess the inspiration was more observational than a personal experience.”

Where previous singles have landed more on the electronic end of the spectrum, PLGRMS new single 'Crawling Back’ is more organic in its instrumentation. Still retaining the key elements that make it very much a PLGRMS track, but with more of live and "band” sound to their previous releases. Synths wail amongst African-tinged percussion, with Jacob’s warm vocals elegantly weaving around the beat - all carried by a funk-laced bass line. It’s another exciting step forward, for an incredibly exciting band.

PLGRMS is the Sydney-based duo of singer-songwriter Jacob Pearson and multi-instrumentalist songwriter/producer Jonathan Bowden. Website here, Facebook here. 

It's getting on for a year ago that we first featured PLGRMS. The new song 'Crawling Back' can easily be described along the lines of our last review where we commentated "the superb vocals immediately grabbed my attention.. ..musically it's a sophisticated electro soundtrack". The latest release only serves to confirm this duo are consistently very good.


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Jupe Jupe - Kelsey Kerrigan - Wild Ones - Robots With Rayguns - Loyal Lobos

Jupe Jupe - Faith In What You Hear.

Background - Jupe Jupe creates dark and danceable pop music layered with crooning vocals, atmospheric synths, shivering guitars, and driving beats. 

The Seattle quartet offers a collection of melancholy, hook-laden textures in its latest release, Lonely Creatures—10 hauntingly striking songs about isolation, fate, internal struggle, and technology gone awry. Each tune draws inspiration from electropop, post-punk, and ghostly Americana.

The band spent over two years crafting each song on Lonely Creatures before joining producer Matt Bayles at Red Room Recording in Seattle, Washington. A former member of Minus the Bear, Bayles has produced and mixed a number of seminal albums by Botch, Mastodon, Murder City Devils, Minus the Bear, Russian Circles, These Arms are Snakes, The Blood Brothers, and many more.

Since forming in 2010, Jupe Jupe has released three original full-length albums: Invaders, Reduction in Drag, and Crooked Kisses. The group also teamed up with a variety of renowned artists/producers for the remix album, Cut Up Kisses (featuring Lusine, Mike Simonetti, Rick G. Nelson, Erik Blood, Head Like a Kite, and more).Website here, Facebook here.

The first of ten tracks on the 'Lonely Creatures album is 'Faith In What You Hear'. It typifies the bands core sound, however there is some more stripped back material alongside a couple of more intense and darker sounding pieces. Overall though, this is a pleasing and hook filled collection of songs, delivered with some very fine musicianship.

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Kelsey Kerrigan - Driving Around.

Background - At a very young age, singer-songwriter and producer Kerrigan would escape to a creative dimension to dissect recordings, and, later, write songs. Few outside her private sphere knew her promise as a songwriter, singer, and producer. It would take chance meetings with music icons Glyn Johns (The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Clash) and Ryan Adams for Kerrigan and her family to understand the depth of her gifts and vision. Now, Kerrigan emerges with a masterful debut of romantic post-punk. 

Kerrigan’s path revealed itself after high school. When it came time for college, the debate at home came down to Kerrigan wanting to attend a two-year production program at Los Angeles Recording School, but her father preferring she be more cautious and enroll in a traditional college. The stalemate ended with a visit from legendary producers David Anderle (Frank Zappa, The Doors, Love) and Glyn Johns. Upon hearing Kerrigan’s music, they were flabbergasted and Glyn Johns gushed, “Don’t let anyone touch your music!” Kerrigan earned her right to attend to LARS. 

Her fate would shift even more when Johns invited her to the famed Sunset Sound Recorders. There she met Ryan Adams, who on the spot, asked Kerrigan to perform some of her music. She fumbled a bit, but he sensed her raw talent and would informally mentor her for the next two years. “He really believed in me,” Kerrigan says. “I would send him really rough recordings, and he took it seriously and told me to keep going. It inspired me to dive fully into songwriting.”

The opportunity to possibly record her album would come at an inopportune time. “One day, Ryan texted me while I was in class. He said: ‘My friend Johnny is here in the studio only for a few hours. You have to come now,’” she recalls. “I just got up and left class. When I got there, Ryan said: ‘If there is anybody who should produce you, it’s this guy,’ and then he got up and left.” 

Ryan was spot on. Johnny T. Yerington and Gus Oberg assembled a cadre of perfectly cast musicians, and all studio personnel studied Kerrigan’s playlists of new wave, post-punk, goth and punk.  The resulting album is a stunner. Thematically, the album has a dark humor and emotionality. “When I am inspired to write, it’s often about being interested in someone I can’t be with, fated love. There is torment there because I can’t be honest either because I don’t want to hurt somebody or I don’t want to get hurt,” she confides. “The songs are where I can always put my honesty.” 

The album is a lean, no-filler release brimming with an invigorating pop sensibility thoughtfully complemented by quick-wittedness and sincerity. The elementally elegant, “Good Times” recalls almost a Morrissey-esque quandary where the good times are heartbreaking, but still the good times never felt and sounded so good. The winsome beauty of “So What” grapples with a friend’s suicide. The piano ballad “A Good Reason” with simple stateliness frames Kerrigan’s singing, allowing the expressive dynamics of her voice to gloriously course through the song unencumbered. The shivery beauty of “Haunted House” vibes symphonic goth with layers of spidery counter melodies. Website here.

'Driving Around' is a fabulous song where the band are stunning and Kelsey Kerrigan's  melodic vocals beautifully matched. On the strength of this one very catchy track, the album is a must hear.

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Wild Ones - Paresthesia.

Background - Portland, OR band Wild Ones has announced their new album, Mirror Touch, out October 6th, 2017 via Topshelf Records. Vocalist Danielle Sullivan says of the first single, "Paresthesia refers to a time in my life when anxiety was ruling my mind. I was withdrawing from friends, wasn't leaving my house, and had stopped engaging with the world outside. The song explores strained love in the context of manifested fear."

Wild Ones delve into the bliss and burden that musicians are tasked with today: create work that captures your spirit, but do it without selling your soul. Self-produced and recorded, they walk the line of DIY oddity and polished pop sheen. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the band combines the talents of lead vocalist Danielle Sullivan, keyboardist Thomas Himes, drummer Seve Sheldon, guitarist Nick Vicario and bassist Max Stein. Growing up on Cocteau Twins and En Vogue, their sound is a mash of R&B synths, muted guitar, and somber vocal melodies. After 7 years together, they've hit their stride in creating work that poses questions about art and authenticity.

Mirror Touch, the band’s latest record releasing in October 2017 via Topshelf Records, explores spaces of isolation, loneliness and how it feels when the line between self and other becomes blurred. The record title refers to the condition "Mirror Touch Synesthesia" and the physiological experience of empathy. How can you know yourself, when in public you become everyone else? The songs explore the quest to maintain artistic self-integrity in an industry that seeks to homogenize. Solitary in their process of collaboration, Himes and Vicario produce the music, while Sullivan crafts lyrics and melodies, their attempt at self-preservation against the ever-changing expectations of what music should or should not be. Combining their style of upbeat melodies with a backdrop of darker lyrical themes, an inquiry into their artistic process ultimately reflects a balance between earnest head nods to their favorite sounds with a fierce loyalty to their own sense of self. Website here, Facebook here.

Opening with a textured synth sound 'Paresthesia' quickly develops into a sprightly upbeat track. The vocals add the melody as they seemingly dance above the soundtrack, on this very engaging song.

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Robots With Rayguns - Memories (feat Carl Gershon).

Background - Phoenix, AZ-based Synthwave impresario Lucas Patrick Smith, aka Robots with Rayguns, crafts the kind of sunbaked retro pop that perfectly suites West Coast 80’s iconography. Blending modern dance elements like EDM, breakbeat and house with tastefully chopped and pitched vocals, RWR has established a unique tongue-in-cheek electropop aesthetic that’s connected with both new music junkies and the retro revivalists who frequent arcade bars and yearn for classic 80’s vibes, cars and movies.

RWR was one of the first artists to leverage his music by crafting un-official remixes for marquee artists. His debut release, Electro Isn’t Dead, hit in 2010 and its infectious single “Sugarbaby” became popular in the hypem blogosphere with mentions from MTV and Indie Shuffle. The songs fate was sealed via an endorsement tweet from none other than Taylor Swift who also solicited one of RWR hot pink tees. Lucas followed up his debut with official remixes for other synthpop acts like Frankmusik and Color Theory, collaborations with upstarts such as TT The Artist (Diplo, Bauer) and unconventional distribution bundles with BitTorrent and Groupees.

As the time came to record a new album, Lucas felt a slight change in pace was in order… literally. His fifth full length LP, Slow Jams (due out September 2017), is entirely composed of slow to mid-tempo, blistering ballad tracks. A collection of sparkling, synth imbued, mellow vibes that manages to come across as both sexy and bittersweet. Slow Jams with be released digitally and on cassette – a format that Smith asserts “lends to the experience of popping it in and listening to it in its entirety.” Website here, Facebook here.

We are soon into a rich array of sweeping synth's on 'Memories' providing a perfect backdrop for some notable and compelling vocals. The song smoothly flows along, dropping a considerable number of hooks as it builds into a more powerful piece.

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Loyal Lobos - The Fall.

Background - Heartbreak breeds many things, few of which could be filed under the “good stuff” column- tears, Oreo addictions, questionable hookups, impulsive bangs. And yet, sometimes a heartbreak, and the relationship that preceeded it, can signify a shift, a pivot, some change in the fundamental direction of a life. Perhaps hearts don’t break after all; perhaps they just change directions.  

Such was the case with Loyal Lobos, the nom de musique of Bogotá native Andrea Silva. An entanglement with a Nashville man frayed, then snapped. Silva was left heartbroken, but in the midst of her sadness, inspiration struck. She set aside her previous musical projects and dove headfirst into guitar-driven folk music. In the ruins of a relationship, Loyal Lobos was born.

The seeds of Loyal Lobos were planted in Silva’s childhood in Colombia. Years spent steeped in her parents jazz records imparted a flair for melody. Growing up in a culture that prized machismo and conventional female beauty fostered a desire to empower women. A series of childhood performances gave her the confidence to perform. And finally, a the decision to attend music school in the US cemented it all.

Loyal Lobos’ music lives in the liminal space between folk, rock and country. Abandoning the synth-pop leanings of her earlier music for something more , Silva’s output as Loyal Lobos finds her stripping everything away. Armed with a guitar and a sinuous voice (and some occasional backup), Loyal Lobos presents delicately transcribed missives from Silva’s most internal worlds. She deliberately orients her songs, she tells me, in a place of sadness, of yearning, of emotional semi-darkness. “There’s such beauty in sadness,” she tells me. “People forget that. There has to be darkness for there to also be light.” Taking the confessional lyricism of singer-songwriters like Elliot Smith, and infusing it with her penchant for haunting melodies, Loyal Lobos sets out to create a synthesis of music and lyrics, and ultimately chart the unexplored recess of human feeling.

In September, Silva will release The Fall, a warm, intricate collection of melancholic folk songs, and her debut EP. The Fall focuses, naturally, on heartbreak, an experience Silva points out is both universal and deeply specific. The title track and debut single showcases both the vibrancy of Silva's voice and her capability for nuance. It's a song that makes loss seem like an appropriate object of nostalgia, that makes that heartbroken hair decision seem less awful and more like something to treasured. After all, as The Fall and Loyal Lobos remind us, heartbreaks aren't all bad. Sometimes they're pivot points- moments in which we change the course of what we're doing in search of something great, in which our destinies become malleable enough to change them. Facebook here.

'The Fall' is already proving popular, which is well deserved. This is a powerful and beautiful song where the rapid tempo works so well with Andrea Silva's appealing and dreamy vocals.

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