Heads Or Heads - Dolls - Katherine Abbott - Mojo JNR

Heads Or Heads shares a video for 'Lake' the song is beautiful dreamy psych pop and the images add a little extra to the atmosphere. === Dolls share the title track to their much anticipated second E.P 'Eggshells,' the track itself is a fresh sounding and energised indie rocker. === From Katherine Abbott we have 'Lullaby for Lucas' a gentle and tender folk song, from a talented and pleasing artist. === The solo project of Josh David-Read Mojo JNR has a new song called 'Miles Away' which is a really fine mixture of Folk and Bedroom Pop.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heads Or Heads - Lake.

Kansas City-based psych pop producer Heads or Heads has a new video for "Lake," the closing song from his latest record, Low Angles.

Filmed by the project's Alex Harbolt (who is also a filmmaker by day), "Lake" is a idyllic snapshot of the lake that inspired the song coupled with Harbolt's friends shot before COVID-19 made tight-knit barbecues and swimming a temporary impossibility.

The song fittingly concludes an album built on idealism, framed around a trip to Los Angeles Harbolt took with his girlfriend in 2018.

"It was the first time in LA for both of us and I remember being there and so many crazy things kept happening that in my head, I was going 'I can make an album out of this," he says. "I grew up in rural Missouri and always wondered what places like LA would be like; it's sort of been a dream to live there for a while now. And being there in person was a very surreal experience."

Low Angles is out now on cassette and all digital platforms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dolls - Eggshells.

Dolls have announced their long-awaited second EP ‘Eggshells’ will be exclusively released as part of the Love Record Stores event on Saturday June 20th. Again released with iconic soundtrack labels Mondo/Death Waltz on a beautiful limited edition multi-coloured and etched vinyl LP and digital.

The 2-piece, comprising Jade (guitar and vocals) and Bel (drums and vocals) packed out Rough Trade East in London to launch their first EP ‘Pop The Bubble’, however in current circumstances will be operating solely online for this release, in part because Jade is in home town of London and Bel is back in Spain. The EP was produced and mixed by Margo Broom at Hermitage Studio Works in North London and the first track to urace from the session is the EP’s title track ‘Eggshells’

Jade explains that the ‘Eggshells EP’ is more auto-biographical than Dolls have ever been in the past and that it is “about the struggles that we have faced in our 20’s. Losing friends, creepy men, the strive for perfectionism and day-to-day anxiety. We have written about what we feel is really important as we get older. Musically we have evolved with this EP and although the gritty garage rock is still there we’ve broadened our sound with synths, percussion and multiple vocal layers.”

The “Eggshells EP”, set for release on 20th June 2020 as part of Love Record Stores Day which is the music coming together aiming to get music-lovers to support their favourite independent record stores by shopping online on June 20, when exclusive and limited edition vinyl releases from a range of artists and labels will be made available to purchase on the websites of various record stores.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katherine Abbott - Lullaby for Lucas.

Katherine Abbott is a free spirited folk singer/songwriter from England. Growing up in a musical household, she has been singing all her life and began writing songs as a teenager which led to pursuing a musical career through busking & performance. Influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Bon Iver and inspired by the quest for freedom and the contrast between reality and dreams; Abbott composes songs on guitar that display poetic and thought provoking lyrical content and a haunting, soulful and soaring vocal delivery. Abbott’s songs blend contemporary subject matter with classic folk songwriting to create something truly unique & captivating.

Abbott began busking at the age of 16 and gigging in working mens clubs in Coventry and the West Midlands. After moving to the seaside town of Brighton, she started to play local shows and small festivals regularly, where she met and began touring with a band throughout Europe in 2010. This set alight her love of travelling which she pursued alone a year later, busking throughout Spain, living out of a rucksack and camping out. Later her travels took her further afield to India, New Zealand and Australia where she busked and played shows along the way. Tales of Abbott’s travels and the people she’s met on the road have greatly influenced her writing. Her lyrics are inspired by observing the contrast between people’s dreams and their realities. The shortcuts we take in order to reach the highs we’re hungry for and the loneliness that comes from lost dreams and the pitfalls along the way that block you from achieving your potential.

Her highly anticipated single “Lullaby for Lucas” is a song about forgiveness and not being so quick to judge others. Written after a man named Lucas, who she met whilst walking the Camino de Santiago, Abbott felt compelled to tell his story of an opera singer turned nomad.  She explains, “Lucas was an opera singer in Vienna but had lost his voice and had taken to living a nomadic existence. We had a jam in a bar one night and he tried to sing but his voice just came out as this croak which brought him to tears.”

Recorded with the talented producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and friend; Jonathan Fletcher, “Lullaby for Lucas” glows with warm guitar melodies providing the backdrop for her delicate, ethereal vocals and storytelling lyricism. The minimalist arrangement allows for Abbott to demonstrate her ability to craft authentic music, creating a poignant and euphoric emotion. The songwriter confides, “I would hope in the moment the music may help someone to feel lighter in spirit. There’s so much beauty that exists inside our own minds and we can combat our daemons with it. I’m always dumb-struck by the transformative power of music.”

Abbott has performed up and down the country playing acoustic sets at festivals including Glastonbury, Rollright Fayre and Secret Garden Party and some of her personal highlights include playing in venues of great renown including Ronnie Scott’s & The Troubadour in London, as well as being invited to perform at the commemorative Nick Drake Gathering. Abbott is set to embark on a year of touring in 2021, showcasing her latest work with an array of releases lined up for the coming year. The cinematic and dreamlike “Lullaby for Lucas” is currently available worldwide.

Ray Dawg Records · Lullaby for Lucas - Katherine Abbott

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mojo JNR - Miles Away.

Mojo JNR is the solo project of Josh David-Read (Singer and Songwriter for Cactus Haus). Writing more mellow folk and also bedroom pop inspired tracks.

About the Song - This was written at the beginning of the UK Covid-19 lockdown (although you’ll be pleased to hear the song is not about that specifically).

I wrote, played and recorded all the parts for Miles Away in a student bedroom with a terrific view over Swansea Bay, this helped set the scene for my mood and attitude and can easily be translated in the laid back approach to my musical style.

The music was inspired by my fascination with bands like Big Thief, Courtney Barnett and Phoebe Bridgers all of whom I am a massive fan. The lyrics were influenced by a book called Pan by Knut Hamsen.

Mojo JNR · Miles Away

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spunsugar - Running Red Lights - Yard Arms - Eliot Bronson

Spunsugar share 'Happier Happyless' where the genre spanning band mix rich synth sounds with dream pop vocals and some natural rock. === Today Running Red Lights have released the new single 'Hollow' the band taking us in a different direction that they describe as 80's mock Gothic power pop, could not put it better myself! === Yard Arms are back with 'These Four Walls' and the Bristol based duo are on splendid form with this hook filled pop/rock song. === We were impressed by Eliot Bronson not that many weeks back and now he has released 'Empty Spaces' which is another refined singer songwriter track.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spunsugar - Happier Happyless.

Following on from the release of their breakthrough debut EP ‘Mouth Full Of You’ last year, a collection that cemented them as one of the finest emerging shoegaze outfits of the moment as well as garnering support from Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music, Swedish trio Spunsugar now return with their latest dose of forlorn industrial electronics on ‘Happier Happyless’ through Adrian Recordings.

With a strong affinity for post-punk, noise-rock and dream-pop, this genre-bending new offering sees the group deliver one of their hardest and most impactful releases to date. With a Robyn-esque direction, filled with the atmospheric vocals of frontwoman Elin Ramsted, the group look to emulate the warm and driven sound of acts like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive with their pulsing aesthetic.

Speaking about their new single, the band said, "’Happier Happyless’ is a sour and sweet song, tackling subjects of pining, happiness and revenge. Having a fittingly slower pace than former Spunsugar singles, this song is also an homage to the shunned 2001 slasher movie Valentine, released a little too late in the post-Scream era. Written with the aim to have “a memorable hook, a thumping synth bass line and a gazey chorus” this is a good introduction to the bands debut album, because of the constant switching of emotional tonality."

‘Happier Happyless’ is set to become the band’s first taste of their long-awaited debut album ‘Drive-Through Chapel’, which is set to later this fall via Adrian Recordings.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running Red Lights - Hollow.

Toronto band, Running Red Lights, announces the release of the second single in their retirement ‘Sendoff Series’, 80’s mock-gothic power pop single, ‘Hollow’. The series marks the finale of a fifteen year career that includes a multitude of awards, notable performances, international tours, as well as some beautifully crafted music.

Fifteen years is no small commitment and the band wanted to honour those years with a proper good-bye. Though they played a farewell show to a sold out Toronto audience in November of 2019, RRL chief architects, Kevin Howley and Scarlett Flynn, have since been haunted by the ghosts of abandoned songs that currently exist only in the consciousness of an old hard-drive.

‘Unfortunately, after 15 years, RRL lost its vivacity and it was time to let it go’, Scarlett remarks, ‘however, there still remained the question of what to do with all the material that never made it to a release. There is nothing worse than banishing a song to its grave, having never given it a chance to live’. Therefore, in a single driven music economy, RRL is seizing one final opportunity to draw its final breath.

The second single in the sendoff series forms a shadowy coalition between indie rock and 80’s pop/darkwave. Hollow opens over minimalist swirls of ominous sounds evocative of a classic 80’s horror film soundtrack. Scarlett’s voice maintains a trancelike composure insinuating a feeling of creeping dread. The song seamlessly swells and mutates into a fast-packed mock gothic 1980’s pop/rock chorus with urgent, syncopated grooves and full-throttle gritty vocals. The alliance of mythological imagery with the twisted, hypnotic echoes of the synth hauntingly paint the spectral portrait of what remains of a scorned woman and her painfully vacant heart.

The single hollows out its own niche in the RRL ethos, distancing itself from the classic euphonic and organic RRL folk fare. It is the 80’s power-pop black sheep that will satisfy fans longing for nostalgic RRL circa 2008. The song and the official music video is set to premiere on YouTube and release to all major streaming platforms and digital stores, Friday June 5th.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yard Arms - These Four Walls.

The third EP 'Sanctuary Lines' from Bristol-based melancholic pop duo Yard Arms, is due for release June 26th. Described by frontman and lyricist Noah Villeneuve as "an exploration of combating nostalgia in the modern age", the EP is bursting with alt-indie hits and I'm really excited about this release.

Ahead of the EP, the second single 'These Four Walls', the isolation anthem they never knew they had written, is released today June 5th.

Initially the song was an avidly honest commentary of longing for the ‘honeymoon periods’ in life and dealing with our internal voices that keep us thinking the grass is always greener. The timely lyrical themes began to take on a whole new meaning as the world around us began to shut its doors due to the coronavirus.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eliot Bronson - Empty Spaces.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Eliot Bronson, shares his new single “Empty Spaces”. The song is the title track from his album which is set to be released on July 24th via New Pain Records.

The song dives into the bittersweet depths of emotional experience with humility, honesty, grace, and sadness” fits perfectly into the tapestry of the album, which was written during a period of tumult — including the breakup of a 10-year relationship, the end of an engagement, and a move from his adopted home of Atlanta to his current headquarters in Nashville.  The collection is about loss, redemption, the places we leave, and the homes we make for ourselves. More importantly, it's an album about starting again and it’s Bronson's sharpest songwriting to date.

The project can be viewed as a concept album as Empty Space's unique punch is best  delivered on the title track where Bronson sings about coming to terms with the void left by his ex's departure. The song’s video illustrates this sentiment quite literally. It's a breakup song for realists — a song that neither wallows in its own misery nor celebrates a sense of newfound freedom. Bronson sings about the complicated feelings that exist somewhere between

Of the project the artist shares, "I began writing the kind of songs I needed to hear," he explains. "Empty Spaces was the best healing work I could've ever done. I had a weird, challenging childhood, and I originally turned to music because I didn't have anywhere else to go. I made my own little world that made me feel safe and understood. This time, I really needed to find that space again. I made this record for the same reason that I wrote my first song. It wasn't for anybody else; it was for me. Hearing the right words at the right moment can be the most magical elixir you can possibly take. It can heal you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brad Stank - Bokito - Kaylin Roberson

Brad Stank just shared 'She Was A Tease' ahead of this Fridays 'Kinky Om' album release, the new song showcases Brad's cool enticing vocals against Gal Go's superb saxophone performance. === We have featured Bokito a couple of times in recent years and they are back with 'okok' a song that simply demands attention from the opening moments, both vocally and with the wonderfully tight musical arrangement. === We have a new song from Kaylin Roberson entitled 'Out Of My Town' and it's a modern country piece packing plenty of feeling whilst it exudes quality.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brad Stank - She Was A Tease.

Brad Stank shares "She Was a Tease", the final single from his forthcoming debut album Kinky Om to be released via Heist or Hit (Her's, Pizzagirl, Guest Singer).

“My new teasy offering is perfect for pulling out your garden chair and basking in the glorious rays of the sun, or even a hot steamy bath", Brad notes. "Or maybe laying in bed readying yourself for some astral projection..."

For the track Brad solicited the help of new friend Gal Go whose musicianship is widely celebrated on King Krule records among others. Having met the elusive saxophonist at one of his London gigs in 2018, the pair stayed in touch with the intention of collaborating.

“Gal Go showed up to our show at SET in Dalston with his friend and photographer Daniel Ventura, who also ended up taking some lovely photos of me back in September,” Brad explains. “He came on stage with us to jam my song Maithuna at the Redon in October; we hung out in the chicken shop nearby before the show and kept in touch afterwards which led to him providing his sultry screeching sexaphone for the record. Hopefully there’ll be more to work on together some day!”

The first opportunity they got was on his album Kinky Om, out this Friday, which sees Brad team up with producer Saam Jafarzadeh (Her’s). The record pays homage to pioneers such as Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo, George Harrison and John Lennon and delves into his learning of Eastern philosophy and the teachings of Jack Kerouac, Paramahansa Yogananda, Jiddu Krishnamurti and more.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bokito - okok.

“Ok ok I feel you today / But know that those feelings are fading away” go the cutting lyrics in Bokito’s new single. ‘Okok’ hones in on the uglier part of human relations: their severance, with a fierce musicality that makes for one of the year’s most poignant and cathartic indie singles. Opening with a palpitating kick drum beat and bright chiming guitars, the melancholia of frontman Moses’ stacked vocals evokes bittersweet wordless partings, and he goes the full range throughout the middle eight, which culminates in an exhilarating falsetto display.

Ben Jackson’s immersive production floats the intricate busyness of the instrumental atop a soundscape of swirling ambience to make for a record that sounds restless and assured. It’s business as usual from a group reinvigorating the indie genre one release at a time.

Bokito’s music beckons us into impulsive and unfettered behaviour, both through recordings and in the flesh at their remarkable live shows. It’s a tight and uproarious blend of indie, rock and pop that reels listeners in with hooks so infectious we’d need to be quarantined in a cell made of penicillin to get them out of our system. Enigmatic frontman Moses is a creature of instinct, radiating a soulful, primordial energy that baits listeners into following him into the uninhibited.

His scorching vocal range leaves aural burns reverberating in your ears as they direct your fingers to the reload button. Guitars and keys merge kaleidoscopically, giving Bokito the range to go from hook-led numbers like ‘Love Gotten’ to the shimmering pop of ‘Freckle Leather’ via the grooves of ‘Colleen Bawn’. Drawing inspiration from diverse artists like J Dilla, Jeff Buckley, Fela Kuti, Justin Timberlake and Queens of the Stone Age, the group’s high-octane songwriting always stays deftly and dynamically under their control. Paired with Moses’ honest introspective lyrics, the five-piece channel a wide spectrum of emotions to leave plenty more for listeners to discover at each play; of which there will be many.

BOKITO · okok

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaylin Roberson - Out Of My Town.

Ever since I’ve moved to Nashville, my love for my hometown has grown stronger and stronger, and I wanted to capture the feeling of going back home and seeing things change.

I never used to understand why we had to drive by the house my dad grew up in every time we went to South Carolina, but now I get it.

It doesn’t matter how much time changes a town, the feeling of going back home will always be there.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marin Patenaude - Tommaso Varisco

Marin Patenaude returns just four weeks after we shared 'Gone Blind' with another single 'The Build', which is a refined folk piece that's also taken from her beautiful new album 'Sight Unseen'. === Tommaso Varisco shares 'Big Sleep' a folk rock song with the emphasis on rock, the vocals are a little deep in the mix however they remain a gritty focal point.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marin Patenaude - The Build.

Marin Patenaude’s confessional folk is deeply honest, inspired by the wildness of nature, the messiness of human connection, and the overwhelming desire to run away from it all. Emotional lyrics paired with softly powerful instrumentals craft stories that explore loving and losing, the fragility of the human condition, and stories of a rural upbringing.

The daughter of musical parents and the younger sister of Juno-award winning Pharis Romero, she was raised on folk and country harmonies. While it was a huge part of her upbringing, Marin didn’t initially look to music as a viable career. From landscaping for the rich to running through the woods with her dog, a backpack, and a surveyors map, scrubbing toilets to training horses, she collected many random and interesting skills and experiences to use as songwriting fodder. When travels through other disciplines and passions didn’t last, she made a record; a heavy collection of songs about heartbreak and displacement. A surprising first release, it’s full of gut punching beauty.

Following the release of her self-titled debut in 2016, Marin extensively toured BC’s festival circuit as a solo act, across Canada with Kenton Loewen as part of Dan Mangan’s house concert series Side Door, through Germany and Switzerland as a duo with Cole Schmidt, and worked as a session harmony singer in Vancouver for artists including Khari Wendell McClelland, Sam Tudor, Real Ponchos, CR Avery, Ora Cogan, The Crackling and many more. She opened for Sarah McLachlan at the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz festival at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, a personal career highlight.

In support of her second album, Marin joined Dallas Green’s Toronto based label Still Records. Sight Unseen was produced at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, mixed by Karl Bareham, and mastered by Jaoa Carvalho. Marin took the reins on production, and enlisted the help of dedicated players she feels very connected to, musically and emotionally. They kept their hearts and the doors open for magical studio surprises, and the finished album reflects that open minded approach to sound.

Sight Unseen shows a louder, grittier side of Marin’s indie folk sensibility. Citing the influence of artists like Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan, and Neil Young, there’s an underlying darkness beneath the clear, free spirited melodies. For Marin, her songs are an extension of self–an opportunity to be as honest and real as she feels, something she has difficulty doing in the so-called real world. It’s big and it’s not always light. Though she’s a bright personality by nature, she often uses her music as a way to process grief. Her vocals are strong and technically trained, and she’s outspoken about the complexities of relationships and the uncertainty of our current political times.

Marin Patenaude · The Build

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tommaso Varisco - Big Sleep.

"Big Sleep" is the second single taken from "All the Seasons of the Day" the album that Tommaso Varisco released late 2019 on Seahorse Recordings.

Gradisca Productions helped the musician in turning into images a vision he had through these pandemic times. With all his touring plans halted, and his professional and family life disrupted, Tommaso saw the human race through a macro lens, as ants going through a Big Sleep, while awaiting for the end of the Storm.

The song, a guitar folk rock ballad tinged with americana strumming, is about the desire of giving up with everything to live as an outsider. Tommaso Varisco is a songwriter based in Veneto, Italy, near Chioggia. He released his first album "This Is How I Feel" back in 2006, receiving appreciation from music press.

In 2011 he teamed up with Mike 3rd, guitar player for Ex KGB and Tunatones. The collaboration gave birth to the album “Always”, which mastering was in charge of Ronan Chris Murphy, well known for his works with King Crimson, Steve Morse and Tony Levin, amongst many others.

"All the Seasons of the Day" is a kind of new start for Varisco, showing a disillusioned approach to life and relationships, but also his aim to discover new and unknown places, travelling in body and spirit, always in search of his musical roots.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweater Curse - Moo Malika - Goldray - Shantell Ogden

Sweater Curse are from Brisbane, Australia and they have just released a fabulous, catchy new indie song called 'Close' accompanied by a Zoom filmed video. === Moo Malika shares 'Aziza'  which is a personal song regarding racism, the musical backdrop has some lovable Arabic vibes and the song itself instantly crosses borders with it's charm. === And from one musical style to a very different another, as Goldray serve up 'How Do You Know' a track immersed in psych rock sensations with a video that adds a mixture of Siouxsie and the Banshees versus Grace Slick imagery. === Shantell Ogden released 'On A Haystack' over the weekend and it's a sophisticated modern country song with plenty of heart and feeling.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweater Curse - Close.

Brisbane's loveable indie outfit sweater curse grace us today with powerful new single 'Close', and news of a second EP. Written during a turbulent time with the help of their friend, Alex Lahey, the song premiered via triple j's Home & Hosed last night, and already receiving multiple five-star reviews on their unearthed page. Leading with crisp guitar riffs for melodic texture from guitarist Chris Langenberg, the track immediately follows with hazy vocal harmonies of lead singer and bassist, Monica Sottile and driving percussion accompaniment from Rei Bingham.

Taking on similar notes of their previous work, 'Close' is a poignant and introspective indie-rock track inspired by the human condition as well as another step towards the band's ever-evolving sound. "I think our work will continue to explore those kinds of topics, with more precision as our sound matures," says Monica. Lyrically, the song explores the dynamic of relationships through miscommunication and the apprehension of feeling disconnected as a result. Chris continues: "It talks of the struggles within a relationship (friendship, general or romantic) and at times it explores themes and emotions of self-deprecating."

Co-written with Alex Lahey in a small studio in Marrickville, the band also recruited the production skills of Ball Park Music's Sam Cromack to create a piece that has allowed the band to lean into and experiment with a pop sound. The video also arrives today, filmed entirely via Zoom and thematically compliments the track and relevance in the current COVID-19 climate. "My favourite part of making this video was being able to see all of our friends from other cities that we would usually hang out with when we are on tour. The idea of the video ties in with the concept of feeling close to our friends even when we can’t see them or hang out with them physically," says Rei. The video clip features appearances from a large cast of fellow musicians who all take part in singing 'Close'; notable cameos include Julia Jacklin, Maz Devita & James Gatling (WAAX), Alex Lahey, Sam Cromack (Ball Park Music), Patience Hodgson (The Grates), Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), Andrew Dooris (The Jungle Giants), Connor Brooker (Bugs), Kieran Lama & Peppa Lane (Spacey Jane) and more.

The band have had an exciting career to date; previously dubbed as a triple j Unearthed feature artistas well as receiving airplay across triple j and unearthed radio. They've been seen gracing stages nationally at music festivals such as St. Jerome's Laneway, Falls Festival, Farmer & The Owl and playing with bands The Jungle Giants, Grinspoon, Violent Soho, Middle Kids, Ball Park Music, WAAX, Bugs and Polish Club.

'Close' marks the beginning of a new chapter for this Brisbane trio with more exciting news, and second EP later this year. Dial-in, bless up and get close (while practising responsible social distancing) with sweater curse.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moo Malika - Aziza.

“Aziza” is Moo Malika’s most personal song to date and is about the discrimination of women in the Maghreb states and the problems faced by refugees. The Swiss woman with Tunisian roots only just escaped such a fate. Because Moo’s mother is Swiss and she and her father decided to live in Switzerland, she was born here. Despite this and although she perfectly speaks Swiss German, she sometimes has to face racism because she looks like she is “not from here”.

If Moo is only discriminated against because of her appearance and surname, how hard does it have to hit those who flee in panic, don’t know the language yet and have to start all over again? Moo: “I have the luck to be born here and feel committed to help.” Since Moo Malika speaks Arabic, she volunteers to support a Syrian refugee and helps her to gain a professional foothold and familiarize herself with the culture of Switzerland. In addition, she provides direct aid to Fatima and her two children in Tunisia, who were left on the street by her husband and the police (because the man was “in the right” according to Tunisian law despite his crimes).

Thanks to this direct aid, the children can continue to go to school and therefore have a perspective. “Sometimes I ask myself why I was so lucky and others not. The place of birth can influence so many things. Many have to flee, although they do not want to. Are welcomed in the new country by some with closed arms and hostility and are directly stamped as “foreigners”. I have had conversations where many only make judgments, hearing the saddest, most heartbreaking and unjust stories from a few women. Aziza is inspired by these women. They are so strong, so militant and yet so hurt. That touched me incredibly.”

Aziza means “darling” in Arabic and is the story of a young woman who had to flee alone and often thinks of her mother, who had always called her Aziza and is now no longer with her. The song was written by Moo Malika and Daniel Volpe in Germany.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goldray - How Do You Know.

We have a psych-rock release for Goldray (from Kenwyn of Reef)'s new singles 'How Do You Know' and 'Oz' out now and accompanied by a mesmerising music video, with an album to follow on 31st July! Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Rising’ in 2017, Kenwyn House (Reef) and Leah Rasmussen (EMI, Bedrock, Renaissance) AKA Goldray, return with a psych-rock fuelled second album ‘Feel The Change’, released on July 31.

Written and produced by House and Rasmussen. Mixed by Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness, Therapy?, Enter Shikari, Meatloaf, David Gray) at Spinroad Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. This eight-track album is a development in the duos sound giving a heavier edge but at the same time sounding more accessible than their debut ‘Rising’ whilst still remaining deeply bedded in their psych roots

Their new music exudes their inspiration and passion. They release a new double a-side single on May 29th - ‘How do you know’ which builds through the entirety of its four-minutes demonstrating Rasmussen’s huge range and power vocally, ending with a massive crescendo. And ‘Oz’, a monster seven-minute-plus track driven through House’s incredible guitar playing, the song is an ambitious journey of rock and psych, building with power, then dropping into a feeling of surreal psychedelia only to be slapped back in the face with the thunderous riff!

Sharing a song writing vision blending psych and prog experimental arrangements with etheric yet powerful female vocals, House and Rasmussen first started working together as an experimental side project for the pair that soon grew into an all consuming passion. With a clear identity both musically and visually, Goldray pulls huge inspiration from the late 1960s and early 1970s and are very much at the centre of the emerging psych-rock scene.

The band have garnered a formidable reputation live with performances at Glastonbury, Bestival, Download, Ramblin’ Man, HRH, Camden Rocks Festival and various headline shows over the past three years in the UK and Europe. Live, the band (who tour as a four-piece) ensure the ethos and feel of the show emanates the same feeling as the music. Visually striking with vocalist Rasmussen looking resplendent (described in a live review by Prog magazine in 2018 as “... the high priestess of hard rock”), and House’s playing still powerful and irresistibly hooky but somehow sliding into psychedelic hypnosis that ensures the live shows are a sensory overload!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shantell Ogden - On A Haystack.

Nashville-based Shantell Ogden's highly anticipated sixth studio album,Song Sampler vol. 1 & 2, is available for pre-order beginning today, May 29. The album will be released June 19th. It’s a seven-song collection that follows on the heels of the highly successful Road That Drives Me, which was named Americana Album of the Year by the International Music and Entertainment Association (IMEA).

“The women in my family grew up creating needlepoint samplers with vibrant threads and homespun wisdom,” says Ogden. “This album is my version of a sampler - and I hope everyone will enjoy the different musical colors.” The album is already receiving early rave reviews:"As a true artist and major star in the making, this sampler showcases Shantell’s songwriting talents and her ability to capture ears instantly. The theme that runs through all five songs is the same: be open about life’s difficulties, but optimistic about what the future holds. An incredibly honest and beautiful recording." - Alan Cackett, British Music Country Hall of Fame.

"A strong confident feminine voice overlaid on some heartfelt personal songs. It’s mostly a mainstream country vibe with some Stones-y rock in the mix. Highlight for me is “Love On The Fast Track.” - Calvin Powers, Americana Music Show. The album release celebration will be streamed lived on Saturday, June 20, on the Center Stage Magazine Facebook page at 3:00 p.m. CDT (https://www.facebook.com/centerstagemag/). Center Stage Magazine is a Nashville-based magazine covering music, comedy, movies, and a variety of entertainers with a unique focus on new, up-and-coming talent.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------