Braids - Lazerine - Third Lung - Sam Lapro - Loretta Querceto - Matilda Lindell

Braids - Slayer Moon.

Fresh off the heels of the release of DJ Python’s “Young Buck” remix, which saw support by Pitchfork, BBC 6Music and more, Braids is thrilled to reveal today two brand new songs titled “Slayer Moon” and “2020.” Recorded during the sessions of their last album Shadow Offering.

The band shares their inspiration behind the songs: “'Slayer Moon' is inspired by a Sailor Moon phone case I bought in Tokyo, at 3am while on tour in Japan. Growing up I was obsessed with Sailor Moon, particularly with the ability to magically transform from a normal girl into a full-on mystical and powerful Sailor Scout, battle-ready to combat the evil forces of the world.”

“What a deal, legs with more potential than my life”

“Sailor Scouts have the longest legs ever drawn - so long that I drew a parallel between their immaculate legs, and our frenetic modern minds, lost in the ego abyss of the infinite scroll.”

“I can’t figure out my life blood, what should I prescribe to?”

“‘2020’ was written sometime in 2017, after a long period of being alone – in an abstract sense of the word – while reaching for fleeting physical closeness. I was with friends, but my heart was lonely and longing for companionship, my body confused with the unfamiliarity of new and shallow encounters. I had been meditating a lot during this time 'tracing a line through the centre of my body' – a process of inward-looking that I veer towards when I take the time to sit. I titled the song ‘2020,’ in 2020. Revisiting the song's lyrics through the eyes of our present reality struck a chord with me. I felt as close to the song as when I had first written it. I find that I am asking myself similar questions while in this pandemic, without my friends, my family, my familiar structures.”

“I am of all things, love and hate. Placing the pieces of myself, hopefully, without judgment, without bitterness. To not knowing, who I am entirely. Who am I, without them? Who am I, without you, in my life?”

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Lazerine - I Felt Fine Today

Lazerine is a London based song recording project based around some ideas of mine that have been coalescing for awhile. Our new single, I Felt Fine Today, is due for release on 26 March 2021 via FUGA. Our previous releases are available on all Major Platforms.

Lazerine are: Sean Dempsey Vocals, Keyboards, David Kraft Drums, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Viola, Violin, Vocals, Chris Evenett Guitar, Bass

I think I should say for avoidance of confusion, including my own, that Gene Lazerine is not real but he has a purpose. When these songs started to come along I could feel that they were from somewhere I'd never spent much time in. I also felt I couldn't ignore them.

Since the songs come from another place, I've attributed them to a distinct "other". It's a bit of mental trickery on myself as much as anything to keep things focused. For as long as it's happening.

So now, thanks to the talents of my co-creators, we of Lazerine invite you to tune in and sooth your weary soul.

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Third Lung - I a Fire.

Third Lung. Emotive, Evocative, Enchanting. Pensive, Powerful and Passionate. Their music continues to capture and inspire, gathering increasing support from Fans and Critic alike. With past praise and compliments flowing from the likes of The Steve Lamacq BBC 6 Radio show, Amazing Radio and The BBC Introducing Team. Always memorable Live. 

Third Lung have performed across the UK. With some notable highlights such as THE GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL and CAMDEN ROCKS FESTIVAL.The 4 Piece Power House from Reading, UK long to earn your ears and charge your minds in this exciting new chapter.Third Lung are Sam Waugh - Drums, Rob Jacques - Bass, Cams Jurasek - Lead Guitar/Backing Vox, Tom Farrelly - Lead Vox/Guitar. Each Member with a distinctive Musical heritage, the band draws from a wide variety of influences. 

“It wasn't always Indie Rock music that interested me” says Cams, “My Dad, Austrian born, had a passion for Jazz music. Jacques Loussier trio and Eugen Cicero were just a few of the vinyl she would play late at night while he sunk into his thoughts over a Whiskey” 

Sam’s fascination with Groove. “I started playing drums when I was 12. I had a heavy dose of Motown and blues when growing up, and my love for funk has had a massive impact on the way I play. My favourite recording artist is Chaka Khan and My most influential drummer is Dave Garibaldi from Tower of Power.”

Rob remembers, “My first encounter with my mind being blown musically was when I was 6”. “Mr Angel came into our assembly and tore up cello, pretty much shredded on it. I then spent 2 years learning the cello but the classical music wasn’t cutting it anymore. Especially when you’re 8 and listening to Led zeppelin and Queen.”

For Tom, “There was always music in the house. Mum loves Music. Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, QUEEN, Simon and Garfunkel, ELO, Bob Dylan, Eva Cassidy and on and on...Dad Loved music too. Luke Kelly, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, The Fureys, The Chieftains, Charlie Pride, The Dubliners. My parents actively shared their love of music and favourite artists with us”

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Sam Lapro - You Still Need Me.

Sam Lapro (she/her) is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter that knows how to string together the right words to draw the emotion out of and connect with her listeners.

Her soul writing gives the listener an opportunity to know her on an intimate level as her songs represent experiences she has had throughout her life so far.

SAM LAPRO · You Still Need Me

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Loretta Querceto - Eternal Sun.

Sun is the essence of human existence. Without it, we are nothing. To me, "Eternal Sun" means an infinite presence that will carry me throughout this life.

My new song is an affirmation to myself stating that I am self sufficient. I have reached a place in my life where I can confidently say that I have developed a love within myself that can carry me throughout the rest of my life.

I was in a very dark place for the duration of my adolescent and adult life. Now I know that in this moment, I am out of that place and entering a new chapter.

Born and raised in Johnston, Rhode Island, minutes outside of Providence, Loretta Querceto is a 20-year-old student at Berklee College Of Music where she is studying music business and production.

Loretta has been independently writing, recording, producing, and releasing original music since April of 2020. Her released work to date has centreed around the genres of indie and alternative rock with jazz and lo-fi influences. Loretta is a multi-instrumentalist with a primary focus in guitar, self taught from the age of 10.

Loretta Querceto · Eternal Sun

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Matilda Lindell - Dancing Queen.

Matilda Lindell has released her idyllic cover of ABBA’s classic hit, “Dancing Queen.” The experienced singer puts her twist on the legendary disco track by adding vulnerability and a fragile sound. “Dancing Queen” is being released in honor of Women’s History Month and is now available to download and stream on digital platforms worldwide.

Matilda Lindell’s rendition of “Dancing Queen” goes beyond the happy lyrics and upbeat groove. “My version is about female empowerment and encouragement,” Lindell says. “Through the struggles, we need to believe in ourselves and also support each other. A celebration to women!” The track is a perfect complement to Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Lindell creates an almost filmic tone allowing listeners to set their minds free and embrace a new experience. 

“The familiar melodies are discovered in a new way,” she adds. “The essence of the original song is there, but I have created a new perspective, and I hope, a new emotional journey for the listener.” Powerful vocals intertwined with an emotional effort to capture the listener pose a level of relatability in “Dancing Queen.” It’s raw and genuine. Lindell created the updated arrangement for the single, while she co-created the string arrangement alongside Erik Arvinder, whose father played violin on the ABBA original. The song was co-produced and mixed by Andrew Lipke at The Studio Lounge in Philadelphia, PA. A music video for “Dancing Queen” will be released later this month.

Matilda Lindell was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. It was singing that made her most happy early on in life. “I have been singing since before I could talk,” Lindell admits. “I have always expressed myself through music, singing, and performance. I have never had anything else than a singer in mind for a profession.” At the age of 26, Lindell began touring the United States as one of the principal singers in the tribute act “ABBA THE CONCERT.” 

She has performed at various venues, including The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Wolf Trap Performing Arts Centre just outside of Washington D.C. She’s also had one of her original songs nominated for CARA (the A cappella world’s Grammy equivalent). Lindell’s time on tour sparked the desire to create something personal for herself as the classic songs became such a monumental part of her life. Her upcoming EP is a fascinating deep dive into ABBA, and includes interpretations of a selection of ABBA songs that have brought special meaning to her over the years. With a solo EP, It Should Be Easier (2017), and a handful of original singles already under her belt, Lindell continues on her journey as a solo artist.

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Charlotte Spiral - The Weeping Willows - Renée Reed - Natalie D-Napoleon

Charlotte Spiral - Out Of Here.

Dark-alt pop duo Charlotte Spiral impressed with their debut EP Ideal Life in February 2020, garnering widespread critical acclaim, a Union Chapel show in support of Alice Boman, a Rough Trade Recommends showcase, and support from BBC 6 Music. A year later, they’ve teamed up with Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (Kae Tempest, Bat For Lashes, Sia) once more for their evocative new EP, New Light. Confronting and examining loss, escapism, dissatisfaction and comparing oneself, the EP will be released on April 9th.

Today, the duo share a new track ‘Out Of Here’ which was co-produced with Dan Carey over Zoom during the first lockdown. The song addresses a recurring situation that breeds a longing for escape - “There is something about doing things over and over again in a monotonous way that makes a situation feel worse than it is, and I wanted to portray this throughout the song,” explains lead singer Amy Spencer. Sombre piano and laidback rhythms surround luscious vocals which build towards the track's powerful chorus. Here, the song’s ultimate message becomes clear as the decision is made to break an unhappy cycle and focus on taking control of one’s own destiny.

Charlotte Spiral is a collaboration between Amy Spencer and Avi Barath; two musicians that have been involved in multiple projects respectively before coming together to form the duo. Having met at Goldsmiths, the pair connected due to their mutual love of artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Julia Holter, Moses Sumney, Yann Tiersen and Beach House, and their inherent desire to write music that is lyrically driven and built upon organic piano melodies.

The group’s debut EP Ideal Life confronted themes of self-hood, self-doubt, yet ultimately self-belief. The lead track, ‘Wide Eyed’, was produced by Charlotte Spiral and Dan Carey, evincing vocals that are lush and nostalgic, soaring above ethereal piano and polished production. The release garnered widespread praise from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Line of Best Fit, Music Week and BBC 6 Music, amongst others.

Charlotte Spiral · Out Of Here

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The Weeping Willows - Black Crow.

Fresh from the red carpet of Tamworth’s CMAA Awards, where The Weeping Willows took home the 2021 Golden Guitar for Instrumental of the Year (for previous outing ‘Prelude’), partners in life, love, and song Andrew Wrigglesworth and Laura Coates delve into darkness once again with brooding new single “Black Crow”. Encroaching doom never sounded so sweet.

Shivering with misgiving, “Black Crow” finds its murderous protagonist inescapably fixed by the penetrating gaze of the titular bird – harbinger of his inevitable fate at the end of a rope. Bleakly arresting, it’s yet another unmissable taste of The Weeping Willows’ long-awaited third studio album.

About the song, The Weeping Willows said, “We’ve always been drawn to the more sinister, ‘Gothic’ side of Americana music that harks back to early blues, as well as Bluegrass and ‘mountain music’ traditions. Writing Black Crow allowed us to delve deeper into this sub-genre”.

Rooted in ageless country-folk tradition, “Black Crow” deploys the most urgently up-tempo picking in The Weeping Willows catalogue to date: acoustic and slide guitar rippling like the surface of an inky tarn disturbed by a smoking gun or bloodied knife. It’s also eloquent proof that Andrew and Laura’s celebrated vocal harmony is as exquisitely suited to fatalistic tales of murder as it is to a delicate love song.

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Justin Townes Earle, Tift Merritt, Bonnie Raitt) at Los Angeles’ storied Stampede Origin Studio,“Black Crow” thrills with all the dark storytelling majesty of The Weeping Willows’ critically acclaimed second album Before Darkness Comes A-Callin'. That album netted the duo four-star reviews from Rolling Stone, The Australian, and The Music, and confirmed The Weeping Willows as Australia’s foremost vivisectors of the human condition and the shadowy forces that bind us to the earth.

The Weeping Willows · Black Crow

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Renée Reed - I Saw A Ghost.

Lafayette, Louisiana musician Renée Reed shares the video for "I Saw A Ghost" from her self-titled debut album out this Friday, March 26, 2021 via Keeled Scales. The dark stop-motion video was painstakingly created by Joseph Howard and Emily Curran.

About the video, Renée says: "I’ve always had a fascination with stop-motion animation and puppetry. I’ve also long-admired Joseph Howard’s work, so I was thrilled when he took up the task of bringing this video to life. The lyrics of the song dance a thin, blurry line between literal and figurative, and Joseph and his partner Emily captured the essence of that beautifully with this video. It’s so evocative. Each time I watch it I see something new."

About the song: "The song is on one hand a story about seeing a ghost, but the 'ghost' also refers to myself dealing with disappointment and sadness from a multitude of sources, and learning about myself as I get through it."

"I Saw A Ghost" follows the intricately finger-picked folk of "Neboj," the hazy psych French single "Où est la fée," and the spell-binding earworm "Fast One."

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Natalie D-Napoleon - Thunder Rumor.

For an Australian singer-songwriter entrenched in the traditions of folk/rock and Americana music, not only did writing her latest album on the front porch of her 100-year old California cottage give Natalie D-Napoleon the time and space to create You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea (due out March 26, 2021) but also the passing world served as a poignant muse.

“I sat there and wrote and wrote and wrote,” explained Natalie. “Sometimes people stopped and listened to me playing, mainly parents with kids. Guys walked up and asked what guitar I was playing. But mostly folks ignored me and kept walking. I really liked watching the world go by, offering up song ideas, while I plugged away on my instrument and sang.”

The view from her porch also gave Natalie a new perspective. “All my life I've written ‘personal’ songs.” Natalie continues. “I’ve tucked myself away and poured my emotional life into music, yet I discovered after a while it burnt me out. It wasn't always a well that was nourishing, but one that began to drain me emotionally.

“As the songs began to flow, a theme emerged — I was telling stories of women that passed me by. But these were stories that aren’t commonly told in song. Women have long been the muse in song-writing but it’s been a very one-dimensional view. Rarely have our complexities been portrayed — I wanted to change that.

“Second Time Around” is a song about the wisdom that comes with starting over and “No Longer Mine” enthusiastically celebrates the resulting liberty from ending a relationship while “Wildflowers” is a rustic front-porch song. “The songs did not come without work,” Natalie is quick to add. “But this time I decided to feed the songbird within me. I gave her water and seeds as you do to any living creature you want to keep coming back to visit.”

It wasn’t always easy going. A songwriting session in Taos, N.M. with American folk icons Eliza Gilkyson and Mary Gauthier ended in tears when Gauthier pushed Natalie to her creative and emotional breaking point.

“Mary suggested a song I played wasn’t personal enough and that I was skirting around telling the story,” she recalled. “I broke down as 25 years of grief and disappointment came to the surface. That night I howled as loud as the coyotes outside our cabin in the New Mexico desert until the early morning. I had decided I was finished with songwriting, but the next morning I picked myself up and went back to the workshop. I had dedicated too much of my life to the craft of songwriting for me to give up now.  Later that same day I wrote ‘Mother of Exiles,’ a song inspired by Emma Lazarus’ poem at the foot of the Statue of Liberty celebrating America’s embrace of immigrants — immigrants just like me.”

Through that experience Natalie found a poignant poetry in the face of adversity, which she channelled into her writing. “Thunder Rumor” is a haunting exploration of one of the most dangerous times in many women’s lives — when they decide to break free from an abusive relationship; “Reasons” explores the emotional rollercoaster of losing an unborn child; and the album’s title track is an exploration of childhood trauma and the lifelong scars it can leave.

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Jiants - Aaron Burdett - Career Boy - The Rose Petals

Jiants - Some Kind of Loser.

Learning to let go of internal and external pressures is a continuous learning process. Our new track, "Some Kind of Loser," was born out of a rough day in the studio that was followed by some upcoming shows falling apart in advance.

I was half joking around thinking about how much time and energy I was spending obsessing over music stuff and feeling like a bit of a dork. I think everyone can relate to that in some way. But that's when it dawned on me that sometimes you might just have to learn to enjoy the rollercoaster because I knew that I was always going to continue making and sharing music, regardless of the results.

This is a song that lets our pop freak flag fly. Committing to the addition of strings with the help of Drew Jurecka took the song to another level. Truth told we both know we're in the wrong.

As much as "Some Kind of Loser" is about charting your own path, these lyrics reflect on how it would ultimately be beneficial learning to work together and respect each other’s paths.

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Aaron Burdett - Arlo.

If Aaron Burdett’s last single, “Loser’s Bracket,” was a bluegrass-friendly slice of wry wit, his new Organic Records release serves notice that the western North Carolina singer/songwriter has as fine a touch with a more sombre portrait, too — this time of an aging factory worker looking back over his life.

“Arlo” is a well-crafted, emotionally convincing piece of collage sourced, says Burdett, from real life conversations that have taken place over a decade or more. “Years ago, I used to drive down to play the open mic night at a place called Eddie's Attic in Georgia,” he recalls. “It was a weekly event, and I'd go down every 6 weeks or so. I'd work on my chops and mingle with other writers in one of the premier songwriter venues in the southeast. Among the semi-regular performers those evenings was a songwriter named Arlo, and although we haven't seen each other in person for probably 15 years we've kept in touch and still talk every week or so. We wax poetic about music and songs and audio gear and guitars or any number of other oddball subjects. He's not exactly the character in this song but he is a character in his own right.”

“Almost every line in the song, ‘Arlo,’ is something he said to me directly, verbatim,” Burdett continues. “I've twisted the meaning and implications of the phrases to suit my vision for the narrator in the song, but the words more or less came from real life, from a real live Arlo, over the past 10 years. We'd talk, and afterwards some sentence he said would stick with me so I'd write it down on the ‘Arlo’ sheet. Eventually this song fell out of that collection of phrases and snippets of conversations. Goes to show that you should be careful when you're being clever around a songwriter, you may hear something you recognize in the next draft.”

“Wish I could go back and do it again without the stress, just the happiness” is this Arlo’s desire, with gentle yet insistent backing from Burdett’s regular trio members Daniel Ullom (mandolin) and Kim France (upright bass, harmony vocals) and empathetic fiddle work from Mountain Home Music’s Carley Arrowood — and by the time Burdett’s stoic, resigned voice finishes this closing refrain, it’s likely to have inspired a similar wish among its listeners, too.

Syntax Creative · Aaron Burdett - "Arlo"

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Career Boy - Scam Jam.

Influenced by artists such as Sleaford Mods, Dry Cleaning, Fontaines D.C., Shopping, Viagra Boys and Bodega to name a few, Career Boy brings to life a unique vision and sound that is strongly their own.

Thematically your ears will find some parallels between the group and seasoned acts such as the Beastie Boys and Cake. Tonally, they will remind you of more contemporary bands like Bodega, Beastie Boys and Viagra Boys. Career Boy's sound is driving and sweaty; imagine yourself in a mosh pit on a tiny venue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan with the adrenaline rush of a late Friday night. Their music is both self-aware and light-hearted bringing in the best of both worlds.

When it comes to the lyrical inspiration for their songs, it's often based on their rejection of what they see as the "traditional job-oriented approach to life" that the modern-day U.S. prescribes. Overall their musical philosophy is grounded in the belief that less is more. "The songs are written with a focus on drums and bass with guitar coming in mostly as an accent. The goal of the instrumentation is to take traditional rock tropes (guitar riffs, excessive soloing, etc.) and either remove them completely or use them ironically, usually to underline a thematic or lyrical point within the song," shares the group.

Career Boy's sound came about because the group wanted to express specific feelings about society and the way they were living their lives. This goal helped to form their instrumentation and songwriting. From there they were able to really hone in on what they wanted their music to sound like....and you'll be eager to hear more.

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The Rose Petals - Military Man.

American Grenadine (April 23rd, 2021), the debut record from Los Angeles post-Americana band The Rose Petals, has been over a dozen years and thousands of miles in the making.

The Rose Petals is fronted by songwriting partners Peter Donovan and Elijah Ocean, who first met in 2008 when Donovan moved from L.A. to Portland, Maine, where Ocean was living at the time. The pair bonded over their shared love of Bob Dylan and The Beatles, and they quickly set to work writing songs and emulating their shared role models of Lennon and McCartney, with Donovan on lyrics and Ocean on music.

What emerged between the duo, though, was less Beatle-esque and more like a continuation of the thread of jangly guitar-pop created by The Byrds and carried on by the likes of R.E.M., Gin Blossoms and Band of Horses — uniquely modern American music infused with tinges of the past.

While Donovan and Ocean spent countless hours writing together, it wasn’t until 2016, when, after a few more cross-country moves, Donovan added another 3,000 miles to the bill when he embarked on a road trip with the goal of visiting every U.S. President’s gravesite. Originally having set out to write a book, Donovan instead found himself with pages of lyrics. On the road without a guitar, he sent the lyrics to Ocean, who had since moved to Los Angeles.

“I’d be holed up in some cheap motel in Buffalo, New York or Abilene, Kansas writing about dead presidents,” said Donovan. “Meanwhile, Elijah was in sunny California, taking my words and turning them into these wonderful pop songs.”

By the time the trip was finished, the duo had a whole new set of tunes. After 12 years and thousands of miles, it was finally time to make a record.
Donovan — who has worked with members of Death Cab for Cutie and Portugal. The Man through his Seattle-based Americana project, All the Real Girls — and Ocean — whose 2018 single, “Down This Road,” made Rolling Stone’s list of the top 10 best country and Americana songs of the week, alongside the likes of Miranda Lambert and Nathaniel Rateliff — rounded up bassist Zach Jones (The Everyday Visuals, SPOSE) and drummer Curran McDowell (Jamie Wyatt, Jade Castrinos) and headed into the studio.

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Jitensha - ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis - MF Tomlinson - Ana Egge

Jitensha - Sojourn.

Jitensha is the garage rock love child of Erin Rose Hubbard and David Martinez. Their sound is a silvery union of honey sweet proto-punkiness and modern indie that is harmonically reminiscent of 1950s rock & roll. 

With just vocals, electric guitar and drums, stealing a niche somewhere between the White Stripes and the Civil Wars, Jitensha nestles catchy, poignant melodies into hard hitting rock grooves. 

Lyrically, the duo toes the line between realism and optimism, focusing on social justice, environment and psychology, bringing you on a winsome journey of the human experience. 

Jitensha has released two full length studio albums, Buck Moon and Periscope. Their single “Sojourn” dropped on March 19th 2021.

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ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis - You Better Watch Yourself

Third single release from the 'transatlantic quarantaine sessions'. Between 1998 and 2020 Boo Boo Davis used to tour in Europe several times each year and we recorded a lot of his music during these tours. Because of Covid 19 this is not possible at the moment. There for the guys from ElectroBluesSociety (based in he Netherlands) started to exchange idea's and demo tapes with Boo Boo in East St Louis (special thanks to Chris Brown).

ElectroBluesSociety;  Two guys and a bunch of junk with a broad taste and an open mind mixing the old with the new. Modern technologies combined with 30+ years of live stage experience in the European blues / roots music scene.

Boo Boo Davis;  Born and raised in Drew, Mississippi. He's a survivor and belongs to the last generations of musicians that write and play the blues based on first hand experience of a hard life in the Delta.

Black and Tan Records · You Better Watch Yourself - ElectroBluesSociety feat Boo Boo Davis

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MF Tomlinson - A Long Day.

MF Tomlinson, the project of London-based Australian singer-songwriter Michael Tomlinson, today releases new single "A Long Day" – the final taster of his upcoming debut album Strange Time, out April 9th, self-released.

Quickly following his debut EP 'Last Days of Rome', debut album Strange Time was written slap-bang in the middle of 2020; confined to his home, Tomlinson created a stripped-back home studio set up and the songs immediately began to flow.

Born out of this strange liminal space of constant uncertainty that we’ve been living in, his candid poetry and expansive sonic caress capture a true-life portrait of a world in turmoil – sonically taking in elements of acid-folk, chamber-pop, progressive rock and contemplative indie-folk.

Latest single "A Long Day" is perhaps the prime example of the latter. Following previous album singles "Strange Time" and "Them Apples" which have been widely praised across the board by NME, DIY Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, The Independent, Clash Magazine, Secret Meeting, Beats Per Minute and more – "A Long Day" is a soothing meditation on the vastness of experience. It finds Tomlinson rising early to work in a bakery - “at the end of a long day / it’s just gone lunch,” he opines while Ami Koda’s flute flits all around. Cyclical and breathing, it's heartrending and uplifting all at once.

Speaking on the new single, MF Tomlinson said: “I feel like it [A Long Day] takes me on a journey from the beginning of a normal day to the end of the day. It doesn’t really have a chorus - it kind of flows in quite a cyclical way, so by the time I hit the last notes I feel like it’s transported me personally through all the experiences that directly inspired the song. It essentially deals with the big and the small things that exist in our everyday mundane experiences – no matter how significant or insignificant they might appear at the time – how it all feeds into our concept of memory and the idea of 'living in the moment'."

In essence, MF Tomlinson is the solo work of Michael Tomlinson. Dig a little deeper though and you uncover an intriguing new layer to the project. Calling upon a global network of collaborators and musical friends to bring Strange Time to life (a network he refers to as his "MF's"), across its 6 tracks and 32 minute run time Tomlinson and his MF's explore a rich tapestry of sounds and influences.

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Ana Egge - The Ship.

Sometimes a sea shanty isn’t just a sea shanty. With “The Ship,” the heralded singer/songwriter Ana Egge has taken the traditional shanty and transformed it into a modern-day parable. Soft but still clearly defiant, “The Ship” portrays sailors, fed-up with being robbed of their personal power, realizing they have been complicit in their captain’s greedy, ruinous ways, so they stand together against him and stop participating in burning, to quote the song, “the sides of our own ship.”

A reflection of our times, the single was written during the pandemic by Egge with her friend, Irish troubadour Mick Flannery. “2020 stopped us in our tracks,” Egge explains. “We had more time than ever to consider our priorities and confront the results of our actions, personally and collectively. It is in our hands to put this ship on a new course. We can and we will."

To Egge and Flannery, the ship is the Earth and the captain represents greed and waste. The song speaks to the need of the sailors (and, in 2021, working people of all types) to do the right thing, not only for themselves and each other but also for the future of their children.

Because both Egge and Flannery are parents to young daughters, the song’s concern for the future and future generations is a very personal one for each of them. The video for “The Ship” further reinforces this theme as director Ingrid Weise has constructed it by utilizing beautiful and haunting imagery of her own daughter in nature.

Egge and Flannery composed “The Ship” in a uniquely COVID-era fashion — via Facetime. During the quarantine, the two friends starting doing nightly songwriting sessions, even though Egge is based in Brooklyn while Flannery lives across the ocean in Ireland. “The Ship” stands as one of the earliest results of this transatlantic collaboration, which they have continued into this year.

“I loved writing this song with Ana, as I have with all our collaborations,” shares Flannery. “I’m proud to have been a part of it.” Egge likewise raved, “co-writing with Mick has been so much fun and such a mind meld. Sometimes it feels like we’re finishing each other’s melodic sentences."

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Marco Dalla Villa feat Leanna Gage - Marie-Clo - Thee More Shallows - Anya Hinkle - Trapper Schoepp - Jesse Marchant

Marco Dalla Villa - Wonderful days (feat. Leanna Gage).

Marco Dalla Villa is a London based DJ and producer originally from Italy. Having studied music theory and composition from a very young age, Marco uses his theoretical knowledge in an experimental way. Instead of following a structure, his songs are simply a flow of real emotions which follow a strong, hypnotic beat. Marco doesn’t take himself too seriously and hopes his listeners will do the same. With the ultimate goal of making music to share emotions and encouraging others to dance and feel happy, Marco provides a healthy dose of positivity throughout his intoxicating soundscapes.

His latest release “Wonderful Days” is a modern take on the 1971 song “Help (Get me some Help)” by Tony Ronald. Telling the tale of longing for love after experiencing heartbreak, the melancholy lyrics are a juxtaposition to the uplifting melodies. Marco took the melody from a football chant from his local football team, deciding to put a fresh spin on the tune and combining it with the 1971 hit. This unusual amalgamation of songs delivers a feel-good anthem that’ll be stuck in your head all day long.

Leanna Gage provided the vocals for the track, adding a mellow, chilled-out vibe to the sun-soaked song. The song features zesty, tropical drums, silky, sunny synths and an upbeat tempo which blurs the lines with bouncy indie guitar riffs and loops radiating both warmth and sorrow. The production captures the hopefulness and surrender to the fear of love.

Marco Dalla Villa is here to brighten your day with “Wonderful Days” currently available worldwide.

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Marie-Clo - Tides Of Fools.

A true creative chameleon and seasoned traveler, Marie-Clo is a born performer who ropes her audiences into a feverish pitch in both official languages; thanks to “hooked on phonics”. Singer-songwriter and dancer, her eclectic indie pop tackles current themes & conscious lyrics, but also conjures a colourful and enchanted world.

Marie-Clo began her artistic career on stages worldwide performing in musicals, but honed in soon thereafter on her true passion project, music. She is currently promoting the first of three EP’s which will make up her full-length english album entitled Shell(e). A conceptual feminist narrative, it is slated to be fully released in 2021, produced by Polaris shortlisted drummer/ producer Olivier Fairfield (Fet Nat, Timber Timbre, Leif Vollebek), with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR.

In 2017, Marie-Clo won TFO’s pan-Canadian tv search for francophone artists Planète BRBR and was given carte blanche to participate at the Granby International Song Festival 2018, as well as at the Petite- Vallée Song Festival 2018. Following these, Aero chocolates bought her song “Sablier” for a 52-week run national commercial in which she stars.

She celebrated the independent release of her debut EP Faune which has since been playing on numerous radio stations across Canada, on Sirius xm, and joined numerous editorial playlists on Spotify. Radio-Canada named her Ontario’s number one artist to discover in 2018 as part of a 13-artist list, Canada wide, for each province & territory. Her latest single Red Flag topped CBC (#2) & Sirius XM’ (#4) top 10 charts for many consecutive months & was featured as a Sirius XM exclusive single. She recently had the pleasure of playing Ottawa’s Bluesfest, the National Arts Center, Place des arts in Montréal & opening for Ariane Moffatt.

Marie-Clo · Tides Of Fools

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Thee More Shallows - Ancient Baby.

Three-piece experimental indie-rock band Thee More Shallows released three albums and a few EPs back in the early 00’s, garnering critical acclaim and a cult following before the band disbanded. Each of the members moved into new phases of their lives. Now, frontman Dee has emerged from the wilderness working under the Thee More Shallows moniker again with the help of some previous band members and some new musicians. New album ‘Dad Jams’ is the first Thee More Shallows offering in fourteen years and comes out this May 28th on Monotreme Records.

‘Dad Jams’ is a retrospective look at life’s trajectory and the personal and creative choices that shape its convoluted path. Musically, it retains the adventurous, experimental edge of previous Thee More Shallows albums, but is also rooted in a stronger pop sensibility, with plenty of bouncy, hooky melodies that burrow into the mind for days.

Speaking on his intervening years between Thee More Shallows’ last album ‘Book Of Bad Breaks’ and ‘Dad Jams’, Dee said, “For me, that meant raising kids, making music for TV and film, and incrementally earning some hard-won peace of mind. My body has (to quote my doctor sister) sclerosed, and my impulses have slowed down enough to do a weak impersonation of wisdom, but I still feel like the same person who helped make those old records.”

‘Dad Jams’ is an indie-pop ode to waking up middle aged with kids. First single ‘Ancient Baby’ rockets the album open with an invigorating blast of psychedelic hippy-infused pop, its weaving flute refrain becoming more and more embedded in the mind with each return. ‘Boogie Woogie’ builds around a restrained synth groove that surprises and delights with crystalline harmonies in the sort of way bands like Foster The People and The Temper Trap combine sensitive emotive themes in a tightly packed indie formula.

On creating the new album Dee explains, “So when I finally found time to eke out another collection of songs - in the thick of my 'dad' years - I asked Brian, Jason, and Tadas if I could use our old band name. They graciously said yes. Jason flew out and was able to contribute wonderful drums, Cosmos Lee visited and played violin - and as usual I did my level best to describe how I felt. There are also new characters - my friends Eddie and Laura Burke sing on a song, Silviolini Graciani makes his debut, phoning in all the way from Sicily - and you get to hear the voice of Rayel, an epic talent deserving of world-renown.”

Monotreme Records · Thee More Shallows 'Ancient Baby'

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Anya Hinkle - Meditation: Beyond the Shores of Darkness.

Celebrating the arrival of springtime has long been a favored pastime of poets and songwriters, and especially in this year, as we emerge not just from winter, but also from deeply trying times, the theme of renewal, whether in the natural or spiritual realm, is especially resonant. With the lengthening of the days, the warm light of the sun becomes ever more present, and the hardship and self-reflection engendered by the isolation winter brings — especially during a world-wide pandemic — give way to more tranquil and even uplifting moods. For Anya Hinkle, capturing the mood of this unique season needed no words, and so her latest single for Organic Records, “Meditation: Beyond the Shores of Darkness” wound up being an instrumental composition, one that nevertheless says all that needs to be said.

“The past year has been unprecedented in its darkness,” the singer/songwriter confesses. “The uncertainty eats away at the fiercest sense of discipline, at any sense of purpose; it’s felt very difficult to continue moving forward at times. When I wrote this song, I planned to write words. But there weren’t any. I was living beyond language. Tears rolled down my face onto my guitar as I explored the fingerboard for chords that revealed new facets of this journey inside.”

“Each one of us is feeling our way through,” she adds. “Sitting in the isolation of our being, journeying to new places we never took the time to see before. This song sits with pain, boredom, anxiety, and after awhile we tire of that; our mind flits elsewhere, curious, open, childlike.”

With the assistance of cousins Julian Pinelli (fiddle) and Duncan Wickel (cello), “Meditation” traverses its three and a half minutes with almost somber restraint, opening with a statement of the main melody via Hinkle’s fingerpicked guitar before entering a darker, almost mysterious middle passage that introduces hushed, atmospheric notes from Pinelli and Wickel. A pause leaves the listener suspended before the trio returns to the original melody, voiced now by guitar and fiddle, with cello joining in just before one last passage recontextualizes the melody’s air of hope with the moodiness of the middle passage in an ultimately satisfying resolution.

A notable change of pace from her usual lyric-driven songcraft, Anya Hinkle’s “Meditation: Beyond The Shores Of Darkness” is an evocative composition, echoing an internal transformation that many listeners will recognize in themselves through its redemptive sonic journey from darkness to light.

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Trapper Schoepp - River Called Disaster.

Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter, Trapper Schoepp, has announced the release of his upcoming album, May Day, out 5/21/2021 via Grand Phony Records, with the release of the single, “River Called Disaster.” The accompanying video finds Schoepp lighting his piano on fire in a river, which he says felt ceremonial and therapeutic, symbolic of both the song and year we’ve all endured. 

“River Called Disaster,” is about feeling broken down by the compulsion for more. “The river is an apt metaphor for the way we can get swept up in our destructive desires. This past year, social isolation has exacerbated these kinds of feelings and challenged the way we cope. Many of us are bottoming out and trying to make our way back to the surface,” Schoepp says. “On May Day, I use the natural world as a motif because I feel a strong connection to it. Nature is something real that I can feel, see, smell and touch, and it's a place where I've found comfort in these times.”

This is the follow-up to Primetime Illusion, Schoepp’s acclaimed 2019 album produced by Wilco’s Patrick Sansone, which featured a serendipitous co-write with none other than Bob Dylan. On the day Dylan entered Columbia Studios in 1961 to begin recording his first studio album, he wrote a song about Wisconsin. The lyric sheet sat unseen with a former roommate, and was later unearthed and put up for auction. Schoepp saw the story and seized the opportunity to set music to words, and was granted Dylan’s approval to jointly publish the song, entitled “On Wisconsin,” leading to features in Rolling Stone and Billboard, as well as nearly a hundred international tour dates.

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Jesse Marchant - Go Lightly.

When asked what headline he’d like to see 12 months from now, Jesse Marchant jokingly replied, “Jesse Marchant paints his masterpiece.”

Marchant himself may be humble. For the rest of us, though, it isn’t the least bit farfetched to think that – 12 months from now – Marchant’s imagined headline will actually grace the pages of industry publications. And that’s because we’ve heard his new stuff.

Marchant’s stunning new single “Go Lightly” premiered with American Songwriter, and is officially out everywhere now. “Go Lightly,” which Marchant describes as “living in the realm of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and recent Nick Cave” is the first track from his much-anticipated new album, Antelope Running. Look out for Antelope Running later this summer.“ ’Go Lightly’ was one of those songs that almost fell by the wayside” shares Marchant.

“I had the piano part for quite some time but struggled to find the vocal melody, imagery and words. The falsetto notes that open the song came to me one morning when I was playing the chords, but I lacked confidence in that range for my voice, as it was somewhat new to me. Over time my confidence with it deepened and the song began to bloom, later to become one of the pillar tracks of the record. I am proud of how it moves through different sections seamlessly, like a stream that flows and forms into pools before continuing on to do so again and again.”

Featuring Marchant’s longtime bandmate Jason Lawrence on drums; Logan Coale (Taylor Swift, The National, Now Ensemble) on electric bass, and D. James Goodwin on guitar and synth, “Go Lightly” was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Isokon Studio in Woodstock NY.

“Although I began writing the lyrics in Feb 2020 just before the pandemic began, I was working on it throughout and believe that the forced isolation of that period played a significant role in where it ended up,” shares Marchant. “To me the song is about being forced to take stock of the life you’ve chosen for yourself, or have arrived to, when you remove all of its peripheral elements - for better or worse.”

Previously known as JBM, Marchant likely doesn’t get credit where credit is due. The Canadian singer and songwriter is a classically trained guitarist who also produces all of his own albums. Antelope Running is his fifth album.

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