BOI - Frecko - Women In Song

BOI - Cael Chdi Nôl.

New Welsh outfit 'BOI' have announced their highly anticipated debut album entitled 'Coron O Chwinc' which will be released on the 25th June via new Welsh label Recordiau Crwn. The first single from the album is 'Cael Chdi Nol.'

'BOI' create a big, melodic, unapologetically drum and guitar driven sound, with lyrics and melodies that explore the big issues of our times and the human state. These 10 songs off “Coron O Chwinc” were recorded in various spaces around Wales, and were then mixed in the capable hands of Dafydd Ieuan (Super Furry Animals)

Band Members are: Keyboards/Allweddellau - Osian Gwynedd, Lead Vocals/Canwr - Rhodri Siôn, Guitar/Gitâr - Ifan Emlyn, Bass/Gitâr Fas - Heledd Mair Watkins, Drums/Drymiau - Dafydd Owen.

Osian Gwynedd and Rhodri Siôn were members of Beganifs/Big Leaves for 15 years and more, and recorded several albums and EPs under various labels, with their hits including Seithenyn, Meillionen, Cwcwll and many more. The group gained huge success in Wales during the 1990 and 2000s and performed throughout the UK and further afield with bands such as Catatonia and Super Furry Animals. Their English-language single Racing Birds was Single of the Week on Mark and Lard’s Radio 1 show.

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Frecko - The Note.

Somewhere deep within the diverse collective of alt country music lies the story telling cadence of Frecko.

Inspired by the romance of Australian story, Jason and Jack Freckelton, create music that celebrates the simple moments in life including love, loss and everything in between.

“The Note” is the fourth single lifted from their second album due for release later this year and takes us straight to the scene of the crime. Jangled guitar riffs and shuffling drumbeats set the mood for a song about love, revenge and consequence.

Produced by Golden Guitar winner, Lachlan Bryan and co-conspirator, Damien Cafarella - “The Note” - plays on the tension of the scene and showcases the band’s trademark dark humour. Frecko’s new single, “The Note”, is out now.

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Women In Song - But I Knew Her When.

All-female Blind River, ON-based singer/songwriter trio Women in Song reflect on the hopes and dreams of their parents who have suffered from, and eventually and sadly succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease in this, their new single,  ”But I Knew Her When” — available now.

The touching and ethereal song is the latest to land from the Ontario-based all-female group’s debut LP, Life of a Woman. “But I Knew Her When” is a prime example of what to expect from Women in Song…

It takes chunks of inspiration from the likes of folk, pop and country music and fuses them all together into something beautiful, and features an astonishing progression of chorus-heavy chords on the acoustic guitar, the soothing melody of an airy violin, and the beautiful, yet haunting vocal harmonies of singers Lois O'Hanley-Jones, Debbie Rivard and Patty Dunlop. Women in Song are based out of the small town of Blind River, ON — just off the North Shore of Lake Huron — and began performing together over 20 years ago after a conversation at the kitchen table.

Though the tightly-knit troupe has been together for more than two decades, Life of a Woman serves as their premiere studio album. The record was released in mid-January, and inspired by the ladies’ respective families, friends and fans — from near and far. The concept of the 13-track album, according to the talented musicians, is the “reflection of the reality of our lives.”

“It speaks to women having a career and a family, having arguments with their children, having our children leave home and ultimately that we are good enough,” the trio revealed. “Our album is a perfect homage to women — to the Life of a Woman — as the title suggests.” Along with the rest of the album, “But I Knew Her When” was written, recorded, and produced in Blind River at the local Riverview Studios. The ladies like to call the charming hamlet the “Nashville of the North.”

Succinctly describing what they’re all about, the group called Women in Song a “musical experience that aims to delight your musical sensibilities and tickle your funny bone.” “We are fortunate that not only are we musically compatible but we are good friends. Every rehearsal contains tears and laughter,” the ladies concluded.

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Go Analog - Eric Bazilian

Go Analog - Wait.

Columbus Ohio's Go Analog dropped the official video for the song "Wait" from last year's Moonlight Gram today. In addition to the video the EP is also officially available on vinyl as of now!

Go Analog is back with a new EP recorded at the Oxide Shed in Athens, Ohio with producer/ engineer Eddie Ashworth (Sublime). The four piece band has been a mainstay in the Midwest for over a decade, but has not released any new songs in years. 

The songs for Moonlight Gram began to come together during a few stripped down jam sessions following a time when the band had not even hung out let alone played together for nearly a year. As the lyrics came and the sonics of the songs began to fill out, they knew they had to get back into the studio and lay them down.

Over five days Moonlight Gram was recorded with Ashworth helping them see their vision to fruition. The resulting EP is a wonderful throwback to early to mid 90s indie rock. With a guitar driven sound surrounding Eric Croft’s vocals the songs take on relationships both past and present, the situation the world finds itself in, and a bit of self awareness that only time passing can create. All of this wrapped in away that only good rock n roll can.

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Eric Bazilian - Back In The 80s.

Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and founding member of The Hooters, Eric Bazilian, is set to release his fifth and final single prior to the release of his long-awaited new album Bazilian.  Titled “Back In The 80s,” the song may at first seem like a glorified look back on a very successful time (the heyday of The Hooters)—a simple nostalgic ode in a time of isolation. The melodic, yet measured pop track is in fact an ode to appreciating all that life has to offer, the highs and lows and of being in the moment.  

The wry, quirky video conceived and directed by Max Tellving provides the perfect backdrop to the track as it takes old tymey imagery and turns it on its head to encompass a much wider perspective than anticipated.  Bazilian produced and mixed the track and plays guitars, bass, keyboards and mandola.  The Hooters’ David Uosikkinen provided drums from his home in Philadelphia and Steve Churchyard (formerly of Air Studios in London), provided help with the mixing. “Back In The 80s” was released on April 30 and the new album will be available May 14.

Says Bazilian: “I did a podcast with a Medium last spring. She told me that my father had a message ‘from the other side’-- that there was a song I’d given up on that I needed to finish. I wrote the chorus to ‘Back In The 80s’ the next day, and, with some help from James Bourne of the legendary British band Busted, I wrote the third verse a couple of days later. As glorified as that decade has been (and as kind as it was to me and my band, The Hooters), I feel no more sentimental attachment to it than I do to any of the other decades that gave us great music. If anything, the song is about appreciating the time we live in for all its beauty as well as its faults and frailties.

The video was conceived, directed, shot, and edited by Max Tellving in Sweden, the same person who has done many of my earlier videos such as ‘One Light,’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ (with James Bourne). His concept was to set the video in the 1880s (or 1780s) rather than the expected 1980s, but to include several timely visual ‘Easter eggs.’ We shot the video in my wife’s home town of Järvsö, four hours north of Stockholm, in the summer of 2020.”

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Belle Tower - Annie Keating - Sunshine & the Blue Moon - Bayleigh Cheek

Belle Tower - Fear.

Belle Tower is the lo-fi indie folk rock project of Isabella Harned, found at the intersection of life experience in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal and Xwilkway/Halfmoon Bay. 

Isolation, solitude, pain, love and healing are key themes at the heart of Belle Tower’s collection; songs that are heavy in their vulnerability, but that simultaneously carry you weightless through the processing of emotions. 

With contributions from main collaborators Ben Robertson (Winona Forever, Schwey), Scott Boudreau (Mauno), and strings from Audreanne Fillion (Lovelet, Crusssh), Belle Tower showcases ethereal vocals, dreamy guitar lines, and varied layered instrumentation resounding a sonic lightness in the new EP ‘tend to’, which was out April 27th, 2021.

Belle Tower · Fear

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Annie Keating - Kindred Spirit.

"Kindred Spirit," the first single from songcrafter Annie Keating's forthcoming album (Bristol County Tides).

The song is about finding commonality in our humanity and brokenness; the narrator is speaking about someone that has become a special part of the narrator's life, acknowledging that life's experiences have shaped the narrator and the narrator's friend, and finding the common threads of hardship that make the bond formed between them even stronger.

Annie's new LP, Bristol County Tides (out on June 4th), pays tribute to relationships forged in difficult times - Annie, who lives in Brooklyn, relocated herself and her children to coastal Massachusetts to wait out the pandemic.

She was treated with kindness and compassion and inclusion by her new neighbors, her city-raised children became country kids, learning to fish and all of that fun stuff, and she was able to write for the first time in a while. This album tells the stories of the love given and friendships forged in the middle of major hardship and pays homage to the people who embraced her and welcomed her family with open arms.

AnnieKeatingNYC · Kindred Spirit

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Sunshine & the Blue Moon - Good Morning Sunshine.

"Good Morning Sunshine" was inspired by dreary hazy mornings, when you wake up and don't want to do the things you’re supposed to do, with your mind more prone to wander.

Recorded live off the floor in Toronto, it's from our rock n roll-inspired sophomore album, Born 2 Boogie, which will be released on June 25 as we try to make sense of the human experience following our collective anxiety in this uneasy state of the world.

It's important to find time to unwind. The Dutch even have a word for it, niksen, the concept of doing nothing. It's supposed to be a stress reliever.

Let's remember that we're all in the same boat. Different lived experiences, but we all share those introspective humdrum days.

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Bayleigh Cheek - Release Me.

Dallas native Bayleigh Cheek began her love affair with music at an early age thanks to her immersive upbringing. Both parents were in the music scene, exposing her to a variety of sounds ranging from psychedelic and folk to progressive rock and new wave. 

Some of her personal music influences include Patti Smith, P.J. Harvey, Radiohead, and Angel Olsen. Those influences led to the creation of her EP, Immortals, that was self-released in early 2020 which brought her DOMA nominations for Best New Artist and Best EP.

In early 2021, she signed with Red Zeppelin Records, which will re-release Immortals as well as her debut album which is set for release in early 2022.

Cheek has frequently performed venues such as The Kessler Theatre, House of Blues, Three Links, opening for acts including Matthew Sweet, and Dallas natives Medicine Man Revival playing consistently for the past five years.

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Climbing Trees - Michael Lane - Bethany Ferrie - Hunter Sheridan

Climbing Trees - Troubling Times.

With two critically-acclaimed albums, one EP and five singles under their collective belts, Welsh Music Prize-nominated Cymrucana pioneers Climbing Trees return this spring after three years of hibernation with brand new single Troubling Times.  Released via Staylittle Music and distributed by The Orchard and PYST.

Recorded in isolation at Mwnci Studios in Hebron, Carmarthenshire – the setting for the band’s critically-acclaimed albums Hebron and Borders – Troubling Times marks the Trees’ first studio material since 2018’s Borders: Acoustic B Sides EP, released at the end of an eventful few years which included shows in the UK, Europe and USA alongside numerous television, radio and festival appearances, a live session at London’s iconic Maida Vale Studios and a performance with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

As the band’s frontman Matthew Frederick remarks; ‘We decided to take a year off in 2018 to spend a little time on our various solo and side projects.  Before we knew it, two years had passed, then three, and a whole lot has happened in the world in that time.  We didn’t want to come back until we had something to say, and, more importantly, a good song to say it with, and Troubling Times certainly feels timely in that sense.  We’ve really enjoyed making music as Climbing Trees again, and we can’t wait to get back out on stage in front of the Trees fans, whenever that may be…’

Climbing Trees · Troubling Times

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Michael Lane - Good Times.

Michael Lane releases the happy upbeat indie folk single "Good Times" on April 30th. Although 'Good Times’ is a very upbeat and happy song, it still has a more serious and deeper meaning. Without getting too much into it, in the song I’m basically saying that, just because you surround yourself with a new house or nice car, doesn’t mean it will give you more happiness in the long run.“ Michael Lane explains. If there is a modern folk-pop artist who has seen the harsh realities in life, it is Michael Lane himself. 

As a US soldier in his twenties, sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, Michael was forced to live at cruelty. And if his previous albums were like a kind of musical diary in which these experiences were reflected, Michael Lane's regained ease and joy can clearly be seen in Good Times“. 

The song is a message of hope and positive certainty that a time of crisis will lead people back to the important things. Successes such as two top 50 songs in the German charts, four albums, international tours and the single "Liberty" as the official song of the 2015/2016 Four Hills Tournament, Europe’s biggest international ski jump event, have made the German-American known to the public. In addition to his work as a musician, Michael Lane is currently also active as a songwriter for production music and as a music producer in his remote "Studio Waldblick“.

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Bethany Ferrie - Bones.

Bethany Ferrie, a 23-year-old singer/songwriter from Glasgow who has recently been shortlisted for the BBC Radio Scotland Singer/Songwriter Award and signed her first publishing contract in 2020, releases her new single, Bones, on the 30th of April 2021.

The track, written in the midst of lockdowns and an upturned world, is about reminiscing, letting go and opening up.

Bethany takes a wide range of influences when it comes to crafting her music: from the likes of Fleetwood Mac to Lewis Capaldi, Kings of Leon to Taylor Swift.

Bethany Ferrie · BETHANY FERRIE - Bones

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Hunter Sheridan - To You, My Friend.

Hunter Sheridan is a Canadian musician whose music delivers soulful songwriting with warm melodies that weave a euphoric atmosphere. Hunter’s writing highlights honest lyrics and dynamic arrangements connecting with listeners across music genres.

Hunter released his debut album, Life is a Dream, in May 2020 and has reached over 100k streams cross-platform. He is now following up with a new single, “To You, My Friend,” which highlights the beauty in the briefness of life, and how important it is to show gratitude, support and appreciation to the ones you love while pursuing your own passions.

Hunter Sheridan Music · HunterSheridan - To You, My Friend

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Samways - Phantom Handshakes - PACKS

Samways - The Wind of Death.

Don’t let the title fool you... The folk music forecast just got brighter and livelier with the release of “The Wind of Death” from Canadian acoustic quartet, Samways.

The second single to drop ahead of the group’s forthcoming debut album, the song juxtaposes   a muscular, driving rhythm and sunny vocal harmonies with the moving poem, “The Wind of Death.” Written by Canadian poet and journalist Ethelwyn Wetherald well over a century ago, the poem touches on the tenuous and reflective last moments of someone’s life.

The wind of death, that softly blows
The last warm petal from the rose
The last dry leaf from off the tree
Tonight, has come to breathe on me

Respectively all known and loved Toronto-based artists in their own rights, lead songwriter, guitarist and composer Nathan Hiltz — and the vocal trio of Shannon Butcher, Jessica Lalonde and Melissa Lauren — have combined their formidable talents to form the creative core of Samways.

As they succinctly put it, they create and perform “acoustic music with lyrics drawn from early Canadian poetry.” What kinds of acoustic music and poetry? Original folk inspired jazz and the 19th and early 20th century works of famed Canadian poets such as Bliss Carman, Susannah Moodie, E.J. Pratt, Agnes Maule Machar and of course, Ethelwyn Wetherald.

The music for “The Wind of Death'' also comes from a mash-up of different worlds… The song answers a question: What would it sound like if Sonny Greenwich joined the Gordon Lightfoot band? Greenwich, an arch top jazz guitarist from Montréal with a psychedelic, Coltrane-influenced style, and Canadian folk legend Lightfoot, are both big inspirations for Hiltz.

While in his twenties, Hiltz was a jazz purist working at Toronto’s Ring Music, and Lightfoot used to come around to the shop. “I absolutely knew who [Lightfoot] was but had no idea what he sounded like,” Hiltz explains. “All I remember is this badass who parked his big, old-man Cadillac in the no parking zone out front of the store. “He came in and said ‘I’m Gordon Lightfoot. I’m here to pick up my guitar’.”

Those moments stuck with Hiltz and years later, as his musical tastes opened up, he devoured Lightfoot’s entire discography, citing his beautiful music as a driving force in the creation of Samways. Unlike the group’s first single “Untrodden Ways,” “The Wind of Death” is more akin to Lightfoot’s “Summer Side of Life” than “Long River.” Now, replace Lightfoot with three powerful female singers and you have Samways’ signature and fully-satisfying sound.

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Phantom Handshakes - Skin.

NYC-based dream-pop duo Phantom Handshakes are sharing their new album, No More Summer Songs, on all DSPs followed by a Bandcamp release on April 30th via Z Tapes.

No More Summer Songs is a collection of songs exploring themes of memory, nostalgia and the visceral feeling of when summer gives way to autumn. If Phantom Handshakes' debut release, Be Estranged was their summer album, this is their end-of-summer album.

The album expands on the lo-fi, DIY approach they took with Be Estranged. The songs on the album are less concerned with following a standard structure and more interested in a mood. For the duo, creating these songs was a cathartic outlet to help us get through these long months in lockdown.

No More Summer Songs was written, recorded and mixed entirely by Phantom Handshakes at their respective homes in New York City and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago.

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PACKS - Two Hands.

PACKS debut LP Take The Cake, is due out on Fire Talk Records (Dehd, Patio, Mamalarky) and Royal Mountain Records (Wild Pink, Alvvays, Mac DeMarco) on May 21st, and significant excitement has been building around the Toronto band since they announced the album in early March. The album has seen two singles so far in "Silvertongue" and "New TV," which have been the subject of some high praise! This week the band are sharing a third single from the LP, the sneakily infectious "Two Hands".

Memorably invoking a "Simpson's sunset" in its opening lyric, the track delivers a hazy jangle that forms the perfect frame for PACKS leader Madeline Link's laid back melodic acrobatics, and the accompanying video, which Link directed herself, reflects the song's springtime feeling.

PACKS was initially a solo songwriting project of Madeline Link that she pursued between gigs as a set dresser for commercials, the band is now a four piece, composed of Shane Hooper (drums), Noah O’Neil (bass), and Dexter Nash (lead guitar). Together they turn Link’s melodically adventurous and introspective songs into the purest and brightest kind of indie rock. Anchored by Link’s voice, which brings such an easy charm to her songs that it’s easy to miss her keen ear for acrobatic vocal lines, the band’s debut is a collection of songs that marry the loose but incisive jangle of early Pavement with the barbed sweetness of Sebadoh and the wide-eyed wonder of the first Shins LP.

Written in two different settings, between the city limits of Toronto where Link was living in 2019, and the Ottawa suburbs where she was quarantined with her parents in the spring 2020, both remain complementary emblems of self-reflection and wry observation of the mundanity of daily life.

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