Claude—the Chicago based existential dream pop solo project of Claudia Ferme—today shared “roses”, their second and final single off their upcoming debut full-length, a lot’s gonna change, produced with Michael Mac (Tenci, Tasha, Devin Shaffer, Mia Joy) and out August 12th, 2022 via American Dreams Records
The single “roses” arrives alongside a Reilly Drew-directed music video. On the track, Claude issued the following statement: "'roses' was inspired by a line in Love in the Time of Cholera where the protagonist starts eating flowers and roses because of how obsessed with someone he is.
I think in the novel it’s supposed to symbolize how his obsession became all-consuming but I thought about a rose and the thorns on its stem and how someone eating a rose was a perfect metaphor for how as humans we’re so self-torturous, mentally and emotionally, and very unforgiving of ourselves. In the video, we wanted to show this imagery in a more abstract way while still including actual roses - I made the purple top and gray dress and am wearing other pieces that have peaks and spikes and that play with the making and release of tension to show the back and forth we have with ourselves in certain situations."
Following the release of her first 6 singles, Karen Harding returns with the first single release and title track from her Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ on Friday 8th July 2022.
Written during the Melbourne, Australia Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, dramatic singer-songwriter single, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ dives straight into the heart of fear and anxiety, when sharing a less than perfect side, that you know leaves you open to judgement from others.
We live in a world that is filled with images of perfection.. Where we believe that to be good enough, we must line up with the messages that essentially only show the highlight reels of a life. This leads us to locking away our own vulnerabilities.. That is, until you reach a point, where you realise that your struggles are a secret that no one knows about. The idea of sharing these fills us with fear, questioning and mistrust, and this is the message within ‘I’ve Got A Secret’.
The four track EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is being released one single at a time, each month, and will be available in its entirety by October 2022. The EP is available for purchase at Bandcamp in digital download and CD formats.
Glasgow alternative-rock group Pizza Crunch are pleased to announce their follow up single to 'Young Excitement' with new track ‘Wilting Youth’, which is set to be released on the 8th of July.
The band are excited to release this track, having played it live at a sold-out King Tuts as well as at the Left of the Dial festival in Rotterdam and Stockton Calling. This release is the second of a plethora that will be unveiled this summer.
Unlike the reflective tone of previous single 'Young Excitement', Wilting Youth arrives from a more yielded perspective, as the lyrics openly admit that the bright, vibrant days of the past have not only vanished, but they aren’t returning. The track was produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Marshall (Baby Strange, Gerry Cinnamon and Declan Welsh and the Decadent West) at Castle of Doom Studios.
Up-and-coming London-based, Glaswegian indie-pop artist Alex Amor today announces her new EP 'The Art Of Letting Go' will be released via Young Poet (WOOZE, Khartoum, Conor Albert) on 14th October. The EP announcement coincides with the release of new single "Bad Tattoo", released today in collaboration with Manchester outfit The Deep Blue.
Fresh off the road after supporting Thomas Headon on his recent UK tour, Alex Amor teamed up with producers including Karma Kid (Poppy Ajudha, Shygirl), Mack Jamieson (Mahalia, Sad Night Dynamite) and Gianluca Buccellati on new EP 'The Art Of Letting Go', the latter known particularly for his work on Arlo Parks' Grammy-nominated album Collapsed In Sunbeams. Glowing with star quality, Alex Amor strikes a delicate balance between indie-pop and dreamlike alt-pop, blending a myriad of sonic and aesthetic influences such as Blood Orange, Kurt Vile, Porches, HAIM and Men I Trust.
Written with Manchester indie-folk group The Deep Blue who also lend backing vocals to the track, "Bad Tattoo" is a swirling, crystalline account of the aftermath of a relationship turned sour. Possessing an irresistible indie-pop pulse, intertwined with rich lap steel sections and an intricate, spiralling guitar refrain, Alex Amor's prose are earnest and cutting in equal measure - "Carved our initials on a bathroom wall / So we could last forever / All that's left is a crossed out heart / We paid the price for pleasure".
Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration of the new single, Alex said: "Bad Tattoo was written about a time when I wanted to forget someone. They kept making unwanted appearances in my thoughts across the day: while I was walking home, doing chores, lying in bed awake at night. I find it bizarre how it’s much easier to forget the good times but impossible to forget the bad times. It seems that our worst memories are stored somewhere deep inside of us and as much as I wanted to erase this person from my head, they persisted on my skin like a bad tattoo. Like one of those drunken tattoos you get in Ibiza at 3am and regret for the rest of your life."
The fantastic debut album from London singer-songwriter Carmody - 'Imperfect Constellations' is released today.
Carmody's music evokes the timelessness of Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading while nodding to the modern alt-folk of Laura Marling and Big Thief and the jazz-flecked soul of Lianne La Havas and Jordan Rakei.
'Imperfect Constellations' follows Carmody's 4 previously released EPs and her 2014 collaborative EP with Tom Misch, 'Out To Sea'. Tom Misch returns to feature on Imperfect Constellations alongside Alfa Mist, Conor Albert and Laura Misch, as well as co-writes and co-productions with Avi Barath (Berwyn, Priya Ragu, Pa Salieu), Calum Duncan (Rachel Chinouriri, Alaskalaska) and Rahm Silverglade (of altopalo).
Carmody recently sold out the new Amazing Grace venue in London Bridge, and the new record adds to her catalogue which boasts over 70 million+ streams, strong press (Notion Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, Wonderland, Dummy, LISTEN Magazine + more), radio airplay from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders, Sian Eleri), 6Music and BBC R2, alongside huge support from Spotify and Apple Music.
Arriving as a third and final glimpse into their upcoming sophomore album, Wylderness have unleashed a scintillating new shoegaze cut: “Chet Chat”. Boasting their knack for creating sprawling soundscapes and deeply textured instrumentals, Wylderness’ latest offering arrives as the band gear up to release their long-awaited second album ‘Big Plans For A Blue World’ (out 15th July, via Succulent Recordings).
Written when Marz of Wylderness experienced the full, frightening force of an earthquake while on a trip to Greece some years ago, the new track finds the singer and guitarist reflecting on what was a life-changing event and seeking to emulate the force of nature that reverberated through him that day. As Marz remembers:
“I was on the balcony of an apartment in Athens writing lyrics for this song when all of a sudden there was this enormous roar and the building started shaking. The earthquake lasted about 15 seconds but seemed like it went on forever. Everyone was fine thankfully and I wanted to write something about what had happened, but not make it too obvious and clunky, so it ended up being a bit cryptic.”
Echoing the raw sonic energy of a tectonic shift, “Chet Chat” ripples like an agitated seismic wave impacting the earth’s surface. From its sparse and seemingly tranquil beginnings, the track builds towards an immense crescendo as towering electric guitars, warped organ grindings and distorted rhythmic pulses stretch-out into a six-minute shoegaze epic that evokes the likes of DIIV, Spacemen 3 or Sonic Youth at their climactic heights.
Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios on a farm in rural Wales, and with wonky organ sounds added in by producer Rory Atwell, the enigmatic new track sees Wylderness further find themselves in their sound as they deftly forge their own cataclysmic and confident path on their second studio outing.
London-based, Brisbane/Meanjin-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson returns today with news of his signing to PRAH Recordings (the Umlauts, Pozi, Group Listening) and the release of a new single "A Cloud" - the first music to be heard from from his much-anticipated second album, which will come out on PRAH early 2023.
The album’s lead single and opening track "A Cloud" is accompanied by the first part of a theatre, dance, and film work conceived, directed and choreographed by MF’s collaborator Daisy JT Smith. The album, and the film, will be unveiled piece by piece throughout the year. MF Tomlinson's return today follows his debut full length ‘Strange Time’, self-released in 2021 to critical acclaim from publications including Mojo, NME, Clash, bandcamp, Gigwise and more.
Inarguably his finest work to date as a songwriter and producer, "A Cloud" sets the scene of what’s to come. Marrying elements of 60's folk, folk-rock and psychedelia to thrilling effect - complex, dramatic, intimate, delicate and breathing, Tomlinson’s words are carried away by finger-picked guitars, double bass and soaring flutes that float effortlessly before a canopy of foreboding atmospherics and lush-turned-sinister string arrangements descend on the track with crushing weight.
A curious, dream-like snapshot into Tomlinson's psyche; "A Cloud is about how painful it is to live without your innermost desires," MF Tomlinson explains. "It is, in the same breath, about how beautiful life is despite all of its sadness, and how even the smallest moments can satisfy your spirit. It begins where Strange Time leaves off. In my apartment, from my window we move through scenes of the street, through memories and hallucinations."
Though it would seem we have come back down to earth by the song’s close, it is not the same world - drifting out of sync with reality, we find ourselves on a new trajectory that could be transcendence or a descent into madness.
Cari Cari have shared new psychedelic disco single, ‘No Proper Life’. The release comes alongside news that the duo are set to release their new album Welcome To Kookoo Island on September 16th, 2022 via Perla Nera Records.
Recorded at their studio, located in an Austrian national park in 2020 and 2021, the band’s second album is a slice of psychedelic escapism. Lead single ‘No Proper Life’ started off as a White Stripes-esque blues rock jam which immersed itself into an upbeat, psychedelic number with a thumping bassline and Roger McGuinn-y 12-string guitar riffs. The track is about having the urge to avoid a ‘proper life’: “proper job, proper friends, proper hobbies and living your life for someone else instead of daring to go your own way. No one’s better at being yourself than you are.” adds guitarist Alexander Koeck.
Accompanying video for 'No Proper Life' was illustrated by Kane Rowlingson. The band on the video: "Sometimes if you wanna live an improper life you gotta be as stubborn as a donkey. Follow our mascot Donny the donkey on his way past the temptations of a proper life"
Cari Cari is Stephanie Widmer (vocals, drums & didgeridoo) and Alexander Koeck (vocals, guitars). Since their inception, Cari Cari have been tirelessly working to create their own world, carefully crafting everything from their music to their artwork, videos to set design in-house. This meticulous attention to detail has earned the band a loyal following; Rolling Stone Magazine called them ‘the biggest discovery of Primavera Sound Festival’, their die-hard fans sold out 1000+ capacity rooms across Europe and their debut album was praised by the likes of NME, KCRW, Rolling Stone and many more.
Chewing through an angsty yet melodic mesh of jittery guitar strums and a melodic and catchy chorus, Cat SFX’s latest offering boasts the breadth of the band as they embrace more ethereal sonic territory that nods to the works of alt/rock visionaries like PJ Harvey or 80s new-wave trailblazers like Psychedelic Furs.
Where recent single “Rodeo” was outspoken and punk-powered, “Binman” arrives as an all-the-more measured affair, with glistening rhythmic guitar lines undercutting crystal-clear vocals that touch on the inner struggles that come with clearing up the wreckage of your own mistakes.
Of the new single, the band’s lead vocalist Cat Speranza explains: “”Binman” is about a toxic relationship: the one between me and alcohol. It's about the fights that you have with your loved one because you’re so drunk again and have caused carnage, and you’re trying to pick up the pieces the next day. And you make up all these excuses, to yourself, to others. So I’m the Binman. I’m the trash that needs taking out.”
Coming as the band’s sixth release to date, the new track is organic and infectious in equal parts, and serves as a teaser of the band’s forthcoming ‘Binman’ EP, due 15 July 2022 via It’s Creation Baby.
'Weak Ankles', the new single by Basel, Switzerland based Dreampoppers Moonpools, shows a more fragile side of the band and unfolds a great deal of heart-warming melancholy. The new EP 'Damaged Goods' will be released on August 19th via Young and Aspiring.
Moonpools are a five-piece from Basel, founded by Marcie Nyffeler (vocals/guitar), Jasper Nyffeler (drums) and Francesco Vona (synths) and completed in 2017 by Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass). The latter is known from various projects such as Sheila She Loves You, Don't Kill The Beast, Brainchild and Mastergrief.
After their debut EP 'Turbulent Times', which was released in 2019, the band is now back with new material and a new sound. The songs on the new EP 'Damaged Goods' (release date: 19.8. / Young and Aspiring) sound louder, more distorted and straightforward. Sources of inspiration for the new sound include Hatchie, Snail Mail, Cocteau Twins and Soccer Mommy. The first single from the EP, also titled ‘Damaged Goods’, already gained international attention from the likes of BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio UK, RBB Radio Eins, detektorfm, SRF3, SRF Virus and others. Furthermore, Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty, 007 - The World Is Not Enough) also came across the track and promptly shared it via his Twitter account.
In contrast to their upbeat first single, the second offering ‘Weak Ankles’ is a Shoegaze-inspired love song that unveils a softer side of the band. Marcie Nyffeler’s vocals start off fragile and grow stronger as the song progresses, as if she is finding confidence in the words. 'Weak Ankles' is about being overwhelmed by your own feelings: "It’s not easy to open up and let yourself be vulnerable, but that is when beautiful things happen. It’s tempting to look for excuses and to focus on the things that could go wrong. But sometimes it’s important to let yourself fall.”
Audio-visual artist Ruby Tingle has just released her new single ‘Familiars’ with No Such Thing Records, in conjunction with a solo exhibition at PAPER Gallery Manchester (11.06.22- 06.08.22).
The song is about rediscovering your true self and spirituality as a result of falling in love with someone from your past. Created with producers/artists Rookes, Daisy P and KINRAR, this is Ruby’s second release following her debut EP ‘Lagoons’ in February this year which featured on Record of the Day and Louder than War.
The exhibition at PAPER explores Ruby’s connection to spirit animals, constellations and the colour red, inspired by time spent at her local nature reserve at sunset over the last year; Collage, installation, sound and scent will transform the gallery into a twilight swamp. Commissioned as part of A Modest Show running as a satellite programme to this year’s British Art Show, Ruby will also take part in a live showcase at Soup Manchester with other acts from No Such Thing on August 5th to premier the track as part of a performance.
Ruby’s music mixes natural sound processes and high range celestial vocals to compose original and dreamy, experimental “music from the swamp”. She is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist working with progressive electronica in Manchester, represented by No Such Thing Records and PAPER Gallery Manchester. Recent exhibitions and commissions include a performance with PROFORMA and Venture Arts at the 2022 Venice Biennale, her solo exhibition Lagoons at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and her award of this year’s Manchester Jazz Festival Originals Commission.
She exhibits and performs regularly across the UK and Europe, including Saatchi Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, 48 Hours Neukolln, Axel Orbinger Berlin, Art Basel, The Harris Preston, HOME, sluice___ and Chethams Library. She is also one half of cinematic bass act Dirty Freud with whom she performed and headlined stages at Glastonbury 2019, and recently released EP ‘Love in the Backwater’ with Modern Sky.
Yesterday singer-songwriter Sterre Weldring released her new single 'The Best'. Sterre Weldring's new release is a special one: for the first time, she's releasing a cover of "The Best," a song originally by Nashville-based artist Josiah and the Bonnevilles. Encouraged by none other than Josiah, Sterre decided to record an acoustic version of 'The Best', one of her favorite songs. "'The Best' is a sad and melancholic song, but will most of all bring comfort to those who recognise themselves in its story" says the artist.
Sterre Weldring is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Amsterdam. Her music can be described as 'melancholic indie-pop', a genre in which she writes songs about all kinds of love and relationships, with the aim of comforting others.
Her passion for this music started around the age of 15, when she discovered British singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and experienced how much comfort she could get from music herself. At the age of 18, Sterre therefore decided to study in Brighton at the BIMM (British Institute of Modern Music). One of her other idols, James Bay, had attended the same school. She developed her own sound within Brighton's vibrant music scene. A comparison with Amy Macdonald and Florence + The Machine is often drawn.
Back in the Netherlands, Sterre settled in Amsterdam where she studied philosophy. A study that taught her to look at life in a reflective way, something that is also reflected in her songs. The search for answers has a therapeutic and comforting effect, both for herself and for her audience. It has already brought her to the Popronde and the final of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in 2019. Last year she released her debut EP 'Lost Lights'.
Athens, Georgia based Vision Video return now with “Beautiful Day To Die,” a remarkably vibrant single from the post-punk/gothic quartet, through which they announce their sophomore album, Haunted Hours, for an October 11 release. The band premiered a video for the track via Post-Punk, and they head out across the Eastern half of the U.S. starting tomorrow night in Nashville [all dates below]. Watch + share the video via YouTube. Pre-order Haunted Hours here.
Led by songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Dusty Gannon, who served two tours of Afghanistan in the Army before becoming an EMT with the Atlanta Fire Department, channels these experiences of the horror of war and trauma into his music. Discussing “Beautiful Day To Die” he noted, “I wrote this track about my experiences as a paramedic and firefighter seeing a lot of death first hand, and how you become well acquainted with it in a very surreal, yet comfortable way.
It’s about how I had to become friends with the concept of mortality because I was around it so regularly. The shock of seeing bodies becomes more pedestrian, and you’re even able to see beauty in some situations; like when families come together over loss, or the stories people will tell you about the deceased.
This song is about celebrating the frailty of life. We do not get to decide how, or when we will die, but it is all the while certain. While that can be somewhat existential-dread inducing, I like to think of it as a clarion call to appreciate what time we are afforded.”
LA /London based alt-pop artist Abby Sage shares her new intimate and thought-provoking single “Pool Party,”accompanied by an experimental music video directed by Aidan Dick. The visuals exemplify how often young adults must hide behind an invisible mask to get through the day-to- day runnin' around that no one prepared them for. Both honest and utterly relatable, Abby Sage arrives with a new perspective on the contemporary world, for better or worse.
“Pool Party” was written during a writing trip to London and produced by British producer duo MyRiot (London Grammar, AURORA, Halsey). On her latest effort, Abby Sage offers up a hazy alt-pop world that ties together nostalgia and the uncertain future. Sage has always had a knack for clever songwriting that touches upon wistfulness and modern malaise and “Pool Party” is a shining example. The production contains many sonic layers hoisted by her mesmeric vocals and intricate alt-pop infused guitar strumming. In addition,mild drum beats and fuzzy bass lines embody the temple of the track. “Pool Party” follows the release of her dreamy effort “Force of Habit,”released this past spring and serves as the first glimpse into her forthcoming project out later this year.
Speaking about her new single, Abby Sage shares this: “Pool Party is a metaphor for kids not being prepared for the world. ‘Pool party kids can’t swim they ask nobody just sink to the bottom and think (off the deep end).’ Kids are dealt a tough hand, having such a vast amount of information at their fingertips with nobody to guide them or explain what it all means. They have to drown to learn.”
Enigmatic Italian singer Elena Alice Fossi has released the next fascinating single, 'Indigo Cypher', which is taken from the forthcoming new full-length of her dark electro project SPECTRA*Paris. The fifth album of that band is entitled "Modernism" and has been scheduled for release on August 26.
SPECTRA*Paris comment: "Memories of a life that does not belong to you…", singer, composer, and lyricist Elena Alice Fossi muses. " If you don't feel at least a bit like a fish out of water in this grotesque theater that is humanity, then this song is not for you! We were born in deception and there we stay until we realise that real life is running elsewhere. 'They' shape us in order that we make our own lives and that of others worse. 'They' mold us to obey slaves and to become slaves ourselves. 'They' shape us so as to love our family even when it has nothing to do with us."
Charismatic, enigmatic, and absolutely outstanding, singer Elena Alice Fossi, who is best known for her work with Italian electro-trailblazers KIRLIAN CAMERA, presents "Modernism", the fifth album of her eclectic project SPECTRA*Paris.
"Modernism" is transfiguring electronic music through the prism of Elena’s voice and several collaborations with other musicians into a beautiful kaleidoscope of stylistic colours ranging from EBM, future pop, dark electronic, art pop, and various influences more.
