Franklin Gothic, the solo project of musical artist Jay DiBartolo based out of Portland, OR, announces his debut record titled Into the Light, out August 19th via split release with Very Jazzed and Pleasure Tapes. The record was made in collaboration with producer Erik Blood (who has worked with Shabazz Palaces, Pickwick, Tacocat, and more).
Into the Light draws inspiration from musical influences that stem back to Jay’s early ‘90s childhood. It showcases a variety of styles, from shoegaze to Americana, challenging the expectation that a band, record, or song is bound to any specific genre.
The 12-song LP follows the ups and downs of the singer/songwriter’s experience, as he struggles to leave behind an old cynical view of the world to make room for a more openhearted one.
Chris St. John has been on a roll these last two years, having written dozens of songs which have appeared on two separate albums. His first album, I’m Dreaming, which was released in 2021, gained critical acclaim and commercial success. The album had four chart-toppers on the World Indie Music Charts and the Euro Indie Music Network, including “I Called You Rose,” which climbed all the way to No. 3.
Recently, Chris was in Nashville, working with legendary producer Stephen Wrench, as well as some of the finest session musicians in Music City, to record his upcoming album Fly Away. During the production of the album, Chris released the song “Hey Siri,” which quickly hit No. 1 on the World Indie Music Charts and the Euro Indie Music Network and remained there for five weeks. “Hey Siri” has a playful, rolling African groove reminiscent of Paul Simon’s Graceland. This clever, lively, and thought-provoking song focuses on the drawbacks of modern technology. Stylistically, it’s an outlier of sorts, scratching only the surface of the deep and impactful artistry Chris showcases over the course of 13 tracks.
The diversity of the songs makes it very hard to fit Chris’ music into any one genre. His voice is velvety and clear on the album’s ballads, and heartfelt and rocking on the up-tempo songs. His tenor voice has remarkable range and clarity, and his different vocal stylings on each track make it hard to believe it’s the same singer throughout the album.
Last Friday the Athens, GA-based psychedelic folk band Elf Power released their new album Artificial Countrysides via Yep Roc Records. Also released the same day is an official animated video for the new song “Clean Clothes” created by Michael Rostig. Elf Power are currently in the midst of a summer tour that will make stops in Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta and more.
Artificial Countrysides has been praised by Stereogum, Under The Radar and BrooklynVegan, who said “It finds their unique psychedelic pop/indie rock fusion sounding as great as ever.” FLOOD Magazine proclaimed, “Elf Power are far from running out of ideas nearly 30 years into their time together as a psych-folk unit,” while MAGNET Magazine said, “The songs themselves are some of the catchiest and most structurally sound Rieger has written in quite some time.”
With Artificial Countrysides, singer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Rieger and his Elf Power bandmates — drummer Peter Alvanos and guitarist Dave Wrathgabar, with contributions from keyboard player Laura Carter — have created some of the band’s most expansive musical terrain yet. Along with a blend of fuzz-tone electric and layered acoustic guitars, Moog keyboards and lively drums, the group experimented with the sounds of marimba, Mellotron, harpsichord, synth bass and distorted drum machine loops, taking a try-it-and-see approach to recording in the studio. Artificial Countrysides is Elf Power’s 14th album across their almost 30 year career.
East Nashville-based singer-songwriter Derek Hoke has announced that his new album Electric Mountain will be released on September 9 via 3Sirens Music Group, the first release from the Music City collective 3Sirens’ label arm. Hoke has also just shared his new single “Wild and Free,” a dreamy blend of acoustic guitar and synthesizers that arrives with a lively music video.
“‘Wild and Free’ is an acoustic song that I wanted to have build and build and build,” shares Hoke. “Originally it was about 10 minutes long and we edited the end off, as it just kept going which would be too much for some people. The idea was to start small with a chorus of voices. I think of it as driving through the desert as the sun’s coming up, as the idea.”
Hoke's forthcoming record Electric Mountain finds the East Nashville music veteran stepping back into the light following his previous release, 2017's Bring the Flood, which in contrast was a bit darker and moodier. Produced by longtime collaborator and childhood friend Dex Green (Elvis Costello, Allison Russell), Electric Mountain draws on influences that range from Appalachian folk music to Peter Gabriel classics to Bruce Springsteen demos, with plenty of futuristic instrumentals in between. Hoke’s previous records have featured such talents as Robyn Hitchcock, Jason Isbell, Luther Dickinson, Elizabeth Cook, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and more. On Electric Mountain, he keeps the local Music City love going: Prudent listeners will recognize vocals from Thayer Serrano and fiddle from Lillie Mae.
Hoke has spent the better part of the last two-plus decades making a home for himself in East Nashville, whether he’s hosting $2 Tuesday at iconic venue The Five Spot or spending a quiet night alone fiddling with Eurorack synthesizers. But his musical success has been hard-fought every step of the way. Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Hoke taught himself to play and write music by ear, mimicking the sounds he’d heard on records and through airwaves. Despite not having a musical family or a local community of players, Hoke found new influences – including '90s staples like Ben Folds, Wilco, and Drivin N Cryin – through his job at the town record shop.
Marcus Man is a 23 year-old independent artist from Warrington (UK) who has just released the rather splendid song 'Aspirations' along with an engaging video. He tells us "I’ve been writing and performing music for several years now, and I’ve been releasing music for at least the last two. I started off performing in my local town, then moved on to Manchester & Liverpool, before finally moving to London. My biggest influences include Damien Rice, The Last Shadow Puppets, Amy Winehouse, Frank Turner to name a few. I particularly like music that has a lyrical focus and tend to write songs with that in mind."
Regarding the new single he continues, "‘Aspirations’ is about tackling the idea of whether or not someone’s aspirations or work ethic can affect their relationships.
While trying to be quite fun and light-hearted lyrically, I think the song is bittersweet at its core. The track was recorded at Matchbox Studios in Warrington & is part of an upcoming EP due to be released at the end of summer. Musically, it’s sort of like soft indie-rock, and I like to think it’s the perfect soundtrack to putting your feet up at the end of the day, doing nothing, & being content with being lazy!"
Leading up to the writing of her new album, Talking Walls, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lilly Winwood had all but resigned herself from continuing her music career. Burned out after her last album cycle and in the midst of a pandemic, Winwood took a job to pay the bills—but she couldn’t stop writing. She knew she was on the cusp of something important. “I’d be working in a restaurant all day and then at night, come 3 a.m., I’d be pulling half-written songs out of my apron,” she recalls. “Then it all came together.”
When Winwood decided to get sober, the floodgates opened. Talking Walls captures that tumultuous period, with Winwood literally “talking to the walls” as she looked inward with new purpose. Penned over long sleepless nights, with clear eyes and a willingness to ask tough questions, each song takes a different tack into the introspective wind, backed by a minimalist-roots sound.
The now East Nashville-based artist (and daughter of Grammy-winning British rocker Steve Winwood) simply wrote her story and brought it to her band at Nashville’s Trace Horse studio—no producer needed. The new single “Brighter Days,” is a swaggering, pedal-steel laden track showcasing Lilly’s soulful voice and the simple, organic feel that the band landed on in the studio.
Lauren Monroe - singer, songwriter, and healing artist - announces a September tour in support of Messages from Aphrodite with the premiere of a new video, “Sparrow.” This is the latest offering from the upcoming album, due out September 9th, which Monroe co-produced with the legendary Jim Scott.
Monroe, a New York-born, California-based polymath, conducts parallel careers as a gifted singer-songwriter and a renowned mental-health advocate. She approaches these intertwined roles with equal passion, her nuanced understanding of human behavior informing her music, which she sees as “a heart-based experience” that is “not just about listening—it’s about feeling and connecting.” She draws on her deep well of accrued knowledge in her songs, which she delivers in a luminous alto that resonates with empathy. Her experiential lyrics, emotionally authentic and free of pretense, are embedded in vibrant folk-rock settings, immediate in their impact and timeless in their sound.
Music and healing have always been focal points in Monroe’s life. Earlier this year, she was joined by her husband, the legendary drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard, for a run of intimate East Coast club dates during which they also displayed their mixed-media art. The pieces were then auctioned online to benefit Raven Drum Foundation, an organization they founded with the mission to serve, educate and empower veterans dealing with PTSD and combat trauma, people in crisis, and other at-risk individuals.
And in 2021, she staged the first Big Love Benefit Concert, which featured performances by Billy Idol, Wynonna Judd, and the Allman Betts Band, among others. Proceeds from the event, which brought financial and mental health support to music-industry professionals affected by the pandemic, were donated to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. “Being of service is a way of helping yourself as well,” she reflects. “And the healing power of music is profound. Everything I do is part of a journey of healing.”
Los Angeles-based Artist Bel-la showcases her original brand of ethereal indie rock on the powerful new single with a universal theme of loss - "Nothing's Gonna Get You Back", out now via Dime Dash's BLUROC Records. Bel-la's vocals are captivating and almost dream-like, even when singing about heartbreak or sadness, and the music is appropriately atmospheric and driving. The results is both understated and profound.
Based on her artistic approach, it's no surprise that Bel-la finds much of her inspiration and songwriting ideas in dreams. Whether someone close to you has passed away or you've experienced the loss of a serious relationship, the music and lyrics should relate to nearly everyone. Musically, this darker shade of Indie Rock should appeal to fans of Wolf Alice, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent and Hope Sandoval.
"The inspiration for this song was really the sentiment of loss in general, loved ones passing, relationships ending etc and how even though these things are no longer in a physical form they still exist so strongly all around us and in our memories, and the fabric of our vast lives."
Hohnen Ford has just released her debut single "Infinity" via Young Poet (Conor Albert, WOOZE, Carmody). Hohnen Ford is the solo project of singer-songwriter Ella Hohnen-Ford who counts the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Big Thief, Fiona Apple and Sarah Vaughan as inspirations. Prior to the release of any music, Hohnen Ford found a corner of the internet in which to really express herself on Reddit, where she regularly commands the attention of up to one million viewers on her live streams, with the associated Kudos to reflect such viewership. Hohnen Ford has recently taken her live experience “offline” and has sold out venues including Vortex and St Pancras Old Church in London.
Debut single "Infinity" was written and produced by Hohnen Ford and mixed by Tom Carmichael (Matt Maltese, Porridge Radio, Wu-Lu). The song is a delectably sparse treatise on serenity, written at a make or break moment in her life where Hohnen Ford was searching within herself for answers and a breakthrough in her own self-discovery; in her lyrics she muses on the loneliness of youth as she embarks on her exploration: "I haven't found it yet / maybe I never will but I'll tretcher on / It's a lifetime skill".
Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration of the new single, Hohnen Ford described "Infinity" as: "A stream of consciousness in a quiet moment when the world felt overwhelming. A note to myself as I was reflecting on what was bubbling around in my brain at a time of crossroads in my life."
Hohnen Ford is a native of North London, by way of a brief stay in San Francisco where a next-door neighbour (who shared her house with a chatter of Parakeets) introduced her to her first instrument, the flute. From that colourful introduction, music seeped into Hohnen Ford’s world from almost every familial angle. A baptism into the world of Northern Soul came via her father; her mother flooded the house with classical piano pieces and the family has leaned into music’s healing qualities by reciting a grandfather’s favoured jazz repertoire to help him find calm in the stormy waters of dementia.
Hohnen Ford’s path almost inevitably led to the doors of The Royal Academy of music where she studied “Jazz Voice” (one of the few young women to do so). A self-confessed explorer, Hohnen Ford’s ambition is to “fill rooms around the world with people who want to be there, making them really feel something so they get lost in the music”.
Indie singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale announced today her new album Better By Now will release on September 30th through Nettwerk Music Group. A fearless new collection of songs, Brooke has both emboldened her sound on Better By Now as well as entered a new phase of life after making significant strides in her mental-health journey and saying “I do” to her wife. She also shared today the title track and official video for “Better By Now,” a stark reflection that merges personal emotions with the roller coaster of current events.
“I wrote this song in early January 2021,” stated Brooke. “We had literally just put the christmas tree out on the curb, and I felt this terrible sentimental feeling for it. This was also the same week as the Capitol attack. We had pushed through 2020, looking at 2021 as some kind of savior, but once it arrived nothing really changed. There was still the same intensely hostile political discourse and the pandemic continued raging on. It felt like things were getting worse somehow, when I hoped for it to be better by now. Reflecting on that time, it taught me that expecting a perfect external outcome will not lead to feeling better. I’ve got to do the internal work to have any kind of peace with the roller coaster of life.”
Produced by Christian “Leggy” Langdon (Joseph, Amos Lee) and Matthew E White (Natalie Prass, Dan Croll), Better By Now features 10 blossoming indie-pop tracks that Brooke describes as a “spectrum of emotions.” In her trademark layered approach, the Pittsburgh-born, Rhode Island-based artist reflects on love, anxiety, depression, and how two seemingly opposing forces can exist at once. “The album is basically half about falling in love and half about mental health.”
Today A. Johanson releases his single 'Fragments'. After 'Parade' and 'Your Eyes' it is the third track from his debut album 'Who Are We Fooling'.
Fragments' is a true dark indie song, reaching straight for the heart. "It’s about how your life can feel as if it is broken into pieces when things are not lining up" says A. Johanson. The song pulsates through all these emotions with haunting vocals, building up to a carefully arranged moving string section.
If he could, he would take you on a road trip through the Scandinavian nature while listening to his music. Slowly evolving roots music in the car, a little folk song by the fireplace in a wooden hut, soaked in melancholy. That's what A. Johanson sounds like, an indie folk artist from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Whether it's just him and his guitar, or a soundscape where you can dream away.
After releasing his self-produced, recorded and mixed debut EP 'Little Lies' at the end of 2019 and scoring a streaming hit in 2020 with the song 'October, Halfway July', A. Johanson started working on his first full-length record in early 2021. This debut album, 'Who Are We Fooling', is expected to be released in October 2022.
Veteran NYC-Based Singer Songwriter Paul Maged always has something profound to express, whether it's hard-hitting and politically charged or emotionally charged and positive. His hyper-catchy new single "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" leans towards the latter tendency, themed on gratitude and seizing the moment, a message we all could use right now. Paul's songwriting is about as versatile as they come, and this new single finds him stretching lyrically, musically, and generally in life as he finds the positive message within a space of doubt and fear. Paul's songwriting pedigree comes from artists like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Billie Joe Armstrong, all writers who evolve and adapt to modern times without shying away from speaking their truth. Effortlessly fresh, care-free, motivational and inspired, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the perfect anthem for these pessimistic times.
“After completing and releasing my last album, ‘Culture War’, I was emotionally spent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write or release any more music. At the same time I really started to reconnect to the energy of New York City. So many people wrote about the demise of NYC during the pandemic, saying it would never come back the same. But to me, it never left. I went to a bunch of my old stomping grounds and each one inspired something different in me. I started writing again and this song poured out of me in less than a couple of hours. Lyrically I wanted something that combined the romanticism and grittiness of NYC with feelings of positivity, love and gratefulness.”
“This new song has a real funky vibe. I wanted something different, not as hard-edged guitar wise. I wanted more of a groove, I wanted something that would emote toe taps and finger snaps.”
“I needed a fresh feel and vibe for this song so I wanted to work with someone new on the engineering side. I met Dan Konopka from the Grammy winning band ‘OK Go’ and we hit it off. Dan mixed and mastered the song and I feel like he captured the exact energy that I wanted”
Following his beguiling EP ‘II’ released earlier this year, the new cut sees Future Cavemen blend enigmatic riffs with wonky electronics that tingle with electricity and squirm amidst fuzzy reverb and jangling percussion.
“Battle Scars” owes to a range of retro influences whilst simultaneously making a break for the offbeat allure of the future. Written in a 1970s block of flats hemmed in by Clissold Park on one side and continuous building works on the other, Future Cavemen explains of the track’s inception:
“Recording new ideas was tricky because there were only small windows of time to make noise without disturbing neighbours or having my efforts swallowed by relentless engine noise. I was getting into mangling electronic stock beats and making them my own. Taking something pristine, tame, pretty lifeless .. And making it raw and energetic, violent.”
With words that are just as intriguing as its melodies, “Battle Scars” comes as further evidence of the solo artist taking steps beyond his comfort zone and exploring ways of writing and music-making that go far beyond the norm. He adds:
“Lyrics just seem to happen like a subconscious brainstorm. In that sense, the song sort of writes itself. Bukowksi once said: ‘Don’t try. Not for Cadillacs, creation or immortality.’ I find this comforting.”
On the heels of their April release ‘Dig Me Out’ - an emotional and heavy-hearted ode to the lost children of North American residential schools - Miesha & The Spanks are ready to shed some weight and break into summer with high energy new single ‘I Can’t Wait’.
Known for their bold and explosive sound, ’I Can’t Wait’ sees the pair deliver a fun and raucous slice of garage-rock gold, brimming with vibrant textures. Produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant and channelling their diverse array of power-pop and punk influences, this new release sees Miesha & The Spanks in renewed spirits - a taste of what’s to come as they work to complete their upcoming full length album.
On their new single, Miesha says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”
“I think writing I Can’t Wait had a particular challenge. It’s a song with so many good parts and it’s hard to not overplay on everything,” Sean elaborates on the recording process, “It would be fun to have rippin’ drum fills over all the pauses and screeching lead guitar over the chorus - but just getting out of the way of how the song naturally wanted to settle was the right thing to do.“
Pity-Me, UK’s finest, Martha (come on, you know who they are by now) return with a brand new 7”! The A side is called “Beat, Perpetual”. Warning: it’s catchy.
The B side is called “Dreaming Out Loud”, is a cover of Wisconsin rock band Tenement, and is exclusive to this EP. Warning: it’s also catchy. This 7” is a one-time only pressing of 500 copies (300 on black, 200 on blue), and will never, ever be repressed. Order it through Dirtnap Records.
"Beat Perpetual" was recorded at JT Soar Nottingham. It was produced by 'Bad' Phil Booth and mixed by Phil along with Rich Collins and Rob Newman. It was mastered by Dave Williams. The B side is a cover of a song by the Wisconsin rock band Tenement. That one was recorded by Neil Combstock at Rocking Horse in Durham, and mastered by Dave Williams.
WILDES just announced her debut album 'Other Words Fail Me' will be released on 7th October via AWAL. Produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) the album will feature previously released tracks "Lightly" and "Woman In Love" and this weeks newly released single "Far and Wide".
The solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Ella Walker, WILDES' music sonically falls somewhere in a Bermuda Triangle of Angel Olsen, St Vincent and Mazzy Star, embedded within an entrancing skeleton of folk songwriting, all the while lifting the listener up on a storm cloud of cinematic electronics and her sharp, honest lyricism. Citing the influence of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith and SASAMI on her new album, WILDES notes - "They are unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I'd been cowering in."
New single "Far and Wide" is released today alongside a new video directed by WILDES herself, with the music deftly showcasing her stronghold of emotional clarity. Specifically focusing on the importance of friendship in early adulthood, "Far and Wide" unites a delicate swell of electronic atmospherics, churning muted guitars and WILDES' serene vocal.
Of the song's lyrical inspiration, she said: "Far and Wide is a celebration of friendship. It reflects the madness and uncertainty of early adulthood and the constant change and turbulence we all go through. After neglecting them for a long time, I realised how constant and secure my friendships had become. They saved me, melting away my shame and holding me when I couldn’t cope. Banding together against our shared, frenzied existences, it dawned on me that these loving and intimate friendships were more valuable than any boyfriend had ever been. The constant support and unconditional love of these people is the reason I am here today. So this is a love letter to those friends who saved me - I would do anything for you."
Rowsie [pronounced rosy] sound like a car crash between Lou Reed, The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr, while listening to the best indie rock mixtape you made when you were seventeen… or still are. It was an idea sowed a long time ago in New York - but got lost due to the need to pay rent. Now, the rent is paid and Rowsie has been quietly building a buzz around central London and beyond. No longer an idea, just a whole lotta Rowsie.
Just back from a Spring tour of Mexico in support of Freddie Cowan of the Vaccines the band are on fire, and a full LP looks likely for 2022 amongst lots more live shows and a residency at The Social in London along with their residency at Sixty Sixty Sounds, Denmark Street.
This June saw the release of their second EP, four noble rock n roll anthems for modern times. Set closer and epic six minute plus beauty ‘Gaslight’ leads the charge while EP title ‘Searching’ and two other titles ‘Love So Clear’ and ‘Legs Of Sand’ implore you to further fall for this vagabond group of misfits conjured from what may be the ghost of Tom Petty.
If you’re not already acquainted Rowsie are an English baroque pop singer-songwriter, a Canadian filmmaking composer and one of London’s coolest teenage jazz drummers along with Brooklyn’s belated rock star Richie Rothenberg. They all were playing in different scenes, different genres, different genders, and different cultural generations. They make no sense together at all! But when they play together magical music alchemy ensues.
Massachusetts-based folk singer-songwriter Dan Pallotta is sharing the second single from his upcoming LP, American Pictures, out October 5th.
“Charity Town” connects directly to his career as a philanthropist, where Pallotta is sometimes asked to speak for local community foundations in towns that have lost their major economic drivers.
This track reflects empathetically on the resilience and loss endured by citizens of these towns, who Pallotta describes as “the people left behind when the future has moved on.”
Featuring percussion composed by Pallotta’s fourteen-year-old daughter, “Charity Town” is a rousing yet intimate piece of storytelling folk, capturing the reality of the circumstances that have befallen these communities.
Vancouver-based musician Syd Warwick released her latest single, “Mercury” yesterday, with a video directed by Nathalie Taylor. The track is featured on Warwick’s upcoming debut EP, Sad Astra, out August 26 release via Nevado Music.
Discussing the track, Warwick stated, “‘Mercury' is a journey through the grief that comes with processing family trauma, and the difficulty of having to cut ties with people that you love. Even though there’s fear, uncertainty and pain within the process of letting go, there’s also a first step towards empowerment—the kind that comes when we face the world as an individual, belonging to no one but ourselves.
‘Mercury’ is about being your own advocate, understanding the cyclical nature of abuse and trauma within a family system and remembering that you are so much more than where you come from. It serves as a reminder to put yourself first, else you may never be able to move forward and become the person that you’re meant to be."
For Warwick, songwriting has shaped her into the person she is today. Writing songs is how she expresses herself and processes the world. Creating Sad Astra has been a progression through healing, as she worked on older songs whose production eluded her and new songs that pushed their way into the world through her creative process. The hardship Warwick experienced in this creative endeavor was amplified by the difficulties of working during a global pandemic and uncertainty about whether or not the music industry would come out okay on the other side of it. For Warwick, being in a room with a friend to record these songs was one way through those hard times and to see them released feels like a triumph.
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