Paper Cameras - Elva - Eyreton Hall

Paper Cameras share some rich and powerful alt rock with 'We Hear Your Name' ahead of their new album due in a few days. The duo Elva are an absolute delight, we've featured Allo Darlin in the past and Elizabeth Morris's vocals can once again charm us as does Ola Innset with his pristine musicianship. Eyreton Hall provide us with a melodic and beautiful song that is steeped in folk sensibilities and crafted to a very high standard.

Paper Cameras -We Hear Your Name.

The Painted Light LP from Paper Cameras has been a long time coming and well worth the wait. The lo-fi polyphonic soundscape is full of ethereal harmonies reminiscent of the 90’s garage influenced rock scene that veteran Portland musician Michael Carothers helped form. The history of Paper Cameras began in 2005, when Carothers (Spectator Pump/All The Dead Horses/The Glib) conceived the project and began writing songs. Three years later, the E.P. Lost Weekend was born. The E.P. was recorded with longtime friend, Nashville’s Jerry Wayne Campbell (Spider Virus/Millionaire Magicians) and producer Sean Flora (Black Keys/Shins/Stephen Malkmus).

The following years Carothers took a brief hiatus from songwriting to open the successful Japanese restaurant, Miho Izakaya and spent the next half decade keeping sake flowing and quietly writing songs in his few spare hours. In 2014, with a renewed musical focus he sold his stake in Miho Izakaya and bought a Tascam 8 track cassette recorder and began new material with longtime friend, Portland musician Nathan Junior(Dandy Warhols, The Early Stuff, M. Ward, Duover, Sea Wolf) and artist and taxidermist Little Debbie Bartling sharing time behind the mic with Nathan Junior. The result was The Easy Wolves Sessions, a lo-fi mix of bubblegum psych pop. Later, in 2016 Nathan Junior and Carothers recorded the E.P. Mars Was Yesterday with producer Adam Selzer (Decemberists/Peter Buck/M. Ward/ Fleet Foxes) at Type Foundry Studios where Carothers’ vision began to take on an identity reflective of the kind of alchemy that comes from friendships and like minded musicians, highlighting the strength and creativity of each member.

Carothers, a native Tennessean, had known Tripp Lamkins (The Grifters/Dragoon) since the early days of famed the Memphis band The Grifters. Upon hearing about the Paper Cameras project, Tripp made his way to Portland, OR to record at Jackpot Studio with Tape Op founder Larry Crane (Elliott Smith/Sleater Kinney/ Go-Betweens/Thermals). They began tracking with no band rehearsal and recorded the record in just only two days. With rhythmic complexity and blended harmonies, the outcome is reminiscent of a lower-fi New Pornographers, Wedding Present, with hints of later Royal Trux. Larry Crane’s honest straight-ahead production style anchors the songs and would easily be in step with fans of Summer Cannibals.

This collaboration of veteran musicians came together more smoothly than they ever could have imagined. After the songs were instrumentally framed, Carothers brought painter Michelle Anne Muldrow to sing with Nathan Junior. The result became the EP Painted Light, due out in the fall of 2018 on No Night Travel. Painted Light floats within sonic range between 90’s garage influenced rock and inventive, harmony-laden 80’s power pop.

Look out for the Painted Light EP out March 8th on No Night Travel Records.

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Elva - Athens.

Elva is the new project of Allo Darlin’s Elizabeth Morris and Ola Innset, of the Norwegian bands Making Marks and Sunturns.

Winter Sun was recorded in the autumn of 2018 in an old school house in the Swedish forest, during moose hunting season. Meaning ”The River” in Norwegian, Elva take their inspiration from the natural world, the beauty of the Scandinavian summer and the harshness of the winter. Several of the songs on the album are tellingly inspired by the birth of Elizabeth and Ola’s daughter.

Some might feel the album is sonically most similar to the Allo Darlin’ album Europe, thanks in part to the lush string arrangements courtesy of long-time Allo Darlin’ collaborator Dan Mayfield on violin and cellist Ofelia Østrem Ossum. Michael Collins, who played drums in Allo Darlin’, recorded and produced the album, building on work he has done in recent years with artists like Metronomy and Girl Ray. Diego Ivars on bass and Jørgen Nordby on drums round out the band.

The sonic palate of the record is detailed and delicate, with a mix of acoustic and distorted guitars, vintage keyboards, strings and intricate vocal harmonies. Lyrically and melodically, the album showcases the depth of both Morris’s and Innset’s songwriting. At times recalling the gentleness and screech of American indie bands like Yo La Tengo, at other times the country-tinged heartbreak of Linda Ronstadt or Laura Veirs, Winter Sun is something of its own: a rich combination of polar opposites. Summer and winter, Australia and Norway.

Elizabeth says: ”I really wanted to make an album that had a nice mix of really quiet and gentle songs, together with the louder feedbacky stuff. It was great to be able to share songwriting duties with Ola, as finding time to write is trickier these days with a baby in tow, so it really took the pressure off to write all the songs myself. It also gives the album another dimension, and I have always loved bands with two songwriters, like The Go-Betweens. Hopefully we bring out the best in each other’s writing. But having less pressure on myself to write all the songs meant that the songs I could contribute felt worthy enough of having a place on the record.”


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Eyreton Hall - Weekend.

Kiwi, chamber folk duo Eyreton Hall share a whimsical new track 'Weekend' off their upcoming album Spaces, which is due out May 24 on Marigold Music.

Eyreton Hall will be celebrating the release of 'Weekend' with an intimate live show at 13th Floor on Sunday 3 March, with special support from Sophie Mashlan.

Long time partners in creativity and in life; musicians Andrew Keegan and Toni Randle make up the heart of folk/chamber pop outfit, Eyreton Hall. Blending wide influences ranging from European jazz to classical to contemporary singer-songwriters, Eyreton Hall bring it all under the warm umbrella of Folk, telling stories of upheaval and coping, love and loss. Shining through it all is the voice of Toni Randle; a talent that urges you to feel the power and emotion in every note, and like the best of voices, draws you in completely to the stories being woven in song. Couple with Andrew Keegan’s intuitive, steady drumming feel, they are a musical pair unmatched.

Stepping forward to the present, Eyreton Hall have crafted a new and stunning album about family, hope, loss and grief, Spaces.

Self-written and co-produced with Ben King (Goldenhorse, Grand Rapids), Spaces is an authentic songbook from Randle and Keegan - written in the depths of coping with loss and grief, recovery, and finding hope and new beginnings. The ten-track story is the hearty follow up to their debut album Featherstitch, which prompted love from niche folk blogs and journalists around the globe. Spaces was mixed by Simon Gooding (The Map Room) and mastered by Howard Rogers (Bring It On Studios).


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VOIID - Seatbelts - Wy - Junodream - Jonny Kosmo - Morabeza Tobacco

VOIID just cut to the chase with Vile, a punk fuelled song without the pretence, but armed with plenty of hooks. Seatbelts 'Spanish Songs' is a refined piece that mixes fine vocals, harmonies and a few spoken words whilst the refreshing musical backdrop adds more. The vocals on 'Softie' are gorgeous and distinctive ensuring Wy standout, as they tease us with this taste of the forthcoming album. Junodream offer some rhythmic indie rock with some sparkling guitar as 'Terrible Things That Could Happen' hits the spot. Jonny Cosmo's quirky video makes a good companion for 'Circus Of Dreams' a catchy vibrant song with plenty of charm. Morabeza Tobacco have a rich and expansive sound for just a duo, what's more their music is lush, melodic and just so dreamy.

VOIID - Vile.

Taking no prisoners with an authentic riot grrrl approach, VOIID's latest belter 'Vile' isn't too dissimilar from what has come before, instead acting as a vivid sign post for what's next.

The video is the ideal DIY affair, directed by Hey Aidan and capturing the band in their natural habitat while confronting the band's punk aesthetic accurately.

The band says of the song: "‘Vile’ is a song written about a personal experience that caused a lot of hardship and pain. While the lyrics convey negative connotations, they are relatable to a lot of situations people in their late teens can go through."


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Seatbelts - Spanish Songs.

Seatbelts have released their first track of 2019, ‘Spanish Songs’.  The second single from their forthcoming EP, ‘Please Slow Down’ - ‘Spanish Songs’ is a thrillingly upbeat and lively ode to the idea of a country. A gonzo-snapshot of way of life, which brings the band’s avant-pop influences to the fore. By using a male-female vocal arrangement, which dances from English to Spanish, Seatbelts tell of the relationships formed between people and place.

As with their previous release, multi-instrumentalist, Nick Branton (Dead Hedge Trio) joins Seatbelts, this time providing bright, mariachi-inspired cornet lines, over the excited “ba ba ba ba ba!” of the backing-vocalists. This joyful experimentation makes for layered, energetic choruses, showcasing an openness to the potential chaos of collaborative-songwriting. A process which Seatbelts’ seem eager to explore.

Towards the end of the track, we hear the lines: “Hay algo real, hay algo fácil, there’s something out there I’d like to find,” sung over drummer, Alex Quinn’s hypnotic beat, and Abi Woods’ (keyboard, vocals) sun-searching synth lines. It’s in this moment when we begin to feel the pull - the sizzling heat, the Spanish skies, the Sangría-drenched dream.

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Wy - Softie.

Swedish duo Wy have announced the follow up to last year's critically acclaimed, underground debut album 'Okay'; with their forthcoming LP 'Softie' - a highly personal, eleven track account from the pair (real names Ebba and Michel), due for release on 30th April via Hybris and Beatnik. With the release of their debut, Wy garnered the highest praise with comparisons to Slowdive, Cigarettes After Sex and Mazzy Star, and the new record is set to further cement their position as one of the most exciting bands around right now. In tandem with the news, they have released a new single; the album title track, which you can listen to via the link below.

This latest track release is loaded with vulnerability; it's a raw, spell-binding ode and apology to those on the receiving end of singer Ebba's bouts of depression. In her words, "Being really down makes me a jerk to people. But if I'm being a jerk to you that probably means I love you very much. It's very complicated."  The single follows the recently released 'Pavements'; a gritty, bold and electric release which was championed by Lauren Laverne at BBC 6Music and described by Consequence of Sound as "weaving atmospheric compositions and emotional lyricism".

The album is very much a statement on the turbulence of human existence, written from Ebba's experience of being bipolar. With their clarity in emotion and unapologetic use of lyrics, it's an important record in more ways than one. She explains, "'Softie' is an attempt at proving there is more than one way of being a functioning human being. The album is about coping, growing out of your fears, learning how to distance yourself from your anxieties and the ups and downs that comes with being bipolar. 'Softie' is ultimately about releasing the pressure from yourself and that's what we have been doing in the process of writing these songs. We ended up with a record that was turbulent, back and forth and non-conforming. And we love that, because it feels very 'us' and we really wanted our second album to hit you in the face rather than rock you to sleep."

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Junodream - Terrible Things That Could Happen.

Bristol born, and now London based band Junodream are announcing the release of their debut EP 'Terrible Things That Could Happen'; as well as sharing the first single and title track.

A 90s inflected indie rock cut bursting with vibrant guitar based instrumentation - the new single..."is a one way conversation between a couple in a car," explains the band's Dougal Gray. "Trying to get a response - by saying increasingly weird things - from someone too distant to listen. It's comical but also very sad."

Taking inspiration from artists such as Beck, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Pavement - the band have undergone many transformations over the years; recently "evolving into our superior form", as the band succinctly put it. That superior form is Junodream.

Having already surpassed over 1 million streams on Spotify, with no management or label backing, the band have also built up a heady live reputation in London in the short time they've existed as Junodream. Headlining venues such as The Pickle Factory and Bermondsey Social Club along the way - they've busied themselves self-recording and releasing various tracks over the past 12 months - the latest of which, their debut EP 'Terrible Things That Could Happen'. Due for self-release on 12th April, the EP was self-recorded by the band in an old cottage in Andover, using mattresses and pillows for soundproofing.


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Jonny Kosmo -- Circus of Dreams.

Jonny Kosmo shares new single/video "Circus of Dreams" with his forthcoming record out today.

Los Angeles artist Jonny Kosmo is no stranger to groove, most recently performing as the bassist for Los Angeles’ psych-pop synth outfit Mr. Elevator.  Steeped in pop-strange composition and a rich history of musical theater, Kosmo creates songs full of color, movement, and imagination all while keeping ears dosed in a palette of shimmery soul.

Kosmo’s solo debut demonstrates the dynamic hues and shapes his songwriting takes. The LP sees the invitation of funk/r&b idol Aldous RH, drummer Miles Wintner (Ian Sweet), synth-genius Tomas Dolas (Mr. Elevator/Thee Oh Sees), as well as a collaboration with Kassie Carlson (Guerilla Toss). Self-titled release Jonny Kosmo leaves the listener in soundscapes of wonderment and honeyed possibility. The album was recorded by seasoned producer Tomas Dolas at Studio 22 in Los Angeles California.


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Morabeza Tobacco - Ally McBeal.

Swedish duo Morabeza Tobacco have always been ones to repurpose cult TV shows into their music. With their previous single ‘Defenders Of The Glam’ taken from the 80s cartoon series Defenders Of The Earth, the pair now return with their latest release ‘Ally McBeal’, although it is not actually inspired by the hit TV show. 2018 was a blinding debut year for the band, culminating with Pitchfork naming previous single ‘TTYL’ in the Top 100 Tracks of 2018.

“We’re not sure actually [where the name came from]”, the band say. “We were talking about what to name the song, then ‘Ally McBeal’ popped up and both of us thought ‘yeah, that’s the one’. One theory we have is that we associated it with one of the lines in the song (‘it’s no big deal’ =Ally McBeal)”.

Stepping away from the more groove-filled singles of recent, ‘Ally McBeal’ looks to be the band’s more ethereal and psychedelic release, With notable comparisons to the likes of Animal Collective and Toro Y Moi, the single is filled with dreamlike synths and subtle yet commanding basslines that give this new release a very grand and cinematic-like experience.

Speaking about the creation of their latest track, the pair added, “All of it was pretty much written and produced one afternoon. The feel and the harmony were inspired by The Land Before Time, another one of those nostalgia trips. It’s probably the saddest song we’ve written so far. We have one song on the upcoming album that is another candidate in the competition of being the saddest song. Let’s hope that ‘Ally McBeal’ is gonna help some people open up their tear canals for a little cry that makes them feel better afterwards”.

‘Ally McBeal’ is set to feature on the group’s long-awaited new studio album, alongside a number of previously shared singles, adding “It’s going to be an album with eleven songs we have worked on for a long time and that are all unique. You can expect love ballads with wobbly synths, groovy tracks with mystique and our take on lo-fi pop”.


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Cat Princess - Guest Directors - Charlotte Cornfield

Cat Princess serve up a funky and vibrant slice of art rock with some dance along vibes for good measure. Guest Directors new E.P. covers a few rock genre bases, the bands musicianship is noteworthy, as their versatile material demonstrates. Charlotte Cornfield's 'Storm Cloud' is gorgeous, her vocals are beautiful, the lyrics intrigue, and the catchy nature of this song ensures a good few listens are likely.

Cat Princess - Sweet.

Uppsala quintet Cat Princess formed at a New Year's party and debuted only days after playing at guitarist Robin's birthday party. Singer Nils joined the gang after drummer Victor claimed Nils was "a diamond in the rough" of a front-man. Just as spontaneous as the band's birth are their music. Today the catchy Sweet is released, "an ode to the endless pursuit of peace" and the first single from Cat Princess' long-awaited debut album Forbidden Items.

Sweet comes a year after their last single, the retro banging Fly on Your Wall, which was followed by the band's debut London show and a support slot for synth legends OMD. It's a look into Cat Princess at their most dance-friendly and one of the brightest cuts from the upcoming LP which took a majority of 2018 to make. The result is an eclectic art rock mix consisting, equally put together by the bands' influences spanning from 80s new wave to contemporary greats.

Nils Krång, lyricist of the track, tells the story of Sweet: "Straight away in our catchy first single Sweet, the lyrics narrates from the point of view of a person that has regained their senses recently, from having had a long "black out". As sung through the lyrics, the experience shows itself through the return of the sense of vision, (night lights turned on, completely), the reflections of recent experiences (how long was I out for?), saying goodbye to the past (goodbye different time), amongst other themes that coincide with change happening in life, or coincide with being in a state of peace.

It's an ode to the endless pursuit of peace. Lyrics in the verses are moving forward quickly, then comes a more relaxed singing in the chorus, down in the groove with the instruments. Musically, Sweet is straight-on, funky, viby, dancy, feedback-y, a sunny tune with a puls-y, rhythmic, percussion section, punchy, moving drums, touchy cymbals, a cocky bass line, uniting with the vocals in the verses, catchy guitar tones beautiful enough to make unicorns cry, and dubbed vocals with crazy editing and effects. Just as good of a dance tune, just as good of a chilltune.

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Guest Directors - Dream the Currents (E.P).

Guest Directors’ spooky and soulful music evokes images of evergreen silhouettes, dreamy breezes, and the power of seemingly perpetual precipitation. Their third EP, “Dream the Currents,” is the next step in what has amounted to an annual progression of EPs demonstrating harmonic, rhythmic, and stylistic explorations that hover around a familiar sonic center.

These five songs span from Teenage Fanclub-like jangle, the reverb-drenched pop of The Cure, to some unexpected turns in the spirit of bands like Autolux. More shoegaze-adjacent than stalwart standard- bearers of the genre, Guest Directors' confident chemistry and ambitious spirit eschew typical routes in favor of new paths.

Their kaleidoscopic instrumentation is comprised of delightfully tangled Jazzmasters and moody vocals, as well as volatile drumming and propulsive bass work. The group has mastered its musical surveillance, recognizing each bit of sonic space as an opportunity for attention, examination, and artful refinement. Collaborative songwriting unveils surprises, especially on key tracks "Parachute On" and "Minor Mendings”.

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Charlotte Cornfield - Storm Clouds.

“You free yourself when you take away the script,” says Toronto songwriter Charlotte Cornfield. “That’s where this record came from, dismantling patterns and embracing the process.” Cornfield’s third full length, The Shape of Your Name, is set to arrive in Spring 2019 via Outside Music imprint Next Door Records. The album has a more honed studio sound than her scrappier 2016 release Future Snowbird, and for good reason: it was recorded in 5 different sessions over the course of 3 years. The songs are her strongest and most striking to date – contemplative and contemporary, funny and heart-wrenching – and they’ve got that stuck-in-your-head-for-days quality that Cornfield is known for. The Shape of Your Name features a star-studded cast of collaborators including (but not limited to) Grammy-winning engineer Shawn Everett, Broken Social Scene members Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin, and Montreal songwriter Leif Vollebekk.

“My initial intention wasn’t to make a record at all,” Cornfield muses. “The whole thing kind of happened by accident. I went to The Banff Centre to do a residency and came out with these recordings that I knew I wanted to use for something but wasn’t sure what.” She brought the unfinished songs to her former roommate Nigel Ward in Montreal. “He fell into the producer role seamlessly,” says Cornfield. “We took it slow and just tried things for a while until the vision settled in. There was no rush. It was freeing, and it gave the songs a lot of breathing room to develop.”

For the past four years Cornfield has been booking and managing Burdock Music Hall, a small venue in the west end of Toronto. The job has offered her stability and a strong sense of place in Toronto’s bursting-at-the-gills music community. She’s also an in-demand drummer and side musician, and has worked closely with Tim Darcy of Ought, Molly Burch, Adrian Underhill, and members of Lake Street Dive. She has toured extensively in North America and Europe and has supported a huge range of artists including Broken Social Scene, Anais Mitchell, Daniel Romano and Sam Amidon.


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Fragile Animals - Tullycraft - Pure Bathing Culture

We have featured Fragile Animals just once before back in 2017 and the new song 'Come Down' makes for a pleasing return, as the trio mix indie pop and rock styles together in a dreamy manner. In December we shared the video for 'Passing Observations' from Tullycraft. We now have a couple more music videos from the new album (The Railway Prince Hotel) of which we previously commented - "the band seemingly tear their way through the album with some highly original indie pop songs, that consistently have the bands unique and adorable sound". Another band making their second appearance on Beehive Candy is Pure Bathing Culture. Their honed and polished indie based music has feeling, originality and plenty of variety.  

Fragile Animals - Come Down.

Following the warm reception late last year of single 'Landing', Sunshine Coast-based dreamy rockers Fragile Animals reveal stunning new single 'Comedown', stepping closer to the release of their forthcoming EP - but more on that soon.

For the particularly observant followers of Australian indie music, Fragile Animals have proven to be a rare treat coming out of the Sunshine Coast and seemingly ready for the big stage. Since 2017 when they released their first single 'Signals' and subsequent EP Light That Fades, their star has steadily grown and led to this point. 'Comedown' precedes a full EP release and is a subtly hooky highlight of the piece with an uncanny familiarity that ropes you in immediately.

Frontwoman Victoria Jenkins says of the song: "It was a song I’d sing in my head while I was gritting my teeth or dead-eye staring my way through my day job. It was written about how it feels coming down after something good happened with the band and having to fall back into ‘reality’. I seriously hate that feeling."

'Comedown' is the second track lifted from their forthcoming second EP (due for announce in the next couple of weeks) and is yet another meticulously executed affair  produced by local Sunshine Coast producer Elliot Heinrich (Ayla, High Tropics) at Heliport Studios in Buderim. It's simply the perfect follow-up to their previous efforts and subsequent achievements. It's anything but a retread of paths once followed. Instead, it's the graduation with flying colours every band looks to strike upon. It's a luscious layering of shimmering guitars with Jenkins' subtle yet hooky melodies at the forefront - part indie pop, part shoegaze paragon.

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Tullycraft - It's Not Explained, It's Delaware / Has Your Boyfriend Lost His Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?

Tullycraft is known for writing indie pop anthems. Over the years they've penned a handful of songs that practically define the twee movement in America. The chorus "Fuck me, I'm Twee!" was the refrain that launched a thousand t-shirts, “The Punks Are Writing Love Songs” introduced bratty punk to hummingbird twee, and "Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend’s Too Stupid to Know About" encapsulated an entire music scene in a single song. And yet despite this, for most, the band exists somewhere near the edges of obscurity.

Occasionally they receive a nod, like when their song “Superboy & Supergirl” was featured in the critically acclaimed Netflix series The End of the F***ing World, but these spotlights don’t tend to happen as frequently as one might think.

While the mainstream has largely ignored Tullycraft, their status in the indie pop underground is undeniable. Formed in 1995, they are considered to be one of the genuine pioneers of the American twee pop movement. Touring relentlessly during the last gasp of the truly independent indie-underground, they influenced countless young bands. They were once called “the Johnny Appleseed of Indie Pop - making their way across the country, leaving new bands, promoters, zines and record labels to sprout up in their wake." In recent years the band has stopped performing live, instead shifting their focus to their personal lives, while still writing and recording music together.

The Railway Prince Hotel is Tullycraft’s seventh album, their first since 2013’s Lost in Light Rotation. This new batch of songs sees Sean Tollefson and Jenny Mears continue to share most of the vocal duties, while long time musical stalwarts Chris Munford and Corianton Hale create most of the music. It would be selling Tullycraft short to say that The Railway Prince Hotel picks up where their last album left off. These new songs have a modestly different sound, somewhat due to the fact that long-time drummer (and original Tullycraft member) Jeff Fell, doesn’t make an appearance, but also because of the fresh approach the band took to recording this record. Equipped with lyrics, vocal melodies and rough bass lines (provided by Tollefson) the band composed many of the new songs from the ground up in the studio. This was an untried approach for Tullycraft. The result is an extraordinary album of 12 ultra-catchy, whip-smart gems that take aim at everything from failed relationships to the danceability of Billy Joel songs.

Throughout the album the music has an exciting urgency which is likely attributed to both the band’s spontaneous recording process and the enthusiasm each member brought to the new material. Are the wonderfully snarky, self-referential indie pop lyrics still here? Of course they are, this is Tullycraft after all. A deep dive into the lyrics uncovers an embarrassment of obscure indie references to be discovered. It’s hard to imagine a band or artist genuinely hitting their stride on their seventh outing, but much like Achtung Baby (U2’s 7th album) or Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan’s 7th album) somehow Tullycraft has hit the sweet spot between deliberate and daring. The result is a truly great batch of songs. With standout tracks like “Passing Observations,” “Has Your Boyfriend Lost His Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?” and the much too short “Lost Our Friends to Heavy Metal” – the question needs to be asked: Could The Railway Prince Hotel be Tullycraft’s true masterpiece? Honestly, it very well could be.



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Pure Bathing Culture - Devotion.

Pure Bathing Culture have announced their first original release since 2015. New album Night Pass will be released April 26 on Infinite Companion. The highly anticipated, third studio album is the most distinguished demonstration of this Portland duo's intensely unique musical identity to date. Over the course of their young but eventful career, vocalist Sarah Versprille and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Hindman have done more than establish a sound; they've honed a sonic virtue.

Night Pass emerged from emotional tumult as the band parted ways from their label and team in quick succession. In a perplexing professional moment, the duo discovered a safe haven in the studio of friend and producer Tucker Martine (REM, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Spoon). With Tucker, Sarah and Daniel transformed dramatic change into creative power. The indie pop pioneers' spirit of resilience beats through ten impassioned tracks, exploding into songs like “Devotion,” a danceable canticle in praise of partnership.

Beginning in May, Pure Bathing Culture will embark upon support tours for Lucius and American Football before headlining a run down the West Coast.

Night Pass is preceded by hard-earned reputation. Pure Bathing Culture have worked with legendary producers Richard Swift and John Congleton, toured extensively with Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Lucius by headliners' personal request, and contributed to studio albums for Damien Jurado, Foxygen and Jessie Baylin among others. Tennis' Alaina Moore perfectly articulates the band's level of indie world renown: "As a fan, I can’t even feign objectivity … they have made a cult following out of the biggest names in indie."


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The Curls - Wovoka Gentle - The Underground Youth - Malihini - Post Louis

With a steady rhythmic vibe The Curls interact beautifully in terms of musicianship, add in the melodic dual vocals and this psych pop song is extremely catchy. We featured Wovoka Gentle a couple of times last year and their return with 'Sin Is Crouching At Your Door' where psychedelic vibes are everywhere on this charmer. The Underground Youth deliver some solid rock and roll where the distinct vocals swirl above the momentum adding some angst and emotion. Malihini offer us some refreshingly creative lo-fi pop, where the hooks gradually work their way in deep. It's getting on for a year ago when Post Louis were featured here twice, and the new song is another good one, where the musical textures are fabulous as are the vocals and harmonies.  

The Curls - Isn't It Funny (ft. Sophagus).

Chicago, Psych-Pop band The Curls have shared their new single "Isn't It Funny". The track features experimental artist Sophagus on lead vox and is one of the band's first songs solely written by their multi-instrumentalist Jen Marhsall. It was produced by long time collaborator Michael Mac.

The sextet group, led by vocalist and guitarist Mick Fansler, is comprised of Jenny Marshall on keys/trumpet/saxophone, Rami Atassi on guitar, Anna Holmquist on vocals, Matt Puhr on bass, and Carl Swoveland on drums. As they continuously experiment with blending genres, their music has been labeled Psych Pop, Art Rock, Nu-Angular Guitar and even Hardcore Experimental Power Adult Contemporary.

Following their 2017 debut full-length album Super Unit, The Curls will be releasing their sophomore album Bounce House out April 2019 on Diversion Records. The Curls are slated to play their first SXSW shows in March.

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Wovoka Gentle - Sin Is Crouching At Your Door (Radio Edit).

London trio Wovoka Gentle have announced the release of their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' on 7th June through Nude Records.

After releasing singles '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', which was included in the official soundtrack of FIFA 19, and 'Peculiar Form of Sleep' at the end of last year, they share a new track from their upcoming debut. Of 'Sin is Crouching At Your Door', a psychedelic piece of cinematic experimental pop, the band say : "It could maybe be seen as the soundtrack to a sense of dread, a sense of being out of control. Tuning all the strings of your guitar to D and thrashing as hard as you can to try and regain the feeling that things can make sense. You then look within yourself, though, only to find desolation and destruction disguised as creativity; the metropolis has been bombed by individuals, and the only escape hatch down below leads to the middle of the waste land. Hopefully you don’t end up where you began."

The track comes accompanied by a video directed by Lies Scheps. The director said: "Working on this video with Wovoka Gentle, it was the song's build up of energy that immediately drew me towards it. As we all loved the idea of working with a dancer to emphasise this energy, we brought in choreographer Franka Marlene Foth to work with us. The band and I share a love for colour, so we turned the video into a playful outburst of colour and movement".


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The Underground Youth - Last Exit To Nowhere

On March 29th, Berlin via Manchester outfit The Underground Youth  will be releasing their ninth album, Montage Images of Lust & Fear, on Fuzz Club Records and it’s undoubtedly their most sincere work in an extensive, decade-long discography with which they’ve picked up a cult following across the globe – made evident in their millions of YouTube streams and relentless international touring. Following the album announcement just over a month ago, The Underground Youth are now sharing the second single from the album 'Last Exit To Nowhere'. Talking about the track, vocalist/guitarist Craig Dyer explains: "In an album divided between images of lust and fear, 'Last Exit To Nowhere' deals with the latter. Like the civil unrest and violence on the streets, as reported by the news, it's raw, fast and aggressive."

‘Montage Images of Lust & Fear’ is The Underground Youth’s most intense and honest record yet - in the ambitious songwriting and live recording (a first for the band), as well as the lyrical subject matter. Talking about the album, Craig explains “Montage Images of Lust & Fear is inspired by the succession of experiences we are increasingly dealt by the  media. Sex, violence, love, suspicion, desire, distress, etc. The album acts as a montage itself, the subject of each song dealing with an aspect of either lust or fear. Like flicking through the channels on a television. Until in the end you are overcome by white noise. Static.”

In its rawest moments (‘The Death of the Author’, ‘Blind II’), The Underground Youth’s haunting post-punk melancholia recalls the abrasive banshee-like noise of The Birthday Party and Suicide; jagged, shrieking guitars twist and turn as Craig Dyer’s dour vocals jerk from morose and impassioned to macabre screams. Though this is an album of two sides; the more intense and challenging songs punctuated by heartfelt and solemn ballads (‘Too Innocent To Be True’, ‘This Anaesthetised World’) that are aided by the additional lap steel guitar of Kristof Hahn (Swans) who plays on six of the album’s nine songs.

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Malihini - If U Call.

Lo-fi pop duo Malihini, a.k.a. Rome-based Giampaolo Speziale and Federica Caiozzo, have unveiled their new track 'If U Call', taken from their forthcoming debut album 'Hopefully, Again' (out through Memphis Industries on 8th March). ‘If U Call’, produced by Richard Formby (Ghost Poet, Wild Beasts) sees a lover’s plea get a stark domestic reality check (“If you call, my heart will go on dreaming / But my mum is betting that you won’t come”), as Federica explains:

“The song is about the beginning of a relationship, with grown-up behaviours hiding teenage feelings. She speaks to herself, asking him not to play games, and she doesn't want to be taken for granted. We wrote the synth refrain on the little toy Yamaha we used to write half of the songs on this album and recorded the vocals after a few drinks. It felt totally right and we tried to preserve that mood on the following recording sessions at Giant Wafer studios with Richard.  We played around on the modular synth with Richard to add some deep bass and replaced the original toy synth with our Korg faux horns”.

Malihini, which means ‘newcomers’ in Hawaiian, deal exclusively in the music of lived experience and time-honed emotional intelligence, their disarming musical universe never less than distinctive, yet resonating with a confessional, modern European pop sophistication of a kind elsewhere purveyed by the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jose Gonzalez and Our Broken Garden. Listening to the ten co-written songs that grace Malihini’s exquisite debut longplayer , 'Hopefully, Again', can sometimes feel like eavesdropping on a couple’s intimate emotional dialogues, such is the ingenuous honesty of the duo’s writing. Yet combined with their minimal, yet opulently textured arrangements crammed with subtle melodic hooks and an embarrassment of earworm choruses, they transform the personal into the universal with a delightfully unforced eloquence.


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Post Louis - Ghostwriter.

As spring starts to emerge, Post Louis have revealed a brand-new nostalgic pop gem, Ghostwriter. Originally a secretive late night phone recording by Robbie, this is the only Post Louis song for which he wrote most of the lyrics. The track then grew limbs when he shared it with the band. Robbie’s brother, guitarist Andy, sings lead vocals. His warm, sonorous, slightly ironic delivery embodies a pop sensibility and marks the track out as unique among Post Louis’s output. Bright 12-string guitars are layered with overdriven electrics while Mattis and Adam’s snapping rhythm parts underpin the track, crunching like gravel underfoot. On the recording Stephanie’s voice gently joins Andy’s as the band flirts with the form of classic male/female duets. As the song continues, her lines soar above his, exorcising the ghostwriter.

Discussing the song, Robbie said: “We sometimes think of Ghostwriter as the tracing or impression left behind by the rest of the tracks on the album we have been making. This ghostwriter is hiding in the shadows, shot through with hope and self-doubt, striving to tell someone else's story as a means of staving off his own collapse. It's a song about what it is to fabricate a life.” The lyrics reflect this, highlighting the interdependency between the writer and their subject: “ This past year I’ve been the ghostwriter who hides and slides and thinks he can cope I know my subject, my servant owes me everything but maybe that’s not enough”

Previously Post Louis released two EPs and a standalone single to immense critical acclaim. Following this and a European tour, they retreated to work on a long-player. This is a slow-burn, collective project built on intimacy, trust and patience. Robbie and Andy are brothers. Stephanie’s brother helps to produce their music. Mattis works at the beautiful, cavernous Norwegian church seen in Post Louis’ press shots. A base for many local musicians and a hive of performances and creativity, the church has been home for both Mattis and Adam and acts a second home and studio space for the whole band.

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Social Gravy - The Dream Syndicate - Historian

Social Gravy craft some excellent West Coast rock as is demonstrated by two fine songs that just get on with rocking in an unpretentious way. Spoken word, psychedelic vibes, and atmosphere are everywhere on The Dream Syndicate's 'Black Light' a gorgeous and hypnotic song. The new album from Historian is full of imaginative songs, where folk music of sorts is taken in all directions from psych to indie, and the quality throughout is notable.

Social Gravy - Let It Out / California.

This is the story of a Belarusian and a Britt who met in downtown Los Angeles. Two foreigners who live in the epicenter of contemporary pop culture, creating quintessential West Coast rock, spun from the same cloth as Hotel California.

Brad Kohn and Vee Bordukov’s collaboration started in 2014, with a couple of song ideas and jam sessions. When the duo realized that they shared a mutual love of melodic rock and luscious harmonies, they started work on their debut album—2017’s Behind Every Yes, an engaging and varied collection of songs that showcased their soulful sensibilities and smart, snappy hooks.

Brad Kohn is an award-winning producer, songwriter, artist and engineer has been playing music all his life, starting with the piano at six years old. Ten years later, he was fronting a band on the London circuit. The talented musician’s production skills have seen him work with some of the industry’s biggest names, including Foo Fighters and Neil Young (via Global Citizen) and The Prodigy along with drum and bass luminaries like Pendulum, Chase and Status and Liam Bailey.

With rock ‘n’ roll music being the dangerous thing in Belarus—then a part of the Soviet Union—it’s no surprise that the adventurous Vee Bordukov rebelled against the gray status quo and fell in love with the forbidden fruit. The guitarist’s influences are rooted in classic solos from Jimi Hendrix while mixing up the bluesy passion of artists like Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale, spiced up with a love of the social commentary of The Kinks, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan.

Their newest project, the digital 7” California / Let it Out, was recorded at the infamous EastWest Studios in Hollywood and pays tribute to their love of West Coast tunage, particularly the honeyed hooks of The Eagles and Tom Petty.


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The Dream Syndicate - Black Light.

Los Angeles’s The Dream Syndicate is thrilled to announce 'These Times', their second album of new music since their 2012 reunion nearly thirty years after they first influenced California’s Paisley Underground scene. Watch mysterious creatures move through the psychedelic “Black Light” in the album’s first new song and video.

“When I was writing the songs for the new album I was pretty obsessed with Donuts by J-Dilla,” lead singer and songwriter Steve Wynn explained. “I loved the way that he approached record making as a DJ, a crate-digger, a music fan wanting to lay out all of his favorite music, twist and turn the results until he made them into his own. I was messing around with step sequencers, drum machines, loops—anything to take me out of my usual way of writing and try to feel as though I was working on a compilation rather than ‘more of the same’. You might not automatically put The Dream Syndicate and J-Dilla in the same sentence, but I hear that album when I hear our new one.”

If 2017’s 'How Did I Find Myself Here' was a 10pm record, all swagger and cathartic explosion, then These Times is the 2am sibling, moodier and more mercurial with the band acting as DJs of their own overnight radio station as the listener drifts off into dreams and wonders the next morning if any of it was real.

The Dream Syndicate recorded 'These Times' once again at Montrose Studios in Richmond, Virginia. Co-produced by John Agnello (Phosphorescent, Waxahatchee, Hold Steady, Dinosaur Jr.), Wynn wrote all of the song’s lyrics in the studio after the band finished tracking, so that the words would be dictated by the sound rather than the other way around. This process contributed to the urgency of the album’s title.

“These Times. That’s it. It is all we’re talking about, all we’re thinking about. There is no avoiding the existential panic of a world that’s hurtling somewhere quickly, evolving, and shifting course by the hour.  It seems like a lie to not address or reflect the things that we can’t stop thinking about—the whole world’s watching indeed. The lyrics are just a mirror of the dread, panic, mania, speculation, melancholy and ultimately shrugging abandonment that just might follow. It’s just all about where we are.”


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Historian - Hour Hand (Album).

LA-based psych folk outfit Historian has always made music that is diametrically opposed ‘what’s happening’ in the local scene. “I’m obsessed with making albums in an era of streaming songs and playlists” says band spearhead Chris Karman. “I actually feel more comfortable when our music is a little out of step with the its surroundings.”

The name Historian was originally put forth as a moniker for Karman, whose encyclopedic knowledge of music became a party trick of sorts amongst the band. “It was so on the nose, it began feeling obtuse enough to encompass our sound” Karman reflects. After a defining moment lying on a beach during clear Maui night listening to OK Computer, Karman made a pledge to start recording, in hopes to capture something just as strange and mind altering.  The band began releasing material in 2013, dropping a series of striking albums, all tied together by Karman’s unfailing dystopian aesthetic.

Shelf Life, Current and Expanse drew positive nods from LA Buzzbands, Impose & Austin Town Hall along with opening slots for notable acts like Haunted Summer and Globelamp. 2018’s Distant Wells, found the band exploring even stranger waters with Bitches Brew-esque folk rock and melancholic mellotron-laiden ballads. Outlets like The Big Takeover, Culture Collide and God Is In The TV all praised it’s experimental nature, fanning the flames of Historian’s cult following.

Hour Hand is the sister release to Distant Wells, and while it was recorded during the same session, the new LP operates as a leaner, more insular companion piece. There is ethereal folk, and mind bending orchestration with the now signature implementation of Quartetto Fantastico (whose members have worked with everyone from Father John Misty to Flying Lotus.) Possibly the strangest thing about the release is that Karman’s vision seems to now fall in step with the current cultural and political atmosphere.  “The American empire is slowly crumbling in front of us” Chris asserts. “Is it an ending or are we entering a new cycle? I don’t pretend to know.”

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The Astronots - Skye Wallace - Boo Boo Davis

The Astronots share a feisty and powerful rocker softened only by the more melodic layered vocals. Skye Wallace keeps the momentum going with a tornado of pure rock and roll, with storming vocals to match. Boo Boo Davis has been featured on Beehive Candy accompanying The Electro Blues Society, now we have some fresh material from him, where his superb blues vocals and musicianship can be sampled with five songs from the forthcoming album.

The Astronots - Settle Down.

The new single from The Astronots. ‘Settle Down’ narrates the feeling of anxiety and being trapped inside yourself. Featuring resonating guitars, throbbing basslines and eerie layered vocals the track truly packs a punch.

The Astronots are an American rock’n’roll outfit, spearheaded by its founding members, Niko Giaimo (Vocals/Guitar) and Allee Futterer (Vocals/Bass). The two are established musicians in their own right. Futterer has had years of cutting her musical teeth, backing some of the biggest names in the Los Angeles music scene, while Giaimo was an integral member of the scoring team behind productions such as Dexter and Dishonored II. The two come together on The Astronots, combining elements of their quintessential Los Angeles upbringing, classic rock, and west-coast cool. Now completed by guitarist Eddie Campbell, the group continues to wow audiences across the nation.

Inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Alabama Shakes and Kings of Leon, the trio have crafted an EP oozing with gritty guitars, explosive percussion and raw energy. The highly anticipated Cotati is brought to life through its organic instrumentation and authentic lyricism. “We really wanted to capture something honest. The songs cover a variety of issues.. school/public mass shootings, anxiety, drinking, love, pain, passion, cheating.. I think we managed to create individual genuine stories in each song. I think the theme would be honest perspective on many of life’s challenges”, they reveal.

Leading single ‘Settle Down’ narrates the feeling of anxiety and being trapped inside yourself. Featuring resonating guitars, throbbing basslines and eerie layered vocals the track truly packs a punch. ‘El Dorado’ further showcases the band’s signature sound of rawkus rock’n’roll with vibrating soundscapes and raspy vocals.

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Skye Wallace - Coal In Your Window.

I wrote this song in a building in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland that used to be an old cottage hospital (Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital / Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Center). It was inspired by a story I heard about one of the young folks that used to work in the hospital and the boy that would throw coal at her window at night to beckon her down to their meeting place in the boiler room.

“Coal In Your Window” may be about a specific story, but it’s a truly universal concept of jittery, passionate love and doing whatever it takes to access that fire that another person ignites in you. I wanted to evoke an excited, dangerous, lustful energy that gets the heart pumping.

I’m so excited to put my new record out. It’s been a long time in the making – between writing it during two residencies in Newfoundland and the Yukon, and recording it in Toronto and Montreal. I am fiercely proud of the result. We’re going to tour the heck out of it this year to make sure it reaches as many ears as possible!


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Boo Boo Davis - Tree Man.

After a string of single releases of famous blues covers on KuvVer Recors it’s now time again for Boo Boo to release a new and ‘all original’ album.

Like most of the previous recordings with Boo Boo we captured everything live in one room without any overdubs.

Ten brand new songs and one new version from a song that was released earlier in 2002.

The title of the new album is TREE MAN and it will be out on Black and Tan Records just before the upcoming European tour in March 2019.


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Native Harrow - Benedict Benjamin - Alice Phoebe Lou - Lowland Hum - Grace Acladna - Kuri

We begin today with Native Harrow and her gorgeous new video for 'Happier Now' a superb and natural indie folk song. Benedict Benjamin share's a fresh and unpretentious rocker with the emphasis on melodic hooks and an upbeat pace. At the time of writing this, Alice Phoebe Lou's new video for 'Galaxies' has already had close to forty thousand views, which is unsurprising, both the song and the video are sublime and totally moreish. We have featured Lowland Hum just once before and they are more than welcome back with this subtle and catchy albeit rather short modern folk song. Grace Acladna mixes quite differing genres together in style, in what is a very pleasing, original and refreshing song. We finish today's round up with Kuri and an original sounding and catchy folk based song, I say 'based' as it morphs comfortably beyond that genre, sounding really good as it does so.

Native Harrow - Happier Now.

Indie folk-pop artist Native Harrow, out of New York's Hudson Valley, has released the official video for the title track off their forthcoming record Happier Now via Different Time Records.

"’Happier Now’ is essentially my own anthem," says singer-songwriter Devin Tuel. "I had this very powerful year of touring and making things happen for myself and feeling like I was getting out from under the waves, but people close to me would still say, ‘Do you ever sing any happy songs? Why are you so sad?’ and I think that that is such a shallow thought to have about any art."

"My songs aren’t meant to crush people, but I live in reality and sadness and struggle have a lot to do with the reality of the human experience. So 'Happier Now' is me saying I could be happier if it makes you feel good, but I won’t because this is who I am, these are my songs, and I like them melancholic."


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Benedict Benjamin - Aint Easy.

Benedict Benjamin is Ben Rubinstein, formerly of The Mariners Children and Peggy Sue. He has just released ‘Ain't Easy’, the first single from his forthcoming album ‘Truant,’ a driving and melodic piece of sixties influenced garage rock.

After writing and recording his debut, Ben turned to a more full band sound for his second album. The early sixties Everly Brothers influences are still present in the melodies, but now there is an urgency and grit to the instrumentation that sits somewhere between The Velvet Underground and Tom Petty or more recent forbears such as Kevin Morby and Angel Olsen.

Speaking on the release of 'Ain't Easy', Benedict said: "This song's about how much work you’ve got to put into anything in order to make it work. It’s about how hard it sometimes is just to keep things afloat and not pack it all in. You go through good spells where everything is great and bad spells where everything feels crap and difficult. When you’re in one of the latter you either persevere or you just give up, and this song’s about the persevering."

His songs undercut the dream-like beauty of early sixties pop music with lyrics both frank and poetic, creating a powerful Lynchian duality that makes the heart swell and the head spin.


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Alice Phoebe Lou - Galaxies.

Having been ensconced in the studio working on her forthcoming album, Paper Castles, Alice Phoebe Lou is pleased to release the new single, "Galaxies."

South African singer-songwriter, Alice has just announced a series of live shows in Europe, as well as North America, having sold out two Cape Town shows in February, which pre-empts her forthcoming album due 8th March. Overseen by Grammy winning producer Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom), "Galaxies" follows previous track, "Skin Crawl," described by The FADER as ‘powerful and stunning,’ and is once again accompanied by visuals that portray Lou’s charm and elegant fragility.

The track, as Alice herself explains, “Happened on a rainy moody day in Berlin, my friend Harry Charles & I wrote this song while lying on the carpet of my room. Space had become such a theme in my life & music, not in a scientific way but more in a metaphorical sense; drawing parallels between a planet in the expansive universe & the way that one's tiny & seemingly insignificant existence interacts with the world.

This song is about being nothing & everything. Abut being overwhelmed by the weight of existence while simultaneously being in awe & wonder of it all. 'Galaxies' came to life the first time we played in the Planetarium in Berlin; we've played 13 shows there now & every time I see the visuals come to life & the audience being swept away by the combination of the song with the projections of flying through the galaxies, the song makes so much sense”.


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Lowland Hum - A Drive Through the Countryside.

Lowland Hum have shared a new single from their highly anticipated new album Glyphonic out May 10. Titled "A Drive Through the Countryside," the song is a serene rumination on nature's expanse with ominous undertones. The band tell us, "This one stems from a poem Lauren wrote after feeling both moved and disturbed by the beauty of a drive through the countryside in rural VA. It explores the glory of the landscape here and the horrors of our local history as it relates to slavery and exploitation."

Lowland Hum tour about 200 days out of the year and have done so with the likes of Josh Ritter, The Oh Hellos and more. The indie pioneers will headline a national album release tour this spring including key stops in Nashville, Los Angeles and and New York City. Shows begin this month and the full list of dates is below.

Today's release follows critically hailed singles including "Salzburg Summer," "Raise The Ring" and "Slow," all of which have proven to be steadily infectious. Since album announcement, Lowland Hum have shared the new music at captivating sessions like Paste Studios and City Winery and garnered attention from enthused tastemakers including Billboard, Garden and Gun, Popmatters, Atwood Magazine and more. Glyphonic is the band's fourth studio album and a masterful exploration of the power of restraint, to be released May 10.


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Grace Acladna - When I Saw You.

Grace Acladna, producer, singer, song writer and multi instrumentalist from Hounslow, London has released her long-awaited new single 'When I Saw You'. The first single to be lifted from new EP 'Phonophobia' out this Spring via Hometown Records, Grace has a unique pop sound of her own - fusing nu-house, soca, electronica and dub; partly inspired by her Egyptian, English and Bajan heritage.

Self-produced and written by Grace - ‘When I Saw You’ was written at a time when she had found herself part of a friendship group of overly serious and self conscious people.

"It was really hard to have fun without looking over your shoulder to see who was judging you for it," Grace said. "For me - fun and liberty go hand in hand - so finally I met someone who encouraged me to love and dance freely. This song is a celebration of that relationship and every joyful encounter I’ve had since."

Speaking on the video accompaniment, Grace said: "Our idea behind the video was to convey the soul of the song in an unadulterated way that didn’t take itself too seriously. I was looking at clips of Anna Karina dancing in ‘Vivre sa Vie’ & ‘Bande à part’ as my inspiration for being carefree and not letting anything or anyone steal away your confidence or joy."


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Kuri - Sort Sol.

The new single from British Columbia artist Kuri is entitled 'Sort Sol'. The cinematic folk tune features sweeping acoustic guitars, Irish laced fiddles and harmony rich soundscapes. Reminiscent of Sigur Rós meets Fleet Foxes, ‘Sort Sol’ combines earthy traditional folk and chamber pop for a stunning release.

Though he may be a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, Kuri chiefly describes himself as “an observer.” His keen insight and sonic curiosity thread together an intriguing framework of carefully constructed and composed alternative on 2018’s debut Human Nature EP [Nevado Music] and the forthcoming 2019 debut album. The foundation remains rooted in organic performances, classically infused orchestration, jazzy freeform spirit, cinematic ambition, and ultimately inspired observation.

“I like to watch, analyze, and create systems in my brain,” he affirms. “As a solo artist, I enjoy the freedom to express exactly what I want by drawing on what I see.”

Born and raised Scott Currie in the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, he found himself constantly looking outward. The small Mennonite community he grew up in incited “a sense of questioning everything to figure out why we do what we do.” As the youngest of four brothers, mom bought him a drum set to jam with his guitarist siblings. Soon, he transitioned from behind-the-kit to an old piano in the house by the age of twelve. After a string of high school bands, he founded Oh Village and generated a palpable buzz even competing in “B.C.’s Best teen Band” competition.

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Saltwater Sun - Emily Breeze - Fever High - Ghost Caravan

We have to go back to March last year for our only other feature for Saltwater Sun, however their sprightly guitar sound, pleasing vocals and fresh rock feel is there in abundance on this fine new song. Emily Breeze mixes spoken word and song on 'Ego Death' a dark and brooding piece that is also very addictive, whilst the remixes take the track into some fascinating new dimensions. Fever High last graced our pages almost a year ago to the day, and their brand of vibrant Electro pop is again catchy, dynamic and hard to resist. 'Love Me If You Dare' is our second song share from Ghost Caravan whose refined music mixes subtle funk vibes, gorgeous vocals and a musical arrangement that is tight and polished.

Saltwater Sun - Blood.

Reading’s guitar pop sensations Saltwater Sun hurtle into 2019 with blistering new single Blood, the first track taken from forthcoming EP The Great Deceiver out this April.

Punctured by explosive guitars and deftly fusing elements of shoegaze and indie with the edginess of garage rock, the quintet’s typically addictive latest effort follows their 2018 return with heavyweight singles The Wire and Hot Mess, and explores a much more personal element of their songwriting.

“Since the death of my father, I’ve come to know joy as sorrow-tinged throughout each altering epoch and mundane happiness in my life”, states frontwoman Jen Stearnes on the origins of the track. “With age, I mourn less for my loss and more for his, and so endeavor to carry his memory so that he might live on through me. It’s deeply personal, yet completely universal; Blood is about finding solace in the idea that we might transcend death through lineage”.

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Emily Breeze - Ego Death (Single and Remixes).

Bristol based chanteuse Emily Breeze is set to release second single “Ego Death” on the 8th March 2019.

Recorded at Rockfield studios and produced by Stew Jackson (Massive Attack, Nick Cave, Tom Waits), “Ego Death” has already received airplay from Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6) and was earmarked as his favourite track on forthcoming Emily Breeze album “Rituals”. This single will be accompanied by remixes from Former Bad Seed and David Lynch composer Barry Adamson, Retro Futurist improv maniacs Modulus III and Giallo Disco deviant Antoni Maiovvi.

Seductive as it is cynical, “Ego Death” is a misanthropic fantasy inspired by Emily’s unsavoury internal monologue during her bus ride to work through the bowels of Bristol town centre to an industrial estate on the outskirts of the city. A departure from Breeze and band’s trademark lounge noir offerings, this song sees (Rob Norbury lead guitar, Andy Sutor drums, Duncan Fleming organ and Graham Dalzell bass) in full synth sleaze mode to offset Emily’s tragicomic lyrics such as “I drink a joyless cup of Gregg’s coffee” and “Today’s specials are ego death coupled with a side of nameless longing”. This is dysfunctional pop at its finest for the deranged, disillusioned and dishevelled, as glossy and menacing as Pulp and as smooth and as subversive as Serge Gainsbourg.

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Fever High - Just A Ghost.

Brooklyn's Fever High released “Just a Ghost,” the latest single from their upcoming Avec You EP (out February 22).

“'Just a Ghost' is about the frights of bumping into an ex- a haunting figure that can pop up at any moment stirring up all the hurt and pain all over again. At first you try to dodge the ghost, but one day you face it and find that you've grown. That it no longer possesses the ability to hurt you anymore.”  - Anna Nordeen

 The duo — multi-instrumentalists Reni Lane and Anna Nordeen — have found fans in places like Billboard, NPR Music, BlackBook, Bitch Media, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Interview Magazine who described the group’s sound as a “fizzy blast of electro-pop.” The Avec You EP also features production from Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy) who produced the indie-pop duo’s 2017 album FHNY and their 2016 debut EP All Work. The EP’s title track was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday and Indie Pop playlists upon release.

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Ghost Caravan - Love Me If You Dare.

“Love Me If You Dare” is Ghost Caravan’s love letter to retro pop.

Says lead vocalist Shaina Silver-Baird, “I get to sing through the roller coaster ups-and-downs of falling for a new lover and the internal war between confidence and vulnerability, ego and doubt that is inherent in explosive love. It’s both a challenge (love me if you dare) and a plea (would you follow me?I would follow anywhere!). One of the things I love most about “Love Me If You Dare” is that, just like the emotions it represents, the track takes you on an unexpected journey; musical arrangements change and double back, beats alter, breaking your expectations. It’s somehow cool and fiery, groovy and experimental all at once.”

“Love Me If You Dare” was produced by Graham Stairs. Recording this song felt like a breeze. Despite it’s challenging nature, the band including Juliana Iannuzziello on keyboards, Michelle Faehrmann on five string electric cello and Sarah Riegler on drums and percussion has been playing it live off and on for a while now, so we already had a groove that we could sink into. The most challenging component was identifying and capturing the many layers; from two counterpoint bass parts to multiple layers of percussion and harmonies.

The song was co-written by Martha Johnson and Mark Gane of Martha and the Muffins who had a worldwide hit in the 80’s with the song Echo Beach and toured with Roxy Music. Three of their albums were co-produced by Daniel Lanois (Peter Gabriel/Brian Eno). The dance mix of another one of their songs, “Black Stations/White Stations,” was number 2 on the Billboard Dance Chart, only beaten out to the number 1 spot by “When Doves Cry” by Prince.

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