Bear of Bombay shares 'Night Tree' the first single excerpt from his 'Something Stranger', debut EP. Lorenzo Parisini has been creating electronic and dream-wave music for sometime and it's good to hear plenty of his originality and vibrancy is still fresh and present. ===== GIUNGLA has just released 'Walk On The Ceiling'. The project of Milan based artist Ema Drei, this is a smooth, rhythmic and striking track. ===== We first featured Tempesst in July 2016 and a number of times since. Taking a little look back at our older features and noticing the number of hits for their new piece 'Walk on the Water' this would appear to be a real and deserved breakthrough song, it's nice to have been a small part of that journey.
'Night Tree', is the first single excerpt from 'Something Stranger', debut EP by electronic / dream-wave project Bear of Bombay (Milan-based artist Lorenzo Parisini).
Active in the Italian underground scene since the 90s and after having played at major festivals, sharing the stage with the likes of Mark Gardener (Ride), Lorenzo Parisini now starts a new course characterized by ethereal electric guitars and synth carpets, rhythmic loops and minimal harmonies, giving birth to a very personal hybrid of psychedelia, electronica, shoegaze and new wave.
The obscure electropop ride 'Night Tree' is the first single excerpt from the EP 'Something Stranger' is now available.
Here and there Bear of Bombay music may remind of bands like LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, The Notwist and The Vacant Lots; but at the end of the day, this is an extremely original piece of art, remetabolizing new wave, 90s and 2000s indie-rock, contemporary psych-pop, dreampop, shoegaze and indietronica in a very personal way.
GIUNGLA is the project of Milan based artist Ema Drei. ‘Giungla’ means ‘jungle’ in Italian and it’s in this sort of tangled-happy-place, where Ema’s minimal pop songs come alive with in your face attitude.
New single, ‘Walk On The Ceiling’, was recorded in 2019 in London with esteemed producer Andrew Savours (My Bloody Valentine, The Kills, Black Country New Road). “Working with Andy in his studio was cool because throughout his career he has worked with some of the musicians who made me fall in love with my instrument (especially Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs)” explains Drei. “We tried to create a sound that was modern but timeless with a main focus on guitar”.
Collaboration is key for GIUNGLA, an artist who likes to take inspiration from other creative mediums and channel it into her own work. Whilst on the hunt for artwork for her forthcoming E.P, thanks to curator Tommaso Speretta, Ema had the pleasure of meeting with Swedish painter Sophie Westerlind at her studio in Venice where she first saw the painting ‘Martina’s Flowers’. A close up from which would go on to become the cover art for new single ‘Walk On The Ceiling’. “I chose this painting because its brushstrokes, full of matter and movement, immediately felt right for my music, but also because of the story behind it” says Ema.
Before experiencing lockdown in Venice, Westerlind had never painted flowers, but due to the new restrictions she found herself yearning for a connection with nature and flowers became a symbol of that. Thanks to a tip-off from a friend, Martina, Westerlind managed to find a woman who sold flowers and met her in an alley behind Campo Santa Margherita to buy a bouquet. “Before giving me the flowers she wanted me to smell the perfume, then she told me to hurry back to Giudecca as if we had just exchanged something forbidden. While I was walking back to my studio a lady in the street saw me and shouted at me 'where did you find those flowers ?!' Painting them felt like doing something very precious and secret” she explained.
‘Walk On The Ceiling’ similarly presents an intimate and delicate dimension, inspired by late nights spent writing notes and thoughts on her phone, head under the covers and the light of the screen in her hands. “I like to think of the phone light as a candle to be protected and given to someone special” says Ema. “The perspective is upside down, as if those who stay awake at night to write were in another reality; it is about the beauty of looking for a bit of mystery and magic even in a protected and domestic environment, trying to be braver than you are during the day”.
London via Australia folk/psych rockers Tempesst today announce their new single "Walk on the Water", released alongside a stunning new video shot in the mountains of Snowdonia. "Walk on the Water" is lifted from the band's recently released debut album Must Be A Dream, via their own label Pony Recordings.
Directed by the band's drummer Andy Banjanin, the video places the band in the heights of Snowdonia. Speaking on the video, Banjanin said: "We drove up to Snowdonia just the five of us, to hang out and shoot the video last winter. On the first day after we hiked up the mountain with all of our instruments and filming gear, we finally arrive at this incredibly beautiful lake just under Snowdon and set up ready to shoot the first scene. We were on the side of a mountain and I had a remote for the camera so I could operate it from the drums but it was about 50m away. Over the course of the first take, literally the very first shot, the weather changes from clear at the beginning of the song to full blizzard by the bridge. None of us know what to do so we just keep going until the song finishes before freaking out and packing everything up soaked and freezing. We didn’t get any more filming done that day, but it turned out to be the best shot of the video."
A wide-eyed excursion of folk-tinged psychedelia with nods to Spiritualized, Galaxie 500, the Flaming Lips and the Beach Boys, Must Be A Dream is a dense, sun-kissed record that explores themes of identity, purpose, ageing, love, loss, substance abuse, the death of loved ones and remembering the beauty beneath it all.
Consisting of Sunshine Coast, Australia born twin brothers Toma (vocals, guitars) and Andy Banjanin (drums); the band is rounded out by fellow Australian’s Kane Reynolds (keys) and Blake Misipeka (bass), and Swiss/American guitarist Eric Weber.
Now all residing in London where debut album Must Be A Dream was written and recorded, Tempesst have become well known for their sweeping, psych-touched indie rock - touring previously with the likes of Pond, The Temper Trap, Albert Hammond Jr, Jet and widely lauded by the likes of Lauren Laverne (BBC 6Music), Jack Saunders (BBC R1), Noisey, DIY Magazine, The Financial Times, Clash Magazine, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Beats Per Minute and more.
Turkey The Bird were first featured here back in September and they return today with 'Art and Design' where their refreshing bright and stylish brand of indie pop impresses again. ===== Golden Bear havetoday released their new album 'Dear Texas'. The album mixes Texan country rock with Americana and both the musicianship and natural vocals ensure this is a great collection of songs. ===== Peter Cat has released the new album 'The Saccharine Underground' from which we have two tracks, namely 'SO STR8' and 'The Big House'. Musically the band cover considerable territory including post-punk, glam rock, baroque pop and synth-pop, so treat these two really fine songs as but a glimpse of the whole. ===== HMS Morris make their fourth appearance on Beehive Candy this year with today's single release 'Partypooper' and once again this versatile duo are on splendid and upbeat form.
Turkey The Bird is New Zealand's answer to Simon & Garfunkel (if '&' was a musician too). Catchy folk songs with stunning rich melodies and effortless smooth lyrics. Songs that tell uplifting stories about love and life. You can hear them on their new single 'Art and Design'.
The bearded trio is spread around the globe, creating beautiful three part harmonies and toe tapping rhythms: Andre Manella from Switzerland is on guitar, bass and percussion. Adrian Whelan from Ireland is on guitar, bass and spoons, and Sol Bear Coulton, the token kiwi, on Banjo.
This tasty folk-pop-track called «Art and Design» blends a simple tapestry of lyrics with a very catchy melody, the message conveying the concept of art and design to a shape and form. Looking through a camera lens while travelling through time, «there's a right way and a wrong way you can view a piece of art», the band says. The track reflects on the complexity and simplicity of art and design in the real world.
Golden Bear is excited to announce the release of their new album, Dear Texas. As the title implies, the album is a love letter to the band’s home state. All of the songs were written and recorded during the quarantine, with band members contributing their parts from their homes.
Dear Texas takes listeners on a journey across Texas from the west Texas plains through the hill country, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The album’s songs convey a yearning to get on the road, remember past adventures, and to create new ones.
Chris Gregory on making Dear Texas: For years I thought there needed to be a song about Port Aransas, a city which so many Texans love. One day in March, I was sitting on the couch with my guitar, watching “Magnum PI”, and the riff came to me. I wrote the song in about 10 minutes. For fun, I recorded it and sent the song to my buddy Scott, who added some pedal steel and sent it back to me. I was blown away by his contribution, and decided we needed to do a whole album in this style, and inspired by this state.
Listeners (Texan or otherwise) are sure to enjoy the landscapes, characters, stories, and atmosphere found throughout Dear Texas.
Recorded over a two-year period at Glasgow’s Green Door Studios, and mixed by production wunderkind Chris McCrory of Catholic Action, The Saccharine Underground showcases an audiophile's staunch commitment to the analogue form. All songs were recorded to tape, and no digital instrumentation whatsoever was used.
The album's title invokes the genre of baroque pop prevalent in the American pop music of late 1 960s and early 70s, otherwise described as ‘cowboy psychedelia’.
It sums up the contradiction that lies at the heart of the record, in which melodic and textural sweetness is yoked into the service of a wry, dry songwriting style, narrating stories of awkwardness, failure and foolishness which are oddly life-affirming.
The Saccharine Underground is a sonically ambitious first album, tossing together post-punk, glam rock, baroque pop and synth-pop into a swirling forty-minute cabaret. Lead singer and songwriter Graham Neil Gillespie gives coherence to these diverse compositions with his arch, bass-baritone vocal style, reminiscent of Bowie and Bryan Ferry´s artier turns.
Following the release of ‘Babanod’, ‘Poetry’ and ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol’ earlier in the year, HMS Morris are back with the fourth and final single in the series, ‘Partypooper’, will be released on November 6th.
Songwriter Heledd Watkins explains Partypooper’s origins thus: ‘It’s a response to the mental highs and lows of being a musician – or any kind of human person really. A great deal of us struggle with a little internal partypooper, a malignant imp who likes to wait until we’re at our happiest before screwing up her mean little face and blowing mightily on her shit-horn of doubt and regret, leaving our ears ringing and our confidence in tatters as she skips gleefully away. She’s not above putting the boot in when you’re down either; during the downtime in between gigs, or as you’re reading a crap review of a record you spent the last year perfecting, or when you see a hype band flying past at 100 miles an hour to New Music Friday-land or some equally alluring destination. We all have one. We all deal with them in different ways. Here’s hoping that mine has a fear of high-tempo Latin numbers with horns and distorted wailing.’
Partypooper features guest appearances from the superb Owain Gruffudd and Gwyn Owen from Band Pres Llareggub (Owain also arranged the brass). Iestyn Jones is on drums. It was recorded at St Peter’s and Fitzhamon Studio in Cardiff, and Stiwdio Sain in Llandwrog.
Tender Central today shares 'Ashes' featuring Matthew And The Atlas and has also announced her debut album 'The Garden' which is due in January. 'Ashes' is a duet with Matthew Hegarty, where vocals and a clapping rhythm are eventually joined with a deeper musical arrangement, by which time the atmosphere and sheer depth of this song have dug their hooks in deep. ===== Montreal psych-rock band The Besnard Lakes have released the gorgeous new song 'Raindrops' where all the renowned trappings of this act are present, indeed it's grand to see this band can still create epic and addictive music.
Tender Central - Ashes (feat. Matthew And The Atlas).
Tender Central is the electronic pop project of Devon born, classically trained cellist India Bourne. Today, Tender Central has shared brand new single ‘Ashes’ alongside the announcement of her long-awaited debut album ‘The Garden’, which is set for release on Jan 22nd via Hello Friendly Recordings. Weaving infectious hooks and ornate piano inflections with classical influences, India manages to keep things refreshingly modern. With Tender Central, she lends her delicate ear for musical arrangement to the realm of electronica and folk, resulting in productions that evoke the sounds of her ethereal electronic forebearers Massive Attack, Lamb and Zero 7, and the unmistakable vocal similarities to legends such as Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.
Having spent a large portion of her adult years touring as a core member of childhood friend Ben Howard’s band as well as a member of supergroup A Blaze Of Feather, the notion of feeling at ‘home’ had become somewhat foreign to India Bourne. Living such a transient life had left her feeling more than a little unsettled and not only in the physical sense. The songs on ‘The Garden’, created in collaboration with esteemed producer Jakwob, cover a range of subjects, from the aforementioned struggle to feel at home whilst living on the road, womanhood and family crisis to learning to accept and love ourselves and our bodies.
“Underneath all of it I see my journey from anxiety to peace, from hardship to kindness and compassion, from discomfort to understanding and resting in the unknown” explains India. The album title, and song of the same name, comes from the peace she found whilst digging the small patch of earth outside her old London flat. “Digging in the earth is where I find immense peace and stability. It grounds me. It was a revelation in a time I felt so lost” she says. “I found peace in the outdoors and I finally slowed down to appreciate it all. In that space I was also able to realise that peace is always there but that it's 'hard to learn', it requires practice and time. A life's work perhaps.”
New single ‘Ashes’, a sparse yet rousing duet with Matthew Hegarty of Matthew and The Atlas, is based on a quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estes' book ‘Women Who Run With The Wolves’. The quote reads;
“Deep in the wintry parts of our minds, we know that there is no such thing as a work-free transformation. We know that we will have to burn to the ground in one way or another, and then sit right in the ashes of who we once thought we were and go on from there”.
Whilst reading this segment of the book, India was stopped in her tracks. “I was experiencing big change in my life during the time of writing and life felt unsettling. Often in these times I want to control everything and make sure that any step forward is done 'perfectly' but I know really, that perfection doesn't exist” explains India. Reading this quote, it became clear that the hardest but most important thing to do would be to sit in the discomfort of change and see what it had to bring; to find her 'home' and to embrace life’s imperfections rather than resist or resent them. “I realised by letting go of who we feel we 'should' be rather than who we are, is a much better way of living and allows for more space, creativity and joy to come in”.
The Besnard Lakes have passed through death and they’re here to tell the tale. Nearly five years after their last lightning-tinted volley, the magisterial Montreal psych-rock band have sworn off compromise, split with their long-standing label, and completed a searing, 72-minute suite about the darkness of dying and the light on the other side.
The Besnard Lakes Are The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings is the group’s sixth album and the first in more than 15 years to be released away from a certain midwestern American indie record company. After 2016’s A Coliseum Complex Museum – which saw Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas attempting shorter, less sprawling songs – the Besnards and their label decided it was time to go their separate ways; with that decision came a question of whether to even continue the project at all. What use is a band with an instinct for long, tectonic tunes – rock songs with chthonic heft and ethereal grace, five or 10 or 18 minutes long? How do you sell that in an age of bite-sized streaming? How do you make it relevant?
“Who gives a sht!” the Besnard Lakes realized. Ignited by their love for each other, for playing music together, the sextet found themselves unspooling the most uncompromising recording of their career. Despite all its grandeur, …The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings honours the very essence of punk rock: the notion that a band need only be relevant to itself. At last the Besnard Lakes have crafted a continuous long-form suite: nine tracks that could be listened together as one, like Spiritualized’s Lazer Guided Melodies or even Dark Side of the Moon, overflowing with melody and harmony, drone and dazzle, the group’s own unique weather.
Here now, the Besnard Lakes finally dispensed with the two/three-year album cycle, taking all the time they needed to conceive, compose, record and mix their opus. Some of its songs were old, resurrected from demos cast aside years ago. Others were literally woodshedded in the cabanon behind Lasek and Goreas’s “Rigaud Ranch” – invented and reinvented, relishing this rougher sound. Some of that distortion makes its way into the final mix: an incandescent crackle that had receded from the Besnards’ more recent output.
This week Graber Gryass officially release their debut album 'Late Bloom'. Comprising of twelve high quality folk based roots and bluegrass songs, the musicianship is constantly impressive with some stunning arrangements, whilst the vocals are a natural fit for this style of music. The collective are both creative and bring different styles to fruition with apparent ease. For anyone uncertain about these genres, Graber Gryass's new album is a great place to start finding out more. ===== Sweet Roger brand new release 'Pay Me' is a natural and at times raw acoustic song, the vocals are striking and add something of a blues vibe to this subtly addictive track.
Memphis bluegrass collective Graber Gryass have officially released their debut LP Late Bloom after receiving praise from Relix, Wide Open Country, AmericanaUK, and Glide Magazine in the buildup to release, with the latter praising the record as "serving a clever place in the folk-based roots catalog."
Michael Graber was a very anxious child, and he could only ever find peace between the folds of an expansive musical universe. As frontman of acoustic collective Graber Gryass, he fashions a vast and eclectic background into an immersive journey into an original expansive, exploratory song catalogue. The first record of two, Late Bloom, reads with straight-arrow storytelling, but carries a remarkable importance about the human experience.
“This album really is symbolic of my whole existence. I like to think it’s a message for other people, too,” he says. “You look at a lot of the great novelists. They don’t publish their first novel until their 40s or 50s. This is the first record of all originals under my name. I just turned 50. It’s a real celebration of flourishing.”
Even more, Late Bloom exudes some of the most exemplary songwriting and musicianship you’ll hear all year. That is in large part to the smorgasbord of players and their collective expertise. You’ll find musicians who have played in Public Enemy, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Devil Train, and Dagnabbits, among others. Graber himself has contributed to recordings for Bluff City Backsliders, the Grifters, Foy Vance (“To Memphis”), and currently plays in the Bluff City Backsliders, Zeke’s Three Generation Jug Rascals, and Damfool, and boasts previous work with Professor Elixir’s Southern Troubadours, Fatback Jubilee, and 611.
Such pedigrees flourish into a vibrant display across 12 songs. A syrupy barroom tune, “Devil’s Got Your Name” is a slice of “country surrealism as a day-drinking melodrama, filled with despair,” as Graber puts it. Then, you have entries like “Fool Living Wrong” and “More to Lose” dissecting the brokenness of marriage with crushing precision. “You hold my dreams at night / Won’t leave me alone / Possessed, confused, I don’t know what to do,” he laments, as Gia Welch’s stunning harmonies wash around him.
“When the Water’s This Low” stands among Graber’s darkest, most eerie stories. Initially written as a poem, he recalls a startling experience he had as a young boy that has “haunted me ever since,” he says. “There are lots of snakes when the water’s this low / Each one has poison / It can drag you below / as they slither underwater, you feel it in your soul,” he hisses across a swampy soundscape. “The song is true, except the death at the end. And I had a fever, so it was surreal,” he remembers. Late Bloom completely lives up to its moniker.
“Pay Me,” the new single by the artist Sweet Roger, is a surly blues and folk song reminiscent of early 20th century outliers who sang in rough and coarse overtones speaking of hardships, travels, and cursed relationships. Entirely acoustic, this raw recording inspired by century old Travis pickin’ guitar licks feels refreshingly new in this modern, digitized landscape. Sweet Roger finds relevance for folksy themes and imagery in an advanced age where we continue to struggle and search for solace.
The single “Pay Me” is the first instalment to Sweet Roger’s upcoming follow up record to his debut album, You’ll Always Have Yourself. At the beginning of the lockdown this year, Sweet Roger decided to use the downtime to experiment with an entirely independent endeavour and swapped out the comforts and sophistications of a professional studio for a completely solitary, homespun recording. No producer. No band. Just the artist. The result: “Pay Me” captures the unsettling mood of the times with a defiant performance of raw vocals and growly acoustics driven by a solid rhythm that exultantly powers us forward.
It’s been years now that Sweet Roger gave up a teaching position at a local college and took up a job shucking oysters in Old Montreal and playing gigs wherever they could be found around town. The work, the struggle, and the dark hours gave ample inspiration for songs that truly tell stories of love and loss. Picking up some momentum after releasing his debut and building an audience, Sweet Roger now returns with new material that has even more provocation and edge, an audible swagger that is both scrappy and sympathetic.
Silly Boy Blue shared 'Goodbye' last Friday and the attention it's getting is hardly surprising, considering just how blissfully gorgeous the song is. ===== We featured the track 'PDX '97' by Lone Kodiak back in September and they return now with another powerful and hook filled alt rocker called 'Bones'. ===== From Manchester, England we have the second single by Tay Temple which is released today, entitled 'Ladybird' this is a refined folk rock piece that impresses both vocally and through the beautifully arranged musical backdrop.
Silly Boy Blue reveals her brand new single “Goodbye.” Silly Boy Blue (real name, Ana Benabdelkarim) is an indie pop singer from Nantes, France who was recently snapped up by Columbia France. This brand new single follows up Ana’s previous offering - the delicate and hypnotic “Hi, It’s Me Again” - and further develops her signature as an artist who is split beautifully between glam goth, emo and bedroom pop. “Goodbye” shows a poppier side to the young musicians’ talent; Ana’s vocals shine and soar with the yearning lyrics, whilst the production holds a melodic, pulsing beat.
“Goodbye has been written after a breakup. I woke up one day and I finally saw clearly what was happening. I’ve been in a blur since so many days, and then I realized I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t in love anymore, and I really felt the urge to move on.
That’s the day I was waiting for since the beginning of the breakup. I needed to put this into a song, it was my day one in the movie ‘500 days of summer’.” - Silly Boy Blue
Silly Boy Blue is a young singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Paris, who started her music career in the band Pégase. Ana now embodies her music through her solo work, choosing to name her project “Silly Boy Blue” after the David Bowie song that tells the story about a boy who breaks all the rules. Playing with light and shade, Silly Boy Blue sings teen pop anthems and breakup songs, and has a passion for the 90’s music, movies and style. Silly Boy Blue recently appeared on YouTube channel COLORS, featuring on Isaac Delusion’s show. She has just finished her debut album, which is set for release in 2021.
Indie-rock trio Lone Kodiak has released their newest electrifying single, “Bones.” The song delivers a nostalgic message about life, love, and loss that listeners can relate to with sweeping electric guitar, cinematic drums, and haunting vocals. “Bones” is now available to stream and download on digital music platforms worldwide.
The indie-rock trio, composed of Dainéal Parker, Daniel Alden, and Joshua Harris, displays undeniable electric energy that seeps into the song. The somber track, penned by lead singer Dainéal Parker, illustrates a touching, vivid message of life’s fleeting nature. Producer Kyle Mangels perfectly captures the essence of the lyrics and accompanies the vocals with vibrant production. “Bones” prompts listeners to reflect on the finite nature of life and revel in the present moment. With poignant lyrics and layered vocals, it’s clear that Lone Kodiak is making an impact by intimate storytelling sure to bring listeners on an emotional journey.
Parker explains that the process of writing this track was just as mesmerizing as the song itself. "‘Bones’ was a happy, happy accident. We were experimenting with intros for our live set; we took one of our previous songs, slowed it down, and reversed it (which is what you'll hear at the beginning),” Parker explains. “We were totally captivated by this melody we kept hearing, and two hours later, we had a new song. I think our best songs are ones that just kind of come together naturally without a ton of interference from us." “Bones” delivers an emotional and intimate impact that will leave listeners wanting more.
While they now reside in East Los Angeles, Lone Kodiak was established by Dainéal Parker and Daniel Alden in Portland, Oregon, where the pair met as teenagers. Since then, they have consistently produced music that rests on superb storytelling, unique guitar melodies, and unmistakable drums. With the addition of Josh Harris on drums, the band has been fervently writing and recording in preparation for their album release in early 2021. Lone Kodiak’s sound shares a stark resemblance to the bands that have acted as a source of immense inspiration, including Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Explosions in the Sky, and Daughter. The group remains a unique, talented group of musicians looking to share their stories with the world. Lone Kodiak has been featured on Buzzfeed, American Songwriter, Pop Matters, Stereogum, PDX Monthly, and played on KROQ, KCRW, KCSN, among others.
Manchester based Tay Temple aims to empower people by spreading awareness of areas in need of change through her songwriting, while also promoting self confidence and self-belief as that is how music has impacted her life.
With a powerful and impactful vocal that is husky yet mellow, Tay and her band have a soulful folk-rock style that pulls you in with harmonious guitars alongside relatable, personal and socially conscious lyrics. She takes inspiration from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Avril Lavigne, and The cranberries.
Rianne Thompson, from BBC introducing Radio Tees, described their sound as: “Folk with a twist of contemporary with elements ofPop and Indie” after hearing their debut single ‘Millennials' which was accompanied by a self-written/directed music video. ‘Ladybird’ is their next single released today November 2nd 2020.
The song depicts the cruel beauty standards of modern society and how women are seen as no more than a pretty picture.
Loaver has now released her debut album 'Fern' from which we have already had the pleasure of sharing three tracks. The full collection is streaming below and has lived up to our hopes and expectations, as Linnea Hall's creative and multi genre musical exploration truly impresses. ===== From Bavaria we have Chris Mayer & The Rockets with 'Autumn Riot' a refreshingly natural and hook filled indie/pop rocker. ===== Ordinary Elephant share 'Let Me Tell You What I Think' a raw sounding and stripped back folk song that simmers with emotion. ===== Berlin-based Dreamadelica rocker Laura Carbone just released 'Who's gonna save you Live at Rockpalast' a track built upon restrained passion and building vocal power, it's one of those songs that will resonate well in a sweaty nightclub or comfortably fill a stadium.
Malmö, Sweden, based singer-songwriter Linnea Hall started her solo project Loaver with a desire to be able to showcase all sides of her experiences and inspirations. This weekend, debut album 'Fern' is released via Rama Lama Records.
In 2019, she put out her self-titled debut EP on Birds Records. The music – experimental, smooth and dark pop at its finest – was written and recorded in Italy during 2017, in close collaboration with artists such as Giovanni Ferrario (PJ Harvey, John Parish etc.), who produced the tracks, and Emanuele Maniscalco. Through the six tracks we were drawn between the uttermost boundaries of emotions – love, hate, dreams, doubt, chaos and naivety. The new record is once again recorded in Italy but this time in collaboration with Emanuele Maniscalco and Carlo Poddighe.
Early 2020, Loaver returned with new single 'Drömmeri (om döden)' on Rama Lama Records (Melby, Chez Ali, Julia Rakel, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes). The single, a pendant to Debussy's Reverie, is a memoriam to Linnea's grandmother that was released on her death day. This was the first taste of the upcoming album that's packed with highly unique and instantly memorable tracks, like the slow burner 'Bloom With Me', the shapeshifting 'Forget All About' and captivating 'Apart'.
The debut LP 'Fern' sees Loaver develop her creative pop and experiments with art music, trip hop, singer-songwriter, dream pop, jazz and bedroom pop elements that together with Hall's splendid vocals and personal lyrics create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape.
Besides Loaver, Linnea Hall is the singer of Swedish experimental indie rock group Kluster B. The band have put out two records since 2018 that besides positive reviews in some of Sweden's biggest music magazines, have received international attention from Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 6, NBHAP and more, with The Revue calling them one of the most innovative bands in the world as well as opened for Frankie Cosmos, Omni and more.
Chris Mayer & the Rockets - the four guys from Bavaria identify with the sound of John Mayer or Coldplay. Right from the start they created their own style. They call it „Feelgood-Blues-Rock“, straight from the heart.
Chris Mayer was on tour before as a singer/songwriter. Amongst others he got radio airplay at one of the biggest German stations „Bayern3“ and also supported the American songwriter Nataly Dawn (Pomplamoose) at the Prinzenbar in Hamburg.
Chris and the Rockets know what makes them so special: each of them comes from another Music-Universe. Progessive Rock, Metal, Indie and Singer/Songwriter merge into „FBR“. Handmade music that gets to the heart – and stays.
We didn’t sit down with an intention to write this song. It found its way out through a songwriting exercise we sometimes use called the translitic process, which is essentially a way to tap into your subconscious. You start with a piece of poetry in a language foreign to you and the first step is to “translate” it, but not in the traditional sense. You don’t try to guess what the words actually mean, instead you take it line by line and write down what first comes to mind based on how the words look and how you think they sound.
You end up with a page of dream-like stream of consciousness nonsense when taken as a whole, but there are flecks of phrases that shine like a mirror among the mess. And as you work through the drafts, continuing to rewrite one to the next without looking back at previous versions, what’s been in the folds of your mind starts coming into focus. And this time it was the state of our country and our democracy.
The final edits only recently fell into place, and then we felt the call to share this song in a wider way, in hopes of encouraging action that can create change. So we headed to the home studio of our friend Clay Parker whose intuitive artistry and musicianship are at the foundation of his work. In an analog world that he is well-versed in, but is new to us, we tracked straight to tape. No punch-ins, no comping, just the one take that we all felt best actualizes the song. In a time when things feel hidden and pulled apart and pieced together into parallel narratives, it felt good to use such an unbroken and linear process to create something. — Crystal Hariu-Damore
Laura Carbone - Who's gonna save you (Live at Rockpalast).
Berlin-based dreamadelica rocker Laura Carbone premieres the first single “Who’s Gonna Save You” from her forthcoming album Laura Carbone - Live at Rockpalast. The single is accompanied by an alluring video, sonically driven by its taunting, foreboding bass, as a furtive lady in red emerges from the shadows, overlooking her realm. And then the question, “Who’s gonna save you?”
When Laura Carbone and her band kick in with the “Live at Rockpalast” rendition of “Who’s Gonna Save You?” you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s just conjured up a storm that’s long held the world breathless. Switching between the B-&-W grit of her 2019 Rockpalast show and Laura’s other role in the video as the crimson-clad water nymph protecting her natural habitat, the imagery highlights the duality of the artist, as well as the voices that struggle within each of us.
The footage of Laura Carbone in the red dress was shot and directed in September 2020 at Berlin’s Märchenbrunnen, or “Fairytale Fountain,” in Volkspark Friedrichshain by visual artist and Underground Youth drummer Olya Dyer, who comments, “To have this immaculate beauty yet melancholic aftertaste blended with the energy of the live performance is incredible. It's a solitary present mixed with a crowded past.”
A fragility with a thick skin, her toughness genteel, her tenderness endless and her ferocity formidable, Laura sings, “Dear love, you better get some shelter,” and you have to ask, is it caring advice, or a veiled threat? Laura Carbone is both fairy and fury, protective of her core, her integrity, her oasis of calm in a world of spiraling chaos, where the question remains: Who’s gonna save you?
While everyone is missing the experience of attending live performances there’s no better time to witness Laura Carbone’s spellbinding talent, her arresting voice, silver-tongued lyrics, and a penchant for channeling 80s-90s dark wave pop than on her upcoming live performance album Live at Rockpalast.
Kristiane shares 'Wish I Could Be Your Girl' and it's a very catchy indie pop song where the vocals exude fragility and emotion. ===== Earlier this week we featured 'Earthworm' by TANDM and I am pleased to be able to share the full E.P 'Reflections Remastered' with another four gorgeous songs. ===== Karen Bishko video for 'My Name Is Karen' adds a little more to this lyrically brilliant song, there is nothing wrong if your real name is Karen (simply nothing). ===== From Amaunet we have the new song 'All About Us' which is a vibrant and flowing indie rocker, the vocals and rich musical backdrop beautifully spar with each other.
Kristiane is an LA-based singer/songwriter who has spent the last few years developing an eccentric, jarring approach to pop/rock. Her new single “Wish I Could Be Your Girl” is out now independently.
“Wish I Could Be Your Girl” is an intimate tale written by Kristiane on the floor of her apartment late one night over our quarantined summer.
“I couldn’t sleep and wanted to call somebody, but convinced myself it would be burdensome. So, I wrote “Should I call / Don’t wanna bother / Am I the deadbeat father never on the way”, and then I picked up my guitar and the track wrote itself”
This song to me isn’t about literally wanting to be somebody’s “girl”, but rather wanting to fit the archetype of the kind of partner that’s easy to be with, uncomplicated. I think as someone who struggles with mental health it’s easy to demonize your emotions, instead of embracing that it’s okay to be someone with a complicated history/emotions” - Kristiane
Kristiane tapped producer Jesse Munsat to bring the track to life the way she dreamed it would sound, pairing fuzzy guitars and dreamy synth pads with Kristiane’s melancholic vocals.
With her quarantine-written debut EP on the way, Kristiane promises more songs a la "Wish I Could Be Your Girl" for early 2021, filled with nostalgia and self-awareness.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Maxine Beck-Sinderby and drummer Thomas Franklin met serendipitously at a music studio in high school. The duo have since released two back-to-back EPs, titled “Reflections, Vol. 1” and “Reflections, Vol. 2”; achieving them features on CBC Radio, and City TV’s Breakfast Television Toronto.
The duo has developed a signature sound marked by Maxine’s silky vocals and catchy reverb-filled guitar riffs, driven by the energy of Thomas’s drum flourishes. From personal pleasures and conflicts to the flaws in society encountered in young adulthood, TANDM's upbeat sounds, vivid narratives and captivating melodies create a bittersweet and memorable experience.
Having recently signed with Popguru Sound & Vision for Worldwide SYNC representation, the band has remastered their five favourite tracks from their two EPs for potential use in film, television, advertisements, and video-games.
Karen was working as a portrait artist when Gary Kemp and Jess Bailey from Spandau Ballet, heard some songs she had written.
“Jess Bailey and Gary Kemp heard two songs and liked them. They produced them and encouraged me to write more and I became more confident. I got a band together and started gigging. Paul Burger, (ex-President of Sony Music Europe) became my manager. He was the person who encouraged me to write for musical theatre.”
Karen worked in the studio with Yoad Nevo (Sia, Goldfrapp) and Stephen Lironi (Jon Bon Jovi, Hanson).
In 2007 she opened for British band Take That at Britain’s largest arena, the London O2.
Seeking a novel way to present her heartfelt songs, in 2009 Karen left for New York to develop her musical, Therapy Rocks. The musical was staged at NYMF 2010 (The New York Musical Theatre Festival) with a cast of five and its performance run not only sold out but was extended.
Karens musical Single was set for a production at The New Wolsey Theatre in the UK in September 2020. It has been postponed until 2021 due to Covid-19. For more information see projects.
Karen was hired to write an 80’s version of the much loved existing show Menopause The Musical which is set for launch in 2021 in the US. For more information see projects.
Amaunet are back with their upbeat, dance-worthy single "All About Us"; out everywhere now and taken from their upcoming debut EP, to be released by Lövely Records in November. The single is the perfect upbeat, 90s inspired indie-rock tune with catchy hooks and fast drums.
"All about us" is the last single from Amaunet's upcoming, debut EP. A hopeful, happy track with an energetic beat and 'indie-rock band goes pop' feel. It features catchy choruses, fast drums and roaring guitars - creating a track that makes you want to dance around the kitchen or long for the dim lit dancefloor of your nearest alternative nightclub. The single's released alongside a music video; a homemade video filmed by the band during the pandemic.
The band effortlessly blends melodies and hooks inspired by ‘60s hits with the Britpop swagger & guitar roar of the ‘90s. Amaunet are heavily inspired by bands such as Oasis, The Beatles, The Stone Roses and Kings of Leon, creating their own unique nostalgic sound. Their debut EP "Amaunet" involves a mix of chill indie-rock and faster indie-pop, filled with everything from vocals that are equal parts rough, sweet, and soaring to smooth guitar riffs. The EP is perfect for fans of Kings of Leon, The Vaccines, Oasis and Coldplay.
"All About Us" is out everywhere now. Taken from the band's upcoming EP "Amaunet", released digitally by Lövely Records on November 20.
Knife in the Water have just released a new single entitled 'Tears Won't Make the Cotton Grow' and it's an enchanting soulful slice of moody country rock. ===== We featured Caitlin Quisenberry last month with 'Imogene' and she returns now with the energised 'Get Loud With Me' where country pop resonates powerfully. ===== Lavender Diamond make their third appearance on Beehive Candy this year with 'In The Garden' a beautiful song with exquisite vocals and a gorgeous musical arrangement. ===== From Manchester, England Jack Conman shares his brand new single 'Before You Love Me' and it really is something to immerse yourself in, with the singer songwriters vocals exuding intense emotion. ===== Secret Sun have shared a live session video for 'Little Pieces' taken from their new album 'Winter Love' released today, the song gives a good feel for what is a refined collection of indie genre spanning material ===== Jess Locke first appeared here back in July and returns this week with 'Destroy Everything' which is a more powerful indie rocker with deep atmospheric hooks.
Knife in the Water - Tears Won't Make the Cotton Grow.
Long-time Austin noir-rock band Knife in the Water has a new single out today. It's a take on a song Aaron Blount of the band first heard on a 45 by Marvin Rainwater (released in 1973):
"Marvin Rainwater has long been a hero of ours. He cut 'Boo Hoo' with Vernon and Link Wray and “Hot and Cold” for MGM, which is an instant party if there ever was one. 'Tears' was a serious departure for him. I heard a ghost copy of the Wesco 45 a few years back and we started doing our arrangement at shows, because it felt like it was written for Knife in the Water. It’s the kind of terminal country number that you can’t turn away from, where mother nature rewards hard work and devotion with the punchline we’re all waiting for."
Knife in the Water has been quiet of late, and even quieter before that. We released their fourth album Reproduction in 2017, which was their first since 2003's Cut the Cord. The band began in the summer of 1997 in Austin. From the early stages their dark, quiet, avant-country was welcomed alongside Austin’s louder punk bands, despite the fact that their cinematic sensibilities, desolate sense of space, and woozy tension set them apart.
The Austin scene in the late 90s and early 00s was a hotbed of talent and they established themselves alongside Glorium and American Analog Set, toured with Calexico and ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, and released three records and an EP: Plays One Sound and Others (1998), Red River (1999), Crosspross Bells EP (2001), and Cut the Cord (2003).
There's no dramatic story about the long hiatus. People break up, band members quit or move away, record labels fold, but songwriter Aaron Blount kept writing. In 2015 they began recording again at Jim Eno (of Spoon)'s studio Public Hi-Fi, before building their own home studio. "It slowly dawned on us that if we were gonna keep doing records on our own eccentric schedule, we needed to build our own studio. The first song on Reproduction, "Call It A Shame," is the first song we did at our new place."
Their music is at times woefully bleak and resigned, while shot through with moments of graceful, uplifting release. Pitchfork compared their debut to the Coen Brothers’ film Blood Simple and Rolling Stone writer David Fricke wrote, "This record gets you nowhere fast, which is hardly a problem. You'll be in no hurry to leave."
This is music best heard on long drives or late nights listening alone. Whether it’s the rarity of their live shows, (two in 2019) or the 14-year gap in recorded output, this is a band that rewards patience with songs that hold up over time. Now entering their third decade of making and releasing dark, sparse music that pulses with grace and beauty, the wait is shown to be worth it.
Nashville’s newest darling, Caitlin Quisenberry, continues to release riveting songs, followed by inventive music videos. CMT premiered her debut music video for her lead single, “Blue”. This was followed by “Imogene”, which was depicted in a whimsical music video cartoon, created by acclaimed Hollywood cartoonist, Tom Schneiders. Up next, is the music video for her most invigorating new single, “Get Loud With Me”.
Caitlin gives a stellar performance, as she lures her audience into the enticing world of living life in the fast lane - full of danger, romance and adventure. This is exemplified in the lyrics, “...Get on the ride, ‘cuz it’s passin’ by, let the energy take you up so high, once you feel the rush, you can never, never get enough...”. “Daniel Catton, a Los Angeles director who wrote the script for this one, is a savant in his field and he is anything but typical. His unique style personifies his ability to shock or do the unexpected. He works mostly in commercial film and also has several award winning independent films under his belt. Daniel brought in the very accomplished producer/cinematographer, Moises Barba, to film, as he directed.
I became familiar with their work when I was a student at Pepperdine University. I remember their films were very intriguing and avant-garde, so I was elated when they agreed to come to Nashville to shoot my music video!” ~Caitlin Quisenberry
It was one year ago, last October, when Caitlin’s life took a huge turn. She was planning to attend law school to become an entertainment attorney, but a video of her singing on Instagram caught the attention of a producer in Nashville. She took a chance and flew out to record 4 songs. They soon promoted her as their “Off the Row, Breakout Artist 2020”. Her first single got put on CMT and her second single grabbed spots on two Spotify editorial playlists.
As she began spending more time in Nashville, she decided that law school would always be there, but the chance to pursue her lifelong dream of being a country artist was too good to pass up; so she moved to Music City and hasn’t looked back. “Pursing music is truly a natural culmination of everything I’ve done – From my years as an actress (most known for my role in the ABC sitcom, “Blackish”), to singing and preforming my entire life. These experiences have given me the training and confidence to make my mark in county music.” ~Caitlin Quisenberry Caitlin’s musical background got serious when she landed the opportunity to record with Multi Grammy-winning prod
Lavender Diamond have released a new song "In The Garden," featuring Bright Eyes' Nathaniel Walcott on trumpet. The song is the third track to be taken from Now Is The Time, their first studio album in more than eight years. Now Is The Time will be released on December 4, 2020 via Petaluma Records. "This song is a battle cry for heaven on earth!" explains Becky Stark. "It’s a song for dancing! In these days of grave transformations it helps me to experience the true heaven of the beauty of earth in the garden and to remember that we can choose to create heaven on earth if we dare."
The band captured the core of the album in just two days, relying on gut instinct to guide their every move, and while the material was written well before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the result is a particularly timely, vital collection, one that couldn’t have come along at a more necessary moment.
"I came to this realization that there’s medicine in the music itself," says Stark. "It can lift people up and heal them and point them toward transformation, and that led me to this tremendously powerful need to start writing and recording again."
Back in the studio for the first time in years, Stark and her Lavender Diamond bandmates Steve Gregoropoulos and Ron Regé, Jr. tapped into their old chemistry almost immediately. Though much had changed for each on a personal level (Stark, for instance, often found herself holding her three-year-old daughter in her arms while recording vocals), the group’s creative bonds proved as durable and potent as ever. Regé, a gifted illustrator and graphic novelist who has contributed artwork throughout the band’s history, laid a subtle yet solid foundation for the record, adding weight and body to Stark’s airy performances, while Gregoropoulos put together the album’s ornate chamber-folk arrangements, coordinating the remote recording of each orchestral part during quarantine and assembling them all into a cohesive whole.
The new single Before You Love Me from Manchester based vegan singer-songwriter Jack Conman has been released this week.
Before You Love Me is a highly intimate song with a tender vocal performance that describes that moment when we feel most vulnerable, as we take those first steps in a romantic relationship. In terms of the record's sound, think Thom Yorke meets Jeff Buckley over at Bon Iver’s house. The single precedes the release of Jack's debut album Seventh Sense Libido, out early next year.
With well over a million Spotify streams for previous single Oxytocin, Jack has enjoyed airplay on BBC Radio 1 & 6Music, performed at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, featured in Clash's coveted Next Wave & gained a loyal following after showcasing on youtube channel COLORS. His music is now getting much attention, particularly in America, Germany & the UK with strong & encouraging streaming figures.
The Montreal duo Secret Sun is back with Winter Love, a new record to be released today October 30 via Costume Records. Winter Love is a more luminous, elegant and suave recording than its predecessor Cold Coast (2014), and speaks of love that endures through life’s challenges.
Anne-Marie Campbell, the lyricist behind the songs and the singer, was inspired by the contemplative, cold, white days of winter. “Winter Love is a record about resilience, born in resilience. It’s about the strength we find within ourselves to take care of our loved ones but also the drive to make music within an industry that cares less and less about musicians’ well-being”, she says.
Dropping the needle on a Secret Sun record is the beginning of a captivating journey – like a potent daydream. Between Cold Coast’s release, shows across Canada and the birth of their two children,Simon Landry and Anne-Marie Campbell took the time to reconnect in the studio with their collaborators producer Sébastien Blais-Montpetit and François Lafontaine on the keys to record Winter Love.
“Instead of having folk demos as our starting point for the songwriting process, which was the case for our first album, we wanted to be on track with Secret Sun’s unique sound, which is both modern and outside of current trends. We laid down the basics of this record live at studio Mixart and it became the heart of our songs”, explains Simon Landry, who composed the music and played the guitars on this recording. Guillaume Ethier on the drums and Jean-François Lemieux on the bass bring a groovy and soul touch to Winter Love’s ten songs. “We moved away from bedroom music to create a more ambitious record music-wise, with a strong character”, Simon concludes.
Dot Dash Recordings is thrilled to announce that Jess Locke's forthcoming album Don't Ask Yourself Why will be released on Friday 26 March 2021. The Melbourne-based singer-songwriter is known for penning indie guitar-pop tracks that are at times subtle and full of melancholy, at times delivered with an acerbic tongue, but always steeped heavily in narrative.
Locke shared the first taste of the record earlier this year with ‘Fool’ - a simple and raw track, seeking to partner dirty grunge guitars, a fuzzy lead, gritty vocals and a punchy rhythm section. It received airplay across Australia and beyond with radio additions at Double J, FBi Radio, RTR, & SYN, plus spins on triple j, KEXP & more.
Today, to celebrate the album announcement, Jess Locke shares a contrasting track from the album called 'Destroy Everything'. As Locke explains - "The song 'Destroy Everything' is about destruction as both a positive and negative force. Destruction of the old can be necessary in order to make way for new and better things. It can be strategic, revolutionary, inspired by a vision of what is to come next. But destruction can also be reactionary and misdirected, born out of chaos and fear and not really conducive to real change. The song is a kind of meditation on whether destruction is useful or futile or part of a natural and unavoidable cycle."
Don't Ask Yourself Why was recorded by Jess Locke and her bandmates James Morris and Chris Rawsthorne, along with producer Rob Muinos (Saskwatch, Julia Jacklin). On Don’t Ask Yourself Why, Locke invites contemplation. "I mean the phrase ironically, because really, I do want you to ask why" explains Locke. "The whole album is about human behaviour, our egos, and our ability or lack-there-of to reflect on why we act and think the way we do."
"My band and I recorded the album with Rob Muinos in a tiny studio in the back of a guitar shop in Collingwood called Clingan Guitar Tone. It was our first time working with Rob and it was the best. Chris had gotten to know Rob from working in the cafe next door and chatting in passing about music. It turned out we had a lot of common influences and it also turned out that we got along extremely well. We made the last album between a pub and a friend's house and I think Rob’s studio had the perfect cosy homely feeling to follow on from that. Rob was very invested in the process and he challenged a lot of my ideas, leading to something better than I could have imagined by myself. Mostly this was in terms of instrumentation, whether to double vocals or not, but we also worked a lot on the structure of some songs, pulling them to bits and putting them back together again and changing the key sometimes. I admit I had a fair amount of anxiety leading up to recording this record that I think stemmed from knowing I had some great songs and wanting the record to be the best it could be."
Lee Rogers is a Belfast based singer songwriter and his brand new song 'Haunted' really is a standout track. Lee's vocals immediately resonate with plenty of emotion and raw power, on this powerful folk rocker. ===== Welsh band Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard just released '30,000 Megabucks' whilst announcing a live stream event in December and this feisty alt rock suggests that's going to be a show to watch. ===== Fellow Hollow have created an exquisite new song entitled 'Dog fence weeds' where wonderful vocals and harmonies are matched by a melodic and lovable musical backdrop. ===== CocoRosie have released 'Go Away' featuring Irina Anufrieva today along with a video. Music favorites of ours CocoRosie continue to create and share original and irresistible material and with Irina Anufrieva's contribution this is no exception.
Belfast songwriter Lee Rogers returns with new single ‘Haunted’, taken from upcoming album Gameblood. Combining gravel-lined vocals, Springsteen-esque storytelling and a penchant for melancholy, the result is reminiscent of the likes of The War On Drugs, and The National.
This release marks something of a phoenix rising from the ashes, having been burnt badly along with his record label by corrupt forces beyond their control.
This will be Zenith Cafe’s first project since their triumphant comeback – taking down the banking entities that forced them to shut down 10 years ago (the story has been bought by Sony and is currently being made into a feature film.
When this happened, Lee took some time to pursue his other life as a tattoo artist. Now that the label have finally got some justice, it’s time for Lee to pick up his guitar where he left off.
A fitting soundtrack to long, dark nights and frosty weather, ‘Haunted’ is a take on the classic Wuthering Heights tale of Cathy and Heathcliff, from the latters perspective.
Lee tells us “The idea of telling the other side of Kate Bush’s beautiful take on Cathys story was something I’d never heard before. My wife Nikita educated me on the book and together we wrote ‘Haunted’. I wanted the music, production and lyrics in this song to echo the darker, twisted love from Heathcliffs point of view.”
Welsh four-piece Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have today shared their cosmic new single ‘30,000 Megabucks’ - the first new music from the hotly-tipped band since the The Non-Stop EP, their debut release on Missing Piece Records / Communion.
The band have also announced a live stream event THE BEAUTIFUL SHOW, which will combine a live performance from Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard with appearances from some very special guests, all from the opulent surroundings of Cardiff Bay’s Portland House - the building where the first ever £1,000,000 check was cashed. THE BEAUTIFUL SHOW will be broadcast live at 7PM GMT / 2PM ET / 11AM PT on December 9th, and available to watch on demand for 24 hours for viewers around the globe. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
‘30,000 Megabucks’ combines the idea of nuclear devastation with stickin’ it to the man, all while bursting with typical Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard rock’n’roll swagger. Frontman Tom Rees explains: “‘30,000 Megabucks’ was inspired by a seemingly ridiculous but very real request from an old publishing agency that I was with, who wanted £30,000 to release me from the deal. It all turned out fine in the end, but back then I was so furious that I decided to put pen to paper to ‘take down the man’ as it were.
The ‘Mega’ element comes from the total amount of nuclear bombing power required to completely devastate all human life on planet Earth, which is 30,000 megatons. I had been watching a lot of Chernobyl documentaries and also a film called Threads, so a small part of me was quite excited when they asked for £30k because the narrative locked in quite well. For that reason it was sure to be a hit - take that, man! We used to play the riff in sound check just because it sounded like AC/DC and we even played it as one of the walk-on songs on Soccer AM when we were on there. When we play it live it goes on for like fifteen minutes!”
The new Fellow Hollow single "Dog fence weeds" is out now. The second single from their upcoming album, Violet Paper Wings - due out December 4th, is a bit of a departure from their previous sound by making use of arpeggiated piano and synth, live drums, and singer Andrew Gavin Williams pushing up into the higher range of his voice.
Luke Elliot Fleeman and Andrew Gavin Williams came together in Columbus, OH in the winter of 2015 to make alternative folk music. After both being members of a punchy six-piece pop-folk band, Luke approached Andrew with a batch of instrumental guitar songs.
Andrew explains that “They were un/finished, gorgeous, melancholy odysseys that had been in his personal canon for years, written in the throes of seasonal sadness.” Luke enlisted Andrew to help complete them -- record, produce, pen lyrics, and sing. This lead to the two working meticulously every Wednesday for over a year to shape all of this work into an EP.
'When You Love the Same People, You Love Each Other' is the result of the first batch of material they finished. Even then, they left songs unfinished still, and have written more new songs in the intervening year since that release.
Andrew explains that “The songs and words we write are of a world, surreal and real, hanging somewhere in space, somewhere between fiction and autobiography. They're the blanket, and the cold room begging for blankets. They're somewhere soft, deep in the quiet eye of a violent storm. A dry canopy, a wet floor. Seasonal depression and self-doubt, sleepiness and wasted time, geographical places I've never seen, fake mantras, the wisdom of older people, and mourning for what was taken from us in childhood.”
Following PUT THE SHINE ON, released last Spring, and the collaborative anthem “End of the Freak Show” HERE feat. ANOHNI, Brooke Candy, Big Freedia and Cakes da killa, released on October 7, 2020, CocoRosie now release their new single,"GO AWAY!". In response to the rise of fascist dictators around the world, and especially, the current atrocities in Belarus, CocoRosie teamed up with Belarusian artist Irina Anufrieva and producer, friend, and long time collaborator Dave Sitek to create the outraged protest song "GO AWAY!".
After the Belarusian election was stolen by the current dictator, the vast majority of Belarusian people took to the streets to protest peacefully for their livelihood and democracy. In response they have endured being mercilessly beaten, jailed, tortured and even murdered. Many have disappeared without a trace.
The solidarity, strength and integrity of the Belarusian people has moved CocoRosie deeply and opened their eyes to what is possible in the face of violent, tyrannical adversity. The list of countries being terrorized by their own corrupt governments is too long to cite here.
The parallels between Belarus and the United States are evident and highlight the abuse of power and a pervasive unethical system, as well as, the all too familiar image of a single man spitting in the face of his "own" people, threatening to never GO AWAY!
This song also speaks directly to the hateful man currently in the seat of "terror" in the United States and its history of systemic racism resulting in the perpetuation of police brutality against Black People.
"GO AWAY!" is meant to induce an electric feeling of empowerment and at the same time incite rage. This rage is to be harnessed and danced. We can transform our reality. We can transform our sorrow, grief and rage into art, into power, into action.
