The Mojo Slide - Kalbells - Reality Anonymous - La Femme - Anya Hinkle - Hailey Whitters

The Mojo Slide - To Kill A Monkey.

"Having recently returned to attention’s radar with the singles Good Times, & Not In My Name, UK rockers The Mojo Slide now keep ears focused with their latest single from the album 'Manic Panic'

With their first album, Twist Your Bones, an extremely well received 2015 encounter springing a host of eagerly played singles on radio shows and stations worldwide anticipation for its successor has been patient if eager. It is a release which looks like following suit with its lead single already luring great support the way of the band and we only expect Not In My Name to do the same.

Ridiculously infectious and skilfully flirtatious in its grooves and hooks, Not In My Name instantly entangles ears with a great juicy melody, its wire of temptation escaping the guitar of Mike Fennaand soon joined by the melodic lures of fellow guitarist Matt Legg alongside the rhythmic swing of bassist Dan Savage and drummer Michael Graham. Amidst it all vocalist Mark Wilks adds his only creative infection, his voice almost dancing on the strands of sound making up the contagion.

Increasingly manipulative by rousing verse and anthemic chorus, Good Msn Down is one of those songs which just gets under the skin, for us eclipsing its predecessor and ensuring the release of new full-length, Manic Panic cannot come soon enough, an encounter you can also soon find us exploring on The RR.." - Pluggin' Baby - The Ringmaster Review

Formed in 2011, they released their debut album 'Twist Your Bones' in November 2015 on DO IT Records. The album features a contemporary mixture of classic rock 'n' roll, and blues rooted alternative rock. They have had radio play on BBC, Absolute and Planet Rock, amongst others, and have since signed with Nub Records.

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Kalbells - Pickles.

Kalbells—the collaborative art-pop project of Kalmia Traver, Angelica Bess, Sarah Pedinotti, and Zoë Brecher—today shared their new single “Pickles,” a fun and buoyant track featuring multimedia artist/rapper Miss Eaves off the upcoming full-length, Max Heart, releasing March 26 via NNA Tapes.

The sophomore album from Kalbells, illustrates the formidable love Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket) discovered with her touring band turned bandmates. Together, Angelica Bess (Giraffage, Body Language), Zoë Becher (Hushpuppy, Sad13), Sarah Pedinotti (Okkervil River, LipTalk) and Traver, practice both listening and accountability, rejoicing in their queerness, and promoting each other to be their most genuine selves. 

The result is Max Heart—ten vibrant and subtly layered tracks of mesmerizing psychedelic synth-pop. Common groove language is a rare medicine to happen across, which is why, as a group, playing together has been not only exciting, but healing. Max Heart harnesses this magnetic power for a collection of songs that are packed with inspired tension and daring surreality. Read the full bio here.

Max Heart is available to pre-order on standard black & "Salty Pickle" green vinyl, as well as on compact disc and digital formats here. The album will be available on "Red Marker" red vinyl exclusively from local indie record stores.

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Reality Anonymous - The Ghost Host, Vol 1 (Album).

Reality Anonymous is the brainchild of Lyn Vaus and the debut album The Ghost Host, Vol. 1 features contributions from Rob Myers (Thievery Corporation), Alex Rowney (Soft Candy), and Kenthany Redmond (Kenthany Redmond's Infrared Quintet).

Basic tracks, helmed by Joe Tessone, were cut with Blase Settecase at Mystery Street Studios. The album was mixed by Philip Stevenson at Rat City in Chicago and mastered by the legendary Bob Olhsson in Nashville.

Lyn Vaus is now based in Chicago and is a veteran of the Boston post-punk band Carnal Garage, who had a song featured in the hit SCI-FI movie The Lawnmower Man. After the band dissolved, Vaus moved to LA and got a job as a story editor at a film production company. Bouncing back and forth between LA and Boston for several years, his subsequent film credits include The Darien Gap, Next Stop Wonderland, and the micro-budgeted Temptation, starring Annette O’ Toole and Elisabeth Moss. 

That film rekindled his interest in playing music and he began writing the psychedelic songs that eventually appeared on his first solo record The Floating Celebration, which was recorded in Washington D.C. with musician/producer/Night World label head, Philip Stevenson.

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La Femme - Le Jardin.

Parisian psyche-pop band La Femme released the video for their new single “Le Jardin,” taken from their highly anticipated third album Paradigmes (out April 2nd via the band’s label Disque Pointu, distributed worldwide by IDOL). Shot in the south of Spain between Granada and Sevilla, the “Le Jardin” video is an excerpt from the band’s forthcoming full-length feature film, which will be released in conjunction with Paradigmes.

Released in time for Valentine’s Day, “Le Jardin” is a tender melancholic ballad, and La Femme’s first song in Spanish. “The lyrics were written during a trip to Spain a few years ago,” the band explains. “This is kind of an old-school slow dance which underlines how fate can be random and fragile. The moments we go through, sometimes very sudden, from shadows to light, and vice-versa. All of this, in a Romanesque scenery of the historic city of Sevilla, where the Holy Virgins are omnipresent on the walls, overlooking at mankind and its madness.”

The two main songwriters who started the band together, Sacha Got and Marlon Magnée, are the traditional heart of La Femme, and their vision is consolidated on stage by the masterful rhythm section of Sam Lefevre and Noé Delmas (bass and drums, respectively), and sublimated by the vocal talents of female singers like Alma Jodorowsky, Clara Luciani, Clémence Quélennec, Grâce Hartzel and Jane Peynot. Within this album of beautifully-curated electropop you will hear everything from coldwave to yéyé, Kraftwerk to the Velvet Underground, all distilled and sequenced and psychedelicized so that it sounds uniquely La Femme.

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Anya Hinkle - What's It Gonna Take (feat. Graham Sharp).

For as long as people have written songs, they’ve written songs that respond to and reflect on events in the world around them. And so, when Organic Records’ Anya Hinkle and her neighbor, Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers) got together to write on the day that news broke of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, it was almost inevitable that what would emerge was a meditation on the gulf between American aspirations and American reality.

“In fraught moments, you usually write what you need to write, to process what's going and find the words to move forward,” says Sharp. “This was the case with ‘What's It Gonna Take.’ My first instinct as we were writing was to look inside myself and what I could do. It was a very raw moment to see the pain of George Floyd and the Black community and know that I needed to account for myself in that moment.”

“Writing was the only way to really open up to things we often keep locked inside, things that aren’t pretty to examine, that are scary in fact,” Hinkle adds. “It helped us get honest about that, to push through some kind of strange fear of admitting how clearly some of us benefit from the system and others just lose over and over again. I don’t think the song does anything except to invite people to take a look at this sparkling mess and admit it’s there and needs to be reckoned with.”

As events continued to unfold, the pair worked to complete the song, and when it was finished, Hinkle began to think about how to record it. With Sharp’s participation an obvious ingredient, she reached out to a couple of other western North Carolinians and invited them in. “When we went into the studio to cut the single,” she recounts, “we asked a master of the sacred steel guitar, DaShawn Hickman, and gospel singer Wendy Hickman to join us in asking ‘what’s it gonna take?’ Bringing in their voices was an important part of processing the difficult summer, building trust and beauty through song. Only by listening to Black voices are we going to know what it’s gonna take.”

Syntax Creative · Anya Hinkle - "What's It Gonna Take" (feat. Graham Sharp)

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Hailey Whitters - How Far Can It Go? (feat. Trisha Yearwood)

Rising Country star Hailey Whitters releases “How Far Can It Go?” (feat. Trisha Yearwood) from LIVING THE DREAM, a deluxe edition of her critically-acclaimed breakthrough album THE DREAM that will be released on February 26 via Pigasus Records / Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters. The deluxe album finds Whitters moving from fantasizing about “the dream” to actually living it, calling upon her close friends and collaborators Brent Cobb, Jordan Davis, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town, Lori McKenna and Trisha Yearwood to contribute vocals to the fresh tracks.

"When I wrote this song with Nicolle Galyon and Hillary Lindsey, we were drawing inspiration from all of the '90s female powerhouses I grew up listening to on Country radio,” explains Whitters. “This song reminds me of something I would've been singing along to on the radio, driving my old truck back in high school. We all know that young couple back in our hometowns with 'forever in their eyes,' and the feeling of wondering if they'll be able to make it work when they go off to college. Those story songs in Country music were relatable to me then (and now), and I hope there's a generation of Country music fans that still find them just as relatable today.”

“How Far Can It Go?” (feat. Trisha Yearwood) follows Whitters’ current single “Fillin’ My Cup” (feat. Little Big Town), which has racked up more than 4 million streams globally since its debut and was just named SiriusXM’s Highway Find. Watch Whitters chat with SiriusXM The Highway’s Storme Warren and MC Callahan HERE. Whitters also recently released “Glad To Be Here” (feat. Brent Cobb) and “The Ride” (feat. Jordan Davis) from LIVING THE DREAM.

“All of the artists featured on this project are responsible for me being able to hang up the apron strings and make music full-time,” says Whitters about LIVING THE DREAM. “The royalties from Little Big Town’s cut on ‘Happy People’ helped pay for part of THE DREAM, Brent Cobb and Jordan Davis were two of the first artists to take me on tour, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey are my two songwriting idols and favorite co-creators, and Trisha Yearwood is one of the first artists that got me excited about moving to Nashville and pursuing Country music. I wanted to show fans full circle what ‘living the dream’ looks like for me – from where I started with ‘Ten Year Town’ to the bucket list moments that have resulted since I released my record, THE DREAM. I felt it was important to show them what can happen when you don't give up on yourself.”

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Kelseidoscope - K Michelle DuBois - Quiet Marauder - Borito - Emily Coupe - Charlotte Spiral

Kelseidoscope - Wouldya Bee?

Kelseidoscope has released her latest single, ‘Wouldya Bee.’ The track, performed and written by Kelseidoscope and produced by Randy Kalsi is available on all streaming platforms today February 12th.

This latest single explores the importance of harmony in the world, and features Kelseidoscope’s cheerful vocals, along with her ukulele playing, to create a sweet and freeing soundscape that we all need in 2021.

“The chorus of Wouldya Bee first came to me while on a date at a bee sanctuary but I didn't finish the song until years later. For a long time I thought romantic relationships were a distraction from personal and spiritual development, until I later realized love can be one of the greatest motivators,” says Kelseidoscope. “Similarly to how the teamwork of bees makes the sweetness of honey, the sacred bond of a loving relationship can overflow to bring more sweetness into the world at large. Shortly after I came to these realizations I decided to finish the song and incorporate these insights into the lyrics of this fun-loving, joyful tune!” More singles for this artist are underway in 2021 with an album also expected.

Kelseidoscope [Kelsey Eide] is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose mission is to create music with a lens to heal and inspire. “Kelseidoscope” is not only a play-on-words via her name but is indicative of her process as a musician: repeated reflection. She digs deep into life’s beauty and trials offering positivity, hope or emotional processing with her high consciousness lyrics, catchy choruses and warm, embracing vocals. 

From teaching English in Korea to organic farming in her hometown of Timmins Kelseidoscope has a multitude of enriching life experiences she credits for forming her unique approach to music. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Community Development which deeply influenced her outlook on life and the themes of her songs. She has lived and volunteered in many parts of the world including teaching English in Korea, volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand, and working as a TV Presenter in Shenzhen, China. While living in Shenzhen her sister Kylah tragically passed away, motivating her to pursue her dreams full-heartedly. Kelseidoscope is motivated by supporting others to feel life’s greatest emotions and instill confidence and self love. Each of her songs have layers of stories, adventures and meaning she is committed to sharing with the world.

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K Michelle DuBois - The Fever Returns.

Wolves have long appeared as symbols in songs—spectral embodiments of solitary spirit animals driven by otherworldly passions and a mystical sense of freedom. After all, everyone from Duran Duran to the Los Angeles punk band X have invoked the hungry wolf in their songs detailing their most uncanny allegorical excursions into the night.

With her latest album, titled The Fever Returns, Atlanta-based singer, guitar player, and songwriter K Michelle DuBois pushes the boundaries of her Southern-inflected indie pop songs toward mysterious new and nocturnal terrain. Throughout the album, unlikely musical bedfellows—highly cultivated guitar tones, boundless pop production, and metaphysical imagery—placed side by side form singularly pleasing and full-bodied combinations.

The album’s opening title track comes to a head with a lingering rumination. DuBois sings: “Broke free from a comfort zone / Was it really that good? / Or were you just hiding / Seeing things you ain’t seen before / Walk right through an open door / You get so excited.”

Her words cast light on a path snaking through songs with titles such as “Heaven,” “Firestar,” and “Baby Witch,” each one finding the earth, the moon, the stars, and the elements taking on deeper and higher meanings amid her bounding melodies.

It’s in the song “Strawberry Moon,” though, when the wolves come out. The music builds subtly at first. The sound of wolves howling in the darkness blend with lingering percussion and synth lines, all resonating on the same spectral frequency. DuBois eases into the song, adding texture as she sings, “I was hunted beneath the Strawberry Moon / All told, my sole purpose was finding a place / Finding a place where we could stay wild.” The sound of her voice, and the shape of her words stir up a pensive atmosphere. It’s here in the midst of “Strawberry Moon” where she reveals the vital essence of The Fever Returns, and it’s message of looking deep within to make sense of her place in the world.

“It’s about finding your powers and your strengths—honing them,” DuBois says. “Let them be the impetus for you to leave your comfort zone, and to go out and experience new things, and to open new doors.”

The album’s title, and its opening number came to DuBois in the Spring of 2019, while she was stuck in bed, fighting a months-long illness. “I was spending a lot of time at home, much like right now,” DuBois says. “I had a horrific fever that was coming and going, and then I started thinking about it in different terms, like a fever for life, or whatever your passion may be, and ideas started coming together.”

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Quiet Marauder - Will I Remember To Remember?

Following swiftly on from last year’s Tiny Men Parts EP, Quiet Marauder re-enter the sonic fray with their latest Bubblewrap Collective long-player, The Gift, on 9th April 2021. Taking a strong divergence from the bombastic pop-punk of its predecessor, The Gift sees backing vocalist Kadesha Drija step to the foreground for the majority of the album, standing afront a richly crafted, multi-instrumental acoustic-folk backdrop.

Recorded pre-pandemic, January 2020, in The Burning Hell’s (Canada) pop-up Snowbird Studios, aka an art deco villa in Riofreddo, near Rome (Italy), this release marks another chapter in the ongoing international collaboration between the bands. For this album, Quiet Marauder’s (Wales) contributions of acoustic guitar, bass, trumpet and layered lead and backing vocals are granted further textural depth from their Canadian counterparts. These include minimalist harmonic splashes of flute, piano, organ (Jake Nicoll), electric guitar, bouzouki (Darren Browne) and bass clarinet (Ariel Sharratt).

Returning to the conceptual songwriting approach of previous releases MEN and The Crack And What It Meant, The Gift charts the narrative of a troubled teenage girl (Willow) haunted by visions of a mysterious house fire. Willow’s path is traced through well-meaning foster parents, teenage love interests, time-bending superpowers, distrust of domestic appliances and, ultimately, her own memories; covering themes of self-identity and the fallibility of human recall. Though the album marks a more overtly serious tone for the band, the sensitive subject matter is delicately handled through their trademark low-key, observational and, sometimes, darkly humorous lyrics.

bubblewrap.collective · Will I Remember To Remember?

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Borito - What We Have Now (Album).

Welcome to Borito's time machine - music that sends you back your summer vacation. The album is all about bringing back innocence, the freedom of loving, living and creating without the obligations and disappointments of adulthood. 

Borito’s debut album, "What we Have Now", is independently produced by band members Yael Copeland and Shahar Levi. Yael and Shahar are Tel Aviv musicians. They met in a music festival where Yael was performing and Shahar was the sound engineer. As their relationship developed so did the music of Borito.

Borito songs are fun, danceable, dreamy and colorful arrangements influenced by contemporary indie pop bands, a love for post-funk and storytellers from the best
of the rock and folk traditions. The band received a lot of attention with their first three singles.

The songs are being played in radio stations around the world: UK, The Netherlands, and South Korea & of course Israel. Playlists, international blogs and magazines are featuring the songs and complementing Borito's unique sound.
Borito is rounded out with two additional talented musicians: Sivan Dahan and Yoni Deutsch, both accomplished indie musicians that add their own sound and personality.

Altogether, the fantastic four create a colorful world of sound that is not limited by genre. In an age where we are surroundedby major challenges, global changes and an unknown future, the album celebrates the sweetness in life that can be easily forgotten.

Borito · What We Have Now // Borito's debut album

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Emily Coupe - Nursery Rhyme (Lullaby Version).

Prolific songwriter and consummate performer, Emily Coupe, delights audiences of all ages with her latest release, ‘Nursery Rhyme’ due to be launched worldwide on February 12th. 

The Australian born, Los Angeles artist releases this song as a follow up to the highly successful “Quarantine Christmas” which received airplay and video exposure in Australia and Japan. 

Her latest release further demonstrates Emily’s strength as a lyrical melody writer and creative arranger. The song, features the critically acclaimed, multiple solo album, Australian pianist, Timothy Davey. 

Reflecting the title, the listener is taken back to their childhood with the interplay of a familiar nursery rhyme enhancing the haunting message of Emily’s song. Available on all streaming platforms on February 12 ‘Nursery Rhyme’ is a not to be missed hit song for Emily Coupe.

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Charlotte Spiral - New Light.

Dark-alt pop duo Charlotte Spiral impressed with their debut EP Ideal Life in February 2020, garnering widespread critical acclaim, a Union Chapel show in support of Alice Boman, a Rough Trade Recommends showcase, and support from BBC6 Music. A year later, they’ve teamed up with Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey (Kae Tempest, Bat For Lashes, Sia) once more for their evocative new EP New Light. Confronting and examining loss, escapism, dissatisfaction and comparing oneself, the EP will be released on April 9th.

Recorded both remotely and in-person with collaborator Dan Carey throughout the last year in and out of lockdown, New Light is both a reaction to, and a product of, Charlotte Spiral’s experience of an extended period of self-reflection.

Lead single and title track ‘New Light’ examines the internal conflict between living in the moment and wishing you were elsewhere, and thanks to social media, comparing your own life to others. Speaking about the song, lead singer Amy Spencer explains that it was written in response to a personal battle that will be familiar to many; “It’s simply a message to myself to live more in the present and stop imagining how things could be, especially nowadays when it's so easy to get distracted and compare yourself to other people”.

Charlotte Spiral is a collaboration between Amy Spencer and Avi Barath; two musicians that have been involved in multiple projects respectively before coming together to form the duo. Having met at Goldsmiths, the pair connected due to their mutual love of artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Julia Holter, Moses Sumney, Yann Tiersen and Beach House, and their inherent desire to write music that is lyrically driven and built upon organic piano melodies.

Charlotte Spiral · New Light

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KIM HON - The Sea The Sea - Katy Kirby - Postdata

KIM HON - Bach o Flodyn.

KIM HON explain the origin of ‘Bach o Flodyn’: “The riff and song were formed as a result of watching a documentary about Robert Johnson, and then we tried to emulate his acoustic guitar skills. Of course, we didn’t get to play anything like Johnson played but this song was born as result anyway”

As with every KIM HON release you don’t know what to expect and are always taken on an unexpected journey towards the uncharted horizon. 

‘Bach o Flodyn’ is the sun setting on a joyous imaginary festival field, bathing the audience in a golden warm rays. The stars come out one by one to the hypnotic bluesy groves of KIM HON at their most magical.

Libertino · KIM HON - Bach o Flodyn

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The Sea The Sea - Stumbling Home: Oil on Paper.

Innovative indie-folk duo The Sea The Sea – frequently lauded for their immaculate vocal harmonies and unusual arrangements – has had a particularly fruitful 2020. Comprised of Chuck and Mira Costa, the duo released four highly acclaimed singles before dropping their damn-near-flawless full album, Stumbling Home, during the dwindling days of summer.

Now, The Sea The Sea is starting out the new year by releasing “Stumbling Home: Oil on Paper,” the official video for Stumbling Home’s title track.  And the video is something to be admired.

Directed and painted – yes, painted – by Zachary Johnson of The Made Shop, the video uses the rotoscope technique and brings a series of stunning oil paintings to life. “The technical feat of this film is less the massive number of oil paintings but in the incredible meticulous way they’ve all been conceptualized and arranged musically with the song,” describes Chuck.

The Sea The Sea previously collaborated with Johnson to create the video for the song “Waiting,” which appeared on the band’s 2014 debut album, Love We Are We Love. “We’d been waiting for the right moment to collaborate with Zachary and the Made Shop again since making video for ‘Waiting,’” explains Mira.  “And there was something about ‘Stumbling Home’ that kept eliciting images in the style of his paintings, so we immediately reached out.”

Rather than using the continuous motion that characterized the video for “Waiting,” Johnson wanted the video for “Stumbling Home” to focus more on fleeting moments, lit up and frozen in fading vignettes, while still maintaining the sense of a roving camera eye.

“We eventually came up with idea of painting various people, unmoored from their surroundings, each passerby an individual moving against an inky emptiness of black,” explains Zachary.  “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the way this turned out,” says Mira.

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Katy Kirby - Portals.

Katy Kirby has released the fourth and final single from her highly anticipated debut album Cool Dry Place out February 19 on Keeled Scales (via Secretly Distribution), the critically acclaimed indie label home to the likes of Tenci, Buck Meek, Sun June, Twain and more.

“Portals” is Kirby’s gentlest offering to date, an off-kilter introspection at a relationship’s end: if we peel apart / will we be stronger than we were before / we had formed ourselves together / in a temporary whole / and if we reunite, will we still know / the things that we had learned before? / we’re not boxes, doors, or borders / we were portals.

Kirby’s ability to blend wit with heart over inventive, affecting melodies has positioned her on shortlists for the most anticipated albums in 2021 by Vulture, Vice, Stereogum, The Line of Best Fit, and Paste Magazine. Just last week, Kirby was spotlighted in an extensive profile by VICE’s Noisey Next, who hailed her upcoming album as “the best debut album of 2021 so far.” Bob Boilen of NPR All Songs Considered has praised Katy for ”putting her own twist on pop” and tastemakers at Consequence of Sound, Under The Radar, Earmilk, Austin Town Hall and more have echoed enthusiasm.

Says Katy: I’ve always been uneasy with the idea of alternate universes, or realities. Even choose-your-own-adventure books used to stress me out. I wondered if it might be equally interesting and more helpful to consider “alternate universes” something as simple as other people. Around the time I wrote this song, I had been considering what I’d retain from a relationship if or when it ended—what I might be left with in the long run, after it didn’t hurt anymore. I realized that it’d be an alternate version of myself. Hell, how many parts of whatever I call a self aren’t even accessible without a particular interaction? “Portals” is me thinking about the alternate, purely interior worlds that slide open with each person/universe we intersect with, and if what we think of as “closeness” to that person has anything to do with what gets opened.

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Postdata - Nobody Knows.

POSTDATA, the solo music project of Wintersleep frontman/songwriter, Paul Murphy, is to return on March 5, 2021, with his third record, Twin Flames (out via Paper Bag Records). Murphy is today sharing the visual accompaniment for the recent single, "Nobody Knows."

A breathtaking and introspective new album, brimming with deep wonderings and intricately excavated soundscapes, Twin Flames – which comes co-produced by Bristol-based Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Perfume Genius, Portishead) – borrows its namesake from the centerpiece song on the album. Twin Flames is about a storm, but perhaps more importantly, it’s also about a fire burning through it. Paul says that being in a storm can be a freeing and powerful experience. “You’re navigating this place…you can’t really see super far in front of you,” he says. “I kinda like that place.”

Described by The Guardian as "a song that sounds as if it’s surfing an avalanche on a copy of Rumours," "Nobody Knows" is an infectious late night kitchen-party acoustic number that finds Murphy rhyming off a laundry list of his faults and failings: “I’m not good when the party’s packed/I’m not good when there’s nobody left/I’m not good when I’m all by myself, I fear for my health.” The accompanying video, directed by Chris Mills, comes part-inspired by the general weirdness surrounding performance videos and the act of trying to capture that live energy in an often empty room. Murphy and Mills here have taken the idea and twisted it into a dystopian, pandemic world where performances take place in hazmat suits and at obscure, outdoor locations.

Speaking about the video, Murphy says: "During the first lockdown, when I was gearing up for planning the video, my brother Michael and I were talking about performance videos and the general weirdness of them, but then about how it’d be kind of interesting to try one with all the COVID protocols in place. So, I think it started as a dystopic idea for how shows in the future would be or something to that effect. Chris loved the idea and thought he could expand on it with different visual techniques. We made some dialogue for it. Planned out scenes. The only issue is that we couldn’t travel to actually be in the same room to do it."

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Phantom Handshakes - Marcelo Deiss - Russian Baths

Phantom Handshakes - No Better Plan.

Today, NYC-based dream-pop duo Phantom Handshakes are sharing "No Better Plan," the first single off of their new album, No More Summer Songs, coming on April 30th via Z Tapes.

The band adds that it's, "about the consequences of pleasing someone else’s wishes at the expense of following your own dreams."

Born out of quarantine, Phantom Handshakes is a collaboration between Matt Sklar (Exiles) and Federica Tassano (Sooner, Mônetre). Their first album, Be Estranged, was released last year on Z Tapes.

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

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Marcelo Deiss - One.

Marcelo Deiss is a Brazilian born, London based artist whose music dances between indie, blues, folk and rock. His music approaches subjects that we face everyday. Constantly bombarded with advertising, fake news and social media, we become numb to the real world and lose touch with ourselves, while simultaneously the planet is dividing itself. Marcelo’s music is a reflection of this and how we can so easily lose track of what’s real and what’s not. He opens up discussions about these subjects and stands up to them, fighting for change.

His upcoming EP Hurl features six tracks, all delving into the world’s issues and how we can truly make a difference if we put our minds to it. Leading single “ONE” is a song about finding the strengths to fight back and standing together before it is too late. The organ-filled song is packed with emotion and feeling, lifting spirits up and showing others that we’re capable of great things.

Then there is “On the Way Out!” - born during the American elections and tackles political issues. It’s satirical nature and quirky instrumentation adds a sense of comic relief to a sober situation. “JuVenTuDe” is about the youth living in these troubled times. Minimalist guitar arrangements and mellow vocals provide comfort, reminding listeners that better days are ahead. “Fragments (Tell Me About It)” is about falling through the rabbit hole and being down and lost, overcoming those feelings and coming out alive on the other side. Raucous guitars and roaring organs make you feel as if you’re being born again. “Chiba City Scene” like the name suggests, was inspired by the book Neuromancer and is about the greedy higher power in charge. The track features sweeping strings, raindrop sounding piano and a singing guitar, all of which tell a story without any words being needed.

Title-track “Hurl” was written two years ago and talks about the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and standing up to the men. Bringing the EP to a close, it’s high energy and clashing instruments make it impossible to ignore what Marcelo has to say.

Spending time in both London and Sao Paulo, the musician is able to explore new sounds as well as new topics. The commute between these two cities influenced Marcelo immensely, he shares, “To immerse yourself in a new culture can 100% change the way you think. That really shaped the pursuit of subjects I was interested in whilst writing the EP. Just by observing people we can learn a lot about ourselves.” Interestingly enough we tend to behave the same across the world. We are different yet have so many things in common. The idea of writing about society came from his experiences of being immersed in these two cultures. Through the rawness of his music and the sheer gravity of his lyrics, the Brazilian artist is creating music to stimulate emotions. Hurl is currently available worldwide.

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Russian Baths - Responder (Night).

Russian Baths have unveiled a re-imagining of their single "Responder," titled "Responder (Night)." The new version strips the original's waves-crashing noise-rock to its melodic, atmospheric core leaving flittering keys and percussion and Luke Koz and Jess Rees' vocals laid bare.

The band details; "Striving to control others (emotions, desire, behaviors) corrupts. This seems like a chronic symptom of the worst in masculinity.

A responder talks back, but does it listen? Not equipped with the tools to be vulnerable, one voice denies reality, refuses to connect, exerts more control, idolizing restraint ("the way I held every face card") and admonishing its counterpart ("you way you scolded me"). With denial (to self and other), all's bound to collapse. Both know it will happen. Neither wants it.

I guess it's also an exploration of the big 80s breakup love ballads of the Patty Smyth featuring Don Henley variation, but the dark sexual politics of the heartbreak are more explicit. This is the night version.

I was listening to a lot of the xx and Sinead O'Connor when we wrote it and when re-recording it, I was listening to PJ Harvey almost exclusively. I wonder if this bleeds into the atmosphere."

Good Eye Records · Russian Baths - "Responder (Night)"

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Shane Pendergast - Piers Faccini

Shane Pendergast - It Slips Away.

Shane Pendergast is a folksinger from Tracadie Cross, Prince Edward Island. He learned to play by ear at an early age, immersed in a culture of family kitchen parties; by age 13 he was performing professionally on stage. 

Shane’s connection to Maritime folk music dates back to the efforts of his great-grandparents, preservers of folklore in P.E.I. Shane is carrying the torch forward with his own songs, inspired by rural life and Maritime history. At age 22, Shane is known as an “old-school troubadour,” performing upwards of 200 gigs a year. In 2020 he released his debut album, “Place to the Name.”

“Shortly after the track was recorded, I received the word that a close friend of mine passed away. The song is about loss, so it took on an added meaning. The music video footage is from a show I played at Toronto’s TRANZAC Main Hall. That was the last night that I saw my friend Alex. 

I find it surreal to look back at the footage of him, not to mention the big crowd that was gathered. Nobody knew that the world would slip away a few weeks later with the COVID-19 lockdown.”

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Piers Faccini - The Real Way Out.

British-Italian artist Piers Faccini today announces his new album ‘Shapes Of The Fall’ for release on April 2, 2021 through Nø Førmat! (Oumou Sangaré, Blick Bassy & Mélissa Laveaux) / Beating Drum. Featuring collaborations with Ben Harper and Abdelkebir Merchane, ‘Shapes Of The Fall’ is Faccini’s seventh album in a career spanning over twenty years and collaborations with the likes of Rokia Traoré, Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal. The announcement arrives alongside the first track lifted from the album, ‘The Real Way Out’.

In the Gabriel Garcia Marquez story A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, the author reflects on the opposing facets of human nature, like the two sides of a spinning coin landing randomly either on cruelty or compassion. Faccini’s new album ‘Shapes Of The Fall’, speaks of something similar - asking, which part of our nature will prevail in the modern world; will we, as the very old man with broken wings, learn to fly again or are we destined to fall? It’s an unsettling question which permeates tender new single ‘The Real Way Out’ - a consideration of regret and sorrow that is nonetheless leavened with a real sense of hope. Speaking about the new track, Faccini says; ‘The Real Way Out’ is a love song to life itself in the shape of an enigma, the unsolved mystery being, the impossibility of reconciling a perfect love with our imperfect identities.

Recorded live in a farmhouse studio in the French countryside, co-produced by Fred Soulard - ‘Shapes of the Fall’ draws heavily on Faccini’s own ancestry, on southern Italian, Arab-Andalusian and Sephardic modes and rhythms, bridging southern Europe with the Near East and Africa. Beginning with his fascination with Tarantismo from Puglia and the last known example of trance ritual and music in Europe, the album crosses the narrow straits of the Mediterranean, accompanied by two Algerian brothers and master instrumentalists, Malik and Karim Ziad, to interplay with trance traditions in the Maghreb and in Berber and Gnawa culture.

The songs on ‘Shapes Of The Fall’ - with string quartet arrangements provided by Spanish composer Luca Suarez - are steeped in rhythm, blending Faccini’s custom-made hybrid fretless instrument, the guitar-oud, bender & tamburello frame drums, karkabous castanets and handclaps to compelling effect.

As a whole, ‘Shapes Of The Fall’ is characterised by an elegiac quality - a thoughtful collection of songs with parallels not only to humans’ destructive effect on the ecosystems of the natural world around us, but also to the internal monologues of our own lives, our own reflections. How have we strung the beads of our lives together? What choices, what actions will determine our rise or fall?

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Miesha and the Spanks - Jaelee Roberts - The Neighbourhood Watch - Hadda Be

Miesha and the Spanks - I Want Fire.

Miesha & The Spanks offer a dynamic mixture of punk, garage and hard rock embellished with straightforward lyrics, gritty production and hard hitting performances. Inspired by proto punk classics like The Runaways, MC5 and The Stooges, and 90s riot grrrl/grunge like L7 and The Gits, M&TS conjure an energy that hits you in the face, throwing you into a world of killer riffs and sweaty gig venues.

Originally a punk rock kid from the East Kootenays, front-woman Miesha Louie started this project a decade ago after moving to big city Calgary, AB. She toured and released like crazy, building momentum and a reputation for her DIY approach, with any drummer up for the challenge. Joined by Sean Hamilton five years ago, he brought big Bonham style that’s intuitive like John Freese, always creating the right feel for the song.

Recorded in Brighton UK, their 2018 release Girls Girls Girls was produced by Danny Farrant of punk legends The Buzzcocks. The album reached #1 on Earshot!’s National Loud charts, and had singles hit #7 on CBC 3’s R3-30, and #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. It received multiple adds on SiriusXM Canada, and was even given attention from Rodney Bingenheimer’s Sirius XM show in the US. At the YYC Music Awards, Girls Girls Girls brought home Rock Recording Of The Year and Single Of The Year (“Summer Love”), as well as securing Miesha as Female Artist Of The Year.

Taking a brief hiatus while Miesha birthed twins, M&TS are back with their next release, Singles EP. While the Covid-19 pandemic did slow down production, the duo have put their full weight behind first singles “Unstoppable” and “Wanna Feel Good” – a juggernaut garage rock banger and a gritty fuzzed out anthem, respectively – reminding us that sometimes head first, full throttle, is the only way to get it done. Both songs received adds to SiriusXM Canada’s CBC Radio 3 and Indigenous Peoples’ Radio, with features on The Verge and Rodney Bingenheimer Show. Wanna Feel Good charted Top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown.

What was meant to be a mixed tape of self-serving, standalone tracks for radio and licensing, Singles EP instead became a collection of songs influenced by the immediate life-changing effects of life during lockdown. Working with Western Canadian Music Award winning artist/producer Leeroy Stagger was meant to reign in Miesha & The Spanks, to clean up the noise for crisp, polished songs – but visited from the ghost of punk rock past, Stagger instead turned it up (way up) and imbued their crunchy mono-guitar sound with extra doses of fuzz and feedback, guaranteed to get the blood pumping.

“I Want Fire” is the third single coming in hot ahead of Singles EP, boasting a catchy as hell chorus, and conjuring the urge to explode we’re all feeling after nearly a year of restrictions and lockdowns. For those who want to burn it all down or light it up, I Want Fire is open to interpretation. This song rocks hard, and serves as a strong representation of what’s to come.

Miesha and the Spanks · I Want Fire

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Jaelee Roberts - Something You Didn't Count On.

Hearing a new talent finding her voice is always an exciting musical moment, and though “Something You Didn’t Count On” might not be Jaelee Roberts’ literal debut, it marks her arrival on the scene in a way that almost demands recognition. With support from award-winning bassist/producer Tim Surrett (Balsam Range) and a group of supremely skilled and empathetic musicians, Roberts’ first single for Mountain Home Music Company more than fulfills every expectation for the young singer-songwriter.

“Jaelee’s is a name you should remember. I’ve got a feeling we’ll be hearing it a lot in the future,” says hit country singer/songwriter and 2-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Shawn Camp, and he’s right. “Something You Didn’t Count On” underlines the point, offering both the song itself — co-written with another grass-inflected singer-songwriter, Theo MacMillan — and a confident performance that stands out boldly from the music supplied by an all-star crew that includes Surrett; 2-time Mandolin Player of the Year, Alan Bibey; 5-time Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson; guitarist Tony Wray (Blue Mafia, John Cowan Band) and fiddler Jimmy Mattingly (Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, The Grascals).

“‘Something You Didn’t Count On’ is about anything that happens in life unexpectedly,” says Roberts. “The main theme is about love coming out of nowhere, but it really has so many underlying meanings, and that’s why I love the song so much. The melody and lyrics came to Theo and I pretty quickly and, interestingly, the storyline comes from either the male or female perspective. I think my favorite line in the song is ‘you don’t always look for what you find’ which is the focus of what the song is all about!”

Indeed, while the group turns in typically burnished backing, energetic solos and razor-sharp harmonies from Flatt Lonesome’s Paul and Kelsi Harrigill, Roberts is in full command as she delivers the song’s well-crafted story of an unexpected love capable of sweeping past every doubt and obstacle. And though it’s more providential than deliberate, “Something You Didn’t Count On” may serve, too, as a metaphor for the jump start the single should give to her career.

Syntax Creative · Jaelee Roberts - "Something You Didn't Count On"

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The Neighbourhood Watch - Lost In Bloom (Album).

Our brand new album, Lost in Bloom, is about three things: abandoning arrogance, resenting the people we loved, and being scared of growing up. A collection of profound changes and adjustments have happened over the past two years, in all of our lives. Whether it was deep self-reflection on how we treated our friends, relationships ending, or the anxiety of a global pandemic – the years between 19 and 21 were eventful.

The song, "20 Year Dream," is about being happy for the people you used to love. Accepting that you were standing in the way of their growth—and that they’re better off without you. My favourite lyric is you've got your own sense of loving, and it let me down. I wrote this track sitting in a garden in Johannesburg, tipsy from an evening at a rooftop bar in Maboneng. I had just cried after a hard call, recognizing that I was letting so many of the people I love down.

Let's reflect on how our energy has the power to make others either feel warm and loved, or cold and rejected. Whether it's actual adolescence or arrested development, a lot of us aren't conscious enough of our impact and responsibility in the world. It's such simple things. How you share good news. How you argue with your significant other. Make space for the people you love to say what they need to say, and be who they need to be.

Lost in Bloom is about a few young men learning that growing up isn't about ambition, but rather kindness. - The Neighbourhood Watch.

The Neighbourhood Watch · Lost In Bloom

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Hadda Be - Another Life.

Hadda Be (formerly Foundlings) walks the line of early 90's fuzzy indiepop, reaching for the stars britpop, and somehow still finding ways to keep it all danceable and sharp. 

The band was formed under the name Foundlings in 2018, spread across joint hometowns of South London and Brighton. Their first two singles, ‘Misery’ and ‘Horizon’, received generous airplay on BBC 6 Music and Radio X, as well as Melita Dennett’s BBC Introducing the South. The following year saw the release of the band’s debut, eponymously-titled EP via their new record label, Last Night From Glasgow. In support of the release, the band took to the road, performing at festivals across the UK and selling out their two release shows at the Sebright Arms (London) and Stereo (Glasgow).

In 2020, with the departure of the band’s original bass player, a new member, a recent introduction to parenthood, a debut album in the works, brexit-induced political turmoil, coronavirus and a US trademark dispute to boot, the newly replenished four-piece made the change to Hadda Be. Taken from Allen Ginsberg’s poem Hadda Be Playing on the Radio , the new name reflects a fresh outlook for the band, a keener understanding of its sound and a heightened sense of purpose.

The aptly titled Another Life , the band’s forthcoming debut album, was recorded in five days at Brighton Road Studios in between the two national lockdowns. The intention of the album was to create a body of work that captures the energy and spirit of the band, something that sets them apart: “There’s a vibrancy and an energy to our live shows, a distinct personality that we wanted to immortalise in our debut album. The songs were mostly recorded live, with some overdubs here and there. Due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the recording of the album was delayed twice. By the time we finally managed to get into the studio, we had the songs down to an extent that we recorded most of them in only a few takes.” That immediacy is palpable throughout the album, the band achieving what they set out to do, capturing their spirit over the course of five intense and unforgettable days.

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Roseanne Reid - Raquel Kiaraa - Departure Lounge - Partner

Roseanne Reid - Tentsmuir Sky.

Scottish singer and songwriter Roseanne Reid unveils ‘Tentsmuir Sky’, the second offering from her upcoming EP ‘Horticulture’, set for release on April 10th, via Last Man. Inspired by Tentsmuir Forest in Fife, Scotland, the track in Rosanne’s own words “tries to capture the magic of a place which has offered me both escape from and reconnection with the world. The Redshank and Roe deer referenced in the opening lines highlight just a fraction of the amazing variety of wildlife that inhabit the forest, at the edge of which the sea meets the sky”.

Entirely written and home-recorded during lockdown by Roseanne herself and mixed by The Who and Manic Street Preacher’s producer Dave Eringa, ‘Tentsmuir Sky’ is the follow up to ‘You Underestimate Me’, which premiered on BBC Scotland’s Another Country with Ricky Ross last December.

Lockdown and cancelled tours in 2020, saw Roseanne perform series of popular live streams from her garden. Inspired by her interest in horticulture, she enrolled in a degree course whilst also learning music production and recording techniques. These two new skills created the basis for the forthcoming EP ‘Horticulture’, a four-track collection of new songs due for release as a special edition vinyl in April 2021. Last year Roseanne was nominated for Song Of The Year at the UK Americana Awards for ‘Amy’, this year Roseanne played an exclusive live streamed show during the AmericanaFest UK.

Opening for Teddy Thompson in 2022, Roseanne will support his 12 dates tour starting at Glasgow’s Oran Mor on 21st January 2022, touching London’s Earth Theatre on 28th January, before ending at Manchester’s Band On The Wall on 3rd February.

Roseanne Reid’s critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Trails’ announced the official arrival of a singular voice in folk-roots and americana music. Produced by Teddy Thompson and featuring Americana legend Steve Earle - has seen the talented troubadour and eldest daughter of The Proclaimers' Craig Reid - been praised for her “authentic country-tinged folk” by The Sun (****), with approval from Uncut (8/10) and Sunday Times Culture, the latter also including the album among its “100 best records of the year”. While support at radio from Jools Holland’s on Radio 2, and live sessions with BBC London’s Robert Elms and Another Country with Ricky Ross at BBC Scotland further enhanced her reputation.

 

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Raquel Kiaraa - Official Love to the Moon 

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to grasp the tail of a kite?  Imagine no more; Raquel Kiaraa is prepared to take you with her on a trajectory to the "moon."

Raquel Kiaraa is a  modern-day chanteuse who defies genre with musical dexterity. She gave wings to her music in 2018, having never sung or played an instrument prior. “At 32 I learned how to sing and play the piano so I could transform my poetry into music, the same age as my muse/role model, Leonard Cohen when he began making music,” she shares. Love, loss, hopelessness, and redemption weave seamlessly throughout her deceptively simple yet soulful lyrics.

Raquel’s voice has been compared to Amy Winehouse, Florence and the Machine, Alannah Myles, Joan Jett, and Carly Simon. Her energy, showmanship and performance presence have been inspired by the talented Lady Gaga and Cher, curating her own unique stage costumes that command her presence to be felt and known.

By 2019, Raquel was motivated and determined enough to finally turn her goals into reality. By simply believing in the power of her music, she assembled a band of accomplished musicians and, after only two rehearsals, some vocal lessons and music sheets for 13 original songs, Raquel produced two sold-out 250+-seater performances, selling her own tickets and running her own publicity single-handedly.

But nothing has come without a cost for Raquel; there were many lows in her life, in particular an athletic career thwarted by an injury. But as a young, tall, awkward teen, she emerged into adulthood with startling poise and glamour, believing that fear would never be her leader.   On the way to becoming, Raquel wrote her feelings into her journal. Words, stories, and observations in life were etched into the pages of what would one day be released to the world as lyrics to her hauntingly beautiful songs.

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Departure Lounge - Australia.

From Athens, Georgia to Australia in one bound, the sound of legendary R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck’s twelve strings jangle their inimitable way through the latest single from Departure Lounge, reunited Bella Union-alumni ‘critics choice’ band, now signed to reputed UK indie Violette Records, who announced their first album for two decades at the end of 2020. The band's singer and songwriter Tim Keegan sought out his friend of thirty years after noticing a distinct ‘Rickenbacker-shaped hole’ in the track during their brief, yet fruitful album sessions.

Of all the eventful incidents of a life in music well-lived, Keegan counts his longstanding friendship with Buck, initially via their mutual musical acquaintance, Robyn Hitchcock and more recently via a tiny festival in Arctic Norway with John Paul Jones, amongst the most enduring and valuable of happy accidents. As an R.E.M. devotee from the early-80s, Keegan subconsciously wrote the perfect foundation for Buck to layer streams of his distinctive fretwork over in Australia, a studio-crafted slice of urgent alt-rock with the pan-American flavour of both Illinois’ Wilco and California’s Grandaddy. However, it was Buck’s contribution, according to Keegan, that brought the whole thing right back to Georgia.

"Listening to the playback of 'Australia' in the studio, I remember saying to the rest of the band: ‘what this song needs is Peter Buck’ (like the bicycle in the Quentin Blake book, ‘Mrs. Armitage on Wheels’). I sent him the rough mix, he said he dug the song and went and played the perfect part on it. I am not ashamed to say that when I opened that email and first listened to his divine soloed track on headphones, I shed some tears of joy. Now it sounds like a great lost REM single from 1989 (with a different singer, sure) and it's probably the best thing we've ever done.” - Tim Keegan, Departure Lounge.

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Partner - Good Place To Hide (At The Time).

Partner are back with a new video for their RUSH-inspired single "Good Place To Hide (At The Time)." It is the final single, from Partner's Never Give Up (You've Changed Records) the follow up to their break out debut album, In Search of Lost Time. There is a content warning, however, the video does include mimes/clowns. It also features Partner doing choreographed synchronized dance moves, under the direction of Karissa Laroque.

A Message from Partner: "Please take note of the content warning, this video includes mimes (clowns). This video is the result of a collaboration between ourselves and our friend Mylou Sauvage. We were so excited when Mylou offered to direct our next music video. We knew she was a film industry professional with a lot of experience, and that she would be the perfect person to interpret our queer, melancholy prog rock song.

We had quite an adventure making this video. The journey to the set was dramatic, featuring an unexpected snow storm. Despite wretched weather we had a wonderful day and we were extremely inspired by Mylou's one-of-a-kind leadership qualities and artistic eye. She brought together an amazing crew of friends, family and co-workers to help on the set, and we had so much fun working together and celebrating over pizza at Tartinizza later that night.

We are so happy with how the video turned out, but the greatest gift was the day we all spend together. We are so grateful to have this memento of that wonderful day with our friend Mylou. Never Give Up is dedicated to her memory. Thanks for watching! " - Partner

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Caoilfhionn Rose - Paging Doctor Moon - Lord and the Woolf - Elijah Wolf

Photo - Emily Dennison

Caoilfhionn Rose — Flourish.

Truly, the luscious, soulful new album from Manchester singer-songwriter Caoilfhionn Rose (pronounced Keelin) moves through a tapestry of curious musical inflections; nods towards folk, jazz, ambient, electronica and even a subtle influence of psychedelia, it never stands still to take a breath, despite its ethereal and delicate core. Out April 9th on Gondwana Records (Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet, Matthew Halsall, Hania Rani), in Truly, the young singer-songwriter has accomplished a body of work that is both sonically and lyrically wise beyond her years. Rose today shares a first single from the album – ‘Flourish’, an intoxicating song that meditates on being present in the moment, allowing peace to come to you.

“The song ‘Flourish’ is about looking forwards with hope and possibility, ‘let it flow away, let it turn around and flourish’. It’s about finding peace and feeling wonder again” says Rose about the track. “’Flourish’ hints at the ideas of what could be, how things can unfold if you let go ‘and just be here’.”

Co-produced by Kier Stewart of The Durutti Column following Rose’s collaborative endeavours with them on their album Chronicle LX:XL, the musician’s song writing draws from a diverse palette of influences, including Building Instrument, Rachel Sermanni, Alabaster dePlume and Broadcast. Rose also professes to a love for beautiful, stripped back, piano based music, such as Dustin O’Halloran and label mate Hania Rani.

Truly came to exist due to a deep-routed need to create – even though its conception was interrupted as Caoilfhionn Rose recovered in hospital from an illness, she found strength within writing music. “In Spring 2019 I took part in a gig swap with my good friend and fellow musician Kristian Harting who is from Denmark. We played several gigs in the UK but unfortunately the Denmark part of the tour was cut short as I was taken ill. I was hospitalised for several weeks and have taken the last year out to recover” says Rose. “I gradually returned to finishing my second album” she continues. “Coming back to creating after being unwell was challenging but also therapeutic. This record marks a difficult time of my life and writing it helped get me through that. I am really grateful to have music as an outlet.” It may be this tremendously challenging period that has abetted its characterising qualities.

Rose’s beautifully restrained vocal is all at once soothing yet mesmerising. She demands and holds attention through her evident talent yet hypnotises the listener into a trance with her experimental tendencies. “After being unwell, getting back to recording helped me recover my voice after not singing for so long. Finishing bits of songs, writing lyrics and recording vocals helped me get back on my feet and get better.”

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Paging Doctor Moon - Haunted.

Rising alt indie band Paging Doctor Moon has released their second single, Haunted, available on all streaming services today February 5.

Written and performed by founding member Kirsten Heibert with production, mixing, and mastering by Julian Giaimo and features from Morgan Karabel, the track explores why we hold on to relationships that are toxic.

“Haunted is about a bad relationship that feels like Groundhog Day,” says Kirsten Heibert, founder of Paging Doctor Moon. “We wrote it on the porch while we were recording the rest of the album.”

Paging Doctor Moon’s second single is an emotional symphony paired with soulful lead vocals as the primary instrument. The track begins with a stripped and raw exploration with just vocals and guitar and builds to a fuller alternative indie soundscape flushed out with a soft electric guitar and light percussion.

Known for their deep lyricism and vocals and evocative arrangements, Paging Doctor Moon will continue to release singles this year leading up to a Spring 2021 debut album release.

Paging Doctor Moon is an alt indie band with soulful & jazzy vocals from singer/songwriter Kirsten Heibert She founded Paging Doctor Moon in Brooklyn in 2018 under a different band name They gigged in NYC for two years, regularly hitting NYC indie-staples Rockwood Music Hall and Arlene’s Grocery. RIYL: Crumb, Lianne La Havas, Sister Sparrow, Fiona Apple, Mazzy Starr, Kat Wright.

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Lord and the Woolf - Young

Lord and the Woolf is made up of a pair of rascals from the North West of England - Joe Woolf and Sam Lord.

After previously touring with bands ‘Chappaqua Wrestling, ‘Aquilo’, ’LOWES’, and ‘Shy Luv’, Sam and Joe decided to start their own project. With Joe conveniently being a producer they took to his studio to hone and create their own unique style and sound. 

Their studio writing process and attention to detail spawned a dense and interesting production aesthetic, resembling the likes of ‘Alt-J’, ‘Bombay Bicycle club’ and ‘Tame Impala.’

Following two previous singles including the euphoric ‘Etta’s Game’, this month will mark the release of their 3rd single ‘Young’ alongside a music video.

‘Young’ carries a narrative which highlights youthful lust and love, and how it can harness the power to distort our moral compass. At a point in everyone’s life, they must make a choice to either leave or stay in a life defining moment.

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Photo - Eric Michael Pearson

Elijah Wolf - Brighter Lighting.

Brooklyn-based artist Elijah Wolf has released the title track from his upcoming album Brighter Lighting due out February 26 via Trash Casual Records. The track features contributions from Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Josh Jaeger (drummer for Angel Olsen & Fleet Foxes) and Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Sharon Van Etten), who also produced the album. Also today, Forbes interviewed Elijah about the new single release, stating "Rolling guitar melodies create forward motion, synths and lap steels mirror the motion of the natural world."

"This song came so naturally and I had felt like it summed up the record nicely as a whole," says Wolf. "I had spent quite some time reflecting on the experience writing my first record before this one, which was a deeply lonely and personal one. This song is about looking back on those days and how life has moved far past them. It’s about taking those experiences and moving forward."

Speaking about the video, Elijah explains: "I grew up in Phoenicia, New York, nestled up in the Catskill Mountains. Throughout my life, the geography and botanical offerings have provided great comfort for me. It is here that I gained my great wonder and curiosity for the world, as well as the place I continuously return to when things get dark and uncertain. 

Brighter Lighting is about understanding the past, so that one may look forward with wide eyes. I asked one of my closest friends, Dylan Kaplowitz, a filmmaker (also from the Catskill Mountains), to document a full day with me, revisiting these sacred places; each one with great significance to my life. I shared stories with him at each spot and he filmed it all on a Super 8 camera."

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