BEEHIVE CANDY

Jon Mckiel - Mourning Dove. By Jesse Locke · April 29, 2020: In 2015, cult Canadian indie-rocker Jon McKiel purchased a Teac A-2340 reel-to-reel recorder from a stranger online. After setting up the machine, he discovered one of the 30 tapes it came with contained recordings made by a previous owner. These included snippets of single instruments, vocals, and one nearly fully formed song.  Four years later, McKiel teamed up with producer Jay Crocker (Constellation Records’ experimental electronic artist JOYFULTALK) to transfer all the material they could excavate from the reels to a hard drive. McKiel then chopped the sounds into 10-second loops, and used those samples as a foundation for a series of eerie, psychedelic pop songs. The project was credited to a character who was partially McKiel, and partially the stranger who sold him the machine: Bobby Joe Hope. If Bobby Joe Hope has a predecessor, it’s the 2009 album Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio A

Warp Trio & Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez - The Well. A collaboration between Warp Trio, and the rising sensation Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez, “The Well” is a sweeping and epic tour de force that depicts the story of how isolation during the pandemic forces one to confront one’s self-identity, deal with their demons, and conquer them. The music video features the talents of amazing New York City dancer Emily Houghton with original choreography. Taken from their forthcoming album due out August 20, 2021, the new six track collection came about against the following background. "Like musicians all over the World, New York City’s Warp Trio entered the Fall of 2020 with a full instrumental record ready to go, but no tour to play it on. In light of their forced hiatus from road life, and in efforts to make something positive out of these dark days, they decided to get to work on a new record that would not only signify the times, but also one that they would purposefully not be able to feasib

Alice Hubble - My Dear Friend. Alice Hubble has announced her new album Hexentanzplatz will be released on September 10th, 2021 via London-based electronic-pop label Happy Robots. Described as the work of ‘one lady at home with her enormous collection of synthesisers’, Alice Hubble mixes melancholic pop, layered vintage synths and elegant vocals, reminiscent of Ladytron, Jane Weaver and Goldfrapp. Her debut album Polarlichter was released in September 2019 to much critical acclaim. Lead single ‘My Dear Friend’ was inspired by the discovery of a collection of love letters written by Hubble’s mother to her father around the time that they first met. “My mother passed away when I was in my teens and these letters gave me a real insight into who she was as a person, her ‘newly in love’ giddiness jumping off the page,” she says. Her new album Hexentanzplatz, named after the German mountain steeped in magic and legend, translates literally to mean Witches’ Dance Floor. An apt title for an a

ChrisLee - Leave Your Light On. Pop singer-songwriter ChrisLee has just released his newest single, “Leave Your Light On,” along with a stirring music video. An emotional anthem for his advocacy toward mental health, the song is a reminder that finding the strength to live every day may be a struggle, but it’s all worth it because there is light at the end of the tunnel. He is donating a portion of the inspiring song’s proceeds to NAMI -- National Alliance on Mental Illness -- an organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. “Leave Your Light On” is available to download, stream, and watch on digital music platforms worldwide. MentaI illness can still be a very taboo topic and scary to open up about; that’s why it’s crucial to open up conversations around it -- just like ChrisLee did. With playful beats and uplifting guitar accompanied by heartening lyrics, “Leave Your Light On” encourages listeners to find the courage to kee

Ålesund - Rhythm. Following up on the 2020 release of their second EP ‘All Hail To Your Queen’, Bristol-based atmospheric Alt-Pop quartet Ålesund return with upcoming EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’, due for release July 9th. After the untimely curtailing of their European Tour in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ålesund traveled back to the UK feeling uncertain. Although things were going so well with a new offering and an extensive touring and festival schedule to get stuck into, the timing of the unplanned hiatus was less than ideal. Rather than take it to heart, the group’s vocalist and songwriter Alba Torriset retreated to her hometown of Hastings to try and reconnect with music in a positive way.  “With all the negativity in the world, I wanted to create something uplifting and optimistic,” she says, and so the four track EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’ was created. Alba and guitarist Lloyd Starr started to put together demos with a euphoric and festival-tinged edge. They then enga

Vanessa Gimenez - Doing Better. Vanessa Gimenez releases her second single "Doing Better" and announces the release of her debut EP 'Make It Rain', out August 12th. Vanessa Gimenez doesn’t so much write songs as conjure dreamscapes for listeners to lose themselves in. It’s a talent she began honing while fronting Bristol-band Swimming Girls - racking up millions of streams along with triumphant turns at Glastonbury and at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It’s only since going solo that Gimenez has begun to realise the true scope of her creative potential. New single "Doing Better" finds her daring to look back at difficult personal experiences. Produced and mixed by David Wrench (Arlo Parks, Jamie xx, Georgia), and co-written with Toby Scott and Swimming Girls-keyboardist Roo Primrose – the track deals with the dissolution of a romantic relationship and the mind games lovers play in an attempt to one-up one another. "Doing Better" further wounds with its r

Kat Von D - I Am Nothing. Multifaceted tattoo artist, TV star, beauty entrepreneur, author, fashion designer, and singer/songwriter Kat Von D continues her musical journey with the cathartic new video for her synthwave slow jam, “I Am Nothing,” the second single from her forthcoming debut LP Love Made Me Do It out August 27. The video, directed by Linda Strawberry, captures the essence of the song and the album’s underlying themes of love, loss, and loneliness. Kat Von D explains: “It’s about the idea of not being good enough. You feel like you’re nothing and lament the memories of the past again. It’s the everyday challenge of putting one foot in front of the other when you’re running on emotional fumes. You’re also coming to terms with the fact it’s over.” Regarding working with the director, Kat says, “Working with Linda Strawberry on this video was a beautiful experience. I was already so inspired by all the work she’s done with the Smashing Pumpkins art direction as well as other

We Were Promised Jetpacks - Fat Chance. Acclaimed Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks have announced their much anticipated brand new album Enjoy the View, to be released on 10th September via Big Scary Monsters. Along with the announcement they share single ‘Fat Chance’, which follows on from previous new single ‘If It Happens’, released via 7” this month. The new tracks signify a change in musical direction for the band, with ‘Fat Chance’ an ode to overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds. Lead singer Adam Thompson explains; “We started properly writing this album at the end of March 2020 when we realised that everything was going to be shut down. We had a US tour lined up in May but obviously had to cancel. So from March to June, we sent each other ideas remotely and collaborated that way. I was so glad we had a project to focus on when proper lockdown hit. When we were able to get into our practice space in July, we were finally able to jam and write more like we n

Melissa Lamm - Balcony. Melissa tells us "I spent last summer's lockdown on my balcony in Toronto, and wrote a song about it." She continues "I had just gotten married before the pandemic, and was dreaming of a honeymoon abroad. When lockdown hit, my husband and I abandoned our plans of a far away vacation, and made our own little paradise in the concrete jungle." "Balcony" tells a humble story about making the most of wherever you are. You may not be able to spend your summer on a tropical beach or sightseeing abroad, but sitting on a modest little balcony with someone you love can be a perfect time – even if you aren't doing anything at all. Finally Melissa adds "I love full pop sounds but chose to take a more chill and stripped down approach to this recording, which is about enjoying the simple moments in life. Sometimes I look back at last summer and feel nostalgic about my time spent on my balcony, and this year I'm honestly looking

Alicia Walter - Prelude. Having already gained enormous notoriety as the lead singer behind the Chicago-based art-rock outfit Oshwa, singer and songwriter Alicia Walter has now announced her plans for her first solo studio album ‘I Am Alicia’. Showcased by the new single ‘Prelude’, ‘I Am Alicia’ looks to see her branch out from behind the confines of her previous outfit to explore a more multifaceted direction. Exploring a diverse array of genres including jazz, hip-hop, as well as her own distinct approach to alt-pop, her new collection sees her in her most adventurous guise yet. The new track ‘Prelude’ perfectly sums up what we can expect from her forthcoming full-length. Expertly produced by Walter and Devin Greenwood (Sufjan Stevens, Steve Reich, Norah Jones), it sees her reach to the furthest corners of her creative minds and pull back something captivating from start to finish. The video, directed by Lisa Schatz, is a vibrantly colorful odyssey that sees Walter transcending diff

Maddy Wood - If I Could Move. Describing herself as a “Rock ’n’ Roll glitter princess,” Maddy Wood combines her love for the classic rock sounds of Led Zeppelin and Stevie Nicks with modern pop sensibilities, soulful vocals and thought-provoking lyrics.  However, this self-made artist should not be confused with any old rockstar — Wood’s most appealing aspect is how she grows beyond the boundaries of her idols. Maddy effortlessly dances through a myriad of genres to create a sound that is emotional, energetic, and all her own. Crafted in the pages of a songwriting notebook and perfected on the strings of her custom purple cheetah print Telecaster, every Maddy Wood piece is original as it is beautiful.  Her process is a raw, sometimes painful, but ultimately deeply relatable. Poetic and dressed in purple, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter is well on her way to joining the ranks of fearless, no-nonsense icons like Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers. Bending to no one, she channels her em