Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Jill Lorean - Shaela Miller - Ellevator - Old Crow Medicine Show

Jill Lorean - Black Dog.

Black Dog’ is final single from Glasgow trio Jill Lorean’s upcoming debut album This Rock, and sees the band carrying a danceable freak folk energy, which adds to the timeless diversity of their singles to date. An odyssey of sorts, ‘Black Dog’ lures you in with a trance-like violin loop that remains a constant throughout, before crusading through pulsing drumbeats, haunted, gothic guitar lines and playful disco-esque basslines, alongside Jill O’Sullivan’s ethereal vocal delivery, which claws your attention in on the hood laden repetitive chorus line “how can I laugh and how can I cry”.

Jill Lorean as a living breathing thing, featuring Jill O’Sullivan (Sparrow And The Workshop, Three Queens in Mourning, Bdy_Prts) in collaboration with Andy Monaghan (Frightened Rabbit) and drummer Peter Kelly (The Kills, Ladytron), the band is a unique beast inhabiting its own world, incorporating elements of many genres from folk and lo-fi to post-punk and underground rock.

“Black Dog’ is like being on a consciousness-bending, self-seeking quest. It’s a lucid dream-like adventure where a godlike figure attempts to grant all of a persons wishes by carving them all kinds of exciting things out of the clouds. But a sad dog keeps appearing so the deity swallows the sky not understanding that the person wanted to confront the whole spectrum of their emotions, including the sad dog chasing them around.”

“I worked with Pete (Kelly) on this dance project and he would do these fills and I just wanted to dance suddenly. And I like that he did that over the ‘Black Dog’, there is this slight freak folky vibe going on. And it could go down a Fairport Convention, sort of route, but it doesn't. He brings it into this transient style. And I love it. It was not what I was expecting. I like the unexpected. I like to feel surprised, I want people listening to it to feel alive and awake.”

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Shaela Miller - Tidal Wave.

With her 2020 album Big Hair Small City, Shaela Miller proved yet again to have her hand on the pulse of “honky tonk noir.” With central themes rooted in the deep intricacies of heartache, loss, healing, and inner growth, Miller took the listener on a journey with her witty turns of phrase, strong finger pickin' and no-nonsense lyrics. 

The native of Lethbridge, Alberta is now giving her fans an added bonus with the new, standalone single “Tidal Wave,” which was recorded during the sessions for Big Hair Small City with producer Scott Franchuk at Riverdale Recorders in Edmonton. Given the meaning behind the song, Miller has chosen to release "Tidal Wave" now to mark International Women's Day 2022.

As Shaela explains, "'Tidal Wave' is an in-depth confession of realizations and struggles of the heart and how a woman can feel, inside and outside of love, like they are drowning in the staggering, multi-dimensional duties of life. It's about how the expected and demanding responsibilities women face in life through the roles of motherhood and romantic partnerships, can leave us feeling completely void of fire, passion and inspiration, yet the expectations remain and we just have to power through it all."


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Ellevator - Sacred Heart.

The Hamilton, Ontario-based trio, Ellevator have shared their new single, "Sacred Heart" – it's another thrilling installment lifted from their forthcoming debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me which comes produced by ex-Death Cab for Cutie guitarist, Chris Walla (production for Pinegrove, Foxing, Tegan & Sara, etc) and is out via Arts & Crafts on May 6. The new single arrives following earlier tips from NPR, The Needle Drop, Exclaim, FLOOD, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, CBC and more. The band will support the release of the new record with North American dates, including a stop at SXSW later this month.

Ellevator poses a fantastic ability to sculpt these mammoth, melodramatic post-rock and indie-rock soundscapes, somewhat inspired by the late-aughts sounds of Spoon, Metric, Interpol and Arcade Fire, as well as the stadium-ready sounds of U2, Kate Bush and Bruce Springsteen. The new single, "Sacred Heart" explores ideas surrounding young love, commitment and intimacy while blending racing guitar lines – somewhat reminiscent of Springsteen – with driving percussion and piano.

Speaking about the new single, which comes with a live visual directed by Cam Veitch, singer Nabi Sue Bersche says: "This one’s a love song about how intimacy and deep knowing can make it feel like there’s nothing left to discover, and choosing to push on anyway in search of new depths. Ty (guitar) and I got married on a cold spring morning when I was 22 and he was 19. There wasn’t much chance to sell each other on our own myths, to be the mysterious stranger from outta town: we wrote our origin story together. Learning to love each other better has been a strange journey and the great gift of my life."

When discussing the video, Nabi continues: "We shot, edited, and delivered the whole thing in less than 24 hrs. We’ve made a bunch of videos that I’m proud of but this one touches something special: we wanted to show what it feels like to play live as Ellevator, in all its sublime chaos, and I think we captured the lightning."


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Photo - Kit Wood
Old Crow Medicine Show - Honey Chile.

GRAMMY award-winning band Old Crow Medicine Show releases “Honey Chile,” the latest single from their new album Paint This Town out April 22 via ATO Records. Showcasing soaring harmonies and swooning fiddle melodies, the melancholy love song is accompanied by a live performance video featured this morning at Garden & Gun, who said “Musically, the song is something of a salvo for the whole of Paint This Town, rising out of the gates with a bold swell before settling into a traditional Americana-tinged groove.” Along with the new single, the band has announced a coast to coast spring/summer tour kicking off in April that will make stops in Philadelphia, New York, Portland, Seattle and many more. 

Bandleader Ketch Secor explains the new single: “When you mine the musical traditions of the South as we have you’re always going to run head on into the region’s most successful export: Southern Rock, and my favorite performers of this style are the Charlie Daniels Band, who Old Crow was lucky enough to open for back in the early 2000’s. We’ll miss Charlie around these parts, but he lives on in songs like ‘Honey Chile,’ a backwoods slow burn about good lovin' and other hard habits to break.”

Paint This Town showcases Old Crow Medicine Show’s long-standing ability to merge profound introspection with a rapturous string band revival sound. The album shines a light on the darker aspects of the American experience, with character-driven songs underpinned by the band’s vision for a more harmonious future. The debut single “Paint This Town” has maintained the #1 slot on the Americana Singles Radio Chart for three weeks in a row, garnering praise from press including Billboard, Rolling Stone, SPIN and more. The band’s latest single “Bombs Away” (feat. Molly Tuttle on banjo) was recently hailed by Consequence, who said it’s “brimming with the euphoria of new beginnings, a tongue-in-cheek tale of throwing caution to the wind and starting over.”

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Tuesday, 8 March 2022

Casii Stephan - Jo Schornikow

Casii Stephan - Already Gone.

This is the new single from singer/songwriter Casii Stephan. Entitled "Already Gone", the rock single details a woman's courage and journey into leaving her abuser. Casii confides, "I don't think mocking your abuser is ever advised and this song definitely mocks. This is more the hype song that someone can play to give them the courage to finally just leave. May it give someone the extra push they need to run. Trust your soul. Go."

Casii Stephan is a soul pop/rock artist hailing from Minnesota. Now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the impassioned songstress evokes subtle vibrato notes and roller-coaster-like melodies, which immediately grab the listener, while her emotional lyrics share intimate stories. She has been compared to the likes of Florence Welch, Fiona Apple and Carole King, as her vocal timbre possesses a full and warm quality.

Stephan’s voice is fierce and fearless, but this was not always the case. She grew up shy and afraid of her voice until she started writing songs on the family piano in South St. Paul when she was 16. In music, she discovered something extraordinary that allowed her to transcend everyday life and find a deeper sense of self. Stephan moved to Tulsa in 2014 with the intent to give up her pursuit of a music career, however with a little encouragement from a friend, she continued her journey and started releasing music. Her songs were promptly applauded by critics and have since been racking up a number of awards, as well as garnering acclaim from media and fans across the globe.

An underlying theme throughout Stephan’s music is hope, she explains, “Its such a cliched word and yet there are so many layers to it. Hope keeps us alive. It keeps us moving. But it also feels flighty some days like a pixie that does what it wants. But it's not a pixie. It's more like the air we breathe. Some days it's presence is stronger than we realize and some days we forget in our day-to-day lives that it's there... keeping us moving forward”. Her music combines her love for the storytelling elements of Disney ballads and the bold, brilliance of The White Stripes, as well as the soul-wrenching R&B melodies of H.E.R.

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Jo Schornikow - Lose Yr Love.

Australian songwriter Jo Schornikow (now based in Nashville) has shared the second offering from her forthcoming album ALTAR, out May 20 via Keeled Scales. “Lose Yr Love” gives another glimpse into her thoughtful songcraft, recalling Warren Zevon in the way she marries an honest, almost folk-indebted approach with a more abstracted lyrical style. A subtly shifting wash of synthesizers sparkle at the edges of a layered vocal arrangement as Schornikow uses ocean imagery to reflect on her own experience of loss. The song, which follows recently released “warm, wry” (Brooklyn Vegan) “Visions,” is accompanied by a video directed by Ives Salbert that was shot in an East Nashville junkyard and in partner Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent’s studio, and features a brief cameo from Schornikow’s two children.

“'Lose Yr Love' grew from a real-life nightmare of losing someone,” Schornikow explains. “The song explores the fear before the fall-out, before finality. It's a quick and awful spiral, but also a natural counterside of love. I think we found the beauty that exists in this incredibly bleak space.

ALTAR was written between Nashville and Melbourne over a year. It was recorded in Melbourne, Australia during a blisteringly hot Australian summer week at Hard Rubbish Recorders by Selwyn Cozens, who also plays drums on the album. It was recorded on an old Harrison TV3 console that was being thrown out by a local tv station. The album was co-produced by Jo and Selwyn. The nine track album centers Jo’s songwriting, which Gorilla Vs Bear proclaimed “smouldering” and her piano playing, which Pitchfork has praised as “sensitive [and] impressionistic.” It follows 2019’s Secret Weapon, which Rolling Stone hailed as “excellent.”

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Sunday, 6 March 2022

Walter Martin - Laveda - Ellen Arthur Blyth - Heavy Salad

Walter Martin - Baseball Diamond.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Walter Martin unveiled today two new singles titled "Baseball Diamonds" and "Hiram Hollow." The tracks are the latest to release from his forthcoming album The Bear, out later this month on March 25th through his imprint Ile Flottante Music. "Baseball Diamonds" was the first song written for The Bear, which ultimately set the tone for the rest of the album, while "Hiram Hollow" is a waltzing tune that toys with American folk traditions as it wrestles with the pain of saying goodbye to a loved one.

"I see these two songs as two different ways of telling a story about my life and my family," stated Walter. "It's a story a lot of people can probably relate to - one with a lot of love but also a lot of sadness. That story is what this whole album is really about. 'Baseball Diamonds' lives very much in reality with real life details, while 'Hiram Hollow' takes a much more allegorical approach. These weren't really conscious style decisions, the songs just came out that way."

"Hiram Hollow" and "Baseball Diamonds" follow the release of "Easter," a somber and uneasy song that Flood Magazine called "a melancholy reflection on the past." The lead single and title track "The Bear" is also out now, which tells a story about the past, the present, and the future brought to life with humor and real-life detail. It was featured by Brooklyn Vegan, Under The Radar, and Stereogum who stated "Ever since the Walkmen embarked on their hiatus, several of the band's members have had prolific solo careers. But none of them have churned out music at quite the pace as Walter Martin."


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Laveda - bb.

Born out of untamed anger and frustration at the cruel state of the world, “bb” taps into a universal mood: its downcast melodies and restless guitar lines speak to the collective sense of agitation and boredom we’ve all experienced over the past two years.

Weaving together an ansty mesh of gossamer vocals, driving ‘90s guitars and a steady drum beat, the track was first penned in September 2020 when vocalist Ali Genevich found herself increasingly restless in the face of the seemingly never-ending pandemic.

Feeling disheartened by the “depressive daily routine” of being stuck inside with no social interaction — and even less inspiration to write songs — Genevich locked herself in her bedroom with a guitar when “bb” took its first breath and stirred to life.

Speaking of the inspiration behind the track’s moody sound, Genevich says: “In the winter of 2020, every day really started to feel the same for me. The pandemic seemed to be getting just as bad as when it began back in Spring and like everyone else all I had been thinking about was the possibility for life to feel normal again. For a while I was just thankful that most of my friends and family were in good health and that we were able to keep ourselves afloat in such a crazy time, but of course that’s not all I was feeling. Both Jake and I felt like the past year had been so wasted.”

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Ellen Arthur Blyth - Nine.

Dublin-based singer songwriter Ellen Arthur Blyth is set to release the title track of her upcoming debut album ‘Nine’ this March. The cinematic pop track follows on from Ellen’s recent release ‘Young Ones’, which garnered support from acclaimed publications such as Hotpress and Nialler9. Ellen shares the meaning behind the upcoming single ‘Nine’:

“Nine is about self doubt, the ongoing internal dialogue in your head that can keep you stuck. For me it's about realising it's always there and I need to live my life alongside it. I think in doing that there's real freedom.”

The track was recorded as part of her upcoming debut album ‘Nine’ in Hell Fire Studios, Dublin and produced by Alex Borwick, head engineer at the famed Grouse Lodge studios in Ireland. The music video for the track is a Hitchcock-inspired video and was shot in The Sally Gap in Co. Wicklow on a beautiful day in February. Directed by Rob Blyth, shot by Martin Osborne and starring Alexandra Moloney and Ellen Arthur Blyth.

Born in Dublin, the youngest of nine, in a house where the one who shouted loudest ate most, Ellen learned early how to sing for her supper. Dragged out of bed, dusted down, slung into a polyester frock, her early forays into musical performance consisted of pitch perfect renditions of Any Dream Will Do to family friends. But as success followed the clan, friends turned to ambassadors, heads of state, Hollywood actors and other visiting dignitaries passing through. Aged 9, she woke her father and told him she was going to be a famous singer and would buy him a racehorse. He told her to go back to bed. At 16 she made the live finals of Ireland’s ‘You’re a Star’ but lost her voice. Her early adult life was spent serenading drunk punters in a city buried in snow, before finally, she fell through a drunken crevasse. After reaching bottom, she started to climb back out and rediscover her voice.

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Heavy Salad - Joggers From Mossley To Malibu Beach.

Heady and frolicking — and embracing the notion that life’s challenges are nothing but positive opportunities — “Joggers From Mossley To Malibu Beach” is a jovial new cut that comes just a week before Heavy Salad touchdown in Austin, Texas for an official showcase slot at SXSW. Packed with playful rhythms, carefree “sha la la”’s and a whimsical, vintage tinge, the track was produced and mixed by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur) and is plucked from the band’s forthcoming second record, ‘Long Wave,’ set for release later this year.

Brought to life when guitarist Rob Glennie noticed hoards of people out jogging as a way of coping with the initial COVID lockdown in his hometown of Mossley, frontman Lee Mann explains of the track: “The story of “Joggers…” sees our protagonist embrace jogging as a means of getting out of the house, but their world is changed through what starts as a way of coping with the lockdown that then blossoms into the realisation that there’s a whole world out there! Their journey eventually leads them to a new life in California inspired by the song’s melodic, West Coast feel.”

And, for all its sunny melodies and Californian surfer-town twinges, the track includes several nods to the band’s hometown roots in the North of England. Name-dropping everywhere from Mossley and Malibu to Tameside and the Pacific Coast Highway, Heavy Salad manage to traverse geographical borders just as neatly as they do genres. Merging 60s-inspired backing vocals with slacker-rock riffs that Pavement would be proud of, “Joggers…” uses its cheery sonic stylings to embrace a serendipitous and happy-go-lucky approach to the limitless possibilities that come with our seemingly mundane lives.

Expanding on the track’s back story, Mann adds: “The song was also partly inspired by a chance encounter with a Venice Beach bike hire shop owner who it turned out was from Rotherham and originally lived in the same part of town as my in-laws. Having travelled to Brazil for Carnival in the 70s our bike hire shop owner had travelled to California on his way home and never actually made it home! The song is about the possibilities of life, to embrace changes, to see challenges as positive things and to embrace random opportunity in the short time you are alive.”


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Saturday, 5 March 2022

Wilma Nea - Palm Friends - Deer Scout - Sky Barkers

Wilma Nea - The Beginning.

With her dynamic expression, shaped by influences from Fiona Apple, Ane Brun and Kate Bush, Wilma Nea debuted with the EP "Issues" in 2020.The debut was warmly received by a united group of critics such as The Line Of Best Fit, GAFFA, Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter. As Wilma today releases her debut album "This Too Shall Pass" due, it's with an equal force.

”My music is singer/songwriter pop that has been called both indie-quirky and bedroom pop. I see inspiration as a luxury, and one that does not always come naturally when wanted. For me, inspiration is so much about energy. Going for a run, showering, hanging out, being somewhere else."

On the album "This Too Shall Pass", where Wilma also makes her debut as a producer, we hear an artist exploring stories of daring to communicate her needs, daring to let go and start breathing again. It’s an honest, raw and naked portrait of relationships, the importance of self-respect and growing as a person.

"I want the music to bring energy, to be able to act as a soundtrack to a walk that makes you feel better when you come home than you did when you went out. Writing the album was a stepping stone for me, and I've learned a lot about myself."


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Palm Friends - Domino.

Minneapolis-based quartet, Palm Friends are today sharing their new single, "Domino" which arrives as the latest installment of the forthcoming EP, The Delivery which is out March 24 via Forged Artifacts. The Minneapolis-based quartet found acclaim last month with its first single from the new EP, "Hidden Perks" which went on to achieve support at FLOOD, The Alternative, Mindies, Here Comes The Flood and more. The new EP, mixed and mastered by Ben Etter (Deerhunter, Cate Le Bon) follows the band's 2019 debut EP, Nice Weather.

Palm Friends first came together as a means of healing. After his brother passed away, guitarist and singer Jesse Pedersen moved from New York back home to Minnesota to be with his family. As part of the grieving process, he called up some of his high school friends and asked if they wanted to start a band. With Jon Lindquist on drums, Will Bunton on bass and Jesse on guitar and vocals, the band quickly recorded their debut EP. The result was an ebullient indie rock six-song burst, the sound of a band in its early stages having a blast together. Soon after, Shawnna Stennes joined, and the final Palm Friends lineup was solidified.

The band wrote most of The Delivery together over quarantine before recording in three ten-hour sessions at The Terrarium in Minnesota. The result is a truly collaborative effort, on a songwriting level but then also on a deeper, emotional level. As a songwriting duo, Jesse and Shawnna play off of each other’s strengths, from Jesse’s indie rock songcraft to Shawnna’s warm yet melancholic lyrics but as a full group, this is really a collaboration centered around healing and friendship.

The new single and EP-closer, “Domino” is a tempo-shifting ballad about staying open-minded in a world where everyone feels a social-media-driven pressure to be right all the time. The song begins with a slow-strummed guitar and Shawnna’s soft vocals shifting over the top. The tempo speeds up as the chorus kicks in as Shawnna sings: “I love to be wrong/I swear/It gets me everywhere.” It’s affirming, playful and questioning all at once, a song that pushes for a more understanding and compassionate approach to life. Speaking about the new single, Shawnna says: "This song is about the fantastic power you wield when you’re open to being wrong. Simple as that!"

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Photo - Felix Walworth
Deer Scout - Peace With The Damage.

Last month, Dena Miller announced her debut LP as Deer Scout. Entitled Woodpecker (due out April 8th), the album is both her first full length and her first release on Carpark Records (The Beths, Cloud Nothings, Emily Reo), and was announced with the debut single "Cowboy" which made an immediate impression, earning praise from outlets like NPR, Stereogum, NYLON, BrooklynVegan and FADER, who highlighted the track's "gentle and warm" aesthetic. Today, Miller is sharing the second single from Woodpecker, a track called "Peace With The Damage" that was written by Miller's father, a folk musician.

The track features her father, who Miller describes as "one of my favorite songwriters," playing guitar as part of a beautifully spare arrangement of layered vocal harmonies. It's a track that, in it's subject matter, origin and performance, encapsulates the warm-hearted intimacy that makes Deer Scout's debut so special.

"Peace With The Damage is a song by my father, Mark Miller, originally recorded by my parents’ band, Spuyten Duyvil," Miller explains. "My dad is one of my favorite songwriters and this is a song I always wanted to record even though it’s a little bit of an outlier on the album. It’s a retrospective song about the past and regret. We recorded it together as a duet with me singing both parts, 4 years apart, so it feels like a conversation between a past and present self. My dad played guitar and was generous enough to trust me with it.

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Sky Barkers - Beholden To None.

Sky Barkers is an indie trio based in coastal West Wales. It is comprised of Joanna MacGregor Messore, Dan Messore and Matt Brown. They make groove based, hook heavy, vocal laden music - lyrically connective and energy driven, rooted in song-writing but with a wonky edge.

‘Beholden to None’ is their first single as a trio and speaks to the new sound that is emerging. “This is a song that invites you into one of my regular day dreams – what would life be like if I was a wanderer, a rover, a free soul flitting from town to countryside, sleeping in nooks of the earth and following old paths? 

Of course, it’s is a romanticised version of what it would actually be like to live that way – its more about that deep, simple urge to just get up and walk off. To be answerable to no one, leave no forwarding address - to know that no governing body or co-orperate nonsense can find you. To be elusive, beholden to none but the night sky”.

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Friday, 4 March 2022

Bo Milli - Betty Reed - Kate Klim - Sam Bambery - Sooner - Many Voices Speak

Bo Milli - At The Wheel.

Bergen, Norway based artist Bo Milli  shares her debut track "At The Wheel". The latest signing to MADE Management (Sigrid, AURORA), "At The Wheel" was co-produced by Odd Martin Skålnes (Sigrid, Sløtface, AURORA).

With a predisposition to self-criticise and a talent for turning that into art, Bo Milli is an essential new voice in music. Through her diaristic lyrics, the super smart environmentalist writes hook after hook as she navigates her inner conflict. And indeed, in putting her own life into words, she has unknowingly narrated our collective existential angst. “Writing music is an emotional outlet, but it’s also a puzzle,” she says, reflecting on her craft. “Sentences come to me and I try to make the pieces fit together. And if just for a moment my music is a good thing in someone’s life, then I will take any opportunity to play it.”

Debut track “At The Wheel” is a Soccer Mommy-adjacent song about becoming an adult and suddenly finding yourself responsible for not just your own destiny but the future of the planet. “It’s embarrassingly earnest,” she says of the track, in which she questions “who’s at the wheel these days?” from a bed of idiosyncratic lyrics and melodies. “It’s about how the small things feel big, and how you try to relate to the big things but the everyday stuff takes up so much real estate. There are these flashes of ‘oh fuck!’ but then you’re like… ‘wait, where’re my keys?’” The feeling of powerlessness though, is all-too relatable.

Bo Milli (a deconstruction of her birth name, Emilie Østebø) grew up in the suburbs of Karmøy, an island off the west coast of Norway, before relocating to Oslo. It was there that she collaborated with her friend Lokoy (bassist of Sløtface) on “a mistake” - which saw widespread praise from NME, DIY, The Line Of Best Fit + more.

Now based in Bergen, today's release of "At The Wheel" teases more new music to come in 2022 from Bo Milli. Nodding at times to Phoebe Bridgers, others to nostalgic mid-00s teen anthems – the music sees her lament procrastination, admit to being on the verge of tears for days at a time and recount thinking she might die on the 10-hour bus ride home. Far from bleak, she makes complicated subjects sound like the soundtrack of your next favourite coming-of-age movie.


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Photo - Taylor Dill
Betty Reed - Let It Out (Acoustic Version).

This is the brand new single from Betty Read's superb forthcoming acoustic version of her debut E.P. It may be stripped down but the whole collection of new versions are simply beautiful. Betty Reed tells us about the acoustic version of her debut E.P. 

After releasing my debut EP Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned, I wanted to create a stripped down version of these songs. By changing up the tempo and key, and using only an acoustic guitar and percussionist, the songs were re-architected and re-imagined to be more intimate and revealing.

The songs on Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned (Acoustic Version) address the overarching theme (to varying degrees) of learning from past mistakes (or at least coming to terms with them) and finding the strength and desire to move forward. 

"Misunderstood" is about not being afraid to assert your boundaries and make clear that no means no. "Karma" is about getting that good life you deserve after breaking free from a toxic relationship. The chorus of "Happy" is the affirmation to myself that even on dark days, I know that there will be happier days ahead. 

I chose “Let It Out” as the single because, out of all the songs on the EP, this one is the most personal. I cope with depression, as did my grandmother, and she believed a good cry was cathartic. “Let It Out” was born out of a collaboration with Nashville songwriter, Evan Knutila. Evan lent another perspective to my personal story, essentially that men who cry are deemed less manly, which carries the extra burden of being both ostracized and suffering the consequences of keeping their feelings bottled up.

I collaborated with Nashville producer, Evan Redwine, who brought on acoustic guitarist, Nate Dugger and percussionist, Josh Hunt, to give these stripped-down songs a multi-layered, rich sound.


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Kate Klim - Lines.

“It never goes… the way you thought.” This lyric – which circles around twice in the final song of Kate Klim’s new album, Something Green – pretty accurately summarizes the album as whole.

When the project began, Kate imagined it would be an album about a return to self, navigating new terrain, and the real life messiness of two human beings trying to travel that road together. Over the recording process in the months that followed, the arc of the album grew to include the end of her marriage. This is not an album about loss, though. It's an album about hope, love, change, and new growth.

In so many ways, the album did not go as planned. Not just the content of the songs and their roots in her personal life, but the actual recording process. The song “Lines” was written between studio sessions and added to the album last minute. The second verse of that song was born from Kate discovering that a catastrophic tornado had just torn through her neighborhood of East Nashville while she was out of town recording (her home and family were fine). She flew back from the initial recording session in Dallas on March 5th, 2020 – and within a week the first wave of Covid shutdowns began and it was clear that she would not be traveling again nor heading back into a studio anytime soon.

Over the course of the next year, she chipped away at her vocal and piano parts from home while she and her then-husband navigated divorce proceedings under the same roof. “I was working on creating one thing and letting go of another all from the same house. I think you can hear it in the music,” she says. “If nothing else, it surely helped me.” The release date for the album is meaningful, too – exactly two years after recording wrapped in Dallas.

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Sam Bambery - Songs About Sailors.

Sam Bambery is incredibly excited to announce the release of his third single ‘Songs About Sailors’. Sam puts his alt-country style on display with an innate sense of hook-worthy melody. The song is the title track off his upcoming nine-track album, which explores both the heartbroken and hopeful sides of Bambery’s psyche.

‘Songs About Sailors’ stretches across the canon of New Zealand-based independent music, incorporating sounds from alternative rock, country and folk. Bambery distills this all down to an elegant and thoughtful track with guitar and piano melodies complimenting his powerful vocal delivery. Bambery’s influences are made plain here, with various inspirations from Wilco and Sharon Van Etten.

Sam Bambery is a Christchurch-based musician that has built a steady reputation in the Garden City’s alternative music and art scenes whilst also having a deep interest in folk music and creative songwriting as a whole. Having recorded his debut album with De Stevens (Marlin’s Dreaming, Asta Rangu), Bambery is embarking on a 3-date New Zealand tour with Emily Fairlight to celebrate the album. He also recently released two singles, ‘Here I Am’ and ‘The Other’, the latter of which is accompanied by a Flying Nun-style music video. The full album will be released on Thursday 24th March.

Bambery takes great inspiration from various indie artists like Wilco and Elliot Smith, Aldous Harding and Cut Worms. His music is deeply rooted in Christchurch's local country/folk scene, taking cues from local artists such as Marlon Williams, Adam Hattaway and Delaney Davidson. His music pushes this envelope further into his own contemporary style. His band consists of an ensemble of local musicians that enjoy approaching his folksy songs with a modern artistic sensibility.

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Sooner - Pretend.

"Pretend" the latest single from Sooner's debut album, Days and Nights.

On the track, the band shares "Despite it being one of our catchier hooks, the lyrics operate in dark contrast of the feeling – they’re about a sexual assault."

Formed in 2016, Sooner blends alternative rock, dream pop, and shoegaze in a style that is both lush and energetic – with Federica Tassano’s ethereal yet powerful vocals haunting every song.

After fits and starts and pandemic delays, Sooner are now finally able to bring their grand, whirring dream-pop to the fore. Meditations on a deep longing for an impossible love, dreams of being inextricably connected and nurtured by nature and heavier subjects in depression and addiction come together to rise up beyond the darkness and celebrate the depths of emotions.

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Photo - Julia Mard
Many Voices Speak - Within Reach.

Many Voices Speak will release her second album 'Gestures' on 29th April via Strangers Candy. After sharing the record's first single 'Seat for Sadness', described by Stereogum as a 'subtle stunner', she has now released new track 'Within Reach'. She explains: “It is one of the songs on the album that started out from an issue and ended up as a reminder on how to cope with it. As the song was finished, I had figured out something new about myself that could actually help me in real life. That’s something that unites the songs on the album, that I'm trying to find new ways of thinking as a strategy for myself so that I can live with certain things that can’t be changed.”

Many Voices Speak, the project of Swedish musician Matilda Mård, has always found its power in its ability to capture an eternity in an expression. Mård’s elegant, yearning dream-pop makes the world seem to slow down around it, where time stretches out, and you can get lost in the deep pools of memory and emotion. After the success of her 2018 debut 'Tank Town,' her new album 'Gestures' showcases her growth as a songwriter, one more comfortable in her own skin.

Working with longtime producer Petter Nygårdh, the writing process, and how Mård thinks about it, grew into something new on 'Gestures'. She wrote the early versions of the songs on piano, as she always has. But before, she thought as a singer-songwriter, determined to make the songs stand up on their own, in their stripped-back version. Here, she wrote them merely as beginnings, aware of the possibility to evolve them into something more. “I want to capture these things that I can’t really put my finger on”, says Mård. “The lyrics have become more important for me. I’ve put a lot of trust in the text this time. I could explore this darker and more cinematic sound, I didn’t just think about writing a pop song”. That step made for an album that presents a more mature, developed vision of Many Voices Speak.

As well as an artist, the album has seen Mård grow as a person through writing it. Each song represents an issue she has struggled with - they tell a story of unspectacular, but deeply meaningful, transformation. Mård says “What unites the songs is a need for inner change, to handle the things in life that can’t be changed. I’m creating strategies for myself - new ways of thinking, so I can live with certain things. The title comes from that. I’ve figured out that gestures are important because they’re proof of love, and that’s the only power we have against death and separation”. It’s a theme that’s very personal to Mård, but one that resonates with a lot of people – something that could be said about Many Voices Speak itself. The stargazing mood of Gestures makes for an album that’s powerfully moving, one that creates a space apart from the noise of the world around it – a little retreat for Mård, and her listeners, to call their own.

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Wednesday, 2 March 2022

Merv Pinny - Fe Salomon - The Brotherhood

Merv Pinny - My Freedom My Rights.

Merv Pinny pens a song about those fighting for freedom and never giving up on their beliefs. Taking on a storyteller role with this latest single, Pinny voices the words that many around the world are crying out for. "Let us be kind to our brothers on the road  ...  and their freedom is their journey  ...  their feelings may over load  ...  and the voices call for freedom."

Merv Pinny's brand new album is set for release in 2022. Titled Dark to Light, the album follows Pinny's journey as an artist with songs that have captured the imaginations of millions from across the globe. War; humanitarian crises with children; refugee crises; the cruel world of love on the internet; and gun violence have been the topics that Pinny felt compelled to write about in the hope of invoking change for the better. Seeing the effects that both money and power had had on so many of these devastating events, Pinny used his songs to help give more meaning and donated proceeds direct to World Vision and Children in Crisis. Just this month, Merv performed for Kerikeri locals as part of a fundraising event for the Northland Rescue Helicopter, helping to raise more than $15,000.

Our entire world has now been affected since the pandemic started in 2020, filling lives with heartbreak and sadness as we all have learned to live in new ways. Merv recognised the importance during this time to have more positive and uplifting experiences, so he started writing new material that has been crafted to instill in everyone a much-needed feeling of joy and laughter, with the hope yet again of using his music to invoke change for the better. Dark to Light celebrates the significant journey of an artist who has evolved his music over the years, in keeping with the times.


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Fe Salomon - Polka Dot.

Mixing emotive vocals with an avant-garde alt/pop production, Salomon delivers a stylish follow-up shrouded in a shadowy mystique. With an early demo originally featured in ‘Complicity’ (2013), a US indie film which sees a seemingly innocuous teenage party spiral out of control, the track echoes similar themes of adolescent abandon; with the artist dwelling on the loss of innocence and the growing burdens of responsibility that ultimately comes with adulthood.

Speaking about the new single “Polka Dot”, she says: “”Polka Dot” is about mourning innocence, and the darkness that’s picked up along the way, with an ‘up yours’ sarcastic tone, and not wanting to grow old.”

“Polka Dot” sees Fe Salomon working once again with esteemed classical arranger and maverick: Johnny Parry. The resultant record is one that blurs genre boundaries and defies simple categorisation, with the pair revealing that its outlandish arrangements were “birthed through a pair of orchestral bass drums coupled with the clang of an old washing machine”.

Teaming up once again with Director/Videographer Fraser Taylor (who also shot the “Superhuman” video),  “Polka Dot” is accompanied with artful video that nods to the track’s dark coming-of-age ruminations. Taking inspiration from the works of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (who is notably renowned for her use of polka dots in many of her installations), the video flickers through surrealist choreography interspersed with real childhood images of Fe from the 80s & 90s that were cut from old home movies and family albums. Watch the video here.

Fe Salomon is a singer-songwriter, performer and producer, currently based in the East Midlands. Born in Northampton, she moved to London where she cut her teeth on the bustling stages of the Camden music scene. Developing her act in the capital for over 13 years, it was there that Salomon honed her idiosyncratic sonic stylings from its melting pot of influences and began to percolate ideas for a solo career.

 

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The Brotherhood - Till The Wheels Fall Off.

The Brotherhood release debut single "Till the Wheels Fall Off" with TLG Entertainment/Ingrooves. The Brotherhood make their way onto the scene with "Till The Wheels Fall Off", an ode to life as a musician. Though this track has many guest features, we owe this country/rock blend to three musical masterminds- Michael Alexander, Scott Wilson (Saving Abel) and Rick Monroe.

The three, while coming from different backgrounds within the vast world of music, join forces with years of experience under their belt. Listeners are in for a treat when they realize The Brotherhood goes beyond their integral three with this debut track and bring in a number of fellow musicians and friends to feature on the track, such as Kent Slucher (Luke Bryan), Neal Middleton (Royal Bliss), Marshal Dutton (Hinder) and more. The Brotherhood stay true to their name by integrating their own friendships into this truly collaborative musical effort.

"When we first wrote “Till the Wheels Fall Off” I never thought of it as being a duet or multi singer song, but when my co-writer Arlis Albritton (Jamey Johnson / Luke Bryan) demoed it he had Craig Wayne Boyd (The Voice) in the studio doing another song and figured let’s try it out. So, when we were looking for our first Brotherhood song, this one seemed perfect- plus, with this group of guys we have definitely lived the lyrics of this tune!" - Rick Monroe

“When The Brotherhood were pitching song ideas back and forth, "Till The Wheels Fall Off" felt like it was written for us. When asked to produce the song, I immediately had musicians in mind to make a grinding musical arrangement. We called in Kent Slucher (Luke Bryan), Brian Bonds (Florida Georgia Line), Steve Hinson, and it was a blast working long distance aside all my friends." - Scott Wilson. "Till the Wheels Fall Off" was produced by Scott Wilson (Saving Abel).



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Tuesday, 1 March 2022

Dana Gavanski - Papercuts - Laurie Biagini - Ursa Minor

Photo by Clementine-Schneidermann
Dana Gavanski - Under the Sky.

Arriving where introversion and extroversion meet, forthcoming new album When It Comes is Dana Gavanski’s most vulnerable record to date. A Canadian-Serbian artist unafraid of extremes, she seamlessly blends her love of music from the 50s-70s with mythology. 

Led by instinct in its purest form, Dana’s latest chapter is an ode to the voice as an instrument – its power, and how intricately it can deliver words to tug at, and tie knots in, every heartstring.

“Under the Sky,” the second single to be shared from When It Comes, was written as an end of summer tune. Dana wanted to create something innocent and love-y sounding but also plaintive and questioning: that hazy way we sometimes feel when looking back at the past and the memories that stick and wonder what really happened. Shifting perspectives, waves of emotion, chest full with that bottomless breath.

 
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Papercuts - Lodger.

This is the third track from the new Papercuts LP, 'Past Life Regression,' the album is due April 1 on Slumberland. "The song had a slight 60s pop inspiration, and I wanted to see if I could pull off a freakout in the middle that felt like an epiphany. Lyrically it’s inspired by a memory of feeling like a fling is just sort of passing through your life, and wondering if thats all you are to them.“ -Jason Quever

Jason Quever has been releasing timeless guitar-based dream pop as Papercuts since 2004, impervious to trends or micro genres that have come and gone around him. In that regard, his contemporaries are artists like Hiss Golden Messenger, Fruit Bats, Andy Shauf or Kings of Convenience – artists who are more concerned with song craft and perfecting their sound, and less concerned with gimmicks or fitting into a specific scene. Past Life Regression is his new album and it's a journey into the dreamier reaches of psychedelic folk-pop that digs deep into influences as wide-ranging as The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Spiritualized, Echo & The Bunnymen, Leonard Cohen and late 60s pop of various flavors.

Crafted shortly after Jason's relocation back to the San Francisco Bay Area after several years in LA, the new album revels in the tensions between the pleasures of homecoming and the collective miseries of the pandemic and our current political upheaval. The return home and the enforced isolation of lockdown lend the album a mood of contemplation and immersion in memory. The results are beguiling, from the lush sunshine pop harmonies of first single "I Want My Jacket Back" to the trippy farfisa-driven space-pop of "Lodger" to the gorgeous, Bunnymen-tinged "Palm Sunday."

As always, Jason's songcraft, arranging and production are immaculate, (Quever has been tapped to work with dream pop luminaries Dean Wareham and Beach House as of late) as evidenced by the elegant chamber-pop of "My Sympathies" and the epic flow of "The Strange Boys," “Hypnotist" and "Remarry" in the album's warbly second half. The mood of longing and recollection is a perfect match for the album's dreamy textures and for the unusual times we're living through. It's a true testament to the resilience of the Papercuts project that after several acclaimed albums, Jason still has much that's new to say, and is continually finding new ways to say it.

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Laurie Biagini - Hey Mr. DJ.

Laurie Biagini is a songwriter-singer from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, whose music would appeal to fans of 1960’s California sunshine pop. Her sound and compositions have been compared to The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, Carol King, The Carpenters, and Jackie DeShannon. Her main influences include these artists along with The Beatles, The Byrds, The Monkees, The Turtles, and Jan & Dean. 

Laurie has played piano by ear since age five, alongside ten years of classical piano training. She only started writing music in August 2006, after writing her first song which came to her with music and lyrics simultaneously one afternoon as she was commuting home from work. 

Since then, she has completed and released four albums: “Ridin’ the Wave” (November 2008) “A Far-Out Place” (March 2010) “A Go-Go Girl in a Modern World” (November 2011) "Sanctuary of Sound" (May 8, 2013). 

Almost all of Laurie’s songs have been written, composed, performed and recorded by herself, with the exception of a few songs from her third and fourth albums which featured guest vocals, guitar tracks and lyrics. Laurie is currently in production of her fifth album "Stranger In The Mirror" (release date TBA). Recent release 'Hey Mr.DJ' is a gorgeous smooth flowing song that fires out melodic musical  & vocal hooks in all directions, we love it!

 

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Ursa Minor - Stardust.

Ursa Minor originated in NYC in the late 90s, coming out of the fertile downtown scene of musicians transcending the usual boundaries of folk, rock and jazz. Michelle Casillas worked as a sound engineer in the late 1990s and early 2000s at Tonic, the now defunct home of New York’s underground music scene. As an artist she sang on scores of films by Elliot Sharp and productions by Anton Fier (Feelies, Golden Palominos) while playing sideman, collaborating and recording with other local artists. Inspired by the freedom and diversity of the music she was hearing, Michelle formed Ursa Minor with guitarist Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Feist, Willie Nelson, Lounge Lizards), drummer Robert DiPietro (Elysian Fields, Norah Jones), and bassist Rob Jost (Imogen Heap, Bjork).

Ursa Minor’s debut LP Silent Moving Picture - a stark Fender Rhodes based record - was released by Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, on Smells Like Records. Their second album, Showface (Anthemusa), took a punchier rock turn with driving guitar rhythms and expansive arrangements.

Ursa Minor’s current LP release, Sian Ka'an (Mayan, pronounced See-AHN KHAN, meaning “origin of the sky”) was inspired by a visit to the protected biosphere reserve on the Yucatán peninsula. Travels along the coast inspired a series of songs and photographs brought on by the raw intensity and untouched beauty of the region. The wonder of this place heavily influenced the writing and sound of the album.

 Sian Ka'an is a return to the barebones vulnerability of the first album, with new resolve, tranquility, ferocity. The band ranges from feral polyphony to hushed stillness; a ballad of the mystery of the natural world. Sian Ka’an was produced by Tony Scherr, recorded analog to Otari 8 track by Derek Neivergelt, mixed by New York musician/producer/engineer Mark Plati (Bowie), and features special guests violist Caleb Burhans (John Cale, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, the National, Arcade Fire) and organist Todd Caldwell (Crosby, Stills, Nash).

 

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The Hengles - Books of Moods

The Hengles - Cover Up (Album). Experience a trip down memory lane with The Hengles' latest album, Cover Up. This Dutch indie band revi...