Brooke Annibale - emily + shawn - Riches - Nutrients

Photo - Shervin Lainez

Brooke Annibale - What If You.

Indie singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale announced that she has joined the Nettwerk Music Group roster. She also shared the first taste of new music from her upcoming album, details forthcoming. The lush, dreamy and "immediately catchy" (FLOOD) single “What If You” serves as the perfect introduction to the Pittsburgh-born, Rhode Island-based artist's redefined sound as she digs into the mixed emotions and gentle balance of maintaining her music career while acknowledging the complicated nature of a new love.

Brooke says, “I was wondering whether or not I could carry on making music the way I had in the past. I thought, is diving back into my music career gonna knock out any mental-health progress I've made? Can I put out a record, be vulnerable, and do the whole cycle again? And then I realized: It's a double-meaning metaphor. What if everything that I loved loved me back? What if I just did this? And it worked.”

Brooke's expressive and beautifully thoughtful songwriting creates a dreamy and enticing sonic landscape. She has been a favorite among music supervisors and featured in such media as Stereogum, Wall Street Journal, Under The Radar, American Songwriter, NPR/World Café and more. She has also shared the stage with artists like Mt. Joy, Iron & Wine, Lucius, and Rufus Wainwright. She joins Nettwerk’s expanding label roster, which also includes artists like Old Sea Brigade, Bre Kennedy, SYML, Luke Sital-Singh, Aisha Badru, Wild Rivers and more.

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emily + shawn - One Last Kiss.

“This song started out as a slow acoustic ballad, reflecting on our frustrations with the drag of the 9-5 workday. Making music is what we love, but our day jobs are a "necessary evil" in order to put food on the table while we shift our careers from typical corporate and government jobs into the music industry. The lyrics are a daydream of a future in which we are saying "goodbye" to our desk jobs and shifting into a career in music.”

For Brooklyn-based modern folk duo emily + shawn, the stuff in life that makes a difference requires heavy lifting, and careful attention to detail. This includes craft cocktails, artisanal baked goods, and well-written songs. These varied interests and a soulful sense of purpose imbue the pair’s adventurous spin on the folk tradition.

The twosome’s music is an authentic reflection of emily + shawn’s lives. The pair are, in fact, a couple—but don’t expect sappy love songs—Emily Welch is an immigration lawyer, and Shawn Welch works in the renewable energy field. emily + shawn’s songs are informed by their ethics, their myriad of experiences and interests, and their day to day interactions which they characterize sweetly as “healthy clashes.” Today, emily + shawn’s are issuing a series of singles that will eventually be bundled together as an EP produced by David Baron (Lumineers, Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes).

“Homegrown and multi-faceted are concepts that are really important to us. We take a deep interest in nuances and exploring,” Shawn shares. “Our songs are often vignettes of our life, or they capture some moment in time or give insights into specific feelings,” Emily says. Shawn adds: “The passing of time and a nostalgic quality are common themes in our music.”

emily + shawn · One Last Kiss

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Riches - The Frequency.

The frequency is the feeling of ascending arrival in the altered state – being in love, in longing and belonging, it is soothing and alive.

Our new single takes inspiration from the desire to step outside the limits of ourselves, of our realities, and into a limitless waveform that instead connects us to everything else.

It is a calling on the ethereal to take on form, on music to bring touch and connection over the frontiers of physical walls and distances.

In chasing the feeling of connectedness for this song, it naturally evolved into a full band sound. Dan Lissvik (Studio, Atelje) added live bass and drums to a formerly electronic track.

The alchemy of more contributors and instruments resulted in the feeling we wanted for the song.

 


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Nutrients - Window Seat.

Nutrients, the Toronto-based group renowned for their gentle melodies and jangly pop songs are today sharing their new single, "Window Seat" which is out via Earth Libraries. The group – who have previously opened for Luna Li and Jaunt as well as performing at Boise's Treefort Festival – has slowly but surely grown into something more elaborate than their humble beginnings and this is evident with this new single.

Nutrients is often compared to various 90's bands for their slacker delivery and sometimes likened to certain contemporary bedroom pop artists for their oddball pop leanings. Periodically, but decreasingly so, they are noted for their occasional dissonant digressions. Taylor Teeple, the primary songwriter in the band, began the band as a modest home recording project deep below Boulevard St-Laurent in Montreal. After relocation to Toronto, the group’s membership eventually grew to include pianist, Iulia Ciobanu, bassist Sean McKee, and guitarist Will Hunter.

The new single finds the band mixing bouncy guitar lines and driving percussion with gorgeous vocal melodies, somewhat reminiscent of contemporaries such as Barrie, TOPS and Andy Shauf while drawing inspiration from the likes of Haircut 100, Steely Dan and China Crisis. The new single arrives with an excellent visual accompaniment further emphasizing the track's breezy notions with panning shots of vast landscapes lifted from the band's time on the road. Speaking about the single, Teeple says: "This is a quick guitar pop song that harkens back to songs Nutrients used to write. The guitar interplay is actually just two guitars playing this one-string riff at the same time with some minor deviations. The riff kinda sounds emo-adjacent almost."

After releasing a series of homemade tapes from 2016 to 2018 and early albums released on beloved Birmingham, Alabama label, Earth Libraries, the band is today returning for the first time in the 20s. Having spent the pandemic mining for fresh and forgotten sounds alongside a new member in multi-instrumentalist Ben Fukuzawa. The fruits of their labor are proudly on display this new single, "Window Seat". Teeple and Hunter’s guitars, once the center of attention, are overshadowed on this release by McKee’s basslines, Ciobanu’s ghostly harmonies, and Fukuzawa’s steady cadence.

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Jillette Johnson - Black Pines

Jillette Johnson - Normal Kid.

Nashville-based artist Jillette Johnson has just released “Normal Kid,” her first new song of 2022. The song was co-written and produced by Joe Pisapia, who collaborated with Johnson on her critically acclaimed 2021 album It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You. The new single, which draws upon late '70s new wave, early '80s synth-pop, and '90s R&B, arrives with an official video directed by Grant Claire that was shot on a vintage Sony Betamax 88 camera.

“I wrote Normal Kid with my producer, Joe Pisapia, about my life as a performer,” explains Johnson. “Since before I can remember, all I ever wanted to do was make a life out of making music. My dreams have always been as big as the sky and that fire in my belly has never gone away.”

“Normal Kid” follows the release of 2021’s single “Daddy Dopamine” and her first full length in more than 4 years, It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You. The album was praised by American Songwriter,  GRAMMY.com, No Depression, NPR Music, Refinery29, Rolling Stone and UNCUT, who called it “a springboard into '60s pop, '70s rock, and Noughties indie...It's an adventurous palette that suits her well.” The Nashville Scene said the album “...offers the kind of songwriting that can make a record feel truly timeless… anchored by floating piano and Johnson’s smooth, flawless vocals.”

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Black Pines - Get What's Coming.

Following their recent release ‘Fire and Stone’, which offered a dose of escapism through its beautifully layered instrumentals and nostalgic undertone, Essex band Black Pines keeps the ball rolling with yet another powerful flame, ‘Get What’s Coming.’

Backing the tremendous response to breakthrough singles ‘Heaven’s Son’, ‘Power’ and ‘Hope’ in 2020,  their stripped-back collection ‘Isolation Tapes’ in early 2021, and their soulful single ‘Chains’ in 2021, the talented five-piece captures listeners with addictive melodies and explosive vocals.

‘Get What’s Coming’ is a chilling soundscape of blues-tinged rock blended into a denser contemporary rock that speaks to anyone with a taste for rhythm. With its bold guitar riffs, soaring vocal powerhouse, and deeply emotive lyricism, the single has a rousing disposition that is rich with authenticity.

When speaking on the new release, Black Pines said “Get What’s Coming is a song about overcoming addiction. It’s a rally cry to pick yourself up and start again.”

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Monophonics - Drive-By Truckers

Photo by Geoff Whitman

Monophonics - Love You Better.

Bay Area-based Monophonics have released “Love You Better,” the second single from their upcoming full-length Sage Motel (out May 13th via Colemine Records). The world's premier psychedelic soul band, Monophonics cordially invites you to attend the grand re-opening of the once thriving, once vibrant establishment, the legendary Sage Motel. A place where folks experience the highs and lows of human existence. A place where big dreams and broken hearts live, where people arrive without ever knowing how they got there. It's where individuals find themselves at a crossroads in life.

“The song ‘Love You Better’ is rooted in the spirit of soul music and hip hop,” Monophonics explain. “It’s a braggadocio tune with a clear message to the one you loved that no one will ever be as good to them. It is that feeling of knowing you gave your all to your partner and really tried to love them the right way, only to be hurt and taken for granted. It’s empowering and important to have that self worth and remind somebody that they really missed out on a really good thing.” The Sage Motel album announcement came last month with a video for the first single “Warpaint.”

What started as a quaint motor lodge and a common pitstop for travelers and truckers in the 1940s, Sage Motel morphed into a bohemian’s hang by the 1960s and 1970s. Artists, musicians, and vagabonds of all types would stop there as seedy ownership pumped obnoxious amounts of money into high end renovations, eventually attracting some of the most prominent acts of the era. But when the money ran out, The Sage Motel devolved into a place where you rent by the hour.

Sage Motel, Monophonics' fifth studio album since 2012, tells its story. Once again produced by brilliant bandleader Kelly Finnigan, the album captures a timeless sound that blends heavy soul with psych-rock. With their previous album, It’s Only Us, selling over 10,000 physical units and garnering over 20 million streams, Monophonics have built a reputation over the past decade as one of the most impactful bands in the country. It’s Only Us was praised by Billboard, FLOOD, Cool Hunting, and American Songwriter, who said “Take some Norman Whitfield-era Temptations, add Sly and the Family Stone circa There’s a Riot Goin’ On’s greasy funk, inject early 70s Curtis Mayfield Superfly, Marvin Gaye vocal dynamics and Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul dust, sprinkle in a pinch of Isley Brothers’ silky ballads and you’ve got a reasonable aural idea of the ballpark Monophonics are playing in.”

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Photo - Brantley Guitierrez

Drive-By Truckers - Welcome 2 Club XIII.

Drive-By Truckers will release their 14th studio album 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' on 3rd June via ATO Records. Pre-orders are available now. 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' is heralded by today’s premiere of its swinging title track, available for streaming and download. The track, which pays homage to the Muscle Shoals honky-tonk where founding members Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley got their start, is joined by an official music video streaming now via YouTube.

“There were no cool bars in town and Club XIII was the best we had,” says Hood, referring to the two vocalist/guitarists’ former band, Adam’s House Cat, “but it wasn’t all that good, and our band wasn’t particularly liked there. From time to time the owner would throw us a Wednesday night or let us open for a hair-metal band we were a terrible fit for, and everyone would hang out outside until we were done playing. It wasn’t very funny at the time, but it’s funny to us now.”

Arriving as Drive-By Truckers enters its 26th year, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' marks a sharp departure from the trenchant commentary of 'The Unraveling' and 'The New OK' (both released in 2020). Produced by longtime Drive-By Truckers collaborator David Barbe and mainly recorded at his studio in Athens, GA, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' took shape over the course of three frenetic days in summer 2021 – a doubly extraordinary feat considering that the band had no prior intentions of making a new album. 

Featuring background vocals from the likes of Margo Price, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and Mississippi-bred singer/songwriter Schaefer Llana, 'Welcome 2 Club XIII' was recorded live with most songs cut in one or two takes, fully harnessing Drive-By Truckers’ freewheeling energy. Songs like epic, darkly thrilling 'The Driver' and the spirited, horn-blasted 'Every Single Storied Flameout' see the band – whose lineup also includes keyboardist/guitarist Jay Gonzalez, bassist Matt Patton, and drummer Brad Morgan – looking back on their formative years with both deadpan pragmatism and profound tenderness, instilling each song with the kind of lived-in detail that invites bittersweet reminiscence of your own misspent youth.

“Cooley and I have been playing together for 37 years now,” Hood says. “That first band might have failed miserably on a commercial level, but I’m really proud of what we did back then. It had a lot to do with who we ended up becoming.”

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Tuvaband - Natalie D Napoleon - Ellevator

Photo - Maria Louceiro

Tuvaband - Rejuvenate.

Oslo, Norway-based indie-rock artist Tuvaband is a critically-acclaimed artist with an impressive international profile that, to date, has earned 40 million cumulative streams on Spotify. Tuvaband is the wildly eclectic brainchild of fearless songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Tuva previously earned a Norwegian Grammy nomination. Her song “Irreversible” was remixed by beloved dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Tuva’s intrepid artistry has garnered favorable comparisons to Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, David Lynch, and CocoRosie. Her songwriting exudes an indie-pop mystique, easing through delicate, piano-led folk, softly-soaring post-rock, and carefully-crafted sound design. Floating over these carefully-composed songs and densely textured soundscapes are Tuva’s fluttery vocals which manage to be both visceral and vulnerable. Tuvaband’s latest album, New Orders, out October 21, 2022 —her fourth overall—is a bold exploration of the many facets of her creativity. It marks the first time she did everything on an album, including playing all the instruments (except trombone and drums, though she programmed these beforehand and additionally kept parts of it), recording, producing, and mixing. It’s a pure transmission of Tuva’s full-bloom artistry.

New Orders’ first single is the album’s opening track, “Rejuvenate,'' a song that is both haunting and hypnotic. Wrapped in shoegaze style textures and propelled by trip-hop drums, it pulls the listener into a warm pulsating womb. “During the height of COVID, I listened to music to feel comforted. I wanted to write something that felt soothing, and as this is a song about a friendship, I decided to write from a more empathic angle.” Tuva shares. The song overflows with grounding affirmations, and one choice lyrical passage reads: Nothing’s in vain - step back and contemplate/I know you’re in pain - take your time - rejuvenate/I think you’ll be fine - breathe in and accumulate/Let’s intertwine - be nothing but compassionate.

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Natalie D Napoleon - You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea (Album). 

Sometimes in life and music you just have to say 'What-the-hell!’. Having spent 25 years playing music and a decade living and performing in California, Natalie D Napoleon decided to return to her native Western Australia. She had just been awarded a prestigious national poetry prize and was subsequently offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD in poetry. What long-suffering musician could say no to that? After two decades of performing everywhere from grimy Australian pubs to commanding the stage of international music festivals, Natalie had all but given up on music. It didn't seem to love her quite as much as she loved it. But before she said goodbye to her American band, she decided to record her latest collection of songs. 

A lot had changed since Natalie recorded her 2012 release - Leaving Me Dry - in a lavish Santa Barbara studio with an all-star cast. Her long-time sidekick Kenny Edwards, who for decades was Linda Ronstadt’s leading man, had passed away while David Piltch was back on the road with k.d. lang. Eight years on and Natalie had an album's worth of songs, most of which were written on the front porch of her 100-year-old Santa Barbara cottage and honed live with her rustically orchestrated fourpiece. So Natalie threw caution the wind, said 'What the hell!' and went into an old wooden chapel nestled in the hills behind Santa Barbara with a single microphone to see what the band could capture. The intent was to record the songs for posterity. With that one mic they recorded 12 songs that Natalie considered worthy of everybody's time. 

The aim - to capture the beauty and spontaneity of each song’s performance when it was fresh and new, the joy of four people playing music in a room together and the sonic beauty of the century-old wooden chapel, “I went into the room with Dan Phillips, Jim Connolly, and Doug Pettibone, with faith and trust in each other and, damn, the music gods delivered.” 

The result is the 12-song album, You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea -captured live with a single microphone. When Natalie played the recording to friends, they told her she needed to release it. So she did - via Bandcamp. Radio in Australia started playing the first single, "Thunder Rumor" and enthusiastically added it to playlists Australia-wide. When the second single, "Wildflowers" was released the album climbed to the very top of Australia's AIR Independent Albums Chart. With rave reviews from critics and word to mouth support it seemed that the universe was responding in kind. Now, in 2022, with some much-needed help by a grant from the Western Australian government, the album is being released internationally for the first time, on her own imprint - First Blood Recordings.

Natalie D-Napoleon · You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea

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Ellevator - Party Trick.

The Hamilton, Ontario-based trio, Ellevator are today sharing their new single, "Party Trick" which arrives as the final advance track to be lifted from their forthcoming Chris Walla-produced debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me  – out May 6 via Arts & Crafts. The new single arrives following earlier tips from NPR, Consequence, The Needle Drop, Exclaim, FLOOD, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, CBC and more. The band, who have just wrapped up a run of US dates including a stint at SXSW will support the release of the new record with Canadian dates this May with support coming from Pleasure Craft (Toronto) and Deanna Petcoff (London, Hamilton).

The band, which is comprised of Nabi Sue Bersche, guitarist, Tyler Bersche and bassist/synth player, Elliott Gwynne, will deliver on the promise of their self-titled 2018 EP with their long-awaited debut album. The record was pieced together across numerous locations but primarily while living together at The Bathouse (a Kingston-area facility owned by Canadian alt-rock legends The Tragically Hip) and comes off the back of earlier dates with Amber Run, BANNERS, Cold War Kids, Arkells and Dear Rouge. Across 12 tracks, it inhabits an emotional landscape that is both breathtakingly intimate and impossibly vast, documenting various experiences to turn universal (existential longing, romantic power struggles, the neverending work of true self-discovery) and highly specific (e.g., one band member’s journey in extracting herself from a cult) storytelling into a truly hypnotic body of work, giving rise to the kind of radiant open-heartedness that radically transforms our own perspective.

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 Peter Gabriel. "Party Trick", the album closer, arrives as one of the album's twinkling, emotive ballads utilising delicate piano and brooding guitar textures.

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Dahlia Sleeps - Chris Tavener - J Nicolás

Dahlia Sleeps - Overflow (Album).

Two years in the making and almost 6 years since their debut single, producer/writer Luke Hester and singer/writer Lucy Hill bring a new weight sonically with their debut album Overflow, depicting a new kind of freedom for the duo – from managing and coming to terms with mental health problems to experiencing love in all its forms despite them.

With eclectic influences ranging from electronic acts including MOVEMENT, Autechre and Burial to the lyrically poetic works of Florence + the Machine, Radiohead and The National, Dahlia Sleeps shift seamlessly between genres; from dance to electronic to pop.

Across the album's track listing, Dahlia Sleeps have collaborated with Jacob Oak Welsh (drummer/producer from The Hics), cellist/bassist/guitarist/pianist Mat Roberts, and pianist Edward Cross.

Speaking more on the upcoming album, the band said: "The title Overflow was chosen because this is a record that features a lot of struggle, fight, bravery, will, hope, and ultimately, triumph." Early on in the writing process for the album Lucy battled a severe episode of mental ill-health, which strongly influenced the direction of the record. “What we have now is an album about entering the very depths of despair, those who hold us when we’re there, and climbing back out again”, Lucy said of the record.

Dahlia Sleeps · Overflow LP

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Chris Tavener - Right Back Again.

 'Right Back Again' is a heartfelt ballad that refuses to sit quietly: with its piano-rock style, raw, impassioned vocals and a compelling chorus that swells with emotional poignancy. The lyrics grapple with love and loss; as mind over matter proves to be a futile exercise... The sincere emotion is perhaps the most surprising facet of this song from a singer-songwriter that is mostly known for satirical social commentary.

Tavener states that this song in fact came from personal experience: “This song came very naturally to me. I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of losing someone, and trying to rush your recovery when your heart and mind are continually being taken back to memories shared with them”.

The minimal production by Aron Bicskey really allows the song and Tavener's vocals room to breath. The driving drums and upright piano make the track seem determined to move forward, while there's an emotional fragility put forward by the ethereal sounds and an almost Americana-feel to the sparingly-placed electric guitar.

The single is the second from Tavener's upcoming EP 'Easy Ways To Be Happy'. The ironic title seemingly commenting on society's increasing fixation towards a quest for happiness. The new pop-rock, five-song EP will be released in the middle of this year. Jangly-guitar rock and a biting sense of humour meet in the satirical stylings of Chris Tavener. A deft lyricist with an acerbic wit, Tavener writes his storytelling songs from the perspective of flawed characters that he draws from 21st century life.

His cynical social commentary, dressed in punchy, uplifting pop-rock and acoustic ballads has won him acclaim from BBC 6 Music and multiple BBC Introducing stations. He's popular for his unique and theatrical live performance that has seen him sharing the stage with Super Hans, Emily Capell, Tony Hadley, and Peter Hook of Joy Division, whilst also writing songs for the likes of Sir Ian McKellen

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J Nicolás - Lost + Found.

Folk singer-songwriter J. Nicolás has released his latest single, "Lost + Found." The new track reflects on a love he feels is being lost and ponders the possibilities for revival. “Lost + Found” is being released alongside a studio performance music video, which can be viewed on YouTube. The single is available to be streamed on digital music platforms worldwide.

With a combination of picturesque lyricism, layered guitars, and raspy, inviting vocals, J Nicolás skillfully tells the story of losing a love and longing to rediscover it. Nicolás took inspiration from his life, past dreams, and memories to create a compelling song about finding something to hold on to in trying times. "’Lost + Found' was inspired by a couple of things: I've had this recurring dream since childhood, where I fall into a dark hole and encounter a witch," Nicolás explains. "It's a tribute to someone who has helped me find myself & encouraged me to be vulnerable as a means of finding my way out of that hole — often just by merely being in their presence." The accompanying music video displays Nicolás performing his newest track live in an intimate and warm setting. Nicolás produced and mixed the track at The Hallowed Halls & Mission Mountain Recording Co. with Allen Hunter on bass, and Joe Mengis on drums. “Lost + Found” was mastered by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.

J Nicolás has been involved in the indie rock scene for over 20 years, and only recently began his solo career in the folk area, gaining a fanbase in both genres. He has toured all over the U.S. and has played internationally with a copious amount of musicians. Nicolás' first album Wild Oak was released at the end of 2021; with 10-tracks, he dives into his journey of self-discovery and uses poetic lyricism to make a mark on the folk genre. His upcoming sophomore album, A Rosary of Bone, will further tell his story of introspection and focuses more on his darker times, leading to his ability to overcome hardship. "Lost + Found" is a message about finding hope even when there is none to be found.

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Strange Neighbors - Pet Deaths - Alison Sudol - Oceanator

Strange Neighbors - Window Watching.

Strange Neighbors first unleashed their jangly power pop onto the New York scene in 2018. Founded by vocalist Aidan and drummer Tracey, they soon brought guitarist Zach into the mix through a Facebook ad. It remains one of the three all-time positive outcomes of social media. 

Their new single and video for "Window Watching," is a nostalgic and vibrant track with Indie vibes steadily laced throughout. The video shows the true essence and nature of the band which further brings the song to life.

After a few early singles and some lineup changes, the band brought along bassist Dana to record their debut album “How to Human” in early 2019. Taking influence from the power pop and pop punk of the band’s youth, the album’s eight songs are characterized by sparkling guitars, intricate bass lines, rock solid beats and impassioned vocals, a mix of the old and new.

The band followed up with the “Illuminasti” EP in 2020 and marked their live comeback as a live act with the single "Mystic Piers" in July of 2021. They have continued recording, writing and performing into 2022. Since their formation, Strange Neighbors have played at popular New York City haunts like Piano’s, The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, and more.

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Pet Deaths - Swingtime.

London based duo Pet Deaths have announced their second album unhappy ending - out 27th May via Silver Mind Records and release new single "swingtime" alongside a stark, surrealist black and white short film. The announcement follows the band's widely acclaimed debut album To the Top of the Hill and Roll... - released in 2019, described by Huw Stephens as “beautiful, understated and special” - noting it as one of his favourite albums of the year.

Inspired, musically, by the spiritual moments of Alice Coltrane, the freeness of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew with a sprinkling of Talk Talk’s Spirit Of Eden in its colourful unravelling, unhappy ending is an enveloping experience, touching upon universal themes but all shone through the lens of lyricist and vocalist Liam Karima’s signature perspective.

Swirling new single "swingtime" showcases the Pet Deaths' ability to juxtapose this deep dive of discovery with the brightness of the music. A beautiful five minutes, the song feels like a daydream, a memory you can’t quite get a hold of - “Hindsight is true fuckery, it’s our last waltz, and curtains for you and me baby,” Liam sings – while the music paints an almost psychedelic journey, the layering of the instrumentation indicative of the band’s desire to push these songs to their most colourful form.

Speaking on the release of "swingtime", vocalist Liam Karima said: "It’s a bite in the cheek song about irony at its bitter finest, protecting that loved one from the rogues and strapping in for the bumpy ride. When we suddenly see the sun through the clouds and it gets snatched away by a rain cloud; when we buy the milk and it’s sour; just when you think things are about to get better, D:REAM write a song about it - we go back to swingtimes."

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Photo - Federico Nessi

Alison Sudol - Peaches.

American singer-songwriter and actress Alison Sudol shares intimate new single ‘Peaches'. Released ahead of her upcoming support dates with Goldfrapp at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 April, and a day before the UK release of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’, in which Alison reprises her role as Queenie Goldstein, ‘Peaches’ is the first single taken from Alison forthcoming album due later in the year.

Delivered with bare-bones songwriting, hushed vocals, ‘Peaches’ is a deeply personal paean to motherhood. The intricate, yet delicate arrangement - built through sparse guitars, drums, bass and synths - is skilfully constructed around Alison’s vocal harmonies, which carry her autobiographical tales with mature delivery and poetic undertones. The single gives us a first glimpse into Alison's upcoming album, which she wrote, co-produced and recorded with London based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer Chris Hyson, who is also half of adventurous collective Snowpoet in Wales at Giant Wafer Studios, during Summer 2020.

“We came up with the foundation of ‘Peaches’ in the studio in Wales, sitting in the sun during an insane heat wave, looking out over sheep fields,” says Alison. Opening about the inspiration behind the track, she unveils; “the framework of the song came almost immediately but the words were slow. Several months later, with a nearly finished record, ‘Peaches’ still had no lyrics. My partner and I were talking about trying again for a child after our loss. I kept dreaming of this little baby girl. The dreams were so vivid, so real it was like she was right there, but I had no idea if I could bring a child into the world. The dreams made me long for her so much it was dizzying, but painful too, knowing it might never happen. The lyrics finally came. Three weeks later our daughter was conceived”.

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Oceanator - The Last Summer.

Brooklyn artist Oceanator recently announced her sophomore album Nothing's Ever Fine, co-produced by Bartees Strange, due out tomorrow, April 8th via Big Scary Monsters / Polyvinyl. Today, she shares new track 'The Last Summer', with an accompanying video directed by Baby Pony Food. Talking about the video, Baby Pony Food said: "The Last Summer’s lyrics evoke aimless youthful nights in DC, aimless youthful nights that we lived alongside Elise, so we tried to channel those memories and that energy as much as possible. We thought of this video as a love letter to Washington, DC and tried to cram in as many of our favourite places in the city as possible.:

"The cars break. Everything goes slow motion. There’s disaster and fire,” foretells Elise Okusami, describing her cinematic vision of the end of the world. Apocalypse is a subject she mined in acute detail and to critical acclaim on 2020’s Things I Never Said, her debut full-length as Oceanator. But in her most recent cataclysmic telling, she keeps the camera focused on the people who survive and need to keep on living. A couple escapes the wreckage in a classic pickup truck, their dog riding in the back. They find a new home in the woods and consider how to start over. “It could either be hopeful or negative,” Okusami explains of the tale’s ambiguous ending. “You’re either walking off into a nice sunset or going off into a black hole. For me, it depends on the mood; it can be both ways.

Those speculative vignettes inspired polymathic Okusami to begin writing a short film—one she ultimately scrapped in favour of putting those themes to music. These vividly imagined scenes comprise the sunrise-to-sunset arc of her resplendent new record Nothing’s Ever Fine, the first Oceanator has recorded for Big Scary Monsters/ Polyvinyl and the already-shredding project’s heaviest collection yet. This narrative of doom and hope told over the span of a single day is reinforced by a thrice-recurring leitmotif—appearing on the tracks “Morning,” “Post Meridian,” and “Evening”—composed on Okusami’s newly beloved Reverend baritone guitar. 

She used it to write several of the songs’ knottiest riffs, lending a gut-punching low register (perhaps indebted to her past experiences playing in thrash and hardcore bands). But like on previous Oceanator recordings, Okusami’s characteristic ease with bright hooks still shines, and the wide-ranging influences of ‘80s power pop, ‘90s melodic punk, Americana, film scores and Civil Rights-era vocal groups lend textured complexity to the collection. Okusami uses these sounds to explore anxious nightmares, nostalgia for late night adventure, the fog of depression, climate catastrophe and cautious optimism for the future. It’s material ripe for an end-of-days flick, sure; but it’s also the reality of living with the noise in your own brain in America’s 2020s.

Many Voices Speak - Susan Cattaneo - Jesse D'Kora - Georgia State Line - The Deslondes - Nice Vice

Photo - Julia Mard

Many Voices Speak - Nothing's Gone.

Swedish artist Many Voices Speak has announced her second album 'Gestures' will be out on 29th April via Strangers Candy. Having released two previous singles 'Seat for Sadness' and 'Within Reach', she has now shared new track 'Nothing is Gone'. She explains: "Nothing’s Gone is about coping with the physical presence of something that is no longer there."

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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Susan Cattaneo - Borrowed Blue.

Boston award-winning, songwriting boss Susan Cattaneo has shared "Borrowed Blue," from her forthcoming LP, All Is Quiet, which is also released today.

This spare, beautiful track tackles the complicated relationships we, as women, have with our mothers and our daughters - "What do we, as women, inherit and what do we pass on? What roles do we play and what sacrifices do we make?" Susan asks. "I am the daughter of a mother in her nineties and the mother of a teenage daughter, and I wanted to explore these themes and show how sometimes we are caught between what we’ve been taught and being our true selves."

The most powerful voice in the room isn't always the loudest one.  On her new album, All is Quiet, Susan Cattaneo sings softly and carries a big song. Nine big songs, actually. Recorded remotely during the initial months of the pandemic, All is Quiet reflects Susan’s heartache for the world, but also reveals how she rediscovered joy and resiliency through music. 

It’s been an extraordinary and challenging time to be a musician and creative person in the world. For many artists and musicians including Susan, those first few months of the pandemic were filled with uncertainty and fear. When the quarantine shut everything down, opportunities were cancelled, collaborations were scrapped and most importantly, momentum was lost. For the first time in her life, Susan felt creatively muted. All is Quiet was the project that helped her process these feelings and in making this album, she found the joy and redemption that only music can bring.

 

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Jesse D'Kora - Dont fool with a phantom.

Jesse D’Kora is an indie/dream pop artist based in Salford (UK). His new song - ‘dont fool with a phantom’ - is his 4th single in as many months. Continuing on the one release per month plan for 2022, this latest track is fun, nostalgic, and crammed full of great vibes.

Jesse tells us "I wanted to make a song that made me feel like I was back in the 90s watching cartoons again. Inspired by those early mornings as a child in front of the tv with some sort of ridiculously unhealthy and tasty cereal, the title of this track is taken from an original classic Scooby Doo episode. Looking back I find the idea of chasing and unmasking the bad guys for them to only turn out to be someone you know and don’t expect strangely paralleltek in adult life. Specifically with the new age anonymity that the internet brings, I decided this song is for the trolls. So any internet trolls out there, this ones for you! ;)"

He continues "Musically it's similar to many of my other tracks; it's got the jangling guitars, surfing drums, washed out vocals and to the point structure. On its own, I think it's a track that wants to chase you down a hallway lined with doors, for you to go in one door and come out of another and the chased become the chaser… or something like that!"

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Georgia State Line - Jackson.

Georgia State Line has been on a hot streak since the release of the highly acclaimed and ARIA charting album, ‘In Colour’, released through Cheatin’ Heart Records/Spunk Records.

As one of the most talked about Americana acts in Australia thanks to the refreshingly honest, yet melancholy sounds, that are even parts heartsick and hopeful, Georgia State Line takes the third single from the album to Australian radio, ‘Jackson’.

According to Georgia Delves, ‘Jackson’, is a track inspired by the comfort found in an old worn song.

“Just like good friends, they’re there for us in the best and worst of times, softening the blows and making us all feel a little less alone”.

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Photo by Bobbi Wernig

The Deslondes - South Dakota Wild One.

The Deslondes are set to return with Ways & Means July 8th, 2022 via New West Records. The 14-song set is their first album in five years and follows 2017’s critically acclaimed Hurry Home. Ways & Means was produced by The Deslondes & their longtime collaborator Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes) and was recorded at The Bombshelter in Nashville, TN. The album features Margo Price on the title track, as well as Twain and the multi-instrumentalist Billy Contreras on multiple songs as well. 

Long combining elements of early Stax, Sun, and Atlantic Records with the influence of a more raw, stripped-down sound gleaned off field recordings from Alan Lomax and the Mississippi Records catalog, the band also incorporate psychedelic flourishes that bring to mind the sonic experimentation of Joe Meek, Lee Hazlewood and the Velvet Underground. Infusing everything from saxophone, flute, and synth to string arrangements and a full drum kit for the first time, the group naturally progresses and evolves in real-time on their third full-length offering.

Lauded as “burgeoning stars” by The New York Times, The Deslondes’ 2014 self-titled debut was a breakout hit praised by NPR as “energized, elegant, and new,” and their follow-up, Hurry Home, earned similar acclaim with Rolling Stone calling it “a gritty, grimy mix of early rock ‘n’ roll and lo-fi R&B.” Following the band’s hiatus in late 2018, members Sam Doores and Riley Downing each released their debut solo albums to critical acclaim. PopMatters called Doores' eponymous debut “...a deeply poetic and haunting collection that draws upon the musicians’ disparate influences” and “Perhaps not since Los Lobos’ Kiko has an artist so effortlessly married avant-garde and everyman sensibilities, arriving at a place where childlike curiosity meets the fruits of patient practice and ambition. 

Deep knowledge and unbound imagination coexist peacefully, happily, throughout. Of Downing’s Start It Over (2021), Uncut Magazine in the U.K. called it a “dusty triumph” and described his voice  “...like Johnny Cash with a hangover,” exclaiming “His brain…is abuzz with sounds and ideas, which makes his solo debut a thrill.” The first sampling of Ways & Means is “South Dakota Wild One.”

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Nice Vice - No Ends.

Indie-rock trailblazer Nice Vice has just released his latest single, “No Ends.” The new song vividly shows his inspiration from ‘90s rock icons and features melodic guitars, heavy undertones, and honest, reflective lyricism. “No Ends” is now available to stream worldwide on digital music platforms.

“No Ends” conveys to listeners the range of talent of which Seth Horst, known musically as Nice Vice, is capable. Being in your twenties is an exhilarating yet confusing time, and “No Ends” displays the personal strife of having to figure that out. Horst explores how to set boundaries, learn and maybe unlearn life habits, and simply understand how to let things be in his newest single. 

“‘No Ends’ went through a lot of phases,” says Horst. “The chorus of this song was originally a slower verse from another track, but after some experimenting and switching things around, it somehow turned into this! It ended up being my favorite recording process of all the songs on the EP!” Similar to his previous release, “Bloom,” the new single was also mixed by Zak Van Zeumeren and mastered by Theodore Papadopoulos. Both songs have been a thrilling look into the upcoming EP from Nice Vice, which he has described as having two main themes. 

“Half of the tracks deal with different stages of being in love,” explains Horst. “Some good, some bad, and just the general feeling of new love and how great that can be and then also how bad it can be. The other theme is ego death: dealing with your own personality, breaking points, and becoming someone else.” The EP, entitled First Dose, will be released later this year.

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Fresh - Wildes - Dana Gavanski - Tragedy Ann

Fresh - Babyface.

London DIY punks Fresh have announced their forthcoming new album, ‘Raise Hell’, out 1st July on Specialist Subject. Alongside the announcement, they share lead single ‘Babyface’, a song written in early lockdown, “hence the ‘boredom’ refrain” says lead singer and songwriter Kathryn Woods (cheerbleederz, ME REX). “It’s a song about having a mind that’s both overstimulated and under-stimulated at the same time. The light, airy synths make it a cry for help masquerading as a pop song.” This is a sentiment that runs through much of ‘Raise Hell’ – the push and pull of conflicting emotions, wrestling with opposing personality traits, the tension between learning to self-love and yet wanting more.

Fresh have been an unwavering fixture within the UK punk scene since their first record in 2017. A joy to behold live, lead singer Kathryn Woods honed her craft not only fronting Fresh but as a member of several heralded indie and punk bands, including cheerbleederz and ME REX alongside Fresh bandmate Myles McCabe.

Their new album radiates with their signature mischievous British charm and flourishes of brilliant pop punk flair – though underestimate Fresh at your peril. ‘Raise Hell’ dares to dive deeper than most, delivering Woods’ darker moments and contemplative thought processes through the sharply focussed lens of upbeat indie punk.

Having shared another single from the album towards the end of last year, Fresh have shown no sign of slowing down; ‘Morgan and Joanne’ references the story of a blind date that went viral in 2019. “It’s about queer joy and queer visibility” says Woods. “I wrote Morgan & Joanne because I was so struck by the charm of Morgan and Joanne and how they turned what had the potential to be a typical first date into an adventure. The song is about the magic of meeting someone who you really fancy for the first time and kind of escaping into a different realm with them. I think popular media and historical narratives tend to make queer relationships tragic instead of focusing on all the joy and possibilities that they hold, so I wanted to put a song out there that’s sweet and funny and empowering to counter that a little bit.”

specialistsubject · FRESH - Babyface

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Wildes - Woman In Love.

London singer songwriter Wildes returns this week with her new single "Woman In Love". The new track is the first to be heard since her 2020 EP 'Let You Go' and debut EP 'Illuminate'. Sonically falling somewhere in a Bermuda Triangle of Angel Olsen, St Vincent and PJ Harvey, Wildes' music sits within an entrancing skeleton of folk songwriting, all the while lifting the listener up on a storm cloud of cinematic electronics and her sharp, honest lyricism. Wildes’ sound is one that never falls short of empowering, and new single "Woman In Love" is a biting first taste of her currently unannounced debut album, due for release later this year.

Produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) - "Woman In Love is a song of anger," Wildes explains. "It's all about the facade presented by someone who isn't all that happy, and the rage that lies under the glassy exterior. I had put on a brave face for so long when I was in fact feeling underestimated, scared, manipulated, and cornered. I wanted to release that fury and fear in to a song and be honest for the first time about how I was feeling. The music was part inspired by artists who occupied my head at the time - PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, SASAMI. Unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I'd been cowering in."

Wildes is the solo project of Ella Walker, a singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in London. “Come on and bare your teeth” urged Wildes on her soaring debut single "Bare". And bare she did, tenaciously carving out a path that saw her release 2 acclaimed EPs; ’Let You Go’ and ‘Illuminate’, which have over 60 million streams across platforms to date; firm radio support across BBC Radio 1, 2, and 6 Music, as well as Radio X, KCRW, and European stations 3FM, Flux and Radio Eins.

The viral success of Wildes grabbed the attention of Danger Mouse, who became her publisher, and led to over 20 notable syncs on US TV shows like Suits, Scream and The Royals. On top of UK tours supporting Isaac Gracie and Ardyn, Wildes' music has received widespread press support from outlets including Consequence, The Line Of Best Fit, Metro, Stereogum, Notion, Clash Magazine, DIY Magazine and more.

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Dana Gavanski - I Kiss The Night.

Taken from her forthcoming album When It Comes which is out on April 29 through Flemish Eye, Dana Gavanski has just shared the video for the opening track on the LP, "I Kiss The Night". The video, directed by Gaia Alari, is made up of 1,700 hand-drawn frames, around 12 drawings per second, creating a beautiful stop motion animation that fits the music perfectly.

“The nocturnal and lulling atmospheres evoked by Dana's song,” says Gaia, “had me design a video treatment that aims to represent a dreamscape, or, more precisely, the moment of drowsiness happening right before falling asleep. By entering the door of the liminal space between awake and asleep, the character erases the external world and enters within her brain, experiencing a maze made of layered visions, distorted perception of self, time and space, intrusive thoughts that range from playful-bizarre-uncanny sequences to reassuring memories, in the attempt to fall asleep and finally shut the door.”

Dana wrote the song whilst cat sitting alone in her friend’s apartment in Montreal: “It’s an ode to the night, learning to lean into its magic and the spookiness of solitude in a winter storm.” Yesterday Is Gone is the follow-up to her 2020 debut When It Comes. It was started in Montreal, ended in Belgrade, recorded back in London at Total Refreshment Centre, and then mixed by Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump).

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Tragedy Ann - The Shield.

Every note of The Shield urges you to surrender to the infectious sense of wonder evoked when driving North and West around Superior. Vivid storytelling pairs with rich strings to create sweeping vistas, with the listener in the passenger's seat; The Shield is as lush and dynamic as the locations it describes. The name of Stuart McLean is invoked, and is not done lightly: this new single by Tragedy Ann rings with a familiar awestruck love and gratitude for the landscapes that define travel in this part of the world.

With their upcoming album Heirlooms (May 6, 2022), Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan issue a call for deeper connection with each other and with the natural world. The answer to this call is reflected both in the collaborative creation process and the meaningful ways in which Heirlooms will be shared. Setting these intentions rooted them and provided the insight needed to nourish the project and create something lasting.

"We want Heirlooms to encourage listeners to question their individual choices and reconsider the experiences of others in their communities, provoking critical thought rather than merely expressing our opinions. In order to encourage this in others, we must do so ourselves." Heirlooms is an opportunity to reconnect, share stories and learn.

The album is a follow up to their 2018 release Matches which garnered them two ‘Songs from the Heart’ songwriting awards (Folk Music Ontario), international critical acclaim, Canadian folk/roots radio charting, and syndication on CBC Radio and Stingray Music.

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Dani Ramos - Deer Scout - Laurie Biagini

Photo by Francisco Barrachina

Dani Ramos - Dime Algo.

Sound of Berlin shares hypnotic video for Dani Ramos' "Dime Algo" Columbian Berlin-based producer and DJ Dani Ramos reveals Dime Algo EP via Sound of Berlin, digitally available everywhere now. 

Originally from Columbia, Dani Ramos lives in Berlin and embraced the electronic scene with performances alongside the likes of Luciano, Martin Buttrich, Nick Warren, Hiroko Yamamura, Clive Henry, Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves, and Guti at premiere events ranging from Circolocoin Cartagena, BPM in Costa Rica and venues such as Ministry of Sound, SONAR, Pacha in Ibiza, Watergate, CDV, Hoppetosse, and counting.

Infused with lean basslines, crunchy drums, and rapid-fire high-end jabs, Dime Algo EP aims for peak times and is an excellent addition to the current tech-house revival. With a higher BPM, the EP features jerky drums cutting through layers of static kick drums, while floaty vocals rise and fall in the background.

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Deer Scout - Synesthesia.

On Friday Deer Scout will release her debut LP Woodpecker on Carpark Records. Songwriter Dena Miller began writing songs under the Deer Scout name in her Philadelphia dorm room as a college freshman, before the project grew as she began popping up on DIY shows around New York and Philly, sharing stages with people like Waxahatchee, Joanna Sternberg, Gobbin Jr, Told Slant and Yowler while periodically putting out singles on Bandcamp and cassette. 

Six years on from those first singles her debut LP has proved worth the wait, with the pre-release tracks earning praise from places like NPR's All Songs Considered, Stereogum, NYLON, BrooklynVegan,  FADER, and a host of others. Now Miller is sharing a final single from Woodpecker, a track called "Synesthesia."

"'Synesthesia' is about associative memory and inexplicable connections between sounds, places, and experiences," Miller explains. "It was written on the train ride home from a show that absolutely captivated me and jogged a bunch of memories. It’s about different points in my life that share the same undercurrent for no clear reason."

Woodpecker is a record about memory and the subconscious. And like an unforgettable dream that keeps you puzzling over its riddles for days, it’s as packed with direct symbols as it is with ruminative haze. “I approach songwriting as a process of boxing things up, or putting away a time capsule,” Miller, who wrote the album over a period of six years. It’s a culminating collection of the project’s many sounds and influences to date, from Philly’s punk cooperatives to Oberlin’s conservatory experimentalism to New York’s DIY history. At the center is Miller’s assured guitar fingerpicking and boldly clear voice, firmly grounded even as it gently probes uncertain emotional and musical terrain.

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Laurie Biagini - Do What You Gotta Do.

Today we share our third taster from Laurie Biagini's forth coming album and once again it's a catchy addictive track full of good vibes. To recap Laurie 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.

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 Biagini · Do What You Gotta Do