Tamar Berk - John Salaway feat. Chelsea Gilliland - Terry Emm

Tamar Berk - June Lake.

The indie pop singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Tamar Berk has released the music video for “June Lake” the focus track from upcoming full length album Start At The End, which was just released yesterday. Following the release of her acclaimed debut solo album The Restless Dreams Of Youth, which was recently nominated for Best Pop Album and Album of the Year 2021 at the San Diego Music Awards, this new album was written and recorded during the pandemic lockdown and in the wake of the death of Tamar’s father, but Start At The End is not as morose or downtrodden as that subject matter would imply, as Tamar has found a way to create liberating, emotionally captivating indie pop / rock catharsis from personal tragedy.

Unlike previous singles from the album “Tragic Endings” and “your permission” (the latter of which was featured on NPR’s new music friday playlist), “June Lake'' is one of the softer and more introspective tracks on the album, and indie folk ballad that shows off the range of styles Tamar is able to incorporate into this new album. Discussing her inspiration behind this song, Tamar writes “‘June Lake’ is track 5 off of my new album “Start at the End.” 

It’s a song about my deep desire to escape to an ever-elusive destination that I always talk about but never get around to. Though June Lake is a real place, I’ve never actually been there...and so in my mind, it’s become a symbolize for a place that might exist or only exists in my mind…it’s about the confusion of wanting to move forward but also go back, and actually feeling stuck and unsure of which step to take. My dad passed away last June and so in many ways…’June' is always going to have a significance for me.”

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John Salaway - Toxic Lovesick feat. Chelsea Gilliland.

Since moving to Nashville in the early 2000s, John Salaway has become one of the city's most accomplished musicians, holding down a weekly residency at BB King's Blues Club while also playing shows with Peter Frampton, Ben Folds, Anderson East, Zach Williams, and Denny Laine from the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney's Wings. 

He's a multi-instrumentalist who can easily switch between drums, guitar, and piano. With 2021's Salvation, he was able to show the full range of his abilities, recording the album with members of the Foo Fighters, Cage the Elephant, Smashing Pumpkins, and Peter Frampton's Band.

His forthcoming single, "Toxic Lovesick," featuring Chelsea Gilliland of Nashville rock band CHLSY, has a unique origin story. "CHLSY and I were pitted against each other in the Lightning 100 Music City Mayhem competition. We both admired the other's song submitted to the competition," explains Salaway. "I ended up winning the round, but we decided to get together and collaborate and this song is the result. Chelsea made a post on Instagram about noticing a pattern of being attracted to toxic relationships so when we got together to co-write, I thought that should be what we wrote about."

Along with playing all of the instruments on the track, Salaway produced "Toxic Lovesick" at his Murfreesboro, TN studio Music First Productions.

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Terry Emm - Wish You Were here.

‘Wish You Were Here’, the new single from Hertfordshire singer-songwriter Terry Emm is both a trip down memory lane and the start of a new era for the artist.

His first release since 2018’s ‘Ornate’ EP, the poignant single sees Emm revisit a song from his second album from over ten years ago, with new collaborator Lukas Drinkwater (Emily Barker, Annie Howie, Jacob & Drinkwater) on production duties and adding new instruments. The track is now taken in a stunning new direction with a carefully crafted velveteen 70s vintage sound that tugs on the heart strings with its wide-eyed sentiments of love and loss.

“The song is a reworking of a track called ‘Here’ from my 2012 ‘Petals Fallen Off The Sun’ album”, says Emm. “That album was my ‘difficult second album’ in many ways and I always felt like ‘Here’ was one of my best songs that hadn’t quite been realized yet and one day I’d revisit it. The idea stuck with me for some time, niggling away, so I felt like it must be done. So now, in a way to introduce myself back into the world of music, I thought why not touch on the past but also bring things up to date at the same time.”

Like all of his previous works, the single draws lyrically on Emm’s unique take on the world and again exhibits his non-routine way of structuring and composing songs. Now wrapped in a classic Americana singer-songwriter coat, with Lukas Drinkwater’s superb Fender Rhodes & double bass flourishes, ‘Wish You Were Here’ has been enriched.

“Every recording is subjective and captures a creative moment in time as it is and that’s what can make re-visiting songs years later in a new production setting really fun. When demoing material, I always end up with so many versions of songs and you almost want to release all of them with all their variations.” Emm explains. “Lately, I have also been relating to this particular song’s themes again and it has been cathartic to open up to it again. It felt like the song maybe had more to say or do somehow in the world at this time”, he adds.

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Art Moore - Martin Leary - Certain Animals - Fe Salomon

Art Moore - Snowy.

Art Moore, a new project from Taylor Vick (best known as the songwriter behind Boy Scouts) and Ezra Furman collaborators Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks, are announcing their signing to ANTI- and the release of their debut single "Snowy."

Durkes, Brooks and Vick first set out to collaborate with the intended goal of pitching their music for film and television projects. Durkes, a member of Furman’s band, had just completed work on Furman’s soundtrack for the Netflix series Sex Education and knew Brooks through his own work with Furman. The pair were already familiar with Vick, who had established herself as a prolific cult solo artist with Boy Scouts, and asked if she would be interested in assisting for their gestational soundtrack project. The idea of Art Moore, as a band, or Art Moore was still a ways away.

“We all met up at the studio, and it was never even like, ‘Let’s be a band’, that was never a thing,” recalls Durkes. “It was more like, ‘Let’s write for movies and art projects’ — let’s think of a movie scene or a photograph or still image and see if we can write some shit around it to see if we can pitch it.”

Decamping to a studio in Oakland in January 2020, it quickly became clear that the three musicians worked well together. They fell into an easy rhythm: Brooks and Durkes would work on a track from the instrumental demos they had made together, while Vick sat outside, writing melodies and lyrics. When she was done, she would come inside, lay down what she had written, and the process would repeat. The trio’s remarkable efficiency gave them confidence that they could work on something with more depth than what had been the projects initial scope.

“Four songs in, I think, after the first recording session, we realized it was going well, and it was pretty efficient,” says Brooks. “Making music with both Sam and Taylor has always been so easy. I record other artists, and it’s pretty rare to be so quickly on the same page with people. We don't have to say much — we kind of get where each other is coming from. It happens way too easily.”

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Martin Leary - Waiting For.

Martin Leary is an indie rock and alternative artist based in Glasgow. Releasing debut EP “The Fear” in late 2019, Martin became a bit of a studio artist working in the HQ Glasgow, with producer and owner Gregor McPhie, through lockdown releasing “All in Good Time EP” and various singles such as “

Both official music videos for “Angel” and “Sleeps Alone” were shortlisted on the Weekender Music Video of the Year for 2021 and 2020 respectively. These can be streamed on Youtube channel.

After playing various semi acoustic gigs with Calum Doherty joining on lead guitar towards the gig of 2021. The pair are now joined with JP (bass) and Craig Lennon (drums) to complete a full band ready for gigging. Debut gig as a band will be in Glasgow - Audio - 4th of June.

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Certain Animals - Grief.

Grief begins as a piano ballad based on classical songwriters, where, as it turns out, the venom is in his tail. Echoes of Abbey Road and fragments of Electric Light Orchestra merge into an extremely warm track, about a romance that has gone cold.

Beatlesque choirs sing that sometimes love means letting go. With their hearts on their toes, and both feet firmly rooted in the old-fashioned concept of just making good songs, Certain Animals march on to a crescendo of harpsichord and glockenspiel to finally play the final chord on a piano that, like the song of love, has not withstood the times. 

With the release of their last two singles Midnight TV and Angels In Disguise, Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV. 

Hold On, Sun King and Younger Than Now, the first three singles have also been very well received by the media internationally. The singles were added to playlists on national radio stations. In Belgium single Younger Than Now was on the playlist of national radio VRT 2 and played on Studio Brussel the national pop station. 

In the US and the UK you still can hear all singles on Amazing Radio USA and Amazing Radio UK. Other countries where Certain Animals' music was played on radio are: the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Croatia, Canada, USA, Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Poland.

TCBYML · Certain Animals - Grief

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Fe Salomon - All Or Nothing.

Continuing an arc of lyrically evocative and sonically adventurous single releases so far in 2022, Fe Salomon, returns with a brand new track: “All Or Nothing”. Released on 20th April, the new single finds the rising solo artist conjuring a cinematic alternative/pop masterclass from painterly reminiscence. Taking the listener back to a period strewn with precarious paths, toxic friendships and difficult choices, it’s a song that ultimately finds Salomon summoning strength from sour times. 

“‘All Or Nothing’ is a song about a shared journey coming to an end” affirms Fe. “It’s inspired by a group of friends. Friendships that were often toxic, yet comforting and familiar.  Set in the imagery of walking from the Holloway Road in London, to the east coast of England with the hope of turning over a new chapter.” 

With her back against the wall and faced with the decision to go “All Or Nothing”; Fe’s gamble has evidently paid-off in dividends, with this resultant single making for a richly rewarding listen, laced with a resonant emotional gravity. 

Initially written in a hotel room, the track was fully finished in 2021 with the assistance of esteemed classical arranger: Johnny Parry, of whom Fe was once a member of the Johnny Parry Trio with. Featuring soaring classical strings and makeshift drum kits, the track’s stuttering percussives owe their origins to household kitchen curiosities including woks and pans; offering a delectably avant-garde counterpoint to the track’s lush orchestral stylings.

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Bob Marston & the Credible Sources - Coltura - Sister Ray - Death Bells

Bob Marston & the Credible Sources - Real Magic, Good people.

Bob Marston & the Credible Sources, the pride of Birmingham, Alabama, released their new single "Real Magic, Good People," yesterday. The track is from their debut LP, So Long, out on June 3rd. Fun fact - Matt Slocum (Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic, Allman Brothers, Railroad Earth, and more) plays keys on the album!

Fronted by troubadour Bob Marston, this group is truly a whole greater than the sum of its wildly capable parts. The band makes music that sits comfortably at the intersections of folk and rock with a penchant for improvisation--intricately-woven guitar parts, tight and compelling bass and drum grooves, and pure, emotive vocals, a sound that garners comparisons to The Grateful Dead, Wilco, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and more. "Real Magic, Good People'' is a head-bobbing, reggae-tinged, all-around good time.

One day, Bob was walking his dog at a Birmingham nature preserve, processing a difficult breakup, and the groove for the song bubbled up through his soul. "The first half of each verse presents my attempt to balance my love of Birmingham with what I had, at the time, recently learned about her history of labor injustice, including convict-leasing and union-busting," Bob explains of the track. "The chorus is a rallying cry to believe in ourselves and our potential as a community, realizing that for all of our differences we share more in common." The inspiration came from his hometown's troubling history, but the overall themes are universal: the power of honest expression, understanding, complete forgiveness, and acceptance is what really connects and unifies our communities.

Bob's been on a journey of self-discovery, and with the help of therapy, meditation, and cannabis, his empathic creativity comes shining through the lyrics of every song on So Long. The album’s tracks explore love and devotion through the lens of managing challenging relationships and processing life-altering heartbreak to pondering life’s big questions and issues of social injustice. Ultimately, So Long is about striving to find humanity in ourselves, our communities, and in society as a whole.

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Coltura - R U Content.

In advance of the release of their debut album And Then I’ll Be Happy arriving this Friday, April 22, New York City trio Colatura have shared a new single and video, “R U Content,” a relevant comment on our current culture consumption.

Colatura headed down to Austin to make their SXSW debut, with five performances. Austin Town Hall said to file them under the “band I wish I had seen,” while calling their “Kids Like Us” single, "solid gold indie pop.” The band will celebrate this Friday, album release night, at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn, and have announced a summer tour taking them across the Eastern half of the U.S., culminating at DZ Fest outside Chicago on July 9.

Discussing the single, guitarist/vocalist Digo Best noted that, “‘R U Content’ is about the monetization of the individual as a brand. In order to be successful these days you have to sell an alternate version of yourself that usually has no basis in reality. Authenticity as a marketing ploy. Yet we all line up, pretending aesthetic photos will make up for the hole that we are creating inside of ourselves. The lyrics 'Are you content or are you content?’ play with the two different pronunciations of the word to ask an important question.

The backdrop of the music video is a combination of every previous music video we have made for this album, superimposed over each other to make a sort of super-content visualizer. Since the song is an examination of the role of content in our society and whether it is actually an indicator of our reality, authenticity, and happiness as humans or just a 'story with a market price', we thought it appropriate to have us be sort of halfway human and constantly fighting being swallowed by all the content we ourselves have made."

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Sister Ray - Good News.

Sister Ray, the project of Edmonton-born songwriter, Ella Coyes (they/she) is today sharing their new single, "Good News" which follows recent singles tipped at Paste Magazine, Exclaim and more. The new track comes as the final advance single to be lifted from Sister Ray's forthcoming debut album, Communion which is set for release on May 13 via Royal Mountain Records (Alvvays, Wild Pink, U.S. Girls). They will support Communion with a full tour – TBC – but for now, have confirmed US dates opening for The Rural Alberta Advantage, these come off the back of recent slots opening for Hurray for the Riff Raff and dates as part of SXSW. 

Communion is a raw, meticulously-crafted portrait of momentous, ordinary moments; experiences that define your past and instruct how you move through the world. It’s also a break-up album invested in exploring the motivations behind actions, rather than attempting moral judgment. It’s about “shitty shit” says Coyes. Backed by Ginla, the Brooklyn-based duo behind early Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker and Lorely Rodriguez (Empress Of), Communion is anchored by guitar melodies that bear an undercurrent of turmoil and echoes with the wisdom of hard-won lessons.

"Good News" thematically marks the darkest song on Communion despite being the lightest in sound. Speaking about the track, Coyes explains: "This song is about my frustration watching me, members of my family and the people around me experiencing issues that have affected us intergenerationally – and continue to do so – and see many suffer in silence. It’s written like a series of vignettes about a few moments that have really stood out in my memory. At first, it didn’t click with me that this song sounded so light because it felt heavy to me, but I feel now that a big part of this song is the freedom that I feel in the actual act of airing out those things that I would have willfully ignored or hidden from.”

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Death Bells - Lifespring.

Death Bells — the long-running musical collaboration between Will Canning and Remy Veselis — are thrilled to announce their third full-length album, Between Here & Everywhere. Set for release on July 29th via Dais Records, the LP captures the cross-section of Southern California’s shadowy hidden interzones, outside of the lights and luxury. 

The group teased this new full-length with the pre-release of “Intruder” and "Passerby" singles — now, they’ve unveiled another new track from the album, “Lifespring.”  Of the song, Canning comments, “We initially wrote ‘Lifespring’ at a friend’s studio, before the last record was even an idea. I thought I had lost the stems, but discovered them recently on a USB that had been sitting in my jacket pocket for the last few years, so we were able to finally finish the song.”  He continues, “The lyrical inspiration for 'Lifespring' came from reading about a fairly spurious organization of the same name that were around until the mid-90s. Musically, it feels very different from anything we’ve done before; sleazier, groovier.”

Adopting a collaborative approach for the recording of Between Here & Everywhere, the LP features nine new songs that represent Will Canning and Remy Veselis’ continual growth, as well as accompaniment by an experienced cast of contributors on keys, strings, piano, and operatic backup vocals. Recorded with Colin Knight at Paradise Studios, and mixed by Mike Kriebel at Golden Beat, Between Here & Everywhere bristles with immediacy and emotion, with every element tactile, balanced, and elevated. 

Between Here & Everywhere sets out to map the potent mess of Los Angeles. Canning cites the “vastness” of the band’s adopted home as a constant muse, and much like the city itself, the album ebbs gradually from harrowing to hopeful over its 35-minute runtime. The lyrics are categorized as “narrative, but not autobiographical,” born of intrigue, intimacy, and a sense of “looking outward.” 

Formed in 2015 in Sydney, Australia, Death Bells has proven to be a mainstay in the alternative underground musical landscape both in their homeland and overseas. Death Bells released their sophomore full-length and Dais Records debut New Signs of Life in September of 2020.  On this record, the group embraced their diverse tastes to deliver unforgettable hooks and more expansive sounds across its nine graceful songs.  Following, and in direct response to the pandemic, Death Bells secluded themselves at Bombay Beach to record and release 5 live recordings of songs from New Signs of Life in April of 2021 —  the gorgeous live performance and recording Live from Bombay.

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For Breakfast - Jo Schornikow - Christine Sweeney

For Breakfast - Orfordness Lighthouse.

London 7-piece For Breakfast today release new single "Orfordness Lighthouse", the second track to be lifted from new EP 'Trapped in the Big Room' out 20th May via Glasshouse Records. The new EP follows the band's debut EP ‘Songs in the Key of O’, released in June 2020 to fervent praise from The Quietus, Loud and Quiet, So Young Magazine amongst others.

Emerging in their current form in 2019 in North London after a string of line-up changes, For Breakfast pull together seven musicians from varying musical backgrounds, bolting together elements of dream pop, post-rock, jazz, noise rock and psychedelia together to form an aural experience like no other.

New single "Orfordness Lighthouse" along with forthcoming EP 'Trapped in the Big Room' were recorded on a decommissioned Cold War airbase in Suffolk in the Autumn of 2021. A crescendo of horns, flutes and trip-hop imbued post-rock, For Breakfast execute the marriage of influences with aplomb; "Portishead with a splash of Cocteau Twins and Mogwai to taste" – the band suggest.

Speaking on the release of the new track, vocalist Maya and bassist Sam commented:

Maya: "As with most of our songs, I didn’t write the lyrics to Orfordness Lighthouse with a specific meaning in mind. They came about in the same way as most of the music - on the spot in our rehearsal space. They’re there for the feeling and the sound of the words more than a narrative or anything, but looking back on them there’s a sense of holding and being held, tension and release that is a reaction to the music and the journey of the song."

Sam: "Orfordness Lighthouse went through a few iterations before becoming what it is now. It was built around a chord progression and piano melody that Maya brought in - around the time that we were going off to record the first EP we’d made it into a Portishead-esque drifty trip hop tune, but we felt it wasn’t quite there yet. We came back to it during one of the first lockdowns and beefed it up a bit - we made some melodic tweaks to the first half, wrote the climactic end section, and couldn’t resist closing with some cute gang vocals."

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Jo Schornikow - Plaster.

Australian songwriter Jo Schornikow (now based in Nashville) releases “Plaster,” the third single from her forthcoming album ALTAR out May 20th. Both of her wrists were broken and bandaged in plaster when she wrote the song, which is about the idea of magic in plain sight, and the dual giddiness and loneliness of moving to the other side of the world.

The song, which follows “Visions” and “Lose Yr Love” is accompanied by a video directed by Joshua Shoemaker and filmed at the East Nashville church wheSchornikow is the organist. The video culminates with Schornikow at a decorated altar with pieces from her life: a life that led her from jazz bars to church organs, performing on tour around the world with partner Matthew Houck and Phosphorescent, and home to their two children. It recalls her personal altar that gave title to the forthcoming album.

ALTAR was recorded between Nashville and Melbourne and is co-produced by Schornikow and Selwyn Cozens. 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.”

ALTAR is a joyously vulnerable pronouncement of her protean spirit. The seeds of this album were tended to by Jo throughout loud, intense years of heavy touring, and quiet, intense years of early motherhood, growing through whatever cracks were found in those foundations.

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Photo - Shannyn KT

Christine Sweeney - Better Parts.

How did stop-you-in-your-tracks vocalist and songwriter Christine Sweeney go from singing along with R&B radio and tapes by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Destiny’s Child as a kid; to choice slots at the Connecticut Folk Fest and Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, WFUV DJ John Platt’s tastemaker On Your Radar concert series, on bills with Graham Parker and Jill Sobule, and in a Paste Magazine 2021 session?

She sets the scene: “I had some cassettes and would also tape songs from the radio. I would play them over and over again, focusing in on singing to a small part of the song. Rewind, play, repeat.” To her, the R&B vocal influence isn’t unnatural in the folk setting. The result of this influence reminds her fans of Susan Tedeschi, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, KT Tunstall, or Grace Potter with music that grooves and rocks but also tells her story.

“I was an alto voice part. I really appreciated the alto harmonies. They’re always complex and stanky. We’ve got the nasty dissonant harmony notes because they’re so nice in the middle,” Christine says. She would go on to refine her voice as well as study music theory and songwriting at SUNY New Paltz.

Her new album ‘Heart In a Hurry’ is a culmination of this pairing of folk and soul, with generous dashes of blues, pop, Americana, and yes, R&B, in sharp, open-hearted new songs, some drawn from life lessons learned the hard way and shared with her listeners. “I hope by hearing some of the more personal details or the more raw emotional descriptions in the songs like in ‘Anywhere Anyway’ and ‘Down to the River’ and ‘Denial,’ that the listener will be able to connect with their own experience. I feel like these songs talk a lot about states of feeling, either abandoned or confused or tired of trying. I hope that whoever might need that message, that they take it as a sign that other people feel like this, too. They’re not alone,” she says. The message has connected with her fans, who have told her they can relate with things going on in their own lives. She’s had fans approach her after concerts to tell her hearing her song helped with something they were experiencing. Even when telling a deeply personal story, Christine has the ability to tap into universal feelings. ‘Heart In a Hurry’ tells a tale of perseverance.

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Timo de Jong - Blue Violet - Allison Forbes

Timo de Jong - Dawdle. 

Timo de Jong has just released his track 'Dawdle'. This is the title track of his new EP, which is also where he collaborates for the first time with a producer, Thomas Olivier (Hackensaw Boys, among others). Before the corona pandemic, Timo played more than 100 shows a year, but in recent times he has been forced to focus on what he does very well; writing new songs.

When asked about this new project, Timo says: “This EP means a lot to me, because it is the first time that I have really been able to let go of things during the process. Working with Thomas has not changed my sound, but improved and refined it. I believe that I have experienced great growth.”

Over the past year, Timo de Jong and producer Thomas Olivier have worked on the music together, from the demo to the entire end product. A certain sound has been deliberately chosen with an appreciation for a warm and natural sounding production. For example, all vocals were recorded live and with a microphone from the 1950s.

Timo de Jong is an authentic musician who lives for live performances, of which he has already performed more than 600. That includes three successful tours through England, and performances in Germany and Belgium. Whether it's an intimate living room concert or a band performance in a pop hall, Timo does his thing, and that thing is: making good music. In 2021 he participated in the 'Hit The North' program, a talent development program in collaboration with Eurosonic, among others.

He makes his music to arise, to tell and to heal. In doing so, he takes experiences of himself and those around him, in order to write a universal and appealing text about them. Behind the scenes, Timo de Jong has been refining, improving and crystallizing his music for a number of years. He moved from folk to rock 'n' roll, eventually arriving at Americana.

 

Revanche Records · Timo de Jong - Dawdle

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Blue Violet - Halo.

Offering one final glimpse into their debut album ‘Late Night Calls’ — set for release on 29 April 2022 — “Halo” is a climactic new cut that builds to a colossal conclusion. Dealing with the anxiety of leaving your comfort zone and surrendering to something new, “Halo” stirs to life as a delicate and dynamic ballad before building into a theatrical and thumping expanse that blends tender vocal harmonies with wall-of-sound instrumentals.

Touching on a range of influences plucked from literature including the fabled river Styx from Greek mythology and Murakami’s surrealist novel ‘Hard Boiled Wonderland’ and even nods to the far-out fantasy of Jim Henson’s ‘Labyrinth’, “Halo” deftly blends the real with the surreal and boasts Sam and Sarah Gotley’s breadth as writers as much as instrumentalists.

Speaking of the track’s creation, the husband and wife duo explain: “Like ‘Labyrinth’, in the song it feels like there’s a woman lost in another place and a man who rules over it. In most of our writing there is a narrative that runs throughout and provides a metaphorical theme. In this case we really did have this surreal vision of an underworld in our heads when we wrote it, and we tried to make the music match by adding in things like key changes and a bridge that was completely different sonically to the rest of the song. But it is also figurative for how it feels to willingly surrender yourself to something new; something dark that takes you out of your comfort zone. People tend to shy away from moments like that in life, although they often provide us with extremely profound experiences.”



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Allison Forbes - Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Two years ago Tamworth-bred country artist Allison Forbes had the world at her feet. Her debut album Bonedigger - produced by Oz country legend Shane Nicholson - had come out in early-2020 to near universal acclaim, debuting at #1 on the ARIA Australian Country charts.

It was the second highest-selling independent record across all genres in that heady first week, with Forbes’ distinctive take on outlaw Americana near omnipresent on country radio, topping numerous radio charts in the process.

It’s hard to imagine things going better for the mould-breaking singer-songwriter - Forbes and Bonedigger would go on to score four prestigious Golden Guitar nominations at the 2021 Tamworth Country Music Festival, and be voted Most Popular Female Artist at the 2020 Independent Country Music Awards - but then… the COVID pandemic struck.

Instead of Forbes being able to hit the road and consolidate the hard-fought traction she’d achieved withBonedigger - connecting with her existing audience and winning over new fans with her captivating live show - the country plunged into lockdown and the hard-fought momentum began slowly ebbing away.

Such immeasurably poor timing would have justifiably broken many artists, but instead Forbes doubled down and poured her heart and soul into what would become her brilliant second album, Dead Men Tell No Tales. It’s a collection which hones and magnifies Forbes’ indubitable talent to create an album conceived in and forged by adversity, yet which transcends its tough-times genesis courtesy the stunning empathy and compassion which floods through these beautifully-rendered tales of loss and grief.

“It was really an album that I didn’t know that I needed to make until I wrote the songs, and even now looking back on it I didn’t realise how relevant it was going to be,” Forbes admits. “Everyone was experiencing a lot of loss, including myself. I lost one of my best friends fairly early during the pandemic - I’ve also dedicated the album to him - and I think that loss tied in with a lot of other confusion, and a bit of angst as well. There’s a muse that’s a common thread through the songs.

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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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