Lauren Monroe - Bel-la - Hohnen Ford - Brooke Annibale

Lauren Monroe - Sparrow.

Lauren Monroe - singer, songwriter, and healing artist - announces a September tour in support of Messages from Aphrodite with the premiere of a new video, “Sparrow.” This is the latest offering from the upcoming album, due out September 9th, which Monroe co-produced with the legendary Jim Scott. 

Monroe, a New York-born, California-based polymath, conducts parallel careers as a gifted singer-songwriter and a renowned mental-health advocate. She approaches these intertwined roles with equal passion, her nuanced understanding of human behavior informing her music, which she sees as “a heart-based experience” that is “not just about listening—it’s about feeling and connecting.” She draws on her deep well of accrued knowledge in her songs, which she delivers in a luminous alto that resonates with empathy. Her experiential lyrics, emotionally authentic and free of pretense, are embedded in vibrant folk-rock settings, immediate in their impact and timeless in their sound. 

Music and healing have always been focal points in Monroe’s life. Earlier this year, she was joined by her husband, the legendary drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard, for a run of intimate East Coast club dates during which they also displayed their mixed-media art. The pieces were then auctioned online to benefit Raven Drum Foundation, an organization they founded with the mission to serve, educate and empower veterans dealing with PTSD and combat trauma, people in crisis, and other at-risk individuals. 

And in 2021, she staged the first Big Love Benefit Concert, which featured performances by Billy Idol, Wynonna Judd, and the Allman Betts Band, among others. Proceeds from the event, which brought financial and mental health support to music-industry professionals affected by the pandemic, were donated to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. “Being of service is a way of helping yourself as well,” she reflects. “And the healing power of music is profound. Everything I do is part of a journey of healing.”

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Bel-la - Nothing's Gonna Get You Back.

Los Angeles-based Artist Bel-la showcases her original brand of ethereal indie rock on the powerful new single with a universal theme of loss - "Nothing's Gonna Get You Back", out now via Dime Dash's BLUROC Records. Bel-la's vocals are captivating and almost dream-like, even when singing about heartbreak or sadness, and the music is appropriately atmospheric and driving. The results is both understated and profound.

Based on her artistic approach, it's no surprise that Bel-la finds much of her inspiration and songwriting ideas in dreams. Whether someone close to you has passed away or you've experienced the loss of a serious relationship, the music and lyrics should relate to nearly everyone. Musically, this darker shade of Indie Rock should appeal to fans of Wolf Alice, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent and Hope Sandoval.

"The inspiration for this song was really the sentiment of loss in general, loved ones passing, relationships ending etc and how even though these things are no longer in a physical form they still exist so strongly all around us and in our memories, and the fabric of our vast lives."

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Photo by Harvey Pearson

Hohnen Ford - Infinity.

Hohnen Ford has just released her debut single "Infinity" via Young Poet (Conor Albert, WOOZE, Carmody). Hohnen Ford is the solo project of singer-songwriter Ella Hohnen-Ford who counts the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Big Thief, Fiona Apple and Sarah Vaughan as inspirations. Prior to the release of any music, Hohnen Ford found a corner of the internet in which to really express herself on Reddit, where she regularly commands the attention of up to one million viewers on her live streams, with the associated Kudos to reflect such viewership. Hohnen Ford has recently taken her live experience “offline” and has sold out venues including Vortex and St Pancras Old Church in London.

Debut single "Infinity" was written and produced by Hohnen Ford and mixed by Tom Carmichael (Matt Maltese, Porridge Radio, Wu-Lu). The song is a delectably sparse treatise on serenity, written at a make or break moment in her life where Hohnen Ford was searching within herself for answers and a breakthrough in her own self-discovery; in her lyrics she muses on the loneliness of youth as she embarks on her exploration: "I haven't found it yet / maybe I never will but I'll tretcher on / It's a lifetime skill".

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration of the new single, Hohnen Ford described "Infinity" as: "A stream of consciousness in a quiet moment when the world felt overwhelming. A note to myself as I was reflecting on what was bubbling around in my brain at a time of crossroads in my life."

Hohnen Ford is a native of North London, by way of a brief stay in San Francisco where a next-door neighbour (who shared her house with a chatter of Parakeets) introduced her to her first instrument, the flute. From that colourful introduction, music seeped into Hohnen Ford’s world from almost every familial angle. A baptism into the world of Northern Soul came via her father; her mother flooded the house with classical piano pieces and the family has leaned into music’s healing qualities by reciting a grandfather’s favoured jazz repertoire to help him find calm in the stormy waters of dementia.

Hohnen Ford’s path almost inevitably led to the doors of The Royal Academy of music where she studied “Jazz Voice” (one of the few young women to do so). A self-confessed explorer, Hohnen Ford’s ambition is to “fill rooms around the world with people who want to be there, making them really feel something so they get lost in the music”.



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Brooke Annibale - Better By Now.

Indie singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale announced today her new album Better By Now will release on September 30th through Nettwerk Music Group. A fearless new collection of songs, Brooke has both emboldened her sound on Better By Now as well as entered a new phase of life after making significant strides in her mental-health journey and saying “I do” to her wife. She also shared today the title track and official video for “Better By Now,” a stark reflection that merges personal emotions with the roller coaster of current events.

“I wrote this song in early January 2021,” stated Brooke. “We had literally just put the christmas tree out on the curb, and I felt this terrible sentimental feeling for it. This was also the same week as the Capitol attack. We had pushed through 2020, looking at 2021 as some kind of savior, but once it arrived nothing really changed. There was still the same intensely hostile political discourse and the pandemic continued raging on. It felt like things were getting worse somehow, when I hoped for it to be better by now. Reflecting on that time, it taught me that expecting a perfect external outcome will not lead to feeling better. I’ve got to do the internal work to have any kind of peace with the roller coaster of life.”

Produced by Christian “Leggy” Langdon (Joseph, Amos Lee) and Matthew E White (Natalie Prass, Dan Croll), Better By Now features 10 blossoming indie-pop tracks that Brooke describes as a “spectrum of emotions.” In her trademark layered approach, the Pittsburgh-born, Rhode Island-based artist reflects on love, anxiety, depression, and how two seemingly opposing forces can exist at once. “The album is basically half about falling in love and half about mental health.”

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A. Johanson - Paul Maged - Future Cavemen - Miesha and The Spanks - Martha

A. Johanson - Fragments.

Today A. Johanson releases his single 'Fragments'. After 'Parade' and 'Your Eyes' it is the third track from his debut album 'Who Are We Fooling'.

Fragments' is a true dark indie song, reaching straight for the heart. "It’s about how your life can feel as if it is broken into pieces when things are not lining up" says A. Johanson. The song pulsates through all these emotions with haunting vocals, building up to a carefully arranged moving string section.

If he could, he would take you on a road trip through the Scandinavian nature while listening to his music. Slowly evolving roots music in the car, a little folk song by the fireplace in a wooden hut, soaked in melancholy. That's what A. Johanson sounds like, an indie folk artist from Utrecht, the Netherlands. Whether it's just him and his guitar, or a soundscape where you can dream away.

After releasing his self-produced, recorded and mixed debut EP 'Little Lies' at the end of 2019 and scoring a streaming hit in 2020 with the song 'October, Halfway July', A. Johanson started working on his first full-length record in early 2021. This debut album, 'Who Are We Fooling', is expected to be released in October 2022.

Revanche Records · A. Johanson - Fragments

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Paul Maged - Everything's Gonna Be Alright.

Veteran NYC-Based Singer Songwriter Paul Maged always has something profound to express, whether it's hard-hitting and politically charged or emotionally charged and positive. His hyper-catchy new single "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" leans towards the latter tendency, themed on gratitude and seizing the moment, a message we all could use right now. Paul's songwriting is about as versatile as they come, and this new single finds him stretching lyrically, musically, and generally in life as he finds the positive message within a space of doubt and fear. Paul's songwriting pedigree comes from artists like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Billie Joe Armstrong, all writers who evolve and adapt to modern times without shying away from speaking their truth. Effortlessly fresh, care-free, motivational and inspired, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the perfect anthem for these pessimistic times.

“After completing and releasing my last album, ‘Culture War’, I was emotionally spent. I wasn’t sure I wanted to write or release any more music. At the same time I really started to reconnect to the energy of New York City. So many people wrote about the demise of NYC during the pandemic, saying it would never come back the same. But to me, it never left. I went to a bunch of my old stomping grounds and each one inspired something different in me. I started writing again and this song poured out of me in less than a couple of hours. Lyrically I wanted something that combined the romanticism and grittiness of NYC with feelings of positivity, love and gratefulness.”

“This new song has a real funky vibe. I wanted something different, not as hard-edged guitar wise. I wanted more of a groove, I wanted something that would emote toe taps and finger snaps.”

“I needed a fresh feel and vibe for this song so I wanted to work with someone new on the engineering side. I met Dan Konopka from the Grammy winning band ‘OK Go’ and we hit it off. Dan mixed and mastered the song and I feel like he captured the exact energy that I wanted”

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Future Cavemen - Battle Scars.

Following his beguiling EP ‘II’ released earlier this year, the new cut sees Future Cavemen blend enigmatic riffs with wonky electronics that tingle with electricity and squirm amidst fuzzy reverb and jangling percussion.

“Battle Scars” owes to a range of retro influences whilst simultaneously making a break for the offbeat allure of the future. Written in a 1970s block of flats hemmed in by Clissold Park on one side and continuous building works on the other, Future Cavemen explains of the track’s inception:

“Recording new ideas was tricky because there were only small windows of time to make noise without disturbing neighbours or having my efforts swallowed by relentless engine noise. I was getting into mangling electronic stock beats and making them my own. Taking something pristine, tame, pretty lifeless .. And making it raw and energetic, violent.”

With words that are just as intriguing as its melodies, “Battle Scars” comes as further evidence of the solo artist taking steps beyond his comfort zone and exploring ways of writing and music-making that go far beyond the norm. He adds:

“Lyrics just seem to happen like a subconscious brainstorm. In that sense, the song sort of writes itself. Bukowksi once said: ‘Don’t try. Not for Cadillacs, creation or immortality.’ I find this comforting.”

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Miesha and The Spanks - I Can't Wait.

On the heels of their April release ‘Dig Me Out’ - an emotional and heavy-hearted ode to   the lost children of North American residential schools - Miesha & The Spanks are ready to shed some weight and break into summer with high energy new single ‘I Can’t Wait’.

Known for their bold and explosive sound, ’I Can’t Wait’ sees the pair deliver a fun and raucous slice of garage-rock gold, brimming with vibrant textures. Produced by The Buzzcocks’ Danny Farrant and channelling their diverse array of power-pop and punk influences, this new release sees Miesha & The Spanks in renewed spirits - a taste of what’s to come as they work to complete their upcoming full length album.

On their new single, Miesha says, “‘I Can’t Wait’ is meant to be a sweet summer jam, somewhere between a fond callback to summer shenanigans and daydreaming about what’s coming up next. We’ve got some laid-back garage beats, big gang vocals and oohs, hand claps, tambourine - good vibes are all over this one.”

“I think writing I Can’t Wait had a particular challenge. It’s a song with so many good parts and it’s hard to not overplay on everything,” Sean elaborates on the recording process, “It would be fun to have rippin’ drum fills over all the pauses and screeching lead guitar over the chorus - but just getting out of the way of how the song naturally wanted to settle was the right thing to do.“

miesha & the spanks · I Can't Wait

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Martha - Beat Perpetual.

Pity-Me, UK’s finest, Martha (come on, you know who they are by now) return with a brand new 7”! The A side is called “Beat, Perpetual”. Warning: it’s catchy. 

The B side is called “Dreaming Out Loud”, is a cover of Wisconsin rock band Tenement, and is exclusive to this EP. Warning: it’s also catchy. This 7” is a one-time only pressing of 500 copies (300 on black, 200 on blue), and will never, ever be repressed. Order it through Dirtnap Records.

"Beat Perpetual" was recorded at JT Soar Nottingham. It was produced by 'Bad' Phil Booth and mixed by Phil along with Rich Collins and Rob Newman. It was mastered by Dave Williams. The B side is a cover of a song by the Wisconsin rock band Tenement. That one was recorded by Neil Combstock at Rocking Horse in Durham, and mastered by Dave Williams.

WILDES - Rowsie - Dan Pallotta - Syd Warwick

WILDES - Far and Wide.

WILDES just announced her debut album 'Other Words Fail Me' will be released on 7th October via AWAL. Produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) the album will feature previously released tracks "Lightly" and "Woman In Love" and this weeks newly released single "Far and Wide".

The solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Ella Walker, WILDES' music sonically falls somewhere in a Bermuda Triangle of Angel Olsen, St Vincent and Mazzy Star, embedded 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. Citing the influence of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith and SASAMI on her new album, WILDES notes - "They are unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I'd been cowering in."

New single "Far and Wide" is released today alongside a new video directed by WILDES herself, with the music deftly showcasing her stronghold of emotional clarity. Specifically focusing on the importance of friendship in early adulthood, "Far and Wide" unites a delicate swell of electronic atmospherics, churning muted guitars and WILDES' serene vocal.

Of the song's lyrical inspiration, she said: "Far and Wide is a celebration of friendship. It reflects the madness and uncertainty of early adulthood and the constant change and turbulence we all go through. After neglecting them for a long time, I realised how constant and secure my friendships had become. They saved me, melting away my shame and holding me when I couldn’t cope. Banding together against our shared, frenzied existences, it dawned on me that these loving and intimate friendships were more valuable than any boyfriend had ever been. The constant support and unconditional love of these people is the reason I am here today. So this is a love letter to those friends who saved me - I would do anything for you."

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Rowsie - Gaslight.

Rowsie [pronounced rosy] sound like a car crash between Lou Reed, The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr, while listening to the best indie rock mixtape you made when you were seventeen… or still are. It was an idea sowed a long time ago in New York - but got lost due to the need to pay rent. Now, the rent is paid and Rowsie has been quietly building a buzz around central London and beyond. No longer an idea, just a whole lotta Rowsie.

Just back from a Spring tour of Mexico in support of Freddie Cowan of the Vaccines the band are on fire, and a full LP looks likely for 2022 amongst lots more live shows and a residency at The Social in London along with their residency at Sixty Sixty Sounds, Denmark Street. 

This June saw the release of their second EP, four noble rock n roll anthems for modern times. Set closer and epic six minute plus beauty ‘Gaslight’ leads the charge while EP title ‘Searching’ and two other titles ‘Love So Clear’ and ‘Legs Of Sand’ implore you to further fall for this vagabond group of misfits conjured from what may be the ghost of Tom Petty.

If you’re not already acquainted Rowsie are an English baroque pop singer-songwriter, a Canadian filmmaking composer and one of London’s coolest teenage jazz drummers along with Brooklyn’s belated rock star Richie Rothenberg. They all were playing in different scenes, different genres, different genders, and different cultural generations. They make no sense together at all! But when they play together magical music alchemy ensues.

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Dan Pallotta - Charity Town.

Massachusetts-based folk singer-songwriter Dan Pallotta is sharing the second single from his upcoming LP, American Pictures, out October 5th.

“Charity Town” connects directly to his career as a philanthropist, where Pallotta is sometimes asked to speak for local community foundations in towns that have lost their major economic drivers.

This track reflects empathetically on the resilience and loss endured by citizens of these towns, who Pallotta describes as “the people left behind when the future has moved on.”

Featuring percussion composed by Pallotta’s fourteen-year-old daughter, “Charity Town” is a rousing yet intimate piece of storytelling folk, capturing the reality of the circumstances that have befallen these communities.

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Syd Warwick - Mercury.

Vancouver-based musician Syd Warwick released her latest single, “Mercury” yesterday, with a video directed by Nathalie Taylor. The track is featured on Warwick’s upcoming debut EP, Sad Astra, out August 26 release via Nevado Music.

Discussing the track, Warwick stated, “‘Mercury' is a journey through the grief that comes with processing family trauma, and the difficulty of having to cut ties with people that you love. Even though there’s fear, uncertainty and pain within the process of letting go, there’s also a first step towards empowerment—the kind that comes when we face the world as an individual, belonging to no one but ourselves.

‘Mercury’ is about being your own advocate, understanding the cyclical nature of abuse and trauma within a family system and remembering that you are so much more than where you come from. It serves as a reminder to put yourself first, else you may never be able to move forward and become the person that you’re meant to be."

For Warwick, songwriting has shaped her into the person she is today. Writing songs is how she expresses herself and processes the world. Creating Sad Astra has been a progression through healing, as she worked on older songs whose production eluded her and new songs that pushed their way into the world through her creative process. The hardship Warwick experienced in this creative endeavor was amplified by the difficulties of working during a global pandemic and uncertainty about whether or not the music industry would come out okay on the other side of it. For Warwick, being in a room with a friend to record these songs was one way through those hard times and to see them released feels like a triumph.



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Gaby Condulețz - Jesca Hoop

Gaby Condulețz - Reality Hits.

The song is about the specific moment when you realize how much reality can hurt you when your expectations are shattered.

The melody tries to physically show the pain inside somebody's chest when reality hits. And sometimes, reality hits hard.

Gaby is an easy name to remember & she tell us - I'm 18 and I tend to write songs whenever I have a deep feeling that I want to fix in my memory like a picture or when I'm tired of crying to myself while eating ice cream. Writing and singing for me is the cure, a therapy, something I physically feel in my chest.

Produced by Ricky Ferranti at Fuzzo Studio, Mastering by Jacopo Camagni at Monkey Studio.

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Jesca Hoop - Sioux Falls.

Last month Jesca Hoop announced her sixth album, Order of Romance, the follow up to her 2019 LP Stonechild, an album that earned high praise from outlets like Pitchfork, NPR, The Guardian and The New York Times, saw Hoop perform her second Tiny Desk Concert, and was the critical high watermark of her career to date. The album was announced with the single "Hatred Has A Mother", and today Hoop is sharing a second single from the record, a track called "Sioux Falls".

A cryptic and unsettling lullaby, Sioux Falls, is a of series memories recalled in snapshots of harmony and melody a nation sleepwalking to the falls.

“Deeper into the Psychosis Cyclone as paranoia strikes. All the Preppers double up on supply and double down on guns. America the home of the free.” says Jesca “The vernacular all too familiar, like verses I learned in bible study, as the term “greater good” takes the shape of a dog whistle for the death spiral. Meanwhile, we over here are just simply looking out for each other while we manage the hard facts of life.”

Order of Romance is Hoop's most intricate and finely balanced album to date, one that draws on classic song writing, recalling anything from Gershwin to Paul Simon, but creating something that is unmistakably, indelibly Jesca Hoop.

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C.Ross - Ralph Of London

C.Ross - Wrong Side Of The Sky.

“Skull Creator” is the new solo record by Canadian singer/guitarist C.Ross, better known as Chad Ross, who currently fronts Toronto psych rockers Comet Control (Teepee Records). The new record features eight genre-stradling songs of americana tinged folk-rock, while hinting at Ross’s fuzzy psych-rock past. Recorded, produced and mixed by Joshua Wells (Lightning Dust, Destroyer, Black Mountain) at the Balloon Factory in Vancouver, British Columbia (home studio of Dan Bejar of Destroyer), the new album “Skull Creator” was written at first as a solo acoustic project. 

When Destroyer’s Joshua Wells joined in on both drums and keys, Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless, Golden Void, the Black Crowes) on guitar, and Aaron Goldstein on pedal steel, the project morphed into a sweet psych-folk adventure.  Speaking of the hauntingly powerful album, Ross states: “I had it in my head that I was gonna make an acoustic record, with the sole purpose of making fun of myself, reflecting on a few of my past wasted lives and just generally taking the singer/songwriter thing out with the trash. The lyrics all made me laugh at one point, but when Josh and Isaiah got involved, things got elevated…. as they tend to do with musicians like that.”

“Wrong Side of the Sky” is the first single and video off of the new album. It is a sunny psych folk jam that will start your summer off with haunting, mellow vibes that transport the listener back in time to the gentle late ‘60s. The video was created by Waterloo, Ontario artist/musician Olde Nightrifter. She has created lush and beautifully psychedelic videos for the likes of Shabazz Palaces, Knife Knights, Comet Control and Icky Reels. The video takes you on a visual journey through light and dark spaces, with morphing objects that intertwine and complement the lyrical and compositional feel of the song.

Ross has spent years navigating the Canadian music scene as the singer/ guitarist for heavy psych rockers Quest for Fire (Teepee), solo acoustic as Nordic Nomadic (Blue Fog, Teepee), a member of legendary garage rock band The Deadly Snakes (In the Red) and a touring member of Vancouver’s Pink Mountaintops. Get your hands on his newest project which branches off from these influences and shows his maturing songcraft into psych-folk territory. “Skull Creator” is available July 13, 2022 as an LP co-release on Atlanta’s Echodelick Records, Canada’s Noise Agony Mayhem and Australia’s Ramble Records. Available digitally on Party Product Records.

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Ralph Of London - Flower Of Edo.

Alternative-pop quartet Ralph of London have released the music video for their recent single Flowers of Edo today alongside an accompanying B-side single Sun Bleach.

Currently based between London and the North of France, Ralph of London was formed in 2016 as a solo project by songwriter, drummer and producer Ralph Phillips who has spent the better part of his life developing various music, art and film projects in the UK, France, Switzerland, Germany and Japan, touring across Europe as a session musician for established artists such as Scritti Politti and Go-Kart Mozart as well as scoring soundtracks.

After putting out a handful of singles and recording his first full length album as Ralph of London, Ralph was invited to put a band together in the North of France and has since been working with musicians Léopold, François and Diane on developing Ralph of London’s now full-band live repertoire, and playing shows in both France and the UK. The group bring together synthesised rock and roll, West African polyrhythms and English folk fused into melodic pop songs that glance in on our fragmented social milieu from the sidelines.

Following up on the 2022 release of their recent EP Yellow Sky Highway, recorded at their recently self-built Yellow Sky Studios, located within the disused premises of a Protestant Temple, comes Flowers of Edo which was lyrically inspired by the sinister side of hedonism on display in the music industry.

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Nervous Twitch - ACER - Rat Tally - Alison Sudol - Basset - Ashley Heath

Nervous Twitch - Forgive Yourself.

Leeds UK indierock trio Nervous Twitch debut new single "Forgive Yourself" and announce upcoming new album 'Some People Never Change' on Reckless Yes Records.

It's pretty hard to put into words but I'm gonna try, but seriously I'm way excited to be working and bringing this new album by Nervous Twitch on the awesome UK label Reckless Yes to your attention. I've been following Reckless Yes for a few years and have become a big fan of not only their roster but also the way they do business and how they treat others and create a solid inclusive community, so working with them is a big honor. 

This new album by Nervous Twitch is like a guide to UK and US indiepop and indierock with nods to Mambo Taxi, Huggy Bear, Modern Lovers, Television Personalities, the Pixies, Sleeper, Ash, Lovely Eggs, Dressy Bessy, and even a bit of Swearin'. I could go on and on, but I say just check out the first single "Forgive Yourself" which debuted earlier today at Austin Town Hall. If you want a promo copy hit me up, but you can stream or download the album below. The band are up for doing mix tapes, features, guest editor spots, you name it, and we have a few exclusive still up for grabs so seriously like reach out. ~ Mike 

Nervous Twitch—talk about a perfect band name! Listening to their fifth album, Some People Never Change, it’s hard not to notice the nervous energy of front woman Erin Hyde’s vocals. Nervous Twitch built a solid reputation for songs that bristle with punk energy, mixing a vibe that also incorporates girl group passion, post-punk angularity, and even the occasional surf guitar cool.

Reckless Yes Records · 5. Forgive Yourself

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ACER - Someone Else's Dream.

ACER is a dream pop duo made up of multi-instrumentalist Kyle Gottschalk & vocalist/art director Connory Ballantyne. Borrowing from the brooding post-punk sound of their former band House Art, Ballantyne’s vocals lend a confident and lyrical vision to the dynamically maximalist instrumentals written out of Gottschalk’s love for bedroom-pop & shoegaze.

Starting in 2019- and writing together during the past year of lockdown as housemates- the duo is set to debut their first mini-album in 2021- the 6 track self titled “ACER” – a youthful, hungry record showcasing the musical diversity & raw energy of the two producers.

Dreamy atmospheres abound (a nod to Beach House, Daniel Lanois, or Eno), the tracks sputter & glitch to life reminiscent of bedroom producers like JPEGMAFIA or the recent work of Toro Y Moi, and Ballantyne’s vocals constantly flirt between the swaggering bravado of artists like Archie Marshal’s King Krule, the effect-laden Justin Vernon or Kanye, and the soft ambience of Slowdive.

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Rat Tally - Longshot.

Singer-songwriter Rat Tally has shared a new track from her upcoming debut album. Single Longshot is an insight into the singer's anxiety and cyclical thought patterns, adorned with lush instrumentation and elevated by her unique vocal style.

Out August 12th, the debut album from one of the most exciting young singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years, 'In My Car' sees Rat Tally (aka Addy Harris) deliver on the promise of her earlier releases and her distinctive candid style both sonically and lyrically. With concise yet poignant lyrics, and guest features from Jay Som and Madeline Kenney, 'In My Car' is easily one of the most fully realised debut albums in the indie rock realm.

"This is the opening track and one of my favorites off the record. The song is a lot about anxiety and not being able to stop overthinking, so I wanted the verses to feel tense, lyrically and musically" says Harris of the song.

“Longshot and In My Car have a wall of quadrupled power chord guitars that my producer Max Grazier recorded that just absolutely smack you in the face. When I wrote it I was really obsessively listening to Fountains of Wayne, XTC, and a lot of 90s and early 2000s hits, and I wanted it to have a big stadium rock vibe. I had this hook that I hummed in the demo and thought I would eventually write words to it, but it works so much better as just a melody riding on top of the huge guitars."

Hailing from Chicago (by way of LA and Boston), Rat Tally emerged in 2019 with an impressively fully formed sound on her self-released debut EP, 'When You Wake Up'. The release quickly caught the attention of 6131 Records (Julien Baker, Joyce Manor, Katie Malco), who were eager to work with the young, yet clearly very talented musician.

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Alison Sudol - Meteor Shower.

American singer-songwriter and actress Alison Sudol unveils the hypnotic visuals for her recently released single ‘Meteor Shower’ and shares the details of her upcoming new album, ‘Still Come The Night’, due for release on September 30th via Kartel Music Group.

The video is an invitation to witness and partake in a series of self-imposed actions and rituals.  Alison presents herself to the camera in her truest form; raw, vulnerable, enduring, powerful, while using a variety of visual approaches - from  irregular depth of field, video feedback loops, erratic zooms to affected speeds - the director transports the viewer beyond this dimension, intimately navigating levels of Alison’s subconscious.

Directed by Alison’s close collaborator and Creative Director Federico Nessi, also responsible for the upcoming album’s art direction, the video concept, Nessi explains “stemmed from the song’s hypnotically repetitive beat and Alison’s stoic tone - a mystical force seducing the listener to join in on a meditative journey of self-exploration.”

Talking about the visuals, Alison adds; “Federico’s vision for ‘Meteor Shower’ matched the heartbeat of the song and leaned into it. Sitting with grief - whether noticed or not - kinetic ritual. I had never seen tapping before Fede introduced it to me but I have done it naturally at different points in my life. Energy and emotion can get trapped and settle in parts of the body. There’s a tremendous amount of power in movement and healing in touch”.

‘Meteor Shower’ serves as the upcoming album’s poetic finale, book ending the equally hypnotic opener, ‘Bone Tired’. “It’s the moment of space between one chapter ending and a new one beginning - a moment of uncertainty, the unknown... of possibility. The record begins with exhaustion and ends the same way, but with light pouring in.”

The video follows the release of recent single ‘Meteor Shower’ and the deeply personal ‘Peaches’, as well as her recent support dates with Goldfrapp at London’s Royal Festival Hall, and the UK release of ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’, in which Alison reprised her role as Queenie Goldstein. The new tracks precede the release of the full length ‘Still Come The Night’, the album Alison wrote, co-produced and recorded at Giant Wafer Studios nestled between sheep fields in the Welsh countryside with London based multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Chris Hyson, who is also half of adventurous collective Snowpoet.

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Basset - In The Clay.

We’re Sam Clark and Yasmine Shelton. Together we are the folk-duo Basset. We call Toronto home, and this gritty, massive, in-your-face, messy place is woven deep into the music we create. Through fiddle and intricate harmonies, our voices wrap around each other and evoke the rawness of this city.

Our lead single, “In The Clay,” is from our debut full-length album and is an account of our experience living in a big city yet feeling isolated for 2 years. We came far, we still managed to grow in the dark,  but it was very heavy.

This album was conceived in isolation. We felt very tucked away underground, and we couldn’t go anywhere aside from the long, long walks we took through the west end of the city. It was easy to feel trapped in the monotony, the rhythms we repeated each day; especially underground, where the lack of sunlight was crushing. This got morbidly fascinating. Maybe to distract ourselves, we fell into some rhythms of really intense work, trying to shape ourselves into the musicians - and humans - we wanted to be, to create this album.

We practiced hard, we studied, and we pushed our bodies too. We ate less and worked out. At times, we ate too little and worked ourselves too hard. We constantly chased after light, on long walks on the coldest day of the winter, our “happy lamps” and “grow lights.” All these, perhaps, were ways of trying to make something of being trapped in that basement and the trials that everyone faced for the past few years.

This song evokes the feelings from Sam’s weeks-long canoe trips in the Canadian wilderness. The first few hours of paddling are always hard, and aches start to set in. It’s easy to wonder how you could possibly do this for days on end. But then the aches seem to settle, and your mind flows into the rhythm.

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Ashley Heath - Something To Believe.

A powerful singer and songwriter who can convey passion, confusion, strength, pleading and more sometimes all at once Asheville, North Carolina’s Ashley Heath has gained a fervent fan base with appearances at festivals like MerleFest, Bonnaroo, Shakori Hills, and Floydfest. Now, she’s signed with Organic Records and is making a head-turning debut with “Something to Believe,” the first single and title track from her forthcoming EP. 

The track opens with guitar, bass and organ serving up a twisty blues-rock figure that sets an ominous tone before Heath makes her entrance, giving soulful voice to the mood of unease:

"I spent my time getting lost in a dream
But I can’t let go of memories of the bad things I’ve seen" 

From there, the song never lets up in intensity, even as it swells and subsides in volume and complexity, underlining the insistent questions of its chorus: 

"Let me in or let me out
Give me answers show me somehow
Are we gonna end this or work it out?...
Give me, give me, something to believe" 

Accompanied by members of her touring band, Heath gives a compelling performance that is at once boldly and intimately expressive, offering a common thread of emotion that fits equally well not only with a personal interpretation of the song’s plea, but of a broader one, too, revealing the distinctive outlook and artistry that has earned Heath a growing number of fans around her western North Carolina home. 

“There have been many times in the last few years where we as a collective have felt very powerless and lacking a sense of control,” she notes. “The entire world shut down due to Covid-19 and with it crashed our livelihoods, our sense of safety in the world, and being able to be close with our family and friends. When we did see each other, our faces were behind masks. ‘Something to Believe’ was written about these angsty yet melancholy feelings that came up by trying to make sense of it all. At certain points, I was thinking, give me any sign that I can continue doing this thing that I love and have put my heart into for years. ‘Are we done with the hard times, are they over?’

Syntax Creative · Ashley Heath - "Something to Believe"

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Claude - Karen Harding - Pizza Crunch

Claude - roses.

Claude—the Chicago based existential dream pop solo project of Claudia Ferme—today shared “roses”, their second and final single off their upcoming debut full-length, a lot’s gonna change, produced with Michael Mac (Tenci, Tasha, Devin Shaffer, Mia Joy) and out August 12th, 2022 via American Dreams Records

The single “roses” arrives alongside a Reilly Drew-directed music video. On the track, Claude issued the following statement: "'roses' was inspired by a line in Love in the Time of Cholera where the protagonist starts eating flowers and roses because of how obsessed with someone he is. 

I think in the novel it’s supposed to symbolize how his obsession became all-consuming but I thought about a rose and the thorns on its stem and how someone eating a rose was a perfect metaphor for how as humans we’re so self-torturous, mentally and emotionally, and very unforgiving of ourselves. In the video, we wanted to show this imagery in a more abstract way while still including actual roses - I made the purple top and gray dress and am wearing other pieces that have peaks and spikes and that play with the making and release of tension to show the back and forth we have with ourselves in certain situations."

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Karen Harding - I've Got A Secret.

Following the release of her first 6 singles, Karen Harding returns with the first single release and title track from her Upcoming EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ on Friday 8th July 2022. 

Written during the Melbourne, Australia Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, dramatic singer-songwriter single, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ dives straight into the heart of fear and anxiety, when sharing a less than perfect side, that you know leaves you open to judgement from others. 

We live in a world that is filled with images of perfection.. Where we believe that to be good enough, we must line up with the messages that essentially only show the highlight reels of a life. This leads us to locking away our own vulnerabilities.. That is, until you reach a point, where you realise that your struggles are a secret that no one knows about. The idea of sharing these fills us with fear, questioning and mistrust, and this is the message within ‘I’ve Got A Secret’. 

The four track EP, ‘I’ve Got A Secret’ is being released one single at a time, each month, and will be available in its entirety by October 2022. The EP is available for purchase at Bandcamp in digital download and CD formats.

KarenHarding · I've Got A Secret

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Pizza Crunch - Wilting Youth.

Glasgow alternative-rock group Pizza Crunch are pleased to announce their follow up single to 'Young Excitement' with new track ‘Wilting Youth’, which is set to be released on the 8th of July. 

The band are excited to release this track, having played it live at a sold-out King Tuts as well as at the Left of the Dial festival in Rotterdam and Stockton Calling. This release is the second of a plethora that will be unveiled this summer. 

Unlike the reflective tone of previous single 'Young Excitement', Wilting Youth arrives from a more yielded perspective, as the lyrics openly admit that the bright, vibrant days of the past have not only vanished, but they aren’t returning.  The track was produced, mixed and mastered by Chris Marshall (Baby Strange, Gerry Cinnamon and Declan Welsh and the Decadent West) at Castle of Doom Studios.

Pizza Crunch · Wilting Youth

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Alex Amor - Carmody

Alex Amor - Bad Tatoo.

Up-and-coming London-based, Glaswegian indie-pop artist Alex Amor today announces her new EP 'The Art Of Letting Go' will be released via Young Poet (WOOZE, Khartoum, Conor Albert) on 14th October. The EP announcement coincides with the release of new single "Bad Tattoo", released today in collaboration with Manchester outfit The Deep Blue.

Fresh off the road after supporting Thomas Headon on his recent UK tour, Alex Amor teamed up with producers including Karma Kid (Poppy Ajudha, Shygirl), Mack Jamieson (Mahalia, Sad Night Dynamite) and Gianluca Buccellati on new EP 'The Art Of Letting Go', the latter known particularly for his work on Arlo Parks' Grammy-nominated album Collapsed In Sunbeams. Glowing with star quality, Alex Amor strikes a delicate balance between indie-pop and dreamlike alt-pop, blending a myriad of sonic and aesthetic influences such as Blood Orange, Kurt Vile, Porches, HAIM and Men I Trust.

Written with Manchester indie-folk group The Deep Blue who also lend backing vocals to the track, "Bad Tattoo" is a swirling, crystalline account of the aftermath of a relationship turned sour. Possessing an irresistible indie-pop pulse, intertwined with rich lap steel sections and an intricate, spiralling guitar refrain, Alex Amor's prose are earnest and cutting in equal measure - "Carved our initials on a bathroom wall / So we could last forever / All that's left is a crossed out heart / We paid the price for pleasure".

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration of the new single, Alex said: "Bad Tattoo was written about a time when I wanted to forget someone. They kept making unwanted appearances in my thoughts across the day: while I was walking home, doing chores, lying in bed awake at night. I find it bizarre how it’s much easier to forget the good times but impossible to forget the bad times. It seems that our worst memories are stored somewhere deep inside of us and as much as I wanted to erase this person from my head, they persisted on my skin like a bad tattoo. Like one of those drunken tattoos you get in Ibiza at 3am and regret for the rest of your life."

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Carmody - Imperfect Constellations (Album).

The fantastic debut album from London singer-songwriter Carmody - 'Imperfect Constellations' is released today.

Carmody's music evokes the timelessness of Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading while nodding to the modern alt-folk of Laura Marling and Big Thief and the jazz-flecked soul of Lianne La Havas and Jordan Rakei.

'Imperfect Constellations' follows Carmody's 4 previously released EPs and her 2014 collaborative EP with Tom Misch, 'Out To Sea'. Tom Misch returns to feature on Imperfect Constellations alongside Alfa Mist, Conor Albert and Laura Misch, as well as co-writes and co-productions with Avi Barath (Berwyn, Priya Ragu, Pa Salieu), Calum Duncan (Rachel Chinouriri, Alaskalaska) and Rahm Silverglade (of altopalo).

Carmody recently sold out the new Amazing Grace venue in London Bridge, and the new record adds to her catalogue which boasts over 70 million+ streams, strong press (Notion Magazine, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, Wonderland, Dummy, LISTEN Magazine + more), radio airplay from BBC R1 (Jack Saunders, Sian Eleri), 6Music and BBC R2, alongside huge support from Spotify and Apple Music.

thisiscarmody · Imperfect Constellations

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Wylderness - MF Tomlinson

Wylderness - Chet Chat.

Arriving as a third and final glimpse into their upcoming sophomore album,  Wylderness have unleashed a scintillating new shoegaze cut: “Chet Chat”.  Boasting their knack for creating sprawling soundscapes and deeply textured instrumentals, Wylderness’ latest offering arrives as the band gear up to release their long-awaited second album ‘Big Plans For A Blue World’ (out 15th July, via Succulent Recordings).

Written when Marz of Wylderness experienced the full, frightening force of an earthquake while on a trip to Greece some years ago, the new track finds the singer and guitarist reflecting on what was a life-changing event and seeking to emulate the force of nature that reverberated through him that day. As Marz remembers: 

“I was on the balcony of an apartment in Athens writing lyrics for this song when all of a sudden there was this enormous roar and the building started shaking. The earthquake lasted about 15 seconds but seemed like it went on forever. Everyone was fine thankfully and I wanted to write something about what had happened, but not make it too obvious and clunky, so it ended up being a bit cryptic.” 

Echoing the raw sonic energy of a tectonic shift, “Chet Chat” ripples like an agitated seismic wave impacting the earth’s surface. From its sparse and seemingly tranquil beginnings, the track builds towards an immense crescendo as towering electric guitars, warped organ grindings and distorted rhythmic pulses stretch-out into a six-minute shoegaze epic that evokes the likes of DIIV, Spacemen 3 or Sonic Youth at their climactic heights. 

Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios on a farm in rural Wales, and with wonky organ sounds added in by producer Rory Atwell, the enigmatic new track sees Wylderness further find themselves in their sound as they deftly forge their own cataclysmic and confident path on their second studio outing.

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MF Tomlinson - A Cloud.

London-based, Brisbane/Meanjin-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson returns today with news of his signing to PRAH Recordings (the Umlauts, Pozi, Group Listening) and the release of a new single "A Cloud" - the first music to be heard from from his much-anticipated second album, which will come out on PRAH early 2023.

The album’s lead single and opening track "A Cloud" is accompanied by the first part of a theatre, dance, and film work conceived, directed and choreographed by MF’s collaborator Daisy JT Smith. The album, and the film, will be unveiled piece by piece throughout the year. MF Tomlinson's return today follows his debut full length ‘Strange Time’, self-released in 2021 to critical acclaim from publications including Mojo, NME, Clash, bandcamp, Gigwise and more.

Inarguably his finest work to date as a songwriter and producer, "A Cloud" sets the scene of what’s to come. Marrying elements of 60's folk, folk-rock and psychedelia to thrilling effect - complex, dramatic, intimate, delicate and breathing, Tomlinson’s words are carried away by finger-picked guitars, double bass and soaring flutes that float effortlessly before a canopy of foreboding atmospherics and lush-turned-sinister string arrangements descend on the track with crushing weight.

A curious, dream-like snapshot into Tomlinson's psyche; "A Cloud is about how painful it is to live without your innermost desires," MF Tomlinson explains. "It is, in the same breath, about how beautiful life is despite all of its sadness, and how even the smallest moments can satisfy your spirit. It begins where Strange Time leaves off. In my apartment, from my window we move through scenes of the street, through memories and hallucinations."

Though it would seem we have come back down to earth by the song’s close, it is not the same world - drifting out of sync with reality, we find ourselves on a new trajectory that could be transcendence or a descent into madness.

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Cari Cari - Cat SFX - Moonpools - Ruby Tingle

Cari Cari - No Proper Life.

Cari Cari have shared new psychedelic disco single, ‘No Proper Life’. The release comes alongside news that the duo are set to release their new  album Welcome To Kookoo Island on September 16th, 2022 via Perla Nera Records.

Recorded at their studio, located in an Austrian national park in 2020 and 2021, the band’s second album is a slice of psychedelic escapism. Lead single ‘No Proper Life’ started off as a White Stripes-esque blues rock jam which immersed itself into an upbeat, psychedelic number with a thumping bassline and Roger McGuinn-y 12-string guitar riffs. The track is about having the urge to avoid a ‘proper life’: “proper job, proper friends, proper hobbies and living your life for someone else instead of daring to go your own way. No one’s better at being yourself than you are.” adds guitarist Alexander Koeck.

Accompanying video for 'No Proper Life' was illustrated by Kane Rowlingson. The band on the video: "Sometimes if you wanna live an improper life you gotta be as stubborn as a donkey. Follow our mascot Donny the donkey on his way past the temptations of a proper life"

Cari Cari is Stephanie Widmer (vocals, drums & didgeridoo) and Alexander Koeck (vocals, guitars). Since their inception, Cari Cari have been tirelessly working to create their own world, carefully crafting everything from their music to their artwork, videos to set design in-house. This meticulous attention to detail has earned the band a loyal following; Rolling Stone Magazine called them ‘the biggest discovery of Primavera Sound Festival’, their die-hard fans sold out 1000+ capacity rooms across Europe and their debut album was praised by the likes of NME, KCRW, Rolling Stone and many more.

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Cat SFX - Binman.

Chewing through an angsty yet melodic mesh of jittery guitar strums and a melodic and catchy chorus, Cat SFX’s latest offering boasts the breadth of the band as they embrace more ethereal sonic territory that nods to the works of alt/rock visionaries like PJ Harvey or 80s new-wave trailblazers like Psychedelic Furs. 

Where recent single “Rodeo” was outspoken and punk-powered, “Binman” arrives as an all-the-more measured affair, with glistening rhythmic guitar lines undercutting crystal-clear vocals that touch on the inner struggles that come with clearing up the wreckage of your own mistakes. 

Of the new single, the band’s lead vocalist Cat Speranza explains: “”Binman” is about a toxic relationship: the one between me and alcohol. It's about the fights that you have with your loved one because you’re so drunk again and have caused carnage, and you’re trying to pick up the pieces the next day. And you make up all these excuses, to yourself, to others. So I’m the Binman. I’m the trash that needs taking out.” 

Coming as the band’s sixth release to date, the new track is organic and infectious in equal parts, and serves as a teaser of the band’s forthcoming ‘Binman’ EP, due 15 July 2022 via It’s Creation Baby.

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Moonpools - Weak Ankles.

'Weak Ankles', the new single by Basel, Switzerland based Dreampoppers Moonpools, shows a more fragile side of the band and unfolds a great deal of heart-warming melancholy. The new EP 'Damaged Goods' will be released on August 19th via Young and Aspiring.

Moonpools are a five-piece from Basel, founded by Marcie Nyffeler (vocals/guitar), Jasper Nyffeler (drums) and Francesco Vona (synths) and completed in 2017 by Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass). The latter is known from various projects such as Sheila She Loves You, Don't Kill The Beast, Brainchild and Mastergrief.

After their debut EP 'Turbulent Times', which was released in 2019, the band is now back with new material and a new sound. The songs on the new EP 'Damaged Goods' (release date: 19.8. / Young and Aspiring) sound louder, more distorted and straightforward. Sources of inspiration for the new sound include Hatchie, Snail Mail, Cocteau Twins and Soccer Mommy. The first single from the EP, also titled ‘Damaged Goods’, already gained international attention from the likes of BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio UK, RBB Radio Eins, detektorfm, SRF3, SRF Virus and others. Furthermore, Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty, 007 - The World Is Not Enough) also came across the track and promptly shared it via his Twitter account.

In contrast to their upbeat first single, the second offering ‘Weak Ankles’ is a Shoegaze-inspired love song that unveils a softer side of the band. Marcie Nyffeler’s vocals start off fragile and grow stronger as the song progresses, as if she is finding confidence in the words. 'Weak Ankles' is about being overwhelmed by your own feelings: "It’s not easy to open up and let yourself be vulnerable, but that is when beautiful things happen. It’s tempting to look for excuses and to focus on the things that could go wrong. But sometimes it’s important to let yourself fall.”

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Ruby Tingle - Familiars.

Audio-visual artist Ruby Tingle has just released her new single ‘Familiars’ with No Such Thing Records, in conjunction with a solo exhibition at PAPER Gallery Manchester (11.06.22- 06.08.22).

The song is about rediscovering your true self and spirituality as a result of falling in love with someone from your past. Created with producers/artists Rookes, Daisy P and KINRAR, this is Ruby’s second release following her debut EP ‘Lagoons’ in February this year which featured on Record of the Day and Louder than War.

The exhibition at PAPER explores Ruby’s connection to spirit animals, constellations and the colour red, inspired by time spent at her local nature reserve at sunset over the last year; Collage, installation, sound and scent will transform the gallery into a twilight swamp. Commissioned as part of A Modest Show running as a satellite programme to this year’s British Art Show, Ruby will also take part in a live showcase at Soup Manchester with other acts from No Such Thing on August 5th to premier the track as part of a performance.

Ruby’s music mixes natural sound processes and high range celestial vocals to compose original and dreamy, experimental “music from the swamp”. She is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist working with progressive electronica in Manchester, represented by No Such Thing Records and PAPER Gallery Manchester. Recent exhibitions and commissions include a performance with PROFORMA and Venture Arts at the 2022 Venice Biennale, her solo exhibition Lagoons at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and her award of this year’s Manchester Jazz Festival Originals Commission.

She exhibits and performs regularly across the UK and Europe, including Saatchi Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, 48 Hours Neukolln, Axel Orbinger Berlin, Art Basel, The Harris Preston, HOME, sluice___ and Chethams Library. She is also one half of cinematic bass act Dirty Freud with whom she performed and headlined stages at Glastonbury 2019, and recently released EP ‘Love in the Backwater’ with Modern Sky.