Joan & The Giants - Alice SK - Ella Therese - Lindsay Munroe - The Clockworks

Joan & The Giants - Hardest Part.

Beloved alt-pop indie band Joan & The Giants from Boorloo/Perth have finally releasing their debut EP 'Me & You' via Tomboi Records and it is one that fans old and new will embrace and hold dear for a long time to come.

Following a handful of stellar single releases, Joan & The Giants' long-awaited debut EP sees musical and romantic partners Grace Newton-Wordsworth and Aaron Birch with band mates Riley Sutton and Liam Olsen hone their craft with a stronger pop-production sensibility, that collides beautifully with their folk-informed anthemic-indie roots, heartfelt lyricism and that hint of magic that can't quite be put into words - but is captured perfectly with music.

Grace speaks more on the inspiration and themes explored: “The 'Me & You' EP is a collection of deeply personal songs that capture moments shared by two people. Stories centered around love, rebellion and definitely a touch of heartbreak. To me they are all songs that share vulnerable moments that we’ve personally gone through in the last few years, and we hope they connect with those who listen."

Opening with strong emotive indie-pop is ‘The Weekend’, a rebellion against modern grind culture and the mentality of 'living for the weekend'. The song reflects the band's new mantra to live every day with the same enthusiasm: live like you're 17, fall in love but never fall in line, and spend time with someone whenever it feels right - because why should we only reserve our joy for days that the capitalist calendar dictates? With a melody that seeps in and sticks, earnest drums and cherry-sweet vocals, this is a memorable tune dripping in honeyed rhythms.

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Alice SK - Daisy Jane.

Alice SK has been raising eyebrows with a series of vintage-noir style singles recently that combine her haunting soulful voice and fresh sounds of the London scene that express authentic stories and work their way into the soul of the listener.

Next, Alice SK presents, ‘Daisy Jane’ where she proves her ability to work across different styles as she changes up her sound to a more washed-out, stripped back, acoustic palette. With gorgeous harmonies, a sparkling 10-string guitar and warm bass, the combination of Alice's lyrics and unique stylised melodies captivate the listener as the song escalates.

Written as a love song to all the amazing women in her life, ‘Daisy Jane’ is a very beautiful anthem for sisterhood, expressed with a great maturity and poise. Sounding like a jangly 60’s-esque Joni Mitchell psych-folk classic, with ‘Daisy Jane’, Alice SK has once again delivered a single that is both intriguingly unique, yet engaging and memorable all at the same time.

On the song’s new sound and lyrical themes, Alice explains, “Muca played me the music of the Brazilian Viola and it was such a beautiful pure sound that the lyrics had to reflect the music in the sense that I wanted the lyrics to be 'true'. So, I thought of what the purest form of love that I've experienced is and it lies with the female presences that I've been lucky enough to have been surrounded by from- my mum, my sisters and my friends.”

Alice SK · Daisy Jane

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Ella Therese - THIRTYFOUR.

Calling out the emphasis on youth and the perpetuating ideal that there is a 'limited time' to achieve success, new song 'THIRTYFOUR' (Out Now) by WA artist Ella Therese serves as an unapologetic celebration of breaking down barriers to fulfil your dreams, and one that she hopes will encourage conversation about shared experiences.

Making her dazzling debut in 2020 with 'Feelings', Ella has already played WAMFest 2021, Fremantle Arts Centre alongside Banjo Lucia, and had Siobhan Cotchin and Indoor Fins play her last single launch. Following the 2021 release of her intoxicating second single 'Confusion', comes new alt-rock track 'THIRTYFOUR'. In an empowering move to maintain ownership and artistry, Ella will also be releasing the song as an NFT.

This is a soulful and arresting mantra that gets straight to the core of its message with plenty of heart and a catchy hook. 'THIRTYFOUR' sees Ella embracing her power, and demonstrating that we can resist and liberate ourselves from the shackles of expectation by calling out the bullsh*t, and doing what we want with confidence. The song also universally speaks to demanding more, maintaining high standards, and chasing your ambitions - regardless of the limitations society may try to place on us. Driven by a strong beat and an understated soft alt-rock sound, Ella's voice and the message it delivers are given full reign to be heard loud and clear - as they deserve to be.

Written in response to the initial feeling of being 'too old' to start her music career, particularly as a female artist, 'THIRTYFOUR' is poised to spark conversations with its audience.

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Lindsay Munroe - Wild Me.

We last heard from Manchester based artist Lindsay Munroe when she released her 2021 EP, Softest Edge, a record written on a week-long perspective-shifting solo trip to the Lake District. In the time since that first trip, Munroe has developed a writing practice built around isolating herself in nature. Today, she is sharing her new single, ‘Wild Me’, the product of another week spent alone in the Lake District.

Since Munroe’s departure from an oppressive church and the end of a long-term relationship, she’s been on a journey of learning exactly who she is when she’s totally free. “A lot of my music over the past 3 years has been about difficult things that I have been through - leaving the evangelical church, dysfunctional relationships, big breakups - and all of those are encapsulated in 'Wild Me'” she says. “But ultimately the song is me realising that the core things never changed; when I was a child I was a 'tomboy', I was obsessed with being outside, I was stubborn and sensitive and smart and quite weird,” she continues.

Lots of us experiment with trying on different personas in our teenage years, most ultimately stumbling across the right fit somewhere down the line. However, in her adolescence, Lindsay found herself shying away from her true, more ‘wild’ self. “I  was singing backing vocals in folk bands, wearing floral dresses, shrinking myself to fit into a conservative church environment, desperately trying to find that sense of self and freedom I had as a child,” she explains. “And when that whole tumultuous time was over, I looked around and realised that the same things were true about me now as when I was young. I dress androgynously, I feel most at home outdoors, I'm stubborn, sensitive, smart and still pretty weird.”

It took Munroe years to make the difficult decision to break from the church she had been involved with since her mid-teens. When she finally did, and at the same time went through a breakup, her identity was shaken to its core. On her debut EP, 2020’s Our Heaviness, she explored the pain and turbulence that came with the departure. The EP garnered praise from BBC Introducing, DIY and The Line of Best Fit, and even an Instagram shoutout from one of Munroe’s heroes Sharon Van Etten. In 2021, on her second EP, Softest Edge, we found Munroe embracing the opportunity for growth, both personally and professionally. Instead of writing with the pure catharsis of Our Heaviness, Munroe applied her new sense of endless possibilities to her songwriting, exploring the depths of genre and production while lyrically drawing from a wider pool of experiences. Her single ‘Parallel’ even made it onto the soundtrack of hit BBC show Conversations With Friends.

LindsayMunroe · Wild Me

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The Clockworks - Advertise Me.

Galway four-piece - THE CLOCKWORKS - return with their rousing new single: “Advertise Me”. Arriving ahead of an extensive run of UK + European shows throughout the Autumn, the track is also the first new music from the band since the release of their essential debut EP ‘Endgame’ earlier this year.

“Advertise Me” is a scintillating, scathing new track that sees The Clockworks confront the hypocrisy of a sanctimonious society that moans more than it does take action. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by the band in collaboration with Michael Rendall (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Shed Seven, Black Grape), The Clockworks explain of the caustic new cut: “The idea for this song started with the line: ‘complain about consumers from the comfort of my Mac’. It got me thinking about contemporary culture and that feeling of dissonance that comes from criticising society while continuing to conform to it. The song is partly a satire in answer to this feeling.”

Simmering with spiky rock energy and once more boasting The Clockworks’ knack for scorching lyrics that hold a mirror up to society, the track plucks influence from a range of decades and genres. The band add:

“Todd Rundgren was a musical and production influence for this one. David Bowie. The Last Shadow Puppets. Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Interpol. The Cure. Pixies are usually brought up at some point in writing a new song.”

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Mamalarky - Emily Breeze - Declan O'Donovan - Kindsight - Hohnen Ford - The Company Stores

Mamalarky - Shining Armor.

Mamalarky's highly-anticipated sophomore full-length, Pocket Fantasy, is due out September 30 via Fire Talk. The follow up to the band's critically-acclaimed 2020 self-titled debut LP, the album's early singles have generated a great deal of excitement, with the lead track "Mythical Bonds" earning praise from the New York Times, who said "Mamalarky make math rock sound like fun" and appearing on a new music playlist from Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, while second single "It Hurts" landed on multiple best of the week lists.

Now Mamalarky are back with a final single from their forthcoming LP, a track called "Shining Armor". Accompanied by a video animated by Alex Futtersak, who is known several striking visuals he has created for Cautious Clay and Crumb, the track is the kind only Mamalarky could have created, delivering a blend of tightly wound indie rock, wobbly, jazz-inflected wildness and moments of arresting beauty played against their most abrasive.

"This song goes out to conveniently anonymous YouTube haters," says singer Livvy Bennett. "Shining Armor is an invitation for anyone who has shit to say about how I play guitar to go ahead and reveal themselves and play a little song for us! When I wrote this I was getting a bunch of comments about my gender and appearance and how that corresponds with how I play guitar. The only response was to covert that anger into something that's genuinely so fun to play.

"Alex Futtersak (@chippy_zone) took this idea and crafted a whole world around it, where our music is essentially breaking a curse over these angry knights in armor. I actually sent him some DIY motion capture from my room so some of the moves are true to form."

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Emily Breeze - Ordinary Life.

Bristol-based indie noir-pop artist Emily Breeze returns with a bitter sweet new single Ordinary Life, dripping with brit-goth nostalgia and sad-pop synth lines via Sugar Shack Records on September 23rd 2022.

Emily’s previous single ‘Confessions of an Aging Party Girl’, received airplay from Lauren Laverne, Don Letts and Tom Robinson alongside continued support from BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Introducing in the West. Ordinary Life continues in this vein, a reflection on a gloriously misspent youth and a celebration of the magic, misery, miracles and monotony that are sewn into the fabric of everyday existence where you are the hero of your own mythic quest.

Speaking of the inspiration for the song Emily says, “It’s a quest that involves biblical first loves and tragic one night stands, epic all nighters and the quiet desperation that follows as your dreams disperse like the fronds of a dandelion clock in the cold morning air. You blink, two decades have passed and you become the thing you always despised, a three dimensional, functional adult with reasonable expectations... Or perhaps it's the theme song to the end of a John Hughes movie set twenty years after Prom night, except it's not prom night, it's Butlins and Mike Leigh is directing but Simple Minds and Souxsie Sioux are still sparkling in the spotlight, and so are you.”

Ordinary life is the opening track to Emily’s third solo album Rapture which she describes as “A collection of coming-of (middle) age stories which celebrate flamboyant failure, excess and acceptance”, due for release January 2023.

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Declan O'Donovan - Get Thee Behind the Wheel (Live at Afterlife Studios).

The musical vastness and ambivalence of Declan O’Donovan’s sound is reflected by the picturesque backdrop between his home of Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon and the urban centres from Toronto to Montreal that he frequents. 

For over a decade, the Canadian has succeeded in creating stylistically unique fusions of the most diverse of song writing approaches. Nothing is too strange, too big or too far: alternative folk, psychedelic rock, classical piano, you name it.

Albums with an eccentric richness of ideas like his self-titled debut (2012) or the larger-than-life “Broken Sky” (2017) have made O’Donovan one of the most sought-after musicians in Canada. Comparisons range from Tom Waits to Randy Newman or Harry Nilsson, but of course don’t really do the creative maverick and his unmistakably rough timbre any justice. His new release “Get Thee Behind the Wheel” once again shows that he’s riding a wave of his own, subject to his own transformations.

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Kindsight – Love You Baby All the Time.

Danish four-piece Kindsight make music that draws from 80’s and 90’s alternative rock and combines it with the shimmering Scandinavian pop that the region has become so renowned for, resulting in a sound that is both fuzzy and melodic in equal measure. Releasing their first material in 2020, the up and coming Danish four-piece have been quick on the rise, picking up steam and their debut album, Swedish Punk, was released in March earlier this year and was followed by tour dates in Scandinavia, Germany and UK. Now they're back with atmospheric the new single Love You Baby All the Time, an indie pop gem recorded close after the album's release.

The band says: “For about 200.000 years, humanity has successfully postponed complete annihilation as each human takes part in a sort of symbiotic ritual with a person they would like to see several more of sometime in the future. “Love You Baby All the Time” seeks to present this occurrence loud and clear and with no further comments.”

Kindsight formed when front-woman Nina Hyldgaard Rasmussen and guitarist Søren Svensson bonded over a shared love of The Sugarcubes. They went on to recruit bass player Anders Prip and drummer Johannes Jacobsen and over the past few years have earned a reputation within Copenhagen’s thriving indie scene for their exciting live shows. The praised debut album Swedish Punk is finally available on vinyl, as a red limited edition.

On the album’s title, Rasmussen says “Swedish Punk’ was an off the cuff term our producer, Adam, came up with when we needed a working title for a new song we wrote during the recording sessions. Our bass player, Anders, then wrote some lyrics based on the working title and we ended up liking the whole ‘Swedish Punk’-thing so much it became the name of the album”.

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Hohnen Ford - Close To Your Heart.

London-based singer-songwriter Hohnen Ford just announced a European tour in October supporting Matt Maltese and shares her new single "Close To Your Heart" - the latest track to be heard from upcoming debut EP 'Infinity', out 26th October via Young Poet. Debut EP 'Infinity' was written and produced by Hohnen Ford herself, features writing collaborations with Matt Maltese, and was mixed by Tom Carmichael (Porridge Radio, Wu-Lu).

A prodigious songwriting and vocal talent – Hohnen Ford has made an immediate impact. Very quickly given the seal of approval by jazz aficionado Jamie Cullum, she's gone on to receive notable support from Spotify (featured in their New Music Friday and Fresh Finds playlists), alongside coverage on esteemed publications including The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH Magazine and Whynow.

Hohnen Ford's achingly sincere, yet irresistibly entertaining and romantic prose, paired with her delicate piano arrangements position her as one of the most exciting songwriters to surface in recent times. Newly released single "Close To Your Heart" is further evidence of her gift, as she contemplates the emotional intricacies of relationships. Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration of new single, Hohnen Ford said:

"Close To Your Heart is about rekindling love for your person. Daring yourself to love like it's day one, and acknowledging bad habits. Taking responsibility for your own emotions and being able to laugh at yourself - step outside the emotion in that moment to stop yourself from bickering or causing a fight and remembering why you love that person. I wrote it to remind myself to make sure the hassle and stresses of day to day life don't get in the way of my relationships."

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The Company Stores - Savannah.

The Company Stores independently releases The Family Album, their third full-length album, today September 23. The powerful and sultry voice of lead vocalist Ileana Ille captivates the audience with her ability to express raw emotion, while the band unites many influences to lay down bold grooves amidst dynamic crescendos.

“This album tells a story of everything being turned upside down; both personally and across the country,” says Matthew Marks, the primary lyricist for the band. “It is about family and understanding the triumphs, failures, tendencies, and choices of the people who came before, in order to understand how to successfully navigate where you are going.”

No Depression’s Amos Perrine writes, “The album had me from the opening track, ‘Savannah,’ which could have easily been on a Steely Dan record (notably the guitar parts), by way of the jazz group Return to Forever. The vocals by Ileana Ille glide over the instrumentation much like those of Return to Forever’s first vocalist, Flora Purim, did. Ille’s vocals are but one of the many textured layers that blend together in unexpected ways.”

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Sister Wives - KiKi Holli - Shannen Moser

Sister Wives - Ticking Time Bomb.

Inspired by Welsh mythology, thread throughout a cavernous mix of psychedelia, folk, post-punk, garage and 70s glam rock, Sister Wives recently announced their debut album will be released on 28th October via Libertino Records, sharing first single and video ‘Greater Place’. Now the band share new single “Ticking Time Bomb” - a track which sees them react to the societal pressure to bear a child; the ticks mirroring the biological clock.

The track's simmering verses give way to a lively, electric hook; it’s simultaneously a protest song and a party song that celebrates freedom and choice. “We wanted to expose the absurdity of having our bodies and choices so heavily monitored and managed by society, and laugh in the face of it,” the band explain. “We know our worth isn’t changed by child bearing, we are not disposable or “geriatric” after age 35, and we refuse to partake in the shaming of ourselves or others for our/their choices. And we deserve autonomy over our bodies, always!”

Y Gawres, the album’s title, is inspired by the ancient burial site on Anglesey, Barclodiad y Gawres, which translates to “The Giantess’ Apronful”. While giants are central to the nation’s folklore, it’s rare to hear of female giants. The idea led the Sheffield-based band — consisting of Donna Lee (vocals/keys/synths), Rose Love (vocals/bass), Liv Willars (vocals/guitar), Lisa O’Hara (vocals/drums) — to picture a devastating, nurturing, awe-inspiring, and most importantly feminine force of their own.

The lyrics are divided between English and Lee’s native Welsh, and the country is deeply present across the album. It’s important to Lee to represent the Welsh language outside of Wales, with the band often making connections with Welsh audience members and showing others that singing in the language is viable and meaningful.

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KiKi Holli - Sun Playing Tricks On Me.

Los Angeles indie-pop vocalist KiKi Holli creates stunning and soulful music woven with intricate emotive storytelling for a truly captivating and cathartic listening experience with an eclectic musical aesthetic. Holli draws on inspiration from her rich theatrical background, as well as from iconic artists such as PRINCE, Dusty Springfield, The Cure, Stevie Nicks and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Her latest single "Sun Playing Tricks On Me" is a sultry fever dream in a mirage of lost love. "Sun Playing Tricks", produced and mixed by Grammy nominated Ethan Allen, is an exciting alt-pop song with a soulful vibe. Recorded at Royal Triton Studios in Silverlake, CA. Mastered by Grammy winner, David Collins. The song is layered with warm sun- dripped vocals full of depth. With a new EP in the works, KiKi Holli creates relatable music that culminates into a diary of hope for listeners across the globe.

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Holli was drawn to the arts from an early age, with her passions gravitating towards music and theater. Subsequently, she found solace in these disciplines and later earned her BFA in voice and theater for further exploring her unique talents. In addition to being a trained vocalist, Holli also grew up playing the guitar, saxophone and viola. Theatrically she has appeared on stage in the plays Of Mice and Men, Three Sisters and Twelfth Night, and also played the lead role in the Rocky Horror-channeling indie film Isle of Lesbos, celebrated by Swampflix as “a politically angry, deliberately offensive, post-John Waters, queer-as-f*ck movie musical with deep roots in drag & cabaret traditions.”

Most notably, Holli co-wrote and starred in Forever Dusty, a stage musical based on the life of British pop star Dusty Springfield. The production opened off-Broadway in 2012 at New World Stages in New York, garnering coverage from The Village Voice, Reuters, The New York Times and Out Magazine. From there, the play went on to run in Los Angeles and London, as well as other cities in the U.S. and U.K.

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Shannen Moser - Oh My God.

The Philadelphia-based artist Shannen Moser has just released a new single “Oh My God” from their forthcoming album The Sun Still Seems To Move that will be released next Friday, September 30 via Lame-O Records. Moser will celebrate the album’s release with shows in Philadelphia on 9/30 and in Brooklyn on 10/7 with support from Greg Mendez & Yours Are The Only Ears.

“Right before writing ‘Oh My God,’ I had just moved back to Philly after spending the summer in Berks County. I was working on farms and greenhouses that summer and spent a lot of my time outside. I had just ended an important relationship in my life. I was taking care of a sick parent. Everything felt unfamiliar and strange. I had spent the summer shape note singing, driving around and really exploring a natural world that I hadn’t been around in almost a decade,” explains Moser.

“Oh My God’ is a song that recognizes the multiple truths surrounding change and the timeline of our lives. It’s overwhelming and painful, but there’s also a hilarity to it. Like throwing your hands up in the air to concede that no matter how we might try, as the world turns things will change in an endless exchange of joy and sorrow".

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Cozy Slippers - The Adam feat. Rasmus Littauer - Cindy

Cozy Slippers - Haunting Her.

Haunting Her is a janglepop gem that brings to mind The Sundays, the Smiths, early 10,000 Maniacs, and Belly. The track explores the tension when trying to support a friend, even as they make damaging decisions. Cozy Slippers debut album on Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten / Subjangle is a total treat for the anorak scene, light, breezy, topical, and catchy.  

Cozy Slippers announced their return with the release of their self titled debut album on Kleine Underground Schallplatten (vinyl) and Subjangle (CD) on October 14th, 2022.

Previously Cozy Slippers released the 7" "A Million Pieces" (Kleine Underground Schallplatten 2019), and two EPs: ‘Postcards’ (Jigsaw Record 2018) and ‘Late Night In Summertime’ (self-released 2017).

In 2019, the band toured the UK, including an appearance at the Cambridge Indiepop All-dayer. The band largely recorded the album themselves, and it was mixed by Dylan Wall (Versing, Great Grandpa, and High Sunn) and mastered by Paul Gold (The Chills, Allah-lahs).

Cozy Slippers · Haunting Her

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The Adam - Geronimo (feat. Rasmus Littauer - Live Version).

“Geronimo, I feel your flow…” When a debut artist’s sound hits you square in the chops as it happens so, once in a blue moon, you can feel the tender fist of solidarity raise high in the sky from sleeping giants like Lennon and Hendrix.

Like hearing Oasis or Jake Bugg or Beck or Jack White for the first time, The Adam keeps the torch burning on ‘Geronimo’ his first solo outing, whose slide guitar conjures the pain and joy of ten thousand summers whilst his Danish comrade Rasmus Littauer, better known as cult idol School of X, obliges on dreamy 60s laced vocals.

The Adam, real name, Adam Olsson, hails from Copenhagen but has been living just outside Oslo for the past nine years, combining his guitar and music composition work with filmmaking and visual production. Having started his career in the Danish underground scene playing with instrumental surf rockers The Good The Bad, supporting the likes of BRMC (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and playing on stage with Wayne Kramer (MC5), followed by a stint in pop icon MØ’s band, The Adam decided to put down a record which he felt showed his patronage to British rock and pop music of which he’s always adored.

The Adam explains, “I've always hated musicians who come from a band and have to go solo. I’ve always loved the idea of the band, so I don’t expect anything from this, but I had some good people work on the record with me and tried to create that band energy.”

The Adam is a huge fan of Liam Gallagher and The Who but working around his own vocal restrictions he further explains, “I can pitch, and I can sing, but I don’t think my voice is a lead voice. The coolest instrument in the world is that of a lead singer, and I wish I was gifted with a voice like Jim Morrison. But since I’m not, I chose to find some people whose voices I loved and asked them to sing different songs on the record.”

Recording and producing the album with Søren Vedsgaard Christensen organist with Danish rockers The Blue Van, The Adam featuring The Adam is a debut album which is set to alight 2023. Meantime, check out the stunning visuals and debut single reminiscent of The Beatles ‘Get Back’ epic documentary footage.

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Cindy - Thin As Flags.

Emotional Response announces volume 6 in their ongoing compilation series 'Typical Girls', and share a new track by bay area band Cindy. Here is a bit about the "Thin As Flags" track that just debuted by Karina Gill of the band Cindy.

"This song -- like most of the songs I write -- came out of seeing something in everyday life that, for reasons beyond reason, pulls together things I've thought and felt at different times. Something ordinary will crystallize a whole song, a whole mood. I noticed a flag whipping in the wind and this heartbreak song sprung up around it. This song, like all my songs, is simple and I feel lucky to be in a community of musicians who are open to the way a simple pop song can hold a mood --- like there's room built into the structure to move around in as a listener. I notice that kind of roominess in a lot of the music happening around the Bay Area these days -- in music of really different styles there's a willingness to float a mood and see what happens.

It's personal to the people making the music and also impersonal, shared, not entirely known. I think people listening respond to that qulaity. I made a solo demo of the song -- just guitar and vocal -- and then worked it out with the band. Aaron Diko wrote this both soaring and mournful keyboard part; Jesse Jackson came up with a heartbreak bass line; Simon Phillips created a drive on the drums. "

Who invented the Typical Girl?" The Slits gleefully proclaimed as they attacked sexual stereotypes way back in 1979. There are no typical girls. Just remarkable women making remarkable music, as this compilation highlights. 16 of the greatest current female fronted independent punk, darkwave and independent bands, from around the world, celebrated on limited red or classic black vinyl.

Inspired by the pioneering women of the 1st wave punk era and beyond, Emotional Response continues to bring you the sixth volume of their acclaimed TYPICAL GIRLS series. Featuring the finest in current punk, indie, darkwave female fronted music for all corners of the globe.

EmotionalResponseRecs · CINDY Thin As Flags

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Lily Monaghan - Ariel Bui

Lily Monaghan - Sleeping Alone.

With delicately plucked acoustic guitar and a vocal performance as pure and soulful as a Prairie sunrise, Lily Monaghan’s debut single “Sleeping Alone” heralds the arrival of a compelling new voice on the Canadian roots music scene. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Lily has been building up to the release of her first EP, Introspection, in early 2023 by crafting songs such as “Sleeping Alone” in a manner that blurs the lines between folk, country, soul and pop. Working closely with producer Mark Maclure, with whom she was enrolled in MacEwan University’s music program, Lily experimented with several different musical approaches before finding the natural balance that brought out the most in her songwriting.

“I grew up listening to, practicing, and studying all types of music and I was really confused for the longest time about what genre I should commit to because I loved too many,” Lily says. “Even some of the first drafts of the tunes on this EP began as completely Pop-based because I believed audiences would like that the best. It took a lot of introspection, and it wasn’t until recently that I realized that Roots and Folk-inspired music is what feeds my soul and speaks to me the loudest, and the songs on this project are a reflection of that. I understand now that my versatility for other genres isn’t a weakness but a strength, and I intend to allow my knowledge for all styles of music to support me by bleeding into my writing and performing rather than setting me back by believing I must only choose one.”

Such self-awareness is certainly uncommon in such a young artist, and that’s reflected in Lily’s lyrics as well. On “Sleeping Alone,” a Taylor Swift-level breakup song, Lily sings, “I’m not a drinker but pour me a stiff one / I’m stuck in the ringer and no money’s enough / To look a dead man in the eyes before shooting him down.”

Other songs that will be on Introspection equally demonstrate Lily’s wise-beyond-her-years songwriting ability, the result of the influence that many of her favourite artists have had on her. “The songwriters that inspire me the most are those who make it evident that the craft is precious to them,” she says. “People like Gord Downie, Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch made a point to be eloquent and expressive through the use of literary devices and storytelling. Additionally, as a female vocalist I am also hugely inspired by strong and powerful female artists. Women such as Adele, Brittany Howard, Maggie Rogers and Miley Cyrus each have such different strengths and styles but they also set good examples on allowing yourself to musically evolve, grow, and experiment without limitations.”

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Ariel Bui - Sixteen.

Nashville based singer / songwriter Ariel Bui has released “Sixteen”, the lead single from her forthcoming new album Real & Fantasy. The music of Ariel Bui, who Ann Powers of NPR Music once described as "a psychedelic cowgirl cool rockabilly queen”, pulls from her wide ranging musical background as a performer and music educator, blending elements of indie rock, country, soul, and psych rock into a distinct sound that should instantly appeal to fans of artists like Angel Olsen and Courtney Barnett. This album reunites Ariel with Grammy-nominated producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff), with the entire new LP recorded at his Nashville studio, The Bomb Shelter.

“Sixteen” starts as a more straightforward coming of age indie rock song about “being sixteen years old, riding in the backs of cars and going to the beach, having crushes and first loves'', but that easy-going atmosphere acts as the trojan horse for the song’s undercurrent of deeper message. The opening line of the song, “I was just sixteen, you know what I mean,” is a play on the classic Beatles line, “She was just seventeen, you know what I mean”, a subtle but powerful tweak in perspective that subverts the innuendo of that Beatles lyric by placing it in a woman’s perspective, during the #metoo era no less.

The song’s chorus, centered around the line "I may be just a little girl / I have something to say", speaks both to the specific experience this song draws on of being a teenager first trying to earn respect in a male-dominated industry, and also a response to the way girls of all ages are oppressed or abused by men and society. “I was channeling my experiences of growing up a girl in a male-dominated scene and then going on to empower girls through music education at my music school Melodia Studio and Southern Girls Rock’n’Roll Camp,” Ariel says. You can really hear the way that today's teens and young women who “have something to say'' really inspired and re-invigorated Ariel. “Sixteen”, the opening track of Real & Fantasy, was the first song Ariel wrote for the album, and the track is uplifted by that female empowerment at its center, in a time when women's and humans' rights are as important as ever.

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Carleton Stone - Iceblynk - Rosanne Baker Thornley

Carleton Stone - Hard Day's Work.

There’s a fantasy about show business that we’ve been fed since performers started offering up their hearts on stage for public consumption. The glamour, the jet-setting, and the parties all get played up over the reality of the whole thing: a career that seeps into your real life and can dismantle your relationships, the exhaustion of the road, and more than a few hangovers. On his third solo album, the self-produced Papercut—armed with a couple lifetimes of songwriting and touring in his rear view mirror—Carleton Stone gets honest about the toll of devotion to craft while illustrating his mastery of it. Through sax-blasted Americana, power-pop laced with ‘80s synth, and dreamy, sophisticated pop melodies, the Nova Scotia songwriter blurs genres to explore a tumultuous few years and some of the scariest questions someone can ask: what the hell have I done? What if I’d gone down some other path?

“And what are some of the things that you lose when you decide to live your life like this?” Stone says. “There are parts of it where you experience the highest highs, things that feel so rare, you know—performing songs you wrote in front of sold-out audiences all the time or shit like that. I don’t take any of it for granted. But there are sacrifices, too: your relationships with your family and your friends and significant others can suffer, and you’re always on the road. There’s collateral damage, and I was thinking a lot about that, and about things that might’ve been.”

The result is Stone’s strongest and most candid songwriting to date, and finds him plumbing the depths of those feelings without succumbing to despair, gracefully switching between genuine moments of melancholy, anger, hope, self-deprecating humour, regret, anxiety, and bliss.

You don’t make music for this long without making some talented friends, and along with the aforementioned players, Papercut also features Liam Jaeger (bass), Howie Beck (percussion), Kevin Fox (cello), Tom Moffett (trumpet), Julian Nalli (saxophone), Mel Stone (vocals), and Erin Costelo (vocals). It was engineered by Stone himself, Darren McGill, and Aaron Goldstein at Union Sound (Toronto, ON), Gold Standard Recorders (Toronto), and The Loft (Cape Breton, NS), and mixed by Howie Beck. The album also spotlights some of Nova Scotia’s most compelling talent in its co-writing credits, which include Breagh Isabel, Leanne Hoffman, Dave Sampson, Dylan Guthro, and Kayleigh O’Connor.

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Iceblynk - Tragic.

Queens, NY-based trio, Iceblynk, have announced their debut, self-titled EP will be released on October 21, 2022 via A Secret Brand. To celebrate the announcement, the band has shared their lead single “Tragic.” “Tragic” is a nostalgic indie-pop tune that expertly showcases singer Andrea Lynn’s cheery vocals as well as the instrumental prowess of Martin and James Newman.

“The EP is titled ‘Iceblynk,’” shares co-founder Martin Newman. “It’s our introduction to the world and represents who we are in the present and hints to where we’re headed in the future and what to expect from our full-length next year. It’s also an introduction to the name change.”

“We chose to release ‘Tragic’ as the introduction to our EP as its driving force and evolving richness of tightly interwoven guitars lock in the listener from the start,” adds vocalist Andrea Lynn. “While the vocal melody has a light and bright feel, the lyrics hint at a growing sense of despair/dissolution, creating a playful dissonance.”

“Production-wise, ‘Tragic’ began as a clean, jangly-pop song with a slightly quirky chord progression,” Newman continues. “But as the recording process went on and our pandemic spending increased, we added Gamechanger’s Bigsby pedal and Mastro Valvola’s Lysergic Energy Module to the mix, and the guitars warped into something more along the lines of My Bloody Valentine crossed with Emma from Lush, which gave the song more of its edge and dreamy textures. By chance theremin extraordinaire Pamelia Stickney happened to be in town while we were recording, so to break up the onslaught of guitars, we had her lay down a solo during the bridge.”

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Rosanne Baker Thornley - Sorry I'm Late.

“The narrative that runs through this album is – life and the pieces of that journey. The insights. The moments of awe. The losses. The lessons. The determination to continue on” says Rosanne Baker Thornley. ”My inspiration comes from everywhere. From experiences and of people both good and bad. From the simplicities that live between the complexities, I have an inherent want to capture those moments and describe them.” So began a new creative journey for Thornley, and in this journey, a quiet and extraordinary shift occurred; fuelled by the magnetic musical pull that she has fed for years.

Based in Toronto, Thornley has been evolving and expanding her relationship with music (and writing) for quite some time. With her new album, Sorry I’m Late, she further delves into her craft, cultivating songs from an intensely personal space. “As my songwriting years have evolved, my writing is more grounded in writing what I know. In searching my heart and writing that. To be honest. To be vulnerable. To be brave.“ She has worked to distill those emotions that are experienced across generations, and she sheds light on the experiences and stories that have the ability to be profoundly moving. “There’s prescience in what I do. I’ve written many songs on the premise of what I thought I was writing about only to find days, months, sometimes years later that I wrote the song from the future. And though I don’t yet fully grasp the how of that, I simply let myself go with where it takes me and write it all down.” It is precisely those joys, discomforts, and authenticities that accompany vulnerability – and she has channeled those feelings into an expansive and intimate collection of songs.

Emerging on the Canadian music scene years ago, Thornley established herself as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for ‘Daystar’, ‘Niteskool’ and ‘Bakersmith’, a critically acclaimed album “Courage” via Sony Music – as well as through repeat tours of North America and Europe – garnering both national and international media attention. From her base in Toronto, she established her reputation one show at a time, and had audiences connecting to her stories. Over the past few years, Thornley has continued to hone in on her exceptionally gifted writing talents by working with (and co-writing on) a myriad of artists albums, EPs and standalone singles. With brand new music on the horizon, Thornley has her sights on reconnecting with fans and igniting a renewed interest in her music.

 

Rosanne Baker Thornley (RBT) · Sorry I'm Late

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Gracie Jean - Kim Ware and the Good Graces - Marek Kubala - Well Wisher

Gracie Jean - I Don't Wanna Sing The Blues Anymore.

Delving deep into a world of intricate storytelling and a heart beautifully aware of the feelings and emotions experienced by the human race, Australia’s up and coming alt-country/folk artist, Gracie Jean debuts her powerful album, ‘Romance Is Bad’, released this week.

Compared to artists such as Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Isobel Knight and Holli Col, Gracie Jean shares raw, honest and melancholic lyrics, fused with uplifting and inspiring melodies and harmonies, to paint a holistic picture of human emotion through her 9 track, ‘sad girl starter kit’ album, ‘Romance Is Bad’.

“I really wanted to convey the idea that it’s okay to feel sad, and to voice that sadness. I think often people tend to try and avoid all sad feelings. We put on masks and we ‘switch off’ the sadness when we interact with one another. I just wanted to make an album on songs where I said exactly what was on my mind. I want these songs to inspire vulnerability in others.” Gracie Jean.

Produced and mixed by Matt Wykniet in Nauti Studios (Standmore) and Mastered by Harvey O’Sullivan at Studio 303, the collection of 9 songs were written by Gracie Jean as a way of processing the feelings of sadness that she had been experiencing through her own experience of clinical depression and the emotions associated with the challenges of her mother’s 6 year journey of chronic heart failure and her parent’s marriage breakdown and her own relationship breakdowns.

“Sometimes life is just hard, and you must make a choice, sink or swim. So far, I’ve chosen to swim every single time. My songs are inspired by all the people I know who must carry so much on their shoulders every day, and who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable, and to share their struggles with people who love them. I would love to see a world where in our communities or families we carry one another’s burdens and aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and ask for help.” Gracie Jean.

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Kim Ware and the Good Graces - Ready.

Since forming in 2006, Kim Ware and the Good Graces have toured the country, performed at countless festivals (including LEAF, where Ware was a finalist in the 2019 NewSong Singer-Songwriter Competition), and shared stages with a long list of renowned artists including Indigo Girls, Sierra Ferrell, Granville Automatic, and The Old Ceremony. She has been compared to artists like Neko Case, Drive-By Truckers, Phoebe Bridgers, and the Weepies, and has cultivated a dedicated fan base over the course of the last 15 years.

Of course, during the pandemic, her tour dates began to dry up just like every other musician on the planet. Instead of taking a break from playing, Ware simply changed the format by creating the Kimono My House Virtual Concert series with her friend Andy Gish. It began as a weekly virtual concert played from her living room, but it morphed into something that she never expected.

Launched on March 13, 2020, the intention was to provide a space where they could connect with their fellow musicians and play shows for each other using Facebook Live amid the peak of Covid quarantines and lockdowns. Two years later, it’s grown to encompass much more, with nearly 8,000 active members from all over the world. Thanks to its organic and welcoming DIY feel, KMH has become a “virtual venue” of sorts for musicians and music fans to continue to experience a real connection with each other, regardless of their physical locations. Since its inception, the group has hosted over 1200 performances. The project culminated in March 2022 with the Kimono My House Music Festival being held in Atlanta-area venues 529, Star Bar, and Waller’s Coffee Shop. It featured over 60  musicians performing in total over the course of four nights.

Playing almost weekly for two years with a built-in test audience, Ware was essentially able to live-workshop her upcoming album — her strongest collection of songs to date. Mixing the kind of old-school ‘90s indie rock that college radio was built on with the sturdy songwriting of modern Americana, Ware and her ever-shifting collective the Good Graces return with their sixth album, Ready, produced by Jerry Kee (Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf).

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Marek Kubala - Godspeed.

Marek has produced his best work yet, creating a unique emotive dream-pop soundscape, with ethereal vocals, hypnotic synths, and spacey guitars, which builds to a heartstring-tugging climax.

Co-produced by Andrea Gorgerino (JBAG, Kitsune Records), Marek was inspired to write Godspeed after reading acclaimed novel 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton about the early entrepreneurs who travelled thousands of miles to New Zealand over the ocean to seek their fortune in the gold rush - Godspeed evokes the feelings of exhilaration, risk and danger of setting out on a long uncertain journey.

Hailing from Huddersfield, Marek has received critical acclaim with previous releases, including on Outpost and EMI Publishing (KPM), and featured on BBC Introducing, Mystic Sons, CLOUT, Americana UK, Amazing Radio, and elsewhere.

432Hz Social Club · PREMIERE | Marek Kubala - Godspeed [FBP Records] 2022

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Well Wisher - Miserable.

That Weight, the latest album from New Jersey group Well Wisher, is a cathartic burst of catchy, feverish punk rock that addresses the heaviness of personal trauma without being suffocated by its gravity. 

After the release of 2018’s This Is Fine, front leader and Asbury Park DIY mainstay Natalie Newbold found herself writing solemn acoustic songs that strayed far from the band’s debut venture into pop-punk finery. “It was a really weird period of time where I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my songwriting,” Newbold says about the beginning stages of the sophomore record. “I was in this darker headspace of writing sad, slow songs.” After convening with her bandmates Lynsey Vandenberg, Matt Viani, and Lucas Dalakian, she realized this new direction wasn’t working. Lots of reflection and rewriting resulted in a renewed sense of the band’s identity and sound.

“It was 2020. There was so much time to reflect, nothing's going on and I'm angry,” she laughs at the obvious emotion brought about by the devastating two years. “A lot of social climate stuff, the fact that I quit my day job to pursue music fully,” she adds about becoming a touring bassist for alt-rock vets The Front Bottoms, “and then the pandemic happened. All these events contributed to a more raw and emotional record. It resonated with all of us.”

The twelve tracks on That Weight are a confluence of the group’s uncentered rock influences including The Breeders and Pixies, in addition to Newbold’s somber acoustic favorites such as Elliott Smith and Phoebe Brigders. “We were going for more of an In Utero/Pinkerton kind of thing. It's a little messy and maybe not always the proper decision in terms of production.” Close friend and producer, Erik Kase Romero’s warehouse studio proved to be the perfect environment for experimentation. Not only did the studio serve as a safe and creative space for the band, the natural reverb of the room was uniquely showcased on nearly every track. Opener “Need You Around” features distracting backing vocals that mimic intrusive thoughts as the song swings between romance and desperation. Elsewhere, punchy pop-punk signatures convey the urgency of these songs—the untethered drums bashing on “Panic,” blistering guitar work on “That Weight,” and the serrated guitar riffs of “Do Better.”

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Skinny Lister - Triggers & Slips - Mary Anne's Solar Rig - Ocean Valley

BEEHIVE CANDY ARE TAKING A SHORT BREAK NOW - WE SHOULD BE BACK THIS COMING WEEKEND. In the meantime enjoy today's new round up! 

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Skinny Lister - Embers.

Before they hit the road this Autumn, Skinny Lister, are releasing a new video for “Embers.” The band who are touring the UK and Europe in support of their acclaimed fifth album ‘A Matter of Life & Love’, invite you to bask in one of its most heart-warming moments.

A strident example of the Skinnies’ feel-good, shanty-folk at its very finest, “Embers” also embodies many of the core themes that course through their latest album. As Dan Heptinstall explains:

“”Embers” is a song about friendship. The simple joy we feel in the warmth of good company. It also raises a glass, and enjoys a moment of reflection, to those friends we may have lost along the way. A celebration of the here and now but with a healthy dose of nostalgia.”

Echoing the sentiments of the song, the video is accompanied by an official video filmed by The Film Smith. Capturing a family affair with fires and music, it sees Skinny Lister revelling in good times with friend and folk legend Roger Wilson (who plays fiddle on the recording), plus the Dunton Bassett Folk Club, a group of musicians who happen to feature a certain special guest…

“The video was a joy to shoot. We were blessed with the fine company of Dunton Bassett Folk Club musicians, of which Party George (Max and Lorna’s dad) is one. He’s been attending the weekly Leicestershire folk night for over 30 years, and long may he continue to do so. It was great to hang out with these excellent folk around the fire, have a few drinks and play a bunch of tunes. Heart warming stuff!”

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Triggers & Slips - What Do You Feed Your Darkness (Album).

Existing somewhere between country, folk, and roots rock, Triggers & Slips have been making music blurring the lines of genre for over a decade. Breaking these rules and proverbial boundaries has resulted in a fiercely-loyal following akin to other genre-benders like Lucero and Frank Turner in their hometown of Salt Lake City.  With their 2012 debut EP and two albums under their belt, the band is now set to share their most fully-formed and emotionally-mature work to date, What Do You Feed Your Darkness?

While the music is unabashedly honky-tonk in its origins – rife with pedal steel, twangy electric/acoustic guitar work, and lead singer/songwriter Morgan Snow’s country drawl that belies his roots as a sixth-generation Utah native – the songs themselves subvert classic country storylines of love, loss, and substance abuse by viewing them through a gritty, real-world lens. Snow has lived every line and every phrase within.

The emotional weight of the album is right there in the title — What Do You Feed Your Darkness? — a moniker borne from Snow's turning inward after a lifetime of battling his own demons, going through a divorce, and his experiences as a social worker in the mental health field.

"I've done my best to dance around it in my music," he says of his profession. "But I think I'm at that point where it's so much a part of my story and it comes through in my songwriting...it's hard to avoid. It's that moment of 'something's speaking to you in this realm; you should follow it.’

“I don't want to come across like I've got it all figured out," he adds, noting that his profession doesn't mean he's a perfect being. "I'm also a part of this journey we call life, and this record is a pretty good, honest snapshot of my struggles over the last five or six years."

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Photo by Ebba G Ågren

Mary Anne's Solar Rig - Summer Girl.

Rama Lama Records proudly welcomes long time favourites Mary Anne’s Polar Rig to the family! “MAPR” are a band we have followed since the debut single ‘Surfaced’ was released in 2018, a song we still regularly play on our gig nights. The debut album ‘Makes You Happy’ was released in 2021 and continued to build their signature style somewhere in between slacker rock and fuzz pop. Mary Anne’s Polar Rig are now back with the new single and video ‘Summer Girl’.

Mary Anne’s Polar Rig are a duo who’s a part of a new generation of bands from Malmö where noisy feedback loops and distorted solos are as important as cute melodies and dancy chord progressions. Paired with a careless attitude á la Pavement but with a more explosive sound and an extremely energetic live performance they create a unique combination of slacker rock and fuzz pop which is both catchy and cocky at the same time. Live they are joined by 3 more band members who adds extra depth to their sound.

In this melodic guitar inferno Mary Anne’s Polar Rig go on a cruise that will remind you of some classic 90’s bands like Weezer and The Breeders. In a leather racing suit Fast Malin Hofvander embodies the anti summer girl, sweating on the beach, while Filthy Harald Ingvarsson plays a dune-top-tapping-guitar-solo in uncomfortably tight clothing. This is a groovy rock banger served sunny side up and YOU are here to lean back and enjoy the ride.

‘Summer Girl’ is available to stream and download now via Swedish indie label Rama Lama Records (Melby, Steve Buscemi's Dreamy Eyes, Wy, Kindsight etc.) Mary Anne’s Polar Rig are “Fast” Malin Hofvander and “Filthy” Harald Ingvarsson.

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Ocean Valley - Home.

Australia’s beloved psychedelic surf rock outfit Ocean Alley have announced their upcoming fourth album Low Altitude Living, to be released independently on October 14. The band is also about to embark on their West Coast U.S. tour — earlier this year, Ocean Alley sold out nearly every venue along their eight-show tour of the Midwest and East Coast, including Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, Terminal West in Atlanta, and The Sinclair in Boston. The album announcement comes paired with their latest single “Home”, a profession of love for both people and place.

Opening the record with a feeling of warmth and familiarity, “Home” is soaked with bright tones and subtly adorned with twinkling keys. The song is a product of the band’s opportunity to slow down in 2020, with space to reconnect with themselves and the environment around them. Guitarist Mitch Galbraith explains, “We’ve felt more connected than ever to the people and places that are around us at home. Normally, we’d be spending most of our year away on tour, but we felt very lucky to spend the last two years with the people we love.”

While the six-piece could have rinsed & repeated the styles and sounds of their previous full-lengths – the ARIA Award-nominated Lonely Diamond (2020), their ARIA Gold-certified breakthrough Chiaroscuro (2018) and self-assured debut Lost Tropics (2016) – Low Altitude Living, produced by longtime collaborator Callum Howell, sees the band construct their broadest ranging sonic framework yet. As suggested by the diverse feels of previous singles “Touch Back Down” and “Deepest Darkness”, Ocean Alley cohesively honors the traditional features of their distinct sound while equally giving it a refreshing and exciting new edge. Mitch shares, “It’s no secret that we don’t want to repeat ourselves…there’s a constant sense of betterment, growth and exploration.”

Where in the past, Ocean Alley have cited the influence of ‘70s stalwarts such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, this new album sees the band explore their musicality through pure instinct. They experiment with sludgey ‘90s alt-rock on the reverb-laden “Changes”, they bring a side of bluesy slide guitar akin to the Commodores on cruisey ballad “Snake Eyes”, while the haunted and sensual “Parking Fines” would slot right into an Interpol record. Lach Galbraith (keys/vocals) shares, “Pushing each other to try new things, inside and outside of music, is really important for us to keep things fresh. Musically our songwriting has become more intricate as we explore new styles and techniques in recording.”

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