Signe Marie Rustad - Jackson Mico Milas - Ruth Lyon - Siv Jakobsen

Signe Marie Rustad - Bark Up Someone Else's Tree.

Norwegian singer songwriter Signe Marie Rustad has shared 'Bark Up Someone Else's Tree', the second taste of her forthcoming new album, Particles Of Faith.

Of her new single, Rustad says: "The song is about how it's easy to close your eyes to the stuff that doesn't work in a relationship, as long as there is passion and you (think you) are in love. Looking in the rearview mirror, you might have known all along what would be the downfall, but letting go when you are emotionally attached to someone can be extremely hard. At least it is for me."

Known for her poetic lyrics and clever songwriting, and backed by a tight knit band that’s been with her for years, Rustad’s new album offers a natural transition from her already classic third album, When Words Flew Freely (WWFF). However, Particles of Faith also brings something completely new and fresh.

Particles of Faith is hard to place in any one genre, melding the Americana sound present on her first two albums with the broader singer-songwriter tradition, helmed by pioneers such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King. But Rustad also points to a host of other inspirations.

Jansen Records · Signe Marie Rustad - Bark Up Someone Else's Tree (DWYBO Records)

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Jackson Mico Milas - Blu Terra.

Accomplished musician and composer Jackson Mico Milas unveils his debut album today. ‘Blu Terra’ brings together eleven tender and emotive compositions and finds the London based artist hitting his stride.

As a very young musician and just out of college he changed countries, and honed his musicianship and life experiences in New York, at Nylon Studios. Jackson has carved out a highly successful career to date, with numerous award-winning film and TV scores including partnering with Tim Minchin on Sky Atlantic's Upright and composing for the Earth Hour campaign winning an LIA Awards nomination. Jackson gained early prominence with his band High Highs, who were signed to Elton John’s Rocket Records label, and toured with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Empire Of The Sun and Sky Ferreira.

On ‘Blu Terra’, Jackson comes of age, and delivers a matured and elegant suite of compositions on this debut album, encompassing acoustic, alt-folk and jazz elements to deploy soaring and heartfelt songs. The long player features a cast of great players, including Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie 'Blackstar'), Robby Sinclair (Chet Faker/Nick Murphy), Troy Simms (Lee Scratch Perry) and Veronique Serret (Joanna Newsom's Y's Street Band). Mixing & production by Dave Harrington of Darkside, and the album is released on R&S Records, the home to ground-breaking talent such as Aphex Twin, James Blake, Nadine Shah, Lone, Djrum and many more over its 40-year tenure.

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Ruth Lyon - Stone (Live at Sage Gateshead).

Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon has released her new single "Stone", the latest taster of upcoming EP 'Direct Debit To Vogue', out 25th November via Pink Lane Records. The new EP was produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts) at his Bristol studio, and will also feature the recently released singles "Trouble" and "Clown".

Sleek new single “Stone” looks at the messy yet ultimately redemptive nature of a long-term relationship. Speaking more on the inspiration behind new single "Stone", Ruth said:

"I was influenced by Fiona Apple on this track with her use of simplicity, repetition, monotonous rhythms and development of texture to give power to words. ‘Stone’ looks at the crazy beautiful mess that is any relationship. Bonding yourself to one human for the rest of time is crazy - it’s elemental yet completely mundane all at the same time. Fusing two worlds has the power to feel-earth shatteringly good but also completely destructive - the push and pull of losing yourself yet finding yourself in someone else. The words came out on the page like a poem in one morning and have never changed. The song is raw and I am really grateful to John Parish for being so respectful of the nature of the track, giving it life without taking any of the simple power away. Lady Nade’s haunting tones really lift this song and I am so happy we could work together on this!"

On new EP 'Direct Debit To Vogue', Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations - all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism.

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Siv Jakobsen - Sun, Moon, Stars.

Norwegian singer-songwriter Siv Jakobsen has released her new single "Sun, Moon Stars" featuring Ane Brun - the latest taste of her upcoming third album 'Gardening' - out on 20th January 2023 via The Nordic Mellow. The new single arrives swiftly off the back of a UK tour with Chicago indie rock band Beach Bunny.

“Sun, Moon, Stars” offers the biggest moment of reprieve from the upcoming album’s thematic weight. Gloriously arranged with silvery strings and elegiac horns that subtly build alongside the song’s swelling current, it finds Jakobsen singing through a storm and coming out the other side thanks to someone who has become a bedrock of her life, singing “You are the reason I am alive”.

It is also graced by harmonies from her fellow Norwegian, the legendary Ane Brun. “A big part of why I wanted her to sing on this song in particular is because a lot of the influence I have from Ane is in it,” Jakobsen says. “The style of the guitar, the strings, it just felt like it was a nice nod to how she’s inspired me, so to have her sing on it felt like a full circle moment. From the 16 year old Siv singing Ane’s “Rubber & Soul” in a high school recital, to waiting for Ane outside her gig in Boston as an aspiring songwriting student and mega fan of 22, to becoming colleagues and friends and singing together on Sun, Moon, Stars over a decade later."

Speaking more on the release of the new single Jakobsen said: "Sun, Moon, Stars was written in November, a good few years ago. I remember humming the melody and working out the lyrics whilst out walking on a particularly dreary, dark and wet evening. Inspired by my least favourite month of the year and the heaviness I tend to feel during it, as well as the beauty and hope I’ve found in a companion that has the ability to pull me out of the dreariest corner of my mind, even during the darkest month of the year."

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SUEP - Plastic Barricades - Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra - Laure Briard

Photo - Josh Cohen and Max Warren

SUEP - In Good Health.

London indie supergroup SUEP announce long-awaited debut album Shop and drop new single ‘In Good Health’ with a poignant and trippily kaleidoscopic-pop video. SUEP is led by Georgie Stott (Porridge Radio, Garden Centre) and Josh Harvey alongside George Nicholls (The GN Band, Joanna Gruesome, The Tubs), Will William Deacon (PC World, Garden Centre), and Ollie Chapman. Together they make oddball car-boot-sale pop songs with a sprinkling of theatrical storytelling inspired by a mutual love for Paul McCartney, Jona Lewie, the B-52s, Devo and other performative freaks enjoying themselves.

New single ‘In Good Health,’ fronted by Georgie Stott, is a darkly euphoric and pleasantly strange meeting of Siouxsie Sioux and Jona Lewie, with a playfully discombobulating mix of 80s jangly guitar, chirpy keyboard, and moody post-punk. The song was written by Georgie following a stay in hospital due to a mental health crisis, and tackles mental health, drug addiction, and the power of friendship. As Georgie expands:

 “I wanted to write a song that encapsulated how important my relationships with my friends and boyfriend were at that time” she explains “…and one that also felt dark like I did at the time. I couldn’t go outside due to anxiety surrounding my health, so I stayed inside for weeks. People would visit and watch films with me or let me tattoo them or make music with me. My community helped me recover.”

The ‘In Good Health’ video taps into the song’s serious subject matter but also the song’s playfulness. It shows Georgie stuck in what its creator Jess Power describes as “An internalised world, imagining a new day and a fresh start. The overly luxurious bedding, super saturated colours and surreal imagery reflect the idea of seeking clarity amongst inner voices that try to deceive you and bring you down.”

Shop also includes the previous singles, the deliriously catchy kitsch of debut ‘Domesticated Dream’, described by Mark Riley (6 Music) as “perfect pop music”, and the pure cosmic swing-pop wizardry of ‘Misery’, both released in 2021.

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Photo - Elina Pasok

Plastic Barricades - Lucid in the fall / Tallest Trees.

These are two fabulous songs and splendid videos so enjoy the creativity as we let Plastic Barricades explain themselves!! 

“What happens after we buy everything we’ve ever wanted?” We are lucid about our habits, but we keep falling into the same traps over and over again. “Lucid in the fall”, the new single from London indie rock band Plastic Barricades, is out on the 18th of November. Written during those never-ending lockdowns, this track will be the first introduction to the band’s new studio album “We Stayed Indoors”.

When humankind got locked indoors, so many people went on a two-year shopping spree. This constant race to own “the latest” and “the best in class” led us all into a corner, where addiction roams free and credit card debt obscures daylight. In a world of instant gratification and absolute convenience, breaking those consumerism chains is no easy task. But we have to keep trying, right? There’s no denying: we are all responsible for what’s happening to our planet.

Melancholic and brooding yet hopeful b-side “Tallest Trees” is a juxtaposition to “Lucid in the fall”, where centuries-old and infinitely wise trees observe humanity with curious concern, ready to forgive our sins yet puzzled by our self-destructive tendencies. Both tracks come accompanied by weird and trippy music videos, made with the assistance of cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies and image-to-text algorithms.

“We Stayed Indoors” will be Plastic Barricades’ third full-length album, taking on the tricky subjects of hope, mental health, doubts, living in the moment, courage, perception change, regrets about the past and worries about the future.

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Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra - Mikos.

Following their recent standalone single "Right Here",  Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra announce the release of their new album Racing The Storm, out March 17th via Bella Union. To accompany the announcement Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra have shared a beautifully-shot black and white video for “Mikos”, the album’s atmospheric opening track.

Commenting on the song Emiliana says: “When I am triggered by nice music, I see a movie happening in my mind. When writing that song I saw a girl in a school uniform standing at the edge of a harbor looking into a turquoise sea at the body of a girl. She hears the girl's mother behind her looking for her at the market. She turns to look and then walks away not saying a word about it.”

Picture this: a big storm is brewing overhead. You’re careening through the backroads of rural Iceland, trying desperately to catch your flight out of Reykjavik as the skies darken behind you. You’ve just had one of the best songwriting sessions of your life, in a farmhouse deep in the Icelandic countryside, but none of that matters now. You’ve found yourself in a race against time to get all your work to the next studio and continue working on your album—one that just might turn out to be one of the most important of your entire career.

This exact scenario is what befell Belgian duo The Colorist Orchestra and Icelandic-Italian singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini during one of the many recording sessions for their new collaborative album—and the experience was so emblematic of the entire awe-inspiring, chaotic, life-affirming process, that they ended up naming the record Racing the Storm.

The Colorist Orchestra knows a thing or two about controlled chaos. Since their inception in 2013, close friends and multi-instrumentalists Aarich Jespers and Kobe Proesmans have taken on the task of reinterpreting other artists’ discographies with their unique blend of pop, electronic and world music. In 2015, they entered into a collaboration with Emiliana, who at that time was already well into her own illustrious career, having released six studio albums, as well as the international hit “Jungle Drum”.

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Photo - Diane Sagnier

Laure Briard - Ciel mer azur.

Following My Love Is Right and Ne pas trop rester bleue, Laure Briard shares a third single from her new album to be released in January, leaving behind the blues of melancholy to embrace the azure blue of the sky and the sea in a radiant tropical ballad. But what is this "other planet" to which she addresses the words: "You have conquered my heart / With your wildness / Your joy / Your music"?

We start to get a sense of who she might be talking to right from the beginning of Ciel mer azur which reveals an undulating flute, nonchalant bongos, a smooth walking bass line, a woozy organ and playful guitar riffs. For those familiar with Briard’s discography, the doubt quickly fades. This is the musician who recorded Eu Voo in 2021, an EP of songs written in Portuguese inspired by bossa nova, samba and tropicalismo, and she is singing about the home of Astrud Gilberto, Vinícius de Moraes and Tom Zé.

"It's a love letter to Brazil," confirms Briard, “written during our last tour there in 2019. I really wrote it on the road, between Rio de Janeiro and a village called Vitória, in the tour bus. At one point in the song I mention a gas station, that's how spontaneous it was. It reflects my emotions during this trip. Seeing all the people, the landscapes, both inland and on the seaside, had quite the impact on me. The Brazilian nature is wild and the social life is difficult in many ways, and at the same time, it is such a warm country in terms of the climate, the music, and the people, who are always so joyful, optimistic, and attentive, even if they don't know your music, or don’t speak the same language as you..."

The warmth, the kindness, and the light that Brazil and Brazilians emanate—this is what Briard and her faithful collaborator Vincent Guyot, composer and arranger of this soft and radiant ode to the country of Joyce and João Gilberto, wanted to express. The accompanying music video, directed by Jade de Brito, portrays the sky, the sun, and the sea in vintage film grain split-screens straight out of a '70s film by Brian de Palma or Norman Jewison, with an added flavor of sugary pop. Somewhere between The Thomas Crown Affair, OSS 117 : Rio ne répond plus and a luscious Deee-Lite music video lies Briard’s calm expression, illuminated by swirling lights and a sunny halo, set on a background of moving palm trees and waves,   invoking a rhythm of joyful memories. Fly with Laure Briard to Brazil: to the sky, the sea, and the azure that will never grow dull.

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Elizabeth P.W. - Y Dail

Elizabeth P.W. - The Company You Keep.

The Company You Keep was written during the midst of the pandemic. As someone who suffers from Crohn’s disease - a chronic gastrointestinal disease, Elizabeth P.W. had to live in extreme isolation for 2 years. “I had to find new ways of maintaining my relationship with friends and family. I noticed that in isolation and with all the chaos that was going on in the world, relationships changed quickly and sometimes severely. And in my isolation, ruminations ran wild. This was a blessing and a curse. To have the time to figure out your relationship to yourself and others is a gift we may never feel so strongly again, but it was not without pain, heartbreak and discord.”

Elizabeth has a Sara Barielles quality in her voice with an Ingrid Michaelson meets Glenn Campbell style of songwriting. The 11 songs explore the human condition and relationships. Elizabeth P.W. is a composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer with a passion for storytelling through music. Elizabeth weaves together her love of folk music with modern cinematic elements to create evocative and intimate scores for film and tv, and songs that tell compelling stories through unique soundscapes.

Her music has premiered in films at the Tribeca Film Festival, Hollyshorts, DOC NYC, Urbanworld Film Festival and Raindance. She’s written the music for everything from non-profit campaigns to congressional campaigns. Her recent scoring work includes Stacey Maltin's debut feature film, Triple Threat, which was released in theaters and on streaming services June 2022. She scored Gabriella Canal and Michael Fearon's short documentary, Seasons, which was published by The New Yorker and was honored as a 2022 Student Academy Award Winner. Elizabeth produced and scored the 2021 NAACP Image Award nominated short film, Gets Good Light. She is also a recipient of the 2020 - 2021 Alan Menken Scholarship.

Elizabeth P.W. · The Company You Keep

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Y Dail - Whizz Kids.

Y Dail is the musical project of 19-year-old Huw Griffiths from Pontypridd, South Wales. Since late 2020, the band have released a string of singles that have sparkled with Huw’s cinematic and playful imagination.

Whizz Kids, Y Dail’s new single and first since signing to Libertino is an inspired addition to their growing catalog, a catalog full of timeless, razor sharp songwriting.

Whizz Kids is influenced by Huw’s love of Brian Wilson and doo-wop: “I read an old interview with Paddy McAloon (Prefab Sprout) where he said he wanted to sound like Picasso with a JX3P synth……Whizz Kids is me trying to be Brian Wilson on an old Casio.”

Libertino · Y Dail - Whizz Kids

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Holly Henderson - Micah P. Hinson

Holly Henderson - The Planes.

With the release of new single “The Planes”, Holly Henderson has announced that her second album, “The Walls”, is finished, mastered, and on its way to the pressing plant for release in early 2023.
The long-awaited sophomore release from the UK alternative singer-songwriter brings a very different side to Holly’s musicality and depth. While her debut album, “Monday Green” featured Holly’s impressive rock guitar work and alternative pop anthem prowess, her new work shows a more introspective, and slightly more delicate side to her songcraft.

“The Planes”, is a beautiful retro gem that instantly pleases the ear with its silky-smooth layers of haunting psychedelic harmonies and fuzzy guitar leads. There’s a crisp organic sound encasing the track as stunning streams of consciousness collide in shimmering audio gold.

Recorded in a farmhouse in the English countryside, “The Walls” brings Holly full circle from her previous Los Angeles recorded album. Finely crafted arrangements, sonic musings, and playful themes take us on a journey with Holly as she deconstructs her Brit Pop and classic influences and reassembles them into progressive-folk wonderment.

On “The Walls”, Holly said, “This album sits within a sense of place. As a songwriter, I can only speak of my own thoughts of home and belonging. I suppose this record is a wandering eye over the fleeting moments from the last few years, of when I felt at home, and when I didn’t. When I felt like the walls were tumbling, when they kept me safe, and when they became my prison. I learned the only way of breaking these patterns, was to let people step over the threshold.

Due to the intimacy of the songs, I wanted to preserve the organic nature of the words and the arrangements. The heart of every song was recorded live, from the front room of a farmhouse in Sevenoaks - everyone facing each other, hearing each other, and working together. The sounds you hear are preserved in the moment that they happened. Tentative and selective moments were never changed in post. The other-worldly elements, synths, sounds, etc, were still captured live. 3 to 4 of us, tinkering with analogue synths, percussion, voices, iPads, etc, while the songs played. Rowan’s sensitivity as an engineer and producer, preserved every magical moment in his safe hands, while every person in the band shines throughout, regardless of trying to make this happen during the times of Covid, nothing was missing.”

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Micah P. Hinson - What Does It Matter Now.

Micah P. Hinson shares the ruminative new single “What Does It Matter Now?” from his forthcoming album I Lie To You (December 2 via Ponderosa Records). A longing folk song brimming with loneliness, “What Does It Matter Now?” begs the question of which is more painful, losing or finding love?

“When I was half the man I am today, I left my hometown of Abilene, Texas for the first time and moved to Denton, TX to try this whole music thing on a different level,” explains Hinson. “Of course, upon arrival I realized that it wasn’t what I imagined - instead of playing shows and pushing a dream, I found myself working day-wage jobs, drinking probably too much, and was quite unfocused and confused by what surrounded me. During this time was when I turned this song out, recording it in my small apartment with my tailless cat, Pixie. To this day, I can’t quite recall if I had already written it in my hometown, or if it was a creation from those lonely Denton days of my youth. I do know that it captured a very lonely, sad, and painful time for me, struggling with the concept of whether losing love or gaining love is more painful.”

He continues, “Whether the beginnings or ends are more heartbreaking, I am sure I will never know. I am not sure if we as humans will ever know. Yet, within these simple lines I sing, knowing doesn’t really matter. There is pain in our lives, and where it comes from maybe doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it exists. It doesn’t define us: our pain. It doesn’t control us: our pain. It is a teacher with lessons we must learn, and there is beauty in that.”

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The Money War - Rogue Jones - Nadine Khouri

The Money War - Somebody Loves You.

It's something that we can easily lose sight of, but WA indie-pop songwriting duo The Money War are here to remind us all of an important truth with their beautifully special new song, 'Somebody Loves You', released yesterday.

The Money War is the musical and romantic partnership of Carmen Pepper and Dylan Ollivierre. Making music together since 2016, the BMG/Mirror Publishing-signed pair have toured with none other than Meg Mac, Dope Lemon, Holy Holy and were handpicked by Neil Finn to open for his shows. In addition to playing local festival FOTSUN, they've also crossed the seas for the eponymous SXSW, BIGSOUND and Southbound Festival. They've received a stack of nominations along the way, most notably having debut album 'Home' up for the Australian Music Prize.

With two albums, and three EP's under their belts after the release of 'Blood' EP in 2021, Pepper and Ollivierre continue to add their ever-growing catalogue of music. They now share the important message found on 'Somebody Loves You'.

The track's uplifting melody melts with sincerity from the very first taste. Generously encompassing the undeniable force of love, 'Somebody Loves You' is yet another gem that affirms their knack for songwriting, with the Midas touch afforded by the chemistry of their pairing. It's an instant classic that will leave listeners floating into the ether, or perhaps into the arms of somebody that loves them.

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Rogue Jones - Triongl Dyfed.

'Triongl Dyfed' (The Dyfed Triangle), was the name for the area of west Wales in which there were multiple UFO sightings in the 1970s and 1980s. The central concept of the song is an imagined conspiracy theory that the Meibion Glyndwr holiday cottage arson attacks were carried out by aliens.

Mostly sung from the point of view of the extra-terrestrials – the song borrows from ‘Mae Gen i Het Tri Chornel’ an old welsh nursery rhyme, quotes 70s rockers Edward H Dafis’ hit ‘Mae’n Braf Cael Byw Mewn Tŷ Haf’ (‘It’s nice to live in a holiday home’) and name-checks the legendary singer and actor Bryn Fôn, who was falsely arrested on suspicion of being a member of Meibion Glyndwr, as well as Owain Glyndŵr himself. Both Edward H and Bryn Fôn were extremely accommodating in allowing the band to reference them – Owain Glyndŵr’s silence on the matter is deafening.

As with the whole album, it was recorded in Tŷ Drwg Studios, Grangetown with Frank Naughton and features appearances from Llŷr Parri on drums and Harri Rees on clarinet with everything else performed by Bethan and Ynyr.

"We believe that the second home crisis in Wales is completely out of hand we believe that government should intervene to prevent house prices from rising so dramatically and to allow young people who grew up in the area to buy an affordable home where they live" said the band. 

In case the lyrics get misconstrued; Rogue Jones are categorically not suggesting that burning second homes is the right thing to do - this is a song about aliens coming down from outer space to burn holiday homes.

Libertino · Rogue Jones - Triongl Dyfed

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Nadine Khouri - Keep On Pushing These Walls.

The Beirut-born now London-based singer-songwriter, Nadine Khouri is today sharing her new single, "Keep On Pushing The Walls" – the track emerges as the second to be lifted from Khouri's new album, Another Life which has found support so far from BBC 6 Music and Uncut. The new album, out November 18 via French label, Tailtres was recorded in London and Bristol with longtime collaborator, John Parish (PJ Harvey, Dry Cleaning) and follows her critically-acclaimed debut, The Salted Air which found praise from MOJO, Uncut, Clash, Drowned in Sound, Brooklyn Vegan and many more upon release.

On Another Life, Khouri and Parish take a minimalistic approach to both vocals and music alike: there is a serene, dreamlike quality to the songs, suffused with otherworldly, beatific textures. The soul-inflected “Keep On Pushing These Walls”, set to a stripped-down drum machine and Mellotron saxophones, is a joyous tribute to the late Canadian singer-songwriter Lhasa, who passed away in 2010 aged just 37.

“I wrote Keep On Pushing These Walls in tribute to the late, great Lhasa de Sela,” explains Nadine. “I'd seen Leslie Feist, Melissa Laveaux and others pay tribute to her life and work at the Barbican in London and came home and wrote this song. More generally, it's about songs written by another that open us up to ourselves, to each other and to the world.

“Lhasa was a one-of-a-kind artist, whose music has accompanied me all throughout my life,” she continues. “People often talk about her as an extraordinary singer or performer, but she was equally a brilliant songwriter and storyteller. I often wonder what Lhasa would make of the world today. Her humility, openness and quest for authenticity always inspire me. Her music was expansive, beyond language and genre - she sang from and for the soul.”

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T.G. Shand - Lightnode - Bazooka - Natalie Henry

T.G. Shand - WAWO.

Otautahi, New Zealand based dream pop artist, T. G. Shand is excited to present her latest single release, ‘WAWO’. Out today Friday 11 November. This is the first single off an upcoming EP due out this summer.

Delving back into her heavier Melbourne shoegaze roots, this one  feels the influences of Tamaryn and Sharon Van Etten. It's heavier than the recent tracks but has a dream pop sparkle. Self produced by Annemarie, and mastered by Bevan Smith, the track is both dynamic and ethereal.

"Most of it came together pretty quickly in a weekend, then I spent a month figuring out the bridge and how to include my precious Yamaha CP-70 piano."

T. G. Shand came to life in 2016. “After Miniatures disbanded, it’s been an outlet for music ideas and trying out guitar and bass.” Annemarie’s shoegaze roots found influences from the likes of Curve, Chapterhouse, Medicine, and equally from modern R&B/hip-hop heroes like Pip Millet and Little Simz.

T. G. Shand · T. G. Shand - WAWO

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Lightnode - To be is to be is to be/Same Time Same Place.

At the beginning of October 2022, the Swiss alternative rock band Lightnode released the album single 'Same Time Same Place', which was played on numerous radio stations throughout Europe.

Now follows the debut album entitled 'The Bright Side of The Edge'. The tracks on the album are reflective, concise and atmospheric. Roger Imboden's songs and lyrics reveal profound explorations of various topics: for example, the situation of Mediterranean refugees ("Made of Gold"), but also the view of one's own path of change and transience («Stay»), longings («Out of Range»), the comfort zone («Same Time Same Place») or dealing with low points («Back from Bottom Ground»).

In all 9 songs, a sense of hope always prevails and the realization that new worlds open up off the beaten path; if we dare to unlock the doors («Fine»). «The Bright Side Of The Edge» is a snapshot of the moment, with the unknown waiting at the edges, beckoning longingly, demanding other truths and illuminating the mysterious path to the future.

Lightnode play rock music - straightforward, real and honest. Their style is heavily influenced by 90's rock bands, sometimes recalling the energy of the Counting Crows or indie rock moments of Wilco. Occasionally, however, there are also echoes of the 60s and 70s through the distinctive organ sounds. The individual influences and musical imprints of the five musicians flow together to create their own emotional and powerful sound, sometimes softer, sometimes more powerful.

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Bazooka - Kapou Allou.

The world is falling apart but Bazooka are here with their fourth album (on October 21 via Inner Ear Records, Greece). They take us by the hand on a journey to a world above the earth, a world somewhere else. With 10 songs and their stories captured via the album artwork designed by Australian artist Montero, they transport us to the dreams and nightmares of modern life. ''Kapou Allou (Somewhere Elsewhere)'' is clearly the band's most entertaining and versatile album, their own truth. 

Bazooka’s craziness and instinctive energy are still there but accompanied by a great appetite for experimentation and situations that lead the band to an absolute letting go without any restrictions. The final result is the closest a studio album can get to the band's live performing sound, making this arguably their best album to date.

This five-piece band is originally from Volos, Greece, but relocated to Athens, comprising the core of the new underground psych-rock scene along with other bands, such as Acid Baby Jesus and Komodina 3.  Since then, they have toured Europe several times and around the United States. Their music could be described as psychedelic and very raw, like garage punk with a unique sense of youth mixed with frustration vibes.

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Natalie Henry - White Heat.

White Heat – A state of intense passion or activity. “White Heat” is the title and latest track lifted from Natalie Henry’s acclaimed album and is an obvious, yet yearning number.

Natalie leaves nothing uncovered as she hunts around her broken heart for scraps of unwanted evidence to find what caused her to love this way. Left with nothing but the music and a new lover’s sweat, she unravels it all, and winds it back together like a broken cassette.

If you haven’t discovered this impressive Australian singer-songwriter, immerse yourself in “White Heat” now. “White Heat” is written by Natalie Henry and superbly produced by Michael Moko and Catherine Britt.


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Crying Day Care Choir - Great Time - MF Tomlinson

Crying Day Care Choir - The Dreams Of Alice.

After a successful summer performing at festivals such Sziget Festival, Malmöfestivalen, Be Alternative and many more, Swedish alt-follk trio Crying Day Care Choir recently formed their own label ELZ Productions, with their first release an internationally groundbreaking EP with cover art by Damien Hirst and the art itself as source of inspiration.

CDCC’s new EP ‘Give Me Something Vol.1’, the first of three new collections released in the coming months, explores the relationship between art and music and challenges the idea of how music is created. The full album acts as a continuation of Damien Hirst's project ‘The Currency’, where he explores the concept of value through art and money. The Currency contains 10.000 unique pieces, with different titles produced by an AI generator that's been fed with some of the artist’s favourite music. The buyers of these different art pieces were left with the decision during the summer of 2022, to either keep their physical piece or to keep the NFT version of it and let the physical painting burn.

This project led to new artistic ideas for the musicians in CDCC, and the concept for the record ‘Give Me Something’ took shape. The idea is to take the titles from the burnt artworks and put them together as lyrics, thus giving them new life in a new art form -“Reborn, as songs”.

With Damien Hirst’s permission the work began in September. Damien Hirst’s artwork ‘Give Me Something’ will act as album cover for the release. The world famous artist however is no stranger to the concept of making album art with his latest involvement being in Drake’s ‘Certified Loverboy’ from 2021. CDCC is Jack, Sara and Bill Elz. A Swedish band always breaking new ground by exploring new sounds to mix with their patented brand of indie folk.

Crying Day Care Choir · The Dreams Of Alice

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Great Time - Feather - Live in Philadelphia.

Great Time doesn't want to fit in a box. Living up to their name, the band just wants to have a great time making music that they love. Tired of being advised to "pick a lane" by some of their industry peers, Great time set out to create music that celebrates their wide-ranging sound, incorporating genres from synth-pop and electronic to jazz, punk, rock and R&B.

Prior to the first single, 80z Slo Jam, on the upcoming album Live In Phildelphia, their most recent releases are a series of EPs titled “Sounds Like ____”. The band had the idea to turn the EP titles into a Mad Libs type of game "so that someone could put their own adjective or descriptor for the EP in the blank space," explains singer/multi-instrumentalist Jill Ryan. The projects explore some of the different sounds and styles that influence Great Time. “Some people thought [our 2018 debut LP] 'Great Album' was all over the place, so with the ‘Sounds Like’ series, we decided to lean even further into our multi-genre tendencies and place the option of categorizing or putting us in a box on the listener.”

True to their vision, each EP carries a different sound. On Vol. 1, Great Time create a blissed out atmosphere, with R&B and neo-soul melodies. For Vol. 2, the band zones in on its electronic and pop influences, creating a livelier soundscape that feels ripe for dancing. Whereas Vol. 3 shows a guitar-heavy, more traditionally rock-influenced side to the three-piece group, with individual tracks ranging from punk to acoustic folk.

With their "Sounds Like _____" EP series completed, Great Time's next project is a live album that features the new material, allowing existing fans and new listeners who haven't had the opportunity to see them perform yet enjoy how the band stunningly transforms their songs for live performances. Great Time are so excited to be sharing "Feather (Little Dragon Cover)" ,  the next single from this project is just out.

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MF Tomlinson - The End of the Road.

London-based, Brisbane/Meanjin-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson releases his new single "The End Of The Road" - the third track from his upcoming second album We Are Still Wild Horses, out 17th February 2023 via PRAH Recordings (Falle Nioke, the Umlauts, Pozi).

‘The End Of The Road’ is a magical realist hymn for the end of the world. A paean to community and culture - celebrating the hope of humanity in the face of the hopelessness of the human race.

Inspired by his memories of the Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion protests of 2019, Tomlinson’s song plays like a vivid dream in which all ‘the people like me and you’ (those who believe in justice for human beings and the rest of the natural world) convene to enjoy the apocalypse in unison – traveling from Trafalgar Square to the bucolic vista of End Of The Road festival in Dorset, one of the last transcendent communal experiences he had before the onset of the pandemic.

With ‘Last Waltz’ arrangements and luminous vocal imbuements from frequent collaborator Connie Chatwin, Tomlinson verbally paints this paradise under silvery starlight. Protesters and friends all gathered together, crooning with open hearts - at peace with the coming darkness that they know will sweep them away to whatever awaits on the other side. It’s a breathtaking vision of the human spirit, filled with love, compassion and beauty until the very last breath. In that same breath, it's an impassioned protest song - a statement of defiance from a crowd of people to those in power:

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Selfish Bodies - Dan Hatton - Womb

Selfish Bodies - Bambi Legs.

Selfish Bodies are a female lead alternative pop rock trio based in Edmonton, AB, who combine their love of writing with genre-blending, cinematic soundscapes and thoughtful lyrics. They believe music is a universal language. 

What does the band want to say? Whatever their listeners need to hear. Selfish Bodies' goal is to connect with their listeners through the creation of relatable and heartfelt content.

Cathartic new single, "Bambi Legs," was inspired by insecurity. When self consciousness rears its ugly head, it can lead to a lot of fear and second guessing. This is a lonely feeling yet we are oddly united in it as we all feel this way at least sometimes. The duality of the feelings in the lyrics through the instrumentation is magnified as the song sways back and forth between a heaviness to a more lightheartedness.

Selfish Bodies · Bambi Legs (Clean)

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Dan Hatton - Boyish Charm.

Hailing from South London, Dan Hatton is the latest independent artist to grace the Brixton boardwalk.

After a stint in the dizzying, high-rise landscape of the professional world, he dropped his calculator, quit his job, and picked up his guitar... which is why this debut single from Hatton is all the more poignant. 

This is the second offering from Hatton's debut album which is an intimate introduction to what is sure to be an exquisite body of work. Dan Hatton is a singer-songwriter from South London. He loves mint tea, synths, and writing songs about love.

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Womb - When I See You.

Womb have shared a final taste of their upcoming album Dreaming of the Future Again via brand new single, ‘When I See You’. Womb rarely fails to devastate their listeners and the slightly more accelerated ‘When I See You’ is no exception to the rule; a phenomenal teaser to their sophomore album, which is out digitally and on vinyl LP this Friday November 11th via Flying Nun Records.

“When I See You came to us in fragments; a chord progression arrived; then a verse; a driving beat; a guitar line; later, walking around at night listening to a demo of the song, the chorus finally came, the words “We could grow from here” circling round and round in my head. 

This is a song about conflict: there’s a secret conversation going on between the ¾ guitar line that comes in at the start and the 4/4 timing of the rest of the song; the timings are clashing, each wishing to be heard, but in the end they are singing the same song.” - Womb

Womb · When I See You

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Jenny Bakke - The Woolverstones - Lesley Pike

Jenny Bakke - He's Too Famous Now.

Earlier this year, Liverpool-based Norwegian musician Jenny Bakke made her musical debut under the moniker Helven, releasing her debut EP, volume 1, a collection of synth-laden bedroom pop songs. Now she’s preparing to make her return with Morild, her most personal collection yet, fittingly to be released under her own name.

Last month she shared her first single as Jenny Bakke, an experimental mixture of noise and techno called 'New Life', a bold statement of intent for an artist who is comfortable pushing her ever expanding horizons. Today she is sharing new single ‘He’s Too Famous Now’, a laid-back blend of alternative R&B and indie-pop. The track is based on the sentimental bitterness that lies behind a long-distance relationship. Musicians Bendik HK, Oscar Funden, Andrew Murray Baardsen and Oliver Fremo help lay the foundation that Bakke and her cashmere-soft voice floats upon. She sings about the contrast between expectations that aren't met and an undying hope for things to get better. It’s fragile, sentimental, and hopeful, with a psychedelic edge to it.

Jenny Bakke is 22-year-old producer, songwriter and musician from Grimstad on the southern coast of Norway who has quickly built herself a career and a reputation on Norway’s alternate music scene. She’s played live at showcase festivals such as Havstrøm, Vill Vill Vest and by:Larm. In 2022 she released her debut EP, volume 1, as Helven, and her upcoming, ambitious mixtape will serve as another debut of sorts. Due out in Spring 2023, Morild was created in collaboration with a wide selection of talented producers contributing on different songs, which results in an eclectic and varied collection.

Jansen Records · Jenny Bakke - He’s Too Famous Now

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The Woolverstones - Emerald Train.

Contemporary folk duo The Woolverstones have returned following the epic success of their debut single "A Song for Harlequins”, with a visual "Emerald Train”. The track is marked as a slight anomaly, being that it’s the only track from their new studio album (Grey Eyed Dandy) that is geographically set abroad.

The song was first conceived whilst waiting for a train in southern France in the blistering heat. Band members Chris and Lou's shoes were broken, they were thirsty, hungry and not sure when the next train was coming as nobody was around to help.

As they waited pensively for the next train to escape this lonesome place, they were suddenly overcome by a sense of freedom...the oppressive heat and lack of footwear seemed almost liberating. There was something glorious about basking in the knowledge that things surely had to improve and that this minor hardship had led to the beginning of a song. They reflected on two favourite actors Charles Hawtrey (Carry On fame), and Peter Sellers. How much laughter they provided people despite their own turbulent lives.

Pain offers some rewards it seems. Once they'd penned the lyrics, Chris started noodling and found a chord progression which struck him as having a slight Nirvana unplugged feel...happy to be on that path he chased this song down many more paths until he felt The Woolverstones' sound come through. Owing to the embryonic nature of the song, they sensed the chorus required an almost anticlimactic quality, they cracked it, and Emerald Train left the station.

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Lesley Pike - Wild.

Both Lesley Pike’s songwriting and production skills have progressed throughout the crafting of her new, two-volume album, Wild. Wild (Vol. 1) finds a new resilience for the Toronto and London, UK based Pike, who mined her own vulnerability to craft these complex songs. “What we feel deep down, we know. What we feed will grow.”

“Wild,” the album’s title track, is an organic and airy piece of folk pop which reflects on children’s sense of abandon and the freedom which Pike has found within herself. It’s a song about taking the time to reflect and really trust in oneself.

The recording artist’s fourth disc, which will be released in two volumes, is an accumulation of confidence and drive as well as an all-important focus: producing and creating music on her terms. The result of her ambitions? Fourteen stunning recordings which represent new heights in Pike’s song craft-ranging from the personal into the universal.

Lesley Pike · Wild

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H.C. McEntire - Addie Brik - Mia Baron - Quarry

Photo - Heather Evans Smith

H.C. McEntire - Dovetail.

H.C. McEntire announces her new album, Every Acre, will be released on January 27 via Merge Records. Co-produced by McEntire, Missy Thangs and Luke Norton, Every Acre features nine poignant new songs, including two tracks with backing vocals provided by S.G. Goodman and Amy Ray. Along with the announcement, McEntire shares “Dovetail,” the new single that imagistically depicts various women and their various gifts, their various traumas.

“‘Dovetail’ began as a jangly, four-on-the-floor country demo I roughly recorded at home,” McEntire explains of the song’s inception. “In the studio, the band and I leaned into the twang and outlaw attitude, recorded it, and moved on to work on other songs. But something kept calling us back to reimagine this song, to look at it from a different angle. One night after a long day of tracking, Luke started playing the ‘Dovetail’ chord progression on piano, but much more slowly. Daniel jumped behind the drums and played a simple halftime beat while I stood next to the piano and sang out into the room. We quickly recorded about a minute of the experiment onto a cell phone and went to bed. The next morning, we referenced the recording and tracked a full-band version of the song in that style—essentially, it took the form of a ballad.”

“This ‘classic’ arrangement offered space for a more nuanced vocal delivery; the slower pace allowed vocal lines to stretch and stand tall with emotion. The less-is-more approach created a vulnerability that felt right and also applied intention—to clearly speak, suspend, and spill out the narrative. Throughout verses, I posed the personalities of various women in juxtaposition—a way to both celebrate differences and individuation, as well as acknowledge the complexities of being in relation with a range of traumas, including my own. The pre-chorus and chorus lyrics nod to a problematic dynamic that can occur when presumptions are made about an Artist solely based on the social consumption and/or interpretations of their Art—romanticism versus reality.”

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Addie Brik - First Odd Prime.

They say all good things arrive in threes, and the third single to be cut from Addie’s upcoming album ‘That Dog Don’t Hunt’ (out 25 November, via Itza Records) is a prime example.

A song that dwells upon the laws of the ultimate numbers game, “The First Odd Prime” finds Addie reflecting on Fibonacci's revolutionary sequence, and the natural order of things. As Addie explains: “This is about compassion, as seen through the lens of Nature, The Golden Ratio, Fibonacci Numbers, with the fairy dust of the Charles Laughton film, Night of The Hunter, thrown in for colour.”

Chiming with the themes of “odd primes, the Golden Mean, rescue and homecoming” expressed in the song, the new single arrives with a mesmeric official video that finds the numerical and the natural artfully intersecting with one another. Directed by Andy Alston (Del Amitri) and co-edited with Addie Brik, the live footage was captured outside Addie’s home in  Scotland, with additional film clips provided by Glenn Lewis (Mick Harvey, Cambodian Space Project).

Featuring a stellar cast of guest players, “The First Odd Prime”’s thunderous rhythms come courtesy of Simple Minds’ Jim McDermott on Drums, with Glenn Lewis (guitars) and Nick Blythe (bass) adding to its swirling maelstrom of sounds. US star N’dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies, Malcolm McClaren) also contributes her vocals to its hypnotic chorus hooks.

 

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Mia Baron - Rebel Without A Cause.

Toronto-based pop singer-songwriter Mia Baron pens lyrics which touch on how challenging it is to figure out who you are and what you want. Baron's songs show that for her, the sky's the limit. Natural talent, swagger, and drive have played a role in this 14-year-old artist racking up close to 300,000 total Spotify streams.

Her latest release, "Rebel Without a Cause," describes teenage rebellion: an adventurous desire to do forbidden things, test the limits and go against what's expected.

Baron started singing at just nine years old and turned professional at 11. When the pandemic halted her busy schedule as a live performer, she pivoted to releasing songs every few months with the help of her production and co-writing team Matt Kahane and Quin Kiu. With a sound shaped by artists like Madison Beer, Nessa Barrett, and The Weeknd, Baron's pop tracks are frequently filled with stuttering beats and moody vibes.

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Quarry - New City Comes Along.

Milan-based singer-songwriter QUARRY is set to release his new single: “New City Comes Along”, taken from his new album ‘Positioning The Sun’ out now. Paying homage to the victims caught up in the Ukraine war, “New City Comes Along” seeks to shine a light on the stories of those citizens whose lives are completely destroyed by such conflict. As Quarry explains:

“A city devastated by bombing and reduced to rubble is one of the most heartbreaking things to see. How many stories are behind those bodies scattered along the streets, those destroyed buildings that were once warm houses to families. I wrote this song thinking of a beautiful city like Kyiv falling into ruin, but it could be any city destroyed by warfare. New cities will, eventually, come along through the skin of the razed ones.”

Agitated by injustice but laced with an optimism for a better, more peaceful future, “New City Comes Along” is a punk-razored track that finds Quarry taking inspiration from the revolutionary class of The Clash while injecting a chorus of hope into their frenzied formula. Showing a new side to the multi-faceted artist that the softer and more reflective previous singles “This Is The Story” and “Beyond Any Sense” perhaps left camouflaged, it blends clangorous drums with impassioned vocals and driving guitars that rise-up like a rallying cry for peace.

The new track was the finishing touch to Quarry’s new LP ‘Positioning The Sun’ (out now via Lowfieye Records); an album born out of the feeling of living suspended in time during the pandemic. Written and recorded in Milan between 2020 and 2022, the LP has a knack for capturing the overwhelming weight of the world’s complications.

 

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