Ingrid Mae - Shoeb Ahmad - Inkfields

Ingrid Mae - Closing Time.

Ingrid Mae has written and produced an album where the broken pieces are beautiful. We know it is “Closing Time”and the party is indeed over but we want to stay. From the first track “No SOS” we are hypnotized by this haunting capture and she holds us there; and we enjoy it.

If “Holy Smoke” was the outlaw cry then “Closing Time” takes us back to the hideout for the after-party with songs like “Like It’s Over” and “Poor Little Thing”. An explosive writer with the ability to traverse many different moods you can just label her at whim; Alt-country, Americana or Country-Rock. Whatever country bucket she lands in, there’s a Mae-DNA in her music.

It was a labour of love for Ingrid Mae and Rock Guy (drummer and partner) who produced the album. It was a bitter sweet ending to a year that saw the loss of their beloved best friend and bass player, Eddie, who played on all tracks on the album and has been part of the family since the beginning. The new album, “Closing Time”, is dedicated to him and the time they shared in the old shack “707” recording this album back in early 2020.

“I enjoyed producing the album and working with my close friends to achieve what I heard in my head when I wrote the songs”, says Mae.

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Shoeb Ahmad - double checks against the corner (c).

Following a performance at MONA FOMA and ahead of an appearance at SXSW, APRA AMCOS Art Music Award-winning Canberra-based experimentalist Sia Ahmad (she/her) - who makes music as Shoeb Ahmad - has announced her forthcoming record double checks against the corner, to be released on May 5 2023, along with her signing to No Gold, the new label launched by Angus Andrew of Liars.

Taken as the first single from what the multi-instrumentalist describes as a "song cycle" rather than a traditional record structure, part '(c)' shines a light on the loveworn nature of long term relationships and the frazzled state of distance, as a slo-mo indie-soul bassline and loping groove roll along with the punches.

Sia Ahmad says, "Like all of my work, the "double checks against the corner" song cycle speaks from a personal place and part (c) in particular highlights the unspoken domestic stresses of a relationship in breakdown. There's resolution and an understanding but the distance that's grown before then needs to be addressed. It's a hard observation to make. Musically, this section bridges the song craft from the "quiver" period with the more naive soundclash territory from A Body Full Of Tears and Facade, a dubby off-kilter soul vibe"

A five-part tome weaving a narrative around relationship breakdown, reconciliation and parenthood, double checks against the corner encapsulates what is seen as a hyper-domestic experience, but digs deep into the nuances that are left behind closed doors or in text threads, bringing together Sia's experimental sound art practice with the purity of honest pop songwriting and deep, beat-heavy production.

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Inkfields - Your Head's in the Sand.

‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ is the second single from the upcoming album (The Third Side of the Coin due April 27) of Edinburgh based artist Inkfields and the track sees the songwriter inspired by the fluidity and calming effects of the ocean as he conjures up a mesmerising back drop while he encourages the subject to “give
up you pride”.

Following on from the album’s title track, ‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ came out of a moment of frustration, and you can hear it in the flicker in Inkfields’ voice and the hammering tones that keep you on edge while maintaining that soothing atmosphere.

Heralding a progression in the Inkfields sound these single’s bring about an artist that understands where he is at, it’s a less complicated, more mature, more settled sound that feels like Inkfields hitting his a-game, an artist able to allow his tracks to breathe and engulf the listener.

Inkfields, the guise of Samuel James-Griffiths, began in Dresden, Germany as a spontaneous after work street music experiment, moving through Sweden, Southern Germany and finally to Edinburgh. The music has been forged through thousands of hours of street music across dozens of cities in Europe, from -12 to +40 degrees, through rain, snow, wind and sun.

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Sam Scherdel - Rodney Crowell - Vera Ellen - Todd Dorigo

Sam Scherdel - Balloon.

Sheffield-UK singer/songwriter Sam Scherdel has returned with his delightful new video/track ‘Balloon’ The video paired alongside the track is refreshing, alluring, and enchanting as the visual features Sam and his son for story.

Over the past twelve months he has released a string of successful singles since launching in March 2022, 12 later he releases “Balloon”. Recorded between Doncaster and Nashville Balloon delivers a truly haunting understory lyrically, sung to a countering seismic uplifting Born to Run esque back drop.

His strongest single to date is sure to help make sure 2023 is his biggest year yet. Having began selling out shows across Yorkshire he returns to his native Sheffield to headline the Leadmill March 18th prior to embarking on a string of festival dates across the summer.

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Rodney Crowell - Everything at Once.

Rodney Crowell will release The Chicago Sessions on May 5, 2023, via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded by Tom Schick at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago. The masterful, cross-generational collaboration follows Crowell’s acclaimed 2021 album Triage. Hailed by Rolling Stone as a “country music trailblazer” and by The New York Times as an artist whose songwriting “gets better and sharper with age,” Crowell delivers an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn. Sounding both fresh and familiar, it’s among Crowell’s very best work.

As Jeff Tweedy puts it, “The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I’ve always loved. In my estimation, it’s as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that.”

While looking at the cover of The Chicago Sessions, listeners might recognize a familiar callback to Crowell’s 1978 debut, Ain’t Living Long Like This. “In a lot of ways, this album feels like that very first record to me,” Crowell reflects. “When my daughter suggested we lay the artwork out similarly, the connection made perfect sense. There’s something very simple, very innocent about it. It’s just me and the band in a room together, loose and live and having fun.” The Chicago Sessions is indeed a throwback to the legendary Crowell’s early days of making records, but it’s no nostalgia trip. The songs are vital and timely, touching on everything from love and mortality to race and religion, and the performances are nothing short of intoxicating, fueled by raw guitars, honky-tonk piano, and tight, punchy drums. Tweedy wields a light touch as a producer, his influence subtle yet unmistakable. Engineer Tom Schick’s mixes are dynamic and lively, alternately lush and spacious in all the right places, with a spotlight fixed firmly on Crowell’s warm, weathered vocals throughout.

Now Crowell has released the video for the album’s first single, “Everything at Once,” which features footage recorded at The Loft during recording. A co-write with Tweedy, the song walks a tightrope between hope and despair as it playfully wrestles with overstimulation in an overcrowded world. Perhaps no track better encapsulates the spirit of the record. Crowell explains, “It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album. We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn’t get too precious about it.”

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Vera Ellen - Lenny Says.

Finding humour in self-loathing, award-winning Vera Ellen is back with the second guitar driven single, ‘Lenny Says’  from her upcoming album, Ideal Home Noise, which is out digitally and on both red or black vinyl and CD on Friday March 31st, 2023 via Flying Nun Records.

"I wrote Lenny Says to make fun of myself at rock bottom. It was actually initially for my album Beat Yr Name (2018) but I felt it was too cheesy at the time. Now, I can see the humour in it. The two verses were genuinely written three years apart — though clearly the angst did not dwindle. It's a track for us whining broke losers with unattainable dreams; having a laugh and a moan at the same time."

The video for 'Lenny Says' is the second instalment in the three-part series was directed and produced by Sports Team, and made with the support of NZ on Air. About the video, Vera Ellen says "If you cried in Carpenter, you will scream in Lenny Says. My band joins me for some diabolical plotting and scheming... but what exactly are we planning?? What we do best of course. And, listen, I won't have any of your judgement. We all do crazy things to maintain our youth and glory!"

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Todd Dorigo - Another Fantasy.

Recognised for his baritone vocal, brooding delivery and contemplative lyrics, Todd Dorigo traded big city lights for green wilderness. As the world began to go into lockdown, Todd moved from London to the Swedish woods near Jönköping. Todd has supported bands like The Libertines and also played festivals such as Glastonbury.

Todd Dorigo has released his new EP ‘Another Fantasy’ (March 3 2023). The EP is written and recorded in isolation in the Swedish woods. Sonically, there are echoes of Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker and Ennio Morricone. There is perhaps even an element of cinema to this EP in the way it builds tension and dreams up dusty western landscapes.

“In the process of questioning my own identity and authenticity, these songs intended to seek out the truth but were soon misled through dream sequences, psychedelic trips and erotic fantasies”. - Todd Dorigo.

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Kendall Lujan - Holly Henderson - Juliana Madrid - Lynn Miles - Emma Tricca

Kendall Lujan - Forget me Knots.

Kendall's debut single found a spot on the "New In Singer-Songwriter" official Apple Music Playlist , saw great growth on Spotify and was covered by Consequence Of Sound. Her debut video was placed on MTV Denmark, and she's seen radio play from Seattle (KEXP) to Saarland Germany (SR2 Kultur).

Kendall Lujan comes to us from Bellingham, Washington, and has found her place among the blistering hot music community in Portland, Oregon. She fits right into the songwriters with singular voices club that the Portland underground is known for right now. Her debut EP was recorded at the Map Room in Portland by producer Dominik Schmidt, and we first heard her sing harmonies in AC Sapphire's band The Shoulderpads.

Kendall will be roaring into Treefort Music Fest with the rest of the ASTRecords crew (Taco Tapes, Sequoia, AC Sapphire, Meredith Lane, Ryan Curtis, Jeremy James Meyer, Jeremy Ferrara) as a warmup to a 2023 European tour. Later this summer she'll play our inagural label festival, the Cave Creek Ramble, along with Margo Cilker, Bart Budwig, and Maita.

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Holly Henderson - Wendy.

Holly Henderson’s highly anticipated second album, “The Walls” is out now. The album follows the release of last year’s acclaimed single “The Planes”, which Clash Magazine described thus: “bejewelled psych-pop with folk qualities, her work has a haunting after-effect that can’t be shrugged off.”

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.

Latest single “Wendy” is a uniquely fresh, yet retro infused ballad, told from the story of a person leaving their dog “Wendy” at home and promising her that she hasn’t been abandoned. It begins with the familiar whimsy and folk sentiments of Holly’s arrangements, and her dreamy, ethereal storyteller vocals. But as the band creep in, and Wendy’s world grows darker and colder, the warmth of the band, as more drums, percussion, guitars, mandolins and harmonies sweep in to remind Wendy, and anyone else listening, that they are never alone.

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.

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Juliana Madrid - Afterlife.

Juliana Madrid releases her first single “Afterlife” from her upcoming sophomore collection to be released later this year on Neon Gold Records. After releasing her self-titled debut EP, she returned with a more expansive, deeper sound on “Afterlife”, with lyrics “Hey! I’m not great but I might be alright. So kiss my perfect afterlife goodbye”.

Juliana Madrid explains: “In "Afterlife," I am sort of flirting with the universe in hopes of getting more time. I’m often living in my own head, so I tend to get into these ruts where it feels like I’ve been putting my energy towards the wrong thing or not working hard enough or not using my time to my best advantage. Throughout the song, I attempt to understand these thoughts and try my best to find a middle ground with my own fears."

Juliana "Jules" Madrid is a 21 year old singer/ songwriter hailing from Dallas, Texas.  Juliana combines elements of folk, alt, and pop to write sardonic, coming-of-age tales that are relatable yet uniquely her. Madrid started in music at the young age of 9, learning guitar at the encouragement of her parents. Soon after, she enrolled in a local program called School of Rock. There, she began to find her voice while realizing she also had a knack for songwriting, using music as a creative outlet to express herself.

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Lynn Miles - Johnny Without June.

Coming from a country renowned for having outstanding singer-songwriters, Lynn Miles is considered Canadian songwriting royalty. With a JUNO Award in 2003 for Roots Traditional Album of the year, Lynn subsequently scored JUNO nominations in 2011 and 2006, and took home six Canadian Folk Music Awards including three for Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, American artist Clair Lynch recorded Lynn’s song “Black Flowers” on her Grammy-nominated album of songs penned by Canadians called North By South.

Lynn has the ability to instantly convert listeners into lifetime fans. On her newest album tumbleweedyworld she sings about the differences between people, which ultimately only demonstrates how we are so much the same. As always her ever-emotive voice carries each lyric with breathtaking clarity and heart-wrenching emotion, showcasing her talent as a singer and songwriter.

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Emma Tricca - Autumn's Fiery Tongue.

Emma Tricca will release her anticipated new album Aspirin Sun via Bella Union. Having previously shared videos for the tracks “King Blixa” and “Christodora House”, Tricca now shares a video for her psychedelic new single, “Autumn’s Fiery Tongue”.

Commenting on the track Emma Tricca says: “All the verses in this song come from a strange dream that probably resembles scenes from the film ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. As I woke one morning all those images came alive again before my eyes… just like in a beat poem, the images were sketchy. The title comes from the love I have for Autumn and its dream-like state: both powerful and inevitable.”

“It felt like I was driving through tunnels,” Emma Tricca says of her fourth album – her first for Bella Union. A phosphorescent panorama of undulating color, shape and sound.

As with any transformation, it is this sense of movement that underpins Aspirin Sun and its bold new form, ebbing and flowing, continually unfurling. The tunnels led the Italian-born, London-based singer-songwriter towards something expansive and far-reaching: an entirely new and experimental collection of songs. But they also drew her closer to her late father, and her memories of him driving them both in his small white Fiat, darting through the Alps and whizzing through darkened passageways, where shafts of light flickered ahead of them in the distance.

Light and shade; past and future; love and loss. “I was in uncharted territory trying to understand what was happening to me,” Tricca says. In the winter of 2018, only months after her mystical third album St. Peter was released, her father died, submerging her in a subaqueous world of grief. “I think that the loss really informed the tunes a lot,” she muses. And the tunes quickly emerged. Tricca decided to spend a few months in New York during the summer of 2019 and started recording Aspirin Sun.

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Caitlin Rose - CHVRLI BLVCK - Awkward Branches - Kassi Valazza - Dutch Uncles

Caitlin Rose - Lil' Vesta.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Caitlin Rose announced today a new batch of tour dates this spring. The full-band shows will be co-headlined with fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs.

They’ll kick off on May 30th in Louisville followed by stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia among others. Rose will also be out on the road next month supporting The Old 97’s for several dates across the west coast.

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), it earned widespread critical acclaim including NPR Music, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Paste, Slate, Nashville Scene, and Stereogum who named it as their Album of the Week upon release.

 
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CHVRLI BLVCK - Why Did You Go.

CHVRLI BLVCK is a London-born singer-songwriter living in the New Forest, known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognizable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.

He began releasing music in mid-2022 and has quickly developed a dedicated online following, with over a quarter of a million streams, positive reviews, podcast interviews, and regular airplay on independent radio stations. He has also entered the live arena with some success performing small shows, and is fast becoming a fixture of the local scene.

His single, "Why Did You Go?", is released today, in conjunction with End of The Trail Creative, is a poignant and deeply personal account of the aftermath of a breakup. It begins as a gentle ballad, "People are already walking in my house", builds to a pleading refrain, "Why did you go?”, and concludes with the pain of acceptance, “Feel like I missed my train”.

"Why Did You Go?" blends simple acoustic guitar with layered vocals and retro-inspired synths to create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape, which rises and falls in harmony with the emotional journey it imparts.

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Awkward Branches - In That House.

Awkward Branches, the new project of singer, keyboardist and former Fiction frontman Mike Barrett and close collaborator and guitarist Phil Swan, announce their debut EP Melody for a Friend due out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings. This weeks announcement comes with the release of their new single ‘In That House’, the second single to be released from the duo, following on from tranquil sun-flecked number ‘A Frame (Not A Window)’ which came out in the winter of 2022. ’In That House’ is an alt-folk number, which began life in the Welsh countryside. The track combines widescreen guitars, winding synths and breezy vocals that speak to the curious boundary between humans and animals.

Beginning as a few tender sketches some years ago, Awkward Branches' new EP Melody for a Friend has grown, unhurriedly, into a set of six lovingly crafted alt-pop songs. From the acoustic opener and debut single, ‘A Frame not a Window’; the balearic dream-pop of ‘Summer of the Pine’; to the nostalgic title-track which closes the collection, this EP showcases Awkward Branches knack for weaving melody texture and lyricism into compelling and rewarding songs.

Mike Barrett and Phil Swan aka Awkward Branches appropriately first met standing under a much-beloved tree in the gardens of an old wedding chapel where they both worked. While waiting for ceremonies to run their course, talk would often turn to music. United by a shared appreciation for ambient soundscapes and buoyant melodies, they tentatively began recording sketches; ideas which grew over several years, without hurry, into a handful of fully formed songs. Ever since then, they have been writing and performing with each-other in numerous other projects - including a 6-piece experimental collective (Holy Island Sketchbook), gothic trio (Sweet Heave) and as part of Mike’s dream-pop project (Brand New Moon) - they felt it was finally time to put a name to their own project, and thus Awkward Branches was born.

Awkward Branches · In That House

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Kassi Valazza - Corners.

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza recently announced her sophomore full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, which is set to release on May 26 via Loose (Margo Cilker, The Handsome Family).

Now, Valazza has shared the second single from the album, ‘Corners’, which is premiering now over at Brooklyn Vegan. Throughout the track, fingerpicked acoustic guitar dances with bounding bass and twinkling piano, as a gentle backing choir flows behind Valazza like a stream through a lonesome vista. “The clouds move slower than they ever seemed to / Still, they find a way to pass me by,” she sings on her breezy lament about the longing that comes with an unhealthy love, “My friends, though, they wonder what I’m used to / To love a man who never treats me right.”

Of recording "Corners," Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [Portland-based band] TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, who hadn't heard any of the songs before we went into the studio. You're rarely going to find a songwriter that writes and composes every single song; it's a combination of people working things out together, of what I want and what the band hears. 

When people don't know the songs, it’s a lot looser and more magic can happen. You don't overthink it. One thing I really loved about recording 'Corners' in particular was watching the guys do the four-part harmonies. It finally felt like the song was coming together. I also made a point to have no electric guitar to add to those breezy Eagles sounds, making it the only track on the album without electric guitar."

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Dutch Uncles - In Salvia.

Dutch Uncles have shared new single “In Salvia", the final taste of the band's long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, out on 10th March via Memphis Industries.

Showcasing a new sonic palette for the band, new single "In Salvia" blurs the lines between synthesised and acoustic instrumentation, all laser focused around a jaunty "ode-to-Outkast" 808 beat. Accompanied by an all star cast of musical apparatus; Triton horns, bouncing arpeggiators, synth flutes and EBows, the band once more enlisted the help of Metronomy's Anna Prior, further elevating the track with some ethereal ad libs and ASMR additions.

The band have also revealed details of a special launch event for new album True Entertainment. On 11th March, West Didsbury & Chorlton play Ascot Utd in the FA Vase. Dutch Uncles will be taking out an advert in the matchday programme, playing album tracks out on the stadium's tannoy and running a pop up merch stand with discounted tour tickets, vinyl, t-shirts etc. The band have also teamed up with The Beagle in Chorlton, and will continue the album celebrations later that day with the addition of an exclusive new pizza to The Beagle's menu for one night only, the True Entertainment Pizza - a normal pizza, but with chips on top, in reference to their popular Podcast 'Chips Of Chorlton'. The band will also be DJ'ing at the venue.

Dutch Uncles are masters of the unique album launch. For 2017's Big Balloon the band invited fans to join them go-karting beneath the Manchester Arena and for 2013's Out Of Touch In The Wild they worked with chefs at Manchester burger restaurant Almost Famous to develop a burger in honour of the record.

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PACKS - Theresa Gorella - Emilee Rose - Ezra Veda - Ryan Brown

PACKS - Brown Eyes.

Last month the Toronto/Ottawa band PACKS announced their sophomore LP Crispy Crunchy Nothing, which is set for release on Fire Talk Records on March 31st. The follow up to their acclaimed 2021 debut Take The Cake, which earned accolades from outlets like The FADER, Stereogum, NYLON, Paste, BrooklynVegan, NME, Gorilla vs Bear and Bandcamp, who called the LP "the sound of classic indie rock as delivered by a promising new voice."

The album was announced with the single "4th of July", which earned best of the week nods from outlets like Uproxx, Consequence and Alt Press who called it "a delight", and now the band are sharing a second single from the album a track called "Brown Eyes".

PACKS' new LP sharpens the laid back appeal of the band's debut, displaying a newfound flair in its arrangement and production that heightens the subtle strangeness of leader Madeline Link's songwriting. Where the album's first single settled on a breezy, folk adjacent sound, "Brown Eyes" is a burst of sludgy slacker rock that holds a low key sense of menace beneath its sunny exterior.

"I had lots of fun writing this song because it’s a simple rock song about falling in love disorientatingly hard and fast," says Link. "Disorientationally? Disorientably? Love disorients me."

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Theresa Gorella - House of Broken Mirrors.

A singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Theresa Gorella writes music that is a reflection of her own experiences, and sings with rawness and honesty that is both relatable and powerful. Growing up on a raisin farm in Fowler, California, Gorella was surrounded by the sounds of country music from a young age.

After attending Long Island University-Brooklyn, she moved to Nashville to pursue country music. She got a job waiting tables at the legendary 3rd & Lindsley and was exposed to different types of music five nights a week. While refilling waters and wiping ketchup off her shirt she saw performances by Vince Gill, Dawn Sears, Beth Hart, Jonell Mosser, Chris Stapleton and Andra Day amongst many other music legends. Seeing these artists changed the way she thought about music and inspired her to form an indie rock/funk band called Poster Child with collaborator Andrew Royal.

With Poster Child, she quickly made a name for herself in the Nashville Funk scene, but felt a pull to get back in touch with her country roots. Her solo project is her way of doing just that, with a sound that blends traditional Country with elements of Soul and Americana, that she describes as “accidentally country.”

House of Broken Mirrors, the lead single off of her solo project is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates authentic and heartfelt music.

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Emilee Rose - Small Town Dream.

Bold, daring and impossible to ignore. Emily Zaletel, better known as Emilee Rose, is an emerging solo artist currently making her mark on the country music scene. Her music is highly accessible to all — with a dreamy western sound that effortlessly displays emotion and storytelling in a relatable and unique way.

Emilee’s captivating anthems have been touching the hearts of many for some time now. The rapidly rising Nashville based star loves to tell stories and relate to others through her music, using life as her biggest inspiration.

“Small Town Dream” is a dreamy country track with a unique take on traditional country sound. It tells a story about a rebel of her hometown ditching her past to create a new future for herself, through the “neon”.

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Ezra Veda - A Brand New Day.

The first time Ezra Veda started creating music was during her high school period. In the school band it became clear that she had a beautiful voice. Soon the first proposals came from the music industry to write songs and specially to sign with them. The then-teenager let it all happen resignedly. "I'd better finish my studies first and then I'll see what else comes my way," was her answer.

A few years later, the time has come. The now 22-year-old releases her first single A Brand New Day. A beautiful pop song in which Ezra's voice is perfectly at home.

The single opens small and subdued and grabs you from the start and then slowly opens and guides you to an apotheosis to return to a sensitive outro. Before you know it, you're at the end of the song and you think, hold on wait a minute and you'll listen to it again.

TCBYML · Ezra Veda - A Brand New Day

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Ryan Brown - After Midnight.

Ryan Brown’s newest release, titled “After Midnight” was written by Tony Luke Jr. All proceeds from the single will be donated to The Sound Mind Network, an organization focused on healing addiction and mental illness through music and the arts. 

This is a song that reflects upon some of the struggles many people face. Over the course of the song, the lyrics demonstrate how social media contributes to the growing rates of depression, anxiety, and addiction, to name a few. While the song talks about these issues, it promotes hope for a new day, a new life. With this song, Ryan and Tony’s goal is to help others find hope again.

Ryan’s music showcases the depth and vulnerability in being a teenager, and explores the ups and downs that people of all ages experience. Aside from her love for singing, Brown also enjoys playing guitar, piano, and ukulele.

Brown feels so incredibly lucky that she can share her experiences with the world. She hopes while you listen to her music, you find comfort in knowing that you aren’t alone.

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Megan Brickwood - Gal Musette - Vanity Mirror

Megan Brickwood - Fifth Mile.

Rising musician, singer, and songstress Megan Brickwood is absolutely thrilled to release her beautiful sophomore EP Fifth Mile.

To celebrate the release, Megan has chosen to highlight the title track from the EP, “Fifth Mile.” “‘Fifth Mile’ is one of those 'special gift' songs that I wrote from start to finish very quickly,” Megan Brickwood explains. “One night I decided to try out the CGCFCE tuning and this picking pattern started taking shape. Once that was written, the story for the song just opened up and the song kind of wrote itself from there.

The lyric structure of the song is pretty simple – when I see it written out I realize just how spare the lyrics are – and for someone who is generally a pretty wordy songwriter it was kind of a treat to write this dreamy, abstract tune and really just dig into the vibe and feel of it. I think that the production honored that intention so well, and I think as the title track it's a good representation of a running theme in the EP, which is giving permission to oneself to dream and go off into the unknown....throwing caution to the wind. This track really embraces that on a number of levels.”

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Gal Musette - Plateau.

The new single from Southern California born and bred baroque pop singer/songwriter Gal Musette is entitled "Plateau", the track was written when Gal was in the chaotic traffic that Los Angeles is known for. Gal confides, "While driving the lyrics started coming out as a form of venting, basically I was babying out/complaining about how much time I spend in my car. 

But as the lyrics progressed, they kind of revealed a season of numbness and monotony I was stuck in, and the driving became a metaphor for how I felt in general, going through the motions, mindlessly traveling through life without much direction or emotion."

Sonically, "Plateau" is a cinematic indie pop tune filled with a melodic tenderness rarely seen in today's musical landscape. The kaleidoscopic song highlights a nostalgic bearing melody with fresh and quirky undertones.

Gal Musette has toured with The Magnetic Fields, Donavon Frankenreiter, and has collaborated with Rufus Wainwright and has been profiled by the likes of NPR and Ladygunn, among others.

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Vanity Mirror - Tuesday's News.

 Vanity Mirror, dreamy lo-fi bedroom pop via Toronto and Los Angeles, have just announced their highly anticipated debut LP PUFF (due out Spring 2023 on We Are Busy Bodies) with an advance single and video for the song Tuesday’s News. Tuesday’s News features colorful piano riffs and artful backbeats from Vanity Mirror’s Brent Randall (Gentle Brent, Electric Looking Glass) and percussionist Johnny Toomey (The Turns, Electric Looking Glass). Randal describes Tuesday’s News as “a warm and fuzzy front parlor piano rock piece.” 

This homespun multitrack pop experiment was recorded on a hand-me-down piano in an empty house in Detroit during a February snow storm. While lyrically meditating on winter doldrums the song hopes to hug you with sunny hummable optimism. Randall suggests, “Spin it loud on your living room hi-fi whilst wearing your favorite apple green cardigan.” The result is a multitrack experiment, a nostalgic sweet pop song that is hopeful, beautiful and utterly sentimental. Nods to Emitt Rhodes, Idle Race and The Raspberries are present throughout.

The music video for Tuesday’s News was made with LA based graphic designer/videographer extraordinaire Mat Dunlap. Randall says, “Mat is an old friend and an expat who works with a tonne of Canadian bands. If you know you know!” On the premise of the video, Randall explains, “Johnny had this idea where I’m a chauffeur and I drive around a series of characters that are all Johnny in different costumes.  Johnny, when not drumming in Vanity Mirror, works at a Hollywood costume house and has access to all sorts of great costumes. 

We had limited time and resources so we decided to shoot it against a green screen using a makeshift prop car.  You know in old 50’s movies how they would fake driving around by cutting in stock footage behind the drivers?  We love that look, you can always tell it’s obviously fake. So we leaned into this idea with the green screen and it made for a pretty charming and hilarious video.  I’m singing along to the track and driving around “LA” and picking up these hilarious characters: a 70’s jogger, a far out 60s space dude, a marching band drummer and even a full on lion at a taco stand.”

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Foyer Red - Murray A. Lightburn - Tomten

Foyer Red - Plumbers Unite.

Brooklyn’s Foyer Red makes sweet yet abrasive songs that careen into delightfully unexpected places. The group’s potent art rock embodies a spirit of collaborative exploration, as a seemingly endless supply of ideas accrue and collide as part of a spirited musical conversation between the band’s members, a sensation that is heightened by the often literal conversation occurring between their three principle vocalists. The band started as a trio with singer and clarinetist Elana Riordan, drummer Marco Ocampo, and singer/guitarist Mitch Myers.

The three would email each other song ideas and record the ones that stuck. In 2021, they started playing music together in the same room and immediately came out with the Zigzag Wombat EP, which earned high praise from outlets like Stereogum, BrooklynVegan and Pitchfork. Though they had been a band for only a few months, their self-recorded and charming debut proved that they had hit the ground running almost fully formed with a distinct, tongue-in-cheek, de-constructive take on indie rock.

Instead of sticking to their guns and re-treading similar ground, Foyer Red reinvented itself as a five-piece, adding singer and guitarist Kristina Moore and bassist Eric Jaso, and became a fixture of the NYC scene in 2022, sharing stages with artists like Cola, Empath, Babehoven, Why Bonnie, Peaer, Momma, Mamalarky, and Diane Coffee.

In December, the band announced their signing to Carpark Records (The Beths, Cloud Nothings) and today Foyer Red have returned to announce their debut LP Yarn The Hours Away, which will be released on the label on May 19th. To mark the announce the band have shared the first single from the record, a track called "Plumbers Unite!"

 
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Murray A. Lightburn - Once Upon A Time In Montréal.

Murray A. Lightburn, the longtime frontman of Montreal’s acclaimed The Dears, will release his deeply personal new album 'Once Upon A Time In Montreal’ on 31 March via Dangerbird Records. Ahead of that Murray is pleased to share the title-track single, along with a video created  by the production team at 4-VU.

Lightburn lightheartedly jokes that 'Once Upon A Time In Montreal' is an audio version of a biopic, inspired by the passing of his father - a jazz musician from Belize who moved to Montreal via New York to reconnect with his teenage sweetheart.

Discussing the new single and album title-track, Murray says: "After getting an education in Jamaica and England, my mom got a job in Montreal as a nurse. My father was living in New York. They had dated back in Belize and reconnected years later in New York. My father didn’t really want to leave for Montreal, but he did. And it was hard for him: the harsh winters, the language barrier, the colour of his skin.

He was a skilled musician but that was barely going to keep the lights on — never mind feed a growing family. His lack of formal education, and his lack of French, limited his opportunities. Nevertheless, he just wanted to be with her. So he figured out a way, and that’s what his life was mostly about, I think — what I’ve deduced. Maybe there’s way more to it and that’s the romantic version, but it’s a version at least I can understand. Nothing else computes. My parents stayed married for 56 years.”

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Tomten - Mind How You Go.

Tomten are a baroque pop quartet based out of Seattle, Washington. Brian Noyes (vocals, keys, guitar) and Lena Simon (bass, vocals) (Kairos Creature Club, formerly of La Luz) met in 2008 and began demoing each other’s songs at Cornish College of The Arts.

Tomten started playing shows and rearranging their sound and lineup by 2010, after Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar) and Jake Brady (drums) joined the band. Tomten‘s debut, Wednesday’s Children arrived in Summer of 2012 shortly before Belisle-Chi left the band. Tomten recorded their sophomore record The Farewell Party (2014) with Jason Quever of Papercuts in San Francisco and Sacramento, CA. Dillon Sturtevant (bass) joined the band as Lena departed.

The Unknown recording studio in Anacortes, WA started by Nicholas Wilbur and Phil Elverum (Mt. Eerie) has become the go to spot for the band’s more recent recordings – the lush piano driven Cremation Songs (2017), and Synth Pop informed Viva Draconia (2018). Tomten‘s newest album Artichoke (out April 28) is a collaborative foray into psych folk, power-pop, and glam country, a balance between songs by Noyes, Sturtevant, and two co-written with Brady.

Artichoke is a warm pastoral daydream, with inspirations drawn from the Madcap folk rock of the Incredible String Band, to the syrup soul of The Delfonics, the country tinge of Happy End or Gene Clark, with the gentle guitar picking of John Martyn or Bridget St. John.

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Josienne Clarke - Nico Ev - Brenda - Julia Sound

Josienne Clarke - The Birds.

Indie-folk artist Josienne Clarke has shared the second taste of her forthcoming new album, Onliness. On her new album, due out on April 14th, Clarke revisits songs from her back catalogue that felt buried somehow; that had never had the spotlight she felt they deserved. Originally written back in 2008, the song first appeared on and opened Clarke's first ever solo album One Light Is Gone.

Of her new single, Clarke says: "It’s about the turning of a season, the first frost of winter. The birds are making strange patterns in the sky, a signal that our days will soon be short. This version features a specific blurry guitar part, I wrote it like that to mirror the blurry movement of the birds in their weird patterns, in and out of time and sync in strange shapes and formations. I also play piano on this track which is pretty rare for me. I love it as an instrument, it's bright glassy timbre fitted perfectly for the track. I rarely play it on my music as I have the services of keyboard experts like Matt Robinson but I recorded the piano myself just to give an idea of the kind of part I was thinking and Matt liked it and said we should keep mine, so we did.”

In her own words, Josienne Clarke viewed her 2021 album – A Small Unknowable Thing – as a leap into the abyss. Finally free from the industry structure that had been built around her over the preceding decade and more, she released the album via her own label, Corduroy Punk Records. Free from her previous role as one-half of a duo and losing the genre constraints she was quickly and lazily placed within, she came out of that chapter emboldened – but still not truly free.

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Nico Ev - Angeline.

Nico Ev wrote this song during lockdown, she tells us  "The challenge of being apart from loved ones and missing out on family connections was very difficult.

It was particularly hard to accept that I was missing out on watching the little ones in our family grow and flourish in their formative years. I'm grateful to have the sound of their laughter back in my life."

Some well deserved quotes about Nico - "Nico definitely deserves to be heard beyond her online performances." - "Every time I've seen Nico play, her musical talent, combined with her warmth, sincerity and relaxed interaction with the audience, has resulted in a great gig."
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“I love the varied mix of her original songs with both little and well-known covers, the upbeat energy and vibrancy of her playing.” - “A unique and lovely voice.”

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Brenda - Cease and Desist.

Emerging Glasgow trio Brenda release Cease and Desist, the first single from their upcoming self-titled debut album with Last Night From Glasgow. The single is out 24th February, the album follows in July.

Brenda are Litty Hughes on guitar, Apsi Witana on drums and Flore de Hooge on synths. They’ve created a buzz by gigging across Glasgow - their energetic sets described as the type that “end up seared onto your brain after a single viewing” with their “impudent, inventive and extremely DIY punk-pop” (The Scotsman). Dreamy synths, witty lyrics and unapologetic enthusiasm - Brenda is your new favourite band.

“The most exciting set of the evening came from Glasgow all-female trio Brenda…their name daubed on a collapsing bedsheet behind them, like they were signalling to the media from the roof of a prison riot.” - The Scotsman

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Julia Sound - I Don't Wanna Change (featuring Larissa Tandy).

Today Julia Sound have released their new single "I Don't Wanna Change" from their upcoming album "Nothing Above The Blue Sky" (set for release on May 12 Via Boomsmack Records)

Julia Sound is a collective led by Lin Gardiner, a British-Canadian BC-based artist, composer, musician and producer. Julia Sound released their debut album ‘Heal’ in the summer of 2021 to critical acclaim. They are set to release a second full-length offering ‘Nothing Above the Blue Sky’ in May of 2023.

‘Nothing Above The Blue Sky’ is a collection of evocative, ethereal, vocal-led electronica, with 10 new songs including features by Kinnie Starr, Edzi’u and Larissa Tandy, amongst others. Different singers feature on each track, all pulled together by Gardiner. The lyrical component of the songs leans into subjects perhaps shied away from in more commercial projects - stories of loss, war, mental health as well as hope.

Inspiration for Julia Sound’s name is from an unexplained sound discovered by scientists in the 90’s. The sound, which scientists named ‘The Julia Sound’, is mysterious and dark - which can also be said for this project's tone and mood.

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Gracie Horse - Laura Roy - Certain Animals

Gracie Horse - What I'm Missing.

Wharf Cat Records have just announced L.A.-based songwriter Gracie Horse as the newest addition to their roster, and shared a music video for her recent single "What I'm Missing." Gracie Horse was a founding member of Boston based rock band Fat Creeps, and has contributed to albums by Alex Izenberg (his latest, I'm Not Here), Color Green, and Jonny Kosmo (who also produced "What I'm Missing").

“What I'm Missing,” is expansive, a world inside of a song. It’s cosmic country: there are shitty motels and perfect vocal harmonies. True crime sleuths, hours spent rotting on the Internet, and poignant allusions to working in healthcare during the pandemic. “Now everyone’s spooked/at the Motel 6/eatin’ dive bar wings/in a hazmat suit,” she sings in one particularly evocative line.  It’s a stunning song: all keys, crisp pedal steel.

About the track, Gracie writes: "When I moved to California I was very homesick for a long time, and the pandemic didn’t help. I missed my old friends and family and all the stuff we used to get into. I tried to go out and make new friends but I am really shy and at times it was such a disaster, it was hard to connect with people here- there is sort of a cultural difference between east and west coast for sure-how people talk and socialize. I started to get pretty attached to the nostalgia of my life back in Massachusetts.

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Laura Roy - Odyssey.

Two time Grammy nominated, Canadian artist, producer and songwriter Laura Roy is back with a brand new release 'Odyssey', the second single off of her newly announced EP to be released in March. This is Laura’s debut release after receiving two Grammy nominations as a contributing songwriter on Doja Cat's 'Planet Her' album in 2022.

Laura received recent support from BBC Radio, CBC Radio and Spotify Editorial Playlists: Chilled R&B Weekly, Fresh Finds, New Music Friday, R&B Weekly, R&B Fresh Finds & R&B Rising.

Produced and written with UK artist/producer Geo Jordan, this stunning new track features driving drums, emotive guitar riffs, soaring, soulful vocals and impactful lyricism. Her voice has been described as “gentle lava”. Raw, pure, vulnerable and soulful.

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Certain Animals - Miracles.

Miracles is a delicate ballad in which the pantheon of musical inspirations of Certain Animals is amply showcased. It is a song with a positive feel and a melancholy undertone, going from cheerful honkytonk piano to moody strings and back again.

Certain Animals sings about the eternal balancing act between hope and fear about what tomorrow will bring, and does so with a magical musical mix that lies between the poppy work of Electric Light Orchestra and the vaudeville numbers of Queen from the 1970s. Miracles, like the band itself, always tries to bring a loving touch and shares her love for music with the listener with this lushly orchestrated and pop song peppered with McCartnian melodic bass lines.

Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV and numerous times on national radio.

TCBYML · Certain Animals - Miracles

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The Pairs - Amy Stroup

The Pairs - Superhuman.

Tied together by family and soaring harmonies, The Pairs share stories of life's hope, hilarity, and hardship. Pull up a seat around their lively kitchen table for a unique blend of music that will hug your eardrums and make you want to groove.

A smattering of feelings and self-doubt, "Superhuman" tells a personal yet relatable story of realizing how we get caught up in the way we're being perceived by others instead of truly experiencing life and all the feelings that come with living. We're not perfect, so why do we put so much energy towards trying to convince people that we are? This song marks the intention to try and drop the hyper perfectionism and accept ourselves as fallible and human.

"Superhuman" reminds us that we can be wrong, that we can make mistakes, that we can say things that hurt people, and that none of that makes us bad people, or unlovable.

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Amy Stroup - Break The Feeling.

Singer-songwriter Amy Stroup creates the kind of songs that transport listeners. Known for her ability to tap into rich, emotional honesty and vivid storytelling, the self-proclaimed “song farmer” will release her fourth solo album, Since Frank, on June 23. The album's next single, "Break the Feeling,” out today, explores presence and grounding.

“Walking, hiking, and trail running multiple times a week are ways of exercise, yes, but more ways that I ground myself ritualistically,” Stroup says. “Movement helps me shake off what holds me up and at the end of a trail I never felt quite the same as when I started.”

Since Frank finds a cohesive sound thanks to producer Chad Copelin (LANY, Broncho, Ben Rector) and his expert hand at transforming live tracking into an expansive finished product, with drips of overdubs and drum samples created by James McAlister (The National, Taylor Swift, Sufjan Stevens). These handmade elements frame a range of songs Stroup wrote with herself in mind—a change from the hundreds of songs she's written for TV and film, which include backing moments on How I Met Your Father, This Is Us and Grey's Anatomy, among many others. According to Billboard Magazine, she is one of the most licensed women in music today with her work in campaigns for British Airways, Google and Nike, to name a few.

Since Frank, a 10-song collection, covers a wide range of subjects, ultimately settling on what it means to find a way to be okay on the inside. Stroup wrestles with the kind of heaviness—and reprieve—that lives inside all of us: the album begins with the lush strings of “Valley,” a stream of consciousness about how love can lift us from the depths of melancholy. “Night Wave” struggles with intrusive thoughts; there is a yearning for a fresh start on “A New Life” (feat. Broncho), and a certainty of unconditional love in “As Long As You're With Me (feat. Andrew Belle). The album ends with a resounding and hopeful message: “We'll All Be Alright.”

“These songs feel like freeze frames of pivotal emotional moments of me finding a safe place to live from inside my own body,” Stroup says. “I've done a lot of experiential therapy, self-nurturing work and beyond, to get to a more true place to live from, and a lot of the songs capture the process and pivotal points on that continued journey.”

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