headboy - Organ Morgan

headboy - Was It What You Thought (E.P).

London trio headboy release their debut EP 'Was It What You Thought', out yesterday 9th June via Blitzcat Records. Swaying from lo-fi bedroom tones to tumultuous blasts of snarling post-punk, headboy's blend of influences, ranging from Sleater-Kinney and Radiohead to Modest Mouse and Grizzly Bear informs the immediacy of their sound, whilst the band also note the impact of post-punk and no wave acts á la Gang Of Four, Orange Juice, Pixies and Television.

Consisting of guitarist/bassist and vocalist Mars West (they/them), bassist/guitarist vocalist Jess Collins (she/they) and drummer Oli Birbeck (they/them), headboy's debut EP 'Was It What You Thought' was born amidst a period of acute political turbulence. Rediscovering and reflecting on the importance of friendship and loyalty during that time, ending with a heartfelt treatise on loss and vulnerability; ultimately the EP forms a study into the often cyclical, yet always unpredictable nature of life itself.

An examination of knowing and not knowing, 'Was It What You Thought' was written during 2022 and recorded over that summer at Hackney Studios in East London with producer Joe Futak. The EP's four tracks draw on the community-led London scene they've become a key cog in after a year of intense gigging. "We pretty much condensed every emotion we’ve felt in the past two years into 14 minutes. There are moments of anger, fear, and sadness, but also moments of joy, or acceptance, at least," guitarist and vocalist Jess added.

With racing stories of passion, intimacy and connection ("Reservoir"), societal distress and government blunders ("Sheep's Skin") and taking refuge in friendship  ("Cement" and "Jackal Lake"), headboy deliver their shrewd social observations through a lens of deceptively dark, climactic post-punk. 

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Organ Morgan - The Argument.

Organ Morgan is the moniker of songwriter and guitarist and ex-Blaenavon drummer Harris McMillan. This week he releases new single "The Argument" and announces his debut EP 'Figurehead' will be released on 20th July on London based label Everybody's.

Organ Morgan's debut EP 'Figurehead' was recorded and produced (over the course of 2 weeks in 2022) at Black Bay Studios, an ex-crab processing factory on the Hebridean Island of Great Bernera, Scotland.

Gracefully intertwining Laurel Canyon-esque harmony-drenched passages with intricate, towering indie-folk instrumentals, Organ Morgan's music is spacious, grandiose and romantic all at once. New single "The Argument" opens with McMillan's warm vocal weaving between bowed double bass, before swelling into its bracing folk-rock second section, as he retells and reimagines the stories surrounding a coastal meeting point...

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind the "The Argument", McMillan said: "‘The Argument’ was inspired by a beachfront cafe in Brighton called ‘The Meeting Place’, it was usually deserted on rainy days but would call out order numbers for invisible customers over the tannoy. I started imagining the stories that might lead to a meeting there and one particular idea of two lovers trying to stay cross with each other during the course of an argument became the song."

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Off Judy - Moving Into Tucson - Bush Tetras - The Tiger Moths

Off Judy - Under The Weather.

With their nonchalant and carefree attitude, this raucous Byron Bay-based garage surf rock trio, Off Judy, are releasing their latest single, 'Under The Weather' with its accompanying music video today Friday, June 9. Formed as a duo, Off Judy originated with singer and guitarist Finn Mcildowie and drummer Thomas Cameron-Duncan. They have since welcomed the addition of drummer Axl Delandro and Thomas Cameron-Duncan’s transition to bass, solidifying their powerful lineup and expanding their sonic possibilities.

'Under The Weather' is the exhilarating new track that showcases Off Judy's fusion of sun-kissed punk and invigorating surf shack anthems. The song effortlessly combines infectious melodies with euphoric energy, creating a proverbial earworm. 'Under The Weather' has their punk roots shining through with a raw rock foundation that bursts with chant-worthy chorus. Masterfully, they have found a sweet spot between a palatable indie rock bop and a punk-laden belter.

The song reflects the struggles of being in a dark place and emphasizes the importance of supporting one another through difficult times to ultimately emerge stronger together. With Men’s Health Week starting on Monday, June 12th, the boys thought now was a fitting time to release the track. Finn Mcildowie speaks on the meaning behind the track:

“We’ve all found ourselves in dark places. Whether it’s a momentary bad headspace or it feels more like an endurance race with no finish line. This song came to life while I was stuck in a quarantine hotel in Hamilton, New Zealand, which undoubtedly influenced its emotions. However, the message is pretty clear—Be there for your mates, let them know they’re not alone. Lean on each other through the shit times and come out better on the other side.“

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Moving Into Tucson - It Should Have Been You.

It Should Have Been You. And why not? But reality isn’t always as straight-forward as that. Missed opportunities and luckily also second chances are both daytime realities of our real life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But there is always hope. Always. Even beautiful things can come out of this. See the eponymous new single of Moving Into Tucson. It’s fresh, it’s pop, it’s everything you want from your favorite band. Almost anthem like.

Moving Into Tucson is entering new territories with this second single and heading to even greater promises. But that’s for the near future. First this great new track. It Should Have Been You don’t you think? Definitely!

Moving Into Tucson is basically the side effect of the COVID epidemic. Why, you will ask. Well for the simple reason that the band was formed during the pandemic. Can you call Moving Into Tucson a band? Well, yes as in, it's a band, with a singer, guitarist, bassist, drummer etc. But also no because it's not a band as usual. Band members do not come from the same city or even country, but from different parts of the world. When the world was in lock-down and many were forced to stay at home, there wasn't much left for musicians to do other than work from home. But, how? And better, with whom? Like for many, Zoom video brought a solution. Fortunately, we live in an advanced digital world and a lot is possible without necessarily having to be somewhere. Only someone who arranges it. This is where the label TCBYML, the label of the various artists in the band Moving Into Tucson, stepped in.

Result, twenty songs composed over a period of 18 months. These have now been brought together, mixed, mastered and provided with artwork. In 2023, five of them will be released as singles and together with eight more songs will form the album "Distraction" that will see the light on November 24 of this year. A great initiative that may be followed up in 2024. Who's to say.

TCBYML · Moving Into Tucson - It Should Have Been You

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Bush Tetras - They Live in My Head.

The legendary no-wave punk band Bush Tetras have released the title-track from their upcoming LP, They Live in My Head, out July 27th on Wharf Cat Records. It's a jangly and jagged barn-burner, "about people living in your head rent-free and how life is not all it seems," the band writes in a statement. "Not quite a ballad, with its wild fast choruses, kind of like falling off a cliff."

On the heels of the album announcement and a sold out show at Brooklyn's Union Pool, the New York Times selected the lead single "Things I Put Together" as the first track on their weekly music roundup, proclaiming them "a quintessential Lower East Side post-punk band." Bush Tetras has been credited as the band that "bridged the gap between the Ramones and Sonic Youth" (NY Post), and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore said they are "without a doubt, one of the greatest rock-and-roll groups born and bred in New York City." Needless to say, Bush Tetras have made an enormous impact on rock 'n' roll in New York City and beyond.

Their first album in 11 years, They Live in My Head was produced by Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth, who is now the band's drummer, joining them after founding member Dee Pop passed away in 2021. Also joining the band on bass is Cait "Rocky" O'Riordan of The Pogues and Elvis Costello. You can catch the new Bush Tetras lineup at their album release show on September 15th at Greenwich Village venue Le Poisson Rouge.


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The Tiger Moths - Dreaming Of Yesterday.

The Tiger Moths release their debut album 'When Sunshine Departs' on June 16th 2023. It includes the current single 'Dreaming Of Yesterday' which has garnered numerous excellent reviews.

An established live act on the London scene, The Tiger Moths reached the Grand Final of the Isle of Wight Festival New Blood Competition in 2021 - making it to the last 20 acts from more than 5,000 who applied.

'When Sunshine Departs' was recorded at the band's home studio in North London, produced and engineered by the band's keyboard player, Alex Rosenberg. While the roots of the Tiger Moths' sound can be traced back to the heydays of the 60s and 70s, the band aim to forge a modern twist on the Americana genre by infusing it with other influences.

In large part, the songs for this album were written during the pandemic. Overall, 'When Sunshine Departs' is a snapshot in time of a band who came together during troubled times to create a record that offers a fitting reflection of that period.

Music Elevator PR · The Tiger Moths - Dreaming Of Yesterday

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Babel - Drab Majesty feat. Rachel Goswell - Jordan Moser

Babel - Closer.

After the rousing response to their highly-praised debut album ‘Yoga Horror’ last year, award-winning Finnish dream-pop duo Babel are now looking to preview their eagerly-awaited sophomore record with the captivating new single ‘Closer’.

With their new single ‘Closer’, the band depicts a story of a couple enjoying their last night together on a vacation. Both parties realise that their passion is gone, but still give in to the romance one last time. Reminding us that in a worst-case scenario, we might as well go out giving it our all.

Conjuring more of the same rich and immersive textures they have developed since their earliest beginnings, ‘Closer’ makes for the perfect introduction to this new era within the band’s catalogue so far. With an uncompromising approach to their kitsch and romantic pursuits throughout this new record, they are looking to make their next full-length their most original and distinctive work to date.

Their newest offering breathes inspiration from soft French sounds, Brazilian bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto, and last but not least, the EDM hit ‘Stereo Love’. “We browsed a Korg 05R/W synthesiser’s presets and found a wonderful musette sound that started to guide us in the studio. Karin played the first half of the accordion riff, and Mikko figured out the rest. The end result is a perfectly symmetrical accordion riff that makes you want to listen to it forever. We realised that this is our chance to achieve the dream of a one-hit wonder. The song's story is based on the excitement and euphoria, the crushing feeling that all experiences are transient.”

Babel also drop the new music video for the single, shot abroad on vacation in Madeira: “We stayed in a five-star hotel in Madeira with director Reetta Saarikoski for eight days and filmed everything. We wanted the video to be as epic as possible, which includes life in miniature: sunbathing, falling in love and exercising.”

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Drab Majesty - Vanity (feat. Rachel Goswell).

Drab Majesty have announced details of a new EP, entitled An Object in Motion, to be released on August 25th via Dais Records. Along with the announcement, they have shared the majestic first single “Vanity” which features a rare guest vocal appearance from Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell. On the Cure-esque ballad, her iconic freefall voice adds poetic gravity to the doomed refrain: “If the valve breaks / then the earth quakes / and history finds a way / to put you in your place.”

The collaboration came as the result of a mutual admiration for each other's work. Drab Majesty's Deb Demure comments: "As a long time listener and devotee of Slowdive, a band that literally shaped my DNA as a listener and musician, it was truly humbling to have Rachel offer her iconic vocal stylings to this song. Her voice is a sonic treasure and unmistakable. I'm infinitely grateful to call her a friend and am still pinching myself wondering -  how did we get here?"

Rachel Goswell adds: "It’s no secret that I am a long time Drab Majesty fan so when Deb asked me some years ago now if I would be interested in collaborating it was an immediate yes. Honoured to give my voice to Vanity."

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Jordan Moser - Greenbelt Vision.

Jordan Moser shares "Greenbelt Vision" this week, the first single from his new album PERIL out digitally July 28, 2023. About "Greenbelt Vision," Jordan Moser says: "Give me back my green belt vision, bring us back to the wild land. We aren't well equipped for our gray concrete environment. It harms us and keeps us from our true human thriving. This song is a hopeful rally for those who hear the call from the earth (earthtone) to return to our proper place in the earth system. The damage we are doing is displacing all of us from our natural niches in the ecosystem.

Solastalgia is a new word coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2003. As opposed to nostalgia--the melancholia or homesickness experienced by individuals when separated from a loved home--solastalgia is the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting all of us.  Our disconnection from nature displaces the other beings we share the planet with.  This song hopes to act as an invitation to turn this grief into action."

PERIL follows 2019s Long Night, an album created with Molly Burch, that Paste called "understated, but quietly vibrant and unexpectedly absorbing.” Jordan Moser recently retired from a decade-long career as a professional ballet dancer and now continues to focus on filmmaking and his songwriting.

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The Family Battenberg - Fellow Robot - Semisonic - The Nora Kelly Band

The Family Battenberg - Runny Hunny.

Psychedelic upstarts The Family Battenberg announce the release of their reverb coated,fuzz founded new track ‘Runny Hunny’, out today 6th of June! Cardiff, Wales: Runny Hunny is The Family Battenberg’s third release. Born out of a band-wide love for garage rock, 'Runny Hunny' plays with the ethos of pushing the limits andbending the rules of recording equipment to produce overly saturated and noisy results.

The band successfully create fuzz fuelled walls of sound, draped behind Lennon-esc double trackedvocals, with plenty of reverb to boot. Thematically, the song is a commentary on the universalwish of a stable income, from the perspective of a fresh faced arts graduate. The track wasrecorded by The Family Battenberg at Cardiff’s Music Box rehearsal rooms and mixed by Eliot in the back room of his flat.

A total of 4 arts degrees were utilised in the creation of this track.Of the track, producer and lyricist Eliot Jones explains: “Runny Hunny truly is just about having a whinge. Universities do a fantastic job of convincing you that you’ll walk into your dream jobweeks after graduation. ‘LIGHT THE BEACONS, CALL ABBEY ROAD, A 20-SOMETHING POST GRAD HAS JUST COMPLETED A MUSIC PRODUCTION DEGREE’! Being back at your parents house and catching the train to the job centre on a Wednesday morning is quite sobering after you’ve had your photos in your funny hat.”

 

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Fellow Robot - Rabbit.

Following the release of their acclaimed new album ‘Misanthropioid’, Fellow Robot have released a superbly dark and striking animated video for the album’s opening track.  “Rabbit" sets an ominous tone to the album, and its video counterpart is a perfect pairing. Pulling from two previous animated collaborations, the Prebich sisters and Fellow Robot continue their social commentary with a voyeuristic, occasionally red pilled rabbit. We follow the rabbit down a series of disturbing paths, observing drip feed propaganda streams from the outside of your work and living room windows, and ultimately, the rabbit has enough and leaves Earth.

For ‘Misanthropioid’, Fellow Robot has teamed up with Andrew Scheps (Green Day, RHCP, Adele, Metallica, Hozier, Johnny Cash) who helped co-produce and mix the album from his home studio ‘Punkerpad’ in Titton, UK. Scheps joined the team during the peak of the pandemic in 2020 and over the course of two years helped the band complete the album remotely. Fellow Robot’s latest album will be released through Scheps’ own ToneQuake Records.

Fellow Robot originally started out as a concept piece in 2016, pulling lyrics from the sci-fi novel “The Robot’s Guide to Music” written by singer Anthony Pedroza. While deeply rooted to its origins, “Misanthropioid” is an album that lives closer to reality than science fiction however blurred those lines are these days.

Fellow Robot named their new album ‘Misanthropioid’, due to its brutally honest lyrics and melancholy feelings surrounding what it is to be a human. “It’s our soundtrack to the last few years'' says Pedroza, adding “it’s a diverse take on the perception of emotion, especially regarding how we feel about our fellow humans''. The band does well in reflecting their disappointment of humanity, especially in the opening track ‘Rabbit’ which is a clear reflection of the BLM movement in the US. However dark ‘Misanthropioid’ is, it’s ultimately hopeful within its vulnerable and carefully stitched arrangements. The album at times is theatrical and dramatic, each song seemingly being sung by different characters in a stage production, especially in songs like ‘I’m Going to Hell’ and ‘The People Next Door’. “Society has many voices, and the space in between the harshest opinions are the most truthful”, says drummer, engineer, and cofounder Luis Renteria.

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Semisonic - Little Bit Of Sun / Grow Your Own.

Yesterday, the Grammy-nominated trio Semisonic released “Little Bit Of Sun” and “Grow Your Own,” their first release of new music following their 2020 EP You’re Not Alone. The two new songs arrive as the band embarked on their first national tour in over 20 years with the Barenaked Ladies. In the coming weeks, the band will play their home state of Minnesota, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.

The songs were recorded between Creation Studios in Minneapolis, MN and Ballroom Studio in Los Angeles, and produced by Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Dan Wilson and his co-founding bandmates John Munson and Jacob Slichter.

“’Little Bit of Sun’ came out really fast one day - I think I wrote the first minute of it in one spontaneous take. It felt so right. We’ve all been beaten down by darkness for the last few years, it’s like we can hardly ask for a full sky of sunshine. We’d be willing to scrape by on a glimpse of it. But obviously, the song is asking for more. I can get by on a little bit, but at some point I want it all.” Wilson explains.

“I wrote ‘Grow Your Own’ about the joy and blue sky of starting up a band. If you’re a musician and you hear some music you love, you’re gonna want to make some of that music for yourself. Grow your own. And if you don’t hear the music you want to hear in the world, well then, all the more reason to grow your own. A lot of the imagery in the song is from the years when I lived in Boston, going to Harvard during the day and playing in the clubs at night. I definitely longed to be welcomed by the grungy rock people way more than I needed approval from the scholars. In retrospect, I guess it makes sense when you look at what I’ve done with my life.”

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The Nora Kelly Band - Roswell.

The Nora Kelly Band traveled to Area 51 to confirm your suspicions on their new single "Roswell."  The track is featured on the Montreal quintet’s upcoming debut full-length Rodeo Clown, due to arrive August 25 via Mint Records. In addition, the Nora Kelly Band has announced July dates in the Pacific Northwest along with East Coast dates in August. Rodeo Clown was written by Nora Kelly, produced by Kelly with Ethan Soil, and mixed by Pietro Amato (The Luyas/Belle Orchestre).

Discussing “Roswell,” Nora notes, "As a massive UFOlogy nerd, Roswell was a place I really wanted to visit. Luckily for me, I was in that area of the world when my cousin got married in 2022. In the first verse, I mention an interaction I had with an astronomer at the wedding. He revealed he’d seen a lot of UFOs but, to my dismay, all these events were explainable, according to him. Throughout the rest of the song I try to show the underlying reason why I love thinking about UFOs and aliens. For me, allowing oneself to suspend disbelief is the best way to keep life interesting. If you don’t necessarily believe/not believe something and are just interested in the stories, life stays weird. Once the wedding festivities had ceased, I took off towards New Mexico in a rental car. I wrote the lyrics to ‘Roswell’ in the back seat.”

Regarding the video, directed by Sarah Bradshaw, Nora continues, “Sarah and I shot footage on a recent trip to Mexico (not New Mexico!). I brought along a green alien morph-suit and we had Sarah’s boyfriend wear it all over the country. The result is a silly and whimsical video to accompany the ballad that is ‘Roswell,’ and with this I hope to bring in a little of that weirdness and suspended disbelief.”

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Aaronson - Neu Sierra - Erin K - The Velveteins

Aaronson - Where Do You Go When You Disappear?

Following on from the well recieved 'The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under' single Cardiff #Postrock band 'Aaronson' release their epic new 'Where Do You Go When You Disappear?' single via Dirty Carrot Records.

Taken from forthcoming new Album 'The Great Swells That carry Us Will Pull Us Under' due for release on14th July, Aaronson's 'The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under' album is a sonic marvel filled with beautifully arranged ambient post-rock that will season the senses.

Aaronson are a post rock band from South Wales, whose towering layers of melody and epic crescendos have seen them share a stage with Nordic Giants, Coldbones, A-Tota-So and False Hope For The Savage, finish runners up at The Big Gig Wales 2020, be nominated for a Cardiff Music Award and release their cinematic EP You Are Not A Stranger Here.

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Neu Sierra - Save Believe Forget.

"It's about sweet, conscious self-deception. About believing in the loving words of the person you are with, even though they were said in a moment of arousal. And about forgetting them too” tells Neu Sierra about her new single ‘Save Believe Forget’.

The lead single from her upcoming EP ‘PARIS’ was based on the French translation of Danish 20th century working class poet Tove Ditlevsen's 'Alene for dig’ and on this next one, ‘Save Believe Forget’, Neu Sierra once again finds herself flirting with the author, as the theme of the new single is borrowed from the poem 'Det sandeste’.

“It is so pure and intimate. It’s almost as if Tove Ditlevsen invited herself right into your bedroom and wrote it directly for you, when you needed it the most!", says Neu Sierra about the close to 80 years old poem.

There are quite a few other references to things that have made an impression on her, but the singer teasingly hints you’ll have to find them yourself inside this “Parisian hotchpotch”. Recordings for the upcoming EP began in Paris the fall of 2022, with the help of Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague), while long-time friend and collaborator Nick Lee (Ulige Numre) took it across the finish line. To celebrate the release, iconic Freetown Christiania venue Musikloppen has invited Neu Sierra to play a concert on September 23.

Neu Sierra - Save Believe Forget - Official Music Video from FIVE FOOT ONE Records on Vimeo.

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Erin K - Goodbye Song.

With a growing audience of over 3 million streams on Spotify, following the fruitful collaboration on 2019s ‘I Need Sound’, the American-born London-resident musician has continued her work with co-producer Kristofer Harris (Belle & Sebastian, Ghostpoet) and recorded new album ‘Sink to Swim’ at his Squarehead Studios in Kent.

Erin’s narrative-driven songs are as forthright and personal as they are engaging, and the candid nature of her often fearlessly self-deprecating lyrics make repeated listens of the timeless songs rewarding. She has toured extensively with her band, most recently completing a successful 20 date Italian tour in March. This is to be followed up with further UK and continental shows in 2023.

The first single to be lifted from the album, ‘Keep Her’, received support from both BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio London and with sessions for BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 airplay and major commercial syncs for Google and LG her left-field songwriting is gradually reaching the wider audience that it deserves.

Following ‘Keep Her’, Erin K is further teasing the new album with ‘Goodbye Song’, due for release on 2nd June. ‘Goodbye Song’ eschews genre categorization as its subtle melancholic grooves build and weave their way under the skin. Dealing with accepting and understanding a break-up, the lyrics conjure up memories of places and times spent together with a partner, as the sounds & production wrap the listener in a twilight atmosphere.

But far from being a gloomy and downbeat affair, the song has an infectious shuffling rhythm that grows and grows on each listen. “Goodbye Song” is accompanied by a video filmed on Erin’s recent tour of Italy, a tour which saw her perform twenty dates across the country with her long-time band.

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The Velveteins - Declarations of the 3am Freeway.

Soaked in the bright psychedelia of the 1960’s and dipped in the indie rock explosion of the new millennium, The Velveteins are best described as a bridge between the two. Inspired after living out of a camper van on the beaches of Australia for a year, frontman Spencer Morphy returned to Canada and started the band with co-songwriter Addison Hiller in 2014. Later joined by Dean Kheroufi, Daniel Sedmak and Cam O'Neill, the fivesome have since made a name for themselves for their incendiary live performances.

Their latest single, “Declarations of the 3am Freeway” is the title-track from their upcoming sophomore album. Built upon moody synths and sizzling warbled guitars, the track envelops the feeling of road-tripping at dusk in the heat of summer, when there's no one else on the freeway and it's just you and your thoughts. Narrating driving in a battered motor vehicle on the cusp of a great adventure, Morphy shares, “The lyrics are yearning, and more insightful than our past works. That longing sentiment is relayed perfectly on the title track “It all begins right now / it all begins in the car on the freeway.”

Having moved to Tofino, Canada, a small surf town where Morphy lived for a month and finished the writing, the new single is backdropped by the foggy Pacific Northwest surf allowing the artist to access a diverse palette and find the missing pieces of this song.

Garnering millions of streams for their music to date, The Velveteins have built an ever-growing, dedicated fan base across all corners of the globe. Their vigorous touring schedule has led to international festival appearances (SXSW, and The Great Escape) and opening slots for established acts including Wolf Parade, Hockey Dad and Chad Vangaalen.

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Echo Ladies - Nadine Khouri - Ashley Elle - Sunny Luwe

Echo Ladies - Awake.

Malmö, Sweden shoegaze/dreampop trio Echo Ladies are pleased to announce they have signed to Rama Lama Records/Gazehop Records and will release their second album Lillies on 8th September 2023. To celebrate the news, the band are streaming new single ‘Awake’ which was released on 1st June 2023.

Commenting on the track, the band say: “‘Awake’ is a song about the feeling of drifting apart from each other in a relationship. The feeling of being left behind and forgotten and how small of a person that makes you feel, hoping it’s all a bad dream and wishing to wake up again.”

Echo Ladies are Matilda Bogren, Mattis Andersson and Joar Andersén—three school-friends who, after playing together in a few different bands, realised that they worked best on their own. In 2014, after looking for “a name that represented our sound”, they became Echo Ladies, partly inspired by the name of the drum machine from another of their favourite bands, Echo & The Bunnymen (though their own drum machine, for now, remains nameless).

Following a quiet spell for the band while the rest of the world turned upside down, Echo Ladies are now proudly returning with their second album Lillies, recorded and mastered by Joakim Lindberg at Studio Sickan in Malmö, and following on from their acclaimed 2018 debut Pink Noise on Sonic Cathedral, which was one of Rough Trade’s albums of the year.

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Nadine Khouri - Song of a Caged Bird.

Originally penned as a lament on surveillance capitalism, “Song of a Caged Bird” took on new meaning for Khouri during the pandemic when the world outside fell away, replaced by a miasma of ceaseless 1s and 0s. 

Over walking-pace percussion and spaciously layered Mellotron and guitar, Khouri dreams beyond the digital walls, into an exploration of true freedom; the song becomes a conversation with a universe of possibilities – all the lives we could live, the songs we could sing, if we knew no one was watching.

Currently based between London and Marseille, Nadine Khouri is influenced by dream-pop, film soundtracks and poetry with a sound that has been described as “music born of perennial outsider-status.” Discovered by legendary producer John Parish (PJ Harvey) thanks to her singular voice, Khouri was invited to sing on his track “Baby’s Coming” and subsequently recorded her debut album with the producer in his hometown of Bristol.

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Ashley Elle - Heavy, Heavy, Heavy.

Emerging indie-pop artist Ashley Elle has released her latest single, “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy.” Mastering a level of connection that is seldom achieved through lyricism alone, “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” is a melodically beautiful quest to find some relief from the overwhelming experience of anxiety and depression while navigating through life. Near and dear to her heart, Ashley Elle wrote “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” when she “felt so much pressure and responsibility trying to deal with growing up and the challenges we face.” “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” is now available to stream on digital music platforms worldwide.

“Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” was penned when Ashley Elle was moving back from living abroad in London and feeling overwhelmed by “struggling with the complexities of life.” Unguarded, comforting, and slightly haunting, the track urgently seeks relief from the overpowering experience of navigating life as a lost young adult.  With a catchy structure and repetition paired with a composition strongly reliant on guitar and piano, “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” feels reliable, reflecting the stability that Ashley Elle yearns for. Perfecting a sound as alluring and authentic as the lyrics, Ashley Elle has an ornate ability to connect with her fans in an intimate way, asking them, “Do you know this feeling?” 

Expressing desperation for connection, she enables her audience to feel seen as well. With a sense of familiarity and intimacy, listeners cannot help but feel as though Ashley Elle is a close friend, inviting them to seek solace and confide in one another. The song goes beyond emotional expression and allows the listener to feel as though they are trying to navigate through these feelings alongside Ashley. “Heavy, Heavy, Heavy” was co-written and produced by Cazz Brindis and is the follow-up to her single “How Do You Stop Loving Someone?”

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Sunny Luwe - Summer Kisses.

Gold Coast-based (Kombumerri Country) First Nations artist Sunny Luwe, formerly known as Dani Teveluwe, returns to captivate listeners with her latest release, 'Summer Kisses.' Following the success of her synth-y summer dream 'Fly Like A Bird', Sunny Luwe embraces her authentic musical journey with this blissful indie-folk gem.

As a natural-born storyteller and Weilwan woman, Sunny Luwe effortlessly warms our winter with the sweetness of 'Summer Kisses'. The track showcases her remarkable vocal ability, blending lush vocal layers, sweet subtle harmonies, and an effortless delivery that dances between near spoken word and a heartwarming vocal style. Recorded in a home studio, this labor of love underwent a transformative process to capture the essence of the song's true sweetness.

Collaborating with Matt Collins of WHARVES, Sunny Luwe found the perfect musical partnership to bring 'Summer Kisses' to life. Their creative synergy is evident in the dreamy instrumentation and uplifting melodies that instantly transport listeners to sunny, blue-sky days. This upbeat and pleasant track invites you to stroll barefoot, bask in its warm and relaxing atmosphere, and immerse yourself in its lulling indie-folk charm.

In alignment with her commitment to the environment, Sunny Luwe has made her musical project carbon neutral through carbon offsetting. With a deep sense of gratitude, she calculated the carbon footprint generated by the entire single release and offset it by donating funds to Rainforest 4, a North Queensland Conservation project focused on protecting the Daintree Rainforest from deforestation and preserving our old-growth rainforests.

Gotts Street Park feat Pip Millett - Sabina Chantouria - Mirrorball - Annie Bartholomew

Gotts Street Park - 'Got To Be Good' feat. Pip Millett.

For new listeners and latecomers there has been no handier introduction to Leeds collective Gotts Street Park than their recent run of releases. Singles "Lost & Found" ft. Charlotte Dos Santos, "Summer Breeze" ft. Rosie Lowe and their 2021 four-track EP Diego are a musical suite of songs that drill into the nucleus of GSP.

Now focused on 2023, Gotts Street Park announce their highly anticipated debut album On The Inside released October 13 via Blue Flowers, alongside sharing new single "Got To Be Good". With their effortless blend of vintage soul meets alt-R&B, "Got To Be Good" is enlivened by Pip Millett’s raw and impassioned vocal. A union from its early notes that submerges listeners into another cinematic Gotts Street Park experience as Millett’s voice voyages over seamless grooves of reel-to-reel keys, guitars and snares.

Talking about their union and new single, Gotts Street Park describe “Got To Be Good, came together pretty fast. Whenever we’ve been in the room with Pip, it’s pretty free and fruitful. When a song comes together like this, we don’t overthink it or alter the final take too much and just hope to have the same energy come through to the listener as we felt in the room creating it.”

Commenting further on the single’s lyrics, Millett says “Got To Be Good is about pulling yourself out of the darkness. You have to really want for a change in order to pull away from that sadness, and that’s what I was writing about.” "Got To Be Good" arrives alongside a video which acts as the song's aesthetic anchor depicting the universal feelings of isolation and unwanted solitude, directed by Harvey Pearson.

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Sabina Chantouria - Echoes.

Sabina Chantouria's sound is as eclectic as her Georgian-Swedish roots. With her velvet voice and rhythmic guitar, she’ll take you on a journey that evokes emotion and leaves you breathless. A 2017 Georgian National finalist for Eurovision, she has performed at numerous festivals and live on television and radio, working with music producers worldwide.

The single pulls us into a rich soundscape with Rock, Pop and Americana influences along with powerful heartfelt melodies and lyrics. Sabina says ''We all carry memories of someone close to us that has left a huge impact in our lives. 'Echoes' is a song about time, and memories that awake bittersweet feelings.''

The single was recorded by California based music producer Dave Jenkins (who also provides harmonies and keyboard), with world-renowned musicians like Kenny Aronoff on drums (John Fogerty, Mick Jagger, Willie Nelson m f.l), Doug Pettibone on slide guitar (Lucinda Williams, Marianne Faithful m f.l) and Jorgen Carlsson on bass (Gov't Mule).

Music Elevator PR · Sabina Chantouria - Echoes

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Mirrorball - Red Hot Dust.

Mirrorball, the dreamy LA pop duo consisting of singer/songwriter Alexandra Johnstone and multi-instrumentalist and composer Scott Watson, announces the drop of their second single "Red Hot Dust" from the upcoming debut EP, produced by Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs).

Mirrorball is the brainchild of Johnstone and Watson, both veterans of the LA indie scene. Following a successful debut in 2019 with two dream pop songs on Dangerbird Records, the duo caught the attention of acclaimed producer Chris Coady, meeting him at Sunset Sound to discuss their next recording. Over the next few months, they formed a special bond with Coady resulting in the upcoming EP, showcasing a unique blend of dreamy, nostalgic pop.

Johnstone states that “Red Hot Dust ” was written "during difficult times as a way of forcing some light to the surface, and because I wanted to feel like I could go home again at a time when I could not physically go home.”

“Red Hot Dust” evokes a hazy, distant past. It’s driving down the LA freeway with the top-down, molten lava flowing where the asphalt used to be. It’s being trapped in a crystal ball in the middle of a desert. The sun is beating down and time is standing still.

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Annie Bartholomew - Mountain Dove Song.

After nearly a decade of performing in Alaska’s rowdy bar scene, Juneau folksinger Annie Bartholomew became haunted by the stories of sex workers during the 19th century after touring the brothel museum at Skagway’s Red Onion Saloon. This week, Bartholomew shared the new single "Mountain Dove Song” from her debut album Sisters of White Chapel.

After conversations with her friend, Arkansas songwriter Willi Carlisle, the scope of the project came to include a play and stage show. The result is her debut album Sisters of White Chapel, out June 16. The music accompanies a play that she wrote Sisters of White Chapel: A Short But True Story, which premiered to acclaim in Bartholomew’s hometown of Juneau.

The close-sung “Mountain Dove Song” addresses the secrecy that these women needed to have to move on with their lives after sex work. Of the song, Bartholomew recounts, "I was inspired by many stories of women, but especially Maude Parrish who brought her banjo to the Yukon at 19, escaping a bad marriage in San Francisco. Maude’s roommate was a Dawson City sexworker, and I tried to imagine the life of her cabin mate in this piece. It was composed during my 2019 artist residency in the Yukon where I did most of my woodshedding in a timber frame cabin in Ship Yard’s Park on the Yukon River."

In contrast to the art created for tourists, Annie envisioned a musical work that would share these omissions of Alaska’s mining past, and embody the stories of women in Victorian-era Alaska. Through archival materials, personal history, and Alaska’s stringband traditions, Bartholomew brings these women to life, extracting the emotional truth of who they were, why they risked everything to follow a gold rush, and their subsequent journeys and misadventures along the way.

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Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos - Morning Tourist - The Roadside Bandits Project

Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos - Once And For All.

World-renowned goth trio Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos (Costa Rica) have shared ‘Once and For All’  the second video-single from their latest album, FRACTALS. The new album is the band’s sixth full-length studio album, amidst a string of releases tracing back to their inception one decade ago.

Asked about the new single, bandleader Ariel Maniki says:“…‘Once and For All’ is a difficult song to explain. But I can tell you that there was a long writing process behind it, so the ideas, inspirations, and meanings that went into it changed and grew over that time. It started as a song in Spanish, and was initially written from a very dark and personal place, hence the remaining Spanish chorus: “Hiéreme de Muerte (wound me to death)”. But I changed the other lyrics and music many times, to a point where it’s now difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about. It touches on themes of loneliness, abandonment, and depression… wanting it all to end, and wanting to escape… being sick and tired of liars and fake people… just generally growing tired of everything.”

Both the song’s chorus en Español and Maniki’s rapidly strummed acoustic guitars can be traced in part to a family background growing up around classical Spanish guitar players in Costa Rica. Fans of post-punk, darkwave, and early goth will also hear nods to the late, great John McGeoch’s guitar work for Siouxsie and the Banshees’ ‘Spellbound’, and the fluttering jangle of Frank Weyzig and Ronny Moorings on early Clan of Xymox records. Lines can also be drawn to the iconic Daniel Ash of Bauhaus on ‘The Passion of Lovers’ and ‘Slice of Life’, or the Flamenco-flavoured classical guitar of Robert Smith and Pearl (née Porl) Thompson for The Cure’s ‘The Blood’.

 
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Morning Tourist - Honey.

Blending nostalgic ‘90s childhood animations with sharp cultural commentary on the state of the world today, the new video for “Honey” was made by Sam Brentnall and sees a cartoon version of Sean McKinney (aka Morning Tourist) take a leading role.

Speaking of the new video, McKinney explains: “The song kind of explores arrested development in the face of adult responsibility, so it seemed a fitting idea that we went with a Saturday morning cartoon-style animation with me as a child. We not-so-subtly had toys resemble contemporary cultural figures and symbols that proceed to freak out and anger my young avatar.”

Depicting the likes of Boris Johnson, Kim Kardashian and Joe Biden amongst a sea of nostalgic childhood toys, the video also takes subtle aim at social media and commercial giants like Amazon through its troublesome and twisted take on dystopia. Morning Tourist adds: “I think [the video] does a great job of portraying the chaotic and duplicitous nature of modern culture and politics, and the way that can drive people’s emotions. Sam did amazing work with the idea and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

A staple in Morning Tourist’s live set and a firm favourite for the band to play at shows, “Honey” is a laid-back alternative-folk track seasoned with sweet harmonies and swelling acoustic guitars ripe for the season. However, gaze through the track’s golden veneer and you’ll find a track that smarts with the sting of dejection and resignation that can consume even the best of us when the world gets too much.

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The Roadside Bandits Project - Nothing.

Following the release earlier this year of their single Down Down, as featured on BBC Introducing & Amazing Radio’s Roots & Indie playlists, The Roadside Bandits Project release NOTHiNG – the second single from their upcoming sophomore album The Siberian Candidate. 

This time with Gang of Four’s John Sterry on vocals (and co-writer of the track), NOTHiNG, with its dark and atmospheric opening verse, tells a story of need, asking for help and the resultant stress and mental health issues that can arise from such a situation. “When I said I had nothing, are you gonna catch me when I fall” sings Sterry as the group’s main-man, London based Spanish Canarian Santi Arribas creates a blues infused sonic landscape through his tastefully understated guitar playing.

Arribas explains his inspiration behind the track as follows: “I wrote it in a minor blues format to establish a sad and soulful tone over which John & I laid the lyrics. It’s about the cost of living crisis and plays off the UK Prime Minister’s comment about the country needing more people to learn maths”.

The Roadside Bandits Project is the brainchild of Santi Arribas whose career in music has spanned record production and mixing, through to club / venue sound design for the world-famous Ministry of Sound and more. His creative influences include classic guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Johnson and BB King, as well as the blues and psychedelia genres as a whole. On the visual front, Arribas cites realist Edward Hopper’s 1920’s urban themed paintings as a point of inspiration for some of his output but also has a love for the output of Dutch photographer / film director Anton Corbijn.

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Juniper Honey - Ivan Moult - Kassi Valazza

Juniper Honey - Looking at You.

Born out of an all-too-common tale, Juniper Honey’s brand new single “Looking At You” details a story of unfulfilled potential and opportunities squandered. With an upbeat vibe and colorful lyrics, the indie rock band describes the experience of falling in love with a stranger you see out in public and never gaining the courage to approach them. Haunted by this lost chance at love, the track feels painstakingly relatable to those who have experienced a similar struggle. “Looking At You” is streaming now on digital platforms worldwide.

Written with the pieces of a story in mind, Juniper Honey describes the feeling of longing for a person they have never met. “Looking At You” perfectly articulates how these lost connections can stick out in one’s mind for much longer than anticipated. In an artful fusion of silky vocals, enchanting guitar riffs, and energetic drums, the track feels almost dreamy, depicting a romanticized recount of this stranger that the artist has painted in their head. “This one was really fun to work on in the studio,” lead vocalist Jake Hesse claims. “I can perfectly remember us jamming to this one as we were creating it and just being thrilled with what we were hearing.” With the help of producer Stefan Mac (Wallows, Young the Giant), “Looking At You,” alongside Juniper Honey’s other releases, is just as vivid in its storytelling as it is relatable in its subject matter.

While Juniper Honey’s origins can be found in Southern California, they have recently established new roots in San Luis Obispo. Kicking off in 2020, original members Jake Hesse (lead vocalist and guitarist) and Donovan Hess (drums) began their journey by playing gigs across Southern California and up the central coast with their previous band. In 2022, the pair joined forces with guitarist Cason LeSueur and bassist Josh West to officially form the alternative rock foursome that they are today. In the short time span of their career, Juniper Honey’s sound has developed into something unique to their craft. Dynamic, emotionally charged, and vibrant, they balance whimsical, hazy indie, and bombastic, vintage rock. They touch on themes that hit home with younger generations, such as the growing pains of coming-of-age, romance and heartbreak, and other eclectic ideas. Their music has been praised by Grimy Goods, The Luna Collective and Wolf in a Suit.

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Ivan Moult - Songs From Severn Grove (Album).

Indie folk singer-songwriter, Ivan Moult, releases his third album 'Songs From Severn Grove' via Welsh record label, Bubblewrap Records. The Cardiff-based artist has received support from BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and Folk Radio UK, with over 100k plays on Soundcloud. His 2018 album Longest Shadow earned him festival slots at Cornbury Festival, Festival of Voice and Swn, as well as support slots with This Is The Kit, Becca Mancari, and Willy Mason.

This new album showcases Ivan's versatility as he wrote, played, recorded and mixed all the songs at his home studio in Cardiff, with mastering polished off by Charlie Francis (REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Adwaith). Songs From Severn Grove chronicles Ivan's journey of growth, beginning in lockdown during the 2020 pandemic, and continuing through the challenges and joys of becoming a father.

His signature sound, combining 1960s/70s folk and blues with a contemporary touch, is on full display as he showcases his strongest work yet. Influenced by artists like J.J. Cale, Nina Simone, and Tim Buckley, Ivan's original and unique voice is at the centre of the soundscape, layered with harmonies and delay-soaked electric guitars.

Ivan Moult · Songs From Severn Grove

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Kassi Valazza - Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing (Album).

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza’s second full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, is out now via Loose (The Handsome Family, Margo Cilker). Valazza's first album on Loose, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing is a spellbinding collection of songs, calling to mind greats like Sandy Denny and Karen Dalton and follows her brilliant self-released 2019 debut Dear Dead Days.

Of recording the acclaimed 10-song set, Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [fellow 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.”

News of the record arrived earlier this year with lead single “Watching Planes Go By” as the opening track on UNCUT’s Sounds of the New West Vol 6 disc, which sees Valazza leading a list of breakout roots acts including Allison Russell, Nikki Lane, Sunny War, Margo Cilker, Plains, and more. Within a curious and cosmic atmosphere of psychedelic folk-rock, Valazza reflects on the dangers of standing still in life, "Autumn leaves turn to yellow / and green turns to jealousy / Watching days go by."

The second single “Corners” sees fingerpicked acoustic guitar dancing 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.”

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La Faute - Caitlin Rose - The Money War

La Faute - Blue Girl Nice Day (Album).

A hidden gem from the frozen heart of Toronto, Canada, art school dropout and Sony Music Publishing artist La Faute released her debut album ‘Blue Girl Nice Day’ yesterday, along with the focus single ‘Sorry I Can’t Stay’ and coinciding music video. La Faute’s (AKA Peggy Messing) musical style falls under the indie dream-pop, alternative folk and singer/songwriter categories, allowing Messing to bend genres and formulate her own. Citing artists such as Mitski, Lana Del Rey, Chet Baker and Massive Attack as musical influences – to name a few – Messing’s debut album is a hypnotic embodiment of all of these styles and influences.

Messing describes her inspiration for the album and her creative process, “I think this album is partly about me marrying my two loves of music and visual art. I am really enjoying the videos I am making and how moving pictures and songs affect each other. I have almost zero budget for video, and I’m not going unmasked into indoor crowded places to shoot with other people, but I love constraints like that.”

Speaking of the focus single, which was co-written with French neo classical composer and performer Villemin, Messing said: “I wanted to honour my lost and current loved ones as best I could with this song, and make a sincere message to the living, imagining what those leaving would have wanted to say, what I would want to say when the time comes.” “I found [Villemin] randomly on Instagram and fell in love with her music, and slid into her DMs. Fortunately she was open to collaborating, and when she sent this over, the melody and lyrics came to me right away. I've never met her in real life, but during the pandemic we talked over WhatsApp and I felt a real connection with her, personally and musically. I hope everyone discovers her music, it is very unique, subtle and special.”

The music video for the single is informal and lighthearted, showing Messing blowing bubbles in nature. “This song always makes me cry so I had to focus on the bright side to get through it. All I do is try to blow bubbles in the sunshine, gigantic and small, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. They're beautiful and don't last long,” she explained. La Faute (the mistake, in French) is Messing’s dark, dreamy solo project. A visual artist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter originally from Winnipeg, Canada, she explores themes of surface vs. depth, longing, betrayal, mourning and desire. Using a 4 string tenor electric guitar and obsolete hardware samplers, she created her captivating live show and released her debut EP just before the pandemic.

She has dealt with some chronic health problems which have required her to get creative to find workarounds, but when the pandemic started she chose to pause performing live to protect her health. She focused on the creation, and solutions to the problem of isolation. She connected with fellow artists and producers in France, the UK, Canada and the US to create music, most recently with LA-based Topher Mohr, who produced her album.

La Faute · Blue Girl Nice Day

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Caitlin Rose - Johnny Velvet.

Caitlin Rose announces the deluxe version of CAZIMI will release digitally on June 23 via Missing Piece Records. Along with the announcement, Rose shares the new original single “Johnny Velvet.” The deluxe version also includes a cover of Jason Molina’s “Nashville Moon,” as well as alternate versions of CAZIMI originals “How Far Away,” “Blameless” and “Carried Away.” Next week, Rose joins fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs to kick off their co-headlining tour in Louisville, with additional stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia, among others.

“I wrote this song after a rather intense dissociative period,” explains Rose. “Alter egos can make for good imaginary friends when you feel like you don’t have any, but while helpful for coping, the long-term effects are less than desirable. Anyways, I found this design company’s swag koozie in a Lubbock bar and it just kind of rolled on from there. It hung around for a couple years until I scheduled a write with Linwood Regensburg. We didn’t get too far on a new song but ended up diving in on this. We tracked some guitar and a scratch vocal and a couple months later he sent me this. It’s definitely a testament to his abilities in working with minimal resources and I love how different of a tone it set for me in a time where I was desperately in need of change.”

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Taking its title from the astrological term for when a planet is in such close proximity to the sun that it’s considered to be in the heart of it, CAZIMI chronicles “the slow motion unraveling of somebody’s life” in the aftermath. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), the album earned widespread critical acclaim.

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The Money War - Ride.

Following the success of their late 2022 release 'Somebody Loves You' and their early 2023 collab with FEELDs on 'Was It Ever Really Anything?', Western Australian-based duo, The Money War, are stripping things back with their new single Ride, out yesterday Friday, May 26. The duo are also announcing the release of their EP 'I Don't Hear You Anymore', out June 23.

Inspired by the idea of living in the moment, 'Ride' captures the essence of happiness in simplicity. With minimal production, the single features only stripped back guitar and vocals, providing a liberating energy to sit and resonate with. Lead vocals from Dylan Ollivierre, backed up by Carmen Pepper, deliver a lulling, easy-going track that showcases the duo's emotive lyricism and raw talent.

Speaking on the unplugged essence of the track, Ollivierre states: "I wanted the song to feel like a ‘lost demo’, a bit rough around the edges and to feel like someone playing a song in their bedroom. The aim was to make the song feel emotive without all the production bells and whistles."

Pepper adds to what the song means to the two, "We’re currently at a point in our lives where things are pretty chaotic with raising a young family and trying to juggle a few different projects. I sometimes find myself wishing the time away and dreaming of a day when we can have a bit more freedom, so I have to remind myself that this is such an important time for us and we should enjoy it while we’re in it."

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