Peach Kelli Pop returns just a month after sharing 'Cut Me Off' with her latest single 'Stupid Girl' and it's another bright and breezy two minutes+ blast of vibrant natural pop. === Crawford Mack has impressed us already this year with a couple of magnificent songs and his brand new release 'A Love I Can't Live Up To' is another exquisite and beautiful piece. === Plants and Animals share 'Love that Boy' ahead of 'The Jungle', their fifth studio album set to be released on October 23rd. The new single is highly original laid back indie rocker that gently ebbs and flows.
Peach Kelli Pop is a musical project conceived of by songwriter Allie Hanlon. "Stupid Girl" is two minutes of pure guitar pop brilliance, but a self deprecating theme runs through the upbeat song.
"As a non-linear thinker and someone that always felt uncomfortable in school, I grew up thinking I was stupid. This is still ingrained in me to some extent." Hanlon says of the new single.
In 2009, in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada, Hanlon taught herself to play guitar and bass, arrange songs and record them. The band is now based in Southern California, after Hanlon relocated in 2013.
Peach Kelli Pop has toured extensively both domestically and internationally, making frequent trips to Japan. With four full-length releases and a handful of singles under her belt, Peach Kelli Pop is back with her Lucky Star EP on October 7th via Lauren Records. The EP features 4 brand new songs, including a cover of "Sing And Pretty" by Tokyo's The Pat Pats.
Intimately involved in all aspects of his art; Glaswegian composer Crawford Mack is not just a musician and lyricist, but a video and art director; the whole focused on the perfect expression of his musical vision.
Crossing genres from his original jazz background, through to rock, electronic, and classical music; Crawford has concocted a sound that he hopes will illustrate the conviction of an individual confronting their internal struggles, wrestling them to the ground but all the while waving a white flag of surrender.
Following on from his beguiling track ‘Depends On Where You Stand’ and the dark, vulnerable, yet defiant ‘Firing Squad’, Crawford returns with his confessional new single ‘A Love I Can’t Live Up To’; the third track to be taken from the artists forthcoming debut album ‘Bread and Circuses’.
New offering ‘A Love I Can’t Live Up To’ is a ‘how-not-to’ guide to happiness, featuring realisations that came too late. With a knack for merging a razor-sharp hook with a harmonious foray of orchestral strings, this genre-bending offering see’s Crawford deliver one of his most impactful releases yet.
Discussing the inspiration behind the track, the artist tells us: "I was set a challenge by Sir Ray Davies to write a song where the bridge would hold the main meaning of the song, and to use musical materials I hadn't found a place for yet. The song draws on different moments in my life… it started out as a reflection of carrying feelings of inadequacy from some early relationships, and eventually evolved into a reflection of how they affected my actions getting older."
Plants and Animals are releasing a brand new single and video for “Love That Boy,” an intimate song created out of childhood memories and reflection about the constant evolution of family. The Jungle, their fifth studio album, is set to be released on October 23rd via Secret City Records.
Warren shares the inspiration behind the song: “It’s a song about my family, present and past, but it feels more like a meditation. I was upset, frustrated and feeling like no one knew me—the kid me, the me I still feel I am. And then writing the song chilled me out and put me right. It was a way to connect with my dead parents and with my new life as a dad, and to give everyone a proper hug.”
The music video, directed by Yann-Manuel Hernandez, was also inspired by Warren’s early life memories. The singer-songwriter continues: “I have a strong memory of being a kid in the backseat of my parent's car driving down the road at night in Halifax.
The moon was bright and I watched it as it danced, interrupted by trees, like a strobe light or a stop-motion film. It followed us as we drove and I couldn’t figure out how it was doing that. Nothing else I could see out the window kept up. Why is the moon not moving? I hadn’t thought of that for a very long time, but somehow the song brought me back to that place.”
The Silverbeets recently shared 'We Mattered Once Upon A Time' along with a video. The song is from their next album 'Halcyon Days' and gives a good feel for the bands desirable and distinctive indie art rock. ==== Kim Bingham hasn't wasted her lock down and along with Jolyon White has produced a fresh and highly entertaining video entitled "Sweet Irene: Escape from Lockdown" which comes from her UP! album. ==== Scenic Route To Alaska have just released 'Polarized' and the Edmonton-based indie pop trio are impressive with this powerful and hook filled song. ==== We featured 'Milk' by Psymon Spine back in July and they are back with 'Modmed' along with a video, the new track is a swirling psychedelic piece with some light disco vibes.
Australian indie art rockers The Silverbeets have announced they will be releasing their 'Halcyon Days' album this autumn. Offering a taste of things to come, the quartet present the lead track 'We Matted Once Upon a Time', along with accompanying video.
With a rich dark green sound interspersed with multi-coloured stems, their non-formulaic style is distinct. Like their forthcoming 8-track full-length album, this single evoke the spirit of artists such as Can, They Might be Giants and XTC.
Formed in 2014, The Silverbeets hail from Hobart, Tasmania - the small Australian island state at the bottom of the world. This relative isolation has led the band to craft an idiosyncratic sound that borrows from luminary rock acts like Pink Floyd, The Byrds, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Pixies, Queen, Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Cave and Neil Young, among others.
The Silverbeets consist of Farnz Cordeaux (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jamie Scott (lead guitar, vocals), Nigel Hope (bass) and Bill O’Brien (drums) but their recorded sound is also heavily influenced by their “5th member”, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Ernie Oppenheimer.
"This is a song about how government, or people in power, once treated people with some common decency, like we mattered. However all semblance of caring seems to have completely gone by the wayside and all we have left is the greed of man, the greed of those in power who know how to use it against the 99% Viva la revolution!" says frontman Farnz Cordeaux.
Kim Bingham - "Sweet Irene: Escape from Lockdown".
Catchy pop-rock track Sweet Irene first featured in Kim Bingham’s album “UP!”. Kim herself has had a long and diverse music career since she began in 1990, from being a member of third-wave ska group Me Mom and Morgentaler, to composing the soundtrack for TV trilogy Les Invincibles.
During lockdown, Kim and video director Jolyon White worked together in a long-distance digital collaboration to produce the video for Sweet Irene, entitling it “Sweet Irene – Escape from Lockdown”.
Kim says of the video: “The original concept was to produce a music video using only Instagram Filters. The story of the video developed into a science-fiction tale including a battle scene and victory dance.”
Substance and accessibility. They’re often considered opposing forces when it comes to pop music, making it all the more impressive when a band like Scenic Route to Alaska so effortlessly delivers ample doses of both.
The heralded Edmonton-based indie pop trio – Trevor Mann on lead vocals and guitar, drummer Shea Connor, and bassist Murray Wood – have worked tirelessly scaling the summit of the Canadian and international music scenes. They dropped two acclaimed LPs – 2018’s Tough Luck and 2016’s Long Walk Home – that weave memorable melodies and catchy vocals through compelling, musically-rich arrangements and earned a slew of awards and accolades on their backs. They’ve toured relentlessly across North America, Europe, and Australia and have seen their global fanbase grow exponentially with each amplified chord.
Since taking time to write and workshop new material earlier in 2019, Scenic Route to Alaska have released a pair of singles “Give a Little” in October 2019 and “Daydreaming” in Feb 2020 and played a nearly sold out tour throughout Canada. These singles will soon be featured on a limited edition 7″ vinyl.
Despite the nearly non-stop touring and unwavering determination throughout their time together, the three musicians have enjoyed every step of the journey. That was especially the case with their packed 2019 hometown performance on the main stage of the world-renowned Edmonton Folk Music Festival – a definite career highlight thus far. They’ve also racked up handfuls of awards, including a SOCAN #1 distinction for the single “Love Keeps” and a Western Canadian Music Award for Best Rock Act.
The recordings effortlessly capture the excitement of the band’s live performance, where the energy is palpable and the fun contagious. Always locked in with a syncopation that can only stem from a long collective history, the boys bounce from ballads to bangers with ease, leaving a lasting impression on any kind of audience in front of them. The band is perhaps best defined through dichotomy: young but mature, curious but collected, accessible but substantial. Such balance is all too rare in this scene, but thankfully, Scenic Route to Alaska strikes it with a style all their own.
If the story of Psymon Spine in 2020 began with “Milk” featuring Barrie Lindsay (Noah and Sabine’s former bandmate), it only makes sense to follow that with “Modmed,” a song inspired by Noah and Sabine’s decision to split with Barrie and focus their energy on Psymon Spine. The lyrics to Modmed channel the complex mix of frustration, doubt, and relief that surrounded their final days in Barrie.
Featuring production and writing contributions from their friend Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, “Modmed” is heavily disco-inspired, fusing those sounds with a left-field pop sensibility. “Psymon Spine invited me into the studio one winter’s day and we had a fun and funky time ripping Juno basslines and dialing in lush tones,” says VanWyngarden. “I like that their dj and record digging knowledge comes through distinctly on this track.” With squishy synth lines nodding to ABBA, drums that call to mind Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love,” and a bass line inspired by Larry Levan, the bands’ love for classic disco and house is on full display.
Psymon Spine fuse psychedelic pop and the deep grooves of dance music, the Brooklyn electronic pop outfit's origins date back to core members Noah Prebish and Peter Spears meeting in college and finding common ground in their artistic aims and influences. Eventually, Brother Michael joined Psymon Spine, as the trio hashed out the demos for what would become their 2017 debut and continued on that aesthetic mission by becoming figures in the Brooklyn dance scene through throwing the immersive art and dance parties via their Secret Friend series. Meanwhile, Prebish's work in dream-pop band Barrie—who broke out last year with the excellent debut Happy to Be Here following a string of buzz-making singles—led him to meet singer and multi-instrumentalist Sabine Holler, who also eventually joined Psymon Spine.
Psymon Spine's glimmering melodies bear resemblance to the pop smarts of Barrie—but Psymon Spine are on a whole different journey too, embracing and exploring left-field electronic sounds ranging from disco's high-energy rhythmic breakdowns to the upward build of early techno and motorik's indelibly incessant pulse. Psymon Spine put their own loopy and addictive stamp on the sounds of the past throughout, with surprises at every turn and the type of lush synth work that could only come from such brilliant students of dance music.
Gianna Lauren is a singer songwriter based in Nova Scotia and she has just released 'Spark' as a foretaste of the E.P 'Vanity Metrics' due in November. 'Spark' is a mellow and melodic piece that gradually builds in power, something of a journey from indie pop to indie rock. === Earlier this month we featured 'Passing Me By' from Samana describing that track as "pristine and breathtaking." They have followed that up with the new single 'The Glory Of Love' where their creativity and unique style is again, something very special.
Nova Scotia songwriter Gianna Lauren has just released the single "Spark" and announces her 'Vanity Metric's EP on Forward Music Group due on Nov 13th. Gianna Lauren's new EP Vanity Metrics, is a deeply felt and dreamy set of songs recorded live in the studio, taking advantage of the tour-tightness of her band after a two week run to catch lightning in a bottle. Gianna's vocals are deeply felt and beautifully controlled, and the band supports her perfectly, surging and receding at the exact right moment. A lot to love here for fans of Mitski, Big Thief, Lucy Dacus.
About the album - “It’s the same old story that I can’t tell,” sings Gianna Lauren over and over on “Closed Chapter,” at the midpoint of Vanity Metrics, abandoning the jaunty melody she began with for a pulsing, dramatic drumbeat and expansive horns. Her own voice joins, then other voices, calling back on a loop, mimicking the patterns of a doomed relationship she’s finally learned to let go of—and you hear that exact moment, because the jaunty melody comes back for the final seconds, a bookend, maybe a kiss-off.
The same old story one can’t tell is also the act of art itself. Perhaps a coincidence, then, that here on her fourth release Lauren is at her art-rockiest, but that also may be in part thanks to the artists she was listening to as she weaved through the fog of Nova Scotia’s south shore to produce this EP: Some of indie-rock’s boldest voices and most insightful perspectives, like the heart-rending Mitski, the dramatics of Weyes Blood, the intimacy of Big Thief.
Lauren and her cohort of Ontarians stepped into the studio immediately after a two-week tour to make Vanity Metrics in four days, and that includes a pair of songs—“Closed Chapter” and the opener “Spark”—written that week. With the artist as bandleader, much of the album was recorded live off the floor, capturing an electricity fuelled by collaboration (and a touch of exhaustion).
Call it experimental, call it art rock, call it alt-folk or folk rock; however you personally classify Samana’s music, it is an unequivocally compelling reflection of humanity.
Following the release of earlier singles ‘Harvest’ and August’s ‘Passing Me By’, which saw support from BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X, Wales-based duo Samana return with their latest single ’The Glory Of Love’. It is taken from their forthcoming ’The Spirit Moving’ EP (set for release on October 22nd).
Self-produced, recorded and mixed whilst holed-up in a remote part of France while the world was locked down earlier in the year, the band explain "‘The Glory Of Love’ is a mantra, stripping away the veneer of everything in life that distracts and overwhelms; to realign the soul with the importance of what it is to be rooted. This song marks the value of connection, returning one to the fundamental principle that lies at the heart of all things - the profundity of what it is to truly love, and to be loved."
“The Glory Of Love” is the second of new a new series of releases from the band who have just received support from the Arts Council Of Wales.
The Sonder Bombs have just released their feisty two minute plus alt rocker 'What Are Friends For?' and it's packed with some refreshingly "play me again" hooks. === Ashley Barron shares 'Let Me Go' where country rock and quality pop creatively rub shoulders within this determined and passionately delivered song.
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The Sonder Bombs - What Are Friends For?
Midwesterner upstarts The Sonder Bombs have just announced signing to Big Scary Monsters in the UK/EU with new track ‘What Are Friends For?’ Produced in Philadelphia during quarantine with Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Beach Bunny), their new track captures a band burning at both ends. The Sonder Bombs are often at their most direct and dynamic when they get mad, but here they’re getting even before toppling the scale. Lead singer Willow Hawks entertains the question ‘What Are Friends For?’ while the background smoulders around the punctuation – Hawks’ agile vocal line trailing like an asteroid collision.
“Writing & recording ‘What Are Friends For?’ was some of the most fun that we’ve had as a band” says Willow Hawks. “From the very beginning we knew this was a song that we wanted people to shake their butts too! I was dancing my heart out while tracking vocals for this one and I think that hype energy really came through in the final product. I can’t wait to play it live someday!”
For The Sonder Bombs, self-confidence starts when it crosses paths with self-analysis. Their debut ‘Modern Female Rockstar’, which was released on Take This to Heart Records, defined a new era of socially conscious, unapologetic pop punk. An all-caps attack against a male-dominated scene brandishing a ukulele and dry wit as chosen weapons. The alt-folk quartet began as a duo in 2016, with Hawks and her writing partner Jimmy Wilkens trading off abrasive and melodic punches against a DIY universe which places gender politics at the bottom of a list of priorities.
Blending together the folksy and the fiery can be cartoonish if not executed properly. On paper, adding a ukulele to a pop-punk band’s arsenal seems like an eyebrow-raising proposition. Luckily for The Sonder Bombs, the uke enhances the band’s self-assured humour and balance, creating a dynamic, nuanced counterpoint to frontwoman Willow Hawks’ acrobatic vocals and shimmering guitars. Hawks assures her listener base that the ukulele isn’t the product of a cutesy bygone era, it’s a weapon in a battle to be taken seriously in a male-dominated scene.
Ashley Barron embraces the independent and powerful country woman aura in her writing and music. Influenced by the country greats such as Johnny Cash and other modern stars like Miranda Lambert, she now incorporates her life experiences and stories into her writing, creating passionate, home-grown, and relatable music.
Before being a country rock star, Ashley encircled her music passion singing in her room, music lessons and the high school choir. Diagnosed with Linear Scleroderma and Celiac Disease, Ashley learned to gain courage and love herself when it came to performing—musically or with cheerleading. Used to a crazy lifestyle and giant family full of support her passion for music grew, and she declined an invitation to the University of Arizona to attend the local university and go full force into her music career—recording and performing wherever and whenever she could.
By persevering through some of her hardest moments, Ashley decided that her logo would be an Arrow, signifying to always push ahead and to never give up, even if it seems so easy to do. "Let Me Go" is a Country, Pop, Rock song. it's a mid tempo song about not being strong enough to let go
So Are We have shared 'LA Love' today ahead of their new album, it's a refined and melodic Americana piece that exudes both warmth and feeling. === FM Collective have released a gem of a song entitled 'In My Backyard', their indie music is fabulously constructed and delivered. === Turkey The Bird have given us a beautiful, uplifting and refreshing track called 'Everybody Needs A Little Sunshine'. === Having already shared four tracks this year Jenny Banaireturns with the full album 'Couchwalker' and I have to say the additional eight songs that make up the collection have all been worth the wait, this is a fabulous release. === Elana Stone has shared a video for 'Permanent Limbo' a rhythmic, catchy and melodic song.
So Are We’s long awaited album 'Piece of the Puzzle' is now ready for release! Warm, harmonic and beautiful Americana inspired pop music.
So Are We consists of songwriters Guro Vikingstad (vocal) and Stian Haslie (guitar), occasionally backed up by a band when songs call for it and when the stage is big enough. Their music is americana inspired pop with very personal lyrics, often based on their own lives. The duo is also a couple off-stage, and has a big collection of romantic, sad, happy and funny stories to provide inspiration.
Before the release of their upcoming album, they will release the fourth and last single track named LA Love, today September 25th.
So Are We had a shy start as a duo in 2015, and has since then released 2 singles and an EP, receiving great acclaim from critics. In 2018, So Are We toured around Norway doing 15 concerts, and during their 5th year as a duo built a big and devoted audience. Guro’s voice is often described as intimate and soulful, and Stian’s guitars sometimes sound like a variety of violins but then suddenly turn into the blues devil himself.
FM Collective is the Seattle-based music project of Mike Lucero, a multimedia producer known for his work in music, street art and public installations. Lucero has collaborated with many of Seattle’s most prominent artists, including members of The Posies, REM, Macklemore, Heart, Hey Marseilles, Portugal the Man, and The Head and the Heart.
Fittingly, FM Collective was born as a collaborative effort, namely with Ken Stringfellow (Posies, REM, Big Star) on vocals, bass, production, and mixing duties along with a rotating cast of fellow Seattle artists. On their latest single “In My Backyard,” the duo looked to create a romping country song with protest charging through its lyrics, enlisting the help of Andrew Joslyn (Macklemore), Colin Richey (Hey Marseilles, Cloud Nothings, Cataldo) and Kyle Zantos (Head and the Heart). The protest in question was centered on the political deterioration within Lucero’s own community in the wake of Trump.
“This song was inspired by an act of vandalism that occurred at the Jewish temple that I am affiliated with in Seattle,” Lucero says in a press release. “The incident occurred in the spring of 2017 right after the election of Donald Trump which had stoked the flames of thugs across America, including anti-Semites. While Seattle is one of the most progressive cities in the country, it was evidence that, even in the most modern, forward-thinking and tolerant cities, darkness lurks in the shadows. Today, the message resonates stronger than ever.”
All of the proceeds that FM Collective have raised thus far has been donated to Grammy’s Musicares program, raising nearly $20K to date.
Turkey The Bird - Everybody Needs A Little Sunshine.
Weird times. We're not supposed to travel at the moment, for example to the sea. But no worries, now the sea comes to your home, thanks to Turkey The Bird. The trio has packed sunshine and vacation-feelings into a big box and send them over.
Their songs: enlightening stories about life and love. Their melodies: three-part catchy tunes. The rhythm: leaves you at least tapping your feet. And the beards: the trademark of the band fronted by Swiss musician Andre Manella.
Well then, spread the towel! Song into the Boombox! Relax! And you'll discover that Turkey The Bird are Switzerland's answer to Simon & Garfunkel.
This album was a hard one for me to write. I felt uncomfortable often, stretched, if you will, lingering in the in-between.
I don’t know if there has been a more honest and weak time in my life than now (but I only say that now) and I believe in the importance of sharing, in equal parts, both the consolation and desolation of this strange and beautiful tent I walk around in.
Jenny Banai is an old soul and a child of the nineties, and as such, has inherited both the contemplative wonder and the wardrobe of her parents. She is a fresh and authentic voice who pairs powerhouse vocal abilities with unique and clever pop arrangements.
She blends jazz, folk, and rock into sophisticated pop music that both celebrates and laments the dynamic of human relationships and the relationship with one’s self.
Following the success of her single release, Elana Stone returns today with a charming and colourful animated video clip for 'Permanent Limbo'.
Created by a Melbourne artist Luna Tunes, the video premiered earlier this week via Music Feeds. Fun and explorative in nature, the video clip cleverly depicts the narrative of the intertwining of human relationships, and more specifically how we relate through technology.
When explaining the vision of her video Elana explains she was "In the midst of recording the song I had an idea for an accompanying music video. It was essentially about the merging of humans and technology - the many pitfalls and wonders of this emerging industry.
I decided to reach out to a Melbourne based artist that I came across who made beautiful caricatures of robots and cats and dogs for AIME - the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. We set about bringing his beautiful colourful robot characters to life. The story shifted again and the result is an incredibly optimistic depiction of robots steadily gaining intelligence, personality and enlightenment."
Falcon Jane is back just weeks after sharing 'The Other Moon' this time we have the gorgeous song 'Heaven' with a splendidly matched video. === Healthy Junkies made their first appearance here just three or so weeks ago and return with 'Something In The Way' and although we don't often feature cover versions the band superbly stamp their own mark on this Nirvana song.
Ontario-based project Falcon Jane, led by lead singer and songwriter Sara May, are sharing their glistening new single, 'Heaven'. Alongside the new music, which follows the single, 'The Other Moon', Sara is announcing details of her new record, Faith which is due for release via Pittsburgh-based label, Darling Recordings on November 13, 2020.
Faith serves as the follow-up to Falcon Jane’s debut album Feelin’ Freaky, which firmly established May’s self-labeled “plez-rock”. Still keeping some of those previously pleasant summer vibes, Faith sees May steer towards a darker spiral—one that personifies the often isolating meanderings that come with figuring it all out. “A lot of the songs on the album are written from me to me,” she explains. “It’s about trusting in yourself and believing in the thoughts and feelings in your own mind.”
The new single 'Heaven' presents this new sonic palette astutely with May looking to examine the dark as well as the light. It was written after Sara spent some time at Neyaashiinigmiing 27, a reserve in Ontario, with the track sourcing much of its influence by the nature around her, from the pink sunsets to the forests, looming rock formations, and serene waters of the Georgian Bay. "It is in these places where I feel most like myself, most at peace, most in love," explains May. "'Heaven' is a love song for my partner, Andrew, who was with me on that trip, walking with me out into the pink lake, but it is also a love song for the natural world."
"As humans, we have such a flawed connection with nature," she continues. "We love and worship it, but our lifestyles so casually disrespect and destroy it. I think that’s where the dark and semi-spooky chorus in the song came from. I wanted the chorus to feel as if a choir of angels was singing it. But to me, those voices sound very grounded, so I think they are angels on earth, maybe even underground, rather than in heaven."
Healthy Junkies are everything that epitomizes the indie punk spirit - driven, authentic, and capable of causing a riot at any moment. As they prepare to release new album ‘Forever on the Road’ on 25th Sept, the band have unveiled a haunting cover of Nirvana’s ‘Something in the Way’ inspired by the time they met Krist Novoselic in Seattle during their U.S. tour in 2018.
As a band that have toured relentlessly since their formation in 2011, until the global lockdown of 2020, they came into the new record still firmly locked in the groove. Their own fuzz drenched take on ‘Something in the Way’ follows single ‘Last Day In L.A.’, which Alt Press described as ‘‘a kickass rocker that’s blindingly great’.
The album was made during the aforementioned period of quarantine and has reflections of recent tours and life beyond the road. It offers a compelling record more akin to chapters of a thrilling novel rather than bubblegum throwaway rock n pop. Lead singer Nina Courson shines throughout with her Parisian drawl inflecting the Junkies’ brand of rock n roll with tones of 60s femme fatales Nico and Brigitte Bardot.
This group of runaways from Paris and Greater London united together to write songs and feed their passion for music as a life-saving exercise after narrowly escaping a youth filled by gangsters, abuse and the like. Phil Honey-Jones is Nina’s writing partner and plays guitars and sings on many tracks too. Their bond was firmly formed almost a decade ago through music as a form of healing self-expression, creating their own world within a world, turning their personal horrors into sonic beauty, and out of the bizarre madness of the global pandemic have conjured a record sure to catapult them to the larger stages of next year’s major festivals. The band also feature bass player Dave Whitmore from Maidenhead, Berks who provides that extra bit of madness and creativity needed to cement their destinies together and jettison them on the journey that brought them to the recording of ‘Forever On The Road’. The drums on this album were provided by an anonymous American drummer during lockdown and mixed by Phil at home. This was the only way the album could be created during these restricted times.
On this album they have further pushed the boundaries of genre using hip hop beats, piano and string arrangements, horror film style soundtracks and even reggae alongside goth, punk and grunge. The album is the soundtrack to their USA tour of autumn 2018.
Healthy Junkies also bring similar people together and have been running a monthly London night called Punk & Roll Rendezvous for nine years, which includes an annual free three day festival with 25+ bands. The event has always been held at the Unicorn pub in Camden but due to Covid-19 the band are running the festival online this year. The fanbase for this band as well as their Punk & Roll night keep growing as they continue to popularize a community spirit, the sharing of ideas, giving artists an opportunity to perform and somewhere to hang out. This cast of misfits have built a beautiful tribe of punks and rockers and look set to expand their loyal devotees as they continue to hit their stride.
Healthy Junkies are known to the niche college and punk scenes across UK, Europe and US and have enjoyed coverage and airplay from KEXP to KROQ to BBC London and BBC Jersey, Tom Robinson’s fresh on the net on 3 separate occasions to ARTE TV, BT Sport (for the televised champions league) and magazines like Big Cheese, Vive Le Rock, Louder Than War and Big Takeover in the USA.
Still Corners have released the title track 'The Last Exit' from their fifth studio album due out in January 2021. We are a little bit late to the party with this song, however it's just to good to let pass by and gives a good feel for their next musical journey. === Konsequence have shared 'Oh, Look At The Time' and it's a paced and rhythmic song with the vocals immersed in a richly textured musical envelope. === Tired Kid shares 'Make Time' which has a beautiful and timeless alt rock feel to it, a sense of looking back and reliving times gone by, without being overly sentimental.
The Last Exit is the fifth studio album from Still Corners, which will be released on 22nd January 2021 on Wrecking Light Records.
With the shimmering desert noir sound the band has become known for, The Last Exit takes you on a hypnotic journey, one filled with dilapidated towns, mysterious shapes on the horizon, and long trips that blur the line between what’s there and not there. Greg says, “We found something out there in the desert – something in the vast landscapes that went on forever."
The Last Exit consists of eleven beautifully crafted songs with organic instrumentation, clean-toned guitar, spacious drums and the smoky croon of Tessa Murray. Album highlights include “The Last Exit”, “White Sands” and “Shifting Dunes” all of which evoke the vast space of the desert and rolling unconcerned skies.
The album was brought further into focus by the pandemic when almost everything was forced to stop. Tessa explains, “There's always something at the end of the road and for us it was this album. Our plans were put on hold – an album set for release, tours, video shoots, travel. We’d been touring nonstop for years, but we were forced to pause everything. We thought the album was finished but with the crisis found new inspiration and started writing again.”
It was in this context that songs like ‘Crying’, ‘Static”, ‘Till We Meet Again’ were written, reflecting on the impact of isolation and the need for social contact and intimacy.
First single, ‘The Last Exit’ is the final chapter of the Still Corners’ Road Trilogy. What began with ‘The Trip’ and was followed by ‘The Message’ concludes with the stunning ‘The Last Exit’. The video, inspired by the 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock, finds Tessa pulled into the mysterious rocks of Joshua Tree. Tessa explains -
"In a world where everyone thinks all the corners of the map are filled in we like to suggest there's something beyond that, something eternal in the landscape and in our psyche. Maybe you don't see it every day but it's there and that's what we are trying to connect to."
With a galloping beat, teardrop vocals and silver-tone guitar, The Last Exit races down a lonely highway to destination unknown. Elegant and searching with a grand piano ending, The Last Exit will remind you of another world beyond the one you see.
Red-eyed, sleepless nights filled with existential crises and tormented dreams are the order of the day on Munich outfit Konsequence’s new track ‘Oh, Look At The Time’.
Centred around the fear of losing out on opportunities, and lethargically letting life pass you by, the track conveys these emotions through deadpan lyrics and sarcastic wit.
Munich-based brothers Tom and Mike Zitzelsberger have made music together for most of their adult life. Their familial bond allows them to be completely candid with each other – able to express their creative ideas without fear of judgement or rebuke.
Producing emotionally charged electro pop with post-punk affectations, the pair have previously collaborated with the likes of Rome Fortune and Rory Fresco. Nostalgic synths are backed up by motoric drums; melancholia and teenage trauma are countered with a sense of optimism.
New single, “Make Time,” takes an autobiographical look at Tired Kid’s day-to-day life; some of it mundane but relatable, ultimately attached with a bit of happiness.
Tired Kid is the moniker for Thomas Kelly, a musician/composer based in Toronto. Thomas tries to create music with a vintage warmth and psychedelic nature.
Inspired by bands from all eras of time, he picks out elements from each like a florist picking out flowers to create a bouquet of sound for eager ears to listen upon. Pure familiarity, pure nostalgia.
Cajsa Siikhit our radar a few times in 2017 and it's great to have her back with Part 1 of her new album 'NINJŌ PT1' from which we have the first track 'This Is Not Malibu' which is an excellent example of this fabulously crafted collection of music. === Grace Gillespie makes her fourth appearance here this year with 'Hoppers' and once again her creative and melodic music shines beautifully. === Anne Malin has released another song from the forthcoming album 'Waiting Song' this time we have 'Hourglass' where the rich musical backdrop supports heartfelt and superb vocals.
Cajsa Siik is back in force on the new album "Ninjõ". The album, produced by Siik together with Erik Moberg, shows an artist who once again manages to invent herself by being playful, stripped down and powerful. "Ninjō", which will be released in two parts in 2020/2021, has all the ingredients that characterize an album signed by Cajsa Siik: strong melodies, stripped-down arrangements with precision and lyrics that go straight to the heart.
Cajsa Siik describes one of the singles ”Gate Keeper” like this - ”Gate Keeper is one of the key songs on the album. Like a little backbone.The melody wrote itself and has an ease about it, yet the lyrics is all about tension and resistance. I guess it’s about the art of trying to be there for someone else. Still be there for yourself.To be someone to count on in life and to trust, despite all your destructiveness and flaws. Maybe it’s when you dare to accept the shit that you carry around that you can fully be there and be loved?When you stop ignoring what scares you the most.”
Cajsa Siik released her debut album in 2012 and has since put out 3 studioalbums and 1 EP. Over the years she’s been praised in international media outlets such as Q Magazine, BBC6, Line of Best Fit and Nylon. Her latest album, ”Domino”, took her on a European tour supporting Mitski added to performing her own headline shows in Berlin and London.
Grace just released a new single from the EP, “Hoppers”. The track takes influences from the folk, alternative and dream-pop traditions capturing the frantic energy of life and contrasting it with the stillness of death, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies.
Grace Gillespie is a London-based artist and producer originally from Devon, who spent much of 2017 touring as part of the live line-up for 4AD’s Pixx. In 2019 Grace received PRS’s WMM funding and consequently released her debut EP ‘Pretending,’ which garnered support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Earmilk. This year she has received support from the ‘Help Musicians’ ‘Do it Differently’ award, and is using this to release an EP in the autumn. Some of her notable live shows include supporting James Morrison at Dingwalls, Camden and headlining the folk stage at Tipping Point festival in Newcastle.
Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists, as well as backing from NME, Crack In The Road and The Wild Honey Pie. Her most recent singles have been playlisted on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’,‘Garden Indie’ & ‘The Lovely Little Playlist’. She has received radio plays from BBC 6 music as well as being a featured artist on BBC Introducing London. Her early demo of ‘Restoration’ saw her tipped to Q Magazine by Newton Faulkner and brought her to the attention of Kaleidoscope, who worked with her to produce her first solo releases in 2018. Her sound takes influences from the folk, alternative and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism.
Quote from Anne Malin Ringwalt on the track: “Hourglass” started, lyrically, from my sense of detachment from time during the pandemic. When I wrote “somewhere an hourglass stands at night / sand slips by in the moonlight” I was feeling—at the depth of Will and my unemployment—out of control but loving the experience of how dense our days together were, how our days blurred together. I was picturing time as something far away from us. The image of sand inside the hourglass got me thinking about summer, though, and all the ways I’d enjoy my time pre-covid. As I wrote, I moved from this sense of temporal bewilderment to my relationship with Will. We’re getting married late this summer, so when I sing about “last July” I’m singing about Will proposing to me—how time seemed to be opening up for us then, the possibility we felt. How does one enter that sense of possibility from a pandemic? I tried to sing towards that.
Some of you may remember Anne Malin's last record, the atmospheric and intense Fog Area (2018), which I had the honor of working. Since then, the duo has relocated to Nashville from South Bend (they're originally from NC and Kentucky) and, while struggling like the rest of us with the onslaught that has been 2020 (unemployment, pandemic, sickness) has crafted the sublime Waiting Song, a record about what it means for everything to stop, which I'm sharing with you today. This is not a wallowing, though. In their words, they sing "towards a garden they wish to inhabit."
The ghostliness and atmosphere of Fog Area are still present here, as are Anne Malin Ringwalt's distinctive vocals and excellent lyrics (she is also a poet, publishing under the name AM Ringwalt), but there is also a new glow and energy in her partner William Johnson's wonderful instrumental settings (and his increasing use of pedal steel), which add a balancing playfulness and earthiness. Waiting Song stays true to the duo's always idiosyncratic vision while allowing country and pop influences to creep further in and create some truly memorable songs.
Flora Hibberd is back with a new single and video for 'I'm Gonna Leave You' ahead of next Friday's 'Archipelago' E.P release. Last year we had the pleasure of featuring Flora on four occasions and the new collection of songs showcases her wonderfully distinctive vocals alongside some beautiful musical arrangements. === Lone Kodiak deliver some powerful alt rock with their new song 'PDX '97'. It has all the vital ingredients for a stadium style sing-along anthem, and plenty of passion to reinforce the piece. === Back in 2017 we shared a couple of fine songs from The Bats and the long standing New Zealand indie band are back with 'Another Door' where their ability to create fresh new and fabulous songs remains intact.
Flora Hibberd was born in London and lives in Paris. In 2019 she released her debut EP, The Absentee, with London-based indie Clearlight Records. Autumn 2020 sees the release of her second EP, Archipelago, recorded in Burgundy at the turn of the year.
Flora has numerous smaller projects that you can find on Bandcamp and Youtube, including a collaborative album produced during confinement, and covers of songs by artists including Jason Molina and Townes Van Zandt.
Archipelago will be released on September 25 2020. Recorded at New Year’s over eight days in a country house in Burgundy, the five songs travel the landscape of love and loss, the terrain of a relationship that is failing –or at least changing –where we simultaneously encounter the joy of freedom and the pain of letting go. Archipelago was arranged and produced by Paris-based Viq, who says, “Flora has a remarkable ability to generate original melodies and intriguing lyrics.
There is something particularly moving about her deep vocal presence and the subtleties of her renditions. My work consisted only in accompanying them to territories that perhaps seemed unexpected to her –but where we finally met.”Of the EP, Flora says, “these five songs stand for a memory specific and universal. Rupture in its phases, ever-shifting and nonlinear. Love and loss and enduring love. Here, a cluster of islands in an un-distant sea.”
is an east-Los Angeles based rock trio loosely inspired by (without being derivative of) Hum, Explosions in the Sky, The Cure, and Deftones. Founded in 2016, the band released 2 EPs, became a feature of LA’s independent venue circuit, and was among BuzzBands.LA’s Bands to Watch in 2018 before a serious motorcycle accident involving bassist Daniel Alden sidelined them for most of 2019.
The unscheduled pause gave them time to reflect and refocus, shuffling their roster by adding drummer Josh Harris and returning furiously in July 2020 with “Make It a Weapon,” produced by Kyle Mangels.
It’s the first single from their forthcoming 6-song collection, a song lead singer/guitarist Dainéal Parker described in a recent interview with BuzzBands.LA as “motorcycles and protests and getting in trouble.”
Having wrapped production just before the pandemic hit, Lone Kodiak hopes a drawn out release schedule and effective marketing of their new catalog will land them a solid tour in 2021.
The Bats have kindly shared a second single, ‘Another Door’ from their upcoming album ‘Foothills’. Guitarist and vocalist Robert Scott has said on the single, “This song is wee ditty about opportunities both missed and taken. It came together really quickly with the band.” Although more lyrically reserved than other songs, ‘Another Door’ is fuelled by familiar and overwhelmingly lush harmonies and features a hypnotic tremolo guitar motif woven throughout. The anticipation for ‘Foothills’ to land on November 13th is ever-growing!
“When meaning falls down and we’ve all left this place. And nothing seems to fit, now we’ve left the race behind Today”
The video for ‘Another Door’ was filmed not far from where the band recorded their upcoming ‘Foothills’ album and was a collaboration between The Bats’ very own Paul Kean, and FlowStateFPV. Acting as a snapshot of where ‘Foothills’ was immortalised, the video also plays around with hidden (and not so hidden) meanings — but what one takes from it is truly up to the viewer.
Spanning the last 38 years, The Bats have now clocked ten incredible albums; each one seeing the band evolve with new material from the prolific songwriting hand of Robert Scott —and their upcoming Foothills is no exception. Add to that tally the extra singles, b-sides, EPs, compilations and tribute songs they’ve recorded, creating a succinct setlist is a nearly impossible task.
Foothills was recorded in Spring 2018 at a country retreat pop-up studio. At that time, 15 songs were captured and immortalised in the Canterbury foothills of the Southern Alps, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Only too well, The Bats know the possibilities, potentialities and sonic vistas that arise when one takes the reins for the recording process in a beautiful place that’s on home turf.
Robert Scott, on the making of Foothills has said “Time marches on... finally, we found a gap in our busy lives and chose a week to convene. We found a house that is usually inhabited by ski field workers — Kowai Bush, near Springfield about an hour west of Christchurch and of course nestled in the foothills of the mighty Southern Alps. The songs had been written, demo’d and arranged for some time, but still with a little room for trying things out in the studio. Many carloads arrived at the house, full of amps guitars and recording gear, we set up camp and soon made it feel like home; coloured lights, a log fire, and home cooked meals in the kitchen. We worked fast, and within a few days had all the basic backing tracks done, live together in one room, the way we like to do it - it’s all about ‘the feel’ for songs like ours.”
Natalie Schlabs returns here for a third time this summer with 'Don't Look To Close' and it's another reminder that her forthcoming album is a gorgeous collection of imaginative tracks. === Sonny Winnebago shares the beautifully upbeat modern pop song 'Lemonade' where feel good vibes roam free. === Crawford Mack impressed us back in July with 'Depends On Where You Stand' and his brand new release 'Firing Squad' continues the trend from this refined singer songwriter. === Maxwell Stern has released 'Pull The Stars Down' a catchy and smooth flowing song with a country rock feel, ahead of his debut album 'Impossible Sum' due next Friday.
Nashville-based singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs writes songs that explore the complicated emotions and perspective-shifting moments that make up family relationships. Her music often blends sublime vocal harmonies with lyrics about the secret desires and difficulties of living life among loved ones. Her first full-length album Midnight With No Stars was celebrated for its willingness to explore the personal. New Slang praised the album for revealing “a rugged truthfulness we often save for conversations with ourselves.” There’s a richness and clarity to Schlabs’ voice reminiscent of artists like Norah Jones and Jill Andrews, making her a popular choice for harmonizing background vocals. She frequently collaborates with other musicians on tour and in the studio.
Her stunning duet with Irish-born artist Ben Glover “Fall Apart” features vocals that “ring and resound like a fork tapping crystal” (hyperlink) and was Song of the Week on The Bluegrass Situation in 2016. Schlabs’ introduction to Nashville music came through collaboration, singing background vocals for fellow Texan Ryan Culwell and performing with Katie Herzig at Paste Studio NYC in 2018. “I think there’s something cool about the act of stepping into someone else’s sound and blending with it. It’s a challenge, and a kind of freedom, too.” Like many other Nashville musicians, the West Texas native grew up singing in church, but unlike others the majority of her early musical experiences took place at home with family. Her three brothers were musicians— one a pianist, one a guitarist and drummer, and one guitarist and songwriter— her mom sang, and her grandfather, a guitarist and vocalist who performed classics, often invited the family to sing with him. “It was very normal for all of us to be together in a room, playing instruments and singing together. My love for music comes from my family, and my love for family is often the substance of my songwriting.”
Breaking a bit from her country roots, Schlabs’ new album Don’t Look Too Close (set for release October 16, 2020)steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and her husband Joshua Rogerson bass,the albumswells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies. “Juan’s got a great ear. He created really original textures with layered guitar. That’s a big part of the sound of the record.” Recorded the year of her 30th birthday and largely written while pregnant with her first child, the album naturally focuses on tensions between past and present. “I was thinking about how to raise a child, how to pass down values. There’s a dismantling of what I thought I knew. What do I value in my life and where did those things come from? What do I want to share with my children and what do I want to spare them from?”
Drawing inspiration from 1970s influences including Harry Nilsson and Cat Stevens, Sonny Winnebago is the stage name of Welsh-Australian pop troubadour Harvey Jones.
With a slice of his childhood spent making Lemonade in Perth, the musician eventually relocated to Wales; swapping lemons for guitars. Occupying his free time by perfecting his craft, Winnebago has moulded a sound that is bright, avant-garde pop; even when exploring the sombre themes in life.
Layered with a warm-hued melody and Winnebago’s soft vocals, his new infectious offering Lemonade is a perfectly crafted uplifting anthem for the warm summer days. Discussing the inspiration behind the track, he says: “I was walking to my job as a barista one sunny day, and saw some little go-getters selling lemonade outside their house. I thought that was really cool and reminded me of when I used to make lemonade from a lemon tree we had in the back garden.”
Having teamed up with producer Charlie Francis, and session musicians Davey Newington (Boy Azooga) and Matt Evans (KEYS), the feel-good bop sparks the nostalgic sound and recollections of being back in a classroom.
The artist tells us: “Everyone's got good memories of picking up a recorder or triangle in school, so we used lots of instruments. Davey brought along some shakers, there’s also a ukulele, woodblock, kazoos & a kalimba. My school instrument was the flute, so we put that in too.”
Intimately involved in all aspects of his art; Glaswegian singer-songwriter Crawford Mack is not just a composer and lyricist, but a video and art director, the whole focused on the perfect expression of his musical vision. The jazz trained singer, guitarist and lyricist has concocted a musical sound that, in his words, found ‘the sweet spot between Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell’.
We see a change in the singer, as he swaps orchestral melodies for downtempo acoustic stings in his second offering ‘Firing Squad’. Building a sharp momentum using melodious gentle guitar riffs and a rhythmic drumbeat, ‘Firing Squad’ explores the power of a guilt-ridden conscience that one might feel due to their own behaviour; specifically targeting the action of mistreating others.
Accompanied by a short film conceptualised by the songwriter, the new music video directed by Liam Hendrix Heath, borrows heavily from space oddity era Bowie and Stanley Kubrick; following an astronaut’s journey through suburbia and his past in a jarring, mirroring the claustrophobia and hidden menace of the track.
The lyrics draw on the use of power to oppress the powerless and were inspired by a reference in a William Mcllvanney book to the blindfold used in firing squads being to spare the shooters seeing the condemned eyes. The teacher in the film embodying a particular personal memory for Crawford.
Discussing the new music video, Crawford tells us: “I didn't want to go for something obvious with a literal 'Firing Squad' and soldiers because I think I've seen plenty of that in music videos before. Liam and I spent a long time over lockdown talking through what the song was about for me, until one day out of the blue, he came up with the idea of the astronaut walking past tableaus that are flashbacks of his life. The idea grew from there until we started to create our antagonist teacher character for the final face-off.”
Maxwell Stern Unveils New Single From Upcoming "Impossible Sum" LP on Lauren Records who will release Maxwell Stern's debut solo album, Impossible Sum, on September 25th.
"Brave the trains and meet me across town. We’ll go out spinning stories, trying to pull the stars down." sings Stern in this song that is the product of a lot of drunken reminiscing with old friends in new places.
"I think it's really easy to romanticize the past which can be kind of an unhealthy thing to do, to just kind of live in nostalgia-world and think that things aren't ever going to be as good as they were. I think it's ultimately about developing a healthy relationship with your memories but not letting them rule you." Stern says of the track, adding "Remembering that appreciation for the past and hope for the future aren't mutually exclusive and in fact, sometimes they can reinforce each other."
Impossible Sum may be Max’s first solo record, but it certainly isn’t a solo effort. In addition to Laura Stevenson, a stacked personnel of other longtime friends and collaborators helped Max bring these songs to life, including Adam Beck (Sincere Engineer, Into It. Over It.), Matt Arbogast (The Gunshy), Jon Hernandez (Timeshares) and Kyle Pulley (who produced, engineered, and mixed the album).
For Maxwell Stern, Impossible Sum—his first proper solo record after being in bands like Signals Midwest, Meridian, Timeshares—is an honest-to-God effort to wrangle heartfelt and sometimes confusing feelings of adjustment, displacement, and settling into song. These songs have the kind of heart-on-the-sleeve vulnerability that fans of his other bands have come to admire, but presented in a completely unfiltered fashion, existing exactly as they need to be.
