Robyn Sherwell - Quiet Marauder - MaryLiz - Matilda Gracia - Carbon Memory - Oracle Sisters - Juanita Stein
Singer and songwriter Robyn Sherwell shares ‘A Kiss’, the second single taken from her upcoming new album ‘Unfold’, due for release on June 18th. Talking about the meaning behind the song, Robyn says; “A kiss is a simple act, but can also mean crossing the line between friendship and something more than friendship. The song speaks to the risk of doing something that can’t be undone, something that could change everything, and the floating exhilaration, fear, excitement and anticipation of that moment.”
Robyn’s alluring vocals are set over gently rocking Wurlitzer keys, with lush electric guitar delays building up into beguiling cascading layers, giving the sense of free-falling as the line is crossed. Robyn’s vocal delivery is like the whispered sharing of a secret, as we hear every tiny breath and are carried on the journey into this moment, one that so many people can relate to.
The song is accompanied by a dance performance video, featuring LA based dancer Carly Blaney. The idea behind the video was born when Carly and Robyn connected via Instagram after Carly posted a video of herself dancing to Robyn’s cover of ‘Landslide’. “We wanted the video to be simple and allow the choreography and Carly’s talent to shine,” explains Robyn. “Carly’s interpretation of the song as a solo dancer perfectly connects to the lyrics. I just adore how expressive and intimate it feels. I’ve always loved how beautifully dance can convey a song’s energy and meaning., I’m so happy to have been able to collaborate with Carly to create these visuals.”
Robyn Sherwell is a name that has been on the lips of tastemakers since her debut single ‘Love Somebody’ became a firm favourite of Lauren Laverne’s on BBC Radio 6 and signalled the arrival of a new heart-on-sleeve female singer-songwriter. Follow up single ‘Islander’, a dedication to her childhood home of Guernsey, quickly secured support from Huw Stephens and BBC Introducing, catapulting Sherwell onto the latter’s stage at Glastonbury in June 2015. That same summer, her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ was chosen as the soundtrack to the trailer for the film ‘Suffragette’. This led to Lauren Laverne making the track her 6Music Recommends Track Of The Week, and Jo Whiley playing it twice in one show on her BBC Radio 2 show. In 2021, the emotive power of her rendition is still turning heads: having caught the attention of Airbnb, the song was placed within the film for their latest major global advertising campaign. While her original songs ‘Low’ and ‘Love Somebody’ have been featured on the soundtrack of popular TV shows including Good Trouble and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar.
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Following swiftly on from last year’s Tiny Men Parts EP, Quiet Marauder re-enter the sonic fray with their latest Bubblewrap Collective long-player, The Gift, on 9th April 2021.
Taking a strong divergence from the bombastic pop-punk of its predecessor, The Gift sees backing vocalist Kadesha Drija step to the foreground for the majority of the album, standing afront a richly crafted, multi-instrumental acoustic-folk backdrop.
Recorded pre-pandemic, January 2020, in The Burning Hell’s (Canada) pop-up Snowbird Studios, aka an art deco villa in Riofreddo, near Rome (Italy), this release marks another chapter in the ongoing international collaboration between the bands. For this album, Quiet Marauder’s (Wales) contributions of acoustic guitar, bass, trumpet and layered lead and backing vocals are granted further textural depth from their Canadian counterparts. These include minimalist harmonic splashes of flute, piano, organ (Jake Nicoll), electric guitar, bouzouki (Darren Browne) and bass clarinet (Ariel Sharratt).
Returning to the conceptual songwriting approach of previous releases MEN and The Crack And What It Meant, The Gift charts the narrative of a troubled teenage girl (Willow) haunted by visions of a mysterious house fire. Willow’s path is traced through well-meaning foster parents, teenage love interests, time-bending superpowers, distrust of domestic appliances and, ultimately, her own memories; covering themes of self-identity and the fallibility of human recall. Though the album marks a more overtly serious tone for the band, the sensitive subject matter is delicately handled through their trademark low-key, observational and, sometimes, darkly humorous lyrics.
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MaryLiz draws her inspiration from ordinary scenes of her life and transforms them into powerful messages that can reach everybody. A rare gem that will grasp your attention through powerful and engaging live performances. A singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist that is not afraid to deliver her songs with infectious grace and a singular vulnerability. She recalls being influenced by various musical genres and performers, including the blues, Sade, Fleetwood Mac, and Drake to name a few.
Her style is still young and developing, although the consistency of her writing is very mature. She chooses subjects that relate to the role of the modern woman and moves easily between ballads and more uptempo beats, varying her delivery to occasionally allow her band to stretch the music and incorporate elements from world music and Jazz.
Originally from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, she obtained a music degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and while doing so, developed many contacts within the local music scene where her artistry is quickly earning her a pristine reputation and her fan base continues to expand. MaryLiz actively participates in numerous festivals and venues, including Blast Furnace Blues Festival at Steel Stacks, International Blues Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, Tall Trees Festival, the Kimmel Center, Silvana’s, Barnes Foundation, The Grape Room, and many others. Additional performance credits include Brian Williams and The Get Back, and Blues Junior at the ”Best of Philly” Soiree. Her song “Can I Be” is featured in the film “Drown The Clown”.
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I wrote Rising Sun exactly one year ago, the day I was told my beloved Grandmother passed away from Covid. I was in shock and the only thing that got me through that moment was writing this song. In fact, I feel as if I didn’t write it at all, it just poured out of me almost as if it was her helping me through that moment.
During this past year I have spent many months working on this song, day and night, in my home studio. Rising Sun will be available on all platforms on the 9th of April.
Matilda Gracia is a half Irish, half Spanish singer songwriter, musician and producer who describes her music as Self-help pop, “I like mixing catchy melodies with topics that matter, with the goal to connect and help people through music”. She is influenced by various genres including pop, soul, blues & singer-songwriter.
Since moving to London there have been a few highlights for Matilda including supporting Spanish Indie rock band on a UK tour, performing in iconic venues such as Notting hill Arts club and Electric Ballroom, making a guest appearance on Andertons live sessions and working with record label Dreamscope media group, to name but a few.
Since moving back to her hometown in Spain, Matilda has made creating music her top priority. She has been dedicated to working in her home studio to find the know how to express her music. “I want more freedom and ability to express my thoughts through music, so that’s why I’m learning how to do it myself, plus I’m having so much fun in the process”. You can find Matilda on all the social media platforms as she embraces this new world by releasing her music.
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Carbon Memory is a dynamic alternative rock band that develops sonic snapshots that are both transporting and cinematic. The Toronto band cues magnetic guitars and contemplative lyrics to a reel of ambient textures that oscillate between a sense of nostalgia and optimism.
It is in this spirit that the band came upon the sound and title of their upcoming EP, Tourist. Following the arduous process of self-producing/recording their 2018 debut EP, Panoramas, the band decided to enlist the help of Toronto producer Graham Walsh (Holy Fu*k, Alvvays, METZ) to best capture and instigate sonic experimentation on the group’s latest material.
Tourist was recorded over a period of two weeks, late summer 2020, at Toronto’s Palace Sound and Candle Recording studios. The EP features the band’s most compact and direct work yet. From the hazy, ethereal shoegaze textures and krautrock inspired “Distance” to the smug and insidious piano driven crooner “Rumours” that burns slow but heavy; Tourist gives the listener an idea of where the band has been and hints of where they want to go next. “The Only One” borrows plenty from the British Alternative rock aesthetic with a wall of guitars, a pulsing piano and soaring catchy choruses. “Closure” is the band’s organic midnight summer synth funk jam, while the brooding track “Tonight” plays out a recurring dream suspended by angular rhythms, wiry guitars and haunting melodies.
August 2018, saw the band release its debut EP, Panoramas; setting across Southern Ontario for a string of shows including dates at Toronto’s iconic Opera House and Lee’s Palace. The band was also featured on Southern Souls, the fantastic online video archive of the latest Canadian independent talent, showcasing two live-off-the-floor performances of the band’s jazzy and psychedelic laced track “Medusa” and their embracing folk-inspired song “Ocean of Gold”.
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Parisian trio Oracle Sisters share their new EP ‘Paris II’, via NYC/LA independent label 22TWENTY (Madge, Fat Trout Trailer Park). Over the past twelve months, Oracle Sisters have built up a loyal and global following, blurring the lines between music and visual arts. Support for their music has come from NME, CLASH,The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, So Young, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Beats1, COLORS, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, KEXP, NPR and many more. This culminated in the critically acclaimed release of Paris I, mid-way through 2020.
Now, Oracle Sisters release its sequel, ‘Paris II’ . Building upon their first EPs thematic premise of music lifted from a utopian vision of the French capital (where the band are based) the upcoming body of work shows the duel side “of that world...coming back down to earth to explore the darker sides of the psyche while probing some allies of hope” add the band.
Moreover, the EP has allowed the trio to mature and develop into sophisticated songwriters, weaving together their own sonic universe built on a tapestry of enigmatic lyrics lightyears ahead of their contemporaries and melodies that are fitting to be sung round a campfire, or in a far-off tavern filled with revellers transporting the listener “to a portal to the past and the future, the stars and the moon.”
Oracle Sisters’ members hail from across Europe and the UK , the band are uninhibited in their influences, finding inspiration within the art, cinema, philosophy, and music of the world over; resulting in a sound that is both sonically sophisticated and warmly familiar. Lyrically, they explore timeless narratives of love, mysticism and spirituality, scattered with intriguing insights into their own personal lives and experiences resulting in songs that are cryptic yet inviting.
Now, having started recording in Greece, the band are finishing off their debut album in Paris, due for announcement soon. Along the road, they’ve also played impromptu shows on the island of Hydra with friends from Fontaines D.C & The Murder Capital – capturing the troubadour spirit of the band.
With well over three million streams across their modest catalogue, and an impressive schedule of live dates to be announced across the UK, Europe and US and a debut album on the way - Oracle Sisters are quickly becoming recognised as one of the most exciting and prolific outfits to emerge from the French music scene, and now set their sights further afield.
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Juanita Stein will release a new live EP, Locked Down - Live From Brighton Electric via Nude Records on 28th May. The Howling Bells frontwoman turned solo artist performed songs from her acclaimed album, Snapshot, with a band that included her Howling Bells bandmates and the album’s producer, Ben Hillier, for the EP, which also features a pair of bonus tracks recorded during the original LP studio sessions. Additionally, Juanita has announced some changes to her upcoming UK tour dates made necessary by ongoing COVID restrictions.
The release of the live EP will coincide with Stein’s previously announced UK headline dates. However, she has unfortunately been forced to cancel several dates due to ongoing COVID restrictions. She explains:
"For those of you in Leicester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh I’m so sorry but with things being what they are right now, that is, still under part lockdown, I just can’t make these shows work at 50% capacity. I was holding out for a bit to see if we could, but financially it’s a kill. I want nothing more than to play Snapshot live for you and want to honour that with a full band. As SOON as I’m able to, I will get to you again. Birmingham, Bristol, London and Brighton will go ahead as scheduled, proximity to getting myself and the band home [each night] makes these shows entirely possible for me right now. I hope you understand and see you soon! X Juanita”
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