St.Arnaud - Pete Galub & Matt Kanelos - Tamer Berk - Clea Anaïs’

St.Arnaud - Loving.

Following on from the release of his stunning comeback single ‘Catching Flies’ at the start of this year, fast-rising singer and songwriter St.Arnaud is now continuing the support for his forthcoming sophomore LP ‘Love And The Front Lawn’ with the sweeping new effort ‘Loving’.

Much like what we heard on ‘Catching Flies’, ‘Loving’ looks to evoke the more uplifting and heartfelt side to his songwriting. Blending a strong mix of folk, indie-rock and pop influences throughout, his newest gem showcases a wonderfully lovelorn artist at the helm, brimming with bright and shimmering textures.

Speaking about his latest offering, he said, “I’m really proud of this one. I wanted to take my songwriting in a more personal, story-telling direction. Once the backdrop was set with the syrupy-sweet chorus, I felt like I could colour and create contrast with scenes from my day-to-day life, including the (unfortunately true) August morning, waking up to find a stranger’s defecation by my car door.”

Edmonton indie-pop songster St.Arnaud is a little bit of everywhere to everyone. Working alongside his brother and fellow creative, the YouTube animator GingerPale, St.Arnaud found a loving home on YouTube and Spotify with legions of eager listeners and was swept up in dozens of tour dates across Canada and the USA. His debut album was a DIY tour-de-force of fun-loving melodies overlaying themes of death, loss, and anxiety. His new album, 2022’s Love and the Front Lawn continues the sad lyrics/happy melodies framework but with a new instrumental palette. St.Arnaud has performed with Basia Bulat, Reuben and the Dark, and Lucy Rose among countless others and has performed at stages across the world including at Reeperbahn, New Colossus Festival, FOCUS Wales, and Tallinn Music Week, along with been featured on Exclaim!, BeatRoute Magazine, Indie 88, and more.

“I want the album to continue the thread of self-reflection, vulnerability, and rawness” that made up The Cost of Living (2019) says St.Arnaud, “but with notable departures in texture and form.” Steeping in the likes of the raucous and fun-loving 70s’ Big Star and Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, the ghostly and intimate Damien Jurado, and the wandering and clever narratives of Charlotte Cornfield, Ian didn’t forget about his innate talent for writing singable hooks and to practice his sha-la-las.

St.Arnaud · Loving

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Pete Galub & Matt Kanelos - Museum of Brotherly Love.

Pete Galub, is a songwriter/guitarist based in New York City. 'Museum of Brotherly Love' is a  collaborative song with Matt Kanelos and it is a beautifully crafted song with intriguing lyrics and superb musical production.

Pete Galub is a songwriter and guitarist from New York City. He has released two solo albums, and currently sings and plays guitar in the band Tape Hiss, which includes members of Sonic Youth, The Modern Lovers, and Arthur Russell’s band.  You can hear Pete Galub’s songs and guitar playing in indie filmmaker Hal Hartley’s films “Meanwhile” and “My America. 

Author Rick Moody says, “Pete Galub is sort of an amalgam of things that are important to the last thirty years of rock and roll. You can hear Television in him, and The Replacements, and The Feelies, and The Clean, and The Individuals, and Freedy Johnston, and Pavement, and the dBs, etc. But his playing is so great and his songs so impassioned, that he transcends the density of influence and becomes totally his own.”

Matt Kanelos is a pianist, composer and sought-after collaborator in the New York City. He draws equally from both his music conservatory background and his 20 years of experience in the folk and experimental music scenes of New York and Chicago. In recent years, Matt has performed and recorded with Carol Lipnik, Ed Pastorini, Aldo Perez, Kyle Sanna, Dana Lyn, Oren Bloedow, Jenifer Jackson, Jon Lundbom, Lorraine Leckie, Richard McGraw, Pete Galub, Chris Moore and Joe Adamik. Kanelos has released four well-received albums as a leader. New York Music Daily praises his album Love Hello as "a masterpiece of pensive, allusively lyrical psychedelia."  About his album Silent Show, NPR says “Kanelos crafts tunes that sneak up on listeners — that begin harmlessly but ultimately overwhelm with the weight of their poignancy, sorrow and joy.”

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Tamer Berk - Tragic Endings.

Indie pop singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Tamar Berk has released “Tragic Endings”, the second single from her upcoming sophomore solo album Start At The End. “Tragic Endings”, like previous single “your permission” (which was featured on NPR’s New Music Friday playlist) starts out relatively simple and paired back in its arrangement, before building up the energy and layers of instrumentation into an anthemic chorus that shows off the dynamic range of Tamar, whose style bridges the gap between piano driven indie pop ala Regina Spektor and harder rocking power-pop / indie rock of artists like Soccer Mommy or Liz Phair.

Lyrically, “Tragic Endings” deals with some of the darkness that gripped Tamar in the aftermath of suddenly losing her father, as the song begins with Tamar mulling over the question “Tragic endings happen all the time / will I be any different?” as she tries to compose herself in front of a checkout clerk at the grocery store. But much like the rest of Start At The End, Tamar manages to extract humor and catharsis from otherwise morbid topics. Even as she describes “losing faith in happy endings”, you get the sense that Tamar is learning to find empowerment from this state of uncertainty, even when that can be difficult. Sometimes we need words of encouragement to pick us when we’re down, but sometimes, as Tamar emphatically declares on the song’s sing-along chorus, “don’t you promise me that things will work out fine / that’s not what I’ve seen lately”, and “Tragic Endings” is an uplifting anthem for anyone who is looking for relief from the problems weighing on them but doesn’t want sugar coated advice that’s detached from reality.

The single release is accompanied by a music video for “Tragic Endings” that features Tamar performing the song intercut with footage of her riding a rollercoaster on a oceanside boardwalk, a neat little metaphor that speaks to the experience of trying to keep it together when your environment around you looks so picturesque and perfect, but internally you feel in complete flux – riding a rollercoaster of emotions.

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Clea Anaïs’ - Under the Blue of the Moon.

Calgary based musician Clea Anaïs’ compositions centre on two things: their multifaceted artistic sensibility, and an emotional intelligence as sharp as a shard of bright-coloured crystal. After years spent working within her collaborative band, RALEIGH, and recording with bands like Woodpigeon, 100 Mile House, Reuben and the Dark, and Astral Swans, she unveils her debut solo record, Circle Zero, this week.

With genre defying production and inimitable vocals, grounded in nostalgic groove and lush pop stylings, Circle Zero was born from an intense period of challenges, but makes a point of focusing on moments of beauty to evoke hope.

Circling fundamental personal truths, and acknowledging basic desires we share as humans, Clea acknowledges that “the best of the old has come forward on this journey, and the other space has been filled with new support, new love, a renewed iteration of myself.”

Filled with allegories, “Under the Blue of the Moon” out today imagines youthful freedom on the other side of global doom, beyond the conventions of dissolved human structures.

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Blunt Chunks - Josephine Philip - Alice SK - Nadia Sheikh

Blunt Chunks - Natural Actors.

The Toronto-based project, Blunt Chunks, helmed by Caitlin Woelfle-O'Brien (Jaunt) has now shared its new single, "Natural Actors" which comes with the news of a debut EP, Blunt Chunks which is set for release on May 6, 2022, via Telephone Explosion Records. Featuring Scott Hardware and members of The Weather Station, Luna Li, Broken Social Scene, Hooded Fang and more, the new EP grapples with the many functions of heartache, using music as a mechanism to memorialize the past and the first step to breaking a cycle of self-neglect.

Produced by David Plowman (The OBGMs, Islands) and Nathan Burley (Young Clancy), the EP harnesses a weightless style of guitar-driven pop where Woelfle-O’Brien blends spacious psychedelic country with the unignorable churn of 90s alternative rock. The result is a record deeply uncomfortable with secrets. Woelfle-O’Brien opts to honour — with a Dolly Parton-esque devotion to clarity — her motivations for past entanglements, both devastating and exalting. And yet, the EP rings with quiet optimism, steadfast in its search for the kind of love that’s attentive, honest, and transformative.

This first single, "Natural Actors" is a stunning intro to the new EP gently placing Caitlin's scintillating vocals on top of twinkling piano and off-kilter percussion. Speaking about the track, Woelfle-O'Brien says: "I wrote this song in 2015/16 when I was in a relationship with someone who I was also living with. He would go to work in the mornings and I would wake up slow, drink too much coffee, and kind of mill about until I went to work in the afternoon.

"This day I had eaten cotton candy for breakfast (leftovers from going to The Ex – a big fair in Toronto – the night before) and had too much Turkish coffee and was wired. I had been drinking wine every night since the previous holiday season so I was a bit ashamed of my health. I sat down and wrote the song in one go and recorded it into my laptop mic. As I finished the recording, my partner walked through the door. It was about him but hopefully he didn’t hear it, lol. The beds were recorded at the now-defunct Trailer Studios in the East End of Toronto. People say the lyrics to this one are strange/unique and I guess that’s true! It’s just a domestic song, I feel like it’s my “unhappy housewife” song. Like a woman in the wrong place for her own light to shine. I’ve struggled with that a lot over the years."

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Josephine Philip - Little Boy.

Little Boy is the 4th single from Josephine Philip’s forthcoming solo album We Get Lost And Found. The song is released on her label Midnight Confessions. Little Boy fragile and poetic song about breaking free of the heavy chains of lost love. Releasing yourself from the sedated state of delusion. The composition reflects this state of mind; sometimes on the verge of collapse, returning with intention and hope, shuffling drums, hazy vocals, distorted guitars, and lyrics like a mantra for release.

Josephine Philip lives and works in Copenhagen. She is inspired by a wealth of artistic expression; choral works, contemporary art and performance, jazz standards, experimental music, film, literature and classical music, and uses this inspiration to tell her engaging tales and stories. Philip released her debut single as a solo artist, Call My Name in May 2021 and her second The Clue in October 2021. Both songs have been in heavy rotation on Danish radio station P6 Beat and have been very warmly received on both Danish and foreign music media. In March 2022 she released her 3rd single No. 7.

The new album - We Get Lost And Found - is written and produced in collaboration with Copenhagen based producer and musician Lasse Martinussen and will be released in May 2022. Josephine Philip was one half of the now defunct dynamic duo JaConfetti, was a founder of and served time in the all-female Ska outfit Favelachic and the dancefloor popular sound system Dullen & Dyken.

The singer crosses genres, having worked with several renowned producers including co-writing and featuring in Christian Löffler’s ‘Running’ (which would appear in the Our Girl Series) and ‘The End’. As one half of the duo Darkness Falls, Josephine Philip has worked with Trentemøller, who acted as the producer for their EP and album. The duo also won a Robert prize (the Danish version of the Oscars) for Original Song of the Year for their contribution to the Danish film Shelley. During this time, they opened for the likes of The Shins and Yelle. Independently, Josephine has toured with Trentemøller performing at major festivals such as Coachella and South by Southwest while earning support from publications such as Nothing But Hope And Passion, VENTS Magazine, Electronic Groove, and EDM Sauce.

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Alice SK - Sweet Like Honey.

Alice SK has been raising eyebrows with a series of vintage-noir style singles recently that combine her haunting soulful voice and fresh sounds of the London scene that express authentic stories and work their way into the soul of the listener.

Next, Alice SK presents, “Sweet Like Honey”, a guitar pop song about all consuming affection. The instantly infectious track accelerates in its chorus with a Strokes-esque fuzzy lead guitar and an art pop style recalling perhaps Liz Lawrence or Bat For Lashes, with Alice’s own guarded charm coming through in her softly yearning vocals. 

The single comes from Alice SK’s forthcoming debut EP “Electric”, produced by Muca (Los Bitchos, L.A. Salami) and set for release on 25th March. It follows Alice’s tracks “Another Girl's Man”, “Hidden Paradise” and most recently “Run Away”. Alongside Brazilian bossa nova legend Roberto Menescal, Alice also featured on Muca’s single “Until We Meet Again” which caused a stir during the summer and the track will also be released as part of the EP package.

“Sweet Like Honey is about longing for the whole of someone and wanting another person to take away your troubles”, says Alice. “It’s about being able to lean on them completely and be vulnerable around them.” She adds. And throughout “Electric”, Alice shows this ability to unveil complex emotions and convey candid personal stories within simple yet engaging musical gems. The EP is like opening up a beautiful trinket box of intriguing and eclectic keepsakes that invite you into Alice’s deep and melancholic world.

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Photo - Birgit Murd

Nadia Sheikh - Deep Waters.

Serene and sulky in equal measure, “Deep Waters” is a tender track that sees the singer-songwriter artfully weave creamy vocals amongst glistening acoustic guitar lines. Demonstrating her knack for combining heart-on-sleeve singer-songwriter sensibilities with a more anthemic alt-rock approach to instrumentals, the hazy new cut is plucked from Nadia Sheikh’s new EP ‘Undefined’.

Speaking on the origins of the track, Nadia Sheikh says: “”Deep Waters” holds a special place in my heart. I wrote it when I was really young but it’s one of those songs that just sticks with you through the years but never quite fits with what you’re doing — until “Undefined” arrived. It just felt natural for it to be the focus track of the EP and I’m so happy with the reaction people have had to it. Many say it’s their favourite song off the EP!” 

With gauzy guitars that linger in the air like mist on a dusky winters day, “Deep Waters”’s ansty calm is paired with a befitting new video that was directed by Nadia alongside Rita Gratacòs. Tranquil but with a distinct dark undertone, the video sees Nadia joined by her band — Rowan Davies (bass) and George Gardiner (drums) — as the trio play through a rendition of the song while perched on a blustery clifftop in front of overcast skies. Aptly filmed on a drizzly, dismal day, Nadia explains of the video’s inception: “It may not look like it, but it’s a very DIY and low budget video. 

It was filmed on a very cold, very windy, very wet day in November last year. It was well worth it though. It’s shot only on a handheld camera. The boys, Rita and I drove to Seven Sisters and all the outdoor shots were filmed in one morning/early afternoon. We didn’t have a lot of daylight and we only had one shot at filming this. The weather was both kind and inconvenient, but we made it work and we’re all so happy with the result.” With shots of Nadia submerged under water interspersed amongst clips of thunderous waves and sputtering sea spray, the video comes to a close with a subtle twist. 

Nadia adds: “I really wanted to create a dream/reality juxtaposition in the video playing with the water reference, but it was clear I couldn’t swim in that weather, so I came up with the idea of the bath shot at the end (watch until the end!). I think it really represents the moodiness but also the calm of the song.”

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Walter Martin - YOVA - The Moneygoround - Daniel James McFadyen

Photo - Melissa Martin

Walter Martin - Hunters in the Snow.

Beloved songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Walkmen co-founder Walter Martin released his new album The Bear through his imprint Ile Flottante Music. His sixth studio album since embarking on his acclaimed solo journey just under a decade ago, The Bear is a poignant collection of autobiographical story-songs that Martin described as "the kind of album I've been building towards for my entire career."

Martin also released today the official video for "Hunters In The Snow." The album opener sets the stage for The Bear, with Martin drifting from scene to scene as if strolling past a series of paintings in a museum gallery. Of the video, Martin stated, "'Hunters In The Snow' takes place in the snowy northern landscapes of my dreams. A city boy's pastoral fantasy of hunters and horses, death and decay, getting lost in the storm, and longing for home."

Written during last year's cold, bleak winter in an old 1800s schoolhouse in upstate New York that Martin converted into a studio, The Bear is an unexpectedly warm and inviting collection, one focused on growth and family and the power of human connection. The songs are gentle and engaging, with spacious arrangements often centered around fingerpicked electric guitars and romantic piano flourishes from Oscar-nominated Minari composer Emile Mosseri. Martin's idiosyncratic vocals are similarly amiable, delivered with the loose, casual demeanor of an old friend who's pleased as punch you decided to stop by.

Like much of Martin's catalog, The Bear is chock full of delightfully vivid imagery and fueled by an infectious love of language, but this time around the lyrics leave more to the imagination, stepping away from explicit narrative forms in favor of more abstract and intuitive streams of consciousness. What ultimately emerges is a lifetime's worth of deeply personal snapshots and reflections all jumbled together, a family photo album dumped out on the floor and gathered back up into a swirl of moments and memories that manage to tell a million different stories all at once.

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YOVA - Make It Better.

YOVA have just released their alluring debut studio album ‘Nine Lives’ worldwide.  Released on Quartertone via Cargo, across this introspective project YOVA offer evocative vocals, textured arrangements and spellbinding storytelling.

In tandem with the release, YOVA have revealed a chilling, dystopian video for one of its most prominent tracks: “Make it Better”, created with video directors Tom Linton and Phillip Reinking. A track intended to haunt you to the very core, “Make It Better” fuses piercing viola work, drill-like repetition and disturbing visuals that couldn’t be more apposite in the current climate. Talking about the track, vocalist and songwriter Jova Radevska says:

“This song symbolises the society we live in & the culture of "following the leader" wherever that may lead to. We are told “tick that box & we'll make it better". When did we surrender to "make it better" - it repeats throughout the years, new polished promises, talk of a better tomorrow. We become so accustomed to the amniotic state we live in because it keeps the status quo.” Featuring Radevska addressing her audience in front of an “OBEY” propaganda poster, the video makes a timely and impactful statement that touches on themes of control, peer pressures and dictatorship; vividly complimenting the track’s shadowy narrative.

As Radevska adds: “When someone dares to be different & decides to fall out of line, it quickly becomes frowned upon & they're accused of wrongdoing. History teaches us that true change comes from individuals not from governments. The video has a government official doing a speech but her true colours start to show during the speech & when she becomes aware of it she quickly covers her hand so as not to be noticed. Blinded by distractions & consumerism the puppets in the video are programmed to do what everyone around them does. It takes true courage to break off the chain & escape the factory line.”

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Photo - Heather Doyle

The Moneygoround - Stupid Fight.

“‘Stupid Fight’ is a song about wasted time in tension with your partner,” said The Moneygoround’s Dennis Ellsworth (he/him). “It usually ends easily, but in the moment, it brings a frustrating dynamic to the day. These lyrics are very stream of consciousness and lay out the simplicity of the situation, often overlooked by the participants.”

“I see all your mistakes, slow motion as it breaks into our bitter feelings,” Ellsworth sings over a wall of warm guitars and organ drone. “By then it’s way too late, and I’m wishing I could fade off into a fog, but everybody knows it isn’t gonna solve any of your woes.”

“It’s an upbeat song, with a Rolling Stones swagger in the chorus,” he said. “The ultimate point here is to see the frivolous nature of these moments in life, and to show a lighthearted side to the inevitable in any relationship. Nothing is perfect, and that’s ok.”

“Stupid Fight” hails from the band’s debut album, Cruisin’ and Swingin’ with The Moneygoround (out today). Produced by longtime Ellsworth collaborator Joel Plaskett, the album was recorded at Fang Recording in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

"Cruisin’ and Swingin’ with The Moneygoround features twelve songs,” said Ellsworth. “The record was done live off the floor in a matter of four days at Fang. The essence of it was to perform these songs as a group, with little in the way of overdubs. The mix was quick and inspired by the idea of letting the music speak for itself.”

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Daniel James McFadyen - Mr. Lipless.

Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Daniel James McFadyen began his musical journey by playing at small, bustling pubs in and around the Annapolis Valley. Daniel's music began to gain popularity after the release of his single "Goin' Back (The Wolfville Song)," an ode to the small town where he began playing music professionally. Daniel now has two EPs under his belt and his most recent album, August, I'm Yours, is nominated for an East Coast Music Award.

"The song is inspired by a man I met in Guatemala while I was playing there a few years back," Daniel explains. "I was playing at a bar on Lake Atitlan in a small town called San Marcos La Laguna. While I was playing, a small man with long black hair approached the stage with a bongo drum; he seemed eager to play. I signaled for him to come on-stage and he joined me. We played for hours together only communicating through music and I found it amazing that he was able to adapt to any style he heard while having no context for this western music."

Daniel tried to communicate with the man in English and Spanish, with no luck. Later, he asked the bartender about the man and found out that the bongo player was from a small village of only a few hundred people who preserve their Ancient Mayan tongue.

"It was hard to imagine being in a situation when I could only properly communicate with a few hundred people for the rest of my life," said Daniel. "A few years later I returned to the lake and I was not able to find the man and the bar had closed down, and I did not even know his real name. It was then I came up with the name "Mr. Lipless" and decided to write a song about him."

Daniel James McFadyen · Mr. Lipless

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Crystal Eyes - O-SHiN - Avalyn - Violent Vickie

Photo - Walter E. Neuman

Crystal Eyes - Like A Movie.

The Calgary, Alberta-based psych-rock/dream-pop band, Crystal Eyes are now sharing their new single, "Like a Movie" which comes off the back of support for earlier releases from FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, Exclaim, CBC Radio and more. The new single is the latest to be lifted from the forthcoming second record, The Sweetness Restored which is set for release via the beloved Madrid label, Bobo Integral (Motorists, Ducks Ltd, Quivers) on April 22.

Crystal Eyes, who are made up of Erin Jenkins (singer/guitarist) and a revolving cast of musicians, currently Jordan Tettensor (guitar), Joleen Toner (synth), Will Johnson (bass) and Paul de Andrade (drums) describe the new record as a "feel-good self-help record for the age of existential dread." The Sweetness Restored displays a kind of wistful self-awareness right from the start, it's a collection of ten tracks that flirt with musical influences ranging from new wave, psych-rock and shoegaze, with songs driven by melody and steeped in texture.

Recorded at Montreal's Breakglass Studios with producer/engineer, Andrew Woods (The Operators, Legal Vertigo, Basia Bulat) before being mixed by Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, The Unicorns, Peter Gabriel) the record contains thoughtful attention to musical detail thanks to the talented team of artists behind the project. And with the beautiful, warm tones of the Neve console, it's at once a unique sound, but one that feels comfortingly familiar. The prolific Scott' Monty' Munroe (Preoccupations, Chad VanGaalen) contributed bass and the talented Eve Parker Finley composed and performed string arrangements.

With the new single, the band once again harness saccharine psych-pop sounds and place these into a jangle-pop formula. Speaking about the track, singer Erin Jenkins says: "'Like a Movie" is three minutes of indie rock bliss in the artistic vein of Sharon Van Etten or Alvvays. The secret to its sound is a classic Hammond organ with Leslie speakers, a kick-ass guitar solo and the backing of a string quartet that calls to mind flashbacks of Neutral Milk Hotel. If love is 'like a movie', how will the ending be?"

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O-SHiN - Visitor.

O-SHiN, the project of rising electronic producer Stefanie Martens, has shared new single ‘Visitor’. In the last 6 months, O-SHiN shared critically acclaimed singles ‘Holy Night’ and ‘Silence Is My Nature’, both of which called to mind the technicolour electronica of acts like Four Tet and Maribou State and garnered widespread support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music and Clash Magazine.

In 2016, Stefanie was travelling from Rome to Amsterdam when she found herself onboard an aeroplane with a terrorist. The harrowing experience had a profound effect on the artist. “For the first time in my life, I experienced the fierce feeling of death being really close, not knowing if you’ll survive or if these are your last seconds on earth,” she says. “It was an intense experience and this song [Visitor] helped me cope with the emotions I was feeling at the time.”

Born in Germany after her parents returned home from the Soviet Union in the 1970s, O-SHiN found her voice through experimentation, and an inner journey that continues today. The name O-SHiN, meaning “time for a good cry” in Japanese, is symbolic of her relationship with existence. Moving from Germany to the Netherlands, spending a lot of time in Sweden and the States, she finally settled in Berlin, a fertile breeding ground for her artistic outlets.

O-SHiN’s long awaited debut album is complete and scheduled for release in Autumn 2022. With her new material, O-SHiN encapsulates many of the conflicting emotional and societal dilemmas that she has observed since she was a young girl. Issues like loss, acceptance and also appreciation for life have become particularly prominent following her experience on board the flight. ‘Visitor’ is out now via Galaxy Cat Records.

O-SHiN · Visitor

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Avalyn - When We Were Nothing.

This week sees the release of AYALYN's  stunning new single "WHEN WE WERE NOTHING," an abstract look back at the highs and lows of naïve youth. Avalyn formed in late 2021 after long-time friends Andy Power (Guitar & Vocals) and Ben Croft (Lead Guitar) decided to start writing together due to them both being dissatisfied with their previous musical efforts. Soon joined by Cain Garcia (Drums) and Emily Turnbull (Bass & Vocals), the band appeared all over their local music scene in 2021, including playing their first gig supporting Junodream alongside Lime Garden at The Shipping Forecast in Liverpool, as well as going into Whitewood Recording Studio with Robert Whiteley to record their latest offering. 

Influenced by the great punk powerhouses, Avalyn takes their cues from the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive & Lush. What emerges is the ferociously uplifting sound that can be heard on the group’s latest track; "When We Were Nothing," out now. Featuring mastering work from the Lead Singer & Guitarist of the seminal 90s Shoegazing band RIDE, Mark Gardener, the track melds brooding experimentalism, with an unshakeable punk sound. Thrashing guitars play under Power’s haunting vocals, as he sings about the euphoric uncertainty that comes with youth, and the always present, uncertain future. 

“When We Were Nothing was the second song we ever wrote together as a band,” says Power. “Our guitarist Ben brought in the main riff and I could tell from the beginning it was going to be great, so I wrote a verse for it and then we wrote the lyrics together.  Everything really came to life once we brought it into the practice room with the addition of Cain’s drum part and Emily’s bass and vocal Recording with Rob Whiteley was a lot of fun as we felt like he was able to help give us the freedom to experiment with the sounds we wanted as well as being able to put all our ideas together into a cohesive mix. The mastering job from Mark Gardener was the final touch that has taken the song to another level and we’re excited to continue working with him going forward.”

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Violent Vickie - Lovelace (Kontravoid Remix).

After performing in Florida and Mexico, Violent Vickie returns with “LOVELACE” (Kontravoid Remix) , a sad, powerful darkwave remix of her original track. “LOVELACE” (Kontravoid Remix)  is the third track off of Violent Vickie's Division Remixes LP which will be out in April 2022.  Vickie wrote "LOVELACE" after watching a disturbing documentary about Linda Lovelace's experience in the porn industry. 

Violent Vickie is a Los Angeles based Dark Synth-Riot artist consisting of Vickie and co-producer/recording guitarist E.  Vickie has toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and has shared the stage with Trans X, The Missing Persons,  Jessie Evans (The Vanishing),Them Are Us Too, Pastel Ghost and Aimon.  

Her track "The Wolf“ was featured in a National Organization for Women film and she was interviewed for the documentary “GRRRL”, part of the museum exhibit “Alien She”.  Her LP "Monster Alley” was voted best album by KALX and her tracks have been remixed by 25+ artists.  Violent Vickie's Division LP was released in September 2020,  followed by a remix album of "Under The Gun" in February 2021 and a cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire in July 2021.   Violent Vickie’s “Division” Remixes LP will be out in March 2022.

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Alice Costelloe - Niloo - Album Club - Charlotte Rose Benjamin - Nora Kelly Band

Alice Costelloe - California.

Having played in bands since she was 12 years old, London born musician and songwriter Al (Alice) Costelloe signed to Mute records at just 17 as half of shoegaze two-piece ‘Big Deal’. The band released 3 critically acclaimed albums, garnering enthusiastic support across British radio with multiple singles playlisted at BBC 6 music. Further to this, the inclusion of the duo’s song ‘Dream Machines’ on the soundtrack of blockbuster movie ‘Divergent’ helped deliver them to a wider audience, amassing 70,000 followers online and over 10,000,000 streams.

After years of international touring, supporting the likes of Depeche Mode and The Vaccines and appearing at festivals such as SXSW, NOS Alive and Reading & Leeds, Costelloe disbanded the band after a breakdown within the partnership made continuing impossible. Disillusioned with life on the road, and traumatized by the tumultuous relationship within the project, Costelloe suffered a crisis of confidence in her musical capabilities and was resolved to never write or perform again, taking up a job as a nanny instead. 

However, whilst walking back from a shift one night she chanced upon the members of ‘Superfood’ (Dirty Hit) outside a local bar who convinced her to not give up on music and to play bass with the group as they toured their new album. Encouraged by the band members, as well as her partner ‘VANT’ (Parlophone) who she also began to tour with, Costelloe began to consider creating her own music again and tentatively started work on recording home demos which form the basis of her upcoming singles.

 

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Niloo - All in the Name.

Niloo tells us 'All in the Name' is the sophomore single off of my self-titled EP, and it’s the follow-up to To Feel It Deep.

All in the Name is a mellow dream-pop track about the solitude, reflection and calm one often experiences after the ending of a turbulent relationship. It is about re-discovering yourself after the dust settles, taking stock of the lessons you have learned from past relationships and coming to some clarity about dynamics that you won’t accept in the future. The lyrics, along with the vocals and the musical arrangement of the song, create a mood that is soothing and bittersweet.

This peaceful little track was made in collaboration with the amazing folks at Risque Disque Studios in the summer of 2021. The dynamic percussion was created and tracked by Jen Yakamovich of Troll Dolly; equally melancholy and playful Wurlitzer was dreamed up and performed by Finn Smith; last but certainly not least, bass guitar, co-production and mix was done by Shilo Preshyon of Cartoon Lizard.

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Album Club - Different Hours.

Album Club are a band of creatives that initially gathered to discuss music in The Laurieston, an iconic Glasgow bar in 2019. The group was started by MJ McCarthy who brought friends together to dissect albums, track by track over drinks. This gathering then morphed into something more, and the band was born over lockdown in 2020. Although not all the members were musicians, an album emerged, something beautiful created in defiance of adversity. It is an album of friendship and community crafted by a group of people brought together by a love of music.

Album Club is made up of MJ McCarthy and Adam Scott of Zoey Van Goey, playwright Douglas Maxwell, actress and writer Isobel McArthur, novelist and playwright Cathy Forde, Rhona NicDhughaill of the Gaelic arts company Theatre Gu Leor, journalist Peter Geoghegan and Emma Pollock and Paul Savage of The Delgados. 

The album also borrows backing vocals and contributions from friends around the world. The album was recorded at Chem19 in Glasgow and is set to be released by Last Night From Glasgow on the 13th May 2022. The first single from the album, The Hard Part was released in January and has been played on Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio Scotland. Second single, Different Hours is released today 25th March.

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Charlotte Rose Benjamin - Slot Machine.

Brooklyn-based artist Charlotte Rose Benjamin has just released a new single “Slot Machine” from her forthcoming debut album, Dreamtina, which is set for release on April 22. The song pairs jaunty guitar hooks with Benjamin’s stream of conscious, lighthearted lyrics about unrequited love and the “inbetween” feeling of being a millenial/gen Z cusp. The video was shot by Benjamin and frequent collaborator, Hlif Olafsdottir, documenting a leisurely day on a Williamsburg Ferry, a Chinatown Arcade, a Dime’s Square dive bar and their favorite downtown karaoke spot.

Benjamin describes “Slot Machine” as a “Sunday-morning-strolling-through-a-New-England-Beach-town kind of song,” relating it to her hometown of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. “I think there’s a waspy country club vibe that comes to mind when people hear that I’m from Martha’s Vineyard,” explains Benjamin. “That definitely exists, but most people who are privileged enough don’t choose to live there in the off season. I always identified more with the towny girls from the movie Mystic Pizza. I had a wonderful childhood, but living on an island can be incredibly isolating. My music has changed so much since I left, but I think I’ll always have a little bit of a twang in my writing because of where I grew up.” On recording the video, Benjamin says “My best friend Hlif and I got day drunk and took the Williamsburg Ferry into Chinatown with a camcorder and a dream.”

Self produced alongside her bandmates, Nardo Ochoa, Matti Dunietz and Zoe Zeeman, Charlotte Rose Benjamin’s debut album finds her analyzing her identity in correlation to romantic relationships and in comparison to “Dreamtina,” a fictitious namesake for the effortlessly-perfect girl you see and aspire to be. Under the Radar broke the news of the album, premiering the pyromaniac-puppet-show video for her song “Satisfied,” calling the song “an irresistible power pop hook, paired with instantly quotable lyrics.”

Previously released songs, “Cumbie’s Parking Lot” and “Heat Stroke Summer,” were released as an a-side/b-side single last Summer, receiving praise from Clout Magazine, which called out Benjamin’s “acerbic wit and penchant for crafting fun and memorable indie rock tunes.” The Deli named “Heatstroke Summer” its Song of the Summer. Her songs “deep cut” and “Cumbie’s Parking Lot” were featured on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Indie playlist for more than 10 weeks. Last week, Benjamin performed alongside Japanese Breakfast and Weyes Blood in The Unfinished Fest showcase at the acclaimed SXSW festival.

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Nora Kelly Band - Hymn for Agnostics.

What happens when a break-out post-punk artist runs smack into the big COVID slowdown? A gorgeous album’s worth of alt-country tunes of course. Say howdy to the Nora Kelly Band who now release their debut single, “Hymn for the Agnostics,.”

Pre-pandemic, the Nora Kelly-led band DISHPIT made Exclaim’s ‘Class of 2020 - Best New Band’ list in both Montreal and Toronto, and recorded their debut album DIPSHIT with Steve Albini. But when everything changed, so did Nora. She looked inward, asked hard questions about her relationships, and went to rock’s roots. Out poured tunes about love, independence, and checking into the Purgatory Motel. Last summer she and friends played her songs by railroad tracks that run by her Mile End neighborhood, and people flocked to sing along until the cops chased them off. Words spread, propelling The Nora Kelly Band to play rowdy gigs at Ursa and other Montreal venues.

Discussing “Hymn for the Agnostics”, Nora noted, “When I was 11, I had my first panic attack about my impending mortality. To calm myself I began praying to God every night, although who’s God, I couldn’t have told you. I wasn’t raised religious. In my adulthood the panic attacks have become less frequent, but my need for spiritual understanding has remained. ‘Hymn for Agnostics’ is for those of us who have no religion to lean on but who’s faith in the spiritual is supported in our connections with each other, the planet and ourselves.

I have experienced many moments that led me to feel there is some kind of design. Ghost sightings, the psychic connections between a parent and child or two best friends, DMT and the power to keep fighting when it’s easier to give up, have all played a part in my spirituality. Hopefully this song will play a part in yours.”

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