Matilda Mann - Blueburst - Alice Phoebe Lou - Panic Pocket - Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans - Plastic Barricades

Matilda Mann - The Day That I Met You (Performance Video).

Rising British voice, Matilda Mann, today uploads an immaculate live performance to her new single ‘The Day That I Met You, which seamlessly combines a timeless sound wrapped around an also timeless message. Matilda will be playing London's Jazz Cafe on May 18th which is now sold out. Speaking about her new song, Matilda said “The world can suck. And some days it feels more like a constant than temporary. But then you meet someone, and the hand life dealt you, suddenly doesn’t feel so bad…”

Matilda Mann is a born-and-raised Londoner who has enjoyed an incredibly bright start to her still-young career in music. On the airwaves, Matilda has enjoyed tastemaker support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 where her last was premiered as Hottest Record In The World, KCRW & NPR. At press, she’s had similar impressive support from titles such as Evening Standard, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, COLORS, and NME to name a small handful. Offline on stage, she’s supported The Staves and other rising UK talents Holly Humberstone, Arlo Parks and Beabadoobee.  Matilda’s own headline shows are growing impressively having sold two London shows in 2022 (Lafayette & Earth) with a performance on the Park Stage at Glastonbury in between.

2023 will be an important year for Matilda Mann who has plenty of music on the way that’ll further highlight her enchanting, poetic songwriting. Although she is an important new British artist to look out for in 2023, her talent feels more timeless.

======================================================================

Blueburst - Vanish.

New Alt-Rock artist Blueburst releases it’s debut single Vanish today March 10, resurrecting the music career of guitarist/vocalist Criag Douglas Miller, with help from one of his musical idols, legendary guitarist Marty Willson-Piper.

As a 17-year-old budding musican soaking in the vibes of The Church’s Gold Afternoon Fix Tour at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater in early 1990, the idea of working on an album with The Church’s legendary guitarist Marty Willson-Piper never crossed Craig Douglas Miller’s mind. “I loved The Church and thought Marty was just about the coolest guy on the planet back then. I never dreamed I’d be collaborating with him someday,” said Miller. But that’s just what happened.

The collaboration started after Miller sought out his hero Willson-Piper for help in getting musically unstuck after a 20-plus-year period untreated clinical depression, and writer’s block had led to zero finished songs. Starting out as a sounding board and coach, Willson-Piper’s role evolved from a teacher/student dynamic into a true musical partnership. And thus, Miller finally found himself with the thing he’d been sorely missing: a trusted mentor and collaborator. With Willson-Piper behind him, Miller dug in, started writing again and created an album’s worth of original songs, under the moniker Blueburst, the name of the finish on his favorite guitar.

With Blueburst, Miller and Willson-Piper have created a lush, guitar-based alt-rock sound, firmly rooted in 80s alternative and post-punk, but with a timeless feel and foot pounding pace. In a world of often overproduced, slick alternative rock, Blueburst is unapologetically retro in style, proudly wearing it’s oldwave influences on its sleeve. “Most of my friends, and a lot of younger people as well, still listening to the albums we grew up with. Because there’s a rawness and honesty in that music. That’s what we wanted to capture.

======================================================================

Alice Phoebe Lou - Shelter.

Berlin-based Alice Phoebe Lou has built an incredible reputation and fan base with her swooning vocals and other-worldly musicianship.

'Shelter' is her new single released today and It will be the first single to be revealed from her new album which will be coming later in the year. It's a gorgeous, upbeat offering that's full of light.

Originally from South Africa, Alice is currently on a huge world tour and has just announced more dates including Kentish Town Forum in December, which is exciting!

Releasing as an independent artist, Alice has had exceptional self-generated success, with around 100 million streams to her name and loyal fans all over the globe that continue to multiply.

Things have really ramped up for Alice since her last release in 2021 and 'Shelter' feels like a dreamy slice of perfection to kick off the album campaign.

======================================================================

Panic Pocket - Mad Half Hour.

A new wave of indiepop is emerging in the UK and Panic Pocket are at the forefront of it.  Playful, tuneful, sardonic and sassy, Sophie and Natalie have been friends since childhood, know each other’s secrets - and probably know a few of yours too.

Formed in 2017, Panic Pocket soon became a DIY sensation, releasing debut EP Never Gonna Happen, with Reckless Yes in 2019. For their first album, Mad Half Hour, the duo have found a new home.
For Amelia and Rob at Skep Wax, Panic Pocket reminded them of loads of bands they love  – Bratmobile, Lovely Eggs, Sleater-Kinney, Le Tigre – while also seeming completely unique: “Panic Pocket know how to turn anger and humour into brilliant pop songs.”

Many of Mad Half Hour’s 10 indie-pop anthems are concerned with being at odds with life's accepted milestones, feeling alienated from the people you thought wanted the same things as you, while trying to forge your own path. So the top-down janglepop of ‘Boyfriend’ reflects on what happens when your best friend finds love…and insists on bringing it everywhere, and ‘Get Me’ answers claustrophobic questions about settling down with a not-so-silent scream over some deliciously dirty riffs.

But Panic Pocket’s superpower is their sense of fun. On Mad Half Hour, you’re never more than a few seconds away from a monster hook, killer harmony or an acerbically witty turn of phrase worthy of the band’s heroes Aimee Mann or Liz Phair. From receiving a cryptic “frog emoji” from a long-forgotten one-night stand, to ‘Don’t Get Me Started’’s streetlit walk of shame “via Morrisons car park”, no memory is off-limits, no matter how painful.

If you want punkpop exuberance, lyrics that are so truthful they hurt, plus some very infectious tunes - then Mad Half Hour is exactly the soundtrack you need, right down to the minute.

======================================================================

Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans - Everyone Recommends.

Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans release new single Everyone Recommends  today 10th March. The track is from their upcoming album Mystic Science, released 21st April.

Bristol-based songwriter Davey Woodward is known for his extensive career in music, including his time in The Brilliant Corners, The Experimental Pop Band and Karen. In 2017, Davey gathered a group of friends, seeking to create a new project from his solo work. The Winter Orphans are Julian Hunt, Steve Dew and Jonathan Bewley. Mystic Science is the band's third album together following their 2018 self-titled debut and 2020 Love And Optimism.

Davey describes the new album as "warm, seductive, melodic, human, mostly intimate, sometimes raucous, folk n roll", the LP is available on vinyl and digital by Last Night From Glasgow.

======================================================================

Plastic Barricades - Counting Fireworks.

London indie rock band Plastic Barricades returns with a new single “Counting Fireworks”. This is the second introduction to the upcoming third album “We Stayed Indoors”, due later this year.

Hopeful and uplifting "Counting Fireworks" is a celebration of new beginnings, the transformative power of change and the limitless potential for growth and exploration, felt so intensely by so many of us at the very start of each new year. Beauty and wonder are found in life's uncertainties, but at times this beauty becomes obscured by anxiety and pessimism.

“Counting Fireworks” is a reminder that we don’t have to face the unknown alone; together we can always sing louder.

The single is released alongside a quirky music video, that continues the tradition of weird and truly DIY video art so close to the band’s heart. Inspired by the works of Michel Gondry, David Lynch and Ok Go, the whole video was shot in one take, with no edits or cuts. Produced by the band’s art director Elina Pasok, the 4-minute and 30-second clip takes you on a bizarre trip around a flat, filled with memories, dreams and visions of the future.

======================================================================

Native Harrow - Benedict Benjamin - Alice Phoebe Lou - Lowland Hum - Grace Acladna - Kuri

We begin today with Native Harrow and her gorgeous new video for 'Happier Now' a superb and natural indie folk song. Benedict Benjamin share's a fresh and unpretentious rocker with the emphasis on melodic hooks and an upbeat pace. At the time of writing this, Alice Phoebe Lou's new video for 'Galaxies' has already had close to forty thousand views, which is unsurprising, both the song and the video are sublime and totally moreish. We have featured Lowland Hum just once before and they are more than welcome back with this subtle and catchy albeit rather short modern folk song. Grace Acladna mixes quite differing genres together in style, in what is a very pleasing, original and refreshing song. We finish today's round up with Kuri and an original sounding and catchy folk based song, I say 'based' as it morphs comfortably beyond that genre, sounding really good as it does so.

Native Harrow - Happier Now.

Indie folk-pop artist Native Harrow, out of New York's Hudson Valley, has released the official video for the title track off their forthcoming record Happier Now via Different Time Records.

"’Happier Now’ is essentially my own anthem," says singer-songwriter Devin Tuel. "I had this very powerful year of touring and making things happen for myself and feeling like I was getting out from under the waves, but people close to me would still say, ‘Do you ever sing any happy songs? Why are you so sad?’ and I think that that is such a shallow thought to have about any art."

"My songs aren’t meant to crush people, but I live in reality and sadness and struggle have a lot to do with the reality of the human experience. So 'Happier Now' is me saying I could be happier if it makes you feel good, but I won’t because this is who I am, these are my songs, and I like them melancholic."


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benedict Benjamin - Aint Easy.

Benedict Benjamin is Ben Rubinstein, formerly of The Mariners Children and Peggy Sue. He has just released ‘Ain't Easy’, the first single from his forthcoming album ‘Truant,’ a driving and melodic piece of sixties influenced garage rock.

After writing and recording his debut, Ben turned to a more full band sound for his second album. The early sixties Everly Brothers influences are still present in the melodies, but now there is an urgency and grit to the instrumentation that sits somewhere between The Velvet Underground and Tom Petty or more recent forbears such as Kevin Morby and Angel Olsen.

Speaking on the release of 'Ain't Easy', Benedict said: "This song's about how much work you’ve got to put into anything in order to make it work. It’s about how hard it sometimes is just to keep things afloat and not pack it all in. You go through good spells where everything is great and bad spells where everything feels crap and difficult. When you’re in one of the latter you either persevere or you just give up, and this song’s about the persevering."

His songs undercut the dream-like beauty of early sixties pop music with lyrics both frank and poetic, creating a powerful Lynchian duality that makes the heart swell and the head spin.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alice Phoebe Lou - Galaxies.

Having been ensconced in the studio working on her forthcoming album, Paper Castles, Alice Phoebe Lou is pleased to release the new single, "Galaxies."

South African singer-songwriter, Alice has just announced a series of live shows in Europe, as well as North America, having sold out two Cape Town shows in February, which pre-empts her forthcoming album due 8th March. Overseen by Grammy winning producer Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom), "Galaxies" follows previous track, "Skin Crawl," described by The FADER as ‘powerful and stunning,’ and is once again accompanied by visuals that portray Lou’s charm and elegant fragility.

The track, as Alice herself explains, “Happened on a rainy moody day in Berlin, my friend Harry Charles & I wrote this song while lying on the carpet of my room. Space had become such a theme in my life & music, not in a scientific way but more in a metaphorical sense; drawing parallels between a planet in the expansive universe & the way that one's tiny & seemingly insignificant existence interacts with the world.

This song is about being nothing & everything. Abut being overwhelmed by the weight of existence while simultaneously being in awe & wonder of it all. 'Galaxies' came to life the first time we played in the Planetarium in Berlin; we've played 13 shows there now & every time I see the visuals come to life & the audience being swept away by the combination of the song with the projections of flying through the galaxies, the song makes so much sense”.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lowland Hum - A Drive Through the Countryside.

Lowland Hum have shared a new single from their highly anticipated new album Glyphonic out May 10. Titled "A Drive Through the Countryside," the song is a serene rumination on nature's expanse with ominous undertones. The band tell us, "This one stems from a poem Lauren wrote after feeling both moved and disturbed by the beauty of a drive through the countryside in rural VA. It explores the glory of the landscape here and the horrors of our local history as it relates to slavery and exploitation."

Lowland Hum tour about 200 days out of the year and have done so with the likes of Josh Ritter, The Oh Hellos and more. The indie pioneers will headline a national album release tour this spring including key stops in Nashville, Los Angeles and and New York City. Shows begin this month and the full list of dates is below.

Today's release follows critically hailed singles including "Salzburg Summer," "Raise The Ring" and "Slow," all of which have proven to be steadily infectious. Since album announcement, Lowland Hum have shared the new music at captivating sessions like Paste Studios and City Winery and garnered attention from enthused tastemakers including Billboard, Garden and Gun, Popmatters, Atwood Magazine and more. Glyphonic is the band's fourth studio album and a masterful exploration of the power of restraint, to be released May 10.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grace Acladna - When I Saw You.

Grace Acladna, producer, singer, song writer and multi instrumentalist from Hounslow, London has released her long-awaited new single 'When I Saw You'. The first single to be lifted from new EP 'Phonophobia' out this Spring via Hometown Records, Grace has a unique pop sound of her own - fusing nu-house, soca, electronica and dub; partly inspired by her Egyptian, English and Bajan heritage.

Self-produced and written by Grace - ‘When I Saw You’ was written at a time when she had found herself part of a friendship group of overly serious and self conscious people.

"It was really hard to have fun without looking over your shoulder to see who was judging you for it," Grace said. "For me - fun and liberty go hand in hand - so finally I met someone who encouraged me to love and dance freely. This song is a celebration of that relationship and every joyful encounter I’ve had since."

Speaking on the video accompaniment, Grace said: "Our idea behind the video was to convey the soul of the song in an unadulterated way that didn’t take itself too seriously. I was looking at clips of Anna Karina dancing in ‘Vivre sa Vie’ & ‘Bande à part’ as my inspiration for being carefree and not letting anything or anyone steal away your confidence or joy."


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kuri - Sort Sol.

The new single from British Columbia artist Kuri is entitled 'Sort Sol'. The cinematic folk tune features sweeping acoustic guitars, Irish laced fiddles and harmony rich soundscapes. Reminiscent of Sigur Rós meets Fleet Foxes, ‘Sort Sol’ combines earthy traditional folk and chamber pop for a stunning release.

Though he may be a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, Kuri chiefly describes himself as “an observer.” His keen insight and sonic curiosity thread together an intriguing framework of carefully constructed and composed alternative on 2018’s debut Human Nature EP [Nevado Music] and the forthcoming 2019 debut album. The foundation remains rooted in organic performances, classically infused orchestration, jazzy freeform spirit, cinematic ambition, and ultimately inspired observation.

“I like to watch, analyze, and create systems in my brain,” he affirms. “As a solo artist, I enjoy the freedom to express exactly what I want by drawing on what I see.”

Born and raised Scott Currie in the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, he found himself constantly looking outward. The small Mennonite community he grew up in incited “a sense of questioning everything to figure out why we do what we do.” As the youngest of four brothers, mom bought him a drum set to jam with his guitarist siblings. Soon, he transitioned from behind-the-kit to an old piano in the house by the age of twelve. After a string of high school bands, he founded Oh Village and generated a palpable buzz even competing in “B.C.’s Best teen Band” competition.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------