'Daisy Girl', is the stunning new single from dream pop artist Lilac Haze, released today, taken from her upcoming debut EP due later this year.
Lilac Haze is the project name for songwriter Katrina Swift. Greatly influenced by bands of the ‘80s/’90s, Swift draws inspiration from The Cure, All About Eve, Eva Cassidy and Fleetwood Mac, combining atmospheric and ethereal textures with a sense of nostalgic romance.
Daisy Girl, was written about pursuing new relationships and how fear can hold you back from experiencing something beautiful.
Discussing the single, Lilac Haze explains: “We all have a little “daisy girl” within us, giving courage to take a chance on something new and different. I wrote this song with the idea of pursuing new relationships with an open heart without letting fear paralyse an opportunity for happiness. We had a great time experimenting with different guitar sounds for this track, and had fun creating this sweet treat.”
Much of Arielle's music finds inspiration in the stories she's writing and reading as a literary writer and professor of creative writing at Antioch University, and in the various philosophies she explores as a yoga and meditation instructor at her own Bhavana Flow Studio in Los Angeles.
"A lot of songwriters start by writing the chorus, because from an audience standpoint, that's the part that should stick in the ears," says Arielle when describing her writing and creative processes. "But I typically begin with writing verses in order to dig into the sensory-perceiving portion of a story. I typically enter songwriting (and my other creative writing) by describing setting, character, place in order to present a situation."
A literary mind who cites inspiration in writers like Cheryl Strayed, Jane Austen, Jeanette Winterson, and Mary Oliver (to name a few), Arielle's lyrics read like moving self-contained stories, and are further elevated by her stunning instrumental and vocal performances. “Ghost Ships” is a perfect example of this approach. Inspired by Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things as well as Silver’s own flash essay "The Sleeping Porch", the song ruminates on the paths not taken to stunning effect.
“Over the last few years, I've had a handful of dreams that involved my own death in various ways, and they've all been profound for me,” says Emily "Agent M" Whitehurst (former vocalist for punk standouts Tsunami Bomb) about the themes surrounding her upcoming fourth full-length Survival Guide album deathdreams (release date: October 19, 2023 via Double Helix Records). “It seemed natural to call the album deathdreams after this theme, and I like the opposing imagery and feelings those words can conjure. I like the way dreams can be thought of as soft, sweet, or strange, and death as dark and ominous. These are all descriptors that fit various songs on the album as well, so it seemed like the right title for the collection.”
"Lady Neptune" is the second single (following "Blood Perfume") off deathdreams and Em says the lyrics for the track are based on a dream she had where she had died, "It involved a chaotic battlefield where people were fighting and killing each other, and somehow, I knew that if I drowned myself, I’d come back to life and emerge from the water with the power to make the fighting stop."
A former Northern California native now residing in San Antonio, Texas, Emily is an electronic indie-pop artist with a background in punk. Her music obsession began with Green Day, leading her to a dreams-come-true life of punk rock as she traversed continents fronting the band Tsunami Bomb as “Agent M.” Over the years, her music gradually shifted toward synth pop in The Action Design, then further into the electronic indie-pop realm as Survival Guide. Her danceable tunes evoke a sonic birthday cake: alternating layers of Depeche Mode, Metric, Peter Gabriel, and Grimes, with vibrant melodies and vocals as the icing on top. “Music is crucial to my survival,” she says wholeheartedly, adding, “Survival Guide is one woman trying to shape her own place in this world as a musician."
Welsh Based Artist Cara Hammond has unveiled a new video for acclaimed new single 'America' and announced her Debut UK Tour which will be in November. Support on the tour comes from Rebecca Hurn.
'America' is Cara Hammond's second self produced single of 2023, following a string of successful festival appearences including Usk's Green Man Festival, 'America' has so far been supported by John Kennedy, Xposure on Radio X, Huw Stephens announced 'America' as his Track Of The Week on BBC Radio Wales, and Adam Walton on BBC Introducing in Wales.
Influenced by Lana Del Reyand Fleetwood Mac, America is a summer anthem about what happens after theAmerican dream. Country guitar slides, gospel organ and 60s girl group harmoniesblend together in creating a classic Americana sound that slowly disintegrates viaharmonic shifts.
I wrote America after returning from showcasing at SXSW 2022. At the beginning of 2022 I’d been dropped by my label & left my management, so when I was invited to play this huge festival in Austin, Texas, I couldn’t have been happier.
The new single 'Is It All Over' from Viv & Riley (formerly Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno) is released this week and taken from their album coming in September from Free Dirt Records. It's a gently sardonic take on the coming future of climate change and billionaires on Mars. Over soft fingerpicked guitars and a harmonies, Riley wonders if the Arctic will have a baseball field on a field of clover, and whether the mining towns on Mars will have bars or Warby Parkers. I dunno, this song just gets me every time, I think it gets at the absurdity of our current age by amplifying that weirdness into a deadly serious future. Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger produced the album and you can hear some of the Durham, NC magic on it (Viv & Riley live in Durham)!
A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of Imaginary People, the new album from Viv & Riley, coming September 15, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie roots sheen to newly composed pop gems. Rooted originally in the folk tradition, the pair reframe the production into experimental territory, crafting songs that speak to finding a path forward into adulthood in an uncertain world.
Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection. The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie.
'Daywasters' is a creative collection of gorgeous songs that without exception demand a second listen just to be able to take everything in. It goes without saying that we are mightily impressed!
Part Bat, AKA Hannah Maryse Robinson was raised on 70's folk rock and the 24-hour news cycle. She writes anxious, apocalyptic Americana that you can still bop to. After years of creating bedroom music and showing it to no one, she found herself in Berlin. There she played endless bar shows and immersed herself in the city's vibrant anti-folk and psych scenes, playing bass for psychedelic acts like Soft Milk and Sour Janes. One fateful night she supported musicians Jordan Blue Peysano and Haui Boker, and the three teamed up to make their debut album Daywasters - due to be released in July 2023, Produced by Francisco Cabala (of Chicos de Nazca), Daywasters was recorded in Berlin's Reflex Magnet Studios.
Written between the turbulent years of 2017 - 2021, it is an album about making the best of a world that seems to be hurtling towards the end. Lead single Okay is a disco-tinged ode to doom scrolling and social media-induced ennui. Same Old Songs and Try Hard Blues explore Hannah's struggles with depression and rampant ADHD, with upbeat arrangements that bring light to the heavier subject matter. The softest song on the record - title track Daywasters - is also the most hopeful - a dreamy celebration of wasting time with someone great.
Since moving back to London, Hannah's put together a UK band, along with Kieran Murphy (of Cold Comforts). Together with a cohort of multi-instrumentalists, they're preparing a stage show that is part frank stream-of- consciousness confessionals, part party.
As a prelude to her upcoming EP, ‘The 11th Hour’, rising Australian pop artist, Sophia Petro releases her eagerly awaited single, ‘Rosé Glow’, bursting with mesmerising, catchy melodies and relatable storytelling lyricism, and it's all of that and fabulous and released today Friday, 21st July 2023.
The heart and soul of ‘Rosé Glow’ lie in its compelling narrative. Sophia Petro paints a vivid picture of the exhilarating experience of getting ready for a night out with friends. As the chorus unfolds, she delves into the secret yearnings for a deeper connection with someone who captures her heart amidst the bustling energy of a social gathering. The song encapsulates those fleeting moments when the "rosé glow" casts an enchanting spell, blurring the lines between reality and possibility.
Produced and mixed by Gabrielle Emery (EMEREE) and mastered by Darren Ziesing, the creative process behind ‘Rosé Glow’ was a collaborative effort between Sophia Petro and producer Gabrielle Emery. Together, they crafted a vibrant and catchy pop anthem that embodies the joy and anticipation of a night out. Sophia states “Gabrielle put down a vibe (the iconic guitar lick at the beginning of the track) and I pulled up my notes app on my phone and started writing down lyric ideas. We wrote up until the end of the first chorus and then I took it home and wrote the remainder of the song that very night because I was so inspired!”
Melbourne, Australian artist, Sophia Petro's musical style can be described as a fusion of folk and country with a modern pop-infused twist. Drawing inspiration from icons like Taylor Swift, Maisie Peters, and Gretta Ray, Sophia Petro uses her songwriting prowess to express her own emotions and experiences, connecting deeply with her audience through her relatable storytelling.
As an artist, Sophia Petro's journey has been shaped by her love for writing and storytelling. From an early age, she found solace in songwriting, using music to process and express her emotions. Influenced by her father, a musician, and her mother, a talented writer, Sophia Petro's artistic path was destined to intertwine with her passion for creating evocative and heartfelt music.
Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Arielle Silver has released her new song and video for “Bramble Vine” today July 21st. Her first single in three years, the song is the first from her upcoming album Watershed, due out this fall.
Arielle Silver was inspired by the blackberries that grew outside her childhood home for the song. “One day I was making pie and thinking about complicated relationships,” says Silver, “and the way that some kinds of love are complicated, but worth the work.” An earthy, scenic singer-songwriter ballad in 6/8, “Bramble Vine” is grounded in acoustic guitar and tender piano, and exemplifies Silver’s literary approach to songwriting, or in her words - “literate folk pop.”
Silver serves as the President of FAR-West - Folk Alliance Region West, where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, producers and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, dance, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that advocates on behalf of songwriters and music creators.
“Bramble Vine” follows Silver’s 2021 acclaimed album A Thousand Tiny Torches. With support from Americana UK, American Songwriter, and more, A Thousand Tiny Torches was produced and recorded with singer-songwriter Shane Alexander, whose partnership with Silver continued throughout the recording and production of Watershed.
Following on from the release of his highly-praised debut EP ‘God Ache’ last year, emerging Manchester-based singer-songwriter T.R. Burge has now returned with his new EP ‘Selling You’ released today 21st July 2023. This is a notable collection of songs, with distinct vocals and some beautifully creative material that really does stand out as something special.
Talking about the EP T.R. Burge has this to say, “The EP was based on the idea of having no pressure at all but getting together at the producer Robbie Moore’s new Idea Farm/Studio he is building in rural Sweden and seeing what came out. This is the first ever project that was recorded there and we were based in a beautiful old wooden outbuilding set within incredible countryside in Sweden. We started the recording on January 2nd and it was such a great way to start the year.”
“At points the snow was coming down outside and there was also plenty of rain, I love both rain and snow. It was a wonderful creative process and we had dinner in the evenings with Robbie’s family and children, slept deeply afterwards and got up and repeated the next day. My friend Liam from Manchester also came with me and took photos and we just all hung out. It was great. A drummer I have recorded with before called Tobias also came in from Berlin and played some awesome parts. It was bacon sarnies in the morning and easy and peaceful creative days,” he continued.
After recently returning to deliver their highly-praised sophomore LP ‘The Land Belongs To Us’, emerging outfit Hector Gannet are now looking to follow up their latest full-length with the new three-track collection ‘Emmanuel Head’.
Featuring the opening song of their recent full-length and title-track of EP, ‘Emmanuel Head’, as well as two live renditions of ‘Last Of The Buffalo’ and ‘Waiting For The Whistle’, this new outing looks to add to what has already been an incredibly accomplished year for the outfit. With ‘Waiting For The Whistle’ recorded during their support slot for Sam Fender’s recent St. James Park show, this new release marks a seminal moment in their career so far.
Hector Gannet, from North Shields on Tyneside, are masters of a kind of new, modernist folk music, taking their name from an ill-fated trawler which sank in the North Sea under heroic circumstances in 1967. Hector Gannet’s musical incarnation began to draw attention when they wrote and performed music to accompany vintage footage of the North East heritage of shipbuilding and fishing as part of a project for the BFI in 2017. The band have toured widely, including a UK tour with Sam Fender and dates in England and Scotland with indie legends Sea Power, two North American adventures and, more recently, supporting Sam Fender (again) at St James’ Park football stadium.
Hector Gannet’s second album ‘The Land Belongs To Us’ was released to acclaim in early 2023. MOJO awarded four stars: “Pointedly political, natural-world-advocating folk rock.” Uncut proclaimed “North Shields’ answer to Crazy Horse.”
Emmanuel Head (taken from the current album) is a song inspired by escaping to a place of personal significance, in this case, for Hector Gannet, a white pyramid day marker on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the north east coast of England, but as Aaron Duff (aka Hector Gannet) explains “The song is as much about our connection with each other as it is about any personal fondness for a particular place. It’s about getting away from it all, to where we are without distraction and where, for a while, the land belongs to us.”
me&you have released 'S.O.L' today and its a natural Americana song where folk and country come together beautifully, the dual vocals enriching the track even further. === Singer songwriter Arielle Silver shares her brand new song 'What Really Matters' where the poignant lyrics are passionately delivered on this powerful Indie folk piece. === Today Carroll release their third album 'Leap and the Net Appears' which is streaming in full below, we have already shared the song 'Fern' from the collection, and I have to say the album has lived up to the promise that track hinted at. === From Sydney, Australia we haveCasual Fan and their latest song entitled 'Flight', it's a gently paced alt rocker with gorgeous vocals and background harmonies and some refined musicianship. === Reckless Kelly share 'North American Jackpot' which is a timeless country rocker with just a hint or two of Southern rock vibes. === From London we have Lial and the song 'Embers' which is released today, it's an electro pop song with plenty of feeling and emotion. === Rue Snider makes his seventh appearance on Beehive Candy with today's release 'Oklahoma' a gentler ballad that is both melodic and quite personal sounding.
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me&you - S.O.L.
me&you, formed of siblings Karlee and Connor Hormell, are an Americana duo from Sacramento, CA. Their new single, "S.O.L." is a country-folk slow burner about bad timing in a relationship. The single will be released Friday, February 28, ahead of their debut as official showcasing artists at SXSW 2020.
About me&you: "My brother and I always tell each other: all we have is me and you," explains Karlee with regards to their band name. The siblings have been playing music together since they were kids, but the band really came to fruition when they went on a month-long campervan trip in the backcountry of New Zealand and ultimately wrote their debut EP, Chasing Trails.
Since then, the duo has shared the stage with Dwight Yoakam, Barns Courtney, John Paul White (Civil Wars), Bastille, and others and has been sponsored by Patagonia, REI, SC Vans, and Visit Sacramento.
In November 2018, there was a shooting at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks, CA. The next day, the Woolsey and Hill fires broke out, burning over 96K acres of Southern California. People who were still wrapping their heads around losing 13 of their neighbors in the shooting were now having to pack up whatever they could to evacuate the fires that were rapidly heading their way. One of these nearby residents was Americana singer, Arielle Silver.
After these tragic events, Silver began to think about what really matters most when you are facing a tragedy and from that, her latest single was born. "What Really Matters" is released today Friday, February 28.
Arielle Silver crafts songs that are luminous, literate, and alive. A Thousand Tiny Torches, the singer-songwriter’s new Indie Folk Americana collection, is a testament to her renewal of inspiration, the rekindling of dreams, and the redemptive power and connective compassion that defines her artistry.
Her rich, expressive alto voice frames expansive melodies that echo the American heartland. Now based in Los Angeles, Arielle knows this geography well. A performing itinerary transported her from Club Passim in her adopted hometown of Boston to venues including Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta and Nashville’s 12th & Porter, plus stops to the Southwest, as she steered a vegetable oil-fueled vehicle across Texas to Abilene, Odessa and Austin.
Leap and the Net Appears (out February 28th 2020 on Shattered Orb Records) is the third album by the Philadelphia band Carroll. The album takes the band’s outrospective sonic palate to glistening new heights and some of the murkiest depths of their career. Recorded in the band’s subterranean bunker in Philadelphia and at Berlin Studios in New Jersey, the record captures the first moments of a hibernating bear blinking into the sunshine after months in its den. On songs like first single “Fern” and album opener “2 Have U,” we see a band with one foot firmly planted in the void while cautiously approaching the light.
After years on the road and stints opening for the likes of Dr. Dog, Whitney, and Jessica Pratt, the four members of Carroll are learning to stay in place. “I tried fixing the holes inside / then I covered the door in your color,” sings frontman Brian Hurlow on “Nona.” Home improvement and domesticity butt up against inner turmoil in songs about unsettled settling. “This one has been a crazy year of tearing the yard apart,” Hurlow reflects on the sublime album closer "Bemy."
Underneath Hurlow’s plaintive delivery swirl the dense psychedelic landscapes the band is known for. The propulsive, liquid bass lines of Charles McClung are a second narrator throughout the course of the album and Max Kulicke continues to create microclimates and sonic storms with his atmospheric guitar. The record’s tasteful and varied synthesizers seem to bubble up from beneath the understated beats of drummer Charlie Rudoy, while the tender saxophone work by free jazz explorer Gabriel Garcia polishes off what are the most enveloping grooves of the band’s career.
The first lines of "Fern" are an apt metaphor for Carroll's newest record: "I'm a fern with the leaves curled up / in the light I extend and unravel." As you spend time with Leap and the Net Appears, the album unfurls, blooms, and blossoms around you
Casual Fan is a musical collective from Sydney, started when songwriter Nathan moved from his home town of Newcastle to Sydney’s Inner West and pulled together some new friends to take his folk songs in a different direction. The result is a dynamic mix of subdued interludes and frenzied refrains, with Nathan’s resonant vocals and intricate guitar work providing a unique through line for the listener.
“Flight” is the first single from Casual Fan’s forthcoming debut album “I’ve Dreamt About These Days”. Recorded with Mark Myers (The Middle East, The Starry Field), it’s a song about being stuck between where you are and where you think you should be.
Listen as rich guitar tones and yearning vocals soar over unique rhythms to create a song that’s nostalgic like the Australian summer — like it’s 38 degrees and you’re packed into your friend’s ’97 Nissan Pulsar on your way to the beach in late February.
The Austin, TX-based country rock band Reckless Kelly released “North American Jackpot,” the first single and title track from their upcoming album American Jackpot (out May 22 alongside their album American Girls). The song will be available everywhere tomorrow but you can hear it now on Taste of Country.
“Writing ‘North American Jackpot’ I kept hitting a wall with the verses and the theme,” says Willy Braun, who co-founded Reckless Kelly with his older brother Cody Braun and drummer Jay Nazz in 1996. “Trouble was, I kept going back to my first idea, a story about my grandparents, which wasn’t really going anywhere, but I couldn’t get away from it. I thought, I’d have to scrap this one till it made sense… the problem was, I’d already started writing the rest of the album and was close to being finished, but the title track, 'North American Jackpot’ wasn’t close to being completed, and far from the cornerstone it needed to be. I called Jeff Crosby, songwriter extraordinaire from the Gem State asking for help. The next day he sent a nearly perfect first verse that got me out of the rut and on the right track. I wrote a second verse almost immediately and we polished it up in Boise a couple weeks later. I had my cornerstone.”
For nearly 25 years, Reckless Kelly has graced the musical landscape with a high-powered form of Americana, equally rooted in raw passion, refined musicianship, and gritty authenticity. With the dual release of two new albums—American Jackpot and American Girls—the Idaho-bred band presents a beautifully detailed portrait of their beloved country, turning their nuanced songwriting to its many glories and tragedies. “North American Jackpot” appears on American Jackpot, throughout which Reckless Kelly joyously examines what they most cherish about their homeland, exalting everything from the thrill of mule-riding through the Grand Canyon to the country’s singular potential as a cultural melting pot. At the same time, the band never shies away from calling out forces that threaten America’s character. To that end, the album is bookended by two piano-driven tracks with lyrics lifted from the Emma Lazarus poem inscribed at the Statue of Liberty: the full-hearted and hopeful “North American Jackpot,” and “Goodbye Colorado #3” (a quietly impassioned response to anti-immigrant rhetoric).
For American Jackpot and American Girls, the band called upon friends and fellow musicians Bukka Allen, Jeff Crosby, Charlie Sexton, Gary Clark Jr., Rosie Flores, Shawn Sahm, Muzzie Braun, Suzy Bogguss, Wade Bowen and many more to join their recording sessions. Although Reckless Kelly initially intended to make just one album, the project took on a life of its own once they headed into the studio. “I wanted to produce this one by myself, just to try that out, and I made sure to book plenty of studio time to get it done right,” says Willy. “We ended up moving along really fast, so I pulled out a few more songs and figured we’d end up using them down the road. Before we knew it, we had enough material for two really good records.”
Lial is a London artist making a haunting and melancholy strand of electronic-pop, laced with a hypnotic and sensual vocal which has been likened to a mix of Kylie and Billie Ray Martin. On 28th February, she releases brand new single Embers ahead of the release of her second EP, Made To Break, which follows in Summer 2020.
Lial sites artists such as Låpsley, Sia, and Lana Del Rey as influences, with her sound encompassing echoes of each. Lial’s enveloping minimal arrangements recall Låpsley’s dark, brooding alt-pop but coupled with Sia’s glistening pop-sensibility. There’s also a touch of Del Rey’s sultry heartsick delivery, weighted by the subject matter of Lial’s songs. New single Embers is about the struggle of removing oneself from a destructive situation which is simultaneously addictive. The song’s darker undertones are laced with a wistful edge which Lial describes as “the recognition there is something good that could have been, even as you try to draw a line under it all.”
After performing live as a professional singer at big sports events including England Rugby matches, Lial began working on her own music. In 2019 she shared her debut Heart Scars EP, self-released and unpromoted, it organically accumulated over 68k Spotify plays, UK and international blog posts for its lead title-track, and fans in a wide range of places. Lial found music from the EP shared and championed on social media by fellow songstress Pixie Lott and actresses Lily James, Michelle Dockery and Jo Froggatt (among many others).
Embers is released as a digital single on 28 February. It is written by Lial alongside co-writer and producer Gregor McWilliam and mastered by John Davies. Lial’s Made to Break EP follows in Summer 2020.
Brooklyn based Rue Snider today releases his new song Oklahoma. Rue tells us "It's a ballad about a sex worker. It's quieter than the stuff I've been putting out lately".
Singer songwriter Rue Snider combines 80s alt sonics with a lyrical style reminiscent of 60s rock revolutionaries. His sound and ideals are both a reflection of and a reaction to growing up during the 1980s in a small town.
The tone of his hometown and it’s conservative foundation spawned Rue’s progressive values and belief in social justice. His home filled with records by Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, and Air Supply, and his elementary school music teacher father propelled his love for music and interest in performance. Investments were made in lessons on piano, cello, trumpet, and eventually voice, which were met with the same embrace any free spirited young person attaches to something they are forced to do.
