Chorusgirl - Lowland Hum - BLOW 3.0 - Twain - Faux Co.

Chorusgirl - In Dreams.

London band Chorusgirl reveal their stunning new animated collage video for "In Dreams", which was created by renowned animator Ruth Barrett. The track is taken from Chorusgirl's forthcoming second album Shimmer and Spin due out on 16 November via Reckless Yes. The band will be heading out on the road in November.

The handmade stop motion video for "In Dreams" consists of an impressive 2500 manually cut out paper prints filmed using the strata stencil technique, an animation technique invented by Javan Ivey, and a further progression of the complicated strata cut technique first used by David Daniels. The video uses the red colour scheme of the album art for Shimmer and Spin and was inspired by the reverb-heavy shimmer of the band’s sound, rollercoaster rides, fireworks, dreams and all things spinning.

"In Dreams" is a song about feeling out of place. It’s a coming-of-age anthem about dreaming yourself out of the small town you grew up in; the place you never fit in. It is also the much more dreamy companion piece to the rather angry "This Town Kills" from the debut album, and describes someone who lives mostly in their dreams, day and night. It is about growing up, feeling unconnected and patiently waiting and vividly dreaming for your turn.

Shimmer and Spin by Chorusgirl is the album that overcame the odds. Their second full-length chronicles a tense year, created during a period of crippling anxiety and a relentless string of bad luck and bad news. On first listen these tensions are not immediately apparent but beyond the bright sparkling melodies there are beautifully crafted yet deceptively sharp icebergs lying in wait. WEBSITE.

We first featured Chorusgirl last month with their first single 'No Goodbye' and 'In Dreams' is also taken from their 'Shimmer and Spin' album set for release next month. Once again the melodic vocals are splendid as the bands distinctive indie rock sound hits the spot with plenty of refined hooks.


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Lowland Hum - Salzburg Summer.

Lowland Hum have debuted a new song and video and announced their fourth full-length album Glyphonic to be released February 22. The music video was created in collaboration with Pando Creative Co. and shot in the countryside near Charlottesville, VA, where the band is based. The band tell us "This song is in part an exploration of vanity, youthful frivolity, and femininity as it was internalized by Lauren’s pre-teen mind."

Lowland Hum are an art-folk duo composed of husband and wife, Daniel and Lauren Goans. Over their young but prolific musical career, the band have garnered critical acclaim from NPR, The Washington Post, The LA Times, Huffington Post, American Songwriter and more, their lyrics noted as poetic and evocative, their arrangements praised as minimal but dynamic. Creators of the #SupportQuietMusic movement, the band maintain that in an increasingly polarized and noisy cultural moment, vulnerability is a powerful offering and restraint stands in welcome contrast to new, bombastic norms. New album Glyphonic is the purest distillation of this thesis to date, a masterful exploration of stillness in rising chaos.

Lowland Hum are a dedicated touring act, existing on the road nearly 200 days out of the year. The pair just completed an East Coast run with Horse Feathers and in recent years, have played alongside the likes of Josh Ritter, The Oh Hellos, Jesca Hoop and more. They are known for cultivating meaningful connections with fans, crafting customized-to-order "songlets" through their own Send-A-Song service, passing out handmade lyric booklets at shows, and engaging audiences in unconventional Q&As. In every part of their art, these indie pioneers are committed to the human touch. Full headline tour to be announced. WEBSITE.

'Salzburg Summer' opens with a soothing and natural folk feel, the vocals are tender and pleasing and the understated yet catchy musical backdrop gradually adds depth creating a rather addictive vibe.


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BLOW 3.0 - Stella.

Belgium-based acoustic-electronic BLOW 3.0 just released their new single Stella. The track announces the mysterious three piece's upcoming second album, scheduled for release early 2019. Over the last two years the band has grown from a busking sensation to a true live-on-stage band that bursts with positive energy.

The masked musicians - two saxophone players and a drummer - started playing on the streets in Ghent, Belgium in 2011. Soon after, some of their videos went viral on social media and soon the three-piece was playing the streets of just about every city in Europe and eventualy, stages of Jazz- & Worldmusic festivals.

The two saxophones roar like guitars and pump like synths supported by a mesmerizing, groovy drum beat, creating the vintage BLOW 3.0-sound. Stella is now available on all streaming- and download services. The album will be released early 2019 via Dox Records. FACEBOOK.

'Stella' has plenty of unique attributes and it's not short on power or intensity. The musical arrangement is fabulous as the band defy any one genre categorisation, on this sublime instrumental piece that just begs for a second play.


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Twain - Young God (gotta lotta feeling).

Twain has released their first new music since 2017's critically-lauded Rare Feeling. Twain's singer and songwriter Mt. Davidson tells us "This song is about the freedom-feeling of allowing Love its natural Death." NPR All Songs Considered premiered "Young God (gotta lotta feeling)" this week, noting "Twain songs retain a live energy with little editing. Like an old cassette, the sounds on these records are limited to a mild and pleasant midrange and swathed in a lisping hiss. Even as "Young God" rises from its quiet, glimmering opening to a thumping, full band apotheosis, the coloring of that sound frames it like a photo in an album."

With the song, Twain announced a 12" double EP to be released January 25 on Keeled Scales. Titled 2 E.P.s, the 14-track collection represents two distinct moments in the artist's recording history. Side A is New Miami Sound, unreleased material from the Rare Feeling album sessions. Side B is Alternator, an intimate recording of Davidson performing a selection of his songs in a van; it is the first fully solo Twain music to be released on vinyl. The painting ("Margie") featured on the album jacket was made by the group's drummer, Peter Pezzimenti (@friendthathelps).

Over the course of a young but eventful career, Davidson has contributed his virtuoso musicianship to the likes of The Low Anthem, Spirit Family Reunion, Deslondes and more. He spent 2018 on the road, touring as Twain alongside Langhorne Slim, Horse Feathers and Buck Meek among others and making his Newport Folk Festival debut. Demand for his devastatingly raw stage presence continues to build nationwide. He'll begin another run through the South next month. BANDCAMP.

Live Dates:
November 24 | New Orleans, LA @ house show (w. Julie Odell)
November 26 | Gainesville, FL @ Limin Room
November 27 | Orlando, FL @ Gallery Space Called Home
November 28 | St. Augustine, FL @ Sarbez
November 29 | Atlanta, GA @ house show
November 30 | Athens, GA @ Flicker Theatre
December 05 | High Point, NC @ Centennial Station Arts Center.

There is something quite captivating about 'Young God (gotta lotta feeling)' a song that is winsome, creative and very catchy. It's also one of those songs that seems to just build and build and still manages to keep the same personable and beautiful vibe throughout.


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 Faux Co. - Set The Record Straight.

Chicago’s Faux Co. is the brainchild of songwriter Ben Mackey. Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Mackey has been writing 60's influenced Indie pop songs for a decade. After stints in the bands the Subtitles and Silver Ships, Ben moved to Chicago in 2012. He formed the Red Threads shortly after with Anna Holmquist (the Curls, Ester), Claire Wellin, Ben James and Jason Homyak. Trevor Pritchett (Lucille Furs) joined the band shortly thereafter and the group played around Chicago for a few years.

In 2015 The Red Threads disbanded as Ben decided to start a new group. Pritchett joined on lead guitar with local DIY legend Chris Lee (Beastii, Bloodhype) on drums and Faux Co. was born. The group played shows locally for a few years, crafting all the layers to Ben's melodic pop songs.

In 2016 the group headed to Downbeat Studios and Minbal Studios and recorded their debut album. Sean Mcconnell and Chris Lee split the engineering and producing duties and the group made a solid record reminiscent of classic 60's pop. After recording sessions spread throughout 2016 with notable guest appearances by Holmquist and Danny Cohen (Terriers), the group spent the next half year mixing and mastering (w/ Mike Hagler of Kingsize Soundlabs) the record. “Set the Record Straight” b/w “Prozac Spacemen” is the first single from the debut (release date TBD). FACEBOOK.

'Set The Record Straight' is a potent rocker, where everything feels energised and yet the musical arrangement leaves room for every musical and vocal element to have clarity. I guess it's a case of modern mixing techniques meet timeless rock and roll ideas, and combine to make some splendid music.


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The Woolly Mammoths - Chorusgirl - Rina Mushonga - Terry Emm - The Hate Club - Tania Vinokur

The Woolly Mammoths - No Confidence Man.

Background - No Confidence Man is the funky fresh track from the self-effacing young Bostonites, The Woolly Mammoths. Consummate music nerds The Woolly Mammoths create sly, idiosyncratic dance punk that falls somewhere between Parquet Courts and Animal Collective. Their high energy, cheeky vibe seems to be a direct response to their starchy childhoods on the Seacoast of New Hampshire, where they learned to escape the doldrums by indulging themselves in off-beat esoteric indie rock.

Since their inception in 2014, the quintet has cut loose with two LP’s and EP, culminating in 2017’s Resist Consumerism, Buy Our Album which received a positive shout out from Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop. Their dynamic, collaborative recordings and sweaty live show quickly created a local groundswell, culminating in praise from Greater Boston Music Publications and prodding the band to leave NH behind to pursue music in Boston proper, locking in opening slots for Diet Cig and Vacationer along the way.

The move coincided with the respective band members entering adulthood and grappling with the tribulations associated with that pivotal coming-of-age period. The resulting album, Cityzen, is their most topical release to date, with much of material dealing directly with the balancing measures one must implement to fully integrate into society. Lead-off single “No Confidence Man” tackles the first world problems of being a young-adult male, imbuing the booty-shaking groove with a refreshingly irreverent tone that has come to be The Mammoth’s signature stock-in-trade. TWITTER.

Full of charm and just a little quirky 'No Confidence Man' is a feast of rhythms,  addictive vocals and just enough jangly indie sounds to complete the musical circle.

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Chorusgirl - No Goodbye.

Background - Chorusgirl are delighted to announce their brand new release Shimmer and Spin, the album that overcame the odds, due out on 16 November via Reckless Yes. Chorusgirl's second full-length chronicles a tense year, created during a period of crippling anxiety and a relentless string of bad luck and bad news. On first listen these tensions are not immediately apparent but beyond the bright sparkling melodies there are beautifully crafted yet deceptively sharp icebergs lying in wait. The band will be heading out on the road in November with a string of dates across the UK, starting on 9 November at Hackney's The Victoria and ending on 23 November at The Tin in Coventry.

Fronted by London-based, German-born songwriter Silvi Wersing, the band recently brought in Faith Taylor of Suggested Friends on lead guitar to round-out the sound, and she even wrote a couple of songs on the record. Completing the line-up is by Udo Westhoff on bass and Michael Boyle on drums.

With their sound rooted in shimmering indiepop with an undercurrent of darkness, Chorusgirl blend the sparkle of 80s bands like The Cure and the Cocteau Twins, with the close harmonies and surf-inspired indie of Dum Dum Girls and La Luz. The lyrics run from the abstract to the personal, are delicate and angry, but layered underneath a measured dose of noise and happy fizz.

The moment they had started writing the second album, an extraordinary string of bad luck happened that lasted more than a year. As Silvi explains, “There was barely a month without bad news on a personal and wider level, and at the end of that year, my anxiety started to spike badly. The album became a very important anchor. Every note and lyric were raked over and looked at twice; we were hacking and honing away at the songs for months, trying to craft some sort of sculpture of our state of mind.” WEBSITE.  

'No Goodbye' is the first single from the album 'Shimmer and Spin' due in November. A sprightly indie rocker where melodic vocals and a fast paced musical backdrop soon deliver their hooks, this really is a fine first taste from the album.

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Rina Mushonga - 4qrtrs.

Background - Peckham, London based Rina Mushonga explores space and time with a third single ‘4qrtrs' out today, taken from her upcoming album due early next year.

The Dutch-Zimbabwean artist is pushing her unique afropop-indie-electro fusion to its outer limits – and to her new home in Peckham - with intergalactic and romantic consequences. “4qrtrs’ started in Zimbabwe and came together in London,” explains Rina, “it even references some of the local joints in Peckham. Its name comes from a video-game bar I fell in love with when I first moved here and where I've spent many nights playing Pacman and Space Invaders with friends and local strangers.”

Blending traditional African influences with modern club pop through her wildly uncompromising style, Rina takes her inspiration from Greek mythology and a love of literature, her childhood in Harare, a former life living in Amsterdam and the London locale which she now calls home. Like a love song to her own back yard, ‘4qrtrs’ returns to the faces – and voices – of Rina’s new neighbourhood. Fed through her recent coming-of-age single ‘Jungles’ and the video for ‘Ata|antA’, the track’s opening field recordings vividly capture the hubbub of activity that rose up to the window by which she wrote, whilst recovering from an injury to her Achilles heel. “I would just hear kids coming home from school, and families and traffic, and I’d just be soaking it all in,” she says.

Rina continues; “It's a little bit 'frustrated long-distance relationship' and a little bit 'Zim I really miss you and I don't know how to be with you'. It's a bit of 'I dare you to take a chance on me' with the unfolding joy of where I am now – and navigating and accepting all these different parts of one’s identity. That's probably why it materialised here in good old Peckham, so much of it reminds me of home, the sounds and vibes of Rye Lane – it unlocked something in me and allowed a new sound and perspective to take root. ‘4qrtrs’ speaks to that process and the geography of it all. It's often scary and lonely, but there's no regrets - just a growing, vivid sense of moving into something new that embraces all these different parts.”

Working with Frans Verburg who played keys in her old band and Grammy-winning producer Brett Shaw, Rina says her newest material is further refinement of a vision that’s been a long time forming; “‘4qrtrs’ has been prodded, poked and teased into existence. Parts of it belonged to my old, discarded songs, other bits and pieces I wrote more recently. It's become this weird collage or map of where I've been, emotionally and geographically.” TWITTER.

'4qrtrs' is a melting pot of musical styles that are given a cohesive overall sound as they musically morph around. The gorgeous vocals add more, giving this fabulous tune even further edge.

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Terry Emm - The Leaving.

Background - Acclaimed singer-songwriter Terry Emm is returning to music this September following a six year hiatus. Terry Emm’s new EP ‘Ornate’ drops on 21st Sept and he’s just unveiled the striking opening track ‘The Leaving’.

‘Ornate’, the new EP from UK singer-songwriter Terry Emm is as the title suggests, a collection of fragile elegant tracks that have a timeless feel and are crafted as if they are unique objects for mantlepiece display. Fashioned from the love of creation and to catalogue memories and thoughts, they are distinctive and embellished with astute understated beauty at every turn.

Emm’s first release in six years, the EP was a nostalgic experience for Emm with an exploration of his previously unreleased back catalogue of demos. “When I was around 12-15 years old I’d spend every night after school recording tracks on an 8-track in my bedroom. I started to revisit these sessions last year which was like re-connecting to a previous life and a certain freedom and purity. Some tracks were like old friends, some I’d completely forgotten about. I liked the young innocent feel of the tones and lyrics and picked out some previously overlooked elements of some of the tracks that I thought were particularly cool. Each of the tracks on this EP had their genesis in the old demos from these years but were then re-written slightly to enhance them” he says.

The ‘Ornate’ EP has hallmarks of the style of Emm’s previous releases but like all his works reaches into new territory with a new blend of sounds from the atmospheric subtle electronics of ‘Sophia’ a song of unrequited love to the Goddess of wisdom to the deep healing keyboards of title track ‘Ornate’. The palette is expanded also by the addition of an enigmatic female vocalist providing soaring moods to three of the tracks and also some inspired percussion and production wizardry from co-producer Jonathan McMillan at Smokehouse Studios, London.

Throughout his career Emm has developed a style that is idiosyncratic and eschews genre categorization. His most recent album ‘Starlight’ at times sounds like the Americana jams of Wilco yet also the string quartet infused ballads of Clifford T Ward. Previous albums ‘Petals Fallen Off The Sun’ and ‘White Butterflies’ and standalone single ‘Gently’ enveloped alternative folk explorations, sprawling rock epics and psychedelic indie singer-songwriter territory and much more. The emphasis on each of Emm’s songs being from the heart and what it “needs to be” expressively, giving plenty for the likes of BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, The Guardian, MOJO, Uncut and many more to rave about. WEBSITE. 

'The Leaving' softly opens with acoustic guitar and Terry Emm's impassioned vocal. A sense of earnest sincerity flows through this beautiful song, a little piano music adds some melody, but the feeling that this is from the heart is constantly apparent.

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The Hate Club - One Mile Away.

Background - In One Mile Away main protagonist, little Alex, is participating in local talent show. Unconfident and shy he tries to put on his best performance of a song. During Alex’s performance, nobody in the audience seem to give a f*%@ and, even worse, a fight breaks out. With the show being ruined, Alex accidentally stumbles upon a mysterious tray in the bathroom and decides to give its content a try. The result surpasses all Alex’s expectations, or does it?

“The Hate Club is a place for outcasts to call home, for people to punch in the face the messed up world we live in.” This is how The Hate Club’s (THC) leader and sole member, Alex Poe, describes the mission for his music and his ‘band' overall. Poe has set out to achieve this goal through an amalgamation of the driving bass heavy practices of EDM and the spite and swagger of punk rock, clearly heard through his vocal quality and lyricism.

Growing up in an oppressive Ukrainian household, Poe eventually fled to Los Angeles where he became enamored with the electronic music scene. In 2017 THC released its debut EP, Space Born, made major waves in the underground electronic music scene, becoming a cult favorite in the US primary musical hot spots, New York and LA. Now, with the release of the second EP, Misfits, THC furthers the dark yet charming narrative created by Space Born.

While favorably compared to some Punk and EDM greats like Skrillix, Cage the Elephant, Missio, or The White Stripes, THC is truly in a class all its own. Keeping in the spirit of Punk rock, Poe is a dedicated DIY artist who not only writes all of his music but also tracks all parts, as well as mixing and mastering his songs by himself to prepare for performance with the help of his Ableton Push. This approach has allowed him to achieve the level of excitement, and overall sound, in performance comparable to a full-band. FACEBOOK. 

'One Mile Away' has a fresh musical vibe as it opens, adding layers of musical sounds before the vocals give the piece some distinctive rock and roll passion. The video is fabulously crazy, the imagery working so well with the song, this is both clever and catchy.

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Tania Vinokur - Jaffa.

Background - Tania Vinokur​, multitalented and vibrantly unrivaled has been captivating audiences all over the globe with her inimitable fusion of musical, dance and percussive segments inspired by Oriental, Latin, Classical and Gypsy craft​.

Tania’s​ main musical inspirations are drawn from Sephardic, Classical and Gypsy music. The subsequent sonic and movement focused creations are enhanced during her live performances by a selective 5-piece band of talented players. Live shows fully emulate Tania’s​ triple-threat approach to sharing her artistry with the world portraying her chameleon-like abilities to play, dance, sing and drum. Her stage presence is therefore simultaneously theatrical and magnetic, transporting audiences to her custom realm of music and movement-driven integration leaving them stunned.

Tania’s​ new single Jaffa​ is no exception to these striking facets. It is a true celebration of Tania’s shape shifting qualities, incorporating a strong violin line over a dynamic electronic track and highlighting her ability to fuse cultural musical influences into her own style and sound. The single is accompanied by a lively and fitting music video in which Tania’s iconic movement is featured following a storyline which speaks to the contrast of her artistic journey, reflecting the old classical influences versus the new blends she has brought to life.

In recent years, Tania​ has performed globally on European, American, Thai and Cuban stages as well at various festivals throughout. Most recently she has performed at the ADE festival in Holland and appeared on TEDx Jaffa during which she received an ovation for the most original performance at the event. This honor praised her distinct combination of dancing and violin playing which Tania​ states is “…the most natural thing for her to do.” TWITTER.

Dance, jig or just tap your feet, the beats on 'Jaffa' will surely demand some involuntary movement. The gorgeous musical styles, the gifted violin playing and some atmospheric Gypsy feeling makes this a very addictive tune.

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