Course - Amanda Ekery - Janita - Close to Monday - Junior Scaife

Course - Hue Mirror.

Chicago-based synth/pop group Course has announced their new album Hue Mirror will release on April 25th. Their third full-length offering, Hue Mirror marks their most raw, vulnerable, and poignant collection of songs to date, written by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Robbins in the wake of a traumatic, life-altering diagnosis. Today they shared the lead single and title track “Hue Mirror,” a song that captures a moment of whirlwind confusion, fear, and shock.

Since their debut, Course has established themselves with a sound that mixes lushly layered melodies and electronic instrumentation into dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes across two acclaimed albums: 2021’s A Late Hour and 2023’s Tight Feathers. They earned praise from the likes of Consequence of Sound, Chicago Tribune, American Songwriter, Under The Radar, and Atwood Magazine who raved “Course has quickly established itself as a reliable source of exhilarating, radiant, and shimmering indie pop.” In recent years, however, Robbins found it increasingly difficult to ignore the pain that had been creeping up her spine ever since college, turning her everyday activities - walking, sleeping, holding her guitar, even breathing - into a struggle.

Hue Mirror began taking shape last year during several months of intense uncertainty, before Robbins received the medical news that would change her life forever: a diagnosis for an aggressive autoimmune disorder called Ankylosing Spondylitis. An incurable disease that targets the spine and joints causing long term damage, severe chronic pain and discomfort, the news left Robbins in shock as she began coming to terms with a future that is now shrouded in ambiguity. Dreaming of a life that didn't involve so much discomfort, she continued writing songs with renewed conviction and resilience, confronting her illness with bold, beautiful music that pulled no punches. As the inflammation in her body intensified, so did her decision to create the best album of her life, one that would turn the uncertainties of her future into something raw, real, and undeniably present.

“‘Hue Mirror’ is the first song I wrote after my AS diagnosis on April 11, 2024,” stated Robbins. “My head was spinning. I was in a haze when I wrote this. I wasn’t given much explanation about the disease, just that they were ordering a strong drug to suppress my immune system and lower the inflammation. I felt confused and scared, not understanding what was happening. I wrote this song during that time of uncertainty about my future. The song touches on the idea of how medicine for this disease comes at a cost, the pain I had been enduring for so long, and the unpredictability of not knowing when the next flare will hit. No matter how much you work out, take medicine, or eat healthy, this disease is here forever. It will never go away. I want to raise awareness for this disease, which affects so many but remains relatively unknown to the general population. It took me a decade to get a diagnosis, and nobody should have to go through that.”

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Photo - Ross Wightman

Amanda Ekery - Stitching.

Amanda Ekery's forthcoming album Árabe is due in May and explores Syrian and Mexican shared history on the El Paso border through enchanting vocal jazz / pop and remarkable, personal essays, her first single, "Stitching" is something quite special and is released today.

The fourth full-length release by vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Amanda Ekery,  Árabe invites audiences to explore Syrian and Mexican shared history and culture on the El Paso border - the story of Ekery’s life, lineage and identity. It features twelve original songs and accompanying essays with the stories and history behind each track covering everything from food, gambling, and evil eyes, to immigration law, biracial identity, and the fraught relationship between immigrant entrepreneurship and workers’ rights.

Each track conjures a rich creative world informed by research and Ekery’s distinct personal style. Ekery spent over 5 years developing Árabe, conducting interviews with her family and the Syrian Ladies Club of El Paso, working with Yale SWANA scholar Dr. Mark Eggerman, researching Syrian and Mexican immigration and migration, and completing an artist residency at the Arab American National Museum located in Dearborn, MI which is home to the largest population of Arabs outside of the Arab world.

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Janita - I Want You I Warn You.

"Being in lust or in love can be such a deliciously un-peaceful and volatile feeling. Inside you’re going absolutely batty, but outside you’re trying to keep it cool as a cucumber. The director of this video, Alice Teeple, is a dear friend of mine and also a free spirit––fearless with her artistry. 

Her mere presence egged me on to let loose and express the mania and mayhem that goes on in the mind. Truth be told, it’s not just love or lust that drives me bonkers these days. I think that this video works on a number of different levels, not the least of which is this: I’m a woman—passionate, opinionated, rebellious, in a world that would prefer me to be humble and docile. The video shows that this woman is not about to be held down by anything." —Janita

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Close to Monday - Turtles.

Close to Monday, synth-pop’s next wave of innovators Ann and Alexander, release their highly anticipated "World Turtles" EP.  Anchored by the spellbinding lead single Turtles, the project weaves evocative narratives with intricate, driving production along with an urgent message about ocean conservation.  The  EP also features four of their most pivotal titles from their 2024 monthly single series. Altogether,  this five-track collection solidifies the duo’s reputation for blending emotional depth with transportive soundscapes.

Accompanying the release, the band unveil the visually arresting music video featuring captivating projections of vast oceans and giant sea turtles, complemented by an enchanting light show. The visuals are designed to mesmerize and raise awareness about the beauty and fragility of marine life, further amplifying the duo’s message of awe-inspiring wonder beneath the waves.

Timed perfectly to coincide with Earth Hour (March 22) and World Water Day, "World Turtles" is not only an artistic statement but also a powerful call for environmental action for ocean conservation.  To amplify the message, Close to Monday are collaborating with iSea, asking their fans to donate in supporting vital efforts to protect the world’s oceans. "Now more than ever, it is crucial for artists to seize the opportunity to promote environmental protection and inspire their audience to take action. After all, nature has always been a source of inspiration for art," Anastasia Charitou, Communication Officer, iSea.

At the heart of the EP, Turtles pulses with the kinetic energy of late-’70s Berlin discotheques, colliding with the sharp edge of ’80s synth nights and the vibrant spirit of ’90s club culture. The track's driving rhythms and cascading textures create an urgent yet hypnotic state. It’s the soundtrack to a late-night odyssey, where the adrenaline of the dance floor dissolves into the surreal calm of the ocean, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its restless currents.

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Junior Scaife - Nobody Gets My Love.

Junior Scaife returns with two strikingly soulful sides produced and co-written by Penrose staunchman, Anthony Masino. As one of the most gifted vocalists on today's soul scene, Junior Scaife injects profound soulfulness into every syllable.

With its vibey groove and infectious background melody "Nobody Gets My Love" marries the visceral rawness of late sixties Detroit sides ala Hestor and Wylie with a relaxed West Coast je ne sais quoi.

On the flip is "Too Much Too Soon", a rugged ballad dripping with wah wah and class, sure to turn heads on the low-rider scene.

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The Hello Darlins - Course - Gawain and the Green Knight - Lemon's

The Hello Darlins' - Mountain Time.

With over 450,000 combined Spotify streams off their first singles, it’s safe to say there’s been a lot of anticipation for The Hello Darlins’ debut album, Go By Feel, officially released now on all platforms. It began building almost immediately after the Calgary, Alberta-based Americana collective debuted on the scene in early 2020, with American Songwriter calling the group “the product of a talented pool of session musicians craving more,” while Americana UK stated, “It’s great to see a band put together by the talented folks who would usually be ‘behind the scenes.’”

So, who exactly are The Hello Darlins? The seeds of the band took root in 2016 when vocalist/producer Candace Lacina crossed paths again with keyboardist/producer Mike Little after first meeting at a recording studio years earlier. Once reconnected, they soon found themselves making music together in between their work with other artists, an impressive list that ranges from Shania Twain to Charlie Major, The Road Hammers to George Canyon as well as the late B.B. King.

In short order, the couple began inviting others within their circle to participate, including Murray Pulver (Crash Test Dummies), Clayton Bellamy (The Road Hammers), Matt Andersen, Dave and Joey Landreth (aka The Bros. Landreth), Russell Broom (Jann Arden), and ace fiddler Shane Guse, creating what some have called "the Broken Social Scene of Americana."

On Go By Feel, this incredible collection of talent has forged a hybrid of country, gospel and blues like no other, from the heart-wrenching ballads “Aberdeen” and “Prayer For A Sparrow” to the classic country-rocker “Mountain Time” and the album’s soulful title track.

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Course - Darkest Tower.

Buzzing Chicago-based synth/indie/pop group Course released a new video for their latest single "Darkest Tower." The latest look at their critically acclaimed debut album A Late Hour (out now), the video was released alongside the accompanying short story written by singer/guitarist Jessica Robbins. 

"'Darkest Tower' set the tone for the album," stated Robbins. "When I wrote this song, I imagined our album going in this direction as it felt very different from the songs I'd written in the past. It feels like it’s the most fluid and open of all the songs with some dark undertones. For the music video I worked with Jess Price, who is a filmmaker and also a musician/songwriter in the band Campdogzz. I shared with her the short story that goes along with the song which is about a thirteen year old boy who keeps seeing a white van on his street and funnels his anxiety through the mysterious van. The story matches the rhythm of the song, in feel and emotion, but they are vastly different in lyrics and content. Jess took the themes and imagery from both the song and story and captured the idea of surveillance and that the darkest tower is like someone watching you - a voyeuristic take of the song."

Course announced their debut earlier this year with the release of their lead single "Give It All Away," which Under The Radar called "a lush dream pop tapestry." It was followed by the "optimistic" (Consequence) standout single "Sixteen" and "Nick of Time," which was featured as American Songwriter's Daily Discovery. Atwood Magazine chose the band as one of their 2021 Artists To Watch and stated, "Course have set themselves apart as an intimately expressive alternative band brimming with irresistibly catchy tunes, cathartic emotions, and utterly stunning energy." Chicago Tribune also raved, "Course managed to craft an inventive collection of songs that blend nostaglic instrumentation with clever lyrics...a body of work that stands strong."

Comprised of veteran musicians Robbins, Chris Dye (drums), Dan Ingenthron (synth/keys), Mikey Russell (guitar), and Brian Weekly (bass), Course blends diverse aspects of dream-pop, 90's new-wave, alternative, electronic, and indie rock. Drawing on Robbins' indie-folk roots, Course incorporates polished, modern production and lush electronic instrumentation to create songs with a characteristic ethereal-industrial sheen.

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Gawain and the Green Knight - A Sleeping Place.

Gawain and the Green Knight have released A Sleeping Place, and will next perform on New York's Governors Island on June 26th as part of the Porch Stomp festival. The EP exemplifies the duo’s “literary folk” stylings, filled with allegory and inspired by mythology, or, as they put it, “folk for people who like to listen to music while pacing mournfully yet poignantly through the streets, pretending they’re the protagonist in a very beautiful film.”

Inspired by the etymology of the Greek word for cemetery, which simply means “a sleeping place,” the record sits comfortably in the deep, sometimes dark, parts of the subconscious, arranged in such a way that you remember why life can be so joyful in the first place, its tempo anything but sad.

“The Dressmaker,” one of the album’s most energetic offerings — it’s their first “stomp-and holler” song — is the story of a woman in the 1800s, beginning at the moment she realizes her husband is leaving her, and later finds her building a life for herself and her daughters. “I wanted to elevate the narrator's frustration to proper, righteous anger in spots, which accounts for the occasional rowdiness,” multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike O’Malley mentions of the arrangement. “Toward the end is an arpeggio happening at three different speeds in four different registers, shared by the piano, clarinet, and flute. They lace together like so many threads, echoing the lyrics. I'd hoped to express the triumph of the narrator's self-salvation through the repetitive act of sewing.”

The dressmaker’s story might be too small to make it into a history book and too abstract to make it onto a headstone, but provides a reflection on the quiet triumphs that make up a life, a theme found weaving throughout A Sleeping Place.

Gawain and the Green Knight · A Sleeping Place

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Lemon's - Take It Back.

Lemon's is composed of three core members: Luke Braswell, Aidan Stanford, and Susie Hydrick. As well as a few close friends who typically join Lemon's in most live settings. 

Now that the United States is officially back open, you can either find Lemon's playing an occasional gig or two throughout the city of Memphis or going from the studio to track instruments to Luke's bedroom to add post-production musical elements. 

With the eventual goal being, of course, dominate the Memphis music scene and then. . .the world.

Take It Back is a pop rock, angst-filled story of betrayal that takes place sonically in the wild-west and pulls lyrical inspiration from tracks such as 'no body, no crime' by Taylor Swift.

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Course - The Spare Parts - Anya Hinkle - The High Hawks

Course - Nick Of Time.

Chicago based synth/indie/pop group Course released today their brand new single "Nick Of Time." The track is the latest peak at their forthcoming debut album A Late Hour, out on May 21, which also features a collection of nine short stories written by singer/guitarist Jessica Robbins to accompany each song on the record. Robbins stated "'Nick Of Time' is about being in a toxic relationship and the freedom and realization of being in a happy/safe place because you acted and got out in time. This song, paired with the short story, is a progression from pain to liberation and self-worth."

"Nick Of Time" follows the release of Course's previous single "Sixteen," which Consequence embraced with "optimistic synths that dance with anticipation." The nostalgic track debuted along with an advanced preview of the song's accompanying short story. Lead single "Give It All Away" is also out now, which Under The Radar called "a lush dream pop tapestry."

Comprised of veteran musicians Robbins, Chris Dye (drums), Dan Ingenthron (synth/keys), Mikey Russell (guitar), and Brian Weekly (bass), Course blends diverse aspects of dream-pop, 90's new-wave, alternative, electronic, and indie rock. Drawing on Robbins' indie-folk roots, Course incorporates polished, modern production and lush electronic instrumentation to create songs with a characteristic ethereal-industrial sheen.

Course recorded the bulk of A Late Hour in the desert town of Dripping Springs, TX with producer Dan Duszynski (of Subpop group Loma), who's studio is set up among a series of airstream trailers. Bright but with depth, the album offers a collection of elegantly upbeat reflections on life and love - though not without somber moments. It's an album filled with intricate and sweeping stories - literally. At one point while writing lyrics, Robbins found herself stuck, so she devised another way into the songs: She wrote narrative fictional short stories to accompany and elaborate each track. The stories will be released in a Chapbook along with the record.

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The Spare Parts - Life Moves Fast.

Cheesy love stories really do happen. Our frontman, Phillip Vonesh, wrote our new single for his brother Mickey and sister-in-law Jamie's wedding.

She's from Vancouver and was studying to be an urban planner at York University. They met on OkCupid and fell for each other hard. Jamie moved in within two weeks and the rest is history.

Dance, kiss, love and take it all in this summer. "Life Moves Fast" is taken from our upcoming album, Infatuation, out on June 4th.

It is a collection of songs inspired by a two year period of being single in our mid twenties – trips to Austin and New Orleans, Tinder dates, hook-ups, crushes, late nights and embarrassing mornings. Infatuation is a meditation on unrequited, new, and true love.

The Spare Parts · 06 Life Moves Fast JTmaster3 88k24b

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Anya Hinkle - Why Women Need Wine.

For songwriters, any phrase, experience and observation can find its way into their next song. And often, it’s those details from life that make the music relatable, that make the music something people hear and say, “Oh, I know that feeling.” Organic Records artist Anya Hinkle’s new release, “Why Women Need Wine,” does just that, relating stories of situations and attitudes that women deal with day to day and reminding them with a little humor, a lot of friendship —  and maybe an eye roll — they can shake it off and move on with their lives.

The phrase “Why Women Need Wine” came to Hinkle when she was feeling down and reached out to a friend who said “Come over, I’ve got a great bottle of wine, let’s talk.”

“I spilled it all out, just said every ridiculous thing and we laughed, I cried, and on my way home I just felt so much better,” says Hinkle. “Everything seemed possible again, I got a grip, and this line popped into my head: This is why women need wine.”

That thought spurred another for Hinkle, and she began to list all the ridiculous things that drive women crazy, from “My skirts are all too long or short, my shirts too loose or tight” and “I swear what do I do with my hair” to “Cause girls can do anything, but women must do everything” and “Nobody wants to hear you whine / Grow up, but not over thirty-nine.”

As Hinkle sings these lines, the songs gently swinging country blues binds the ideas in a way that gives its subtext of struggle a light-hearted groove. Women will nod, smirk and laugh with the recognition that they feel these things, too — and they’re not alone.

Syntax Creative · Anya Hinkle - "Why Women Need Wine"

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The High Hawks - Heroes & Highways.

In the first few seconds of The High Hawks’ debut single, a flurry of pulsing electric piano, kick drum, and Townshend-esque guitar strums give way to a flat out J.J. Cale groove just in time for the first line to be sung: “If we could just find a highway...might even find a way to make it home.” And thus, The High Hawks take flight. That tune, “Heroes & Highways,” is an appropriate first taste of music from the long-time-coming, feel-good Americana cooperative, naturally expressing the range of which the bands’ members can reach. 

With close to 150 years of collective experience as professional touring musicians, The High Hawks—Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Chad Staehly (Hard Working Americans),Adam Greuel (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), Brian Adams (DeadPhish Orchestra) and Will Trask (Great American Taxi)—have maintained a generation-spanning presence at the forefront of the roots music scene for over two decades. On June 11th, their debut album The High Hawks will be released via LoHi Records.

Yesterday, Live for Live Music premiered the music video for the aforementioned “Heroes & Highways,” a song the band calls “a nod to the ever-present tension of the thrills and experiences of ‘the highway’ and the comfort and pleasures of home sweet home.” Live for Live music echoed that sentiment, calling the tune “a much-needed reflection on the way of the road.”

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Melby - Course - James Parm - Van Plating - Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell

Melby - Magic.

Stockholm four-piece Melby have constantly been growing since their debut with catchy single 'Human' in 2016. In 2019, the band released their acclaimed debut record 'None of this makes me worry' which was followed by tour dates all over Europe. During the pandemic in 2020, the band have worked on new material in a new way. From these sessions, we've previously heard the prog/psych inspired 'Common Sense', the dreamy but melancholic 'Old Life' and most recently 'Somewhere New', a dynamic track inspired by classical counterpoint composition. Today, the psych-tinged indie pop gem 'Magic' is released.

Are from the band tells us about Magic: "I feel like Swedish culture has a very low tolerance for expressing imagination. Stockholm in particular is a place that demands extreme realism, concrete explanations. This can be really frustrating, and Magic is kind of a free association on that theme, wrapped in a polite, straightforward pop-tune."

On 'Magic', Melby continues to cement their role as one of the most interesting Scandinavian acts around, a band so home and accomplished within their sound that they're now ready to continue to experiment with it without losing their characteristic. The new material was mainly written and straight-away recorded in the studio in close collaboration with producer Alexander Eldefors, this is a completely new way for a band that previously in many cases have toured material for years before recording them.

The band often gets compared to fellow Swedes Dungen and Amason but Melby’s dynamic sound, with influences from folk, psych, indie and pop, stand out. The quartet's light, semi-psychedelic folk pop is led by Matilda Wiezell’s enchanting voice which fits perfectly with Melby’s unique musical landscape - a sound that's been called "otherworldly, and wholly brilliant" by The Line of Best Fit.

The band consists of Wiezell, Are Engen Steinsholm (back-up vocals, guitar), David Jehrlander (bass) and Teo Jernkvist (drums) and formed while living together in a Stockholm shared housing.

Rama Lama Records · Melby - Magic

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Course - Sixteen.

Chicago based synth/indie/pop group Course released today their nostalgic new single "Sixteen" off their forthcoming debut album A Late Hour (out May 21st). The song debuted on Consequence of Sound along with the accompanying flash fiction short story written by singer/guitarist Jess Robbins.

"While the song is about the mixed emotions that come with the newfound freedoms of adolescence, there's a comparison to be made about the struggles and successes of the last year," stated Consequence. "'This life, this love/Call it crazy, call it dull - but don't call it luck,' sings Robbins over optimistic synths that dance with anticipation."

"Sixteen" follows the release of the band's lead single "Give it All Away." It was featured on Under The Radar who called it "a lush dream pop tapestry."

Comprised of veteran musicians Robbins, Chris Dye (drums), Dan Ingenthron (synth/keys), Mikey Russell (guitar), and Brian Weekly (bass), Course blends diverse aspects of dream-pop, 90's new-wave, alternative, electronic, and indie rock. Drawing on Robbins' indie-folk roots, Course incorporates polished, modern production and lush electronic instrumentation to create songs with a characteristic ethereal-industrial sheen.

Course recorded the bulk of A Late Hour in the desert town of Dripping Springs, TX with producer Dan Duszynski (of Subpop group Loma), who's studio is set up among a series of airstream trailers. Bright but with depth, the album offers a collection of elegantly upbeat reflections on life and love - though not without somber moments. It's an album filled with intricate and sweeping stories - literally. At one point while writing lyrics, Robbins found herself stuck, so she devised another way into the songs: She wrote narrative fictional short stories to accompany and elaborate each track. The stories will be released in a Chapbook along with the record.

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James Parm - Doing Time.

Background for the video and superb new album from James - "My brand new album titled The Art of Waiting explores our relationship to the pain of the past, the anxiety of future, regrets and aspirations, and the indescribable beauty of life that often eludes me. An expose on the feelings of tiredness, weariness, and being stuck under the oppressive force of time."

The pensive and melancholic track, "Doing Time," is a lament on the routine and stagnant repetition of modern life, and struggles with self-control. Our obsession with time creates a stale and tedious prison.

Time is an illusion we have created to ensnare ourselves, forfeiting life for security and predictability, believing that the modern world is a machine which uses us for its will and not the other way around.

Waiting is the experience of death in slow motion. Since we have converted the action of living to the passive state of waiting, life is less the Art of Living, and more the Art of Waiting.

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Van Plating - The Way Down.

Van Plating wasn’t sure how her self-titled album would be received in 2019 after a nine-year hiatus from music.

After attending Florida Southern College and majoring in violin and voice, Plating spent her 20s immersed in the indie rock scene, playing violin and singing with her band Pemberly (named after the country estate in Pride & Prejudice). The band was poised for success, receiving warm receptions while on tour with the likes of Copeland, The Postmarks, Matt Pond PA, and Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. Things were going great — until they weren’t. The band broke up and she decided to take some time off. A year turned into three, which turned into six, and before she knew it nearly a decade had passed.

Plating woke up one day and wasn’t sure where she fit in musically anymore. The music business isn’t known for being kind to women after they reach a certain age — and she no longer had a band to blend in with. She knew if she took another shot at it, she would be front and center, and would rise or fall alone. Either way, she knew she wanted to try again, and cast any fears aside.

Plating recently confessed about 2019’s Van Plating, “A year and a half ago, I thought I was going to write a little acoustic record to give to my friends, but that’s not what it turned out to be at all.” Instead, the album took on a life of its own, blossoming into a collection of songs indebted to the confessional folk tradition whilst embracing forward-thinking pop song structures, harkening to celebrated offerings from Lilith Fair icons like Paula Cole, Aimee Mann, Natalie Merchant, and Shawn Colvin. Plating also dipped her toes into the Americana world with songs like “Standing Still” and “Mountain” — both of which received praise from Americana-focused media outlets.

“I was literally in the studio experimenting and trying things,” she recalls. “Where I landed, which has been really cool, is in that Americana world, which I love a lot. And that just sort of happened organically after the record was released. I had a lot of momentum coming into the spring with a festival booked, and a lot of shows were coming in before they all got canceled, and they were good opportunities.”

It was the reception to her new sound that gave her the confidence to lean into a more singer-songwriter vibe on the songs she’s recorded during quarantine.

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Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell - Deshta (Forever).

Dead Can Dance members Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell have teamed up under a new guise with James Chapman (MAPS) to create a studio album, titled ‘Burn’. The record began its journey more than seven years ago, when Lisa met Irish theatre composer Jules Maxwell before working together for the first time. ‘Burn’ is set for release on 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

Speaking about the origins of the album, Lisa Gerrard explains, “It is with great pleasure that I share this collaboration with Jules Maxwell. Jules and I began our creative journey with Dead Can Dance. We realised that we could connect through improvisation and that musical exploration continues to evolve with this present work.”

Although this record is a new release, its beginnings go all the way back to 2012 during that year’s Dead Can Dance world tour. Originally brought in as a live keyboard player, Jules Maxwell helped create a new song with Lisa Gerrard called ‘Rising Of The Moon’, which was performed as the final encore of each show. By the time the tour finished in Chile in 2013, a strong affinity had begun to develop between the two of them and further opportunities to collaborate with each other resulted over subsequent years.

In 2015, when Maxwell was asked to submit songs for the Bulgarian choir The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares), he approached Gerrard to co-write material and travelled to Australia to work with her in her home studio. The pair came away with four new songs for that release, as well as the building blocks for this new venture together.

Jules describes the introduction to James Chapman. "About a year later, over dinner in Sofia after a concert by the Bulgarian women, my publisher suggested to me that I work with James Chapman on completing the BURN songs. James had established a sound with his band MAPS, which also had big horizons at its core, and it seemed like an intriguing proposition to me."

With Chapman joining the duo as producer, ideas began to be generated freely and over time a distinct sound for their work began to emerge. Their focus was to create a sound that was both euphoric and compelling, more inventive than what they had worked on separately in the past. From gentle beginnings, each track builds and intensifies, creating a hypnotic experience to listen to from start to finish. With Lisa remaining in Australia, Jules adding his keys and percussion from France, and James bringing new light to the sound from England, the three were literally worlds apart, but those worlds fused in the music.

Recently, Jules Maxwell also released his debut solo album ‘Songs From The Cultural Backwater’, Lisa Gerrard received a Grammy nomination and returned to Dead Can Dance to release the group’s critically praised ninth studio full-length ‘Dionysus’, and James Chapman released MAPS 4th full-length album ‘Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss’.

Stylistically, the new album ‘Burn’ is a diverse mix of electronica, alternative, cinematic soundscape and world music with hints of early Vangelis. Accumulatively, this is a stunning departure for all three of them. Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell’s new album ‘Burn’ will be available as of 7th May 2021 via Atlantic Curve.

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