Lake Jons - Lake Family.Background - “Lake Family” is the final single that Helsinki’s innovative lo-fi pop trio Lake Jons are sharing ahead of the release of their self-titled debut album (out next Friday, January 19th via AntiFragile Music). “Lake Family” is a euphoric track, masterfully showcasing frontman Jooel Jons’ effortless vocals and the bands’ undeniably assured, anthemic sound.
Lake Jons has been flourishing in their hometown of Helsinki since 2014, utilizing atmospheric samples, simple driving rhythms, delicate guitar progressions and lush, hook-laden vocals as pillars of their forward-thinking songs. The result is an alchemic blend of ambient lo-fi pop, psych, soul and folk… it's the kind of album that could only come from a state of severe isolation and a mystical connection with the natural world.
It also explores themes of introspection, existentialism and human relationships, while the lyrics detail a quieter existence. A calm and persistent “life will go on” motif is prevalent throughout, which follows the bands’ previous two EP’s they released in 2016, Explore and Explode, along with their most recent singles from this album, “Call Me” and “Breathe Out The Fumes”. FACEBOOK.
Upbeat and refreshing 'Lake Family' also has plenty of heart and soul, the bands lo-fi music is the perfect soundtrack some really appealing vocals.
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Background - Chicago’s File 13 Records has announced they will release 'Zebulon', the compelling yet irresistibly catchy new single from solo artist Jon Lindsay. Slated for worldwide release on December 22, this track features a ridiculously funky horn arrangement from Matt Douglas of The Mountain Goats and drums by John Howie Junior.
'Zebulon' also happens to artfully tackle systemic bigotry—from the bigot’s point of view, no less. A sonic departure from Lindsay’s 2016 modern pop/rock opus 'Cities and Schools' (via File 13 Records), Lindsay describes the “Zebulon” sound as “sort of this psychedelic gospel pop”. While the vibe is indeed reminiscent of late-era George Harrison and Warren Zevon, and the horns, keys, congas and infectious hooks are in step with pop masters of the 1980s like Steve Winwood, something entirely new is happening here.
Lindsay (self-described as “way, way left”) wrote the song based on a true story. One night last summer, he accidentally wound up in rural North Carolina, playing music on a farm at the going away party for a farmer’s daughter, who was heading off to a northern college in the fall. Lindsay knew very little about the situation heading into the evening, but there was a lot of narrow-minded language and odd ideas voiced that night, much of it by the farmer himself. Some of this is echoed in the song.
“I didn’t want to just skewer a guy like this with some preachy, easy tune," explains Jon Lindsay, "I wanted to put a more three-dimensional character sketch together that got at the undercurrents of why this person felt like his whole world was getting away from him. Maybe it would help me understand how these things happen? I just tried to imagine how somebody could turn out so hateful and seemingly not realize it even a little bit.” WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Bright and engaging from the opening moments 'Zebulon' is a rhythmic and catchy pop song with a musical arrangement that skillfully adds some extra instrumentation just at the right moment.
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Safari Gold - Easy Company.Background - I remember sitting in a hotel room (working) in India shortly after we put our first single ‘Howl’ up, and feeling grateful that people seemed to get what we were doing; especially the contrast between the light and the dark of Mog and Danny’s vocals and the mixture of organic and electronic instrumentation, which I’d tried hard to give equal bearing in the mix. More importantly, I was proud of what we’d made, and was excited
to see where it could take us.
Then a couple of us got shipped around the world with work again, passed exams, bought houses, dogs, vans…. for a while recording felt like thumbing putty into the gaps in our schedules, trying to stop the band from leaking away. But all the little seconds and minutes built up, as did the songs, and the idea of a ‘release’got swallowed up by tweaks and changes, mixing, re-mixing…. I realised we had to let go of it at some point or I might get swallowed as well.
So, at last, what feels like a decade later, I present to you the fruits of our labour as Safari Gold; a self-produced, self-indulgent, subjectively beautiful 15-track mess that our parents and labels couldn’t get their heads round, to be released across all digital platforms on January 19th, 2018. That Friday night we’ll also be holding our album release show at our beloved Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.
I owe a special thanks to Todd Campbell @ Stompbox Studios for helping me to produce it all, and reining me in when I was halfway to the moon with a drum-mic. We’d also like to thank our friend Mal who designed and painted our album cover, which encapsulates so much of what this album is about. And of course a huge thanks to any of our friends who got dragged into the whirlpool, however briefly. Its taken a long time to finish a) because we needed to learn how to make it and b) because of life.
It’s fun, it’s sad; it might not be what you expected. I don’t really know how to describe it properly, but what I do know is we’re incredibly lucky to be here at all, and we wouldn't be without you. So thank you too. - Lew, Sion, Mog & Danny. FACEBOOK.
'Easy Company' is a combination of indie pop and rock where both the music, vocals and charming harmonies, suggest the album only needs to be this good to be magnificent.
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Background - Honeymilk, who went from a four-piece to a two-piece a year ago, just completed their sophomore studio album, called “I Want You To Be Very Happy.
First track out from the album was “Time Will Kill You” which was released summer 2016, soon reaching 200 000 streams on Spotify.
This was followed by “The Nothing New” and “Trip” which both was instantly hailed as the best tracks the band’s released by media outlets such as Clash Magazine, BBC Fresh On The Net and Jajaja Music. Airplay followed on renowned stations such as P3 in Sweden, Amazing Radio, German Flux FM, Norwegian NRK P13 and Finnish YLE Soumi..
Honeymilk’s new studio album “I Want You To Be Very Happy” is out January 26th on Birds Records. FACEBOOK.
'Coming Home' is a relaxed indie song that feels comfortable throughout, dropping hooks constantly and the vocal arrangement seriously adds some real wow factor as the tune unfolds.
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Sur Back - Valentino.Background - NYC-based, orchestral pop artist, Sur Back, shares her lead single "Valentino" and announces her follow up EP, Kitsch II, due out February 23rd, 2018. The EP was written, recorded and produced by Sur Back, and mixed and mastered by Patrick Brown of Different Fur Studios (Toro y Moi, Grimes, Zola Jesus, K. Flay, The Morning Benders).
Sur Back is the solo project of Caroline Sans, a formally trained dancer and musician, who channels the two forms of art into a baroque pop aesthetic. Kitsch II is Kitsch's darker, more somber cousin, as displayed by the similar, but darker, album art. Although most of the second EP's tracks were written around the same time as the first EP, as a collection, the record has taken on a new meaning with Sur Back's transition to living in the city and moving away from her childhood home.
While finishing production of this record, Sur Back moved from South Florida to NYC, which is reflected through the EP's wide-eyed optimism and dreamlike aesthetic. "Valentino" was written as if scoring a fashion show, with a straightforward beat with a bit of jaggedness, as if walking in heels. The gorgeous instrumental layers that Sur Back is able to produce and write alone in her bedroom pushes past the typical DIY sound of bedroom pop. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Expect the unexpected with 'Valentino' and then enjoy the gorgeous musical journey. Fascinating and captivating, this is an instant replay, and some!
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