Djustin - Lusid - Kate Nash - Twilight Fields

Djustin - New Preset.

Background - Djustin "New Preset" - new single. Just two weeks after the release of Te Legends' Nightshift album, Sweden’s Johan Angergård returns alongside longtime American confidant, Rose Suau, to release Djustin's debut album, Voyagers on May 5.

Voyagers is a glittering, sensual exploration into an unchartered and fully-electrified universe. It is a tale of "Future Love", where a newly-conscious, idealized romanticism is propelled by contagious dance beats, synth-driven melodies, and sweetly seductive vocals. The soundscape is sophisticated and visionary, yet the stories are intimate and relatable. "Voyagers" is a journey through a spectrum of emotional highs and lows: from the apex of adult infatuation and desire, to the darkest abyss  of disconnection and existentialism. Every detail from beat, hook, and lyrical lexicon is unveiled deftly. Clearly, Rose and Johan wouldn't surrender anything less.  

Djustin's existence seemed to crystallize due to the forces of quantum entanglement, a pull of energies which was always inevitable. At many points in their personal lives, Johan and Rose had walked separate but parallel paths. The Swedish-American pair were both born as middle children in the same year, exactly 13 days and an ocean apart. Both spent their musical formative years finding footing in remarkably different settings; Johan grew up in pastoral Ǻhus, Sweden, while Rose grew up in suburbs outside the birthplace of techno, Detroit, Michigan. Website here, Facebook here. 

Dazzling synths and a driving beat provide a rich backdrop for the atmospheric vocals on 'New Preset' a song that suggests the album Voyagers will appeal to many, many electronic music lovers.

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Lusid - Plotting A Murder.

Background - Lusid release sublime debut single "Plotting A Murder." Warm, melancholic and dynamic. 10 seconds into ”Plotting a Murder”, the debut single from Stockholm, Sweden, based five piece Lusid, it’s impossible not to get drawn into their dreamy soundscape - a lonely piano, then airy vocals, and so the drums kick in.

With a sound that is reminiscent of what we love most about 60’s and 70’s analogue music, Lusid presents themselves with high quality song writing and sublime vocal arrangements. A new band for a new thing.

A full EP called "Legend" will be released in June 2017. Facebook here.

Whilst 'Plotting A Murder' is not on my one thousand things to do list, it makes for a beautiful song. Musically this is an elegant, fabulously crafted track, that matches the intimate beauty of the vocals. Together they provide a memorable and exquisite modern pop song.

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Kate Nash - Call Me.

Background - Zone 5’s favourite Kate Nash announces a brand new EP ‘Agenda’ and that it will be available digitally on the 21st April and as an exclusive vinyl at this year’s Record Store Day (22nd April) for which she is an ambassador. ‘Agenda’ will be Kate’s first official release since 2013 and features live favourites such as ‘My Little Alien’ as well as new single ‘Call Me’.

Kate says about her new single: “‘Call me’ is about going through a lot of stuff and surviving it, hitting your lowest point and coming back from that. Once you have you can help other people get through it too, it's about pain being useful as it can be used as advice and support and wisdom when other friends/loved ones go through rough patches. Call on me when you go through it.”

Kate has also recently announced the 10-year anniversary of her platinum selling, Brit-Award winning debut album 'Made Of Bricks'. Kate will be touring the album over the summer including a show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire. A limited run of original pink 'Made In Bricks' vinyl will be available on the tour. A lot has happened to Kate, since the release of ‘Made Of Bricks’ back in 2007 - failed relationships, record label fall-outs, punk record releases, a relocation to the other side of the world...  Despite all this the singer-songwriter-come-activist retains her heroic spirit, possessed of an impervious rebellion and a lightness of being that makes her ‘give-a-f[]k?’ honesty even more contagious. Everything seems to be coming full circle.

In other news, Kate Nash has been confirmed to play Rhonda is the upcoming Netflix Original series “G.L.O.W.” Produced by award winning Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange is the new Black), “G.L.O.W” (aka Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) was created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (Orange Is The New Black) and is a 10-episode comedy inspired by the real story of the 1980s female wrestling league. Tour details on Beehive Candy's tour page, Facebook here, website here.

'Call Me' has passion, energy and plenty of that Kate Nash style, which typifies her continued ability to provide top class music whether it be indie pop like this or something a whole lot deeper.

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Twilight Fields - Lost.

Background - Twilight Fields is from Northern Canada and makes a mixture of atmospheric and psychedelic rock and influences from progressive rock, ambient, dream-pop, psych-folk and shoegaze. This music asks big questions about life and loss; it's serious music for serious-minded people.

The second Twilight Fields album "Consolamentum" is a post-rock singer-songwriter album that deals with a number of difficult subjects such as depression, betrayal, loss, and disconnection in an increasingly fractured society but also offers the power of unconditional hope, determination, and love as the solution to these ills. 

The album's musical influences stem from a variety of sources, including post-rock, dream pop, ambient, post-punk, psychedelic rock, acid-folk and progressive rock. Bandcamp here.

'Lost' is one of eleven tracks on the new 'Consolamentum' album. I was very impressed by the previous offering by Twilight Field, and although this sees the music shift towards a more post rock feel overall, the ideas, creativity and variety are there in abundance. 


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Quality Not Quantity: Kate Nash - Topanga - Vorsen

Kate Nash - My Little Alien.

Background - Multi-talented, award-winning artist, actress and activist Kate Nash has released a brand new track and official video titled “My Little Alien.” Shot in the Californian desert and staring her very own pet pooch Stella, “My Little Alien” is a loving tribute to her rescued “fur-baby” and as the holiday season approaches, comes with a friendly reminder to “adopt not shop” when it comes to rescuing a four legged friend.

"My Little Alien" was written after a trip to Rachel, Nevada, where I saw a UFO for the first time.” Explains Nash. “I took my rescue pup on the trip and I realized she is my best friend and although I have never met an alien she is like my little alien in a way. When I rescued her from a man in a coffee shop who wanted 20 bucks to get off drugs, she saved me at a time when I needed it most. Sometimes it feels like we're both from another planet. This song is about loving the strange.”

On the video, directed by Tyler Monsein, Nash continues. “We wanted to recreate the feeling of being the nomads that we are. Neither of us quite fit into the boxes we should but when we are together it makes sense. So we got back on the road in a vintage Chinook and drove to Area 51!'” 

In other news, Kate Nash has been confirmed to play Rhonda is the upcoming Netflix Original series “G.L.O.W.” Produced by award winning Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange is the new Black), “G.L.O.W” (aka Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) was created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (Orange Is The New Black) and is a 10-episode comedy inspired by the real story of the 1980s female wrestling league. Amongst filming her Netflix Original debut in Los Angeles Kate Nash is also busy working on new music, set for release in 2017. Facebook here.

UK Live Dates:
6 Feb - Oran Mor - Glasgow
7 Feb - Gorilla Manchester -  Manchester
8 Feb - Leeds University Union Building - Leeds
9 Feb - The Leadmill - Sheffield
11 Feb - Nottingham Rescue Rooms - Nottingham
12 Feb - O2 Institute 3 Birmingham - Birmingham
13 Feb - O2 Academy Oxford - Oxford
16 Feb - Exeter Phoenix - Exeter
17 Feb - Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth
18 Feb - The Haunt Brighton - Brighton
20 Feb - Village Underground - London

What a nice surprise to find the above promo in our inbox today! I just love Kate Nash's music and the new song and video 'My Little Alien' is no exception. Bright and sparkly, and full of good fun, it's a fine way to start a new week.

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Topanga - Shadows.

Background - Los Angeles indie-rock group Topanga have just released their debut single “Shadows”, a pulsing, toe-tapping electro funk tune that combines wistful contemplation, with the energetic spirit of the city. The song began life as a melody for a commercial spot that vocalist and keyboardist Derek Brambles was working on; however, he fell so in love with the tune that he knew he had to keep it for himself. Inspired by early childhood memories, the song blends dreamy synths, and deeply introspective lyrics that question what it means to let go of one’s memories as a means of living within the present.

Topanga was started by Derek Brambles and Eric Johnson, former members of the now-defunct group The King’s English. Both these men draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical figures, ranging from Miike Snow and Tame Impala, to Kendrick Lamar and David Bryne; however, they both reserve a special place in their hearts for Paul McCartney’s RAM and David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, going so far as to have “1971” tattoed on them to commemorate their year of release.

On February 3rd, the band is set to release their first EP, Midnight Jungle. Titled after the nickname Derek and Eric bestowed upon LA after dark, the EP was written throughout late 2015 and early 2016, and inspired by two lifetimes of experience in the strange city. They then brought the EP to their friend Mike Malchicoff (who helped engineer Kanye’s The Life of Pablo) and experimented with the right mix of sounds and synths in order to create the perfect concoction. The final result is a dreamy six-part album that both meditates on fantasies of the past, and a navigates the strange realities of the present. Facebook here.

If you're in Los Angeles, don't miss Topanga at El Cid on Friday, December 2nd at 9PM.

Rich sounding synths and a solid electro beat are at the heart of 'Shadows', however for me it's the vibrant vocals that add enough extra colour to ensure this song stands out!

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Vorsen - It Takes Years.

Background - Vorsen launch moving new single 'It Takes Years' From rich soulful tones to powerful blues-soaked choruses delivered via bold and devoted performances, Vorsen are fast becoming a fixture on Perth’s diverse and fruitful scene. The four-piece combine warm smokey vocals with intimate melodies to create heart-on-your-sleeve tracks to the likening of acts such as Jeff Buckley, Matt Corby and Meg Mac.

As a band that emerged just last year, Vorsen hit the ground running with the elegantly smooth track ‘Live a Little Lie’, followed by singles ‘Hurricane’ from their debut EP which reached the top 5 on triple j’s Unearthed Roots chart for multiple weeks and amassed airplay from community radio nationwide. Now on the eve of Summer comes the bands most soulful offering yet with the powerful new single ‘It Takes Years’.
Play ‘It Takes Years’

Injected with a late 60’s feel, ‘It Takes Years’ is a blend of floating keys, dreamy guitars, punchy drums and huge gospel-esque vocals. Lyrically, the heartfelt song is a glimpse into the world of an anxious and uncertain mindset, something that people need to open up about. 'It Takes Years' also provides a stunning insight into the direction of the bands sound heading into 2017. ‘It Takes Years’ is out via all good digital retailers. Facebook here.

Single Launch: Saturday November 26 - Jimmy’s Den, 69 James St, Northbridge w/ Boykie, Demon Days.

'It Takes Years' really has captured the feel of classic sixties soul. Musically Vorsen have created a smooth and soulful soundtrack and the vocals and choir like harmonies are spot on. All of that said, there is also a freshness to the song, I use the term timeless perhaps a little to much, this track deserves that recognition.

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Monday Magic: Kate Nash - Gypsy & The Cat - The Rebel Light - James Edge And The Mindstep

Kate Nash - Good Summer.

Background - Kate Nash has returned to Zone 5 and with her she brings the Summer's finest pop offering 'Good Summer', produced by Dave Bassett and out today via Kate's own imprint Girl Gang Records.

‘Good Summer’ is literally the light at the end of the tunnel, an expression of relief, the type we all feel when the sun comes out and the warmth radiates your skin after 10 months of grey sky, central heating and soggy feet. “I’ve been a referee of my emotions,” sings Nash, over upbeat synths, skittering drums and dance-y guitar lines. 

It’s about her own return to contentedness in London. “In Britain, in the summer you let go of the stuff on your shoulders and go, F it, I’m gonna get on this banana boat. Go crazyyyyy!’” 

A lot has happened to Nash, a BRIT school graduate, since the release of her #1 record and Brit-Award gleaning debut ‘Made Of Bricks’ back in 2007 - failed relationships, record label fall-outs, punk record releases, a relocation to the other side of the world... And so it’s wonderful that the singer-songwriter, activist and heroic spirit is here today, possessed of an impervious rebellion and a lightness of being that makes her ‘give-a-f?’ honesty even more contagious. Everything seems to be coming full circle..

Fresh off the back of closing Wilderness festival as part of a huge David Bowie tribute, Kate has announced a small run of UK headline dates this October including London's Oslo. There’ll be more music, there’ll be more shows. “I’m not disappearing again,” Kate says, patient, poised, happy to let fate make the next move.

Ive been an avid listener to Kate's music since the first album Made Of Bricks (wow was it really nine years ago!). 'Good Summer' is a fine reminder of just how good Kate is at writing and delivering great pop songs. Tapping in to our sometimes "short of sunshine" summers, here in the UK, the song is fun, upbeat and oh so sunny.

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Gypsy & The Cat - Odyssey Of The Streets.

Background promo -  The time has finally come for the highly anticipated Gypsy & The Cat full length album, “Virtual Islands”. Boasting ARIA and Hype Machine charting singles, three songs in the triple j Hottest 100 and having been covered by a host of large tastemaker outlets including Rolling Stone, Noisey and Fader; Gypsy & the Cat and success are no longer just flirting with each other. They're shacking up and settling down.

So far the duo have successfully released three singles from the album which got us all very excited for this moment. “Inside Your Mind” marked the start of the spectacular return for Gypsy & The Cat. The single throws a retrograding acoustic guitar into the mix, orbiting in just the right places. Following this single, the Melbourne duo released “I Just Wanna Be Somebody Else” and continued to win over listeners by showering them in glorious Australian indie pop. In only a few months, these singles have hit over 1.3 million streams online and their latest single 'Life' took the coveted #1 spot on Hype Machine charts earlier this week.

With the help of producer Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, MGMT, Neon Indian, The Flaming Lips) and their inspiring time spent in Japan over the last year, this album marks a new era for Gypsy & The Cat. They put their heart and soul into delivering an amazing album but unfortunately it will be their last project as Gypsy & The Cat. "We have come to a place with the band where we feel like we have achieved the things it set out to, and are incredibly proud of the catalogue of music that we've built along the way," they said. "We are like brothers, Lionel and I, and this is in no way a sad or bitter thing, we speak every day in fact, instead it's more of a decision to keep growing as individuals and explore our artistic limits in different incarnations." They are extremely proud of Virtual Islands and although we will be sad to see them part ways, their success should be celebrated and it will with their final album tour.

Oh what a beautiful album 'Virtual Islands' is and 'Odyssey Of The Streets' is the seventh of ten songs within this stunning collection, and a personal favourite. That the duo are calling it time after this release, might seem strange and even disappointing, however if you ever want an example of going out on a high, this album is a fine place to start.

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The Rebel Light - Where Did All The Love Go.

Background words from The Rebel Light - We are very excited to finally get to share our debut EP with you.... written and recorded here in Los Angeles, we tried to capture what it feels like to live, work and play in California and the good vibes your soul starts to absorb just being here.

In the immortal words of California's greatest ambassadors, The Beach Boys
"I'm pickin' up good vibrations"

We wanted to create a soundtrack to your summer - music to listen to as you drive down the Pacific Coast Highway in your vintage car with a big  f..ahem smile on your face!
Hopefully we came close to accomplishing that.....

“A Hundred Summer Days” has just been released through Dualtone Records. Spotify here.

'Where Did All The Love Go' typifies the positive, upbeat and "bright summer day" vibes that permeate through this five song EP. Taking note of the bands words above, I think it's fair to comment that, it's a case of mission totally accomplished, this is a fabulous EP!

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James Edge And The Mindstep - Four Two Four.

Background - Order becomes disorder and harmony springs from chaos in James Edge and the Mindstep’s latest song ‘Four Two Four’. It sees Edge perverting the country shuffle into something darker and more abstract than anything you’ll find in the soporific musings of most MOR folk pop artists today. Snippets of melody are distributed like splashes of colour in a Pollock painting. The nightmarish lyrics demand the listener’s subjective interpretation, yet concern themselves with the macabre imagery of things like drowning and exploding. The fiendish song spawned itself one day - initially growing out of a fingerpicked improvisation, the guitar part arrived fully formed.

‘Four Two Four’ was recorded at Tom Aitkenhead’s Milk Studios in Limehouse for their upcoming album Machines He Made, released on CD, vinyl and download later in the year.

James Edge is already a studious musical maestro and a top drawer composer. The Kent-raised musician studied composition to master’s degree level under Joe Duddell - arranger for the likes of Elbow and New Order. After moving to London and starting to gig in 2006, he formed James Edge and the Mindstep to record 2010 debut album ‘In The Hills, The Cities’. The working relationships he built around this time would provide him with some dependable collaborators, including regular engineer and occasional co-producer Tom Aitkenhead, best known for his work with Laura Marling and Bloc Party. A core jazz-folk trio of Edge, double bassist Andy Waterworth and drummer Avvon Chambers materialised. Together the trio started recording second album ‘Machines He Made’ over a five day period tracking everything live and only overdubbing the backing vocals. The songs were largely unrehearsed, with band members and additional session players mostly having not heard the pieces before. This spontaneous hodgepodge has resulted in some of the most whimsical and deeply experimental music to come out of the capital in a while.

We featured James Edge and the Mindstep back in March and are delighted to do so again with the new song 'Four Two Four'. The musicianship is incredible and makes a perfect accompaniment for the gifted vocals of James Edge. With an album release due this year, this is an exceptional taster of whats to come.

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Kate Nash - Berlin 2010

This is one of my favorite female artists of recent years, Kate Nash live in concert back in March of this year (18th March 2010) at the Admiralspalast, Berlin, Germany.

Kate Nash started her career in 2005. After several gigs, she uploaded her music to MySpace. She found a manager for herself before seeking producers for her music. Kate Nash's debut was a single, "Caroline's a Victim" / "Birds", produced and recorded in Iceland by Valgeir Sigurðsson and released through Moshi Moshi Records in February 2007. The release was limited to 1000 copies, and was available on only 7" vinyl. Due to demand another 1000 copies were made and sold out. CD-promo copies were produced for distribution to the press and DJs etc, and are occasionally available for sale.

Her debut album 'Made Of Bricks' and this years follow up 'My Best Friend Is You' have established her as both an excellent songwriter and musician, and the tours have just added to the well deserved success. This is a superb concert and with another album planned for in the next year or so, hopefully we can enjoy her on tour again in the near future.

Source: FM Broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Indie rock/pop.

Set:  Full Set

Set List:

01 - Do Wah Doo
02 - Kiss That Grrrl
03 - Take Me To A Higher Plane
04 - Don't You Want To Share The Guilt
05 - I Hate Seagulls
06 - I've Got A Secret
07 - Merry Happy
08 - RnB Side
09 - Foundations
10 - Mansion Song
11 - I Just Love You More
12 - Later On
13 - Pumpkin Soup 

Website: Official HERE. 

Download link in comments below.