We featured Merival a couple of times earlier this year and now we have her new music video for 'Sinner'. The atmospheric and gently melodic song is partnered by an equally inspired film, Merival's singer-songwriter abilities are really something special.
Whats in a voice? Well with Arsun I would suggest a considerable amount, as is witnessed with 'Dead Sixty-Six', where the maturity is a little like oak aged bourbon whisky, Cat Power had better be on top form with this artist as the support act!
Catherine MacLellan returns here for a second time this year, with two natural folk gems entitled 'Come Back In' and 'The Tempest'. They are both from her forthcoming 'Coyote' album due in October, and from what we have heard so far, it's going to be rather special to say the least.
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Merival - Sinner.
Toronto-based singer-songwriter, Merival - the moniker for Anna Horvath - is now sharing the video for her bewitching single, ‘Sinner’, the latest to be taken from the critically acclaimed debut album, Lesson which is out now. The new video arrives in-line with news of Merival’s debut UK dates which are set to take in a stop at Lion + Coffee Records, London on September 15, 2019 - see below for the full run of dates.
Sonically rubbing shoulders with the likes of Adrianne Lenker, Julia Jacklin and Haley Heynderickx, ‘Sinner’, perhaps the album’s most tender track which comes produced by Sam Gleason (Charlotte Cornfield, Omhouse), finds Merival fusing her penchant for tranquil vocals with a soaring orchestral backing. Shot with director, Adrienne McLaren, the video finds Anna drifting through a dreamlike scenario whilst thematically the track touches on a time when Anna felt the all-consuming guilt of falling in love with someone else whilst in a relationship.
“I sobbed and sobbed immediately after writing this song,” says Anna of ‘Sinner’, perhaps the most heartfelt example on the album of Anna’s profound sense of emotion. “I was dating someone, fell in love with someone else, enter all-consuming guilt. As someone who feels things very deeply, I was distraught at having these destructively exciting thoughts of someone else.”
Merival, who has previously collaborated with names including Swim Good Now (Ryan Hemsworth, Teen Daze), Luke Lalonde (Born Ruffians) and Toronto’s DCF, earned a string of domestic support from the likes of CBC Radio and Exclaim! for earlier releases. Lesson will now be supported with a run of UK dates, the first stop in the country for the Canadian artist.
UK Dates:
September 12 – The Eagle Inn, Manchester
September 13 – Heaton Perk, Newcastle
September 14 – Rhôs-on-Sea, Pie Records
September 15 – Lion + Coffee Records, London (w/ Christof van der Ven of Bear’s Den)
September 18 – Sofar Sounds, Cardiff
September 19 – Nosda, Cardiff
September 20 – The Exchange, Bristol.
NYC-based artist Arsun released a video for his new single “Dead Sixty-Six” on Missing Piece Records. With a sound beyond his 20 years, he has been compared him to “a young, less baritoned Iggy Pop.” Next week Arsun will embark on an east coast tour with Cat Power, including a September 22nd show at Webster Hall.
“I’m excited to put this song out right around the time of my East Coast tour with Cat Power,” Arusn says. “My last tour supporting her on the West Coast was an absolute honor. Chan, her band and her crew are the sweetest people and all exceptional at what they do. ‘Dead Sixty-Six’ was a favorite amongst Cat Power’s drummer Alianna and guitarist Adeline. It’s an amazing opportunity to tour with such a legendary band and to learn and grow from playing alongside them.”
Tour Dates With Cat Power:
9/12 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live
9/13 - Tampa, FL - The RITZ Ybor
9/14 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham
9/16 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
9/17 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground at the Fillmore Charlotte
9/18 - Charlottesville, VA - The Jefferson Theater
9/20 - Northampton, MA - Academy of Music Theatre
9/22 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
9/24 - Boston, MA - ROYALE
9/25 - Washington, DC - The Lincoln Theatre
9/27 - Niagara Falls, NY - The Rapids Theatre
9/28 - Ithaca, NY - State Theatre of Ithac
Catherine MacLellan, one of Canadian folk music’s true gems, returns today with another double release from her forthcoming COYOTE LP (set for release on October 11). The self-produced release is a travelogue through heartbreak, loss and the joy of life.
Some thoughts from Catherine on the new singles: Sometimes it can take a while to notice your relationship is falling apart. It can take a lot of effort to bring it back, but that can only work if both of you are actively trying to come back to centre. I "Come On In" long before the relationship was over, and when I still had hope for it. The winter PEI landscape is the perfect, haunted setting for longing and the sense of loss. For the video, I love the idea of using archived footage to evoke a sense of nostalgia, at the same time, a feeling of time moving on. Ultimately, it is a breakup song and breakups often trigger cherished memories.
"The Tempest" was based off an old Irish traditional tune. I had been learning it on the guitar for years and one day the words and melody came out with it. In the literal sense, it is a song about being out at sea, adrift and far from shore hoping the storm will pass and you’ll get home. For me, it’s a tribute to the countless fishermen who have been lost to the ocean while trying to make their living.
Annabel Allum makes her fourth appearance on Beehive Candy more a less a year to the day since we last enjoyed a song from her. 'You Got It Good' is another typically emotion packed song, her vocals as earnest as ever and the music equally determined.
'Superclean' from Scott Lavene is accompanied by an engaging video full of low budget moments, that just add to the charm of this hook laden song,
Back in April we shared 'I With Mine' by Merival and now we have 'No Brakes' where the vocals are absolutely stunning as is the refreshing musical backdrop.
Spirit Family Reunion have just released the first taste of their forthcoming album with 'One Way Ticket' a wonderful American folk piece which just fills the room with Americana goodness.
Finally today, Grace Gillespie has released 'I'm Your Man' a song that sits somewhere between Indie pop, rock or even folk, it's might be hard to pigeonhole, but it's an equally addictive and pleasing tune.
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Annabel Allum - You Got It Good.
From playing local pubs in Guildford 6 nights a week, to acclaimed performances around the world, it’d be tempting to call Annabel Allum’s rise a whirlwind. However to do so would belie the steady growth and legwork put in by one of the UK’s most exciting up-and-comers. From single to single Annabel has evolved and added exciting extra facets to her trademark punky sound. Upcoming release You Got It Good, out via cult London label Killing Moon, is the latest peak in her canon of vital, snarling songs.
A common theme throughout her releases is the ease with which tracks boiling over with righteous anger can sit side by side with touchingly sentimental tracks dedicated to friends and family. You Got It Good, with its bouncy 90s style treads that tightrope with aplomb. Annabel explains the origins of the track:
"I wrote this song after a friend came to me in a very low state. This is the conversation I had with them. Sometimes we need to go through hardship to grow as people, and understand ourselves & the world around us better. To adapt & learn from negative situations allows us to appreciate life more."
Long marked out as one to watch, the swell of praise for Annabel Allum from all corners is resounding. Long-time championed by BBC Radio 1, she’s made the daytime playlist, had a live session at the iconic Maida Vale studios as well as performing on their SXSW stage, a festival which she’s now taken by storm twice. Other notable shows include a dream-come-true emotional performance at Reading festival, as well as The Great Escape; tours with Nadine Shah, Sleeper and Beth Ditto have been the perfect way to cut her teeth in the presence of esteemed artists.
Scott Lavene returns his new single Superclean, the latest track to be taken from his forthcoming album Broke that is set for release on 7th June on CD, LP and digital.
Speaking of his latest release, Lavene says “It’s a pop bop, a strut. I wanted to write a song that was less literal than others I write. I wrote it one morning during the recording of the album, in the kitchen of the producer who was letting me stay at his house. It’s about feeling good, a new chapter, eternal optimism, escape.”
Growing up in the eighties his first musical memories were the Stray Cats thrilling rush ‘Runaway Boys’ when he was at nursery before sparking off on The Clash on the Levis ads and Otis Reading, Beatles, Stones and all the classics before embracing the kind of eclectic musical trip that his own songs reflect.
‘I like everything from cheesy pop, hip hop, British music from sixties and seventies Ian Dury, to underground stuff like Suicide and the Membranes. When I first had a band I tried to be something I’m not, cool, hip. indie, like the Kills or The Strokes but I’m not cool and I don’t write songs like that. I’m just a fella from Essex and when I started writing stories and songs about my own life and what I’d seen it all clicked.’
To support the release of his new album Scott Lavene is heading out on the road with his newly formed backing band The Pub Garden.
The new track is shared in-line with news of her debut album, 'Lesson' (out August 2, 2019) which comes produced by Sam Gleason (Charlotte Cornfield, Omhouse). 'No Brakes' sonically finds Merival - who's previous collabs include members of Born Ruffians and Teen Daze - rubbing shoulders with the likes of Haley Heynderickx, Adrianne Lenker and Marissa Nadler; bewitching melodies are intertwined with icy vocals and carousel-like rhythms, all topped off with a slightly tongue-in-cheek video.
Anna is quite open about her mental health and 'No Brakes' explores the writing process when battling these demons. Lyrically, it encapsulates the insecurity that comes with artistry and the perception of 'bad art vs good art', and 'mental anguish vs stability' - whether an artist needs to be in a darker psychological place to conjure up 'good' or credible music.
Speaking about the track, Merival says: “The video for 'No Brakes' was a fun flip around from the track. Whereas lyrically we had a serious subject: depression, and does feeling worse make better art? — This topic was given a spin with contrasting musical elements, for the video we took a kind of goofy narrative and tried to lend some gravitas to the actions around it.”
Nepoer Folk Festival faves Spirit Family Reunion are set to return with 'Ride Free' their first album in four years. Fans will notice a wider variety of instrumentation on a number of songs, from electric guitar to a horn section on “Gradual Power,” though their signature harmonies, Maggie Carson’s banjo, and Stephen Weinheimer’s washboard are alive and well.
Banjo player Maggie Carson contributes lead vocals to the rousing old-time tune “When I Get Home” while washboard man Stephen Weinheimer sings vulnerably about a moment of self-doubt in “Moon In The Mirror.” The insightful “Gradual Power” finds the band exploring the cyclical nature of things. Nick Panken wrote “Come Our Way” towards the end of 2016, exploring the balance between individual action and acceptance on the course of events. The band continues its commitment to traditional folk music with a rousing interpretation of the cowboy classic “Whoopie Ti Yi To.”
Of the single, Panken says, “This is a song about self empowerment, solidarity among outcasts, a thirst for trespassing borders that uphold convention. Being alive is the only permission you need to be here. That is your one way ticket, and it’s as valid as the rest. Though our societies invent criteria that inflict very real suffering upon a multitude of beings, we are all entitled to claim dignified lives simply because we are here. Ultimately this is more real than any fabricated rule or restriction, and this song suggests that the validation you need is contained within you.”
Spirit Family Reunion has played Austin City Limits and headlined the Brooklyn Folk Fest; performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert; joined tours with Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Alabama Shakes, and Levon Helm; and been streamed well over two million times on Spotify.
London based artist and producer Grace Gillespie is releasing her new single ‘I’m Your Man’, announcing her debut EP ‘Pretending’.
After “a very musically immersive experience” touring as part of Pixx’s live line up “getting to play alongside the likes of - Nilufer Yanya, Sorry, Cosmo Pyke and Trudy and the Romance”, South London based Grace Gillespie is exploring the world of psych-pop with her new solo material.
Releasing her take on a woozy, romantic ballad, a self-proclaimed “pyjama clad, songwriter living in a fictional apocalyptic world”, the track was born from Grace’s job hunt : “I could imagine an interview scenario where I was dressed up very sharply and was selling myself in an Elvis voice, shaking all their hands: look no further I'm Your Man.”
Originally from Devon, Grace was constantly surrounded by art: “Both my parents, my grandmothers, my grandpa, auntie and great aunt are all incredible painters, sculptors, print-makers.”
As a child, the most influential gallery she could visit was her own home, filled with visual art by her parents. She explains, “childishly, I liked seeing how the work that related to me – paintings that my mother or father had painted in the years before I was born or in the years when I was very young.”
“For me, all music - my own song writing as well as much of the music I have listened to throughout my life - is attached permanently to specific images and locations,” she continues, carrying on the artistic tradition.
‘I’m Your Man’ is available on all online platforms on 17th May, is the first track from Grace’s debut EP ‘Pretending’ out 28th July on Kaleidoscope.
'More of Me' from Lydia Persaud is soulful, lively and a bit of a rocker along the way. Our second song feature for Elva ahead of their 'Winter Sun' album release is 'Ghost Writer' another piece that ups the anticipation even more. Alana Wilkinson's 'Partner In Crime' put simply is a gorgeous modern folk song. Peter Cat Recording Co, might have a fabulous band name, however 'Floated By' is a stunning song that exudes quality and beauty as does the accompanying video. Just over a month since we first featured Junodream they return with 'Odd Behaviour' a natural alt rocker that is laden with hooks throughout. Merival shares 'I With Mine' an intimate folk song where emotion and fabulous vocals are centre stage.
Lydia Persaud - More of Me.
A fixture of Toronto’s music community and a sought-after collaborator, Lydia Persaud stands alone with her debut album Let Me Show You, due out on May 10 via Next Door Records. On 'More of Me', Lydia explains "There is personal frustration in “More of Me” while wrestling with trust issues and the feeling of being emotional unavailable in relationships."
Exposed to music from a very young age, Lydia’s early influences sprang from the gospel styles of her religious upbringing. “Unpacking the last 24 years of my life as I grew up in church is an ongoing journey. I was sheltered in many ways, through homeschooling (grade 2-5) and extreme involvement in my church. At the same time I was introduced to the concept of singing for a greater purpose than that of fame and glory. Music was for God and for giving thanks, a foundation that I am grateful for to this day. Removing the ego and vanity in music and giving back, connecting, and sharing relatable stories is how I have grown from these early experiences.”
It wasn’t until Lydia stumbled across a cassette that she was exposed to soul music. “My first introduction to soul music was through one of my early tapes, VH1 Divas Live. It was a live performance taping with Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Carole King and Gloria Estefan. I so wish that Whitney had performed as that would have covered all of my favourite vocal queens.” The vocal skill of these icons drew Lydia in to explore the soul genre. This influence ultimately reached into the recording studio where Lydia created Let Me Show You. “Soul music has always affected me the most, a soulful conviction on matters of the heart. Voicing struggle or sharing joy and celebration has always been my favourite method of expression.”
Lydia’s sound expands the boundaries of soul to include both folk and jazz, styles that have been foundational to her musical growth. Lydia attended the rigorous jazz program at Humber School of Music, where she won the Oscar Peterson Jazz Award and connected with fellow members of the folk trio The O’Pears, whom she has been collaborating with for the past 5 years. Working in these styles honed Lydia’s mastery of sophisticated vocal harmony and blend, leading her to become an in-demand vocalist. She has performed with a varied range of artists such as Jill Barber, Lee Fields, and Royal Wood, and is a member of renowned cover band Dwayne Gretzky.
Elva shares new single "Ghost Writer" from forthcoming debut LP, "Ghost Writer" is about adjusting to life as a new parent. Elva is the new project of Allo Darlin’s Elizabeth Morris and Ola Innset, of the Norwegian bands Making Marks and Sunturns.
Winter Sun was recorded in the autumn of 2018 in an old school house in the Swedish forest, during moose hunting season. Meaning ”The River” in Norwegian, Elva take their inspiration from the natural world, the beauty of the Scandinavian summer and the harshness of the winter. Several of the songs on the album are tellingly inspired by the birth of Elizabeth and Ola’s daughter.
Some might feel the album is sonically most similar to the Allo Darlin’ album Europe, thanks in part to the lush string arrangements courtesy of long-time Allo Darlin’ collaborator Dan Mayfield on violin and cellist Ofelia Østrem Ossum. Michael Collins, who played drums in Allo Darlin’, recorded and produced the album, building on work he has done in recent years with artists like Metronomy and Girl Ray. Diego Ivars on bass and Jørgen Nordby on drums round out the band.
Alana Wilkinson is the epitome of a modern folk singer, and her touching new single ‘Partner In Crime’ wholly attests to that. Having made a mark with her giddy love bubble ‘Closer’, Alana's sophomore release, premiered on Double J's Stir It Up, now tugs at heartstrings in a different way, with a true tale of love and loss.
A poignant ode to her childhood bestie who sadly passed away, ‘Partner In Crime’ captures the spirit and carefree nature of youth and innocent friendship. Delicately crafted with a vulnerable folk twang, the acoustically driven track resonates with delicate guitar melodies, piquant piano tones and deep, vibrant drums. A toast to the time they shared, rather than the time lost, Alana explains, “I needed to write a song that painted a picture of the colourful friendship we shared as kids.”
The track’s visual accompaniment embellishes this masterfully. Taking us back to Alana’s childhood home, we follow the duo on their adventures in Melbourne suburbia in a wonderfully joyful coming-of-age piece. "We knew each other's secrets, fought over nothing, wrote rap songs and made up dances to 5ive; these were some of the memories I called upon when putting together the video,” Alana reflects.
Having seeped into the soundscape of the Australian Summer through radio and television across the country, her debut single ’Closer’ was instantly added to ABC Local Radio nationally, and scored spins on both triple j, triple j Unearthed and rage.
Peter Cat Recording Co. have announced their debut album, ‘Bismillah’ for release on June 7, 2019 via French independent label Panache Records. With debut UK live shows soon to be announced by the band, the album release details arrive alongside ‘Floated By’, the first track to emerge from ‘Bismillah’.
Taking their enigmatic name from Haruki Murakami’s jazz club in Tokyo, Peter Cat Recording Co. trade in a kaleidoscopic blend of gypsy jazz, psychedelic cabaret, space disco, bossa supernova, Bollywood and uneasy listening. It’s an unlikely but masterful balance which makes the New Delhi five piece every inch the sonic anomaly in their hometown as how they read on paper. The band beguiled and frustrated in equal measure in 2018, with the release of ‘Portrait Of A Time 2010-2016’, an anthology album which gathered together re-mastered versions of various hidden gems from the band’s ramshackle back catalogue, previously recorded in the living room of frontman Suryakant Sawhney. Whilst the title track found its way onto Tracks Of The Year lists at the Guardian & NME, it was tricky to get a firm grip on the five piece who - despite hailing from the Hindi-speaking capital of India - emerged sounding like a twenty first century big band reboot.
Whilst 2019 will see Peter Cat Recording Co. make their overdue debut proper, the first early taste of ‘Bismillah’ finds them in no less inscrutable, bewildering form than across the snapshot captured on ‘Portrait Of A Time’. A musing on missed opportunities & the brevity of life punctuated by fulsome brass and offbeat surges of synths, the languid quality to ‘Floated By’ is offset by the attendant music video, created with footage shot, implausibly enough, at Suryakant’s own wedding ceremony. Speaking about the video - which he also co-directed - he dryly notes; “Hopefully it’s not a many-a-times-in-a-lifetime event. You put all this money into making the place look nice and you can’t fake that set, you can’t fake those people actually having a good time and people being really emotional and having an intense time.”
Colour-saturated, dawn-to-dusk footage of the drinking, dancing & traditional rites that typify Indian ceremonies cuts against Suryakant’s unhurried croon - one you’d be forgiven for misplacing as that of a Westerner in the finest Sinatra tradition - which actually freights the neuroses of regret and longing. It’s this startling push/pull - between the immediate, uncanny music Peter Cat Recording Co. are creating and the cultural backdrop of New Delhi at which it is so startlingly at odds - which promises to make ‘Bismillah’ a vital debut. The technicolour album cover - capturing Suryakant’s father-in-law making his wedding toast, alongside the band’s name written in both English & Hindi - casts a backwards nod to the cover for ‘Portrait Of A Time’, itself a black & white image taken at the wedding ceremony of Suryakant’s father.
Bristol born, and now London based band Junodream have released their new single 'Odd Behaviour'. The "wry sequel to [previous single] Terrible Things" as they put it themselves, the track examines exactly how bad people can get when communication between two people breaks down. "It’s not easy realising you’re in the middle of something rotten, especially when you don’t know what the problem is. Eventually you find yourself drifting away from someone you care about and the behaviour that comes to the surface can be kind of messed up," they went on to say.
Another potent, 90's tinged indie rock track; driven by a stomping rhythm section and soaring guitar passages, 'Odd Behaviour' slowly builds to an almighty crescendo with frontman Ed Vyvyan proclaiming, "I don't think it's getting better / and I don't know if it needs to anyway".
Speaking a little more on the lyrics in the new track, the band said: "The lyrics are somewhere between guilty and furious; it’s about something that should never have happened in the first place. The issues in Terrible Things get out of hand and things take a turn for the worse."
Taking subtle inspiration from artists such as Beck, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Pavement - the band have undergone many transformations over the years; recently "evolving into our superior form", as the band succinctly put it. That superior form is Junodream.
Torontonian singer-songwriter Anna Horvath draws inspiration from tension, gathering from the romantic and familial with practiced vulnerability.
She's just released a new song ahead of her debut full length which is due out this summer. "I With Mine" is full of folk lyricism, experimental instrumentation, and a sweeping dynamic vocal range.
Merival is Torontonian singer-songwriter Anna Horvath, drawing inspiration from tension and gathering from the romantic and familial with practiced vulnerability.
She gained recognition in 2016 with the critically acclaimed EP Lovers and will release her debut full-length in summer 2019. Her songs carry questions, exploration, and an expectation of philosophical growth.
Full of folk lyricism, experimental instrumentation, and a sweeping dynamic range, she strives to make sense of the key arresting moments of life.
