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| Photo - Tone Verswijvel |
Antwerp-based musician Arnaud Stockbroekx, professionally known as Noonzy, today shares "Mama Mia", the latest offering taken from his recently announced EP Puppies released March 28 via [PIAS] Recordings.
The new single "Mama Mia" showcases a melodica of whirring synth waves, buoyant basslines, colourful percussion all overlaid with sentimental lyrics. Inspired by the warm, euphoric feelings you get when surrounded by friends, and asking yourself “How did I get so lucky to have these amazing people in my life?” Noonzy describes ‘Mama Mia’ as a track that bottles up “the kind of love where you are showering friends with compliments like “You’re the funniest, most beautiful, smartest person ever!” He adds, “the feeling is genuine but you are definitely drunk”.
Comprising five infectious, elegantly crafted avant-pop songs, the EP glides from love-flushed longing (‘Where/When’) to the pleasures and pitfalls of being a lone ranger (‘Fishy’) to a blazing desire for tangible relationships with people (‘Mama Mia’). Impulsively catchy, the songs twinkle and cascade with exuberant expressive basslines and hazy analogue synths, simultaneously evoking the carefree leisure of youth and the spiky anxieties of our modern disconnected age.
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| Photo - Jason Thrasher |
Patterson Hood - The Forks of Cypress ft. Waxahatchee.
Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood has shared 'The Forks of Cypress (w/Waxahatchee)', the latest single (featuring Katie Crutchfield) from his landmark new solo album, 'Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams', arriving via ATO Records on Friday, 21 February 2025.
An official music video – filmed by Bradley Wagner and Juan M. Soria at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY before Drive-By Truckers took the stage on their Southern Rock Opera Revisited Tour earlier this year and featuring aerial footage of Hood’s hometown of Florence, AL was provided by local pilot John David Apkarian of Wings Over Bama.
“The Forks of Cypress a real place, a few miles just north of my hometown of Florence, Alabama,” says Patterson Hood. “A former plantation house, once owned by a cousin of Andrew Jackson, it was struck by a ‘lightning cluster’ in 1966 – when I was two – and exploded into flames, burning to the ground in under five minutes. All that was left were these huge columns, in a rectangle on top of the hill overlooking the meadow. It was right by a very creepy rickety one one-lane bridge that the locals called Ghost Bridge. I drove past this (and crossed the scary bridge) every week of my childhood on my way to my Great Uncle’s house (where I spent every weekend). Later, as a teenager, kids would drive dates out to Ghost Bridge and tell ghost stories and make out. The bridge was torn down about a decade ago.
“I wrote the song as pure fiction, inspired by those great story songs that Bobbie Gentry did, an ‘Ode to Billie Joe,’ etc., where she implies a story without really telling it. In my head, I heard Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) singing it with me and was blessed that she was willing to do so. She’s one of my very favorite artists, and such a lovely person. “The song was fleshed out wonderfully by Phil and Brad Cook (who played keyboards, dobro and bass on it), Dan Hunt on drums, and then Kevin Morby put the cherry on top with a stunning lead part. “Whipped cream and cherry.”
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Astari Nite is delighted to announce the release of their vivid & unapologetic new video for the track, "Unisex Games". The video and single for "Unisex Games" can only best be described in the words of Astari Nite's vocalist, Mychael:
"Unisex Games" was written as a sort of tongue in cheek to the max song. I mean, relationships often find an invasive way of telling you how you’re going to spend your time whether you like it or not, right? So, make it worthwhile, have an imagination or get a hobby and try your luck at painting.
For what it’s worth, anyone I’ve ever come across has helped define my unusual ways to this very day and for that, I will always be thankful." Regarding the music video for "Unisex Games", Mychael goes on to say: "The start of the year was a f**king horror story. My therapist recommended doing something amusing and so I did. My bandmates met me at my hotel, and we played pretend for an hour or two making the “Unisex Games” music video. There is a certain kind of magic that takes place when you can find comfort in the people you surround yourself with. Being obnoxiously silly comes naturally for the four of us.
The happiness that is displayed in the video may help some people put a smile on their face for a moment during these chaotic times. This is why I chose to release the video a few weeks before the actual single that comes out on March 14th."
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| Photo - Elena Garcia |
WILDES and St Francis Hotel today release new collaborative EP Kopfkino, and share a visualiser for previously unheard Bruce Springsteen cover and EP closing track, 'State Trooper'.
"State Trooper is one of our favourite Springsteen songs, but our cover of it came about quite indirectly," explains WILDES. "We were listening to a lot of Suicide around the making of the EP, their drum machines and industrial synths heavily influencing both our work, and Springsteen’s simple, but raw production of State Trooper from 1982. We eventually decided to put our stamp on the song by leaning on Springsteen’s initial inspiration from Suicide, and we ended up with an even darker, grittier, electronic version of this already atmospheric song. It’s an important full stop on the EP, capturing the era we were inspired by and the great artists that have impacted us both as musicians."
Together WILDES and St Francis Hotel bring with them a wealth of critical plaudits, and notable collaborations between them with acts including The Flaming Lips, Little Simz and Michael Kiwanuka.
For new EP Kopfkino, the pair delve into the mind's captivating power, exploring the spectrum of human experience from poignant introspection to exhilarating escapism, sonically noting the influence of 80s synth-pop bands such as Erasure, The Human League, and Depeche Mode, as well as trip-hop artists like Massive Attack and Portishead.
From the stark, brooding art-pop of 'In The Floodlight' investigating personal growth and discovery, to 'Are You Gonna Speak?' which offers a shadowy glimpse into WILDES's soul, with raw cries for connection piercing a backdrop of throbbing synths and driving percussion. The EP's title track 'Kopfkino' explores the blurry lines between fantasy and reality, with WILDES's intoxicating vocals guiding listeners through a soundscape of intense rhythms and atmospheric flourishes.
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| Photo - Ben Pender |
Brighton risers, self professed door to door heartbreak salesmen Nature TV release ‘Aways It Goes’ (Feb 19th), the second single to be taken from their upcoming debut album ‘Unlucky for Some’, due for release May 9th via indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Her’s / Two Blinks, I Love You / Brad Stank). Released just ahead of the band's first, and almost completely sold out US tour, the band are riding high ahead of their appearance at SXSW 2025.
Building a reputation for their warming alternative-indie sound which overflows with sparkling melody and wistful melancholy, ‘Always It Goes’ perfectly captures the signature sound that sets Nature TV apart—a seamless blend of chilled beach-indie vibes and neo-soul sophistication. Produced by longtime collaborator Solo Major, the track weaves warming, modulated guitar tones with a deep, grounding bass and impeccably tight drums, crafting a soundscape that feels both buoyant and serene as it settles into a gentle groove. Against this restrained yet polished backdrop, the effortlessly melodic lead vocals float with grace, resulting in a track that feels refreshingly vibrant despite its undercurrent of melancholy.
Talking about the single, vocalist Guy explains: “This track is all about reflection. It’s about looking back and having a conversation with yourself about where things ended up for you and how things might have played out differently. Thinking if you had made different choices,or held on to someone else, instead of just letting go of some of the things that you’ve lost, things that could or maybe should have been different. But you’ve made your bed and now you’ve got to lie in it. It’s about making the most of where things are.”
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