Indie-folk artist Josienne Clarke has shared the second taste of her forthcoming new album, Onliness. On her new album, due out on April 14th, Clarke revisits songs from her back catalogue that felt buried somehow; that had never had the spotlight she felt they deserved. Originally written back in 2008, the song first appeared on and opened Clarke's first ever solo album One Light Is Gone.
Of her new single, Clarke says: "It’s about the turning of a season, the first frost of winter. The birds are making strange patterns in the sky, a signal that our days will soon be short. This version features a specific blurry guitar part, I wrote it like that to mirror the blurry movement of the birds in their weird patterns, in and out of time and sync in strange shapes and formations. I also play piano on this track which is pretty rare for me. I love it as an instrument, it's bright glassy timbre fitted perfectly for the track. I rarely play it on my music as I have the services of keyboard experts like Matt Robinson but I recorded the piano myself just to give an idea of the kind of part I was thinking and Matt liked it and said we should keep mine, so we did.”
In her own words, Josienne Clarke viewed her 2021 album – A Small Unknowable Thing – as a leap into the abyss. Finally free from the industry structure that had been built around her over the preceding decade and more, she released the album via her own label, Corduroy Punk Records. Free from her previous role as one-half of a duo and losing the genre constraints she was quickly and lazily placed within, she came out of that chapter emboldened – but still not truly free.
Nico Ev wrote this song during lockdown, she tells us "The challenge of being apart from loved ones and missing out on family connections was very difficult.
It was particularly hard to accept that I was missing out on watching the little ones in our family grow and flourish in their formative years. I'm grateful to have the sound of their laughter back in my life."
Some well deserved quotes about Nico - "Nico definitely deserves to be heard beyond her online performances." - "Every time I've seen Nico play, her musical talent, combined with her warmth, sincerity and relaxed interaction with the audience, has resulted in a great gig." “I love the varied mix of her original songs with both little and well-known covers, the upbeat energy and vibrancy of her playing.” - “A unique and lovely voice.”
Emerging Glasgow trio Brenda release Cease and Desist, the first single from their upcoming self-titled debut album with Last Night From Glasgow. The single is out 24th February, the album follows in July.
Brenda are Litty Hughes on guitar, Apsi Witana on drums and Flore de Hooge on synths. They’ve created a buzz by gigging across Glasgow - their energetic sets described as the type that “end up seared onto your brain after a single viewing” with their “impudent, inventive and extremely DIY punk-pop” (The Scotsman). Dreamy synths, witty lyrics and unapologetic enthusiasm - Brenda is your new favourite band.
“The most exciting set of the evening came from Glasgow all-female trio Brenda…their name daubed on a collapsing bedsheet behind them, like they were signalling to the media from the roof of a prison riot.” - The Scotsman
Julia Sound - I Don't Wanna Change (featuring Larissa Tandy).
Today Julia Sound have released their new single "I Don't Wanna Change" from their upcoming album "Nothing Above The Blue Sky" (set for release on May 12 Via Boomsmack Records)
Julia Sound is a collective led by Lin Gardiner, a British-Canadian BC-based artist, composer, musician and producer. Julia Sound released their debut album ‘Heal’ in the summer of 2021 to critical acclaim. They are set to release a second full-length offering ‘Nothing Above the Blue Sky’ in May of 2023.
‘Nothing Above The Blue Sky’ is a collection of evocative, ethereal, vocal-led electronica, with 10 new songs including features by Kinnie Starr, Edzi’u and Larissa Tandy, amongst others. Different singers feature on each track, all pulled together by Gardiner. The lyrical component of the songs leans into subjects perhaps shied away from in more commercial projects - stories of loss, war, mental health as well as hope.
Inspiration for Julia Sound’s name is from an unexplained sound discovered by scientists in the 90’s. The sound, which scientists named ‘The Julia Sound’, is mysterious and dark - which can also be said for this project's tone and mood.
Under Way is the new 7-inch EP from Lore City, released October 6, 2022. The EP follows full-length albums Participation Mystique and Alchemical Task, as the third release from the Lore City Music imprint. “On the whole, the band appears to be rejecting genre norms, and they don't seem to be in any kind of safety zone, while their fusion of indie psychedelia, dreampop, and darkwave sounds isn't directly analogous to anything nearly customary,” advises Destroy//Exist. Lore City is a duo formed in 2011 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Band members include married couple Laura Mariposa Williams (vocals, keyboard, guitar) and Eric Angelo Bessel (percussion, keyboard, guitar), who met as peers at Syracuse University.
Oneness. Whether you like it or not. Creeping up on you. Morse code tapping you on the shoulder. Runoff into the sea. A little bell ringing. Windchimes singing from forces unseen. I wanna believe. I animate these bones, for you. A paper skeleton on Halloween dangling from the front door. Animate, animate. Shuddering and twitching with your comings and goings. The thresholds we know. Everyone in their own little box, moving between containers. Remembering the orange glow of old sodium vapor streetlamps, and simultaneously, the terror of noticing that your heart is constantly beating. The fading roar of airplanes overhead, rerouted.
Suddenly you can see the flashing red and white lights out of the corner of your eye, every night, from your bed. Sometimes, the thing that happens along the way to something else turns out to be the thing in itself; saying to you, “I am not what you thought I was, but rather, I am my own all together.” An early departure, announcing its entirety upon arrival. Once thought of as the beginning of the next album, Under Way exists as a standalone 7-inch EP, confined only to the parameters of vinyl. Two sides, two tracks, pressed into another thing in a world on its way to something else.
Bristol-based indie noir-pop artist Emily Breeze returns with a bitter-sweet new single Ordinary Life, dripping with brit-goth nostalgia and sad-pop synth lines via Sugar Shack Records on September 23rd 2022.
Emily’s previous single ‘Confessions of an Aging Party Girl’, received airplay from Lauren Laverne, Don Letts and Tom Robinson alongside continued support from BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Introducing in the West. Ordinary Life continues in this vein, a reflection on a gloriously misspent youth and a celebration of the magic, misery, miracles and monotony that are sewn into the fabric of everyday existence where you are the hero of your own mythic quest.
Speaking of the inspiration for the song Emily says, “It’s a quest that involves biblical first loves and tragic one night stands, epic all nighters and the quiet desperation that follows as your dreams disperse like the fronds of a dandelion clock in the cold morning air. You blink, two decades have passed and you become the thing you always despised, a three dimensional, functional adult with reasonable expectations... Or perhaps it's the theme song to the end of a John Hughes movie set twenty years after Prom night, except it's not prom night, it's Butlins and Mike Leigh is directing but Simple Minds and Souxsie Sioux are still sparkling in the spotlight, and so are you.”
Ordinary life is the opening track to Emily’s third solo album Rapture which she describes as “A collection of coming-of (middle) age stories which celebrate flamboyant failure, excess and acceptance”, due for release January 2023.
Based in Glasgow, Nico started composing at the age of 6. Nico's debut release Hunter gained radio air time on BBC Radio Scotland and saw her named as Freshman Guitars 'Artist of the week'.
The inspiration for the song was a short story called 'The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget' by American author Kent Nerburn.
The tale acts as a reminder that one little act of kindness can be so truly important. I would recommend taking five minutes to read it. "You captured the essence of the story, painting with gentle strokes" - author Kent Nerburn.
The new single from Nashville based multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer/songwriter Rutherford Royal is entitled "Back Burner." This enthralling rock single features Americana infused guitars, dark pop hooks and fuzzy intoxicating basslines for an immersive southern goth rock listening experience.
On the single, Rutherford Royal confides, "The boy has been waiting for the girl to fall in love with him as he watches her burn through several brief, meaningless and destructive relationships. Despite clear signs that he should move on, he is determined to die on this hill. Often it feels like the right thing to do is take the side of love and wait for the one you know you’ll never get over. This can be the single most destructive decision you ever make, but half measures will only lead to a life of ‘what-ifs."
Hailing from the barrier islands of South Carolina, Andrew Christopher Rutherford Royal has a deep connection with the land and embodies a non-traditionalist’s interpretation of the eastern South. He writes Southern Gothic cameos which he weaves into often dark, Indie Americana. After writing and curating the works for an album he records and mixes the music for Rutherford Royal (as well as other artists) in his remote cabin studio overlooking a hidden waterfall in southern Tennessee.
Lightnode from Switzerland play rock music - direct, real and honest. Their style is strongly influenced by the rock bands of the 90s and sometimes reminds of the energy of the Counting Crows or indie rock moments of Wilco. Occasionally, however, there are also hints of the 60s and 70s through the distinctive organ sounds. The individual influences and musical imprints of the five musicians flow together to create their own emotional and vibrant sound, sometimes softer, sometimes more powerful.
'The Bright Side Of The Edge' is the name of Lightnode's debut album, which comes across as playful, gritty and atmospheric. The songs and lyrics by singer Roger Imboden reveal profound explorations of various themes.
'Same Time Same Place' is the song that opens the record. It is not meant to be a single, but opens the listener up to Lightnode's music. The dry, direct guitar immediately pushes itself to the forefront before the band as a whole gives a glimpse of where else they can go shortly after. The lyrics thematically deal with self-confrontation and one's own comfort zone and, in terms of content, pick up on the old familiar, recurring situation that constantly and consistently throws you back on yourself. The depressing situation is resolved at the end of the song and finally allows the realization that it is always worthwhile to have the courage for self-confrontation in order to get ahead. Self-ironically and with a wink, the band has also implemented the whole theme in the music video.
Things to Share is the third album for Frozen Farmer, released today May 10th, 2021 by Piesse Groove Records.
Frozen Farmer are active since 2009, when they formed the band out of a visceral love for the american folk tradition, grown during a long trip of Francesco – singer and banjo player – across the States. The first EP, releases at the end of 2011 by Ghost Records / Warner Chapell, didn’t stay unnoticed, and led to several shows and tours. The first full lenght, Stay, released in 2014 by Seahorse Recordings, moved to a more personal sound, with a psychedelic side reminiscent of the Paisley Underground and of Days of Wine and Roses. The single Angels Melody also gained a spot in the Top 100 radio airplays according to Indie Music Like.
Things to Shares comes after years of live experiences, changes in members personal lives, and reveals a definitely contemporary sound, which doesn’t disown the attachment to the folk, rural tradition. As a fil rouge, Frozen Farmer collaborated again with Tim Sparks, american guitarist who has been following the project from the very start. Sparks, who is special guest in two songs of the new album, is known for his works with Tzadik and for his collaboration with John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and Greg Cohen. Things to Share was recorded at New Art Recording Studio in Saronno, then mixed in Verbania by Pierpaolo D’Emilio at GrooveIt Studio.
The Shore, the first single and video taken from the album, is a serene, positive song, with jingle-jangle guitars and a melodic tune, defining a sound that mixes elements from The Byrds, Green on Red, early REM and Wilco, a must for fans of ’90s indie rock, but also for whoever appreciates a well-written and carefully arranged song.
Founded as a local cover band by Suat Vergili and Sarp Keskiner in 2016 under the synonym “Almost Rock’n Roll”, THE UNDERDOGZ (Izmir) recorded this obscure modal nugget of Nick Drake for a compilation album, curated by In the Void collective (based in Istanbul).
Enjoy a rarity from the band that had disbanded in 2018, featuring the one and only female rock drummer based in Izmir.
Background from Nico: Based in Glasgow, I started writing and composing at the age of six. Over the last few years, I have carved out my place in the Glasgow music scene, through hosting regular music nights across the city and providing a platform for other local talented singer songwriters to showcase their original material.
Unable to perform live due to current restrictions, I have concentrated on live streaming and recording my debut EP which has new brought me many new fans, increased media attention and radio play throughout the UK, Europe and the USA.
See in the Dark is the third track from the EP HUNTER, which was released in December 2020.
Emma Miller first came our way just over a month back with 'Sail Away' a track taken from her new E.P 'Set Me Down' which we have the pleasure of sharing in full below. Comprising of five songs this is truly beautiful music from a clearly talented folk singer songwriter. ===== Jessy Yasmeen latest single 'Forbidden Fruits' is taken from her new three track E.P 'Dreams' where each original song simmers with personal and genuine emotion. ===== Nico Ev new release is 'Floating Free' an exquisite singer songwriter piece with refined and natural vocals set against a melodic backdrop. ===== From Kate Davis we have her brand new single 'Oh No' and the artist serves up a mixture of refrained and punchy indie rock as this gorgeous song twists and turns. ===== Plants and Animals have shared a video for 'The Jungle' taken from their fifth studio album of the same name, opening with drum lead rhythms and bass licks the song builds layers of sound and superb hooks. ===== Julia Bardo shared It’s Okay (To Not Be Okay) a couple of days back, the song has been described as "a contemplative song about survival, self-acceptance and positivity," it's also one impressive indie rocker.
Set Me Down, the second EP from Elgin, Scotland based singer Emma Miller follows the beautiful pattern raised from singles ‘Honey’ and ‘Sail Away’, sharing songs about heartache and letting go, while also representing the artist’s own small musical liberation, allowing all her imperfections and contradictions to be on show.
The songs truly represent an arc in Emma’s songwriting: bridging the organic and more produced sounds, into soft electronics and back to stripped down piano and vocals. Emma has been finding her voice over the last three years and doesn’t shy away from sharing that process here.
“Although the majority of the music was written and recorded in London, I wrote ‘Low Light’ at home in Scotland fairly recently, and it seemed to embody a lot of the theme of Set Me Down. It’s another song about letting go and returning to the small everydayness of life, and finding peace there.
"I wrote ‘Set Me Down’ nearly two years ago when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by the music industry and all that that entails. It has quite a literal meaning really, I wanted to be wrapped up in cotton wool and gently set down, away from the hubbub and franticness of London.
“Funnily enough, a year later that’s just what happened. I left London, dropped the pretence of my music having to pay the bills and came back home to the north east of Scotland. Listening to the song now, it’s like hearing a small piece of my life being played out, things have come full circle in a way and I get a strong sense of peace from that."
Releasing music since 2017, Emma has taken a noticeable step back over the past 2 years. Instead, as she quietly watched and supported her peers to find success in their own musical projects, she chose to diligently focus on her songwriting and began working on a body of music she could be proud of.
Like many artists and songwriters who’ve found themselves jaded by the music industry, it wasn’t until Emma let go of the idea that music had to pay the bills that she fell head over heels in love with it. Today, amongst other things, (such as roaming the Scottish hillsides and looking after her dog, Gracie) Emma is pursuing a Diploma in Counselling Psychology, supporting people in the quest to navigate their mental health.
With both Dutch and South American roots, Jessy Yasmeen brings the best of both worlds. Her dreamy indie folkpop is inspired by acts such as Ben Howard, Bon Iver and Matt Corby. With her songs she wants to challenge listeners to be vulnerable and to help conquer personal battles like fear and desire.
After her EP 'Isolation Tapes', her new EP 'Dreams' opens with a long version of the eponymous single which was released this spring, her latest single 'Forbidden Fruits', and new track 'No Man Is An Island'.
Jessy about the story behind the Dreams EP/trilogy: "Society, and often upbringing and education, all steer you in the direction to walk the beaten path. Go to school, study and then the white-picket-fence life. But when do you really learn to think outside the box, or big? And if you already think big, are you brave enough to say it out loud? And to chase your dreams? The assurance that you presumably get when you graduate, you cannot achieve with a dream. You only get the approval of your surroundings when you have already achieved it. And in the time prior to that you can feel misunderstood and alone.
With this EP I want to invite people to just go for it and chase your dreams. Better the "oops" than the "what if". No one else can walk your path of life for you. That is actually pretty cool, right? You can shape your life the way you want!"
Over the past three years, Jessy Yasmeen played more than 80 shows on stages in The Netherlands and Germany. Last year her debut EP saw the light of day, she won a big Dutch music award, 'Grote Prijs van Rotterdam' (category: singer-songwriter), and earned nominations for the Rotterdam Music Awards (categories: ‘the promise’ and ‘best track’). Despite all ongoing restrictions these days she is dedicated to perform at local live shows as much as possible!
Background from Nico - Based in Glasgow, I started writing and composing at the age of six. Over the last few years, I have carved out my place in the Glasgow music scene, through hosting regular music nights across the city and providing a platform for other local talented singer-songwriters to showcase their original material.
Unable to perform live due to current restrictions, I have concentrated on live streaming and recording my debut EP which has new brought me many new fans, increased media attention and radio play throughout the UK, Europe and the USA.
Floating Free is the second track from the EP HUNTER, due for release this December.
Kate Davis (who's album Trophy was released late last year and who co-wrote Sharon Van Etten's "Seventeen") is releasing her second single "Oh No" today November 20 off the forthcoming cover album Strange Boy (out Jan 15).
Strange Boy is a cover album of Daniel Johnston's Retired Boxer and we've been lucky enough to team up with DJ's charity the Hi How Are You Project for the release, with a portion of the proceeds from sales/streaming going to the charity.
As part of this partnership, Kate was part of the Hi How Are You Mental Health Day Fundraiser and performed over livestream with Jeff Tweedy, Bully, Molly Burch, Lucius, Tunde Adebimpe (of TV on the Radio) and a bunch of others.
Plants and Animals released a new music video for the title song “The Jungle,” off their critically acclaimed fifth studio album out now on Secret City Records.
“This song grew out of the ashes of one that we had recorded for the previous record but didn’t ultimately make the cut," stated the band. "Nic, who had sparked the song in the first place way back when, wanted to try to salvage some of the parts and give it another shot—the chord changes and the “yeah yeah yeahs” at least, which were inspired by Jorge Ben and the band’s eternal love for Brazilian music.”
The animated video was directed by Yann-Manuel Hernandez, who also directed the “Le Queens” and “Love That Boy” music videos.
“The Jungle” starts with electronic drums that sound like insects at night. A whole universe comes alive in the dark. It’s beautiful, complex and unsettling. Systematic and chaotic. All instinct, no plan. Every song is such a landscape. They are personal experiences made in a volatile world, and they reflect that world right back at us, even by accident. There’s one song Nic sings to his teenage son who was dealing with climate change anxiety and drifting into uncharted independence. The band carries it out slowly together into a sweet blue horizon. Warren wrote the words to another shortly after losing his father. It’s about the things we inherit not necessarily being the things we want. In a broader sense, that’s where a lot of people find themselves right now.
Plants and Animals is an iconic Montreal-based trio that began playing together as kids and emerged on the international scene in 2008 with “Parc Avenue.” The band has developed a varied cult following ever since, built on the shoulders of their self-produced records and their intense live shows.
Manchester-via-Italy singer, songwriter and guitarist Julia Bardo has shared new single and video It’s Okay (To Not Be Okay), which follows her recently released covers EP The Raw via Wichita Recordings.
Strangely fitting to current events, It’s Okay (To Not Be Okay) is a contemplative song about survival, self-acceptance and positivity; it’s a song for everyone. The video, directed by Hannah Cobb, is raw and introspective with 90’s retro-tinged visuals starring Julia herself. She says;
“‘It’s Okay (To Not Be Okay)’ is about a journey of the self. It can be hard to accept a certain situation we’re living through, to accept ourselves and to appreciate who we are. Sometimes we feel stuck in the same circle of negative thoughts. It’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to not feel good. It’s okay to be ‘different. It’s okay to be who we are.”
“The video is inspired by Video Art, hence why we used a television. I imagined it being in an art gallery and having images and shots that show my natural self, doing spontaneous things following the music.”
Julia recently released The Raw EP, which followed the release of her Phase EP earlier this year. Through its 3 tracks, it marked a further experimentation in Julia’s wistful and mysterious sound, explored through a host of unexpected influential artists, including LCD Soundsystem, Silver Jews and Fleetwood Mac, with lead track Only Over You.
Julia Bardo’s musical journey began in Brescia in Northern Italy, where she sang and wrote lyrics for a local band between shifts at her father’s bar. A free spirit craving new inspiration, she relocated to Manchester and it was here she developed her striking style as a solo musician before also meeting and joining post-punk band Working Men’s Club. Never losing her strong desire to have full creative control over her music, she returned to become a solo artist again, and her first two EPs are just the start of what is yet to come, as she continues the evolution of her sound through every new release.
With her candidly open lyrics illustrating her world through journal-like observations and poetic visions, Julia Bardo is a special talent and an authentic and curious alternative pop star in the making.
