Kate Ellis - Piper Butcher - YOVA - This Coast Bias

Kate Ellis - Scars.

Scars is the new single from Americana singer-songwriter Kate Ellis, born in Louisiana, raised in New York and now based in London. The single is a dysfunctional love song about the fine line between love and hate in relationships. This quote from author Blakney Francis perfectly sums up that duality: “There are all different sorts of love.

It can even become hate… really, hate is just another kind of caring.” Scars is the fourth and final single from Kate’s much-anticipated sophomore album 'Spirals' due for release on 4th February 2022, on River Rose Records.

The songs on Spirals create a series of scenes, moments and moods, but where the previous single Wonderland constructed an emotional and ethereal space, Scars makes you feel like you've just walked into a rowdy bar where two lovers are arguing like cats and dogs, but eventually kiss and make up. “It’s a love song with attitude and I love the humour in it", Kate says. "Also, how even after the endless rinse and repeat cycles of stormy emotion, there's still love there in the end - summed up by the song’s closing line: "I guess this must be love, 'cos we can't get enough”.

The song was produced by John Reynolds who has recorded and produced some of the most iconic artists in the music world, including Sinead O'Connor, the Indigo Girls, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Belinda Carlisle, The Cranberries, and Damian Dempsey.

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Piper Butcher - Long Road.

Newcastle singer-songwriter, Piper Butcher, has been kicking some huge goals in the last few months.

Not only did her latest EP, “September”, chart at #1 on the iTunes Alternative Chart and at #2 on iTunes All Genres Albums chart just behind Kanye West, but she’s been playing shows with artists including Diesel, Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham and Corey Legge. Piper was also recently announced to open for You Am I and as part of the 2022 Dashville Skyline Cosmic Country Weekender line up in February.

This week also marks the release of the third single lifted from her #1 EP – “Long Road”. According to Piper, the song - co-written with fellow roots act, Cassie Marie - covers the long road of heartbreak.

“The lyrics provoke sorrow and frustration but proves that leaving unhealthy people behind is a difficult but prosperous journey”.

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YOVA - Haunted.

Reaching for a spiritual connection with their younger selves, “Haunted” imagines what words of reassurance and guidance about the ways of life YOVA would pass-on in light of what they know now.

“Listening to the voice within takes us on the right path in life” muses Jova Radevska. “The chorus lyrics tell of that life force, powerful voice as guidance to be followed: ‘There is something inside, wild & free it reaches out’”.

From its skeletal piano-based beginnings to the resplendent, lush string sections that blossom to life over the course of its five minutes, “Haunted” is very much a song for the winter months, but one that holds the promise of brighter times soon-to-come. 

Arriving with bespoke visuals directed by Maltese/British photographer, filmmaker and author Mark Arrigo, the evocative official video for “Haunted” was shot in one-take and captures Jova Radevska in traditional dress, lost amidst the breathtaking and barren landscapes of the Lake District (Eskdale) at the height of mid-winter.

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This Coast Bias - Best Kind Of Trouble.

“BKOT started out as a nonsense song I was singing in the shower. I loved the first melody of the chorus so much that I just decided to dry off and immediately start working on it. From the first mix to the final one, I’ve loved it. It’s the story of a toxic relationship that both people can’t stay away from, and I’m sure we can all relate on some level.”

This Coast Bias is the indie/bedroom pop project of Clay Milford; a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After multiple stints in rock bands, Clay decided to start writing and recording music on his own, citing frustration with the hassle of, “gettin’ a group of people together.” He began releasing music as This Coast Bias in May of 2019, and has since released nineteen original songs, all of which contain a vast smorgasbord of poppy hooks, lush walls of synth, and lyrics with a penchant for calling out past girlfriends. 

“I like to call the kind of music I write breakup pop. I always seem to end up writing music about things that annoy me in relationships, but don’t most people do that?” Clay cites Prince, Tame Impala and ABBA as his influences for This Coast Bias, but says his influences in music don’t stop there. 

“I grew up on a hefty diet of disco and funk from my mom and rock from my dad. I might listen to Led Zeppelin for a week and then be sick of them and only wanna hear Donna Summer for a month straight. I don’t think you should have to pick between genres as a listener or a musician, and these days, the lines are more and more blurred by the day anyway.”

this coast bias · best kind of trouble

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Catbells - Piper Butcher - Lisa Richards

Catbells - It's Not Hard.

Dreamy melancholic shoegaze meets alt-pop singer/songwriter Catbells engages her listeners with soft hypnotic vocals, lush soundscapes, and moody melodies that capture her deep, heartfelt emotions in the most intimate of ways. Gifted with a voice like an angel, Catbells gently immerses her listeners into a world of sweet nostalgia and velvety sentiments.

The singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was introduced to the piano at age five, and by the 7th grade she was playing the guitar and writing songs about her middle school heartbreaks. After performing in several bands throughout her early music career, Catbells recently decided to focus on her own solo project.

Catbells is a somewhat enigmatic, shy wallflower type, with her name itself being an alter-ego. Named after the popular hiking spot recited in the famous children's book The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter, Catbells' cinematic music is influenced by the vast natural wild. Raised in New England, Catbells often revisits the times of her childhood in her music, where she reflects on fond memories of the seasons changing, swimming in the eastern lakes, canoeing down the river, and working on the family farm.

Her deeply personal and introspective single "Fade - Rainy Day Demo" is an intimate and open-hearted reflection of lost love. “The song really wrote itself and the music needed to match the feeling of how the words felt. There are few people who are lucky enough to escape the feeling of a completely broken heart, and feeling like the person you loved so much just moved on like it was nothing, leaving you left there with a hole where your heart once was” confides Catbells. This emotionally raw and poignant narrative and accompanying music video features innovative illustrations of a sad cat saying farewell in a starry evening background.  While on the single "Wilderness" Catbells’ soft-powered honeyed vocals float above stripped down melodies and dreamy lush acoustic soundscapes. The track was mixed by acclaimed producer Ali Chant (Aldous Harding, Perfume Genius, Soccer Mommy).

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Piper Butcher - September (E.P).

Australian singer-songwriter, Piper Butcher, follows on from the success of her smash hit singles with her shiny new EP, “September”. The debut offering is a five-track release, showcasing the talented young artist from the New South Wales steel city of Newcastle.

Leading the EP is “Haunting Your Thoughts” which has already generated close to 40,000 streams on Spotify. It’s a rocky anthem thriving on Piper’s passionate vocals and one that takes you through the story of when a trouble maker doesn’t clean up their own mess. “Long Road” is co-written with fellow roots act, Cassi Marie, and covers the long road of heartbreak. The lyrics provoke feelings of sorrow and frustration, but Piper ensures in song that leaving unhealthy people behind is a difficult but prosperous journey.

Hitting the middle of the EP is the current single, “Before The Thunder”. It has immediately struck a chord with fans and the industry alike, emanating from the storyline where someone tries to cross the line to get what they want. The song builds with emotion, entrancing you with whimsical guitars and strong melodies.

The very first song that Piper ever wrote is included in the form of “Not Yet”. It stems from pure feelings of staying in the moment which listeners correlate with on a personal level. It’s honest and calm, yet it has a depth in meaning owed to its simplicity. Closing out “September” is a steamy swarm of blues rock that immediately draws the listener in. “Soul Into Sand” sees Piper truly soaring - her voice driving the song with immense intensity and soul.

“September” is further proof that we are witnessing the launch of one of Australia’s most exciting new roots artists. It is testament not only to her talent, but also Piper Butcher’s hard work and passion for her music. Piper Butcher - “September” - is released Wed 1st September 2021.

Piper Butcher · september

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Lisa Richards - Dominoes.

Dominoes is the second single from the upcoming sixth album “I Got A Story” from Australian singer and songwriter Lisa Richards, the latest from the acclaimed singer and songwriter since she moved back to Australia from Austin, Texas. Last year Lisa returned to the USA to record in New York City to record with Tim Bright.

As Lisa explains: “Tim and I first worked together on my debut release, ‘Not Quite So Low’, then three albums later we did ‘Mad Mad Love’ and co-wrote half that album together.  We completed recording this new one on November 18th 2019 which seems like an eternity ago, given all that has transpired since then.  I lived in the USA for so long that it seemed logical to me to work with people I know and trust and have history with. So I combined tour dates in the USA with recording this new album in New York, which was, in retrospect, crazy. This recording was completed with partial support from ArtsACT for which I am very grateful.”

Lisa says that Dominoes is, "A song about being young and out of control. This song was written on piano, which is different for me as I don’t really play piano. Growing up in Townsville North QLD was wild. I don’t make a secret of the fact that I began drinking at 7 and that I was dosed on anti psychotic medication from when I was 4 or 5 years old. The sexual abuse started somewhere in there and continued until I hit puberty. Alcohol and drugs were my close friends and it’s no wonder I was all over the place!  I was super confused about men, women, sex and relationships. I remember having this desperate need to be loved and desired and the suicidal spiral that would come over me when I was rejected. Which happened a lot.  I hung out with a gang of equally confused people and we were like dominoes!

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Molly Hanmer & The Midnight Tokers - Piper Butcher - Robert Ellis Orrall

Photo - Dave Clancy

Molly Hanmer & The Midnight Tokers - Sick of Me.

"Sick of Me" is Molly Hanmer's first single in three years and the first offering off the band's sophomore album Get Loose, due out on September 2021. The song comes after the release of Molly's debut album Stuck in a Daydream, released in 2018 with warm recognition from the National press and radio.

Get Loose parts ways from the Americana-themed compositions of its predecessor and dives deeper into Molly's passion for rock, blues, and psychedelic melodies. Lyric-wise, this new record feels more personal and brings awareness to political and social subjects that had an impact in the band when writing and composing the songs. As the title implies, this album is less restrained or unrestrained, hence "Get loose".

The 10 songs included in Molly Hanmer's upcoming album are longing for freedom to shake off the confines of the pandemic as well as our own critic or fears/inhibitions, urging us to break free, physically and emotionally.

"Sick of Me" was chosen as the song to kick off this new album. Musically fun, dynamic and radio-friendly, it could be the soundtrack of any Route 66 road trip; lyric-wise, the song is an acknowledgment of the fact that ultimately we need other people, with the pandemic keeping us isolated from one another. The importance of connecting with another, and aims to be a reminder that “me, myself, and I” can’t be our sole focus.

"Sick of Me" was written in the height of lockdown, at a time when it was impossible not to be real. And what was real for us was this loneliness, this longing to connect with others, which felt both vulnerable and even a bit perverse. There was anger, too, which you can hear as the song kicks off with this relentless immediacy. And "Sick of Me" was also cathartic, a way we could express our feelings, without breaking the furniture. And if you hear a nod to Iggy and the Stooges or the Buzzcocks, well, you wouldn’t be wrong. In sum, "Sick of Me" is an expression of the angst and longing we felt during a profound and painful time in our shared history.

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Piper Butcher - Before The Thunder.

Off the back of her debut single that debuted at #3 on the iTunes Alternative Chart, Newcastle singer-songwriter, Piper Butcher, is back for more with her brand new track, “Before The Thunder”.

Piper is one of the hottest new names to hit the Australian Americana scene and “Before The Thunder” is sure to capitalise on the success of its predecessor.

Piper says, “the song emanates a story of when someone wants something they can’t have and tries to cross the line to make it happen”.

The song brings about different side of Piper showcasing strong melodies and bluesy guitar licks that would make even John Mayer proud. Her versatility shines through and cements a class act that can straddle genres with the best of them.

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Robert Ellis Orrall - Sunshine.

Today, Robert Ellis Orrall shares the summertime-ready single “Sunshine” from his forthcoming album 467 Surf and Gun Club, out August 27 via Infinity Cat imprint Fixation Records. Accompanied by a music video starring power-pop Infinity Cat band Nectar and released on the same day as the label’s 19th birthday, “Sunshine” is every bit as nostalgic as it is catchy-as-hell.

“This song's about making the sunshine, spreading the sunshine, and letting the sun shine on the people you love,” says Orrall. “I'm hoping good times are back in style and our days can get a little bit brighter, no matter what the weather is outside.” He continues, “I asked Nectar - a band I like a lot - to make a video because they share my hopelessly optimistic in-spite-of-reality wish that we will all find a little more sunshine in our lives."

Nectar adds, "We filmed the video on one of the hottest days of the summer, so we were truly fueled by sunshine. The upbeat, good vibes of the song really set the mood and we had a blast!"

Owner of Infinity Cat Records and father to JEFF the Brotherhood’s Jake and Jamin Orrall, Robert Ellis Orrall is a Nashville legend. At the helm of the beloved indie label for almost two decades, he guided Nashville's punk-rock underground and launched the careers of bands like JEFF, Diarrhea Planet, Be Your Own Pet and Daddy Issues out of the now-demolished house at 467 Humphrey Street. But Infinity Cat is not his first success story. By the time he launched the label in 2002, the Massachusetts-native had already enjoyed a milestone-filled career as a major-label artist and behind-the-scenes songwriter, racking up Top 40 hits from the ‘80s through the 2000s and co-producing Taylor Swift's multi-platinum debut album.

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