Wendy Rae Fowler - Reb Fountain - Gustaf - Daisy Chute

Wendy Rae Fowler - Golden Brown.

Wendy Rae Fowler has shared a brand new single - her own unique rendition of the Stranglers’ classic, ‘Golden Brown’. Whilst maintaining all the twinkling emotion of the original, Wendy makes the cover completely her own; adding a distinctive whimsical allure, a truly spellbinding rendition, exuding its own haunting grace. You may not think you know Wendy Rae Fowler, but you do.

Wendy Rae Fowler penned and performed the theme music to one of your favorite dark-noir thrillers, The Killing (AMC), and her music has been featured on Orange is The New Black (Netflix). Her work has been variously described as “Brutal and Beautiful” by The Sunday Times and “Eerie and unforgettable” by The Guardian.

She was a founding member of We Fell To Earth and has collaborated with numerous bands and artists, including vocals on Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘Feel Good Hit of The Summer’, Mark Lanegan (Bubblegum, Field Songs, Here Comes That Weird Chill), Eagles Of Death Metal (Death By Sexy) and Maya Jane Coles. Her music has also featured on the critically acclaimed film Jeune et Jolie and the BBC Documentary A Year in an English Garden: Flicker + Pulse. The single ‘This Is Not A Love Song’ off her new album has been recently featured on CW’s The Republic Of Sarah and she has just composed the original score for the documentary film Clay + Bone, featuring Will Self.

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Reb Fountain - Iris.

The day hath arrived. Iris, Reb Fountain's newest album, is officially out now! Yay! We have spent the week busily picking packing boxing and wrapping all of your records and CDs in anticipation for this day of days. Rest assured, if you haven't received yours yet, the couriers are busy! IRIS is coming like the Summer down under not too far away.

Reb also has today released the visual counterpart to this week's lead single, and title-track 'Iris'; the video directed and filmed by none other than Lola Fountain-Best.

The namesake of her new album, Reb says on the single, “'Iris' is a love letter to my sisters and my many selves, an embrace that holds all the stories we never shared, a rainbow connection, a feminist arsenal, a space to rest, a prism for the heart. What’s in your heart that you dare not speak? If love be our currency, what stories we would tell?"

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Gustaf - Cruel.

Brooklyn art punks Gustaf have released their highly anticipated debut album, Audio Drag For Ego Slobs via Royal Mountain Records. Following love from the likes of NPR, DIY, NME, Paste, BrooklynVegan and more for their past singles "Best Behavior", "Book" and "The Motions", the band are sharing a final video for album standout "Cruel" ahead of their supporting run with IDLES throughout the US.

With further dates planned with new Royal Mountain label-mates Pillow Queens, as well as California legends Osees, Audio Drag For Ego Slobs sees Gustaf staking their claim as New York’s “hardest working…and most reliably fun bands” 

Vocalist Lydia Gammill expands on "Cruel", "When I started working out the lyrics for cruel, I liked the idea of someone getting mad at the sunlight for shining through their window. I wanted to play with the idea of someone victimizing themselves over a blessing. Ultimately "Cruel" became a ‘love’ song — or as it goes with a lot of Gustaf songs, an anti-love song."

She continues, "The protagonist in "Cruel" is unfairly upset at someone who gave them a glimpse of a good thing and then took it away. Now they’re left obsessing over the thrill of what could have been. They were content with what they already had, but once they knew something more was possible they became indignant over losing it. Selfishly musing that if they knew it would be like this, they would’ve rather not had the thing at all."

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Daisy Chute - Let Me Be Your Home.

Daisy Chute is a folk/Americana singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and regular on the London music scene. Daisy's new single ‘Let Me Be Your Home’ is taken from her forthcoming new EP ‘Songs of Solace’.

’Let Me Be Your Home’ is the second in a concept EP entitled ‘Songs of Solace’ that follows the beginning, middle and end of a relationship and explores themes of mental health and depression. The EP features acoustic heartfelt songs with female vocal,   guitar, cello, violin & piano. 

Daisy says “Let me Be Your Home represents the honeymoon phase of the relationship. It's simply about being someone's safe place, their home. It's cosy and comforting, with a tinge of sadness hinted at with lyrics like 'when you find that life's too much to bear’”

While her musical roots were born out of her Scottish/American heritage, Daisy has had forays and extensive training in both the jazz and classical genres.  Whilst still at school Daisy signed to Universal/Decca as one quarter and lead vocalist of multi platinum selling band All Angels.
A mix of Celtic, American, Classical and Jazz backgrounds has since seen her feature across Film, TV, Game soundtracks ranging from The Sims 4, Tomb Raider, Shaun The Sheep the movie, 47 Ronin and Yesterday, to David Attenborough documentaries (A Perfect Planet) and Radiohead albums (session musician on A Moon Shaped Pool).

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Spunsugar - Reb Fountain

Spunsugar - Rodan.

Following on from the release of their highly-praised debut album ‘Drive-Thru Chapel’ last October, fast-rising Swedish trio Spunsugar return once again with their shimmering new effort ‘Rodan’.

Continuing that trend of sweet and euphoric dream-pop textures they have earned a reputation for, ‘Rodan’ sees the group return in stellar form. With its rich and soaring aesthetic married perfectly with smooth and seductive vocals, they are keeping both a tight hold over their progressive sound and pushing the boundaries of it as far as it will go.

While also a danceable-but-sad pop/shoegaze song, Rodan is of course a Kaiju, a Japanese movie monster like Godzilla. “That’s who I felt like while writing the lyrics” guitarist Cordelia says. Rodan was the first Kaiju movie made in color, and that’s a fitting symbolism to Spunsugar’s new material. With glittery guitars, synthwavey drums and Felix’s thumping railroad bass the song is equally yesterday, today and tomorrow in its sound. Elin’s vocals are clear, controlled and encourages you to listen. It solidifies a new direction for the band who feels they’ve come into their own as a unity more than ever.

Spunsugar is an alternative rock band with shoegaze influencers based in Malmö, Sweden, with roots in the small town bible belt country side. The trio has different musical backgrounds which has led media to express praise for their elaboration and new take on the dark and pulsing nature of the post-punk sound and deliver it through a completely new and diverse contemporary lens, incorporating both goth and electronic elements. After an EP and some introductory singles they 2020 released their thunderous and anthemic debut album ‘Drive-Through Chapel’. The album put them on the map as one of the most exciting bands coming out of the scene and Scandinavia with media support from Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music, The Independent, The Line of Best Fit, Nothing but Hope and Passion and much more.

Adrian Recordings · Spunsugar - Rodan

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Reb Fountain - Foxbright.

The fourth single ‘Foxbright’ is shared from Reb Fountain's forthcoming album IRIS out via Flying Nun Records on October 1st, 2021. The new single serves as a mesmerizing slow-burner, brimming with delicate piano, acoustic guitar and a stunning string section that guides the listener through its tender and understated production, with Reb’s enchanting vocals complimenting the music masterfully.

'Foxbright' is a reminder that there’s love to be found even when we can’t find it in ourselves. Reb wrote 'Foxbright' on the piano in one day, but as with all songs, it’s made up of what has come before; wild fragments in total eclipse. The simple verses, the declaratory motif and extended mid-section were connected by a chorus with a repeating melody.

"When I played Foxbright to Dave Khan he said, ‘that melody is the bass line’. I love that about the chorus; it’s a subtle and hypnotic imprint fully formed.”

We’ve all had a turn at hiding of late; the burrow’s the place we head to when in headlights. Lola Fountain-Best and Reb created an unadorned video landscape in which to observe the state of play. Dressing the set like a re-imagined blanket fort they borrowed a 16mm film projector to project industrial film footage from the 1950’s onto Reb’s body. The result is a beautiful and intimate expression of our nature.

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Gabrielle Ornate - Annabel Gutherz - Jenny Stevens and the Empty Mirrors - Lady Di - Reb Fountain - Oliv

Gabrielle Ornate - Waiting To Be Found.

Background from Gabrielle - My name is Gabrielle Ornate and I craft bohemian pop/rock tracks for the modern world. Kaleidoscopic soundscapes made from walls of epic synthesisers, adorned with riffing guitar and bass. Led by powerful vocals singing ethereal lyrics.

Think Kate Bush meets St. Vincent and Tame Impala brewed into a brand new sound of my own.

I’ve been releasing music since early this year and have received lots of playlist support on Spotify, reaching a combined streaming figure of almost 190,000 streams on my two singles.

I’ve also had radio support from BBC Introducing for each of my releases (including my upcoming single), as well as being featured in Tom Robinson’s Radio 6 Mixtape.

Gabrielle Ornate · Waiting To Be Found

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Annabel Gutherz - Remnant.

Singer-songwriter Annabel Gutherz shares her new single and lyric video, “Remnant,” from her upcoming debut album ‘Loose Ends.’ “Remnant” is an emotionally poignant coming of age track. Atop Americana-influenced guitar and understated percussion, Annabel's soothing vocals croon about lost friendship: “You were someone that I used to know / But where oh where did that girl go / Now you’re just a remnant of that dear old friend / Stuck in the body of Miss Pretend.”

An ardent and perspective storyteller, Annabel's diaristic lyricism, honeyed melodies and full-bodied vocals take listeners on a journey as she writes from the heart with raw honesty and emotional conviction. On "Remnant," she uses the personal as a vehicle into the universal, capturing the complex mutability of friendships as we move from adolescence into adulthood."It’s a song about the evolution of a friendship from childhood to adolescence, and how the dynamic between two people can change as they grow… And sometimes grow apart," Annabel says.

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Annabel Gutherz made her debut in 2018 with “Legends,” a philanthropic song whose proceeds are donated to education-based charities. After spending the past few years honing her musical talents at Berklee College of Music, Annabel is now preparing to share her debut album, ‘Loose Ends.’ The 11-song record is due out later this year and was co-produced by Dominique Messier, a long time band member for Céline Dion and owner of Studio Piccolo in Montreal, Quebec.

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Jenny Stevens and the Empty Mirrors - The River Rolls On.

Jenny Stevens, aka The Ukulele Girl, is a Welsh vocalist, musician and songwriter. On graduating from a Pop Music degree in the early 2000’s, Jen immediately bagged a singing job with her first pro band, and thereafter spent several years fronting various pop/rock cover acts, performing live to audiences across the UK. 

After 20 years of singing other people’s songs, lockdown 2020 rather surprisingly saw a return to songwriting for Jen who, having not written a song since her late teens, began collaborating with musicians all over the globe on original material. The projects span a wide range of genres from Metal to EDM, via Rock, Blues, Country and Hip-hop. Many of these collaborative efforts, along with some of Jen’s solo tracks, have subsequently been released and are available on music platforms. Still a sucker for a cover, Jen enjoys returning to her performing roots, and every so often she can be seen covering songs in her characteristic jazzy/reggae style (yes that’s a thing!) in videos featuring her trusty ukulele, on her YouTube channel. 

Although the international collaborations will keep coming, Jen is taking some time in 2021 to concentrate on her own solo material, as she has many of her own stories still to tell. Follow her on Spotify to keep up with her new releases.

The Empty Mirrors is a song project that specialises in quirkily visual and sometimes dark alt-pop. We tell stories you’ve never heard. We take you to places you’ve never been. You might feel a little wobbly afterwards, but it’ll pass. Our debut EP, ‘Puppets, Dance!’, was released in November 2020, followed by a single, ‘Kaleidoscope City’ (feat. Bruno Rocha), in March 2021.

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Lady Di - Young Savage.

Norwich trio Lady Di release new single from their debut album ‘I know You Know I’m Perfect’.

Lady Di are made up of Lisa Horton, Iain Ross and Jan Robertson – all former members of art-rock/indie-pop outfit Bearsuit (Fortuna Pop / Fantastic Plastic). They are also the alter egos of synth poppers Mega Emotion.

They play grungy dumb-ass punk, inspired by drunk summer nights and the likes of The Breeders, Urusei Yatsura and The Lemonheads.

Following early radio support from John Kennedy at Radio X and BBC Introducing for their debut single ‘AAAAAA’ the band are pleased to reveal a new single ‘Young Savage’ from their debut album.

“I’m not scared of growing old, I am afraid of growing cold” sings Iain in this track about growing up and becoming a parent. It was recorded by Magoo’s Owen Turner in the wilds of Norfolk at Sickroom Studios.

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Reb Fountain - Lacuna.

Alternative folk artist, Reb Fountain, is back in the spotlight today with her latest single, 'Lacuna' from upcoming album IRIS.

Reb Fountain’s 'Lacuna' is anthemic, poetic and rocking. "Less musician more a force of nature,” (Ambient Light), Reb’s single 'Lacuna' is sound evidence that IRIS captures the qualities of Reb’s enigmatic live performance and songwriting prowess in album form. Her rhythm section - Karin Canzek & Earl Robertson - form the backbone of of the song's landscape, illuminated by the expert production of Dave Khan & Simon Gooding, whilst Reb performs a masterful deep dive into our world and emerges with a tale of discovery and self exploration abound.

As with all of Reb’s writing there is an underbelly to the obvious. The strong rolling beat ushers the listener through what appears to be a tale of new love —"You know I can’t be whole with the sum of us apart". Reb reveals the bigger sense — “Lacuna is me describing what’s it like to grow into oneself, to wrestle with the intangible nature of our human condition, to see who we are. Unifying our many selves - the sum of our parts."

The 'Lacuna' video was shot in Queenstown, by director Lola Fountain-Best capturing Reb's vision of "exploration and transformation; a dance with our many selves". They fashioned wings out of wire and foliage and went to work filming rogue amongst autumnal skies and a forest of sunflowers.

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Oliv - Too Much Love For You.

New Zealand-hailing hidden gem Oliv is back again with her shimmering second single, 'Too Much Love For You'.

From the picture-perfect coastal town of Nelson, Oliv is gliding onto the scene with her own ethereal brand of indie pop, weaving angelic vocals and glittering synths to narrate and navigate the intricacies of human emotion. 'Too Much Love For You' is no exception, showcasing Oliv's raw and vulnerable lyricism amidst dreamy layers of instrumentation. "It is a song about giving someone more love than you get in return and the aftermath of leaving that relationship without blaming yourself for its ending," Oliv explains.

Previously collaborating with BAYNK, Sachi and Flight Facilities, Oliv has racked up over 70 million streams to her song writing name and is now channelling her talent into her solo project. For Oliv, music has always been a form of self-expression and with her calm charisma and strong inner compass, she never fails to inject her heart and soul into everything she creates. As a blossoming artist, Oliv has already been turning heads with her debut single 'If You Find A Way To Heaven', receiving almost 200,000 streams and landing herself a spot on Spotify's Soft Glow playlist beside soft pop superstars like Troye Sivan, Clairo and Sufjan Stevens.

Alongside the single release, fans will be treated to a Brigerton-reminiscent music video, serving up a whimsical pastel period-style beachside delight. Directed by her sister (Georgia of Broods) and Matt Clampitt, Oliv runs free on her own terms, ripping down the sand on a quad bike, pink puffed sleeves and all.

After already playing to a sold out home crowd in Nelson, Oliv is ready to spread her glow across the country with plans to tour New Zealand and beyond, once restrictions finally open their doors. With a collection of new singles sparkling on the horizon, make sure to keep your eyes on Oliv - she won't be New Zealand's best kept secret for much longer.

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Ålesund - Trunky Juno - Reb Fountain - Ebony Buckle

Ålesund - Rhythm.

Following up on the 2020 release of their second EP ‘All Hail To Your Queen’, Bristol-based atmospheric Alt-Pop quartet Ålesund return with upcoming EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’, due for release July 9th.

After the untimely curtailing of their European Tour in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ålesund traveled back to the UK feeling uncertain. Although things were going so well with a new offering and an extensive touring and festival schedule to get stuck into, the timing of the unplanned hiatus was less than ideal. Rather than take it to heart, the group’s vocalist and songwriter Alba Torriset retreated to her hometown of Hastings to try and reconnect with music in a positive way.

 “With all the negativity in the world, I wanted to create something uplifting and optimistic,” she says, and so the four track EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’ was created. Alba and guitarist Lloyd Starr started to put together demos with a euphoric and festival-tinged edge. They then engaged with long term collaborator and producer Jake Bright to help build the record.

This is the first time that a batch of songs have been created in this way for the band. Due to the inability to all be in the same room, Alba tried her hand at Logic and demoed her ideas to send to the others. She went back to basics creating rhythm and texture by layering up clapping and even using wooden spoons to get the percussive sounds she was after. She also layered up lots of backing vocals to flesh out her ideas. These all became features within the record and the rest of the band liked how the lockdown restrictions had actually pushed the sound forward in ways it perhaps wouldn’t have if they had all been able to jam the ideas in the same room.

Throughout the EP Alba’s intoxicating vocals take on totally different auras that interchange based on the musical landscapes they’re placed against; soaring atmospheric synth-laden soundscapes, shimmering guitars and tantalizing grooves.

Lyrically, the songs were inspired by being so still and so quiet in lockdown and being able to hear and see things that would have previously passed you by. “The usual hustle and bustle of life can drown things out, but with everything and everyone stopping, it brought a magnificent clarity. Hearing the birds sing, watching the trees blossom, following the cycles of the full moon. Thinking more about what is real, what is important, human instincts, human interactions, the natural world and how we all work together within it”, states Alba.

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Trunky Juno - Hawaiian Pizza.

Trunky Juno is back with latest buoyant single Hawaiian Pizza.  Showcasing his trademark melodic hooks, kaleidoscopic sonic palette and wistful lyrics, the track is the perfect pizza-themed accompaniment to the start of summer, and a high point off the also-released Good Dog EP.

In Hawaiian Pizza, Trunky celebrates the friendships we make in spite of (and often because of) our differences, using the context of a controversial pizza topping to point towards a more fundamental and universal message. Through the lyrics “I’ve got Hawaiian pizza in the oven coming soon, the fridge is full of cold ones, enough for two”, Trunky highlights the joy found in sharing the simpler things in life with others and in so doing sounds like the type of friend we all need.

As he explains, “Hawaiian Pizza is a song about tuning out people who shit all over everything you like. I like Hawaiian pizza, you like Hawaiian pizza so let's be friends and eat Hawaiian pizza together."

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Reb Fountain - Beastie.

This week Reb Fountain announced her new album IRIS is out October 1st, plus she dropped what we think might be one of best videos (called Beastie) video. As well as the regular vinyl and CD formats, we have a limited edition transparent turquoise vinyl available. Also, a reminder that Reb won the 2021 Taite Music Prize, was shortlisted for the Silver Scroll Award for her song ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’, and the album Reb Fountain was nominated for five New Zealand Music Awards.

In May 2020, Reb Fountain released her self-titled album via New Zealand label Flying Nun Records to much critical acclaim. Reb Fountain won the 2021 Taite Music Prize, was shortlisted for the Silver Scroll Award for her song ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’, and the album Reb Fountain was nominated for five New Zealand Music Awards; Album of the Year, Best Alternative, Best Solo Artist, Best Album Artwork and Best Engineer.

Award-winning songwriter, Reb Fountain, is a consummate recording artist and performer; spell-bounding audiences with her music and artistry alike. Throughout 2020, Reb and her all-star band (Dave Khan, Karin Canzek and Earl Robertson) astounded audiences around the country on her sold out album release tour, joined Crowded House on their 13 date ‘To The Island Tour’, performed at Splore, and honoured the great Nick Cave at the sold out Auckland Town Hall shows ‘The Boy Next Door’.

Reb was born in San Francisco and immigrated with her family from North America to Lyttelton — the quiet port town out of Christchurch that’s been fundamental to New Zealand’s alt-folk scene, raising artists like Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, and Delaney Davidson.

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Ebony Buckle - Wild Women.

Ebony Buckle is a London-based singer/songwriter, originally from her tropical seaside home of Townsville, Australia. Writing and performing with her husband, musician Nick Burns, who also produces her music, Buckle uses captivating stories to hold a mirror up to herself and the world. Reflected in these songs is our humanity - our wants and needs, our struggles to fit in or break out. Throughout all of this is the hope that we can connect, that we can see the magnificent beauty of our universe and that we can grow and learn and evolve without fear.

From a poem to a song, the whimsical “Wild Woman” makes a minimal, haunting entrance giving off a timeless, magical aura. The choir of layered vocals emit an angelic echo, while moments of opera displayed in a fluid, godly arrangement, mirror a dance as her powerful wild woman takes center stage. The instrumentation carries a tense and powerful drum beat, folk-glowing guitar and a selection of affecting strings that cradle the soundscape.

After being struck by a quote in the book “Women who run with the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Buckle wrote the song as a plea to her inner “Wild Woman”. She shares, “The one who has taught me to tend to my inner power, to keep me on the path that is truest to myself, to trust my own intuition and to take up space in the world.” Often struggling with confidence, Buckle cherishes what makes her feel most like herself and wishes to never let that part go. Focusing on staying true to herself and releasing music that is reflective of her authentic creativity, “Wild Woman” symbolises the next part of her creative venture as a musician and keeping her autonomy over what she creates.

“Wild Women” is the sixth track from her upcoming album Disco Lasers. The album is a collection of audio-visual stories celebrating the wonders of our universe and how we as human beings make sense of our existence through folklore legends, science and our imagination. Buckle reveals, “The album as a whole is very atmospheric, almost cinematic. Each song is arranged to tell that specific story. For this one we wanted to make it more of a folk song that might be sung around a fire. Or dance to under a full moon. It’s a much more grounded side of me...I’m not always up in the air with aliens and space whales!”

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