Rosie Carney - Anna Krantz - Grace Gillespie

Rosie Carney version of Radiohead's classic 'The Bends' album is shaping up to be a very special collection as the new single 'Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was' clearly demonstrates. Her beautiful interpretation of the songs shared so far, has been quite stunning and we only have a couple of weeks until the full album is released. ===== Our third feature for Anna Krantz this year comes in the form of her new single 'The Trouble With Suzie' and her knack for creating melodic, addictive and catchy songs is once again clearly evident.  ===== Another artist who has been a regular here in 2020 is Grace Gillespie who has just released 'For Nick Drake'. This is a really fine lyrical homage to an artist who influenced so many others after his sadly short life, with Grace's creative skills notable again on this gentle folk piece.

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Rosie Carney - Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was.

Rosie Carney shares two final singles ahead of releasing her ambitious quarantine project covering Radiohead's seminal mental health album The Bends in its entirety on the 11th of December.

“Bullet Proof … I Wish I Was” & “Sulk” follow previous singles "Black Star", "Bones" and “Just” which found strong support at Stereogum, SPIN, The Line of Best Fit, NME, Consequence of Sound, BPM and much more.

“The whole record is very relatable to me, but Bulletproof in particular really captured how lost I was feeling basically throughout the whole year. So many moments were spent wishing I was mentally stronger and wishing someone could just tell me what to do with my time every day.”

Like "Bones" and "Black Star", “Bullet Proof … I Wish I Was” also comes with a home-made video, the song and visual Carney claims as perhaps her most challenging on the album. “I’ve spent a good solid chunk of this year being afraid of literally myself” she says as she looks to capture the dynamic of her internal love/hate relationship.

“Nothing screams anxiety like really fast flashing lights, being half naked and staring down a camera lens at yourself for hours on end. I was completely alone (apart from my sisters hands in one of the shots) on my bedroom floor, which in itself comes with a vulnerability I usually wouldn’t share with the world. It was a weirdly safe but uncomfortable experience”

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends. Co-produced by Rosie and JMAC (Luz, Haux), the project is a poetic example of things coming full circle - it’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room and covering the band has acted a a form of therapy, as, like so many others this year, her original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic.

Rosie Carney’s version of The Bends is due for release on December 11th via Color Study and “Bullet Proof … I Wish I Was” and “Sulk” are out now. 

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Anna Krantz - The Trouble With Suzie.

“The trouble with Suzie, she likes the trouble, picks it up like a bottle, pours a double on the rocks…” - Anna Krantz

Anna Krantz’s third single in her latest bewitching series ‘new moon, new tune’ ‘The Trouble With Suzie’ takes a look at the destructive behaviours we all experience in some shape or form. Suzie represents those ill-advised choices we can all make, which don’t support our ultimate happiness and well-being but feel so damn good in the moment! So we choose them over and over again, and that’s the trouble with Suzie...

Written on Zoom with friend and co producer Simon Johnson, the character Suzie was born after a long and amusing conversation between Krantz and Johnson about theirs and their friends vices.

“It was initially written as a country song to be pitched for a country artist. Once it was finished though, I couldn’t get it out of my head. So we found a way to produce the track in a style which felt fun for me to sing. I’m so pleased we did! I love singing this song!”

Names such as Suzanne Vega, Fleetwood Mac and Phill Collins where thrown around for production references. Johnson quickly put down an inspired electric guitar part at his home studio in the south of England and sent it to Krantz in Dublin.

“His guitar part took me back to the 90’s when I was listening to bands like The Sunday’s and Alecia’s Attic. Layering my vocal felt like the perfect complement to Simon’s atmospheric tone. I used to track my vocals a lot as a teenager experimenting with Logic audio for the first time. Recording these vocals felt very reminiscent of that time. It was a proper nostalgia fest!”

Johnson wanted the drums to sound dry and edgy. Adam Box (Brother’s Osborne) was the perfect choice for such a sound. Once Box recoded his drum in Nashville Krantz sent the song to friend, songwriter and producer, Jon Green, who recently had a #1 hit with Lady A.

“I sent the song to Jon asking him simply for a bass player recommendation, as my go to bass player had injured her arm and couldn’t play. Wonderfully and unexpectedly, Jon offered to give the bass part a go himself. In his usual humble manner, he said something along the lines of “this might be shit, but see what you think.”” What he sent back was genius and really tied the whole track together.”

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Grace Gillespie - For Nick Drake.

Grace Gillespie didn’t plan on writing the EP’s latest single, “For Nick Drake,” for the late songwriter himself – the words came out very quickly to craft an homage for a beautiful man who was too delicate, too quiet, too aware for this loud and uncaring world.

Grace is a London-based artist and producer originally from Devon, who spent much of 2017 touring as part of the live line-up for 4AD’s Pixx. In 2019 Grace received PRS’s WMM funding and consequently released her debut EP ‘Pretending,’ which garnered support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Earmilk. This year she has received support from the ‘Help Musicians’ ‘Do it Differently’ award, and is using this to release an EP in the autumn. Some of her notable live shows include supporting James Morrison at Dingwalls, Camden and headlining the folk stage at Tipping Point festival in Newcastle. 

Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists, as well as backing from NME, Crack In The Road and The Wild Honey Pie. Her most recent singles have been playlisted on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’,‘Garden Indie’ & ‘The Lovely Little Playlist’. 

She has received radio plays from BBC 6 music as well as being a featured artist on BBC Introducing London. Her early demo of ‘Restoration’ saw her tipped to Q Magazine by Newton Faulkner and brought her to the attention of Kaleidoscope, who worked with her to produce her first solo releases in 2018. Her sound takes influences from the folk, alternative and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism.

Grace Gillespie · For Nick Drake

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Kai Strauss - Grace Gillespie - Rosie Carney - WeatheredMan and The Noise

Kai Strauss shares the title song for his forthcoming album 'In My Prime'. Comprising of eleven tracks this is a powerful, high quality collection of stylish blues and blues rock material ===== Grace Gillespie is back with her beautiful, personal and gently melodic song 'The Child' making it appearance number five this year. ===== Rosie Carney is another regular here and long may that continue as she presents another song from Radiohead's 'The Bends album this time we have 'Black Star' where to say she puts her own mark on it is something of an understatement. ===== WeatheredMan and The Noise have released 'Natural Force' and the band serve up some feisty, hook filled rock that has plenty of depth and layers considering there's just two of them.

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Kai Strauss - In My Prime.

After 25 years on the scene Kai Strauss is no longer “just another guitar player from Europe”. First as musical mastermind in Memo Gonzalez’ Bluescasters and later under his own name, Kai has built himself a reputation of a purveyor of authentic blues traditions. He gets his inspirations from all the great players and does not restrict himself to just one type of blues.

His versatility does not get in the way from consistency in style and quality. And after receiving many awards for his previous releases we dare say that “In My Prime” is yet another step up in his already impressive body of work.

He pays tribute to his musical heroes, mostly from the 70’s giving his own twist to their characteristics and with his ever soul filled voice.

His previous albums have been best sellers in the European blues community and have been lauded with great reviews all over Europe. We did not believe it possible but now are convinced that Kai Strauss and his fabulous band have delivered yet a better album than anything they released to date. The new album In My Prime is due out November 27th 2020.

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Grace Gillespie - The Child.

Grace Gillespie is a London-based artist and producer originally from Devon, who spent much of 2017 touring as part of the live line-up for 4AD’s Pixx. In 2019 Grace received PRS’s WMM funding and consequently released her debut EP ‘Pretending,’ which garnered support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Earmilk. This year she has received support from the ‘Help Musicians’ ‘Do it Differently’ award, and is using this to release an EP in the autumn. 

 Some of her notable live shows include supporting James Morrison at Dingwalls, Camden and headlining the folk stage at Tipping Point festival in Newcastle. Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists, as well as backing from NME, Crack In The Road and The Wild Honey Pie. Her most recent singles have been playlisted on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’,‘Garden Indie’ & ‘The Lovely Little Playlist’. 

She has received radio plays from BBC 6 music as well as being a featured artist on BBC Introducing London. Her early demo of ‘Restoration’ saw her tipped to Q Magazine by Newton Faulkner and brought her to the attention of Kaleidoscope, who worked with her to produce her first solo releases in 2018. Her sound takes influences from the folk, alternative and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism.

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Rosie Carney - Black Star.

Rosie Carney shares "Black Star" in advance of releasing her ambitious quarantine project covering Radiohead's seminal mental health album The Bends in its entirety. The tracks follow her stunning interpretation of "Bones" which found strong support from many music sites.

As with "Bones", "Black Star" is shared today as a home-made video shot in Carney's beautiful rural home-county of Donegal, Ireland. "One of my favourite things about this song is the non-sugar coated realness of it", she explains.

"It’s very bleak and sad when you start to realise a relationship is on its way out. I feel like everyone has been in that situation where you just kind of aimlessly fill your day with crap to distract yourself from thinking about someone (even though you are the whole time). Throughout the record I tried to keep as many songs in their original key as possible, but when I started learning Black Star, I wanted it to feel like I was almost talking in the verses, so I purposely lowered it to the point it was nearly uncomfortable for me to sing. The words are so direct and bleak and honest I didn’t want to risk them going unheard."

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends. Co-produced by Rosie and JMAC (Luz, Haux), the project is a poetic example of things coming full circle - it’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room and covering the band has acted a a form of therapy, as, like so many others this year, her original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic.

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WeatheredMan and The Noise - Natural Force.

Simon Bradshaw (AKA WeatheredMan) is a performer, writer and producer currently working out of a number of studios across the north of England. After many years of various bands and projects, he has accumulated support from all the UK’s premier tastemakers (NME, Q, Mojo, Lamacq, Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe, Peter Hook and his treasured John Peel session), completed mulitiple US and European tours (including 3 trips to SXSW) and has synched songs to films and TV shows such as Snatch and Gossip Girl. Still recording as WeatheredMan, last year his many volumes of varied output were recognised when he was nominated as Best UK Solo Artist and for Best UK Song by the indie bible Pure M (alongside luminaries such as Zayn Malik, Kate Tempest, Adam Ant and Gaz Coombes). As producer he has recently worked with K-Pop all stars “Super M” on their next single due out later this year.

After a successful EP in 2019 (C-30 Duets Vol 1) and a Christmas single, WeatheredMan now presents his 2 piece rock band – WeatheredMan and the Noise –and their new single, “Natural Force”. It’s raw. It’s loud. It’s 2 men who should know better, playing as if their lives depended on it.

WeatheredMan says, “This is a song about finding out that somebody doesn't love you anymore. The sentiment is not of course an original one but my experience certainly was. A brutal unstripping of everything I thought I knew. I mean let's face it...I'm going to write a few more like this...

Musically it's a 2 piece rock band playing as if their lives depended on it. Recorded pretty much live and in the room. It doesn't mess around.”

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The Luxembourg Signal - Rosie Carney - Terra Lightfoot

The Luxembourg Signal are back with two new singles 'Mourning Moon' and 'The Morning After' ahead of their new album 'The Long Now' due out this coming Friday. Mixing dream pop and indie rock these two tracks suggest the album as a whole will pack plenty of creative and varied material. ===== Rosie Carney is one of the most (deservedly) featured artists we have on Beehive Candy and her new version of Radiohead's song 'Bones' is taken from her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album 'The Bends' due in December. ===== Terra Lightfoot makes her seventh appearance here with the new song and video for 'Consider the Speed' and it's yet another hook filled and melodic rocker.

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The Luxembourg Signal - Mourning Moon / The Morning After.

Dreampop and shoegaze indie super group The Luxembourg Signal dropping two new singles this afternoon with "Morning After" at Joy of Violent Movement and "Mourning Moon" at the Week in Pop. Their new album 'The Long Now' is out on Shelflife Records and Spinout Nuggets on October 23rd.

With the release of their self-titled debut album on Shelflife Records in 2014, The Luxembourg Signal quickly attracted a loyal following among fans of dream pop/indie pop music, and received enthusiastic reviews for their pop sensibilities, angelic vocals and lush soundscapes.

Their follow-up LP, Blue Field (Shelflife) released in 2017, garnered even more praise and revealed a bolder, darker and more developed sound with its expanded seven-member lineup of Beth Arzy & Betsy Moyer (vocals), Johnny Joyner (guitars), Brian Espinosa (drums), Ginny Pitchford (keyboards), Daniel Kumiega (bass) and Kelly Davis (guitars).

Now, for their third LP, the transatlantic group based in London, Los Angeles and San Diego, once again returned to the studio with engineer Mark Rains and have produced the highly anticipated The Long Now (Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets), a 10 song album that imagines a blurred horizon that lies between light and dark, and the fleeting nature of all that we hold.

"The Long Now" (phrase coined by Brian Eno) refers to a long-term way of perceiving time. As an alternative to the accelerated way that we experience our lives, it allows us to make sense of our brief but tumultuous time here, by understanding our place in a much larger timeline as history plays out.

The LP echoes these concepts in tracks like the jangly and upbeat ‘The Morning After’ which evokes the optimism of sunrise at dawn while the dynamic and gritty '2:22' conveys the paralysis of being confined in a digital world. 'Lost Hearts' and 'Mourning Moon' reveal vague and simple lyrics that bring up memories that are anything but vague and simple -- From fundamental disagreements with a mate over a history that cannot be rewritten, to the very moment of the loss of a loved one. 

shelflife · The Luxembourg Signal - Mourning Moon

shelflife · The Luxembourg Signal - The Morning After

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Rosie Carney - Bones.

Rosie Carney announces her lockdown rendition of Radiohead’s seminal mental health album The Bends. It is due on December 11th via Color Study (Lav, Charli Adams, Haux) and today she also shares her recording of “Bones”.

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends, highlighted in her arrangement of “Bones”.

“I recorded “Bones” the day before I flew home to spend the rest of lockdown with my family in Ireland” Carney explains. “I listened to it nonstop as I travelled from my flat in London into the middle of nowhere. Every single line resonated with me on such a deep level and after this one I became far more confident in how I wanted the songs to sound if they were mine.”

Like so many others this year, Carney’s original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic. Having to abandon her recording plans, she relapsed into depression and decamped from London to her bedroom in her parent’s house in Ireland. While receiving treatment there she decided to cover ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ but when she saw how many people had already done it, she changed tack and went for the LP in full as a bigger challenge.

Sketching out most of the album on Garageband she drafted in co-producer JMAC (Haux, Luz) who added violin, viola, cello, drums, horns, woodwinds and vocoder remotely.

It’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room. Now, covering the band as therapy, it’s a poetic example of things coming full circle.

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Terra Lightfoot - Consider the Speed.

Nearly three years since the release of her critically acclaimed album New Mistakes, soulful rocker Terra Lightfoot shares the new single and video for "Consider the Speed", the title track off new album Consider the Speed, released today on Sonic Unyon Records.

Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee at legendary Royal Studios, the new single sees Lightfoot supported by drummer Steve Potts, bassist Eli Abrams, and keyboardist Lester Snell — and was produced by Jay Newland and engineered by Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.

Celebrating the release of her new studio album, Lightfoot will perform an exclusive album release on Saturday October 17 starting at 7pm EDT. This full-band concert will deliver the powerhouse performances that fans have come to expect from the acclaimed songwriter-guitarist-vocalist. The ticketed livestream will feature Lightfoot and band (bassist Eli Abrams and drummer Glenn Milchem); tickets are now available via Terralightfoot.com and sidedooraccess.com.

Alongside the single, Lightfoot releases a new video for the song, directed by Mat Dunlap, videographer and graphic designer for The Sheepdogs, Andy Shauf, and Rose Cousins. For the freewheeling video, Dunlap transplanted some of the song's Southern energy into Hamilton, Ontario's historic Gage Park.

“This video shoot was so much fun,” Lightfoot recalls. “We borrowed some bikes from my manager's mom, and Mat made a mask to look exactly like my drummer Frankie (who is American and couldn't cross the border to be with us). The video shoot was mostly me yelling "AWWW" at every dog that walked by. Gage Park is a local dog-walking mecca, so this probably happened every five seconds. Mat was shooting from a rickety old bike trailer I borrowed from a friend, so the other half of the video shoot was me asking “Dude... are you okay?" While we were shooting the bandshell performance, a French immersion pre-school class was watching us from the field. It was probably a half hour of the same song, but they loved it and danced the entire time. That's definitely the vibe you see on camera.”

“We came up with the idea after Terra was texting me photos from a sunrise bike ride and the light looked amazing,” says Dunlap. “I knew Terra was going for a lot of bike rides during the pandemic and thought it could be a fun thing to lean into. It’s such an unabashed love song that it seemed like the video needed to have Terra front-and-centre with her heart on her sleeve. It’s also a rocker, so we added a little glam flavouring with the stars and the band as silhouettes just to keep it fun and weird. In the end, it was one of the most enjoyable video shoots ever because we basically just biked around Gage Park while Terra waved and sang to every dog in sight.”

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Rosie Carney - Maleena - Alla Igityan

Rosie Carney has released a new single 'i spoke to god' alongside her new E.P. We shared 'When I Look At You' a month ago and this is another gorgeous track from this consistently creative artist. === Maleena shares 'Don't Forget Me' and it's a refined modern pop song with beautiful vocals. === From Alla Igityan we have 'Sad Song' which may have sad sentiments lyrically, but it's also a refined and very pleasing piece.
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Rosie Carney - i spoke to god.

Rosie Carney releases new single "i spoke to god" alongside new EP i dreamed i was the night today. The EP was made in New York with Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), known for his work with Sufjan Stevens, Vagabon, Florence & The Machine and more, after the success of her debut album Bare.

‘i spoke to god’ was written in Rosie’s family home in Ireland after a 3-month tour, as she explains: “I was very heartbroken at the time and I remember it rained nonstop for a week and I literally didn’t leave my bedroom. All in all, the melody came first, fairly quickly and the lyrics followed slowly after as a poem but made up of gibberish.”

“I basically floated around my room like a ghost talking to myself,” she continues. Despite the title, she says “I’m not religious and I didn’t actually speak to god (disappointing I know), but when I did speak to myself, I pretended it was being heard by something much bigger than all of this.”

Although it comes from a place of pain, "i spoke to god" has an edge of optimism: “this song is predominantly a breakup song, but the message is very much one of self-reflection during a time of obsessing over someone who didn’t love me anymore.” "i spoke to god" follows previous single "when i look at you", an intimate cut capturing the last 10 tumultuous years of Rosie’s life which featured her bravely dancing on camera for the first time.

The EP follows Carney’s critically acclaimed debut album Bare which saw NPR write; “her songs feel lived-in and worn, conveying a bruised ache well beyond her years” and glowing reviews from The Line of Best Fit (9/10), Mojo, The Sunday Times and Uncut. "i spoke to god" is available on all online platforms April 10th alongside upcoming EP i dreamed i was the night, via Color Study, a self-described “personal pop” indie label founded in 2019 by her manager Spencer Kelley.

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Maleena - Don't Forget Me.

18-year old pop artist and high school senior, Maleena, today released a heart-wrenching video dedicated to the worldwide class of 2020, who are increasingly seeing their schools closed for the rest of their senior year due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The video for “Don’t Forget Me” bounces between scenes of current-day Maleena isolated in her cap and gown and scenes of future Maleena looking through a box of memories from her senior year, including a newspaper documenting the school closures.

“It is heartbreaking to know that we, as the Class of 2020, have unexpectedly already spent our last days in our schools without a proper goodbye,” said Maleena.  “But, I want to let all my classmates throughout the world that we are not alone in this.  We are bonded together by these unprecedented events and we will be a stronger generation because of them.  We can’t forget that and we can’t forget each other.”

Maleena began her musical career in 2010, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She has been involved in numerous musical groups, ranging from the hard rock band, Chip & The Charge Ups, to Pittsburgh Youth Chorus.

Maleena has been performing her own songs in shows that feature singer-songwriters since 2017. She has been writing music for the entirety of her life and finally made a breakthrough in her music career with the release of “Uninvited” in 2019.  She continues to write and record her original music and plans to release a 6-song EP in 2020.

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Alla Igityan - Sad Song.

Being a software engineer by profession and a singer/songwriter by passion, I am super-blessed to enjoy two distinct yet exciting careers at the same time. Back in school life, when everyone was preparing for university, I decided to opt for vocal lessons along with getting apt at playing violin and guitar. That marked a new phase of my life. From turning on karaoke to pretend myself performing at my concert to actually recording my favorite songs and uploading them on YouTube, I eventually achieved that level where I wrote my first song.

While I love the extensive troubleshooting and technical exposure of my day job as an engineer, singing is an entirely different world for me. Having Bob Dylan, Jason Isbell, John Prine and many other amazing songwriters as my inspiration, I strongly believe in openly expressing my ideologies and personality in the songs I write.

I was born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, and even though in the last couple of years I started performing at the local bars/pubs and having success there, in 2019 I left my comfort zone to move to Berlin, Germany. I believe being a part of a much bigger music community will bring more challenges, and will also let me learn and grow even faster.

This song is about unwanted changes that sometimes happen in our lives. It doesn’t matter if you stay strong and believe that it’s gonna work out for the best - sometimes you just can’t help but feel sad. I wrote this song a couple of years ago when I was going through something similar in my life, when I wanted to go back to the way everything was before. With everything going on in the world at this moment this feels like an appropriate time to play this song.

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Hundreds - Melby - CocoRosie - Rosie Carney - Ross Palmer

We shared 'Body Of Water' by Hundreds in January and they are back with their third single 'Calling' and it's another splendid electro pop song. === It's a year to the day since we last featured Melby who have just released 'Things I Do When I'm Alone' a melodic indie folk track that is warm and so engaging. === Yesterday CocoRosie released their seventh album entitled 'Put The Shine On' from which we have already shared some tracks, now we have the whole collection and it is everything they promised and more. === Time flies by, it's been over a year since we last featured Rosie Carney whose back with the new single 'When I Look At You'. So this is appearance twelve on Beehive Candy, maybe that's enough of a recommendation in it's own right. === Today Ross Palmer releases 'You Wont Need To Cry' a smooth, melodic alt folk kind of a song and it's beautiful.
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Hundreds - Calling.

After "Ready Shaking Silent" and "Body of Water", Hundreds now share their third single "Calling" from the upcoming album The Current, which will be released on March 27th on Embassy of Music.

On their fourth album, the siblings Philipp and Eva Milner know how to weave the organic with the electronic like few in the German pop landscape. They underlay great melodies and emotions with a steady pulse of electronic beats and synths that quickly gets under your skin. In this respect, The Current has even more facets than the previous albums, the timbre is brighter, the attitude more combative.

Soundwise, the courage to try out new things is most evident on the single "Calling". It starts with little more than the Hundreds DNA: Philipp's synth flickering, a beat that still has to decide whether it wants to appear euphoric or threatening, and Eva's longing, strong, yet cool and dramatic voice. And then suddenly, after 90 seconds, right after a break in which you can only hear Eva, a wind section suddenly burst open the song, a stadium-pop moment, which at this point doesn't seem cheesy at all but rather like a kind of positive battle cry. Which is partly because of Eva's words: "I’ll raise another banner I’m raising my own banner.“ That this point is so momentous is also due to the contrast to the theme of the song and lines like this: "I see you falling / falling apart / falling for yourself / and the stories you’ve made up I hear you howling in the dark and I won’t take part.“ What Eva describes here is nothing less than the moment of the struggle to break free from an emotionally unhealthy friendship to a person who turned out to be a chronic narcissist.

In the official video that was shot at the Baltic Sea, in the Wendland area of Germany, Eva takes the meaning of ‘Calling’ to a deeper level. Effortlessly striding across the beautiful landscape, she waves a red flag warning foes to keep their distance: "Raise your voice, discover your own strength, leave people behind you who are slowly poisoning you and 'raise your banner’!

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Melby - Things I Do When I'm Alone.

Stockholm four-piece Melby have constantly been growing since their debut with catchy single 'Human' in 2016. Last year, the band took their biggest step yet with the acclaimed debut record 'None of this makes me worry' which was followed by tour dates all over Europe. Now, the band are set to return with new single 'Things I Do When I'm Alone' which is out now before the band head off on yet another tour that will see them play dates in Denmark and Germany.

The band often gets comparison to fellow Swedes Dungen and Amason but Melby’s dynamic sound, with influences from folk, psych, indie and pop, stand out. The quartets light, semi-psychedelic folk pop is led by Matilda Wiezell’s enchanting voice which fits perfectly with Melby’s unique musical landscape - a sound that's been called "otherworldly, and wholly brilliant" by The Line of Best Fit. The band consists of Wiezell, Are Engen Steinsholm (back-up vocals, guitar), David Jehrlander (bass) and Teo Jernkvist (drums) and formed while living together in a Stockholm shared housing.

Things I Do When I'm Alone is a development of the sound of Melby's debut, building on the more melancholy folk inspired sides that were showcased on None of this makes me worry without losing the playfulness and sense of melody that always have been a vital part of the band's sound.

Melby on the track: "Most of this song was recorded in kind of strange places: the staircase leading to our rehearsal space, and a friend's living room. This made us much less picky than we usually are. And it was easier to feel happy with what we did at once when we weren’t in a regular studio. I don’t think we did more than two takes on any track, and we decided on the sound of each instrument instantly. It feels like this gives the track more of a playful quality than our earlier songs have had. I think this mixes well with the themes of the song. You could say it is about longing for a sense of community, and to live with other people." Things I Do When I'm Alone is out on Rama Lama Records (ROW) and Sinnbus (GSA) now. The track was recorded with and produced by Alexander Eldefors.

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CocoRosie - Put The Shine On (Album).

Sister duo CocoRosie (Sierra and Bianca Casady) release their seventh album Put The Shine On via Marathon Artists. With stand out tracks such as “Smash My Head” including a Bianca Casady-directed video, “Aloha Friday” and “Restless” which includes a rollerskating fun video (directed by CocoRosie), the band have paved a new way for their follow-up to their 2015 album Heartache City.

Dear Ones. Let us celebrate together the release of our 7th Record! (Can you imagine we have been a band for 17 years?!) “Put The Shine One” means a lot to us and contains much of our heart & soul. Cheers to new light! And new love! Love, CocoRosie

Summer 2019 saw CocoRosie return first via a collaboration with Chance The Rapper, “Roo” (co-written, produced and performed by CocoRosie)on his album, The Big Day. CocoRosie’s music has influenced a wide variety of artists over the years - besides Chance The Rapper, from Melanie Martinez stating the sisters are a major inspiration, as well as Jay Rock on “Knock It Off” and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis on “Stay at Home Dad” sampling their music, to respected artists like Yoko Ono and Jim Jarmusch praising the sisters.

CocoRosie is the music-based project of American cross-disciplinary performance artists Sierra and Bianca Casady. Their songs blend a myriad of styles and references, from hip-hop to folk and opera, shaping the most painful of experiences into memorable and evocative pop songs. Taken as a whole, CocoRosie’s music is an ongoing psychologically intimate dialogue between the siblings. Each sister has multiple personae and vocal styles; Bianca delivers troubadours-style rap while Sierra often responds with ethereal tones while accompanying their voices on harp, piano, or guitar. A quintessential part of their sound is a percussive landscape made using children's toys and other found objects which adds a particular nostalgia to their songs.

Finding expression for their ideas in other disciplines beyond the traditional musical parameters is paramount to the sisters - and often a source of inspiration for their songwriting. In addition to their album tours and festival performances worldwide, Bianca has held solo exhibitions of her artwork in NYC at Deitch Gallery and Cheim and Read. Bianca has created  “Nightshift,” a dance-theater production and Sierra wrote and performed “Soul Life,” an experimental opera, both staged at the Donau Festival in Krems which they curated in 2012. Continuing on her path to become a theater director, Bianca directed two theater plays with the National Theater Academy in Norway and is currently developing new works, exploring new forms of opera and dance where Sierra will play a lead role, to be premiered at the Manchester Festival in 2022.

Sierra has arranged and performed music in collaboration with the likes of the Symphony Orchestra of Amsterdam, The ICA in London and The Sydney Opera House. Most recently, CocoRosie has composed original scores for four full-length theatrical works by Robert Wilson: Peter Pan, Pushkin's Fairy Tales, Edda and Jungle Book. Last year they presented the second series of songs written for a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet at their hometown Kronos Festival in San Francisco.

In their seventeen years as CocoRosie, the sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady have released seven albums: Put The Shine On (2020), Heartache City (2015), Tales of A Grass Widow (2013), Grey Oceans (2010), The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (2007), Noah's Ark (2005), and their debut album, La Maison de Mon Reve (2004) -- each one inspiring controversy and debate in equal amounts to praise; such is their fearlessness and willingness to take risks with their art. This strong creative vision runs through every aspect of their work - from videos to live performance utilizing theatrical costumes and make-up - which they create alongside each new body of songs.

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Rosie Carney - When I Look At You.

Following her critically acclaimed debut album Bare, Rosie Carney returns with new single “when i look at you.”, the first single of upcoming EP i dreamed i was the night. With more than 2 million monthly listeners and over 70 million streams on Spotify, Carney’s debut album ‘Bare’ received praise from The Line of Best Fit (9/10), Mojo, The Sunday Times, PASTE, NPR and Uncut. Written after the release of Bare, Rosie created a collection of dark folk songs which she recorded in New York with Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), known for his work with Sufjan Stevens, Vagabon, Florence + the Machine and more.

The first single ‘when i look at you’ is being released with an accompanying video. It’s another intimate moment from Carney in a first choreographed visual pursuing the song’s themes: “heartbreak, betrayal and destruction. All of which I have inflicted on myself for as long as I can remember.” She explains; “I never felt comfortable being in front of the camera, it’s like I wrapped myself in chains, and I knew in order to really tell this story I had to break myself free from them.”

It’s a further exploration into the effects of her past which she so devastatingly conveys on Bare. The album received a critical acclaim from the press with NPR writing “her songs feel lived-in and worn, conveying a bruised ache well beyond her years… the weary grace of a survivor who’s located the source of her strength.” This was echoed by the outpouring of messages from her fiercely expanding fan base as it resonated globally.

Throughout the period from her being discovered and signed the age of 16 to Bare’s release, the only constant was the catharsis that came with song writing: “I see my songs in images as I write them, so I knew as I wrote this song that I would be in the video, something I’ve never done before. I knew I wanted to move my body (again something I’ve never done before) but I knew I had to do it in a way that would tell the story of the pain and fear I've been through both physically and mentally over the past 10 years.” Alongside dance partner Tylor Deyn, she uses subtle and minimal movement in order to portray the discomfort she has lived with for some time, “just before the shoot, I was diagnosed with PTSD, and honestly since the video, I have been so hooked on creatively moving my body. It’s the therapy I didn’t know I needed.”

“I knew when my mum couldn’t talk to me after watching the video that we had succeeded,” she explains. ‘when i look at you’ is another incredibly personal cut from Rosie, as she fully welcomes the listener into her self-described “weird little world”. ‘when i look at you’ is available on all online platforms from March 13th. ‘i dreamed i was the night’ EP is out April 10th via Color Study, a self-described “personal pop” indie label founded in 2019 by her manager Spencer Kelley.

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Ross Palmer - You Wont Need To Cry.

Ross Palmer is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and audio engineer based in south London. He has played guitar, bass and drums in a variety of bands, from traditional English folk to lo-fi rock 'n' roll.

Currently he plays in an acoustic/folk duo with fellow singer-songwriter Melanie Crew, and also plays guitar with Americana artist James McKean and alternative folk/pop songwriter Yo Zushi.

About You Won't Need to Cry - Needing a break from his acoustic guitar and open tunings, Ross wrote You Won't Need to Cry and Hard to Begin to satisfy his urge to play guitar solos and rock drums, and sing lots of harmonies. The songs sound a little like Elliott Smith, or Joe Pernice, or the Posies when they turn their amps down a bit. He recorded and mixed the songs himself at home, playing all the instruments, and invited Melanie Crew to sing extra harmonies on You Won't Need to Cry.

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Rosie Carney - Coco Bans - Twain - Freedom Fry

Having spoken highly of her music on a number of occasions, along with sharing a good few of her songs, it's a pleasure to feature Rosie Carney once again, this time with the brand new album 'Bare'. Coco Bans mixture of synths, rhythmic guitar and gorgeous vocals works beautifully as this addictive song demonstrates. Twain's inviting voice and carefully matched musical backdrop ensures everything stands out with refined clarity, the piano adding even more. Our last inclusion today are Freedom Fry who have a three song E.P with plenty of variety and a whole load of hooks to enjoy.

Rosie Carney - Bare (Album).

Building on over 30 million Spotify streams and 1.8 million monthly Spotify listeners, breakout singer-songwriter Rosie Carney’s long-awaited, deeply personal debut album Bare is out now via Akira Records.

Bare is already receiving early rave reviews from the likes of Mojo Magazine who calls Carney’s music “haunting” and “the sound of a troubled soul finding her voice” while Earmilk describes it as “astonishingly beautiful,” “delicate but unwavering.” The Irish Times praises the record as “a gorgeous cycle that runs the whole gamut of life, love and loss.”

In support of the release, Carney will embark on a 26-date tour of the U.K and Europe with Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

Of the highly anticipated record Carney says, “I hope these songs encourage people to go into themselves. I hope they somehow find parts of themselves when listening to them. I definitely found parts of myself when writing them. I hope they experience that—that intimacy with themselves.”

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Coco Bans - Fighting Feathers.

From Iowa to France, the voice of Coco Bans weaves around the globe with pop anthems and intimate hybrid folk songs – the effects of which stay with you long after listening. The American singer-songwriter, having already collaborated with some of the biggest and most promising artists (Lil Wayne, Julian Perretta, Fakear, Kiddy Smile, Jabberwocky), stormed onto the scene in October 2018 with debut single “Make It Up” and a packed MaMA Festival show in Paris.

Coco Bans’ debut EP ‘Fantasy & Parables’ will be released on February 28th, 2019. A collection of songs that explores the internal worlds we cultivate and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. A narrative of 6-parts, ‘Fantasy & Parables’ documents struggle, determination and triumph over a magical folk-gospel landscape. With support from Rolling Stone and Pop & Shotamong others, Coco Bans is set to be one of the key breakout artists of 2019.

‘Fighting Feathers’ opens with airy vocals and synths which create a dreamy sonic landscape, accompanied only by snappy lead guitar which gives the track percussive momentum from the outset. The verse instrumental stays restrained, making room for a lead vocal that commands the listener’s attention. Coco Bans lures you into a magical trance before a distorted bass kicks into add punch to a musically inventive outro that builds to a soaring height and fades out slowly, practically demanding you to press repeat.

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Twain - Death (or S.F.?).

Twain's highly anticipated double EP is out now on Keeled Scales. Titled 2 E.P.s, the 13-track collection represents two distinct moments in the artist's recording history. Side A is New Miami Sound, unreleased material from the Rare Feeling album sessions.

Side B is Alternator, an intimate recording of Davidson performing a selection of his songs in a van; it is the first fully solo Twain music to be released on vinyl. Since its announcement, 2 E.P.s  has garnered fervent attention from tastemakers including NPR, Brooklyn Vegan, Hype Machine and more.

Twain will tour this spring, first with critically acclaimed label-mate Buck Meek then with art pop legends Rubblebucket.



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Freedom Fry - The Seasons EP.

Freedom Fry have just released their first of the year - The Seasons EP. The title track might be their most “radio-friendly” song to date, whilst “A Beautiful Day” is another original to set the year off and “Hey Moon” is a beautiful cover of Molly Nilsson’s original.

"The Seasons" is about how people's moods are more up in the Summer and down in the Winter. It's also about time passing and watching the seasons of your life go by.

We wanted to write something upbeat with a strong bass-line. The verses are dark like Winter and the choruses are feel-good and bright like Summer.

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Rosie Carney - Louise Lemón - The Thin Cherries

Rosie Carney - Zoey.

Irish singer-songwriter Rosie Carney’s brand new single, “Zoey” is now available. The song follows the recent release of “Orchid” and “Thousand" (feat. Lisa Hannigan) which have collectively been streamed over 3 million times on Spotify since September. The tracks will appear on Carney’s highly anticipated, deeply personal debut album, Bare, which comes out January 25 via Akira Records.

With her full-length debut still to come, Carney’s music has already been streamed over 18 million times, and she currently has over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Of “Zoey” specifically, Carney says, “Every time we pulled the project up I would just call it the ‘Zoey Deschanel’ song. It was a joke at first, only because the song painted scenes of a rainy-day romance in my head. I kept seeing the final scenes of 500 Days of Summer in a loop, and I just remember feeling so melancholy, which is a feeling I quite enjoy. I wanted to make it feel like a warm blanket for people to hide under whilst listening. 

The long-awaited Bare is the product of personal struggles Carney endured while navigating a rapid rise in the music industry at a young age. Discovered and signed to Universal Music’s Polydor at the age of 16, she fought to assert herself creatively within a large commercial system—facing pressure to co-write and even change her name—while simultaneously grappling with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder borne from personal trauma. By 18 she was dropped by the label without ever releasing a song, and ultimately left the major label system entirely. Throughout it all, the one constant has been her songwriting, which is both cathartic and empowering. 

Carney was born in Hampshire, England and at 10 years old moved to Donegal on the northwest coast of Ireland. Inspired by the rugged and picturesque landscapes of her new home, she began writing music. In 2013 she received widespread attention with a performance on Ireland’s leading live music TV series “Other Voices.” That same year she played London’s Bushstock, the first of many high profile festival billings including Latitude in the U.K., Electric Picnic in Ireland, Seven Layers in Amsterdam and SXSW in Austin. She recently supported Haux on a 28-date tour of 12 countries, including the U.S. and Canada, and is currently on tour in the U.K. and Europe. TWITTER.

We are now into double figures in terms of how many times we have featured Rosie Carney on Beehive Candy. 'Zoey' is yet another beautiful song, with a delicate soothing vibe, the occasional background harmonies are sublime, the album is just weeks away.

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Louise Lemón - Not Enough.

Following on from last year’s critically praised debut album ‘Purge’, Louise Lemón returns with new single ‘Not Enough’ taken from her highly anticipated new album A Broken Heart Is An Open Heart due for release in March 2019. The Swedish ‘Death gospel’ artist’s jaw-dropping vocals are backed by delicate piano, reverb drenched percussion on the new track, building to a climax with fuzz-drenched guitars and pounding drums. On the subject matter of the song, Louise tells us that "Not Enough is a song about staying in a relationship that you know already ended. When you're in something so destructive but still just can't let go."

Experimenting with instrumentation and production since her last full-length, Lemón is a rejuvenated presence on her new album, taking cues from the 60s and 70s psych-rock and soul era to influence her songwriting, channelling the sultry vibes of the early Fleetwood Mac-era. Louise will showcase the new material live with shows lined up at Eurosonic and Roadburn Festivals, along with a European tour with Sólstafir.

Produced and mixed alongside regular collaborator Randall Dunn (Sunn O)))/Myrkur/Chelsea Wolfe) in Copenhagen and New York, the record was exclusively recorded using vintage microphones and amplifiers to create the most organic sound, with each track recorded live in the studio.

Speaking about the new album, Louise added, “I wanted to make it this album both darker and brighter. We've used far cleaner sounds than ever before, concentrating on creating darkness in new ways. The songwriting has been very focused. I’ve evolved as a woman and with my writing I’ve explored new feelings, going further and deeper in to the ways I’ve felt and the situations life's brought me to. It was such a blessing to be able to work with my band so closely, they are very much a part of the soundscape and we couldn’t be happier to have had Randall Dunn produce it.” WEBSITE.

Following on from the song 'Cross' which we shared back in October Louis Lemon is back with 'Not Enough'. The Death Gospel description remains relevant and saves me from trying to think up another expression for this expansive and alluring music.

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The Thin Cherries - On Moose Island (album).

Chicago’s The Thin Cherries, which features members of The Luck of Eden Hall, The Streets on Fire, Belmondos and Phenomenal Cat, have dropped their sophomore album On Moose Island.

The Thin Cherries on Moose Island, incorporate elements of baroque rock, synth pop, shoegaze and folk. The Thin Cherries is the newest musical project founded by scene vets Steven Delisi and Mark Lofgren.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Delisi is a musician with a background in theater and film production. His former band, Phenomenal Cat, blended his pop/punk sensibilities with the folk influences of his band mates. Songwriter/vocalist/bassist Lofgren is one of the founders of psychedelic pop/rock mainstays The Luck of Eden Hall, who have toured Europe and released music on a variety of independent labels, including Headspin Records and Fruits de Mer Records. In 2014 he released his solo debut, The Past Perfect.

The band is rounded out by multi-instrumentalist Darren Shepherd, keyboardist Birdie Soti, drummer Gabriel Palomo and vocalist Sophie Senard. FACEBOOK.

The new 'On Moose Island' album covers a good number of genre styles, doing so with class both musically and through the distinct and highly engaging vocals. It's one of those collections that has a consistent overall sound and yet manages to keep you guessing as to what direction they will take next. From indie rock to more folk orientated numbers, plus some psychedelic flourishes this is an album to hear in full.

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Leonie Kingdom - Mr. Koifish - Rosie Carney - The Trials of Cato

Leonie Kingdom - So Much More.

Background - So Much More is the second track from Leonie Kingdom’s debut EP Night Terror’s. So Much More is exactly how it sounds. It’s a song written to remind people that although times may feel unbearable and dark, you will get through it and there is so much more to keep going for. So Much More is about learning from mistakes and life experiences, learning and growing along the way.

“I’ve always taken experience from the darker side of life. This is where most of my experience in song writing comes from. I like to write about things that are important, and people can relate to. I thought it would be refreshing to put a bit of a lighter and positive feel into a song with a big meaning. Encouraging people to keep going when life gets tough and remember there are other people going through their own struggles in life. We are not alone”. – Leonie Kingdom

The song structure for So Much More is quite simple with guitar picking and simple piano. The track was recorded and produced by Robert Mackay in Pacific International Studios with mixing and mastering by Levi Dunn. Pacific International Studio is located in Leonie’s home town, Hervey Bay, QLD.

Leonie has been performing live and entertaining crowds for around eight years. From playing at pubs, to festivals and specials events. To date, Leonie has performed at Tamworth music festival, The Gympie Muster, Heart of Gold International film festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Spirit of Bundaberg Festival and Hervey Bay Ocean festival. In 2017, Leonie took the winning title in Hervey Bay’s Unplugged competition. This awarded her the production of Night Terrors, her debut EP. WEBSITE.

Leonie Kingdom's prepossessing vocals quickly gained my attention on 'So Much More' a charming and uncomplicated singer songwriter piece, where personal feeling and natural emotion resonate beautifully.

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Mr. Koifish - Hang Our Coats.

Background - Mr. Koifish is Morten Køie’s new band. It’s all about kicking back and taking it easy - letting the stress flow off your back. You might remember Morten from Danish ‘Best Live Band’ Turboweekend, where he brought a smile and a raised eyebrow to a packed festival or concert hall on his bass - now he’s going to show you his new vibe with songs written during the Turboweekend years and produced by Hot Gills with a new collective of musicians, family and friends.

Hang Our Coats is the second single by Mr Koifish, and is a bitter sweet song that urges you to sacrifice everything to live your life with no regrets and to feel the blood pumping in your veins. You need to leap on the table and give exactly no fucks. Maybe life is only so so sweet because there isn’t all the time in the world - there’s only now. So get to it!

Mr. Koifish also feartures on Blvk Iris first single “put it on” and has contributed to LMOCPCAOPWH a new art publication curated by Jir Sandel that was published in August.   

Morten says: “…Mr. Koifish is the place where I can fit all my inspirations, personality and my sweet friends in music into one big family of sounds. And in this track I talk about standing your ground and doing the best you can with what you got before you hang your coat up for good” FACEBOOK. 

'Hang Our Coats' is subtly engaging at first and after a couple of listens quite compelling to play again. Musically there is plenty packed into this song, it's clever but not showy, and the vocals are a natural ingredient in the piece such is their match with the music.

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Rosie Carney - Orchid.

Background - Rising Irish singer-songwriter Rosie Carney’s new single, “Orchid” is now available. The song follows last month’s release of  “Thousand,” featuring Lisa Hannigan, which has already been streamed over 1.3 million times on Spotify. These tracks appear on Rosie Carney’s highly anticipated album, Bare, which debuts January 25 via Akira Records.

Of “Orchid,” Carney notes, “As the song developed, I saw the opportunity to really expand beyond my usual production and it’s now the most layered song on the album, with strings, drums, tremolo guitar etc. I could just hear the strings while working on the demo and when it came time to actually track them, we used Radiohead’s ‘Nude’ and some of Lana Del Rey’s dreamier tracks as a reference—two artists that are huge influences on me.”

With her full-length debut album still to come, Rosie Carney’s music has already been streamed over 18 million times, and she currently has over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Carney was born in Hampshire, England and at 10 years old moved to Donegal on the northwest coast of Ireland. Inspired by the rugged and picturesque landscapes of her new home, she began writing music. At 15 she left school in Donegal to showcase her work in New York and Los Angeles, and was signed to a major label shortly thereafter. In 2013 she received widespread attention with a performance on Ireland’s leading live music TV series “Other Voices.” TWITTER. 

I think it's probably fair to say that when Rosie Carney releases a song and we can feature it, then the result is, it gets featured. 'Orchid' continues that trend for no other reason than it's gorgeous.

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The Trials of Cato - Gloria.

Background - The Trials Of Cato have just shared their new single "Gloria", the first to be taken from forthcoming debut album "Hide And Hair." Guitarist and vocalist Tomo Williams comments on the track; “When the band first returned from Lebanon we travelled around the folk clubs of the UK in our van and came across an inspiring individual that we couldn’t resist writing about. It’s a story of self-discovery and a celebration of being true to oneself. Lots of old folk songs talk about women dressing up as men for financial or personal gain, and we wanted to write a song about someone doing this simply because they want to! This is a song about the emotional journey of a person who comes to terms with their own identity and learns to take pride in it.”​

The Trials Of Cato, a band that arrived fully formed and functioning from Beirut in the winter of 2016, have since torn a shape very much their own into the canvas of the UK folk scene. Originally from North Wales and Yorkshire, whilst living in Lebanon they spent a year boiling down the roots of their sound into a sweet hybrid of traditional influences that intrigued Lebanese audiences in the country’s biggest venues. They moved back to the UK to quickly produce their self-title debut EP at the Abbey Road Institute in London. The recording was well received – BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe hails them as “one of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times.” Their musical development in the run up to their debut album proper, has been swift and sure.

This winter the trio release Hide And Hair, after a year of near-vertical ascent from a standing start. The trio may inhabit the folk genre with a grateful respect for its history but with this album they twist its old bones into something febrile and contemporary. Stunning instrumental technique hooked to an innovative presentation of traditional and original material leads to a sound where a seventeenth century widow’s lament for a lost soldier lover (My Love’s In Germany) can segue into a stomping dance tune – transporting us from the gloom of the Thirty Years War to the vibrant bounce of beckoning festival main stages. 

With a clear nod to the musical revivals of the sixties and seventies, Hide And Hair is rooted in the folk traditions of Ireland and Britain but the themes remain decidedly contemporary and questioning. Recorded in the spring of 2018 at Penylan studios in mid-Wales, the array of material is hugely diverse, the album almost being treated as a journey across both time and continents. WEBSITE.

The Trials of Cato provide a sophisticated musical tapestry for 'Gloria' however it's the vocals and harmonies that really impress. This is highly addictive folk music (I never though I would describe more traditional folk along those lines) where the band carve out a timeless sound doing so in a very talented manner.

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Honey Moon - Rosie Carney - Breichiau Hir - Ricky Lewis

Honey Moon - Mover In The Dark.

Background - Jangle-pop four-piece Honey Moon unveil Mover In The Dark, the final aperitif served ahead of their new EP Four More From…, hitting your ears on 21st September, via Manchester boutique label Heist or Hit (Her’s, Pizzagirl).

Snare trills, melodic staccato guitars and barber-shop harmonies transport you through the decades, to a summer evening leant on a parked Chevy Bel Air by a dimly lit beach front. Like a hazy memory however, it’s hard to locate exact feelings, and an eerie tone pervades: “Its vulnerability isn't laid quite as bare and its message not quite as obvious as in some of our other stuff. Kinda creepy, kind of 'dark' - for us cheesy boys, anyway” says ringleader Jack Slater Chandler.

A continued evolution from the dreamy, floaty Honey Moon sound of old, and a side-step from the more straight-up love tunes that make up the rest of the EP, Mover In The Dark is unique take from the four-piece.

Honey Moon’s style is escapist croon-pop looking back at 50s/60s doo-wop and the birth of Pop in Britain and America with rose tinted glasses. Whether or not the innocence of these ‘simpler times’ truly existed is beside the point, the idealised memory is enough to run counter to the modern day problems facing this generation up close and personal.

Strutting around the gig venues of London town for a little while now, Honey Moon have built up worthy buzz followed by invites to perform at Glastonbury Festival and supports with Trudy and The Romance, Fake Laugh and GURR, which has cemented their status as exciting up-and-comers. They’ll furthermore be joining label mates Her’s for a few dates on their upcoming tour, following an EP release celebration at The Waiting Room in London on the 27th of September. TWITTER.

Some very fine retro pop has come our way over the past year or so and 'Mover In The Dark' is a welcome addition in that regards. Somewhere around the late fifties (I'm to young to remember) or early sixties (no comment) I have a feeling that this would have been a strong contender for the Top Forty. That said, it's fresh and timeless quality makes it good enough for any era.

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Rosie Carney - Thousand (feat. Lisa Hannigan).

Background - Rosie Carney’s new single, “Thousand,” featuring acclaimed artist Lisa Hannigan was shared last Friday. The track is the fourth to be released from her highly anticipated debut album, Bare, which is now is set for release January 25 via Akira Records/The Orchard.

Of the deeply personal track, Carney notes, “The past few years have been quite a struggle for my family, my mum especially. She’s currently a full-time caregiver for my grandmother (her mother) who is sadly suffering severely with dementia, and has been for quite a while now. We call it the long goodbye as every day a little piece of her leaves us. It’s hard to witness a woman that was once so strong be as vulnerable as a child, but even throughout this struggle, kindness and love have never been absent.”

Regarding the collaboration with Hannigan, one of her musical idols, she continues, “In the past my songs have mainly been on acoustic guitar, but on ‘Thousand’ we introduced drums, bass and cello. When it came time for vocals, I tried harmonizing with myself, which I do on most songs, but it didn’t feel like quite enough…I wanted something richer and deeper. Just before I began recording, I met Lisa at a festival we both played in Cork. She has a big influence of mine since before I can remember. I was, and still am, pinching myself over the fact that she agreed when I sent her ‘Thousand.’ I can’t imagine anything more perfect than singing it with a woman whose musical footsteps I aspire to follow. It is such a huge deal to me.”

Carney was born in Hampshire, England and at 10 years old moved to Donegal on the northwest coast of Ireland. She was inspired by the rugged and picturesque landscapes of her new home and began writing music. At 15 she left school in Donegal to showcase her work in New York and Los Angeles, and was signed to a major label shortly thereafter. In 2013 she received widespread attention with a performance on Ireland’s leading live music TV series Other Voices. That same year she played London’s Bushstock, the first of many high profile festival billings including Latitude in the U.K., Electric Picnic in Ireland, Seven Layers in Amsterdam and SXSW in Austin. Recently she supported Haux on a 28-date tour of 12 countries, including the U.S. and Canada.

Carney’s rapid rise was almost derailed, as her later teen years were largely spent grappling with her own mental health in the wake of personal trauma, an eating disorder and depression. Simultaneously, she struggled to assert herself creatively in a large commercial system, facing pressure to co-write and even change her name—before leaving the major label system altogether. Throughout it all, the one constant has been her songwriting, which is both cathartic and empowering. Bare is the product of that time. TWITTER. 

Rosie Carney has been regularly featured on Beehive Candy such is the quality of her music, and the new song 'Thousand' is another musical gem. Accompanied vocally by Lisa Hannigan and with just a little more instrumentation, the piece has additional depth, however the naturalness and personal emotion she brings to her music remains intact and shines as brightly as ever.

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Breichiau Hir – Portread o Ddyn yn Bwyta ei Hun.

Background - 'Portread O Ddyn Yn Bwyta Ei Hun' is possibly the best reflection of Breichiau Hir's live sound committed to record so far; abrasive, ruthless, loud and vigorous. The invasive relentless instrumentation from the orchestra of guitars and sharp pounding drums back up the ‘punk & roll’ approach to the song that carries Portread O Ddyn Yn Bwyta Ei Hun from a meticulous, rhythmic start into an intense, crashing crescendo.

The band describe the writing and recording process: "We recorded two or three different verses where Steffan sung, but they never sounded right. Steffan got incredibly frustrated and ended up changing his entire parts with spoken-word / speak-shout verses."

This frustration influenced the all-out angst heard in the verse’s vocals, where Steffan collages brief snippets of over-heard debates and brash thoughts, jumping from one theme to another, all in an abstract but aesthetically-pleasing manner.

Steffan explains the themes behind the songs ear catching lyrics “I’d say the song is a bit of a mind-trip, aimlessly jumping through different thoughts and conversations but with as much angst as possible, whatever the subject.” “I gloat in the chorus about a boring and meaningless personal victory, keeping people up at night with my self-indulgence.” BANDCAMP.

We have featured a number of songs sung in the Welsh language in the past and whilst 'Portread o Ddyn yn Bwyta ei Hun' might require a literal translation for me to understand, the universal language of passion, emotion and raw power needs none of that, as is demonstrated by this feisty rocker.


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Ricky Lewis - See You In The Morning.

Background - Ricky Lewis shares the title track from his upcoming album, 'See You In The Morning' which will be out September 21.

Part coming-of-age story, part letter trying to explain the things you couldn't bring yourself to say, See You In The Morning is the debut record by Ricky Lewis. 

Written during that last year of domesticity, and a little bit after too, it's a ten song collection of "heartfelt folk and country rock that's reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, Strand Of Oaks, Ryan Adams, and Kevin Morby" (Stereogum) that adds to the pantheon of breakup records with right to the core lyrics like "I killed all my friends to prove I want you the most" from highlight Death Valley.

The album was produced by Rod Sherwood, also a NYC journeyman, whose resume includes Au Revoir Simone, Pela, and Dirty On Purpose. Ricky watches a lot less TV now. He's got a new band, and has been stockpiling songs in Alphabet City, where he lives with his dog Agnes. WEBSITE.

We featured 'TV On A Tiny Screen' just four weeks ago, and the albums title track 'See You In The Morning' is a welcome follow up and another positive indicator ahead of this Fridays release date. This time there is something of a southern rock vibe to the music, whilst the vocals give the piece a personal, singer songwriter feel, collectively this is gorgeous which will do for me.

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