Will Morton - Ruth Lyon - Penny & The Pits - Caravan Palace

Photo - Justin Hammond

Will Morton - Good Ol' Boys Don't Cry.

Rising country artist Will Morton has released the official music video for his latest single, “Good Ol’ Boys Don’t Cry.” Directed and filmed by Justin Hammond, the visually striking video was shot in a Nashville hotel room at night, capturing the song’s emotional weight through its introspective aesthetic.

Morton explained the meaning behind the music video, saying “We shot inside a hotel room in front of the big picture glass overlooking Nashville because I am often gone for work and miss my family. This song is so true and close to me, being about growing up tough, being raised by a single mother, trying to always be strong for her, and knowing how it feels to keep all of that inside. With the birth of my son and raising him, seeing how much love and kindness is in his heart, I just want him to know it’s okay to have and share emotions.”

Set against the glowing city lights of Nashville, the music video features Morton in moments of quiet reflection, looking out over the city, walking along Broadway, and writing lyrics on a notepad. The raw authenticity of the video further amplifies the track’s powerful message, making for a visual experience that resonates deeply with audiences.

Produced by Mark McKee and written by McKee, Morton, and Chris Ayer, “Good Ol’ Boys Don’t Cry” serves as the lead single from Morton’s forthcoming full-length album The Long Way, set for release later this year.

============================================================================

Photo - Sel Maclean

Ruth Lyon - Books.

Newcastle indie-folk singer-songwriter Ruth Lyon has just announced her debut album 'Poems & Non-Fiction', out 13th June on Pink Lane Records. Out now is new single 'Books', the second taste of the album following the previously released single 'Wickerman'.

Weaving deeply evocative narratives and potent meditations, with an artistry that balances delicacy and strength, 'Poems & Non-Fiction' is a major waymark for Ruth Lyon. Forged by her experiences as a disabled woman and a life-long sense of otherness, she explores the beautiful mess of existence, challenges social norms and ignites a journey towards self-acceptance, empowerment and perhaps most importantly, hope. “I have surprised myself with the raw honesty in these songs and I hope these stories inspire healing and growth,” Ruth says.

Working with acclaimed producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding) and influenced by artists like Adrienne Lenker, Fiona Apple and Moondog, the songs are rich with poetic nuance and the unconventional insight of a young life lived to capacity—a mesmerising blend of analogue and angular indie-folk that gives as much attention to silence as sound, with understated yet muscular grooves. Shimmering between the abstract, the archetypal and the naked truth, meaning lingers just beneath the surface, daring listeners to both reach out and dig deep; to give emotion a solid, tangible shape.

New single 'Books' is released today alongside a video directed by Sel Maclean. Stop-start strings, plucked and bowed make holes in the texture like a typewriter on paper, weaving in and out of driving piano, bedded by lazy rhythm falling away and returning, all glued together with vocal calls to the echo of a page. Lyon turns a cosmic reckoning on herself “Weigh me today and weigh me in again tomorrow / rocks in my socks, balloons tied round my elbows” that perhaps can be heard as a plea to the fates, wedded with Lyon’s typical Dali-esque imagery.

============================================================================

Photo - Nicole Cecile Holland

Penny & The Pits - Montenegro On Ice.

You might be familiar with Penelope Stevens from her role as bass and keys shredder and sometime vocalist in Canadian avant-rock trio Motherhood (whose 5th LP Thunder Perfect Mind just came out recently and was described as "wildly entertaining" on Bandcamp Daily and "a welcome, alien presence in today’s musical landscape" on Post-Trash). Here, she is sharing a new single as Penny & The Pits, with Motherhood forming the backing band: "Montenegro On Ice"

Quote from Penelope Stevens: Montenegro on Ice explores memory and the ways in which the past can seep out of its box and drown your present and future. I was feeling the temptation to stew in past pain, choosing to really live in it, y’know? It’s so easy to stick your fingers in your own wounds. So I wanted to make a song that had a jaunty little limp, an endearing disfigurement, that could illustrate the way I was feeling at the time - wounded, absolutely, but sort of enjoying the ride.

The song is part of a larger mythology I’m working out in my songwriting - the allegory of the Liquid Compactor. Water has been an important force in my life, as an emotional cleanser and physical rehab. I’ve been imagining a sentient underwater machine to which I can feed my rage, my ethical malaise, my skewed memories, and allow it to compress these unsavoury bits into little building blocks.

============================================================================

Photo - Nicolas Patault

Caravan Palace - City Cook.

Before heading out on their North American tour, Caravan Palace (a 6-piece live band and a trio in the studio) are giving the standout track “City Cook” a fresh moment in the spotlight with a brand-new single release. Originally part of Gangbusters Melody Club (Le Plan Recordings), the song now comes in a tighter, punchier edit, perfect for those who like their tunes with a bit more bite. To top it off, the band has teamed up once again with directing duo Double Ninja - who previously brought “Lone Digger”, “Miracle”, “Moonshine” and “Wonderland” to life—for a music video that’s as delightfully offbeat as you’d expect.

About the “City Cook” music video, the band adds: “Once every seven days, a ritual takes place—a ceremony as old as the civilization itself, whether it be ancient or alien. They are bound to a single sense: sight. Their deity, by contrast, perceives all. And so, in fear of what they cannot match, they seal its eyes, stripping it of the only power they themselves possess. From the bowels of the earth, they extract their offering—flesh of beast, flesh of root—feeding a cycle neither questioned nor broken. And with each offering comes a spectacle to behold, a feast for sight alone—pleasure twisted into ritual, excess into sustenance.

What is this but the order of men, subjugating the feminine, binding its body to hunger, to control, to torment without end? Or is it humankind itself, ransacking the world for instant reward, for pleasure stripped of meaning, for wealth that devours all? The deity endures, plundered yet inexhaustible. The cycle turns once more. Meaning shifts in the eye of the beholder. The question remains.”

============================================================================

Ruth Lyon - trost&treibstoff - Red Telephone - Autumn - Kat Greta - Laurel Smith

Photo - Tash Barker

Ruth Lyon - Wickerman.

Newcastle singer-songwriter Ruth Lyon returns this week with haunting new single "Wickerman". Produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey), "Wickerman" is the first new music to be heard from Ruth Lyon since her 2022 EP 'Direct Debit To Vogue'. With the release of "Wickerman" and its transfixing accompanying video (directed by Sel MacLean), Ruth Lyon also announces a UK headline tour, with stops in Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, York, Newcastle, and London - following notable festival slots at SXSW, The Great Escape, Latitude and Secret Garden Party.

Known for her transportive folk songwriting and a distinctive voice which ranges from powerful and expressive to beautifully intimate, Ruth Lyon blends the raw emotional honesty and poetic lyricism of Fiona Apple with the melancholic world-building of Regina Spektor.

New single "Wickerman" reflects upon vulnerability and betrayal. A powerful expression of resilience in the face of adversity, dreamy clarinet and melancholic strings sit diffused like sea light on top of the mesmeric groove of the piano and bass with shimmering drums and guitar cutting about like fish coming up for air.

Speaking more on the release of "Wickerman", Ruth said: "Wickerman lives in the borders between lucid dreaming and painful reality and I wrote this at a time I found myself alone yet haunted. The iconography of the burning wickerman evokes the chasing away of winter through fire and ceremony, welcoming the Spring; a re-seeding of soul into new light. Unravelling life changes can be disorientating, kicking up heavy questions to ask and the only answers I found were in time, nature and spirit. I wanted to be remembered and more importantly to remember myself."

===========================================================================

trost&treibstoff - Widely Scattered.

Alright, the name trost&treibstoff ("comfort & fuel") might be a bit perplexing. You wouldn’t immediately associate it with a band rooted in punk and raw indie rock. But as soon as “Widely Scattered,” the new single by musician and artist Rolo Schwegler from Zurich/Switzerland, starts playing, you feel its roots. Under the name trost&treibstoff, Schwegler creates powerful indie songs inspired by post-punk and pop.

Schwegler cites bands like The Cure, Tocotronic, and Watchhouse as his influences. Although the name might be new to the indie scene, Rolo Schwegler is no newcomer. Before founding his one-man project trost&treibstoff, he released a series of albums under his own name, with evocative titles reminiscent of Element of Crime lyrics, such as Das Leben jetzt (2005) and In den Tälern zieht die Sonne ein (2009). Under trost&treibstoff, works like Thermik (2011) and Warten auf die Gegenwart? (2013) followed.

So, what’s the story behind “Widely Scattered,” the new single by trost&treibstoff? “The song tackles a topic that most of us deal with more or less regularly and that can occasionally make life hell. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who has such vivid nightmares every night that she wakes up drenched in sweat—and her strategies for coping with it. The harmonies are designed to offer comfort and act as an antagonist to the whims of neurotransmitters,” explains Rolo Schwegler.

===========================================================================

Photo - Rhianedd Sion

Red Telephone - Faithful.

After a string of single releases, Cardiff’s Red Telephone finally unveil their excellent sophomore album today entitled Delay The New Day a rebellious manifesto wrapped in melodic psych and darkwave textures. Drawing inspiration from MGMT and St. Vincent, the Welsh quintet crafts a cinematic journey that blends industrial post-punk grit with haunting electronic noir. Alongside the album, they surprise fans with a brand new music video for the album’s lead single ‘Faithful’

At its core, Delay The New Day emerges as a fight for meaning and sanity. A defiant statement against institutional pressures, the band positions creativity as a powerful tool for individual resistance. “It’s not about any one thing, it’s as much about asking questions of yourself as it is answering them” 

Lead singer Declan says of the album “We’ve always found ourselves fighting pressures to fit in and play the game. Sometimes it’s seductive and you’ve really got to fight those temptations, so we wanted to use the creative process and our instincts as a guiding light. The whole process was about embracing a spirit of independence”

===========================================================================

Autumn - Venice.

US ethereal-darkwave trio Autumn (Minneapolis, MN) have unveiled ‘Venice’: the second single and video to be revealed from their forthcoming new album, Songs About Dying. Neil McKay (guitar) and Jeff Leyda (bass) generate a hypnotic, amniotic whorl of pulsing electronics, flickering guitars, and driving bass and drum-machine: echoing a sense of Venice’s transition and movement down through the ages, edging ever-near to a watery grave. It is a backdrop befitting vocalist Julie Plante’s impassioned lament for the ancient city’s uncertain future, whereas the song also celebrates Venice’s endurance as a symbol of romance and majesty, as Plante explains.

“Venice is on one level about the death of a city, in that nothing remains unchanged. Everything we experience in this world, all that we create, it is all in a constant state of transition, whether we realize it or not. Venice is a striking example of slowly drowning under the weight curated by our actions and inaction. Venice is also one of those iconic places that we hold a romantic hunger for, a celebration of decadence in spite of everything going on around it. We want to immerse ourselves in it, even as our collective hunger creates the environment that threatens its survival. So, for that reason, this track is also about resilience, and that beauty, once created, can never truly be destroyed. Its continued existence gives me hope for my own.”

===========================================================================

Kat Greta - Summer Daze.

Fresh from her regional Victoria and NSW tour, multi-instrumentalist and dynamic artist Kat Greta returns with her latest single, 'Summer Daze' (out Friday, Jan 31). With its unique, modern-60s and joyful sound, the track captures the vibrancy of the Australian summer while showcasing Kat’s original and free-spirited style.

For Kat, 'Summer Daze' is a deeply personal project that took years to perfect. “I feel like I’m sharing my most authentic self in this song,” she explains. “Recreating the essence of the ‘60s in a new way was a challenge—it’s not the kind of song that people would expect to hear these days. This song is my love letter to the Australian summer, but it’s also about holding on to the things that matter, especially as I navigate my own cultural identity. As both of my parents are unwell and I’ve lost close family members recently, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it means to preserve traditions, memories, and the feeling of belonging. This song is my attempt to honour those pieces of myself—my Italian heritage and my connection to Australia—while embracing change.”

Drawing inspiration from icons like Burt Bacharach, The Seekers, and The Beatles, Kat has crafted a sound that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Her melodies evoke a timeless warmth while embracing a modern energy.

At its core, 'Summer Daze' is a love letter to the Australian summer, a reflection of how Kat’s connection to the country’s traditions shaped her artistry. “The Australian summer has always been a part of my identity—beach days, family gatherings, sunsets, and the warmth that comes with it. It’s a reminder of the simplicity and beauty of our traditions,” Kat shares. “But, as we know, traditions can be fleeting. This song is about cherishing what makes Australia so unique, and finding joy in the moments we can hold on to—especially in the face of change.”

===========================================================================

Photo Tom Seager

Laurel Smith - pink gun.

North-London alt-provocateur Laurel Smith releases her incensed new single 'pink gun'. An exhilarating expression of female rage, on 'pink gun' Laurel gives a voice to the suppressed anger and frustration of women who consistently experience sexism, gaslighting and disrespect, through a torrent of breathless vocal runs and cavernous, brooding beats.

Speaking more on the release of her new single - Laurel said: "I wrote pink gun when I was holding in a lot of anger from my experiences as a woman throughout life. I have felt spoken over, belittled, not taken seriously, gaslit (and at times) unsafe, uncomfortable and taken advantage of. I know most girls and women have felt and experienced all these things too and internalise these feelings. I want them to let it out. pink gun was my outlet and something that made me feel empowered so I hope it will do the same for my listeners."

Grapples with identity, explorations of female empowerment, examinations of human relationships; the protagonists within Laurel Smith's music are rebelling against expectations, challenging societal norms, finding their place in the world. A "hip-hop kid" at heart, Laurel Smith was born into a family with rock and heavy metal at its core. Those two disparate worlds can be heard within Laurel's potent, shapeshifting creations, with her new music radiating an energy and confidence of an artist revitalised.

===========================================================================

Signe Marie Rustad - Jackson Mico Milas - Ruth Lyon - Siv Jakobsen

Signe Marie Rustad - Bark Up Someone Else's Tree.

Norwegian singer songwriter Signe Marie Rustad has shared 'Bark Up Someone Else's Tree', the second taste of her forthcoming new album, Particles Of Faith.

Of her new single, Rustad says: "The song is about how it's easy to close your eyes to the stuff that doesn't work in a relationship, as long as there is passion and you (think you) are in love. Looking in the rearview mirror, you might have known all along what would be the downfall, but letting go when you are emotionally attached to someone can be extremely hard. At least it is for me."

Known for her poetic lyrics and clever songwriting, and backed by a tight knit band that’s been with her for years, Rustad’s new album offers a natural transition from her already classic third album, When Words Flew Freely (WWFF). However, Particles of Faith also brings something completely new and fresh.

Particles of Faith is hard to place in any one genre, melding the Americana sound present on her first two albums with the broader singer-songwriter tradition, helmed by pioneers such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King. But Rustad also points to a host of other inspirations.

Jansen Records · Signe Marie Rustad - Bark Up Someone Else's Tree (DWYBO Records)

======================================================================

Jackson Mico Milas - Blu Terra.

Accomplished musician and composer Jackson Mico Milas unveils his debut album today. ‘Blu Terra’ brings together eleven tender and emotive compositions and finds the London based artist hitting his stride.

As a very young musician and just out of college he changed countries, and honed his musicianship and life experiences in New York, at Nylon Studios. Jackson has carved out a highly successful career to date, with numerous award-winning film and TV scores including partnering with Tim Minchin on Sky Atlantic's Upright and composing for the Earth Hour campaign winning an LIA Awards nomination. Jackson gained early prominence with his band High Highs, who were signed to Elton John’s Rocket Records label, and toured with the likes of Vampire Weekend, Empire Of The Sun and Sky Ferreira.

On ‘Blu Terra’, Jackson comes of age, and delivers a matured and elegant suite of compositions on this debut album, encompassing acoustic, alt-folk and jazz elements to deploy soaring and heartfelt songs. The long player features a cast of great players, including Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie 'Blackstar'), Robby Sinclair (Chet Faker/Nick Murphy), Troy Simms (Lee Scratch Perry) and Veronique Serret (Joanna Newsom's Y's Street Band). Mixing & production by Dave Harrington of Darkside, and the album is released on R&S Records, the home to ground-breaking talent such as Aphex Twin, James Blake, Nadine Shah, Lone, Djrum and many more over its 40-year tenure.

======================================================================

Ruth Lyon - Stone (Live at Sage Gateshead).

Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon has released her new single "Stone", the latest taster of upcoming EP 'Direct Debit To Vogue', out 25th November via Pink Lane Records. The new EP was produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts) at his Bristol studio, and will also feature the recently released singles "Trouble" and "Clown".

Sleek new single “Stone” looks at the messy yet ultimately redemptive nature of a long-term relationship. Speaking more on the inspiration behind new single "Stone", Ruth said:

"I was influenced by Fiona Apple on this track with her use of simplicity, repetition, monotonous rhythms and development of texture to give power to words. ‘Stone’ looks at the crazy beautiful mess that is any relationship. Bonding yourself to one human for the rest of time is crazy - it’s elemental yet completely mundane all at the same time. Fusing two worlds has the power to feel-earth shatteringly good but also completely destructive - the push and pull of losing yourself yet finding yourself in someone else. The words came out on the page like a poem in one morning and have never changed. The song is raw and I am really grateful to John Parish for being so respectful of the nature of the track, giving it life without taking any of the simple power away. Lady Nade’s haunting tones really lift this song and I am so happy we could work together on this!"

On new EP 'Direct Debit To Vogue', Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations - all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism.

======================================================================

Siv Jakobsen - Sun, Moon, Stars.

Norwegian singer-songwriter Siv Jakobsen has released her new single "Sun, Moon Stars" featuring Ane Brun - the latest taste of her upcoming third album 'Gardening' - out on 20th January 2023 via The Nordic Mellow. The new single arrives swiftly off the back of a UK tour with Chicago indie rock band Beach Bunny.

“Sun, Moon, Stars” offers the biggest moment of reprieve from the upcoming album’s thematic weight. Gloriously arranged with silvery strings and elegiac horns that subtly build alongside the song’s swelling current, it finds Jakobsen singing through a storm and coming out the other side thanks to someone who has become a bedrock of her life, singing “You are the reason I am alive”.

It is also graced by harmonies from her fellow Norwegian, the legendary Ane Brun. “A big part of why I wanted her to sing on this song in particular is because a lot of the influence I have from Ane is in it,” Jakobsen says. “The style of the guitar, the strings, it just felt like it was a nice nod to how she’s inspired me, so to have her sing on it felt like a full circle moment. From the 16 year old Siv singing Ane’s “Rubber & Soul” in a high school recital, to waiting for Ane outside her gig in Boston as an aspiring songwriting student and mega fan of 22, to becoming colleagues and friends and singing together on Sun, Moon, Stars over a decade later."

Speaking more on the release of the new single Jakobsen said: "Sun, Moon, Stars was written in November, a good few years ago. I remember humming the melody and working out the lyrics whilst out walking on a particularly dreary, dark and wet evening. Inspired by my least favourite month of the year and the heaviness I tend to feel during it, as well as the beauty and hope I’ve found in a companion that has the ability to pull me out of the dreariest corner of my mind, even during the darkest month of the year."

======================================================================

lund - Annie Dressner - Colenso Jones - Ruth Lyon - Kings Elliot

lund - Good Advice.

"Good Advice," the new single from Asheville-based outfit lund.

As a teenager, Nicole's dad snuck her into a club in her hometown of Charlotte, NC to see Derek Trucks, and that show changed her life. That very night, she became a member of the band's Street Team.

Then, she took over the street team's operations, and then interned with the band's manager after graduating with a vocal and music business degree.

After the internship ended, Nicole became his assistant and learned the ins and outs of the music business. After a decade in the music business on the management and booking sides, the classically trained singer has finally moved into the spotlight.

lund · Good Advice

============================================================================

Annie Dressner - I've Always Been Like This.

UK-based folk singer-songwriter Annie Dressner has released her latest single, "I’ve Always Been Like This" today — Dressner's second co-write with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf.

Since moving from her hometown of New York City to the UK eleven years ago, singer-songwriter Annie Dressner has garnered rave reviews for her recordings and live performances. Having released three full length albums, Dressner has gone from strength to strength. Her straightforward lyrical style, sharp ear for wordplay, and crisp, lilting vocals offer listeners a front row seat to her stories. Her music has drawn comparisons to an up-tempo Mazzy Star, an understated Jenny Lewis, as well as Soccer Mommy and Phoebe Bridgers.

Dressner’s latest album, a collaboration with David Ford, titled 48 Hours, reached #23 on The Official Folk Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company in partnership with English Folk Expo, and was released in July 2022.

Dressner's songs have received considerable airplay on Radio 2 and 6 Music (Gideon Coe, Tom Robinson, Steve Lamacq, Tom Ravenscroft), as well as Radio 1 via her co-write of "The Nowhere Team" with Saturday Night Gym Club. Her latest solo album Coffee At The Corner Bar includes a Magnetic Fields cover and a co-write with Nada Surf's Matthew Caws (her first official work with Caws prior to "I've Always Been Like This").

Annie has performed at the Green Man Festival, Secret Garden Party, Cambridge Folk Festival, Cluny2, Green Note, Norwich Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction, Night & Day among countless other venues and has shared stages with Echobelly, Emily Barker, Simone Felice, The East Pointers, Lucy Wainwright Roche & Fossil Collective, as well as a co-headline tour with Polly Paulusma in February 2020 and David Ford in 2022. Three of her songs are featured in Crucible Films' Drive Me To The End (2020) directed by Richard Summers-Calvert.

============================================================================

Colenso Jones - Biscuit Tin.

West Wales Alt-Country Maverick 'Colenso Jones' emerges from the shadows with the exceptional debut single ‘Biscuit Tin’. Hailing from Pontypridd, South Wales and a stalwart of the Cymru-Cana movement Colenso offers a very strong debut which is an intriguingly refreshing blend of Alt-Country, Americana and Folk. ‘Biscuit Tin’ will be released independently today 2nd of September.

Colenso has performed headline shows in Europe, the U.S and across the U.K with BBC introducing favorites Climbing Trees. The Pontypridd musician has released 5 albums and 10 singles through various projects since 2012, with his tracks also being used on Sky, BBC, ITV as well as others.

As well as many festival appearances, including Greenman Festival, Colenso has also performed and recorded at Maida Vale Studios and Abbey Road. His first solo album is due for release early 2023. The album will be a fusion of folk, country, indie and electronica.

Colenso Added this about the release: ‘"After being in bands and side projects for the last 10 years it’s a great opportunity for me to do something purely on my own and use the experiences I’ve had to create a record that is personal to me."

“I’ve always enjoyed creating music. After picking up the guitar at 10 and learning songs that others have written you get to a point where you know enough chords to write something completely new and I’ve always loved that feeling. I’ve carried that feeling through my life and it’s taken me to some great places, Maida Vale, Abbey Road and New York are just a few of the places music has given me the opportunity to visit so I think I’ll keep going and see where I end up next.”

Colenso Jones · Biscuit Tin

============================================================================

Ruth Lyon - Trouble.

Newcastle artist Ruth Lyon has just released her new single "Trouble", teasing a new chapter for the project following her recent appearance at SXSW 2022 and the release of her 2021 debut EP 'Nothing's Perfect'.

Known for her work as a key and active member of the Newcastle music scene, notably her role on the board of directors at Sage Gateshead, and vocalist and co-founder of Newcastle cult folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers, Ruth Lyon is also an ardent advocate for the Disabled community through her work as an ambassador for Attitude Is Everything - a charity that aims to improve accessibility for Deaf and Disabled people in live music; Lyon herself has been a wheelchair user since the age of 21.

Influenced by acts such as Fiona Apple, Aldous Harding and Regina Spektor, on new single "Trouble" and her soon-to-be-released new material, Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations - all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism.

Produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding), new single "Trouble" opens with the line “I woke up wondering when I’m going to die.” It’s a track that captures the essence of anxiety, of the expectations heaped upon us at every turn; yet at the same time, it celebrates unknowingness and wildness.

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single "Trouble", Ruth said: “This is a reaction against this idea of perfection that society has us believe is the goal, when actually it’s a short cut to death. I’ve never been able to tread the path of least resistance, but nor would I want to. I am hard work, I am difficult, I don’t want to be boxed up with a neat little bow with my labels printed on it. I am trouble and I love it.”

============================================================================

Kings Elliot - Cry, Baby, Cry.

On “Cry, Baby, Cry”, the London-based alt-pop singer-songwriter encourages her younger self to embrace her emotions, as she sings, “don’t you drown inside your messed up mind is not so strange, you don’t need to explain, I know what it’s like, don’t dry your eyes, cry, baby, cry.” While originally a sentiment to her early teen self, Elliot hopes to help others feel a sense of community with the new track and remove the feelings of shame and embarrassment surrounding mental health.

On the new release, she shares, “I wrote this song as a letter to my 14 year old self. It’s something she desperately needed to hear, and to this day I still need to be reminded. Nobody should be ashamed of the way their mind works, to have emotions, to express them openly. Growing up, we're always told “don’t cry” and to “hush”, but often this leads to emotions emerging in more harmful, destructive ways! So I wrote this as a kind of anti-lullaby, for everyone and for me, to remind us to not suffer in silence.”

Elliot’s upcoming EP Bored of the Circus will feature singles “Butterfly Pen,” and “‘Til I Die.” The latter was praised by the Sunday Times, saying the song “recall[s] Kate Bush,Tori Amos, Aqualung and Billie Eilish with lyrics that channel her issues around mental health with candor and courage.”

Bored of the Circus is now available for pre-order, including a limited edition 10’’ vinyl. The five tracks on the upcoming EP possess an out-of-time quality that’s heightened by the contrast between her quivering lead vocal and the hovering choirs behind it. While one might wonder if those choirs are the result of diligent crate-digging, every voice in them is sung by Elliot and arranged by her alongside her chief collaborator half rhymes.

An open book with her fans, the Switzerland-born artist was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and anxiety. She explores and speaks openly about her battle through her music and her social pages have become a safe haven and space of community for fans. Her bruising honesty and dedication to the craft of songwriting have already made her beloved by fans around the world, and she’s already been called “a future star” by BBC6 music maven Chris Hawkins.

============================================================================

Natalie Jane Hill - Kate Ellis - Mike Etten - Ruth Lyon - Vera Ellen - Parliamo

Natalie Jane Hill - Orb Weaver.

“Orb Weaver” is a song about comparing myself to the hidden intricacies that I might find on a walk in the woods. I attach most of my memories to what is visually around during a certain time. Sometimes there is a comfort to the natural world and other times there is a harshness. My experiences can almost mirror them. I’d like to think that nature has a way of telling us exactly what we need to hear.

Taken from the forthcoming "Solely”, the sophomore effort by folk guitarist/singer-songwriter Natalie Jane Hill, it is a record of transition. While the Central Texas native’s stunning debut “Azalea” grew from years spent developing a textural narrative voice and idiosyncratic guitar style in the vibrant Blue Ridge Mountains, “Solely” represents a period of inward growth, and an outward push into an expanded sonic palette.

Following a move back to the Austin area in the fall of 2019, just months ahead of the pandemic, Natalie began an intensive period of reflection, and expanded her song-craft’s foundations from the broader themes of nature into the vulnerable intricacies of self-discovery. Along with this process came an openness to external creative input.

Recorded between October 2020-March 2021 to Tascam 8 track in the Lockhart Texas home of producer Jason Chronis (Voxtrot, Tele Novella), these recordings represent Hill’s first incorporation of other musicians into her arrangements, featuring performances by Mat Davidson (Twain) among several other trusted friends. There is a liberating and careful grace in these collaborations, providing strength and color to the upper branches of each song while preserving space for the health of the roots.

==========================================================================

Kate Ellis – Bluebirds And Rye.

US artist Kate Ellis Bluebirds & Rye released on Friday! This is the second single from her impressive sophomore album ‘Spirals’ due out in early 2022; a collection of songs that came out of a process of soul searching "to quiet the thought storms in my head and find my balance in the world," says Kate.

‘Bluebirds And Rye' follows the critically acclaimed and widely playlisted first single Another Way. Also produced by John Reynolds (Sinead O'Connor, Indigo Girls, Damien Dempsey), it is a sweet, poignant and uplifting folk song about a mother’s loving words of advice for her young daughter. In Kate’s words: "I wrote this for my daughter who, like me, is an emotional girl. 

This is my letter to her telling her I know what she’s going through, and it can feel hard, but everything’s going to be fine in the end. The song is about recognising the patterns in myself that I can see getting passed on, and the pitfalls of certain emotional pathways that I know from experience you want to avoid. I wanted to tell her: just take a breath and find a moment of rest. All there is is love and peace, everything else is in your head. This is what's important so don’t worry about the other stuff; it’s all going to be ok."

==========================================================================

Mike Etten - Drive.

The newest Dull Tools release is the first solo venture from Mike Etten, who you may know from his contributions to PC Worship & to Dougie Poole's recent LPs. Love Wash lands somewhere in between those two projects stylistically, it's a brooding psych-folk LP filled with unconventional arrangement touches, as demonstrated by the rubato swirl of saxophone, synth and acoustic guitar that kicks things off.

Drive was inspired by a late night trip down a country back road, touching dark memories of that ride and wrong turns made in the past. The tune starts with a simple guitar figure that unfolds and winds its way through changes, with a mix of percussion and drum machines bouncing around it. It felt like it lent itself to pedal steel, so I asked Tristan Shepherd (Dougie Poole band) to put down some tremolo-y tracks and a wild fuzzed out solo in the middle that really gave this one its character. 

I improvised a lead synth track that I really like too, it has that first-take spontaneity which I tried to capture whenever I could through the whole recording process. Drive feels full of confusion and hope at the same time, with me trying to move towards a more peaceful station, a more loving vision, and accepting that chaos can always be around the next corner.

==========================================================================

Ruth Lyon - Lemon Tree.

Ruth Lyon is a singer-songwriter of intense honesty and an impulse to say it how it is. Making a unique brand of ‘baroque-pop’ she bares her soul with courage and conviction - full of stark self-reflection but also a knowing nod to the absurdity of life. She returns to drop her latest single “Lemon Tree” on August 25th, in anticipation of her debut EP “Nothing’s Perfect” expected October 22nd.

In 2019 Ruth released her first single “I’d Give It All” (under the name Ruth Patterson) which received support from 6 Music, Radio X and Spotify editorial. In 2020 Ruth cemented herself as one of the North East’s most important voices, when Sage Gateshead named her Artist-in-Residence. Over the course of the year, despite being thrown into turmoil by the pandemic, Ruth released two more singles, the evocative “Sink or Swim” and “Somebody Else”, for which she received the PRS Woman Make Music award and was named as BBC Intro one to watch in 2021.

Ruth is now taking on her mother’s maiden name, Lyon, as she launches the next chapter of her career.  Co-producing with Rhiannon Mair (Laura Marling, LUNA) and Cameron Craig (Amy Winehouse, Katie Melua) Ruth explores her different identities - from the louche rock star, to the bittersweet poet, looking for love and a place in the world. Classically trained but with an eye for the catchy chorus and bright, pop melodies, Ruth sweeps from self-questioning piano ballads and lush string arrangements, to hands-in-the-air indie bangers. With the raw energy of a young disabled person who has constantly had to adapt to life’s twists and turns, her introspective and sometimes droll twist on storytelling brings up questions you never knew you should be asking.

==========================================================================

Vera Ellen - Crack The Whip.

Introducing Vera Ellen’s third single ‘Crack the Whip’. Vera wrote most of this song when she came back to New Zealand from LA at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was feeling a bit of whiplash from moving countries. I was reflecting a lot on the motions of life,  the wheel of fortune and coming to accept that our efforts to control anything are charmingly futile.”

Lyrically, it's a mash up of different points of Vera feeling homesick for New Zealand; when she was missing the nature and culture and people. “I used to work at this pop up called "Wonderworld" on Hollywood Boulevard. No one would ever come in so I would just stand at the counter and look out the window wondering why the hell I came here.”

The accompanying video is made up from home video footage from Wellington Zoo in 1997, and features Vera Ellen, her brother Albert River (who features heavily on the upcoming album, and is also in Vera’s live band), and their Nana. These images are intercut with footage of familiar sights from Vera’s current LA residence; Hollywood and Santa Monica beach.

“My brother and I are very close and we have always had this way of protecting each other. The video kind of turned into a homage to our bond and the deep sadness of being apart.“

==========================================================================

Parliamo - She's Only Human.

Perth, Scotland based 6-piece Parliamo (pronounced Par-Lee-Ammo) today release new single "She's Only Human",  lifted from upcoming EP 'The Parliamo Manifesto', out October 7th via Modern Sky (The Coral, The Lathums, Abbie Ozard).

A bracing indie-rock jammer addressing the fragility of mental health, speaking on the release of the new single, the band said: "She’s Only Human is a testament to confusion in confusing times. It discusses the limitations that those with poor mental health can face when it comes to relationships with others and oneself, and ultimately conveys that it’s okay not to be okay."

The band's upcoming debut EP 'The Parliamo Manifesto' is the culmination of over a year's songwriting and is a bold statement of intent from the 6 piece. Employing a charming tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the slightly darker aspects of life which young people face today, the record touches on the complications of religious pressure on "Catholic Guilt", spiralling addiction on "Who Needs a Reason?", mental health on new single "She’s Only Human" and the awkward beauty of young love on lead single "Paul & Barry".

The baggy, swaggering sound of the band and the often darkly humorous nature of the lyrics, stands in stark contrast with some of the subject matter, echoing the band’s propensity for laughing in lieu of crying. In a world of such turmoil and uncertainty, with ‘The Parliamo Manifesto’ the band are aiming to reconcile people with positivity through vibrant, energetic music, whilst providing a relatable commentary on the modern world and the inner workings of the minds of young people.

Written and delivered in the Scottish vernacular, the record offers a somewhat unique perspective on the simultaneously charming and terrifying nature of modern life.

==========================================================================

Ruth Lyon - The Sun Harmonic - Erez Zobary

Ruth Lyon - Fast Food

Ruth Lyon is a singer-songwriter of intense honesty and an impulse to say it how it is. Making a unique brand of ‘baroque-pop’ she bares her soul with courage and conviction - full of stark self-reflection but also a knowing nod to the absurdity of life. She returns to drop her latest single “Fast Food”.

Upbeat and effervescent, “Fast Food” is an irresistible pop gem that draws you in from the get-go with Ruth’s captivating and confident vocal delivery over an incredibly danceable rhythm section. It’s impossible to stay still while listening to Ruth’s lighthearted take on an almost nihilistic sense of timelessness many of us felt over the past year. Supported in the chorus by more captivating melodies and euphoric brass, “Fast Food” will grab a hold of your attention and not let go.

In 2019 Ruth released her first single “I’d Give It All” (under the name Ruth Patterson) which received support from 6 Music, Radio X and Spotify editorial. In 2020 Ruth cemented herself as one of the North East’s most important voices, when Sage Gateshead named her Artist-in-Residence. Over the course of the year, despite being thrown into turmoil by the pandemic, Ruth released two more singles, the evocative “Sink or Swim” and “Somebody Else”, for which she received the PRS Women Make Music award and was named as BBC Introducing in the North East’s Hot Tip 2021.

==========================================================================

The Sun Harmonic - All to Myself.

The Sun Harmonic is a Canadian folk-rock band led by small town songwriter Kaleb Hikele, a prolific recording artist based in Toronto’s east end. Kaleb is releasing a new folk album, Coast to Coast, recorded in five studios across Canada; 

The first folk-pop single “To the Blue” was tracked in Ottawa and Montreal. The second single, folk-punk song “Flying Over Saskatchewan,” was released with a fan favourite pandemic-style Zoom music video. Contrasting love songs, “All to Myself” and “A Song for Her,” will be released throughout the summer before the album drops on streaming services in October 2021.

Kaleb Hikele has created original independent music all from his home studio since 2009, Coast to Coast will be the fifth studio album and 15th studio release as an artist. Before the pandemic, The Sun Harmonic shared a stage with Charlotte Cardin at Winnipeg’s Festival Du Voyageur 2020, showcased by Canada’s Walk of Fame, just before live shows went dark. 

Their latest EP It’s All Okay, Thanks To You brought the infectious single “Sign On The Road” into heavy rotation on satellite radio, now spinning on turntables across Canada.

The Sun Harmonic · All to Myself

==========================================================================

Erez Zobary - To Bloom.

Toronto-based R&B/pop artist Erez Zobary has a timeless voice, in more ways than one. Raised on Stevie Wonder and Amy Winehouse, Erez’s soulful vocals echo the sounds and styles of her youth. Lyrically she is raw and uninhibited, writing openly about universal, yet highly personal, feelings of self-worth, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Combined with her down-to-earth sense of humour and natural charisma, which she displays online and onstage, Erez engages with a growing fanbase who resonate deeply with her message of empowerment, and find joy and connectivity in the community she has fostered.

Over the last five years, Erez has played to audiences around the country, from sold-out shows at venues like Lee’s Palace and the Taste of Danforth festival in Toronto, to packed theatres at TEDxQueensU in Kingston, and the National Music Centre in Calgary, as a participant in the RBC Master in Residence Program with Steven Page. In 2019, Erez was selected by HoneyJam as one of Canada’s up-and-coming female artists.

Erez has released 3 EPs in collaboration with various artists, including Enoch Ncube of Moneyphone (Erez & Enoch Love You, Twenty), and Brahny (Love and Lots of Sleep), to create music that combines her distinctive sense of storytelling with experimental sounds, and diverse genres. In 2019, Erez partnered with frequent musical collaborators Adam Eisen and David Lipson to create her first full-length project, July Clouds, which received national attention for songs like Love Me (CBC Song of the Week) and Before I Knew You (Spotify Fresh Finds).

Now Erez turns inward, at a time of great self-discovery and uncertainty, to create a collection of deeply personal songs. On her upcoming project, Erez draws from the anxieties, challenges, and changes facing her, and many like her, who are searching to understand themselves.

Erez Zobary · To Bloom

==========================================================================