Derw - Shelley Thomas - Slow Soak - Dolls - Katie Boeck

Derw have released 'Ble Cei Di Ddod I Lawr' today, the Welsh language song conveys genuine emotion and the musical arrangement is stylish and a fine accompaniment. === Shelley Thomas shares 'Mirror' a piece that's described as world chamber pop (a good description), it's refined, imaginative and gorgeous. === Slow Soak impressed us back in May and today's release 'Moon' sees the band deliver another stunning indie rocker. === Dolls have released their 'Eggshells' E.P online today from which we have a video for 'Hot Bodies' that typifies this delicious indie rock collection. === Katie Boeck shares 'Making Some Room', a personal song that is sung with notable passion, her refined vocals immersed in a superb musical backdrop.
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Derw - Ble Cei Di Ddod I Lawr.

Derw started as a project between songwriter Dafydd Dabson and his mum Anna Georgina, a lyricist, after they got to the final of S4C songwriting competition Can i Gymru in 2018 and decided to keep writing together. The band is fronted by Welsh/Iranian singer Elin Fouladi and their debut EP 'Yr Unig Rhai Sy'n Cofio' involves musicians from Welsh acts Zervas and Pepper, Afrocluster and Codewalkers.

Drawing on chamber pop influences like The National and Elbow, the band has a strong connection with the past and their family history and is named after Anna's father - Derwas. Their family is full of interesting stories and 'Yr Unig Rhai Sy'n Cofio' (The Only Ones Who Remember) is about making sure these stories are recorded and remembered.

The track 'Mikhail' is about a friend Derwas met while studying in Jerusalem in 1926. Mikhail grew up in Russia and his father was part of the imperial navy. One night in 1917, when Mikhail was nine and his mother was away, the Bolsheviks came to his house, took his father into another room and shot him. Mikhail then moved to Palestine with his mother and, when he was 19, met Derwas, a student from Oxford. They then spent years exploring the wilderness together and trying to find peace.

The lyrics for 'Silver', the final track of the EP, are taken from a poem written by Anna's mother in the 1930s. She loved writing and had notebooks full of poetry she'd written. She tried several times to get them published but never managed it so it gives Anna and Dafydd a huge amount of pleasure to be able to make use of one of them now.

Derw’s first single, ‘Dau Gam’, came out in May on CEG Records. It was made ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Radio Cymru as well as getting airplay on BBC Radio Wales.

Derw · Derw - Ble Cei Di Ddod i Lawr

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Shelley Thomas - Mirror.

World Chamber Pop performer-composer Shelley Thomas is set to release her new single, “Mirror” on August 28th, 2020. “Mirror” explores duality and shadow psychology in the quest for integration of the true self, interlacing diverse threads of culture through sounds of oud, qanun, piano, drums, bass, violin, and cello from a ten piece microtonal chamber ensemble.

The self-produced track was recorded by Jesse Selleck and Eric Oulundsen at Banyan Studios.

Shelley Thomas blends elements of Balkan, Arabic, Hindustani, West African, Pop-Soul and Classical styles with cinematic arrangements and emotive power to create a new genre called World Chamber Pop.

Having studied and performed World Music and voice in over fifteen languages for the last sixteen years, Shelley Thomas is no stranger to the arts.

Shelley Thomas · Mirror

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Slow Soak - Moon.

Close your eyes. And suddenly it comes back: the magic moment from the last weekend in July when Slow Soak played a concert on a roof in their hometown Basel. Romantic red evening sun. Long shadows. Cool drinks. In this atmosphere Slow Soak's haunting songs developed their magic.

They're inspired by heroes of the indie folk scene such as Conor Oberst and David Bazan, as well as by Radiohead.

But sun was out yesterday. Now the «Moon» is shining again. Slow Soak are a Who's Who of the Basel indie scene: featuring members of Don't Kill The Beast or the (now disbanded) Sheila She Loves You – two names that which known far beyond the cantonal borders.

Do you see any possibility of including «Moon» into your program and introduce Slow Soak? We are convinced that whoever writes such an intense song deserves to be heard. The band is available for interviews and live sessions.

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Dolls - Hot Bodies.

The 2-piece, comprising Jade (guitar and vocals) and Bel (drums and vocals) packed out Rough Trade East in London to launch their first EP ‘Pop The Bubble’, however in current circumstances will be operating solely online for this release, in part because Jade is in home town of London and Bel is back in Spain. The EP was produced and mixed by Margo Broom at Hermitage Studio Works in North London.

Jade explains that the ‘Eggshells EP’ is more auto-biographical than Dolls have ever been in the past and that it is “about the struggles that we have faced in our 20’s. Losing friends, creepy men, the strive for perfectionism and day-to-day anxiety. We have written about what we feel is really important as we get older. Musically we have evolved with this EP and although the gritty garage rock is still there we’ve broadened our sound with synths, percussion and multiple vocal layers.”

The “Eggshells EP”, was released as part of Love Record Stores Day alongside releases from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Caribou, Belle and Sebastian, Beach House, New Order, Jungle and John Grant.  Head of Doll’s label Mondo & Death Waltz Spencer Hickman explains “We're thrilled to be releasing the new Dolls EP on limited edition vinyl for the Love Record Stores event on June 20th. Record stores are suffering right now and this event is a great way for the music community to come together safely  & without worry, celebrate music culture and help stores through a difficult finical time”.

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Katie Boeck - Making Some Room.

"Making Some Room is about rebirth and personal transformation, about the moment after you hit rock bottom. I wrote this song in Nashville (with my friend Cheyenne Medders) after the death of my father, the birth of my son, and the dissolution of my marriage. This series of major life events triggered a dark night of the soul and landed me in such a state of codependency and victim consciousness I didn't know how to get myself out of.

I knew I would never be happy until I cleared space for new patterns of thinking and that meant I had to stop grieving the life I wished I'd had, and start creating the one I wanted. I made a commitment to never abandon myself or my dream again.  Stepping into an entirely new vision for my life-free from anyone else's limiting expectations-I gave my heart and mind permission to soar."

Katie Boeck has careened through several musical careers in the past decade. Shortly after graduating from UCLA with a degree in Musical Theater, Katie Boeck formed a band and began playing open mic nights on Sunset Boulevard and LA's West Side. This led to a surreal gig as the lead singer of an all-female Bollywood-Pop group that spent several months touring across India--an Eat, Pray, Love-esque experience that inspired her first EP, Speaking of You.

Her acting career took her to NYC with the cast of Deaf West Theater Company's production of Duncan Sheik's musical, Spring Awakening, sharing the starring role of Wendla with deaf actress Sandra Mae Frank, for whom she voiced, sang and played guitar, garnering television features on Late Night With Seth Meyers, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, and culminating in a Tony Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical and a performance at the 2016 Tony Awards. She was featured performing her acoustic rendition of Ave Maria in the final season of HBO's critically acclaimed television show The Newsroom.

She’s known to audiences in LA, Nashville and in NYC where she’s become a regular with Broadway Sings and Élan Artists and in 2018 made her Carnegie Hall debut. Her song What Are We Waiting For was covered by Tony-winner Leslie Odom Jr. and performed at Lincoln Center. Katie resides in Nashville, TN with her 3 year old son.

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Slow Soak - Yard Arms - Roly Witherow - Marin Patenaude

Today Slow Soak have released their new E.P Mostly Fine which comprises of five new songs and the band test the boundaries of indie rock with sonic clarity, emotion and creative style. === Yard Arms new single 'Mantra' is impressive, the Bristol-based transatlantic duo mix powerful pop with rock sensibilities and a bus load of passion. === A couple of weeks after we first featured him Roly Witherow is back with 'Lord Franklin' a famous 19th century lament that's given a tasteful and intriguing modern feel. === Marin Patenaude shares 'Gone Blind' which opens as a gentle song that gradually builds into an expansive and atmospheric folk rock piece.
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Slow Soak - Mostly Fine (E.P).

There is something that one may ask all over again: 'How do you feel?' – 'Mostly Fine', was Slow Soak's answer two weeks ago, according to the title of their last single. Now they confirm: 'Mostly Fine'. Because that's the name of their EP, which is released now.

The good thing about it: While Slow Soak managed to sweep away any worries of the listeners for the length of a single, this jolly good state lasts now during the entire EP for at least.

And it will last on after you have listened to it. The guys from Basel have written timeless songs, they don't have to hide behind indie heroes like Ash, Arctic Monkeys or Catfish and the Bottlemen.

No wonder, the list of Slow Soak's lineup reads like a who's who of young Basel's indie scene: Don't Kill The Beast or the (now disbanded) Sheila She Loves You, for example, are two names that are known far beyond the borders.

For 'LTD', the EP's lead track, Slow Soak have turned up the volume of their guitars, bringing back memories of their indie heroes Radiohead.


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Yard Arms - Mantra.

Yard Arms return with their promisingly melancholic new single ‘Mantra’, described by lyricist and frontman Villeneuve as a ‘triumphant love letter to the anxious’. The track exudes the playful exuberance of Psychedelic Furs and INXS combined with the romantically morose lyricism ala Ben Gibbard or Paul Buchanan. Think John Hughes movies if they were soundtracked by Tim Burton. A pulsating stadium sized emo-anthem to soundtrack your summer time.

Formed in 2018, the Bristol-based transatlantic duo are a jangle-pop powerhouse offering up a taste of late noughties euphoria and heartfelt melancholy. The first year saw them release their hauntingly beautiful debut EP ‘Maiden’, later followed up by their sophomore EP ‘A Glossary of Broken Humans & Beating Hearts’ both of which saw continued support from national radio & press such as BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio and the likes of NME.

They’ve recently played notable shows alongside bands such as Arxx, Sorry, Crooked Colours, Band of Skulls, The Blue Aeroplanes and China Bears, as well as a headline slot at Rough Trade in support of Record Store Day.

Mantra, the hypnotic debut from their upcoming third EP, recorded, mixed and mastered at Stage 2 Studios with Producer Josh Gallop (Phoxjaw) is released today, May 8th.

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Roly Witherow - Lord Franklin.

Having made a name for himself as a successful composer of music for film and television, Roly Witherow has chosen an entirely different direction for the first solo release – traditional folk music. Telling stories through his music comes naturally to Roly and by expanding his universe to include sea shanties, styles from not just around the British Isles but also around the world, as well as the whole gamut of life, love, death and a dash of humour, Ballads and Yarns provides a modern yet classic celebration of the art of folk music.

Ballads and Yarns is preceded by the rollicking sea shanty, Row Bullies Row, recorded most famously by Ewan Maccoll but now updated to feature electric instruments and even Korg synthesiser, with an even keener emphasis on the sleazy and the bawdy, a brilliant and evocative tribute to the crumbling British seaside town! Roly’s latest taster from the album is his suitably cinematic take on the traditional sea shanty/lament, Lord Franklin, most notably interpreted previously by Pentangle. The album is a diverse collection of folk styles, from the lullaby on the plight of Mankind in Paean to Earthly Things and Wedding Song which even features a recording of Devonshire sea shanty collective, The Old Gaffers, from Roly’s wedding day! The reworking of traditional songs on Roly’s debut album are reverential whilst taking them into a more widescreen territory, fitting perfectly alongside his originals which both tug at the heartstrings and nibble at the funny bone!

Hailing from Peckham, London, though currently based in East Portlemouth on the South Devon coast during the lockdown with his heavily pregnant wife, Roly Witherow has composed for television programmes such as BBC’s hit, Who Do You Think You Are? and Channel 4’s On the Edge as well as for films such as 2014’s Gregor; Sex Ed (2017) and Try (2018). Ballads and Yarns was written and recorded in Roly’s own home studio and was mixed by Joao Noronha in Brazil (where his wife hails from). A nod to the past, present and future, Roly Witherow’s 'Ballads and Yarns' is 21st Century folk music in all its glory.

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Marin Patenaude - Gone Blind.

Marin Patenaude’s confessional folk is deeply honest, inspired by the wildness of nature, the messiness of human connection, and the overwhelming desire to run away from it all. Emotional lyrics paired with softly powerful instrumentals craft stories that explore loving and losing, the fragility of the human condition, and stories of a rural upbringing.

The daughter of musical parents and the younger sister of Juno-award winning Pharis Romero, she was raised on folk and country harmonies. While it was a huge part of her upbringing, Marin didn’t initially look to music as a viable career. From landscaping for the rich to running through the woods with her dog, a backpack, and a surveyors map, scrubbing toilets to training horses, she collected many random and interesting skills and experiences to use as songwriting fodder. When travels through other disciplines and passions didn’t last, she made a record; a heavy collection of songs about heartbreak and displacement. A surprising first release, it’s full of gut punching beauty.

Following the release of her self-titled debut in 2016, Marin extensively toured BC’s festival circuit as a solo act, across Canada with Kenton Loewen as part of Dan Mangan’s house concert series Side Door, through Germany and Switzerland as a duo with Cole Schmidt, and worked as a session harmony singer in Vancouver for artists including Khari Wendell McClelland, Sam Tudor, Real Ponchos, CR Avery, Ora Cogan, The Crackling and many more. She opened for Sarah McLachlan at the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz festival at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, a personal career highlight.

In support of her second album, Marin joined Dallas Green’s Toronto based label Still Records. Sight Unseen was produced at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, mixed by Karl Bareham, and mastered by Jaoa Carvalho. Marin took the reins on production, and enlisted the help of dedicated players she feels very connected to, musically and emotionally. They kept their hearts and the doors open for magical studio surprises, and the finished album reflects that open minded approach to sound.

Sight Unseen shows a louder, grittier side of Marin’s indie folk sensibility. Citing the influence of artists like Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, Sarah McLachlan, and Neil Young, there’s an underlying darkness beneath the clear, free spirited melodies. For Marin, her songs are an extension of self–an opportunity to be as honest and real as she feels, something she has difficulty doing in the so-called real world. It’s big and it’s not always light. Though she’s a bright personality by nature, she often uses her music as a way to process grief. Her vocals are strong and technically trained, and she’s outspoken about the complexities of relationships and the uncertainty of our current political times. The album is out May 29th.

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