Sofie Winterson - Naomi Psalm - Pretty

Sofie Winterson - Southern Skies (Album).

Amsterdam-based musician Sofie Winterson shares her new album Southern Skies co-produced by Benny Sings via Excelsior Recordings featuring previous singles "Jump", "Lost You To A Boy" and new single, closing track "Perfect Goodybe". The project is a continuation and expansion of her and Sings' 2019 collaborative EP Moral, but also offers a glimpse into what Sofie can do when left to her own devices.

Created in primarily Benny Sings' canal-hugging studio in Amsterdam, the upcoming album, Southern Skies was formed as an act of stripping-back and growing as a songwriter. Sofie’s last full-length album Sophia Electric instead acted as a way to expand her work as a producer. Her varied influences, from the soul and folk she grew up on to the dream-pop of her university years can all be heard as part of the album’s eclectic palette which leans in a more minimal direction than before.

Sofie says: "In the opening track ‘Hours’ I sing the words ‘Southern Skies’, that’s where the title of this record comes from. From a very young age I had a helicopter view on life. I, for example, was well aware of the fact that I was too young to experience certain things the way I would probably do when I would be older. Like I realised that I wasn’t yet ready to see the full value in those beautiful ‘Southern Skies’ that I saw when driving through the south of Europe.

The songs are about passing time, the wish for boredom, feeling helpless towards choices your friends make, about doing something better or different and about meeting new people and creating an image of that person from your own perspective before getting to know them. So the songs are written from this helicopter view and by seeing it this way and being able to put it into words in my songs, life makes sense to me."

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

Naomi Psalm - Fantasy.

“Naomi Psalm is of the rare breed of singer/songwriters that with just a guitar and a voice, she can transport you into the emotion of the lyric, and that is not a common thing at all”- Bernie Larsen Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/musician (guitarist) and has produced for Melissa Etheridge, Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones, and Lucinda Williams.

This free spirited Florida girl began turning her poetry into songs in her early teens. Yet highly influenced by the 90's female indie scene, she has a sound of her own. Her powerful vocals reminiscent of Alanis Morissette will move you as you absorb each lyric as if it were written for you. Naomi’s songs have bits of introspection, as well as fun and quirky twists.

She has released 4 full length CDs, 2 EPs , 5 singles, and several music videos. Her latest full length record was released in September 2022. Her award winning music has taken her to 32 countries as well as countless tours in the Northwest. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho. Fantasy is a self-produced song about romantic obsessions

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

Pretty - Food For The Moon.

Pretty have released their 2nd single "Food For The Moon" from their upcoming EP "Citrus Magic" (out July 28).

Pretty are people who appear onstage with lots of noise and then leave. This half-silly, half-serious sentence summarizes the band’s ethic and sound, from their early inspiration by Toronto’s 2010s-era DIY punk scene, to their current fascination with psychedelic sound and culture, elements that fuse into a highly distinctive, dark and frenzied sonic landscape. The Torontonian band had a busy 2022, recording their second EP and follow-up to their debut album Sertraline Dream (2020); playing headline sets to increasingly large and enthusiastic crowds and being featured acts for Exclaim! Magazine’s Class of 2022, Canadian Music Week and Sarnia’s Empty Fest. If you dig getting warped and discovering another side of yourself, you won’t want to miss Pretty.

Torin: “The title comes from this phrase I found in a book, something about the moon living off of our emotions, basically farming us in a sense for sustenance - very occult. I can’t remember what book it came from and have been driving myself insane trying to find it again. The song itself was written in the days following a break up, working with the feeling of futility, loss, and emotional torture that comes with that sort of thing. It’s two people who are both dealing with their own things and it gets in the way of them being together - and hey, what does it matter anyways, we’re all just food for the moon in the end."

Sofie Winterson - Pitou - Georgia Mooney - Stephen Wilson Jr

Sofie Winterson - Jump.

Amsterdam-based musician Sofie Winterson announces details of her forthcoming album Southern Skies produced by Benny Sings via Excelsior Recordings in June. The project is a continuation and expansion of their 2019 collaborative EP Moral and new single "Jump" offers up more of the accidental magic which is at the core of their partnership.

"Jump" chronicles uncertainty yet offers soothing reassurance with its lilting, warm indie-pop sound. A nod to the rest of the album which saw Sofie embrace simplicity and foster a new perspective. Of the new single Sofie says: "Jump is about wanting to make a big change in life, but not knowing where that change will take you. It’s meant to comfort you in this state of insecurity. It can encourage you not to overthink where that change will lead you, since you will be a different person by the time you’ll get there."

Created in primarily Benny Sings' canal-hugging studio in Amsterdam, Southern Skies was formed as an act of stripping-back and growing as a songwriter. Sofie’s last full-length album Sophia Electric instead acted as a way to expand her work as a producer. Her varied influences, from the soul and folk she grew up on to the dream-pop of her university years can all be heard as part of the album’s eclectic palette which leans in a more minimal direction than before.

Putting the lyrics and storytelling front and centre, Sofie’s love of reading has never been more evident than in the way she approached writing for this record. “What I try to do in my lyrics [is] to find the best way to describe a thought,” she says, “the thought could be anything, it’s always my challenge to try and find exactly the right words.” Noting that her favourite part of reading is not so much following the narrative, but revelling in the descriptions of situations.

Featuring original vocal takes and lyrics that were written in the room, it marked a new way of working for Sofie, with Benny encouraging her to approach writing in a different way, a more technical way. Pulling inspiration from both Adrienne Lenker and Rachel Cusk’s ‘Transit’ in tandem, what’s clear is Sofie Winterson’s never-failing ability to tell a story with grace, immense consideration and the freedom to be projected upon and moulded as her listener’s see fit.

 

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

Pitou - Knife.

Dutch artist Pitou’s musical awakening came from an unlikely source. From a very young age, she developed an unexplainable interest in classical music – her father would often find her crouched down by the radio, in search of the sound of orchestras and choirs. From the age of 9, Pitou started singing in a children’s choir, and she soon found herself performing at the baptism of Catharina Amalia, the Princess of the Netherlands, and in renowned music halls throughout Europe. “Singing together with other singers, making harmonies together, made me feel like nothing had ever done before,” she says of that moment.

It's a memory that continues to inspire. Big Tear, her long-awaited debut album, is a rich, fearlessly creative collection of alternative pop that draws from her classical background; unexpected harmonies and song structures, vocal layering, loops, wistful melodies, and classical instruments all swirled together in stylish, clever ways.

The record also marks her own development, both as a performer and a songwriter. “I knew I wanted to move away from the guitar being self-evidently always there,” she says. “I also wanted to find out what it felt like to tell the stories of my songs on stage with just my body and voice, without the physical restriction of the guitar.” Eager to move into other sonic worlds, she embraced the creative possibilities of different instruments – piano, harp, synths – and using computer programs to build and refine her music; some tracks were written entirely on piano or using software.

To celebrate the release of her new album, today Pitou has shared a new music video, 'Knife'. Of the video, she says: "'Knife' is the emotional axis of this record, very raw in its sentiment, which is always a challenge to translate into visuals. The song is about a person deciding to break away from a bond, for their own sake. I visualised a couple living in a small, quiet home. One half of the couple would be a human, the other a faceless but ever-present being.

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

Georgia Mooney - I Am Not In A Hurry.

Eora/Sydney based musician Georgia Mooney (All Our Exes Live In Texas), shares her empowering new single ‘I Am Not In A Hurry’. Celebrating freedom and all the adventures born along the way, the track comes as a glacial moment of escapism. Following her cinematic debut solo single ‘War Romance’, ‘I Am Not In A Hurry’ is the second single taken from Mooney’s to-be-announced debut solo album, and is out now globally through Nettwerk.

A beautifully matter-of-fact bucking of pressures to stay in one place or settle down, ‘I Am Not In A Hurry’ was written in Florence, Italy just after a spontaneous three-day holiday marriage to a painter in Skopelos, Greece. Its sonic warmth comes via a dulcimer that Mooney won in a raffle in Canberra - a suitably whimsical fit for a song that celebrates the impulsive, unexpected moments in life; the impossibility of settling down when something new and exciting could be around the corner.

The track is accompanied by a diaristic music video bursting with nostalgia and a lust for life. Georgia Mooney shares on the video, “The video for ‘I Am Not In A Hurry’ is comprised entirely of little snapshots of moments from the last fifteen years of my life. Some of them are small and gentle like a cat on a fence, some of them are more momentous, love affairs, big concerts, cross-continental adventures. The video is personal, nostalgic and whimsical. It is no more extraordinary a life than any other, it is just a little open window into one.”

I Am Not In A Hurry was Co-produced with Noah Georgeson (Cate Le Bon, Devendra Banhart, Marlon Williams, Joanna Newsom), the release itself is a tribute to Joni Mitchell, one of Mooney’s musical and personal idols - and her song Cactus Tree, in both spirit and sound. “Mitchell (a painter, poet, songwriter, traveller) is herself hard to pin down”, says Mooney.

On ‘I Am Not In A Hurry’, Georgia Mooney shares, “I was in Florence for almost a month writing songs… It is no wonder that this song emerged there. In those weeks, travelling alone and caught up in the romance of it all, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to stay in one place again. How could you when there is so much to explore and there are so many people to meet? This song is about internal restlessness too and the desire to throw off the expectation society imposes on us to settle down, find a partner, have a baby. Why the hurry?”

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

Stephen Wilson Jr - American Gothic (feat. Hailey Whitters).

Southern Indiana-born, Nashville-based artist Stephen Wilson Jr. announced he has signed to Big Loud Records, and released his debut EP bon aqua. The seven-song collection compiles 6 previously released songs and the brand new single “American Gothic” (feat. Hailey Whitters) that was co-written with Whitters. Wilson is currently on the road supporting Whitters and will hit the road with The Lone Bellow next month before performing at Bourbon and Beyond Festival and CMA Fest later this year.

“Fellow cornfield kid, Hailey Whitters and I met some years ago writing songs and she had this beautiful idea inspired by her favorite Grant Wood painting to showcase parts of the American cultural fabric using nostalgia and the same duality that the painting seems to represent. We ran with it and sang it from the top of our lungs,” Wilson explains about the song.

“The first time I heard Stephen Wilson Jr. was at The Basement a few years back and he absolutely blew me away.... his writing, his songs and his live show is next level. He’s one of a kind and this genre is so much for the better with him in it,” Hailey Whitters proclaimed.

About his debut EP, Wilson adds: “Bon Aqua: Good water. Everything starts with good water. We are made of mostly water. The world is mostly water. As a microbiologist, I used to test water for pharmaceutical companies and everything from shampoo to aspirin to pet food to anything you can think of requires water.  Not just any water… good water. I was in charge of making sure the water was good. In and around Bon Aqua, Tennessee is coincidentally where I wrote and conceived most of this EP and filmed most of the videos and visual aspects. Hence the name, it is known for its good water and it only made sense for it to all start there."

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

Frankie Davies - Sofie Winterson - Paige Stark

Frankie Davies - High On Love.

Background - Frankie Davies has shared the new video for her latest single 'High On Love' which sees Frankie meandering home ‘the morning after’ around her local streets with the gorgeous landscape of Jersey as a backdrop.

“Wherever I Go is me, encapsulated,” says Frankie Davies, Jersey-born songwriter, on her highly anticipated debut album. This is an important release for Davies, in fact, she has said that “this represents me, my journey and experiences over the last 4 years.” First single, 'High On Love', is a brilliantly addictive tune that showcases Frankie's exceptional songwriting and heartwarming voice.

Frankie has explained the story within the song: "High on Love is an unusual take on a love story, one that follows an optimist with the ability to conjure up a connection that wasn’t there in the first place. By misreading gestures of kindness for ones of affection, we see just how easy it is to run away with our ideas of love. Being high on that ideal blurs the lines of what is real and masks the truth."

2018 marks an important step in her story, the release of ‘Wherever I Go’, Davies’ debut album on the 2nd of November, something fans have been waiting to hear for a long time. Its variety of influences are tied together by Davies’ evocative vocals and addictive melodies that transport listeners through both painful and joyful moments in her life. WEBSITE.

'High On Love' is a charming and lovable song that is now accompanied by a equally pleasing video, as Frankie Davies teases her fans once more ahead of the anticipated debut album due in just over a couple of weeks.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sofie Winterson - Half Asleep.

Background - Dutch musician and singer song-writer Sofie Winterson has announced the release of her sophomore album 'Sophia Electric' on 02 November via Excelsior Recordings.

Following the release of first single 'Military Man', Sofie has now shared another track taken from her upcoming album, and a beautifully intimate video to accompany it. 'Half Asleep' "is about holding back out of fear. When you listen to the lyrics, you’ll know what I mean by this.", Sofie says. "The video is directed and shot by photographer Laura Kampman. We were roommates in LA and she shot this video in and around our house. We became good friends and it was special to shoot this video together, since it’s a personal song and it felt natural to let her literally come as close as she does in the video".

Sofie grew up in a house full of music on a small peninsula in the Netherlands called ‘Marken’, just outside of Amsterdam. From a very young age, her father had all four children singing together and, later on, he even formed a band with them and toured in the Netherlands and Indonesia, where he was stationed as a doctor on the Maluku Islands. Her parents always thought that music was an important part of life, but didn't expect all four children would have ended up being musicians. Sofie's sister and brother are in a band called ‘My Baby’ and her older sister is in a band called ‘Blue Crime’. Her whole youth was filled with music and she drew a lot of inspiration from 70’s folk artists as well as soul legends. For her own music, and the latest project in particular, she returned to the folk.

Her new album 'Sophia Electric' is a personal document about love, letting go, change and memory. The music was written and recorded in different locations, namely Los Angeles, Lisbon, Haarlem and Amsterdam, but her guitar was always within reach.

The initial spark that lit the creative fire came when DJ Turquoise Wisdom introduced Winterson to a couple of obscure folk singles during a session on Red Light Radio that she attended. This prompted her to go back to her old love of writing songs in their bare essence on guitar. When she spotted a record player's amplylier saying 'Sophia Electric' on it, she put two and two together. She consumed a lot of music along the way; the deft experimentalism of Arthur Russell, the bare-boned songwriting approach of Big Thief and Elliott Smith, the lush, nocturnal atmospherics of Beach House and Mazzy Star… and yes, the commanding pop aura of Beyoncé too. This confluence of different beats was forged into a singular vision. TWITTER.

The musical backdrop has an intricate and detailed rhythmic feel on 'Half Asleep' whilst Sophie Winterson's vocals have an intimate and personal feel that combine to provide a quite addictive song.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paige Stark - Albatross.

Background - Paige Stark is a songwriter, multi-intstrumentalist, & producer from Los Angeles, California.

She has released records with her band Tashaki Miyaki & contributed production to fellow Angelenos L.A. Witch & Cherry Glazzerr as well as her own band, Tashaki Miyaki.

This is her debut solo effort. It was recorded by Grammy winning engineer Cassidy Turbin (Beck) with contributions by Jon Brion.

"among the most lovely pieces of music that I’ve heard so far this year. I wish we didn’t have to wait until at least Spring of 2019 for the full album, but I suppose that does make the saying about the best things in life being worth the wait ring truer than ever." - Marion Hodges, KCRW. BANDCAMP.

In the early months of last year we featured Tashaki Miyaki three times and were very impressed with their music. Now we have Paige Stark's debut solo piece 'Albatross' which as expected has her gentle melodic and tender vocals. The musical arrangement is subtly matched and those hooks are everywhere on this wonderful song.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------