Oslo, Norway-based indie-rock artist Tuvaband is a critically-acclaimed artist with an impressive international profile that, to date, has earned 40 million cumulative streams on Spotify. Tuvaband is the wildly eclectic brainchild of fearless songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Tuva previously earned a Norwegian Grammy nomination. Her song “Irreversible” was remixed by beloved dub icon Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Tuva’s intrepid artistry has garnered favorable comparisons to Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, David Lynch, and CocoRosie. Her songwriting exudes an indie-pop mystique, easing through delicate, piano-led folk, softly-soaring post-rock, and carefully-crafted sound design. Floating over these carefully-composed songs and densely textured soundscapes are Tuva’s fluttery vocals which manage to be both visceral and vulnerable. Tuvaband’s latest album, New Orders, out October 21, 2022 —her fourth overall—is a bold exploration of the many facets of her creativity. It marks the first time she did everything on an album, including playing all the instruments (except trombone and drums, though she programmed these beforehand and additionally kept parts of it), recording, producing, and mixing. It’s a pure transmission of Tuva’s full-bloom artistry.
New Orders’ first single is the album’s opening track, “Rejuvenate,'' a song that is both haunting and hypnotic. Wrapped in shoegaze style textures and propelled by trip-hop drums, it pulls the listener into a warm pulsating womb. “During the height of COVID, I listened to music to feel comforted. I wanted to write something that felt soothing, and as this is a song about a friendship, I decided to write from a more empathic angle.” Tuva shares. The song overflows with grounding affirmations, and one choice lyrical passage reads: Nothing’s in vain - step back and contemplate/I know you’re in pain - take your time - rejuvenate/I think you’ll be fine - breathe in and accumulate/Let’s intertwine - be nothing but compassionate.
Natalie D Napoleon - You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea (Album).
Sometimes in life and music you just have to say 'What-the-hell!’. Having spent 25 years playing music and a decade living and performing in California, Natalie D Napoleon decided to return to her native Western Australia. She had just been awarded a prestigious national poetry prize and was subsequently offered a scholarship to undertake a PhD in poetry. What long-suffering musician could say no to that? After two decades of performing everywhere from grimy Australian pubs to commanding the stage of international music festivals, Natalie had all but given up on music. It didn't seem to love her quite as much as she loved it. But before she said goodbye to her American band, she decided to record her latest collection of songs.
A lot had changed since Natalie recorded her 2012 release - Leaving Me Dry - in a lavish Santa Barbara studio with an all-star cast. Her long-time sidekick Kenny Edwards, who for decades was Linda Ronstadt’s leading man, had passed away while David Piltch was back on the road with k.d. lang. Eight years on and Natalie had an album's worth of songs, most of which were written on the front porch of her 100-year-old Santa Barbara cottage and honed live with her rustically orchestrated fourpiece. So Natalie threw caution the wind, said 'What the hell!' and went into an old wooden chapel nestled in the hills behind Santa Barbara with a single microphone to see what the band could capture. The intent was to record the songs for posterity. With that one mic they recorded 12 songs that Natalie considered worthy of everybody's time.
The aim - to capture the beauty and spontaneity of each song’s performance when it was fresh and new, the joy of four people playing music in a room together and the sonic beauty of the century-old wooden chapel, “I went into the room with Dan Phillips, Jim Connolly, and Doug Pettibone, with faith and trust in each other and, damn, the music gods delivered.”
The result is the 12-song album, You Wanted To Be The Shore But Instead You Were The Sea - captured live with a single microphone. When Natalie played the recording to friends, they told her she needed to release it. So she did - via Bandcamp. Radio in Australia started playing the first single, "Thunder Rumor" and enthusiastically added it to playlists Australia-wide. When the second single, "Wildflowers" was released the album climbed to the very top of Australia's AIR Independent Albums Chart. With rave reviews from critics and word to mouth support it seemed that the universe was responding in kind. Now, in 2022, with some much-needed help by a grant from the Western Australian government, the album is being released internationally for the first time, on her own imprint - First Blood Recordings.
The Hamilton, Ontario-based trio, Ellevator are today sharing their new single, "Party Trick" which arrives as the final advance track to be lifted from their forthcoming Chris Walla-produced debut album, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me – out May 6 via Arts & Crafts. The new single arrives following earlier tips from NPR, Consequence, The Needle Drop, Exclaim, FLOOD, The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, CBC and more. The band, who have just wrapped up a run of US dates including a stint at SXSW will support the release of the new record with Canadian dates this May with support coming from Pleasure Craft (Toronto) and Deanna Petcoff (London, Hamilton).
The band, which is comprised of Nabi Sue Bersche, guitarist, Tyler Bersche and bassist/synth player, Elliott Gwynne, will deliver on the promise of their self-titled 2018 EP with their long-awaited debut album. The record was pieced together across numerous locations but primarily while living together at The Bathouse (a Kingston-area facility owned by Canadian alt-rock legends The Tragically Hip) and comes off the back of earlier dates with Amber Run, BANNERS, Cold War Kids, Arkells and Dear Rouge. Across 12 tracks, it inhabits an emotional landscape that is both breathtakingly intimate and impossibly vast, documenting various experiences to turn universal (existential longing, romantic power struggles, the neverending work of true self-discovery) and highly specific (e.g., one band member’s journey in extracting herself from a cult) storytelling into a truly hypnotic body of work, giving rise to the kind of radiant open-heartedness that radically transforms our own perspective.
Ellevator poses a fantastic ability to sculpt these mammoth, melodramatic post-rock and indie-rock soundscapes, somewhat inspired by the late-aughts sounds of Spoon, Metric, Interpol and Arcade Fire, as well as the stadium-ready sounds of U2, Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. "Party Trick", the album closer, arrives as one of the album's twinkling, emotive ballads utilising delicate piano and brooding guitar textures.
Calista Kazuko have just released their wonderfully creative song 'Benzo Belle'. We featured them just once before about a year ago, this latest track is a fine reminder of this talented artist. === Also returning for a second time here are Tokyo Tea Room with their new song 'Designer', the psych pop band teasing us with a fine song ahead of the 'Dream Room' E.P due out later this month. === Tuvaband just shared 'Ambiguous Flies'. It's our third opportunity to feature her tantalising music, which consistently leaves me wanting to hear more. === We are on a bit of a second appearance roll on Beehive Candy today as Mimi Bay shares the beautiful song 'Daydream' which is soft and not surprisingly dreamy. === In the case of Frederick the Younger it's appearance number six here with 'Back to the Wall' the retro pop band actually sounding fresh and very current with this delicious song. === Rounding off our bumper new music weekend we are delighted to have Multimagic and the new song 'Move On'. The Cincinnati indie pop act have just released their E.P of the same name and it really is a good one.
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Calista Kazuko - Benzo Belle.
Roll up, roll up - the circus has come to town and invite you into their weird and wonderful world! Calista plays ringmistress to tell the story of our heroine, 'Benzo Belle' and the circus her life has become. Depreciated in a loveless marriage, a monotonous carousel existence, delusional and exhausted, self-medicating to numb the pain. Will she escape this Stepford Wife life prison and live out her fantasies to run away with the circus?...
The heartbreaking ‘Benzo Belle’ is being placed album frontrunner for its sophisticated, emotional songwriting and cinematic, evocative production. The record cherishes an eerie, tongue-in-cheek tenderness similar to The Dresden Doll’s cult classic ‘Coin Operated Boy’ and is quickly becoming a fan favourite.
“Powerful women throughout history are massively sexualised, even objectified. Is it because history is written by men? Or were these Empresses using their female prowess to rule the world?”
Calista’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Empress’ considers the stories of women in history to form this fearless, cinematic tribute to womanhood, self-love and empowerment. Co-produced by award-winning film composer Guy Dagul and recorded at London’s Rattle Studios, 'Empress’ finds Calista continuing to modify the norms of modern songwriting with a characteristic mix of sensuality and sense of humour. Each track tells a story about a different Empress, resulting in a stunning concept album that challenges complex themes while never losing its sense of fun: the song ‘Cake’, for instance, finds Marie Antoinette on Tinder!
Tokyo Tea Room unveil new single ‘Designer’, a wistful paean to long-distance relationships, and announce the ‘Dream Room’ EP for 29th November, released via A Certain Kind Records. Replete with swirling synths, glimmering guitars, and Beth Plumb and Daniel Elliot’s airy vocals matching for an ethereal effect, it’s an imperious example of their trademark psych-pop sound, occupying a similar space to the collegiate bedroom indie of MUNYA, Men I Trust or Far Caspian as well as taking cues from Tame Impala, DIIV, Air and Mazzy Star.
Expressing the simple, enduring message behind the track Daniel notes: ‘Designer is about missing someone you love, the lyrics embody the emotions of being in a relationship but separated by living in different cities.’
The release is part of the group’s ongoing evolution. Deciding on a fresh start at the beginning of 2019, and realising how much their sound had matured, the band removed all their previous output from digital services, choosing indeed to move forward in their new sonic direction.
This bold approach however hasn’t stopped Tokyo Tea Room achieving success on a wider level, culminating in live slots with Wolf Alice and Super Furry Animals, acclaim on key tastemaker sites The Line of Best Fit and Clash and spins on audio indie bible BBC 6 Music, Radio 1 and Radio X. As well as this, they are rapidly building a cult following in the hazy corners of YouTube and Spotify, racing to over one hundred thousand plays on Spotify alone on this new, discerning set of releases.
A key tenet of the band’s approach is their focus on aesthetic, which is strong and consistent throughout - unique whilst holding a candle to the canon of psychedelic and shoegaze pioneers they take inspiration from. A further reflection of their ethos is their collaboration with established Brighton-based visual artist InnerStrings, a well-known figure in the Psych scene who has previously been involved in events such as This Is Psych Fest, and this year’s Bella Union’s Great Escape Festival showcase, and who will be bringing his kaleidoscopic backdrops to the forthcoming Tokyo Tea Room show at Quarterstone.
Tokyo Tea Room are Daniel Elliot (Synths/Vocals), Ben Marshall (Bass), Beth Plumb (Vocals/Keys), Sam Teather (Drums), Ryan Debling (Guitar) and Graham Nunn (Guitar)
Tuvaband, aka the enigmatic Norwegian-born, Berlin-based artist Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser, shares new single Ambiguous Flies today. It is the third and final track to be taken from her forthcoming album ‘I Entered The Void’ which follows on 27 November via Brilliance Records. Leaving behind the ethereal hues of previous single He Said Me Too, and the dark synth-wave of the album’s title track and first single I Entered The Void, Ambiguous Flies is instead a denser, weightier, and much more urgent beast.
Ambiguous Flies is a song exploring what Tuva describes as “the line between passion and insanity”, which is mirrored in the intensity of the track. Ambiguous Flies is both claustrophobic and cathartic, it is a stunning expression of pressure and release wrapped in a creeping 90’s alt guitar riff, building to a crescendo of drums and a frenzied backdrop of freestyle saxophone. It is the album track most indicative of Tuva’s plan to capture the heavier live sound of Tuvaband on the new record. As Tuva expands:
“I wanted a more distorted sound, and live, my band and I really tried to push the boundaries from my released music by moving from stripped down and vulnerable, to trying to sound like a punk/rock band”.
Tuvaband has previously released one album, the debut ‘Soft Drop’ (2018, AntiFragile/Brilliance Records). The debut garnered wide acclaim both in Tuva’s homeland of Norway and internationally, with Tuvaband being named ‘Ones to Watch’ not once but twice by The Guardian, with the band’s SXSW Austin showcase of the same year garnering a flurry of attention from tastemaker US media.
Hailing from the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist and DIY musician Mimi Bergman – aka mimi bay – is crafting a Gen Z spin on age-old love quandries. Self-taught, she began writing and recording at 14 in her bedroom studio before sharing her music online. It quickly resonated with YouTube frequenters as her channel Hi I’m Mimi subsequently grew to a quarter of a million subs (and counting), and garnered over 11 million streams on Spotify.
mimi’s organic evolution and deep connection with her fans goes right to the heart of the new triple-single, ‘daydreams’. Comprised of three completed songs voted for by her growing fanbase from SoundCloud demos, the fully realised tracks, ‘wyd’, ‘daydream’ and ‘2am apollo’ are lush and mature pop songs without losing any of the intimate and raw beauty of the seeds that they grew from. mimi says -
‘I’ve wanted to share these songs since they were first demos but they never really had context so to finally share them with whoever wants to listen makes me happy.’ With leading track ‘wyd’, mimi immediately invites us into her delicate inner world. Vulnerable and emotive pop vocals meet finger picked acoustic guitar, instantly bringing to mind the contemporary beabadoobee, as well as effectively citing the fragility of Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘Flaws’.
Here, mimi opens up about the inevitability of change and the apprehension that naturally accompanies it, exposing her hopes and fears. As she explains - ‘wyd is about what I was feeling fall of 2018. A lot of things were changing, I was thinking too much and met some people who thought me a lot. This song to me, feels like that period of time, a bittersweet mixture of longing to get somewhere but also wanting to pause time and stay right where I was.’
Second track ‘Daydream’, greets like a fuzzy embrace. Thrumming low-end meets glimmering synths as mimi croons us into a trance. The music flows with mellow, jazzy chord changes, drifting afloat on a fantasy, as she sings the tender refrain ‘You were just another Daydream.’
Third and final track, ‘2am apollo’ emerges last, all dripping keys and underwater throbs. mimi’s soulful vocal take is front-and-centre here, harmonising with herself as the music swirls around her, in this short but emotionally effective song. With a keen eye for aesthetics, mimi’s input was intrinsic to the cover’s design process, realising the initial concept for the artwork and assuring a strong and cohesive narrative throughout her work. ‘daydreams’ is her first music to be released on 7-inch Vinyl, something she is naturally excited about -
‘Getting these songs out on vinyl is really cool. It’s hard to believe that I’ll be able to physically hold these three songs that have been with me for a while now. These are songs that carry my mind from different versions of me.’ As mimi takes the next big step on her astonishing musical journey, whichever version of herself presents itself, she can rest assured that her adoring fans are right there with her, willing her on every step of the way.
Back to the Wall: I woke up one day and really wanted to write an upbeat song. I tend to write moodier songs. They're more in my DNA. Back to the wall is the song that came out of that intention. The funny thing is that the lyrics are pretty serious for what to me is an easy going song. It's about Aaron's and I's relationship. About the intensity of living, working and spending almost all your time with your partner. Things reach a tipping point and we have these almost scripted reactions. We play out the same patterns. The song is me trying to release some of my emotions. Obviously there are highs and lows in every relationship and I've written a lot of love songs to Aaron but this is more of a relationship song.
We’re all just spinning in circles of time and space. Retro-pop band Frederick the Younger lasso various transitory states and tensions of the heart on their upcoming new EP "Fever." Across six songs, the Louisville-based songwriters -- Jenni Cochran and Aaron Craker -- seek for something real and dissects such issues as regret, love and letting go.
In 2018 they found creative kinship in drummer Meg Samples and bassist Shelley Anderson and started working on the followup to 2017's Human Child. Producer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne) couples the vivid, visceral lyrics and equally-emotive arrangements with a slick, yet dreamy, quality. And it’s never at the expense of the innately imposing stories. Lead single “Back to the Wall” untangles the push and pull of a relationship that’s undergoing an inner struggle. “You could say you love me / But you leave me with my back to the wall,” Cochran casts off her frustrations as a snake shedding its skin.
Their willingness to be so vulnerable serves as the EP’s foundation. “Erased,” featuring Craker’s magnetic, raw vocal, and “Deepest Blue” are other sterling highlights, the latter witnessing Cochran hitting an emotional rock bottom and writing a song about it. “I hate regretting things I’ve done, and I know when I’m in that space that I shouldn’t be doing it. I waste time, and I get carried away. This song is me trying to sing myself out of that funk,” she says of the song.
Cochran and Craker are not only the creative core of the band, but they complete each other on a deeply personal level. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Cochran grew up writing songs, yet never played them out. She initially had ambitions to go to school for anthropology but after working overseas, teaching in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, she returned to the states with a newfound drive to pursue music. She relocated to Louisville, and a two-month stay turned into a permanent move when she met Craker through an improv group.
Cincinnati indie pop act Multimagic have released their long-awaited EP, Move On, ahead of their debut album early next year. "It’s a synth lover’s dream," GroundSounds' Jake Craney exclaimed last month on the new material. "Slick, impactful, and something you’ll be singing and replaying all day."
Move On arrives after a several year hiatus following a misdiagnosed illness that temporarily put frontman/songwriter Coran Stetter out of commission from music. Stetter returned to Multimagic with a new lineup and material, starting with "Dreams" back in January and "Sunshine" last month.
Multimagic is an Ohio-based indie pop band founded in 2014 by singer-songwriter Coran Stetter. The band caught an early break when a demo of their song "Let Go" gained traction in May 2014, garnering a devoted fanbase in their hometown of Cincinnati and appearances at music festivals SXSW, CMJ, MPMF and Bunbury.
By 2016, Multimagic had a backing band in tow, a full length album recorded, and a release date set for the following summer. However, that February, Stetter suffered from a misdiagnosis and was overprescribed prednisone and codeine, which led to a period that the young singer/songwriter describes as a "manic daze" that changed the course of his life.
During his recovery, many of Stetter's friends and former bandmates had left him to fend for himself, so he spent the next year rebuilding relationships and fostering new ones. Multimagic now comprises guitarist James Ruehlman, drummer Evan Brown, keyboardist Meg Kecskes and bassist Anthony Maley.
Reconnecting with music was an important part of Stetter's recovery and his bout with mental illness and search for redemption became themes of both November’s Move On EP and the band’s upcoming full-length early next year.
Marika Wittmar has just shared 'Underneath Your Hands'. The Swedish songwriter has surrounded herself with an impressive musical arrangement which contrast well with her distinct and powerful vocals.
Swedish quartet True Moon feat. Christine Owman share 'Sisters In Arms' a fast paced post punk song with just a hint of Gothic vibes and hooks galore.
Ttrruuces debut track in entitled 'Sad Girl'. Accompanied by an animated video, the song opens as a gently melodic piece. Gorgeously arranged with fabulous harmonies and rich textures of musical sound, it builds into something quite epic.
Malena Zavala latest release is 'En La Noche' a song that somehow manages to capture the vibrancy of Latin American music and mix it with psych pop/rock! This is something rather special.
Just over a month ago we featured Tuvaband for the first time and now we have another fine song entitled 'He Said Me Too'. The vocals are incredible and exude emotion and intensity, it's another fine tease for the forthcoming album.
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Marika Wittmar - Underneath Your Hands.
Marika Wittmar is a Swedish songwriter and artist who mixes influences from blues, folk/world music, ballads and jazz with lyrics inspired by i.a. buddhistic meditation and female mythology.
Her band, constisting of both folk musicians and jazz musicians was formed at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg 2018. Hammond organ, drums, bouzouki, harmonies, bass and guitars make up the bands' instrumental foundation, together with Marikas powerful and characteristic lead vocals.
The debut-EP Underneath Your Hands was recorded in Svenska Grammofonstudion in Gothenburg in spring of 2019 and will be released later this year.
True Moon feat. Christine Owman - Sisters In Arms.
Swedish quartet True Moon offers an enchanting blend of dark wave, post-punk, and alternative that eclipses musical trends. Formed by members of Grammy-nominated band Vånna Inget, Karolina Engdahl (vocals/bass) and Tommy Tift (guitar), they have created a charming darkness; together with Linus Segerstedt (guitar) and Fredrik Orevad (drums), they are a force to be reckoned with.
Engdahl and Tift began this project when they were inspired to create something that was more raw and visceral than the songs they were working on for Vånna. "It was like an urge and we just had to do this,” says Engdahl. The result was True Moon's 2016 self-titled debut, a brooding yet sensual work that garnered attention in the Scandinavian music community and beyond. With influences including Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, early Cure, Stevie Nicks, and Heart, they channeled a sound of bittersweet twilight.
True Moon expanded their audience with performances in Sweden, the UK, and the United States, playing with bands like Killing Joke, King Dude, MCC, Dead Soul, Nicole Saboune, and many more. Now poised for their next release, titled II, True Moon has nowhere to go but up. "We want to draw our own cult of believers together and create a little chaos of our own," Karolina says. "We want this record to be like an infectious poison."
Both II and True Moon were produced by Jari Haapalainen, who adds guitar to the recordings and also joins the band on stage occasionally. Lövely Records will release II in digital, CD, and vinyl formats on November 1st, 2019.
It’s notoriously hard to stand out in the congested world of new music, but that’s something that TTRRUUCES have achieved with their debut track ‘Sad Girl’. From their storytelling style to their unique sound through to their touching animated video, TTRRUUCES are doing something quite unlike anyone else around.
Their debut single ‘Sad Girl’ represents the first chapter of a grand narrative tale that will be told in full with TTRRUUCES’s debut album. The song introduces Sadie, the ‘Sad Girl’ of its title. She’s 17-years-old, depressed and different. As a musician who loves the icons of rock and roll history – Bowie, Queen, The Velvet Underground, Nirvana - Sadie feels out of place and out of time with her generation. She has few friends and has never had a boyfriend.
But little does she realise that she’s on the cusp of a much bigger adventure. As the song’s lyrics promise, “Have a little patience, you may find just what you’re looking for.”
The opening of ‘Sad Girl’ sounds like some long-lost masterpiece of late ‘60s psych folk that’s only just been rediscovered by a particularly committed crate-digger. Yet it constantly shifts into an individualistic amalgamation of other genres and sounds, taking in choral-style vocal harmonies, lush bursts of strings and a Zappa-esque guitar solo.
That spirit of adventure extends to the striking video. Callum Scott-Dyson mixes a range of animation techniques to bring the ‘Sad Girl’ to life, in the process dropping some subtle references to a variety of legendary artists. The visuals that bring TTRRUUCES’s fictional universe will evolve with future releases, with a live action cast and experimental film techniques bringing the rock opera and its protagonists to life.
Though based in London, TTRRUUCES relocated to the French seaside for a year to give themselves the freedom to fully immerse themselves in creating their debut album. They produced it themselves before calling on Alan Moulder (Arctic Monkeys, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails) for mixing duties. The song was mastered by France’s leading engineer Chab (Daft Punk, Christine & The Queens).
Heritage is a complex thing for the Argentina born and UK raised producer/multi-instrumentalist songwriter Malena Zavala. On her debut album Aliso, released last year, she offered an aesthetic which married the worldly rhythms and magical lyricism of her latino background with the vitality and production values of contemporary psych rock and dream pop. It was quickly lauded for its creative fearlessness and dulcet melodics. The Guardian praised it in their 4* review as did The Sunday Times, Stereogum, NPR, The Line of Best Fit and more.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Malena has been prolific since, playing festivals such as Green Man and touring with Men I Trust, Blanco White and Lord Huron and writing a trove of new material which she intends to release as her second album early next year. The first single from this new body of work, ‘En La Noche’ (translates as 'In The Night') combines traditional Latino Cumbia rhythms with lysergic guitars and a swirling ambient production style to create a beatific exploration of the role of dreams in creativity. “I started creating a fictional world where your dreams are just important as your reality" explains Malena.
"I had been reading Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s ‘100 Years Of Solitude’ so I was obsessed with magical realism at the time. In your dreams the whole world dances together. If you get complacent, magical forces pin you to the floor and you can spend the rest of your days there. It’s a metaphor for getting as much as you can out of life and not getting lazy.”
By pairing the music of her earliest memories with the music of her young adulthood, Malena challenges generic conventions while simultaneously crossing the borders of identity. ‘En La Noche’ invites the musical worlds of salsa, afro-funk, cumbia, guarani, and many more, to a moonlit dream party with the likes of Beach House, Tame Impala, Khruangbin and Connan Mockasin.
She hopes the rhythms in her music will bring people together: “Dancing is in the heart of Latin America and in my soul so I wanted to incorporate more of that in my music and live shows to get anyone moving. Even people who aren’t comfortable dancing. It takes all seriousness out of it”.
The dance theme continues with the vibrant new video for ‘En La Noche’ directed by George Moore. “I wanted to really capture the energising effect of the music, and reflect the song’s vibrancy in the visuals,” says Moore. “Out of that came the idea of starting with painterly staged poses, and building up to a dynamic and colourful dance sequence as the music fills the performers with life.
“The decision to shoot in a stunning Victorian theatre and use a lot of smooth motion helped lend a floaty, dream-like quality to the video, and Malena really knocked the choreography out of the park, with intuitive dance skills the rest of us can only dream of!” By synthesising the things she loves, Malena’s music expresses herself in its purest form. She is a vital new sound for our transnational times.
Last month Tuvaband (aka Norwegian artist Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser) announced the release of their second album I Entered The Void (27 November via Brilliance Records), and shared the album’s title track - an otherworldly, atmospheric slice of Brad Fiedel-esque cinematic synthwave. Now Tuvaband return with a second single ‘He Said Me Too’, a song equal to its predecessor in its ethereal beauty but with a duskier, heavier soul. ‘He Said Me Too’ is a song that binds itself around the listener, at once both alluring in its melancholy yet claustrophobic, giving the sense that the listener is drowning in the song’s spellbinding current.
‘He Said Me Too’ is a song about the complex process whereby the oppressed become the oppressor, and the mentality that being a victim creates an increasingly accepted cycle of revenge. Inspired by a series of documentaries and media coverage in Norway, of witch hunts and shifting power struggles, in ‘He Said Me Too’ Tuva reflects on ideas such as the cycle of war, as Tuva expands “after a war in a country where one group is oppressed, very often you see that group later go to war against the group that offended”. Its a song that explores without judgment a human trait Tuva finds “interesting, but also scary and sad”, one where values and principles are lost in a cycle of an eye for an eye.
The lyrical depth of thought displayed on ‘He Said Me Too’ is indicative of the I Entered The Void long-player as a whole. The album was written in what Tuva describes as “The Void”, newly relocated to Berlin, the artist found herself in a place between old and new, with most of the album being written
by Tuva alone in her home studio. This period of isolation has led to an album of deep musical undercurrents, and even deeper lyrical reflections.
Tuvaband has previously released one album, the critically acclaimed debut Soft Drop (2018, AntiFragile/Brilliance Records), which garnered acclaim both in Tuva’s homeland of Norway and internationally, with Tuvaband being named ‘Ones to Watch’ twice by The Guardian, and the band’s SXSW Austin showcase of the same year garnering a flurry of attention from tastemaker US media.
‘He Said Me Too’ is released as a digital single today with the album I Entered The Void following on 27 November, both on Brilliance Records. Tuvaband will perform in the UK in the new year: 5th February 2020: The Lexington, London.
The Rightly So have just released 'Vandura' an album comprising of eleven songs where the duo explore a variety of folk and Americana styles. It's a refreshing collection of material, your never quite sure where the next track will take you, be assured this really is a refined and captivating collection of songs, a must for modern folk and all things Americana fans.
From Tuvaband we have a new music video for 'I Entered The Void'. The song is highly creative and I would suggest quite mesmerising. The cinematic video complements the piece and Tuva Hellum Marschhäuseris is most definitely on our one to watch out for radar.
Ora The Molecule have shared 'When Earth Took A Breath' accompanied by a fascinating video that works so well with this majestic alt pop song.
If you fancy going for a night drive then Marinho has a music video for 'Freckles' that's also just for you. Actually it's well matched to the songs lyrics and her folk rock style is highly notable.
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The Rightly So - Vandura (album).
Buffalo NY-based Americana/Folk duo The Rightly So have just released their brand new album "Vandura". Not a pair to stay on the couch, The Rightly So have been touring relentlessly, living on the road, and in fact, that lifestyle and new perspective has become inspiration for this new release.
"We've spent the last year and a half living out of our homemade RV built inside an old Verizon work truck, traveling over 40,000 miles and playing shows in over 20 states. "Vandura" is the culmination of 18 months of adventures, a collection of stories we've watched unfold and all of the places we've been. Living on the road has given us an entirely new perspective that has permeated this album to its core. It's a layered look into the many facets of what it's like to travel the back roads of America in an old van for a living, and our love for this new lifestyle that we've embraced is a constant theme."
Born in the heart of the Buffalo rust belt, The Rightly So brings a vibrant energy to Americana music. The young acoustic duo is comprised of esteemed guitarist and performer Gregory Zeis, and award-winning singer/songwriter Jess Chizuk. Likened to The Milk Carton Kids and The Secret Sisters, The Rightly So has developed a unique style of captivating acoustic music carried by perfectly blended harmonies by voices that have been described as “electric and deeply in tune.”
Combined, Jess and Greg have nearly 20 years of performing experience while still in their early 20's themselves. The duo has played 100+ shows each year for the last 4 years and orchestrated three nationwide tours. They have performed with Howie Day, Phoebe Hunt & The Gatherers, Sean Patrick McGraw, Dylan Jakobsen, and Davina and the Vagabonds, and have been featured in The Huffington Post, No Depression Magazine, and NPR affiliates in Amarillo (TX) and Grand Junction (CO). The Rightly So’s music combines the nostalgia of classic, down-home Americana with the sounds of contemporary folk. Their self-titled album provides an honest look into what a live performance from this duo is like; two guitars, two voices and a batch of well-crafted songs, full of vibrant energy and chemistry without losing any musical integrity. Their tasteful guitar riffs, singable melodies and storytelling lyrics have won them a number of accolades and awards alike.
Tuvaband is the work of Norwegian artist Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Tuva has a rare knack for capturing a strange magic in her songs, delicate compositions that range from delicate, piano-led folk to softly-soaring, post-rock that wraps the listener up in its own special atmosphere, held spellbound by the sounds swirling around her captivating, feather-light vocal.
‘I Entered The Void’ is a perfect introduction to both Tuvaband’s strange blend of magic, but also to the themes and tones found specifically within the forthcoming album of the same name. The single is gorgeously decorated with its instruments, its synth-line descending like rainfall and paired with choppy guitar waves, that musical beauty builds a world for Tuva’s vocal character to inhabit. In the verses, she’s a little restrained, singing under the weight of the feelings she’s carrying, rolling from barbed lyrics “her guts leaked, I was the retainer”, to aggressive then to wounded, before the chorus soars up through the song, and provides the release, the escape of falling into the Void. As Tuva expands:
“‘I Entered The Void’ is about realizing that you feel like an overflowing container of the emotions of others. And then what it feels like when the container suddenly becomes empty. It’s a song about getting lost in a void. This song was the first song I wrote for this album.” Tuvaband’s forthcoming long-player I Entered The Void follows their critically acclaimed debut album Soft Drop (2018, Brilliance Records) which garnered acclaim both in Tuva’s homeland of Norway and internationally, with Tuvaband being named ‘Ones to Watch’ twice by The Guardian, and the band’s SXSW Austin showcase of the same year garnering a flurry of attention from the likes of Brooklyn Vegan and IMPOSE.
I Entered The Void is a slight departure from Tuvaband’s previous style, inspired in part by Tuva’s personal life after a relocation to Berlin. Sonically the new record moves away from the deliberate minimalism of its predecessor Soft Drop with I Entered The Void offering a weightier and fuller sound. It was recorded with Tuvaband’s current live band to add more muscle, and it was a change in Tuvaband’s live sound that inspired the shift of style in the recorded work, as Tuva explains:
“I wanted a more distorted sound, and live, my band and I really tried to push the boundaries from my released music by moving from stripped down and vulnerable, to trying to sound like a punk/rock band. I felt like we were able to sound really rough and tough in parts of our sets. I really wanted people to hear this new side of the project, so there was no doubt I wanted this live version to be on my new album”. Elsewhere on the album, in its title and much of its lyrical themes, there is a much more introspective influence, with the record inspired by Tuva’s experience of newly moving to Berlin, as she expands:
“After a few months in Berlin, I was in this space I called ‘The Void’, a place between old and new. Like a waiting room. The album is about the reflections, thoughts and feelings that can appear in an empty space - a void - a break - with a distance from my earlier life, relations and society.”
‘When Earth Took A Breath (Are You There?)’ is the mesmerising alt-pop cut from Ora the Molecule, following global dance anthem ‘Salé’. Mixed by Erin Tonkon (David Bowie, PIXX) and underlined by bubbling synthesizers, ‘When Earth Took A Breath’ builds to a moving crescendo of guitar and crashing drums, somewhere between Cocteau Twins and Beach House.
Written as a stream of consciousness, the track is rooted in vocalist Nora’s recurring childhood dream of a ghost chasing her: “One night I realised that it was a dream, so I turned around and spoke to the ghost. He then disappeared, I woke up and I never had the dream again, as if confronting him broke the illusion, and that he could only exist as long as I feared him.”
Ora the Molecule translated this dream into civilisation’s relationship with nature. When misunderstood, it’s seen as fearfully omnipresent and powerful, disturbing our “need to learn to live in harmony with it.” The video parallels the sonic vastness of the track. Directed by Lambert Grand it’s a cinematic film following the journey of twins escaping imprisonment from something unknown, drenched with lush visuals.
Grand describes the methods that create this vibrancy: "I shot this video using what’s called a Full Spectrum Camera, and I used a specific filter that is able to see a certain type of infrared. The result is what you saw: everything that highly reflects infrared like plants appear red. What makes this project great is that so far no film or music video have been done using this technology and filter.”
Ora the Molecule are united by a mutual love of dance music, all three of them DJing italo, electronica and techno. These electronic sounds are blended with the 80s influences of Kraftwerk and Suzanne Vega, the result is their own unique strain of alt-pop.
With roots in Norway, Germany and Slovakia, they formed by chance in LA, consisting of vocalist Nora (who was searching for her estranged father at the time), drummer Sju and synth player Jan. They now record their distinctive dance-pop between the English countryside and the Andalusian mountains.
Portuguese alternative folk-rock artist, Marinho, has released her latest single, “Freckles,” in anticipation of her debut LP, ~ (read tilde), to be released October 18th on Street Mission Records. “‘Freckles’ was the most difficult track [on the album] to put together in the studio and it was also the most rewarding one to record,” Marinho says. “It was born out of the bass riff that had been stuck in my head for years. It’s also a very personal song about growing up at the hands of people not mature enough to raise kids, working out childhood traumas and lack of acceptance, feeling emotionally faulted or bankrupt. I'm particularly vulnerable and exposed at the end of the song when I say, ‘Dad pushes everyone away, Mom pulled away from everyone, And life is like a tilde sign with ups and downs, not a straight line.’”
Born in Lisbon and raised in front of the TV, Filipa Marinho had plenty of early exposure to American cartoons and mid-90's movies, as well as a growing intimacy with Hollywood’s views on love, relationships, and overall human nature. Now, as a young adult using her last name as her moniker, she tries to come to terms with what lies between overly romanticized expectations and real non-sitcom life. Resolutions come in the form of the songs which she has written and assembled over the years which make up ~.
Recorded at Black Sheep Studios and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Marlon Williams, Feist, Andy Shauf), ~ is constructed from the simplicity of the roots of American folk music, with lush, cinematic tinges. The first single, “Ghost Notes,” made a splash on major Portuguese radio stations as well as Spotify and Apple Music playlists such as “Fresh Finds: Six Strings” and “New Music Friday,” and “Breaking Alternative,” respectively. The momentum continued to build with the release of “Window Pain,” which premiered on VICE Portugal, and Marinho spent the spring and summer touring in anticipation of the album.
Marinho will be dropping more singles and videos throughout the fall of 2019, surrounding the release of ~ on October 18th.
