The new single from Durham indie roots duo Viv & Riley (formerly Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno) is a wistful look at our many selves, at the refractions of our identities as we navigate the world. "‘Imaginary People’ is about evaluating and juggling all of the different versions of myself," Leva (the songwriter) says. "Was I adventurous and a little reckless? Or was I grounded and measured? Am I kind to myself or too judgemental?"
A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of Imaginary People, the new album from Viv & Riley, coming September 15, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie roots sheen to newly composed pop gems.
Rooted originally in the folk tradition, the pair reframe the production into experimental territory, crafting songs that speak to finding a path forward into adulthood in an uncertain world. Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection.
Pittsburgh-based indie band Paging Doctor Moon has released their newest single, Dirty Alcoholic, available for streaming from August 18th.
“This is our Spaghetti Western (Appalachian) exploration of addiction and self harm. Sonically, it feels like cowboys dreaming on a pirate ship,” says Kirsten Heibert, songwriter and founder of Paging Doctor Moon. The guitars rock us gently back and forth as the drums roll the ship through the waves; Heibert’s dreamy vocals blow wind into the sails. The band recorded the song at Audible Images in Pittsburgh, and at their producer Julian Giaimo’s studio in upstate NY.
Paging Doctor Moon started as Heibert’s solo project in Brooklyn. With an album and EP under her belt, she relocated to her hometown in 2021. This is the first single featuring the new band members.
Dirty Alcoholic is the first of three singles with accompanying music videos to be released this year. It will be followed by “Scars” and “Middle Management.” The music videos are scripted by Heibert and filmed/directed by Danielle Powell with creative consulting by Giuliana Fox. The content may be dark, but this group is dedicated to finding the joy in everything they create. Heibert hopes that the music makes you feel deeply…even if she is afraid to herself.
Berlin-based trio Meagre Martin has their shared new single 'Please Clap'. The single comes alongside the exciting news that on November 10th, the band will release their debut album Gut Punch via Mansions & Millions, as well as heading back to their native USA for a slew of live dates supporting Alt-J.
The project was founded in the summer of 2021 by the African-American musician and songwriter Sarah Martin (guitar), who was quickly joined by Federico ‘Freddy’ Corazzini (drums) and Max Hirtz-Wolf (bass).
On Gut Punch, Meagre Martin create a sound inspired by shoegaze, 90’s indie, or 'faux country,' as the band calls it, and juxtaposes these beautifully light soundscapes with lyrics that belie the sweetness of the sound with their vulnerability and depth. Sonically evoking images of California deserts and Berlin basements, of long thoughtful conversations in the twilight, days turning into nights in the park and nights turning into day again at a studio, Meagre Martin have created eleven tracks that beautifully flow into each other.
New single, 'Please Clap', is a satirical take on the feeling of inadequacy. "The original inspiration for the song came from using performance as a means of connection and a way to feel seen," explains Sarah. "As the song was forming, a lyric I was writing reminded me of a viral video from the 2016 US Presidential race of Jeb Bush giving a 'rousing' speech, then having to ask his audience to 'please clap'." Despite being against everything the Bush family stands for, Sarah felt pity for the eldest son, since he has always been overlooked throughout his career. Being the unseen second choice is something she could relate to.
Dictator Ship is back, ready to launch their second studio album ”Electric Jihad” in September 2023. Blending energetic and raw rock’n'roll with exquisite multi-layered vocal harmonies and melodies inspired by 60’s soul and doo-wop, the band has carved out their very own niche in the rock landscape, perfectly displayed on the new album.
The second single leading up to ”Electric Jihad” is called ”City Girl” and is released on the 18th of August on The Sign Records.
The band comments on ”City Girl”: It’s a song about romance. About meeting a fantastic someone that you really want to sleep with and hang out with but you know you won’t ever get the chance. What can you do? You just get yourself a drink and move on.
The new single 'Is It All Over' from Viv & Riley (formerly Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno) is released this week and taken from their album coming in September from Free Dirt Records. It's a gently sardonic take on the coming future of climate change and billionaires on Mars. Over soft fingerpicked guitars and a harmonies, Riley wonders if the Arctic will have a baseball field on a field of clover, and whether the mining towns on Mars will have bars or Warby Parkers. I dunno, this song just gets me every time, I think it gets at the absurdity of our current age by amplifying that weirdness into a deadly serious future. Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger produced the album and you can hear some of the Durham, NC magic on it (Viv & Riley live in Durham)!
A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of Imaginary People, the new album from Viv & Riley, coming September 15, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie roots sheen to newly composed pop gems. Rooted originally in the folk tradition, the pair reframe the production into experimental territory, crafting songs that speak to finding a path forward into adulthood in an uncertain world.
Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection. The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie.
'Daywasters' is a creative collection of gorgeous songs that without exception demand a second listen just to be able to take everything in. It goes without saying that we are mightily impressed!
Part Bat, AKA Hannah Maryse Robinson was raised on 70's folk rock and the 24-hour news cycle. She writes anxious, apocalyptic Americana that you can still bop to. After years of creating bedroom music and showing it to no one, she found herself in Berlin. There she played endless bar shows and immersed herself in the city's vibrant anti-folk and psych scenes, playing bass for psychedelic acts like Soft Milk and Sour Janes. One fateful night she supported musicians Jordan Blue Peysano and Haui Boker, and the three teamed up to make their debut album Daywasters - due to be released in July 2023, Produced by Francisco Cabala (of Chicos de Nazca), Daywasters was recorded in Berlin's Reflex Magnet Studios.
Written between the turbulent years of 2017 - 2021, it is an album about making the best of a world that seems to be hurtling towards the end. Lead single Okay is a disco-tinged ode to doom scrolling and social media-induced ennui. Same Old Songs and Try Hard Blues explore Hannah's struggles with depression and rampant ADHD, with upbeat arrangements that bring light to the heavier subject matter. The softest song on the record - title track Daywasters - is also the most hopeful - a dreamy celebration of wasting time with someone great.
Since moving back to London, Hannah's put together a UK band, along with Kieran Murphy (of Cold Comforts). Together with a cohort of multi-instrumentalists, they're preparing a stage show that is part frank stream-of- consciousness confessionals, part party.
As a prelude to her upcoming EP, ‘The 11th Hour’, rising Australian pop artist, Sophia Petro releases her eagerly awaited single, ‘Rosé Glow’, bursting with mesmerising, catchy melodies and relatable storytelling lyricism, and it's all of that and fabulous and released today Friday, 21st July 2023.
The heart and soul of ‘Rosé Glow’ lie in its compelling narrative. Sophia Petro paints a vivid picture of the exhilarating experience of getting ready for a night out with friends. As the chorus unfolds, she delves into the secret yearnings for a deeper connection with someone who captures her heart amidst the bustling energy of a social gathering. The song encapsulates those fleeting moments when the "rosé glow" casts an enchanting spell, blurring the lines between reality and possibility.
Produced and mixed by Gabrielle Emery (EMEREE) and mastered by Darren Ziesing, the creative process behind ‘Rosé Glow’ was a collaborative effort between Sophia Petro and producer Gabrielle Emery. Together, they crafted a vibrant and catchy pop anthem that embodies the joy and anticipation of a night out. Sophia states “Gabrielle put down a vibe (the iconic guitar lick at the beginning of the track) and I pulled up my notes app on my phone and started writing down lyric ideas. We wrote up until the end of the first chorus and then I took it home and wrote the remainder of the song that very night because I was so inspired!”
Melbourne, Australian artist, Sophia Petro's musical style can be described as a fusion of folk and country with a modern pop-infused twist. Drawing inspiration from icons like Taylor Swift, Maisie Peters, and Gretta Ray, Sophia Petro uses her songwriting prowess to express her own emotions and experiences, connecting deeply with her audience through her relatable storytelling.
As an artist, Sophia Petro's journey has been shaped by her love for writing and storytelling. From an early age, she found solace in songwriting, using music to process and express her emotions. Influenced by her father, a musician, and her mother, a talented writer, Sophia Petro's artistic path was destined to intertwine with her passion for creating evocative and heartfelt music.
Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Arielle Silver has released her new song and video for “Bramble Vine” today July 21st. Her first single in three years, the song is the first from her upcoming album Watershed, due out this fall.
Arielle Silver was inspired by the blackberries that grew outside her childhood home for the song. “One day I was making pie and thinking about complicated relationships,” says Silver, “and the way that some kinds of love are complicated, but worth the work.” An earthy, scenic singer-songwriter ballad in 6/8, “Bramble Vine” is grounded in acoustic guitar and tender piano, and exemplifies Silver’s literary approach to songwriting, or in her words - “literate folk pop.”
Silver serves as the President of FAR-West - Folk Alliance Region West, where she fosters and promotes the work of artists, songwriters, producers and more across traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music, dance, storytelling, and performing arts. She additionally serves as a team member for the SONA Foundation, a charitable organization that advocates on behalf of songwriters and music creators.
“Bramble Vine” follows Silver’s 2021 acclaimed album A Thousand Tiny Torches. With support from Americana UK, American Songwriter, and more, A Thousand Tiny Torches was produced and recorded with singer-songwriter Shane Alexander, whose partnership with Silver continued throughout the recording and production of Watershed.
Following on from the release of his highly-praised debut EP ‘God Ache’ last year, emerging Manchester-based singer-songwriter T.R. Burge has now returned with his new EP ‘Selling You’ released today 21st July 2023. This is a notable collection of songs, with distinct vocals and some beautifully creative material that really does stand out as something special.
Talking about the EP T.R. Burge has this to say, “The EP was based on the idea of having no pressure at all but getting together at the producer Robbie Moore’s new Idea Farm/Studio he is building in rural Sweden and seeing what came out. This is the first ever project that was recorded there and we were based in a beautiful old wooden outbuilding set within incredible countryside in Sweden. We started the recording on January 2nd and it was such a great way to start the year.”
“At points the snow was coming down outside and there was also plenty of rain, I love both rain and snow. It was a wonderful creative process and we had dinner in the evenings with Robbie’s family and children, slept deeply afterwards and got up and repeated the next day. My friend Liam from Manchester also came with me and took photos and we just all hung out. It was great. A drummer I have recorded with before called Tobias also came in from Berlin and played some awesome parts. It was bacon sarnies in the morning and easy and peaceful creative days,” he continued.
After recently returning to deliver their highly-praised sophomore LP ‘The Land Belongs To Us’, emerging outfit Hector Gannet are now looking to follow up their latest full-length with the new three-track collection ‘Emmanuel Head’.
Featuring the opening song of their recent full-length and title-track of EP, ‘Emmanuel Head’, as well as two live renditions of ‘Last Of The Buffalo’ and ‘Waiting For The Whistle’, this new outing looks to add to what has already been an incredibly accomplished year for the outfit. With ‘Waiting For The Whistle’ recorded during their support slot for Sam Fender’s recent St. James Park show, this new release marks a seminal moment in their career so far.
Hector Gannet, from North Shields on Tyneside, are masters of a kind of new, modernist folk music, taking their name from an ill-fated trawler which sank in the North Sea under heroic circumstances in 1967. Hector Gannet’s musical incarnation began to draw attention when they wrote and performed music to accompany vintage footage of the North East heritage of shipbuilding and fishing as part of a project for the BFI in 2017. The band have toured widely, including a UK tour with Sam Fender and dates in England and Scotland with indie legends Sea Power, two North American adventures and, more recently, supporting Sam Fender (again) at St James’ Park football stadium.
Hector Gannet’s second album ‘The Land Belongs To Us’ was released to acclaim in early 2023. MOJO awarded four stars: “Pointedly political, natural-world-advocating folk rock.” Uncut proclaimed “North Shields’ answer to Crazy Horse.”
Emmanuel Head (taken from the current album) is a song inspired by escaping to a place of personal significance, in this case, for Hector Gannet, a white pyramid day marker on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the north east coast of England, but as Aaron Duff (aka Hector Gannet) explains “The song is as much about our connection with each other as it is about any personal fondness for a particular place. It’s about getting away from it all, to where we are without distraction and where, for a while, the land belongs to us.”
Rising Americana-folk-rock band Briscoe is set to release their debut album 'West Of It All' on 15th September via ATO Records. Produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats), the album features a collection of folksy hooks and bold songwriting that bridges the gap between classic American roots music and its modern-day incarnation.
The band started on the University of Texas/Austin campus, with free backyard performances which quickly led to sold-out gigs at Antone's Nightclub and The Continental Club Gallery. Comprised of bandmates Truett Heintzelman and Philip Lupton, they built their fanbase the old-school way, by constant touring and authentic engagement with the audience. The Texas natives wrote 'West Of It Al'l as graduation loomed in the distance, funnelling the stories of their college experience — from heartbreak to hard-won lessons to weekend trips into the rural countryside — into a raw, rugged blend of classic and contemporary influences.
As Briscoe continued to perform and grow their fanbase, a wider audience began to take notice. They soon opened shows for Noah Kahan and Ruston Kelly and were selected for dates with Zach Bryan and Caamp. And after recently graduating from UT, Briscoe has a packed touring summer, filled with festivals alongside some of music’s biggest names on Bonnaroo, Winnetka Music Festival, Fairwell Festival, Catbird Music Festival, Iron Blossum Music Festival and more. A career highlight happens for Briscoe when they take the stage before The Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge on 1st September. The band will headline a tour this Autumn as well. A full list of tour dates is below and on their website HERE.
To record the album with Cook in North Carolina, Heintzelman and Lupton added drummer Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver) and multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook (Megafaun, Hiss Golden Messenger). Cook plays bass on the sessions as well and encouraged Briscoe to explore their sound. "Brad was very adamant about highlighting the parts of our sound that are different from everything else out there," Lupton remembers. "He's very forward-thinking. Truett and I would come into the studio and track something, and we'd think it sounded like a blend of several bands we love, and Brad would say, 'No, boys, it sounds like Briscoe'".
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jess Nolan has released a new single “Emergency Landing” “Taking days off and spending time alone helps me show up more fully for thepeople around me. Instead of viewing it as selfish, I now see it as a sacred step in community care. My hope is that we can all give ourselves a high level of compassion for our own needs so that we can better serve others,” she added. “Take a breath! We don’t need permission to care for ourselves.”
“Emergency Landing” is Nolan’s first release since signing with Righteous Babe Records; the label was founded by fiercely independent icon Ani DiFranco, who describes it as “a people-friendly, sub-corporate, woman-informed, queer-happy small business that puts music before rock stardom and ideology before profit.” "I love Jess's voice, her melodies, they lift me,” DiFranco says. “So happy to welcome her into the RBR family.
Poet and psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés said, “Do your art. Generally, a thing cannot freeze if it is moving. So, move. Keep moving.” These were words artist Jess Nolan has lived by over the course of the last three years. As everything in the world came to a halt, she kept her creative mind in motion -writing, drawing, singing, and painting her way through the unknown, pursuits Nolan has always relied on to help alchemize her surroundings
A bittersweet nostalgia lies at the heart of Imaginary People, the new album from Viv & Riley, coming September 15, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Over ten tracks, the pair applies an indie roots sheen to newly composed pop gems. Rooted originally in the folk tradition, the pair reframe the production into experimental territory, crafting songs that speak to finding a path forward into adulthood in an uncertain world.
Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection. The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie. Coming on the heels of their acclaimed earlier albums that showed preternaturally talented songwriting from such young artists, now the songs have caught up with their lives. Now in their mid-20s, the two are building a life together, creating a supportive community, and looking back on everything they’ve been through.
Based out of Durham, North Carolina, they’ve tapped into the area’s eclectic and collaborative music scene, recruiting Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger to produce the album. Bingham brings a sunny, lush sound to Viv & Riley’s music, moving beyond their earlier country roots and toward a layered sound and sonic experimentation. The songwriting has evolved as well, from the world-weary, stripped-down country songs they’re known for to indie songwriting at turns sweetly sad and gently sardonic.
Ultimately, Imaginary People is about carrying and honoring our pasts, about letting that inform our new steps forward. No matter how much we might cling to where we are, sometimes we need to uproot and take a leap of faith, to open ourselves up to new experiences and ideas in order to grow and blossom. (CLICK ON VIDEO AND WATCH DIRECTLY ON YOUTUBE)
