Ghost Caravan make their third appearance on Beehive Candy with their distinctive and oh so pleasing musical style and a video that expands on the songs theme. Although we always focus on the music, the video for 'Down By The Tree' from Pearl City is also notable, that said this is one fine song. Rare DM shares 'Jade' a lush and gorgeous synth drenched song, with some beautiful vocals.
Ghost Caravan - I Wish I Knew (The Words To Make You Happy).
For the “I Wish I Knew (The Words To Make You Happy)” music video, we took the song’s theme of feeling silenced and isolated within a relationship, and translated that to a broader metaphor for women feeling silenced and sidelined in society. You see each musician gagged with red fabric and struggling against this silencing until each finally finds the strength to break free with the support of the other women. It’s a simple message, but a powerful one: “We are here, we will not be silenced and we will stand together." - Ghost Caravan.
Ghost Caravan is a group of collaborators lead by Shaina Silver-Baird. Her “ghosts” are what inform the music that she writes. Whether they are the ghosts of specific people, the ghosts of past loves or the ghosts of experience, this caravan of ghosts is the origin of her songs. “My music is still about dark places, but I focus on finding the light, the moment when you realize your own strength and ability to move forward. I want to be proud to share my songs with young women. There are so many voices in the world telling women how to think and feel about themselves. I want to be the voice that celebrates women.I want to empower and uplift people.”
On her forthcoming record T.O. Confidential, Shaina Silver-Baird collaborated with members of the Weeknd, Grand Analog, Hill Kourkoutis of the Launch, Martha and the Muffins, the Four On The Floor String Quartet and many others. “There were so many amazing artists who collaborated on this project. It felt like a whole village came together to make this record and I’m so grateful to that community. I love creating music with other people.The end result is so much better because of the many points of view, different opinions and experiences that are woven into each song.”
Manchester based electronic-pop act Pearl City (made up of Greta Edith and Nick Delap) have announced their signing to revered UK label Sunday Best (home to David Lynch, Valerie June, Skinny Lister and more) with a deliciously spectral new single and video titled ‘Down By The Tree.’
Out today, the new single follows their enchanting debut single ‘Flames’, which picked up support from BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music tastemakers Huw Stephens, Phill Taggart and more. Having also just supported MUTE signed duo LUH on the UK leg of their tour earlier this year, Pearl City’s latest offering is a fearless pop anthem, an electrifying cocktail of flashing neon synths, wistful lyrics and Greta’s icy, emotive vocals.
The brilliantly desolate video was directed by award-winning duo Grandmas, who also hail from Manchester’s fertile art and music scene, and is a bleak yet hopeful portrait of someone struggling with their demons. Set in a Working Mens club in the North-West of the city, the visual features a heart-seizing performance from its central character, who, whilst drinking a pint alone in the pub, begins to inadvertently twist and flicker his body into warped shapes and grooves, creating an unhinged spectacle whilst remaining seemingly invisible.
The song itself touches on a range of themes - from the turbulent complexity of the human mind to nature’s power to heal and the rapacious one-way relationship we have with the natural world. With a skyward outlook that lets you experience the local wilderness, Pearl City return with the space to build their own dream world. Expect to be hearing more from one of Manchester’s most essential talents very soon.
Rare DM shares new single "Jade" about a particularly rough recent breakup involving Amsterdam, Facebook Messenger, pigeons and the film Ponyo.
Vanta Black is the debut album from Rare DM, the solo project of Brooklyn singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erin Hoagg. Following in the shadows of the previously released “Almost a Year” and the more recent single “Caracal,” Vanta Black tackles subjects and moods fit for the titular hue, itself the blackest manmade pigment (currently under exclusive license to artist Anish Kapoor’s studio). Erin’s Billie Holliday-indebted croon lilts with the relaxed calm of someone whose already cried away all the tears they could muster long ago— too exhausted to fret and now comfortable enough in the darkness to blend in with it.
She sings tales of relationships damaged by distance and destructive tendencies, somewhat reluctantly relieved by freedom yet ridden with separation anxiety. Her pulsating, twilight-lit productions that accompany recall mid-aughts-to-modern-day takes on goth, post-punk, and new wave. Perhaps in a nod to the still-burgeoning live synth and dance scene in her hometown of Brookyln, Hoagg prefers to play her concert sets fully live, all analog, seamlessly blending Octotrack, Machinedrum, triggers, and synth. Rare DM’s debut album is set to release April 12, 2019.
Last summer Beehive Candy were mightily impressed by Moddi's 'Unsongs' album, and it is with absolute pleasure that we share his new single 'Kriegspiel'. The Maes style of contemporary folk reminds me in part of Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and if that's not a compliment, what is? Eleri Angharad vocals are a delight as are her songs, the two included below being our case in point. From Australia we have Elisa Kate, another singer-songwriter with that something extra, that sets her music apart.
Moddi - Kriegspiel.
Pål Moddi Knutsen reflects on the influence that previous album ‘Unsongs’ had on the new single; “through the work on Unsongs, I learned that when someone wants you to shut up about something, it is usually something important that they’re trying to hide. Therefore, I wrote this song not only to Frode Berg, but to all who become victims of the politics shadow play”
‘Kriegspiel’ was originally written in connection with the performance artist Morten Traavik's exhibition Borderlines, which was removed last year after a few days in front of the entrance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moddi even participated in the opening with an explicit statement of support to prosecuted Berg.
“I don't care much about what he has or hasn’t done. He has given everything for Norway, and then one should expect that we also stand up for him” says Moddi further.
The trial against Frode Berg will start next week. It is expected that he will receive a long-term prison sentence. ‘Kriegspiel’ is the second single from the upcoming album ‘Like in 1968’, a celebration of the future hope and everyday activism.
Multi-award winning Melbourne contemporary folk outfit, The Maes (formerly The Mae Trio) have released a sweet taste of their new album with the first single 'Treat You Better'.
This new track from sisters Maggie and Elsie Rigby is an exploration of human kindness, respect and trust in others flavoured with defiant optimism, delivered with gorgeous, Australian-accent driven, a cappella harmonies and frailing banjo.
Maggie says "I wrote this song from a place of anger, I was angry about how I had been treated by someone. When I confronted them about it they told me that I was naive, that it was my inexperience that caused me to expect to be treated better. I thought hard about it and decided that I want to hold on to my naivety if that’s what it is. I want to choose to trust and love and expect humans to be kind and generous and brilliant, albeit flawed and struggling along in their own ways. Elsie and our dear friend John Flanagan helped me to finish the song and it turned into a good old cathartic group sing - one of the best ways for humans to exist together!"
The Maes’ upcoming self-titled record (set for release on Friday 3rd May) is a return to the sisters’ folk music roots. Gentle, intimate and conversational, the album is an unadorned showcase of Maggie and Elsie’s superb songwriting as well as honest, relaxed and stunning vocal and instrumental performances.
Swansea-based artist Eleri Angharad is thrilled to announce that her debut album 'Earthbound' will be released through Train Track Records on April 12th 2019. Inspired by a North American road trip, where she performed in Nashville, Greensboro, Chicago and New York, Eleri blends traditional US Country Music storytelling with the catchy melodies of modern Pop, drawing influences from James Taylor, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift.
Eleri has also unveiled ‘Smokey Steel Lights’ the second single and the latest and third single taken from her upcoming album is an acoustic version of ‘Earthbound’
Eleri has previously gained airplay on BBC Radio Wales, BBC6 Music, Nation Radio and playlisted on BBC Radio Cymru - with her last EP funded by the BBC Horizon's scheme. 'What a beautiful and crystalline voice!' - Adam Walton, BBC Wales
Captivated by Nashville artists, unapologetically spilling their hearts out and telling stories of heartbreak, travelling and coming home, Eleri explores these themes in her upcoming album 'Earthbound'; body of work based on her travels around the US, Ireland and Sweden, co-written with former Catatonia writer and guitarist, Owen Powell and Cardiff based singer/songwriter Naomi Rae.
Tracks include 'This Ship' (October 2018), the story of a stormy breakup, that in its first week gained over 2,500 streams on Spotify. This release also gained Eleri recognition as Swansea Music Hub's Artist of the Week. Her second single Smokey Steel Lights (February 2019) has been described as 'An Americana Dream' by Welsh Sound Board Magazine.
The delightful pop piano invitations of Elisa Kate captivate with her skin deep smoky vocal tone. The warmhearted farm girl strips away the clutter, summoning the light in your soul to awaken. A call to anyone with a dream, Elisa Kate’s latest single, Now or Never invites you on a contemplative journey of personal conviction, that it's time to move out of your comfort zone, and find the courage to follow your own path.
Brought to life at Sydney's Church Street Studios by Emmy nominated producer and original Thirsty Merc guitarist Sean Carey, Elisa's wistful breathy vocals topped with sweet harmonies carry you endearingly through this warm, earthy and engaging masterpiece.
Now or Never's charming hooks, ear catching pop melodies and authentic storytelling are woven together with touches of Ukelele, old school organ, and Elisa’s memorable piano riffs, spurring you to take on that new adventure as the driving pulse builds like a chugging train.
A small town dreamer with a 100 year old piano, Elisa Kate was told she couldn't sing. Little did they know, Elisa gets a kick out of being underestimated, so these comments only strengthened her determination to be an uplifting voice through her music. Influenced by the emotive works of John Mayer and Jon Foreman (Switchfoot), Elisa Kate combines her reflective piano style, with her frustration over meaningless pop music, creating an infusion of bright, stirring, hope filled melodies.
'Dowsabel' by Heavy hearts is a refined meeting of dream pop and alt rock, a combination that works exceptionally well. From Edinburgh we have Mt Doubt and 'Unravelling' where polished musicianship and distinctive vocals are notable. Josh Alexander shares a tender modern folk song which is both melodic and beautifully arranged. Our second taste of Wy's promising new album this month, and it comes in the form of 'Tired II', the rest will be released a month today. It's appearance number six on Beehive Candy for Trudy and the Romance whose 50's mutant pop remains wonderful and very catchy. Alice Tambourine Lover round things off today with 'Blow Away' as elements of psych, blues and cool rock come together with genuine feeling.
Heavy Heart- Dowsabel.
Expertly crafted dream pop has become something of a personality trait from London alt-rockers Heavy Heart and in spellbinding latest release Dowsabel their trademark approach is firmly on display once again.
The second of three tracks, mixed and co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Gabe Wax (The War On Drugs, Fleet Foxes, Soccer Mommy). Dowsabel provides the ideal follow-up to January release Bed Bug, capitalising on their widespread critical acclaim from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit and Clash.
Heavily touted across the airwaves courtesy of BBC Radio 1’s Phil Taggart and BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, the bustling quartet have become well-known for their dynamic and atmospheric live shows with slots alongside fellow indie risers Another Sky and Honey Lung already ticked off over the last few months.
Touching on the origins of the track, the band revealed: “Dowsabel is an old English word for sweetheart, and this song is about a love affair, but it’s a bittersweet, broken and defeated one. It’s about the jagged edges and the blood we draw; the damager that we do to each other in the name of love. Living in a room filled with dust, dying flowers, and the ghosts of unspoken words, we’re together but alone, too afraid to walk away, prisoners in an unlocked cage”. Produced by Patrick Fitzroy and Gabe Wax, Heavy Heart’s Dowsabel is out now and available via all digital platforms.
Scottish Fiction are proud to present Unravelling, the brand new single from Edinburgh alternative five-piece Mt. Doubt.
Returning with their first new music of 2019, Unravelling sees Mt. Doubt working with producer Rod Jones (Idlewild, The Birthday Suit) at Post Electric Studios, giving the band a fresh lease of life. The single builds throughout with chiming keys and melodic guitars swooning behind rich, warm vocals.
Lyrically the track continues to display frontman Leo Bargery's penchant for societal observations. The song rails against the negative impacts of our phones, social media and the culture of incessant self-documentation whilst yearning for a reconnection with the natural world; sequoia trees, buzzards and all.
Unravelling was be released digitally on all platforms on 29th March 2019 via Scottish Fiction.
The majority of 2018 saw multi-instrumentalist Josh Alexander working as a bike mechanic and finishing his studies whilst residing with his girlfriend in the Netherlands. This time abroad, steeped in the cultivation of story and discipline, nurtured Josh’s expressive power and the emergence of his rousing single Closing.
Closing is a heart breaking exposition into the beauty and pain of long distance love. The struggles with time zones, distance, intimacy and simple connection are expressed with undulating emotion and gospel-like declarations, countered with the delicate moments of reunion and the tender memories that are a made in such a circumstances.
Seeing this song come to fruition was a long time coming. Closing came really naturally to me when I began writing it and I knew I had to use it somehow. My girlfriend and I had been apart for a while, and it was becoming more apparent to formulate lyrics around the struggles of long distance relationships. Peter and I thought we would just do a short acoustic version and smash it out in a day, but 5 days in the studio later, we had a full and final version that we couldn’t have been any happier with.’ - Josh Alexander
Music has always been a vital part of Josh’s life. Whether it was learning to write songs at age 11, or performing in front of various crowds, there was no doubt for him that music was paramount. After spending time in his teenage years learning multiple instruments, such as trumpet, guitar, drums and piano, Josh Alexander began to fully flesh out his musical ideas, bringing them to life modestly in his own bedroom. The result of this was a surplus of 60 tracks, but it was not until he moved to the Netherlands in 2018 that Closing was realised.
Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated second album 'Softie', Swedish duo Wy have today shared a new taster of the record; the sincere and anthemic 'Tired II'. Written about being close to giving up, but pushing through your lowest moments, the spellbinding single is accompanied by a deeply personal video, which was directed by the band's singer Ebba and features both herself and fellow member/lover Michel.
Ebba says of the video, "We filmed it during the fall and winter of last year, which was a really tough time for both of us. I had a job that was killing me, we broke up with our current record label, we fought with our friends, we were forced to leave our apartment and cancel our tour. It was just a lot at the same time. We came up with the idea because we wanted to balance out the drama of the song with something simple and personal, and because of the circumstances the video became really important to us. I get very emotional when I watch it because this is the first time one of our videos is showing Michel how I see him, and how he sees me."
The band's earnest eleven track sophomore album is set for release on 30th April via Hybris/Beatnik, and includes the previously released, BBC 6Music supported singles 'Pavements' and 'Softie'. It follows their debut LP 'Okay', which became something of an underground sensation and garnered the highest praise with comparisons to Slowdive, Cigarettes After Sex and Mazzy Star. The new record is set to further cement their position as one of the most exciting bands around right now.
Trudy and the Romance reveal new single Doghouse alongside a vintage semi-cartoon video in the storied lineage of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam, directed by Homer & Farley and animated by Thunderpuss (AKA Amber McCall). It’s dropping just after they’re set to let their unique doo-wop sound loose in Austin, Texas, as an official SXSW showcase act for 2019, including a session with acclaimed tastemaker Desert Daze.
The timeless sound is accompanied by a timeless silver-screen theme; regret at a lovers’ squabble, a relatable yearning for putting romantic mistakes right. On this frontman Olly Taylor explains the video as “a noir with vibrant cartoons; troubled ne'er-do-well Little Johnny is lonely and out of luck. Fortunately magic sparks and the wonderful world comes to party.”
It’s the second act in their ride through the mutant 50s pop and self-declared alligator rock-n-roll of their eagerly-anticipated debut album Sandman. Following scene-setting opener The Original Doo-Wop Spacemen it maintains their flair for dreamboat-pop through Spector rhythms, and nods to Jonathan Richman, Louis Prima, Brian Wilson’s wall of sound, film composers Henry Mancini and Bernard Herrmann, and the golden age of Disney.
”Doghouse is our Hollywood thud & number 1 hit in another dimension. Waiting on a lover & always caught in the rain” says Olly, “With glitter on its socks to put diamonds on the soles of your shoes. An all-night fiery dance-floor bop, half way to heaven on the roof of a 7 car pile-up.”
'Blow Away', is the first single off Down Below, a new album by psych/blues/desert rock duo Alice Tambourine Lover.
Wandering between lazy Mazzy Star/Cowboy Junkies atmospheres and more gritty moments reminiscent of Mark Lanegan, the comeback of Bologna-based duo Alice Tambourine Lover lingers on their stripped down psych blues signature sound, this time plunging more on the psychedelic side, still keeping a folk-like authenticity.
Alice Tambourine Lover were founded in 2011 as a side-project of psych band Alix, with five albums released among which Ground, recorded by David Lenci and Good One, recorded by Steve Albini. In 2012 they played All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, headlined by Neurosis, Shellac, Red Fang, Uzeda.
They have released, all on Go Down Records, Naked Songs (2012), Star Rovers (2013) and Like A Rose (2015), which features two songs by Dandy Brown (Hermano, Orquesta Del Desierto) and John Garcia (Kyuss, Unida, Hermano).
I needed a little break and a whole load of great tunes turn up, so once again I am playing catch up. Not that I'm complaining with songs like 'Hunted' from Luvia, it kind of makes it a pleasure. Cat Princess return with 'Silver Socks', this band are really impressing Beehive Candy right now! Jaws have released 'Please Be Kind' and I will, it's one fabulous song ahead of their album due next week. Deliluh are something else as 'Freeloader Feast' demonstrates, this is an imaginative and addictive rocker. Charlotte Cornfield's 'Silver Civic' is a beautiful singer-songwriter piece that exudes real personal emotion. We featured Far Caspian three times last year and 'A Dream Of You' is just wonderful, leaving me looking forward to hearing more again. Eli Raybon is described as a sci-fi weirdo auteur and that's from his promo, that said give him a listen, it starts to makes sense.
Luvia - Hunted.
Brighton’s Luvia is back with new single ‘Hunted’. Marrying the raw attitude of Mazzy Star with the melancholic pop sensibilities of Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, the newcomer has already been turning heads with appearances at The Great Escape, 2000trees & Liverpool Sound City.
Luvia’s haunting cinematic pop provides the perfect sonic landscape for her emotive storytelling. Her vulnerable lyrics tell the secrets that people are too afraid to share and new track ‘Hunted’ is no exception:
“Hunted has a few layers of meaning to it - the first addresses developing and growing as a person. The character starts off quite young and naïve. She’s left to her own devices and starts to 'grow thorns' as she goes through her life making mistakes and growing from them. She then becomes older, 'the lion as she hunts' which represents how life has affected her. She's become fierce and is trying to fill her life up with crazy experiences in order to learn from them and to excite herself. It deals with the extreme highs and lows of life, the desert being the low part and the rain and flood in the chorus being the highs. It brings out a crazy and manic side of her. The feeling is all-consuming, and she gets swept away within that mind set which inevitably leads her back to the desert. Each time she finds that she's more and more developed; she's changed from the rose to a lioness.”
Its accompanying video presents these ideas in visual terms, with Evan Galeano explaining: “I wanted to explore the themes of isolation present in the lyrics. We juxtapose Luvia’s traversal through a barren, almost alien desert with projector images that flicker in and out in a confined space. Luvia’s isolation is a form of growth, a decision to forge her own path. At the end of her journey, she climbs atop a mountain and rediscovers civilization on her own.”
Uppsala quintet Cat Princess formed at a New Year's party and debuted only days after playing at guitarist Robin's birthday party. Singer Nils joined the gang after drummer Victor claimed Nils was "a diamond in the rough" of a front-man. Just as spontaneous as the band's birth are their music. Today the new wave cut Silver Socks is released, the second single from Cat Princess' long-awaited debut album Forbidden Items.
Silver Socks follows first album single Sweet, released in February, and shows the band develop their sound further. Sweet broke about a year of silence from the band since their retro banging single Fly on Your Wall, which was followed by the band's debut London show and a support slot for synth legends OMD. Silver Socks is a fine representation of the band's live intensity and one of the brightest cuts from the upcoming LP which took a majority of 2018 to make. The result is an eclectic art rock mix, equally put together by the bands' influences spanning from 80s new wave to contemporary greats.
The band about Silver Socks: "In essence the song is about the feeling of meeting that one person who kind of soars above it all and who brings you with them on the journey; someone with the alien ability to make you not give a shit about worldly things. We wanted to match that theme in the energy and the melodies of the song. We want the listener leave the ground with us. We all dig late 70:s Bryan Ferry and also wanted to capture his luxurious sound in some way, but make it a bit dirtier and Cat Princess-esque. The result was Silver Socks."
Cat Princess' sound have been crafted since their 2016 debut EP Please Me which received positive reviews from Swedish magazines GAFFA and HYMN, stating that their explosive combination of modern indie pop and 80's art-pop channeled the spirit of David Bowie and Talking Heads. The band later signed to Rama Lama Records which re-released the EP on cassette. The quintet has since the EP shared stage with acts like Pale Honey, Magic Potion and Cloud Nothings as well as playing frequently on the Stockholm indie scene and an international appearance in Copenhagen and London.
Following the announcement of their long-awaited third album, "The Ceiling", Birmingham dream-pop group JAWS have shared a new single from the record entitled "Please Be Kind".
Their third and most ambitious album yet, "The Ceiling" (out April 5th 2019), sees the band head back into the studio with Gethin Pearson, who also produced 2016's "Simplicity". The album represents another musical leap forward for the band, adding new textures and further honing a sound that has been theirs since their inception.
"Please Be Kind" follows the bands latest singles "FEAR" and "Do You Remember?" as well as their propulsive 2018 single and album opener "Driving At Night", which earned numerous plaudits.
Front man and guitarist Connor Schofield has the following to say about the new album and single: “Lyrically "The Ceiling" is generally about feeling a bit lost, I think as you grow up everything feels like its moving along a lot quicker; friends, relationships, life can all seem to move at 100 mph. Sometimes we forget that its OK to stand still for a bit sometimes and actually breathe. A lot of these songs are about dealing with that. Musically I think we’ve surprised even ourselves with it, we’ve gone down paths we haven’t taken before and ended up with something we’re really very excited about.
Emerging experimental art-rock group Deliluh have announced a brand-new mini LP for release on May 3rd via Tin Angel (UK/EU) and Telephone Explosion (CA/US) – ‘Oath of Intent’ comes hot off the heels of a year spent tracking fresh ideas to tape in local veteran’s hall Owls Club. ‘Oath of Intent’ is a summer sibling, one of two albums birthed in the community space, and documents the group in its most cut-throat realisation to date.
Today the band share a first cut from the record, - Freeloader Feast is a visceral explosion, gritty and urgent as it arrives. The accompanying video was shot on 16 mm film in a vacant room of the band’s apartment with friends and neighbours discussing their everyday lives and personal struggles. The negatives were later distressed by members of the band (and nearly destroyed) through various combined methods; boiling, burning, scratching, painting, bleaching and other means of chemical tampering (detergent, window cleaner, ammonia, etc). The results portray the vulnerability of people under the pressures of modernity that escalate out of their control.
Following on from their self-produced debut LP ‘Day Catcher’ (released via Hand Drawn Dracula, 2018), new EP 'Oath of Intent' tells tales that pick apart the conflict and unease within our human makeup, respectively inhabiting its characters and peering through anxious lenses at the past, present and future, with lyrical tenacity and razor-sharp tact. Swift instrumental exchanges are opted in preference to layers or blending, delivering an experience front-to-back like a tight collection of hard-boiled short stories.
Deliluh’s live propensity to ignore the traditional circuit of bars and clubs in favour of unconventional venues has built a reputation at home, and one they intend to maintain. Over the past few years, they’ve given audiences a variety of performances in bakeries, libraries, apartments, and a decommissioned subway platform. They embark on a tour of the UK and Europe this May, with festival appearances across Canada to follow throughout the summer. The band hail from Toronto and have solidified a reputation as a torchbearer for the DIY music community. The exciting post-punk quartet combine drone and experimental music into a fiercely resonating sonic identity.
The group’s slow-burning force is becoming more potent by the month. Foregoing the clean polish of professional studios for living spaces of contextual importance, Deliluh's dedication to thoughtful writing and analog documentation has been a constant process that's kept loyal fans highly anticipating their culminate fruit in this year’s offerings.
Charlotte Cornfield has a new single from her forthcoming album The Shape of Your Name. The video for "Silver Civic" (feat. Leif Vollebekk on the piano) features a subtle, but devastating performance from Charlotte. The whole album features a star-studded cast of collaborators including (but not limited to) Grammy-winning engineer Shawn Everett, and Broken Social Scene members Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin.
Charlotte on the origins of "Silver Civic": This is something I think we have all experienced at some point, that association of an inanimate object with somebody, or something – that wave of emotion it brings. And cars, they’re just everywhere. I recorded what I thought was going to be a demo version of this song with my friend Matthew Bailey right when I wrote it. And then I tried recording it a bunch more times with different arrangements but in the end that first recording had the emotion, the rawness.
“You free yourself when you take away the script,” says Toronto songwriter Charlotte Cornfield. “That’s where this record came from, dismantling patterns and embracing the process.” Cornfield’s third full length, The Shape of Your Name, is set to arrive in Spring 2019 via Outside Music imprint Next Door Records. The album has a more honed studio sound than her scrappier 2016 release Future Snowbird, and for good reason: it was recorded in 5 different sessions over the course of 3 years. The songs are her strongest and most striking to date – contemplative and contemporary, funny and heart-wrenching – and they’ve got that stuck-in-your-head-for-days quality that Cornfield is known for. The Shape of Your Name features a star-studded cast of collaborators including (but not limited to) Grammy-winning engineer Shawn Everett, Broken Social Scene members Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin, and Montreal songwriter Leif Vollebekk.
Specialising in stylish, college dorm low-key indie, Leeds risers Far Caspian continue to show remarkable progression in latest release A Dream Of You, the second effervescent slice of luscious dream pop taken from upcoming sophomore EP The Heights out this summer.
Emerging last year with their collection of catchy lo-fi gems on hazy debut EP Between Days, and crafting their self-coined ‘melanjolly’ style to widespread critical praise, the trio’s newest output showcases their trademark sound with fresh commercial overtones and a very intentional 80s production sheen.
Discussing their forthcoming single, frontman Joel Johnston stated: “A Dream Of You was the first song I wrote for this EP. It was inspired by some of our favourite synth pop bands of the 80’s and gave us the idea to play with that sort of sound for the rest of the songs. It’s mainly about feeling abandoned whether that’s from a relationship or from friends or family and already knowing that feeling from previous experiences.
The inspiration for the lyrics came from a place where I was thinking about my experiences as a kid. I’m the youngest of five boys and I was always seeking validation and wanted to be a part of the fun. I quickly got used to the feeling of being alone as each brother eventually moved away from home. It made me realise my expectation of others now that I’m older. The more I have conversations with people the more I realise everyone carries something from their childhood with them and at our age it’s about figured out whether it’s a good or bad thing”.
With only a few releases to his name, 21-year-old Eli Raybon has quickly established himself as a sci-fi weirdo auteur. The staunch non-conformist is now priming his most rebellious release yet: a sci-fi concept album called Supertoys.
Raybon’s work is fueled by an unrestricted imagination, born from a serious case of childhood nostalgia. His formative years were spent exploring small-town Mississippi, writing songs, and directing his own Hi8 tape movies. But as he grew, Eli became keenly aware of the sobering realities that faced him and his peers – a conveyer belt existence where they were destined to become carbon copies of their parents. He himself was on route to New York to study computer science and mathematics, before pulling the emergency brake and changing his plans only two days before freshman orientation.
When the dust settled, Eli began recording his debut LP, The Machine & My Dilemma, which documented his desire to jump off the hamster wheel of life. Following its release, Raybon moved to LA to pursue music full time. Never one to flounder, Eli immediately recorded and released two lauded singles. The track 30 Cents was accompanied by an ambitious music video which was screened at film festivals across the country. He soon followed up with Green, an EP that drew praise from Buzzbands LA, Noisey and Paste.
Eli became infatuated with hardware synthesizers and moved from writing material on the guitar to a more expansive pallet on synths. Feeling his new material called for a producer beyond his skillset, Raybon sought the help of synth guru Prozak Morris, who had transitioned from making bass heavy hip hop to calibrating cutting edge vaporwave. The two collaborated on a remix and Eli quickly realized this was the producer he had been dreaming of. They began work on an album, recording from opposite coasts, Eli on the East and Prozak on the West, connecting through frequent phone calls as they slowly pieced their production together.
