ChrisLee - The Foreign Films - Unspoken Tradition - Jessicka

ChrisLee - Leave Your Light On.

Pop singer-songwriter ChrisLee has just released his newest single, “Leave Your Light On,” along with a stirring music video. An emotional anthem for his advocacy toward mental health, the song is a reminder that finding the strength to live every day may be a struggle, but it’s all worth it because there is light at the end of the tunnel. He is donating a portion of the inspiring song’s proceeds to NAMI -- National Alliance on Mental Illness -- an organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. “Leave Your Light On” is available to download, stream, and watch on digital music platforms worldwide.

MentaI illness can still be a very taboo topic and scary to open up about; that’s why it’s crucial to open up conversations around it -- just like ChrisLee did. With playful beats and uplifting guitar accompanied by heartening lyrics, “Leave Your Light On” encourages listeners to find the courage to keep living and not give up. Co-written by Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis (Whitney Houston, Justin Beiber, Shakira) and co-produced by Marty MARO (Jessie J, Salena Gomez, Jacob Banks) the track features the ideal mix of soulful instruments, including the violin played by Ash Myers and the piano played by Jon Sprott. Through the catchy lyrics and nostalgic rhythm, “Leave Your Light On” is a hopeful reassurance that brings light through the drawbacks in life.

The music video, directed by Mike O’Brien, perfectly fits ChrisLee’s affectionate and compassionate nature. “I hope that when people hear this song, they realize how important they are to this world and that we need them,” he explains. “Everyone’s light is unique and adds value to this collective human experience. I want us to unite under our commonality as opposed to fighting over our minor differences.” The warm color tones and powerful dancing by Laura Faith Ksobiech and Madisyn Maniff flawlessly communicate this message.

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The Foreign Films - All The Love You Give.

In the darkest nights, stars shine the brightest; The Foreign Films create stargazing melodies to illuminate the heart. Bill Majoros is a Canadian singer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist who releases music under the name of The Foreign Films.

Majoros has played hundreds of shows spanning North America and the UK, from infamous clubs such as CBGB’s in NYC and The Legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool (of Beatles fame), to packed stadium shows and festivals supporting many well-known artists.

A native of Hamilton Ontario, Majoros has been nominated for and received several prestigious Canadian music awards. Under the name The Foreign Films, he has released four critically acclaimed studio albums and an EP, including an elaborate triple vinyl box set The Record Collector.

The most recent release, Ocean Moon, topped indie charts on over 60 stations internationally, and earned a spot on “The Best of the Year” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, Sirius XM (Bill Kelly show). Blogs and magazines were also very kind, with both The Record Collector 3LP set and the Ocean Moon LP having been honoured with top spots and raving reviews.

Bill Majoros, aka The Foreign Films, continues his musical journey with the upcoming release of Starlight Serenade, a follow-up LP that blends classic and creative elements to reimagine the sonic future; musical retro-futurism. The album aims for even greater heights, creating dazzling songs that sparkle in a galaxy of sound.

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Unspoken Tradition - Irons in the Fire.

If you think bluegrass songs are all about looking back at an idealized past, get ready to have your mind changed by the latest single from western North Carolina’s Unspoken Tradition. Recorded in the middle of the pandemic year, “Irons In The Fire” captures the corrosive effects of dreams deferred and the anxiety and urgency that surround their — and our  — emergence from the enforced idleness of quarantine.

For the group, the moment is particularly significant, as they grapple with the suspension of a touring career just on the cusp of new growth when the concert industry shut down.  As a group, their response was straightforward enough: settling into the recording studio, they issued 4 charting singles over the course of the past year (with still more yet to be released) that documented their musical growth.  In the meantime, the opportunities for reflection left their own mark on the quintet’s members — and hit songwriter Aaron Bibelhauser, too.

“In the bluegrass world,” he notes, “many of us juggle much more than just a career as a professional musician. Some of us have full time day jobs, side gigs as a session musician, radio host, songwriter, etc. — and there’s always behind-the-scenes music business work to be done as well. That sentiment is strikingly obvious within the top shelf delivery of ‘Irons In The Fire’ from Unspoken Tradition. Ironically, my co-writer and uncle, Steve Guenthner, retired from his own career in the business world shortly before I asked him to lend a hand with this song. He certainly provided some contrasting wisdom to bring the song full circle in recognizing that, no matter how much work there is left to do, or how challenging the road ahead appears, freedom lies in the path forward... the journey, not the destination.”

Though its musical drive is squarely in the bluegrass wheelhouse, “Irons In The Fire” takes level aim at a thoroughly contemporary state of mind in its insistent refrain, “Where’s the freedom I’ve been hoping for so long?” — and the result is, as lead singer Audie McGinnis notes, quintessential Unspoken Tradition: “This song spoke to me on first listen; there was no ‘break in’ period to allow it to grow on me. Early on in the band's life, we started using the slogan ‘working class bluegrass’ as an attempt to brand ourselves and connect with our audience. I still think we hold true to that slogan today.  With that in mind, it just feels like this song was written for us.”

Syntax Creative · Unspoken Tradition - "Irons in the Fire"

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Jessicka - Mirrorball Midnight.

To say it’s been a year of change could be considered quite the understatement. But for Vancouver-based musician Jessicka, it’s been the perfect time to truly realize who she wanted to be as an artist.

While her past work has been said to be anchored by heady and dark lyrical content, her new project has taken the artist in a somewhat different direction, evoking a kind of electric energy and exuberance much needed in the current social climate. “I want to get the crowd as pumped to be up and moving as I am when I’m on stage,” she explained. “I just want them to have a more elevated experience. To feel that power and that intensity.”

Having already taken the Canadian pop world by storm with three previous lauded EPs, as well as standout tracks “Wake Up,” and “Broke and Drunk,” Jessicka has continued to move forward – evolving her sound into something she hopes continues to maintain its intense relatability, but in a whole new way.

“It was all about writing songs about the most fun we’ve ever had,” she recalled. “I want to release a record that’s going to slay in a club, and everyone will get sweaty and dance-y. I want to invoke that energy.” The result is a project steeped with the kind of trance-like beats and melodic lyrics meant to conjure positivity, and an infectious sense of rhythm, peace and genuine joy.

New music is indeed on the horizon, boasting some of the musicians most beloved tracks to date — ones she knows will not only tell personal stories, but hopefully elicit lost feelings and happy memories for audiences far and wide. And the best way to get that message out there is through the power of pop music. “I feel like there’s a lot to connect to, and I hope people will sit down, really listen, and get more out of it each time. As an artist, you really can’t hope for more than that.”

Light Organ · Jessicka - Mirrorball Midnight

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Ålesund - Trunky Juno - Reb Fountain - Ebony Buckle

Ålesund - Rhythm.

Following up on the 2020 release of their second EP ‘All Hail To Your Queen’, Bristol-based atmospheric Alt-Pop quartet Ålesund return with upcoming EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’, due for release July 9th.

After the untimely curtailing of their European Tour in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Ålesund traveled back to the UK feeling uncertain. Although things were going so well with a new offering and an extensive touring and festival schedule to get stuck into, the timing of the unplanned hiatus was less than ideal. Rather than take it to heart, the group’s vocalist and songwriter Alba Torriset retreated to her hometown of Hastings to try and reconnect with music in a positive way.

 “With all the negativity in the world, I wanted to create something uplifting and optimistic,” she says, and so the four track EP ‘A Thread In The Dark’ was created. Alba and guitarist Lloyd Starr started to put together demos with a euphoric and festival-tinged edge. They then engaged with long term collaborator and producer Jake Bright to help build the record.

This is the first time that a batch of songs have been created in this way for the band. Due to the inability to all be in the same room, Alba tried her hand at Logic and demoed her ideas to send to the others. She went back to basics creating rhythm and texture by layering up clapping and even using wooden spoons to get the percussive sounds she was after. She also layered up lots of backing vocals to flesh out her ideas. These all became features within the record and the rest of the band liked how the lockdown restrictions had actually pushed the sound forward in ways it perhaps wouldn’t have if they had all been able to jam the ideas in the same room.

Throughout the EP Alba’s intoxicating vocals take on totally different auras that interchange based on the musical landscapes they’re placed against; soaring atmospheric synth-laden soundscapes, shimmering guitars and tantalizing grooves.

Lyrically, the songs were inspired by being so still and so quiet in lockdown and being able to hear and see things that would have previously passed you by. “The usual hustle and bustle of life can drown things out, but with everything and everyone stopping, it brought a magnificent clarity. Hearing the birds sing, watching the trees blossom, following the cycles of the full moon. Thinking more about what is real, what is important, human instincts, human interactions, the natural world and how we all work together within it”, states Alba.

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Trunky Juno - Hawaiian Pizza.

Trunky Juno is back with latest buoyant single Hawaiian Pizza.  Showcasing his trademark melodic hooks, kaleidoscopic sonic palette and wistful lyrics, the track is the perfect pizza-themed accompaniment to the start of summer, and a high point off the also-released Good Dog EP.

In Hawaiian Pizza, Trunky celebrates the friendships we make in spite of (and often because of) our differences, using the context of a controversial pizza topping to point towards a more fundamental and universal message. Through the lyrics “I’ve got Hawaiian pizza in the oven coming soon, the fridge is full of cold ones, enough for two”, Trunky highlights the joy found in sharing the simpler things in life with others and in so doing sounds like the type of friend we all need.

As he explains, “Hawaiian Pizza is a song about tuning out people who shit all over everything you like. I like Hawaiian pizza, you like Hawaiian pizza so let's be friends and eat Hawaiian pizza together."

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Reb Fountain - Beastie.

This week Reb Fountain announced her new album IRIS is out October 1st, plus she dropped what we think might be one of best videos (called Beastie) video. As well as the regular vinyl and CD formats, we have a limited edition transparent turquoise vinyl available. Also, a reminder that Reb won the 2021 Taite Music Prize, was shortlisted for the Silver Scroll Award for her song ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’, and the album Reb Fountain was nominated for five New Zealand Music Awards.

In May 2020, Reb Fountain released her self-titled album via New Zealand label Flying Nun Records to much critical acclaim. Reb Fountain won the 2021 Taite Music Prize, was shortlisted for the Silver Scroll Award for her song ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’, and the album Reb Fountain was nominated for five New Zealand Music Awards; Album of the Year, Best Alternative, Best Solo Artist, Best Album Artwork and Best Engineer.

Award-winning songwriter, Reb Fountain, is a consummate recording artist and performer; spell-bounding audiences with her music and artistry alike. Throughout 2020, Reb and her all-star band (Dave Khan, Karin Canzek and Earl Robertson) astounded audiences around the country on her sold out album release tour, joined Crowded House on their 13 date ‘To The Island Tour’, performed at Splore, and honoured the great Nick Cave at the sold out Auckland Town Hall shows ‘The Boy Next Door’.

Reb was born in San Francisco and immigrated with her family from North America to Lyttelton — the quiet port town out of Christchurch that’s been fundamental to New Zealand’s alt-folk scene, raising artists like Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, and Delaney Davidson.

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Ebony Buckle - Wild Women.

Ebony Buckle is a London-based singer/songwriter, originally from her tropical seaside home of Townsville, Australia. Writing and performing with her husband, musician Nick Burns, who also produces her music, Buckle uses captivating stories to hold a mirror up to herself and the world. Reflected in these songs is our humanity - our wants and needs, our struggles to fit in or break out. Throughout all of this is the hope that we can connect, that we can see the magnificent beauty of our universe and that we can grow and learn and evolve without fear.

From a poem to a song, the whimsical “Wild Woman” makes a minimal, haunting entrance giving off a timeless, magical aura. The choir of layered vocals emit an angelic echo, while moments of opera displayed in a fluid, godly arrangement, mirror a dance as her powerful wild woman takes center stage. The instrumentation carries a tense and powerful drum beat, folk-glowing guitar and a selection of affecting strings that cradle the soundscape.

After being struck by a quote in the book “Women who run with the Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Buckle wrote the song as a plea to her inner “Wild Woman”. She shares, “The one who has taught me to tend to my inner power, to keep me on the path that is truest to myself, to trust my own intuition and to take up space in the world.” Often struggling with confidence, Buckle cherishes what makes her feel most like herself and wishes to never let that part go. Focusing on staying true to herself and releasing music that is reflective of her authentic creativity, “Wild Woman” symbolises the next part of her creative venture as a musician and keeping her autonomy over what she creates.

“Wild Women” is the sixth track from her upcoming album Disco Lasers. The album is a collection of audio-visual stories celebrating the wonders of our universe and how we as human beings make sense of our existence through folklore legends, science and our imagination. Buckle reveals, “The album as a whole is very atmospheric, almost cinematic. Each song is arranged to tell that specific story. For this one we wanted to make it more of a folk song that might be sung around a fire. Or dance to under a full moon. It’s a much more grounded side of me...I’m not always up in the air with aliens and space whales!”

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Vanessa Gimenez - Miss Tess - Roddy Colmer - Johnathan Pushkar

Vanessa Gimenez - Doing Better.

Vanessa Gimenez releases her second single "Doing Better" and announces the release of her debut EP 'Make It Rain', out August 12th.

Vanessa Gimenez doesn’t so much write songs as conjure dreamscapes for listeners to lose themselves in. It’s a talent she began honing while fronting Bristol-band Swimming Girls - racking up millions of streams along with triumphant turns at Glastonbury and at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It’s only since going solo that Gimenez has begun to realise the true scope of her creative potential.

New single "Doing Better" finds her daring to look back at difficult personal experiences. Produced and mixed by David Wrench (Arlo Parks, Jamie xx, Georgia), and co-written with Toby Scott and Swimming Girls-keyboardist Roo Primrose – the track deals with the dissolution of a romantic relationship and the mind games lovers play in an attempt to one-up one another. "Doing Better" further wounds with its references to domestic abuse, most notably in lines like, 'So I tell you about my mother, and how she’s still trying to recover.’

These painful recollections arrive cocooned by clipped beats, slow-burning synth lines and semi-whispered harmonies, serving to catapult Gimenez into the same league as Lorde, as a master of immersive but, at times, brutally frank dream-pop.

On the new song, Gimenez said: "‘Doing Better’ is a post breakup song at its core. But the message can be applied to many things in today’s society. I feel like a lot of people feel the need to ‘one-up’ each other, probably because of things like social media toxicity. It is really funny though when you remove yourself from it and just observe people being weird."

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Miss Tess - Real Change.

When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting clichés is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry—unless you’re talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more. Swinging for the fences and from the branches of jazz, country, blues and old school rock and roll, she employs all of her influences and talents while cleverly taking standard perspectives and ideas—like the definition of a love song—to task.

On the heels of her acclaimed 2020 LP The Moon Is An Ashtray (featured at Billboard, Rolling Stone Country, No Depression, Wide Open Country, and more), Miss Tess will unveil new single “Real Change” on July 2nd. Just in time for Independence Day, “Real Change” features guest vocalists Lindsay Lous and Rachael Davis, and was was written with Maya de Vitry, a month or two after the death of George Floyd. The goal was not to preach, but rather to spread a humble message of hope and unity. As we emerge from this dark period of time, Miss Tess hopes that we continue practicing the power of love and awareness toward our fellow humans.

“The world will never be perfect, but we have to keep trying, and insisting that real change is possible. Of all the sadness and loss already experienced through the onset of a global pandemic, I thought maybe it all happened for a reason. Most of our working systems came to a standstill for the first time in recent history, and the world had time to listen, watch, and react,” she explains.

misstessmusic · Real Change

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Roddy Colmer - Wrapped Up In You.

With a dreamy soundscape and lonesome vocals, Roddy Colmer’s new single “Wrapped Up In You” draws you in with its story and then lets you drift away on a melodic sea. 

The lyrics deal with the feelings of unrequited love, taking the perspective of an admirer questioning if their feelings will be reciprocated. 

The song reached #2 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart and follows Colmer’s 2020 single “White Little Lights” which was featured on SiriusXM and CBC Radio.

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Johnathan Pushkar - Does What She Does.

Modern Power Pop Artist  Singer/Songwriter, Johnathan Pushkar, has announced the release of the official video for “Does What She Does.” The video was shot in a bowling alley to capture the retro feel of the song, which draws influence from The Beach Boys and the pop sounds of the early 1960’s. Filmed at  the Donelson Bowl in Nashville, TN the video was Directed by Zachary Bair and features Carly Merritt and Johnathan Pushkar. The song was co-written by Pushkar and Steve Rempis. The video will premier today on Aim Country Music Television. Watch the video on his Facebook page and artist YouTube Channel here.

The music video promotes the second single from Johnathan Pushkar’s latest release, “Compositions,” which is a power pop/retro rock album featuring 11 songs, with special guest drummer, Geoff Britton, who played for Paul McCartney and Wings.

“'Does What She Does” was heavily inspired by one of my all-time favorite bands, The Beach Boys. Living in landlocked Tennessee, we couldn’t go surfing or to the beach, so my next choice was the bowling alley; there are very few places that reflect the nostalgia of the late 50s/early 60s as well as a retro bowling alley, so it felt like the perfect place to set this retro music video.” stated Jonathan Pushkar.

"Working with Johnathan and all of our talented friends was an incredible pleasure for “Does What She Does.” Johnathan had an amazing vision for this project, so we put our heads together in a single, for hour pre-production meeting for this video to make it all come to life,” shared Video Director - Zach Bair. “The shoot went extremely smooth and we could not be happier at how the video turned out!”

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Kat Von D - Seven Purple Tigers

Kat Von D - I Am Nothing.

Multifaceted tattoo artist, TV star, beauty entrepreneur, author, fashion designer, and singer/songwriter Kat Von D continues her musical journey with the cathartic new video for her synthwave slow jam, “I Am Nothing,” the second single from her forthcoming debut LP Love Made Me Do It out August 27.

The video, directed by Linda Strawberry, captures the essence of the song and the album’s underlying themes of love, loss, and loneliness. Kat Von D explains: “It’s about the idea of not being good enough. You feel like you’re nothing and lament the memories of the past again. It’s the everyday challenge of putting one foot in front of the other when you’re running on emotional fumes. You’re also coming to terms with the fact it’s over.” Regarding working with the director, Kat says, “Working with Linda Strawberry on this video was a beautiful experience. I was already so inspired by all the work she’s done with the Smashing Pumpkins art direction as well as other music video projects she had beautifully directed.”

“The music video was inspired by the sentiment of isolation and how it relates to feeling alone within a relationship,” Kat says. “So if you notice, everyone in the video is confined to their own space the entire time. The set for the band’s performance scenes had 8-foot tall crucifixes made of mirrors that stood behind each band member, while walls separated each member from one another. So at no point could they see what the other person was doing. I wanted to give the feeling of opening an antique wind up box and seeing that tiny ballerina spinning around.”

“I Am Nothing” follows the album’s lead single “Exorcism,” which Billboard described as “a darkwave bop about love, loss and change.” Altogether, the songs on Love Made Me Do It comprise a soundtrack for the lovelorn that puts all of Kat’s soul and extensive classical training front and center. “‘Love Made Me Do It’ is a collection of all my hopeless romantic thoughts poured into one album,” she states.

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Seven Purple Tigers - One Night's Promises.

It’s not often that an act so elusive can strike at the heart of something so personal but it’s in that balance that you’ll find indie’s most exciting new act – Seven Purple Tigers. The band’s founders Austin Horn (singer/rhythm guitar) and Phil Dyszy (lead guitar/backing vocals) are an unlikely pair. From the US and Germany respectively, the trans-Atlantic duo bonded over their love of music in the vibrant basement bars and clubs of the Old Town of Kraków, Poland. It was there that the pair began crafting what would become Seven Purple Tiger’s signature sound that came to fruition after 5 years of writing together and performing live alongside bandmates Sebastian Heieck (bass) and Felix Schwer (drums); the sound that defines their latest single One Night’s Promises (released 25/06/21).

The track is a call to anyone who has ever wondered “what if?”. A reflective piece, One Night’s Promises reminisces on the moments of youth in which something, or someone, special slipped by. Times that leave you wondering what could have been if not but for one change. These calls to something that got away play in the duet between Horn’s longing vocals and Dyszy’s ethereal guitar that carry the track through its meditative verses and impassioned choruses.

Like Seven Purple Tigers’ previous work, One Night’s Promises wears its 2010s Indie influences on its sleeves while taking the torch and pushing the genre further, continuing the band’s work taking the old and making it new. Based out of Freiburg, Germany, Seven Purple Tigers create their music in the lovingly repurposed defunct restaurant of an inn. It is here that the group marry the classic American flair, European philosophy and artistic legacy, and existential explorations of timeless themes that create Seven Purple Tigers.

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