Fable is the mesmerising and powerful third album from South London based 4-piece The Little Unsaid, introduced via its first single Vibrant Life, an intense stream of consciousness reminding us not to lose momentum, imagination, and curiosity in these dark times.
The Little Unsaid have always evaded categorization, blending on the new record an expansive multi-instrumented post-rock approach to song structures; touches of jazz’s improvisation; an earthiness that hints at folk and roots influences: and a dramatic art-rock edge heightened by frontman John Elliott’s intense delivery (with a hint of the dramatic that nods to John’s other works as a composer for stage, with his music featuring in Cruise currently touring the West End).
The Little Unsaid’s incredible live energy (with the band having played countless UK/European tours and festival appearances, including a set at Glastonbury 2022), has been harnessed on Fable with the entire record being carved out of hours of raw live improvisation recorded during an impromptu visit to Dorset Mill Farm studio following a cancelled gig. As frontman John Elliott explains:
“Without pre-written material or musical ideas, we set up in one room and recorded long improvisions until the sun went down, seizing on the energy and positivity we found through playing again (post-lockdown). We had one rule: Every idea had to come to us in the moment; melodies, rhythms, lyrics.”
Fable’s lyrical themes capture this moment in time, described by John as “Songs which unavoidably reflect the chaos and simmering collective anxiety that was (and still is) everywhere around us while we recorded but held together by a defiant and palpable sense of gratitude and joy.”
‘My Love Is Right’ is a psychedelic pop/soul song about keeping faith in yourself and being confident in your love. It’s the first taste from her upcoming fourth album, ‘Ne pas trop rester bleue’ (due February 2023)
Warm piano and bass guitar set the tone of ‘My Love Is Right’ before a drum fill throws us into the verse, with Laure Briard’s vocals chanting; “I have to clean the bad vibrations, make everything ok”.
The song shifts gears with layers of strings, vocal harmonies, guitar and keys pulling us up into the self affirming chorus. Tasteful orchestral embellishments combine with vintage rock instrumentation, creating a symphonic pop sound.
Acclaimed Norwegian singer-songwriter Siv Jakobsen announces her third album 'Gardening' will be released on 20th January 2023 via The Nordic Mellow and shares new single "Romain's Place". The new single follows recently shared tracks "Birthday" and "Most Of The Time" - all of which are set to feature on new album 'Gardening'.
Throughout her career, Siv Jakobsen has lived much of her life on the road, in that time supporting and touring with acts including Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Damien Jurado, José González, The Lumineers and Susanne Sundfør. New single "Romain's Place" was written in the midst of one such tour, inadvertently re-opening a door she'd previously thought firmly closed.
A starkly beautiful examination of a previous relationship haunting one's subconscious, Jakobsen's precise and affecting lyrics ("For every time you screamed my way / I’ve kept a bruise / All down along my spine") are sung with a delicacy she's now renowned for, atop a lush backdrop harps, trumpets, soaring string arrangements and Jakobsen's intricate finger picked guitar work.
Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind "Romain's Place", Jakobsen said: "Right before the pandemic hit, I was on a small tour and found myself back in a city I used to call home. I hadn’t been back since I left it (and the relationship I had there) behind a good few years ago. I felt quite shocked with how my body and mind reacted to being back, and realised quickly that I had some emotional unpacking to do. I was staying with my friend Romain at the time, and for me my time in his apartment encapsulates this realisation and the start of me dealing with these ghosts from my past that had laid dormant for a while. I was so overwhelmed at the time that it felt as if I was going crazy. I really did feel haunted, as if I had jumped into a time-machine and was somehow back in the past."
Refusing to compromise on their stirring brand of articulate post punk that tackles issues of injustice with an unflinching attitude and meticulous musicianship, “All We Need Is Sanctuary” is an arms open wide plea for a world whose occupants are all too ready to watch it burn.
As poised as it is punchy, the track pits ringing guitars against big drums with shimmering percussion and imploring vocals as the song contrasts the insanity of city existence during the pandemic lockdown with the sanity of a life in nature. Deux Furieuses explain: “‘All We Need Is Sanctuary’ is our SOS from this scorched Planet Earth. It describes a journey from the pandemic pressure of an overcrowded city to an old world of trees, springs, paths and stars. An SOS from scrambled minds in search of the sanity of sanctuary, as the sanctuary itself is under threat of extinction.”
‘All We Need Is Sanctuary’ follows ‘Know The Score’ and ‘Bring Down The Government’ as strident samplers of what to expect from Deux Furieuses third full-length LP, 'Songs From Planet Earth'. Landing on 11 November, the album is the band’s second with Xtra Mile Recordings and was written over the course of the last two turbulent years.
Did you know that tomorrow is your day off? Even if it's not, that feeling you just experienced, that fleeting moment of sweet relief - that's what this new song ‘Weekend’s Coming’ is all about. This beautiful slow-burner from Brisbane/Meanjin brass-led octet The Steele Syndicate is out now.
With a four-piece horn section and equally-weighted rhythm section, the exceptionally talented group's live raucous energy has made them a festival favourite, with appearances at 2021's Woodford Folk Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Mitchell Creek Festival, Tablelands Folk Festival and headlining Summer Sounds in Melbourne/Naarm.
The title track from their upcoming album –and the second song to be released after the brilliantly infectious and cheeky 'One Beer (Is Never Enough)'– has the groovy funk-rockers continuing to impress with 'Weekend's Coming'.
Taking us on a more heartfelt journey than ever before, 'Weekend's Coming' is more 'swoon' than high-energy tune. And it's a beauty. Embellished with their signature horn-led magic, the song erupts in cathartic release with blissful harmonies and a singalong outro that feels as uplifting and majestic as a band that is half-brass instruments should.
A sincere and emotive indie-rock number that builds from the mood of a melancholic Monday up to an anthemic cry, it's a desperate plea for the weekend and everything it represents. Steele McMahon elaborates:
"The tune is a cathartic release from the day-to-day grind, and taps into the shared human experience of hard work for something important. Even in the hardest of times, what gets us through is knowing what we're fighting for. And the weekend is always just around the corner."
Chewing through a gauzy blend of 90s-tinted driving guitars, ethereal vocals and glimmering melodies, “Surprise” arrives as another glimpse into Laveda’s awaited second LP ‘A Place You Grew Up In’, due early next year.
Bringing to mind the likes of Alvvays, Soccer Mommy, Big Thief or My Bloody Valentine, the track is a hazy slice of feel-good dream-pop with a bitter sting in its tail. “Surprise” is gauzy and glittering with sun-drenched rhythms — but its lyrics take a darker turn.
Jake Brooks explains: “The lyrics are meant to juxtapose the happy sunshine feeling throughout the song. “Surprise” is about dealing with loneliness and loss in this modern age. The overall sound represents how bright and happy we present ourselves on social media. But in reality, everyone’s depressed and stressed over the rapidly devolving state of society.”
With murky, despondent lyricism at odds with its upbeat aura, the track taps into the listlessness and loneliness that comes along with young adulthood. Vocalist Ali Genevich adds: “”Sonically, “Surprise” is the bright song on the new record. Lyrically it embodies a lot of my personal feelings that came after I graduated from college in the same year the pandemic hit. I couldn’t help but feel low for a while, and once I came out of my writer’s block everything I wrote had this big sad mood.”
Following on from earlier single “bb”, the track arrives as another gleaming glimpse into the band’s awaited second LP. With much of the record tracking completed in the summer of 2021 while staying on a ranch just outside of Los Angeles, Genevich says: “I think recording the album was a very therapeutic process, and it helped us find some new meaning in a lot of the songs. It definitely did for “Surprise”.”
Gold Coast (Yugambeh Country) based First Nations musician Dani Teveluwe (pronounced 'tee-va-loo') is set to captivate with her spirited and soulful take on acoustic-pop with her debut EP, ‘Into The Deep’, out yesterday.
Formerly a primary school teacher, the singer-songwriter broke down the walls of her comfort zone and took a courageous leap into music. It seemed impossible at first, but with inspiration from a David Bowie quote, she summoned the determination to make her dream a reality. Dani explains:
"This EP is a culmination of a lot of courage. Not so long ago I lived another life and I never would have believed this (releasing 'Into The Deep') would be possible. And it wouldn’t have been, without courage."
Recorded at Big Note Studios, produced by Tim Goodburn, and mastered by Paul Blakey, this body of work celebrates bravery, and is also an exploration of love in all its forms - romantic, compassionate, and love for the self. Dani's music weaves this common thread throughout, with each song showcasing a different story, and musical mood to suit. Fittingly, the EP artwork was painted by award-winning visual artists, Tamara Armstrong (known for her Women of Colour collection), inspired by the EP's theme and the words of David Bowie.
First, we’re taken on a gentle acoustic-led journey with the opening track, ‘Double Shot’. A tale of compassion for someone who can’t see that their behaviour is hurtful to those around them. Carefully sorrowful trumpet notes emphasise the delicate nature of this situation. Overall, it’s smooth and emotively delivered.
Lewis & Clarke released his first art folk single “Aurora 15:34,” in eight years on August 30. This song is both a eulogy and a rallying cry against the systemic violence and racism that pervades our society. Tension and sparseness underlay the composition as the song climaxes in a flurry of woodwinds and strings mimicking that of social, spiritual, and civil unrest before subsiding into the steady heartbeat of an 808 kick drum.
Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old black American who died after a violent police encounter. He was a massage therapist who loved animals and often played violin for stray cats at Petco. Elijah was listening to music and dancing when he was detained on his way home from picking up an iced tea for his brother in Aurora, Colorado. Bodycam footage at the 15:34 mark reveals an officer saying, “Leave your camera there”.
The song is included on the upcoming Lewis & Clarke LP and contains orchestral elements of Lou Rogai’s recent Cathedral LP (2018). It is his first Lewis & Clarke release since 2014’s Triumvirate. In the interim, he has been producing, scoring, composing, and raising his family, including 17-year-old Julian Rogai, who performs double bass on this track.
Lou Rogai is a songwriter and composer. His voice and vision resonate throughout Lewis & Clarke’s signature sound of lush, long-form art-folk compositions. The moniker references the fellowship and correspondence between C.S. Lewis and Arthur C. Clarke. His work has been lauded by major music publications, indie radio, and broadcast programming including heavy rotation on NPR’s All Things Considered for over a decade. He has released albums on his own imprint in a fiercely independent manner and performed throughout North America and Europe. He has steadily and quietly established a body of work and garnered a following while exploring his musical path, connecting with the human condition through themes of birth, growth, aspiration, conflict, and mortality.
Milk Teeth, the new single from Edinburgh duo Slim Wrist, is a slice of deliciously tantalising washed out synth pop. It has a darker feel to earlier releases, propelled by its pulsing bass and ominous groove, though it eventually succumbs to the duo’s more typical dreamy sound.
Milk Teeth is the third single and final taster ahead of upcoming debut album Closer For Comforting (due September 9) and follows on from the fragmented dreamy pop of first single and BBC Introducing Scotland Track of the Week The Soft and lush wave of blissed out noise pop Details.
Slim Wrist (FKA Super Inuit) are Fern Morris and Brian Pokora, their assertive beats and organic tones combine pop sensibilities with an understated poignancy. Their music has drawn comparisons to the likes of Cocteau Twins as well as Portishead, Broadcast and Sylvan Esso.
Alt-pop indie darlings Joan & The Giants are back with a tune that will make you want to live your Tuesdays with as much enthusiasm as your Saturdays - get ready for 'The Weekend', out yesterday ahead of their debut EP 'Me & You' coming out on September 23 via Tomboi Records.
Joan & The Giants have been standing tall since forming in 2019. The talented Boorloo/Perth-based group centres around musical and romantic partners Grace Newton-Wordsworth and Aaron Birch, sharing their beautiful craft together with bandmembers Riley Sutton and Liam Olsen.
Garnering attention from tastemakers around the country, the band have released two singles so far this year, 'Slow Motion' and most recently 'Home Song'. Now, their new single 'The Weekend' is the third release from their highly anticipated debut EP 'Me & You' (out on September 23), and like its folk-informed alt-pop predecessors, it's one that's set to soar.
A rebellion against modern grind culture and the mentality of 'living for the weekend', this track reflects the band's changed philosophy to live every day with the same enthusiasm: live like you're 17, fall in love but never fall in line, and spend time with someone whenever it feels right - because why should we only reserve our joy for days that the capitalist calendar dictates? With a melody that seeps in and sticks, earnest drums and cherry-sweet vocals, this is a tune dripping in emotive lyricism and honeyed rhythms, guaranteed to charm ears and dazzle hearts everywhere it's heard.
During the pandemic's beginning, Gracie found a sense of freedom from routine and tapped into this liberating feeling for 'The Weekend'. She explains: "There was an excitement and a lack of responsibility that was so refreshing and turbulent. I think when we started getting back to reality and going to work and grinding to push a music career again, that pressure and ‘baggage’ came back onto my shoulders, and I really didn’t want to live purely for ‘the weekend’ or wait for a Friday night to feel some kind of relief."
"Good Advice," the new single from Asheville-based outfit lund.
As a teenager, Nicole's dad snuck her into a club in her hometown of Charlotte, NC to see Derek Trucks, and that show changed her life. That very night, she became a member of the band's Street Team.
Then, she took over the street team's operations, and then interned with the band's manager after graduating with a vocal and music business degree.
After the internship ended, Nicole became his assistant and learned the ins and outs of the music business. After a decade in the music business on the management and booking sides, the classically trained singer has finally moved into the spotlight.
UK-based folk singer-songwriter Annie Dressner has released her latest single, "I’ve Always Been Like This" today — Dressner's second co-write with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf.
Since moving from her hometown of New York City to the UK eleven years ago, singer-songwriter Annie Dressner has garnered rave reviews for her recordings and live performances. Having released three full length albums, Dressner has gone from strength to strength. Her straightforward lyrical style, sharp ear for wordplay, and crisp, lilting vocals offer listeners a front row seat to her stories. Her music has drawn comparisons to an up-tempo Mazzy Star, an understated Jenny Lewis, as well as Soccer Mommy and Phoebe Bridgers.
Dressner’s latest album, a collaboration with David Ford, titled 48 Hours, reached #23 on The Official Folk Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company in partnership with English Folk Expo, and was released in July 2022.
Dressner's songs have received considerable airplay on Radio 2 and 6 Music (Gideon Coe, Tom Robinson, Steve Lamacq, Tom Ravenscroft), as well as Radio 1 via her co-write of "The Nowhere Team" with Saturday Night Gym Club. Her latest solo album Coffee At The Corner Bar includes a Magnetic Fields cover and a co-write with Nada Surf's Matthew Caws (her first official work with Caws prior to "I've Always Been Like This").
Annie has performed at the Green Man Festival, Secret Garden Party, Cambridge Folk Festival, Cluny2, Green Note, Norwich Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction, Night & Day among countless other venues and has shared stages with Echobelly, Emily Barker, Simone Felice, The East Pointers, Lucy Wainwright Roche & Fossil Collective, as well as a co-headline tour with Polly Paulusma in February 2020 and David Ford in 2022. Three of her songs are featured in Crucible Films' Drive Me To The End (2020) directed by Richard Summers-Calvert.
West Wales Alt-Country Maverick 'Colenso Jones' emerges from the shadows with the exceptional debut single ‘Biscuit Tin’. Hailing from Pontypridd, South Wales and a stalwart of the Cymru-Cana movement Colenso offers a very strong debut which is an intriguingly refreshing blend of Alt-Country, Americana and Folk. ‘Biscuit Tin’ will be released independently today 2nd of September.
Colenso has performed headline shows in Europe, the U.S and across the U.K with BBC introducing favorites Climbing Trees. The Pontypridd musician has released 5 albums and 10 singles through various projects since 2012, with his tracks also being used on Sky, BBC, ITV as well as others.
As well as many festival appearances, including Greenman Festival, Colenso has also performed and recorded at Maida Vale Studios and Abbey Road. His first solo album is due for release early 2023. The album will be a fusion of folk, country, indie and electronica.
Colenso Added this about the release: ‘"After being in bands and side projects for the last 10 years it’s a great opportunity for me to do something purely on my own and use the experiences I’ve had to create a record that is personal to me."
“I’ve always enjoyed creating music. After picking up the guitar at 10 and learning songs that others have written you get to a point where you know enough chords to write something completely new and I’ve always loved that feeling. I’ve carried that feeling through my life and it’s taken me to some great places, Maida Vale, Abbey Road and New York are just a few of the places music has given me the opportunity to visit so I think I’ll keep going and see where I end up next.”
Newcastle artist Ruth Lyon has just released her new single "Trouble", teasing a new chapter for the project following her recent appearance at SXSW 2022 and the release of her 2021 debut EP 'Nothing's Perfect'.
Known for her work as a key and active member of the Newcastle music scene, notably her role on the board of directors at Sage Gateshead, and vocalist and co-founder of Newcastle cult folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers, Ruth Lyon is also an ardent advocate for the Disabled community through her work as an ambassador for Attitude Is Everything - a charity that aims to improve accessibility for Deaf and Disabled people in live music; Lyon herself has been a wheelchair user since the age of 21.
Influenced by acts such as Fiona Apple, Aldous Harding and Regina Spektor, on new single "Trouble" and her soon-to-be-released new material, Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations - all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism.
Produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding), new single "Trouble" opens with the line “I woke up wondering when I’m going to die.” It’s a track that captures the essence of anxiety, of the expectations heaped upon us at every turn; yet at the same time, it celebrates unknowingness and wildness.
Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single "Trouble", Ruth said: “This is a reaction against this idea of perfection that society has us believe is the goal, when actually it’s a short cut to death. I’ve never been able to tread the path of least resistance, but nor would I want to. I am hard work, I am difficult, I don’t want to be boxed up with a neat little bow with my labels printed on it. I am trouble and I love it.”
On “Cry, Baby, Cry”, the London-based alt-pop singer-songwriter encourages her younger self to embrace her emotions, as she sings, “don’t you drown inside your messed up mind is not so strange, you don’t need to explain, I know what it’s like, don’t dry your eyes, cry, baby, cry.” While originally a sentiment to her early teen self, Elliot hopes to help others feel a sense of community with the new track and remove the feelings of shame and embarrassment surrounding mental health.
On the new release, she shares, “I wrote this song as a letter to my 14 year old self. It’s something she desperately needed to hear, and to this day I still need to be reminded. Nobody should be ashamed of the way their mind works, to have emotions, to express them openly. Growing up, we're always told “don’t cry” and to “hush”, but often this leads to emotions emerging in more harmful, destructive ways! So I wrote this as a kind of anti-lullaby, for everyone and for me, to remind us to not suffer in silence.”
Elliot’s upcoming EP Bored of the Circus will feature singles “Butterfly Pen,” and “‘Til I Die.” The latter was praised by the Sunday Times, saying the song “recall[s] Kate Bush,Tori Amos, Aqualung and Billie Eilish with lyrics that channel her issues around mental health with candor and courage.”
Bored of the Circus is now available for pre-order, including a limited edition 10’’ vinyl. The five tracks on the upcoming EP possess an out-of-time quality that’s heightened by the contrast between her quivering lead vocal and the hovering choirs behind it. While one might wonder if those choirs are the result of diligent crate-digging, every voice in them is sung by Elliot and arranged by her alongside her chief collaborator half rhymes.
An open book with her fans, the Switzerland-born artist was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and anxiety. She explores and speaks openly about her battle through her music and her social pages have become a safe haven and space of community for fans. Her bruising honesty and dedication to the craft of songwriting have already made her beloved by fans around the world, and she’s already been called “a future star” by BBC6 music maven Chris Hawkins.
