Ingrid Mae - Shoeb Ahmad - Inkfields

Ingrid Mae - Closing Time.

Ingrid Mae has written and produced an album where the broken pieces are beautiful. We know it is “Closing Time”and the party is indeed over but we want to stay. From the first track “No SOS” we are hypnotized by this haunting capture and she holds us there; and we enjoy it.

If “Holy Smoke” was the outlaw cry then “Closing Time” takes us back to the hideout for the after-party with songs like “Like It’s Over” and “Poor Little Thing”. An explosive writer with the ability to traverse many different moods you can just label her at whim; Alt-country, Americana or Country-Rock. Whatever country bucket she lands in, there’s a Mae-DNA in her music.

It was a labour of love for Ingrid Mae and Rock Guy (drummer and partner) who produced the album. It was a bitter sweet ending to a year that saw the loss of their beloved best friend and bass player, Eddie, who played on all tracks on the album and has been part of the family since the beginning. The new album, “Closing Time”, is dedicated to him and the time they shared in the old shack “707” recording this album back in early 2020.

“I enjoyed producing the album and working with my close friends to achieve what I heard in my head when I wrote the songs”, says Mae.

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Shoeb Ahmad - double checks against the corner (c).

Following a performance at MONA FOMA and ahead of an appearance at SXSW, APRA AMCOS Art Music Award-winning Canberra-based experimentalist Sia Ahmad (she/her) - who makes music as Shoeb Ahmad - has announced her forthcoming record double checks against the corner, to be released on May 5 2023, along with her signing to No Gold, the new label launched by Angus Andrew of Liars.

Taken as the first single from what the multi-instrumentalist describes as a "song cycle" rather than a traditional record structure, part '(c)' shines a light on the loveworn nature of long term relationships and the frazzled state of distance, as a slo-mo indie-soul bassline and loping groove roll along with the punches.

Sia Ahmad says, "Like all of my work, the "double checks against the corner" song cycle speaks from a personal place and part (c) in particular highlights the unspoken domestic stresses of a relationship in breakdown. There's resolution and an understanding but the distance that's grown before then needs to be addressed. It's a hard observation to make. Musically, this section bridges the song craft from the "quiver" period with the more naive soundclash territory from A Body Full Of Tears and Facade, a dubby off-kilter soul vibe"

A five-part tome weaving a narrative around relationship breakdown, reconciliation and parenthood, double checks against the corner encapsulates what is seen as a hyper-domestic experience, but digs deep into the nuances that are left behind closed doors or in text threads, bringing together Sia's experimental sound art practice with the purity of honest pop songwriting and deep, beat-heavy production.

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Inkfields - Your Head's in the Sand.

‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ is the second single from the upcoming album (The Third Side of the Coin due April 27) of Edinburgh based artist Inkfields and the track sees the songwriter inspired by the fluidity and calming effects of the ocean as he conjures up a mesmerising back drop while he encourages the subject to “give
up you pride”.

Following on from the album’s title track, ‘Your Head’s in the Sand’ came out of a moment of frustration, and you can hear it in the flicker in Inkfields’ voice and the hammering tones that keep you on edge while maintaining that soothing atmosphere.

Heralding a progression in the Inkfields sound these single’s bring about an artist that understands where he is at, it’s a less complicated, more mature, more settled sound that feels like Inkfields hitting his a-game, an artist able to allow his tracks to breathe and engulf the listener.

Inkfields, the guise of Samuel James-Griffiths, began in Dresden, Germany as a spontaneous after work street music experiment, moving through Sweden, Southern Germany and finally to Edinburgh. The music has been forged through thousands of hours of street music across dozens of cities in Europe, from -12 to +40 degrees, through rain, snow, wind and sun.

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Sam Scherdel - Rodney Crowell - Vera Ellen - Todd Dorigo

Sam Scherdel - Balloon.

Sheffield-UK singer/songwriter Sam Scherdel has returned with his delightful new video/track ‘Balloon’ The video paired alongside the track is refreshing, alluring, and enchanting as the visual features Sam and his son for story.

Over the past twelve months he has released a string of successful singles since launching in March 2022, 12 later he releases “Balloon”. Recorded between Doncaster and Nashville Balloon delivers a truly haunting understory lyrically, sung to a countering seismic uplifting Born to Run esque back drop.

His strongest single to date is sure to help make sure 2023 is his biggest year yet. Having began selling out shows across Yorkshire he returns to his native Sheffield to headline the Leadmill March 18th prior to embarking on a string of festival dates across the summer.

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Rodney Crowell - Everything at Once.

Rodney Crowell will release The Chicago Sessions on May 5, 2023, via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded by Tom Schick at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago. The masterful, cross-generational collaboration follows Crowell’s acclaimed 2021 album Triage. Hailed by Rolling Stone as a “country music trailblazer” and by The New York Times as an artist whose songwriting “gets better and sharper with age,” Crowell delivers an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn. Sounding both fresh and familiar, it’s among Crowell’s very best work.

As Jeff Tweedy puts it, “The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I’ve always loved. In my estimation, it’s as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that.”

While looking at the cover of The Chicago Sessions, listeners might recognize a familiar callback to Crowell’s 1978 debut, Ain’t Living Long Like This. “In a lot of ways, this album feels like that very first record to me,” Crowell reflects. “When my daughter suggested we lay the artwork out similarly, the connection made perfect sense. There’s something very simple, very innocent about it. It’s just me and the band in a room together, loose and live and having fun.” The Chicago Sessions is indeed a throwback to the legendary Crowell’s early days of making records, but it’s no nostalgia trip. The songs are vital and timely, touching on everything from love and mortality to race and religion, and the performances are nothing short of intoxicating, fueled by raw guitars, honky-tonk piano, and tight, punchy drums. Tweedy wields a light touch as a producer, his influence subtle yet unmistakable. Engineer Tom Schick’s mixes are dynamic and lively, alternately lush and spacious in all the right places, with a spotlight fixed firmly on Crowell’s warm, weathered vocals throughout.

Now Crowell has released the video for the album’s first single, “Everything at Once,” which features footage recorded at The Loft during recording. A co-write with Tweedy, the song walks a tightrope between hope and despair as it playfully wrestles with overstimulation in an overcrowded world. Perhaps no track better encapsulates the spirit of the record. Crowell explains, “It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album. We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn’t get too precious about it.”

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Vera Ellen - Lenny Says.

Finding humour in self-loathing, award-winning Vera Ellen is back with the second guitar driven single, ‘Lenny Says’  from her upcoming album, Ideal Home Noise, which is out digitally and on both red or black vinyl and CD on Friday March 31st, 2023 via Flying Nun Records.

"I wrote Lenny Says to make fun of myself at rock bottom. It was actually initially for my album Beat Yr Name (2018) but I felt it was too cheesy at the time. Now, I can see the humour in it. The two verses were genuinely written three years apart — though clearly the angst did not dwindle. It's a track for us whining broke losers with unattainable dreams; having a laugh and a moan at the same time."

The video for 'Lenny Says' is the second instalment in the three-part series was directed and produced by Sports Team, and made with the support of NZ on Air. About the video, Vera Ellen says "If you cried in Carpenter, you will scream in Lenny Says. My band joins me for some diabolical plotting and scheming... but what exactly are we planning?? What we do best of course. And, listen, I won't have any of your judgement. We all do crazy things to maintain our youth and glory!"

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Todd Dorigo - Another Fantasy.

Recognised for his baritone vocal, brooding delivery and contemplative lyrics, Todd Dorigo traded big city lights for green wilderness. As the world began to go into lockdown, Todd moved from London to the Swedish woods near Jönköping. Todd has supported bands like The Libertines and also played festivals such as Glastonbury.

Todd Dorigo has released his new EP ‘Another Fantasy’ (March 3 2023). The EP is written and recorded in isolation in the Swedish woods. Sonically, there are echoes of Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker and Ennio Morricone. There is perhaps even an element of cinema to this EP in the way it builds tension and dreams up dusty western landscapes.

“In the process of questioning my own identity and authenticity, these songs intended to seek out the truth but were soon misled through dream sequences, psychedelic trips and erotic fantasies”. - Todd Dorigo.

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Kendall Lujan - Holly Henderson - Juliana Madrid - Lynn Miles - Emma Tricca

Kendall Lujan - Forget me Knots.

Kendall's debut single found a spot on the "New In Singer-Songwriter" official Apple Music Playlist , saw great growth on Spotify and was covered by Consequence Of Sound. Her debut video was placed on MTV Denmark, and she's seen radio play from Seattle (KEXP) to Saarland Germany (SR2 Kultur).

Kendall Lujan comes to us from Bellingham, Washington, and has found her place among the blistering hot music community in Portland, Oregon. She fits right into the songwriters with singular voices club that the Portland underground is known for right now. Her debut EP was recorded at the Map Room in Portland by producer Dominik Schmidt, and we first heard her sing harmonies in AC Sapphire's band The Shoulderpads.

Kendall will be roaring into Treefort Music Fest with the rest of the ASTRecords crew (Taco Tapes, Sequoia, AC Sapphire, Meredith Lane, Ryan Curtis, Jeremy James Meyer, Jeremy Ferrara) as a warmup to a 2023 European tour. Later this summer she'll play our inagural label festival, the Cave Creek Ramble, along with Margo Cilker, Bart Budwig, and Maita.

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Holly Henderson - Wendy.

Holly Henderson’s highly anticipated second album, “The Walls” is out now. The album follows the release of last year’s acclaimed single “The Planes”, which Clash Magazine described thus: “bejewelled psych-pop with folk qualities, her work has a haunting after-effect that can’t be shrugged off.”

The long-awaited sophomore release from the UK alternative singer-songwriter brings a very different side to Holly’s musicality and depth. While her debut album, “Monday Green” featured Holly’s impressive rock guitar work and alternative pop anthem prowess, her new work shows a more introspective, and slightly more delicate side to her songcraft.

Latest single “Wendy” is a uniquely fresh, yet retro infused ballad, told from the story of a person leaving their dog “Wendy” at home and promising her that she hasn’t been abandoned. It begins with the familiar whimsy and folk sentiments of Holly’s arrangements, and her dreamy, ethereal storyteller vocals. But as the band creep in, and Wendy’s world grows darker and colder, the warmth of the band, as more drums, percussion, guitars, mandolins and harmonies sweep in to remind Wendy, and anyone else listening, that they are never alone.

Recorded in a farmhouse in the English countryside, “The Walls” brings Holly full circle from her previous Los Angeles recorded album. Finely crafted arrangements, sonic musings, and playful themes take us on a journey with Holly as she deconstructs her Brit Pop and classic influences and reassembles them into progressive-folk wonderment.

On “The Walls”, Holly said, “This album sits within a sense of place. As a songwriter, I can only speak of my own thoughts of home and belonging. I suppose this record is a wandering eye over the fleeting moments from the last few years, of when I felt at home, and when I didn’t. When I felt like the walls were tumbling, when they kept me safe, and when they became my prison. I learned the only way of breaking these patterns, was to let people step over the threshold.

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Juliana Madrid - Afterlife.

Juliana Madrid releases her first single “Afterlife” from her upcoming sophomore collection to be released later this year on Neon Gold Records. After releasing her self-titled debut EP, she returned with a more expansive, deeper sound on “Afterlife”, with lyrics “Hey! I’m not great but I might be alright. So kiss my perfect afterlife goodbye”.

Juliana Madrid explains: “In "Afterlife," I am sort of flirting with the universe in hopes of getting more time. I’m often living in my own head, so I tend to get into these ruts where it feels like I’ve been putting my energy towards the wrong thing or not working hard enough or not using my time to my best advantage. Throughout the song, I attempt to understand these thoughts and try my best to find a middle ground with my own fears."

Juliana "Jules" Madrid is a 21 year old singer/ songwriter hailing from Dallas, Texas.  Juliana combines elements of folk, alt, and pop to write sardonic, coming-of-age tales that are relatable yet uniquely her. Madrid started in music at the young age of 9, learning guitar at the encouragement of her parents. Soon after, she enrolled in a local program called School of Rock. There, she began to find her voice while realizing she also had a knack for songwriting, using music as a creative outlet to express herself.

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Lynn Miles - Johnny Without June.

Coming from a country renowned for having outstanding singer-songwriters, Lynn Miles is considered Canadian songwriting royalty. With a JUNO Award in 2003 for Roots Traditional Album of the year, Lynn subsequently scored JUNO nominations in 2011 and 2006, and took home six Canadian Folk Music Awards including three for Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, American artist Clair Lynch recorded Lynn’s song “Black Flowers” on her Grammy-nominated album of songs penned by Canadians called North By South.

Lynn has the ability to instantly convert listeners into lifetime fans. On her newest album tumbleweedyworld she sings about the differences between people, which ultimately only demonstrates how we are so much the same. As always her ever-emotive voice carries each lyric with breathtaking clarity and heart-wrenching emotion, showcasing her talent as a singer and songwriter.

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Emma Tricca - Autumn's Fiery Tongue.

Emma Tricca will release her anticipated new album Aspirin Sun via Bella Union. Having previously shared videos for the tracks “King Blixa” and “Christodora House”, Tricca now shares a video for her psychedelic new single, “Autumn’s Fiery Tongue”.

Commenting on the track Emma Tricca says: “All the verses in this song come from a strange dream that probably resembles scenes from the film ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’. As I woke one morning all those images came alive again before my eyes… just like in a beat poem, the images were sketchy. The title comes from the love I have for Autumn and its dream-like state: both powerful and inevitable.”

“It felt like I was driving through tunnels,” Emma Tricca says of her fourth album – her first for Bella Union. A phosphorescent panorama of undulating color, shape and sound.

As with any transformation, it is this sense of movement that underpins Aspirin Sun and its bold new form, ebbing and flowing, continually unfurling. The tunnels led the Italian-born, London-based singer-songwriter towards something expansive and far-reaching: an entirely new and experimental collection of songs. But they also drew her closer to her late father, and her memories of him driving them both in his small white Fiat, darting through the Alps and whizzing through darkened passageways, where shafts of light flickered ahead of them in the distance.

Light and shade; past and future; love and loss. “I was in uncharted territory trying to understand what was happening to me,” Tricca says. In the winter of 2018, only months after her mystical third album St. Peter was released, her father died, submerging her in a subaqueous world of grief. “I think that the loss really informed the tunes a lot,” she muses. And the tunes quickly emerged. Tricca decided to spend a few months in New York during the summer of 2019 and started recording Aspirin Sun.

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Caitlin Rose - CHVRLI BLVCK - Awkward Branches - Kassi Valazza - Dutch Uncles

Caitlin Rose - Lil' Vesta.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Caitlin Rose announced today a new batch of tour dates this spring. The full-band shows will be co-headlined with fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs.

They’ll kick off on May 30th in Louisville followed by stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia among others. Rose will also be out on the road next month supporting The Old 97’s for several dates across the west coast.

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), it earned widespread critical acclaim including NPR Music, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Paste, Slate, Nashville Scene, and Stereogum who named it as their Album of the Week upon release.

 
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CHVRLI BLVCK - Why Did You Go.

CHVRLI BLVCK is a London-born singer-songwriter living in the New Forest, known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognizable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.

He began releasing music in mid-2022 and has quickly developed a dedicated online following, with over a quarter of a million streams, positive reviews, podcast interviews, and regular airplay on independent radio stations. He has also entered the live arena with some success performing small shows, and is fast becoming a fixture of the local scene.

His single, "Why Did You Go?", is released today, in conjunction with End of The Trail Creative, is a poignant and deeply personal account of the aftermath of a breakup. It begins as a gentle ballad, "People are already walking in my house", builds to a pleading refrain, "Why did you go?”, and concludes with the pain of acceptance, “Feel like I missed my train”.

"Why Did You Go?" blends simple acoustic guitar with layered vocals and retro-inspired synths to create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape, which rises and falls in harmony with the emotional journey it imparts.

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Awkward Branches - In That House.

Awkward Branches, the new project of singer, keyboardist and former Fiction frontman Mike Barrett and close collaborator and guitarist Phil Swan, announce their debut EP Melody for a Friend due out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings. This weeks announcement comes with the release of their new single ‘In That House’, the second single to be released from the duo, following on from tranquil sun-flecked number ‘A Frame (Not A Window)’ which came out in the winter of 2022. ’In That House’ is an alt-folk number, which began life in the Welsh countryside. The track combines widescreen guitars, winding synths and breezy vocals that speak to the curious boundary between humans and animals.

Beginning as a few tender sketches some years ago, Awkward Branches' new EP Melody for a Friend has grown, unhurriedly, into a set of six lovingly crafted alt-pop songs. From the acoustic opener and debut single, ‘A Frame not a Window’; the balearic dream-pop of ‘Summer of the Pine’; to the nostalgic title-track which closes the collection, this EP showcases Awkward Branches knack for weaving melody texture and lyricism into compelling and rewarding songs.

Mike Barrett and Phil Swan aka Awkward Branches appropriately first met standing under a much-beloved tree in the gardens of an old wedding chapel where they both worked. While waiting for ceremonies to run their course, talk would often turn to music. United by a shared appreciation for ambient soundscapes and buoyant melodies, they tentatively began recording sketches; ideas which grew over several years, without hurry, into a handful of fully formed songs. Ever since then, they have been writing and performing with each-other in numerous other projects - including a 6-piece experimental collective (Holy Island Sketchbook), gothic trio (Sweet Heave) and as part of Mike’s dream-pop project (Brand New Moon) - they felt it was finally time to put a name to their own project, and thus Awkward Branches was born.

Awkward Branches · In That House

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Kassi Valazza - Corners.

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza recently announced her sophomore full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, which is set to release on May 26 via Loose (Margo Cilker, The Handsome Family).

Now, Valazza has shared the second single from the album, ‘Corners’, which is premiering now over at Brooklyn Vegan. Throughout the track, fingerpicked acoustic guitar dances with bounding bass and twinkling piano, as a gentle backing choir flows behind Valazza like a stream through a lonesome vista. “The clouds move slower than they ever seemed to / Still, they find a way to pass me by,” she sings on her breezy lament about the longing that comes with an unhealthy love, “My friends, though, they wonder what I’m used to / To love a man who never treats me right.”

Of recording "Corners," Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [Portland-based band] TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, who hadn't heard any of the songs before we went into the studio. You're rarely going to find a songwriter that writes and composes every single song; it's a combination of people working things out together, of what I want and what the band hears. 

When people don't know the songs, it’s a lot looser and more magic can happen. You don't overthink it. One thing I really loved about recording 'Corners' in particular was watching the guys do the four-part harmonies. It finally felt like the song was coming together. I also made a point to have no electric guitar to add to those breezy Eagles sounds, making it the only track on the album without electric guitar."

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Dutch Uncles - In Salvia.

Dutch Uncles have shared new single “In Salvia", the final taste of the band's long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, out on 10th March via Memphis Industries.

Showcasing a new sonic palette for the band, new single "In Salvia" blurs the lines between synthesised and acoustic instrumentation, all laser focused around a jaunty "ode-to-Outkast" 808 beat. Accompanied by an all star cast of musical apparatus; Triton horns, bouncing arpeggiators, synth flutes and EBows, the band once more enlisted the help of Metronomy's Anna Prior, further elevating the track with some ethereal ad libs and ASMR additions.

The band have also revealed details of a special launch event for new album True Entertainment. On 11th March, West Didsbury & Chorlton play Ascot Utd in the FA Vase. Dutch Uncles will be taking out an advert in the matchday programme, playing album tracks out on the stadium's tannoy and running a pop up merch stand with discounted tour tickets, vinyl, t-shirts etc. The band have also teamed up with The Beagle in Chorlton, and will continue the album celebrations later that day with the addition of an exclusive new pizza to The Beagle's menu for one night only, the True Entertainment Pizza - a normal pizza, but with chips on top, in reference to their popular Podcast 'Chips Of Chorlton'. The band will also be DJ'ing at the venue.

Dutch Uncles are masters of the unique album launch. For 2017's Big Balloon the band invited fans to join them go-karting beneath the Manchester Arena and for 2013's Out Of Touch In The Wild they worked with chefs at Manchester burger restaurant Almost Famous to develop a burger in honour of the record.

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