Rae Fitzgerald shares "Say I Look Happy" today, the title track from her new album out September 1 via Keeled Scales.
About "Say I Look Happy," Rae Fitzgerald writes: "I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve struggled with major depression for as long as I can remember, starting in early childhood. As anyone with persistent mental health issues or illness knows, the stigma and pressure to 'fix' yourself can be more isolating than the condition. 'Say I Look Happy' is sort of an ode to that surreal plane of existence and a song of gratitude to the people who traipse through those valleys alongside me."
Say I Look Happy follows 2020's Lonely Listener EP, which The Wild Honey Pie described as “hypnotically relaxing,” and “dense with poetry, philosophy and celestial metaphor." Post-Trash called it a “a folk record at heart, built on dreamy atmospheres and intimate recordings, capturing Fitzgerald’s thoughts in raw portraits that channel honest performances and soft melodies.”
Drab Majesty have shared a second track from their forthcoming mini-album, An Object in Motion, which is set for release on August 25th via Dais Records. Alongside the new track, they have also announced European tour dates for this fall as well as an appearance at Darker Waves Festival in Southern California alongside New Order, Tears for Fears, and more.
Following last month's majestic ballad “Vanity” which features a rare guest vocal appearance from Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, today Drab Majesty share a second look at the forthcoming record with new track "The Skin and the Glove." The song deploys jangle to sparkling effect baggy, soaring, grey-skied kaleidoscopic pop in the spirit of Stone Roses, Primal Scream, and The Glove.
Inspired by the insuperable march of time reflected in the song’s lyrics, for the accompanying video Deb Demure and Mona D. decided upon the one medium that reflects most accurately the way that memories seem sewn together by fragments of imagery. The ‘flashing frames of time’ captured by the Super 8mm camera seem naturally edited in some part by simply moving through moments, holding down the trigger and choosing to remember certain aspects of a day, a trip or an extended period of travel. These glimpses into the personal and emotional aspects of touring were captured in far away lands like Europe, Canada, Mexico and even Tasmania. They attempt to compress the long passage of time and the effort that goes into playing in a band — to present it as the mind does; a tapestry of reflection that seems stitched together randomly and with that ephemeral granularity that rests in the potential to misremember.
Silent Forum release their most unashamedly poppy single to date, Treat Yourself, coming out today 11 July via Libertino Records. Treat Yourself is mixture of revealing, uncomfortable lyrics paired with animated, uplifting pop instrumentation.
You can hear the band having a great time playing around in much poppier territory than they are used to - this is as bubblegum as they're ever going to get.
Silent Forum split their time between Cardiff, London, Bristol and Barcelona. Their sound is equally unconventional - multifaceted music with confident but subtle streaks of dark energy. It’s textured pop-post-punk that equally rejects three chord song structure and monochrome doom.
Surprise Baby is the Los Angeles based project of musician and songwriter Sarsten Noice and producer Claire Morison. Described as rock and roll cowboy meets indie pop, the two, who are originally from Northwest Montana, use their long-standing relationship as friends and creative partners to craft a sound which is both authentic and captivating.
The upcoming EP is a result of Surprise Baby refusing to be pigeon-holed and see’s the two exploring a realm of different genres and sounds. The first single to be released from the EP is “Poison the Well.” The track narrates facing the consequences of your own actions and the desire to change the reality of a situation but ultimately having the resignation that you can’t. Noice confides, “At the time, I was involved with someone who was in another relationship and we were both a part of a tight knit community (“the well”). At a certain point, it appeared to me that the toxicity of the relationship had permeated our ability to operate in our social scene without causing disruption to our lives and those around us. I was faced with confronting the morality of my own actions as well as some heartbreak because I knew I was never going to be able to fully be with this person.”
Sonically, “Poison the Well” enters with a throbbing beat, echoing harmonies and a minimalist, eerie atmosphere. Steadily building in intensity, we hear the addition of layered textures and instruments, as Noice sings about the misguided actions that led her down the wrong path. She questions, “If I had never said goodnight, if I had been older when this had started,” as she ponders about what could have been.
Not afraid to speak her truth, Noice shares how she uses songwriting as a way to process her internal world and give intense emotions a way out of her body. She shares, “I try to create imagery that accurately captures a specific feeling and then allow myself to build lyrics in an abstract way, opposed to straightforward storytelling. This I hope leaves the songs open to the listeners’ interpretation.”
Enjoyable Listens is a man, a machine and an enigma wrapped in a ball of mysterious dark wool. Having built an indie-rock-solid foundation using only melody, mayhem and an admirable ability to croon a series of pop smashes whilst teetering on a bar stool, new single “Summer Hit” sees the infallible actor continuing to warm to the task.
Funnelling inebriated ‘80s theatricality through luxurious layers of molten melodies and sun-dappled dreamhouse-ery, Enjoyable Listens aka Luke Duffett explains: “The original “Summer Hit” demo was the first thing I ever self-recorded. I wrote it during lockdown, and its name comes from a to-do list I had in April 2020.
While his attempts at gymnastics, baking and gaming may not have been quite so fruitful, “Summer Hit” certainly ticks the box. Re-recorded with Joseph Futák and Elanor Moss on backing vocals, the new track features a heady amalgam of mellotron, seagull noises and an aromatic indie-swooning that feels just as mellow as it does melodramatic.
Following on from ‘Colour Running Away’, the last release from Simesky+Fritch that graced indie charts, national and international airwaves across UK and Belgium, Australia, US, across the EU and South Africa, this is the new single ‘Back and Down Again’.
‘Colour Running Away’ changed everything for the duo. Its high shine pop and neon gloss took on a life of its own and blasted the track to success. But right here and right now they get darker.
With their cool 80’s retro wrapped in original new wave, they produce something gut-felt and lush. The Cure, Roxy Music, M83, they all leave their imprints like always. And as New Order and Berlin era Bowie atmospherics infect, each decade’s nuance of synthpop collides.
Back this up with the extended family of Thomas Wagner (creator of the perfect Back and Down Again video, Andy Wright (mastering; The Fall, Rag’n’Bone Man) and support from CJC Promotions… Simesky+Fritch become something unstoppable.
The Grahams have announced their new album The Grahams, due out September 8 via 3Sirens Music Group. The upcoming self-titled album finds the singer-songwriter duo – made up of Alyssa and Doug Graham – reimagining 10 hand-picked songs from their extensive catalog to reflect their sonic and artistic growth over the last decade. Along with the announcement, The Grahams have shared a revamped rendition of their 2015 staple “The Wild One,” a serotonin-boosting reworking that now features shimmering backing vocals from acclaimed indie pop group Lucius.
“‘The Wild One’ is part biographical, part fiction and part mantra,” shares Alyssa Graham. “The original version served its purpose and was often our opening song at concerts to remind ourselves of what we’ve lived and what’s important. When reimagining this song, we wanted to focus on the lessons in a more light-hearted and fun sonic arrangement and steer clear of the overdramatized story. After all, it’s just music and if we’ve learned anything over the past three decades together it’s to never let our hearts grow old and never let our love grow cold.”
On The Grahams, the duo pays homage to a fulfilled commitment they made a decade ago: three concept albums over 10 years, which found them exploring America and its rich tapestry of music. This trilogy began with their swampy 2013 debut Riverman’s Daughter, followed by 2015’s railroad-inspired Glory Bound and concluding in 2020 with the genre-defying Kids Like Us. The new self-titled album takes ten songs from The Grahams’ catalog and pours them through a new filter – what they’ve learned, how they’ve changed, and perhaps most centrally, how they sound today. While these songs bear some resemblance to their Americana roots, they lean harder in a new direction, weaving threads of the duo’s other influences: the bands they grew up with, the input of collaborators, and the ever-evolving love affair that now includes their child. Track by track, the changes are transformative, stripping the songs down in some cases and dressing them up in others.
It Draws The Same is the new single taken from South-East London’s rising alt-folk star Amy Hollinrake’s forthcoming EP Sad Lady Songs Vol. 1 which follows late 2023. Hollinrake’s work draws on women’s stories within folklore and mythology and fuses them with a contemporary sound placing her at the forefront of the new era of feminist neo-folk, with musical touchstones in Joanna Newsom Joni Mitchell and Adrienne Lenker, with touches of the emotional directness of Paris Paloma.
Amy Hollinrake has performed at Cambridge Folk Festival, and at notable shows at Cambridge Junction and Kings Place, as well as lending her soaring vocals to major label signed Don Broco’s Royal Albert Hall, London show, with her music garnering attention from the likes of BBC 6 Music Introducing and BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour. The latter invited Hollinrake in to discuss the new single It Draws The Same and her aesthetic which delves deeply into the old stories of women, re-analysing and re-telling them through the lens of modern feminism.
Amy Hollinrake describes It Draws The Same as “An ode to Ophelia as well as a critique of the way women are depicted in folksong and ballads.” She expands,” The song came out of the realisation that so many stories I was reading in folk songs and ballads were about women drowning, I was looking at that famous painting of Ophelia by Millais and researching murder ballads when I came across an interesting analysis of female death in folk songs. It talked about a kind of liberation in women’s suicide, in escaping her murder, and looking at that picture of Ophelia, so serene, I felt almost a seduction for that sense of freedom, which is what ultimately inspired me to write the song.”
“When the waters too light it wears you out” “I wish I could smudge my edges.” – It Draws The Same
Sonically It Draws The Same features Hammond organs, soaring violins, and electric guitars amp’d through an old telephone. It’s a taster of what to expect from Hollinrake’s Sad Lady Songs Vol 1 EP which beautifully showcases the multi-instrumentalist’s high-level musical training, in its seamless blend of traditional instruments with contemporary sounds.
Brooklyn composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Cassie Wieland just released the second single "january" from her upcoming debut LP as Vines, titled Birthday Party, out August 18th. The single follows last month's "I don't mind," which Stereogum likened to "Imogen Heap’s “Hide And Seek,” with traces of Sigur Rós, Bon Iver, and various electronic singer-composer types a la Lydia Ainsworth and Laurel Halo."
Wieland wrote the music of Birthday Party while feeling lonely on her January birthday, and “january” gets right at the heart of that desolation. The song builds from the searing lyric “I’m having trouble making it through the year, and it’s only January,” letting delicate piano melodies grow into crashing instrumentals that swallow Wieland’s voice. It’s the most gut-punching track on the EP, but it’s also the most cathartic. When the music reaches its enveloping pinnacle, every emotion feels entwined at once, bursting at the seams and gradually returning anew.
Wieland founded Vines as a way to break out of the performer-composer hierarchy, opting for more collaboration and a closer connection to her fans. Vines has already made waves on Tiktok covering indie pop favorites using a vocoder and uniquely processed vocals. She continues this trend on Birthday Party, including a heart-wrenching, some how even more melancholic version of "The World at Large" by Modest Mouse.
New Zealand-formed and Nashville-based Americana/Folk band, South For Winter, is excited to announce the release of single “Underneath the Blood Moon”; the second single released from their upcoming concept album, Of Sea and Sky, which is a follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut album, Luxumbra. This album was produced by multi GRAMMY award-winner, Matt Leigh (Willie Nelson, Sister Sade).
Murder ballad "Underneath the Blood Moon" is about the use of psychiatry to silence women throughout history, especially during the 1800s-1900s. The song was written by lead singer Dani Stone, who works as a registered nurse by day and was inspired to write the ballad after learning about this dark time in history. “I stumbled across stories about this and became really upset that it wasn't more talked about," Stone states.
"Women were labeled as insane and put in asylums for so many things back then: like asking for a divorce, turning someone in for hurting them, or even just reading too many books. However, most of these women weren't actually crazy. And the problem is, when you treat people like they are crazy for long enough, you can make them go clinically insane." Using this new single, Stone brings this phenomenon to light with a chilling story about a woman who is locked up for speaking out against a man who assaulted her as a teenager; until, one night, she breaks out of the asylum and seeks her revenge.
Cardiff’s Pigeon Wigs release their eagerly awaited mini-album ‘Rock By Numbers’. An amorphous box of tricks that shape-shifts between psych, blues and indie rock with seamless time-warping chic, the quintet are also pleased to present one of its standout moments: “Iron Dynamite”. The final track to be spotlighted from the record, “Iron Dynamite” is a whimsical, merry-go-round of 60s-indebted psychelia to rival the Electric Prunes, Strawberry Alarm Clock, or frankly anything to be heard on the seminal ‘Nuggets’ compilation.
Revolving around a guitar lick as slick as a new pair of winkle-pickers on Carnaby Street in 1967, the riff was conjured by the band’s Louis Jugessur as he tried to emulate the vintage grooves of the hit ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’ by fellow Pontypridd legend Tom Jones. Instantly plugging-in to its psychedelic vibe, frontman Harry Franklin-Williams assembled a kaleidoscopic spiral of words at once in-tune with the track and just a little removed from reality... As Harry explains: “Iron Dynamite is probably my favourite song of the record lyrically, Louis wrote such a psychedelic riff and I wanted to build on that as much as I could. I made a Jenga tower out of 60s-inspired metaphors and muso-nerd references that still never fails to put a smile on my face. The verses are swirling psych with a portion of madness while the chorus is much more your classic 60s pop lyrics, simple and direct but with my trademark cynicism at the end, “it’s just another line”.”
“Iron Dynamite” arrives hot on the heels of recent singles including the Rolling Stones saluting “Radiation Blues” and the wormhole whirlwind that is “Hold Up!”; drawing attention from the likes of Louder Than War, The Independent, The Rodeo, and The Line of Best Fit, with the latter praising “[Pigeon Wigs are] now in full force in bringing their vision to life: a hybrid, retro/futuristic, psychedelic-shaded sound.”
This is one really fine album, where every song matters. The background below gives a fine overview of both Aaron Boyd and the collection of new songs, listening just takes everything to another level.
Born and raised in Stanton Kentucky, and residing in Irvine Kentucky, Aaron Boyd is a singer songwriter that writes from a place only a few with the gift of a second chance can do. Boyds songwriting serves as an honest ledger of accounts that rise from the same rich patch of earth as the minerals found deep in Appalachian soil. With his carefully crafted lyrics and timeless sound, Aaron Boyd’s sophomore album “Coming Undone”, will shake your soul to its foundations.
Boyd began pursuing his passion for music and songwriting in earnest after his daughter was born. With new clarity and understanding of priorities, mortality and immortality, he was inspired to take seriously the gifts he no longer wanted to squander. His 2019 debut album, “Until the End” is a raw and honest account of the shadow-boxing necessary in one’s journey toward sobriety, when easy escape is no longer an option. through these haunting words and by facing and retrieving lost parts of himself, he becomes a healer for the rest of us
Fast forward a few years and we hear that sobriety brings a stronger, surer voice to his second album, “Coming Undone,” as well as a glimpse of light and hope and even a little gratitude. In the second verse from his title track, “I see you from across the bar/I get lost in your smile for a little while before I head to my car/it may not seem like much but it means the world to me/sharing some words of things we’ve heard and then suddenly/ I don’t want to run from all the things in life that I’ve done.”
“Virginia”, another single on the new album speaks of love whether it be of a special person or place and the fond memories of “those nights on the riverbank…underneath a big ole sky…Virginia, I love you/the heavens open up and shine a light on you while I’m away.” In “All the Good Times” the narrator is coming to acceptance and understanding of where he’s been while “The Very First Day” evokes the ethereal sounds of love eternal. “Earthly Sorrow” may be a nod to his beloved grandmother’s hymns.
Today 7th July 2023 shoegaze/dream-pop duo TREMOURS release their new single 'Dark Glasses' via Little Cloud Records. The b-side includes a remix from Peter Holmström (Pete International Airport) of the Dandy Warhols. The tracks will be available digitally on all platforms and on 7" color vinyl. The video for 'Dark Glasses' was shot and directed by Carlos Colón in the Mojave Desert.
'Dark Glasses' is ominous while dancey. Lauren's ghostly, dreamy vocals are driven forward by Glenn's pulsating drums, as hazy layers of guitar and dark Moog lines swirl around it all.
TREMOURS formed in Los Angeles in 2021 by the duo of Lauren Andino and Glenn Fryatt. Late night jam sessions in the midst of lockdown uncertainty slowly transformed into TREMOURS creative partnership, driven by the tension between Andino’s hazy, drifting guitars and Fryatt’s urgent, pulsating drums.
"I wrote this song when I was feeling incredibly down about myself. I felt like the only thing I was good at was feeling gratitude - but at the same time, I was so melancholy. I pulled a trick from Belle and Sebastian’s hat and made this as cute, sing-alongable, and folky as I could. If I was going to feel bad about myself, why not have fun with it?" -Annie Hart
Annie Hart is is a New York City-based composer, songwriter, and performer. She made her name with David Lynch favorites and Twin Peaks alums, indie synth trio Au Revoir Simone, and has since branched into a wide-ranging solo career. Her new album, The Weight of a Wave, is an upbeat, fun blend of her DIY punk roots and love of new-wave-inspired vintage synthesizers. Recorded primarily in her basement and at several arts residencies around the world, it was mixed in parts by Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, Hatchie), Joshua Druckman at Outlier Inn (Nude Party, Snail Mail), and Justin Pizzoferrato (Wild Pink, Dinosaur Jr.).
Annie’s reputation as a master of composition on analog synthesizers has led her to be chosen to compose the score for several shorts and feature films, including the prestigious ASCAP/Columbia University Film Scoring Workshop, Banana Split (Universal), & Olympic Dreams (IFC). Film scoring, in turn, led her down the path of composing for orchestral instruments and study the art of it at the night school at Juilliard. She has since won several grants for public performances of her chamber and classical work, including a performance by the Argus Quartet.
Between 2017 and 2022 Annie released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, including an ambient album on Orindal Records, and completed several world tours. She will be touring the US in August of 2023, both as a headliner and collaboratively with the comedian and musician Fred Armisen.
Ahead of My Name is Ian’s upcoming album, ‘GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS’, ‘Underachiever of the Year’ is set to be released on July 7th. Following on from their last single, ‘Thank You’, the track is about working a dead end job, just being able to pay your rent, feeling as clueless as you did at 18 but now being in your mid 30s.
‘GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS GO BANANAS’ will be the band’s upcoming 8th studio album. The record will be full of the trademark blend of catchy pop melodies, witty lyrics, and infectious energy. Songs about hating your life, loving your life, Norwegian families, coconut crabs, 90s television shows, feeling like a loser, not trusting the government and Peppa pig. There is something for everyone. The album will be released digitally on the 21st July, with a limited edition run of 100 vinyl records following in late august.
Creatures of Cardiff, My Name Is Ian have already built a back catalogue that would have taken The Stone Roses millennia to mirror. Since 2010 their output of has dealt with break-ups, breakdowns, mysterious lion paintings and characters from the Tom Hanks movie Big. This restless productivity has seen genres including but not restricted to lo-fi, bedroom punk, garage rock, prog and anti-folk, all filtered through the pop-oriented cranium of frontman Reginald Foxwell.
Top London based producer Muca releases ‘Like This Before’, a brand new collaboration with acclaimed singer Celeste Caramanna and his second track featuring legendary Brazilian Bossa Nova guitarist Roberto Menescal. With the new single, Muca also announces his most exciting project to date; A full album created with Roberto Menescal and talented emerging singers from around the world that aims to refresh Bossa Nova with new energy and perspectives, creating a lasting legacy for the next generations of musicians.
Muca’s first collaboration with Menescal was 2021’s ‘Until We Meet Again’ which featured Alice SK on vocals. The track received incredible feedback from the likes of Songwriting Magazine & Songlines Magazine and BBC airplay with an interview with Robert Elms. The song has now reached over 1 million streams worldwide, so it feels like the right time for Muca to follow it up with new Menescal collaboration, ‘Like This Before’.
‘Like This Before’ has a modern and lively approach that pays homage to its Brazilian roots and the Bossa Nova style. The combination of the infamous acoustic guitar style of one of the only remaining living legends and pioneers of Bossa Nova, Roberto Menescal and Celeste Caramanna’s soft and sumptuous vocals is like honey on the ears and the collaboration shows how a sixty-year-old genre is still so special and still resonates with both old & young minds. The groove from Roberto’s guitar work sits beautifully behind the melody, with Muca’s fine skill of fusing the old and new wrapping the track up into quite a unique piece of music.
Muca specifically flew to Rio to record the track with Menescal. Once the recordings were done, Muca handpicked the right singer for the song. The only name that came to mind for this song was Celeste. Making the decision was easy; Muca saw Celeste for the first time on the same night he first met Menescal at Pizza Live Express Live in London. Celeste appeared with Menescal and sang a track with him that night. Both Menescal & Muca agreed that she would be the best vocalist for this track. Celeste then worked on the lyrics and recorded the vocals with Muca in London.
Lindsay Lou shares “Nothing Else Matters,” the latest single from her forthcoming album Queen of Time, out September 29 via Kill Rock Stars Nashville. Co-written by Nashville musicians Maya de Vitry and Phoebe Hunt, the song features Grammy Award-winner Jerry Douglas with his immediately recognizable dobro work.
“I first heard this song when Phoebe sent me a few tracks to learn for a gig we had together,” explains Lou. “She told me that she had written it with my dear friend Maya, who was one of the first people I called when I was going through my divorce. Though the song wasn’t written for me specifically, it feels like it came to me right when I needed it.” She continues, “There is something incredibly iconic to Jerry’s playing; it’s unmistakable. Like every touch of his bar to the string speaks exactly to the heart of the song. I feel really honored to have his musical voice among the players.”
Queen of Time was produced by Dave O'Donnell (James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Heart) and also features Grammy Award-winner Billy Strings. “Nothing Else Matters” follows the debut single and title track “Queen of Time,” which exemplifies the continued theme of duality as Lou explores a path filled with heartbreak, discovery and resilience.
After the loss of her grandmother, the end of her marriage, and the overwhelming turmoil of COVID lockdowns, Lou sought out a hallucinogenic ritual that would not only inform the way she processed the waves of grief ahead of her, but led to a profound realization about her own feminine power. With a new vision of womanhood in mind, she began to see a throughline from her grandmother, to herself, to the art she was creating. Queen of Time is the result of that deeply personal spiritual journey, unfolding across eleven tracks of tender, heartbreakingly beautiful music.
