Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Grace Inspace - The Jerry Cans - Gaygirl

Grace Inspace returns with 'Off The Grid' a song that typifies her sharp thoughtful lyrics along with a sophisticated musical backdrop for her gorgeous vocals. === The Jerry Cans have released 'Swell (My Brother)' ahead of their fourth album and it's an expansive indie rocker with plenty of engaging hooks throughout. === Today South London band Gaygirl have released 'Killing It' a track that ebbs and flows with forceful energy as their mixture of Grunge rock and pop demands attention.
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Grace Inspace - Off The Grid.

During the onset of the evolving covid-19 crisis, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Grace Inspace found herself fleeing a rental apartment in LA for the unpopulated safety of rural California. Sleeping in the back of a pick-up truck and bathing in the icy waters of the Smith River, she headed for her family homestead in the Six rivers region of the Siskiyou Mountains. Her new song, Off The Grid is the sonic embodiment of the premonitory dream you have right before everyone is donning masks and growing their own kale.

Born in California and raised in London, Grace introduced herself last year with debut EP Lazy Grace’s Apocalyptic Kitchen, pt. 1. Off The Grid is the first song in her upcoming collection, Lazy Grace’s Apocalyptic Kitchen, pt. 2, and is out now on all major platforms via AWAL.

“This song is born of two worlds and a pick up truck. It was recorded in a home studio in Los Angeles with one of my drumming heroes Stephan Perkins sitting in before all this started melting down. Now is the time for this song, these worlds are colliding; there is a great learning going on.”

“I live somewhere between central London and an extremely rural outpost in California, where the pot plants grow high and the second amendment posters sit amicably alongside rainbow flags. Peace and tolerance!”

23-year-old Grace has a mature head on her young shoulders, with politically charged character-driven lyrics amidst collaged soundscapes. She’s currently sequestered in that 100-year-old cabin in the woods, writing and recording a second collection of songs.

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The Jerry Cans - Swell (My Brother).

Iqaluit’s The Jerry Cans have always been, and will always be, a band from and for the north. But on Echoes, the JUNO Award-nominated group’s upcoming fourth full-length record, they’re not the band they used to be. The record arrives with a wash of glassy, slashing electric guitars, thundering drums, effects-warped throat singing, and darkened violin work. These are sounds of love, anxiety, desperation, and grief, and the tangled relationships between these things. It is intense and heavy, a charred, deep-blue Arctic indie rock soundscape.

From the start, The Jerry Cans—guitarist/vocalist Andrew Morrison, vocalists/throat singers/accordionists Nancy Mike and Avery Keenainak, violinist Gina Burgess, bassist Brendan Doherty, and drummer Steve Rigby—have been committed to making music that honours and dialogues with their home communities. With Echoes, they reaffirm this commitment, but do so with a collection of songs that burns their usual blueprint.

The band recorded in early 2019 with producer Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes) at Lasek’s revered Breakglass Studio in Montreal. Here, they bucked expectation and routine. Avery Keenainak, the granddaughter of legendary accordionist Simeonie Keenainak, joined the band full-time, adding new depth and energy. Morrison ditched his acoustic guitar for an electric (Echoes is the only Jerry Cans record without any acoustic guitar), while he, Mike, Keenainak, and Burgess raided Lasek’s extensive effects pedal collection for rare and unusual sounds to tense the record’s sonic boundaries. Lasek’s cult-classic production pedigree (Wintersleep, Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson, Stars) hasn’t changed what The Jerry Cans are saying—it’s just changed how they’re saying it. Mike and Keenainak also conducted recording sessions in an igluvigak (igloo) which they constructed behind Mike’s home near Iqaluit.

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Gaygirl - Killing It.

South London band Gaygirl return today (20th May) with new single "Killing It", lifted from their debut EP Pleasurehead, out this Friday 22nd May via Permanent Creeps.

A schizophrenic grunge-pop track and the final showpiece of the EP, singer Bex Morrison said this on the ferocious new single: ""Killing It" is about feeling stuck and the flitting emotions between trying to make things okay, and being on the verge of having a complete meltdown. The extreme up-and-down contradicting lyrical content is reflected throughout the song and as it progresses, falls more and more out of control."

Pairing the raw, emotional grunge of PJ Harvey with the immersive, bold alt-pop moments of early Garbage, each of Gaygirl's 4 band members bring a unique set of influences to the table. As a unit, not only do they create a sound that is hard to pin down, but with every twist and turn – they make an impression that’s unshakable.

Speaking a little more on how "Killing It" came together when recording, Bex said: "When we play the song live it's pretty chaotic and we wanted to make sure we got that across in the studio by experimenting with various vocal and guitar effects, and just having a lot of fun with it. The process from writing to when we took it into the studio was really just playing around with lots of different ideas and inspiration, adding things in and taking things away until we knew it felt right."

Consisting of songwriters Bex Morrison (vocals, guitar) and Lewis Clark (guitar), and completed by Louis Bradshaw (drums) and Tom Coyne (bass) – Gaygirl have earned a reputation for their hypnotic and visceral live performances; playing shows with the likes of Sorry, Automatic and Calva Louise in 2019.

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Tuesday, 19 May 2020

Lavender Diamond - Anne Freeman - Stony Sugarskull

Los Angeles based trio Lavender Diamond return after an eight year hiatus with 'Look Through The Window' and it's a really beautiful and imaginative song accompanied by a colourful video. === Anne Freeman shares 'Days Go By' a track that exudes refined indie pop with a hint of country along the way. === We have two tracks from the new 'Lioness' album from Stony Sugarskull namely 'Empty' and 'House On Fire' both of which shed some light on this collection of multi genre songs influenced from punk to Krautrock along with plenty of other styles.
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Photo - Shervin Lainez
Lavender Diamond - Look Through The Window.

Lavender Diamond return with the official video for "Look Through The Window," their first release of new music in more than 8 years. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles-based trio of Becky Stark, Steve Gregoropoulos, and Ron Regé, Jr. announced their signing to Petaluma Records and a now-cancelled tour with Bright Eyes.

"This song resounded in my heart and mind for months - it was all I wanted to sing," said Becky Stark. "It felt so mysterious - a song about such deep isolation, separation and rebirth. When the quarantine began it suddenly seemed that this song had come to speak to this moment of trial and transformation - and contained within it a prayer for the healing of our world."

The song was recorded by Jason Soda at Palomino Sound and Steve Gregoropoulos at Ransom Notes and mixed by Tucker Martine. The recording also features an 8-piece orchestra featuring Bright Eyes' Nate Walcott on trumpet and Sasami on french horn.

Lavender Diamond has been on hiatus since the release of their 2012 album Incorruptible Heart. Becky Stark is also a member of the Living Sisters alongside Eleni Mandell and Inara George, and has collaborated with John C. Reilly, The Decemberists and She & Him. In their review of Incorruptible Heart, Pitchfork stated, "It would be easy enough to call these 'side-projects,' but it's more helpful to think of Lavender Diamond as just one nook in Stark's glitter-spackled pantheon of boundless creative joy."

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Anne Freeman - Days Go By.

The new song by an indie-folk artist Anne Freeman who grew up in the Mississippi Delta, not far fro Bobbie Gentry’s hometown.

She caught the ear of Graham Hamaker (also of fat Possum) and he signed her to his new label Muscle Beach. The single “Days Go By,” was mixed by Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Margo Price, Jason Isbell)

She’s just starting out but she’s already played festivals in her home state and been on Mississippi Public Radio as well as American Songwriter.

Anne says, “’Days Go By’ is about struggling to cut ties with a toxic friend but constantly getting lured back in. Everyone has someone or something in their life that makes them feel incredible for a while, but eventually leads them down a dark path.”

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Stony Sugarskull - Empty / House On Fire.

The album 'Lioness' represents the female who fights for a positive change and protects the weak. The songs on this album are arranged according to a breakdown (which we're currently suffering) and the re-organization of this chaos. On the A-Side, a climax is reached with the B-Side going back to a beginning, an effort to reach a meaningful synthesis of the technological advances and an inner and societal return to nature in order to save humanity/future generations. In this album, each song is imbedded in certain healing sound frequencies. Musically, the album is an attempt of combining several music styles such as krautrock, punk- and psych rock, shoegaze, jazz, pop, or blues not only to mirror our current time but also to attempt to go ahead and create something new.

After having finished her PhD on the biophilic healing functions of music in African-American literature in London/New Orleans/Berlin, Dr Monika Demmler started her musical project, Stony Sugarskull in 2015 where she has channeled her academic music-philosophical inquiry into her creative works of songs, lyrics, and sounds. Dr Monika Demmler has produced three releases so far: Trust (EP), Gaia (EP), and Butterflies (Single), available on all major online platforms. “Trust”

The self-released “Gaia” appeared in March 2017 and was issued worldwide on vinyl, cassette, & through online digital distribution services. The work is based on the philosophical ideas of a return to Gaia, the first goddess or “mother nature,” in our overtly synthetic technologized age. The EP’s first performance was live at the 8mm Bar in Berlin after which followed additional gigs in Berlin and London (e.g. Madame Claude, Berlin, Fete de la Musique, Berlin). These performances included her local band members (Gael Pettinaroli, Colin Dayer, Dr Hans-Dirk Düngen).

Her third self-release, “Butterflies” was a single recorded by Guido Wolters at her home studio in Berlin. Following this recording, Dr. Demmler expanded her musical horizons by traveling to Los Angeles and immersing herself in that reputable music scene. It is in LA where Reid Murray (drums), Denee Lee (lapsteel guitar) and Landon Reed (bass) joined her project for live performances in the US followed up by a five-week-long European tour across the UK, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Serbia, Greece, Spain and Switzerland.

In 2020, her debut album, LiONESS; a mix of psychedelic, punk rock, krautrock style, mirroring the socio-political background/moods of the 21st century, along with the inbuilt music healing frequencies of guitar and drum sounds derived from her philosophical studies.


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Sunday, 17 May 2020

All Things Blue - Deidre Thornell - Cuddle Magic - Aura Davis

LA based band All Things Blue have a new single entitled 'Chad' and it's a delicious mixture of psych rock with some catchy pop overtones. === We have a video for the acoustic version of 'Keep On Loving Me' by Deidre Thornell  which sees the song in stripped back mode allowing her gorgeous vocals to really stand out. === Cuddle Magic are back just a month since we first featured them with their new single 'Working On Me' and again the chamber pop band are refined and creative. === From Aura Davis we have her first single 'Secrets' a song that is personal and based on her own life experiences, and yet both catchy and warm.
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All Things Blue - Chad.

LA-based dream-punk band All Things Blue are sharing new single “Chad”. Led by frontwoman India Coombs (or simply, Blue) and collaborator Jon Joseph, All Things Blue traverse genres and sounds; one moment flirting with abrasive garage-punk, the next – soaring psych-pop – with “Chad” sitting somewhere between the spirited psychedelia of Melody’s Echo Chamber and the exhilarating alt-pop of St Vincent.

Speaking about the track, singer India said: “See-saws are fun until you're riding an emotional see-saw; when you want someone that doesn't want you, but makes sure to keep you around. Sometimes you only realise in retrospect; that person was just a Chad. Also during the whole vocal take I was holding Jon's week old baby boy which is why I laugh at the end cause he fell asleep.”

“Chad” is lifted from All Things Blue’s forthcoming debut full length album, due for release later this year. Covering everything from pensive love songs to directly addressing social issues and political ironies; India herself compares the album to Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s ever-relevant novel Love In The Time of Cholera. Indeed, the the band's new material promises love, however ethereal it may seem, at the end of a very dark tunnel, if not somewhere along the way.

India and Jon originally met in LA at the age of 18, having both independently moved to the city; Coombs driving across the country in her broken down pickup truck from Philadelphia, and Jon hailing from further south in California. The pair wasted no time becoming friends and firing out an eclectic assortment of demos. They did so namelessly for some time, but eventually settled on "All Things Blue”.

The name itself was coined by India's late mother, who, when India was having trouble getting by in the rough and overpriced world that is Los Angeles, told her that she was just feeling blue and sometimes all things are blue for a bit but they'll get better.

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Deidre Thornell - Keep On Loving Me.

In April of 2020, Deidre released her newest single “Keep On Loving Me” and on May 11th a video featuring an acoustic version of the song premiered on YouTube.

Deidre Thornell is a rising Country starlet. Her first big success came in 2013 when she was one of five finalists in the 2013 Texaco Country Showdown, leading to a performance on the stage of the infamous Ryman Auditorium, which aired on Great American Country Television.

More recently in 2018, Deidre was voted “Most Entertaining Songwriter” at Lyrics on the Lake Songwriting Fest and sold out a full band show in Dallas at The Rustic. To date, Deidre has released a full-length album 'Destination Unknown,' followed by her EP 'Dallas,' now followed by her most recent single 'Keep On Loving Me.'

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Cuddle Magic - Working On Me.

Cuddle Magic—the New York / Philadelphia-based chamber-pop sextet—today shared a new single, “Working On Me,” packaged in a short EP alongside the previously released “What If I” and new track “Still In Touch.” Their upcoming full-length Bath is due July 3rd on Northern Spy Records.

“Working On Me” is a tender ode to self-improvement propelled by Kristin Slipp’s emotive vocals. Slipp, who has also been a member of Dirty Projectors since 2018, humbly requests patience from her partner in this delicate earworm. In her own words, Slipp explains the songs content:

"So much of what I've written in the past three years has referred either indirectly or, in this case, very literally, to my pursuit of self-improvement. 'Working On Me' is a tender request for patience from a partner or a friend. The spare arrangement conveys hope, which reaches a fever pitch by the final chorus when the whole band joins in.”

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Aura Davis - Secrets.

Aura Davis interest in music and arts started at a very young age. She wrote poems and novels already at the age of 9. Around the age of 13, she found herself in a rollercoaster of feelings, which lead her to put down arts and music. Soon finding back to it, to deal with the struggles of finding her own way at the age of 15.

Now ready to reveal her personal story through her songwriting and carefully put together melodies. Davis will take you through a journey of her own personal heartaches and struggles, while showing that nothing is too hard to overcome.

'Secrets', her very first single, is a catchy tune and not only talking about opening up about your inner fears and anxiety, but also about acceptance. Auras ability to write honest, pure and deep lyrics and combining them with catchy melodies makes her stand out.

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Saturday, 16 May 2020

Francine Honey - Anya Hinkle - Commonwealth Choir - Snake - Charlotte Rose Benjamin

Francine Honey has shared two versions of 'I Carry On' the second one includes Robert Gray who co-wrote the song, both are beautiful heartfelt tracks. === From Anya Hinkle we have a new video for 'Road of the Winds' which is a mixture of exquisite country and bluegrass. === Commonwealth Choir have released 'Light' accompanied by a cracking video as the band serve up some energised hook filled indie rock. === Three months after we featured 'Falling' Snake are back with 'Lost Girl' last time we described their song as "one feisty and fabulous rocker" and the new one is just as potent. === Charlotte Rose Benjamin shares 'Autopilot' along with a self made video (due to Covid lockdown) and both are captivating as she continues to gain trans-Atlantic interest.
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Francine Honey - I Carry On.

“I Carry On ” is a testament to the human spirit and its ability to overcome the challenges that life throws our way.  Where does this courage come from?  When the path through is unclear, there are unexpected heroes that appear with help.  Whether it is a partner, a caregiver, a parent, a child, a friend, or one’s faith in something larger than life, this song expresses gratitude to those that light our world and help us through.  There is nothing like seeing the light of love beaming from someone’s eyes when we need it most.

“I Carry On ” is the second single being released in anticipation of her upcoming fifth project entitled 2020 Vision; a chronicle of her life story so far in song, as a double album due out later this year.  It follows the single “Red Sky ” released in Oct 2019 and a full-length Holiday album entitled Take Me To The North Pole released in December 2019.

“I Carry On” was co- written with song writing friend and neighbour, Robert Gray.  Honey says “I have had my share of challenges in life struggling to make ends meet as the sole provider for my two children and somehow I always knew I’d get through them.  Robert and I were outside chatting one day as neighbours do and he told me he was going through a major health challenge with cancer.  We bonded over our mutual feeling about overcoming challenges with the help of a positive attitude, gratitude, love and song writing! We talked about how others have inspired us in the past. We wrote about how people are there for you when you need them and the strength that we as humans find to survive and overcome our challenges.  You just do what you have to do to get through it.”

It took the duo a few months to find the time to sit down to write this song that they had  talked about writing.  When they did finally meet, it came together pretty quickly. In fact, Honey was headed down to Nashville to record her recently released Holiday album, Take Me To The North Pole. She loved the song so much that she asked producer Neilson Hubbard if they could record the song for release in 2020.  So, Honey invited Gray to Nashville to be there if he wanted to see the song being recorded.  After recording the song, Francine asked if Robert wanted to take a stab at singing the song himself in the studio.  Luckily, he agreed and found his way to the vocal booth and sang the song.  It became clear that a duet brings new meaning to the song.  For this reason, there are two versions of “I Carry On ” being released together.  The solo more country version with Honey’s vocals and a duet featuring Robert Gray which adds another dimension to the song.


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Anya Hinkle - Road of the Winds.

Anya Hinkle has released a video for "Road Of The Winds". The song is the first single under her own name, and it captures the raw honesty of her personal songwriting.

Alternating moody verses with a singable chorus, “Road Of The Winds” expresses a longing for motion that defines both an end and a beginning for the song’s narrator.

Throughout, Hinkle’s distinctive voice is framed by a hand-picked group of musicians drawn from the rich musical community around western North Carolina: fiddler Julian Pinnelli, mandolinist Thomas Cassell (Circus No. 9), renowned resonator guitarist Billy Cardine, bass player Johnny Calamari, and harmony singer Mary Lucey. Produced by Jon Weisberger, the single is an auspicious start to the new stage of Hinkle’s career.

About Anya Hinkle - With vivid storytelling, vibrant musicianship and arresting honesty, Anya Hinkle explores the beauty of song craft through the lens of the Appalachian string band tradition. Originally from the mountains of Virginia, Anya’s music is steeped in the tones of folk and bluegrass and seasoned by travels across the world. A founding member of Asheville-based bands Dehlia Low (Rebel Records) and Tellico (Organic Records), Anya will release tracks from her first full-length album under her own name this year on Organic Records.

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Commonwealth Choir - Light.

Philadelphia’s Commonwealth Choir is constantly searching for the space between light & dark... somewhere to crack a smile while the storm rages on.

What began as a folk rock project loosely stemming from the likes of AA Bondy & Rocky Votolato, rough iPhone demos quickly attracted a mountain of influences as the band’s lineup took shape in late 2011. Pop-punk influences like Saves The Day & Brand New collided with formative behemoths such as Elvis Costello & Tom Petty - all while holding the power of simple storytelling above all else.

After relocating from Doylestown, PA to Philadelphia in 2012, the band began connecting with musicians near & far. Attracting the attention of WXPN, the band found success with their first single “Rest” & soon found themselves collaborating with producer Dan Pawlovich (Mosey, Valencia, Illinois, Panic! At The Disco) for their subsequent releases. The following years included countless shows & collaborations (including their short-lived cassette label Philly Tapes Philly). After supporting the release of 2015’s “Palace”, the group slowed their live schedule as they began to explore what was to come next. Multiple lineup changes & countless demos later, they found themselves recording what came to be their upcoming EP No End. No End will be out June 19, 2020 via Know Hope Records.

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Snake - Lost Girl.

Four years after their debut album ”Cradle of Snake” was released Snake is now back and their new single ”Lost Girl”.

Snakes music consists of brilliant and explosive indierock characterized by what happens when Tess De La Cour, Madeleine Frankie and Mia Maria Johansson play together in a room. With strong vocals, screaming guitar and and a steady beat this single is the second glimpse of on album recorded with Stefan Brändström in the Dustward Studio, which will be released in the fall of 2020.

A lot happened for Snake around their debut album - gigs all over the Sweden and in Europe, support gig to Refused and also awarded the "Rock of the Year" award at the Swedish Indie-awards: Manifestgalan. Shortly thereafter, a natural break occurred, which then became a few year break

However, The members have been constantly moving on with other interesting projects - Mia Maria Johansson has released an album with Majvor and earlier this winter a new single with her self-titled solo project, Tess De La Cour has been acclaimed internationally for her dark project Memoria and Madeleine Frankie have, In addition to playing live with Memoria, has released music including Night Terror. Both Tess and Madeleine have also participated in the prestigious Riot Grrrl Sessions.

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Charlotte Rose Benjamin - Autopilot.

NYC singer-songwriter Charlotte Rose Benjamin announces her new single, “Autopilot”, taken from the Neon Gold Records / Moshi Moshi released Party City EP. Stuck in isolation, along with the rest of the world, Charlotte set about making a video for “Autopilot” at home, primarily using PhotoBooth.

It’s latest cut from her sterling debut Party City EP, which has already garnered attention on both sides of the Atlantic with support from CLASH, Huw Stephens and BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Radio X, and Spotify's global New Music Friday.

Charlotte says: "I've always had a hard time controlling my emotional compass and tend to inwardly dwell. I kept having this dream, which I hear is common when living in a tiny New York City apartment, where I discover a whole new room in my home through a door in the closet or someplace unexpected and realize I have so much more space than I ever thought. When I wrote it I was sort of caught between fantasizing about being totally alone, pushing people away and then feeling super lonely and reaching out to anyone I knew who might give me attention. Someone told me to "just go on autopilot" as if there was a switch I could flip somewhere inside me that would make me function normally. I told them I wasn't f***ing flying a plane.

So, making a music video for "Autopilot" alone in a room on Photo Booth during the COVID-19 crisis kinda made sense. I think a lot of people are struggling with feeling desperately lonely right now. Little creative projects like this have been saving me from losing my mind." Charlotte, who starred in the video for Gus Dapperton’s breakout hit “I’m Just Snacking” and counts The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne as a fan, is certainly One To Watch for 2020.

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Annie Stokes - Blue Foundation - Sister Sadie - Daphne Blue Underworld

Annie Stokes - Ghostwriter (Album). After hustling in the Washington, DC music scene for a decade, Annie Stokes arrived at the end of 2023 ...