BEEHIVE CANDY

Candi's Dog - I Couldn't Ask For More. Background promo - Tyneside trio Candi's Dog specialise in acoustic folk-pop, combining inventive structures with ludicrously catchy melodies. The result is a mash-up akin to the likes of Bright Eyes and the lyrical quality of Ed Sheeran. Creativity isn’t something that’s hard to come by for the innovative threesome who can regularly be seen sporting Melodicas, Kazoos and a homemade Acoustic Bass. Not content with leaving the ear candy duties to their primary instruments alone (consisting of guitar, bass and percussion), Candi’s Dog add delicious, rich vocal harmonies to their audio arsenal, echoing the melodic vocal prowess of the Beach Boys and Crowded House. The satisfying suggestion of pop along with their folksy-rock feel results in their sound igniting a feast of welcomed familiarity, allowing the band to become part of your inner soundtrack with obliging ease. Favouring the DIY approach, Candi’s Dog have not only opted to...

Mantocliff - These Words. Background promo - Basel, Switzerland-based quintet Mantocliff make their debut with a powerful orchestral electronic composition. Their intense blend of emotional vocals, ethereal instrumentation, and refined production will leave you in awe. Caveman Sound writes "Led by the brilliant vocals of singer Nives Onori and steeped in a vibrant atmosphere built by the groups five instrumentalists, "These Words" is an exceptionally stunning debut. It's creativity is made apparent from the start, with cleverly echoed arrangements of lighter-than-air guitar plucks, resonant percussion and poignant lyrics drawing us in. These lend themselves organically into a rhythmic ebb and flow of energy, combining orchestral elements with exploratory pop and spirited dance. They’ve created a magnetic web that will leave you with the feeling of having experienced something cinematic, endlessly expressive, and the affirmation that Mantocliff are definitely one...

Conway - Sudden Dawn. Promo words - Raised by a single mother in south side St. Louis, Conway's ambitious attitude moved her to New York after turning 17. While in New York she became best friends with drummer Amy Wood who convinced her to move to L.A. to record for free at her dad's studio. “She and I packed an old Honda and I moved to L.A. All I wanted to do was make music, so I was willing to leave everything in NYC with practically nothing but a bass and some clothes,” she says. “I thought I’d be there for six months. Six months turned into 2 bands and a solo project's worth of grinding it out: writing music, booking gigs, designing artwork, making videos and putting music out. When I was finally offered some support I was naïve, took some bad advice and signed a bad production deal." After months of performing, writing and collaborating, she came up with the song “Big Talk.” When a friend's attempt at making a video didn't meet her standards, she follo...

The Plaidians - Lights Out. Background promo - ‘Lights Out for the Boy’  is a significant collaborative recording project featuring two of Melbourne’s artists of music in the form of The Plaidians. Gaz and JP have been co-writing music for many years and have established the kind of rare connection that has helped them carve out their own idiosyncratic niche.  Following on from the success of their first single release “The Follower” in September 2015, The Plaidians are now releasing their debut album ‘Lights Out for the Boy’.  Their album is a flavour of pop that is both unique and familiar: fully formed and thoughtful in a way that is surprising from a duo that is new to the indie scene. The Plaidians have presented ten tracks that offer a charming blend of rock and pop, even folk, with strings, guitars, vintage synths, and signature gritty vocals.  JP said: “Much of this album was about challenging ourselves; seeing what was really possible. We wanted to ...

Draemhouse - Mr. Kerosene. Background promo - Draemhouse began in 2014 as a bedroom recording outlet for former songwriter/guitar player, Chris Cheveyo of Rose Windows (Sub Pop).  After Rose Windows dissolved in  January of 2015,  Pat Schowe of whom also played in Rose Windows joined Draemhouse along with Emma Danner and Brock Carless.  The quartet then began rehearsing in March of that same year.  Playing renegade shows in living rooms, clothing shops, and underpasses throughout the Summer of 2015.  The band has gained a quick following for their dræmy sound and live fiber art installations by in-house visual artist/photographer Lauren Rodriguez. The band released "Woundlicker" as a cassette single via the Blind Blind Tiger label out of Los Angeles to positive reviews in the Summer of 2015. Only Friends was recorded in Austin, Texas in 2014 at The Wonder Chamber by Justin Morris.  It was performed by Chris Cheveyo and some top notc...

Apothek - Waiting For The Thunder. Background promo - “There’s a gap somewhere that used to be us” – an opening premise, and emotional wormhole that lies at the core of Apothek’s latest offering ‘Waiting For The Thunder’. As solemn as it is soaring, the track navigates space and time with pitch-bending poignancy. “It’s about distance, about travelling; the spaces and places we leave behind,” explains vocalist Morten Myklebust. The sentiment is skewed in “little glimpses of memory that warp the truth,” he says. “How absolutely everything is temporary.” It follows Apothek’s acclaimed debut single ‘Family’ – a track earning the collective praise of The Sunday Times, The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Hillydilly; also catching the keen eye of Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1), Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie (BBC Radio 6music), Maz Tappuni (Radio X), Dani Charlton, Greg Porter (Amazing Radio) at UK radio and garnering support further afield via triple j (AUS), where the track was shortlisted for...

Natalie Lurie - No Mercy in the Night. Background promo - Nashville songwriter Natalie Lurie has released her debut single, "No Mercy In The Night." The track is available at all digital outlets and is the first single from her upcoming EP, No Mercy In The Night, due out March 25th.  Natalie's fascination with the harp began at age 7 when she spotted the instrument in a music shop. She sat down and began strumming until the shop owner finally asked she and her family to leave because the store was closing. Natalie's harp studies have taken her across the globe. During her senior year of high school she attended the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. After that, she studied privately in France and Switzerland, before returning to the US where she completed her undergraduate work under renowned harpist Susann McDonald at Indiana University. Though she is classically trained, Natalie has always held an interest in expanding the harp beyond its traditional class...

Drew Worthley - John Proctors Lament. Background - Drew Worthley is an East London musician who crafts a curious blend of cerebral indie-pop with a twist of lyrical Americana. His newly released sophomore record 'Crucible', recorded at Echo Zoo Studios has been praised by Louder Than War as 'one of the albums of the year without doubt.' The 'blisfully atypical' collection of songs explores memory, economics, London and literature, weaving heartfelt vocals around a smorgasbord of analogue synths, guitars, flugelhorns and battered drums. Crucible has been receiving regular airplay on BBC 6 Music, BBC London and BBC Introducing, numerous features on Baeble Music and 'Tune of the Day' recommendations on Amazing Tunes. Drew will be touring in early spring 2016. Yet another one of those 'ones to watch out for' artists, and some! 'John Proctors Lament' is but a toe in the water as an introduction to Drew Worthley. Plenty of buzz and noti...

Elephant Stone - Where I'm Going. Background promo -  After a wild tour through the west coast of the United States and Canada in November, Elephant Stone are strapping down their sitar and vintage guitar gear, and heading out on at US tour (plus honorary American city, Toronto) which has the band in and out of Austin for SXSW. To coincide with the tour announce, the band are presenting another smash song, "Where I'm Going" which features a newer sound that the band has been absolutely killing it with recently.  Rishi Dhir and company have been busier than ever, working on a new LP for 2016, and recently releasing single, "The Devil's Shelter” and are now following it up this week with "Where I'm Going", another stand alone number that hints at where the new record's sound is headed. Having already spent many years satiating the vintage fetishist psych sound, naturally the band has progressed into influences from 1980s and 90s England...

Chambers - Yeagin Shone. Background promo - Forming as a time killer in high school, it was only after graduating that the boys from Chambers (Jim, Jason, Hendo, and Aiden) started taking their music and creativity more seriously. After playing a bunch of shows for two years straight, the months leading up to the end of 2015 saw the band take a bit of a break to recoup, recollect and start working on a brand new set and musical direction. Their new single “Yeagin Shone” encompasses their transition from being young and dumb, to being slightly older and slightly wiser. 2016 has just begun, and Chambers will make it their best one yet. The single was recorded at Tender Trap Studios and was produced and engineered by Greg “Bees Knees” Rietwyk. Mastering was done by Jacob M at Clockwork Mastering. “'Yeagin Shone’ was written about a mate of ours who was going through a mental rough patch, it was one thing seeing him go through it but I wanted to explore it from both the perspec...

Givers - Growls. Background words - Louisiana-based indie poppers Givers have announced their highly anticipated second album 'New Kingdom' will see a UK release of 8th April via Glassnote Records. When Givers formed in 2008 in the sweaty dance halls of Lafayette, Louisiana, they knew right away that they had something special. Crafted from the improvisational and dance-fuelled atmosphere of the area's zydeco, Cajun, and jazz cultures mixed with an affection for new wave, funk, and world music, the infectious results brought a quick rise to the spotlight for the young band. Soon after forming, a fortuitous opportunity to play a string of shows with Dirty Projectors arose, bringing them swiftly to the attention of listeners outside the southwest Louisiana region. Their debut album In Light was released two years later in 2011 on Glassnote Records, backed by extensive touring. During that time, they found themselves bouncing along a global festival circuit, making their ...

Freedom Fry - The Words. Background words - We were messing around in the studio and came up with this hybrid, disco-folk song. It’s written from the perspective of a boyfriend or girlfriend who just needs to hear that they’re still wanted. We really liked that the lyric “Just say the words” kind of also sounds like “Je sais the words.” “Je sais” means “I know” in French. - Bruce & Marie In February 2015, Freedom Fry started the year at #1 on The Hype Machine with their first in a series of new singles, “Shaky Ground (Hey Na Na Na).” Just a few weeks later, Spotify included them in their rankings of “100 Emerging Artists From SXSW,” where they met Belgian sensation Stromae and were asked to support his west coast tour. Freedom Fry ended the tour with the beginning of a weekly May residency in Los Angeles, then took off to well-received shows in London & Paris, and came back to tour the east coast with Communion Presents. The French/American duo, whose stage name is a...

The Attics - Not Like. Background promo - Returning to their roots for their latest release, ‘Not Like’ is quirky pop music, standing on the sidelines of a dancefloor. Sparse verses with minimal beats, choruses that show careful, yet catchy restraint and a twisted psych breakdown with a looping falsetto calling “hometown always is one place; she goes away, but always stays with me”. This is pop songwriting, flirting with deep layers of effected synthetic instruments and wonky bass lines. Past singles ‘We Broke The Sky’ and ‘Ultraviolets’, from their most recent release, received attention from Australian music blogs, and secured high rotation airplay on several public radio stations across Australia, including triple j Unearthed. These tracks and their mesmerising live show have led to comparisons with acts as wide ranging as The Murlocs, Pond, Jagwar Ma and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. The Attics’ hard work and relentless gigging across Melbourne and Victoria has been recognised and ...

Highasakite - Someone Who'll Get It. Background promo - Norway’s Highasakite return with perhaps their darkest offering to date, unveiling new single ‘Someone Who’ll Get It’ – the first lifted from the band’s highly-anticipated sophomore LP, slated for release this year. It ricochets; it resonates, with Highasakite’s signature battalion in full force.  The track hints to the brooding premise of Highasakite’s forthcoming album, serving a worthy successor to debut LP ‘Silent Treatment’ – an effort applauded on both sides of the Atlantic and now claiming the record for longest consecutive run in Norwegian chart history, having spent 94 weeks in the Top 40. Championed by the likes of Pitchfork, NME and The Guardian, ‘Silent Treatment’ has achieved international acclaim since its release in February 2014; awarded 2x Norwegian Grammys, an Impala Nomination (European Independent Album of the Year), a Triple J Hottest 100 (AUS) placing with single ‘Since Last Wednesday’ and Album...

Darla And The Blonde - End of the Party. Background promo - About ‘End Of The Party’ In the finest tradition of deathless rock’n’roll, ‘End Of The Party’ is an electrifying mix of the grit and the glitter, built on an infectious glam-rock groove interspersed with sparks of searing guitar. Atop this grungy, Ziggy-like bedrock, Jen Demaris and Nina Lovelace’s crystalline voices ring out a catchy and powerful melody, which, rather than being concerned with the closing stages of a heady night out, is in fact about Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution of 2014: “This Is The Time And These Are The Places/Where You Must Bend To Changing Faces”. With touches of The Runaways here, Patti Smith there, ‘End Of The Party’’s absorbing progression takes in a pristine solo by guitarist Rob McCabe before climaxing in a rush of vocal harmonies, a fitting final refrain of what is a gleeful testament to the scope of Darla And The Blonde’s ambition. About Darla And The Blonde Encompassing the seductive glam...