BEEHIVE CANDY

The Heavy Blinkers - The Night And I Are Still So Young. Background - Canada's Label Obscura is proud to announce the upcoming reissue of one of the best independent pop albums of the early 2000s - 'The Night And I Are Still So Young' by The Heavy Blinkers. This is the first time this classic album will be released on vinyl.  Described by Spin magazine as "one of the greatest bands you've (probably) never heard", The Heavy Blinkers is a five-piece formed in 1998 by Jason Michael MacIsaac and a group of friends, including keyboardist and songwriter Andrew Watt and ethereal vocalist Ruth Minnikin. They are based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. By 2004, the intricate and tightly constructed chamber pop of The Heavy Blinkers had become well known, winning them widespread acclaim, albeit without corresponding commercial success for their self-titled debut release in 2000 and the 'Better Weather' LP in 2002. The band reached a remarkable breakthrough wit...

Ben Bostick - The Juggler. Background - Ben Bostick is a Carolina-raised, California-based outsider country songwriter, musician, and busker. His influences range from Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen to Waylon Jennings and The Band. “A little bit outlaw, a lot of heart, and all authentic country” (Smalands Country Club). Ben Bostick’s debut album has been a long time coming for this 33-year-old. Although his love of music and songwriting started in his early teens, the prospect of making a living from his passion seemed both impossible and sacrilegious. Having grown up off the beaten path in South Carolina, he’d never met a professional musician—plus the thought of desecrating music with money and ambition made him uneasy. At eighteen he left home for a decade of rambling, writing, and odd jobs—roofing houses, working on ranches, working on movie sets, to name a few. He saw the country, met people from all over the world, and lived in New York, Nevada, Washington, Paris, Provi...

Astari Nite - The Girl Who Tried. Background - Astari Nite have released "The Girl Who Tried", the second single from the "Dreams of Majesty" EP out via Cleopatra Records (U.S.) and Danse Macabre Records (Europe). “The Girl Who Tried” is an instant flashback in time, to the late 80’s, early 90’s dark and goth clubs of London and New York. The track is brimming with with the sounds of synths, backed by a steady, upbeat bass and drum line. While the music of the single is ready to take the dance floors of the world by storm, vocalist Mychael Ghost’s lyrics float eerily over the track, letting the music guide your body while the words speak to the soul. "The Girl Who Tried" is a track heavily inspired by the New Wave dance movement, it's sound being noticeably influenced by acts such as Depeche Mode and New Order. The track was produced and mixed by Howard Melnick (Guitars/ Programing), and mastered by Rees Bridges, (Dirty Vegas, Pete Doherty and T...

Hero Fisher - Sylvie. Background - British-born, French-raised and London-based, Hero Fisher (yes, that’s her real name) is returning to release her sophomore LP Glue Moon. Hero’s career has so far seen her collaborate with Alison Mosshart and Boy George in the Mark Ronson-scored ballet Carbon Life, open for The Rolling Stones and Neil Young at Hyde Park, and got shortlisted for the 2014 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Prize. In 2015 she released her debut album, the critically-appraised Delivery which won her fans in The Horrors and Blur.  By turns a blistering rock and roller in the vein of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, and an experimental folk storyteller à la Jeff Buckley, Hero Fisher resists easy generic categorisation with her protean and filmic musical storytelling. Able to expertly strike a variety of different narrative poses, she is at once the spurned lover and the fired-up rabble rouser, the predator and the prey. With Glue Moon lead single ‘Sylvie’ straddling the line be...

Nick Heyward - Mountaintop. Background - Nick Heyward has unveiled his first single in eighteen years, the double A-side ‘Mountaintop’ and ‘Baby Blue Sky’, released via Gladsome Hawk.  The single is first offering from his eagerly anticipated solo album ‘Woodland Echoes’, due for release on 4th August. A-side ‘Mountaintop’ is inspired by a poignant mountaintop scene in Sam Wood’s 1939 film ‘Goodbye, Mr Chips’, but was written at sea-level and infused with his love for the rootsy sound of Americana. While on the flip side ‘Baby Blue Sky’ The infectiously sunshine-infused 'Baby Blue Sky' is inspired by living and recording on a houseboat in Key West. Featuring ABC guitarist Matt Backer on guitars. Nick describes working with him as a chance to "express their mutual love of the Rubinoos, Big Star and 70’s guitar power pop." The accompanying video for ‘Baby Blue Sky’ was filmed entirely on Nick and his fiancee's mobile phones. Featuring footage of Nick's Ame...

Sarah P. - Summer Prince. Background - Berlin-based solo artist Sarah P. just released a dreamy video for "Summer Prince" following her solo debut album Who Am I. Sarah P. states, "Today I’m sharing with you a very special video for “Summer Prince” from my recently released debut album Who Am I. It’s very candid, like the song itself – very spontaneous, summery and Greek, if you please. It’s filmed in Marathon and features me… basically, being me. I hope that you’ll enjoy watching/listening it and I wish for all of you to get the chance to visit the sea this summer."  In contrast to all those amazing, big productions that come out every day, we went for spontaneity and let the scenery speak for itself. “Summer Prince” is inspired by summer holidays with my parents, while road tripping across Greece (through Crete, especially), seeing the landscapes changing and waiting for the moment I would sneak a peak of the sea – the place where I wanted to be the most. “...

Quiet Hollers - Wheel. Background - “Wheel” is one of the more raw, atmospheric songs on Amen Breaks (out on July 7th via sonaBLAST!), and one of the bands' first to feature a Roland CR-78 drum machine, their tribute to Roland’s Ikutaro Kakehashi. It also delves into the anxious existential theme that life can change in an instant, centered around frontman Shadwick Wilde’s quasi-phobia of car crashes (which he’s seen many of in his years of touring).  “Wheel” follows Amen Breaks’ previously released stand-out single “Medicine”, a powerful track about crippling anxiety, depression, existential malaise, and society’s attitudes toward medication and addiction, along with “Funny Ways”, a song about criminality and the self-perpetuating prison-industrial complex. Both follow the album’s core themes that draw parallels with the cultural crossovers of the 1970's, a decade marred by division, political corruption, and terrorism… issues we can all relate to these days. Expanding ...

Tastes Like Chicken - Bottle In My Hand. Background - With America’s dependency on alcohol and opioids at an alarming all-time high, few artists have dared to address the complicated issue. South Carolina’s Tastes Like Chickenhave bravely attempted to fill that void with the release of their poignant and soulful new single “Bottle in My Hand. Recently voted Best Band in the Pee Dee by the readers of Florence’s The Morning News, “Bottle in My Hand” is proof that Tastes Like Chicken know firsthand the struggles associated with the destructive cycle of dependency. According to songwriter Lance Shirley, “Bottle in My Hand” laments the dependent relationship people often form with alcohol: “The song is about drinking to make your problems go away. Although it may be a temporary fix, it usually ends up compounding the problem or bringing about new problems.” “Bottle in My Hand” is told from the perspective of someone who is going through this vicious cycle. It could be wrecking their ...