Kuni – Sleep Baby

kuni 'Sleep Baby'

Kuni is the project of Eleonora Danese, a singer/songwriter hailing from Rome.

The story behind her moniker is really interesting. Kuni, in fact, is short for Kunimitsu, one of the main characters of the super famous videogame Tekken. Since she was a child, Eleonora was obsessed with Japanese culture, so much in fact that she later obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Eastern Asia Languages and Cultures, specializing in Korean and Japanese.

Her debut single ‘Sleep Baby‘ is a nostalgic, dreamy indie-pop lullaby full of pristine vocals and elegant, timeless melodies.

Speaking about the song, she explains: “All of my songs were born out of a few or many tries at the piano. I sit, I play for a while looking for the chords that sound the best for me, and then I improvise some lyrics that sooner or later becomes the one that stays. The same happened with “Sleep Baby”. I was playing and started to hum around with the word “baby”. I found the main melody and first verses and once I saw that they worked on the chords, I went out on the balcony and sent a voice memo to Pietro on WhatsApp singing them. He gave me the thumbs up so I went back inside and finished it.

She adds: ““Sleep Baby” is my way to say to the other person “There is so much more I could say to you to make you understand me better but I won’t because that would hurt way too much”. It is my way to show how protective I am of their feelings. I love to share stories and things about my past, because I feel very attached to the past itself, but I know I can’t always say everything. Oversharing is kind of a problem for me and trying to control it shows just how much I care about who I am sharing with, since stories about us are also about others and often generate unexpected feelings and reactions that aren’t always good for the ones who are listening.

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Reyn Hartley – Stackin’ By The Plenty

reyn hartley stackin by the plenty

NY-based unsigned artist Reyn Hartley has just dropped a new single titled ‘Stackin’ By The Plenty‘, and it’s probably his greatest work as a songwriter and vocalist so far.

Cinematic strings, elegant piano chords and hypnotic, dark chorus make the pair with a modern songwriting, resulting in a very original blend of classy pop and Z-gen rap. With his 600,000 monthly listeners and over 2 billion views on TikTok, it’s easy to say Reyn is a one to watch.

Speaking about it, he explains: “I learned in therapy that one of my coping mechanisms is to tell myself that people who have hurt me just don’t care about me, it’s easier for me to think that someone doesn’t care, that I’m not good enough and that I’ve failed, than to think that we might of actually really cared for each other and circumstances tore us apart. That coping mechanism formed when I was really young because my family wasn’t around, so I’ve just started to understand it. I pick a “worst case scenario” that I think is really bad and really painful, to subconsciously protect myself from the truth, which is actually even more painful. With “Stackin’ by the Plenty,” I’m protecting myself from the pain of two people loving each other and not being able to be together. That’s the worst kind of pain. It’s much easier to fall back into my old ways and tell myself they just don’t care, I fucked it up, and it’s fine because they’ll forget me anyways.

Stackin’ By The Plenty‘ is taken from Reyn’s highly anticipated debut LP ‘Georgia‘, which will be released later next year.

Sounds like: nobody else

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Ayelle – Get Away

ayelle - 'get away'

Swedish-Iranian, singer/songwriter Ayelle is back with a new single titled “Get Away” and it’s, once again, a stunner.

A song that speaks to the wanderer’s soul within us all, the one that yearns for freedom and a fresh start.
Produced by Pontus Persson, it combines Ayelle’s signature nu-r’n’b style with a touch of ultra catchy scandipop.

Speaking about her new release, she says: “I wrote ‘Get Away’ from a place of frustration about the repeating patterns in my life and how I can’t ever seem to stay in one place. It actually started out as a letter to the music industry and the way I’d been pouring myself into my work yet feeling like it was never enough, then those feelings merged with that of a recent break up and I realised that I sometimes feel similarly about my romantic relationships as I have with the music industry – like I’m pouring all of my energy into something or someone until I reach a breaking point and have to step away from it all, or continue forward in a new direction, in search of replenishing my energy and restoring balance to my life.

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Taehee – Feelings

taehee 'Feelings'

Taehee is a singer/songwriter based in New York City and Seoul.

She started singing on stages when she was 5. After her college graduation and a bunch of different jobs and companies, she slowly realized she wouldn’t be happy without making music.

She’s now ready to unveil to the world her music project and she’s just released her debut single titled “Feelings“. It’s a feel-good modern R&B jam, enriched by intricate Neo Soul textures and topped by a gorgeous, pop production curtesy of veteran producer Matt Anthony.

Speaking about the track and the writing process behind it, Taehee explains: “The song is me telling my crush to stop thinking too much and give into the feelings! It’s really about the times that you know that you like them and the other person also likes you back, but nothing is happening.

It originally started as a sad crush song, saying “I wish I was somebody else, somebody different” but then I started producing the track, and the sounds called for a brighter perspective. So I wrote a totally different melody and the lyrics and that became the final song “feelings”.

It then became something else when the bassist James Genus (He plays in SNL, Random Access Memory to name just a few of his acts) joined. I’m so grateful that I could work with such a great musician on my song.

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The 1975 – I’m In Love With You

The 1975 by Samuel Bradley

The 1975 by Samuel Bradley

Manchester band The 1975 share new single ‘I’m In Love With You,’ the third track from their highly anticipated forthcoming new album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’.

The Samuel Bradley-directed video is a visual sequel to the ‘Change of Heart’ video. Exaggerated in a “Can we really ever find true love?” kind of way, but equally an uplifting endeavour, it features a cameo performance from Phoebe Bridgers and has some perfectly timed comedic moments thanks to frontman Matt Healy.

Released on 14 October via Dirty Hit, you can pre-order the album here.

The 1975 UK & Ireland 2023 Tour Dates

Sun 08/01/23 – Brighton – The Brighton Center
Mon 09/01/23 – Bournemouth – Bournemouth International Center
Tue 10/01/23 – Exeter – Westpoint Arena
Thu 12/01/23 – London – The O2
Sun 15/01/23 – Birmingham – Resorts World Arena
Mon 16/01/23 – Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena
Thu 19/01/23 – Glasgow – SSE Hydro
Fri 20/01/23 – Manchester – Manchester Arena
Sun 22/01/23 – Nottingham – Motorpoint Arena
Mon 23/01/23 – Leeds – First Direct Arena
Weds 25/01/23 – Newcastle – Utilita Arena
Thu 26/01/23 – Liverpool – M&S Bank Arena
Sun 29/01/23 – Dublin – 3Arena
Mon 30/01/23 – Belfast – The SSE Arena

The 1975 ‘At Their Very Best’ North America 2022 Tour Dates

Thu 11/3/22 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Fri 11/4/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Sold Out
Sat 11/5/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Sold Out
Mon 11/7/22 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – Sold Out
Wed 11/9/22 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Thu 11/10/22 – Washington, DC – The Anthem – Sold Out
Sat 11/12/22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun 11/13/22 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium – Sold Out
Tue 11/15/22 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre
Wed 11/16/22 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
Thu 11/17/22 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Sun 11/20/22 – Mexico City, MX – Corona Capital Festival – Sold Out
Wed 11/23/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre – Sold Out
Fri 11/25/22 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels
Sat 11/26/22 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre – Sold Out
Mon 11/28/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Tue 11/29/22 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – Sold Out
Thu 12/1/22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Fri 12/2/22 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
Thu 12/8/22 – Independence, MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
Sat 12/10/22 – Milwaukee, WI – The Eagles Ballroom – Sold Out
Mon 12/12/22 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Wed 12/14/22 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
Fri 12/16/22 – Newport, KY – PromoWest Pavilion at OVATION – Sold Out
Sat 12/17/22 – Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center – Sold Out

Sounds like: Talking Heads, INXS, Prince, Harts, The Japanese House, Kings.

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Weekly Gems 182

Khartoum – Some Days

KHARTOUM

KHARTOUM

London three piece KHARTOUM releases the fresh new banger, ‘Some Days’ ahead of their Glastonbury performance this weekend.

Self-produced by the band and mixed by multi-Grammy award winning mix engineer Eduardo De La Paz (Peace, The Horrors, Noel Gallagher), the adventurous anthem oozes indie-rock to get down and dirty to.

Sounds like: The Beatles, Beck, Harry Styles, OK Go, Sunflower Bean, Wolf Alice, Black Honey

common goldfish – Shout Louder

common goldfish - Shout Louder

common goldfish – Shout Louder

London-based common goldfish channels 90’s indie rock in his new track, ‘Shout Louder’.

Inspired by the Get Back documentary, the summery single uses a mix of 90’s break samples and psychedlic guitar riffs that are making a come back of late.

Sounds like: Happy Mondays, Liam Gallagher, Kasabian, Ian Brown, Primal Scream, Stone Roses

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Magsy – Midnight Blue

Magsy by Alek Blik

Magsy by Alek Blik

Bay city beaut, Magsy releases his new EP, ‘Brite Nite’ and you can listen to ‘Midnight Blue’ below.

Magsy has been writing since he was 14 years old and has used it to answer his questions of belonging, perfectly reflecting his personal experiences. As well as music, he also works in construction, which has helped him hone his creative side. 

Sounds like: Majid Jordan, Years & Years, Troye Sivan, No Rome, LANY, Justin Bieber

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Celestial North – The Nature Of Light

Celestial North

Celestial North’s luminary new single ‘The Nature Of Light’ is inspired by her studies as a Herbalist and by the concept of The Light Of Nature.

Surging with a pulsing life force of wonderful cosmic pop: woven with bubbling beats, sci-fi keys, fragments of arpeggio and imbued with a euphoric rush of dreamy melodies that invoke the spirit of pagan folklore and our connections with nature and inner hope.

Sounds like: Niki & The Dove, Bat For Lashes, Kate Bush, Oh Land

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Playlist: Milky Chance

Milky Chance by Anthony Molina

Milky Chance by Anthony Molina

High school friends turned Billboard charting duo, Milky Chance have been on our radar for some time now, so we figured it was about time they did a playlist for us.

It’s perfect to listen to whilst you’re sipping on your morning coffee (or something stronger, if you’d prefer).

ROSALÍA – Delirio de Grandeza

She is just overall so good and really is one of the most powerful female pop artists around right now.

Rodrigo Amarante – Tardei

Such a good Songwriter, with beautiful Melodies. So raw and honest.

James Blake – To The Last

A master of perfection and detail. So much love for his music and dedication, and also as a singer he just never stops getting better and better.

Parcels – Tideuprightnow

Super sick band based in Berlin. Makes your hips go round and lovely harmonies you‘ll hear them sing.

Harry Styles – As It Was

One of the Greatest right now. His new album is a real masterpiece and shows his talent and variety in music.

Fred again.. – Kyle (i found you)

Such good vibes and awesome productions. Really made us dance in times when there was no real dancing together.

Wallners – All Again

Really fell in love with the melodies of this song, such a vibe.

Charlotte Day Wilson – If I Could

She is such a great performer and this song in particular made us shiver when we saw it!

C. Tangana – Demasiadas Mujeres

Watch his performance at NPR Tiny Desk Sessions – unbelievable and by far the best one ever on there!

Stromae – L‘enfer

His music is so powerful and he really is a maestro of transition heavy topics/feeling into danceable music.

Listen below to Christan Löffler‘s remix of Milky Chance’s ‘Unknown Song’ featuring another high school friend, Paulina Eisenberg.

Sounds like: Will Heard, KYKO, Paul Simon, Jagwar Ma

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HĒIR – Vertigo

HEIR VERTIGO

London based, singer/songwriter and style-icon Patricia Manfield – aka HĒIR has just dropped a new single titled ‘Vertigo‘.

Hypnotic vocals, experimental textures and a massive dose of pop appeal, make of the song a must listen.

Speaking about it, she explains: “The difficulty in maintaining balance and the fear of letting go. The song symbolizes the transformation we experience as soon as we leave a relationship behind, when we feel lost yet attracted to a new beginning and the unknown. The sample within the song is meant to simulate a video game, where you fall and get back up until you pass onto the next level. “Vertigo” is the jump to the new level.

An outstanding music video accompanies the track, with ultra cool visuals shot at the most beautiful metro station in Europe: Metro Toledo (Napoli).

Sounds like: Tove Lo, Tove Styrke, Lorde, Banks

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Weekly Gems 181

Midnight Pool Party – DON’T KILL MY VIBE

Midnight Pool Party

The Australian duo Midnight Pool Party are back doing what they do best – bringing classic disco to the fore.

The new single – influenced by PNAU‘s remix of Elton John and Dua Lipa‘s ‘Cold Heart’ – is a heavy dose of pop, making even the weariest of heads feel undefeated.

Sounds like: Fenech-Soler, Goldroom, Tourist, Roosevelt, Cosmos Midnight, Dua Lipa, Pnau, The Knocks, LIZZO

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George Gretton – Morning Feat theMIND

George Gretton

George Gretton

London-based multi-instrumentalist and singer George Gretton takes a turn in genre in ‘Morning’ featuring theMIND, ahead of his new EP, ‘Ordinary Life’ out in August.

Made during “a bit of a 90s boom-bap phase,” ‘Morning’ is about the predictability of taking some time out which ultimately leads to becoming a bit of a recluse.

Sounds like: Ben Khan, James Blake, Bon Iver, Easy Life, Frank Ocean, Mura Masa, Ratatat

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Black Pines – SAINT

Black Pines

Black Pines

Essex band Black Pines shares ‘SAINT,’ a hugely personal song about grief and loss.

Used as a therapy for the band, it is jam-packed with raw and passionate emotion and continues that rich and shimmering alt-rock direction the band have cultivated for themselves.

Expect their eagerly-awaited new EP ‘Talk Of The Devil’ on 29 July.

Sounds like: Biffy Clyro, Twin Atlantic

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L’objectif – Feeling Down

L'objectif by Dan Broadley

L’objectif by Dan Broadley

Iggy Pop-endorsed, Leeds band L’objectif release their new EP, ‘We Aren’t Getting Out But Tonight We Might’ via Chess Club Records.

Comprised of schoolmates Saul Kane (vocals, guitar) and Louis Bullock (drums) – who first formed a band together at the age of 12 – Ezra Glennon (bass) and Dan Richardson (guitar), the young friends have a shared love of genres and musicians that belies their tender age: jazz funk, hip-hop, punk, post-punk, and almost everything in between.

Watch the video for current single, ‘Feeling Down’ below:

Commenting on the EP, Saul says:

“I hope this project is a progression from the first, stylistically at least. The influences for it feel more varied as, naturally, what you’re listening to changes. More synth and electronic parts were something that I wanted to include as well as more piano. I wanted to combine different textures into our sound that we hadn’t done before, so there’s more layers to our songs this time around. As an EP itself, it’s another insight into what we want this band to be and how it should sound. It’s one more step forward, but it’s not the final destination.”

You can listen to the EP in full here:

 

Tour Dates

22 Jun | The Dome, London*
25 Jun | Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow*
26 Jun | YES, Manchester*
27 Jun | Brudenell Social Club, Leeds*
29 Jun | Rough Trade, Bristol*
5 – 7 Aug | Distortions Festival, Birmingham
1 Oct | Neighbourhood Festival, Manchester
20 Oct | Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

*supporting Geese

Sounds like: Folly Group, Sports Team, Courting, Home Countries, Everything Everything

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