Music genius Maxwell Byrne – aka Golden Vessel – is releasing the video for new single, ‘midwest’.
Once again crafting a unique sound with a simple and endearing visual treat – this time co-filmed & directed by Maxwell Byrne and Matthew Howard – ‘midwest’ is about getting on the road.
Showcasing Emerson Leif‘s Hofner bass guitar, the track blends elements of electronic music with hip-hop, R&B and alternative modern pop.
It is the first taste of his upcoming second album ‘colt’, and is being released via the recently launched label, sumoclic, which he co-owns with his good friend Akurei.
Sounds like: Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, Four Tet, Toro Y Moi, Brockhampton, Akurei
German artist Jinka shares her explosive new single ‘U Bit My <3'.
Channelling emo and urban vibes with a playful way with wonky arpeggios of synthesized steel drums and piano samples that intertwine with a trap-leaning beat.
DAD (aka bedroom pop singer/songwriter Kei Wells) shares her new single ‘Fresher’.
DAD has teamed up with Grammy-nominated Austrian producer, artist and pianist Yakob. Our favourite of hers to date, this declaration of independence is the ultimate single girl’s anthem, with electrified pop sequences infused with synth-pop juice.
Wrabel and Gallant will feature on her forthcoming EP.
We’re super excited about the sounds of Norwegian artist Jon Olav.
His new single ‘I Am The Thing’ opens with sparse piano chords (we instantly think James Blake), and bubbles into itself with deliciously sinister pop hooks and crystalline vocals as Olav looks inward to contemplate the pluses and minuses of attention.
Approachable Members Of Your Local Community – Small Change
With the best name we’ve seen for a long while, Approachable Members Of Your Local Community (let’s call them AMOYLC for short) releases the catchy ‘Small Change’.
The quartet – who met at school – fuse elements of indie, electro, funk and disco into their unapologetically spirited sound. But their new single ‘Small Change’ has a serious message. Dedicated to the firefighters and communities affected by the Australian fires, “it’s clear that small change can have a big impact.”
Self-made art creator and songwriter Molina shares her bold single, ‘Vanilla Shell’, the title track taken from her new EP.
The sparse and inventive song weaves textured vocals with a fluttering flute and fretless bass into a psychedlic trip about love and youth, with captivating nods to the eras of 1960, 70 and 80.
Gold Member is a three-piece of producers and singer/songwriters.
Crossing genres between funk, soul and pop, their new single ‘Stay On’ is an easy, breezy piece of charge-soaked, soulful pop with a topical headline about Indigenous identity in white Australia, and the struggles of living in a system of cultural oppression.
What an anthem – ‘Not Ok!’ by Nashville based pop lothario Chaz Cardigan, released on Capitol Records/Loud Robot.
The track is an infectious tune about human imperfection, which sees Cardigan laid bare, both lyrically and visually. The Al Kalyk-directed video also features an astonishing number of gummy bears…
A daydream about endless summer days, it’s the perfect antidote for a wet and cold January. The song was crafted early one morning using a drum loop and an oberheim synthesizer and is a call to a honeycoated time of romance and yearning.
Emerson Leif once again teams up with Golden Vessel on blissed-out new single ‘Wake Up With You’.
This time, Golden Vessel is on production & mixing duties, perfectly encompassing Leif’s smooth and enchanting vocals as he describes a period of lonliness where he wished for nothing more than to share these moments with someone special.
Sounds like: Brolin, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, REFS
Self-described “tragic” songstress Sasha is speaking a lyrical frankness in her new single, ‘Ouch!’, written about foreseeing being stung in a relationship.
The single blends unique and interesting soundscapes with sweet pop production and has elements of ‘Pure Imagination’ featured in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Tasty.
Sounds like: Billie Eilish, VÉRITÉ, Rae Morris, The Japanese House
Introducing the new project called Bohnes by Alex DeLeon from the band The Cab.
His new single ‘Raging On A Sunday’ is a frenetic two middle fingers to religion, caught up with an anthemic rock backdrop, glitches of grungy electronica and a retro-inspired, R&B-tipped vocal range.
Caymanian-born, London-based R&B newcomer Maeve shares the striking visuals for her new single ‘Eden’.
Directed by Black Dog Films‘ filmmaker Jade Jackman, choreographed by Liv Lockwood and styled by designer Asai (Dazed 100), the hallucinogenic and bestial video borders between what is real and what is not, conveying a sense of abandonment and isolation found in a toxic relationship.
The song is taken from her debut EP ‘Beasts’, out now.
Katy Tiz has teamed up with esteemed songwriter Ed Drewett on new single, ‘Life’, which has a Bonnie & Clyde context.
Recorded whilst suffering with laryngitis, this is a testament to Katy Tiz’s determination, and the result is a raw and enchanting song that is upfront and honest.
Sounds like: Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor, Aly & AJ, Bonnie McKee
Golden Vessel (aka Max Byrne) returns with ‘Moonstone’, featuring friends Elkkle and Akurei.
The upbeat track once again incorporates Byrne’s signature cross-genre style, and futuristic production.
‘Moonstone’ is inspired by the historical investigation of missing moon rocks from NASA trips into space on Apollo 11. Legend has it that the specimens once brought back to earth in 1969 were distributed across the world in the famous Goodwill Moon Rocks initiative, only to, nearly 30 years later, have mostly vanished or become untraceable.
Sounds like: MØ, Brolin, The National, Gang of Youths, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, REFS
American producer Lincoln Jesser produces indie synth-pop with sky-high aspirations.
Growing up at school, Jesser would often play in jazz sessions during the breaks, but it wasn’t until he listened to The Strokes that his passion for music was spiked.
Moving slowly into the electronic realms of production brings us to Jesser’s release today, called ‘Undone’, which you can listen to below:
Having just signed to Terrible Records (Blood Orange, Porches, Le1f), Norwegian producer and artist Gundelach shares the imaginative ‘Control’.
It is taken from the forth-coming ‘Baltus’ LP, and showcases Gundelach’s Nordic-noir sensibilities, using delicate synths, pulsating beats and his effortless falsetto voice to tell a story of deep personal depression.
Sound like: Ásgeir, Bon Iver, Honne, Boxed In, RY X, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, The Presets
Time for something to lighten the mood from our favourite band of 2018, Great News.
‘You’re Mine’ is a shoe-gazer fan’s dream, a super colourful sonic nod to the 80’s and 90’s, a theme that runs throughout their debut LP ‘Wonderfault’.
Sounds like: Ten Fé, Bruce Springsteen, Sea Girls, SWIMM, Lean, Tame Impala, DIIV
We are excited about Benjamin’s Brother – an interesting indie-pop band from Tel Aviv.
Discussing topics such as violence, death, desire and love, and citing influences across several genres including Arabic, American folk and techno, it’s no surprise that their sound is expansive, yet tender.
Watch their video below, which was shot by Indy Hait, at the Tel Aviv Museum Of Art, on a 16mm film.
Sounds like: Tame Impala, SAMA, Mumford & Sons, Solomon Grey, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Aquilo
Dutch electronic duo CUT_ share ‘It’s On’, a song about the denial towards the demise of a relationship.
But they don’t just write about internal issues found in human nature, but also discuss topics on mass psychology and by analysing these aspects of our society, CUT_ attempts to find a way of coping with the messed up world we’re living in.
JOHN.K‘s electronic driven pop always catches our attention and ‘Best Of Me’ is no exception.
‘Best Of Me’ is JOHN.K’s fourth single and demonstrates another layer of maturity and artistry. Speaking of the track, he explains,
“‘Best of Me’ is about evolving through young love, admitting to past mistakes and committing to giving someone the best possible version of yourself.”
We don’t know a great deal about Swedish singer/songwriter Timothy, but have really enjoyed listening to his second single, ‘Fly’.
Timothy explains, “The song is a long battle with a ghost of his, he interpreters his own song with a self-written poem. Wanting the listener to create their own story, rather than giving it all away.”
Sounds like: Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, Ry X, The xx, Keaton Henson, Matt Corby
Brisbane-based Emerson Leif shares the beautiful ‘Hesitate’, which was co-written with his good friend (and frequent collaborator) Golden Vessel.
Despite a satisfying life at the time of writing ‘Hesitate’, the notion of an elusive state of unhappiness continue to nag at Emerson,
“I found myself feeling very alone and without purpose. I could not accept that we just exist: eat, sleep, work, repeat. We are sold a kind of ‘happiness’ like it’s something we can work towards but what’s on offer is fleeting, if at all… had many questions about life but the greatest question was one of God. Or better yet, one for God. “Are you there?” Honestly, religion just felt so tired and insular. I wanted something tangible. I wanted to find truth. The idea of searching is perhaps most terrifying, because what if one finds nothing.”
This religious undertone can be found in the vocal and guitar loops that have been manipulated to sound like an organ.
Listen below.
Sounds like: Brolin, The National, Gang of Youths, Bon Iver, Alex Vargas, TENDER, Kanyon, REFS
Leo Stannard is a 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Leicester, UK.
Leo is making anthems with pulsing electronic production, moving slightly away from his previous, more acoustic material.
On his new track, Leo explains,
“’In My Blood’ is all about people who become such an integral part of your life, people who don’t necessarily share the same blood-line as you but become like family. It’s all about the human connection.”
‘In My Blood’ is out via Black Butter Records.
Leo is also currently working on his debut album with RichCooper (MysteryJets, AlexVargas) and Fred Bull (Rihanna, Madonna) due for release early next year.
UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES
15 October Bristol, Louisiana
16 October Manchester, Deaf Institute
17 October Newcastle, Surf Café
18 October Glasgow, Hug & Pint
20 October Leeds, Headrow House
21 October Sheffield, The Rocking Chair
22 October Leicester, The Cookie
24 October Nottingham, Bodega
25 October Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
26 October London, Oslo
Sounds like: Tom Odell, The Temper Trap, Alex Clare, Sam Sure, Rudimental, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Nina Nesbitt, Rhodes
London based producer, SG Lewis shares ‘Holding Back’, featuring accomplished, Los Angeles vocalist, Gallant.
‘Holding Back’ is reminiscent of the upbeat tones of ‘All Night’, and both artists are feeling the outcome of working together.
SG said of the collab: “I’d been listening to Gallant for ages when I wrote the track, and sent it over to see if he’d be into it. He flipped the meaning of the song completely, which was so exciting.”
Gallant also commented: “I’m a huge fan of SG. I think he’s one of the most talented rising producers around right now. He’s making incredibly special music that’s unique and stylish.”
It’s released via Jasmine Music and available for purchase on iTunes.
Sounds like: MNEK, Alex Vargas, Jack Garratt, TENDER, Wølffe, Lucas Nord, Great Good Fine Ok, LANY
Australian producer, Golden Vessel (aka Max Byrne) returns with a new track called ‘Wave’, which features the gorgeous female harmonies of Brisbane duo, OKBADLANDS.
Like many of Golden Vessel’s tracks, ‘Wave’ started out as a simple beat he’d created on his laptop. He then added a piano melody throughout before asking Joe Thiang (of MTNS) to lay some drums over the outro of the song. Then it came to working on the vocals & lyrics, and the first people that came to mind were Sally and Kate from OKBADLANDS.
“I’d been working with Sally and Kate over the last few months producing tracks for their debut ep. I really loved working with them, and they are both immensely talented, so I decided to see whether they wanted to collaborate on this track. After a quick creative discussion over some burgers, I got stuck into finishing up the instrumental and OKB had the vocals finished within the week”
Golden Vessel will be releasing his debut ‘Before Sleep’ EP next week, but you can order ‘Wave’ on iTunes now.
