Tag Archives: Kidnap

Weekly Gems 115

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Marble Empire – Hold Me Up

Marble Empire

London-based multi-instrumentalist & producer Marble Empire (aka Matt Berry) shares his new single ‘Hold Me Up’.

Written about going back to his ex-girl despite disliking her, the song is pleasantly upbeat and warm in his delivery.

Sounds like: Ben Khan, Kaytranada, Mura Masa

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Phil Good – Everything’s Good

Phil Good

Everything is far from ok at the moment, but perhaps we need a bit of light relief ahead of the weekend.

Cue Phil Good and his overtly optimistic attitude to what’s going on at the moment. Remember, someone always has it worse than you, so appreciate what you have. You can watch the Joren Cull-animated visuals below.

Sounds like: Honne, Joseph Salvat, Miike Snow, Glass Animals, Joywave, Just Kiddin’, San Holo

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Artio – All Things End

Artio

Unique band Artio share new single ‘All Things End’, released on Monomyth Records.

Embracing newly learned production techniques and taking an almost more mature approach to songwriting, with a feisty prowess not seen too often in modern bands.

Sounds like: Skies

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Phoebe Ryan – Reality

Phoebe Ryan

US based Phoebe Ryan shares her former ‘Reality’ with us, taken from a time when she was very dishonest with herself.

The visuals for the wistful and fantastical story is inspired by the psychedelic production of The Flaming Lips‘ 2006 album ‘At War With The Mystics’, a formative album for Ryan’s music career.

Sounds like: Grimes, ROZES, EXES

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Sea Girls – Do You Really Wanna Know?

Sea Girls - Do You Really Wanna Know?

Our favourte band in the UK right now, Sea Girls, share the visuals for ‘Do You Really Wanna Know?’.

Blurring the lines between reality and fansity, and touching on the topic of mental health, the video – directed by world class animator Francesca de Bassa – takes the band’s own self isolated photography and brings them to life as kaleidoscopic, animated collages.

Sounds like: Marsicans, The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, Swimming Tapes, Slow Riot, Two Door Cinema Club, Sundara Karma

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Gia Woods – Naive

Gia Woods - Naive

Gia Woods is an emerging voice in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as in the pop sphere.

As a queer, Persian woman, born into a traditional Persian household in Los Angeles, Woods grew up a loner and used this time to make music. Her latest single, ‘Naive’ touches on the subject of discovering what you want out of an intimate relationship.

Sounds like: Zolita, WENS, Sizzy Rocket, L Devine

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Milq – Summer Again

Milq

Canadian self-proclaimed “boy band” Milq share their nostalgic tune, ‘Summer Again’.

With extremely strong echoes of LANY and joan., their new single is inspired by the romanticising of young love and past experiences.

Sounds like: LANY, joan.

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Kidnap – Start Again (Macious Remix)

Kidnap - Start Again (Macious Remix)

Remix connaisseur Macious has turned himself to Kidnap‘s classic track, ‘Start Again’.

As one of his biggest musical inspirations, the opportunity to remix the nostalgic original came about during a time when Macious was going through some exhausting changes. It’s offered as a free download.

Sounds like: Lane 8, Rüfüs Du Sol, Ben Böhmer

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Sirens of Lesbos – How Many Miles

Sirens of Lesbos by James Bantone

Sirens of Lesbos by James Bantone

Swiss jazz/soul collective Sirens of Lesbos shares ‘How Many Miles’.

Originally written about travelling the world with their future children, the song has since taken on an unexpected, larger meaning due to current travel restrictions. For those eager eared, it features some reworking of lyrics from The Fugees‘ ‘How Many Mics’.

Sounds like: De Hofnar, MYNGA

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Playlist: Mazoulew

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Mazoulew - Retrospective

UK producer Mazoulew takes inspiration from various genres such as trip-hop, Motown, acid jazz and drum&bass.

His new single ‘Retrospective’ leans to the more ambient electronica instrumental with a focus on leaving the city and heading to the great unknown. To coincide with its release, he has put together an eclectic mix of songs for an Indietronica playlist.

You’ll be surprised at what songs he’s chosen!

Fugees – The Mask
The score was actually the first record I ever bought, I paid £1.5 in a charity shop for the cassette that I played so much it wore out completely. Definitely a defining album for me personally.

DJ Shadow – Building Steam With A Grain Of
I mean, Shadow kinda set the pace for the rest of us back in the day, what he did with the Endtroducing record was just beyond anything else at the time.

Massive Attack – Dissolved Girl
This album sounds as good today as it did 22 years ago when they dropped it, there is nothing else to say, it’s just a masterpiece and it truly opened my eyes and ears to new ideas.

RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors
Like Shadow, RJD2 just shows you how it should be done, his approach to sampling and composition is second to none. His music has consistently stayed at the forefront of my life since I was introduced to him in the early 2000’s.

Eskmo – Cloudlight
I remember the first time I heard this track it was so fresh and inspiring to me. Most artists nowadays fall into traps within genres, Eskmo punch a hole in this for me and delivered a sound that I never really thought about before.

Gonzales – Overnight
I had to include this record as I think we can sometimes get a bit lost with the production and technology available to us, we can now manipulate and modulate anything into anything. Personally I think it’s important not to lose the fundamental of great composition and harmony.

Amon Tobin – Lost and Found
Amon is another producer that changed my life and my music tastes forever. His ability to reimagine sounds, manipulate source material, taking things that were never designed to go together and make them sound like they had always been that way is simply inspired.

Brushy One String – Grays in My Blues
I included Brushy for much the same reasons that I included Gonzales. When I heard this record a few things struck me, the fact that it is recorded on the side of the road and that brushy only has one string on a beat-up guitar. There is nothing fancy, no tricks or anything to hide behind, it’s just emotion and art in a very pure form.

Foreign Beggars – One Take
It’s with a heavy heart that yesterday I learned my friend Ebow Graham (Metropolis) passed away. The Foreign Beggars made a huge impact on my life and my music. I played ‘Asylum Speakers’ over and over while I was studying, then when I moved to London and actually became friends with these guys I felt incredibly honoured and lucky to have them in my life.

Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World
It’s a strange time to be alive in 2020, every day you can turn on the news and for one reason or another there is reason to get a little stressed out with things, to say the least. I think we all need to remember, between all the headlines and noise, there really is some amazing stuff happening in the world still and we should all take a minute sometimes to stop and appreciate it.

Sounds like: Bicep, Kidnap, Model Man, Lane 8, Jamie xx

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Weekly Gems 105

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cactus? – Shitdisco

Cactus? by Riccardo Michelazzo

Cactus? by Riccardo Michelazzo

Cactus? is an innovative three-piece band from the industrial plains of Northern Italy.

Combining influences from the dance-punk phenomenon of mid-00s with the current Lo-fi Bedroom movement, adding to the mix 80s synths and samples – their new single ‘Shitdisco’, out now via Costello’s Records, is full of frenetic and unpredictable energy of crazy synths and poppy vocals.

Sounds like: Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Bloc Party

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Stevie wolf – Paper maché doll

Stevie Wolf - Paper maché doll

Indie-pop savant Stevie wolf is paving the way with his refreshing approach to unconstrained honesty.

Diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and major anxiety disorder, as well as meeting a lot of set backs when it comes to making music, hasn’t stopped him exploring the constaints of both personal and societal expectations.

Sounds like: Myylo, Phil Good

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On’yu – Done Without

On'yu - Done Without

On’Yu is the creation of Australian multi-instrumentalist and producer, Rob Eggleston.

His new single ‘Done Without’ is a sweet slowburner with crisp 80’s influenced electric piano mixed with a soulful-synth bass and blushes of neo-emo in there.

Sounds like: Patternist, LOYALS, 90’s Kids, La Bouquet, MILKK

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Alexander 23 – Loving You Gets Hard

Alexander 23

Alexander 23 is calling it as it is, in the new song, ‘Loving You Gets Hard’.

Further showcasing his lyrical genius, the multi-million streaming Chicago-born singer/songwriter wishes to maintain normalcy as possible, and share his views on a compassionate relationship.

Sounds like: Lauv, Chelsea Cutler, Shoffy, Nolie

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Linney – Cool

Linney

Pop sensation Linney returns in 2020 with ‘Cool’.

The single is full of breezy vocals with a full-fledged pop essence, written about navigating the complications of losing someone, something close to Linney’s heart.

Sounds like: CAPPA, Paperwhite, Poema, Scavenger Hunt

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Mazoulew – Circles Feat. Bonnie Wylde

Mazoulew

London-born, Italian-residing Mazoulew has been making music for 15 years.

Inspired by varying genres of Motown, acid jazz and drum&bass, the UK producer fuses these sounds with minimal and melodic electronic beats.

His new single features the ethereal vocals of Bonnie Wylde.

Sounds like: Kidnap, Model Man, Jessie Ware, Lane 8

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NZCA LINES – Pure Luxury

NZCA LINES

NZCA LINES (aka Michael Lovett) shares his kooky and cosmic track, ‘Pure Luxury’.

It’s a rehashed response to the notions of luxury, status, and the insanity of pursuing material wealth in the face of environmental catastrophe.

Sounds like: Metronomy, Gold Panda, Ronika, Hot Chip, Ben Khan

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East Harbor – Miss the Old You

East Harbor

It’s always a good sign when you turn the volume right up when initially listening to a track.

Florida-based quartet, East Harbor does just that in their infectious new single, ‘Miss the Old You’. Turn up and listen below.

Sounds like: La Bouquet, The Band CAMINO, The 1975, Manchester Orchestra

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Surf Rock Is Dead – Immaculate

Surf Rock Is Dead

The Surf Rock Is Dead (SRiD) boys are back with the sweeping ‘Immaculate’, lifted off their debut LP ‘Existential Playboy’ out on 1 May.

Whilst appearing genteel, this is anything but. A juxtaposition that addresses the bleakness of societal affairs and corrosion of daily life amidst the capricious decisions made by those in power.

Sounds like: Day Wave, Hazel English, Swimming Tapes, The Cure, Beauty Sleep

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Weekly Gems 91

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Love You Later – Said You’d Be There

Love You Later by Sara Anne Waggoner

Love You Later by Sara Anne Waggoner

Love You Later is the brainchild of Nashville-born, synth-pop artist, Lexi Aviles.

She creates heartbreaker bangers with dreamy landscapes and an infectious pop vulnerability.

Her new single ‘Said You’d Be There’ is about not getting caught up with the small things that happen in life, but to let go, be free, and dance your way through the endless horizon ahead.

Sounds like: The Japanese House, MUNA, Soccer Momm, Snail Mail

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Zoe Konez & Antonio Lulic – Echo

Zoe Konez & Antonio Lulic - Echo

Singer-songwriters Zoe Konez and Antonio Lulic combine on the rousing alternative-pop anthem “Echo”. Drawing on influences from Zoe’s indie background and Antonio’s stadium-filling pop tones, it’s an epic piece of pop-fusion that details a longing for adventure at the expense of personal relationships.

Sounds like: Oh Wonder, Of Monsters and Men, Ben Howard

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Yaeger – I Tried

Yaeger

Extreme sport fanatic and Swedish pop act Yaeger (“hunter”) shares her dynamic single, ‘I Tried’, out now on Chess Club Records.

It’s infectious pop with a solid backbone. Listen below.

Sounds like: Tove Lo, Zara Larsson

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STORME – Back To Her

STORME

Scandinavian STORME returns with her new single ‘Back To Her’.

Written in the Swedish wilderness, the track’s topic considers how beautiful the Earth is, but also how fragile it is in it’s current, dying state.

It’s out now via Humble Angel Records.

Sounds like: Rae Morris, KATE BOY, Björk, Aurora, RAINDEAR, CILVR, Bat For Lashes, The Knife, Róísín Murphy, Billie Eilish

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BOII – Footwork

BOII

British duo BOII have us quite taken aback with their ‘Footwork’. Seems like we’re not the only ones expressing our feelings through the mode of movement.

The track focuses on the time when you can truly experience the “moment” by moving away from a challenging place and escaping reality.

Sounds like: Zola Blood, Tourist, Mansionair

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Fruut – R.O.E (Running on Empty)

Fruut

Philadelphia based singer/songwriter/producer Fruut shares her lo-fi take on indie pop and RnB to create the smooth and breezy ‘R.O.E’.

The new single is her first collab with producer Fortunewest and it’s guaranteed to get those ears twitching.

Sounds like: Sorcha Richardson, Mallrat, Vera Blue, Geowulf

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Tensnake – Rules Feat. Chenai

Tensnake

After a two year hiatus, the greatly awaited single from Tensnake arrives. Titled ‘Rules’, the feel good track features vocals from Chenai in an ode to 90s house, with a modern twist.

It’s out now on Armada Electronic Elements.

Sounds like: MNEK, Le Youth, Joe Goddard, Disclosure, Fred Falke, Louis La Roche

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Ben Kidson – Money

Ben Kidson

Self-taught rock fan turned esteemed pop-writer Ben Kidson has given his hand to producing and the result is the energetic ‘Money’.

Featuring heavy sampling of 90s video game sounds hidden throughout the track, ‘Money’ calls on people who have said they can help you to “put your money where your mouth is”.

Sounds like: Billie Eilish, Yungblud, Twenty One Pilots

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Eli & Fur – Wall To Wall

Eli & Fur

UK-based rising stars Eli & Fur provide lush and haunting vocals in their new single ‘Wall To Wall’.

Released on Big Beat Records/SIKR (Gavin Koolmon from Disciples new label) the progressive electronic track works perfectly listening to at home as it does on the dancefloor.

Sounds like: Luttrell, Kidnap, Henri

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Benji Lewis – New Day

Benji Lewis

Benji Lewis returns with the wonderful ‘New Day’, conjuring up images of happiness and freedome.

Shot around Los Angeles by Chris Weigen, the video for ‘New Day’ features Benji singing in front of various pastel backdrops.

Sounds like: Troye Sivan, The Kite String Tangle, Active Child, Gallant, Sam Smith, James Blake, Jack Garratt

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