Rising Norwegian pop songwriter jens shares ‘Tough Love’, taken from his new EP, ‘Call Me Back When You Get A Moment’. It’s another feel-good pop anthem, firmly rooted with a potent chorus hook and instant danceability.
Sounds like: Troye Sivan, Myylo, Charlie Puth, Dagny
From one Norweigan act to another. At completely different ends of the spectrum, alt-rock outfit Lazy Queen shares brazen new single, ‘Gutted’. Discussing the topic of self-destruction, addiction and recovery, it’s spirited punk rock with an upbeat pop hook throughout.
Chicago producers Chase Durrett and Casey Bruce – aka j. pastel – formed in the summer of 2019, and have been fusing 80’s synths and dreamy guitars with funk moves in their bedroom ever since. Listen to ‘Senegal’ below.
Los Angeles Phil Good is back with a new breakup-inspired track called ‘Falling’. Despite being laid-back, the music video manages to convey the emotion of the song.
Sounds like: Honne, Joseph Salvat, Miike Snow, Glass Animals, Joywave, Just Kiddin’, San Holo
At just 16, it’s hard to believe that pop singer-songwriter Gillian Heidi is already creating such raw and emotive tracks that reflect about relationships in a poetic eloquence not often seen of this age group. Listen to ‘Fray’ below.
Everything is far from ok at the moment, but perhaps we need a bit of light relief ahead of the weekend.
Cue PhilGood 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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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’.
Introducing London-born producer, Tom Skyrme – aka Swim Moutain.
Combining breezy 60’s inspired psych with more modern dream-pop tendencies, his latest self-produced and recorded EP ‘If’ conjures, in his own words, “the slow demise of a relationship told across an interchanging timeline of pre and post internet.”
Listen below to the swaggering highlight of the EP, ‘Somebody New’.
The EP is released on Tourist‘s record label Monday Records, and he has also been announced to support Tourist at his upcoming headline shows at London’s Village Underground on 8 and 9 April.
Sounds like: Tame Impala, MGMT, Toro Y Moi, Miike Snow
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter PHIL GOOD initially released his single ‘Do You Ever?’ in late 2019 after announcing his signing to Elektra Records.
It started as mumbles during a time when he was in a lost and stuck place. The track helped process that running away from your problems isn’t the answer.
Now to kick off 2020, he enlists Portland-based, Portuguese-American musician and record producer, André Allen Anjos (aka RAC) to up the electronic game.
Sounds like: Honne, Joseph Salvat, Miike Snow, Glass Animals, Joywave, Just Kiddin’, San Holo
Meet Norwegian born, London based electro-pop singer and songwriter, Hanne Leland.
Like many good pop artists out at the moment, Hanne has also experienced a stint of working in Nashville before focusing more on electro-pop sounds that country-pop.
Stockholm-based KIDDO is following in the cool Scandi footsteps of Dagny and Sigrid.
Her brazen new single is a song about escaping relating, as KIDDO reminisces “about a time when I knew I had lost everything but it was too painful to face it so I tried to ignore the truth for a little longer in every possible way.”
It’s out now via Stockholm-based independent label BLNK Music.
Sounds like: Kesha, Billie Eilish, Sigrid, Dagny, Soleima, Icona Pop
Time to get funky and sexy with Knox White‘s new single ‘You’ve Been My Girl’.
Following some unexpected advice from music kings, Lionel Ritchie and Paul McCartney, the Los Angeles-based Knox decided to hit up New Orleans to gain some creative perspective. Upon his return to Los Angeles, Knox started collaborating and touring with producer Josh Legg aka Goldroom, and the result is an exciting throwback style of chill wave pop.
Stage Republic is a two-person music project based in The Netherlands.
Citing a strong influence from the 80’s, the duo’s new single ‘Rise and Fall’ started as a one minute piece of improvisation to test a new synthesiser and the end result now showcases a brilliant way to bridge the gap between indie and pop.
Youngr made his name putting together bootlegs, so guess what, it’s bootleg time ladies and gents!
Check out his bootleg hitlist below.
Ramblin
Simply Red is my favourite band ever. I was listening to his Stars Deluxe album on the plane, and it had these amazing acapellas of old blues songs on the end that I’d never heard. Decided to make a bootleg with one of them.
Silence
Always loved this tune. Used to cover it in an old band. Decided to do it with Youngr.
London Grammar – Hey Now
I was super drunk one night on the night tube in London and had a part of this vocal in my head but had NO idea what the words or song was. So I was just singing it to strangers untill someone told me what they thought it might be … Next day I found the stems and made a bootleg.
Gorillaz – Feel Good and Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
Because it’s the greatest beat in pop, and one of the greatest basslines in pop. It was almost too obvious, I had to check if someone had done it before!
Jungle – The Heat
Always liked Jungle‘s vibe. Actually did a remix with an old band I was in that never turned into anything, so revisited the vocal and made a new mix!
Zhu – Faded
Again, dope vocal. Remember the first time I heard it. Instantly wanted to do my own thing with it.
Daft Punk – One More Time
What an amazing message. And the fact it just repeats it’s self so many times. It’s brilliant.
Craig David – Fill Me In
Cause he’s a UK legend! Grew up with his music. And his vocal style suited mine, so it worked really easily for me.
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
I had made a bootleg with a Marvin Gaye sample, and the guitar line I wrote kept reminding me of The Temper Trap song (which I also fucking loved) .. decided last minute to put The Temper Trap vocal over Marvin Gaye and it instantly found its magic.
All Saints – Pure Shores
Pure shores was one of the first CDs I ever bought. Bought it from Woolworths in Manchester and it cost £6.99! I was trying to write a dance song in 3/4 and the chords I was using gave me the same emotion that lure shores did.
Fyfe is the musical project of Paul Dixon, and he returns with a seriously strong new track called ‘Belong’, featuring Kimbra.
It is the first single taken off Fyfe’s second album ‘The Space Between’, which is released on 9 June. The concept behind the album is it begins in a hospital ward and ends at a funeral home.
‘Belong’ was written following Paul’s experience with the separate and sudden deaths of two young friends, then his grandmother passing away, and very quickly a family friend, but also him becoming an uncle three times.
Fyfe describes ‘Belong’ as,
“the desire to find purpose in a transient life. A relationship can be helpful or a hinderance in terms of understanding who you are and ‘Belong’ is documenting someone starting to pose those questions, rather than providing the answers…Kimbra is a real creative force. Our voices are presenting the same narrative rather than a conversation between two members of a relationship.”
Fyfe will be playing a headline show at London’s Omeara on 4 May.
Sounds like: RALPH, Miike Snow, Boxed In, James Blake, Childish Gambino, SOHN, The XX, Ellie Goulding, Bombay Bicycle Club, Death Cab For Cutie, London Grammar, Foals
