Young Birmingham based producer, singer and songwriter Matt Ryder follows up his 2019 debut single with new alt-pop fusion track ‘Not The Same’.
It addresses the current state of social media in the world and the role it plays in a young person’s life. Ryder’s lo-fi and atmospheric approach – shares a similar vein to The 1975’s Matt Healy’s process – allowing the listener to enjoy the creation even without vocals present at times.
It’s difficult to put a label on what kind of music this is, there is something for everyone here, a beautiful fusion taking the best influences from multiple genres, and creating a sound that can almost only be described as Matt Ryder.
Discussing the conception of the track, Ryder states,
“I felt like I was constantly overthinking everything I was doing and saying, even the thoughts I had I would overthink,”. Channelling this frustration into his writing he adds that “it was encouraged by the teenage society I was involved with. You can never really have a private life when you’re young.”
Sounds like: Daughter, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, RY X, James Vincent McMorrow
Brand new Los Angeles-based duo SourFace woo us with their new single, ‘Paradise Ain’t So Cheap’.
Packed with intricate twists and turns and the nonconformist attitude of GlassAnimals, Sour Face continues to challenge addiction in a song packed full of very real demons.
We are excited to share PREP‘s single, ‘Pictures of You’.
A nonchalant nu-disco vibe laced with summery alt-funk and pop, this is something the foursome shine at. They comprise of Grammy-nominated producer Dan Radclyffe (AlunaGeorge, Foxes & Chronixx), French drummer Guillaume Jambel (George Fitzgerald, Odyssey & Kasabian), Welsh keys player Llywelyn Ap Myrddin and London vocalist & frontman Tom Havelock (Snakehips, Celeste, Anna Of The North).
Sounds like: Supertramp, Kaytranada, Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, Chronixx
Soulstress Caswell returns with ‘Distraction’, and it’s just that amidst these tough times.
Her signature sound is rich in vocal intelligence with attractive soul-pop melodies. This time, Caswell shows a more brazen side, as she questions why the rebound is such a taboo topic to talk about.
Sounds like: Låpsley, Skott, Lorde, Charlotte Cardin, Jorja Smith, JONES, Ray BLK, Sigrid, Maggie Rogers
Quirky and off-kilter is JYLDA‘s musical middle name.
Glitchy jazz chords mixed and soulful vocals represent her mysterious and experimental new single, ‘Jeopardy’ – a homage to risk and produced in collaboration with classical composer Marino Arcaro.
Rising Irish folk singer/songwriter AlanFinan shares his new single, ‘The Drive’.
Inspired by a visit to a town in rural Ireland deeply affected by a car accident that had changed the lives of families throughout the town, it’s a track that examines a theme of movement and travel in a simple and evolving manner.
Sounds like: Ben Howard, Talos, James Vincent McMorrow, RY X
Los Angeles-based vocalist, songwriter and alternative producer Jens Kuross has just released the shadowy single, ‘Done With Dancing’, a new stripped-down take of the track ‘Yard Two Stone’ that he collaborated on with Lane 8 last December.
Having toured the world as the drummer for RY X, Howling, and The Acid (a supergroup comprised of DJ/Producer Adam Freeland, Californian polymath Steve Nalepa, and RY X – who Jens also performs with as an active member of), as well as supported Bonobo, Rhye, GoGoPenguin and RY X, it’s time for Jens to step forward.
First on the list is his playlist called “Jens Friends”. You can check it out below.
Fred and Luna – Mini Song
This was the first song on the first release from a label my good friend Frank Wiedemann started a couple of years ago. It’s very minimal but it really makes the most out of all of its elements. There are no wasted sounds. It sounds like it could simultaneously be a Kraftwerk b-side from 1980 and also a hip new track on some indie-electronic playlist on Spotify…wait…
Point Lobo – Platform
Producer, Engineer, Drummer Miles Senzaki is great at everything he does. And I should know as he’s engineered almost all of my own recordings. His solo project “Point Lobo” is a perfect distillation of his love of Prince, TalkingHeads and I don’t know what else really. It’s beautifully done and impeccably crafted.
Human Barbie – Don’t Run Away
Human Barbie is the brainchild of Bassist, songwriter, producer Chris Hackman. Chris and I met when we were fresh out of school and still playing jazz gigs to make a living, then somehow migrated into the indie-electronic scene together. This project has its fingers in some 60’s psych-rock but Chris also tastily brings some of his jazz sensibilities to bear here.
Tyler Chester – Setting
I knew of Tyler for a while before he and I met, primarily from his work with Blake Mills but he and I eventually ended up collaborating on a track that’s on his most recent record. This track, “Setting”, is from that same record. It has some really beautiful but dirty synth tones that make you feel like you’re listening to Vangelis if he was doing all his composing in a dusty basement with a bunch of broken gear that’s just barely clinging to life.
Howling – Lullaby
This is my favorite track off the Howling album “Sacred Ground”. Probably because I helped write it and I’m feeling a little shameless. “Write” might actually be a generous term here as it was almost entirely improvised. We were all just in a room jamming and Frank (Wiedemann) hit record in the middle of it. Then I came back around later and layered some synth pads. It’s probably the only song you’ll ever hear on an electronic dance record that wasn’t tracked to click.
The Acid – Onyx
This is another song I helped write. I’m super proud of the piano part I played. It’s an odd phrase length but it feels entirely natural and it ended up being the germ that inspired the whole song. The Acid boys ended up going for the jugular in the build and outro which wouldn’t have been my first choice but it definitely works and you can’t argue with the results.
GF3 – Prelude 5
I produced a couple of EP’s for some friends of mine in a jazz trio who wanted their jazz record to sound nothing like a jazz record. I’m super proud of how it all turned out but this might be my favorite offering from that little experiment. It’s the most stripped back of all the recordings but I think the subtle, understated effects on very delicately performed acoustic instruments yielded some really beautiful results.
Nalepa – A Study of Dreams
Steve Nalepa is the secret weapon behind so many amazing electronic tracks that you’ve probably heard. Working with him has really taught me a lot about the beauty and potential of raw sound. My tendency is to get a little lost in the weeds of music theory land and Steve can bring me back to earth by just producing some amazing sound that, once heard, inspires you to write a whole song if not a whole record.
Jeff Parker – Executive Life
I don’t know Jeff, but I do know some of the guys that played on this record. I think this is just a really creative example of incorporating sampling and electronic musical techniques into a jazz/improvisatory context. Usually, attempts at jazz-electronic synthesis go horribly wrong, ending up in the nauseatingly bland category of “smooth”, but the results here are phenomenal.
Louis Cole – Big Green Suitcase
Louis and I both got our start playing drums in the LA jazz scene but he had a bead on his artistic persona long before I could really figure mine out. This might be my favorite track from his eponymous first album. It really captures all of his quirky, beautiful, sincerity and adds a tinge of nostalgia with that pseudo-Bossa Nova drum machine pattern and the line-cliché in the piano.
It seems the word ‘eargasm’ was invented by Jens Kuross, because you’ll have plenty of them whilst listening to his music.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, his music occupies a rare space in the world with his particular way of melding evocative lyrics and dreamy arrangements with introspective, yet sublime songwriting.
Kuross’ new single is breathtaking electronica, which Jens describes as, “basically a not-so-subtle kraut-rock inspired exercise in harmonic syncopation and self-effacement.”
Kuross plays a headline show at London’s St Pancras Old Church on 27 November.
Sounds like: Ry X, Sacred Animals, Solomon Grey, Bonobo, Rhye, James Blake
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
Kinship is the project of North London twosome Tom Butler and Dave Crawford.
Seeking inspiration from past and present electronic spheres, their debut release has a dance energy that works in contrast with its chilled out, minimalist production.
Sounds like: Elderbrook, Caribou, Odesza, Ry X, Kllo, Four Tet, Maribou State
Time to drift away from the dark and wintery nights onto a sun kissed sandy beach in Calfironia.
SUMif‘s goal with this track is to make you dance, regardless of whether you are at a desk or live show. She’s certainly done that – we can’t stop spinning around on our seats!
RY returns with ‘Deliverance’; a thought-provoking and atmospheric track, that engulfs us with its distinctively ethereal vocal lines and undulating electronic-tones.
‘Deliverance’ is the second release from RY’s eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘Dawn’ released on 6 May via Infectious Music. A conscientious and unfeigned debut, RY discloses how the 12-track LP came to fruition via a candid process of self-discovery and trust – “I have followed my heart and it has been a beautiful process of building trust with myself, as an artist, and person.”
Live EU Dates 9th May – Paris, Le Divan du Monde 10th May – Heidelberg, Schloss Heidelberg 11th May – Cologne, Kulturkirche 12th May – Hamburg, Grünspan
14th May – Munich, Mixed Munich Arts
16th May – Berlin, Volksbühne 17th May – Amsterdam, Paradiso 18th May – Brussels, Orangerie (Part of Les Nuit Botanique)
20th May – Brighton, The Great Escape Stage Host Royal Albert Hall / St Georges 21st May – Oxford, St John the Evangelist 22nd May – Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre 24th May – Bristol, St Thomas the Martyr 25th May – Leeds, Leeds College of Music (Part of Beacons Presents) 26th May – London, Union Chapel
Sounds like: Matt Corby, James Vincent McMorrow, Jack Garratt, Bon Iver, James Blake, Rhodes, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Chris Kaz
Gundelach returns with his new single ‘Fjernsynet‘ (Norwegian for “television set”), which is poised to lift him to new heights with its cooly delivered falsetto over a driving rhythm, accentuated by beautiful analog-electronic production.
It is a broody, melancholic and catchy slow burner, perfect to listen to when driving late at night.
The ‘Spiders’ EP is co-produced by Joel Ford (of Ford & Lopatin and Young Ejecta). It is mixed by Al Carson (Ariel Pink, Tim Hecker).
‘Fjernsynet’ was released on 8 April via Cosmos (Say Lou Lou, Naomi Pilgrim). The EP is available for pre-order here.
Live dates
13/04 – Ja Ja Ja @ Molotov, Hamburg
14/04 – Ja Ja Ja @ Musik & Frieden, Berlin
30/04 – Spot Festival, Aarhus
25-27/06 – Roskilde Festival, Roskilde
09-13/08 – Øya Festival, Oslo
Sound like: Ásgeir, Bon Iver, Honne, Boxed In, RY X, The Presets
Xavier Dunn is a Sydney-based talent that you should get to know pretty quickly, because he’s going to become an international hit, rubbing shoulders with the likes of RY X and Solomon Grey.
Xavier’s first original debut, ‘Scattered’ is a seriously strong contender. He shares with us his heartfelt, falsetto vocals, of which are cleverly constructed over just under four minutes of noble and cinematic production.
