Tag Archives: Sony Music

Weekly Gems 100

TESSA – Bad Bad Love

TESSA

Australian artist Tessa Neale (fka Hoodlem) wants to leave her ego at the door whilst making music. Unfiltered and full of sass, this is TESSA at her core.

Produced with Jeff Hazin and featuring Toronto rapper Terrell Morris, her new single ‘Bad Bad Love’ is an upbeat anti-love song sending a message to the game-playing lovers everywhere…we see you.

Sounds like: Mahalia, Empress Of, Nao, Jessie Ware

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Francis Novotny – Someone I Wanted To Be

Francis Novotny

Young Swedish songwriter Francis Novotny shares the beautiful ‘Someone I Wanted To Be’.

With modern rings of The Cinematic Orchestra‘s ‘To Build A Home’, the cinematic approach to this stripped-back song – about love, regret, and new perspectives – is delicately composed with an emotional piano progression, whilst his vocals take centre stage.

Sounds like: The Cinematic Orchestra

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STRØM – Blurred Out

STRØM

After months of anticipation, Swedish artist STRØM finally unveils his earnest chops, whilst, ironically sharing his new single called ‘Blurred Out’, taken from his debut album, ‘Immortal’ out now via This is Scandinavia / Sony Music.

With a cascading beat of drums and vocal loops, the track gives us an intriguing glimpse into the album.

Sounds like: Ben Khan, TENDER, Solomon Grey, James Blake

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Benji Lewis – No Alibi

Benji Lewis

Sounds like: The 1975, The Kite String Tangle, Antony Hegarty, Active Child, Gallant, Sam Smith, Solomon Grey, James Blake, Yazz, Jack Garratt, Disclosure

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Christian Cohle – Breathe

Christian Cohle by Adrian Wojtas

Christian Cohle by Adrian Wojtas

Dublin-born Christian Cohle shares his haunting and melancholic debut single, ‘Breathe’.

Mixing majestic synthesizers and driving rhythms, ‘Breathe’ explores the emotional struggle of feeling interlinked with something that turns out to be artificial. Discussing the inspiration behind his new record, Cohle says: “Breathe was predominantly informed by experiences I was going through at the time, but also very much influenced by the neo-noir science fiction film, Blade Runner 2049.

Sounds like: James Blake, Sampha, Jai Paul, Solomon Grey

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Matthew Scott Ragland – Here and Now

Matthew Scott Ragland by Holly Peyton

Matthew Scott Ragland by Holly Peyton

Dallas-based songwriter, producer, recording artist and former band member of Austin based Nelo, Matthew Scott Ragland finds solace in a new project.

His double single, ‘Here and Now / Now is Here’ was written by Ragland from a purist point of view, where synthesizers, drum machines and string samples take the place of his trusted guitar.

Sounds like: The Stone Roses, Ulrich Schnauss, Jon Hopkins, Joe Goddard

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Pastel – Let You (Feat. Haoting)

Pastel - Let You (Feat. Haoting)

French-Polynesian singer and multi-instrumentalist Pastel unveils his impossibly smooth new single, ‘Let You’.

It’s a blissed out neo-jazz Bossa Nova fusion compiled alongside long-time friend and Taiwanese artist, Haoting.

Sounds like: FKJ, Miller Blue, Yakul, Easy Life, Hers, Tom Misch

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STRØM – Mermaid

STRØM

Swedish-born, Berlin-based producer/artist STRØM shares his mesmerising new single, ‘Mermaid’, taken from his forthcoming ‘Immortal’ album.

Using the project as an experimental outlet for musical expression free of genre bounds, his music embodies this ethos.

In ‘Mermaid’, echoes of Swedish dust drift over a deeply dark electronic melody and sweeping melodies, further showcasing STRØM’s captivating production prowess.

It’s out now on This Is Scandinavia/Sony Music. His debut album, ‘Immortal’, is released on 21 February.

Sounds like: Ben Khan, TENDER, Solomon Grey, James Blake

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Kid Astray – Fall To My Knees

Kid Astray

We are super excited that Kid Astray are back, and their defiant new track does not disappoint.

An collective of musical instruments and instantly memorable vocal hooks, ‘Fall To My Knees’ is about why Kid Astray are sharing their music;

“Fall to My Knees” is about a gig we played in Berlin in the spring of 2015. We were having a really tough time, battling some undue negativity in the media and in the people around us. We just wanted to quit, go to sleep, and not play this showcase at a club. But that show just blew up and made us remember why in the world we’re so determined to keep on doing this. It’s pretty big for a couple of 20 year olds to able to play a sold-out show in the hipster capitol of Europe. And this song is a reminder of that.”

It’s out now via Sony Music.

Sounds like: Smallpools, Passion Pit, Pistol Shrimp, M83, Holy Ghost!, Two Door Cinema Club, Young Kato, Ballet School

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MATTIS – Loverboy

MATTIS

Copenhagen-based superstar in the making, MATTIS, shares his stunning debut, ‘Loverboy’.

This self confessed “viking soul” uses somewhat minimalistic production, relying heavily on his vocals (think James Blake or Sampha), but ‘Loverboy’ also tells an emotive story, driven from a dark place that MATTIS found himself in three years ago, having lost his apartment following a break up, and generally feeling like a lone wolf away from the pack.

​The single is out via Sony Music in Scandinavia and Tigerspring/The Orchard elsewhere.

Sounds like: Rationale, Ben Pearce, James Blake, Sampha

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Rob Bravery – You Take Half

Rob Bravery - You Take Half

Rob Bravery – You Take Half

What’s half of nothing? Well, “nothing” you might answer, but that isn’t strictly true with our next act, Rob Bravery, who is altering perspectives on ‘You Take Half’.

Idiosyncratic in nature, and already drawing comparisons to Porishead and Massive Attack, the video for ‘You Take Half’ follows Rob as he battles with the desire to succeed without compromising in some form or another.

Warning. The scenes in the video will be very familiar to those who have witnessed, or been party to, a disintegration of some sort.

‘You Take Half’ is the lead track from his upcoming EP, out on 2 September via Insanity / Sony Music an available for pre-order on iTunes here.

Rob has worked with Sneaker Pimps‘, Liam Howe (FKA Twigs, Lana Del Rey) on the EP.

Sounds like: Portishead, Radiohead, Massive Attack

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XYLØ – Fools Paradise

XYLØ by Anna Maria Lopez

XYLØ by Anna Maria Lopez

Sibling duo, XYLØ, are back with ‘Fools Paradise’.

It’s another catchy electronic track from XYLØ, with radio-ready melodies and lustful vocals that instantly capture a false state of happiness.

‘Fools Paradise’ is available on iTunes via Disruptor Records/Sony Music.

Sounds like: ASTR, Broods, Prinze George, GEMS, Lana Del Rey, Oh Wonder, The Naked and Famous

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Sundara Karma – Loveblood

Sundara Karma

Sundara Karma

Sundara Karma return with the Romeo & Juliet inspired video for ‘Loveblood’.

The boys have been busy, having toured with Wolf Alice and Nothing But Thieves, and are about to embark on a UK headline tour at the end of May, as well as playing a load of big festival dates, including Glastonbury and the Main Stage and Reading & Leeds.

‘Loveblood’ is out now via Sony Music. Order on iTunes.

Sounds like: The Wombats, Circa Waves, Biffy Clyro, CHAPPO, Arcade Fire, Editors, CHAPPO

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WDL – Stardust ft. Elliphant

WDL

WDL

Sweden is on our radar, yet again. This time it is a new electronic project called WDL by Johan Wedel.

Having already done remixes for the likes of and Tove Lo, ‘Stardust’ is his new single. A trip-hop, jazz-funk-infused cut that uses strings, lazy piano and shuffling percussion to exquisite effect, the track is beautifully elevated by WDL’s collaboration with Swedish vocalist, lyricist and songwriter Elliphant.

Watch the atmospheric video below:

‘Stardust’ is out now on iTunes through TEN/Sony Music.

Sounds like: Little Dragon, Nordic Giants, DJ Yoda, The Avalanches, Dragonette, FOXTROTT, MØ

WDL
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Elliphant
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Foxes – Body Talk

Foxes - Body Talk

Foxes – Body Talk

The lovely Southampton Foxes (aka Louisa Rose Allen) returns to our stereos with ‘Body Talk’.

Despite taking a trip back to the 80’s to create the catchy sound of ‘Body Talk’, this is an undeniable leap forward by Foxes as an artist.

Watch the video below:

It is available for purchase on 24 July via Epic/Sony.

Sounds like: Say Lou Lou, Lady Gaga, Robyn

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Great Good Fine Ok – Too Much To Handle

Great Good Fine Ok - Too Much to Handle

Great Good Fine Ok – Too Much to Handle

It only seemed like yesterday that electropop boys Great Good Fine Ok released their ‘Body Diamond EP’.

They’ve only gone and released another corker called ‘Too Much To Handle’.

The Aman Singh-directed video follows the lead character as he struggles to deal with reality and the constraints of work, money, fear, life and love, but tries to improve his life with a state of the art pixel projector.

The track is taken from their second EP ‘2M2H’, which is due for release on 16 March via Sony Music and Epic Records.

Also have a listen to the Penguin Prison remix:

Sounds like: Fenech Soler, Ghost Beach, Yeasayer, Phoenix, Passion Pit, Pistol Shrimp, Penguin Prison, Futurecop!, The Chain Gang of 1974

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