From all indie genres, Folk seems to have a special place in our hearts. We can't help to get back to folk songs when we look for some calm and inspiration. When we want to hope for a nice dream. Or when we are feeling in the mood for some very well told stories. As an honour to those feelings, this series is entitled TIFU (Today I Folked Up). Only folk songs from new folk artists. To let you and ourselves go.
Aidan & The Wild feat. Merel Sophie – The Whip
Being fascinated by the guitar at the early age of eight Aidan & the Wild, the moniker by which Eindhoven based musician Diederik van den Brandt tells his musical tale, holds a deep passion for the instrument that has only been growing ever since. While his folky open-tuning guitar style can be linked to influences such as Ben Howard and the Tallest Man On Earth the singer-songwriter looks towards the direction of Nashville just as often. Packed with an intrinsically unconventional play style and disarmingly honest voice his songs result in a timeless blend of folk and Americana that has a unique freshness to it. Here at WtMM, we don’t grow tired of him with already 4 past features (here, here, here and here). “The Whip” is his latest track (and fourth single of his debut album coming out next month) and features the also incredible Merel Sophie, showcasing how his songs are actually a new kind of bread and butter for the new Folk industry: “Laying somewhere in the playing field between Americana and soul, the Whip is an easy-going tune about self-care and not being too tough on oneself”. One, that we must say, speaks for itself. Just hit “play”.
Andreas Moe – You to Me
Already highly acclaimed (five-time-platinum songwriter), Andreas Moe keeps on giving to the music world. In his latest track, “You To Me” we can hear the kind of vibe we love so much in acts like Ben Howard and Nick Mulvey, where both the rasp vocals and gorgeous acoustic guitar flow, take us into a smooth Folk trip. In the track he explores the spectrum of emotions that come with difficult relationships. He sings about a story of uncertainty, but transposes the message with a mix of concrete flow and melody security where the listener can find a good place to rest his/her thoughts and even to sing along and loose themselves in. For Moe “this song represents a “sickly, scary feeling when you realize that you do not know where you stand with a person who has previously been a safe space for you”. The track will be part of his next album coming out later this month.
Anna Vincent – Naxos
Anna Vincent is a singer-songwriter from London. She has spent most of her musical life fronting indie bands as well as being a touring musician for Happyness, Max Bloom (Yuck), and Ski Lift along the way. Inspired by 70s folk-rock, a new romance, and a trip to the Greek islands, “Naxos” is Anna Vincent’s debut single as a solo artist and the first single of three from her forthcoming solo album, ‘Under the Glass‘ (coming out 29th Oct 2021). The track that is produced by Max Bloom shines the most in the simplicity and vocal reach and depth. This is typical new-folk, where the lyrics are the main goal of engagement with the listener and the well-composed instrumental melodies the ideal bed for every pair of ears to close their eyes and let themselves go.
Bess Atwell – Red Light Heaven
Described by The Guardian as “A gifted singer-songwriter with a voice like slow, cool water” and by The Independent as “a promising folk poet of suppression and inner anxiety“, Bess Atwell has finally arrived on our radars with her latest “Red Light Heaven“. From the first instance vocally and lyrically impactful, there is also a familiar vibe around her sonority. A familiarity that makes it possible for a listener to ask questions and think on the more serious matters of life. The track departs from the typical Folk vibes to intentionally portray both a rock and pop vibe. The electric guitar that grows in the back (gently until it turns out evident and colourful) invades our thoughts while she builds up an electrifying experience. Certainly among the best vocals, we heard all year in the Folk scope of music. There is even a sort of Springsteen vibe around her powerful storytelling.
emmy Curl – Good Dancers
“‘Good Dancers‘ it’s a track that belongs to the second part of my new album ‘ØPorto‘ which is divided into two parts: Nature / City. This song is an experimental narrative about transformation and finding love in oneself”. For this reason only the track by the Portuguese singer-songwritter emmy Curl already deserved all the attention possible. But beyond this, the experience of listening to her experimental and electronic folk is unparalleled in today’s music. With a sensibility in her voice, but also with a deep connection with the ambient and the nature, we can almost feel the grass and the dirt textures in her compositions. And “Good Dancers” is a clear example of that. With a beautiful video (by Alice Aires) that makes the best possible visual representation of the track, this is one of the deep-minded folk persons, like we are.
Filiah – 27
“The song is actually called “27” because of my apartment number (a lot of people used to think I’m 27 but I’m only 22). I wanted to compare truly letting someone in and opening up to the possibility of new love to inviting someone in your home, your most personal space“. That’s how Filiah describes the gorgeous track she release a while ago. The track that builds up on the simplicity of an acoustic guitar with the silky and delicate vocals that tell the story with beautiful melodies, was recorded as a one-take. It feels live, and it feels alive, exposing the singer to all her feelings about falling in love. It grows from start to end and lets the listener experience all the raw feelings. Releasead as the second single of her upcoming album (she also released two more recently), this is an honest representation of an honest folk composer. And we can’t stay apart from it.
Finn – Come and Play
“Come and Play” is the first single from Finn’s upcoming album entitled “MAYROSE“. A track that is both smooth and sipping, old-fashioned but also with bits of modernity and lots and lots of funky elements that elevate his folk sonority. There is a beautiful sonority that the guitar and simple drums bring to the song, and the vocals always sound natural and warm. The duet with the female vocals closer to the end even give the track a deeper feel. And somehow, in the midst of its simplicity, the track is also super catchy and perfect for a huge amount of consecutive plays. There are bits of Americana in it, taking away the simple folk sonority and giving it that sense of travel that always feel smooth and engaging.
Jodie Nicholson – Second Sun
Inspired by her dad’s love of prog rock, songs that place you in the moment and artists who change sonically with each album, Jodie Nicholson seeks to challenge her singer-songwriter core of delicate melodies and soft instrumentation. Her ethereal vocals remain constant over a diverse, explorative ground, subtly blurring the lines of genre expectations with melancholic soundscapes of indie, electro and folk-pop. Taken from her latest EP, ‘Can’t Escape the Feeling’, Jodie Nicholson released the single “Second Sun’ about one month ago, we are still lingering on it. Deeply inclined on the simplicity of an acoustic guitar, her vocals are velvet-like and defying our intimacy with every word. One track that immediately feels deep and close to our heart. She explains, “At the time of writing this, I was in my room, stuck in a rut, looking out at the rare, gloriously sunny, British weather. I just wanted to be outside basking in its light, knowing the weight’s finally been lifted. This song feels like returning home, finding your feet again, joy, remembering how beautiful life can be.”
M.E. Netzke – Nobody’s Cheerleader (Lady Charisma)
How does one survive a near-death experience? Once you’re past it, you don’t exactly get to decide how you feel about it or what it does to you. You can brush it off and call it a lucky break, or you can allow it to galvanize what it is you ought to do with the time left. The latter proved to be the road taken by the autumnal M.E. Netzke (Ehm-EE Net-skEE). After reconditioning himself from a haphazardous jaunt to the ER for carbon monoxide poisoning, he abandoned various musical genre pursuits to hone in on something both charming and wistful. Having previously been featured in our magazine, he’s been releasing great track after great track. And we can’t stay indifferent on spreading the word on the marvellous “Nobody’s Cheerleader (Lady Charisma”. A track that really resonates with us and brings us back to Rufus Wainwright lullabies. With clear intensity and intent, the track talks about our own narcissistic tendencies. “It’s a warning against the pitfalls of self-importance. It’s a reminder to get off a high horse if you find yourself in the saddle”.
Rasmus Fynbo – Feel the Summer Breeze
Rasmus Fynbo says about “Feel The Summer Breeze“: “let’s catch the last of the summer heat (there’s only rain where I am sitting). It is a fairly positive and upbeat indie folk song with a bunch of my trademark instruments such as Clarinet, Baritone Sax, Cello, Accordion, Upright bass, Dobro and Mandolin”. We feel it is impossible not to stand out from an artist like Rasmus Fynbo. That’s probably the whole purpose of everything we’ve been doing in this magazine. We tell you why. Not only this is a great track that defies the borders of Folk and goes into a distinct world that seems to exist in a particular head of a particular human being, but also that human being is an artist that has been making music for more than 25 years. In his latest project where he is using his own name, he combines indie-pop with bits of rock and even more bits of folk and Balkan music and mixes it all up. This track is the perfect example of that. It talks about finding our own place in the world and getting up on our feet after the heavy blow. In the end, it’s a positive song about being human. And one that ultimately is a perfect celebration of flaws.
Silver – Fools Gold
“Silver is easily one of the most compelling songwriters and artists of our time”. When a sentence like this is pitched our way it’s impossible no to take it carefully and evaluate it in detail. Well, actually, Silver’s latest track “Fools Gold” easily convinced us of her worth. The amount of intensity and the way the song flows naturally from Folk into a gentle pop meets rock sonority is both gorgeous and with depth. We couldn’t agree more when we read that “effortlessly, Silver offers up this sublime serenity within their vocal harmony, capturing a mature impression whilst her vocal notes soar above the sweeter atmosphere”. There is also an ever-growing guitar that serves as the perfect pair for her enticing voice. And as the song grows we feel the will to overcome any problem. And even the will to dance along with this. And when Folk makes you dance. You have to dance. Try not to:
All these songs (and all previous songs featured in TIFU) are also featured on our folk playlist. Follow it on Spotify: