Ay Wing – Selfcare
Swiss-born, Berlin-based, Ay Wing pretty much has it covered when it comes to ensuring her delectable, fluorescent, Neo-soul will get a crowd moving. First time listeners are often so entranced by her glittery beats that they keep coming back for more of that shine and sparkle, online and in person. Deemed as one of the “most promising artists of the year” by UKHipHop Talk, the independent artist rolled her sleeves up and put her head down last year, releasing single after single, with even more coming up this year. In the run-up to, and in support of her “Ice Cream Dream” EP release in the spring of 2018, Ay Wing was prolific in her appearances on stages across Europe as well as the United States, where she made her Los Angeles debut appearance last summer.
Now Ay Wing is releasing her new single, Selfcare, which is an intimate hip hop inspired raw track recounting the feelings of an empath who feels it all, is there for others but forgets to look after themselves. Amid groove driven bass lines & guitar riffs, it narrates the feeling of having to separate yourself from society to recharge your own batteries in solitude.
In this Selfcare, Ay Wing sings: “My superpower, my super curse, will it devour me, not putting me first.” – an ode to self love, it is a reminder to set boundaries and sometimes to put yourself first. With an outro that propels the listener into a feeling of hope & forward movement, Selfcare is directed at our inner recluse that lives within us all.
Broken Fires – Float & Land
“Float and Land” is a progressive alternative rock track that sees Broken Fires throw everything in their arsenal at you. The track was written about the courage to believe you can give up something you’ve built for a better future. Singer and guitarist Tom explains “I wrote the lyrics about a friend who I could see was in a toxic relationship that was falling apart but worrying too much about someone else’s feelings rather than doing what they wanted to. Lots of people I know been there! I just felt like telling them – don’t be afraid to tear it all down and start again, you only get one go! But I knew they wouldn’t listen, so I thought I wrote this to get out my frustration I guess“. By the end of the 4.5 minutes you might find yourself questioning your life choices, just don’t end your relationship before thinking it through…
With the demo composed in a day, to the track was later added the rhythm section in one other day and the guitars some months later to complete the puzzle. Matt Lederman (!!!, Rural Alberta Advantage) was responsible for the mixing with Ryan Morey (Arcade Fire) doing the master. Maybe because of these very professional hands, a tinge of Modest Mouse (with Jonny Marr of course) runs through the guitar lines. The song builds to an earth-shattering crescendo – overlapping vocal lines, harmonies, multiple guitar melodies and unpredictable rhythmic changes.
Hazlett – Oh Downhill
Hazlett’s brand of ballroom indie folk and vast nostalgia will fill your heart but let you cry. Born in Australia, and bloomed in Sweden, this modern-day nomad has been earning a place in punters’ hearts with his live appearances and fondness for intriguing stories. On the past 23rd of September, he dropped his newest release entitled “Oh Downhill” via Nettwerk, which is Side A of his upcoming first full-length album, due out in the new year.
“I don’t know what is ingrained in human nature that makes us run back to things that are bad for us, people that don’t like us or compare ourselves to strangers’ lives,” Hazlett said of the track. “When you look back after a moment like this happens it’s so confusing. “Makes no sense why I cared about you”. But in that moment it’s all you can care about and all you can focus on. This song is a little homage to this broken little world we are all trying to swim in.“
Herman Hitson – Let The Gods Sing
In the music business, there are certain sidemen — players who back the stars — who play with such prowess that they gain the fame of their own. By all rights, Hermon Hitson should be one of those people. Over the years, he played with Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Joe Tex, Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett, Garnet Mimms, Major Lance, Jackie Wilson, the Drifters, the Shirelles, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters and many others. “I played behind Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke on the same doggone show,” he said, recalling one night at the Royal Peacock. Along the way, he picked up every style of music that was popular in the early years of his career.
Hermon never stopped playing, but his career was mostly limited to nightclub gigs in his hometown of Atlanta. Hermon was realistic about where his career stood when he first met Music Maker’s Tim Duffy in 2021, unknown to all but the most hardcore record collectors, Hendrix fans, readers of Wax Poetics Magazine, and fans of the legendary Ponderosa Stomp festival (which had featured him both at its main festival in New Orleans and at an SXSW showcase in 2008). Though his early sides had recently seen a reissue anthology, “he realized he was invisible to everybody“.
“Let The Gods Sing” should be the maker of justice. His new album features reprise versions of songs he helped compose and songs he played for the last 3 decades live. We highlight the incredible title track and say to every single one of our readers: try to be indifferent to this:
Jenny Newman – Danish Boy
Jenny Newman is a NY-born singer-songwriter with a deep taste in sorrow. Her melancholy melodies mixed with deep social cuts bring a brutal reality to stories most would be afraid to tell. She defines her sound as a kaleidoscope of alternative, grunge and pop. Each song showcases Jenny’s bonafide storytelling that takes listeners on a journey through time. Art-directing her own music videos and designing her whole brand identity, she establishes herself as more than just a musician but a multi-hyphenate.
“Danish Boy” is her latest single and an uplifting composition consisting of a funky bassline, warm synths and a playful drum beat. The song tells the true story of Jenny’s teenage romance with a Danish foreign exchange student, and the movie-like adventures she had with him.
Her debut EP “Daydream” is set to release in May of 2022, featuring the production by Adam Castilla of The Colourist.
Lovi Did This – The Fish Song
Swedish Lovi Did This is an artist truly on her own path, musically, in her lyrics and on stage. She writes a kind of Twin Peaks-pop with both great seriousness and playfulness. Her debut album “Monsters”, holds equal parts beauty and darkness. Her lyrics are inspired by our reptile brain responses on threats and how that affects us humans even when no real dangers are present.
The “Monsters” album is beautifully recorded and produced by Katharina Nuttall with additions by guitarist Staffan Johansson, drummer Andreas Dahlbäck and clarinettist Nils Berg .
There is a timeless cinematic feel to the songs, manifested in Tarantino-guitar, 50s choirs and odd instruments such as the marxophone, bass clarinet and banjo – a perfect frame to the vulnerability in Lovi Did This voice. All of those features are perfectly in display in The Fish Song – sizzling with an electronic beat, underwater bass clarinets, “Spaghetti Western” guitars and a cheeky bass line that form an irresistibly catchy rhythm. To this avantgarde backdrop Lovi Did This sing quite Lana Del Rey-like about the terror of electric eels. What else could you ask for?
Shanae – Illusions
Following her mesmerizing appearances at BIGSOUND in Australia recently, Sydney-based Shanae returns with a blissful new single “Illusions”.
A captivating follow-up to 2021’s “Some Type Of Way”, the new drop sees a seamlessly blended instrumental carry Shanae’s velvet vocals as she poses the introspective question – “How do I know if it’s real? If I feel it now, is this my truth?”. It arrives after a whirlwind of milestone performances and accolades for Shanae – from Live Nation’s Ones To Watch, Acclaim’s Allstars Class of 2022 (for which she placed in the Top 10), and supporting Grammy-winning American musician PJ Morton across his sold-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
Now releasing her latest single, one to wear her heart on her sleeve, the Sydney-born South African artist describes “Illusions” as “super personal to me, and one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve ever written. I wrote the song with my producer Rory Noble quite some time ago, and it’s about questioning ‘how do you know if you’re in love?’, which is something I was experiencing at the time.”
Son Cesano – Monus Bonus
What started in autumn 2015 with some uncoordinated jams slowly assumed a more structured shape. The result was a mixture of different stylistic elements characterized by instrumental, partly spherical, partly heavy fuzz sound. Heavy Psychedelic Sud Rock was born under the name of Son Cesano act.
“Monus Bonus” is the name of the first track on the album, due out in late 2022 – a piece with a cinematic feel, spreading a darkly enchanting mood. Looped guitar melodies and driving drums blend into a seductive tapestry of sound that builds in complex but catchy layers to an all-redeeming climax.
Remedies – Ligths Out
Remedies is an alt-rock/pop duo from Narvik in Northern Norway, formed in late 2016. The duo consists of Tor Erik Ursin (instrumentals) and Sigrid Ryan (vocals). Their music is inspired by elements from different genres, mixed together to create an exciting soundscape. Remedies compose, write, produce, and release their music independently. Following up their EP “Delusions” from 2019, the duo is now set for their first album release on October 21st 2022.
“Lights Out” is the title song on Remedies’ upcoming album with the same name (Out October 21st). The lyrics depict a fragile world, where world leaders are burning bridges, with the most uncertain outcome. “In the production process, we wanted to build a continuous, marching rhythm and a serious mood that compliments the text”. The song, as well as the album, is self-produced and partially recorded at home and in Kysten Studio in Tromsø, Nothern Norway.
Resa Saffa Park – Kids Lack Rock ‘n’ Roll
Resa Saffa Park, (also known as Theresa Frostad Eggesbø) is a singer and songwriter born in Dubai, currently based in Oslo after three years of tweaking her sound in Liverpool, UK. Despite singing and writing her whole life, she first fell in love with singing jazz in her late teens. Inspired by singers such as Billie Holiday and Chet Baker, her music carries a soothing, yet unapologetic blend of modern and vintage, classic and quirky sounds with soulful vocals, catchy melodies, and bold lyrics.
After releasing her first EP “Spaces” at the beginning of this year, Resa Saffa Park is presenting her new single “Kids Lack Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Powerful and tasteful, “Kids Lack Rock ‘n’ Roll” is covered in a sexy and warm layer of cinematic smoke-like mystery, violently disrupted with the rock-influenced chorus. In the past year, Resa received strong support from DSPs as being the cover girl of Norwegian Spotify playlist Indielista and added in Equal Norway, Alt., and NMF Norway. Her music was also supported on NRK P1 & P3, Deutschlandfunk Nova and music video broadcasted on MTV Brazil.
ROE – Alarms
ROE just released her new much anticipated new album “That’s When The Panic Sets In” featuring the latest single, “Alarms“. The long-awaited debut album from ROE was recorded and produced by Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers/SOAK) in the wilds of Donegal in 2021. The long play is described as a vibrant release, with rich contrast between ROE’s introspective anxieties and the colour palette that she’s thrown across them.
The new single “Alarms” is the closing track of the album and an indie-folk, gang vocal-laden anthem steeped in ROE‘s trademark authenticity, touching on themes of disappointment and overcoming insecurity. “We were halfway through recording my album when I wrote ‘Alarms’ and immediately knew it needed to be how the record ended. I think this song speaks for itself so I don’t want to ruin it with any kind of possible explanation. All that I will say is that it’s the song on That’s When The Panic Sets In that means the most to me, and getting to sing on it with some of my best friends was one of the most fulfilling experiences ever.”
We could compare this to the great first songs released from Daughter about ten years ago, and we gladly do it knowing how big of a comparison that is. Marvellous track.
Rosalyn feat Dom Lepyutin- She Was Hot
Rosalyn or โรสศิริน is a buzzing up-and-coming indie band originally formed in 2016 by three school friends. Inspired by artists like Led Zeppelin, Tame Impala, Daniel Caesar, and Rhye, the young trio was obsessed with the idea of creating fresh, dreamy indie music. The name Rosalyn comes from their mutual crush on the same girl at their school, and like the girl Rosalyn, the band’s music is beautiful, sophisticated and at the same time, familiar and easy to fall in love with.
“She Was Hot” is a gorgeous dream-pop or dream-rock track that starts melancholic and with a lot of blues and that fills the listener with tender guitars and even tender vocal elements. Ultimately an indie ballad without being afraid to sound vulnerable, it even shines in the way it masters gentle variations and tastefully generous electric vibes.
Tempesst – True Love’s In Decline
East London’s Tempesst are announcing their brand-new album “Prisoner Of Desire” which will be released on 3rd March 2023 via Pony Recordings. We were already huge fans of the previous single and title track and now we are also feeling in love with the new single “True Love’s In Decline” and the gorgeous video.
Following last month’s release of the album’s brooding title track, the quintet continue to showcase these themes on the new single “True Love’s In Decline”; a track that depicts a man who has a very transactional relationship with love via dating apps. It explores the brutality that comes with dating in this new era. While many think this is now just “the done thing”, as frontman Toma Banjanin suggests, the song offers a sardonic counterpoint to that, calling out its vapidity and shallowness in a way the band feel many men don’t often do. “It’s a bit cynical and tongue-in-cheek, but to be fair, I think it is a legitimate analysis of the times we live in” adds Toma.
Tuvaband – Something Good
Based in Oslo, Norway, indie folk/rock artist Tuvaband possesses a critically-acclaimed, international profile. Wildly eclectic in nature, Tuvaband aka Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser exudes impressive versatility as a fearless songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Having previously earned a Norwegian Grammy nomination, her artistry has garnered favorable comparisons to Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, David Lynch and Coco Rosie. Easing through delicate, piano-led folk, softly-soaring post-rock and carefully-crafted sound design, her indie pop mystique has won the hearts of listeners from all over the world. Floating over these carefully-composed songs and densely textured soundscapes are Tuva’s fluttery vocals which manage to be both visceral and vulnerable. Tuvaband’s upcoming fourth album, “New Orders“, out October 21, 2022, is a bold exploration of the many facets of her creativity. It marks the first time she did everything on an album, including playing all the instruments (except trombone and drums, though she had programmed these beforehand and additionally kept parts of it), recording, producing, and mixing. It’s a pure transmission of Tuva’s full-bloom artistry and “Something Good” proves the power of manifestation is real because we know that something very good is coming to your airwaves soon.
Ethereal yet cinematic in nature, “Something Good” sparked its inspiration during the pandemic while she lived in Berlin and everything around her felt dystopian and tense. Listening to a lot of “Cloudbusting” by Kate Bush at the time, Tuvaband craved an uplifting message and channeled that craving into creativity; with lyrics like “I will write pleasure now, for the very first time. And I believe, I do believe that something good is gonna happen“, she optimistically manifests an outcome that everyone was hoping for during very dark times. When discussing her likeness to Kate Bush’s song, Tuvaband expressed: “I wanted to find more songs that I could like, filled with sentences like this. So I decided to write the song I wanted to listen to”.