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.
Adam Shavin – Periscope
A guitarist from Atlanta, it’s how Adam Sharvin describes himself, without the need for more adjectives or complex demonstrations of what kind of artist he is. It is also with that lever of straightforwardness that we were introduced to the way he composes and destines great folky-like guitar melodies in a song. The example is “Periscope” one of the latest songs he has released and the title track of a four-track EP. He describes it as a “Surfy blues track that sounds like the open ocean” and we feel the waves and the full deep blue in these beautiful guitar elements that makes us feel like songwriting can be very simple but still very effective and powerful.
Ava Vegas – Pleasure Pilgrim
Berlin-born, LA-bound artist and producer Ava Vegas mesmerizes us with her eclectic, deep-tinged take on folk-cinematic indie-pop and transports us into a haze of darkly-romantic neo-psychedelia. Marrying nylon guitars with haunting atmospheric electronic elements and a touch of Gothica, her rich, spellbinding vocals, ethereal tones, and angelic, otherworldly presence immerse us in a magically crafted world of Twin Peaks nostalgia and sad-girl disco.
Her upcoming album Desert Songs produced by Ava Vegas herself, marks the beginning of the next chapter for her exciting career. We began our journey into her enigmatic, cinematic world with first singles Falling and Swimming Pool, and now comes the seductive, water-pixie energy of the Pleasure Pilgrim. About this last one, Ava says: “I wrote Pleasure Pilgrim in the state of expectation. Getting ready for the night, imagining seeing your person there. Not going for anything specific, just the tension, the attention and the mutual attraction. Pleasure Pilgrim is probably my most seductive song”.
Gabrielle Shonk – How We Used To Be
Montréal-based singer-songwriter Gabrielle Shonk shares How We Used To Be, her first new music in five years. The song is taken from her forthcoming 2023 album which chronicles the enormity of heartache and hope that comes with endings and new beginnings.
How We Used To Be marks a new chapter in Shonk’s career. After parting ways with the major label behind her debut album, she used her newfound creative freedom to collaborate with longtime friends, co-writer Jessy Caron of the band Men I Trust, and producer Jesse Mac Cormack (Helena Deland). The result is a moody single with tinges of 90s R&B exploring romantic nostalgia by reminiscing about a relationship before it fell apart.
Ruth Lyon – Clown
Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon released her new single Clown, the second track to be heard from upcoming EP Direct Debit To Vogue, out 26th November. The new EP was produced by John Parish at his Bristol studio, and will also feature the recently released single Trouble.
Out since mid-October, Clown was released alongside an eye-catching video and explores the temptation of reckless decisions. Led by a skittering drum beat and lilting piano progressions, Ruth‘s sharp, self-aware prose weave around the instrumentals in seamless fashion.
Talel McBriar -I’ll Give It Another Day
Talel McBriar is a singer-songwriter and musician from Nelson, British Columbia. While her sound merges traditional folk with alternative rock influences, the 22-year-old’s haunting voice delivers reflective and insightful lyrics. Following the release of her single The Conversation, Flood Season is Talel’s debut EP. A collection of songs written over the past four years, Flood Season speaks to the inclination to connect with others in times that provoke such isolation and anxiety. Her lyrics are cathartic and reflective as she confronts her observations and concerns through resonant words, stirring harmonies, and expansive instrumentals in an attempt to grasp uncertainties through song.
About her latest release, I’ll Give It Another Day, one of the four songs on Flood Season, Talel said: “The song evolved from abrupt changes and transformations in relationships with people who are close to me. It speaks to the feeling of being disoriented from navigating changes.”
Tommy Ashby – Lifeline
Tommy Ashby is a Scottish musician and prolific writer with a distinct ability for capturing the innate beauty of everyday moments in his own euphony of ethereal sonics and hushed vocals. Mastered his sound in a homemade studio experimenting with multiple instruments and recording techniques. His fascination with sound saw him complete a PHD in Psychoacoustics studying the mind’s response to sound, and develop a unique partnership with Grammy-winning producer Sam Okell. Tommy’s musical graduation of listening to a diverse range of influences including Gillian Welch, Neil Young, James Blake and Jeff Buckley has led him to develop an appetite for a melodic and expansive sound that begins in the wilds of Scotland and comes to life on the clifftop coasts of Sam’s Cornwall studio.
Ashby showcases his gift for crafting sincere and touching meditations on relationships with his latest seafaring single Lifeline. After growing up in Scotland surrounded by hills, Tommy’s move to scenic coastal Suffolk is deeply engrained within the soul of this latest soothing offering.
All these songs (and all previous songs featured in TIFU) are also featured on our folk playlist. Follow it on Spotify: