Category: Listen

sohayl ryder – HAVAS

Every track that I have come to encounter from sohayl ryder has blown me away so far, and today’s release of ‘HAVAS’ is no exception.

Crafting a sound that truly blends style with substance, it seems only a short matter of time before the rest of the world wakes up to this talent.

“‘Havas’ is a Persian word (I am originally Iranian) that means caution. But in poetry, it has a double meaning for desire. Essentially the song is a double allegory for being a cautious person due to the rough background of living in Iran and knowing the struggles people face to the lustful desire for sex and how it can be dangerous.”

sohayl ryder

ZULA + glue70 – Elevate Me

Released through independent label Havêa Records, ‘Elevate Me’ serves as an introduction to a hugely exciting new collaboration featuring UK-based artists ZULA and glue70.

Forged in the small hours that follow big nights, the quiet time of cocooned downtime and amongst the lived hours soaking up inspiration from their home city of Manchester, this is a project born of experimental experiences.

“‘Elevate Me’ is about being there for a friend in need, someone who needs an elevating touch.” – ZULA

Taken from the upcoming EP ‘SKIN44’, which is due for release in November 2021.

ZULA | glue70

Rhys – Thanks a lot now I can’t smile

American-Swedish starlet Rhys returns today with a supreme sound that fuses pop and rock tones together in both a balanced and nostalgic way.

Taken from her next EP (due early next year), ‘Thanks a lot now I can’t smile’ incorporates that style of early 00’s American punk-pop, which in many ways shaped Rhys while she was growing up in Portland.

“I was quite depressed for a year and felt incapable of socialising with others without killing the vibe. Walked around thinking ‘well, I’m gonna feel this bad forever, thanks a lot! When being in the middle of it, it was hard to see it, but in retrospect it was sick liberating to write a sarcastic song about that time.”

Rhys

JERUB – Trade It All

Rising Nottingham talent JERUB is back today with one of the most moving blends of indie and R&B that you will likely experience all week.

Deeply inspired by the realities of life, ‘Trade It All’ reflects on loss and grief with a powerfully emotive display of vulnerability.

“I wrote this song after speaking to a friend about his first Christmas without his dad, who had passed away the year before. He told me how strange it felt without him there and how he didn’t know how to behave, and I just felt so much empathy for him. Shortly after, I heard the news that Koby Bryant and his daughter had died in the helicopter crash, and remember feeling floored by such a deep tragedy.

I was also thinking about the last 18 months we’ve just had and all the people who have lost parents, grandparents, siblings and so on. So this song is really about the love you have for a loved one who may have passed away, and remembering that love and the impact that they had on you.”

JERUB

ROMderful – ALIENS!

Having created official remixes for the likes of Pharrell and Goldlink, and produced tracks for Syd/The Internet, Kyle Dion and Leven Kali to name but a few, ROMderful (born Rommel Donald) has steadily become a prominent figure in the indie-R&B scene and online beat community.

The UK-born, Korea-based producer, songwriter and singer debuts his dreamy and soulful new single ‘ALIENS!’ today, ahead of the upcoming album ‘Please Reconnect Controller’ (out 29th October 2021).

“‘ALIENS!’ is about that feeling of meeting someone that’s out of this world and them giving you a high that you’ve never experienced before. A rush of rainbows, happiness and feeling freedom by just being around the right person.”

ROMderful

ROZET – Cake Face

The worlds of R&B and indie collide wonderfully on ROZET’s latest single, ‘Cake Face’. This is a polished sound that has been carefully crafted, all the while still carrying a sense of playfulness and eccentricity.

ROZET

Lauren Dejey – Like A Curse

Emerging South London artist Lauren Dejey returns with a refreshingly conceptual release that is both intriguing and mesmerising.

From the moment you press play on ‘Like A Curse’ you’ll realise that this is not a typical alt-pop ballad, but rather an an ironic hymn to astrology’s witchcraft that is dedicated to all the toxic people Lauren encountered in her life.

“‘Like A Curse’ is all about playing into the Scorpio stereotype from astrology. I love star signs but mine is usually made out to be vengeful, manipulative, ruthless, and jealous. So I thought, you know what why not be a bad bitch who will haunt you forever if you hurt her and probably poison your tea or something?”

Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Kali Ma’ which is due for release on 27th October 2021.

Lauren Dejey

Two Another – Matter Of Time

Rising pop duo Two Another return with a perfectly balanced blend of R&B and synth-pop on new single ‘Matter of Time’. The song was written during the pandemic, when the duo found themselves giving advice and strength to the people they loved in the face of adversity.

“Last year my boyfriend lost his job and like countless others he struggled to find work for a really long time. It started to affect his mental health and self esteem in a way I hadn’t seen before. This song is inspired by the difficult conversations we would have about our future and learning how to come to terms with circumstances out of our control.” – Eliot, Two Another

Two Another

Jalle – Hate Me

Originally featured on Alfitude last year (garnering a Track of the Week accolade with his first song), Nottingham-based rapper and songwriter Jalle releases his debut with Warner Music. ‘Hate Me’ sees Jalle talk about the breakdown of his last relationship in vivid colour:

“’Hate Me’ is about my last relationship. It came to a very sour end ; arguments, nearly getting back together, the word hate being thrown around. It’s about having to deal with all those repercussions. Really, we weren’t ready for love so we had to cut each other out.”

Jalle

LONA – Darkest Days

Over the weekend, alt-pop talent LONA opened the main stage for none other than Liam Gallagher at the Isle of Wight Festival, and now returns with a gorgeously emotive new single called ‘Darkest Days’.

Laced with softly melancholic guitar riffs, LONA’s gravely rock-edged vocal performance punches through to reflect the rawness of the song’s deeply personal core message.

“’Darkest Days’ is a tale of two people struggling in a relationship. It’s about when the person you love is lost and they feel like there is no way out of the black vacuum inside their head. The song is about being able to battle through these times. It’s about knowing that life won’t always be like this even though you may see no way out. I personally know that the darkest days don’t last forever and that’s what this song is really about. I saw no way out – but there was and the people closest to me got me through my darkest times. I wrote this song for the people who may not have other people to get them through. You’ve got me.”

LONA

Lunar Vacation – Gears

Atlanta’s Lunar Vacation return with a new single that serves a heady dose of melancholy over a colourful indie-pop production. ‘Gears’ examines a relationship deteriorating; the conflict between emotional grief and objective knowledge that ending it is the right thing to do.

“When I look back on any kind of relationship, it’s usually through rose-colored glasses. I guess this song tells me that although this happened, you just gotta keep going because this isn’t the end of the world. But the last lines are a reflection of how inner-me feels… I’ll probably always be a little sad about the loss. I feel like most, if not all, of my songs are future-me giving past-me advice and insight on specific situations that evoked heavy feelings.” – Grace Repasky (songwriter/ vocalist/ guitarist).

Taken from the debut album ‘Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp’ which is out on 29th October 2021. The group are also heading a US tour to include Shaky Knees in Atlanta this autumn, a run with The Beths in 2022, as well as European dates next year too.

Lunar Vacation

Pugs Atomz – This Lifetime

Track of the week. A conceptual and future-forward approach to hip hop that still somehow maintains an essence of nostalgia, ‘This Lifetime’ is one of the best releases that I have come across over the last week.

On the track, Pugs connects with fellow Chicago artist Rockie Fresh and glides across the bouncy production of Tusk57, with each MC breaking down what they want to see in this lifetime; for themselves and the people that come after.

Taken from the upcoming album ‘Test Drive’ which drops 13th October 2021.

Pugs Atomz

Pasha – Bad Trips

Norwegian MC Pasha has been steadily building a global fanbase ever since NME highlighted him as one of the most promising artists in the world back in 2017.

Since then he’s sold out shows, had regular listings on Norwegian national radio P3, and been featured on respected tastemaker publications like Clash and Highsnobiety.

Produced by Mogilla and Pluto, ‘Bad Trips’ delivers a chilled atmosphere lifted by bass riffs, rhythmic guitars and a hook that easily makes you wanna sing along.

Pasha

MICHELLE – SYNCOPATE

Born-and-bred New Yorkers, MICHELLE formed in 2018 and is comprised of Sofia D’Angelo, Julian Kaufman, Charlie Kilgore, Layla Ku, Emma Lee and Jamee Lockard. 

Taken from the forthcoming album ‘AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS’ (due January 2022), their new single ‘SYNCOPATE’ is a blissful sound that subtly fuses soul, funk, R&B and pop into a sound that is just so easy to fall in love with.

“The song at its core is about desire. Communicating your desire can feel vulnerable, so we wanted to have some fun with that and show our funky and seductive side. It really feels like we’re hitting the street for the first time by putting this song out into the world.”

The band are headlining a UK and European tour, beginning in Dublin on 5th February 2022, then taking in Glasgow, Manchester and London (The Lexington on 9th February), followed by shows in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

MICHELLE

Foxes – Sister Ray

Photo / Zachary Chick

Through the years UK artist Foxes has come to grow a hugely loyal and dedicated army of fans thanks to her consistency in crafting premium pop anthems.

She returns with an absolute banger of a track in the form of new track ‘Sister Ray’. While inspired by the Velvet Underground song of the same name, the single takes a more anthemic and electronic approach akin to Robyn:

“‘Sister Ray’ came from a wild part of me during lockdown that was craving a night of freedom and fun again, a longing to let go. The velvet underground reference is a nod to describing the most debauched night you could ever imagine but in its spirit it’s a celebration of the people you can have those indescribable times with. I wanted to encapsulate that energy in a song so I could imagine that feeling forever.”

Taken from the forthcoming album ‘The Kick’ which is due for release on 11th February 2022.

Foxes

Rushes – Lost In Therapy

As it currently stands (and in my personal opinion), no newcomer from Ireland is fusing alt-pop with RnB as perfectly as Rushes is.

‘Lost In Therapy’ is one of the best releases of the week thanks to it’s simple yet finessed production, and raw yet honest lyricism. This kid is undoubtedly one to watch.

Rushes