The UK’s most exciting rap powerhouses come together on ‘Blama’, which features on Steel Banglez’s debut album.
“I always vision what the fans would want to see and hear. I’m blessed to able to put together two of the hottest artists in the UK scene right now. With Tion Wayne’s rise into mainstream success and Morrisson one of the most explosive breakthrough artists of the year, ‘Blama’ is a statement piece of art.”
Steel Banglez | Tion Wayne | Morrisson
Quote via Complex UK
Indie-pop outfit Varley have constructed one of the most thought-provoking singles so far this week with ‘One Two Three’.
The song serves as a reflective response to the feelings of inadequacy that we experience in today’s culture, particularly from social media.
“We wrote ‘One Two Three’ about the unachievable beauty standard we are surrounded by in today’s society and how people’s lives online can seem so perfect and how it becomes harder not to compare yourself or your life to everything you see online. It talks about the feeling of being stuck in a big machine that’s trying to change us but also has the realisation that if we apologise for being ourselves then we will be lost forever.”
With the help of Ivorian Doll and Haile from RnB collective WSTRN, the British musical powerhouse that is KAMILLE releases a summer bop like none other in the form of ‘Sad Party’.
“’Sad Party’ is all about trying to get over the one you miss the most, and how difficult it can be to move on. Everyone around you seems so happy, and you feel like the only one heartbroken. ‘Friday night highs but I’m feeling low’ – I love this lyric so much! We’ve all been there – t-shirt, a bad movie & binging on ice cream on a Friday night because you’re just.. that.. sad.”
Just to remind you of how special this seasoned hitmaker is, KAMILLE is not only a singer, songwriter and producer but also a label, studio and publisher owner who was the first artist to ever be offered their own studio within London’s iconic Metropolis Studios.
KAMILLE | Ivorian Doll | Haile
Cult LA indie-rock outfit Inner Wave return with the spellbinding ‘Take 3’, taken from the forthcoming album ‘Apoptosis’.
The album’s release marks 15 years to the day since their first ever rehearsal as a group. Since then, their unique brand of psych-rock has garnered 100m Spotify streams and won acclaim from the likes of i-D, Pigeons & Planes and the LA Times.
‘Apoptosis’ drops on 30th September 2021.
With his distinctly unique brand of neo-soul pop, West Coast-soul funk maestro Pretty Sister is back today with new single ‘Bad Things’.
Immediately infectious, the track weaves an intimate and refreshingly honest story through Pretty Sister’s distinctive vocal tones and production style.
Taken from the debut album ‘Catalina’ which is out now.
New Zealand alt-rock outfit Tablefox create a kind of sound makes instant impact; this is punk-pop at it’s wildest and most fun.
‘Burning Bridges’ is an anthemic bop that opens their forthcoming album ‘Battles’, and signifies everything about the last few years for the band.
‘Battles’ is out on 30th July 2021.
Track of the week. The big challenge in creating conceptual pieces of music is that the chances of mainstream audiences connecting with your work is somewhat limited.
I can confidently say that this is not the case with Carter Ace’s ‘The One and Lonely’. Truly a sublime composition, the Cameroonian-American singer, songwriter, rapper and artist has seamlessly blended RnB with hip-hop, soul and even space funk to create one of the most impressive songs that I have experienced so far this month.
“This track is about creating art in the void of loneliness, intensified during the last year with the forced isolation of the pandemic and navigating my growing success. In this void, the pressure to create has turned into a distracting white noise as I recognise that I am truly ‘the One and Lonely.’ As the track morphs static noise into inspirational melodies, I realise ‘I don’t know my purpose, so I might as well enjoy the ride.’”
London-based talent Kianja returns with a Latin and Dancehall influenced RnB track that is sure to move both your heart and hips!
‘I Appreciate You’ was written as an ode to every partner out there – acknowledging the support they have given in their relationships, especially after the pandemic.
LA talent Coleton Rubin returns with a sublime piece of melodic indie-pop, featuring that distinctive voice and captivating lyricism.
LA-based artist and producer Mothé returns today with their new single, ‘Summers Almost Gone’.
The track itself feels beautifully nostalgic and warm, thanks to Mothé’s heavy reliance on analog recording techniques:
“With every single thing I do, I want to take a little bit longer because I put a bit of care into it. I want all of my work to exist outside of the digital sphere, too. I love the idea of having things come to life in a physical form before they make their way to other platforms.”
Iconic Australian collective Winston Surfshirt today return to share their newest single, ‘All Of The Little Things’ featuring Californian rapper Ramirez.
“I got a tweet from Ramirez last year just said ‘u the truth bruh’ I was like how’s he even know me!? We started chatting n throwing music we were working on to each other and I ended making something with him in mind, within a couple of days he’d sent a verse back and we’ve been sitting on it ever since. He put a snippet of it on his story and it’s been my most frequent dm since so I’m glad to be finally releasing it for those people.” – Winston Surfshirt
One of the most successful indie-rock outfits to emerge from Wales, The Joy Formidable are still going strong ten years after forming.
Their new single ‘Interval’ is taken from the band’s upcoming album ‘Into The Blue‘, which will be available from the 20th August 2021. Of the album, the band says:
“It’s about opening your eyes to beauty and love again. Making it to the other side. Whilst not conceived as a metaphor for the times we all live in now, it certainly turned out that way.”
Initially connecting through Discord, Xander Sol and Lethr have seemingly formed a perfect musical partnership, as is evident with new single ‘GLOW’.
This is a summery track that carries through a distinctive approach to hip hop that feels lo-fi and hazy. Perfect for the weeks ahead, this is a very easy song to fall in love with.
“We began to share projects back and forth over DMs and email (as Lethr is from India while I am from the U.S.), building our own unique creative relationship while developing a sound that we ourselves felt driven to tackle. The day that ‘GLOW’ came about, I had woken up to this beat that Lethr had sent me. The drive and the mood of the instrumental had me hooked so fast, I wrote the whole song in under 2 hours and had the rough song recorded by the end of that day.” – Xander Sol
Just in time for summer’s peak weeks, Xavier White releases cheeky new single ‘Slip n’ Slide’.
A perfect addition to your summer playlists, this is a sleek fusion of RnB and pop that was co-written by B.Martin & FLYiZDR, and produced by Dan Bravo of Sweden.
“Summer vibes, its 2021 everyone has been vaccinated every thing is opened now, and the song is all about a hot boy hot girl summer, fun in the sun, playing in the water, enjoying each other. Just good sexy vibey energy. “
Hailing from Helsinki. Misha is half Finnish and half Ukrainian producer who is crafting some of the most finessed blends of hip hop and RnB to emerge from the Nordic nations right now.
And with over ten million streams and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1Xtra/ Jamz Supernova and Okayplayer, this is one talent to watch out for!
Taken from Misha’s new EP ‘Gusto’ which is out now.
Undoubtedly one of my favourite RnB-pop bops this week! Canadian talent Neena Rose is a 19-year old Ontario-based artist who’s debut single ‘Rock N Roll Lullaby’ was recorded at just the age of 12 with Diamond & Platinum producer-songwriter Roy “Royalty” Hamilton III.
Despite her young age, this artist is emerging onto the music scene with a magnetism not encountered every day. On her artistry, Neena says:
“I love it all, but writing lyrics is my favourite part. I want people to gain empowerment from my music. I want it to communicate to them: ‘You’ve got this. You can be different. You can do anything.’”
Canadian alternative singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Bryant returns today with dreamy new single ‘Tied Up’.
A feeling most of us are all too familiar with, the song is all about those early hours in the morning when the world is sleeping and you’re still wide awake.
“This song is about the early morning after everything is done and most everyone is sleeping. I’ve always been the kind of guy that needs change and new things to happen. It’s like a drug to me. Covid has been the ultimate buzz kill for me, so I’ve come to terms with reality and embraced the routine. As much as I hate it. It helped me write 50 songs in 50 days. Still can’t believe I managed to pull that off.”
Any day that KWAYE releases a new single is a good day, in my view. A true modern-day visionary, the 25 year old singer from LA (via London and Zimbabwe) has already developed a cult-like fanbase for his ambitious musical explorations, accumulating over 30 million global streams in the process.
“’Kindness’ has got many meanings, but the overall idea is that simple thing that, I think in this day and age, we as human beings tend to stray away from… humans can be so quick to judge, but also be so quick to be sceptical of any kind gestures in public. I make a habit of – if I’ve got something nice to say, I’ll say it to a perfect stranger.”
Taken from the new EP ‘Learning To Swim’ which will be released later this year.
Starting the weekend off with some of the finest emerging UK RnB and soul, courtesy of London-based producer, singer/songwriter and keyboard player Ruby Francis.
Heavily inspired by The Neptunes, ‘Jasmine’ is sleek yet passionate song that tells of an obsession for a girl Ruby never met.
“‘Jasmine’ is a made up name of a girl that I, as a character, have never met, but have fallen in love with online and become obsessed with in secret; idolising and fantasising about life together in reality.‘
