You know you’re on to something special when you come across a song as intense and thought-provoking as this. More so when it’s the work of two 17 year-old artists. Some of the UK’s most exciting talents right here…
“The song is about mental health young men. Me and tmdistant wrote it from two different perspectives of bad mental in our lives as we have both been through different things to affect us mentally.” – Tom Did It
One of the most exciting RnB talents to emerge out of 2020, Freeman Young returns today with another slick, psychedelic slice of bliss.
“‘Red Pill’ is an anthem for the emotionally unavailable. At the time, no one could get through to me. It didn’t matter what you had to offer beyond the physical. All that was on my mind was escaping. I really wanted *out*. It took hella trial and error, but I finally agreed with myself to crack open the bonnet, take a hard look at myself, accept the reality of what’s there and what’s not and start the long and arduous task of rebuilding myself.”
Taken from the debut EP ‘The Blue Pill‘ which is out now.
The lyrics to this new single from Abe Parker tell of a poignant story which reminds us that we really ought to care more for one another. The words play an interesting dynamic against the playful indie production, and the song is a beautiful experience to listen to.
“’80 Dollars’ follows the life an inner city girl struggling to take care of herself. My heart is to show people that you really can’t judge a book by it’s cover. You never know what someone may be going through and if we’re being honest we could all take a little more time to love and listen.”
I listen to at least 80 songs a day running this site (most days it’s a lot more), and sometimes I zone out when I hear the lyrics to the tracks that I’m sent.
But I was genuinely moved by the words that came out of this release from Bristol-born, LA based singer-songwriter Lauren Aquilina. This song is well worth playing.
“‘Swap Places’ is a song about insecurity, but mostly it’s a song about wanting to be nicer to yourself. I find that when I get into that dark hole of comparing myself to other people, it’s usually not because I actually would rather be someone else, but more that I just wish I had the confidence to be the best version of myself all the time. It’s a lyric that resonates a lot with me but also the most upbeat pop song I’ve put out for a while, so I’m excited for people to hear it.”
Track of the week. This Scottish talent is going from strength to strength. Following on from his debut EP (which achieved over a million streams in the course of just four months), Christy returns with a stunning release.
This song starts off as a standard, raw indie track but evolves into something quite spectacular, encompassing an emotive, epic, almost cinematic experience.
“‘When We Get Old’ is based on a real conversation I had with my then girlfriend. I wanted to put across the idea that to be right here and now, in the moment, is the most important place to be, especially with being in love.”
Finessed, flawless and fabulous. That’s all I’ll say from this release and visuals by the singer, songwriter and sonic anomaly that is Muni Long.
“I take elements from things I love and put them into a gumbo. There’s an energy and a story to it. I hope you feel like you’re having fun, because I was having fun when I made it. There comes a time in your life where you just want to live and be your fullest self, without the expectations others want to attach to you.”
While sung in Italian, this is an excellent slice of dark, mellow RnB and hip hop that demands your attention!
“We were on lockdown, and it felt as though time had stopped. One morning I opened my eyes with no energy, I was feeling lonely and Los Angeles was completely shut down… My boyfriend was stuck in Mexico and my family back in Rome would call me on FaceTime super worried every day. The only way out of negative thoughts was through music.”
First featured all the way back in 2016 and still crafting some of the finest indie-RnB from LA.
Every single song on this album is quality. Set aside 32 minutes and zone out to the fantastic return of The Neighbourhood.
Freshly signed to Nettwerk Records, LA-based Tim Atlas returns today with an endearing slice of RnB-infused indie pop; a sound that’s purely charming and lovely. Watch out for the forthcoming EP which is set to be released soon.
As a songwriter, the Ivor Novello-nominated Swedish talent Elina has penned songs for artists such as Zara Larsson, Astrid S, and NEIKED (‘Sexual).
Above all this, she’s been releasing her own music for some time now, having first being featured here back in 2018.
Now she’s back with another beautifully emotive and heartfelt ballad, taken from her new EP ‘Remember’ which is out now.
Last year’s debut album from maxime. garnered 3.8m streams, and it’s great to see that the Canadian alt-pop wonder-kid hasn’t stopped working since.
This infectiously quirky release is taken from his next project, the upcoming 15-track album ‘cerulean’ which is due for release later this year.
Danish soul-pop songstress Rosa Raye is back with another slice of musical perfection.
This song reminisces of the good times from a relationship that has ended; it takes the pain and serves it in a beautifully blissful way.
“We actually kept the demo vocal on the track, so what you hear is just what I wrote and recorded that day. I wasn’t trying to say the right, correct things – I was just expressing a feeling. I don’t sugarcoat it because stuff like that hurts. But sometimes when the truth hurts, you just want to escape and make yourself feel good by thinking about the good memories and ignoring the bad, so the song is not too serious. There are some fun lines in there.”
A dreamy, hazy and wonderfully reflective piece of music that shimmers between pop, indie and folk. The song itself encapsulates optimism and describes a moment of escape and freedom, where you leave all your troubles behind.
“We wrote ‘Following The Sun’ with one ambition: to make people happy. If we can bring some light and positivity to the world right now, then we have succeeded.” – SUPER-Hi
I first featured Ed Prosek back in 2014, and I have yet to hear a release from this German-based Californian talent that doesn’t exude heartfelt emotion.
“’Now and Then’ is about man’s everlasting struggle against time. Life is a long road and the decisions we make early on sometimes have insurmountable consequences for better or worse. When we look back on life, regardless of the current crossroads, there is often a deep nostalgia for opportunities lost to decisions made long ago. The weight of this nostalgia clings to us, weighing us down like a ball and chain and only the forgiveness and acceptance of the past unburdens us.”
I have a lot of love for Mallrat. The Australian 21-year-old indie-pop talent has always been both fun and raw in equal measures. And this new release shows a clear evolution in her sound, and one which I am quite in love with.
“I feel like a lot of the songs I’ve been writing lately have been me realising my power. I wrote the chorus a year and a half ago and on its own that chorus has a completely different attitude. When I wrote the rest of the song a year later, I was feeling a lot more sure of myself. When you listen to that chorus in the context of the verses and the really aggressive guitar outro, it completely flips the perspective of everything. It’s interesting how time can reframe things that you still think and are still true but just give them a whole new house to sit in.”
