Listen - New Music

Mike Baretz – Worth It

While busy crafting hits for likes of Annalise Azadia, American producer Mike Baretz still manages to find the time to work on his own solo project.

Following on from the release of ‘Take It That Way’, new single ‘Worth It’ continues to showcase Baretz’s beautiful vocals and impressive songwriting skills.

“For me, ‘Worth It’ encapsulates a see-saw of self doubt paired with an almost-delusional belief in and love for someone. It zooms in on insecurities and flaws, but packaged in a ‘happy’ tone. When the chorus kicks in, the blind eye is turned from the internal doubts and insecurities and focuses on that person that makes you forget about everything having to do with the real world, those insecurities included. I wrote it during a time in my life that was focused on the downfalls and negatives of a breakup; I felt like I needed to write a happy song that still tied into the themes of everything else that I was writing about.”

To date, Baretz has garnered over a million catalogue streams, while also accumulating an ever-growing fanbase across social media and on Spotify.

Mike Baretz

AR/CO – Night Feels

Here to cure your midweek blues are rising London-based electronic pop duo AR/CO.

As the musical project of Mali-Koa and Leo Stannard, AR/CO have gained a considerable following across the globe thanks to their uplifting take on pop.

New single ‘Night Feels’ treats us all to a feel-good and energising sound that reminds us the weekend is only a short while away.

AR/CO will play London’s Camden Assembly on the 26th October – tickets can be found here.

AR/CO

Miloe – rewind (feat. PawPaw Rod)

Now commanding over 330k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, it’s clear that emerging Minneapolis artist Miloe is becoming a fan favourite.

Alongside the release of his much-anticipated EP ‘gaps’ (out now), new single ‘rewind’ features PawPaw Rod and is a joyful fusion of indie and pop that marks both of these US talents as ones to watch in 2023.

Miloe is currently touring the US (dates below), and hits the UK shores early next year as well in this quest to become one of the newest global indie-pop stars.

Miloe | PawPaw Rod

Sasha & The Bear – Wake Me Up

Sasha & The Bear is the collaborative project of Brooklyn artists Sasha Daniel and Dov Igel, who have been crafting sounds since their formation in 2016.

Upon Igel’s mother’s recent passing, the duo decided to travel to the wilderness of Sweden’s forests to work on a collection of introspective songs that were inspired by themes of mortality and loss.

The experience resulted in a 3-song EP, of which new single ‘Wake Me Up’ is lifted. Lyrically, the track addressees the feelings that we can experience when someone close to us is gone, as the duo explain:

“It’s a reminder that we’re all mortals and that our time on this planet is limited – it’s a song about learning to live with the loss and embrace all the feelings that come with it and mostly to learn how to keeping on going with the loss side by side.”

Sasha Daniel | Dov Eagle

Nuela Charles – Heavy

Emerging Canadian-based talent Nuela Charles is back with a perfect anthem to kick-start the week with.

Lifted from Charles’s freshly released self-titled album (out now), new single ‘Heavy’ is an inspiring piece of soulful pop that carries with it some powerful and enriching lyricism.

“‘Heavy’ like most of the songs on the album, started out as a voice memo. This time I was staying at my grandparents’ horse farm. I was in my room in the basement just thinking about certain situations in my life and even though they felt like I’d never get through them, something in my head just said – it’s gonna get heavy sometimes, but then we’ll get to the good part.”

“I hope this song brings people comfort or some sort of re-affirmation that even when they’re going through the thick of it, that there’s hope, and things will get better eventually.”

A critic’s favourite, Charles has been nominated for three JUNO awards to date, while also receiving praise from the likes of Fader, Earmilk and Refinery29.

Nuela Charles

Noraa – Sweet Summer Dreams

Fast-rising Berlin-based singer Noraa unveils her second release as an independent artist.

‘Sweet Summer Dreams’ presents listeners with a gorgeously dreamy and sultry fusion mellow pop and R&B, while Noraa’s unique vocals tell of the singer’s yearning for happiness in love.

“I wrote “Sweet Summer Dreams” in the middle of Berlin winter – I was at a difficult stage in my relationship , and it was always freezing cold. I don’t cope very well with winter in general, so I projected everything I was longing for at that moment into it. Warmth, peace of mind and being happily in love. It became almost like a mantra to me”.

An accomplished songwriter as well as a talented singer, Noraa recently co-wrote Sting’s collaboration with Melody Gardot, ‘Little Something’, which went on to achieve gold certification and accumulate over eleven million Spotify streams.

Noraa

DanDlion – Knock Knock

UK artist, producer and songwriter DanDlion is back with one of the catchiest slices of R&B and disco-pop that you’ll likely experience this week.

Written in LA and produced in the artist’s Hackney studio ‘Knock Knock’ serves as an introduction to DanDlion’s new phase of releases.

DanDlion explains that the song captures that freedom of “the first time you meet someone, and lose all your cool. It’s about someone who makes you feel like you can drop your guard.”

To date, DanDlion has accumulated over ten million catalogue streams on Spotify, while also commanding close to 100k monthly listeners on the platform. DanDlion has also collaborated with the likes of Channel Tres, Griff, Dermot Kennedy and Tom Grennan among others.

DanDlion

dexter – Vexed

Acclaimed South London artist dexter returns with a sharp piece of emotive pop through the release of new single ‘Vexed’.

As the title would imply, the song was written as a way for dexter to deal with her own personal feelings of frustration and anger.

To date, this rising 19-year old has garnered praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1, NME, Clash and The Line of Best Fit. dexter has also performed on tour alongside Denzel Curry and acted as support for Fred again..

dexter

Arden Jones – mr. sunshine

Not many pop newcomers work quite as hard as Arden Jones – and judging by the size of this emerging talent’s fanbase (over 300k followers on Instagram and 1.4 million monthly Spotify listeners), all the effort seems to be paying off.

With its infectiously catchy melody and uplifting production, new single ‘mr. sunshine’ might well be one of your favourite end-of-summer bops this year.

The track is lifted from Jones’s new ‘age tape 8‘ EP (out now), which in itself is part of a wider series of releases from the artist this year.

Arden Jones

Lyves – Shame

There really are very few independent music artists who have consistently pushed the boundaries of their art as exquisitely as Lyves.

Today marks the return of the acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer with the release of her new single ‘Shame’.

Refreshingly original, bold and future-forward in style, the genre-defying song continues to showcase this London-based talent’s natural flair for experimentation.

“It was written in a late evening jam at my former studio. I found this amazing drum sample and very quickly played a few ideas over it to create a vibe. It felt reflective of the mood I was in – I wanted to create something fierce that represented a side of me that I don’t often express musically. I imagined how this record would sound live and performed the vocals off a vocal stand, as if I were performing a live show. Those initial takes are the same ones used in the final version of the song. It just feels raw and unfiltered and somewhat chaotic, which I love but the lyrics behind it are very meaningful to me”.

To date, Lyves has garnered more than 60 million catalogue streams, picked up praise from some of the world’s most respected tastemaker publications and received airplay on national stations like BBC Radio 1 and KEXP.

Upcoming EP ‘Change’ is out on 18th November 2022.

Lyves

Jesse Gold – Slow Dance In The Morning

With summer being well and truly over across much of the world, ‘cuffing season’ has now dawned upon us – and what better song to usher in its arrival than ‘Slow Dance In The Morning’ by acclaimed Canadian artist Jesse Gold.

A mellow and charming slice of melodic R&B, the song is all about finding and appreciating that one special person who enriches your life with their support and love.

Since the release of his debut in 2019, Gold has gone on to become one of Canada’s most promising R&B talents, receiving critical acclaim from the likes of Ones To Watch, Billboard, Euphoria Magazine and American Songwriter.

Jesse Gold

SAYAK DAS – VICIOUS

SAYAK DAS returns today with yet further proof as to why this LA-based artist is one talent to watch.

Continuing with his ‘NO LOSS ONLY CHANGE’ project, new single ‘VICIOUS‘ delivers an arresting alt-rock sound that is both powerfully raw and lyrically captivating.

“The plot of ‘VICIOUS’ is pretty self-explanatory – get it together or you’ll keep repeating the same mistakes. I found that a lot of the topics on the EP involved ‘proving something’. While writing this, I realised that my need to prove myself kept landing me back in the same horrible situations that all the other songs were written about. This song is about me capping that off, finally breaking the cycle, and moving on.”

To date, SAYAK DAS has accumulated close to 100k streams from only three releases, while also being playlisted on prominent outlets like Spotify’s New Pop Picks and tout’s Alt Pop.

SAYAK DAS

Aleks Grey + Iselin – Five Minutes

Two of Norway’s most promising emerging musical exports team up on one of the most beautiful pop ballads that you’ll likely come across this month.

‘Five Minutes’ was inspired by the need for two people to switch off from the daily stresses of life, just so that they can reconnect together.

“Can we just listen to Holocene, and shut out all the noise that’s been keeping us down lately? Cause lately it’s been too much.”

Oslo-based artists Aleks Grey and Iselin have both gained significant momentum recently. Grey’s work has to date been streamed well over a million times on Spotify, while Iselin’s vocals were featured on Alan Walker’s mega hits ‘Faded’ and ‘Sing Me to Sleep’.

Aleks Grey | Iselin

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Yellow Bellies – Frankie

UK outfit Yellow Bellies return today with an anthemic slice of alternative rock through their new single, ‘Frankie’.

The song’s clever lyricism was inspired by the moments when a person sacrifices their own well-being for the sake of getting some attention – as the band explains:

“I think we’ve all been in a relationship where either you or your partner over dramatically play the role of self-sabotaging heretic, heralding oneself as a martyr for love. And in this track she goes by ‘Frankie’. So the songs really about that side of oneself that you hate to admit you either still have, or have experienced in the past”.

Since their formation five years ago, Yellow Bellies have been on a quest to become one of the UK’s next big indie bands, and have successfully sold out multiple shows at iconic venues all across the country.

Yellow Bellies

Lyrah – In The Leaves

Rising indie artist Lyrah unveils a stunning slice of emotive dance-pop today through the release of her new single, ‘In the Leaves’.

Created alongside acclaimed producer Jon Wienner and written with Benji Cormack from Slenderbodies, the song was inspired by a dream that Lyrah had experienced:

“I wrote this song about a dream I had before I decided to quit my stable, full time job. In the dream I kept waking up outside, like on the sidewalk in San Francisco and in the leaves by a road. I kept choosing that over my bed or car, and it felt surprisingly calm when I’d wake up outside of my home. I had a session with Benji and we talked about this dream and how it seemed to mirror my life choice of staying in the comfort of a full time job or leaving and being satisfied with less. I quit the job and I kept the song.”

Lyrah currently commands over 200k monthly listeners on Spotify, while also garnering critical praise from the likes of Earmilk and COLORS.

Lyrah

Undecided Future – U

While many readers might be unaware of Californian outfit Undecided Future, this R&B-pop group have been winning fans across the globe since their formation in 2012.

Accumulating well over 1.5 million cumulative catalogue streams on Spotify alone, Undecided Future present listeners with a sound that is infectiously uplifting, energising and universally likeable.

“Our songs come from a lot of different ideas, it’s never a consistent routine. Either one of us will have a dope beat that we all write to, or we’ll come up with a tasty jam in the living room and put it on the scratch paper. We build on it until we come up with a song that we all like and have our parts dialed in the way we like them. Then add vocals parts for everyone.”

This year saw the group release four singles, including ‘Mc Lovin” – which to date has been played more thank 330k times through digital media platforms.

The group have also performed in notable locations such as MGM Grand in Las Vegas, The Viper Room, Disneyland and the Warner Bros Mansion, and will play onboard the Virgin Voyage cruise this October and November.

Undecided Future

Don Castor – Ride The Wave

American artist Don Castor is not only a singer and songwriter, but also an established actor and model who has appeared on projects alongside the likes of Al Pacino and Mitch Pileggi.

Musically, this talent creates sounds that seamlessly fuse elements of soul with pop and R&B, resulting in songs that are not only melodically memorable but also easy to listen along to and connect with.

Castor is currently completing work on his fifth studio album, entitled ‘FREEDOM’, which is scheduled for release before the year ends.

Don Castor

Amber Ryann – SAID THAN DONE

Phenomenally talented alt-pop songstress Amber Ryann returns today with powerful new single ‘SAID THAN DONE’.

The track’s relatable lyrics were inspired by the difficulties of trying to move on from traumatic experiences, as Ryann explains:

“‘SAID THAN DONE’ is about the desire to move on from past trauma whilst realising it never served you, but as the title says, that is always easier said than done.”

‘SAID THAN DONE’ serves as yet another exceptional taster to Ryann’s forthcoming ‘Even When It Falls Apart‘ album, which is scheduled for release on the 19th October 2022.

Amber Ryann

kid apollo – camera shy

London-based trio kid apollo continue to prove themselves as one of the city’s most promising new alternative R&B outfits with the release of ‘camera shy’.

Lifted from their upcoming ‘u the real star here’ EP (out 19th November), the song was written and produced by the band themselves alongside the help of acclaimed producer Tev’n.

The track was inspired by the idea of being drawn to someone simply because of the way that they mystify and intrigue you. Elaborating further on the lyricism, singer and producer Jimmy HM explains:

“This song’s about when you’ve met someone but for whatever reason, they just seem different to most people that you’ve met before. You never really know what they’re thinking/ feeling but that’s what keeps you there in a weird way. I feel that comfort – in this sense – is actually what pushes you away, even if you think you’re wanting that stability.”

kid apollo

Sleeping Lion – Hurt Nobody

LA-based pop duo Sleeping Lion are back today with one of the catchiest bops of the week, entitled ‘Hurt Nobody’.

With its infectiously memorable melody, the track tells of the feelings of selfishness that some of us can go through after ending a relationship.

“‘Hurt Nobody’ explores post-breakup selfishness with a vibe that is almost too-energetic and funky. The lyrics over-dramatise that state of emotional carelessness as if it were a crime movie – weaving the bouncy instrumentals with cinematic elements including a fake movie quote, ‘Hollywood’ sound effects, and a honkytonk piano solo that sounds as if it were playing at the dive bar you found yourself in after an evening of bad decisions.”

When they’re not crafting superior slices of pop, Sleeping Lion also host a podcast called ‘Talking Lion’, in which they discuss their music work alongside fellow artists. Sleeping Lion’s latest EP, ‘Different Plans’ is out now.

Sleeping Lion

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