Category: Listen

Sophie Powers – Break Up On The Weekend

Since her debut just last year, rising Canadian punk-pop starlet Sophie Powers has gone on to garner over 2.5 million streams, while also picking up praise from the likes of FADER, American Songwriter, Alternative Press and The Noise.

Anthemic new single ‘Breakup On The Weekend’ is lifted from debut EP ‘Red in Revenge’, of which Powers says:

“After turning 16, I quickly realised the world was not the place I was told would be. It’s not easy to make your dreams come true – it’s not even easy to dream – which made me angry. ‘Red In Revenge’ represents the angry, depressive and anxious state I was in while realising this, as well as the state I was in while struggling to find confidence and place in society as a teenage girl, pursuing my dream, living alone in another country, far from home/ the norm.”

Sophie Powers

Lucid Kidd – Nothing Back

Lithuanian teenage talent Lucid Kidd continues to build momentum with his unique blend of emo rap and urban pop. 

Impressive new single ‘Nothing Back’ features sharp and relatable lyricism over a melancholic melody that is sure to garner this rising artist a whole new legion of fans.

“This is a song about the escape from betrayal. It depicts the vampires as these fake people that are always draining your energy and using you. The song expresses leaving all these vampires behind and finding your own path, because walking alone is better than being surrounded by fake people. The video contains lots of colours, which represent escaping from the greyness of fake people and becoming your own bright, colourful individual.”

Lucid Kidd

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Will Linley – i don’t wanna be yours

One of the first summer indie-pop anthems of the year comes courtesy of South Africa’s youngest hitmaker, Will Linley.

“‘i don’t wanna be yours’ is about not wanting to get into a relationship with someone because you know it just isn’t going to work out and ultimately wanting to save each other from any hurt that may come in the future.”

To date, Linley has earned over twelve million global streams since his November debut, and is quickly building a fanbase across the globe.

Will Linley

Sylo – Bento Box

Sylo continues to impress with his distinct blend of R&B and indie-pop on new single ‘Bento Box’.

Subtly euphoric in its sound while carrying thought-provoking lyricism, this immensely catchy track serves as the perfect summer anthem for the months ahead.

Sylo

vi0let – Over & Over (feat. Jymenik)

Photo / Libby Cooper

Rising London-based singer-songwriter vi0let unveils her stunning new single ‘Over & Over’, featuring Brighton-based Serbian artist Jymenik.

Silky vocals glide over a production that effortlessly combines airy R&B with trap sonics, giving the song a sultry and dark essence.

“The intention behind writing the song originally came from a place of heartbreak. I was still processing an extremely toxic relationship I had left and reflected on how I feel they viewed me. I felt like an idiot for so long constantly going back to the relationship which is how the chorus came to be. When producing the track with Jomo Kru, it became less of a sad song and more of a dark and mysterious ballad. It gave me a feeling of confidence although it’s quite the intimate track. Once we had the song down, I instantly thought of Jymenik for this track. She radiates a dark and mysterious energy and I knew her voice would take this song to the next level.”

vi0let | Jymenik

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Cannon – College Friends

Genre-defying artist Cannon was first featured here back in 2020, and has since gone on to garner over twelve million streams, alongside support from the likes of Earmilk and Fashionably Early.

New single ‘College Friends’ fuses elements of alternative rock with hip hop and garage pop for an enthralling sonic experience.

“When I graduated from college, I found myself worrying about whether I was sacrificing too much time chasing my goals to spend time with my friends or sacrificing too much time with my friends to chase my goals. I soon came to realise that in trying to be two places at once, I ended up nowhere. Part of the process of graduating and growing up for me has been learning how to decide where to allocate my time.”

Cannon

FènixDion – Sugar

FènixDion continue to showcase their extraordinary talent at crafting timelessly cool sounds. By confidently fusing elements of R&B with indie and rock, this outfit have mastered a style of music that is distinctly their own.

With a production that carries strong essences nostalgia, new single ‘Sugar’ is a guitar-driven piece of introspective perfection.

“‘Sugar’ reflects the aspiration to break the chain of violence and self destruction that permeates generations of my family tree. I grew up terrified of acquiring the traits of a man I never knew while simultaneously waiting for him to change for the better as if it were a reflection of the light I was seeking within myself. The song draws the line between the man I have envisioned and feared my whole life, and the man I am envisioning to be, one day.” – Keston Wright, FènixDion

FènixDion

Gun Boi Kaz – Perfect for Me

South Korea born and Connecticut raised Gun Boi Kaz returns today with a perfected blend of melodic lo-fi pop and alternative hip hop.

Incredibly easy to listen along to, ‘Perfect for Me’ is certain to accelerate the momentum for this hugely promising talent, who already garners over 500k followers on TikTok alone.

Gun Boi Kaz

Amanda Tenfjord – Plans

After her spectacular performance representing Greece at Eurovision last week (eventually coming in at a respectable eighth position), Greek-Norwegian artist Amanda Tenfjord returns today with her new single ‘Plans’.

“It’s a song about the moment in a relationship when you realise that you actually don’t make plans together anymore. At first you have all these dreams about the future and the things you want to do together; travel to Rome, buy a house together and see your kids grow up etc., and then slowly as love fades away you don’t even plan what to do the next weekend together. And the worst part is seeing the one you love living your previous common dreams together with someone else. It’s a very sad song.”

The track further teases the release of her upcoming debut album, due for release later this year via iconic Oslo label Propeller Recordings.

To date, Tenfjord has released two widely praised EP’s, ‘Miss The Way You Missed Me’ and debut EP ‘First Impression’. 

Amanda Tenfjord

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Chris James – 12 Hours

You won’t find a song epitomising that care-free summer vibe as perfectly as Chris James’ latest release, ’12 Hours’.

Entirely written, produced, recorded and mixed by the acclaimed German-American artist himself, the track serves as the seventh single to be lifted from the upcoming album, ‘The Weight of Nostalgia’.

Chris James

Kev Kelly – Tilt

Charismatic American singer songwriter Kev Kelly is back today with a sharp and punchy pop release in the form of summery new single ‘Tilt’.

With its honest, unapologetic and clever lyricism, the song is sure to be one of the more interesting releases of the week.

“I was a lifeguard at a country club in Kentucky. The members were mostly young families and seemed to have what I guess you would consider ‘new money.’ It was a pretty conservative place; so, I was shocked to find out after my second week that it was basically a swingers club. I noticed the parents of kids I went to school with – their dads would come off the course and leave with Mrs. Jones and Mr. Jones would take their mom out for ‘dinner.’ I couldn’t help but think, Damn, church on Sunday must be awkward for these people.”

Taken from the forthcoming two-part EP, ‘THIS MIGHT ESCALATE…AND THEN COLLAPSE.’ Part One officially drops on 3rd June 2022.

Kev Kelly

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Benicio Bryant – WHO HURT YOU?

Still only 17-years old, R&B-pop talent Benicio Bryant is already an accomplished performer – having competed in Germany’s The Voice Kids as well as America’s Got Talent – and successfully reaching the finals in both competitions.

Now signed to Arista Records, Bryant unleashes his musical talent to a global audience with songs like ‘WHO HURT YOU?’, inevitably marking himself as one of the most exciting soloists to watch out for this year.

“‘WHO HURT YOU?’ is super special to me because it can be about whatever you want it to be! Wherever you are in life and the problems you’re facing are valid and different for everyone, but I want us to come together and celebrate that we are all human and get through things together!”

Benicio Bryant

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Løv Li – Can’t Let You Go

Photo / Tom McKenzie

While still only 23-years old, Copenhagen-based DIY-artist Løv Li has already marked himself as one of the most interesting artists to emerge from Denmark in recent years, thanks to his eloquent songwriting and melancholy productions.

“I’ve always had melodies spinning around in my head. These days, I often record them as one of the numerous voice-memos, I’ve got on my phone. They rapidly develop into arrangements for piano, vocals and strings and are completed with all the impulsive, experimenting sounds, I create when I work on the boundless, amazing computer.”

Haunting new single ‘Can’t Let You Go’ presents itself as a beautifully dark piece of pop, yet also feels timeless and classic thanks to its subtle orchestral tones.

The song was inspired by the decay and sudden end to what was seemingly a beautiful and unique relationship.

Løv Li

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NOA – This Isn’t How It Was Supposed To Go

Toronto-born singer-songwriter NOA is back today with a sublime piece of finessed R&B-pop through the release of her new single, ‘This Isn’t How It Was Supposed To Go’.

Sprinkled with hints of nostalgia, the track’s lyrics were inspired by the process of healing when getting over a breakup, while reminiscing on the past and how things didn’t end up the way she thought they would.

To date, NOA has surpassed over three million collective streams worldwide, and averages at more than 100,000 monthly listeners across platforms.

Taken from the new EP ‘Hurting’, which is out now.

NOA

Bhi Bhiman – Helpless

This July sees renowned singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman’s first studio album in four years, and as ‘Helpless’ shows, the wait has seemingly been worth it.

This is a style of indie-folk that feels ethereal, timeless, soulful and beautifully atmospheric.

“‘Helpless’ is a very simple song musically. It’s literally two chords. But within those two chords, there is a spiritual centre to the song that I think will resonate with people. The second hook, ‘I live on island time’ (which I sing with reverence to my island people, not derision) announces my plan to arrive at death fashionably late – on my own time. St. Peter and the pearly gates, or whatever you believe in, will have to wait for ME.” 

Upcoming album ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Famous’ is out this summer.

Bhi Bhiman

Indigo – Rehearsal

Toronto born and bred talent Indigo returns today with a sultry fusion of pop, hip hop and R&B through new single ‘Rehearsal’.

Produced by JUNO-winning producer Lantz, the song invites listeners into Indigo’s fantasy world of sexual expression using dance as a sultry poetic landscape.

The acclaimed singer is a former winner of iN Bullseye, along with its $10,000 grand prize awarded by Slaight Music and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

‘Rehearsal’ is the second release to be lifted from Indigo’s forthcoming debut EP.

Indigo

Golden Vessel – spinning

Acclaimed Australian indie-pop artist Golden Vessel returns today with a beautifully dreamy release in the form of his new single ‘spinning’.

“In the time around making this song I did a lot of reading on space and science and how the world is beautiful and complex but also so small and insignificant in the full span of the universe. I guess that could seem daunting, but I’ve found this new outlook refreshing and helps put things into perspective.”

The track serves as the third teaser from his forthcoming album, and was co-written & co-produced with Nick Ward and The Nicholas.

Golden Vessel

Tour Dates:

  • Friday, August 5th – The Brightside, Brisbane
  • Friday, August 12th – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
  • Saturday, August 13th – Mary’s Underground, Sydney

Tickets can be purchased here.

Budjerah – Get Down

Over the last two years, R&B singer-songwriter Budjerah has quickly risen to become one of Australia’s most promising and loved newcomers.

Fresh from winning Most Performed R&B/Soul Work for ‘Higher’ at the APRA Awards, he now reveals his latest single ‘Get Down’.

“’Get Down’ is about the idea that I’ve come so far now, I have to keep going, it’s too late to stop what I’m doing now. If there’s a way, please show me how. That song took a while to figure out, just because it was so different compared to what we’ve done before – but then, like one day, I think it just clicked.”

Budjerah

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