New Music - New Music

New Music: Ray Lozano

Born and raised in Cologne, Ray Lozano is a German-Filipino talent who is not only a singer, but also a songwriter and producer.

Running at just under two minutes in length, Lozano’s new single ‘Better Off’ is a perfect example of quality over quantity. The song presents listeners with a finessed fusion of alternative R&B, indie and soul, and serves as a perfect taster to Ray’s freshly-released ‘Pairing Mode’ album (out now). Elaborating on the project’s concept, Lozano explains:

“’Pairing Mode’ means connecting with each other. With everything that is and everything that is not. 2020, after all, was a year when we were all suddenly thrown back on ourselves. Had to deal with diffuse or less diffuse losses and were forced to downshift. At the same time, it also offered the chance for us to get to know ourselves and others once again in a different way. To connect with ourselves. With what remained and what had to be let go of.”

Lozano performs at Cologne’s King Georg on the 9th March – more details can be found here.

Ray Lozano

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New Music: James Julian Villa

Hailing from Portland in Oregon is musician James Julian Villa, who unveils his infectious new single today, ‘My Friends Are Sober’.

Inspired by sounds from early 00’s pop-rock bands as iconic as Weezer, Wheatus and All American Rejects, the song serves as a nostalgic and light-hearted ode to the youth of yesteryear.

“I had been watching my friends grapple the unstoppable force of aging, overcoming addiction, and saying goodbye to their 20’s, when I sang the words ‘Nobody drinks anymore…’, and turned an existential crisis into a sarcastic take on growing up. The song’s style is a throwback to my teen years of listening to 2000’s rock, discovering Guitar Hero, and my own modern interpretation of an ‘aging emo’ anthem.”

As an artist of many skills, James is not only a singer and songwriter, but also a multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer. To date, this promising talent has collaborated with other notable Portland prospects like Laryssa Birdseye, Hayley Lynn, Blair Borax and Lewis Childs.

James Julian Villa

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New Music: Polyvinyl

Showcasing some of the finest in emerging British indie-rock are North-East outfit Polyvinyl, who have just unveiled a huge new single entitled ‘Nirvana Now’.

A song of contradictions, the track’s lyrics look at the process of grieving love, while the 80’s-inspired production presents listeners with a loud, energising and vivid sound.

‘Nirvana Now’ is taken from the group’s forthcoming debut EP, which is scheduled for release later this year. In the meantime, Polyvinyl play The Head Of Steam in Newcastle on the 22nd April 2023 – tickets can be found here.

Polyvinyl

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New Music: Ilton

If you’re looking for this weekend’s anthem then you’ve come to the right place. NYC-based newcomer Ilton is an emerging electronic-pop artist and producer who creates songs that are sonically uplifting and refreshingly joyous.

Inspired by 90s house and rave music, melodic new single ‘GO!’ treats listeners to a sound that applies essences of nostalgia into a future-forward style of production.

“The lyrics describe the will to want to make a situation work throughout all obstacles even it is for temporary relief.”

With more than 100k career streams to date, as well as praise from tastemakers like Wonderland and Under the Radar under his belt, Ilton is one name to watch for.

Ilton

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New Music: Cassandra

Another week, another sensational new UK R&B talent emerges! This time it’s the turn of London native Cassandra, who has been immersed within the world of music since her early childhood.

After completing her university in her home town (this talent is not only a musician but also a math grad!), Cassandra went on to spend four years living in South Korea, where she began to develop her sound.

Citing icons as legendary as Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé, this promising starlet creates a finessed style of alternative R&B that is not only sonically captivating, but lyrically intelligent.

Elaborating on the concept behind her ethereal new single ‘Serenade’, Cassandra explains:

“‘Serenade’ is an invitation for listeners to embrace their own vulnerability and connect with the lyrics on a personal level.”

Cassandra

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New Music: Sam Free

Emerging from Las Vegas is indie-pop singer and songwriter Sam Free, who has just unveiled a charming new single called ‘Fell in Love at 15’.

Inspired by those unforgettable feelings that we experience in our teen years when we fall in love, the song’s relatable lyrics are sure to bring back some emotional and nostalgic memories for many of us.

“It’s a tale as old as time and at some point everyone experiences their very first love and then losing that love.”

To date, Free has accumulated more than 70k career streams on Spotify alone (from the release of only a handful of singles). Details of a forthcoming EP will be announced soon.

Sam Free

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New Music: MIMI

It’s always a thrill to introduce emerging British pop talent, and today it’s the turn of independent singer-songwriter MIMI.

Hailing from South West London, this promising artist creates atmospheric sounds that fuse elements of bedroom pop with indie in a captivating and charming way.

Dreamy new single ‘Shiver’ showcases MIMI’s exceptional style of songwriting, and is inspired by the moments when we pine for a loved one to come and comfort us.

To date, MIMI has received praise from the likes of BBC Introducing and Radio 1, while her songs have also been featured on prominent playlists as noteable as Spotify’s New Music Friday (Sweden & Finland) and Fresh Finds UK & IE.

MIMI

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New Music: it’s murph

‘Food for the Soul’ is one of those songs that instantly feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s the kind of sound that radiates warmth, positivity and joy – and reminds you of the things that make life worth living.

For those unfamiliar with the artist behind this masterpiece, the track was created by American musician it’s murph (aka Garrett Murphy), and is only his third release to date.

“There are certain things in our world that inspire life. Spending time with friends, adventuring, partying; everyone has different foods for their souls. In my debut independent single, I was on a search to emulate the euphoria of life that makes your cheeks blush and sends chills down your spine. Music, especially electronic music, evokes an animation for life in me. It is a community of people connected on an energetic wavelength, where the regular struggles of day-to-day life become invisible. No judgement, just an experience with the music.

I hope this song resonates with you. It is the advent of a project with years of work behind the scenes that I am finally ready to emerge from the shadows and see the light.”

With more than 4.5 million career streams under his belt, Murphy is someone that needs to be on everyone’s radar.

it’s murph

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Tink – Save Your Soul

Chicago-born R&B starlet Tink releases her much-anticipated new album, ‘Thanks 4 Nothing’ today, as well as visuals for her latest single, ‘Save Your Soul’.

Through its finessed and gorgeously melodic production, this self-empowering song lays out all the standards that Tink expects to be met in a relationship.

Elaborating further on the inspiration behind the album, Tink explains:

“I wrote this album specifically for single ladies. I wanted to give the girls a set of songs to play after the breakup. This is for anyone reclaiming their time. Reclaiming their joy. Reclaiming their Sometimes we have to appreciate the Good with the bad , hence Thanks 4 Nothing”.

Since her debut in the early 2010’s, Tink has gone on to become one of the most prominent names within the American R&B scene, and has worked alongside the likes of Timbaland, Jeremih, Kelela and many more.

Tink

New Music: SAINT KID

LA-based New Yorker SAINT KID might be a new name to most, but this talent has already been working on his sound for some time.

Viral hit ‘Closure’ (created alongside close friend Rowan Drake) was released back in 2020, and has already picked up more than 375k streams on Spotify alone.

“We all struggle at some point with finding closure. It can feel scary and as if we are trapped in our past but as time goes on and we separate ourselves from the issue we start having clarity and eventually everything is fine again.” – Rowan Drake

The two musicians collaborated on more projects, and their success was notable. Drake went on to build a loyal following across social media, while SAINT released more acclaimed singles – before then going on a short hiatus. Now he’s back with a sensational new song, entitled ‘GARDEN’.

“A year ago, I moved out to LA, stopped releasing music and worked on my myself and my sound. Garden is my first single in a long time but is just the beginning.” – SAINT KID

With an impressive style of songwriting that feels intense and dark, but also fragile and emotive, SAINT KID might well be one of the year’s biggest breakout stars.

SAINT KID

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New Music: Nelly Moar

Track of the week. Hailing from the Norwegian city of Bergen is Nelly Moar, who rapidly building momentum as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting R&B newcomers.

A trained jazz vocalist, Moar delivers a style of music that fuses dark pop with dreamy, soulful R&B tones. The resulting sounds are atmospheric, intense and beautifully captivating.

Amassing more than 150k career streams to date from the release of just one EP, it’s clear to see that Moar is one Nordic star on the rise.

Nelly Moar

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New Music: Gabriel Jacoby

While still only 24-years of age, Gabriel Jacoby has already worked as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer for more than a decade.

New single ‘As you stand next to me’ showcases this talent’s exceptional artistry, and treats listeners to a sound that subtly blends soul with funk, jazz and alternative R&B. The song feels future-forward and unique, while still maintaining a strong emotive essence.

“I grew up on Nina Simone, The Wailors, James Brown, and Outkast… Those were the only records we had in the house for years. Raised in Anderson, SC, out in the far country, we didn’t have cable or internet for most of the 2000’s; just a record player with a broken radio. Once I figured I can play multiple sounds just like Prince or even Curtis Mayfield , I knew I’d never limit myself at creativity. I decided one day I’ma be somebody great, someone you’ll never forget.”

Supported by the likes of Fashionably Early, Lyrical Lemonade and Early Rising, Jacoby is a name to watch for in 2023.

Gabriel Jacoby

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New Music: alec rose

The most exciting discovery today has been American artist alec rose, and his stunning debut single ‘Underwater’.

Almost ethereal in tone, the song presents listeners with a haunting and melodic fusion of indie, folk and alternative pop. The resulting sound is nothing short of sublime, and really is a delight to experience.

While not much is currently known about this talent, we can be certain that his name will be one that will grow in momentum over the next few months. Keep this kid on your radars!

alec rose

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New Music: Drugstore Cowboy

Drugstore Cowboy is a musical collaboration between singer-songwriter Mr. Carter Davis and drummer/ producer Grant Thompson.

By fusing genres as diverse as pop, rock, country, folk and hip hop together, this promising duo create sounds that really are in a league of their own. Elaborating on their impressive new single ‘Green Flag’, they explain:

“We based the whole song on the ‘red flag’ meme trend that was viral the night we wrote it. People were posting sketchy things their love interests would do followed by the red flag emoji. We wrote the chorus saying “you accept me for all my red flags, and to me that’s a green flag.”

Originally hailing from Texas, Drugstore Cowboy are now based in the musical mecca that is Nashville. They play the Sweet Tooth Hotel in Dallas on the 4th March – tickets can be found here.

Drugstore Cowboy

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New Music: Beth McKenzie

While Beth McKenzie is a relative newcomer within the pop-rock sphere, this UK-based talent has already amassed more than seven million views on TikTok since the year began.

Listening to her ultra-catchy and empowering single ‘You Were The One’ helps you understand how and why this happened.

This is a song that is stunningly honest in its lyricism, and presents listeners with the raw truth about broken relationships. The track showcases McKenzie’s strengths at writing music that is not only melodically memorable, but also highly relatable in its storytelling.

“This song was written about the breakdown of a relationship. When one person wants to blame the other in entirety, the latter stands up and speaks the truth…”

Beth McKenzie

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Pontea – Our Love

LA-based artist Pontea starts her year with a beautiful and heartfelt ballad that deserves your attention.

A classic and passionate love song to the core, ‘Our Love’ was written by Pontea as a dedication to her husband, and demonstrates the immensely powerful bond that forms between two soulmates.

“I wrote this song as a way to express the depth of my love for my husband. Our wedding day was the most special day of my life, and I wanted to create something that would always remind us of that day and the bond we share. It’s the essence of my vows in the best way I know how to communicate, through music.”

“The spoken word section is made up of poetry that I had written throughout our eight year relationship – from falling in love, to growing together as a couple, to realising that this is my person forever, and savouring the beauty of our love. It was an amazing feeling to revisit writings from years ago, to see that my feelings have not only remained, but have deepened even more since then.”

A singer and songwriter on the rise, Pontea is rapidly gaining momentum all across Southern California, and has already amassed more than 200k cumulative streams on Spotify alone.

Pontea

New Music: Great Park Avenue

Today we are introducing you to Stockholm’s Great Park Avenue, who are continuing Sweden’s long-standing tradition of exporting world-class indie rock to the world.

Inspired by iconic British rocker Pete Doherty, new single ‘Pete My Teacher’ treats listeners to an energising indie sound that is compelling and anthemic in character.

Taken from the group’s ‘Limitless Prolific Divineness’ EP, the song was recorded in a former women’s restroom, and mixed at the Kapsylen Studios in Stockholm.

“‘The bathroom with its tile walls is a rather unconventional room for recording but we’ve made it our own sacred place and we’re absolutely in awe of the atmosphere of this magic loo.”

Be sure to keep an eye on the song’s accompanying game, in which ‘you can take a step into the mysterious world that is some people’s everyday life. Might or not be Pete fighting paparazzis, you’ll have to figure that one out yourself.’

Great Park Avenue

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New Music: twentylove

Emerging from Los Angeles is singer and songwriter twentylove, who has just released his new single, entitled ‘getting used to this’.

Through a style of sound that blends elements of classic indie with alternative pop, twentylove creates songs that feel emotive, honest and heartfelt in tone. Elaborating further on the inspiration behind his new track, twentylove explains:

“This song is about coping with long distance. I spend a lot of time on the road touring, and it’s hard to leave my wife at home. I wrote this my first time in Nashville with a songwriting/ producing couple. What you’re hearing was made in one day, we’re so excited for it to be out.”

twentylove plays North Hollywood’s Knitting Factory on the 26th February – tickets can be found here, and more of the artist’s music can be heard on his Spotify here.

twentylove

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New Music: Dark Bardo

Dark Bardo is a new collaborative project consisting of acclaimed creatives Andy Baldwin and Filip Mitrovic.

As music producers, Baldwin and Mitrovic have worked on projects for global artists as prominent as Bjork, Childish Gambino and John Baptiste.

Debut single ‘Wild Thought’ features Zimbabwean-American artist Shungudzo, and immerses listeners into an eccentric and playful soundscape that feels intriguing, uplifting, and totally unique in character.

“We came up with the piano riff while experimenting with dampening the strings with different pieces of cloth (t-shirts!!) to achieve a more intimate sound. This simultaneously turned the piano into a percussive instrument. Every creak, every thud, became very audible, as if coming from the belly of a beast, akin to a living organism.

We then took that same piano riff and played it on the kitchen piano. This has a very different sound, much brighter and more open, which created “slapier”, more trebly reflections. So it became a game of going back and forth from this intimate, creaky, animal-like piano to the bright, loud, obnoxious one!“

Dark Bardo

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New Music: Sufi Hamilton

Hailing from Brooklyn comes rising artist and producer Sufi Hamilton.

Hamilton constructs music that somehow feels both classic and experimental in equal measures. Songs like ‘make sense’ display a style of sound that fuses elements of melodic soul with alternative R&B in a playful yet finessed way.

With more than 300k career streams on Spotify alone, we predict big things for Hamilton over the coming year.

Sufi Hamilton

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