Music - New Music

SAYAK DAS – SCUMBAG

One of LA’s finest newcomers to emerge this year, SAYAK DAS returns today with his new single, ‘SCUMBAG’.

Adding to his ‘NO LOSS ONLY CHANGE’ collection of songs, the track showcases an impressive piece of sonic artistry that seamlessly blends dark, soulful indie-pop with alternative R&B.

“‘SCUMBAG’ is my super villain era anthem. Everyone has found themselves feeling wrongly villainized at one point or another, sometimes by the people closest to them. I wanted to talk about how leaning into that can be cathartic. Somewhat of a play on ‘nice guys finish last’ but without all the social implications.”

SAYAK DAS ends the year on a high, having accumulated more than 200k streams on Spotify from the release of just four songs. Keep an eye out for this kid – next year could be very interesting!

SAYAK DAS

New Music: Cherry Angel

One of the most exciting discoveries of the day comes courtesy of LA-based singer and songwriter Cherry Angel (aka Alycia Lancey).

‘Caffeinated‘ is a masterclass in dreamy lo-fi pop, and looks at the euphoric highs of being young and in love.

“It’s true, she’s doing most of the chasing, but she’s cool with it. She doesn’t think it’s complicated, so why should anyone else care? She’s having fun.”

Originally resorting to songwriting as a healing outlet for her anxiety-depression, Cherry Angel now looks set to take on her most ambitious year yet – with more new music planned in 2023.

Cherry Angel

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Blue Lupin – Surface of the Sun

British music outfit Blue Lupin return today with a grunge-inspired new single entitled ‘Surface of the Sun’.

Lyrically, the song tells of the trauma that comes with being in a toxic relationship, while the production presents listeners with a beautifully intense and gritty fusion of alternative rock and shoegaze.

“‘Surface of the Sun’ is a song about a toxic relationship and really testing the limits of what you can handle. Although it captures a painful period in my life, I find it really energising and cathartic the way it came out. The original demo was almost like a stripped back Broken Social Scene, but once Owen Lewis [Producer] got his hands on it, he managed to impart more of my shoegaze influences like My Bloody Valentine. His production took it to a different place and it was clear that he just ‘got it’ and had a vision about how to bring out the best in the song, which was so fun to hear.” – Joanna Wolfe, Blue Lupin

Garnering support from the likes of BBC Introducing, Dan Digs and Get Some, Blue Lupin continue to build momentum with each release. More new music will be unveiled between January and March next year.

Blue Lupin

New Music: Joey May

Today sees the introduction of promising newcomer Joey May, who is a 21-year old Austrian-born singer and songwriter currently based in London.

Inspired by the likes of Maisie Peters, Lizzy McAlpine and Holly Humberstone, May crafts a style of bedroom pop that feels subtle and fragile in tone, yet carries deeply personal and captivating lyricism. Elaborating further on debut single ‘Crime‘, May explains:

“With an end as unstable and unpredictable as the constant back and forth in a romantic situationship ‘Crime’ is all about crushing someone you’re not supposed to and the fear that comes with losing them.”

Fans of this immensely talented artist can look forward to an upcoming EP entitled ‘notes from my bedroom’, which is out soon.

Joey May

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New Music: AVEY

AVEY is the new musical project of Canadian singer and songwriter Avery O’Brien.

Debut single ‘end game’ is inspired by the emotions that come with falling in love, and serves listeners with a refreshing alt-pop sound that is both energising and charming in equal measures.

“‘end game’ is about finding the person you want to spend the rest of your life with while tumbling through your emotions and insecurities.”

Fans of the AVEY project can look forward to a forthcoming five-song EP, scheduled for release next year.

O’Brien is also a member of well-known Vancouver outfit Harlequin Gold, who have accumulated well over one million catalogue streams on Spotify alone.

AVEY

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Ellen Krauss – Tie Me Down

Acclaimed Scandinavian singer and songwriter Ellen Krauss unveils a new single today entitled ‘Tie Me Down’.

Inspired by the inner conflicts that come with commitment, the song continues to showcase the beautiful fusions of indie and alternative pop that Krauss has mastered so well.

“The song is about not wanting to commit to someone because you’re convinced you’ll find someone even better. But you still stick around just because it’s good and exciting. I wrote this song this fall, I was out and about, dating round and it was great but it was always like ”she’s not you”.

Since her debut in 2019 (with LGBTQ anthem ‘The One I Love’), Krauss has garnered praise from the likes of Billboard, Earmilk, Clash, Fault and 1883 Magazine, while her catalogue of work has exceeded 47 million streams to date.

Ellen Krauss

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New Music: Cat Reynolds

One of the most impressive Irish talents to come across our radars recently has been singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Cat Reynolds.

This London-based artist creates sounds that fuse elements of classic rock with indie, pop and soul into impactful, emotive and sincere pieces of music.

‘I’ll Miss The Rain’ is taken from Reynolds’ ‘The Sad Boys Club’ EP (out now), and presents listeners with a song that juxtaposes vulnerable and delicate verses with anthemic and powerful choruses – mirroring the turbulence of a failed relationship.

“This song was born from heartache, it’s a look back at the positives and negatives that come from a relationship.”

Cat Reynolds

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Low Lying Sun – Heaven Knows

Rising British outfit Low Lying Sun are back with a euphoric slice of indie-rock that might well be one of your weekend anthems.

‘Heaven Knows’ finds the Essex-based four-piece delivering a stadium-friendly and rousing sound that is not only energising in it’s character, but also carries with it meaningful lyricism.

“‘Heaven Knows’ is about a question, a hypothetical. The song is epitomised with the line ‘Why did it end in love?’. It’s about running the scenario through in your head as to whether or not you should fully let something in when it rears its head again. You can either engage with it or not and both of those options are hard to take. If you just felt hate or anything less than love, then the decision would be easy but instead you are left with this dilemma.”

Since the release of their debut EP ‘Hymn To Say Goodbye’ earlier this year, Low Lying Sun have gone on to pick up acclaim from countless tastemakers like BBC Introducing, CLASH and Wonderland, while also accumulating over 160k streams on Spotify alone.

Low Lying Sun

Bearcubs – Damages (feat. Harvey Causon)

Berlin-based British producer Bearcubs returns today with an impressive release in the form of new single ‘Damages’.

Featuring the talents of Harvey Causon, the track presents an experimental electronic-pop production fused with soulful tones, making for a sound that feels refreshingly eccentric yet relatable.

To date, Bearcubs has exceeded more than 150 million career streams while also receiving praise from iconic tastemakers like Earmilk, Clash and Dummy amongst others.

Bearcubs embarks on a tour that covers London and Germany from the 16th November – details can be found here.

Bearcubs | Harvey Causon

New Music: Sunkissed Child

Emerging from the UK is hugely promising Lebanese newcomer Sunkissed Child, who releases her new single, ‘Monday Grind’ today.

Seamlessly blending elements of alternative R&B with neo-soul and hip hop, the track showcases a sound that is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Frank’ era, while still maintaining its own distinct sonic identity.

Sunkissed Child plays alongside Tamzene at the Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds on the 6th November – details can be found here.

Sunkissed Child

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MARBLES – World Inside Me

Norwegian outfit MARBLES are back with a spellbinding slice of dreamy synth-pop through new single ‘World Inside Me’.

Lifted from the band’s forthcoming LP (out early next year), the song was inspired by the emotions that come with loneliness.

“‘World Inside Me’ was written in our most isolated period through the pandemic. It tries to describe a feeling of loneliness that is mostly conjured by our own mind. Even though there are options and offers from the outside world, sometimes you just feel better in your own sphere. Living in your own little world (or bubble) can feel both pleasant and safe, but also quickly turn into a lonesome and desperate state of mind.”

Until their new collection of songs is released, fans of this emerging Nordic group can explore 2020’s self-titled album here.

MARBLES

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New Music: Crybabyamy

While still only 20-years of age, Irish singer and songwriter Crybabyamy is already marking herself as one of the country’s most promising new pop starlets.

Inspired by society’s addiction to social media and the unrealistic images of ourselves that we portray through it, new single ‘Validation’ is not only culturally relevant but also highly relatable to many.

Already picking up attention from heavyweights like Wonderland, Hot Press, A1234 and XS Noize amongst others, Crybabyamy is one artist to watch for in 2023.

Crybabyamy

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Unflirt – Out Of Time

Having only released a handful of songs so far, West London artist Unflirt has already picked up more than two million streams thanks to her distinct style of bedroom pop.

Today sees this rising talent unveil her new single, ‘Out Of Time’. Taken from the upcoming debut EP ‘Bitter Sweet’, the song is inspired by the concept of embracing change.

“’Out Of Time’ is about coming to terms that something is over. I think it encapsulates the whole process from denial to acceptance, and it’s a song that helped me accept that simply some things are just not meant to be, no matter how much I wanted them to be.”

A musician who came to prominence by self-releasing her songs during lockdown, Unflirt now commands more than 68k monthly Spotify listeners.

Unflirt

New Music: Siobhán Winifred

Fans of melancholic indie-pop will most certainly fall in love with rising London-based alternative artist Siobhán Winifred.

New single ‘This House’ serves listeners with a raw and deeply moving piece of music that looks at broken relationships – and the consequent fallouts.

“‘This House’ was written at a time when I was at my most vulnerable. I had it all down in twenty minutes and the vocals on the final version are all from the first take, everything was so raw. The song was written two days after a house party that my ex, his new girlfriend and I were all at. The song is about all the conflicting emotions you have when you want someone to be happy but are struggling to watch them move on. I wanted to capture the intense feeling of claustrophobia I had that night. Everybody there knew the situation and it just reached a point where I had to leave. I included sounds of a house party on the track and the production kicks in on the line ‘so I think I better leave’ – it’s about reaching breaking point and desperately needing to escape.”

To date, Winifred has received critical praise from the likes of BBC Introducing, Radio 1 and 6 Music, while her debut single ‘Black Hole’ (released earlier in the summer) has already accumulated more than 115k streams on Spotify alone.

Siobhán Winifred

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New Music: Mary Middlefield

We don’t often come across new artists from Switzerland, so today is a little bit of a special day as we unveil newcomer Mary Middlefield and her debut single, ‘Band Aid’.

The song looks at the notion of two lovers not sharing the same vision for their relationship, and demonstrates Middlefield’s beautiful style of songwriting that fuses elements of folk with indie and soft pop.

Inspired by artists as varied as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead to Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, Middlefield’s sound came to fruition during the pandemic, when she shifted her focus from training as a classical musician to developing a more current style of sound.

Mary Middlefield

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Kembe X – More Than Ever

LA-based rapper Kembe X delivers a nostalgic-inspired sound with his new single, ‘More Than Never’.

Lifted from the forthcoming ‘FLATFOOTED’ EP (out in December), the track plays out as ‘an introspective stream of consciousness’, and confirms Kembe X as one of hip hop’s most exciting talents.

Already commanding more than 184k monthly listeners on Spotify, as well as millions of catalogue streams across all platforms (seven million alone for his single ‘Voices’), Kembe X will be a name to watch for in 2023.

Kembe X

New Music: Nathan Archie

Hailing from the state of Indiana is rising singer and songwriter Nathan Archie. A 19-year old artist who initially came to prominence by covering songs in his own unique style, this talent now unveils his first official release to the world.

Emotive new single ‘hurt me enough’ showcases Archie’s beautifully captivating vocals, while a melancholic production sets the scene for his captivating lyricism to shine through.

With support from the likes of Wordplay Magazine and A1234, as well as more than a million followers on TikTok alone, Archie is one artist to keep a close eye on over the next few months.

Nathan Archie

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New Music: Fitzroy Holt

Showcasing some of the most promising new talent to emerge from the Midlands, newcomer Fitzroy Holt is already gaining prominence from just a handful of releases so far.

With its spellbinding mix of soul, R&B, psychedelia and blues, new single ‘How Long’ truly is a sonic creation like none other. Speaking on the lyrical concept behind the song, Holt explains:

“‘How Long?’ was written during the first days of the Covid lockdown. We’d just moved into our old studio above an art gallery in Wolverhampton and began what effectively became a Involuntary artist retreat high above the city centre Like every artist at the time I think I was trying to channel my feelings of isolation and longing, but also hope. I hope it can be a battle cry for anyone who’s going through a tough time emotionally or spiritually. It always gets better.”

Having recently played his own headline set at London’s iconic St. Pancras Old Church, as well as garnering support from the likes of Clash Magazine, Gigwise and BBC Introducing, Holt looks set to take on his biggest year yet.

Fitzroy Holt

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Sam Short – Taste It

Rising singer and songwriter Sam Short returns with a beautifully honest piece of pop that continues to showcase this promising starlet’s work.

Emotive, fragile and sincere in tone, ‘Taste It’ serves as an anthem for those of us who have had our hearts broken. Elaborating further on the lyrics, Short explains:

“This is the most honest song I’ve ever written. It epitomises my very first heartbreak. It details the visceral reaction that comes with betrayal… the feeling that is so painful you hate it, and so real you can taste it.”

Short has currently accumulated more than four million streams on Spotify alone from just three singles, while her songs have been featured on noted playlists like New Music Friday, Fresh Finds and SALT.

Sam Short

New Music: LÉA THE LEOX

Californian artist LÉA THE LEOX is here to banish any Monday blues away with the release of a shimmering new dance bop that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

‘T.V.’ effortlessly fuses electronic pop with elements of house music, resulting in a sound that is infectiously feel-good and uplifting in tone.

Fans of this promising singer and songwriter should also check out ‘Pricey’ and ’80 Proof’, both of which can be found on LÉA’s Spotify page here.

LÉA THE LEOX

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