Category: Music

Mia Baron – Rebel Without A Cause

Photo / Frank Lin

We’ve lost count of how many times Canadian artist Mia Baron has graced our pages, but this rising talent is back yet again with another supreme pop release.

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ serves listeners with an atmospheric and dark production, while the pensive lyrics tell of the urges to be rebellious in our teen years.

Amassing close to 300k career streams to date on Spotify alone, this immensely promising Toronto-based singer and songwriter has been building momentum since becoming a professional musician at only 11-years of age.

Mia Baron

Ayla D’lyla – To Be A Girl

Photo / Malina Weissman

Emerging NYC-based starlet Ayla D’lyla returns with a sublime slice of dark pop that might well become one of your favourite songs of the week.

Beautifully intense and melancholic, new single ‘To Be a Girl’ looks into the sense of delusion that we can sometimes begin to foster when we are in a relationship.

“‘To Be a Girl’ is a letter to all of the girls who have lost themselves in the midst of a relationship. We often measure happiness by the romance existing, or not existing, in our worlds. Many of us tend to lose ourselves living in this state of fantasy and passion.”

The song marks a phenomenal year for D’lyla, who’s achievements in 2022 alone included critical acclaim from the likes of Wonderland, Paper and V magazines, a debut headline show in New York and over 470k streams on Spotify.

Ayla D’lyla

New Music: Noah Klein

An accomplished musician, Noah Klein is a German-American singer, songwriter, producer and mixer.

New single ‘dontyoufeel5s’ showcases a sound that is refreshingly unique and experimental in tone. With seemingly no clear genre present, the track encourages listeners to dive into the production’s soundscape, allowing for a brief moment of escapism.

To date, Klein has garnered praise from the likes of Wonderland and KALTBLUT, and worked with the likes of Bearcubs and Aud Syn.

Noah Klein

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Manta – F.O.M.O

We first featured Manta back in early in 2021, and it’s safe to say that this emerging artist has proven himself to be one of North England’s most promising newcomers since.

Written as a song to encourage us all to live our best lives, new single ‘F.O.M.O’ continues to showcase this rising talent’s refreshingly individualistic hybrid of pop and hip hop.

“Ignore Love Island wannabes and Boohoo Men that waste their lives away in the gym, just do what you want to do and don’t care for what other people think or say, be happy in your own skin!“

Garnering more than 185k career streams to date on Spotify alone (from just a handful of songs), this Japan-born and Yorkshire-raised talent is most certainly one to watch for in 2023.

Manta

Olivia Dean – Danger

Photo / PETROS

We’ve been mesmerised by Olivia Dean’s work for some years now, and today’s release of ‘Danger’ continues to make us fall further in love with this immense UK talent.

Through its finessed blend of indie, pop and bossa nova, the track delivers a sound that is immediately spellbinding. Speaking on the lyrical inspiration behind the song, Dean explains:

“’Danger’ is a song for when you realise the risk you’re taking by falling in love with someone who is really good for you. It’s playful, tongue in cheek and an oxymoron. My main aim with this song was to allow myself to have fun and let go. I wanted to make a Lover’s Rock/Bossa Nova influenced song as they were genres I love and I grew up listening to and hadn’t explored before.”

Since her initial introduction to the world back in 2019, Dean has seen her music played on outlets like BBC Radio 1 and Beats 1, while critical praise has come from The Guardian, Dazed, FADER, NME, Clash and more.

Olivia Dean

New Music: Kara Jackson

Photo / Lawrence Agyei

With a brilliantly powerful style of sound, Chicago newcomer Kara Jackson presents one of the most impressive releases of the week.

‘no fun/party’ is enriched with character and intrigue. While the production feels warm, emotive and soft in tone, the song’s honest and thoughtful lyricism makes for an interesting contrast.

Jackson served as the National Youth Poet Laureate in 2019, and cites prominent Black feminist poets like Gwendolyn Brooks and Lucille Clifton as inspiration.

Kara Jackson

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Live Shows UK 2022

  • Oct-28, London, British Library
  • Oct-30, Cardiff, Llais Festival

Edie Bens – Head Over Heels

Welsh singer and songwriter Edie Bens returns with a gorgeous new release that further marks this talent as one to watch for in 2023.

Fusing elements of country with indie, ‘Head Over Heels’ is an emotive piece of music that was inspired by the cycle of falling in and out of love.

“‘Head Over Heels” is a song about falling in love, getting hurt, and doing it all over again. There’s so much beauty in the cyclic nature of heartbreak and I wrote this song as a reminder that most pain is temporary.”

To date, this artist has picked up praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1, The Line of Best Fit and WTHB. Bens will go on tour next month supporting Rae Morris, with the dates listed below.

Edie Bens

Edie Bens UK Live Dates 2022

  • 18 November – Birmingham -The Castle & Falcon (supporting Rae Morris)
  • 19 November – Manchester – Band on the Wall (supporting Rae Morris)
  • 20 November – Bristol – Thekla (supporting Rae Morris)
  • 22 November – London – Lafayette (supporting Rae Morris)

New Music: Quasi Qui

Photo / Maxime Imbert

Showcasing some of the most exciting alt-pop to emerge from the UK this year, Quasi Qui is the musical project of siblings Yehan and Zadi Jehan

Together, these two musicians craft sounds that perfectly balance nostalgia with futurism. The end result is a collection of songs that are both innovative and timelessly classic in equal measures.

Melodic new single ‘Terminal 5‘ is lifted from the duo’s debut ‘Downloading A New Operating System‘ concept album (out 4th Nov), of which they say:

“It’s structured in a way that can take you from the starting point of transformation and through all the darkness and the struggles and the frustrations to the other end, and it might just make you feel better.”

Quasi Qui

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Orlando + Conor Albert – Loner x10

Track of the week. A collaboration between London artists Orlando and Conor Albert, ‘Loner x10’ treats listeners to a playful mix of bedroom pop, indie and jazz.

The resulting sound, along with it’s accompanying whimsical lyricism, makes this one of the most charming releases of the month. Speaking on the track, Orlando explains:

“We met at a mutual friends gig and a few weeks later we made ‘Loner x10’ together in our first session. We clicked straight away and bonded over our love for jazz piano. I did one take for the verse and I think we both really fucked with the way my semi sung/ spoken conversational vocals sat over the bouncy chords!”

The song serves a taster to Orlando’s upcoming 6-track EP, entitled ‘Pizza Boy Dream’ (out soon).

Orlando | Conor Albert

Jack Kane – Underdog

Rising British artist Jack Kane continues with his quest to become one of the nation’s most exciting pop prospects.

Following on from the release of his acclaimed debut EP ‘Under Your Spell’ earlier this year, the Hertfordshire-based singer-songwriter returns with a fabulous new single called ‘Underdog’.

“Sometimes you just have an absolute stinker of a day where it feels like the world is actively using your misery as a punch line. I have a friend who had just had one of these days, and I took that concept into a session with the production genius that is Mack Jamison, and out came ‘Underdog’. We decided on chords and a riff quickly, and within about two hours Mack had crafted the track and I had written the lyrics. Ironically it was one of those days where everything just goes right. ‘Underdog’ is about keeping your chin up in tough times and holding onto that fighting spirit we’re all born with.”

While still early in his career, Kane already commands more than 34k monthly listeners on Spotify and has garnered over 900k catalogue streams to date.

Jack Kane

Restless Modern – Give It All You’ve Got

One of the most interesting alt-pop newcomers to have emerged over the last year has been Wisconsin-based singer, songwriter and producer Restless Modern.

Today sees this rising talent release his anthemic new single, entitled ‘Give It All You’ve Got’. Powerful and impassioned, the song was written for a special moment in the artist’s life:

“Written for my wife, used for our first dance at our wedding.”

To date, Restless Modern has garnered praise from iconic outlets like Billboard, MTV, Lyrical Lemonade and Atwood, while also commanding close to 50k monthly listeners on Spotify.

Restless Modern

New Music: BABY

Hailing from Kent is hugely promising musician BABY (aka Luke Wyatt), who has just unveiled his energising new single, ‘potholes’.

Delivering a sound that fuses elements of spoken word and poetry over raw, indie-rock productions, this newcomer’s work takes its inspiration from the likes of Jamie T, Rat Boy and Bakar.

With praise from the likes of BBC Introducing already under his belt (even crowning the artist with a ‘Track of the Week’), BABY is one UK talent to keep on your radars over the coming year.

BABY

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New Music: Natan Dagur

Norway continues to deliver world-class pop artistry through rising singer and songwriter Natan Dagur.

Initially gaining prominence from an appearance on Norway’s edition of The Voice, Dagur has since accumulated a significant following that has resulted in over two million catalogue streams on Spotify alone.

New single ‘Holding On’ treats listeners to a perfected pop sound that feels understated yet emotive in tone, and serves as a promising introduction to this exciting newcomer.

Natan Dagur

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Giift – If You Leave

Photo / Mikaela Grogan

It’s safe to say that 2022 has been a stellar year for 18-year old Danish newcomer Giift.

Following the release of her stunning debut EP ‘Archives‘ in the spring, this DIY R&B artist has gone on to acquire critical acclaim from across the world and garner more than 500k cumulative streams on Spotify alone.

Today sees Giift unveil her last single of the year, entitled ‘If You Leave’, of which she says:

“2022 has been very overwhelming to me. Letting go of ‘Archives’ was also about letting go of an emotionally chaotic period in my life and at the same time it became the ultimate high that collided with new love. ‘If You Leave’ is written right at that time – as a declaration of unlimited love and as the definite ending of a chapter one and the beginning of a new.”

Giift has become one of the most widely-praised Scandinavian R&B-soul artists of late, with support from the likes of PAPER, Flaunt, COLORS and Metal Magazine.

Giift

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New Music: Torrence

The strongest debut of the week comes courtesy of UK-based singer and songwriter Torrence.

Already a noted artist under the name of Benjamin Torrens, this talent crafts evocative sounds that are unapologetically powerful and brutally honest in tone.

Released via Made Records’ new singles club (Made Arcade), ‘Violent Tendencies‘ was inspired by Torrence’s struggles with ADHD. As the artist elaborates:

“‘Violent Tendencies’ encapsulates the experience of undiagnosed ADHD. The story of a boy who goes to sleep after a Friday night fight, and wakes up to the bird song he knows and loves. The push and pull of growing up feeling repeatedly misunderstood and unable to control his emotions. It is jarring, it is unashamedly raw, and the lack of resolve leads to a powerful experience.”

Few talents have captivated us in such a way as Torrence has with this release; and in our view this is most certainly one artist to keep on your radars.

Torrence

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Sval – GRENADE

Norwegian alt-pop talent Sval has graced our pages for a good few years now, and today’s release of ‘GRENADE’ continues to prove just how impressive this artist is.

Bold, intense and impactful in character, the song blends elements of indie-rock with pop – resulting in a sound that is raw and powerful yet still feels relatable to listeners.

“To me, ‘GRENADE’ is a self destructive and liberating song at the same time. It’s about embracing sadness and anger, and even though the song has a sad tone it’s something beautiful about owning those feelings completely Whenever I’m feeling sad, as long as I get to sit with those feelings for a while, I’m fine. The song has a certain kind of loneliness attached to it, thoughts of others not understanding your feelings. Hopefully people can release to that.”

Sval currently commands more than 84k monthly listeners on Spotify, and has racked up millions of streams since the release of her debut EP ‘Young Alien’ in 2019.

Sval

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Lleoh – Softly (feat. Soon)

One of the most impressive collaborations of the week comes courtesy of Danish creatives Lleoh and Soon.

Showcasing the best in Scandinavian melancholic pop, the song’s honest lyricism presents listeners with words of doomed love and broken relationships.

Yet while the vocals carry a sombre tone, the song’s production blends elements of stripped-back pop with R&B, creating a sound that is future-forward and fresh, but also warm and intimate.

The release of ‘Softly’ continues with Lleoh’s ethos of creating music that is not dictated by the mainstream scene, but rather what she herself truly believes in.

Lleoh | Soon

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New Music: Holly Blair

Emerging LA-based talent Holly Blair is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker who creates art that is inspired by the different states of human emotion.

Produced by Tim Carr of Perfume Genius fame, new single ‘See This Through’ treats listeners to a stunning soundscape that feels ethereal and transcendent in tone. Elaborating on the lyrical concept behind the song, Blair explains:

“I wrote it as a love song. It was about the kind of love that transcends all bounds of time and space, but at the same time creates a deep undercurrent that something isn’t quite right. In retrospect, it’s not really a love song. It’s about wanting to give everything you have to go down a road despite knowing that at some point it ends.”

Blair has also unveiled visuals for the track today, which were directed by the artist alongside fellow creative Andicito.

Holly Blair

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Lost Boy – Ready2Go

Artist, songwriter and producer Lost Boy has been crafting hits for some of the most recognisable names in pop since 2016 – from Flo Rida and Pia Mia to Johnny Orlando, Jake Miller and TVXQ!

Today sees the multi-talented musician unveil his own single, entitled ‘Ready2Go’. The track showcases Lost Boy’s impressive solo work, which he first debuted back in 2017 with viral single ‘Poison‘.

Lost Boy currently commands more than 277k monthly listeners on Spotify, while his writing and production collaborations have totalled over a quarter billion streams to date.

Lost Boy

Lowgo – Addict (with Joseph Tilley)

Acclaimed electronic music producer Lowgo joins forces with Joseph Tilley on infectious new single ‘Addict’.

A perfect bop for the weekend ahead, the song playfully fuses dance-pop with subtle elements of jazz, creating a sound that is as charming as it is unique.

To date, Lowgo has worked with the likes of Lou Phelps, Zach Zoya and Mosey, while his catalogue of releases has accumulated well over 3.5 million streams on Spotify alone.

Lowgo | Joseph Tilley