Category: Music

Bye Beneco – Red Dress

A tremendously exciting South African outfit, Bye Beneco are crafting a kind of indie-pop that is immediately arresting. This is a dreamy, cosmic, almost avant-garde approach to music-making that is not only refreshingly original, but also easy to listen to and feel connected with.

With three successful European tours already under their belt, this SAMA nominated group are already garnering attention globally, having recently been picked up by Apple’s Platoon in London and EarthBeat Bookings in Amsterdam.

“This song is destined and dedicated to dancing hard when we can do that again. The circling instrumental chorus is somewhat of a meditation to me. I had strong feelings about endless roads and wide open spaces that at the time of writing, could not be imagined as filled with life.” –  Lenny-Dee Doucha, Bye Beneco

Bye Beneco

New Music: Faunea

One of the most exciting Nordic talents to emerge so far this year, Faunea delivers a fresh approach to electronic pop that feels dark, eclectic and wildly captivating.

“I am an alien, born in a human body. I come from the planet Pluto, but was born in Nakskov”

‘Psycho Love’ was written out of a personal experience where Faunea was into someone so much that she almost chased him around, and includes Elektrik People as a guest feature.

Faunea

Bomberjak – All The Way Up

Bomberjak is a Swedish project that has been around since 2015. Hailing from Stockholm, these two friends release music that is constantly evolving in concepts and styles.

‘All The Way Up’ is a dance-pop song that incorporates elements of indie, creating something that feels familiar yet forward-thinking.

Taken from the upcoming sophomore album ‘Unexpected Habits’.

Bomberjak

OCTAVIO the Dweeb – Slow Drag

One of my favourite new talents this year, OCTAVIO the Dweeb is back with the fantastic ‘Slow Drag’.

Now with over 330k monthly listeners on Spotify alone and a rapidly growing fanbase joining the movement, this artist is set to become a household name in the years to come. On the new single, he says:

“In life, so many things don’t go how we plan and some things just aren’t meant to work out. But a lot of amazing things can happen when you take a step back that you could have never planned. Kind of like this song. I started writing a song and a few hours into it I realised I didn’t like it anymore haha. I went outside with the producer and writer I work with. We started smoking a joint and singing ‘take a slow drag’ as a joke. Next thing I know it’s my next single and it has turned into one of the most special songs I have ever written.”

OCTAVIO the Dweeb

Jenny Palacios – Noah

Toronto talent Jenny Palacios returns today with a beautifully blended mix of emo and alt-pop in the form of new single ‘Noah’.

Jenny is currently using the time given in the recent flip of the world, to write and co-produce her first solo EP, remotely co-writing and collaborating with other DIY artists.

Jenny Palacios

New Music: Tanisako

Delivering a new approach to alt-pop, 22-year old Japanese-American talent Tanisako is not only a singer and songwriter but also producer.

‘Young & Dangerous’ is an exhilarating piece of music that feels industrial and abrasive, yet still carries a heavy emotive undertone that contracts perfectly.

Tanisako

Barny Fletcher – Click

Photo / Darren Filkins

Just in time for the summer season, UK talent Barny Fletcher is back with brand new single ‘Click’. This is an infectious alt-pop bop that’s all about that moment when you and a potential partner just ‘Click’.

“We wrote this in mid-2020 at Josef Page’s place down in Peckham Rye. I wanted to make something in the same vein as ‘Hey Ya’ or ‘Feel Good Inc’ – something upbeat, that sounds like summertime.”

Barny Fletcher

New Music: The Effens

Hailing from Canada, alt-rock outfit The Effens are a true definition of the DIY band. Not only do they record and produce their own tracks, but their music videos are self-made, the merch is designed and made by the members, and friends orchestrate on-stage visuals for live performances.

Unsurprisingly, each Effens release thus far has been put out on LootBag Records, which is their own label. It’s that sense of creative ownership that gives this band a strikingly unique sound; one that feels bold and confident, yet playful and nostalgic.

“The more we do on our own, the more everything has our fingerprint on it.”

Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Eventually’ which is out soon.

The Effens

Nia Wyn – What Did You Expect

Creator of some of the finest soul to emerge from the UK right now, Nia Wyn returns today with a shimmering slice of bliss in the shape of ‘What Did You Expect’.

Produced and mixed by Shuko (who’s also worked with the likes of Anderson .Paak, Timberland and Talib Kweli), the song looks at Nia processing the end of a friendship.

‘I wrote this song about a friendship that broke down… It’s been years and has taken time to process what happened, but I needed to express the sense of loss and disappointment I was feeling.’

Nia Wyn

New Music: murloe

Singer and songwriter murloe is an up and coming UK artist who has already garnered support form the likes of BBC Introducing. With her uniquely distinctive brand of ‘wonky pop’, this talent tackles the nuances of life and relationships through her music.

“I don’t like to define what something is or put a label on it, I just do what feels right. I’d like to think all my people who feel the same will put this track on in their kitchen and vibe like nobody’s watching.”

murloe

New Music: Lizzy Cruz

Nashville-based Peruvian-American artist Lizzy Cruz has a refreshingly original approach to indie-pop that feels current, while still blending in hints of nostalgia for some fabulous added character.

“I began writing songs at 14, around the same time my dad bought a guitar… which I then stole and took as my own. I fell in love with performing because I loved watching people’s reaction to the song and the lyrics especially.”

Lizzy Cruz

Anthony Russo – Morning

Already achieving over 100 million streams independently and earning acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Ones To Watch and more, rising St. Louis-born singer-songwriter Anthony Russo returns today with new summer bop ‘Morning’.

Infectiously catchy, the bright production glimmers as his voice flutters between vivid verses and a hypnotic high register. Urging his significant other to ‘sleep on it’ instead of fighting further, he pleads on the hook, ‘Let’s see how we feel in the morning.’

“‘Morning’ was birthed out of the idea that sometimes you need to step away from the problem, or sleep on it, to get a better perspective. When you’re close to somebody and spend a lot of time with them sometimes, it’s hard to zoom out in the moment. A lot of times, the problem is not that deep, and you just need a simple reset. Some people don’t like to go to bed angry, and I understand that. But you’d be surprised at how different things feel in the morning when you just let it go and sleep on it.”

Anthony Russo

New Music: Jessica Luise

Manchester-based singer Jessica Luise crafts a kind of indie-pop that is so seamlessly balanced and captivating that it’s near impossible not to enjoy this artist’s sound.

‘a.m.’ is a melancholic piece, written as a sanguine ode to flings, and the emotional battle between falling in love with someone in one night and then never hearing from them in the morning.

Taken from the debut EP ‘Going In Blind’ which is out on Friday 9th July 2021.

Jessica Luise

New Music: Nikolai Berk

Born and raised in LA, Nikolai Berk is an artist who’s always been surrounded by creatives; his mother is a jewellery maker while his father is a fashion designer. With a life-long passion for music, this talent is delivering some of the finest American indie-pop that I have had the pleasure of discovering so far this month.

‘Sunshine & Sex’ came about by complete accident. I was working with my producer to create the saddest, darkest song off an upcoming project and what he first gave back to me was completely wrong for the song. It was bright, sunny, joyful, it more resembled Disneyland than the dismal despair I’d hoped for. But, I had to be in the studio the next night, so something had to get done. By some modern creative magic outside of myself, ‘Sunshine & Sex’ was made and a very happy accident it became. 

Nikolai Berk

OSKAR O. – roll it out

One of the catchiest indie-pop songs you’ll likely come across this week, multi-instrumentalist songwriter, producer and artist OSKAR O.’s ‘roll it out’ is a gritty and dark piece that is not only easy to bop along to, but refreshingly original in it’s concept.

Taken from the new project ‘1v1’ which is out now.

OSKAR O.

New Music: Mcclendon

American talent Mcclendon crafts a gorgeous and thoughtful blend of folk, indie and alt-rock into songs that are deeply emotive and relatable. This young artist creates his work by honing in on observing and questioning himself, and the surrounding world.

‘What I’ve become’ is all about evaluating one’s failures, relationships, hurdles, and changes; both good and bad, that come with metamorphosing towards your true self.

“I’ve woken up countless times thinking, ‘How did I get here?’ Just that realisation of being a long way off who you were – and who you wanted to become – when you began.” – Mcclendon

Taken from the sophomore project, ‘Mcclendon’ which is out now.

Mcclendon