A hugely exciting British indie-rock outfit, Pylons create a kind of sound that is not only melodically captivating, but also loaded with thought-provoking and introspective lyricism.
“I think the only way to keep up with the game of life is to stop keeping up entirely. We made ‘The Chase’ to spite the new world mediums and to remind everyone that you’ve got to be okay with just existing. The world has started to feel overly romanticised and skin deep to the point of being cosmetic, but living is a creative expression that this single pays homage to.” – Crosby Stewart, Pylons
Taken from the debut EP ‘Thanks For Coming’ which is out this autumn.
I’ve had my ears tuned in to mp.oxford for some time now, so it’s always a delight to hear a new release from this massively talented Copenhagen-based RnB-pop artist.
‘places’ is an effortlessly sleek number that feels finessed and emotive, serving as a refreshing anthem for the summer season ahead.
“The song is a physical and mental escape from the places, and the memories that follow, where you’ve spent the most of your time together with that person you thought was the love of your life.
It happened to me, but it is in no way a special feeling. I think it is one of the most common sides in the aftermath of heartbreak. And it is the constant reminding of the other person’s existence, when you visit these places that makes it so difficult to get over the person and move on.
That feeling is extremely frustrating, because it plants a doubt in your mind, asking you if you really want to move on.“
Taken from the debut EP ‘external heartdrive’ which is out on 4th June 2021.
The video you’re watching has racked up over 370,000 views since it’s launch on the 21st May. And it’s easy to see why; this is rock that is bold, confident and impactful while still easy to listen to and connect with.
The Warning are a trio of sisters from Monterrey in Mexico, who over the past few years have created momentum within the rock scene through their independent releases and sold-out shows, all the while amassing more than 120 million YouTube views and 10 million streams on their previous catalogue.
Danish-Welsh star Drew Sycamore returns today with an epic blend of power-pop and synth in the form of new single ‘Jungle’.
Drew’s latest album‘Sycamore’ (out now) was written and recorded in just 30 days, in collaboration with Fridolin and Frederik Nordsø and songwriter Lasse Boman.
“’Jungle’ is made under a violet sky where I found myself in a particularly melancholy nostalgic mood. I was involved and not in love at the same time and everything felt so overwhelming. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out and I guess the emotion that came out in ‘Jungle’ was this feeling of a backwards fall of a cliff into the deep sea. I had to just float and surrender to things unfolding by themselves.”
One of the most beautiful pop songs you’ll likely hear this week, the delicate piano production on ‘testosterone’ unwraps a vulnerable Grace whose captivating vocal focuses on poignant and relatable lyrics of infidelity, and accepting poor excuses to keep a relationship alive.
“Sometimes you come across a song that you wish you’d written, and this is one of them. Written by one of my close pals Lauren Aquilina – who I wrote two songs off my last EP with, along with Lostboy who also produced it – I literally begged Lauren for this song. I instantly connected with the lyrics, and sonically it is just so ‘me’. I’m so appreciative to Lauren and Lostboy for letting me have this one, and as a songwriter myself I always said a song I hadn’t written would have to be super special for me to take it – and special it is!”
Long Beach based trio half•alive return with their new song ‘TIME 2’, which was produced by the legendary Ariel Rechtshaid (Vampire Weekend, Adele, HAIM) and co-written with Dan Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo). The music video was self-directed by the band and long time collaborators JA Collective.
“The lyrical message of ‘TIME 2’ ended up shocking us in a very prophetic way… The song speaks about waking up in the chaos of life and remembering a child-like state of mind. It calls to reset, and return to the beginning. The moment we finished writing the song, the world was subdued into a global time-out. Production on the song, along with everything else, came to a standstill. A year has passed, and now in May 2021 we find ourselves looking down at the lyrics in awe…”
“I’m fleeing to the wonder I lost when I was younger, the simple child state of mind.
It’s comin’ like the sunshine, rising in the morning. I’m waking up it’s time—
Fighting the constant, forgetting to give it up.
I forgot what I wanted, now i’m waking up it’s time.”
A beautifully introspective and inspirational release from 20-year old rising star Audrey Mika. The lyricism on ‘Alive’ hits on so many levels, and shows us another side to this artist’s versatility.
“This song is a huge reminder to me to be thankful that I am even here and alive in this world and appreciating the ups and downs of life. It’s a reminder and affirmation that it’s okay to not always be okay and to surround yourself with people that look out for you. I’ve come to realise that I wanted to bring dancing and my music together and go back to this part of me. I think that dancing adds vulnerability and I felt it went hand in hand with this song. The dancing, the singing, and the lyrics show all the different sides of me and who I am. And I hope I can share, and inspire others to do the same and show them that they can trust themselves when things become uncomfortable.”
London-based talent Zola Courtney enlists California rapper Caleborate for the shimmering new RnB bop ‘Superstar’.
Written as a ‘punch-back’ to arrogance and self-righteousness, this is the kind of laid back summer groove that will immediately transport you to a sun-drenched LA road trip.
“The song is based around the arrogance that can come with power and influence. The lyrics aren’t specifically about ‘superstars’ but more about self-righteous people, and personal experiences I’ve had where I’ve been made to feel small from someone with more power or social status than me. I hope people enjoy the upbeat, sassiness of the song. It feels like it should be playing in Cher’s car during the scene in Clueless where the girls are all driving around Beverly Hills.”
Track of the week. I didn’t ever think I would have a specific girl in red song be a favourite (since each release has been excellent to date), but I think ‘body and mind’ might be it.
“It’s that dissonance between your mind and who you are as a person… Sometimes it’s really hard to grasp that we’re actually just humans, even though we take that shit for granted every day. We walk around, eat our breakfast, eat our dinner, we’re talking to people. ‘Body And Mind’ was an outlet to express that I’ve gotten a deeper understanding of what it is to be human. Seeing what happens to your body but you don’t feel that happening to your body – it’s just a really weird thing.”
Taken from the critically acclaimed debut album ‘if i could make it go quiet’ which is out now.
A fantastically energetic blend of electro-pop and synth from Luna Morgenstern, an Amsterdam-based multi-disciplinarian who is a singer, songwriter, engineer and bedroom producer.
A magnificently powerful indie-pop sound from a relative newcomer, Drew Hersch has crafted a deeply moving piece of music in the form of ‘Home Again’.
Still a university student in Colorado, this artist has a tremendous ability of applying layers of emotion into song that is quite extraordinary to experience.
British rapper and songwriter Morrisson returns today with a huge sound in the form of new single ‘Eastender’.
Already establishing himself as a new heavyweight within the UK rap scene (he commands almost 100,000 subscribers on YouTube alone), this artist is showing no signs of slowing down.
Signed to Sony imprint Since ‘93, he is now gearing up for the release of his debut EP later this year.
Domenic Haynes is a 21-year old RnB star in the making. His new song ‘Crazy’ is a luxuriously indulgent piece of music that is nothing short of spellbinding, taking the listener on an audible experience that will leave them wanting so much more!
The world’s biggest music event, the Eurovision Song Contest concluded last Saturday with what was one of the strongest editions of the competition in recent years. Broadcast live from Rotterdam, an estimated 200 million people around the world watched as twenty-six countries vied for a chance to win that iconic microphone trophy.
While this edition’s victor turned out to be Italy, there’s another nation that has consistently scored well every time they compete; so much so that the announcement of their participation every year is seen as a fan event in it’s own right.
Bulgaria’s reputation at Eurovision is a strong one. Unafraid to buck the traditional pop trends that often flood the Contest, they have been known to opt for artists who are at the cusp of something new and fresh. It’s a risk that seemingly pays off, yielding the Balkan country an excellent run of scores.
This year’s representative was VICTORIA, a hugely talented artist who is already an established name within the Bulgarian music scene. Having waited two years to finally go on stage (last year’s Contest was cancelled due to the pandemic), she garnered 170 points in the Grand Final, securing an impressive 11th place with her performance of ‘Growing Up Is Getting Old’.
Fresh off the success from competing, we managed to secure some time for VICTORIA to do a Quickfire with us… Enjoy!
Firstly, how does it feel now that you’ve finally managed to compete at Eurovision, and scoring so highly in the Grand Final?
It feels great and my team and I are really happy with the result. Bulgaria is also really proud of what we’ve accomplished and I couldn’t be more happy. We’ve been working on this project for the past 2 years and it finally comes to an end. It’s so surreal that I was announced as the Bulgarian representative back in November 2019 and since then I’ve been working non-stop on new music and on my development as an artist and as a songwriter. Eurovision is a great opportunity for young artists to find new opportunities and to grow. I loved every second of this journey, proud of both of my Eurovision songs – ‘Growing Up is Getting Old‘ and ‘Tears Getting Sober‘, my first EP ‘a little dramatic‘, the TV concert we organized to announce my song for Rotterdam and the two songs I released prior to the contest – ‘Ugly Cry‘ and ‘alright‘. All this wouldn’t be possible without Eurovision and I hope one day I will be back.
Why do you think Bulgaria always does well at the Contest?
I think the most important factor is the team behind the project here in Bulgaria. They really understand Eurovision and how to take the best out of this project. I am happy that together with my producer Genoveva Christova from Ligna Studios, who made the Eurovision participation possible for Bulgaria, we will continue to work with the same team from Entiendo in the future. They were guiding us through the world of Eurovision and I think we accomplished a lot. Now we have new challenges in front of us and the first will be a songwriting camp in the summer of 2021. Our partners in the UK Ostereo also are an important factor in our journey and us going to Eurovision. It’s all about the team work.
What inspirations came to you while creating ‘a little dramatic’ EP?
The EP ‘a little dramatic’ is a very dear release to me and I am so happy so many people connected with the stories behind the tracks. I love all 5 songs in it – ‘imaginary friend’, ‘growing up is getting old’, ‘dive into unknown’, ‘phantom pain’ and ‘the funeral song’. The first three are inspired by my personal experiences and I relate them to episodes of my life. The last two – ‘phantom pain’ and ‘the funeral song’ take a dark and surreal turn and obviously are not personal experiences of mine. They all have a special place in my heart and I am privileged I had to work with songwriters from all over Europe to create this EP. All the songs were written with the idea that they might go to Eurovision but we didn’t look for the ‘Eurovision formula’ when we were writing them. We just wanted to create something we will be proud of.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Bulgarian music scene, can you recommend some artists to check out?
I would definitely recommend for you to check Kristian Kostov’s music – his two EPs that he release under his name and the EP under the name VOSTOK. He is another Bulgarian artist that is aiming at the international market. For the people that want something more out of the box – just write ‘Bulgarian hits’ on any streaming platform and dive into the unknown. :)
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
I really would love to collaborate with artists like FINNEAS, Moses Sumney, Jacob Banks, Ashe and many others. There are also many international songwriters that I would love to write with.
What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
I already started working on new material and we are discussing with my team what should be our next steps. I don’t think I will be taking a break until the end of this year. I am full with ideas and I can’t wait to share my new music with the world.
Hailing from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, So Kindly crafts a sound that fuses electronic-influenced dance music with indie-folk in a deeply emotive and captivating way.
“‘The River’ deals with the painful yet beautiful reality of being a human. Sometimes we find ourselves at a fork in the road of our lives. That moment comes with hard emotional decisions that need to be made. This track is about that decision-making process internally and emotionally. Sometimes we have to cut ourselves some slack and accept that we are not always in control of the way things pan out.”
I’ve made no secret of how impressed I am with Lani Rose. This talent is not afraid to lay bare his emotions through his music, with ‘Paranoid’ being no exception.
A beautifully constructed melody sets the tone for a set of raw and honest lyrics to take centre stage, keeping you engaged from the start right through to the end.
George Eve is a British talent with a flair for creating indie pop like none other. ‘Never Let You Go’ is eclectic and raw, but also unexpected and delightfully uplifting. George wrote the song in Los Angeles but its fiery vigour is sure to inspire listeners wherever he goes.
“The new single ‘Never Let You Go’ is a grungy, festival ready song that you can dance to, rock out to, and get lost in. It’s a poem and a journey.”
Taken from the new EP ‘Burger The Exit’ which is out now.
