British-Norwegian singer and songwriter Vorsen (aka Oliver Halvorsen) unveils his latest single today, called ‘Evil’.
The song was written and produced by the artist at his London home, and is lyrically inspired by the concept of ignorance. Additional vocals are provided by The Staves member Camilla Stavely-Taylor,
“‘Evil’ is a shimmering vignette about yearning for blissful ignorance in the face of harsh reality. A hopeful longing that evokes feelings of warmth and nostalgia.” – Vorsen
Vorsen plans to release a new EP soon. In the meantime, listeners can explore his other songs here.
Munich-based starlet DEVADO returns today with a power-pop anthem that deserves your immediate attention!
‘Like Me’ is not only sonically bold, but also lyrically powerful. The track was created using the artist’s signature style of work, which relies on the use of only her vocals and body percussion.
The resulting sound is one that is textured, organic and refreshingly sincere in tone. Elaborating on the song’s inspiration, DEVADO says:
“Its been the story of my life, that I feel like I never really fit in anywhere… I used Disney’s little mermaid ‘Ariel’ as a metaphor to describe a life under the water and yet wanting to fit in with humans. I re-created water sounds and loads of vocal harmonies to emphasis somewhat of a ‘cry for desperation’. This song is an anthem for anyone that feels like an outcast, pretending to fit in with the rest.”
DEVADO’s music has been featured by the likes of Wonderland Magazine and Earmilk, as well as on Spotify editorials.
Angie Petty is a promising new talent from Salt Lake City. As a child growing up in a family of musicians, it seemed only natural that Petty would eventually become a singing starlet herself.
In her journey as an artist so far, Petty has released one album (2021’s ‘Timing’ – listen here), and several well-received singles that have amassed thousands of streams.
‘Yours’ is Petty’s latest release, and showcases her sound beautifully. With its finessed and upbeat mix of R&B, soul and pop, this track will likely end up being one of your favourite summer jams.
If you’re based in Salt Lake City then you can catch Petty performing at the Urban Lounge on the 3rd August – tickets are available here.
British alt-pop project BITTERS (aka Claudia Mills) is back with a fresh new single, called ‘Suicide Butterflies’.
The track’s lyrics were inspired by the conflicting thoughts that occur when we develop feelings for someone, while the production treats listeners to an energising mix of power-pop, indie and rock.
“‘Suicide Butterflies’ portrays the intense and often confusing emotions that can come with falling for someone quickly and deeply.”
Having recently completed a tour alongside Pale Waves, while also amassing hundreds of thousands of streams and receiving praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1, it seems that BITTERS might just become one of the UK’s next big pop exports.
‘Suicide Butterflies’ is lifted from the outfit’s debut EP ‘I’m Fine’ , which you can listen to here. An upcoming LP is on the way.
If you’ve yet to come across Walter The Producer’s music, then we can tell you straight away that you’ll most likely fall in love with his sound.
‘Since September’ has already racked up more than 640k Spotify streams since it’s initial release, and today’s unveiling of its visuals will only further add to its popularity. This is Walter The Producer’s first ever music video, and plays on the theme of paranoia in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
With his work featured on prominent playlists like Lorem, New Music Friday and All New Indie, as well praise from outlets as respected as Ones to Watch, we think it’s safe to assume that Walter The Producer will hit the global mainstream very soon.
‘No Substance Mixtape’, which written, produced, mixed and mastered by the artist himself can be heard here.
Fresh, emerging rock talent doesn’t come much more exciting than LA-based outfit the world famous, who have just unveiled a new single called ‘Hollywood Pawn’.
Initially forming in Massachusetts before relocating to California, this promising five-piece group are steadily growing in popularity thanks to their distinctive style of sound, which fuses nostalgia-tinged rock with indie and pop.
New single ‘Hollywood Palm’ was inspired by lead singer Will Harris’s move to LA, and the times when he would pawn his guitar as a way to make ends meet.
The band will release their debut album,called ‘totally famous’ later this year via Lauren Records (pre-order here).
Raised in North Carolina and currently based in New York, LUCI is one American artist to watch.
This talent is rapidly building a name for herself as a musician who is unafraid to push the boundaries of sound, consequently creating pieces of music that feel experimental and distinctive, but are still easy to form connections with.
Melodic new single ’11:11′ showcases an electronic production that is sleek and understated in style, yet utterly mesmerising in character.
Listeners in New York can catch LUCI on the 28th July at the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls – tickets can be found here.
Hailing from Cardiff in Wales is singer, songwriter and busker Ben Ellis. Already touted as one of the UK’s next big prospects, this musician’s creates well-constructed pop songs that are easy to connect with – both lyrically and sonically.
Ben returns today with a brand new single called ‘Runner Up’, which was inspired by the concept of unreciprocated feelings. Alongside its well-written lyrics, the song’s catchy melody will stick with you all day.
“‘Runner Up’ is a song for anyone who has unreciprocated feelings for a close friend, and would do anything for them – I wrote the song after driving a girl to see a psychic and waiting outside for her.”
As an artist on the rise, Ellis has already drummed up momentum (and a strong online following) from the release of just three other singles, totalling more than 600k streams on Spotify alone.
If you’re in the mood for something uplifting this morning then we’ve got the perfect song for you.
‘Dance Again’ by Scottish newcomer sadHAPPY (aka Aaron Smith) is a masterclass in electro-pop, and treats listeners to a sound that is not only melodically memorable, but also infectiously joyful.
sadHAPPY is already garnering significant traction, and has been supported by tastemakers as iconic as Clash, NME and Wonderland magazines. With more than 600k streams from just four releases to date, this is one talent to watch!
Acclaimed American-Taiwanese singer and songwriter jocelvn has just released one of this summer’s most finessed songs.
‘delusional’ presents listeners with a luxuriously silky blend of electronic pop and alternative R&B. The production feels dreamy and airy in tone, but still maintains a strong sense of emotion that is compelling to experience.
“Writing this song felt especially cathartic, because I was writing about someone I felt like I couldn’t reach through conversation. Some of the things they said to me were so bizarre and manipulative that I genuinely felt that the only explanation was that they had to be delusional if they thought they were being true.”
jocelvn’s music has been gaining prominence in recent years, with support from outlets as respected as Wonderland, Clout and Vents magazines.
The artist will perform at The Goldfish in Los Angeles on the 26th July – tickets can be found here.
The resurgence of Y2K sounds seems to be ushering in a new generation of boybands, and we’re excited for it.
Hailing from Brooklyn, Cry Baby are a group of musicians who create songs in their bedroom studio, drawing inspiration from the classic pop and rock anthems of the late 90’s and early 00’s.
‘Hollister’ is the band’s latest single, and delivers a sound that somehow feels both nostalgic and modern at the same time. Could Cry Baby become America’s next supergroup? Very possibly..!
“Taking influence from Dawson’s Creek and Y2K mall culture, this song makes you feel like you’re living your best summer life.”
Track of the week. ‘Lightbeams’ by Feux is probably one of our favourite songs of the year so far.
This is a piece of music that is powerfully emotive, but also intriguing and captivating to experience. The atmospheric production was created as a way to reflect the lyricism, which addresses ‘the beauty and challenge of introspection and self-reflection’.
“In essence, ‘Lightbeams’ is not just a song; it is a personal testament of growth and transformation, marking the beginning of a new chapter.”
In our view, Feux represents the very finest in British alternative hip hop, and is undeniably one of the country’s biggest musical prospects.
To date, this emerging talent has amassed more than twelve million cumulative streams on Spotify alone.
It’s a big day for rising London artist ESS_WEST, who has just released his first new music of the year.
In trueESS_WEST style, ‘Damn’ effortlessly blends alternative R&B with melodic hip hop, showcasing a sound that is not only sleek but also future-forward in character. The lyrics were inspired by the artist’s thoughts on love, as well as the pain that sometimes comes with it.
‘Damn’ is taken from the artist’s upcoming ‘I love you, still’ project. We anticipate that ESS_WEST will become one of the UK’s next big rap talents, so be sure to keep him on your radars.
A master of many talents, Owen Hamlin is an experienced singer, songwriter, producer, mixer and engineer.
His vast skillset allows him to create music in the exact way that he intends for it to be heard, so that any listener can feel an instant connection to his work. He unveils his latest single today, called ‘And It Was Gone’.
The track applies Hamlin’s introspective lyricism over a melodic fusion of pop and hazy rock, resulting in a sound that feels sincere and melancholic in tone.
‘And It Was Gone’ serves as a follow-up to Hamlin’s previous release, ‘Swimming In Your Sea’ (listen here). An upcoming album is due for release soon.
UK hip hop artist Minimalist returns with a captivating new single called ‘Broken Glass’.
As we’ve come to expect from this hugely promising talent, the song not only delivers sonically, but also lyrically.
A finessed and well-constructed lo-fi style of production compliments Minimalist’s intelligent wordplay, and draws listeners into the artist’s mindset and observations.
“A song about putting yourself together when you’ve been broken.”
The song was created in collaboration with acclaimed singer-songwriter Martin Oet, who has also worked alongside names as prominent as Pitbull and Harry Styles.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve featured Alexander Grandjean on these pages, and for good reason.
The acclaimed Danish singer, songwriter and producer has built a name for himself across the world thanks to his sharp attention to detail and natural flair for creating ‘forest pop’ sounds that are refreshingly unique – but also relatable.
New single ‘Sailor’ is lifted from the musician’s upcoming ‘Holy Hills’ album (due for release in September), and is inspired by the longing feelings that we experience when distance pulls us apart from the people who we love.
“I’ve been away for too long, I see the change in your face. How many days have we lost? I need to start saying your name”
To date, Grandjean’s solo work has garnered more than 100k streams on Spotify alone. You can experience more of the artist’s work here.
Emma Noren is one of our most exciting discoveries this week, and when you play her new single ‘Garden’ you’ll understand why.
This self-produced track serves a masterclass on how to write the perfect summer song.
Stylistically, the production treats listeners to a shimmering fusion of indie, folk-pop and rock, resulting in a sound that feels playful and utterly uplifting to experience. Explaining the inspiration behind ‘Garden’, Noren says:
“‘Garden’ is this metaphor for all of my biggest, most embarrassing dreams – everything I want to do and be – and me shaking myself by the shoulders to wake up and realize that what I have and who I am now is actually pretty cool. As a kid, I fantasized about having a big garden of my own when I grew up, but I ended up living in a bunch of places that didn’t have room for one. Instead I got a bunch of other amazing things: a dog named Flapjack, a girlfriend, some really killer friends. So the message of Garden is maybe what I got was better than what I thought I wanted. It represents this intimate, torturous obsession that I have with the future and the unattainable, and attempts to bring me back to reality. It’s intended to be a bit of a soft slap on the cheek, a push to focus on what’s right in front of me and how beautiful it is, and a gentle reminder that we have time to grow and get there on our own time.”
If this is the first time that you’ve come across Noren’s work then we strongly suggest that you check out her debut ‘Good Dream’ project here. An upcoming EP is on the way!
Fritz Hager shot to fame as a contestant on season 20 of American Idol, consequently topping the iTunes Charts with his debut EP last year.
The self-described ‘indie guy’ is back today with one of the most beautiful ballads that we’ve come across in some time.
‘Bad Friend’ is an introspective piece that looks at young love, and the difficulties in navigating between friendships and relationships. Through its haunting soundscape, the song portrays feelings of sadness and contemplation, which are further amplified thanks to Hager’s soulful vocal delivery.
“‘Bad Friend’ is about how young love can ruin friendships. When we wrote this song, we wanted to explore how confusing love can be at a young age when you don’t have the tools to communicate it. ‘Bad Friend’ is a melancholic look into the past and a kind of apology to the people we hurt.”
With such a distinctive style of pop, we think it’s only a matter of time before Hager hits the global mainstream and becomes a known name across the world.
German-American artist Ninja Kidsoul has firmly marked his name as one of Europe’s leading neo-soul artists, and today’s release of ‘Face 2 Face’ only goes to further prove this.
Lyrically inspired by the concept of ‘existential anxiety’, the song looks at the complexities of trying to survive in the modern age.
“Some people wanna see you fail / so they stare, but we stare back”
Alongside it’s thoughtful wordplay, the track also showcases an intricate and refreshingly future-forward production that is filled with interesting sonic textures.
Ninja Kidsoul has performed on stages as prominent as the Montreux Jazz Festival, and also garnered praise from the likes of COLORS and ARTE Tracks.
Rising UK artist Chloe Amelia is back today with an impressive new single called ‘u already know’.
As we’ve come to expect from this talent, the song serves listeners with a polished pop sound that is not only well-constructed sonically, but also features some captivating and vivid lyricism. Elaborating further on the track, Chloe explains:
“This song was written about meeting somebody at a time when you have been protecting your feelings for so long that you couldn’t imagine falling in love again. You are so adamant that nothing will change that and ultimately end up blindly walking into a situation, or rather a person, that gets you completely hooked. The lyrics attempt to encapsulate the denial of having feelings for someone slowly melting away and the frustration that comes with this.”
The song was co-created alongside writer and producer Lagoon (aka Nicholas Bowen), and is the follow-up to Chloe’s debut release ‘sorry (kinda)’, which you can experience here.
