London-based Welsh singer and songwriter Mared is a promising new artist who constructs finessed fusions of pop and alternative R&B.
Lifted from the ‘Something Worth Losing EP’ (out now), melodic new single ‘Undo’ showcases a sound that is sleek and stripped back – captivating listeners with it’s honest lyrics and smooth vocals.
Already garnering support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, Radio Wales and Cymru, Mared looks set to be one of the UK’s most interesting emerging R&B talents.
Canadian talent Tafari Anthony returns today with a sublime mix of soulful pop, dark synths and alternative R&B.
Released as part of the 604 Sessionsseries,’Replay’ is taken from the dual single ‘I’m Sure You Meant Well’ (out now). Speaking on the song, the Juno-nominated artist says:
“At the time of being selected for the Inaugural 604 Sessions I had just released a new project a few months earlier and had also been a few months into dating outside of my long-term partner. It was an exciting and busy time during the pandemic when all of a sudden things seemingly came to halt. I was left with many questions, very few answers and a very familiar feeling. “Replay” now feels like this very vivid snapshot in time where I was longing for that communication and no matter how I tried I was not getting it. It forced me to go inward, and I started creating my own narrative as to what was going through his mind.”
Anthony is already a noted creative in his homeland of Canada. The Juno-nominated artist has received extensive airplay on national outlets like CBC and also garnered praise from acclaimed tastemakers like Billboard and PAPER Magazine.
Captivating listeners all across Australia (and much of the world) from as early as 2014, Nick de la Hoyde’s style of music-making has treated fans to indie-pop sounds that are both expertly produced and packed with emotion.
New single ‘Close To U’ focuses on the feelings that we experience when we commit ourselves into achieving something – and reminds us that the journey is just as important as the achievement itself.
To date, Nick’s award-winning work has been featured on established outlets like BBC Radio 1, KIIS FM, The Hit Network and Sirius XM. Nick has also carved himself as a notable songwriter, collaborating and writing with artists globally.
One of the most impressive releases of the week comes courtesy of rising US starlet Lorelei Marcell.
Emotive new single ‘Nothing Hurts Better’ serves a masterclass in dark indie-pop. This is a sound that carries the perfect dose of melancholy to keep listeners engaged and intrigued, without feeling overwhelmingly heavy or intense.
“Nothing feels the same way anymore, Is this it, have we learned? Never gonna stop this back and forth, Nothing hurts better – Loving you like that”
Nothing Hurts Better
To date, Marcell has achieved over a million catalogue streams as an independent artist, and managed to work alongside songwriters as prolific as Valerie Broussard, Stefan Lit and Shannon McArthur.
With each of their recent releases, we have come to fall further in love with Meyru’s inimitable style of indie-rock.
Today marks the band’s unveiling of their ‘Slow Up LP’, alongside new single ‘Theatre Party’. Through its raw and melancholy tones, the track showcases modern American rock and roll at its finest.
“‘Theatre Party’ is a step into a heavier and more stripped down sound for the band. It’s the first song we wrote for the album and it sets the tone for the whole record as the opener. There’s a sense of unnerving and paranoia throughout the track. With the help of Sam Skinner (Pinegrove) we finally got the live and roomy drum sound we’ve been chasing for a long time.”
Garnering praise from the likes of Clash and Earmilk, as well as notable inclusions on flagship Spotify & Apple indie playlists, Meyru are set to take on their biggest year yet.
Today marks the release of ‘Desires’, by emerging Canadian electronic artist MKSTN.
Through its dreamy and hazy soundscape, the song represents the emotions that we go through when begin to fall in love.
This is a sound that is timelessly classic and ethereal in tone, reminding listeners of the beauty that lies within our own emotions.
“It’s about a love promise between two. Taking that leap of faith of following each others desires to be with one another even though it maybe just temporary. I wanted to capture the excitement, nervousness and butterflies that come with going for ‘it’ even if it has never worked in the past… the anticipation of making the right or wrong decision.”
With an upcoming debut album on the horizon, this Toronto-based talent has already garnered support from the likes of Majestic Casual, Indie Shuffle and CBC Music.
However your day is going, pressing play on ‘Dizzy’ is guaranteed to elevate your mood and get you into the summer spirit.
The track find JDM Global presenting a playful style of indie that incorporates elements of psychedelica and pop.
It’s a sound that is instantly likeable and utterly charming to experience, and sets the tone for the upcoming EP, entitled ‘Go Easy‘, which is out later this month.
“This project has been about a year in the making, with all new music and visuals, and I’m so happy to finally show everyone.”
Some of New York’s finest emerging indie-rock comes courtesy of Rebounder. As the musical project of Dylan and Noah Chenfeld, these brothers create a style of sound that feels understated and cool, while maintaining a strong sense of charm and character.
New single ‘Boy Friday’ was self-written and produced, and perfectly fuses essences of summery nostalgia with playful tones of indie and pop.
“On this one we were really interested in the idea of feeling excited and optimistic about the future, while simultaneously noticing, recognising the passage of time more and the natural pressure it puts on you to try harder to get where you wanna go.” – Noah Chenfeld, Rebounder
To date, Rebounder’s work has garnered acclaim from notable tastemakers like NME, FADER, Pigeons & Planes and DIY Magazine. The band are currently on tour across the US, with stops in Washington, California and Ohio.
While still only 19-years of age, newcomer joshua epithet is creating some of the most interesting sounds to emerge from Manchester.
Inspired by a vast array of artists ranging from Blur and The Streets through to Tyler, The Creator and Childish Gambino, this talent crafts songs that feel alternative and experimental, while still maintaining some pop sensibilities. On new single ‘Casey Got The Call’, joshua explains:
“In a world where most people text, you know you’re more likely to get bad news in a phone call. The call represents the inevitable: the inevitability of failing, and ultimately being past your peak and knowing that there’s nothing you can do about it.”
With early support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music, Clash, Ones To Watch and Dummy, this UK artist looks set to hit the mainstream very soon.
Hailing from the English town of Scarborough is new project Axis Neptune, created by artist and multi-instrumentalist Josh Cotterill.
Over a relatively short space of time, Cotterill has been involved with several bands that have spanned the genres of indie, soul, R&B and experimental music.
The result of all this experience has led to the uniqueness of Axis Neptune’s sound, which feels eccentric, dreamy and soulful yet still relatable and easy to connect with.
Already selected as a ‘Pick of the Week’ by BBC Introducing, debut single ‘Cherry Red’ showcases some of the most interesting new music to emerge from Northern England this year.
“This song is about love and loss and all the things in-between that make the world turn.”
Critically acclaimed rising artist roman around returns with a raw yet beautifully constructed blend of indie, rock and punk through new single ‘Rhythm‘.
The track was written as a way for the California-based artist to cope with their grief following the sudden loss of their beloved dog.
“‘Rhythm’ is a story of the tragic loss of my animal friend, Rhythm. Rhythm was my pup who I had for a couple of months. He had a disability that made him walk funny and emotionally extreme. He passed away in my arms suddenly and tragically. Rhythm was not the first animal I watched pass, so this song is a memorial to all my animal friends. Our pets feel like family. Our pet relationships and the way we cherish them should be celebrated.”
This powerfully moving song serves as the fourth single to be released by roman around, who has already garnered praise from the likes of KCRW and Ones To Watch, while also being included on Spotify’s flagship Fresh Finds playlist.
Two of Canada’s most promising soloists join forces on the release of ‘Upper Hand’.
A sleek production that fuses dark pop with R&B sets the scene for Zach Zoya and Soran to present their distinctive vocals, further proving that both of these artists have the potential to hit the global musical mainstream.
With its anthemic melody, the track is immediately captivating and showcases the best in emerging Canadian music. ‘Upper Hand’ is lifted from Zoya’s ‘No Love Is Ever Wasted‘ EP, of which he says:
“These songs are contemplations on the decisions I’ve made and the consequences that have come with them. For this project, I challenged myself to express my vulnerability in the most accessible way I could, so I took the layers off my lyrics and explored more pop and R&B melodies and man, writing catchy pop songs with direct, relatable lyrics is a real skill.”
While still only 16-years of age, London-based talent flowerovlove already commands more than 370k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
It’s an impressive feat – but one that makes perfect sense when you listen to this emerging artist’s work.
Inspired by the way that her life is split between being a regular teenage student and also a rising pop starlet, ‘Hannah Montana’ presents UK Gen Z music in it’s best form – with it’s playful yet dreamy take on pop.
London-based singer-songwriter India Shan showcases some of her home town’s finest new music through the release of melodic new single ‘Don’t Wanna’.
Dreamy and delicate in tone, the song delivers a style of production that infuses R&B with hints of electronica, creating a sound that feels fresh and distinctive yet soulful and moving.
“The song kinda wrote itself, and quickly too. It’s about the patterns in a relationship that aren’t necessarily healthy – wanting to try and make things work but the realisation that it’s not a functional place to be. I think that’s what defines a toxic relationship, when you’re fully aware it’s not right but you struggle to leave because the ups and downs are essentially addictive.”
With mentorship by London’s iconic Roundhouse, the Amy Winehouse Foundation and acclaimed producer Raf Riley, 2022 may well be Shan’s biggest year yet.
Hailing from Suffolk in England is songwriter and artist Bessie Turner. This rising young starlet creates a style of sound that fuses the rawness and grit of indie-rock with the pensiveness of dreamy pop, as is the case with her new single ‘It Was Nothing’.
“I wrote the seed of ‘It Was Nothing’ years ago now. It’s about the loss of friendships and me trying to find peace and reason in a situation. I’m always the most sorry person in the room and take responsibility for things even if they’re not mine to carry, like if someone ran me over I would apologise for touching their car. I still haven’t found complete peace but at least I’ve made a little ditty. De nada, de rien, don’t worry about it, it’s kind of ironic and sarcastic I guess because I really, really care. The song is full of high and low energy and I wanted it to feel like a burst of emotion. The ending is a kind of sarky feel good end of play – it’s my favourite part of the song.”
With a refreshingly honest and authentic approach towards music-making, Turner has already picked up early praise from the likes of Clash Magazine and The Line of Best Fit, as well as airplay on several BBC radio stations.
Turner will perform some live shows this summer – including the Latitude, Standon Calling and Victorious festivals.
We are starting the week off with a captivating piece of dreamy indie-pop from LA-based newcomer Goldie Vargas.
‘Moving in Reverse’ exists within a stunning sonic universe that is really quite sublime to experience. Intensely personal and introspective in its concept, listeners are presented with lyricism that tells of Vargas’ feelings of melancholy and isolation.
The song was written during the first week of the pandemic, and was left alone up until recently – as Vargas explains:
“It took a really mentally challenging period of my life to take me back to the final recording of the song where I discovered an entire new meaning in it. Everything I was going through with brain fog, anxiety and depression was being said through the song and communicated in such a clear way.”
This is the second time that keni can fly has been our track of the week, with previous single ‘idk sh*t but colors’ getting our attention early last year.
’99’ pollen’ find this promising US talent continuing to showcase his extraordinary skills at music-making, by presenting sharp lyricism over a production that fuses indie and hip hop with essences of soul and jazz.
Garnering praise from notable tastemakers like Elevator, Before The Data, Loner and A1234, it seems only a matter of time before the rest of the world wakes up to keni can fly.
Following a successful tour run with Tate McRae, Gavin Haley returns with one of the catchiest releases of the week. ‘Mine’ is a classic summer-pop bop that has one of the most infectious choruses you’ll likely hear for some time.
The song’s lyrics were inspired by the process of moving on from a relationship – reminiscing of the good times while overlooking the bad ones.
“’Mine’ is about missing something more once it’s gone. Once you’re removed from a situation it’s easy to remember just the good moments. I find this to be true especially with people and places. We let ourselves back into relationships or situations because we romanticise what it was.”
To date, Haley has garnered over 100 million catalogue streams, and currently commands over 600k monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
Debut album ‘i hate you, Don’t Leave Me’ is out 15th July 2022 via Red Bull Records, pre-order here.
It’s rare to find emerging artists who are creating classic soul within today’s musical landscape… Up until today, when our speakers were graced with the sonic artistry of Dutch singer songwriter Alice Aera.
This is soul and R&B in its purest form – designed to heighten listener’s emotions with its simple yet finessed production, sleek vocals and smooth melodies.
Inspired by icons like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Lauryn Hill, it’s clear to see that Aera models herself on only the best – and it’s yielding some very impressive results so far.
Hailing from Perth is rising multi-disciplinarian Adam Ricci. Impressively, Ricci is not only a musical artist but also produces, mixes and masters his own work.
Glossy new single ‘My Type’ showcases a perfected blend of dance, pop and R&B. Matched with smooth vocals and a catchy melody, the track is sure to garner a lot of traction over the summer season ahead.
With praise from influential tastemakers like Wonderland already under his belt, this is one Australian artist worth keeping an eye out for.
