aboynamedblu – You Don’t Cry Enough

Songwriter, singer and producer aboynamedblu returns with one of the best alt-rock releases of the week.

Refreshingly raw and unique in tone, ‘You Don’t Cry Enough’ may well be my favourite song to date from this Cape Town artist.

“I wanted to capture this moment that best reflects this place that we’re in right now. The vastness of the internet seems overwhelming and building genuine connections with people is getting more and more difficult. My best friend and co producer Cat Gallent and I, found ourselves asking how do we resonate with people without shoving content in their faces, and it just became so clear that focusing on what the sentiment is in the music, speaks a lot louder than anything else. So we moved our studio from the city out to a farm, and created an environment where we can focus on just that So this is it, the story about the boy who almost became famous but got lost on the internet.”

Taken from the new EP ‘404 USER NOT FOUND’.

aboynamedblu

New Music: Leyonclou

Inspired by the likes of Lady Gaga and P!nk, Swedish artist Leyonclou mixes music, art and image with playful expressions.

While on the surface, new single ‘Hindsight’ is a fun electro-pop bop, the song’s lyrics focus on her struggles with mental illness, with the hope to one day ‘see it in hindsight’.

“My biggest wish with ‘Hindsight’ is that it reaches the person that needs to hear that life is worth living, and it gets better. You’re not alone, and it’s ALWAYS worth the fight. You’ve got so much more to experience and so much more to give. Music is a huge part of why I’m still here, and I hope that me and my music can be the change and support that so many other songs and artists have been to me.”

A portion of the song’s revenue will be donated to Swedish non-profit organisation Suicide Zero for their work in preventing suicides.

Leyonclou

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New Music: Low Lying Sun

Essex-based group Low Lying Sun create a breathtaking and anthemic style of indie-rock that feels emotive, epic and intense.

“‘Hymn To Say Goodbye’ is about realising a relationship isn’t going to work, but you still love them and so it’s hard to make sense of it. It’s an ambitious grief, you’re both still there but what you had is gone. It’s a tragedy; like burning a masterpiece, it feels like armageddon. You try to move on without hurting the other person so you yourself, but you want them to know they are still important to you.”

Taken from debut EP ‘Hymm To Say Goodbye’ (available 1st April 2022 through BSW Music / Lab Records).

Low Lying Sun

Tep No – Don’t Walk Away

Canadian singer, songwriter, musician and producer Tep No returns today with a charming blend of ukelele pop and dance through his new single ‘Don’t Walk Away’.

“The song is me reminiscing about my trip to Greece, and how I was using zoom to talk to my then wife, wishing she was with me at the time.”

To date, Tep No has amassed more than 375 million streams, scored a Gold-certified single and a top 20 pop radio hit in Canada, reached #1 on Hype Machine’s Popular chart 6 times and the top 10 on Spotify’s Viral Chart in seven countries. He’s also shared stages with the likes of The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki and San Holo.

Tep No

New Music: Luna Blue

Emerging from Brighton are hugely promising alternative indie 4-piece Luna Blue. Despite lockdown, this outfit have wasted no time in sharing their music with the world, playing virtual stages with the likes of APRE, Red Rum Club and Lauran Hibberd.

They also shared the main stage with McFly, Ash, Sleeper and Sarpa Salpa at AmpRocks, and headlined Brighton’s Komedia last year.

With early support already garnered from Spotify, BBC Introducing and Indie Central Music, 2022 could well be Luna Blue’s biggest year yet.

“‘Lou Lou’ is a metaphor, the image of a perfect person who enters our lives for a split second, then is gone. A beautiful soul who fills the room and accepts us for what we are, accepts all our flaws.”

Luna Blue

Amanda Alexander + VAAAL – I don’t talk about you

Swedish artist Amanda Alexander teams up with LA-based producer & writer VAAAL on new single ‘I don’t talk about you’.

Together, these two talents created a raw piece of music that seems to fulfil the entire spectrum of emotions – blending dark and industrial sounds with dreamy tones of euphoria.

Since the song was originally constructed years ago, Amanda decided to also collaborate with singer, songwriter & producer frogi on rewriting some of the lyrics and adding some final touches, creating the superb song that you are listening to now.

“It hurts when you meet someone who really fills you up. It’s like a part of you has changed forever, and you know it will never be the same again. And when it ends, that part of you can never belong to someone else because you have saved it for them – for another world or universe where the relationship still exists.” – Amanda Alexander

Amanda Alexander | VAAAL

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JEONA – Paloma

Copenhagen-based performer, producer and songwriter JEONA returns with a captivating blend of pop and alt-R&B on new single ‘Paloma’.

As everybody curled up with their loved ones during the cold Danish winters, JEONA found himself on his own with nothing but a drink and the memories of past love.

The song describes how JEONA tries to find comfort and answers through the taste of something that his former girlfriend had introduced him to, while also struggling to understand what made him like the taste in the first place. Puzzled by his feelings, he concludes that he’s stuck in the past.

“I write songs about all the vibrant colours of life.”

JEONA

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New Music: Declan Ryan

Hailing from Brisbane in Australia is rising 16-year old talent Declan Ryan. Showing a level of artistic maturity well ahead of his age, this artist crafts experimental indie-folk songs that are both thoughtful and deeply moving.

“Although happy and carefree, ‘Far Again’ is actually inspired by a TED Talk about the darker issues of male mental health.”

Declan’s debut EP, ‘Where the Sea Ends’ was released last summer and has already garnered around 250,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Declan Ryan

New Music: Chrome Daphne

If you’re a fan of acts like HONNE and Whilk & Misky then get ready for a new favourite. Chrome Daphne are a Toronto-based duo comprised of producer & multi-instrumentalists Chris da Silva and Jay Cherr.

This is a finessed sound that seamlessly blends mellow disco tones with elements of moody R&B and sultry, soulful pop.

‘There’ was inspired by a short-lived romance that left Cherr wanting more in terms of intimacy, and when that relationship ended, it led him to a state of mindfulness.

“Out of all the things in the world, all the things we can experience and feel as humans – why do we feel this need to rush? What is there to rush, honestly? Aren’t we just “there” to feel as close and as amazing as we can? Let’s just put aside all of these worries and insecurities for these few moments that we’re in bed together. If it feels this good, let’s make it last for as long as we can.” – Jay Cherr, Chrome Daphne

Chrome Daphne

Joe Saan – SCIENCE

Alternative artist Joe Saan returns with intoxicating new single ‘SCIENCE’. This rising 25-year-old talent continues to craft some of the most exciting fusions of soul, R&B and hip hop to emerge from New York.

Sleek, hazy and dreamy in tone, the new single dips into Saan’s queer experience, presenting a sound that is catchy, raw, and effective.

Joe Saan

New Music: Serena Sun

Emerging from Vancouver is singer, songwriter and producer Serena Sun. Inspired by indie-pop and ambient soundscapes, this talent blends the two with her distinctively airy vocals to create a unique and emotive sound. Talking about new single ‘Body’, Sun says:

“This song is about sexual assault. I was sexually assaulted by a friend in university and was really shaken by it. Ever since I started pursuing my career as a songwriter, I’ve wanted to write about it but haven’t been able to find the words until now. I was on a trip to New York when my dad sent me an article about a protest against sexual assault going on at a university here in Canada. I was in my hotel room at the time, and was so upset that sexual assault was still such a prevalent problem on university campuses (and in general) that I wrote this song in thirty minutes. It felt so good to finally express it and have the lyrics also feel empowering to sing. I felt that it was important to bring another woman on as a producer and songwriter, so I worked with the incredible Tiger Darrow to bring this song to life. I hope that anybody who has gone through a traumatic experience will listen to this song and feel empowered, and enjoy singing (or screaming) the lyrics “F*ck you for trying to claim my body.”

Serena Sun

Les Cooper – Noise

Canadian producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Les Cooper constructs a kind of indie that is both compelling and mesmerising in equal measures.

The Toronto-based creative has been regarded as one of his nation’s leading music producers, earning Juno Awards for his work with The Good Lovelies, and further Juno nominations for albums he produced for Jill Barber and Madison Violet.

Melodic and emotive in character, ‘Noise’ was written at a time when a friend of Cooper’s was dealing with mental illness:

“This song came out of a feeling of helplessness as I recognised my instinct to shield and protect them but struggled with the reality that that wasn’t my role.”

Les Cooper

Beck Pete – Romantic

Quick off the heels of her previous hit ‘Softie,’ alt-pop artist Beck Pete unveils the next track off of her upcoming project.

New single ‘Romantic’ calls on viewers to let go of the things that we cannot control, and embrace the beauty of it all by allowing each moment to take us on a ride.

“At the risk of sounding more hippie than I choose to admit I am, haha, I think we can all agree that there’s a very nuanced beauty and romance to this life, our part in it, and how one thing always leads to another. Even if we aren’t able to access joy as a result of it all of the time, we can at the very least acknowledge that the sparkly parts are ever-present.”

Beck Pete

New Music: Daniel Price

A refreshingly original fusion of indie and alternative R&B from a talent who is rapidly picking momentum, thanks to early praise from the likes of Pigeons & Planes and DailyChiefers.

And once you press play, you’ll understand why. Daniel Price creates an authentic sound that bravely pushes boundaries, while still feeling effortlessly sleek in tone.

Daniel Price

Daisy Guttridge + Marc E. Bassy – Skin

British-born and Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Daisy Guttridge joins forces with Marc E. Bassy on luxuriously finessed new single ‘Skin’.

The song finds Guttridge craving intimacy and yearning to connect with her lover, and serves as her second single after making her solo debut last year with ‘i found u’.

Daisy Guttridge | Marc E. Bassy

Hippie Sabotage’s Rooms of Hallucination, featuring Daisy Guttridge:

  • Mar 8 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
  • Mar 9 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
  • Mar 10 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theatre
  • Mar 11 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
  • Mar 12 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
  • May 5 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks *SOLD OUT*

Alice Merton – Same Team

Berlin-based musician Alice Merton returns with an addictive alt-pop banger in the form of new single ‘Same Team’.

Taken from Merton’s forthcoming sophomore album, the production provides listeners with a jolting, electro-meets-industrial explosion of energy that contrasts beautifully against the song’s deep sense of introspection.

“‘Same Team’ is one of the first songs I wrote for the album. I had been going through a lot of personal and work-related conflicts. I felt like I had been pulled into worlds that I didn’t understand, and having conversations with people in which we just didn’t speak the same language. A team goes through ups and downs, but often pulls together to become even stronger-but in some cases it does the exact opposite. I started to question: what do Ido if that team makes me doubt myself and the decisions that we make?”

New album S.I.D.E.S. is out on 17th June 2022 via Paper Plane Records Int.

Alice Merton

New Music: Cowboy Mugshot

Photo / Dillon Jordan

Cowboy Mugshot’s ‘Wires Crossed’ may well be that one song that stays in your head for the rest of the day.

This genre-bending chameleon draws influences from the worlds of jazz, trip hop, EDM, rap and post grunge to create sounds that are not only interesting and unique in character, but tremendously catchy.

“Sometimes it all goes sideways. ‘Wires Crossed’ takes an honest look at the fallout of a relationship that has come to a sudden end. It’s a tale about a boy in the throes of heartbreak set on an airport runway.”

Cowboy Mugshot

New Music: Sukie

Photo / My Perfect Cousin

Hailing from Manchester comes indie-pop trailblazer Sukie. Through her signature style of crafting funny-yet-sad lyricism, this talent presents songs that carry a perfect balance of playfulness and melancholy.

New single ‘Best Of Luck’ invites listeners into her personal space, as she opens up about growing up in a complicated family dynamic peppered with mental health issues, while also reflecting on the importance of letting go and moving forward.

“‘Best of Luck’ is really just about growing up in a family that seemed super ‘normal’ from the outside, but had lots of stuff going on that my friends and outsiders didn’t know about. It’s kind of an ode to me and my childhood best friend, as we both grew up in families that were very affected by mental illness. It feels like both a sad and a triumphant song to me. Writing it helped me to realise how much anger and resentment I was holding on to, and helped me to come to terms with the fact that mental illness is never anyone’s fault. it’s a song for my inner child, really. Giving her a hug and letting her know that it’s okay to move on from long-held grudges.”

Sukie