Lava La Rue – Vest & Boxers

Without a doubt one of the UK’s most exciting artists, Lava La Rue consistently breaks barriers with her future-forward approach to music-making and sharp lyrics. West London’s finest now returns with another incredible song, produced by Courage and Saya Gray:

“I wrote ‘Vest & Boxers’ to be deeply relatable of what dating was like for myself and my teen lesbian / nblw friends growing up. I reference all the little moments we joke about – not knowing if you’re on a date or just meeting up as friends, walking into their bedroom for the first time and thinking how good it smells, not coming home for 2 days after the first night together and deciding to just move in. We were all guilty of it! Vest & Boxers is what we would refer to as our ‘dyke uniform’ – we’d wear it under our baggy denim/ oversized suits with the waist band showing as a little signal to all the other gays in the room.” 

Lava La Rue

Novaa – The World’s Thing

A beautifully introspective release from Berlin based alt-pop singer-songwriter Novaa.

On new single ‘The World’s Thing’, the artist lets the emotion do the talking through an offbeat and unfiltered melody – setting the tone for her refreshingly honest lyricism to shine through.

“‘The World’s Thing’ is an ode to the indifference and the apathy caused by the overload this world lays on me sometimes. Shit things happen all around and all the time and they eat me up at times. I needed a song to help me find a lightness and ease in all that, something that turns the drama into a comedy for a short while to make it bearable. This song comforts me and makes me smile even during shit times, and I hope that it does that for others too.”

Novaa

Celine Love – Good Girl

Track of the week. Hamburg born and London based singer-songwriter Celine Love shares her stunning new single ‘Good Girl’. This is a melodic piece of indie-R&B perfection that is nothing short of pure bliss to experience.

Celine recorded the vocals at home in her closet and her dad recorded the bass virtually, giving the track an endearing charm thats perfectly compliments the lyrics.

“The inspiration behind this song was my desire to shed the ‘Good Girl’ image that has been almost imposed on me by my family, and in turn I always felt that’s the way I needed to be in order to be accepted. I’ve always been afraid of being judged, but this year has been a huge journey of self-love and growth and coming to terms with the fact that sometimes I’m not at my best – and that’s ok. I am an overthinking, people-pleasing, stubborn, either emotionally unavailable or far too available Aquarius and needed to own that!”

Taken from the upcoming debut EP ‘Aquarius SZN’ which is out on 16th February 2022.

Celine Love

Reekado Banks – Ozumba Mbadiwe (feat. Fireboy DML)

International afrobeats artist and award-winning Nigerian music star Reekado Banks teams up with emerging Nigerian crooner Fireboy DML for an impressive new remix of ‘Ozumba Mbadiwe’.

The song was titled after the expressway that leads to Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, where peaceful protesters were massacred for protesting against police brutality in October 2020.

“‘Ozumba Mbadiwe’ captures a few different subject matters, but the most important is me paying homage to the victims of the #EndSars protest massacre. I was one of the protesters at Lekki Toll Gate before I had to travel, so the massacre at the Toll Gate cut deep for me, because it happened less than 48 hours after I left, and I just can’t shake that feeling. With the remix, I wanted someone that could add a different perspective to the record. Fireboy has been one of my favourite artists for a while now and he has made his love for this record public, so I thought he’ll be a good fit for a remix, and he smoked it.” – Reekado Banks

Reekado Banks | Fireboy DML

New Music: Reyanna Maria

Hailing from Australia, 19-year-old Melbourne-based Filipino pop-R&B singer and songwriter Reyanna Maria is destined for global stardom.

Lamenting over a lame relationship, her finessed new single ‘Loser’ sees elements of piano trickling over a sparse beat as her flow turns its tempo on a dime.

Signed by Steven Victor himself and already garnering praise from the likes of HIGHSNOBIETY, Forbes, Raydar and HotNewHipHop, this could well be Reyanna’s biggest year yet.

Reyanna Maria

New Music: The Let Go

An anthemic blend of pop, indie and rock from Liverpool-based American outfit The Let Go.

This is a sound that is immediately relatable to listeners from almost any generation, thanks to a rich blend of influences that fuse together seamlessly. Expect to see this group go far!

The Let Go

New Music: Cate Tomlinson

Representing some of the most exciting new talent from the USA is 20-year-old singer, songwriter and performing artist Cate Tomlinson.

Still a student at Northeastern University, this Boston-based creative forms emotive sounds inspired by pop, soul, and rock & roll. The end result is music that feels fresh and current, while still maintaining a deeper and more soulful essence.

“Whether it’s composing a brutal text or making a grocery list, the Notes app has become Gen-Z’s (and my own) digital diary. I wrote this song about stress-writing text apologies in my Notes app; ‘notes app apology’ wallows in the paralysing period of time where you know a relationship is all wrong and you need to get out – but you haven’t left yet. I found myself in a toxic situation and still had the instinct to protect the relationship and hold onto this person. I wrote about realising they thought they could say anything to me thinking I’d always be there, and coming to terms with the fact that the time I spent drafting texts in my Notes app to put us back together was time wasted.”

Cate Tomlinson

Landon Conrath – Last Week

Photo / Sawyer Brice

A rising talent hailing from Minneapolis, Landon Conrath impressively writes, records and produces his own songs.

After introducing himself to the world in 2020, this artist has managed to go viral on Spotify, sign a record deal and play his first show to a sold-out crowd.

New single ‘Last Week’ serves as an honest account of how negative relationships can affect our mental well-being.

“‘Last Week’ is about a person in my life who made me feel like I was constantly under their feet. We worked super closely together but I always felt like my ideas weren’t good enough and that I should just quit music in general. Whether it was truly a bad situation or if I just put those ideals on myself, this song illustrates with the struggles of self worth.”

Landon Conrath

New Music: Calabasas

Photo / Nick Lumarque

Already reaching close to 100k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, it’s safe to say LA-based duo Calabasas are picking up considerable momentum. Blending alt-pop with elements of R&B, electronica and hip hop, these are songs that sound distinctly unique while still feeling relatable.

With its perfected production and smooth melodic flow, ‘The Mend’ shows that not only are Calabasas rising stars in their own right, but they are also currently one of the most sought after production duo’s in the industry.

“We wanted to take a deeper dive into our personal lives on this song. I wrote this at a tough time in my relationship for the woman I love. It’s a chance to get vulnerable with our fans and let them know that we are all humans and we make mistakes.”

Calabasas

New Music: TAELA

A hugely catchy sound from American artist TAELA. Already garnering a committed fanbase across social media, this starlet-in-the-making seamlessly constructs pop-rock anthems that are sure to win your hearts.

“I wrote this song about my personal struggle with social media. I’ve found it really easy to lose myself constantly trying to look good online and live up to society’s standards… And I’ve realised a lot of people struggle with the same thing. Everybody is so quick to judge based solely off of their personal perspective. Social media gives anybody and everybody access to an opinion of you and that can be mentally exhausting.”

TAELA

New Music: Ludic

Vancouver outfit Ludic have come up with one of the most charming releases of the week, thanks to a genius production that serves us sleek alt-pop with a quirky and offbeat twist.

‘Judge Me’ was written about feeling lonely in a relationship and feeling like you can’t do anything right; when your constant efforts to try and change are not working and instead are met with more criticism by your partner.

“The song tackles what it’s like to recognise harmful patterns in a romantic relationship, and the determination to mend all that is wrong because you are committed to your love for that person.” – Max Cunningham, Ludic

Ludic

LOVE SICK – Run Out Of Love

Photo / Madison Phipps

Scottish alt-pop duo LOVE SICK return today with a captivating and deeply moving release in the form of new single ‘Run Out Of Love’.

Beautifully melancholic in tone, the song encapsulates the moment when a love interest realises the extent of their feelings for you, almost immediately after they let the relationship fall apart.

“This song was one of the ones where most of it came out in one take and the creative process happened really quickly. We wanted by to keep it quite understated and lo-fi in the production so went for a minimalist approach. The original demo before we had a title was called lo-fi song. It’s about someone not appreciating you when you’re there and wanting you when you’re gone”.

LOVE SICK

New Music: Freddy Madson

Photo / Therese Lærke

Of all the tracks I receive from Scandinavia, this has to be one of the strongest releases that I have come across so far this year. Freddy Madson is an independent pop artist based in Copenhagen who is creating some of the most sublime sounds you could hope for.

‘Hanging in the Air’ is a beautifully dreamy yet highly-charged song that fuses hints of indie and jazz, telling the honest story of how to regain faith and trust in yourself when everything seems lost.

“I think everyone knows what it’s like to feel imperfect or inadequate. Other people’s great expectations can suddenly become a massive burden in your life – and it literally dragged me down, creating an endless flow of irrational thoughts and unnecessary contemplation. It was the feeling of hanging in the air while racing for a new tomorrow but it was with the help from my closest ones, that I got back on track.”

Freddy Madson

🎵 Follow the Scandinavia Sound Playlist

Retro Video Club – Faking

Edinburgh-based rockers Retro Video Club are kicking off 2022 in commanding fashion with the release of their new single ‘Faking’.

The track arrives while the band are on a mini tour for Independent Venue Week, and just days before they support The Kooks on two dates of their UK tour,

“‘​​Faking’ is about being bitter, and trying to leave one last dig at your ex before moving on with your life. It’s the age old tale of a lover scorned, and how in the 21st century, people get their licks in.” 

Retro Video Club

Retro Video Club for Independent Venue Week:

  • Stoke – Underground – 4 February 2022
  • Cardiff – The Moon – 5 February 2022

Retro Video Club supporting The Kooks:

  • Glasgow – O2 Academy – 7 February 2022
  • Glasgow – O2 Academy – 8 February 2022

New Music: Zac and The New Men

A raw, punchy and invigorating take on British rock from a group that consists entirely of 17-year old musicians. This is a sound that is unashamedly bold and fully encapsulates the energy of youth.

The group’s empowering new release ‘Deeper’ was written as a commentary on today’s society and being judged by outward appearances; all the while expressing anger at feeling held back by other’s perceptions of who you are.

Zac and The New Men

New Music: Haunter

An anthemic mix of hard rock and emo-pop from emerging Texas outfit Haunter. The longer you listen to new single ‘Paralyze’ the more grand and epic this track gets.

With lyricism that is refreshingly honest, the song explores themes of sex, non-monogamy, unhealthy obsessions, and power.

“The idea of music leaving this lasting impression always fascinated me. You can always remember why your favourite song hits close to home or why that song brings you to tears. The name HAUNTER fits us perfectly, because I wanted to write music that lasted and haunted you in a way.” – Enoma Asowata, Haunter

Haunter

More In Luv – Living For Two

Hailing from Merseyside are emerging alt-pop outfit More In Luv. If you’re a fan of Years And Years, Larkins and Fickle Friends then chances are you will love this group’s infectious guitar melodies and sparkling synth sounds.

Written about love, struggle, and money, ‘Living For Two’ documents the band’s journey from where and what they’ve come from.

“‘Living For Two’ was written about being from a place where you’ve never felt protected by the people hired to do exactly that, and despite it all, all you want to do is build a good life for yourself and the people you love.”

More In Luv

Catch More In Luv live:

  • 21/01 – Jimmy’s, Liverpool (supporting Deco)
  • 04/02 – Live Rooms, Chester (supporting Bedside Manners)
  • 18/03 – 33 Oldham St, Manchester (supporting St Peter’s Dream)
  • 29/04 – 33 Oldham St Manchester (supporting Green Wire)

HRTLSS – Circles

Amongst his other accomplishments, HRTLSS managed to end 2021 being made Track of the week on BBC Introducing as well as landing several editorial placements across Spotify’s alt, emo and rock playlists.

Today the rising British talent returns in epic fashion with his bold and anthemic new single ‘Circles’.

“I wanted to start 2022 with a bit of a heavy one. Just how I felt when I wrote it, with the world feeling like were trapped going round in circles.”

HRTLSS