Catie Turner + Javier Bennett – god must hate me

The hugely talented singer-songwriter Catie Turner has tapped rising artist Javier Bennett for a beautifully emotive edit of her single ‘God Must Hate Me’.

Catie first teased the confessional track on her TikTok, quickly achieving more than a million views within a day of posting the video.

The song has since gone on to rack up over 22 million streams since November last year, and continues to be streamed over a million times a week just in the US alone.

“It’s easy to focus on the negatives of social media: everyone’s fighting, you’re comparing yourself to anything that moves, and your eyes burn from countless hours getting overloaded with information.” – Catie Turner

Catie Turner | Javier Bennett

New Music: Memorial

Already garnering support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6Music, Radio X, Annie Mac and Elton John himself, British duo Memorial are firmly placing themselves as one of the most interesting new folk-pop outfits to emerge from the UK.

“‘Dialtone’ was written after we’d moved a long distance away from each other. We’d worried about the impact it could have on our friendship. It just so happens that in that year or so we’d both endured some drastic changes in our lives, but the distance created a pathway for more meaningful communication. We called when we needed to and we visited each other at the most important times. If anything it brought us closer together as we realised we could actually depend on each other. It all sounds cheesy, but it’s what the song is about and it’s important to recognise how important some people are to you.”

Taken from the upcoming self-titled debut album which is out on 29th April 2022.

Memorial

New Music: stevie nel

Hailing from St. Louis in Missouri, American artist stevie nel crafts a beautifully dreamy kind of sound that allows listeners to escape to other worlds.

New single ‘always‘ is a stunning slice of lo-fi pop that details the bliss of eternal love. This is a song that feels understated on the surface, yet highly emotive and captivating.

stevie nel

Alexander Grandjean + ALEA – Kiss

Consistently delivering some of the finest indie-soul to emerge from Denmark, Alexander Grandjean returns with gorgeous new single ‘Kiss’. This is a sound that is dreamy, highly finessed and utterly sublime to experience.

Featuring vocals from fellow Danish artist ALEA, the song is taken from the new album ‘Coma’, which comes out in March.

This record represents

the current collective state of mind

This record

honors us, the people

trying but failing

to continue with the old normal

in a world that is in a coma

Alexander Grandjean | ALEA

Beck Pete – Softie

American artist Beck Pete returns with a truly outstanding slice of alt-pop in the form of new single ‘Softie’.

Initially written as a mode of self-healing, the song serves as a sonically robust anthem rooted in the message that the right lover will fight for you once you love yourself.

“This song is about internalising your own worth, and in this instance, taking a step back and letting others realise it too. I whisper sang this song over and over to myself in my room with wet cheeks and tired eyes until I finally was able to truly know mine, and if someone else is able to do the same, I’ve done my job.”

Beck Pete

New Music: BXKS

Emerging from Luton is UK rapper BXKS, who’s take on the genre is refreshingly unique in tone.

Colourful lyricism brims with character and attitude, while the productions carry a sleek R&B essence, making this one talent to watch for in 2022.

BXKS

New Music: Mear

Mear is the collaborative project of singer-songwriter Frances Miller and electronic composer Greg Harrison.

Together, this outfit create melodic songs that feel experimental and conceptual in tone, yet poignant and beautifully raw in their lyricism.

“In 2014, I lost the ability to do a lot of things I had previously taken for granted. At the time I wrote this I couldn’t read for more than a few minutes at a time and a short walk around the block could leave me bedridden the next day. ‘The Order’ was an attempt to voice some of the pain and the loneliness of that; of not understanding what was happening to me.” –  Frances Miller, Mear

Mear

Tennyson – Feelwitchu

Representing the very finest in Canadian electronic music, Tennyson returns with a superbly textured sound in the shape of new single ‘Feelwitchu’.

Taken from the forthcoming project ‘Rot’, which is released 18th February 2022 via Counter Records.

Tennyson

New Music: Dan Fable

What better way to banish your ‘Blue Monday’ vibes than to give Manchester-based singer-songwriter Dan Fable’s ‘Under The Weather’ a play?

“This song is about feeling down in the dumps, released on Blue Monday (apparently the saddest day of the year) hopefully people can relate to the feeling this time of year and take something positive from it!”

If you’re a fan of this hugely promising emerging UK talent then be sure to also check out the ‘Bedroom Ballads’ EP, out now.

Dan Fable

New Music: Mboogz

After going viral on TikTok just from the teasers for ‘Missing You’, UK rap talent Mboogz drops the official version of the track as his debut release.

Still at school and approaching his 16th birthday, this Bristol-raised artist could well be one to watch in the coming year.

Mboogz

New Music: Lauren Spencer-Smith

Track of the week. Still only 18-years old and already somewhat of a social media star (with significant followers across TikTok and Instagram), Lauren Spencer-Smith is picking up phenomenal momentum with ‘Fingers Crossed’.

This is pop at it’s purest and most effective, with a simple melody laying the foundations for Spencer-Smith’s impressive vocals to shine through.

Lauren Spencer-Smith

Methyl Ethel – Proof (feat. Stella Donnelly)

Photo / Xan Thorrhoea

Refreshingly unpredictable with each release, Australian outfit Methyl Ethel are back with a glittery and funk-infused slice of music that is not only infectiously memorable but lyrically captivating.

‘Proof’ represents a meditation on what constitutes as reality in the post-Trump, post-climate-crisis and post-COVID era – in which science and fiercely-guarded fantasy go head to head in the realm of public discourse.

The song is also the first to feature an additional singer: in this case, fellow Western Australian art-pop stalwart Stella Donnelly.

Taken from the forthcoming record ‘Are You Haunted?’ which will be released on 18th February 2022 via Future Classic.

Methyl Ethel | Stella Donnelly

New Music: Restless World Music

Featuring the vocal talents of JOSEPH, ‘Bridges are Collapsing‘ is a melodic and memorable blend of R&B and pop that’s all about the collapse of communication.

Restless World Music’s songs have already garnered awards from the Great American Song Contest four times, as well as received praise from the likes of SongwriterUniverse, The Further, The Honey POP and Volatile Weekly.

Restless World Music

Hembree – Close to Me

Photo / Jonny Marlow

Kansas City-based indie rockers Hembree release an ultimate ride or die anthem with their new single ‘Close to Me’.

“It’s a love song through and through with a narrative based in companionship. It’s about devotion to whoever is down to pull you out of the dark, and get you through the strange times and all of life’s struggles – that could be a partner, friend or even your dog. This one’s for the ride or dies.” Isaac Flynn, Hembree

Taken from the forthcoming album ‘It’s a Dream!’ which is out 4th February 2022.

Hembree

Hippo Campus – Ride or Die

Photo / Tonje Thilesen

With a career that has so far amassed almost ¾ of a billion streams and hundreds of thousands of concert ticket sales, Hippo Campus have firmly set their status as one of America’s biggest indie outfits.

‘Ride or Die’ is an anthemic bop that loosely charts ride-or-die relationships across different capacities – communities, romantic partners, collaborators, and friends.

“It’s one of my favourite songs on the record – you can really hear everyone in the band doing their thing.” – Jake Luppen, Hippo Campus

Taken from the upcoming third studio album ‘LP3‘ which arrives 4th February 2022 via Grand Jury Music/Fat Possum.

Hippo Campus

New Music: Offchance(onthe)

If you’re a fan of Rex Orange County or Dominic Fike then the chances that you’ll enjoy Offchance(onthe) are quite high.

The American producer and composer creates sounds that incorporate the best of lo-fi pop, R&B, hip hop and indie – leaving listeners with songs that feel distinctly unique while still carrying emotive undertones.

“The song talks about not fitting in and being lost in the world.”

Offchance(onthe)

YutaY – How To Be A Human Being

American talent YutaY is back today with an interesting fusion of electronic pop and indie through new single ‘How To Be A Human Being’. With it’s thoughtful lyricism and atmospheric production, the song presents a refreshingly experimental and original sound.

“In a world where we are slowly merging with our digital avatars and the ‘metaverse’ is all the rage, what does it mean to be human anymore? When ‘truth’ is a narrative we’re fed based on profiteering algorithms we have no control over, what should we believe? What matters? What is actually real?”

YutaY