ABSOLUTE. – Piano Theory

Lockdown or not, I’m thankful that we have talents like London’s own ABSOLUTE. keeping the party going (albeit in our homes for the time being).

“When working on ‘Piano Theory’, I was dreaming of being at huge outdoor raves, loved up, sweaty, with all my favourite people in the world, without any of life’s worries, a moment of pure euphoria and freedom. It became therapy, granting some escape to a tough time for all of us.”

Taken from the debut mixtape ‘Wonderland’ which is due for release in April via Skint Records/ BMG. 

ABSOLUTE.

BRIDGE – Make Me Miss You

As far as RnB goes, BRIDGE is one of those rare talents who is consistently unafraid to be bold and experimental with his work.

Press play on ‘Make Me Miss You’ and the beat will immediately catch your heart and mind, leaving you completely hooked to every second of this song.

“I wanted to deliver on a vibe that to me felt like a perfect summary of everything I put out recently. Something that felt true to me both lyrically and sonically.”

Watch out for multiple EP projects from Bridge this year.

Bridge

Jon Lucy – PUTP (feat. fina)

On the surface, this release from LA-based talent Jon Lucy comes across as a playful take on electronic pop; but listen to the words carefully and you’ll begin to realise that there’s a deeper message that gives the song a whole new perspective.

“This song is about communicating with the dead – specifically how foolish and silly that can feel while simultaneously feeling like the most profound experience. It’s a fragmented representation of something I felt every time I drove past the place in Vermont where my partner passed away – a lot of confusion and attempts at acceptance tied together by a manic energy that keeps pushing forward for self preservation.”

Jon Lucy | fina

New Music: Dear Sara

I first featured Swedish talent Dear Sara last year, when she collaborated with JIM OUMA and Alicaì Harley on the single ‘Kids’.

I could hear something special in her voice back then, and now with the launch of new single ‘Something You Should Know’, I can confirm that this lady could very possibly be one of Scandinavia’s biggest pop exports in the future.

A delicate yet distinctive vocal presents itself within a song that contrasts between being haunting and rousing at the same time.

“I could not stop thinking about that strange song I wrote together with Elias [Näslin, co-writer] – a melancholic, complicated declaration of love for my hometown. A tribute to the culture I grew up with. To say that it also counts. We count. We exist. At the same time, I want to tell you about the alienation. About being different in the tiny community. About a constant search for more and a desire to fit in somewhere. It was time for me to own my story.”

Dear Sara

Marie Naffah – Wasteland

London-based singer-songwriter Marie Naffah was creating traction right from the start; she was named MTV’s Unsigned Artist of the Year before even releasing her first song.

Now five singles in, this impressive talent has already delivered a TED Talk, scored a movie for the BFI Female Film Festival, and toured the US and UK (to sell-out venues like Omeara and the Camden Assembly).

The music itself fuses soul and inide-pop together to create a sound that is bold and confident – these songs make a statement and aren’t easily forgotten.

“I wanted the song to move in and out of two lands – The Wasteland and Wonderland. Wasteland – the home of self-doubt, apathy and vulnerability is articulated through the verses whilst Wonderland is a space of confidence, power and energy that pulsates through the chorus. After the year we’ve all had, I feel it is a song for people who seek to find their own version of Wonderland in 2021.”

Taken from her forthcoming EP, which is out later this year. 

Marie Naffah

Nina June – Rainbow Ashes

It blows my mind how deeply emotive this single from Amsterdam-based singer and songwriter Nina June is. The first time I heard this song I was truly left speechless.

On the track, Nina’s solo vocal gives way to a production animated by the choir of a real heartbeat, a rain machine, and a swell of string that were arranged by celebrated composer, Sally Herbert.

It’s no surprise that previous releases have garnered Nina over 20 million streams worldwide.

Nina June

New Music: Tommy Brown

In one word, you could describe British rapper Tommy Brown’s sound as ‘Epic’. There’s no holding back with this talent’s music; it’s raw, intense, deep, introspective and totally captivating.

Blending elements of jazz, soul and rock with hip-hop, Tommy Brown shows himself to be someone who is unafraid to break away from the traditional moulds of hip hop in the quest to tell his stories.

“This song is very personal to me as it represents a part of my life I poured a lot of my energy into. Me and an ex would talk about a future together and then one day that all came tumbling down when she moved away and found a new man. The track recounts my experience of this. We were lucky enough to have Izzy bless the track with powerful, soulful vocals – this gives the song an added layer of conversation within it between the verses and the choruses.”

Taken from the new album ‘Carousouls’ which is out now.

Tommy Brown

New Music: Carston

I am so pleased to be sharing with you this debut release from singer-songwriter Carston.

Hailing from the Netherlands, this promising talent has crafted a song that starts in a humble and understated way, and goes on to reward you more the longer you listen. You’ll find it near impossible not to fall in love with the beauty in it’s simplicity.

“Last summer I wrote and recorded the song ‘Take My Crown’ together with my producer and co-writer Stijn Kessens (who also happens to be my former history teacher). The first thing we recorded was the guitar riff, a few hours later we had recorded the basic framework of the song. A demo was created and from here on we strived to get the song to the highest production level.” 

Carston

New Music: MoonBee

Every so often you stumble across a talent who is so uniquely true to their creative selves that the music totally blows you away after just a few seconds of play.

This is the case with Danish outfit MoonBee, who creates a sound that could only be described as cosmic dream pop; a fusion of playful 60s beats, rocking 70s bass, atmospheric 80s synth and omnichord, energetic 90s guitar riffs.

It’s music that takes you to several galaxies far away, and an escapist’s idea of bliss.

“MoonBee creates music that takes you to a distant, sparkling galaxy. A tale of searching for a greater meaning within the magical infinite Universe as a kind of backlash to all that’s sense imprinted in society. A book of remembrance of being a tiny little creature against the infinity of the Universe.”

Taken from the double-debut EP ‘Come Move In Another Dimension – Part I & II’ which is out now.

MoonBee

New Music: Keeper

An exciting London-based talent who’s project came together through a chance encounter over a game of Minecraft on Twitch.

Emanuel Andrade (who goes by the stage name Keeper) began sending some guitar samples to Jon Cass (As Everything Unfolds), and in time they both realised their tastes in music were similar.

‘Homegrown‘ feels like a balanced blend emo vibes with hip hop, fused into a sound that is intrinsically quite unique.

“Music is a creative outlet that lets me express myself and create and tell stories verbally because my English skills are awful. My mother learnt how to make bread, I learnt how to make stories about characters and put them to music.” – Keeper

Keeper

New Music: Orson Wilds

This track from eight-piece indie rock band Orson Wilds accelerates into epic mode very fast.

A rousing, anthemic and totally exhilarating experience that makes you pine for the days when you can go to a venue somewhere and dance along to music like this.

The video was shot on 35mm film and is inspired by French New Wave, 60’s fashion and Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

Orson Wilds

New Music: AMADEUS

https://open.spotify.com/track/5jUn7Zv2oS2k2f8AKwRuzQ

A stunning debut from a talent who is not only a professional soccer player in his native Sweden, but now also a very talented songwriter.

Amadeus Sögaard’s style of music-making brings a crisp and finessed approach to pop that feels dark, minimal and intense. One to watch!

AMADEUS

Fran Minney – Normal

Leeds based singer-songwriter Fran Minney releases the stunning ‘Normal‘ today; a song which has instantly captivated me and one that I just have to share.

Through thoughtful lyricism, the vocal tones feel ethereal yet emotionally raw, while the production is subtly emotive and dreamy. It all comes together so beautifully that you really do fall in love with this talent by the end of the song.

“I wrote ‘Normal’ when I was blind-sided by the end of relationship. I wanted to memorialise the night when we both knew it was over but decided to put it off until the morning. It wasn’t some grand romantic evening, just a very normal one where we could pretend that things weren’t about to completely change.”

Fran Minney