Helax – We Were Never Here To Stay

Helax might be a new name to the Alfitude pages, but this Berlin-based Swedish talent is in fact the brainchild behind one of our favourite Scandinavian bands, The Ghost Of Helags.

Today’s release of ‘We Were Never Here To Stay’ showcases Helax’s own solo work, and presents listeners with an experimental yet accessible style of electronic music that is euphoric and exhilarating to experience.

While we wait for some more new music from this gifted producer, be sure to check out his 2021 ‘But It Wasn’t a Dream. It Was Real.’ EP, which can be heard here.

Helax

🎵 Follow the Scandinavia Sound Playlist

Speech Debelle – Come Your Way

A true icon within the British hip hop scene, Speech Debelle returns with today a beautifully melodic and soulful new single, entitled ‘Come Your Way’.

As with any Speech release, the track blends a finessed production with lyricism that is thoughtful, introspective and captivating to experience.

“‘Come Your Way’ is about love and forgiveness, which I’m still learning. I’m also trying with myself and believe it can be a revolutionary act.”

The song is taken from Speech’s forthcoming ‘Sunday Dinner on a Monday’ album, which is scheduled for release on the 9th June 2023. This will be Debelle’s fourth record, and follows on from her Mercury Prize-winning ‘Speech Therapy’ (2009), Freedom of Speech (2012) and ‘tantil before i breathe’ (2017).

Speech Debelle | Music Catalogue

New Music: LYYN

LYYN is an emerging singer and songwriter who is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

LYYN initially gained prominence back in 2020, when her single ‘Heat Wave’ impressively debuted at #2 on Spotify’s influential Indie Pop flagship playlist.

The artist returns today with a dreamy new release called ‘Coyote’. Sonically inspired by dream-pop from the 90’s era, the track tells of a kind of love that is too intense to be nurtured. The creation of the song itself also carries with it an interesting story, as LYYN explains:

“‘Coyote’ was one of the first songs I wrote coming out of the pandemic and it manifested quite a memorable and spooky encounter. On a last-minute trip out to L.A. to record with my producer Noah Barer, I actually had doubts about whether or not the idea that became ‘Coyote’ could take shape up until the night before our first ever in-person session. Feeling nerves, I took a long sunset walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir to clear my head. Stopping to take a picture by a more secluded area, I suddenly hear a loud rustling and turn my head straight towards the face of a living, breathing coyote less than 20 yards away! I back up slowly, terrified I’ll be chased, but the coyote simply looks at me curiously before running off. After I’m back to safety and catching my breath, a thought occurs: ‘well, if there was ever a sign from the universe that I should put out a song, then that damn well was it!’”

LYYN

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Gal Musette – Moment

LA-based singer, songwriter and pianist Gal Musette is responsible for some of the most beautiful indie-folk sounds to have come out of California in recent months.

Musette’s new single ‘Moment’ is personal, sincere and bittersweet in tone, yet still accessible and relatable for listeners to experience. Speaking on the lyrical concept behind the song, Gal explains:

“‘Moment’ was a song I wrote one verse for seven years ago, but at some point I lost the paper with lyrics on it and over time almost completely forgot the melody. Years later when I experienced a significant personal loss, I was struggling to express my grief and fell into a crippling season of writer’s block. By a stroke of serendipity, the lyric reappeared on a folded piece of paper in my glove compartment which triggered a memory of the melody, and led full circle to my finishing the song and beginning to let go.” 

Alongside her recorded material, Gal is also an experienced performer who has played shows alongside the likes of Macy Gray, Suzanne Vega and Todd Snyder.

‘Moment’ is taken from Musette’s upcoming ‘Pendulum’ album, which is out in June.

Gal Musette

Knife Girl – Eat You Alive

Songwriter and producer Lili Aslo is a Finnish musical icon who has been performing under different names since 2013.

Her latest project, Knife Girl, has already taken the tastemaker world by storm. Following the release of critically acclaimed debut album ‘Uniform’ last year (listen here), Aslo is back with a deliciously bouncy pop number called ‘Eat You Alive’.

“It’s about wanting to forget about how love has hurt you for a second and giving into your dumb lust. I wouldn’t say I’m super knowledgeable about Ska but people tell me this song sounds like Ska. I think it sounds like sex. This is the last single before I begin releasing music off of my second full length album.”

Over the past year alone, Aslo’s Knife Girl project received a nomination for ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at her country’s Indie Awards, and was also awarded ‘Breakthrough Artist’ on YLEX radio.

Aslo has also been praised by outlets as noted as The Line of Best Fit, Wonderland, Earmilk, BBC Radio 1 and Finnish music magazine Soundi.

Knife Girl

🎵 Follow the Scandinavia Sound Playlist

Knife Girl Finland Shows 2023

  • 06.04.2023 — Kuudes Linja, Helsinki
  • 20.04.2023 — Sellosali, Espoo
  • 08.06.2023 — Sideways Festival, Helsinki
  • 10.06.2023 — Pikipop, Oulu
  • 29.06.2023 — Provinssi, Seinäjoki
  • 25/26.08.2023 – Festivali, Tampere

New Music: Souvenir

Brooklyn musician Souvenir (aka Michael Fenuccio) is a promising talent who is currently releasing some of the most impressive pop sounds to emerge from New York.

By fusing nostalgic synth tones with a modern electro-pop production, Souvenir’s latest single ‘Karma’ is a beautifully sad yet empowering banger that serves as an anthem for anyone who’s been made to feel worthless.

“Karma’s not your friend and neither am I.”

The song follows on from Souvenir’s well-received ‘Human Nature’ EP (available here), which was released last year. As an artist on the rise, Souvenir has amassed more than 130k catalogue streams on Spotify alone to date.

Souvenir

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Joseph Nevels – ABIDE

Kentucky-raised and LA-based artist Joseph Nevels is back with a powerful new single called ‘ABIDE’.

The song marks the start of Joseph’s next creative project, and presents listeners with a deeply emotive mix of soulful pop and alternative R&B.

“They say it’s better to a give than to receive – this is my first single from my upcoming project. I realised I have lot of songs but never really told my story. There’s a season for everything and this is just the first page of that chapter.”

To date, Nevels has picked up praise from heavyweight outlets like Lyrical Lemonade, Ones to Watch, NPR Music and Newsweek, while also receiving the seal of approval from none other than Pharrell himself.

Joseph Nevels

New Music: Fake A Smile

Hailing from the British seaside town of Bournemouth are newcomers Fake A Smile, who have just unveiled their first single, called ‘Prom Dress’.

Collaborating alongside acclaimed producer Gianluca Buccellati (who has also worked with the likes of Arlo Parks, Biig Piig and White China), this promising trio create captivating sounds that fuse hazy indie with alternative pop in a distinctly unique way.

“We wanted to create a body of work that introduced listeners to our core sound. ‘Prom Dress’ came together after a conversation we had about staying present and not getting too hung up on the past. We worked with producer Gianluca Buccellati in LA to refine our sound and solidify what we wanted to say as a band.”

The song serves as a taster to the group’s forthcoming ‘Shoot Me To The Moon’ EP, which is out soon. Keep an eye out for these chaps – they might just be one of the UK’s most interesting new indie outfits this year.

Fake A Smile 

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Daddy Squad – We Can Work It Out

Photo / Martin Perry

Daddy Squad is here to banish your midweek blues away with an energising slice of Italo disco perfection.

While ‘We Can Work It Out’ marks its official release today, the track has already become a fan favourite whenever the acclaimed DJ and hitmaker has played it at his shows in Paris, London, Madrid and Australia.

“All of the Daddy Squad tracks are about positivity, and growing, together. There is not going to be shady or diss tracks with Daddy Squad. This one is no exception, and it’s about working together, to better the world. We ARE going to work out all this bullsh*t we’re living through at the moment, the polarisation of politics, the violence and wars that continue around the world, the climate crisis. We will work it out, and it will get better.”

Daddy Squad is the musical project of Andrew Armstrong, who was previously a member of electro-pop outfit Monarchy. Aside from his own releases, Armstrong has also written and remixed music for the likes of Charli XCX, Dita Von Teese, Sebastian Tellier and Kelis.

Daddy Squad

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Madison Watkins – Find You

Music fans might not immediately recognise the name Madison Watkins, but this singer-songwriter is already a global star in the making.

Having garnered hundreds of thousands of followers all across social media, while also amassing millions of likes and more than a billion views, Watkins has marked her name as pop artist to watch.

New single ‘Find You’ is a refreshingly heartfelt and hopeful song that was written as a way to remind all the single listeners out there that we will eventually meet our perfect partners.

“I wrote this song because all of my girlfriends are waiting on our future husbands. I did it because I wanted to give us all hope, along with the rest of the world who may be looking for their future person.”

‘Find You’ was created alongside Grammy-nominated producer Ben Samama and Charlie Snyder.

Madison Watkins

Isaia Huron – GLT Freestyle

Emerging alt-R&B musician Isaia Huron might be on a nationwide tour alongside Chiiild right now, but that hasn’t stopped him from releasing a brand new single, entitled ‘GLT Freestyle’.

The song was created in Isaia’s hometown church using a broken mic, and was inspired by the singer’s emotions following a painful and emotional breakup.

Huron has had quite the stratospheric rise to stardom since his 2020 debut EP, ‘Three’. To date, the singer, songwriter and producer has amassed more than 15 million cumulative streams, and currently commands 356k monthly listeners on Spotify.

Isaia Huron

New Music: Devon Thompson

If you’re a fan of classic rock then Californian talent Devon Thompson might just be your new favourite artist.

As a Gibson Guitars signee, Thompson creates rousing songs that incorporate elements of both traditional and contemporary rock styles, resulting in powerful and edgy sounds that carry with them a sense of timelessness.

Sonically impressive and lyrically bold, Thompson’s fiery new single ‘Napoleon’ looks at the uncomfortable dynamics that occur when two people within a relationship do not share the same intensity of feelings for one other.

Devon Thompson

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Laura Wolf

Brooklyn musician Laura Wolf is an experimental artist who really is a breath of fresh air.

Wolf’s style of work involves her dissecting sounds from different genres, and reconfiguring them back together again in interesting and unconventional ways.

Songs like ‘Calligraphy and Calculations’ initially come across as conceptual and avant-garde in character – but the more you listen, the more you begin to form meaningful connections with the sounds. Elaborating on the title of the song, Laura explains:

“I was charmed by the Wikipedia page of Kane Tanaka, the (then) oldest person alive, which listed her favourite pastimes as ‘calligraphy and calculations’.

New album ‘Shelf Life’ is scheduled for release 2nd June 2023 via Whatevers Clever. 

Laura Wolf

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Sofie Winterson – Jump

Rising LA-based Dutch artist Sofie Winterson is back with one of the sweetest releases of the month.

‘Jump’ was created alongside acclaimed musician Benny Sings, and treats listeners to a mellow and melodic fusion of indie and nostalgia-tinged, dreamy pop.

The song is taken from Winterson’s upcoming ‘Southern Skies’ record, which is scheduled for release on 9th June 2023 (pre-order here).

Winterson has amassed millions of career streams since her debut back in 2014, and currently commands more than 38k monthly Spotify listeners.

Sofie Winterson

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Carl :Cries

We’re going to be completely honest and tell you that we have no idea who is behind Norwegian-Swedish duo Carl :Cries, but once you play their debut single, ‘On My Mind’, you’ll know exactly why we are so excited with this outfit.

Lifted from the band’s forthcoming ‘Stranger In My Bed’ EP (out 28th April, pre-save here), the song serves as a masterclass in Swedish indie-pop.

Inspired by the the traumas from a previous relationship, the track’s dark, melancholic and emotive production is nothing short of sonic perfection.

“The feeling to distract yourself and keep your eyes open, then when you close them she’s on your mind.”

Carl :Cries

🎵 Ones To Watch Playlist 🎵Scandinavia Sound Playlist

New Music: no good

Track of the week. Contrary to the name, rising North American talent no good is very much very, very good.

As a social media sensation with more than 1.8 million followers on TikTok alone, it was always going to be inevitable that no good would end up releasing some orginal music.

And we’re thankful for it, since ‘Tune Out’ is one of our favourite debuts of the season. A beautifully melodic piece of music, the song presents listeners with an emotive fusion of indie and pop.

no good

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Claudine Magbag

We recently came across a promising new artist from Seattle, called Claudine Magbag.

As a singer and songwriter, this talent crafts sounds that blend elements of R&B with pop.

Magbag’s songs are not thoughtfully constructed, but also melodically memorable and lyrically powerful.

While Magbag’s new single ‘How Could You Say’ feels delicate and intimate in tone, it’s a track that is also deeply captivating to experience.

Claudine Magbag

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: EVA

Brighton newcomer EVA has released one of the biggest weekend anthems of the year.

‘My One’ is an infectiously catchy dance-pop bop that is both energising and uplifting in character. Elaborating on the track and its accompanying visuals, EVA explains:

“My One’ is a playful anthem that incorporates the Jersey Club sound. The track uses the 160 BPM tempo used in Liquid, and the prominent kick sequence that characterises the Jersey Club sound – yet ‘My One’ holds its own sonic idiosyncrasies. These include a funky bassline break alongside syncopated snares created from sampling ASMR golf swing sounds, feeding into the song’s visual theme of golf.”

With support from the likes of Clash, Wonderland and Worldplay magazines already under her belt, EVA might just be one to watch for in 2023.

EVA

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

MAIH – The Movie of Us

We are quite certain that MAIH will become one of Norway’s next big pop talents, and the release of her new single only further affirms our opinion.

‘The Movie of Us’ presents listeners with a punchy sound that seamlessly fuses an uptempo electro-pop production with a pensive vocal delivery.

“‘The Movie of Us’ is a song about a love that’s nothing like the movies, but that still feels like a movie. It’s hard and frustrating, but still very real. It’s definitely a song you can both cry and dance to!”

With more than 78k streams from the release of just three singles to date, MAIH is one Nordic artist on the rise!

MAIH

🎵 Follow the Scandinavia Sound Playlist

New Music: Timi O

Boston-based artist Timi O’s ‘Threat’ only runs for 83 seconds, but it’s one of the most innovative and immersive pieces of music we’ve heard all week.

Distinctly unique in its concept, the song’s production pushes the boundaries of the rap genre – and in doing so, creates an exceptional sonic experience. Elaborating on the inspiration behind the track, Timi O explains:

“This song is reflective of my experience as a Black man in the US. The instrumental sets me up to portray a supervillain-like persona, but my lyrics show that I am just a man trying to beat the odds.”

While still a rising talent, Timi O has already amassed more than 850k career streams on Spotify alone. We envision big things for this musician… so be sure to keep an eye out!

Timi O

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist