One of the most successful indie-rock outfits to emerge from Wales, The Joy Formidable are still going strong ten years after forming.
Their new single ‘Interval’ is taken from the band’s upcoming album ‘Into The Blue‘, which will be available from the 20th August 2021. Of the album, the band says:
“It’s about opening your eyes to beauty and love again. Making it to the other side. Whilst not conceived as a metaphor for the times we all live in now, it certainly turned out that way.”
Initially connecting through Discord, Xander Sol and Lethr have seemingly formed a perfect musical partnership, as is evident with new single ‘GLOW’.
This is a summery track that carries through a distinctive approach to hip hop that feels lo-fi and hazy. Perfect for the weeks ahead, this is a very easy song to fall in love with.
“We began to share projects back and forth over DMs and email (as Lethr is from India while I am from the U.S.), building our own unique creative relationship while developing a sound that we ourselves felt driven to tackle. The day that ‘GLOW’ came about, I had woken up to this beat that Lethr had sent me. The drive and the mood of the instrumental had me hooked so fast, I wrote the whole song in under 2 hours and had the rough song recorded by the end of that day.” – Xander Sol
Just in time for summer’s peak weeks, Xavier White releases cheeky new single ‘Slip n’ Slide’.
A perfect addition to your summer playlists, this is a sleek fusion of RnB and pop that was co-written by B.Martin & FLYiZDR, and produced by Dan Bravo of Sweden.
“Summer vibes, its 2021 everyone has been vaccinated every thing is opened now, and the song is all about a hot boy hot girl summer, fun in the sun, playing in the water, enjoying each other. Just good sexy vibey energy. “
Hailing from Helsinki. Misha is half Finnish and half Ukrainian producer who is crafting some of the most finessed blends of hip hop and RnB to emerge from the Nordic nations right now.
And with over ten million streams and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1Xtra/ Jamz Supernova and Okayplayer, this is one talent to watch out for!
Taken from Misha’s new EP ‘Gusto’ which is out now.
Undoubtedly one of my favourite RnB-pop bops this week! Canadian talent Neena Rose is a 19-year old Ontario-based artist who’s debut single ‘Rock N Roll Lullaby’ was recorded at just the age of 12 with Diamond & Platinum producer-songwriter Roy “Royalty” Hamilton III.
Despite her young age, this artist is emerging onto the music scene with a magnetism not encountered every day. On her artistry, Neena says:
“I love it all, but writing lyrics is my favourite part. I want people to gain empowerment from my music. I want it to communicate to them: ‘You’ve got this. You can be different. You can do anything.’”
Canadian alternative singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Bryant returns today with dreamy new single ‘Tied Up’.
A feeling most of us are all too familiar with, the song is all about those early hours in the morning when the world is sleeping and you’re still wide awake.
“This song is about the early morning after everything is done and most everyone is sleeping. I’ve always been the kind of guy that needs change and new things to happen. It’s like a drug to me. Covid has been the ultimate buzz kill for me, so I’ve come to terms with reality and embraced the routine. As much as I hate it. It helped me write 50 songs in 50 days. Still can’t believe I managed to pull that off.”
Any day that KWAYE releases a new single is a good day, in my view. A true modern-day visionary, the 25 year old singer from LA (via London and Zimbabwe) has already developed a cult-like fanbase for his ambitious musical explorations, accumulating over 30 million global streams in the process.
“’Kindness’ has got many meanings, but the overall idea is that simple thing that, I think in this day and age, we as human beings tend to stray away from… humans can be so quick to judge, but also be so quick to be sceptical of any kind gestures in public. I make a habit of – if I’ve got something nice to say, I’ll say it to a perfect stranger.”
Taken from the new EP ‘Learning To Swim’ which will be released later this year.
Starting the weekend off with some of the finest emerging UK RnB and soul, courtesy of London-based producer, singer/songwriter and keyboard player Ruby Francis.
Heavily inspired by The Neptunes, ‘Jasmine’ is sleek yet passionate song that tells of an obsession for a girl Ruby never met.
“‘Jasmine’ is a made up name of a girl that I, as a character, have never met, but have fallen in love with online and become obsessed with in secret; idolising and fantasising about life together in reality.‘
My favourite pop duo return today with the release of nostalgic bop ‘Take Me Back’. Co-written and produced by Jared Manierka (who’s also worked with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen), the song showcases a more melancholic side to Fionn which is utterly charming to listen to.
“‘Take Me Back’ is a nostalgic pop ballad romanticising a life stuck in the past. Specifically we touch on an old relationship that is brought back to the surface and re-analysed. Time is a funny thing, and some days you wake up forgetting where the years have gone, feeling the pain of a loss as if it is new. During covid, we spent a lot of time wishing that we could go back to when the stress of living during a pandemic didn’t follow us on the daily. It also gave us a lot of time to romanticise every bit of our lives before.”
Check out the recent EP ‘Candid Constellations‘ which is out now.
With a refreshingly cute summer sound by Nolie, ‘Think Back’ is the kind of track that will have you feeling nostalgic thanks to it’s dreamy melody, making you reminisce to the days of your childhood.
I’ve been following LA-based British artist T.O.L.D. for a good few years now, and it’s always interesting to listen to his new releases. ‘How To Waste Time’ is a celebratory anthem and an ode to doing nothing.
Composed and recorded by T.O.L.D. himself, it was written after he started a daily meditation routine but realised that he didn’t know how to sit and do nothing; hence working on the song as a way to avoid practicing it!
Taken from the upcoming album ‘Reborn Again’.
After an 18-month musical hiatus, Myles Cameron finally returns with a nostalgia-drenched, feel-good single in the shape of ‘Summer ’19’.
“The instrumental leans very indie, but Moise and I are both black artists. Historically there isn’t a whole lot of representation of people who look like us in that space, so the whole song became sort of this rumination on that juxtaposition. The hook, song structure, and certain lines of Moise’s verse could have come straight out of some rap shit. We were both kind of like, okay this is an indie jam, but how do we make it unapologetically blacked out.”
Since his debut, Myles has achieved recognition from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, VICE, Hypebeast, and Ones To Watch.
Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Black Boys Look Blue’.
Utahn talent MASN continues to impress with the release of new single ‘Don’t Talk’. This is a track that feels summery yet also carries hints of melancholy, leaving you wanting to hear more from this hugely exciting newcomer.
Over the last twelve months, Dava has established herself as a name to watch out for. With bops like ‘Right Time‘ and ‘Papercut‘, this talent delivers a flair of excellence with her take on pop.
The songs feels finessed and sleek, yet still maintain an element of fun which is completely addictive. ‘Sticky’ showcases a more quirky side to the artist, and as usual it’s brilliant.
A supreme blend British and Turkish heritages come into full force on ONUR’s new single ‘Parami Ver’.
Inspired by his time in Istanbul during the pandemic, the song translates to ‘Give me my Money’ and serves as his first single on Sony Music Turkey.
“I feel like it’s so important now more than ever to drive a cultural conversation between the western world and Turkey. Western media portrays such a distorted view of Turkey that fuels nothing but hate and fear. I want to change that.”
After initially sharing a short snippet of this track on Instagram last year (which fans lovingly dubbed the ‘Jeep Song’), Chelsea Cutler returns with the hugely relatable ‘Walking Away’.
“‘Walking Away’ is about how intricate and complex a relationship can be, and it’s also about realising you can’t keep holding on to something when it’s not right. This was actually the first song I wrote for the album, so it feels fitting to go forward into this next chapter with this single. I’m so excited to share everything with the world!”
Two of Germany’s most exciting emerging acts join forces on a song that is truly like none other you will have heard before.
Avant-garde pop duo ÄTNA and techno marching band MEUTE collaborate on ‘Weirdo’, a song which is sonically so original and unique that it holds your attention captive all the way through.
“We have been big fans of ÄTNA for a long time. The videos, the music, the talent and the overall style are a blast and now a collaboration has come out of it – how cool is that?” – MEUTE
Still Woozy‘s unique blend of lo-fi pop and indie has steadily won him a huge legion of fans in recent years; and with songs like ‘Get Down’ it’s really not hard to see why.
The announcement of his tour of North America and Europe this autumn sparked a frenzy, with several cities already selling out already – but you might just be lucky enough to catch him live.
Taken from the forthcoming full-length debut ‘If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is’ which is out on 13th August 2021.
Track of the week. In my humble opinion, it’s only a short matter of time before Californian duo Motel 7 reach global recognition for their superb approach to alt-pop.
Consisting of Anton Khabbaz and Dylan Jagger Lee, this outfit have the ability to seamlessly craft songs that create impact in the most thoughtful and balanced way imaginable.
“A friend of mine told me that this song reminded him of a Nirvana record, and I was like ‘hell yes.’ I feel like thats what we want to hear. Sometimes I’d rather have someone tell us our songs sound like some of the OGs such as Nirvana, rather than someone on Top 40 radio right now.” – Motel 7
