Following the success of his first EP, Songs in D, Sam Himself has dropped his new single, “Nobody”, which will appear on his forthcoming sophomore EP. Though born in Switzerland, Sam Himself is now based in New York City, and wrote “Nobody” about his experiences in a big city that can easily swallow you up. Utilizing the very on-trend tactic of genre-mixing, Sam scores a great track with “Nobody” on many levels. While on the surface level it’s a bluesy rock song, “Nobody” also contains nods to modern synth use and nostalgic crooning vocals.
Sam says of the single: “The best and worst part about moving to New York City is realizing that nobody has been waiting for you here. The apple is plenty big without you, and unless you come up with a pretty good reason, New York doesn’t care. ‘Nobody’ is about that crushing, eye-opening and ultimately liberating experience.”
If you’re as much in love with “Nobody” as we are, make sure to check out more by Sam Himself and keep an eye out for his upcoming EP!
Emerging from London, 21 year old R&B singer-songwriter Olivia Nelson is here to drop a brand new single, “Smother Me”. Her vocal talent is remarkable, and “Smother Me” pays tribute to that in the best ways. Filled with soulful lyrics and vocals, “Smother Me” showcasing love in the way only Nelson could. Honest and unrestrained, “Smother Me” is not only a treat lyrically, but will make you fall in love with Nelson’s passionate vocals.
Says Nelson of the track: “[It’s about] experiencing infatuation and falling in love for the first time. Feeling like the wind could carry you away with one sweep, like nothing else matters. Like you’re weightless and everything in the world is suddenly brighter. I wrote this from an honest place and I wanted the music to reflect the powerfulness of that feeling. Even though the feeling of love is light, it is also heavy at the same time because your words and actions carry so much weight.”
So what are you waiting for? Go turn on “Smother Me”; you’re gonna want this one on repeat.
Canadian folk/rock band Reuben and the Dark has released their brand new music video for their single, “Hurricane”. Reuben and the Dark is composed of Reuben Bullock , Shea Alain, Brock Geiger, Ian Jarvis, and Dino Soares. The video for Hurricane is a treat for the eyes, full of interpretive dancing, ethereal costumes, and creative camera angles with a barren landscape background (the video was taken close to Joshua Tree National Park). The choreography for the video was done by Megan Lawson, who has worked with Madonna and Katy Perry, among others.
Aside from the beautiful visuals, the vocals and performance of frontman and songwriter Reuben Bullock is fantastic. Not only does his music create a stunning aural experience, but the concept behind the video is also amazing. The overall experience is an overwhelmingly creative and well-developed endeavor. Check out “Hurricane” and more by Reuben and the Dark.
Folk-rock artist Greg Connors is about to drop his brand new record, Home Made Compass, on March 3rd. Today, we’ve got your first listen with a streaming premiere of it in its entirety, as well as the premiere of the picturesque music video for his single “Armadillo”.
Starting off with “BEGIN ANYWHERE”, Connors brings his own take on folk music with this raw track. Next up is ARMADILLO, a deeper track that focuses the listener into the multidimensional layers of his music. “ARMADILLO” is followed by “JUST TO BE”, which features some killer guitar moments; a truly laid back and smooth rock track that balances folk aspects as well. Taking a completely different angle with “BUTTERSCOTCH”, a spoken-word interlude, Connors moves the listener into “INVISIBLE AUDIENCE”, a gutsy song that takes the listener for a trip.
A groovy, almost psychedelic track, “ONGOING END”, follows up next. With emotion packed lyrics and some “radio” parts, it’s a unique song on Home Made Compass. “RAPTORS” takes the reins next, definitely leaning towards the rock side of the LP. The first few notes are almost Bowie-esque. “CALICO”, another spoken interlude, carries listeners into the final two tracks on Home Made Compass. “TENNESSEE’, the denouement of the album, is a lovely song filled with a love for home, even if it’s not where you come from. Closing out Home Made Compass is BOATYARD”, the last song on the album. With masterfully poised instrumentals, Connors ends his album on a nostalgic, yet hopeful note.
Overall, the album does an excellent job of marrying folk with rock, and balancing the strengths of the two throughout the record. Whether you prefer rock or folk, Connors has got you covered.
California husband-and-wife duo of 16 years Fawns of Love (Jenny and Joseph Andreotti) are gearing up to release their new single, “Something Stupid”, which will appear with “Zine Days” as a two-song 7-inch. Following the success of their debut album, Who Cares About Tomorrow, this new music continues the vision the Andreotti’s have for their creativity. Fawns of Love uses vintage equipment to record their own music at their Bakersfield home, and the homemade, attention-to-detail aspects of their songs is evident. “Something Stupid” is anything but that. Pairing Jenny’s floating vocals with nostalgic instrumentals is a recipe for success.
Says Jenny: “I wrote ‘Something Stupid’ while I was at an art gallery. I was there before anyone I knew had shown up, so I got bored and started drinking a lot of wine. I just wrote observations about my drunken self. Although I didn’t realize it at the time it is lyrically similar to Sparks’ ‘Pretending To Be Drunk’ (but I was actually drunk). Instead of having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, I had the Mael Brothers on each shoulder inciting me to write something whimsical and self-deprecating.”
Ontario-based four-piece Ellevator will be dropping their self-titled EP on April 20. Their latest single, “Hounds” will appear on the EP, featuring a pleasing mixture of soft electronic sounds with emotional vocals. Ellevator is made up of Elliott Gwynne, Michael Boyd, Tyler Bersche and frontwoman Nabi Sue Bersche. Says Nabi Sue Bersche of the single: “Hounds” is an acknowledgement that we need each other to survive. There’s safety in numbers. We’ve seen how ‘every man for himself’ turns out, and we need to do better.”
With some killer guitar moments, floating vocals, and well-placed percussion, “Hounds” is a fantastic balance of musical technique and creativity. With the release of “Hounds”, Ellevator provides the listener with a glimpse into their well-structured musical composition. Keep an eye out for Ellevator’s EP, dropping April 20. They’ll also be heading to SXSW next month, and definitely a band to watch.
Two-piece band The Lagoons (brothers Joey and Ryan Selan) are back at it again with a perfect single, “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder)”. Originally from Los Angeles, they moved to Austin, TX and started The Lagoons together. After the success of their 2016 track, “California”, the duo is gearing up to release their EP, Escape, on April 6th. Now, they have released “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder)”, which will appear on Escape.
Full of smooth-synthy indie pop vocals and sax, The Lagoons have cooked up quite a fantastic track with “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder). Fans of Fitz & the Tantrums or COIN will definitely vibe to this song, as well as fans who are new to alternative/indie music. One of the best aspects of “Close My Eyes (And I Wonder) is its universal appeal to a variety of ears. Older listeners will appreciate the 70s nostalgia of the track, while a younger crowd will inevitably dig its on-trend indie sound. Keep an eye out for The Lagoons’ new EP, Escape, out April 6th.
Amsterdam based singer-songwriter VanWyck (irl Christine Oele) dropped her album, An Average Woman, in January of 2018. The LP features not only the insane talent of VanWyck, but the accompanying vocals of Marjolein van der Klauw and bass player/arranger Reyer Zwart. Having a widespread musical background ranging from classical piano to jazz-dance to rap and hip hop, VanWyck released An Average Woman as an answer to her own longings to share an authentic and creative thoughts on women today through a musical canvas. Her songs bring on chills as the listener delves into the all-encompassing soundscape of the album.
We were lucky enough to catch up with VanWyck to discuss her latest album, thoughts, and message.
The title of your album, An Average Woman, instantly caught my attention. How’d you come up with the name?
I wrote the song – that is the title track – a while back. It was during my one song a week project, where I tried to write and record one song every week for a year. I instantly knew it was a strong song, but also a difficult one to record properly, so I kept it for myself until the recording of the album. In a way it is a response to the way our media celebrates success in terms of uniqueness and individualism. I was so tired from the bombardment of perfect superwoman everyday, all the time. Sometimes it feels like only perfect women are allowed to be visible and to have a voice. There is so much pressure on women to be a certain kind of way and it so hard to rid yourself of that pressure, to find your own voice and your own values. It’s almost impossible. But in a way that was my assignment for this album.
What do you want to be the biggest takeaway from your music for your female listeners?
Maybe I hope for two things – one is that they feel supported in allowing themselves to be who they are – to free themselves from the pressures of having to be every woman, or to live up to certain ideals. That they find the strength to seek out their own ideals.
Next to that I hope they enjoy the magic and enchantment that I felt when I wrote these songs. After a lot of struggle and hard work I’ve come to the conclusion that there is this pool of infinite joy and creativity inside all of us – that we can always tap into that, but that we are often sidetracked by all the humdrum of modern life and obligations. I really think that inside each of us there is this river of knowledge and strength – we just need to find ways to tap into it.
Listening to tracks like “Red River Girl” gives me chills – how do you pack so much emotion into a few minutes of song?
Well “Red River Girl” was a very special writing process for me too. It really felt like someone else was writing the song. That I just had to let it wander through me. I think the subconscious really plays a big role in songwriting and the better you become at surrendering yourself to it – the stronger the songs will be that you find there. I think for this song I surrendered myself completely and maybe that is what you feel as well.
What’s your favorite view or landscape?
Anything wild and free will do. But I live in The Netherlands and we have hardly any wild and free left. It’s mostly cities and cultured grounds here – so sometimes I really have to free myself from that. Luckily we do have an amazing sea here with beautiful beaches and dunes and I try to travel to mountainous areas whenever I can.
The music video for “An Average Woman” is so beautiful! Where did the inspiration for it come from?
Thank you! I was very lucky to have met the artist and photographer Koen Hauser who directed the video. He was so moved by a song on my first EP that we got in touch. I was also very moved by his work and I guess there was this instinctive feeling between us that our work is connected in some ways. Like it deals with the same sort of themes. He also had strong opinions about how social media makes so many people feel like they are not good enough. So we decided to make a video with as many normal everyday woman we could find and to just let them be.
Where’s the best place to create music?
I can do it almost anywhere! As long as I have a guitar – but getting away from other people and noises is always good. I sometimes need some sort of silence and calm to be able to better hear all the voices in my head. But then again sometimes it’s the excitement of new experiences and new people that bring on new ideas.
If you could describe your music in a single word to someone who’s never listened to you, what would that word be?
At only 18, North Londoner Ellie Occleston is bursting onto the scene with her debut single, “Splinters”, out via Trellis Records. During her childhood spent in both the UK and Spain, Occleston honed her guitar and piano plays, as well as her songwriting skills. Ever expanding her potential, Ellie is currently a competitor in the Coffee Music Project in London.
Simply yet elegantly composed of piano and vocals, Occleston provides the track with emotion-packed singing. Aside from phenomenal lyrical composition, the single shows off all the right sides of Occleston’s vocal abilities within its four minutes. Produced by Jon Moon, “Splinters” is the perfect springboard to bring Ellie Occleston into the radar of the public. We’re looking forward to seeing Occleston continue to explore her musical talents and we hope many more beautiful tracks like “Splinters” are in her future.
