Sharif Mekawy of Looms serenaded us in the early hours of Cancelled Plans Music Festival 2020 on April 17. We’re smitten, and think you will be too. If you haven’t seen it, check it out below. If you have, you know it’s time for a repeat.
Crowd favorites Scarves made us laugh and dance on Friday night during our Cancelled Plans Music Fest festivities. I got 8 different texts from friends and family about how delightful their particular set was, and I would concur. Catch it in all of its glory below, and don’t forget to tip them here!
R&B artist Rileyy Lanez continues to showcase her ‘heart on her sleeve’ music style with new single “Foul Play”. This track, along with previous release songs “I’m Leaving” and “Left 4 Me” will be featured on her forthcoming 5-track EP Beautiful Mistakes, out on May 1.
“Foul Play” looks at a relationship that is turning sour or is just about to, but focusing on the moments the two vibed with each other. With a contagiously catchy chorus and energized tempo, this song is memorable in more ways than one. This is a song you’d want to dance to, drive around to, or simply chill while it is on in the background.
Lanez’s vocals help represent the past, present, and future of the situation presented in “Foul Play”. This aspect of her voice helps to make her songs relatable. Her voice can be haunting, a punch in the gut, or honest.
Keep up with her here.
Deerhoof has released their new song “Farewell’ Symphony”. The single precedes the release of the group’s forthcoming album Future Teenage Cave Artists. The song’s inspiration is as ambitious as the track itself, with the video (edited by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier) featuring a supercut of six performances of the final movement of Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Farewell’ Symphony”.
Of the Deerhoof original, Saunier says: “Just imagine if all the living things that’ve been done in by capitalism could reunite for one big final bow! All the extinct cool underground music scenes, all the extinct species of plants and animals, all the extinct arts and educational and political systems that were meant to help people…they’d all be there!” The song itself is a magical ride of controlled chaos; under different guidance the gritty guitar, clanging drums, and singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals might be overwhelming, but under Deerhoof’s watchful eye it’s the perfect storm.
“Farewell’ Symphony” is available on all streaming platforms and Future Teenage Cave Artists is due to release May 29th via Joyful Noise Recordings.
Heaven-sent artist Hannah Grace (come on, even her name sounds angelic) has just released her newest track, a beautiful number called “Wasted Love”. The atmospheric track offers comforting support during heartbreak. Regarding the single, Hannah says,“I wrote ‘Wasted Love’ as a message to my past self. The song is about reassuring someone who is heartbroken that no love is wasted, even if it feels like it at the time.”
And nothing is more reassuring than Hannah’s light as a feather, crystal-clear vocals to guide you through the world of delicate keys and electronics that is created in “Wasted Love”. The song is a real beauty; a siren-song of healing. Grace’s perfectly controlled power is displayed through her impressive vocals, her voice diving into its depths and soaring easily into a stunning head voice a second later.
“Wasted Love” precedes the release of Hannah Grace’s new album, which is scheduled to drop in 2020. Grace has rescheduled her London headline show and will play Omeara on October 29th and she has also announced a hometown show at Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach on October 26th.
Sci-Fi influenced and experimental indie-rock, are just two ways to describe the music project Baron Minker, the alias for songwriter Dane Erik Frost.
Frost released a video for his most recent single “Anthem of the Rich and the Bored”, which is the only politically charged and influenced track on his upcoming album. “Anthem of the Rich and the Bored” calls out those that abuse their power, mainly those of a social elite status that look down on other classes of people.
The video is colorfully trippy, perfectly complimenting the sounds of the track. With the use of a skull that moves in time to the track, and looks as if the skull itself is the one singing these words, the video visually feels hypnotizing.
Baron Minker is a music project that carves out a balance between worlds that are savage and serene. By combining indie sheen with electric absurdity, Minker has a sound that calls back to 1970s psychedelic culture.
Keep up with Baron Minker here.
Listeners were first introduced to pop artist Katrina Cain on NBC’s The Voice, now she is dropping another single, “How Did We Get Here?”, inspiring others to stay true to themselves.
“How Did We Get Here?” narrates the authentic journey of Cain as an artist and a person, showing the complexity of what it means to be in women in music.
Cain combines her raw folk-like voice with dreamy sounds creating what she describes as “melancholy-pop”. Her music style tends to fall and swing between landscapes of soul breaking ballads and pop anthems. “How Did We Get Here” is a power pop anthem that encourages and promotes the idea of staying authentic to yourself despite the pressures of the outside world.
Cain’s storytelling through music is raw, honest, and empowering, encompassing the human experience in both a heartbreaking and true sense.
Swedish musician Carissa Shockley has recently released her newest single, “Drink to Forget”. The track features her brother Meyta as well as rapper Brenden.
Shockley’s haunting voice gracefully guides listeners through a tranquil soundscape packed with compelling melody lines and soulful harmonies. Of the new song, she says “‘Drink to Forget’ was my way of coping with the mistakes I made or when I faced disappointment in the years leading up to finding my life’s purpose with restored mental and physical health. My hope is to connect with others that relate to the authenticity in this song”. A well-placed acoustic guitar under Shockley in a calm moment following the rap verse leads listeners into the final section of the song, which features a swirling sound design navigated by the talented singer.
“Drink to Forget” is now available everywhere for your streaming enjoyment.
Los Angeles-based indie band Sincere Gifts have just released their new single, “Ghost of America”. The upbeat alt-rockers couple bright sounds and light-hearted production against dark lyricism for a fun listen that gets their serious (and important) message across.
Two lost musicians, Benben and Nick, found each other in the midst of America’s collapse. They emerged from the darkness as Sincere Gifts, conjuring love and earnest companionship. Because what is more needed in the era of rapacious capitalist greed than a sincere gift?
“Ghost of America” puts a strong focus on the current landscape in the United States in 2020. “The US is super fucked,” says vocalist Nick Byron Campbell.” In ‘Ghost of America’ the listener is taken on a short musical tour through the decline.”
At first listen, the track appears to be all sunshine and rainbows on the surface, but take a closer look (or more appropriately, listen) and hear the very real issues that the band is tackling. Sincere Gifts tackles everything from zombies to guns to riots before stripping back and ending the song with a stripped back and mesmerizing take on a section of the National Anthem. The band impressively tackles mountainous issues while making their important message fun and easy to take heed of. Keep doing what you’re doing, boys, America needs you.